My Birthday!

I haven't been able to write as much as I've wanted to, but somehow running after Natalie, getting chores done and just feeling *BLECH!* has gotten in the way!

My birthday started around 3 pm! Justin came home from work early and I was already to go. I had no idea what we were doing. All I knew was that we were going out to dinner and watch a movie. Natalie was all packed with her bag. I knew she was going to a babysitter. So as we're driving around this shopping area. My husband jokes and tells me to wave "good-bye to Coldstone" as we pass it. Darn! I was really lookin' forward to some ice cream! Ha ha ha! Oh well! So trying to think of what my husband has up his sleeve, we finally stop in front of a massage therapy place. My husband turned to me and said, "Well! We gotta go. You have a prenatal massage at 4pm!" I swear, my jaw just dropped and I could feel myself blush. That was one of the sweetest things ever! I had NO idea! So while I was filling out forms to let the massage therapist know that I'm having a normal/healthy pregnancy so far, my husband leaves and drops our daughter off at the babysitter's house.

Whenever I was done with my massage, Justin was in the waiting room and finishing up some work that had to be done.

I couldn't believe he planned that all out. How thoughtful was that? I was impressed already.

After a few more minutes of driving, we were walking towards a couple restaurants. We parked facing one restaurant and started walking towards it. As we crossed the street, Justin sweetly steered me to the left and we were going to eat ITALIAN! Omg...Exactly what my pregnant butt has been craving! It was such a nice restaurant. It was amazing just going on a date with my husband again. We sat there talking, laughing, admiring the food...Our waiter asked if it was my birthday; trying to avoid an embarassing scene, I kept a straight face and shook my head, "nope! Not my birthday,". But he proceeded to bring a gelato "sundae" with a delicious praline sticking out of it. He quietly sang me Happy Birthday. Justin and I quickly gobbled up the dessert and made our way to the movie theater.

We watched "Despicable Me"! It was such a cute movie. But I think my favorite part was when we were waiting for the movie to start and we were just talking and joking around in the lobby of the movie theater. We were digging in our pockets for quarters to play games, looking at all the stuffed animals waiting for people to attempt to grab them with "The Claw"...It was just so enjoyable being able to relax and just BE with Justin. I had an amazing time and it reminded me that Justin and I aren't only parents...We're also husband and wife. It's date nights like that that really remind me that we're allowed to escape from our jobs and kids (yeah, sounds bad. But hey! Any parent understands!) just to be US. :)

You-Who!!!!!!!

I hate it when someone is CONSTANTLY (not just once in a while) commenting on my facebook status or texting me all about them. They barely ask about how I'm doing.

Do they really think they're that intriguing? Are they truly starving for attention that they do it through comments on someone else's page and talking about themselves?

It's irritating. If I wanted to flippin' know about their "so-called" life, I'd freakin' ask! Did I ask? No. Therefore, I do NOT want to know. It's sad when you know more about the person than they know about you. But it's not because you TALK to them, it's because they tell you...All. The. Time.

All they do is talk about them. I should suggest that they start a blog. There they can talk about themselves in all their glory! Let's see their fan base. Personally? I'd get tired talking all about me. Me me me me me. That's why I rant about people. I give them the attention they're pretty much asking for through their actions or lack of action. Is it the attention they wanted? Probably not. Do I care? No.

I prefer getting texts when it comes to people updating ME on someone else. That way I can sit there and say, "What? Really? Do I care? No. This is me caring. Oh! You blinked. You missed it, Moment gone,". And be done with it. Or I can rant on here.

What's even funnier is when someone updates me on someone that I talk to as well. Um, if I wanted to know...I would ask THEM. Did I ask? No. Did I want to know? I think I answered that!

Why do people update others when they know the other person has their phone number? A phone works both ways. Does it make them feel important? Are they thrilled at feeling like an important newscaster?

"Tonight I will be reporting on the bowel movements of *______ stay tuned for footage!"

Maybe these people should stand in front of a mirror and talk to their reflection. I can imagine their sad little monologue. What's funny is they won't get enough of their life. They'll continue to talk to people about what they just told their reflection.

I would be MILDLY amused if their replies to my post were at least entertaining such as them flying a kite in the middle of a thunderstorm and getting electrocuted. But alas! I can only dream.

