Chalk It Up to Experience

There are certain things in this life that we should never have to experience: a third cancer diagnosis or losing someone to a drunk driver. I pray that none of you reading this will undure such tragedies. I also pray that you will never experience what I am about to describe...may God be merciful to you all.

In early June my husband and I took the kids (Midgie and Bucket...cats...see previous posts) to my parents' house with us. We let them free roam the car, as they like to cuddle. On our way home we left at 4:45 am to take Matt straight to work at 6:00 am. As it was early, Matt drove and I leaned back to sleep. Midgie was really having a hard time, but she usually calms down. She was climbing up and down my midsection, not unusual, as I tried to sleep. After a minute or so she farted...something nasty. As I sat up to throw her in the back seat I screamed. Not fart...poop...on my chest.

Matt reacted by shoving her to the floor. She hadn't finished her poo poo yet, so it smeared along the car door and dashboard. I am still screaming. I manage to pull my shirt off and dispose of it along the highway (yes...I littered). Matt held Midgie while I ... wiped her a%# to get the stuff off. Then I wiped my hands...and the door...and the dashboard...and my purse. Needless to say, when I called Matt's boss to tell him why Matt would be late to work, he laughed pretty hard.

Fast forward: July 24th. No more cats pooping on me. This time, the kids are sharing a cage. I put 'em in the back seat and head out. Not twenty minutes from home I smell it...cat fart. Ten minutes later its still lingering. Panicked, I pull over and look into the carrier...where two cats are covered in cat poop. I'll spare you the details...just know that I successfully kept the poo off my clothes and the car fabric (I won't tell you how). I'm contemplating how to transport the cats in the future, since they obviously can't be trusted to wander the car OR travel in a carrier, when I smell it again. This time, the cats are crying. For the second time in one day, the third time in less than two months, I am on the side of the road, repressing my gag reflex as I find myself up to my elbows in feline feces. I am sick of poop.

My cats are still at my parents house now. My folks don't want to keep the cats. I don't think I own enough paper towels to transport them again. I'm considering cutting holes in some Pampers to pull their tails through...I can't do the poop thing again.

And so I pray that you will spared such an experience, that your travels will be easier than mine and your pets far less smelly.

I've been tagged...

and not by the DNR. I was tagged by CCG...my sister. Okay, lemme post the rules and we'll see what I can do:

The Rules: “Each person posts the rules before their list, then they list 8 things about themselves. At the end of the post, that person tags and links to 8 other people and then visits those peoples’ sites and comments letting them know that they have been tagged, and to come read the post, so they know what they have to do.”

Okay, first of all: I don't know how to do the links...I guess I'll give it a whirl. Secondly, I regularly check four blogs...three of which are owned by our very own Camille! I'll do what I can. And now, for eith thing you may not know about me:

1. I'm seriously considering vegetarianism...but I like turkey bacon. I've LOVED the health benefits of cutting out the meat and avoid it now at all costs. Unless its turkey bacon...yum.

2. I want four kids, and I have a gut feeling they will all be boys, but I'm hoping for at least one girl. If I have one girl, I want her to come first. I WILL not raise any momma-sissy girl.

3. Contrary to popular belief (Michelle), I very much enjoy fashion and LOVE clothes. However, I also love not being in debt. I don't wear bad clothing because I don't have any fashion sense...I wear them because I can't afford a new wardrobe each season.

4. I still harbor deep desires to sing the national anthem at a Red Wings game, have a role in at least one major motion picture, appear on Broadway and write a good novel.

5. I still want to get my ph.D...I just don't know what I would study.

6. I want to travel to China and Russia and do God's work.

7. Someday I will pray over people and see blind eyes opened, tumors disappear and the dead raised (that's not desire...I'm declaring that as a fact!)

8. I have an unfounded fear of lifting a toilet seat lid and finding a decapitated head in the bowl (or of forgetting to stand up on a plane and having my butt sucked in).

Okay, so who can I tag?? Dianna, umm...Matt...and I'm going to determine that Beth needs to create a blog to answer this as well...Sorry, don't have anything better than that. And now, since blogger doesn't seem to let me post comments...lemme figure out how I'm going to do this...

This post has no constant theme...

