Goodbye Vancouver...Sniff Sniff

Oh well, the Olympics are over. I'm always kind of sad about the Olympics coming to an end...I know - I'm a loser. Now, what will I do with all of my time? Oh yeah - get caught up on all the things I've been neglecting for the last 17 days. This was a great Olympics and it's hard to believe that at the next winter Olympics I will have 2 teenage boys - YIKES! I remember 4 years ago (when Liam was still playing hockey) and we were talking about the next time we would be watching an Olympic hockey game Liam would be 11. That seemed so weird at the time, but here we are.

Our weekend was pretty quiet. Aidan is starting to get sick again, so I'm not sure what the week holds for us. I'm crossing my fingers that it's not the strep that seems to be going around right now. Hopefully it's not and we can treat it at home without having to take him to the doctor.

Well, I don't have much else to talk about today. It's Sunday night and I've got tons of stuff to get done before the week gets going. I hope everyone has had a great weekend and an even better start to their week.

25 Things...

I found this quiz I did over a year ago on my facebook page. I thought it would be fun to share it here. Enjoy!

25 Random Things About Me...




1. I didn't meet my biological father until I was 29.
2. I grew up an only child until I was almost 9. I grew up with 1 half brother, but after meeting my biological father, I found out I had 3 other half brothers and 2 half sisters...and a step mom that was younger than me - ewww...
3. When I was little, I wanted to move to Houston so I could train with Bela Karolyi to be a gymnast :)
4. I still have friends that I talk to all the time that I met in kindergarten or first grade.
5. Deep water creeps me out.
6. I don't like seafood.
7. I know more about medical problems, illnesses, diseases, medications, etc. than I ever intended to, which has made me extremely hypervigilant about me and every one around me. (It annoys the hell out of my husband)
8. My eyes used to be dark brown, but now they're greenish.
9. I learned to water ski when I was 5 and still do it occasionally when we go to the lake.
10. I'm not very spontaneous...I have to plan just about everything.
11. I still love to tan - either fake or in the sun.
12. My front tooth is fake because I knocked it out in the third grade riding my bike while being chased by a dog (who cares that it was a chiuhuahua).
13. It seriously freaks me out to get my feet stuck in a blanket.
14. Melons, cucumbers, tomatoes and avocadoes make my lips itch.
15. I have extremely small ears.
16. I've never been snow skiing.
17. I was in labor for 37 hours with my first son.
18. I obsessively floss my teeth.
19. I had a hysterectomy when I was 29.
20. I have a necklace that a very good friend gave me when I was 12 and I still wear it.
21. I love chapstick.
22. My email inbox has to stay empty. I hate it being cluttered.
23. My youngest son was in 2 medical comas 5 months apart.
24. I have to talk to my Mom every day.
25. No matter what, my toenails are ALWAYS done!

Diaries of a Couch Olympian...

Warning...if you don't like to read anything about the Olympics, don't read this. It might either bore you to death or ruin something you may not have heard yet!

As I've said before, I'm totally engrossed in the Olympics. I'm faithful to my figure skating, which I'll get into later, but I've become a huge fan of snowboarding of any kind, alpine skiing, speed skating and all those cute little back stories they tell of any of the athletes. There are several events that I can't quite wrap my head around though. Luge, skeleton...not really sure about those. But, I watch them nonetheless.

The snowboarding has been awesome. I was so happy to see Shaun White "lay down" an awesome halfpipe. I also loved seeing the girls do their thing the next night. The alpine skiing is incredible. I can't imagine throwing myself down a snowy hill going 80 plus miles an hour on 2 aluminum rods. Those people are just nuts. The legs on the speed skaters, both long track and short track are something else. I'm just in awe.