My message to these people: GET OVER YOURSELF! IF PEOPLE AREN'T ASKING, THEY DON'T GIVE A RODENT'S DERRIERE! If you are wondering if you're one of these people that I'm talking about, check to see if anyone asks how YOU are doing. If no one does, it's because all you do is talk about YOURSELF! You aren't ALL that and a bag of chips! Although, if being in the audience to listen to your monologue meant I would receive a bag of chips; I might actually listen to you while munching happily on some Cheetos. Make them Flaming Hot, please!

"I'm pregnant! Not handicapped!"

It's a trend that started way before the medical technology that we have nowadays. Just because someone is pregnant DOES NOT mean that they are entirely incapable of lending a helping hand.

I have heard of so many people saying, "I can't do this cause I'm pregnant!". So, you can grow a human but you can't wash a freaking dish every once in a while? You can retain water for 9 months and you can't manage to fold a few clothes? Don't even have to put them away! It's a horrible thing to be handicapped by choice, but many people choose it. There are of course people that truly are NOT allowed to get up. They're the ones on bedrest and being monitored all the time by their doctor. They're allowed to skip out on the dishes and folding clothes.

But how about the first time moms that find out they're pregnant and suddenly they are rendered helpless? Pathetic. That's what I say. I've carried 2 children to term and given birth to them. Does life stop when you're pregnant? No. I'm the mother of an 11 month old and I'm currently pregnant with our surprise little boy. I'm 7 months pregnant. Do I still vacuum? Of course! Do I still do the dishes? Yes. Do I still do the laundry? Yes. In fact, it's relaxing. I get to sit down and fold when I'm not re-organizing or running after my daughter.

For those moms that are rendered helpless, I hope to God they are only thinking of having one child. I would HATE to think of the state of their home were they to be handicapped with a pregnancy as well as care for their other child.

It angers me when people offer to carry a 5 lb bag of sugar for me because I "shouldn't be straining like that with a baby on the way". Um, my daughter's almost 20 lbs and I carry her all over the house; I think I can handle a whopping 5 lbs bag of sugar. I promise.

I haven't had the easiest pregnancies. I have had high blood pressure (caused by 2 very unnervingly irritating individuals!). Through the throbbing headaches, signs of pre-term labor and terrible contractions; I managed to clean!

I just find it so irritating when someone uses pregnancy as a crutch. "Aw! I can't cause I'm pregnant!" Hearing that is so irritating unless they're standing by a huge roller coaster or their doctor has told them so. I doubt ANY doctor would say, "You can't fold clothes. That's too much work for your body,".

What's even more irritating than the people USING this excuse, are the people that ENABLE it. The people that are, "Aw! Don't lift up the remote! It's far too heavy! Let me get that for you!". Oh so irritating! She's PREGNANT! Her limbs still work! I'M SERIOUS! Even ask her doctor!!!!

There has been a point in ALL my pregnancies where a doctor literally looked me in the eye and said, "Bedrest! At least MODIFIED bedrest!". I listened to them. For the most part. It's one thing to put your child at risk, it's another to let your house be taken over by roaches to grow into The Orkin Man's biggest nightmare. I just don't understand...Could you sit back and watch your house literally fall into shambles before your eyes because you're THAT lazy?

This is by NO MEANS towards one person...It's to several. I've seen them with my own eyes. I've heard about it from other people as well! I've had it with all this nonsense!

I'm sure there are several people that will say, "Well why does it bother you? You're not them!". Oh yes, very true. But just because I'm not them doesn't mean that their lack of action and their pointless reasoning doesn't have any effect on other people. Maybe I know someone that is doing their best to help out a pregnant woman and she's tired of being the maid around the house? Did that ever cross anyone's mind? Maybe I know a husband that is trying to be understanding but coming home from a hard day's work only to continue work through picking up the house while his wife is sitting on the couch whittling down a popsicle stick while watching "Divorce Court"...

*sigh* This is the end of my rant. I just needed to get this off of my chest! :)

OFF TO TACKLE MY CHORES NOW!!

Mother Woop and Woop Boy

So I have had the wonderful opportunity to experience the fine parenting of a rude, sorry excuse for a parent in my neighborhood.

For the most part, I'm a friendly person! Until you give me a reason to dislike you, I'm going to be civil, cordial and possibly even a friend down the road. When Justin and I first moved here, I waved at everyone when we passed and smiled warmly when I get my mail. I'm very easy to get along with as long as you can string together proper sentences and bathe regularly. See? Nothing TOO out of the ordinary, right?

