Daaaaaaamn

What week it has been.

We had a meeting with our "comfort advisor" one week ago today, and figured out we needed to just replace everything. Basically, gut the system and start over. We knew this day was coming, we were just hoping we could put it off a little longer - though, I suppose almost 10 years is quite long enough. Either way, we signed up to replace the outside unit, the furnace, replace & add on ductwork, add insulation, and put on solar screens. Yowsa, right? The crappy part about this decision (besides finding out how much the total cost would be) was the earliest appointment they had to begin this long process was today, one week after we were deciding all this at my kitchen table. Let me tell you, it's been a very, very long & hot week. And not hot in a good way.

"When it rains, it pours" they say and daaaaamn, that could not have been more true since I wrote last. After we squared away our plan for replacing our entire A/C system, my car decided to die two days later. And when I say die, I mean it literally cut out on me while I was mid-motion on Burnet Rd. I had to coast over into the center lane, and turn into The Domain to get out of the flow of traffic. It wouldn't take a jump, so I had to have the thing towed back to my house, in Round Rock, which was such a splendid way to spend a Friday night.

Of course, I had to get my period this day, as well. Figures.

We spent all weekend testing out the battery, poking at it, prodding at it, to finally come to the realization that my alternator had gone out. Not a cheap fix! And, naturally, my alternator has to be located in one of those impossibletoreach places under my hood, so I just *knew* a garage would end up raping me on labor charges. The alternator itself is nearly $200.00 for my make & model, so I cringed and whimpered every time I thought about dropping it off somewhere. The guy I talked to at the shop even asked me, "don't you have a buddy that can put it in for you?". Luckily, we found exactly that. Aaron went over to our car-knowledgeable neighbor Bill-Dave (we call him that because we didn't know if his name was Bill or Dave for the first few years we lived here), asked him for his help, and he was happy to help out. Hooray - we finally caught a break! After a long, boring, boiling-in-our-house weekend driving Aaron to & from work, and a miserable Memorial Day consisting of the same, Aaron & Bill-Dave conquered my car's woes on Tuesday morning. Helpful neighbors ROCK.

To put the cherry on top of "hell week", Sunday night (aka - the 8th day in a row of sweating in our house) our DVD player decided to die, as well. (Not to mention my stove dying before our "hell week" came to fruition!) On Sunday, I think Aaron came frighteningly close to hurling that DVD player out the window. Honestly, I was ready to fling myself off a curb into oncoming neighborhood traffic, but knowing my luck, I wouldn't actually end my suffering. I'd only add to it by being maimed and grossly disfigured. Without insurance, no less. Then, I'd end up having to pay for all the medical bills that came as a result of my pathetic suicide attempt. Thankfully, Aaron and I both have more sense then to act on our impulses.

I'm sad to report that Aaron came up with a solution to our financial worries, and made the ultimate sacrifice. He sold his Casita. Our beloved little camper that we just drove out to west Texas in March now belongs to a delightfully enthusiastic chap from San Marcos named Heath. I tried to talk Aaron out of this decision from the start, but he insisted it only made sense, then finally convinced me to jump on board. As you know, we booked & committed ourselves to a cruise only mere weeks before everything in our life decided to die, blow up, or break down. Well, Aaron didn't want to sacrifice the vacation we'd all had our hearts set on, and instead, said we should sell the camper & use the profit to pay off our cruise. What a guy. I know this broke his heart a little more than he is letting on, but I hope he knows how much I respect him for this big, mature decision. We put the camper on craigslist and within two hours, had about a dozen people contact us to come see it. Heath was number 4, and was very excited to buy it, so it was a done deal. He should be coming to pick it up tomorrow, which will be very bittersweet, for all of us. Even Z was sad we were selling it, but he knows Daddy will get something bigger and better down the line. A good life lesson for him in this - you gotta do what you gotta do, even when you don't wanna do it.

So, it'll be a relief to pay off the remaining amount owed on our fabulous cruise, and then we can focus on paying off this A/C renovation. We'll be camper-less, but we'll be cool, comfortable, and well-traveled in exchange. Nice. Do you guys understand the magnitude of this new A/C system?! For the first time, since we moved in 9 years ago, we'll have affordable electricity bills and we won't be sweating. No more 82 degrees-is-as-good-as-it-gets in August and September. No more having to find other places to go, like the library and HEB, just to escape the stifling heat in our own living room. My A/C unit will actually SHUT OFF between the months of June and October. Amazing! It's like hitting the lottery.

A big, giant thank you & sloppy kiss to my husband, John, Kristi, Bill-Dave, Ken, Dad, Becca, Mary, and anyone else who helped me through that wildly shitty week. I'm so glad it's over, and we've moved on to better things this week. The A/C was replaced today, and we've got cold air swirling around us as I type. Heavenly. The company will be back out here June 13 to deal with the ductwork, add more insulation, and put on our solar screens. 2104 Stirrup will be the most energy-efficient bitch on the block. Just call me Greenie.

