Hello!

Hi, I'm back. Bless your soul if you are still checking in here.

Yes, I took a little blogging sabbatical.

I've been doing the usual: Working. Taking care of children. Chauffeuring children to their activities. Trying to take care of myself (see my update on that on my weight loss blog here)

I'm doing OK. Hope you are too.

Yes I'm still consistently overwhelmed, but it's OK. I know someday I won't be, and I'll miss these times.

So I'm trying to enjoy every day, every moment, where I can.

If you are still here, thanks for checking in. More to come, hopefully soon.

Whale of a Sale = Early Morning Insanity & Hilarity

Every year, the Junior League in my town has an event called "Whale of a Sale", proceeds of which benefit local charities. It's like a big yard sale. How it works is they usually get a large warehouse or empty store and fill it with donated items and open the sale to the public. People camp out all night in the freezing cold to get in first, and go nuts over all the cheap stuff.

It's a few steps above a yard sale because (1) it's huge, like a department store, and (2) many items are new. They procure many name brand new items donated from area retailers. A big draw is usually new wedding and bridesmaid dresses donated from area bridal shops. You will see women in bathing suits and leotards trying on dresses, most of which cost $25, right there next to the racks (there are no dressing rooms).

So, this year's sale is tomorrow. With these tough economic times, they are expecting their largest turnout ever - over 2,000 people. I went last year at 8 a.m., the start time, and waited in line behind about 100 people for about 45 minutes. They only let so many people in and after that, like a crowded bar, it's 1 in, 1 out, so people typically have to wait to get in.

I got some nice stuff last year. Clothes (new and used) from Ann Taylor and Talbot's, some books, and a couple of things for the kids, all for about $30. I don't go nuts and camp out, cut the line, or push and shove to get to the racks like some people do. I like to watch the insanity though - it's quite amusing to watch brides dive and fight for wedding dresses.

So this year I'm thinking of getting there around 6:45 so I can be up a little further in line when it opens. That's not too crazy, is it? I'll post back and let you know about my new found treasures!

20th High School Reunion, aka: "Who Are All These Middle-Aged People and How Is It That I Am One of Them?"

My 20th high school reunion was a BLAST. Above is the attempt to take a group photo. Yes, I am in this photo! If you read my previous post on the topic, you can probably pick me out by my outfit.

As far as dress code, which was "business casual", anything went. Black and white was very popular. There was a ride range of attire, from cocktail dresses and suits to khakis and jeans. I wound up being right in the middle with my ensemble.

Surprisingly, my stomach was in knots walking in to the cocktail hour - I was frantically thinking: What if I'm overdressed? What if no one remembers me? What if no one wants to talk to me? Such thinking was silly of course, but that shows how much high school memories stay with you.

The turnout was good. For a class of 280, about 100 classmates showed up (170 total, including guests). Some had traveled to the East Coast from as far as Texas and California. I thought that either people either looked exactly the same, or so different that I had to look at their name button to figure out who they were. The name buttons, by the way, had our senior pictures on them. Mine senior picture was hideous, and I considered flipping the bird (but didn't) to anyone who said I looked exactly the same. I don't look the same at all.

I was able to pace myself drinking beer (Corona Light!) so that I did not get rip-roaring drunk, (as I was afraid I might as I hadn't drank in about a year due to pregnancy & nursing) however, I did not practice restraint when it came to the food. I had seconds on the fabulous dinner buffet, sent JV back to our room loaded with desserts to save for later (which we devoured), and my dear high school BFF (who had flown in for the reunion from the Midwest), sent her husband out to Chili's for some late night grub. He brought back almost everything on the menu, which we also devoured at 2am.

This reunion was more fun than our 10th. It seemed this time the cliques were really just about gone. (Although, sadly, I noticed some did still exist). At the 10th, many people were still single, or just married, no kids yet, and just establishing careers. This time around, most had married (some divorced or remarried), most had kids, and have had twists and turns in their careers and families, so there was much more to talk about. Corresponding on Facebook really helped break the ice; because of it I already knew many facts about people, which allowed me to start conversations easily and keep them going. I kept remembering: when in doubt, ask people about themselves or their families. Most people love to talk about themselves.

The night seemed to fly by - there were so many people I saw from afar and just didn't get a chance to talk with. Hopefully we'll have a 25th - in the meantime, I'll try to do my best to keep up with my classmates I did chat with. So, Class of '88, until the 25th, see you on Facebook!

We got a new car!

We got a new car yesterday! Here's a picture. For those new readers, I totaled my husband's car on October 25th, so we needed to get a new car asap. Our insurance company (State Farm) has been absolutely wonderful and came through with a payment yesterday that was much more than we expected to get for our 10 year old 4Runner.

So, we went and bought a 2008 Chevrolet Avalanche, after much looking in a very short time frame. For anyone looking to get a new car, there are GREAT deals out there. Everywhere we went, the poor salespeople were falling all over us trying to sell us a car. We got a deeply discounted price, and didn't even need to play hardball in negotiating. (Which we were ready to do since a car payment is not something we planned for at this time!)

