The hubby went to get his haircut this morning and came back with a great big, creamy, iced coffee from McDonald’s for me. I love them, I do. But my goodness, unless it’s laced with Fenphedra.. no thanks! lol
I’ve been indulging way too much with him lately and though he can handle it with his miles of running per day and metabolism of a rat on speed – I can’t! I just can’t do it. I’m really not one to enjoy working out so my only option is to just lay off the treats as much as possible before my jeans start getting tighter than they already are.
I did appreciate it though. He’s not really one to surprise me with anything so when he does I’m pretty giddy. It’s always the thought that counts .. even if it’s a thought that will go straight to my thighs.
Since we’re not likely to have the time or resources to get out of Virginia any time soon I thought I would instead try to do a few things that we have never done. You know, staying close to home – “stay-cationing”. Luckily we live in an area where there is a ton to do and even though we’ve lived here going on 4 years there’s always something we haven’t done yet.
So .. this week’s trip was “The Virginia Living Museum”, a wonderful place filled with all things living and native to Virginia. At least that’s what I think the point is. I don’t pay attention to specifics very well. I just wanted to see these dinosaurs that they had on exhibit before it closed. The website made it sound SO much better than it actually was. Maybe I expected too much but I was a little let down when it was just a very small room with a few robotic dinosaurs. They didn’t really look real, or even scary. There wasn’t much to it. The room was so small that it was hard to really get any good photos. I have lots of dinosaur heads though!
We also wandered around the rest of the place to get our money’s worth even though in the end I didn’t feel as if we really did. Sure, we saw some animals that we wouldn’t see out in our yard.
Like this guy …
And these two …
They have this wonderful trail that leads you through a swamp, aviary and wooded area that would have been GREAT if the humidity wasn’t at 150%. We were so hot and moody that it was hard to really enjoy the few animals that could be spotted. Most of them were also hot and moody so they weren’t out and in view.
Ooh and then I had read on their website that they had a “butterfly garden”. Again, expectations were high and reality was crushing. There was a patch of flowers that attract butterflies but no actual butterflies to be found. So I just snapped a few photos of the flowers.
(that is straight out of the camera – gorgeous!)
And I was able to catch this guy. I really prefer bugs and flowers over people. They are much more cooperative.
On the way out I, of course, stopped at the gift shop. I’m a sucker for gift shops. I picked a couple of these up to scare the kids and husband with. The kids actually sucked on them until they almost got to the cricket and then I took it away. I just couldn’t live with myself if I had let me kids eat bugs. Yes, they are REAL bugs. The husband refuses to eat his. Hmmph! We’ll see if I ever buy him another treat again.
So yeah .. not very exciting. But I think it would be a gorgeous place to visit in the fall when it’s much cooler. Maybe we’ll have a “do over” later in the year.
At least I came home to find that my long awaited necklace had finally arrived. Two weeks from Indiana to Virginia .. that must have been some trip! I love it!
I have to say that I have had an unusually quiet start to my day. I told the kids last night that they weren’t allowed to wake up until 9am and even though I was joking it almost worked out that way. 8:45am! Not too shabby and it didn’t really matter anyway since I spent most of my night tossing and turning.
My back is killing me and it’s all that bed’s fault! I need to start saving to get a new cover for the mattress. The egg crate and featherbed I’ve tried to use in it’s place aren’t helping. It’s like sleeping on a cheap air mattress. There’s no support and I end up rolling into the middle of the bed. My husband will likely die a painful death soon because of this. Poor guy’s at risk of being suffocated. I just wish Sleep Number parts weren’t so expensive. $600 for the top cover is A LOT of money! Especially when I only paid a little over $1000 for the entire bed and I am not looking to blow a lot of extra money right now! So yeah, if any of you Sleep Number tycoons are out blog reading and would like to make a trade .. email me! I’ll post once a month about how much I love my sleep number bed and how great the customer service is. I’ll advertise your latest specials. I’ll link to your website and print your 800 number on my forehead. I just want to sleep again! I do. I used to adore my bed until the great cat pee massacre of ’08.