Things I'm grateful for today:

1. A/C, obviously.
2. Friends, family, and neighbors.
3. A/C, again.

Peace, A/C, and pastries to you all.

Another quick update

No luck on fixing the A/C yet.  We have an appointment tomorrow morning at 8:00am with a "comfort advisor" from a local company here. I'm hoping this person gives us some good news.

Z is still doing great, I had even less mucus/snot today than yesterday, and even Aaron felt better. Maybe we're on the upswing as far as health? If nothing else, we can sweat out whatever is ailing us in this house. It's 82 degrees in here, and it's 10:42pm.

A few random things, before I retire for the night:

Aaron found this cereal tonight. (We had to get out of here and go browse around someplace that had A/C.) It's really, really good.

I'd suggest picking up a box, if you're in the mood for a bowl of cereal. It's sweet enough where it doesn't need sugar, and it's super chocolatey. Comes in handy for that "special" week of the month. Ladies, you know what I'm talkin' about.

Next, what the hell happened to Tori Amos' face?!

Old pics of Tori:

The first picture is the cover to her newest album release. She looks like a completely different person, and it took me a while to figure out what in the world had happened. I never thought someone like Ms. Amos would succumb to plastic surgery, but all I had to do was Google something to the effect of "what happened to Tori Amos' face", and was given a barrage of links to stories about her going under the knife. I just think it's a shame when naturally different-looking, non-traditional beauties don't realize what they've got. Whether she's trying to suppress aging (now that she's creeping up on 50), or whether she's feeling a bout of insecurity about competition with the younger women of the world, it's just sad.

Three things I'm grateful for today:

1.  My parents.

2.  A/C in my car.

3.  Hope.

xoxo

Fastest post ever

Brief update ...

Z's ear infection is getting better.  He never had a fever, and hasn't had any pain since that first day, so hooray.  One fire out, but it wouldn't be my life if another one didn't pop up almost immediately.

Our A/C went out yesterday.  The one perk?  It was only 80 degrees yesterday & today.  Hoping and praying right now that we can get things squared away & replace this system once & for all.  Pray with me, people.  Ready?  Go!

My snot/sneezing/coughing?  Still hanging around, but definitely easing up.  It's Aaron's turn, though, and I feel for him.  He looks like me, carrying his box of Puffs Plus around with him everywhere he goes.  Austin sucks.  Why do people keep moving here?

Three things I'm grateful for today:

1.  Ken.

2.  It's not full-blown summer yet.

3.  Grapes.

Peace, pastries, and A/C to you all.  Enjoy while you have it, 'cause it sucks when you don't.

Opposite Day

Plans/goals for today:

1.  Go to DeutschenPfest, eat funnel cakes, assorted fried goodies, ride silly rides, play games at booths, browse art vendors, then return home plumper than we were when we left, but oh so happy.

Actual happenings of today:

1.  Rain.  Tons of it.  Steady, sometimes heavy, lightning & thunder-filled rain, from when we woke up until roughly 5:00pm.

2.  Lunch out at one of the greasiest places we've ever been to. Thought it looked like a nice "down home" place to have a bite, but left having only eaten 1/4 our meals and feeling gross.

3.  An impromptu trip to Chuck E. Cheese, with an imposed $20 limit, to help keep us all from climbing the walls from boredom. Watching rain is only fun for so long, especially for a 6-year old who had his heart set on carnival rides and funnel cakes, because his parents talked about it all week long.

4.  An ear infection, at 5:00pm!  Yes, what jazzes up a day more than trying to find a physician's office open on a Saturday, after 5:00pm?! Throw in waiting over 90 minutes to get a call back from a nurse at Z's normal doctor's office, and you've got yourself loads of fun.

5.  A trip to the only urgent care facility open in the entire city, WITHOUT insurance, mind you.  That, in itself, was terrifying.  Then, a trip to the pharmacy to pay for a prescription without insurance, as well.  See, we took a gamble on waiting for the insurance at Aaron's job to kick in on June 1, and had been doing well so far.  Guess the gamble didn't pay off, & we had an ear infection join our family a mere 13 days away from our insurance start date.  Remind me to tell you sometime about that little black cloud that follows me around ...

6.  Realizing at Walgreen's that it's 8:30pm and we haven't eaten dinner.  Our stomachs all decided to give us the finger at *about* the same time, so we were one cranky crew until we got out of there. Waiting 15 minutes for a prescription to be filled has never seemed so much like an eternity as it did tonight.

Such simple plans we had today.

