Babble On

Instead of Session Notes

2009-11-10T21:11:00.003-06:00

I thought I would blog instead. I have left all 5 of you in my blog posse hanging on long enough.

So I have survived the transition. I got the office moved, unpacked, and organized. I have seen many clients, and have a schedule that is staying full and have been getting referrals here and there. Looking forward to my first Medicaid reimbursement check. It will be nice to have some coming in, to help replace the scary amounts that have been going out.

I am a routine kind of gal and this having to develop new work routines after having a routine set for the past 4 or so years is kind of getting to me. My "commute" is longer too, which is one of the few downsides of this venture. (Not that I should complain. My "commute" has gone from about 5-10 minutes depending on the time of day to around 15-20 depending on the time of day) I know that soon I will settle in to a routine, I just want it to hurry up and get here.

Right now I am working a LOT. Trying to build up the coffers. I hope that in the coming months I can tweak things and have a schedule more like I envisioned when I first started working on this adventure. I am mourning the loss this year of my typical 3 days off at Thanksgiving and week or more off at Christmas. It is just too soon to take that much time off. Next year maybe. We'll see.

So here's hoping things continue to settle down. I think this is all starting to catch up with me. I am falling asleep about 2 seconds after my head hits the pillow these days and in the morning I swear the night was only 5 minutes long and I have no recollection of dreaming. That is some hardcore sleeping for me.

Hope you all have been well and my plan is to get back to regular posting soon.

Try to contain yourselves!

Telling it like it is

2009-10-21T13:04:00.002-05:00

I got two kids at home sick with the flu.

I have 1 week left at work before I start the new practice.

Between caring for sick children, praying, chanting, rattling bones, and other assorted rituals to ward off germs for myself, annnndd...oh YEAH, starting my own business...blogging is falling off the radar for a week or two.

Try not to fuss too much.

Or at least don't fuss around me.

My current patience level :
"I will tear your head off and throw it over the fence if you annoy me in the slightest."

Don't say I didn't give you fair warning.

It's an I got a lotta crap done kind of tired

2009-10-10T21:20:00.002-05:00

Hoo Boy.

I am surprised I have the strength and energy to type.

Things are hopping in Babble Land, and today was a doozy.

But...I now have a fresh and lovely painted office space. I am so pleased with how it turned out! I also have a bookcase, and we have intenet, phone/fax lines, and some furniture and toys in the lobby area. It begins to look a lot like a functioning office in there!

Next week I get a loveseat, find a chair, put together my desk, and start to arrange things in my office space.

So preparations for the new office are clipping along at a good pace.

Progress on the Journey to Better Health...not quite as clipping.

As is always the case at Chez Babble, fall brings on extreme busy times. I should take a picture of our calendar and post it here. Just for a good giggle. Because I promise you every time I look at it I giggle hysterically at the idea that we are going to cram all that in. Some how we do.

Anyway The Journey.

I have two pounds left.

Two pounds that seem to have separation anxiety. Cuz they ain't movin'. They are clinging to me like a toddler to it's mother when there are adults in huge scary costumes near by.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have been enabling this separation anxiety somewhat due to my lack of vigilance in counting my calories. Due to things like catching a cold, and ridiculously early sporting events my exercise has been somewhat less consistent, but overall not too bad.

I know what I need to do, now I just need to do it, lose these last two measly pounds and move on to the next phase of the journey. The phase I have dreamed, fantasized, and drooled over.

Maintenance.

Now that it is so close, the view is not quite as shiny as it was some 6 months ago. In fact it kind of looms a little scary. Because now I realize that these changes I have made don't stop. Ever.

That is kind of daunting.

I am pondering how to go about maintenance and I hope that next time we discuss The Journey I will be telling you all about the new maintenance plan I am carrying out.

On to good stuff about The Journey.

Since I now wear clothes that fit on a regular basis instead of clothes that are 2-3 sizes too big people have really noticed how much I have lost. That is kind of fun.

Someone the other day told me that I looked like I could afford to eat a brownie I turned down the other day. I don't believe that I am in the too thin category, but it was kind of nice to hear.

Unexpected stuff from The Journey. (warning that this could fall in to the TMI category for some of you.)

Boob loss. Wow. My rack is not what it once was. To the tune of about 4 inches less boobage. That may not sound like a lot, but the reality is quite noticeable to me. BH is not complaining however so that is good. Mixed feelings about this loss, and am frankly surprised that I care at all.

Cold. Good SWEET LORD AND BABY JEEBUS the COLD!!!!

I have always been one who tends to get cold easily. But since the weather has turned colder I am REALLT noticing it with more intensity. Last year we kept our house at 68 while we were home all winter long. We wanted to work on saving energy and felt that we could really just put on an extra layer or two. I was fine all winter with that temperature and tolerated it well with the extra layer or two of clothing. We are not even in REAL winter yet, in fact have only had the heat on for maybe two days and I am not sure if I am going to be able to handle it. I was lamenting to BH about how I was doubting and remarked that I remembered it being fine last year. He lovingly reminded me that I have lost almost 30 pounds of insulation since last winter. Never even thought of this outcome. Pretty sure I don't care for it, but will learn to live with it. May just have to add a layer or 3 this winter instead. Because I really like the way that temp shrinks our heating bill. In half people. It has cut it in half.

