If I could only remember...

I've always prided myself on remembering things. I don't usually have to write them down. I don't have to keep a calendar, because I remember. I have a huge brain that keeps things in order and I just get them done...

I do like to make lists. I like to make lists of lists. But really, the lists aren't necessary. It's just something I like to do. I do not need to carry them around with me and obsessively cross things off because I have a super, terriffic, awesome memory.

Yesterday....

I forgot to mail the mail in my car.
I forgot to call the driving school (for three days in a row!)
I forgot to take the orders with me to the party last night. (A mistake that made me look like a complete dork and made me 1/2 hour late for the party. Can you say "professional?"

This is just a small sampling of the things I have been forgetting. I'd tell you the rest but I forgot what they were. All I remember is the pain and frustration of forgetting.

I think it's all a symptom of the chaos I am currently calling "life." Not to worry though... I'm making some headway on that list of mine and I see light at the end of the tunnel. When I return from Utah I will be back on track and ready to find some organization, some structure...

Oh wait. I just remembered what started this tangent. I keep forgetting to look for the "piece of paper by the desk" that has hubbies blog name and password so that I can start updating his blog for him.

So once again, I will use my blog to document his adventures. Maybe someday I'll remember to copy it from here and put it there.. after I remember to find out what the name of his blog is....

Ok so he left Arkansas on June 8th. Then he went to Los Angeles. For whatever reason, I am more fascinated with what he is hauling, than where he is going. I never used to give it much thought, but what is in all those trucks we see on the freeway? So as long as I'm giving the updates, and unless and until I find out that I'm not supposed to share that kind of info.... we'll all get to share in my obsession that we'll call "what's in the truck?" Ooops. I've probably just said it wrong. Kind of like calling a boat a ship and a ship a boat.... I think it's more accurate for me to say "what's in the trailer." Doesn't have the same ring.

So he hauled paint and painting goods to Los Angeles (hazmat load. Apparently hauling a bunch of paint is a hazard. I guess it is. I don't think it would be a pretty mess if it spilled all over the freeway.) Los Angeles to somewhere in Texas was..... little packets of condiments for McD's. Can you just imagine a bunch of ketchup and bbq sauce... an entire truck load?

Texas to Pensylvania was Milk. Little wee cartons of milk. The kind you used to get at school.

I haven't talked to him yet so I have no idea what he's hauling now and where he's going. For that matter, I'm sure he's not in PA anymore so I really have no idea where he is. Sadly, I'm more concerned that I don't know what treasures he has in the trailer.

Moving On

I think I'm over my major melt-down from Friday. I was a total basket case. I cried all day and all night and I can't even blame it on pms. It all seems so silly now. Nothing has really changed. Nothing has gotten better. I've just plugged away on my "to do" list. I can't really say that I'm making progress, but I think I'm finally keeping up with it. I'm accomplishing as many tasks as get added each day with hopes of gaining on it soon.

I got Josh all packed and on his way and I'm now living on my own for the very first time - ever. I'll get weekly visits from the son and I suppose hubby will return someday. Until then. It's me. I only have to pick up after myself. I only have my laundry and my dishes and my messes. I have to admit, that part of this adventure is a little exciting.

Gail and I plugged along on our artwork yesterday. We each have one more board to do and a few little clean-up things on the other boards. We just might make it.

It's so frustrating to be creating so much art and doing so much stamping and scrapbooking and not have a single thing to post to show for it. Hopefully the splurge of posts after convention will make up for it.

Crying at my desk

We interupt the normal happy positive blog to bring you the rantings of a frustrated woman.

Let's take roll call here at work...
Boss #1 - the county fair
Boss #2 - road trip across the U.S.
Boss #3 - I'm not exactly sure. Probably fishing or golfing
Co-Worker - Sick, Tired and dealing with cancer. (Can't really complain about that one.)
Me - Stuck at work, crying at my desk.

I truly don't think I can handle one more thing. I give in. I'm done. I am not super woman. I need a break. I need some sleep. I need a maid and I miss my husband.

