A Bit Of Everything

FYI-If you need exactly 1 square foot of fake grass, it will take exactly 5 Ace Hardware employees to figure out how to cut it.

FYI-If you are without cable, internet and phone service, save yourself some time, don't call Time Warner, jump off a bridge instead.

As an Undergrad, my motto was if you study drunk, take the test drunk...I got a 4.0
I am curious, in Graduate School, if I study in my jammies, should I wear jammies to my finals?

We saw Bolt last week. It was the best $12 nap I have had in a long time. I highly recommend it! Go to the 3-D theatre. The glasses cover your eyes and the kids don't even know you are alseep!

FYI-Sometimes your fuel tank is like a chocolate shake. That was the way the nice man put it when he told me there's nothing wrong with my car. It was way over my head.

FYI-I am up to date on my Blog reading but have no time to comment. There is a lot to say about the nuggets you all have given me lately. Be patient. I will get to you!

I am done Christmas shopping AND wrapping but still need to buy something for Meg's birthday. It is 4 days after Christmas so it's best to lump it with the rest spending. This is late for me. I am usually done by Halloween. I am slipping people. Slipping.

In Sunday school today, I caught a certain someone sticking her tongue out at a girl she had just tattled on for doing the same offensive act. And she was really mad I caught her! If you think this is your child, you are probably right!

FYI-I FINALLY lost that toenail! Now I can get a pedicure. And a haircut. A wax. A facial. Everything revolves around a pedicure.

Anyone know where I can buy loose tea?

FYI-Red crayon VS. Laundry in the dryer...always bet on the crayon. BUT W-D40 takes the race because it will remove said crayon. However you will stink for weeks.

I also had an unfortunate incident with a sharpie today. It might have involved a small child. It was ugly.

That's all the time I can afford right now. You people will get sick of me when I go on Christmas break!

Thoughts On Last Night

Last night our Church put on a night of worship. It was exactly what I needed. I needed to take a break from the restless and sick week I have had. I needed to be surrounded by love and joy. It was a perfect evening.

Kristi, Jeff, Robbie, Jennifer and Heidi did amazing on vocals. Don was rockin' the keys (is that the right term?) I don't know any of the other musicians but they were all awesome! I loved the way the choir was used. And it was as if they looked at my list of favorite worship songs and decided to just do those! All my faves were sung last night! The best part of the night was the end when "You Are Good" was sung. That is our family's worship song. The kids use my lipstick as microphones, I tun up the volume all the way and we sing it loud and proud! I have a really great gospel choir version. I wish the kids had been able to be there.

I have been fighting a cold all week. I cough every time I try to talk. But I was singing my heart out last night. I think this was a great way to spend a friday night. Much better than sitting on the couch, watching brainless TV and eating TJ's chips. Thank you FCC for doing this. Let's do it again soon.

PS...not to be forgotten are Billy who was doing something very fancy with a bunch of buttons, and CT who I am sure was somewhere with a clipboard making sure everything was running smoothly. Well done boys.

Quote Of The Day

Me: "Megan, here is your cell phone. Your friend called while you were at school " (as I hand her a pearler bead phone she made)

Megan: "Great! I'll just text her back!"

She's 5 people. 5.

Lakeshore Rocks!

Earlier this year we took a break from the kids agents and managers and the endless drive to LA for auditions and photoshoots. One place we didn't give the boot to was Lakeshore. I highly suggest you all get your kids on their list. They only use local children for their catalogs. They also own Toys To Grow On which is also shot with local children. They do not pay anything you can put in a college account but they do give each child $50 gift certificate to their stores.

Dylan shot for them the other day. With his $50 we were able to go to the outlet store (right next door to the shoot) and buy 3 new games, a ball, an excavation kit and something else I can't remember right now. nonetheless, We got $100 in merchandise for free ($50 plus the outlet prices).

Dylan did awesome. Seeing him in there I was asking myself why we stopped going on auditions. The kid is a natural performer. Megan wroks the camera better, but this kid has stage presence. In fact, he has a speaking part in the HCS Christmas show coming up. He is really excited that he might even get to carry baby Jesus across the stage as he delivers his speech. He is a natural performer and I couldn't be more proud of him.

So I got a bit nostalgic and almost called his agent to say we're back in...then this happened...
TRAFFIC! I hate traffic! It took us 1 1/2 hours to get home from the shoot, and it was only in Long Beach. And sitting in LA traffic everyday for auditions sucked. So I am reminded why we took a break and thankful for the occassional bone Lakeshore throws is. Sign your kids up. It's worth it!

