Treasure Found In The Pit

I'm cleaning out my 'office' and I found our old digital camera, the one I had when Rosie was born. I also found the cord that attaches it to the computer, uniting the two for the first time ever. I found this gem: and this one: and this one of myself: Can you believe these were just sitting in memory for over two years? That picture of me was when I was pregnant for Rosie. Click of any of them to see the rest of the picts I found at Flickr.

The Land of Milk and Honey

I'm home after nearly a week of visiting the land of sin itself: Las Vegas. Our trip didn't turn too sinful, though, partly because we couldn't find a dealer and partly because my feet were hamburger by day two. We did however start every morning off with a healthy dose of liquor and slot machines, which for the two of us lent the affair an air of dangerousness. This is where we stayed: On the last morning we sat at the quarter slots with Starbucks, a lemon glazed pastry and two rum and cokes in front of us one last time, thinking tomorrow we'd have to go back to harsh reality, away from the smiling faces of the waitresses who won't judge you as long as you toss a dollar their way with the delivery of those free drinks. There's something about experiencing the euphoria of a perfect caffeine/beer buzz with you're mom that's life altering: when the two of you find winning four hands of quarter black jack in a row more fulfilling than actually sight seeing... it's indescribable. We did see two shows: Folies Bergere, the one with all the scantily clad women wearing feather headdresses, and 'A Tournament of Knights,' a dinner show. It was a good time, but I'm a little bummed we missed all the Cirque de Soleil shows, especially Ka, which is supposed to be awesome. We probably would have explored a bit more, but on the first night I wore brand new heels all over and into my feet were torn several giant blisters. By day two they were infected and really REALLY gross, so by day three I had to perform home surgery under the influence of nearly six screwdrivers and some Darvocet, a task I nearly fainted completing. I distracted myself by humming little prayers to the Lord in Heaven that I wouldn't lose one or both of my feet to infection for the vanity of not wanting to wear my sneakers to see a bunch of thonged women dance around on stage. By the last day my feet felt good enough to wander around a little, but for most of the trip they were tucked daintily under a slot machine where I wouldn't accidentally bang them on something and shoot howling pain up my stupid legs. It was a nifty little trip into the desert, but boy it's good to be home to the kids. On our way home from the airport it was all I could do not to nibble their faces off. I think they did okay being away from mom, perhaps because of the steady diet of cheese curls and chocolate milk Clint fed them. That's alright, I guess, considering what my mother and I subsisted on while we were gone. Viva Las Vegas!

Strippers

I just spent 20 minutes convincing Eddie that the 'past' and 'future' are real concepts. He was convinced that both were merely pretend places that crazy things happen in. (Yes, he watches to much TV.) It was so tempting to try and explain the like 10 different theories I have about time and space, but decided that at the risk of turning him off from science forever (or turning him into a total nerd) I'll wait until he's six. I'll save my ramblings for next time I'm at the bar and Kendra and I run out of snobby day cares to trash. Also, I'm headed off tomorrow morning for a mystery vacation! My mom wants to celebrate her birthday with a bang this year, so she's picked a destination and is bringing me along so the party will, in fact, be started. I don't know where we're going yet, but I'm bringing my laptop and assuming there's wireless (there had better be wireless) I'll post some picts and stuff. No doubt the week will be filled with strippers and cognac and much other debauchery, so tune in for the excitement.

Midwestern White Trash

Sorry I haven't written in like, um, a week? Two? I've been busy, doing, um, stuff, and yeah... sorry. We've been out of ice, you know? Yesterday we were all in the car, rocking out like we do to a Cake song "Sheep Go To Heaven," which is a pretty rockin' song, but maybe not something entirely appropriate for the children. If you take a glance at the lyrics you'll notice that he mentions 'Goats go the Hell' several times, but I couldn't find a site that didn't omit the singer screaming jubilantly 'GOOOO TO HELL!' over and over at the end of the song. Perhaps you have to hear the joyful nature in which he's shouting this phrase; there's obviously no ill intent in his direction, so I didn't feel that it was inappropriate for the kiddies. Until I hear Rosie in the backseat, smooshing her forefinger into her lower lip thoughtfully, say 'I think I'd like to go to Hell someday. He says 'Go to Hell. We should go to Hell,' like it was an advertisement for the place, like he was screaming 'Goooo to Cedar Point!' Kids hear EVERYTHING. Let's see, what else have we been up to... we carved pumpkins, which means pumpkin seeds for me, (yay!) and we're on our SECOND fundraiser of the year already at Eddie's school. Anyone want an Entertainment book? Only $20! If you don't buy the book, you know I'll getcha when they're selling wrapping paper and chocolate pretzels in a month! Oh, and I got my hair cut. It's now mid-western white trash, requiring absolutely no styling and only minimal washing. What a time saver! I'll take a picture when I've charged my camera batteries, which I've been neglecting to do, like everything else. I want to make sure the lighting is appropriate so the roots are visible; it really adds to the effect, really says 'I've only spent $11 on my hair in the last year!' Not much else going on, other than some sublime fall weather. It's wet AND cold out today. Might even snow a bit later! Woo!

Uncooked Dough

Today I actually SPLIT THE BACK OF MY PANTS. Straight down the middle, right between the left and right butt cheek, like a pressurized tube of biscuits they popped in a neat seam. Like, I should be working out instead of sitting in front of my computer. Over the weekend I finished unpacking. This was a chore I began some nine months ago when we purchased the house and somehow neglected to finish. Some of the boxes were packed with stuff we actually needed, too, like we've all been sharing the same two towels for months now because no one wanted to scavenge through the disaster also known as 'the basement.' But now we have a full linen closet! I also found a bunch of pictures and knick knacks I forgot about, and three huge boxes of CDs. I had the urge to throw away the CDs, because why bother keeping them? In case the computer AND the Ipod crash at the same time and we're left completely music-less? Maybe they'll make good garage sale fodder. Who knows? I repacked them, and they're in the basement with the rest of the crap I can't bring myself to toss. The kids can sort through when we die. Let the guilt of filling the landfills rest of THEIR shoulders. Next stop: The Office/Storage Room. Maybe next weekend. Who knows what treasure lies within!