Three things I'm grateful for:

1.  My worst fears NOT coming true about how much the trip to 

     urgent care would cost us.

2.  That it was only an ear infection, and not a broken _________.

3.  Going to bed in about 10 minutes.

Until next time ...

Amber alerts, baby birds, and Mothers Day.

My day started early, and I'm tired. I signed up to get Amber Alerts on my cell phone a while back, and I got one this morning via text. At 4:03am. [groan] Granted, it woke me up & I was a tad disoriented at first, but I figured I shouldn't be annoyed since the alert meant someone out there was having a way shittier night than I was. And since children don't only get abducted between 7:00am and 5:00pm, I had to muster up understanding for the urgency of the text. But man, I've been yawning ever since. I never really did fall back asleep, just laid there thinking about the alert, and the poor parents involved, then my mind drifted on to what I was going to wear to work when I finally got up. I wanted to wear white clam-diggers, but is white acceptable this time of year? I've never been girly enough to remember all the rules about fashion, especially in the wee morning hours. I dozed off here & there, then finally decided to just get out of bed around 5:45am.

My allergies are back with a vengeance, so it's hard to write this blog with a clear head. [sniff snort cough]. If I ramble on or trail off suddenly, forgive me ...

Last Thursday was Z's final field trip of kindergarten, and I escorted as a driver/chaperone. This time, we went to Pump It Up & that place is always a hit with the kiddos. It's basically a giant warehouse filled with several, enormous inflatable jumpy houses & slides, which entertain the kids to no end. We've been there before for a few birthday parties, but it had been a while.

Vincent, Khoa, Z, and Sammie

The dynamic duo, together again, during the

safety video. As you can see from my son's

bored expression, he's seen this already &

is choosing to zone out. Is he really looking

out the window instead?

They were racing.

The dynamic duo, plus Colin ...

throwing gang signs?

Always a fan favorite - the giant slide.

I usually take my shoes off & get in to jump myself, but it was Z's class, the other kindergarten class, and the pre-K class all in attendance together. I was outnumbered. If I had gone in one of these things, they would've been on me like a swarm of bees, and that frightened me a little. I was already concerned about the swine flu (we were assured not to worry, because they closed off the place to the public while we were there, & swore they had scrubbed the place down before our arrival), but I surely didn't want to be a sitting duck for any other airborne illness that might fly off one of the kids. [shiver]

Sidebar: Random photo of the day:

A nifty shot of the moon that night.

Saturday, we went over to hang with Amy, Jim, Preston, & Brandon. We spent almost the whole day there, because Aaron was at work and the little boys hadn't seen each other in about a month. It was nice to be able to visit with Amy & Jim, while the boys kept themselves busy. We did let them go out in the back to run around with the hose, seeing as how it was nearly 100 degrees. Yes, in case you hadn't heard, it's already summer. I know the calendar says it's still May, but we're all dying & sweating already. Gah.

A geranium from Amy's lovely garden.

Outside of Amy's kitchen window, a Mama bird made a nest for her eggs & laid about 8 of them in there. The eggs have hatched, and you can see the babies clear as day. The Mama bird won't come near you if you're out there - instead, she flies over to a nearby tree & watches you. I got a few pics of the babies, and I hate to say it, but damn, they're ugly.

They would open their mouths like this

everytime my flash would go off.

One little guy that didn't make it, so Mama threw

him out of the nest. I told Jim I shouldn't post

this picture, because it would gross people out, but

Jim said it was "artistic". So, if that made you gag,

take it up with Amy's husband.

After over-heating, the boys decided to come in and keep themselves entertained by playing some old-school video games. It warms my heart to see Z playing Pac-Man, Pole Position, and Galaga.

Um, maybe Brandon shouldn't be gnawing

on the cord to the video game controller?

Sunday was Mother's Day, and we had everyone over to our place this year. Everyone = Ma, Dawd, Toni, Ken, & Mary. Kristi wasn't able to join us because she got scheduled to work, against her will, but we were lucky to have her kids stay with us for the day. (Her hubby works Sundays, too.) After my parents & Toni went home, we hung out with Ken & Mary for a while, and somehow a game of "chubby bunny" was born.

Brodi, attempting & failing miserably

at "chubby bunny".

Aaron, packing 'em in.

Holy crap!

Twelve, giant-sized marshmallows later.

Awesome. If you've never indulged in a game of "chubby bunny", I would highly recommend it. It's hysterical, every single time. Here was my Mother's Day gift from Z - a portrait of me, and a little something he wrote about his good ol' Mom:

If you can't read that, it says the following:

"This is my mom. Her name is Phyllis. She has kind of brown hair, I guess, and blue eyes. (wtf?) She is 5 feet tall and weighs 20 pounds. (God, I love this kid.) My mom makes the best rigatoni. She really likes to bring her own bags when she goes shopping. (He just outed my hippie side.)