I just finished another book (three books actually, but I'm only commenting on one). It was okay. I finished it because I like to finish things that I start, but it really didn't intrigue me that much. It seemed kinda whiny; I wasn't that into it. By the end I thought I'd blog about the author and how I think she's whiny and don't really care for her writing style.

Then I went to her website.

I could have written her home page...substitute my name in anyplace you see hers. It kinda freaked me out. "I WANT TO WRITE TOO!" I'm screaming inside, but then I think..."I just don't want to write like you do." One part of me was SO excited to find a woman with whom I can relate so well...and the other part of me wonders, if she thinks she's funny (and I don't) then could I also publish books as "humorous" only to find out they...aren't? I guess its a risk that I have to face. Am I up for the challenge? Am I ready for the rejection?

I have to be ready for the rejection. One of my favorite teachers has a saying: "Do it afraid". If I'm scared of being rejected, that's normal...I have to do it anyway. In fact, I thank God for the rejection I have faced in the past, for I believe it has really strengthened me and prepared me for this venture. I spoke with a friend last night who, sadly, is currently swimming in the pain of personal rejection...one that involves her heart. I've been there. It's hard to want to pick up and go on. It's even harder to want to put yourself back into a position where you could be rejected AGAIN. But then I look at my husband :) I've never known such love, patience or adoration...and I could have missed out on all of that by being afraid of the pain of rejection. My friend: hang in there. I pray that you will allow yourself to heal, and try again.

And for me? If my friend is willing to risk her most precious of gifts, her heart, and try again then what's to stop me from worrying about some stupid ol' book?!?

Oh, and for now my "writer's blog" is going to turn into a collection of book reviews, until I have something of my own that I can put up there for reading. Just a reminder, it is: www.therehastobeabeginning.blogspot.com

Visitin' Vegas

Okay, so these are all of the pix you're going to get for right now. I've spent the past 45 min. trying to upload five different pictures, and its just not working...maybe later :( Sorry. But this is what I've got so far! Me and my girls, Sarah Nancy and Ella Grace! I can't help it that they love me...I have that hypnotic effect on kids :) Vegas was blazin' hot, packed full of stuff to do and busy, busy, busy - but it was fun too! I got to stay with the Gabels, so each morning and night for me included the kid-lets. As you'll see by later pix (I hope) there was also a lot of pool time :) And I didn't burn once! Woo hoo!

Okay, I gotta each lunch now...later!

Finally, NYC pictures!

Okay, this picture thing is really bugging me, but I'm trying!To the left, we have the theater where I would've seen Mary Poppins...if Shaina had been with me :) It used to be to the right, but now someplace floating around is a pic of the Chrysler Building dwarfing my cute-as-a-button honey (if he ever reads this he probably won't appreciate the button thing, but I don't even think he knows how to access this blog...hee, hee). Somewhere on this post (I'm not exactly sure where, the pictures just seem to pop in where ever they want to without first clearing it with me) you'll see my experience at, yummy-yummy, Rice to Riches!! And then a few photos of the fam at the wedding! More pix and posts later!

New York, New York!

So, I had my first ever trip to Manhattan last month! My brother-in-law married a peach of a gal on June 16th and the fam headed out for a few days. Though busy with wedding details all day Friday and Saturday, Matt and I did schedule some time to explore on Thursday. It was so much fun! We went everywhere, from Central Park to Wall Street to Times Square...one day is NOT enough time! My sorority sis Jen and her hubby Rob were fabulous hosts and put us up for four nights...in a 450 sq. ft. apartment! It was such a blessing to have a safe place to crash and someone familiar for suggestions and directions.

The two things I really wanted to do were go see a show (which we didn't do, but maybe next time) and go to Rice to Riches. It's a rice pudding shop that I saw in the movie Hitch...and its SOOOOOO good! (It's in Nolita, for those of you interested...North Little Italy). Anyway, here are some photos for your enjoyment!

:( I've tried four times to add pictures...I'll try again tomorrow. Sorry :(

For the record: I tried to title this, but it wouldn't let me. More quirks for blogger to figure out for me :()

Coming soon...

I've been quite the traveler recently! I've got pix to post from NYC and Vegas...but since I'm still in Vegas and my NYC pix are on my laptop in TC, you'll have to wait. But make you come back! There are some good ones :)