JV has wanted a pickup truck for a long time. And since we need a car ASAP, we need to look at either what they have on the lot or what they can locate for us in a day or two. We started with the GMC Sierra pickup - way out of our price range. We then moved to the Chevy Silverado -just out of our price range. We then moved to the Chevy Avalanche, which was well within our price range with the incentives they were offering. It is more of a SUV/Pickup. We think it is perfect for our family. All 3 car seats/kids fit comfortably in the backseat, and it has 5 star front/side crash test ratings.

Of course it will be JV's car, but since he is going turkey hunting this weekend and his buddy will drive, I get to drive it all weekend! I'll try not to total it. :) One shocking thought did occur to us - since we have a habit of driving cars until they die, this could conceivably be Diva's first car as she will be 16 in 7.5 years (AAACK!)

Party On, Class of '88!

I will be getting my party on this Saturday night at my high school reunion (20th!). I can't believe it has been 20 years! I have been feeling particularly OLD lately as I think the dad on the new 90210 is hot, rather than any of the younger guys.

I am looking forward to seeing lots of friends at the reunion and most importantly having a fun night out with my husband. We are staying overnight at the hotel where the reunion is being held. (Neither of us wanted to be The Designated Driver!)

Since we are now back living in the same town where I went to high school, JV knows quite a few people from my class, so I won't have to worry about him not having fun because he doesn't know anyone. Even if he didn't, he is very outgoing and extroverted and will talk to anyone.

I have been connecting with people from high school, college, and beyond for the past six months or so on Facebook. I had previously thought Facebook was for college kids and single people looking to hook up, but I was wrong. Everyone's on Facebook. Apparently, some people are on Facebook ALL the time, I don't know how they get anything else done.

Anyhoo, there is a Facebook group devoted to my high school class. Quite a few people have joined, and people have been posting memories, pictures, and other stuff. There have even been a few pre-reunion happy hours already, organized through Facebook (I haven't been able to attend so far; seems I always have some kind of conflict.) It's a great way to connect with people, so when I see them at the reunion I will already know a little of what's going on with them.

On Friday night our high school is actually having its' Homecoming football game. I would love to go and bring the family, but it's Halloween. There's no way we are missing trick or treat!

I think I have my reunion ensemble set, and miraculously it did not involve any shopping! I decided I would go through all my clothes to try to find something before I bought anything new, since my closets seem to be stuffed with clothes. I found some nice black pants, a cute black sequiny top, white jacket, silver chandelier earrings, and silver shoes. I think it will work. The dress code is not formal, so thankfully I do not have to wear a dress. Since the dress code at work was relaxed, I no longer wear skirts or dresses!

I have to clean my house since one of my friends is flying in for the reunion from Kansas City, also my mom will be staying at my house with the kids. I am so hiring a cleaning person when I go back to work!

Um, OOPS

Yup, I smashed a car into a tree today. While driving the kids on rain-soaked and leaf strewn back roads to visit some family, coming out of a S-curve I lost control of JV's car, swerved off the road, and wound up lodged between 2 trees. No one was hurt. Diva and Daredevil were shaken up, but #3 didn't even wake up. The kids recovered fairly quickly from the scare and now think they have a good story to tell their friends at school on Monday.

So no injuries, but our Old Faithful, a '99 Toyota 4Runner, may likely never recover. It is MESSED UP. Lots of front body damage, tire gone, and front axle bent from the tow truck pulling it out. This has been JV's car since I got the full size SUV in '04, which he is using this weekend at a trade show. He has been planting the seeds about getting a new car, but we were going to try to wait at least another year. So much for that plan.




Luckily my parents were home and came to pick us up, since JV was at work a couple of hours away. To add to the fun, the state trooper handed my license back to me and said, "Ma'am, did you realize your license expired on 8/9/08?" Oops - I had no idea. #3 was born on 8/12, so I have been a little distracted. He was very nice though, and gave me a warning on that. So luckily I did not receive any tickets.

So, now we wait to see what will happen with the 4Runner and whether we have to get a new car. I need to pick up a rental car, get the 4Runner towed from the lot to the body shop, and go to the DMV to get my license renewed. I think the repairs will likely exceed the 4Runner's value, but we'll see. Darn thing was paid off, so if we get a new car, now we'll have a down payment car payment, which is something we didn't plan on while I'm on unpaid maternity leave. Ugh.

I'm trying not to think about that right now and be thankful my babies are OK - it could have been SO much worse.

Balancing Parenting Between Partners

I think the word "balance" assumes equality. Whether it's work/life, or shared parenting, the word "balance" for me assumes that both get an equal share of time and effort.

For me, this never happens. The pendulum swings back and forth. JV is a very involved and hands on parent, but he also works much more than I do, often involving nights and weekends.

I came across this New York Times article about "shared parenting", where couples really do try to share things equally. I found it very interesting and thought provoking. I'm all for shared parenting, but I think it's almost impossible (notice I say "almost"). Take a look at this article when you get a chance and let me know your thoughts:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/magazine/15parenting-t.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin