I DO NOT Have Time for This...

Cool Stuff on the Horizon

2010-05-11T14:49:00.002-04:00

Again, two months??? WTF? I used to be such a good little blogger until FB entered my life. As Betty White appropriately stated on SNL this past Saturday, Facebook is a huge waste of time, but unfortunately I am addicted to it.

Weight update is very good... I am down to a trim 126.0 and holding. I still hope to rock the "120" pretty soon, but I am in no rush, as it seems that the rapid weight loss works against me in the long run. Hey, I can't complain, I started this journey in a size 12 and now size 6 is falling off me, so... all is good.

I am having a terrific day today as I am preparing for my annual "Spring rite of Mommy-passage" a husband-less and child-less getaway with 15 of my nearest and dearest pals in Orlando. We've dubbed ourselves the BOHOs (actually April dubbed us the BOHOs - Biotches of the Highest Order) and the name stuck... perhaps because it is so appropriate.

On Friday I will join my gals for a weekend of R&R (think massage, laying by pool, shopping, dinner out and dancing with a little bit of alcohol mixed in for fun...) at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. Wow. I cannot wait. It's the fourth year for me and the fifth anniversary for the original group which started with four girlfriends from Clermont -- one of them being my buddy Cindi.

Also, I am so excited about the prospect of one of my new pet projects -- Java Dawg Coffee. If you're from Sarasota you may be familiar with the Double Decker bus at the Farmer's Market every Saturday. Well, this little company has a whole lot of gusto and things are just getting started. I am delighted to be a part of what is sure to be a success.

Still running and training for another 1/2 Marathon -- this time in California -- early September -- the Disneyland 1/2 Marathon. What fun... with three of my BOHOs!

Anyways, not much else to report. Life is still crazy busy... kids are adorable and growing fast... and summer is right around the corner! Phew... I am sweating already.

Weight Update

2010-03-02T15:59:00.002-05:00

Well, there is a lot of stuff that I can post about -- our adorable new puppy named "Sushi", Jason's surprise 39th birthday party on Saturday night (seriously, I should be a party planner because that shit was fun), the fact that I have a horrible cold and that I am running a 1/2 marathon on Sunday... but the weight update is great... 129.0 as of this morning! Woo Freakin' Hoo!!!!

Loser Blogger Girl

2010-02-16T16:07:00.003-05:00

I am a loser when it comes to this blog... I really thought that I had updated it "recently," I guess that would mean that middle of November (3 months ago) was "recent." I giggled to myself reading that entry though, because I have come pretty far in the time frame... I am down to a skinny-mini 133 pounds as of today. I was 131.0 after a long run last Friday, but blew it after a take-out pizza and a trip to the Circus over the weekend.

That's OK though. This is a game where I certainly don't mind being the loser. In fact, I relish being the loser. Big kudos to my running buddy Lisa who is in it to win it with me... our 1/2 marathon is in 3 weeks, we've both lost quite a bit of weight, we're doing our best with changing our diet and we're working out at least 4 time per week -- bootcamp twice a week and running/walking twice a week.

I'll let you know how it goes March 8th. And if we weren't crazy enough we signed up for the Disneyland Half Marathon in Anaheim in September. We need continued motivation to keep working out. I'm not the biggest loser, but I am a loser... and I'm proud of it.

On the Road to Self-Improvement

2009-11-13T14:46:00.003-05:00

OK, so I'm in training for a 1/2 Marathon in March with my some of my BOHO gal pals and I realize there are good days and bad days when you're attempting to work out AND (more importantly) watch what you eat.

So far I've made what I think is great progress -- approximately 8 pounds lost, which shows in the way my face looks and the fit of my clothes. But I'm struggling to move from the 139.5 that keeps popping up on the scale for the past three weeks. One step forward and two steps back it seems sometimes, as I got sidetracked this week with a visit to McDonald's because Bryce wanted to go there. Since when do I let a 4 1/2 year old dictate what I do?

I am back on track now, but am a little bit nervous because we are headed out for vacation and I am NOTORIOUS for throwing it all out the window and chowing down when I'm away from home. Instead, I am going to go into this trip with a mental goal to NOT GAIN OR LOSE weight, just stay the same, which I think will be a feat of accomplishment if I can do it.