This girl (she would be a much too sorry excuse for a woman) finds it appropriate to drive around in her convertible with the top down and her 3 children running side to side across the back seat. If it were JUST in the neighborhood, I wouldn't see that big of a problem. BUT! She is driving across intersections and around town with this going on! It wasn't just a one time deal. She does this regularly to her children.

As if driving and leaving her children in unsafe conditions was the end of it, she lets her kids play outside all the time unattended. We are FAR from being a safe neighborhood, especially when it comes to cars speeding by at all hours of the day. There have been several occasions where she has allowed her 5(?) yr old boy to wander up the steps to the 2nd story units only to bother anyone in the vicinity with an irritating, "WHOOOOOOOOP!" Sound that mimics sirens all too well. I wrote it all down one night:

June 13th-14th- 11:33pm~ I stood outside watching for his parents. He was running up and down the stairs making those "woooop" sounds. Dad showed up 13 minutes later, apologized and carried him back.

12:22 am-I'm up, aren't I? Woop Boy is running up and down the stairs again making that horrid sound. No one has claimed him yet...

1:45 am- 7 minutes of running up and down the steps and "wooping".

Wonderful, isn't it? So the next day, my sweet neighbor confronted the mother about her driving dangerously with the children unbuckled in the back as well as the inconvenience of his running around at all hours of the night disturbing the peace. The mother? Denied everything. Just shook her head and looked at my neighbor like she was crazy. So I joined in and commented that I had recorded it all. She just rolled her eyes at us. I couldn't help but notice the cheap dye job (with an ill-chosen cheap shade of blonde and the thick, black, shoe polish lines where her eyebrows should be) and the attitude. Ahhh...She's one of those people that believes the world bows down to her. Several people complained to the apartment manager. It seemed everything was resolved.

Fourth of July Weekend comes around the corner. Justin, Natalie, Didi (little girl I babysit) and I went to the pool to celebrate. Woop boy's dad was there. He was running around chasing kids dangerously close to the pool edge. All I could do was sigh and pray that no one was going to slip, fall and have to call 911. Their kids were out of control. We were in the shallow end that seemed to be designated for the younger kids. This little "square" that came off of the pool was perfect for all of us. We could let the girls play around safely and we were away from the others. Water was about 3 feet deep and there were benches along the wall. Woop Boy's brother rudely cannonballs RIGHT behind me. As in, if he peed, I would be the second one to know cause he was so close. I was pissed. I just sighed and kept praying that they go away. It got worse, Mother Woop and her cheap beauty tricks walks through the gate. She looks over at me and gives me a fake smile. Or was it just her ill-drawn sharpie eye brows that were off center?

About 20 minutes later, we leave. Mother Woop follows us out. As she's at her nasty car, I wave and say, "HI!" She gave a melodramatic smile and said, "HIIIII!" And waved as if she had just learned how to wave yesterday. Great...Sarcasm. "How are you?" I asked. "I'M GREAT! How are you?" She exclaimed raising her hands in the air as if she had confetti to throw around...I answered, "I'm really good! Bye!" Smiled and walked away.

Last night at wonderful 9:45 pm, I hear stomping up our stairs. I rush to the window to see if everything was alright...Woop Boy and Mother Woop were outside. Woop Boy was stomping up and down the stairs and making that God-awful "WOOOOOP!" Sound over and over again. I grabbed my camera and recorded it for as long as I could. It shows Mother Woop talking on her phone like a giddy little school girl while her son disturbs the peace. I KNOW that 9:45 isn't that late...But really? Why in our stoop? They have their own stoop. Literally SECONDS before it was 10pm (and I could call the cops), Mother Woop looked at her watch, grabbed her son's hand and walked away. It seems that she's trying to annoy us by purely letting her child run up and down the stairs, making sounds until quiet hours so we can't call the police.

Life is precious...

Yesterday I woke up and checked my facebook. I was all settled with a cup of tea and some toast with Nutella on it. The sun was already shining so I figured it was going to be a gorgeous day today. I was feeling confident.

"RIP Brad Stitt" was on my screen. Please tell me this is some sick joke...I know it's absurd to keep the belief that kids will never die before their parents. You'd think an angel mother like me would know better than to think that. Brad Stitt...Good guy. Really good guy. Always made people laugh whether he was trying to or not. He just had the most easy-going and optimistic attitude I had ever come across. I remember joking around with him one day. I said something sarcastically and he stared at me, "REALLY? Are you serious??" was all he could say. I smiled and said, "Brad! I'm totally just kidding!" He relaxed a bit and then cocked his head to the side, "Wait...What?" :) all I could do was laugh. Brad was just an over-all awesome guy. That's all I can really say. I never knew anyone to say anything negative about him. He was THAT sort of guy, you know? Just an amazing personality.