Free Clothes

I have been saving a box of clothes in my garage since losing weight. I was waiting for a good cause to give them to someone. When someone posted on freecycle that her sister lost everything in the fire and had nothing for herself and two daughters I thought I had my cause. But the lady never showed up for the clothes. So on my porch sits a box of size 8-10 pants and large shirts. Some of the stuff was barely worn since I bought it as interim clothes as I was losing weight (I started bigger than that). If you know of someone who is in need of clothing in this size, let me know. I would like it to go to good use.

Vegas Baby!

When Jon and I were roommates we went to see Swingers. A few days later I offered him to create an e-mail name on my AOL account. It was the mid 90's, we were just catching onto this Internet thing and I had just gotten a computer as a college graduation gift. (Side note, I wrote Legal briefs on a Brother word processor on which I could only see 2 lines of text at a time for 4 years. I could have used this gift a bit earlier!). Anyhow, Since we had just seen Swingers and Jon had been using the key phrase "You're so money" for days, he picked the name jonmoney. Ring a bell?

A few years later we were dating and going to visit his parents for Thanksgiving. On an extended layover in Vegas I had blackjack on my mind, but Jon decided to get me drunk and propose. Or was it propose then get me drunk. Either way, he got down on one knee in the middle of the casino and begged me to be his wife. I said yes, yadda, yadda, yadda.

We have been back to Vegas twice since then. Once when I was pregnant with Dylan and once when he was very young. For YEARS I have been itching to get back there again. So we decided for our first ever escape from the insane asylum called my house, we would go to Vegas. I have been secretly saving money for about 1 1/2 years to try to plan a disco party for our 35th birthdays in January. We decided to do this instead. We'll spend the same amount of money, and we might find some disco music somewhere in town, but it will be better because we really need a vacation...alone.

So my awesome mother-in-law is coming in town to stay with the kids for our adventure in Sin City (we will be sinless I hope). I have booked everything. Rooms at the MGM Grand (the scene of the blackjack vs. engagement ring experience), 2 Cirque Du Soleil's in one night, Penn and Teller the next night,drinks with my cousin, spa services, and of course I have left some free time for BLACKJACK!!! I am very excited. And nervous. I leave my grandma a 1 page note every Wednesday to get her through 3 hours with the kids until Jon gets home. I am going to need to buy a ream of paper to make all the lists for those 3 days! We are going right after finals and coming home in time for the Drive Through Nativity. Squeezing it in when we can!

On a completely different note, when we came home tonight at 9:00pm, it was 83 degrees. It is so windy my home is shaking. Last week when it did this Dylan and I were awake all night. Literally.

Again I digress, as I type this I am finishing a bottle of great almond champagne from Trader Joe's which only cost $6. We were celebrating Jon's work accomplishments and the end of an an amazingly long work week (I think he worked 3 13 hour days in a row). I made some appetizers and put in a movie. The night is ending with me turning off the movie after about 20 minutes and me drinking the champagne on the couch, watching Boston Legal, listening to Jon snore nearby. Next time we'll save the celebration until his day off!

Disclaimer!

My husband wants me to disclose that I did not write the previous post. He is afraid you will all think badly of me for all the naughty words.. It wasn't me people.

Over 30?

When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were when they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning ... uphill BOTH ways

yadda, yadda, yadda

And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it!

But now that... I'm over the ripe old age of thirty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today.

You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a damn Utopia!

And I hate to say it but you kids today you don't know how good you've got it!

I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have The Internet. If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the damn library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalog!!

There was no email!! We had to actually write somebody a letter with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox and it would take like a week to get there!

There were no MP3's or Napsters! You wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the damn record store and shoplift it yourself!

Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ's usually talked over the beginning and @#*% it all up! We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called they got a busy signal, that's it!

And we didn't have fancy Caller ID Boxes either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your mom, your boss, your bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!

We didn't have any fancy Sony Playstation video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like 'Space Invaders' and 'asteroids'. Your guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination!! And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen forever!

And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died!
Just like LIFE!

When you went to the movie theater there no such thing as stadium seating! All the seats were the same height! If a tall guy or some old broad with a hat sat in front of you and you couldn't see, you were just screwed!

Sure, we had cable television, but back then that was only like 15 channels and there was no on screen menu and no remote control! You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on! You were screwed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get off your ass and walk over to the TV to change the channel and there e was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning. Do you hear what I'm saying!?! We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little rat-bastards!

And we didn't have microwaves, if we wanted to heat something up we had to use the stove or go build a frigging fire. Imagine that! If we wanted popcorn, we had to use that stupid Jiffy Pop thing and shake it over the stove forever like an idiot

That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You're spoiled. You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980!

Regards,

The over 30 Crowd

Total Randomness

It is amazing how many random thoughts can pop into your mind during a traffic filled drive to Tarzana. Where is Tarzana? Nowhere near where I live. But it is near Reseda. Name the movie. It is an all time favorite of mine. Here's a hint. Reseda vs. Encino.

Reseda is also the scene of a crime I commitment in Jr. High. It is where I was when I lied to my parents to cover up for my brother. A cover up I maintained until well into my 20's. And to this day, my parents do not believe the real set of events. They cling to the story as proof I was a horrible girl, flouncing around in Reseda. But I wasn't, and my ungrateful brother pretends he doesn't even remember the night. Terd.

I am wearing a belt for the first time in years. Exactly 6 years actually. The last one was a maternity belt when I was ginormous with Megan. This one is not as big. Or as stretchy. And it's pretty!

'Tis the season to spend too much money at Target. Speaking of which, they are out of bags today. They have the size for a pack of gum and the size for a bicycle...nothing in between. I guess I know where everyone was on Veterans Day!

Serafina sprained her shoulder. She's on an anti-inflammatory. That brings hed medicine count to 7. Just keeping you all up to date.

A few days ago I forgot to wash the conditioner out of my hair. I didn't realize until I was drying it with exactly 2 minutes until I had to be in the car. It ended up being the best hair day I have had in years. I even got 2 compliments. Interesting.

Since living here I have always gone to EZ Lube. It was truly EZ when it was in the Target parking lot because I could kill two birds yadda yadda yadda. But then they tore it down which forced me to go to Jiffy Lube because it is not so EZ to go to EZ Lube when the only other location is on the other side of town. So I make the move to Jiffy Lube which is fine because it is by the new Smart N Final. So again, two birds...
So last week, I run a few errands on the other side of town and hit Jiffy Lube on the way home WAY overdue for my oil change. I get home to a message on my machine from EZ Lube. As a thank you for my loyalty, they are offering me an oil change at 50% off. CRAP! I was just on their side of town. I was literally JUST at Jiffy Lube! Do they have a tracking device on me? Why didn't they call my cell. Why did I just pay full price somewhere else? Why why why????

If it is still dark out, go outside and look at the moon. it is AMAZING tonight! I looked at it the whole way home from Tarzana. Did you think of the movie yet???

I also think it is amazing that the songs my kids were born too are both #9 on their CD's. That means my OB is so precise with her surgeries that she performs them in perfect time. And their songs fit their personalities perfectly. It's cosmic. Dylan's song is How Sweet It Is by James Taylor and Megan's is In The Long Run by The Eagles. When they were younger we used to dance around the house to their songs for hours. Now we only get to it every few months but they both still think it is really cool!

So one time we were dancing to Megan's song and just let the CD play. That's when it happened. I can still clearly remember the moment I first saw the Dylan dance. It came out of nowhere at the first notes of Heartache Tonight. It is truly a sight to behold. Everyone should experience the Dylan dance once in their lives.

Speaking of music...I have the FISH at the end of my pre-programmed selections for a reason. I go there last. I go there last because I feel horrible turning off a worship song. I feel so bad cutting someone off in the middle of their praises. But there are just some songs that are not my style. Or I don't know them. Either way, I only go to the FISH when there is nothing on the other 11 stations. And I hold my breath as I push the buttons. I am usually pretty safe at night because it is usually John Tesh just giving us some top 10 list, so I turn it off right away (no offense but his lists bore me). Which leads me to wonder, why do I even hit the button if I know that I will most likely turn it off?

Megan is a name we picked randomly just because we liked it. Dylan actually picked it out of our list of names. I always knew that Megan is a variant of Margaret but I had never put something really cool together. My Mom's name is Margaret. She goes by Peggie which is possibly why it took me 6 years to make the connection. Anyhow, Megan and Margaret mean "pearl" which happens to be the ring I have always remembered my mom to wear. AND ....... they share a birthday. Again...Cosmic.

Today I held my breath and looked at the eye...an actual eye. I hate medical stuff on live people. I love forensics...can look at dead bodies all day...but the live ones gross me out! Tonight I looked through a thingy and saw the back of the eye. It is gross to think about but it wasn't half bad to look at. I still think medicine is for someone much stronger than me, however now I think I can get through this program without vomit ting on my vision professor.

One final thought...can deodorant actually make you smell? I got a free deodorant with a coupon. it is not an "off" brand, but it not the same brand I usually wear. And for some reason I feel like I stink every day. Maybe I am just not used to the smell. But I think I stink even though I shower and clean my pits daily. Someone please tell me if I stink OK???!!!

