Running in Snow

I was surprised and ecstatic over this morning's greeting. FRESH SNOW - and the first of 2010!! I couldn't help but fantasize about carving through fresh powder, and working on my goggle tan but, since that's several weeks away, I decided I'd settle for the next best thing. A run.

I love running in the Summer, but snow invites a new kind of energy, unmatched by any other time of the year. The cold air, the warm sun and the sounds of dripping water guarantee to imbue me with ambition and vitality. No matter the time of year, my running trail leaves me beatified and, frankly, I shrink at the thought of ever moving. This is one of those trails I can't take with me, ya know. lol So, until that time comes, I'm gonna savour running here every chance I get. Spring, Summer, Fall and perhaps even Winter. :)

The little joys of motherhood!

I'm not sure a child has ever loved binkies as much as my child. She ALWAYS has at-least one in her mouth and one in her hand - sometimes three or four. I'll take her binkie from her and, without skipping a beat, she'll immediately pop a new one in her mouth, which she'd been hiding in her other hand. Although this makes me giggle, it's a habit I need to break her of... so when I find a way to distract her from her binkies, I take it.


Today she started a new game. Put the binkie down mommy's shirt. Not entirely appropriate, but it served for a great distraction! She was enthralled for a few short minutes, and giggled as she put her 3 favorites in her new found hiding place. Moments later the game had gotten old, and she moved on to the next best thing. The day continued. I fed her, played with her and cuddled her before nap time. As I was cleaning my house, JUST NOW, I noticed a nagging itch on my chest. I went to scratch it, only to discover a yellow binkie still hiding down my shirt. I laughed out loud and found myself delighted over the discovery.

I am SO a mom! I had no idea sticky doorknobs, crayon-covered walls and snot on my left shoulder could be so fulfilling! I wouldn't have it any other way!

Growing pains

Being an adult is no fun. It comes with trials. Not just little bumps in the road, but gapping chasms we must face and cross every day, for the rest of our lives. They become a part of us - a reality we can either fight or embrace. And while things may seem easy for a period of time, it only takes one change to alter our entire life, and it's usually something we never saw coming. Whether through our own choices, the choices of others, or simply the surprises life hands us, change will come.

This is something I've thought a lot about lately, and a fact I'm trying to embrace as I deal with my x weekly, and will likely do so for the rest of my life, or at least for the next 17 years. We're amicable for the most part, but it's still a change that takes getting used to. A change that will never go away. That's part of being an adult. I have two sisters in Kentucky, and both have a handicapped child. The frequent hospital visits, daily treatments and endless medical bills are simply a part of life for them. They're amazing! I don't think I could handle it, but that's part of being an adult. I just learned my childhood friend's wife had cervical cancer and now suffers from frequent seizures. Thankfully he has family near to help, but his lifestyle has been altered forever. That's part of being an adult. A divorced friend is nearly a hundred-thousand dollars in debt because of custody battles, and after 8 years of going back and forth there is still no end in sight. She has no choice but to deal with it. That's part of being an adult.

I guess part of being an adult is dealing with adult trials. They're no fun, but they sure are growing!

He's impressivly persistent

Am I the only one who thinks a marriage proposal over email is weird? It doesn't count... right? And to nullify it further, he and I haven't spoken in years, nor have I heard from him since I was a child. Suddenly he wants to get married!

I politely declined, informing him that I was dating someone and very happy. (It was true).

Today I get a call from an unknown number. I decide to brave it, so I answer. "Natalie? This is 'Bob,' I sent you an email awhile ago?" "Yes, yes. Hi Bob! How have you been?" "Good, good. (small talk and blah blah blah). I was just wondering. If I had a good paying job and a big house, would you marry me then?"

UH... AWKWARD.

"No, Bob. I'm sorry. I wouldn't." "If you marry me, I will cook for you every night, and do all the cleaning."

MORE AWKWARD.

"Thank you, but I'm just not interested." "Do you think if I came up there (He's from out of State) that we could date a little?" "No. I'm sorry." "Well. What can I do to make you love me?"

2 minutes later I politely got off the phone. Poor guy.

I call my mom, appalled at the nerve! As she was laughing, my brother called. "Did you give Bob my number?" I asked. "Bob? Bob who." A few minutes later it rang a bell. No. No he didn't give Bob my number. I told him what had happened, and he got a good laugh out of it. As we were talking Bob called twice. Persistent. I ignored him. We hung up and a few minutes later my brother called again, "Hey! I know what you should say next time Bob calls!" He started into some funny remarks, when my phone beeped AGAIN. It was Bob. ... AGAIN!

"I better get this. It's Bob and he's not gonna leave me alone, until I tell him to." I switched over. "Hello?" I said, overtly irritated. "It's still me," replied my brother. The swap must not have gone through. I looked at my phone to try again, only to see that it HAD gone through... and I WAS talking to "Bob."

My brother and I died laughing, as it all began to add up.

Weeks prior mom had told him about the email proposal (which was not a prank) and my brother immediately began scheming a prank call. Since I haven't heard Bob's voice in over 10 years, my brother figured I would be none the wiser... and he was right. He called from a different number, disguised his voice and, the best part is mom was listening on the other line, laughing hysterically while on mute.

Dungeon to palace. Well... enjoyable, anyway.

It's official. I've finally started remodeling that dungeon I call a basement. I've never liked my basement, and the bland color lends no energy whatsoever. In my marriage I spent several hours a day down there, working beside my x and watching tv with him at night. Now I'd be stretching it to say I've been down there more than 7 hours total over the last year! I don't watch tv, I rarely watch movies, and the best excuse I've found to venture down there is to throw more crap into "storage." Thus, it has become a big storage room.

With winter around the corner, I'll be using the blessed treadmill, so I decided it's time to make my basement a place I enjoy spending time in. These are the color schemes I'm toying with. The shades aren't quite right, but you get the idea. I'm leaning toward the blue and brown. Yeah it's overused... but it's a nice (and drastic) change from the current banal beige. What do you think?