Non-Journey related public service statement:

Get a programmable furnace and set it to 68 when you are home, 62 when you are gone during the day and at night. Get out those layers , and extra blankets out then watch that bill and your carbon footprint shrink baby shrink.

Until next time...

Coming Out

2009-10-03T13:58:00.003-05:00

I have been teasing about some upcoming changes for a while now.

Finally I can come out about what is going on, although I bet some of you have guessed already, or you are friends with me on Facebook and know through there.

Anyway! My big news is.........

I am leaving my job.

I have been at this job longer than any other. Almost 4 years. That is a real record for me. If you feel so inclined, you can go back in the blog archives and read about my job jumping history. Try February 2006. That is the best I can do, as I am lazy blogger who doesn't categorize and tag things.

So what am I going to be doing after I leave my job?

Why going into private practice that's what!

Yup, I have pondered, thought, mulled, fretted, crunched numbers and decided that this is the way for me to go. If all goes as planned I hope to be able to work a little less eventually and make as much money or perhaps a bit more than I do currently.

I am also ready to call the shots now. I say how big my caseload will be, when and how late I work. I WILL CONTROL MY OWN SCHEDULE!!!! ( I am way excited about this. I swear to Baby Jesus it takes an act of congress to make a change to my schedule where I am now.)

So I guess I am not so much changing jobs as I am changing where and how I do my work.

I will be in an office space with 3 other therapists, so it will be nice to have others to talk to and consult with when necessary. The office space we have leased is lovely and in a great location. Getting the space ready has been fun, and exciting too. We paint my office and the lobby area this weekend.

So big stuff going on. It is getting pretty intense now that I am slightly less than a month away from starting this gig. The transition is going to be a lot of work, and I might get cranky so be warned, because you know you will be among the first to reap the uh...."benefits" of my mood state.

So that is it. My BIG NEWS.

Stay tuned for updates as they happen.

Things that make my heart break

2009-09-30T20:49:00.002-05:00

My precious old lady kitty Kalypso died Sunday evening.

BH and I got her about 6 months after we got married and about 1 month after we moved ourselves alllll the way out to California where we knew not a soul so that I could go to graduate school.

I always say that we did not pick out Kalypso, but rather she picked US out for herself. We got her from the SPCA shelter in Oakland. It was not very well lit, and I was peering in the cages at the kitties when I felt a little paw on my back. I turned around to see a tiny and very fuzzy long-haired tortoise shell kitten. We asked to have a look at her. We took her in to the visiting room and she immediately curled up in my lap and started purring and seemed as happy as could be. I told BH that we had just found our kitty. He wanted to reserve opinion until he saw how she did with him. So I very reluctantly handed her over. She curled right up in his lap and kept on purring.

So home with us she went. She really was a welcome friend in a town where we had none. You would have thought that cat was our child, the way we treated her. She went on many plane trips home with us, because we hated to leave her behind. If we were sitting or lying down she was in our lap, curled up on our backs, sitting on our heads, never far from our side. She would play for hours and was extremely entertaining.

As happens with all pets when kids enter the picture, she did not get quite the attention she had when she was an only child, but she was ever patient with the girls and they loved her dearly. Nothing made them happier then to sit in the hallway every morning so that Kalypso would come sit in their laps to get her morning pets. When they started helping to feed her they were thrilled when she would sleep in their beds at night. When she got to old and frail to jump up to their beds, they both made special spots on the floor with pillows and t-shirts so that she would have a place to rest near them. The nicknamed her Pippy and loved her as much as we did.

Kalypso turned 14 this year and got very ill last spring. Her kidneys were failing and she was having seizures. We had made the decision to end her suffering, but before we made the call the she rallied around and recovered somewhat.

A couple of weeks ago, she started having seizures again. She was eating only the tiniest amounts no matter what treats we gave her to try and coax her appetite. We knew that she was winding down.

Sunday afternoon she had a seizure and seemed to have a lot of trouble coming out of it. We did not think she was going to make it to the next day, and decided that if she did the time had come. She was obviously suffering now, and we could not let her go on like that.

We told the girls at dinner, and everyone cried. We checked on her periodically. Finally shortly before the girls bedtime BH called me in and said that he thought Kalypso was at the end. Her breathing was erratic and very very shallow. We gave the girls the chance to come in and say goodbye, and then BH and I sat there petting her until she was gone.

It has been very sad around here these past few days. We are grateful to have been with her as she took her final breaths, and grateful even more that she suffers no more.

