whatever

hello...i am still here.

well i kind of just disappeared.

my week just sucked the life out of me.
annie was sick & throwing up with the flu...with her broken arm....so sad to watch.

then she went in for her real cast after she had been so sick.
she was still weak and queasy.
it was a craaaazy appointment.
long story short.... she passed out for a moment....and there was a lot of screaming.
talk about stress!!!
that 30 minute appointment took me days to recover from.

 
she chose KU colors for her cast and it looks so fun.
but honestly she is SICK of the cast already and i am for her.
it is so exhausting doing anything because she is right handed.
i just hurt for her not being able to be her spunky self.

but it will pass... it's temporary.



i focused on my husband for the evening and surprised him with pumpkin pie with homemade pie crust.
sometimes you just need to snuggle in with your man and eat something yummy like that to make the day feel okay.
am i right?

teenagers can be hard and emotional and confusing...but still wonderful.
jr highers can be too.
i just want to raise them with out them making any mistakes that they will regret forever. 
i realize that is not possible.
everyone makes mistakes.  
and sometimes they are big.... and sometimes they aren't and we have to deal with figuring out which is which.

and that is HARD to deal with day in and day out.
especially when there is puking and broken bones and LIFE going on at the same time.

 

all week what kept me going...kept me from crawling under my covers, drawing the blinds and crying was

"saturday is coming".



my girlfriends and i ran the Jingle Bell Run again this year.
we dressed up a little more than last year.
and it wasn't AS killer as last year (but it was still hard for me)
it's a four mile run.  

and when we run a race we have a tradition of starbucks and massage afterward.
so we did.

oh mama.

going for massage is one of the best ways to spend some time.
ever.
it's just so good.

 

time away with friends is refreshing.
good to get a new perspective on things....getting to talk out loud with grown ups about anything... sharing dreams... encouraging others dreams... shop... laugh... eat.... it's all so good.

it makes weeks like this feel okay.
like i'm gonna be alright.

:)

 

ok......

winner for the MPIX.com canvas:

Nanette said...

Right now it is a picture of my 3 boys on the 4th of July...from 2 years ago when my youngest still had rolls of baby fat under his navy blue shortalls...all waving flags, smiling and hugging. It has been front and center on my entry way table for the last few years and always makes me smile and remember how fast they grow!

ReplyDecember 01, 2012 at 09:13 AM

 

 

and the TWO winners for the Lisa Leonard gift certificates:

Melissa Hermon said...

My mom's wedding ring. She passed away 11 yrs ago and it is such a great reminder of her.

ReplyNovember 30, 2012 at 10:53 AM

AND

Naomi said...

My most meaningful piece of jewellery is a necklace my parents gave me, with my grandfather's nickname for me stamped on to it.

ReplyNovember 29, 2012 at 12:11 PM

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email me your info and i will hook you up with your prizes!!

 

 

NYC....last one

people have asked me about the apartment we rented.
craft weekend alum Karen lives IN new york city and gave us SO MUCH help with ideas of where to stay and what to do and where to eat!
she rocked.
she shared this blog post with me and that is how we ended up with vrbo.com.
we stayed on stanton st.
it was nice enough and safe enough.
it wasn't fancy.
but it worked great for us to have some space and room to sit around and talk.
 i am a bit of a hotel snob and missed my bed being made for me.
but other than that it was perfect.
memories were made with our friends....lots of nervous laughter when we arrived.
using vrbo you are never 100% sure of what you are going to get.
but it's always worked out great for us. 

we rode all over new york on those double decker tourist buses.
it was cheaper than cabs and we learned as we rode.
one tour guide had the best thick new york accent that it felt like he was faking it....but it was REAL.
also i got MUCH less motion sick on the top of the bus too.
bonus.
the first day was so hot i thought i might die...but after that day it was fine.
:)
and i am still alive.



that is cool and artsy....but also....very weird.
she looks like the costume lady on the incredibles.... (oh you've gotten fat!) 

dave convinced me it would be cool to rent bikes and ride through central park.
once we got out of traffic it was fun.
i always visualize bad headlines like "mother of 5 killed by a tour bus while riding a rented bicycle in NYC"
i was very worried at first...but it turned out to be great!
thankful it was only two hours though because i had a very tiny bike seat for my not very tiny real seat.

on instagram i said "name every movie with this fountain"
there were a lot of comments.
this is one very famous fountain.

