Catch up

The last couple of weeks have been pretty busy. After Rob finished the garage storage, he emailed me a couple of links from craigs list wanting to know if we could get one. I thought, "oh boy, what is it now?" Usually he wants something extravagant that we can't afford right now, and the answer is more than likely 'no'. ha ha! Well, I opened the links and it was saltwater fish tanks. The 2 he emailed me were in really good condition and under $250. I thought that would be neat to have a fish tank with live coral, rock, "finding nemo" characters. He said that the choice was mine. I chose the cherry wood 29 gallon one. He tried talking me into the bigger one, 55 gallon, but I didn't like the oak stand and hood. We were trying to figure out where to put it in our house. And, without knowing how big they are, we left and visited PetCo. We decided the 55 gallon would be better (and for the fish, coral).

Rob is a researcher. I think I mentioned that before. Before he buys anything, he surfs the Internet for reviews, best prices, which is a great thing! After a couple of nights researching, he made the decision to build one to fit a 90 gallon. So, he has been working non stop every night on this cabinet. I think it's wonderful that he has found a new hobby and if it saves us money (but not in this case!), even better! Here are a couple of pictures.



My yard sale is ready to go! I have 5 large containers full of marked clothes, purses, shoes, dresses, picture frames, and a few odds and ends. I think I will do well at it. I actually enjoyed going through them. It was a bit emotional letting go of some of them. It was fun remembering when I wore this shirt, or I was with such and such this night I wore this. Thank goodness I have pictures in most of these outfits to remember my skinny-self. **SIGH** So, the sale will be in 2.5 weeks. I am going to advertise it on craigs list, put out signs in the neighborhood, and hopefully make alot of money!...maybe it will pay for this fish tank! ha ha!

I am now on book 3 of the Twilight series. It is taking me longer than I planned, but I can only read with no interruptions. So, that means, after baby and hubby are asleep. I read until my eyes won't stay open any longer. I am still really enjoying it and I think I might just read some more after this series! Who would of ever guessed? Not me! And, certainly not my mother!

As Rob is handy out in the garage, I painted our dining room. It desperately needed some color. It is 2 toned orange and I love it! I did pretty good, I must say. AND, I figured out on my own what takes paint off when you get paint on the walls, baseboards, or wherever. Fingernail polish! It worked and now I am trying to hit all the nicks on the walls. I can easily go through a gallon of this stuff for all the marks we have.


Last night, we were invited to go on a yacht with a Master Sargeant from Rob's work. It was alot of fun. I met Rob outside of Quantico, and we drove to the marina, drank a couple of beers, and ate at Tim's River Shore for all you can eat shrimp. YUM! This was the first time since Rob and I met in Noblesville in '93 where we were on a boat together. The water, the air, the waves, it was SOO nice!


Braeden got sick in the middle of the night 2 nights ago 3 different times. It came out of no where. He woke up with a 104 temp. He has never had that high of a temp, so it scared us. Linda and I took him to the dr. He was tested negative for the flu, which the Swine Flu is going around like crazy, and tested negative for strep. He is on an ear infection med and antibiotic. We were supposed to go to Toddle Time tomorrow morning, but, I think I am going to hold off for a while. Mom and Dad are a little overprotective...

I think that about covers it for now. Hope everyone is enjoying their week! I'm going to leave you with a couple of pics I took this last week. One is taken from my front steps of a full rainbow after a long day of rain. And, the other one is one of our trees in the back yard that has a heart-shaped indention in it. I find this comforting...


*Alana*

So proud...so busy

Well, the last couple of weeks, Rob has really made me proud! He's never expressed his interest in building things. He's a genius with computers, yard work, your normal 'honey do's' around the house, etc. We decided to tackle the long, over due, very unorganized garage that has been hanging over our heads for 2 years now.

Linda came over and helped watch Braeden while we went through it all. I decided that I wanted to 'clean house' with getting rid of ALL my skinny clothes, cause let's just face it, I am NOT getting in those anytime soon! I was certainly hoping that Rob would find some things that he wanted to get rid of...no such luck. I mean, Rob has everything you need for campings, snowboarding, skiing, concerts, any water sports, and he couldn't find one thing. ha! He dragged out everything out of the garage and had it seperated out in the yard. People were actually driving by thinking that we were having a yard sale!