I still expect to see her sitting in her favorite spots, or to have her come in after I have showered to lick drops of water off my legs. I miss seeing her watch over the other two cats like the matriarch she was.

I miss my friend.

Things that make my heart melt

2009-09-24T21:06:00.002-05:00

This evening I was preparing to dry #2's hair when she says to me, "Mommy, when I am older will you tell me all of your secrets?"

I counter this remark with my best, "whatchootalkinbout#2" look.

She goes on to say, "I want you to tell me all of the secrets about how you are such a great mom so that I can be a great mom like you when I grow up because you are the best mom a little girl could ever have."

I reply by melting into a great big huge pile of lovey dovey goo all over the floor.

Survived

2009-09-21T20:53:00.002-05:00

I survived my first specator parent experience.

#2 had her first basketball game over the weekend. Her team is scrappy I tell ya! Scrappy! Those little girls were not afraid to take the ball any time the other team managed to get their hands on it, which was not often. #2's team won 22-0. That is no typo friends. That was the final score.

I clapped, but did not holler at my child. I have to maintain my dignity doncha know.

In other news, last week showed much improvement over the previous one despite a very bumpy start.

Once again I am dying to go in to detail, but smarts keeps me from doing so on here. Dang, I do often lament the really interesting blog I could have if I could share more information.

In a about a week or so I think it will be safe to announce some upcoming Big! Changes! For! Me!

Too bad that the changes won't be as exciting for all of you as they will be for me. But you are a kind and loving audience who no doubt will get over it soon.

Hey, did I tell you about my totally weird dream the other night?

I dreamt that I was taking an algebra class, and it was taught by my high school algebra teacher. He was much more pushy in my dream and did not let me get away with my complete inability to comprehend algebra. Several times in the dream I thought I was going to cry but didn't. That dream seemed really long and when I woke I was really grouchy that I had spent my night trying to learn algebra.

Especially since I now know that I am right and I NEVER use it in my adult life.

Because I have a mathematically inclined husband who can help the children with their math homework.

I knew what I was doing when I married that man.

Awful

2009-09-14T11:58:00.002-05:00

The past week was awful.

This week looks to be much the same.

Can't really discuss any of it here.

Having a really hard time TCB.

Ugh.

Wide World of Sports

2009-09-05T20:51:00.002-05:00

BH and I are not athletic people.

We don't watch sports, play sports, or in truth really care at all about sports.

We have no teams that we support or care about.

Being Midwesterners, that sometimes puts us on the oddball scale. Particularly when there is a KU vs K-State game on the horizon. Saying you could care less about who wins, or failure to declare a loyalty puts you on par with aliens, or baby stealers, and the like. People just don't understand.

When we were expecting #s 1 and 2, we used to always joke that we artsy fartsy theater loving people were going to give birth to the most tremendous sports loving jocks on the face of the planet. That is how things work right?

Well that hasn't exactly come to pass. Our youngest is 8 years old and we are about to make our first foray in the world of "Parents Whose Child Participates in a Team Sport."

Y'see #2 has decided that she would like to play basketball this year. Never one to discourage a valid interest we signed her up.

Now I wonder what have we gotten in to? We will have to attend practice once a week and go to games once a week. GAMES. Where we have to watch and pay attention. There will be cheering on involved.

I am going to be totally out of my element.

I bet I can count on one hand the number of sporting event I have attended as an adult. I have NO INTEREST. NONE. DON'T CARE.

I assume because my child is involved that this will increse my level of interest.

However there is one thing that worries me greatly....

Cheering on.

I. Don't. Cheer.

Ever.

I also never never E-V-E-R clap along with music at concerts and performances.

Because I HATE THAT.

I am no good at audience participation. I flat out refuse. I will be the only one standing there mute and unmoving and I am ok with that. Perfectly ok.

Until now.

There is going to be much pressure to cheer on.

Of course my anxious irrational self is coming out and imagining the horror and evil things I will do to my darling child because I don't holler out and cheer and participate with the rest of the audience.

Oh Lordy.

I should have just signed her up for dance and told her to live with it.

Oy.

Go #2!

Woot.

Woo Hoo.

Can I just Twitter my support?

Doncha Hate it?

2009-09-05T18:04:00.004-05:00

When you have something exciting to share, but the timing is just not quite right?

I do.

Sigh.

Soon. Hopefully soon.

A Journey Update

2009-08-31T21:12:00.002-05:00

Dooooon't stop Beeeeeliiiieeevvinnnn'!! Hold on to that feeeellllllliiiiiiinnn'! (You have to imagine that this is actually being sung by Steve Perry as it is in my head for this to work you know!)

So the Journey To Better Health.

Well the first milestone has been met. This past week I finally hit the first goal mark. I am now officially at the weight recommended by my doctor. I have fully committed to going on to my own personal goal that is 7 lbs past the doctor goal.

Wait, did I say 7 pounds??

Oops. I misspoke, becuase as of yesterday I only have 6 pounds left.

Yeah!

I have gone back to my earlier vigilance about keeping track of my calories every day and added in the extra 10 minutes of exercise. That seems to have gotten me over my stall. Not dropping quite as rapidly as in the beginning, but dropping pounds again all the same.

Still have good energy and mood. And the best news of all has to be the clothes.

Oh the clothes.

I finally had to break down and go get some clothes to get me through the rest of the summer weather here. (Seeing as I am in Kansas summer weather could end next week or possibly sometime in mid-November.) I was shocked by the final results when I went to try on clothes. I have been wearing things anywhere from 2-3 sizes too large. Which explains why belts were not very helpful. I barely held it together in the dressing room. What was even more exciting is that the final size was almost loose. Not enough to go one more down, but I am suspicious that once I drop the last 6 that I may be one more size down. Especially if I keep up with some of the toning stuff I am doing.

I have renewed my love for buying clothes. Oh my sweet baby Jesus I have renewed it. Clothing stores are once again my Mecca. So many pretty choices. So many.....

However I will have to keep myself in check. While it is good for me to be slimmer, that is not a good state of being for my bank account.

Let's get random

2009-08-24T20:53:00.003-05:00

I have no solid unifying theme for this post. It has been a while since I have done a Randomosity post so I figure....what the hell?

#2 figured how to make armpit farts this weekend. She can also do back of the knee farts.(Is there a name for that part of the body? Kneepit? I tell you this is the kind of thing that keeps me awake at night.) We are now discussing when and where it is appropriate to make such noises. Good times indeed.

How 'bout this healthcare reform? I have not been following it too closely because it makes my head spin and I figure why would I purposely raise my blood pressure? My barely informed thoughts you ask? In a nutshell...I don't think we will see true reform and I am pretty certain that it is the fault of greedy insurance companies. This makes me very sad. Almost more sad than angry. Almost.

Did I tell you that we now have a kitten? Yup. Cat number 3. We are apparently running an animal refuge here at Chez Babble. Why a 3rd kitty? Because EMILY posted a link about overcrowding at a local shelter and I am a giant sucker is the short version. Yes Emily I am still placing full blame on you. The kitten's name is Penelope. She is a tiny sweet little Calico Kitty. Ooh! I can do a full post with pictures later!

I am feeling less irritated at work. That is nice. A small raise and the return of A WHOLE HOUR of paperwork time has helped. Helped some apparently, seeing as I am not opposed to making snarky comments about the management's "generosity" on the paperwork end. The raise was nice, and given the current state of the economy, world, job market, etc. I feel extremely grateful to be in a position to have gotten an unplanned raise in the middle of the year. But the paperwork hour made me laugh. (We used to get 8 hours blocked off and many was the week that barely covered what needed to be done.)

I bought some new clothes last weekend. I figured I could not wait until winter as I originally planned when I had two incidents where I was running and my pants nearly fell off, and my decision was cemented when I was able to pull off a pair of denim capri pants without undoing the zipper and button. My current size is one I have not seen since a few glorious months post-partum with #1. (So that would be nearly 12 years for those keeping track.) I might have gotten a little teary in the dressing room. I might have gotten really excited that the new size was such that it won't take much to go down one more either. I am trying to come to terms with the feelings of shallowness that accompany my elation over this very respectable jean size. I am doing MARVELOUSLY overcoming by the way. I am trying to keep my urge to buy lots of fun new clothes under control. This is difficult.

Have any of you watched the show Coupling? It is a BBC comedy and by God it is hilarious. I strongly suggest checking it out. You can watch it instantly on Netflix if you are a member. Seriosuly. As soon as you are done reading and commenting on this post I want you to go immediately to Netflix and start watching. If you don't belong to Netflix join. Now.

What are you waiting for?

Can't Spill The Beans But I Wanna

2009-08-19T20:02:00.002-05:00

I have some exciting stuff brewing here at Chez Babble.

I really REALLY want to write about it, but I am not ready to make it quite so public just yet.

Soon though.

In other news, school is back in session, and we are adjusting back to that way of life once more. I am trying not to be emotional yet about it being #1's last year of elementary school. It does not help when BH shares bits of trivia like, "Hey! Did you know that this is the last year the girls will be in the same school together until #1 is a senior in high school."

I'm not saying my eyes got leaky at that one, but they were extra watery for a few minutes.

#1 is definitely presenting with some pre-teen moody issues. I may change my references to her from #1 to Moody Blue.

Oy.

This is challenging my patience in a tremendous way. Adolescents are delicate creatures. They must be handled with skill. My skills in this area are dull and weak right now. I am having to do much stopping and thinking before reacting.

Just like baby and toddlerhood this will pass. Right?

RIGHT?

Somebody throw me a bone here.

Visions of what is to come?

2009-08-11T12:17:00.001-05:00

School starts Thursday.

#1 has just been diagnosed with Strep.

Can I reiterate that SCHOOL HAS NOT EVEN STARTED YET?

This does not bode well people. Not at all.

Lucky

2009-08-01T12:34:00.003-05:00

So last night I dreamt that I was on some kind of a dance team for a grocery store that we used to frequent when we lived in California.

The store and the dance team were named Lucky.

The uniform for the dance team were tight white t-shirts with Lucky and some shamrocks done in sparkly green crystals. This shirt was paired with green shorts. (This part was very vivid.)

I seemed to be the odd-woman out on the team. I never had the right outfit, my shoes were too dirty, I was late, my hair and make-up were below par. The mothers and other girls on the team would whisper and laugh at me not-so-much behind my back. It was never really clear in the dream if I was an adult or a teenager again.

I felt like I had this dream before recently, but am not sure.

I am sure that I hope this dream does not make an appearance again. It is not terribly fun to live out a high school situation in dreams that was far worse than anything I experienced as a teenager.

Of course I can not seem to keep from asking myself what this dream is about and where are it's themes coming from.

Not that I believe in that sort of thing. Mostly.

Stalled

2009-07-25T20:49:00.003-05:00

I haven't posted about my Journey to Better Health for a while.

I know you are all beside yourselves with wonder about how things are going.

They are in a word somewhat....stalled.

I seem to have hit a plateau here in the past month or so.

As it stands right now I have lost a total of 18 pounds. I have 4 more to go to hit the weight recommended by my doctor.

I think the stall started on vacation. I did not watch what I ate. I did not eat a ton, but my choices were frequently of the cheeseburger, pizza realm. (C'mon! I was in New York! How am I supposed to go there and NOT eat a slice. Or maybe two. Not at the same sitting however!)

Our hotel did not seem to have a gym, so I did not exercise as I have been. I did however do a MASSIVE amount of walking. This kept me from gaining while on the trip.

I think the problem has been that since returning I have not been quite as vigilant about the eating as have been the past few months. I have lost a little, but am nowhere near what I have been losing. I continue to exercise as I have been the entire time.(Except for this week. I had to take a few days off. I had some issues with my knee, of the limping miserably variety. Rest and Motrin seem to have done the trick. Thank goodness, I was getting worried!)

So methinks it is time to shake things up a bit. I guess I have to go back to my vigilant calorie management, and I think we need to make some changes to the ol' exercise routine. I am going to add an extra 10 minutes a day. That may not seem like much, I know. I have some DVD's that have very intense short cardio/toning workouts. It is like a 30 minute work out in 10. Did I mention that they are intense? Ohh those DVDs are from hell. I hope that this will help get things moving again.

I also have almost maybe definitely decided to go for it and get down to what I consider to be my best weight. It is not that far past what the Dr. recommended and I really like the idea of having a cushion.

Now on to some more positive things. I am soon going to have to buy some new clothes. I have a lot that is really way too big. A few things that are absolutely past wearing any longer, and more that will be that way soon. That is pretty exciting.

I am also really happy about how elevated my mood has become. This has been a pleasant and unexpected bonus. I have frequently felt very irritable, cranky, and out of sorts over the past 6 months to a year. I have had a few points in time where I began to think that it might be time to seek some uhh..professional assistance. I don't feel that way any longer. I am glad. It is no fun to feel eternally irritable. No fun atall.

It is interesting to hear people's reactions to my weight loss. It is pretty noticeable now I guess. I have had many people say that they never would have guessed that I needed to lose 20 plus pounds. Which is good I suppose. Not sure what I did to disguise it, but whatever it was worked.

So the journey continues. I hope that in another month or so I can share that goal one (Dr. recommended weight) has been met.

I think I need to reward myself with something when this is all done. I have a few ideas, but would be interested in your thoughts. How would you reward yourself for such an accomplishment?

And no.. I do not plan to take myself out to an expensive calorie-laden meal.

But maybe some ice cream.

Sometimes it is Good to Clean Out the Desk

2009-07-21T21:30:00.002-05:00

BH and I are cleaning out, purging, shredding things, and generally organizing our office space at home.

In the process I came across a poem that BH sent me for Valentine's Day in 2005. If I recall we spent that Valentine's day and evening apart because he had rehearsal. To make up for his absence he e-mailed me the following poem. Enjoy. Those of you familiar with Napoleon Dynamite will find particular enjoyment.

A Love Poem
(in the sweet style of Kip Dynamite)

What would I do without you?
Where would I be without you?
How could I see wtihout you?

Yes, I love Heroclix,
But it would be better with you in the mix
But I still love Heroclix

What would I do without you?
I often think about you.
And never would doubt you.

Our love is bigger than a house,
And for your love I'd joust,
And then we could live in Taos.

Where would I be without you?
Among my favorite things I count you.
To read my comics I allow you.

If ever our loves should ever break,
I'll cry and hen a scene I'll make,
And this is my heart you can take.

How could I see without you?
I feel so free around you.
The birds and bees have found you.

Who knows where love comes from?
But our love will never be done,
And we will always have fun.

What would I do without you?
Where would I be without you?
How could I see without you?

What would I do without you?
Where would I be without you?
How could I see without you?

Now how can I not feel special after being the recipient of such amazing poetry?

Feel free to be jealous.

My Summer Vay-Cay Days 1-2

2009-07-18T19:05:00.009-05:00

This year BH and I decided to go crazy and take a vacation BY OURSELVES. As in NO CHILDREN. We have not been on a vacation sans children since..weeellll....since we had children.
As I stated a few times in other recent posts, I was a little twitchy about being away from my babies for so long, but of course it all worked out fine.

I am very glad that we made our first trip to New York without the children. By the end of the first full day we really understood just how different the trip would have been had they been along. Not that it would have been an awful vacation or anything, it just would have been very different.

This post may not be very exciting for many of you. I am ok with that. Above all else this blog is my scrapbook, journal, whatever you want to call it of my life. Sometimes I gotta do some posts that are mostly for me. This one and those to follow are precisely that. However you are of course welcome to peruse my scrapbook at your leisure.

Now let's get down to business.

Day one of our vacation actually took place only an hour from home in Good ol' KC. As anyone who reads this blog or for that matter anyone who had a conversation with me over the past month or so knows that I had to take a big licensing exam this month. I decided (why I will NEVER know) to take it right before we left of vacation. So the morning of day one, was spent test taking and TEST ROCKING. Yes sirree I rocked that bad boy. So to celebrate BH and I went to see the first of TWO movies that day.

You read that right. We went to the movie theater TWICE in ONE DAY. I am lucky if I go to see a movie twice in a year these days. So let me tell you this seemed like the highest level of decadence. We first saw Away We Go. GREAT movie. Go see it. You won't be sorry. We went to the Fork and Dine theater for that one. They bring you food while you watch the movie. I so love that. The Fork and Dine theater is nice, but it ain't nothin' compared to the Cinema Suites. OOOohh how I do love the Cinema Suites. If I had my way we would see EVERY movie there. The Cinema Suites are only for adults, they have extremely comfortable leather recliners, and again they bring you food while you eat! All seats are reserved and the theater only holds about 40 people. I love love love going there. The best part is that the tickets are $20, but of that $20, $10 is a voucher for food. We saw The Proposal there. Enjoyable, but really you can probably wait for it to come out on DVD. Unless you have access to the Cinema Suites. Then go. See whatever they are playing. It won't matter if the movie is crap. LEATHER RECLINING SEATS AND FOOD PEOPLE!!! No more needs to be said.

The next day we got up at the top of the ass crack of dawn to catch our flight to NYC. We wanted to get there early. We did get in around 11:00 AM. Unfortunately for us we were the last people to be dropped off of a very full and CREEPILY quiet shuttle van. Man. No one said a word the entire trip and it was long. We were on that bad boy for about an hour and a half. I had to practically bite through my tongue not to be a complete geeky tourist. "Look! Times Square!" "Look! The Empire State Building!" "LOOK! Rockefeller Center!" All these things had to be said in my head.

By the time we got to the hotel we were more than sick of sitting and starving.

Let's get to some pictures to tell the rest of the day's story shall we?

Happy BH eating a Shack Burger. A good burger cures crankies every time!

Our first meal took place at the Shake Shack which was conveniently located a few blocks from our hotel. This is apparently a famous joint and the line was long, but apparently only by our Midwestern standards. The burgers and fries were delicious, but the shakes. My GOD the shakes. We were told that they were out of chocolate frozen custard and that nearly sent me into the vapours. However they recommended as an alternative the black and white shake. Oh dear LORD. I never thought I would utter the words, "I am so GLAD they were out of chocolate." But I did and I meant it. That black and white shake was a little cup of heaven let me tell you.

After some lunch it was time to see my good friend ALI, her delicious little boy, and always charming husband. They showed us around their hood and treated us to a delicious dinner, and some powerful Oprah style Sangria. The conversation and company were thoroughly delightful. We got to spend some time with DAN too who was fortunately able to join us. A very pleasant evening to be sure, and a great way to start our NY experience.

A rare sighting of Missy and her BH. This was in front of the Intrepid located on Hudson Bay.

I regret that I did not get a picture of the view from Ali's balcony because it is quite a sight to behold.

Ali and Dan escorted us back to the hotel and showed us how to navigate the subway. They were gracious enough to indulge our tourist moments.

Wow! Two pictures of me in one post. This is unheard of. But it is not every evening that I find myself in Times Square with such a handsome man!

Thus ended our first two days of vacation. By the time this photo was taken, I in particular was beginning to fade after two very early mornings and two very crappy nights of sleep. Our hotel bed was soooo comfy.

Coming soon....

"MY SUMMER VAY-CAY DAYS 3-4!!!!"

Don't miss it!

Back to err..uhh..somewhat regularly scheduled blog posts soon

2009-07-10T21:44:00.002-05:00

Hey there!

Just a few quick updates.

First and foremost...I passed my LCPC exam!!! Hooray! Now I just have to send the KSBSRB another fistful of cash to get my new license. Then decide on my next move, but that is a post for another day.

I have been on vacation in New York City all week long. There is much to share, but I have walked about 3,000 miles over the past four days and I am T-I-R-E-D. I also have a plane to catch in the AM so will say night night for now.

However as a teaser I will let you in on my favorite sighting of the trip.

I believe the award must go to the man wearing nothing but a neon yellow g-string sunning himself in the Brooklyn Bridge Park.

That kind of fabulous stuff just does not happen in my part of the Midwest friends.

Mores the pity.

Bi-Polar

2009-07-01T23:13:00.003-05:00

I believe that my response to my upcoming clinical exam is rapid cycling Bi-Polar disorder.

What seems like half a million times a day I go from thinking, "I can totally pass this exam. NOOOOooo problem." to "Oh MY GOD! I know nothing! How do I keep my job? My license! I will never pass this exam even if I studied every minute for the next six months!"

Good times. SUPER good times.

I have talked before about my uhhh..ahem...nervous tendencies.

Since I started this blog I don't recall being in any exam situations. So I am here to tell you that my level of anxiety where tests are concerned make my other "nervous tendencies" look like I am strolling happily in the park on a splendid summer's day.

It. Is. Ugly.

Generally I obsess for several days..then a day or two before the test I have a crying melt-down...then the morning of the test I am very nauseated, unable to eat, and have major stomach upset.

Not. Fun.

I do somehow manage to pull it together and take the exam. Which is good.

Hopefully this will be the last time I have to take an exam of this magnitude and importance.

Unless I decide to go back to school to become certified to be a school counselor.

That is still on the table.

Maybe this test experience will cure me of that idea.

Now I should call it a night.

Sigh.

Ca-rrrazzy Eights

2009-06-29T21:07:00.003-05:00

My friend Lindsey tagged me a while back with this lil' meme. Seeing as how I have been slow to respond to the tag AND since this seemed infinitely more fun than continuing my preparations for the NCMHCE here we go...

8 Things I am looking forward to...
1-having my big test out of the way
2-passing my test
3-adding the credentials LCPC to my name (anyone sense a theme here?)
4-BH and my trip to NYC
5-Spending time with my good friends who live in NY
6-losing these last 6 or 13 pounds
7-picking tomatoes out of my garden
8-family vacation to Florida over spring break or summer. Whenever is fine with me!

8 Things I did yesterday...
1-exercised
2-laid around reading in bed
3-studied for my test
4-worried about failing my test
5-played freeze tag at the pool with my hubby and kids
6-ate pizza and sort of watched a movie with my hubby and kids
7-checked Facebook more often than I should.
8-stayed up too late reading "American Wife" by Curtis Sittenfeld

8 things I wish I could do...

1-work part time
2-be more patient
3-enjoy exercise more
4-rock a bikini again
5-visit the beach every year
6-pay more attention to political issues
7-refinish the basement
8-hang out more often with my chick friends

8 shows I watch...

1-The Office
2-30 Rock
3-Grey's Anatomy
4-Ugly Betty
5-Mad Men
6-My Name is Earl
7-The Soup
8-Just about anything they show on HGTV

OK. That's my crazy eights. Hope you enjoy. Feel free to do this on your blog.

Adios!

It's Official..I am a Total Nutjob.

2009-06-26T15:56:00.002-05:00

I have been waiting waiting waiting..then waiting some more to get confirmation from the KSBSRB, the President, Congress, God, Buddah, and other various important figures since MAY 15 saying that I am approved to take the NCMHCE. (Test I have to take for my clinical licesnse.) FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY today I got the last of the confirmations needed and was given access to the site where I sign up for my test date. I will be taking the exam on July 6 at 9AM. That is just about 9 days away.

(Excuse me, but I need to recover from my fainting spell/panic attack)

Wanna know what is 10 days away???

Our NY vacation.

Ayup. I am taking the test the day before we leave for vacation. There are reasons why I chose to do this.

I can't seem to recall any of them now however.....

I have been preparing for the exam since the first of the month, for once having a positive outlook that things would go my way. However I have backed off the studying over the past week because I had begun to despair that I was going to hear back from the NBCC (national board for certified counselors) in time to register for the July exam.

Oy vey.

I think it is safe to say that by the time next weekend comes around I will be a "Hot Mess" as the kids are saying these days.

I think preparing for a major test, getting ready for my first vacation away from my children, dealing with all that is involved in getting work stuff settled so that I can be gone for a week, equals the perfect recipe for the "hot mess."

I see a crying, anxiety ridden meltdown in my near future.

Now where did I put that positive outlook? I know I left it around here somewhere.....

Trying to embrace Babette

2009-06-18T21:21:00.003-05:00

Well I am officially about two months in to the Journey to Better Health.