I have been trying to be positive. I have been trying to prioritize and just have faith that I will get it all done, but right now all I want to do is cry.

I have been struggling with a cold all week long. I've tried to tell myself I'm not sick, but that doesn't appear to be working. I woke up this morning with a pounding headache and evidence that I still have a cold and all I wanted to do was stay in bed and sleep it off. I wanted to call in sick like every other working person gets to do now and then, but then I remembered... I am not every other working person.

I have two days to finish helping Josh get ready camp. We have shopping to do and money to spend. He has driving lessons tomorrow and then, because I know what it's like to miss someone terribly... I volunteered to take a few kids out tomorrow so that they can see each other before they head off to their separate summer adventures. I have prioritized and decided that family still comes first so he is more important.

I'm trying to forget that I have one week to finish up my artwork, that the company just deleted an entire section of what I planned to teach and I now need to find something to fill in with, that I have gifts to make and a business to run, a party to pack and deliver and my house looks like a tornado hit it because I have an excess of furniture.....that I now need to figure out how to get rid of.

And you know what? I feel like crap. My head still hurts. My nose is stuffy. I'm tired and all I want to do is sleep.

Mom, Can You Come Pick Me Up?

Since life isn't interesting enough around here, Josh decided to add a bit of drama to it.

We had to fedex Josh's driver's license application back and forth because both parents have to sign and they won't accept the power of attorney. The application finally finished it's journey and I got it at work on Monday. So Josh rode his bike down here then left for the dmv. Five minutes later I get a phone call:

Josh - Mom can you come pick me up? Some lady just ran over me with her car while talking on a cell phone, but she gave me $60 to fix my bike.

Me - Josh!

Josh - I'm ok. My wheel is just bent.

Me - Josh! (Apparently that's the only word that would come out of my mouth because there were just so many running in my head and I couldn't decide which one was more important.)

Me - You should've called me right away. She just gave you money and left? Are you ok? What if you're not ok. I'm on my way. Where are you?

Once I got him and made sure he was ok, then I started lecturing.

"what were you doing on the sidewalk? How many times have I told you not to ride on the sidewalk. It's dangerous. I don't care that she was talking on the cell phone....that's why you need to be safe and follow the rules. How am I supposed to take you to the dmv to get your driving permit when you aren't following the bicycle rules."

By this point I've started to calm down and I then said. "We don't sit around making up rules because we think it's fun. Dad's been hit by a car, your uncles have been hit by cars. We know what you need to do to be safe because of the experiences we've had. We don't want you to learn those same things by getting hit by a car...."

I think he could tell by my tone that cool, I can't believe you did another stupid teenage thing, mom was back and just glad he was safe because then we started joking around.

Thankfully our favorite bike shop was right down the street and in less than a half hour he had a new tire and I had dropped him off at the dmv.

Luckily for me and my heart, his driving lesson isn't until Saturday. I have time to get over the whole "Mom, I got run over by a car" thing. Maybe, just maybe he learned something. Oh, I hope so....

Hamster Babies

Hamster Babies. Here's mama chasing down the babies.


Taking pictures of the babies has proven a bit difficult. Roxie (mama) has been quite good at keeping them in her little nest and packing bedding up the sides of the cage so you can't see them. But I think that time is over. Those babies are moving and escaping. We laugh so hard when we go over to check out the cage. Roxie learned pretty quickly that we will usually give her treats when we come over to check on them, so she runs over to the edge of the cage and sticks her litttle nose between the bars, meanwhile the babies begin escaping from the nest. If we keep her busy long enough there are usually four little babies running around. Once she stows away the treats we've given her she begins the task of rounding up all the little critters. It is hilarious. She gets one, takes it back to the nest, goes to get the next one, meanwhile the first one is back out again. I'm always amazed when she actually corrals them all back.... but I think she's beginning to give up a bit. At one point yesterday all the babies were running around the cage and she just sat there looking around. Sorry Roxie! I think your little ones are growing up.