So after talking to several friends and reminiscing a bit about Brad, I still couldn't shake the thoughts going through my head trying to put myself in Brad's parents' shoes. Brad wasn't only a friend and classmate. He was also a son. My heart just sank. His parents were setting up his funeral, his memorial, obituaries...It's not supposed to be that way. It should be the other way around. Parents aren't supposed to bury their children. That's not the natural cycle. All yesterday I was just thinking about how his parents feel and how they're coping. I hope they don't blame themselves for anything. I pray to God that everything was fine between Brad and his parents before he passed away. I couldn't imagine the pain and grief if they left things on a sad note. It had been awhile since I prayed that much for people.

Today on my facebook was an invite to join a group called, "In Memory of Brad Stitt"...It still hasn't hit me. It just doesn't seem right to have a group like that for someone that was so young. I remember him being so full of life! It's not right...But at the same time untimely deaths do happen. I can't pretend to be ignorant to that fact. Rest in peace, Brad Stitt. You are terribly missed and you have contributed to the world more than you could ever imagine.

Ever since Connor passed away, I had made sure to leave everyone on a good note should life permit it. Each day I wonder if there is anyone that I need to tell anything to. If I do, I tell them without hesitation. You never know what is in store whether you will be the one passing soon or they will. Before I pass away, I should hate for myself or anyone else to feel any form of regret for not telling me anything. I want to pass away with everything in place and everyone knowing how much they mean to me.

Life is so very precious. I wish more people realized that. Then maybe there would be less drama.

Life started and my blogging stopped!

But now that I'm back to a more normal routine and I'm not as tired as I used to be, I can start up again.

Justin's Grammy passed away. The night that we left town (2 days before she passed), we came home to drama started by people that I thought were my friends. So that was one tough week to get through. But I got through it with the help of my family and genuine friends. :)

Natalie is 10 months old now. She is crawling all over the place! She holds onto furniture and uses them to help her walk. She loves walking all around the couches! I can't believe she's turning 1 soon...It feels like just last week that we brought her home from the hospital.

I am currently 6 1/2 months pregnant with our 2nd son! Damon Jackson-Allen! He is quite the kicker and yes...Named after Justin's best friend, Damon. I can't wait to bring this little guy home and settle in. I can't wait to see how Natalie reacts to him. She's been trying to share her bottle and juice cups with me. So let's hope she's just as generous with Damon Jackson.

Justin's job as a recruiter is going. A little too soon to tell if he loves it or hates it, but we're just happy that we get a chance to be a family for these 3 years. It's hard without family or close friends here, but it's only temporary!

So far, I don't get along with our neighbors in the next building. They're rude (Flat out disrespectful!) and bring an "unsafe" vibe to the neighborhood if you know what I mean. They drive with their kids roaming FREE in the BACKSEAT of a CONVERTIBLE! Mmmhm! That's SAFE. Good job. They let their mentally-ill child roam around the neighborhood knocking on doors, standing on porches and saying, "WHOOOOOP" like a siren...At 11pm, 12am, and even up to 2am in the morning. They don't come to get him for up to 45 minutes sometimes. What happened to watching your kids? I just don't understand it. We even confronted the mom NICELY and she just denied everything...Even though ALL of us hear it and we ALL suffer a lack of sleep. It sent me into tears a couple times. I'm pregnant, when I can get comfortable enough to sleep, I'm happy. But when there's a human siren going off for no reason at all for 15 minutes at a time at any hour of the night when NORMAL people sleep...I'm going to be very upset. I just don't like them and I pray to GOD that they move.

We're planning on moving when our lease is up. The place we have now is WONDERFUL! But I do miss having a yard and it's hard on Molly (our chocolate lab). If this place had a yard, we'd be GOLDEN and I'd love to stay here the entire 3 years.

Well! It seems I've caught up on my blogging! :) Hope everyone is having a wonderful day!

Busy Busy BUSY! *Update*

WELL! We made it Cincinnati, Ohio! Boy is it different. The 3rd night that we spent at home, we woke up to the wonderful dusting of snow outside. With the hill behind us, we are excited for the real snow to start falling so we can bring out the sleds and start throwing snowballs.