I have lost 13 pounds so far. 9 more to go to reach my doctor's recommendation for target weight. 16 more for My recommendation for target weight.

It is up in the air as to whether or not I will try to reach what I have felt for a loooooong time is my target weight. I may see how I feel at the doctor's recommendation and leave it at that. I may say, "Hell I have gone this far what is another 7 pounds?" Those few (okay maybe "few" is not totally accurate, but this is my journey so I can call it like I want to!)extra pounds of weight loss would give me a cushion so to speak. For what I am not sure, but I like the IDEA of a cushion. Cushions are...cushy, they give you a sense of support.

I guess this is getting easier. Although I did have to get a slap of reality over the last couple of weeks. I thought that I could just keep track in my head of what I was eating and I might have had a couple of days where I just said "screw it" and ate more than I should have of stuff that I shouldn't. A creep up in poundage whipped me back in to shape, and I got rid of the extra plus some pretty quickly. I still dread eating out. BH has also started watching his caloric intake via the same website I am using and that helps too. I no longer feel like stabbing him with a fork as I watch him eat whatever the hell he wants to.

HOWEVER. I jokingly(ish) said to him that once he starts tracking his calories he will lose 10 pounds in one week. About four days in to calorie watching and he DROPS 4 POUNDS WITHOUT EVEN EXERCISING REGULARLY. I might have accidentally called him an asshole out loud when he said that. I didn't mean to. Things just slip out sometimes. I really don't think he is an asshole. Far from it. It is just the hungry jealous woman in me rearing her ugly beastly head.

I normally avoid full length mirrors because they tend to make me sad, but today I decided to have good look to see if I could tell any difference in how I look. I could. However upon examination it became apparent to me that a portion of my midsection that I not so lovingly refer to as "Babette" may not be resolved through weight loss alone. She may not even be resolved with exercise. I can not say that for certain as I have not been engaging in any kind of toning exercise. That will come later, I just can't do more right now. But today for the first time EVER in my life, I momentarily considered uhh..surgical enhancement, or more accurately surgical reduction.

Babette may only go away with the use of surgical implements. I am not fully accepting of this idea as of yet seeing as I have not tried any toning techniques. Even if those don't work, I don't know that I could bring myself to do a.........(gasp).....tummy tuck.

I did weigh the option for a few seconds tho.

I think a far less radical and less painful option would be to try and become friends with Babette. Accept her. Embrace her. Take her out on the town. Introduce her to my friends.

Now where did I put that Pilates DVD.....

Upcoming Travels

2009-06-15T19:23:00.003-05:00

Ohhhh the Babble Home is abuzz with travel plans.

BH and I are headed to New York in just a few short weeks. Our first vacation sans children. The children will be living it up with Grammy and Poppie for the first part of the week in Omaha to see the zoo. Then they are transferred to Grandma and Grandpa for the remainder of the week so they can motor out to Branson. They will come back spoiled and need retraining to be sure.

So far BH and I have secured tickets to see Billy Elliot, and have plans to try and see a Mets game and have some quality time with our dear friend Dan. We also have plans to visit my very dear friend Ali, so that I can love on her sweet adorable boy as part of my coping plan for missing my own children. I also hope that maybe she and I can sneak away to do something fun for at least a short while with no children or boys. Maybe we'll have to see what she and the menfolk say I suppose.

Other than that we have talked about stuff we would like to do, but have not nailed down much more than the abovementioned plans.

It is kind of funny. Ordinarily I am super scheduled and organized and have a neurotic need to plan most of each day. However when I am on vacation, I can totally roll with it and am fine nay prefer to go without a set plan.

However....

BH goes in to uber planning mode when we are on vacation. He wants everything nailed down and scheduled. He wants to make sure we "get everything in." Nothing wrong with that. As long as I don't have to get up early or keep an eye on my watch.

This could be why he does not get quite as much pleasure from a beach oriented vacation as I do.

Here is my "schedule" we our vacation destination involves a trip to the beach

1. Get there
2. Lay out my towel
3. Lay ON my towel
4. Nap
5. Get in the water
6. Nap
7. Get in the water
8. Reapply sunscreen
9. Repeat above until dusk. Optional sand castle building can be thrown in if you so desire. Reading a trashy novel is also a good ingredient to throw in as well.

That schedule works for BH for all of about an hour I think.

However he can hike in the mountains for days. I am good for only a few hours.

It takes all kinds I suppose.

So I am very excited about our trip.

Once we get back.... we start to save for our next vacation..........

DISNEY WORLD Spring Break 2010.

Yee Haw.

Wet Paint

2009-06-06T22:50:00.001-05:00

Hiya.

Been painting again.

Tired.

Must post because it has been a week.

Please forgive short boring post.

One with pictures of painting projects 2 and 3 coming soon.

I know...you are all about to soil yourselves with anticipation.

Night. Night.

Need Sleepy.