Now figure skating. I've been a figure skating fan for as long as I can remember. My Mom and my husband can vouche for it. I've got hours upon hours of video tapes with competitions dating back to the Olympics in 1992. I watch every little competition that airs on TV and keep up to date on figure skating news on the internet. So, yes, I'm a fan. I was soo excited to see Evan Lysacek win the gold in the Men's competition. He totally deserved it and it's really a shame that the Russian Evgeni Plushenko, who WON the silver, is being such a poor sport. Doesn't suprise me though. The Russians, in both figure skating and gymnastics, always have sour grapes and it's really sad to see. Plushenko really in his mind thinks he should've won the gold, even though he has to know his routine wasn't nearly as good as Evan's. Yes he had the 1 jump Evan didn't have, but when you compare apples to oranges and go through element by element, Evan was clearly better. This was more than likely Plushenko's last year to compete and it's sad to me that he went out with such a bad attitude.

I am probably the only person you will meet that will actually sit through the ice dancing competition. I will admit I have a hard time sitting through the compulsory dance though. It's the same music and the same routine performed over and over and over again by every team. Now - that's boring. But, it's only 1 night and as a fan, I will sit through it.

Well, besides the Olympics, there isn't much going on around here. Liam got his new Gi at karate on Thursday and he's really excited to be a member of the "Black Belt Club". Since he got a new Gi, we had to put his new patches on it. I'm not a sewer, but I can manage to sew a button on a shirt or repair a torn seam (if it's not too noticeable). So, I busted out the old sewing kit and was able to get the new patches on the new Gi...I think it turned out pretty good if I do say so myself...



Well, that's about all I've got for today. I've got to get to the DVR and start watching more Olympics. Go USA!

Ash Wednesday...

So, our family has started Lent. I never practiced, observed, whatever'd it growing up, but when I met Elliot, he introduced me to a whole new religious world and he's very faithful about Lent. This year he's giving up cussing (which if you know my husband, you know this is a huge sacrifice) and candy. I've decided to give up sodas of any kind and chocolate and both of the kids are giving up chocolate. These will all be hard for our family and hey - we may even get some good health benefits out of it. We did it up big last night with our "last" chocolates and I think I hammered down 3 Dr. Peppers throughout the day. Phew. I was feeling it this morning too.

Rocco seems to be doing better. He was almost back to himself yesterday. It's been a struggle to try and keep him from jumping up on the chair in the living room, but I think he's learning. I really hope this new regimen with medicines and limited activity help him start feeling better.

This week is seriously flying by. I can't believe it's almost Thursday already. Aidan had his "make up" Valentine's party at school yesterday and he had a blast. This was the first year that Liam hasn't had a Valentine's party at school and I really didn't think he would care, but when he got home yesterday and saw Aidan's candy loot he was kind of bummed. Just another reminder I guess that he's getting older - sniff sniff...

I've been hooked on the Olympics. I'm staying up way too late at night watching the DVR'd primetime show and loving every minute of it. I was so happy with the figure skating pairs couple that won. They really were the best team. The Men's short program was last night and it was a nail biter for sure. I can't wait to watch Apolo again tonight and Shaun White - oh my! On top of the Olympics, I've got my regular shows piling up too...I'm starting to feel a little stressed just thinking about it. Breathe...

Oh and just on a side note...My hair is finally starting to grow on me - no pun intended. It's finally getting to a length that I'm not hating any more and I'm loving how easy it's gotten to fix. I've found a style that works and looks decent. Now if I could just keep the grey hairs from coming in...

Well, that's about it for today. I've decided that I've got to fight through and get this laundry done. It's gotten out of control again and that just can't happen.

Vet...

Well, I have to admit, we've known something was going on with our beloved bulldog Rocco for some time. When we got our floors done back in October, I noticed that he seemed to be having trouble adjusting to the "traction" of his paws on the floors. He started having problems doing his trademark jump up and hug you around the waist. Over the last month or so, we noticed that he started having trouble getting up onto his big comfy chair in our living room. The final straw has been over the last couple of weeks when I noticed he was having trouble even getting up from laying down. We decided it was time to take him in and find out what was going on.

