Winter Meetings

Less than two months until pitchers and catchers report and I watch SportsCenter each night hoping to hear something - anything - about the winter trades. Of course, being Week 16-17 in the NFL means that no mention of baseball will make its way into SportsCenter unless an entire team is traded. This also means that I will likely have to subscribe to ESPN Deportes so that I can catch Dominican baseball. No worries... I can do this. Winters are long and hard for us baseball fans but there are ways to entertain ourselves during this trying time. I will, for instance, watch Field of Dreams at least five times during the next eight weeks. I will go to the batting cages to simulate ninth inning scenarios - not fifth inning of a WS game with a runner on 3rd and only one out (you don't bunt at the batting cages!). I will start getting the kids ready for the Spring by playing catch and hitting off the tee. I will light candles for a new commissioner. All of these things will hopefully help the Winter time pass more quickly. It is a La Nina year which means - supposedly - warm, dry Winters so we can play catch when the feeling strikes.

Last year, the Astros were projected to finish last in their division; we came in third. This year, I am sure we will be picked to finish near the bottom again. Third place is in the middle... I can handle that. It just needs to get here so we can hurry up and get on with it.

Bifocals

I have been wearing glasses since I was six years old. I am near-sighted and really only need my glasses for distance. Recently, my near vision has been a little funky especially when I am wearing my glasses and try to focus on close-up stuff. I didn't think anything of it until I mentioned it to my sister and she laughed and said I needed bifocals. My grandma wears bifocals, not me. So I just kept flipping my glasses onto the top of my head when I didn't need them and pulling them down when I did. Finally, though, last week I decided to go get it checked out. The optometrist was at least 22 but no more than 30. She asked me why I thought my near vision was getting worse. Seriously? Did they teach her this in optometry school? Rhetorical questions to make people feel like shit. Yes, I answered, followed by "I'm sure it's because I am getting older." I said this without skipping a beat and have no idea where this came from. Not older, she said, just wiser. Really? Then why did you ask such a stupid question?! So she continues with her exam and finishes up by telling me that my vision hasn't changed much but that I will need bifocals. She also said most people don't need these until they're in their forties so I am aging more quickly than most people. Can you believe this woman? These are actual quotes. I chose not to get bifocals, yet. But when I do decide to get them, I will go to another doctor. One who understands that I am not aging more quickly than other people, I am just ahead of the curve.

Summer2009

Click here to view this photo book larger

The End of October

Yesterday was Halloween and the last day of October. The weather was perfect and the kids had a good day. Tomorrow is election day and I am off from work through Wednesday. I am taking some CareerTrack workshops, which isn't really how I envisioned my days off but oh well. I will not be running the marathon this year, as my gallbladder surgery is still in the recovery stage. I have begun walking and am confident I will be back up to five/six/seven miles in a few months. Thank goodness I have the treadmill this year - I will be using this as soon as the temp drops below 50F in the AM.
So as Fall rolls in and the long Winter run moves up, my focus will also change course.

And despite my love for Summer and the warm weather, I am surprisingly looking forward to the next few months. I am excited about getting back to running. I also have my Christmas cards planned so I am anxious to get going on these as well. I am looking forward to the Run/Walk for Life with TEAM MDLS - I may even run the 3.2 miles! And since both girls are dancing in the Nutcracker, that will be a treat as well.

I will be crafting more this fall and trying to stay on top of things through the holidays. We are working on our budget and can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel - it is not a train but it is a long tunnel! But we are all happy and healthy and, really, what more can you ask?

The Old Parents

Do you remember back when you were in school and there was always one kid who you weren't sure if he was with his parents or his grandparents because they looked old? Well... the twins started baseball season last week with their first practice on a new team. There are only eight other kids and they all seem nice. The parents were all real friendly and excited about the season as well. The only problem - if this is a problem - is that Abel and I are the old parents! OK, OK, I don't think anyone will mistake us for the twins' grandparents but we are easily the oldest parents on the team.
The rest of the parents call Abel "sir" - what is that about (at least they're polite)?!?!! It was actually funny at first. We both noticed it and winced a little but laughed at the question, "When did we become the old parents?"

Hazardous Duty Pay

So today was Family Night Out at Chick-Fil-A ... this is a fundraiser for the twins' school and a dinner I don't have to cook so, of course, we went. Dinner was good - I had a salad and I am not a salad person - and the girls got a free ice cream cone. Then it was time to play. The play area is very small... and very loud. You apparently do not need to be in the play area while your child is in there, because I was the only adult amongst 20+ yelling, screaming, kicking kids. It was extremely loud and I thanked God at least twice that I was not hung-over. Zoe and I sat next to each other while we waited. We tried talking but I could not hear anything she was saying. Finally, I leaned over and said to her, "I wish I had a viedo camera for this." She smiled and agreed. I am used to noise and craziness - I have three kids! - but this was a different level of both sound and craziness. As we walked out, I thought how much I deserved hazardous duty pay - or least a tax break! It was loud in there and there were no parents to be found. Have a great weekend...be safe : )

Missing Socks

I wash most of our clothes in this house - about eight loads a week - and it has always baffeld me how we could lose socks. I have several socks without pairs for the kids. Most are really cute and I am sad that they are now lone socks. But they do not go to waste. I give them to the kids to make socks monkeys or puppets and they love it. I even occassionally lose a sock of my own. However, last week I lost one of my favorites socks. I didn't worry too much at first, thinking it would show up in a later load. But it didn't. I love those socks. Where the hell is it? I could completely understand if I was washing clothes at the laundermat or taking my clothes somewhere else to wash or dry. I might even wonder if I had taken a trip if perahps I had forgotten one of the socks. But none of these are the case. I wash all my own clothes and I do so in the luxury of my own house - where is that sock?!?!!! I am truly confused, annoyed, bewildered. Where could it be? The mysteries of life constantly confound me but this is a bit too much even for me...