Thursday, November 10, 2011

momma said there'd be days like this

Last month was a busy month...I'm taking November to catch up and rest up. One major October event happened the night of October 6. It was PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) night. And as PTO co-president, I was taking a small break from the work day to franickly tweak that night's agenda...when Wade called. Wade had planned on coming home early that night to meet a friend who recently bought our desk. His call was to let me know he wasn't feeling well and that he probably wouldn't be in any condition to help move the desk or attend PTO. He was either a) really sick because he wanted that desk GONE, or b) he REALLY didn't want to go to the PTO meeting. Either way, I was sorry he didn't feel well, but didn't think too much about it.

Then, I got another call about 45 minutes later. Wade had already made the 25 minute drive home and called to warn me he had the flu. In other words, I was on my own for the night. Dinner, baths, bedtime...I'd better pick up a 32 ounce diet coke on my way to pick up the boys.

Then, 10 minutes later. Another call. The first thing out of Wade's mouth was "something isn't right. My heart is beating really fast." Needless to say, I was soon on my way home. He was waiting on me as soon as I pulled into the driveway. He was gray and I was worried. As soon as we got to the ER they whisked him away and left me at the front desk to check-in. Panic was beginning to take hold. Was Wade having a heart attack? As soon as I was able to join Wade and the half dozen nurses and doctors poking and proding him, I heard the blonde nurse yell, "it's over 200!" What was happening?!

Thankfully, only minutes later, Wade's heart which for a time was beating over 200 beats per minute, finally returned to a normal rythum. The doctor confirmed it wasn't a heart attack, but called it hyper fibrillation. They kept Wade in the hospital overnight to monitor his heart and watch him closely. As long as it doesn't happen again, they say we have nothing to worry about. And no damage was done to his heart during his episode that afternoon. Good news. Crazy day.

While they were working on Wade in the ER, I kept thinking of Katie. I wondered if this was the room she was in before they flew her to OKC. There have been so many days/moments something has happened at work and I've wanted to pick up the phone to call her. And one day I actually did and was surprised by the stranger that answered. It was a wicked reminder. I miss you, Katie. And look forward to the day I'll see you again and meet your precious little baby. Not sure why, but I always imagine you with a baby girl.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

To Infinity!

I have to admit that I wasn't uber excited for Halloween this year. With moving and everything else going on, it was the last thing on my mind. But, we made it to the Sunnybrook Harvest Carnival and Henry had SUCH a good time in his Buzz Lightyear costume (which he picked out himself) that I decided we should partake in trick-or-treating the following night...at least for a little while. Besides, it would be a good opportunity to get to know some of our new neighbors, right? Ha. Let's just say Henry definitely made a first impression.

Ready for takeoff


 
Flexing his muscles


 
Buzz and our half-dressed zebra


 
You can see from the floors that one of our current home projects is the living room floor.


 
Buzz was VERY excited to run in to THE Cat and the Hat at the Harvest Carnival


 

 
Group hug


 
Henry's friend, William, came over to join him trick-or-treating. They had a blast and loved every minute. They traipsed over mums, plowed through grass, tripped over paving stones...all to be the first to ring the bell. And sometimes they enjoyed ringing it multiple times! I pulled Sam, our zebra, in the wagon through most of the neighborhood. That is until he decided he wanted to play too. I was so proud. He had been watching big brother and Will closely and quickly learned how to walk right up to the door, knock, and flash his dimples to win the very best candy. Candy that is now hidden high in the pantry. What was I thinking when I made the boys' dentist appointment for three days BEFORE Halloween?!

Doing it just like the big boys


 

 
The Cat just saw a ghost. And who was passing out pacifiers?!


 

 

 
Some of my favorite trick-or-treat moments -
  • When Henry told one home owner, "you're a WORM!" Good thing that neighbor had a sense of humor.
  • When Henry pointed out to another neighbor that he had a fly on his wall.
  • At one house, the man answering the door said to Henry, "Cool! Buzz Lightyear! To infinity!" Henry responded by firmly planting his feet shoulder width apart, thrusting his fist up in the air and yelling at the top of his lungs, "AND BEYOND!"
  • Watching Sam's little bottom waddle back and forth in his zebra costume while he tried to keep up with Henry and Will. Between the Harvest Carnival on Sunday night and trick-or-treating on Monday, poor Sam was mistaken for a little girl three times.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

The BEFORE...