Our vet is awesome. I can't say enough good things about them. They've helped Gucci lose 20 pounds - which we thought was impossible. When I called them this morning, they were awesome about getting us in this morning. So...since the kids were out of school, they had to go with me to take Mr. Rocco in. To make a long story short, the vet ended up sedating Rocco so she could get accurate x-rays of his hips, which she felt was the source of his problem. And of course she was right. He has hip dysplasia in both hips. It's something he was born with and unfortunately, it's something he will have to live with for the rest of his life. It's degenerative, so it will get worse, which makes me sad. Our goal now is to make sure he is not in pain and is able to live comfortably. This is definitely going to be a chore and I'm sure he will end up pretty spoiled from here on out. I love my dogs and would do anything for them.

The kids finally go back to school tomorrow. They've been out for a long time and I've fallen out of my routine, which is always a little offsetting. I'm looking forward to getting back into the swing of things and getting back onto our normal schedule. Speaking of, it's late and I need to get things ready for tomorrow.

Sick, Snow & Sports...

Well, as it turns out, I ended up not only with pink eye, but a cold to boot. I felt bad for the first couple of days, but I'm feeling much better now - thank goodness! My pink eye is all but gone - although I'm still grounded to my glasses. I can't wait to get rid of these puppies.

On Thursday, we had "record snow" here in DFW! I think the final total was somewhere around 12 inches. Anyway, it was the most snow I've ever seen in my entire life and I probably won't see it again anytime soon. The kids had a blast playing in all of it, which of course meant more work for me. I've never had so much laundry, but it was worth it. I was kind of bummed that I wasn't feeling so good because I would've loved to play in it with them. Oh well. I took plenty of pictures.


AFTER IT WAS ALL OVER...HERE'S WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE WHEN WE WOKE UP FRIDAY MORNING!









POOR RIZZO - SHE WAS ALMOST COVERED UP...



THE BOYS HAD A BLAST...









AND ELLIOT DID TOO...



The Olympics started on Friday, which is my version of the Super Bowl. I love the Olympics and will watch just about any of it's events...okay - I draw the line at the Biathlon, Cross Country Skiing and I'm sure there are a few others...But, needless to say, I'm super excited and have got my DVR ready to record it all. Personally I didn't think the opening ceremonies were that great, but I watched every second nonetheless. I love the Olympics. Don't even think about bothering me during the figure skating - that's where it's at. Although, I have to say I found myself on the edge of my seat last night while we were watching Apolo Ohno try to win the gold in the 1500 meters...What a race! I could seriously just do a blog about the Olympics every day, but I'd probably lose all of my readers...*snicker*

Well, the kids are out of school tomorrow for President's Day, and I've got plenty of things to do. I hope everyone is having a great Valentine's Day!

Pink Eye...

Well, my suspiscions were confirmed last night at the eye doctor...I've got pink eye. Unfortunately, I've got viral pink eye, which means it can't be treated with antibiotics, which also means I have to let it run it's course. Yay.

Who knows how long it will take to clear up. My eye doctor seems to think I'll be good to go in 2 weeks - 2 weeks!!! Ugh. My goal over the next few days is to make sure no one else in my family gets it. Fingers crossed.

We're thinking that I got the pink eye from the kids being sick. He says it's basically a cold that settles in the eye. Nice huh? Basically I've touched my eye after having touched a snotty nose. Normally I would say - not me, I'm super vigilant about hand washing or sanitizing. But, with us being out of town last weekend, I can see that it was probably entirely possible for that to happen. We were in the car for several hours at a time and on the go...lesson learned.

The thing that really irritates me about this whole thing is that I just opened a new pair of contacts on Sunday night. So, I've got to throw those out, along with my mascara, eyeliner and anything else that has touched my eye in the last few days.