He got the job....

Oh my gosh. I better update before anything else happens and I have to write an entire novel just to keep up.

Hubby got the job!! Woo Hoo!! He's working for Southern Refrigerated Trucking (SRT) and he's currently in Arkansas. So far he is really impressed with company. It has been a much different experience that the "other" company. I guess we had to go through all that grief just so he could appreciate how great SRT has been.

He's still hanging out at the terminal for now, waiting for his trainer, but hopefully he'll be hitting the road tomorrow and someday we might get to see him again. Dang, I miss my slave boy. I've had to put gas in my car, take out the trash, pay the bills..... sheesh.....

I love hearing all his stories about the people he has met. Here are a few things I remember

1) He has a new appreciation for California and our no-smoking laws. People light up in the middle of the restaurant. Today he was doing his laundry and had to go outside because three people just lit up their cigarettes, right inside. He has started using his meal tickets to get his meals to go.... just so he can eat it somewhere where there is no smoke.

2) Best line that he shared from his orientation classes.... Apparently some guy just kept asking stupid questions about an accident that the orientation person told them about. The teacher answered some of them, but most of them he didn't know the answer to because they were random ridiculous questions like.... what was the rate of the wind or which way was he traveling or other stupid things... Finally one of the other guys asked. "Was it on blacktop or asphalt?" Too funny!!! I have been in so many classes like that and just wished I could say something.

3) Apparently it doesn't take long to pick up a southern accent. Hubby said he was "fixin to go get something to eat." Fixin? Oh yea, I have him grief about it.

4) He went for a walk last night because the weather was nice. On his way back he got pelted by hail and fierce winds. It rains a lot and they have lots of mosquitos. Arkansas is definately not on the list of places he'd like to move to... but the people are really nice.

5) He's in Baptist country. He drove the van out to help a driver retrieve an abandoned truck and he said he passed a ton of churches....including two baptist churches, right next door to each other.

6) I'm thinking Sprint is probably very bummed that we have the family plans on our phones and I'm loving the 99 cent store calling cards for when I get sick of the cruddy signal he gets in that teeny town.

Oh and I did warn him I'd go shopping once he got a job.....

My stamp room is torn apart because I'm putting in my new wall unit and the living room couches have been replaced by a .....dang...I forgot the name of it..... one of those multi-piece couches with recliner chairs.....

No need to panic though... I've been a bargain shopper and they are all hand me downs in great condition. I'm remodeling on a budget. If I sell the stuff I have on craigs list, I'll come out even on the couch!!

Feeling Crummy

It's an ugly ugly day here in Southern California. The cooler weather is a welcome relief from the scorching we endured over the weekend, but today takes "June Gloom" to an all new level. June Gloom usually means morning clouds out here in the east county, but today the sun never poked through the clouds and we actually got rain. Amazing. It was a short little burst, but it rained in June in San Diego.

I had a good cry this morning and now my eyes feel puffy and all I want to do is go to bed. On top of that, I'm kind of mad for even getting upset. I should know better, but every once in a while it's kind of hard being my mother's daughter. She forgot my son's birthday. Yep. No phone call. Nothing. Last year none of us got presents, but Josh and I at least got phone calls. I guess his milestone 16th birthday wasn't all that big of a deal to his grandma.

I guess it was just the icing on the cake for me. We've been struggling through some tough times around here. Times when I wish I had a mom that I could call. I have to be the strong one and hold up for everyone else, but there are times when I just need someone to call so that I can cry and get it all out. I have a ton of wonderful friends that I love and adore... but sometimes you just want a mom. I've pretty much accepted her limitations and I know that I will never rate as high in her book as my brother. For the most part, I have made peace with it and I no longer get myself worked up over it...but I still hurt for my son. And heck, she used to at least make the pretense of calling. And we've actually been getting along fairly well. We've had a couple of fun conversations...oh well.... I need to let it go....

Things appear to be going well for hubby. Still too early to celebrate, but he has made it through day 2 of orientation and things look good so far.

