My Day "Off"

Sadie is enrolled in a little day camp at our church one day a week this summer.  It gives her an opportunity to socialize with children her own age and be away from me for a while (I'm sure she gets bored being with me 24/7), and it gives me an opportunity to get some things done that I don't normally get to do.  Like run errands.

So we get up this morning, I make breakfast for Sadie and daddy, I pack lunches, I pack bags, I get everyone out the door.  Well, sort of.  Sent Kris on his way easily enough, but as Sadie and I are getting ready to leave, I hear a squeal/cry.  She comes walking out of my bedroom, and she's soaking wet.  She had obviously been playing in the dogs' water bowl in my bathroom.  aaaahhhhh!!!   And she looked so cute in her little purple octopus shirt with plaid shorts.  We had to make a quick change and head to church!

Before coming back home, I made a stop at the grocery store.  Drop off groceries, grab a bite to eat, and out the door again.  Granted, my next stop was to get a pedicure.  A much-needed pedicure.  No, I don't spend all my days off luxuriously being pampered.  Today was an exception.  I needed to make a few stops before coming home to get some things done around the house.  However, I developed a splitting headache and came home before accomplishing all that was on my to-do list.  I thought that maybe I could lie down for a few minutes to give the Advil time to kick in, so I changed into comfy clothes, got my phone to set the alarm in case I dozed off, and saw that I had a message.....

Hi, Mrs. Westbrook, this is Miss --- from the Chicks class at church.  Has Sadie been to the doctor lately?  I think she has pinkeye.  Great.

Clothes back on, back into the heat, call the doc's office on my way to church, make an appointment.  Pick up Sadie, we have a little time before the appointment....maybe we can run into Target as long as she doesn't touch anyone and I sterilize the shopping cart before and after.  To the doc, yep, pink eye.  Lovely.  Antibiotic drops, 3x a day, 5 days.  Wow, perfect timing since Kris and I are leaving early Friday morning for a weekend away.  Sorry, TyTy, you're going to have to play doctor!

Next stop, Walgreens.  They said they didn't have the prescription.  Yes, the doctor sent it in.  I was there.  Hhhmmm....let me look again.  Oh yeah, there it is.  Forty minutes later (WAY too long to spend in Walgreens with a sleepy one year old!) the pharmacist said - ok, your two prescriptions are ready.  Two?  Yes, eye drops and lidocaine.  Lidocaine?  Yes, for her mouth.  What's wrong with her mouth?   The lesions.  Uhm, she has no lesions and I'm not giving her lidocaine, you can put that back!  So, we came home with eye drops.  And this, my friends, is what $83 looks like:

Back home, do the dishes that were left behind this morning, clean up the dog food that Sadie has played in, try to get Sadie to nap since she hasn't napped, try to do something to get my headache to go away, beg Kris to come home ASAP.

Aaaahhhhh.....there's nothing more relaxing than a day off!!  (but I wouldn't have it any other way - how thankful I am to be able to run around with my baby girl when needed!)

Worth the Wait

I used to consider myself a fairly patient person.  As I got older, though, my patience grew thin.  I was ready for life to begin.  I wanted to date and get married and start a family.  That's all I ever wanted.  However, it just wasn't happening as quickly as I wanted it to.

I graduated from college, started teaching, and would go home and sit alone each night.  Yes, I could have been proactive and tried to do something about it, but my personality isn't one to go out and mingle.  And since the majority of my friends were already occupied with boyfriends, husbands, and children, it's not like I had many people to go out with.  So, I waited.  And waited.  I was set up many times, had many interesting dates, and even met some great guys.  On the Not So Great Guys list, there was the one who told me at the end of the date that he was hungry.  He asked if I was also.  When I said no, he told me it was because I ate more than he did at dinner earlier in the evening.  Uhm, excuse me?  I was the one taking home leftovers, not him!  Then there was the one who reminded me of Lord Farquaad from Shrek.  Remember the scene where he rides up on a horse looking so valiant, but when he got off the horse he was really short?  Well, I met him at a restaurant, he was waiting for me on a bar stool.  He seemed fine when I first saw him....until he jumped off the stool and was a little runt.  Yeah, that's not going to work!  I could go on, but for the sake of your boredom, I won't.