As we were going through some of Rob's old toys, misc. in containers, we found a pair of sandals that he wore. We put them on Braeden and they fit! It was humbling to see that!

Rob's goal was to get shelves and put all the containers on there so he could fit his corvette inside. He researched and researched all the shelving options. He left, with me thinking he was going to spend $100 or so on them, no big deal. WELL, he was gone for hours and spent $420! I was furious! $420? Are you serious? Our neighbor mentioned to him that they could build storage. So, off they went to return everything and get wood.

After 2 nights of hard work, the job was complete and impressive! They actually built a floor above the garage door. It held everything that we have and didn't even fall down! Good work, honey!

Get DOWN, ...please!!!

So these are the words I say all day every day lately. Braeden is getting so independent and thinks that he is a monkey! I was talking to Rob the other day on the phone and as soon as I turned around, Braeden was on top of his high chair, literally. I mean he was standing on the "plate part" and was taller than me. It scared me to death! I didn't want to scare him with these words I constantly am reminding him of. I have no idea how he did it. UGH!

I told Rob about that night when he got home that if it was my choice, I would have no highchair, no couches, no blinds, no TV, no dishwasher, no drawers, no dining room chairs, no bath faucets, no toilets, no coffee or end tables, no magazines, no stairs, or no closets. He said "so, you want Braeden in a room of nothing." ha ha YES, wouldn't that be so much nicer? I wouldn't have to get on to him for any of this stuff I mentioned above....on a daily basis. I mentioned that I was going to keep him in a cage, so I know he is safe.

I am being reminded that "he's a boy. he's going to fall." I don't like that comment-"he's a boy..." It doesn't matter if he's a boy or a girl. Toddlers are very curious about it all and are going to try and get away with whatever. I know he's going to fall. But, I'm certainly not going to just stand by and watch so he learns his lesson!

What the ????

So, I get a phone call the other night from the salon. It was my manager, Sharmen. I REALLY like her alot! She is the one who cut my hair. However, since I had to get on the floor, she had to 'cut it short', no pun intended. Anyways, she says, "I hate to be the bear of bad news." I was completely confused by this. She says "we have received a couple of complaints from clients about how they were not given the customer service by you that they are used to." WHAT?? I have won customer service several awards in my property management career. Apparently, when I called the clients and left messages for their 'confirmation calls' I said "no kids under 12 are allowed" vs. 'children'. And, maybe they were offended? She continues saying that they do not think me working there is a good fit. What the ???? Whatever happened to communication? Why is it that I messed up once and tell me-so I can fix it!? I was and still am just dumbfounded! I actually cried! I LOVED it there! With the exception of Sue,(part owner/bookkeeper) of the salon. I did not like her from the first time we met. This was before I got the job. I was coming in for a facial. She didn't smile, had NO personality and was NOT impressed by her! She is the mom of the girl who owns it.

Anyhow, so I told Rob what happened and he was very sorry but said it was for the best. He and Arista both thought they were very unprofessional from the beginning and just using this as an excuse because they are NOT organized, it's too bad... When I started, I didn't even know the pay, no schedule was done; so I have to agree with them. But, still, it WAS a great fit for me! And for Rob, Braeden and Linda! It was working out great for all of us! I am so pissed off right now! And, who fires someone over the phone????

Sharmen said that she would like to finish my haircut and make it right. I agreed. Even though I do not want to see Christy or Sue, I paid for my haircut and it's not done. So, I go in today to get it done. There is a HUGE part of me that wants to push them aside and ask them, what the ???? Trust me, I will be telling Sharmen about it! And, in hopes that they take this information and apply it to future employees. I mean, if a service provider screws up a haircut, facial, nails or massage and the client complains, do they get fired??

Here are the pictures of my new hair 'do....at least I got THIS out of this mess!




*Alana*

I admit, I'm addicted...

to blogging! Braeden is sleeping sound in our bed and I am enjoying this blog, now that I have it figured out! I have to share some of my favorite recent videos. They will for sure put a smile on your face, as they do mine!