Hey he had rain today too, but his rain has been accompanied by an amazing lightning show too. Show off. He just had to one up us.... Men!

People Watching

We got some good people watching in on Friday night. San Diego may be known as America's Finest City, but someone certainly wouldn't know it if they were arriving by Greyhound Bus. I've made a few trips down there over the years and it certainly hasn't changed much. There are still bums hanging out on the street corners, and it seems like there's always some kind of construction going on down there. This time it looks like they are remodeling the Pickwick hotel next door. The scaffolding and construction mess only add to the decrepit look and feel of the place.

The type of crowd that rides the bus instead of taking a plane is quite different. Most of the crowd seemed like hard working, worn-out men who looked like they were exhausted. There were several families with mis-matched luggage and then there was my favorite one.... an older woman, traveling alone. I swear to you she must've had at least 10 pieces of luggage. At first I thought I was mistaken. I was sure there were kids in the bathroom or a husband off getting some dinner. But I never saw anyone else with her.

I believe you get to check two bags. She had two of the hugest suitcases I have ever seen. Then she had a duffle bag, and at least four large canvas bags, and four of those mylar looking bags that you can put groceries in to keep them cool. When it came time to board the bus she took her checked luggage and left the rest. I started to wonder if she was just abandoning everything else. After she found her seat on the bus, she made trip after trip out to pick up more and more of the bags. I was absolutely fascinated watching her. I was dying to know where she was going to stow all of the stuff. I guess riding a bus is not like riding an airplane. She stowed her stuff all over that bus. I'm thinking it's probably a good thing that the rest of the passengers packed lightly.

I was kind of hoping her journey would follow along with Rick's so that he could update me on her progress, but they parted ways in Phoenix. I guess I'll never know where she was going and how she got all that crap off the bus.

No Pictures

One of the reasons I moved my blog here was because of how easy it is to add pictures. I love putting pictures in my posts. It must be that scrapbooker in me that thinks the story isn't complete without pictures.

So, why no pictures? I gave my tiny not so cool camera to hubby. He has to pack light and doesn't have a way to charge up his super cool camera. Well the camera has been packed up in his bags for over a month and since he's leaving again tonight, it's going to make the journey with him. That means I have to stand in line to use the other camera and I have to remember to take it with me. I can't just whip it out of my purse when I get the whim to take photos for the blog.

I warned hubby that I was going shopping once he was officially hired... my shopping list is getting longer and longer.....

All that to explain why I don't have a picture of Josh's birthday surprise.....

Josh is turning 16 and we are a little behind on the whole driving thing. Our rule was that he had to get his Eagle before he could drive. Well, now that hubby might be gone for long periods of time, I'm thinking it might benefit me if Josh can drive. So we started doing all of the research. Well, it takes so long to get the license, that Josh should have his Eagle about the same time. I get what I want and don't have to take back my "rule." Works for me.

Ok, so I got the info on a driving school from one of the kids at school and quickly figured out we had to get this done now, if he was going to get started before he leaves to work at camp for the summer. We were already planning to celebrate before hubby left so what's a couple of extra days????

I made a huge sign that said "watch out world, Josh is turning 16 and taking driving lessons! Happy Birthday Joshua" Then I printed out a bunch of different types of cars on 8.5 x 11 cardstock. I made fancy smancy sticks to hold them into the ground out of paper clips and prepared for the surprise.

Hubby talked Josh into going with him to get Chinese food and I ran out and decorated the front yard while they were gone.

When they returned they found the yard filled with cute signs.

There was a sign with a car crashing into a tree that said "This is not allowed."
The race car - "in your dreams"
On the car that had luggage on the roof, I wrote "Road Trip!"

It turned out pretty cute. I didn't get to see the look of surprise on his face, but he was still beaming when he got out of the car. He was definately surprised. He figured we'd pay for the drivers ed, but didn't know we planned to get the behind the wheel too.

It was a fun time.... and there are no pictures to document it. The dew ruined the signs and we had to throw them out the next day.

Bummer.