 






the dude in the spandex was doing yoga...alone in central park.
i can promise you that is something you will NEVER see me doing.
yoga alone in a public park in spandex.
nope.



we headed over to 30 Rock because Dave had scored tickets to Jimmy Fallon!!
jimmy fallon and letterman tickets are through an email process that happens months before the show.
dave worked hard for this trip.


it was AWESOME.
we are BIG jimmy fallon fans.
his guests were matt lauer and mike tyson!!
i thought this hour was the best part of our trip.
and... jimmy touched my hand.
i haven't showered since.
ha.
it was SO MUCH FUN!


practically twins.
but mine is way cuter.
when i cut craig's hair he always says "just give me the matt lauer" 

jenny dressed to match our NBC studio day!

i kept my eyes open for liz lemon all day long... i saw nothing.
blerg! 

we went to the top of the Rock.
amazing isn't it?
all week i felt like i was walking around in a movie set.



our last day was filled with more rain....bleck.
but we were troopers.
girls shoes just aren't good for rain.
especially if you are trying to look cute.




we hugged goodbye at Penn Station and went to different airports home to our kids.

 

i spotted corbin bersen across from me at the airport and texted jenny every thing he was doing.
he's eating soup.
he put on glasses.
he is on his laptop.
now he is having a lollipop.

poor corbs.

at least i didn't go bug him to his face right?

but now that i see this....i really wish i had gone over and said "hey man...we were LITERALLY just talking about you over breakfast this morning!"

because we were!!

how bizarre and random is that?
we talked about all the shows we watched growing up...starting with brady bunch all the way out to dallas, falcon crest and then later in life... LA LAW.
and there he is!
crazy.

but...i stalked him instead.
what a dweeb i am.

new york was good.
it was overwhelming.
it is a busy, loud, full, crowded place but it's also a LOT of fun.
i never get enough time with jenny now matter if it's a week or a weekend.
i love spending time with them no matter where we are.

but i loved getting back to my kids too.
i really did miss them.
and my VERY quiet little farm.

so... have you been to NYC?
do you want to go?
where are you headed next... where is your next trip?

 

 

NYC...continued

i am not planner....i don't like to be the one who makes the schedules.
i don't like to be the one who decides what everyone will be doing.
on trips or in groups i tend to just go with the flow.
or at least i try.
so the only thing i think i said besides "i want starbucks" when deciding where to go
was "i would love to see Fishs Eddy in real life.

i got my wish. 

i was in love at first sight.



major hot burning passionate love.

i loved EVERYTHING in here.




this picture is overexposed but those mugs look like notebook paper!!!
(if only they weren't 12 oz. mugs...i need a big mug)


for reals...vintage linens just like at the barn in kansas!
i prefer my barn prices to fishs eddy.  
:)




a million milk glass cake stands.


sour apple green hutch?
fabulous.

i loved every detail in this store.
every display piece.
every hand painted sign.
every dish and cup and tea towel.


i could have easily spent another hour here.
EASILY!
but of the four of us....i was the only one freaking out on the inside about how
completely amazing and REDONKULOUS this store was so i bought a t-shirt and we left.

i did not want to.

also i said "i'm going into anthro..." when i found it.






we don't have many fire escapes in kansas....















 we walked to the 9/11 Memorial.



it was very quiet in here....right in the middle of the city.
the waterfalls and pools are so big.

i can't imagine what it was like for people in New York City on 9/11.
i looked around and was trying to comprehend it....
all i could think was "i hate that day"
i was far away from new york and i hate that day for me.
i was so scared for my children and my husband.
so i just can't imagine how the people of new york feel.
the people who saw it with their own eyes...who lost family and friends....
i hate that day.



the memorial is beautiful.
it is a lovely place to honor the people who lost their lives.
but it's sickening that it has to be there at all.
evil.
evil in this fallen world.
but i was thankful for that beautiful quiet place.

we took a ferry boat to the statue of liberty.



she's lovely... just like i thought.



storms were rolling in.


after the statue of liberty we also took a tour of Ellis Island. 
and it poured rain outside.
POURED.

i did not stay dry.

and i didn't stay very chipper about it either.....

i am a girl.

i don't like to get rained on. 

we ate dinner in Little Italy.
it was so weird...they hassle you to get you to come eat at their restaurant?!
begging you to come in...try THEIR food....whadda ya lookin' for tonight folks?
with heavy new york accents.
 we chose the ONE place that didn't do that.
and it was yummy. 

one more new york post tomorrow.

:)