Birfday Wrapup

Yesterday was my 32nd birthday. Wow.

It started out like any other day -- a four-hour opening shift with Felicia, then back to the house. Charlie took the day off so we could spend some time together, and so I could go to my surgical consult. Charlie and Austin drove me to my appointment, and we stopped at Michael's beforehand. I picked out some awesome bits and bobs to make a present for my friend Lauren (since the painting I was working on for her baby's room turned into a sucktastic mess).

And what did Doc have to say? My gall bladder has to come out. Wah wahhhh. My surgery is scheduled for Valentine's weekend. Because, you know, nothing says LOVE like a weekend at the hospital. He's also going to take a peek at my "mystery bulge" and fix whatever it is, if necessary.

Oh! I also met with a plastic surgeon on Tuesday, and he's going to take out my face bump (actually a sebaceous cyst) on Monday. Woo hoo!

Anyhow, after my appointment, we met up with one of my favorite peeps, the famous LINH! We ate lunch at Pho 79 and then hit up Four Seasons Oriental Grocery. If you've never been to an Oriental grocery, I highly recommend it. Not only do they have good produce (like delicious bok choi) but there's random meat products (CHICKEN FEET!), canned goods (PICKLED MANGO!), and Japanese candy (TINY CHOCOLATE MUSHROOM COOKIES THAT LOOK LIKE...well, you know!). And they have all the gear you need for Chinese New Year, which falls on Valentine's Day this year according to Linh.

Linh also convinced me to try aloe vera juice. The taste was okay, but the chunks...I was not prepared for a "chewable" beverage. Don't think I'll be drinking that again any time soon.

As if that weren't enough, I also got a can of my favorite thing ever: HELLO BOSS ICED COFFEE!

Now, I don't know why in the hell this stuff is called "Hello Boss," but it is HELLO DELICIOUS. It tastes like the iced coffee you get at a Thai or Vietnamese restaurant.

When we got back to the house, I was in dire need of a nap. So, I headed upstairs and promptly zonked out. A couple of hours later, I came downstairs and found Charlie and Austin on the couch, both fast asleep. (Apparently pho makes you sleepy, because Linh told me later that she took a post-lunch nap too!)

Charlie's mom came over to watch Austin for the evening, and Charlie took me to my favorite restaurant for dinner -- No Frill Grill! We had a great meal, and managed to make it home in time to get Austin to bed ourselves.

All in all, this was the BEST birthday I've ever had. I'm so glad that I got to spend time with all the people I love. I'm really loving my life right now!

Down on the Farm

Austin and I took a ride out to Suffolk yesterday to pick up our Thanksgiving turkey. My mom and stepdad were there as well, and I got a few really cute pictures of Austin enjoying the sights and sounds of the farm.

His favorite? The cat.

But there were also cows, including a two-week-old calf...

And chickens...

And football...

And lots of running around with Grandpa...

And much toddler handsomeness...

It was a great day. We'll definitely be back next year!

All pictures were taken at Full Quiver Farm in Suffolk, Virginia. And no, I didn't get a free turkey for blogging about them.

Halloween Weekend Recap

This weekend has been absolutely nuts. I haven't been to this many social events since, well, forever. First, there was the Halloween party at Peggy and Brandon's house. My costume?

ZOMBIE JOGGER!

It was a great night, despite the fact that I ate too much and drank a little too much. Everyone's costumes were awesome -- we had a Vikings superfan, a potted flower and her box of Miracle Gro, and of course Dorothy and the Scarecrow, our hosts.

Saturday, we went to Little T's pirate-themed birthday party. Austin did pretty well, despite the fact that we didn't let him help T open his presents. There was cake, which he totally chowed down on...

...and Charlie actually managed to get a good picture of the two of us!

After the party, we ran a couple of errands, and then it was time to get ready for trick or treating. Austin wasn't really happy about his costume at first.

By the time we got to my mom's house (we trick or treat in her neighborhood because it's safer, and well, they give out better candy!) Austin was in a much better mood. He kept his costume on the whole time and didn't get freaked out by anyone except a random ten year old in a Michael Myers mask (ugh!).

Mom took us out for Mexican food, and then we headed home. I'd planned on having some folks from work over to watch scary movies, but by the time we hit the door, I was so freakin' tired. I could barely keep my eyes open. I put the word out that movie night was cancelled. Nobody seemed disappointed -- I think most everyone had other plans anyway -- so I didn't feel too bad about it.

To finish up the night, we kicked back on the couch and watched "Jeepers Creepers" (which I think would have been a much scarier movie if the bad guy was just a psycho and not some sort of alien monster bug thing).

Today's been kind of boring. I'm not feeling so hot (might be getting a cold, I think), Charlie's painting the trim in the kitchen, and I'm trying desperately to avoid the Halloween candy.

How was YOUR weekend?

Monkey Business

My friend Melissa and her husband joined us for Taco Night last night. They brought their adorable bebe, and I can't even put into words how much fun it was to watch him play with Austin. They're about six months apart in age, but Little T is way ahead of where Austin was (in terms of physical development) at that age. He can also say "Uh oh," which, O MY GOD THE CUTENESS!

Austin had a little trouble being gentle with T, but that's age-appropriate I guess. Plus, well, Austin plows into everything and anything that moves. T took it very well; he's a tough guy, just like his daddy (his mommy's pretty damn tough, too!).

I picked both the boys up at the same time, holding one on each hip. It felt really, really good. I've had doubts about having more children, but last night sealed the deal. I want more. I know I have to wait, both because of my surgery and because I need to lose a significant amount of weight, but I am so ready to do this all over again.


Me & My Little Man - 5.17.2008

Poolside

I recently received three big envelopes in the mail. Each was stuffed with old family photos. Apparently, my sisters have been emptying out my dad's house and distributing the millions of pictures he accumulated over the years.

As soon as I saw these two, I laughed. I have no idea where they were taken. I'd guess it's about 1981 or so, but the location escapes me. 

Who the heck drinks champagne from a paper cup, at the Ramada? Oh yeah, my dad.

I remember spending a lot of time in the water as a kid, both at the beach and at the pool. By the time I was four, I knew how to ask if the hotel had a pool, and figured out in about five minutes how to get there. I always had tan lines, always had tons of bathing suits, and back then, I didn't care what I looked like in them. "She swims like a fish!" my dad would say.

My Aunt Irene taught me to hold my breath and swim underwater, and how to body-surf. Mom taught me about riptides and currents, and Dad? Well, Dad mostly showed me how to look really goddamn cool.