The first one, is Braeden pissed off! This was taken just the other day. He was having one of his tantroms. I can't help sometimes to laugh-I can't help it!



The next one was taken in the rental car heading back to the airport from Disney, Orlando, FL 12-08.



The next one, is Braeden at the park, for the first time. He loved the swing! March 2009


He loves it when he gets "tummy time" with dad!


Linda got him a Batman 4 wheeler for his 1st Birthday. He was just getting used to it and figuring it all out. He's doing better, but is still having trouble with steering. I am now taking him outside with it on the sidewalk. AND, it goes up in the yard-it's fun!


Braeden is doing more and more funny things daily. He has a new "fetish" of shoes. Mostly, daddy's shoes. Here, he tries them on, for the first time, and for sure not the last!

Thank you, Leslie!

Leslie is my long lost best friend from 4th grade who ispired me to do this whole "blog" thing. Anyways, she created my header for my blog with her own pictures of the flowers that she took! WOW, it looks so great!

Oh yeah, and I used your "Twilight" books picture...I didn't think you would mind! ha ha!

I love you, Leslie!

2 new passions...

So, my sister got me the first 2 books of the "Twilight" Series for my birthday. EVERYONE is talking about how good these books are and I just have to read them! Well, first of all, I have never been the "reader" type. In fact, I never read the books I was supposed to have in High School; I found myself cheating--didn't work by the way...

A couple of weeks ago, when the movie came out on DVD, we got it and watched it. I could never see myself being interested in vampire movies or for that matter, a book. "Interview with the Vampire" I saw in the movie theatre and about passed out when all the blood scenes were shown. I LOVED this "Twilight" movie and watched it twice! Thank goodness, there was not much blood. I am on page 115 in 2 days. The only time I can read is in bed at night, after Braeden is asleep. So, I read until my eyes can no longer stay open. I am really anxious to get through all these books (and make my mom proud!)! So, that is my first new passion.



My second? My new job! I started training this week. Gosh, I had forgotten how nice it was to talk to the public. I have always been very good with people, and this made me realize how much I miss this! The first day, I had to go in at 9:30. Whoa, was that challenging! I am not a morning person at all! Braeden and I love our sleep! So, 7:30 came way to quick! I got up, got ready, got Braeden ready, and off we went to Linda's to drop him off. Everyone at the job is really nice. I'm working the front desk. Surprisingly, there is alot to do and this salon seems pretty busy consistently. I check people in, check them out, schedule future appointments, answer the phone, and lots of computer and paperwork. Anyhow, I am enjoying it so far. And helloooo?--who doesn't love(free)discounts on spa services?!

I am posting alot of blogs today, because I actually got Braeden down for a nap and I'm taking advantage.
*Alana*

Happy Birthday, to me!

Well, I celebrated yet another birthday, my 32nd, *sigh*. They sure are not like they used to be! In my 20's, I used to party like a rock star! It is a joke with my best of friends of how I had a "birthday month" and celebrated every weekend! Oh,...those were the days! Lots of fun times I had, and will never forget.

These days? It is nice to have a meaningful card and maybe dinner. I had mentioned to Rob that I didn't have anything that has "mom" on it. He surprised me when he came home with a big pink gift bag. I certainly wasn't expecting anything after I went shopping for some new work clothes. Braeden got me a beautiful Mom plaque, a silver bracelet with "m-o-m" all the way around it, a coffee mug, a figurine with a mom and child on it, and very nice cards! Way to go, Rob! He did so good! Rob goes ALL out for gifts, he always has been like that. Sometimes that's good, sometimes not--depends on who the gift is for. ha ha! Just kidding!

We went to dinner at City Tavern with Arista and Linda. I was so full after eating shrimp, oysters on the half shell, crab legs and prime rib! It was a nice dinner! Thank you! I love my family! I hope to have many, many more birthdays to come!