Not that I would ever get that lucky .. but it doesn’t hurt to try, right? I’m not too proud to beg! 
Why is my hair light brown?
I picked up a couple of boxes of hair color last night so I could match my roots back with the rest of my hair again. My hair was quite light already, a nice golden blonde so I chose a box that pretty much matched that. My results? A very ashy, gray light brown. I’m seriously wondering if maybe the bottles were in the wrong box or something. It’s YUCK! It looks nothing like the box promised and considering the fact that the color I chose was nearly the same as the color I was already sporting – that’s frustrating!! I hate it and I don’t want to color it again so soon and dry it all out. I may have to write to L’Oreal and vent my frustrations.
Why is a package that was mailed to me on the 18th from Indiana taking SO long?
I ordered a necklace from a seller on Etsy about 3 weeks ago. It took a good week to ship since it’s a custom made item and since then it’s just been out there. Wandering. The confirmation number stopped “tracking” it on the 21st in Cincinnati, OH – not really THAT far from Virginia Beach. I could have driven there and back a couple of times by now, I’m sure. I’m not sure how Etsy works but I have to wonder if I’ll just be out the $30 if it never shows. I’m worried that maybe it was lost somehow. Crap.
Grrr. 
And why does my Grandpa think it’s perfectly ok to smoke still? UGH. By far the greatest mystery and frustration of my day. My grandma called me in near tears yesterday, telling me that he’s already sneaking smokes and was doing so less than 24 hrs after being released. Not very smart if you ask me. He was lucky that the stroke was so small .. I don’t get why he’s risking it and basically asking for another one. I realize being addicted to something and quitting isn’t easy. I’d probably have a stroke myself if someone told me I couldn’t have another diet dr pepper for the rest of my life. But damn. I just don’t know what to do or think or even say. It’s his choice I suppose.
What’s the point of leaving spam comments that have no link and no words that make sense in any language?!
Sheesh!
I received quite a few of those yesterday and it was a total pain to go through and get rid of them. I’m actually a little more understanding of comments that are actually linked to something. At least they aren’t wasting their time entirely by posting them.
My Grandpa is home and doing well. They ended up diagnosing the episode as a TIA (transient ischemic attack or “mini stroke”). I’m so thankful that it wasn’t any worse. He’s right back to normal for the most part with just slight memory issues that will likely correct themselves shortly. With medication and some lifestyle changes he’ll hopefully be just fine. That is if he’s scared into not smoking and I honestly don’t know if that will happen. If it were me the idea of being in a hospital and stuck with syringes, eating crappy food and you know DYING would be the only incentive I would need. But him? He’s stubborn.
So there’s a little ray of sunshine for my week! Finally!
It’s a new week and I am hoping that everything stays fairly calm. Not likely .. but still.
I got an update on my Grandpa last night and he was doing much better. His mental capabilities had came back, he was walking/talking again and generally pretty normal. He was drinking his coffee, giving his nurses a hard time and wanting to go home so he could mow his yard. Yes, definitely the same old Grandpa! Almost as if he didn’t have a stroke at all. But the doctors did find that he DID have one and there is a small part of the right side of his brain that shows evidence of that. They have yet to find what caused it but are going to do more tests today. Depending on what they find he may even be able to be released today. Though I would prefer they keep him as long as they have to. I want him to stay safe. I’m just so thankful for that even though I have not relaxed just yet. I’m still jumping every time the phone rings and bracing myself for bad news.
I’m also pretty happy that I’m not alone all this week and next as I was supposed to be. The hubby’s Chief, to further give him a hard time, took him off of the list to go to Nevada this week so he’s home, working days. Totally screwing up his schedule and confidence. I feel bad for him because it’s just another blow from this guy and his power trip. He’s went from being gung ho sailor man, wanting to serve until retirement to being very .. meh. He has no enthusiasm to even go to work and could really care less. I have never seen him that way. Ever. There’s not much he can do. He’s stuck with dealing with it. He can’t go above this guy’s head and he certainly isn’t going to say anything to him about it. No need to piss him off or give him any reason to be more ridiculous than he already has been. Though I’m SO tempted to do so myself. Being so tense for the last couple of weeks has exhausted me. I can barely eat and when I do it just makes me sick. Great diet plan but not exactly what I would prefer.