It was actually my mom who told me to try online dating.  The first service I tried was eHarmony.  That has a national database, right?  OK, so what does it say about me when out of all the participants nationally, they could only match me with three people?  Sad, huh?  Only one of those three actually contacted me, and he was one weird dude.  We never met, but I had no desire to meet.

Then came the next dating site.  A few dates that didn't work out, and then....bingo!  I met Kris.  I knew I liked him on our very first date.  It wasn't long until I knew that he was THE one.  However, the timeline in his mind didn't exactly match mine.  So, I waited.  Well, I didn't have to wait too long.  We dated for a year before getting engaged.  And then six months later, we were married.  Tomorrow, we celebrate our fifth anniversary.  These past five years have been the very best ever!  He was definitely worth the wait.

So, what's next?  I didn't want to wait too long before having children, but I also wanted to enjoy married life for a bit too.  And obviously, God wanted me to enjoy it a while too.  Because when we felt we were ready, God felt otherwise.  So we waited.  And waited.  And went to doctors.  And more doctors.  Then it happened.  We were blessed with Sadie, who turned one last Saturday.  Believe me, she was definitely worth the wait.  What a treasure she is!

The point of all this......God always blesses.  In His time.  The things/people He chooses to give you are always worth the wait.  Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Galatians 6:9  That verse was my lifeline for several years.  I had to keep trusting that I would reap a harvest at the proper time (not necessarily MY time) if I didn't give up.  So, I waited.  And it was worth it!!

A Few of My Favorite Things....by Sadie

Getting into EVERYTHING:

getting into Momma's camera case

Climbing stairs:

Since she can open the gate, we decided to block it with a chair......

so what does she do?  Move the chair!  She's so proud of herself.

Playing in the water:

Making a dog food mess:

Melting my Momma's heart:

Thanks, Captain Obvious

Like every other parent out there, I think my child is adorable.  Not only do I love her sweet little personality, but I think she is as cute as a button.  And yes, I know she looks like Kris.

Any time we go out as a family, we hear it.  Perfect strangers will take one look at Sadie, look at Kris, and then gasp in shock.  I've been told more than a few times that she looks nothing like me because she looks completely like Kris.  I know, I know!  When I had my ultrasound, we didn't want to know if we were having a boy or a girl.  It was a complete surprise.  But even at 18 weeks, it was no surprise that my child was going to look like Kris - it was that obvious, even in the ultrasound.

Just tonight, we went to dinner.  We were sitting, minding our own business, laughing at Sadie as she played with a little yellow duck.  A couple sat down two tables away from us, and we hear it - she looks JUST like her daddy.  Then a waiter came over (he wasn't even out waiter) and was talking to Sadie.  He asked - where did she get those big blue eyes?  I just sort of nodded towards Kris, he looked up, and the waiter said - oh, definitely from him.  (and while I'm on the subject of eyes.....after my very first date with Kris, I called my mom to tell her how it went, and I remember telling her that he had really pretty eyes.  So I'm happy that Sadie got them!)

I love Sadie's little pug nose.  I'm happy that the doctor thinks she's going to be tall and lean.  I'm thankful for all of her physical attributes.  Since I only had about 2-3 years of cuteness in my life, I'm not necessarily upset that Sadie doesn't look like me.  However, I was the one in bed for at least eight weeks.  I was the one who spent those weeks puking my guts out every day.  I was the one who had swollen feet and hands.  And I was the one who gave birth to the child after carrying her for 276 days.  Don't I get at least a little credit?

So people, please....if you don't know what to say about my sweet Sadie, can you just say that she's cute (even if you don't think so) and leave it at that?  We all know who she looks like.

Drama/Trauma, Tomato/Tomahto

A few months ago, I shared about my shopping experience with a personal shopper.  I knew the day was coming when I'd be going shopping again, this time for summer clothes.  Summer clothes means showing more skin - eek!  My plan was to get in shape and use self tanner before the shrinking hemlines came into season.  Well, that didn't happen, but the shopping must go on.