Braeden + Marley = Best Buddies

Rob got Marley (Golden Retriever) when he was 2 months old, unexpectedly. He got a call one night and was told there was one puppy left and asked if he wanted him. Rob had researched the "best" kind of family dog and was really set on getting a Golden. So, Rob told them "yes. I'll be right over to get him." It was love at first sight. Rob had no food, no toys, no kennel, no nothing for a new puppy. Rob stopped by PetSmart and loaded up on all the necessities of a puppy.

Rob lived by his self in our-now home. Just him and Marley. I heard some good stories about Marley when Rob and I talked on the phone for months. One of my favorites, was when Rob came home from work one night and noticed that there were bite marks in 4 cans of beer, the cans were empty of course. I can only imagine. And, knowing Marley now, I can totally see him doing that! My next favorite is that Rob took him to Petsmart for "puppy training" ...well, he got kicked out of that school! That is not a shocker either! ha ha!

Marley is very hyper, loving, adores attention, a baby like. It is said that dogs know when their owners are pregnant. There is just something they sense. Marley was always gentle around me when I was pregnant with Braeden.

While I was in the hospital after I delivered, Rob brought home blankets that Braeden had used so he could get used to the smell. I have to admit, that Marley took very well to Braeden.

They absolutely love each other! Braeden pulls his hair, ears, tail, yanks his lips, and of course he gets all of Braeden's left overs each meal. Braeden likes to share, as I look at it. They are so funny together! It is still a challenge to make Marley learn that "that is not your toy, Marley!" He LOVES B's stuffed animals-his most recent one is B's SpongeBob stuffed animal. Here is a video of a little bit of what Marley "allows" Braeden to do....

Happy Easter!

This weekend has been so much fun! Friday night, Rob, Braeden, Linda, Aunt Dina and I all went out to Red Robin for dinner. Braeden had a good time with his Grammy and Memaw, sitting between both. He got his balloon, of course, it was let go and up towards the ceiling. Needless to say, he got another one and loved it! Aunt Dina "secretly" announced that it was my birthday to the waiter and the employees came to sing and give me a sundae. If it was to embarrass me, it didn't work...it takes ALOT to embarrass me! ha ha!

Rob, Braeden and I went to Wal-Mart to get his Easter gifts. This is really his 1st Easter, since last year, he was only 4 months old. I got him a basket with a light soccer ball, candy and other goodies in there. We are so excited to dye eggs next weekend! I have not done that probably since elementary school! Linda informed me that she dyed eggs with Rob until he was in college-no surprise there! ha ha Rob picked up Braeden a Spongebob Squarepants T-Shirt, stuffed animal, CD and DVD. He LOVES Spongebob. Rob, Arista and I sing the theme song to him daily, several times and his face just lights up! He's so quick and knows it's coming on by the first couple of tunes!

Saturday, Aunt Sohee and Uncle Chris met Rob, Braeden, Mimi (Aunt Arista) and I drove to Old Town Manassas for the annual Easter Egg Hunt. The first round to go was the 2-3 year olds. I had to fib a bit and say he was 2 so he could participate. At first, he didn't know where or why we were going into the thick grass. He saw the eggs but didn't know what to do. So, Mimi and I showed him. He caught on real quick. When we saw the Easter Bunny, Braeden gave him big hugs and wouldn't let go. It was so sweet! That's my boy!

We were supposed to be going to the Smithsonian zoo tomorrow, but we had a small house crisis...the hot water tank leaked all over the floor in the utility closet and laundry room. Rob did a bunch of research as to replacing it with calls to Home Depot and Lowe's. I got home after getting my hair colored and asked him "do we HAVE to replace it? Have you tried to troubleshoot it first before we fork out $700+?" Ummm, of course he didn't! I tell ya, what would men do without women? Gesh! ...he will be troubleshooting it tomorrow! ha ha

Since I start my new job on Monday (yippee!), I need to buy some new clothes! I'm not really looking forward to it, as one girl would love to, because I need to lose LOTS of baby weight and it just depresses me that I have to buy "BIG" clothes! Oh well, I guess. This will give me more incentive to lose weight and actually GO to the gym that we have a membership to...ummm, for over a year (and haven't gone!). Yeah, I am bad.

Anyhow, wish me luck!