I am packing my running shoes and workout stuff and even though I won't be participating in the 26.2 miles of the Philly Marathon like Jason on the 22nd, I can squeeze in a couple of good workouts while we're away. Wish me luck!

I may not be rich, but I am wealthy when it comes to friends.

2009-09-05T08:49:00.006-04:00

The past couple of weeks have had me pondering a very important phenomenon in life. Friendships. Having friends -- good friends -- is a rare and special thing and I think that Jason and I are really lucky to have more than our fair share. A few weeks ago we were visited by Monique during a trip back to Florida from her new post at the soon-to-open Ritz-Carlton in LA.

At the same time we found out that a very dear friend in Sacramento is recovering from three brain aneurysms... Lindsay and his wife Gloria and son Phil are New Zealanders (they own a roofing company in CA) and they are really some of the neatest people we know and love and we've had many, many fun times with them in Chicago, Florida, California and Las Vegas.

Here at home we've got our peeps... it's a long list so I won't mention everyone, but you know who you are...
The Youngs -- starting a long friendship in 1994 that has stood the test of time -- family not friends really.
The Kotters -- Christa was a very close friend in high school and we've reconnected while putting together our 20th high school reunion.
The Rileys -- Sara my workout buddy from bootcamp and Jay who I've known forever doing PR in Sarasota.
The Swifts -- Lisa my walking buddy and co-hort for the Princess 1/2 Marathon... and Jason who we've known through work for a long time. (Funny: Alisa & Jason and Lisa & Jason, right?)

A bit further out are the Foshee's in Clermont and, of course, all of those Clermont BOHOs (love you April!!!XO) that I love dearly for our annual Mother's Day ritual. My "lunch buddy" from The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota, Karen Mulroy who lives in Ft. Lauderdale now and I can't forget one of my favorite people Joe Messing, who is 40 years older than me (almost to the day) and one of my closest confidants.

I am forgetting tons of people who make my life special and meaningful, but I am truly amazed by my good fortune of being surrounded by people who love and accept me no matter what. Isn't that really what life is all about????

It's hard not to eat stuff that is delicious and horrible for you.

2009-08-29T15:16:00.005-04:00

OK, friends, so this past week along with having Bryce start VPK (pre-school) and Jake start first-grade I started in on a new exercise regimen and eating plan with a goal of actually losing weight. For real this time... no bullshit. No excuses. No greasy pizza or potato chips... or chocolate... or Pepsi.

So, I started on Tuesday (Monday was a dark day of Five Guys lunch with a Dr. Pepper... a farewell meal, if you will) eating healthier and with two walks completed this week with my walking buddy Lisa I have to say that this time it may stick. I really do feel good and I even slipped into two pairs of jeans that I haven't been able to squeeze my fat ass into for more than 3 months. That, my friends, is motivation. (Thank you, Christa, for clarifying that with me!!!!)

I do not believe that I am going to be 115 pounds again. I do not believe that I will turn heads on the beach in a bikini ever again, but I do believe that I can look quite a bit better than I do now. So, let's see how this goes. Like the title says... It's hard not to eat stuff that is delicious and horrible for you, but I'm doing OK so far.

Hi There, Remember Me?

2009-08-21T16:44:00.002-04:00

Hi. My name is Alisa Bennett and I have left the blog-o-sphere for the wonderful, addictive world of Facebook. At least on Facebook I know that people read my meandering thoughts since they comment or "like" them once I share them with the FB world. With the blog, other than the few of you that know me and know about it, it's like it's not even here. To be honest, I took my blog address off of my FB page because some of my "friends" might read this and find out some of my bad habits, personal viewpoints and other unseemly things that casual observers like FB "friends" should not be privy to. Well, what the heck. If I'm in, I'm all in (just witness my last visit to Vegas in Feb. 09... not good at all). I will re-post my blog address on my FB page and just see what happens.

A lot, in fact, has happened since I last blogged. Summer happened. High school reunion happened. Still was overweight for high school reunion happened. You catch my drift.