Last Thursday was the day.  I must admit that it was a success.  I had a good, everyday wardrobe in less than two hours.  I tried on who knows how many tops, pants, and shorts, and I didn't even shed a tear.  UNTIL......Kris had told me that I needed serious swimsuit help.  Thanks, Dear.  I know I need help, but what kind of torture are you trying to put me through, asking me to go shopping with a critic for a swimsuit?  We were wrapping things up, she was talking about how we'd had a successful day, and with every ounce of courage I had, I mumbled/whispered - uh, maybe, if you have time and don't mind, it's ok if you don't want to, really we don't have to, but....swimsuits?  She looked at me, smiled, and said - I'm on it!

Before the torture began, I gave her a list of my requirements.  As I was making a purchase, she was in the swimsuit department preparing for my complete embarrassment.  Little beads of perspiration began gathering on my nose, my upper lip was moist, did I remember to put on deodorant?  My heart was racing.  I couldn't breathe very well.  And what does she tell me?  Shut up, get over it, and put on this swimsuit!  Oh, and yes, she was in the dressing room with me.  Seriously, can you think of anything worse?  I can't.  This clip kind of sums up in a way how I felt.

I put on one and she said - nope.  Next one - that's kind of cute.  But it didn't cover enough for me (one of my requirements was either shorts or a skirt).  I began to put one on, and before I even had a chance to get it all the way on, she told me to take it off.  As she went out to look for more options, I sent Kris a text telling him how I was literally sweating profusely in the dressing room.  It was a dramatic AND a traumatic experience.  We finally settled on something.

So the day came this weekend when it was time to wear a swimsuit since I was taking Sadie to the pool.  Kris wasn't around, so I put on an "old faithful", complete with shorts to cover as much as possible.  It didn't take me long to find out that once that particular pair of shorts gets wet, they seem to stretch out and fall off.  It was not a pretty sight.  They clung to me as they sagged and dripped.  I tried to sit in an area where nobody could see me as I watched all the perfectly fit moms parading around in their cute suits.  I was embarrassed, ashamed, and ready to go home.  I wasn't there long before covering myself up with a towel and getting away from my own personal horror show.  I guess that means that it's time to be brave and put on one of those new suits.....and just make sure that I stay in water at least up to my waist at all times!

Bachelorette

OK, so I recently talked about the rut I've been in.  I haven't had anything to write about.  Well, that all changes tonight!  It's Bachelorette night, and yes, I am a fan of the Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise.  Am I supposed to be a mature adult?  Yes.  Do I believe the show really works?  Not really.  But is the show entertaining?  Very much so.  So here goes....my thoughts as the show progresses.

- the only thing stronger than the sun is love, light up my life (something like that)....oh dear, did he really just say that and not expect to get made fun of by his friends?

- Mr. Harvard/Yale/marathoner/I-love-myself....gag

- on a scale of 1-10 of how passionate I am, I am a 15, maybe 215.  GUYS!  Come on!  Really?

- Kris just joined me - loving his sarcastic comments

- if someone rapped for me or gave me a cheesy gift on our first meeting, I don't think I could keep a straight face

- dude, button your shirt and get rid of the gold chain!

- does the masked man think he's really hot or really ugly?

- I hate all the fake flowers.

- the mom on the phone didn't just say that, did she?!

- I have no words for the drunk guy.  Sad.

- the mask guy is calling himself mature - ha ha ha!  (but who am I to laugh, I'm watching this show - not necessarily mature)

- I didn't notice, is Ames wearing socks?  He wasn't wearing them in the little clip at the beginning.

- Chris Harrison's suit is shiny and his hair is stylin'

I'm sure this will be one of the most dramatic seasons ever.  

Stuck in a Rut

Some may call it a schedule; I call it a deep rut.

OK, I just now deleted everything I had written.  I know that you really have no desire to read my daily routine.  Or about the fact that we eat the same thing for breakfast EVERY DAY.  Lunch doesn't change much either.  I can never think of anything new to cook for dinner that doesn't require lots of time/thought/ingredients/etc.  I do the same thing, go to the same places, fight the same battles every single day.  ENOUGH!  I'm bored!  I can't even think of anything interesting to write about.  HELP!!!!

And now it's time to get up and head to the kitchen.  What shall it be tonight?  Meat, potatoes, and a salad? Now doesn't that sound exciting?  zzzzzzzzz!!!!!!!!!!