Saturday, February 28, 2009

From the mouths of babes.

Last night Eric and I let Drew stay up late so he could watch Star Wars the Clone Wars when it came on Cartoon Network. It doesn't come on until 10, but since it is a Friday night we figure "what the heck." Right? At least that means he'll sleep a little later on Saturday morning.

Anyway, at about 9:45 I told Drew that he needed to start getting ready for bed. He didn't like that suggestion and began his pre-tantrum ritual. I quickly intervened and said he needed to quit pitching a fit because I was simply getting him ready for bed so he could go upstairs and watch Clone Wars in our bed. Drew looks at me and then he looks at Eric and says, "Well punch me in the face. I must be dreaming!"

Eric and I thought we were going to die we laughed so hard. I have no idea where this kid gets these sayings. Frankly, I am not sure I WANT to know where he gets them. I know one thing though. The kid is hysterical!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Valentine's Day

I have sat here for about half an hour staring at the computer screen trying to write a Valentine's story. I wanted to tell everyone about my love for Eric and the constant contentment and strength I get from our relationship. It hasn't been going so well.

I keep getting distracted by Drew saying, "Mommy, watch this" or "Mommy, listen to this." He crawls into my lap and asks me to transform his Optimus Prime toy into a truck for the 10th time in 10 minutes. I am pulled from my thoughts by the episode of SpongeBob Squarepants on the television. It is the constant activity that is typical for our house.

What I realized is this IS the love story. Eric and I have a relationship that hasn't always been the most traditional. We certainly never followed the "rules" of how you are supposed to meet, fall in love, get married and start a family. We did things our own way and the result has been the most amazing friendship, romance and partnership I could have imagined. Eric is my very favorite person on the planet and the level of love, trust and devotion I feel for him goes far beyond a typical relationship.

We work because we embrace our differences. Eric is a hockey player and a gamer geek and a comic book collector and he loves sci-fi. I am not quite so athletic, I don't understand the concept of gaming, I don't collect anything and I would rather sit and read a book than almost anything else. Somehow it works for us. Our differences keep it interesting and I can always count on Eric for stimulating conversation. We can talk about absolutely anything and I am continuously surprised by our willingness to share ourselves with the other.

I feel like I won the lottery when I met Eric. He is an incredible dad. He always changed diapers and took the middle of the night feedings. As Drew has gotten older Eric is the first one there when Drew cries or needs a hug. Eric keeps our laundry done and most nights he cooks our dinner. He kept Drew entertained so I could study during grad school. He makes sure I wake up on time for work every day - even on the days he could have slept in. In a million different ways, every single day, he reminds me how important his family is to him and how much he loves us.

I wake up every day knowing that wherever I go, whatever I do and whatever hurdles life puts in my path I have the love of an amazing man. A man who is kind, compassionate, affectionate and willing to do whatever he has to do when it comes to his family. He is also the most gorgeous man I have ever met!

On this Valentine's Day I want to tell the world how Eric has shown me what love is and how two people can be a perfect fit for each other simply because they are willing to embrace and encourage their differences. I love you Eric.

Thank you for loving me.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

The kid is wise beyond his years

On Monday and Tuesday Eric is off work so he drives me to work and Drew to school. At the end of the day he picks Drew up from school, takes him to tae-kwan-do and then picks me up from work. It's very exciting. We are CRAZY, PARTY people. Really.

I tell you that to tell you this:

Typically when we all go somewhere Eric drives. He is a good driver and I think he thinks I am a bad driver so it is just easier on everyone if he drives. I don't mind. That leaves my hands free to take over the radio. See? It all works out in the end. For me, anyway.

This afternoon I wanted to shake things up a bit. You know, walk on the wild side, and I got Eric to let me drive home. At one point I happened to look out my side window at the same time the car in front of me put on their brakes. Normally I have slight tailgating tendencies, but today I was PLENTY far back and there was NO WAY I was going to hit that car. Seriously. Not. A. Chance.

Eric, however, disagreed. He totally squawked which scared the hell out of me so I squawked back. You don't yell at the driver! Ever! I practically crapped my pants for nothing! Eric got irritated at me because I snapped at him and I got irritated that he snapped at me for snapping at him and we snapped at each other just a little bit. (It's love, people. LOVE.)

So, we are snapping at each other and suddenly Drew pipes up from the backseat and says, I kid you not,

"Why don't you guys just stop fighting and talk it out."

Yes, my dear readers. The kid is brilliant.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

25 Random Things

Did I mention I am a Facebook junky? NO??

Well then, I am a Facebook junky. I got tagged by about a dozen people to do this 25 random things list. You are supposed to just write down 25 random things about yourself, tag 25 people and send the list into Facebookland.

When I started my list I thought it would take me about 20 minutes. It took me about an hour and a half. SO...since I spent so much time on it I figured I would do double duty and post it here, too.

So without further ado. 25 Random Things About Me.

1. When I was in high school I dislocated my knee and when I showed up at school on crutches a bunch of my classmates thought I was faking it. I went home every day for a week and cried because everyone thought I was a liar. Since then I have dislocated that knee again and had two knee surgeries. I also totally freak out if anyone messes with my knees.