Anyways, school starts for the kids on Monday morning and it can't come soon enough. I am amazed that my children survived the summer. They are two lucky little kids. I am going to try to uphold my committment to this blog. But if I don't it's not like it's really going to affect your life or mine, so let's just see what happens, OK?

Seriously, Folks...

2009-03-16T16:00:00.002-04:00

OK, my high school reunion is now less than three months away, so it's time I get serious about those icky 10 pounds that have plagued me since,... oh, I don't know, about 2003, when I packed it all on for "pregnancy!" Who knew having kids would spoil my body THAT much! I mean, really???

Today I ate a Kit Kat and drank a coke at lunch. That was it. I am done. Jason got me the cool running belt with the water bottle and room for my phone so I have NO EXCUSES anymore. I am going to come up with my training program and post it here. I have bootcamp tonight and will keep at that twice a week, but I really need to start up the exercise program...

So, I'm starting off with today's weigh in 143.5. Yikes. I KNOW I've posted this before, but this time I've gotta do it!!!! Really! Really! Seriously!

In the Nooks and Crannies...

2009-03-13T20:39:00.002-04:00

of my car's interior I discovered an entire microcosm of detritus... here's just a few of the gems I found whilst cleaning and vacuuming the car.

- 2 plastic dimes
- 1 black jelly bean
- 2 (real) pennies
- a petrified french fry
- plastic baggie with 10 quarters in it (???)
- 3 yellow straws from Capri Sun drinks
- one pair of (dirty) matching boys' socks
- three non-matching girls' socks (all dirty)
- 2 green camo backpacks
- two pairs of girls shoes
- inordinate amount of pretzel salt (like the end of a bag dumped out)
- 3 pens (miraculously all with tops on or near them)
- 1 colored pencil
- wadded up tissues
- wilted green top from a recently (?) eaten strawberry
- Christmas holiday kids' t-shirt

That is my kind of Friday night... life in the fast lane... cleaning the car interior.... does it get any better than this? I'd better not ask that question. Have a great weekend.

Wearing the big Girl Pants...

2009-02-18T11:38:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I had to do what I consider to be the hardest thing I have ever done in my professional/working life. Jason and I had to lay off four employees, one of which had worked for us for more than five years, another for more than 3 years. It was terrible. It is extremely difficult to walk up to someone that you really like and tell them something that will change their life and basically wipe away their ability to provide for themselves and their family. I have to say that when Jason started this business nine years ago, I don't think that we ever really planned for that or saw that coming.

This economic situation does not seem to be getting better and I'm afraid that what happened yesterday may have to be done again in the next few months... I hope that isn't so, but at this point we really need to be pragmatic and conservative based on what seems to be the new normal.

I am sad. I am disappointed and I actually thought that I would be relieved after delivering the message to them yesterday, but what happened was the exact opposite. I feel worse and can't sleep.

Cut Backs

2009-02-12T10:56:00.002-05:00

It seems like everyone is cutting back these days. Here's what I've axed from the home budget to try to keep everything bumping along as smoothly as possible. I know you probably don't care, but I wanted to put it together to see it in black and white.

- No more pedicures.
- No more YMCA membership.
- No more shopping excursions to places to browse for no apparent reason.
- Less lunches out during the week -- more brown bags.
- No more professional hair color (Michelle and I are going to do it ourselves (yikes!)) and much less frequent hair cuts.
- No clothes shopping -- (that's until I lose those 10 pounds and then all bets are off.)
- Less "date nights" and evenings out without the kids.
- No magazine subscription renewals except for the chosen few -- We really can't live without Esquire and Real Simple.

This isn't really much and I'm happy for that, but if things continue to slide then we're going to have to start cutting more deeply. Here's hoping this economic stimulus package really does affect us all in a positive way. I'm not sure I'm sold on it, but do we really have any choice?

Why do we care?

2009-02-08T21:49:00.003-05:00

We had a good weekend... mostly spent at home -- went to the PAL fundraiser Saturday night, but other than that nothing special going on. What I am finding amazing (about myself, I guess) is how much I like cruising the Facebook profiles of friends, acquaintances, high school classmates, etc.