I won't be wearing contacts anytime in the near future either. I'm being confined to my glasses, which irritates me too. Oh well. I know I sound like a whiny baby and trust me, I realize there are much worse things going on in the world, but it is all relative. I'm just done with germs.

Colds, Karate & A Race - Oh My!!!

Phew!! It's been a whirlwind of a week, but I think (knock on wood) things are beginning to settle down. So much to talk about...

Both of the kids have been sick. We got Aidan's wheezing under control only to trade it for a sinus infection. Oh well, I guess that was to be expected. I was hoping it was something that could be treated without antibitotics, but we weren't so lucky. So, I took him to the "new" doctor yesterday morning and he confirmed my suspicions and put him on an antibiotic. I can already tell a difference - thank goodness. Liam still has a nagging cough and had to miss another day of school today. I'm sure MISD police will show up at the door any time now to haul me off to jail for all the time my kids are missing from school, but I can't control mother nature and if I could, I wouldn't start with something like pesky colds. I'd go big - with tornadoes, hurricanes and other natural disasters...Anywho, the kids are both on the mend and I'll be none to happy to get all of this crud out of my house...

We got amazing news last Thursday at karate. Liam was invited to join the Black Belt Club!!! This is huge and it's an amazing accomplishment for him. It's something he set out to do from the first day and he couldn't be more excited about it - neither could we! So, now he has to make the commitment to become a black belt and there will be alot expected of him at both karate and at school. He's excited about getting a new Gi and to learn even more karate. We are very proud.

We spent this past weekend in Huntsville, Texas. Elliot has gotten into doing something called trail races. Basically, it's ultra running on trails - not on the streets. The race actually took place at Huntsville State Park (which is beautiful by the way) and there were 2 distances - 50 miles and 100 miles. Elliot did the 50 mile race and did it in an amazing 11 hours and 23 minutes!!! I'm still not sold on this "hobby", but he loves it and I am supportive of anything he does. I personally can't imagine doing anything for almost 12 hours, espcially running! I got to meet some of his running buddies from the gym which was nice. I hear about these people all the time and to be able to spend some time with them was nice. Elliot's college roommate and fellow Redman Ironman Patrick ran the race as well, so it was nice to see him again too. This was Elliot's first trail race and I'm sure there will be more added in the future. He has his eyes set on doing 100 mile races too...that might take some convincing for me to get behind that craziness! I mean - c'mon - who wants to run for 20 plus hours??? That CAN'T be healthy - can it??? Anyway, we'll see what the future holds. Here are some pictures of our weekend...


ELLIOT'S ARTWORK OF TAPE ON HIS FOOT - THAT ENDED UP DOING MORE HARM THAN GOOD AND WAS REMOVED AT MILE 3...



MORE RACE PREP WORK...



AS IF HE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH GOING ON, HE TOOK SOME TIME TO DO SOME SELF PORTRAITS...



THE BOYS WAITING AT ONE OF THE AID STATIONS TO SEE ELLIOT...



A QUICK FAMILY PICTURE AT THE LAST TURN AROUND...ONLY 16.3 MILES LEFT HONEY!!!



ELLIOT & PATRICK AT THE HOTEL AFTER THE RACE...POOR PAT DIDN'T FAIR SO WELL...



ELLIOT POST RACE...



THIS IS WHAT TRAIL RUNNING IS ALL ABOUT...LOOK AT THOSE NASTY SOCKS AND FEET...





HAD TO GET A SHOT OF AIDAN SLEEPING WITH HIS BOTTLE OF DR. PEPPER...



ELLIOT AND THE BOYS RELAXING IN THE HOT TUB AT THE HOTEL POOL...


All in all it's been a great week. We had an awesome little getaway in Huntsville and for sure made some memories - which is what it's all about! Now, it's back to reality. I've got to get ready to take Liam to karate and get myself to the eye doctor...I'm thinking pink eye may be involved...YUCK!