This too shall pass .. right?
Oh and before I end this I just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who has left comments lately. I haven’t had much of chance to get out and leave many myself but I plan on changing that as soon as I get a good chance to breathe.
I want to stop everything for just a few days. I need a break!
I’ve been (sort of) jokingly saying that I’m going to have a stroke soon if things don’t calm down around here and then late last night my Grandma called to let me know that my Grandpa beat me to it. Not cool. He’s apparently had a mild stroke and though he was looking better and getting the feeling back in his right side as of last night, I am still a mess. Just one more thing to worry about and cry over. He’s in a hospital in Gainesville since they didn’t have the right equipment/doctors to take care of him in Lake City. They are going to do more tests today and then hopefully I’ll know more when she calls me later this evening. I hate being so far away and not able to do anything. Not that I would be able to anyway. I’m missing that degree in medicine .. but still. I love my grandparents so much. They have always, ALWAYS been there for me no matter what. If I didn’t have them (though I realize eventually I won’t) I would be lost.
After getting this news I called my mother to let her know. It’s her dad, but I’m closer to my grandparents than she is for some reason so I’m always left playing telephone. I hated having to give her that news especially when this week has been difficult on her. She lost her job due to the economy (like so many) so it’s been pretty grim in her world as well.
So yeah .. I want off this ride for a little bit or maybe just go back to having bad news that involved trivial things like expensive auto parts like I dealt with every other month before we bought the van. Those things stressed me out but they were FAR better than this stuff. yuck.
Yes, it could be worse. I’m trying to remember that as well. But if anyone has any spare prayers or positive vibes my family could use them right now.
After a very slow start to our day (we didn’t get to leave until after 1pm) we finally got out and had some fun! First we stopped at Ft. Story to check out the beach, take some photos, see the lighthouses from afar. The kids had so much fun. I’m really impressed and almost embarrassed at the way they automatically “pose” for me when I have the camera in hand. I guess they are pretty much trained now! heh You know, let mommy take your picture right off so you can have fun without her bugging you.
A few of my favorites …
I have a bunch more uploaded on Flickr and even more on my computer yet. I’m amazed that most really didn’t need much as far as processing goes even though I did it anyway because I’m addicted to messing with things. I may not have the most expensive or popular DSLR on the market but it sure does an excellent job for someone like me who just clicks without thinking much. I love being able to take it along on trips and not worry about missing a shot.
I love living so close to the beaches here. I’m hoping we’ll be in this area beyond 2011. I would prefer to not have any moving services involved in our lives for a long time.
Ooh and we ran into a guy who was fishing and I swear to you he was EATING the fish he was catching.. like right away, right there on the beach. I’m talking sashimi style. Eww. That an interesting thing to explain to the kiddos.
After all of that excitement we just drove around and did a little shopping at Petsmart where we bought some raw fish of our own – but still swimming, of course. It was nice to spend time all together without any drama for once. We’re getting along pretty well. Who knows if it will last but I’ll enjoy it for now!
And now? I should be doing a little ‘networking’, hitting up entrecard and what not but I have the biggest headache ever. I don’t know if it’s a side effect from the glass of Chardonnay that I have been nursing or what but my brain feels like it’s trying to escape. I’ll just have to save the rest of my online plans for tomorrow.
Every single time I put the girl child to bed she’s up within 5 minutes needing something. Anything! Anything at all to get just a few more minutes of Mommy. I love her thinking and that I’m popular but hey – give me a break! I’m having my wine, enjoying the QVC channel (acne treatments, mineral makeup and fall decor – woot) and just zoning out. I’m off duty!
Hopefully she’ll be good to go now that she’s had two drinks, a potty break and a quick round up of all of her ‘littlest pet shop’ animals. How she can stand sleeping with plastic animals embedded into her back side is beyond me. But whatever. As long as she’s in bed.