Good news - there will be AFTER photos to share soon! And the walls are no longer Denver Bronco orange/navy, or floor to ceiling dark brown, or even florescent green and blue...or at least they won't be for long.

Yes, the price had been reduced. We're a frugal family and Financial Peace University (FPU) graduates...okay, so we never completed the series...but we did START the series and took away some great principles!


The kitchen. And rose (i.e. pink) colored back splash and walls. Two things at the top of my "to update/paint" list. I don't do pink.



The built-in kitchen desk


From the kitchen, looking in to part of the living room and one of my favorite features - the double-sided fireplace.


The pink utility room and another favorite - the safe room.



The very green half-bath...just off the pink kitchen



The very dark and also green dining room


Floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room. LOVE windows and natural light. Also love that I can watch my boys playing in our super sized backyard from the living room!


The double-sided fireplace from the living room. The two valance light fixtures were among some of the first things to go.


The stairs. Henry and Sam's favorite feature(s).


Henry and Sam's second favorite feature - the Jetta tub. It was only a matter of time before the boys were swimming in place of the bugs.


The Denver Broncos room. Or, what is now Henry's room...after two coats of primer and one coat of Believable Buff paint.


Yes, even the ceilings were Cowboy orange and royal blue.


Our F-R-O-G. Make that our Finished Room Over the Garage...or, better known as the "play room".


The upstairs bath. The former home owners definitely had interesting taste in paint. They painted this bathroom to match their shower curtain.




The cave. Otherwise known as Sam's room, which also required two coats of primer and a dose of Believable Buff.


The spare bedroom...and the butterfly ceiling fan. The butterfly ceiling fans are now at Habitat.


Our backyard and a favorite feature for the entire family. (A riding lawn mower is on the top of Wade's Christmas list.)

The truth about baby poo

Forgive me, but I had to speak the truth to all my friends who recently entered the world of motherhood. Yes, these are all true...and laugh-out-loud funny. That, or it's 4:32 AM and I'm delirious.

And to think...this whole time I thought we were the only family who knew about The Houdini.

Double-click to enhance (if you dare).

NOLA

On the eve of the 10-year anniversary of 9/11 I spent the evening packing my bags to board an airplane. Had I realized I would be flying on the 10-year anniversary of this dreadful day, I probably would have selected another day to fly.

Although security was on high alert (I had my first body scan) and I experienced more flying anxiety than normal, my plane landed safely in New Orleans the afternoon of 9/11/11. And a heavy sigh of relief was had by all.

The Association of Donor Relations (ADRP) International Conference attracted me and two co-workers to NOLA. It was my second time in the Crescent City. Both times for conferences, but this time I had friends with me. Abby, Andrew and I had a great time seeing all that was within walking distance of our hotels and adding inches to our waistline tasting all of the Cajun specialties. I must admit that I'm a meat and potatoes girl at heart, but it was fun trying some of the local favorites.

Our first night we ventured to Oceana for seafood grub.


I chose the Redfish Oceana. The signature dish. Yum, yum.


And this, my friends, is the whale of a fish. I couldn't even plow through half of what was on my plate, but it was delicious. Best Redfish Oceana I've ever had.


And for dessert, because I understand stuffing yourself is what you're supposed to do in New Orleans, it was beignets at the famous Café Du Monde. Or, make that powdered sugar with beignets on the side.


The powdered sugar madness


We attempted to walk off some of our white powder during a stroll around Jackson Square. Not sure it did any good.



And being in NOLA, what better restaurant to visit than Emeril's very own NOLA. Unfortunately, we learned Emeril has a number of restaurants in the area and the chances of us actually seeing him or enjoying a dish he'd prepared personally were slim to none.



For more highlights, visit Abby's blog.