Was that RANDOM enough for you???

WAIT! A few more thoughts. In the background I am catcing up on DVR. James Taylor is playing on a show. That's the CD Dylan was born to. Hmmm...

AND...can you name my movi yet????

By The Light Of The Moon...

...I try to sleep. But it doesn't happen.

12:15am-I crawl into bed. Fall asleep watching Chelsea Lately

1:32am-Boy child crawls into bed claiming a scary dream

2:13am-Girl child crawls into bed claiming a scary dream. I am sensing they are playing me for a fool.

2:38am-White dog barks to go pee. After discovering it is raining she starts playing. I am forced to go out in the cold wet grass to drag her in. I return to my bed only to discover the creatures have moved themselves into the small hole I was sleeping in. I have a choice of sleeping at the bottom of the bed or finding another place to go. I opt to sleep in D's bed.

3:09am-Cute dog barks to go pee. Seriously...you couldn't go half an hour ago? He is not fond of the rain. Stands at the door hesitating. Tired of waiting for him to stop being a wimp, I push him out into the rain. He does his business and I go back to Dylan's bed.

4:23-White dog wakes me up while trying to jump up into bed with me. What??!!!

5:30-on the nose...sub line calls to see if I can work today. NO!!!!!!!!!

6 o'something (I have no decided to stop looking at the clock) boy child discovers I am gone and comes to sleep in his bed with me.

6 o'2 minutes later girl child makes the same discovery. I am now squished in a twin bed between these monsters.

6 o'snuggle time, I remember that this won't last forever. Someday the dogs will be in heaven and the kids won't want to snuggle me anymore. Then I will be left with nothing but my snoring husband to keep me awake.

And you all wonder why I am EXHAUSTED!

Dirty Disco Mommy

I had such and awesome time at the Muddy Buddy. It is by ar the best race I have ever done. I LOVED the biking. The running was tolerable but the biking was AWESOME! My only complaint...all those darn people going so slow down the hills in front of me. Release the brakes people!!!

I had set the alarm for 4:30 then remembered that I needed to shave before the race. So 4am it was! We got there by 5:45. We wasted some time until the costume contest. Despite out best Egyptian dance across the stage, we did not take the prize. A very unPC Border Patrol agent and his partner in a sombrero and blanket won. They were a ton of fun.

At 7:00 it was time to line up. The waves were broken down by ages, the combined age of you and your partner. I am not saying that my partner is old, but she does mark a different category in the age bracket then I do. So we were in wave 12...12 of 13! YIKES! So after a LONG wait, we finally got going around 8:15. That was a seriously long wait. We met some fun people in our wave, had a few snacks, went potty a few times, and even got a few sprinkles on us.

After each leg of the race, you transition from biking to running or vice verca. Theoretically when you run into a transition station, your bike should be there waiting for you. I never had a bike. In fact, I always had to wait more than 3 minutes for my partner to get there with the bike. This means I ran faster than she biked. She was scared of the riding. But she did awesome and I am proud of her.

We finished 9th in our division (out of 58), which I think is awesome. Our time was 59:25 which I am sure we could shave down by 6 minutes if she can get over her fear next year. At the end of the day I felt it was so much easier than the Mud Run, she thought it was more challenging than the Mud Run. Hmmmm....

The HIGHLIGHT of the day for me was coming around a curve and hearing someone cheering for me! Sarah B was there to support her husband but managed to find me on the course and give me a bit of support! It was an awesome feeling to hear my name coming from the crowd!!

We ended the day with a few beers in the beer garden, some laughs about our crazy family, and an awesome meal at Don Joses. Cheers! Enjoy the pics. (There's more at jonmoney.blogspot.com)

Before the race


After the mud pit



An awesome picture taken by Sarah B. (pirated from her website!) This was my reaction to hearing my name in the crowd! THANK YOU SARAH!!!

The view from on top of one of the mountains


This reminds me of something you would see in a movie about some dorky college boys who are trying to get some girls. They are watching this scene from the bushes thinking they have found heaven. It is a bunch of muddy women hosing each other off! Sure, there are men there too but that doesn't fit so well in the scene.


Must finish with a beer!!! (Check out my shirt...that was totally unintentional)

Halloween '08

This year we did the usual.
Pre-Halloween visit to the Costa Mesa Haunted House (Megan actually got out of the car this year)
Halloween fundraiser benefiting CASA a So Coast Plaza
Halloween night dinner at BJ's downtown followed by Main St Festivities
Trick-Or-Treating around our neighborhood then rushing home to give out candy.
Daddy falling alseep in the couch at 8pm
That's a typical Halloween for the Michell's