We are in Texas right now just visiting cause Grammy was sick. She is getting much better now every single day. It's wonderful to see that woman being such a spunky little trooper in the hospital. She was telling me that the nurse in charge of her dialysis "stinks". :) It was hilarious and we got a good laugh!

Visiting family here was so wonderful. Especially my mother and father in law. They are BEYOND hilarious to talk to and hang out with. We spent yesterday driving around with Mom (Justin's Mom!), and we all were laughing so hard. Justin got the shock of his life, but hey! We're all human and we all find stuff hilarious. :)

Anyway, I will be better at blogging once everything calms down and we are all settled in and life can continue. :)

Official Moving OUT Day: March 2nd, 2010

SO! We have our pre-inspection and final inspection days already scheduled. Not sure when our stuff is all getting packed up just yet, but it'll definitely be before March 2nd...At least we hope!

I've knitted 3 scarves. One scarf for me, one for Justin and one for Natalie. I'm working on one for the dog. Overboard? Probably! But what's there to do when someone else does the packing and moving for you? After all, you can only clean so much!

We inquired about a home in Kentucky. So far so good, people have been shown the home and haven't put down a deposit for it. I'm hoping there's nothing wrong with the home since they've had many lookers but no takers! It's perfect for us! It has 3 bedrooms, an unfinished basement and a huge yard for Molly. It's adorable! Not too big and not too small; it's just enough room for a growing family! I'm so excited!

It's a shorter drive to Justin's hometown in Texas, but a lot farther from MY hometown and family. This is going to be interesting. So far we are sad to be far from friends and family, but it's part of the life. Thank God for social networking sites such as facebook and Skype! So much easier to keep in touch with everyone. I was talking to a girl I met from an online forum from Ohio. She said it was warm a few days ago. I asked her what she considered warm and she casually replied, "40 degrees!". Oh goodness...We're in for a rude awakening that not the rest of the states are like California and Texas. Reality was bound to set in soon.

Anyway, I will update when I hear more about the home and our orders and when we start getting on the road for Ohio! :)

Moving to Ohio (Date TBA)

If anyone knows me, you know that I've been a Cali-girl since the day I was born. Born in San Francisco, CA. Lived in Concord for a few years then relocated to Danville. About 2 days after I turned 18, I packed what I could and moved down to Monterey, CA. Dated a guy, we broke up and I moved to Santa Cruz, CA where I met my husband. We immediately fell in love! I followed him down to Oceanside, CA and we've been here ever since.

My husband on the other hand grew up in Texas. When he enlisted, he got stationed here in California and he's been here for about 6 years now!

We both have no problem calling California home, but alas! The Marine Corps decided they need my husband's wicked mad skills on the East Coast...To Ohio we go...

We're used to California and Texas. Ohio is a totally different story. We've never dealt with snow days before. I was looking at apartments and realized that one of the "amenities" was snow plowing...Really? Snow plowing? I wonder just how naive I am about moving. All the changes that will happen and how am I going to adapt? No choice! Oh well...We'll see what happens.

I was going through tons of real estate listings. One was a gorgeous brick house resurrected in the middle of a beautiful, emerald-tone lawn. Just breath-taking! A white picket fence embraced the property of perfection. The backyard was brilliant with color! Flowers and trees peppered the back yard with color and spots of shade! Beautiful! Then I thought about it...Ohio has seasons. Not just winter and Summer! We're going to have to rake the leaves of all the trees! I can't just buy flowers and leave them outside! I have to pay attention to perennials and anything of the sort...I actually have to pay attention to the seasons and when my flowers will be blossoming! Whoa...That's new. Darn. Alright, off to a house without trees in the backyard it is!

The next house I clicked was another cute brick house...But it was covered in snow. SNOW! Real snow! Not just glorified hail! It's actually snow! It doesn't melt when it hits the ground! Now THAT'S different! I looked at the long driveway. Then it hit me...I'll have to shovel that. That entire driveway...Shoveled. I have to bundle up. And not just the whole, I'm wearing a hoodie!" I ACTUALLY have to wear a ~jacket~. I guess I'll have to get used to layering. REAL layering. Ha ha! Oh well, beggars can't be choosers!

It'll be a new experience for both of us. But we're optimistic about it. Although I DID burst out crying when I found out. It was just cause I didn't know what else the area had to offer. But after much talking to friends that have visited and have grown up there, I'm excited to see what adventures I partake in. At least I know that all the scarves I've knitted will come in handy!

We're really going to miss our friends and family that are here in California. But with all the free time Justin will have, we'll be sure to visit!