My mom is very smart. She knows all about being my mom. I like it when she plays with me. It really bugs my mom when I lie, like when I say "I didn't mean to." (He says this constantly, and as you can tell, we've had a chat or two about it.)

The best thing about my mom is that she's my mom!"

Awww, I heart him.

The week so far has consisted of everyone I work with, and Aaron, and me fighting off another bout of snot/sinus pressure/sore throat. Not much else to tell. We did figure out today that Z only has 14 days of kindergarten left, which shocked us all. Really? 14 measly days? Where did this past year go?! Seems like yesterday I was pouring my heart out on my blog, praying for strength to get through his first day, and feeling apprehensive about what lay ahead. Amazing.

Now, I'm off to bed, hoping to sleep with my mouth closed at some point. Haven't had much luck with that the past few nights & this sinus-pressure filled nose of mine. I'm incredibly excited for tomorrow, since Brodi is coming over to hang out, and then I'm ditching the boys for a girl's night with Amy. Pedicures and dinner ... ahhhhh. That ought to make my sinuses feel better, right? (It was worth a shot.)

Three things I'm grateful for today:

1. Sleep.

2. The gift of motherhood.

3. Surviving kindergarten.

Peace & pastries to all of you. Hope each of you can get your hands on a little of both.

284 days

What a weekend! It went by quickly, and we never seemed to slow down for very long, but it was still good. As some of you already know, we fulfilled Z's wish & got him his first skateboard.

He only asked that it had a skull on it somewhere - mission accomplished. He loves it! And, I must say, he's pretty good for a novice. I'm sure no one will be shocked to hear I snapped a few photos of his first time out:

Praying before he started. Hahaha.

We've done it almost every day for a week now, and he hasn't lost interest. Yay! Just glad to know throwing down money for a good beginner's skateboard wasn't in vain.

After his first outing with his new board, we made him come home and shower, which led to him becoming Captain Underpants.

Running through the house, in a blaze of glory.

If you've never read or heard of the Captain Underpants books, and if you have a son, I'd highly recommend them. We devour them, in their entirety, each time a new volume comes out. Good times.

Saturday, Aaron had a rare day off, so we used it up to take care of some bidness. Had to get Z a new pair of Vans, had to go grocery shopping, we made some time to visit with a good friend who was on-leave from Afghanistan (we love you, Paul!), and I baked cupcakes for Fun Fest.

I tried to make more boy-ish ones with the sprinkles I
had on-hand, but they inadvertently came out
more Mardi Gras-ish, than anything.

After our chores were taken care of, Z bolted over to Ken's house for some "guy time", & Mom and Dad went on a date. It was actually a double-date this time, with Jamie & his lovely girlfriend Lisa, and a good time was had by all. I got my Mongolian Beef & Jade Martini, as mentioned in a previous blog, and we finished off the evening at Twin Peaks. (Don't ask - they wanted to grab a beer or two, and it was the closest place that wasn't charging a cover. Big boxing match on that night, so everyone was trying to milk people at the door. Um, I think not. I'm almost 35 - I don't pay cover to go anywhere.) It was a fun evening, full of laughs, but we didn't drink much because we knew we had Fun Fest all day the next day.

Sunday, we spent the entire day making cotton candy in a booth, outdoors. Correction: Aaron made cotton candy all day in a booth, outdoors. My friend Karen and I helped him out with the heat for the machine and taking tickets, but he definitely did the most of the work. We did the calculations at the end of the day & figured he did around 300 individual cotton candies that day. My hero!! Those machines are harder to work than they might seem. Karen and I probably did about 3o combined, but Aaron did the rest & won "Dad of the Year" that afternoon. I'm sure he'll think that's nice & all, but he'd rather have the ability to raise his arms above his head, as he once could before Fun Fest happened.

We were all covered in cotton candy residuals, from head to toe, by the time the day was done. My parents came to the festival, then back to our house for dinner once we were through, and after eating, we excitedly booked our cruise!! Yes, the highlight of the day, by far. It is now official - we have cabin #6502 waiting for us. Ahhhhhh. I'm so happy, I could piddle.

That takes us to Monday, where nothing terribly exciting happened, and the same for yesterday. It's the beginning of the month again, which means I'm pretty busy at work. When I get home, the last thing I want to do is be on the computer again, having spent all day staring at one. I've been really tired this week, which means part of my neurotic brain has been praying it's not the swine flu, though the bigger part of my rational brain knows it's not. I just gave away how crazy I am, didn't I?

Three things I'm grateful for today:

1. Cruises.
2. My child not having the swine flu.
3. Hugs.

More soon ...