2. I absolutely hate Christmas and tend to start having anxiety attacks about Thanksgiving. I refuse to put the Christmas tree up until a few days before and I take it down the day after. I also yell rude comments out the car window when I see houses who have Christmas lights up in January. My husband hates that. My son thinks it is hysterical.

3. I would really like to play hockey on the women's league here, but I refuse to do it. The reason I won't do it? The mental picture of my ass in all that padded gear is truly horrifying. I would have to change my name to Olga and take up shot-put.

4. I hate talking on the phone and rarely call anyone unless I have to. I talk on the phone all day long at work doing interviews and stuff. When I get home I don't even answer it. I have a list of about 4 people I will talk to and everyone else goes to voicemail. Most of the time I don't even listen to my voicemail either. I have Eric do it and he tells me who called. I don't do it to be rude...I just hate talking on the phone.

5. I read really fast and go through about 3 books a week. The bookstore loves me. Eric wishes I would get a library card.

6. I still sleep with a stuffed animal. It is an elephant. Eric named it Harry Elephante. The man must really love me to put up with me sleeping with a giant stuffed elephant. Sometimes I even take it when we travel.

7. Eric and I are thinking about having another baby and my favorite part of the whole thing is the ability to blame my fat ass on pregnancy. My least favorite part is everything else related to being pregnant. I hated it the first time. The concept of doing it again is utter insanity. The decision is far from being made...we change our minds daily.

8. When I get really stressed out I like to color. I have a giant box full of colored pencils, three Tinkerbell coloring books and I will sit in my bed and color until I feel better. Then I grab Harry Elephante and go to sleep.

9. I can't go to sleep at night without music playing. If the room is quiet I end up laying in bed thinking about all the things I need to do tomorrow, or didn't get done today and then I lay awake all night. I listen to the same CD every night and if I don't find something new soon Eric may find a way for it to mysteriously disappear so he never has to hear it again.

10. I owe a small fortune in student loans thanks to grad school and I have a master plan to keep deferring them because eventually... I will die. I think they may be catching on. Sallie Mae and I are good friends.

11. I am a closet "Cops" watcher. I think it is the greatest show ever because I always feel so good about my life decisions after I watch it. Seriously? At no point have I ever stood in front of a trailer house, with a baby, a cigarette and a beer telling a cop about how my baby daddy was drunk and chased me with a kitchen knife. Suddenly, sleeping with a stuffed elephant and having a penchant for Tinkerbell coloring books doesn't seem quite so bad.

12. I can talk to anyone, anywhere, anytime about anything. This comes in handy with my line of work, but can be somewhat disturbing to the people who share an elevator with me. I just can't stand being in that close of proximity with someone and not talking to them!

13. Watching my husband play hockey is one of my favorite things to do. My very favorite part is when one of his opponents trys to start a fight with him. He is such a big guy the other person tends to run into him and fall over. That usually puts a stop to it and it is truly hysterical to watch.

14. Even thought I owe the equivalent of the national debt of Serbia in student loans I really want to go to law school. I don't want to be a courtroom attorney. I want to specialize in employment law and stay in the HR field. I think it will give me another edge in the industry.

15. As a recruiter I learned how to use google and other search engines to track down just about everything under the sun. I typically use that knowledge to cyberstalk old boyfriends and old school friends to see what kind of dirt I can dig up. It is quite fascinating what you can find out about a person on the internet and most of the time they don't even know it is out there.

16. I love to drive and find it very relaxing to hop in the car, put in a good CD and just hit the road. I have driven across country on more than one occasion and really loved it. I also have some really great stories about psycho truck drivers thanks to those road trips!

17. I would really love to pack up everything we own and move to another country. I am thinking someplace warm and sunny would be great. We'd probably do it, too, except there is no way we could sell our house right now and I don't have a valid passport.

18. I like to have conversations with people about religion and politics and purposely say something inflamatory just to get them riled up. It just fascinates me to watch someone get so bent out of shape when it is a topic that is almost impossible to effectively argue. I simply drop a bomb and then sit back to watch what happens.

19. If I could change anything about myself I would make myself shorter. Pant shopping is a pain in the ass at my height!

20. I really, really want to get on the Oprah show at Christmas so I can get all the free crap she gives away on the "Oprah's Favorite Things" episode. I don't watch Oprah or really care about Oprah. I just want the cool free stuff. It would make Christmas shopping so much faster!

21. I have a knack for song lyrics and can sing just about any song I hear. I also believe strongly that if I could empty my brain of song lyrics and replaced it with something useful I would be absolutely freaking briliant.

22. I also have a thing for movie quotes and once went an entire day talking in nothing but movie quotes.

23. If I could get away with it I might never actually leave my bed. I have the most comfortable bed in the world. Seriously. Ask Eric. He knows.

24. If I had to pick one thing to be remember for it would be my sense of humor. I don't think I was funny when I was younger, but as I have grown up I have honed my smart-ass skills and developed an desire to not take anything too seriously. The best compliment I can get is when someone tells me I am funny.

25. I had the hardest time thinking of 25 things to tell people. When I started this little list I thouht I'd knock it out in a couple of minutes. It took me a freaking hour and a half! I am certain that reveals something important about me, but I am not sure I want to figure out what.