It really does feel like snooping in someone's medicine cabinet. (Don't tell me you haven't done that; you're a liar. You know you've done it, and I know you've done it, so there.). And what compels us to "throw down" and share some of our intimate thoughts with the world? (See 25 Random Things About Me). Is it that we all are a little bit vunerable and sometimes we need to connect with others by demonstrating our vunerability? I don't really know the answer, but I have to say that there is something compelling and strangely satisfying learning about other people's fears and feelings. Maybe we all have an inner need to know what makes other people tick, or we just want to feel that someone else feels our pain or shares our viewpoint.

Well, whatever it is, I have to say, that I have found Facebook to be an eye-opening experience (experiment?) and I will continue to "see" who is out there... on-line, looking me up.... and you.... and you.... and you....

Post Vegas Post

2009-02-03T13:39:00.004-05:00

My lips are dry, my wallet is empty and it looks like someone punched me in both eyes. Yup, I'm back from Vegas. Jason and I spent the past four days with a group of 12 rowdy people gambling, drinking, eating and generally acting like complete idiots in Vegas, much like what the rest of the general population does when dropped in the middle of the desert surrounded by 197,144 slot machines, endless roulette wheels, card tables and short Mexican guys flicking and handing out "trading cards" of naked girls. (Boy, some pre-teen boy could trade A LOT of Pokemon cards for just one of those babies!!!! HA, HA, HA!)

So as I was saying, we did what everyone does: gamble, drink, cuss, repeat. I did a little bit of shopping (I should have done a lot of shopping and NO gambling that way I would have come home much happier, but that is not how this story goes).

In addition, we got to see Jerry Seinfeld on stage at Caesar's Saturday night and watch the SuperBowl on Sunday from 2,000 miles away instead of 50; I went to an oxygen bar for the first time and had some jell-0 shots with the girls, had lots frozen daquiris (and subsequent brain freeze), drank my weight in Vodka/cranberry, and loaded up on Pepsi. (What the hell, I was on vacation.)

What is it about Vegas that makes one lose complete grasp of the value of the dollar? In Las Vegas a $20 bill seems like a $1 bill and a $100 bill seems like a $20. It is so easy to lose complete understanding of what you are spending because you are constantly thinking that you are going to win it all back!!!!! (Note to self: YEAH, RIGHT!)

Jason was a tiny bit sick at the start of the trip, but he came back with a vengance, gulping down 10+ shots at Margaritville late Sunday night and then running 20 miles on Monday morning. I swear, he is the only person I know that can do that. He also bought me a new shirt with 4 f-bombs on it! I just love it, but I have the feeling I really can't wear it a lot in Sarasota... certainly not as much as I could in Vegas. And I don't think I want to have to have Jake try to spell and pronounce that word. Not that he hasn't heard it before! HA!

There were a lot of hilarious moments on the trip -- but some of my favorites were see the "walks of shame" early in the morning. You know what I'm talking about: the girls coming out of the dance clubs at 6 a.m. with puke-stained dresses, one-shoe missing and their butts hanging out the back of the shortest-dress-you-have-ever-seen. Nice.

Bye-bye Vegas. Bye-bye money.

1 Hour Left at Work, 12 Hours Until I leave Home...

2009-01-29T15:04:00.001-05:00

OK, just one more thing to do at the office and I am outta here for four days!!! WOO HOO! No kids for four days -- HUGE WOO HOO!!! Vegas, here I come.

Virtual Life vs. Real Life

2009-01-15T21:47:00.002-05:00

You know, I've always been a very social person, so it's been hard not to be "involved" in community activities that I just don't have time for since the kids were born. So, it's with great pleasure that I've discovered that blogging and Facebook can serve as a quasi-social life for those of us tied to the rigid schedules of the tiny people living in our house. So now I can be virtually popular!

In real life, though, I've got a few cool social events coming up that I am totally looking forward to: Vegas trip with a bunch o' contractors at the end of January, BOHO weekend in early May at Universal's Hard Rock Hotel in Orlando and.... (wait for it)... our 20th High School Reunion in early June. Also, a good friend's baby shower... and my sister-in-law's baby shower, too!

Q & A At 1 a.m.

2009-01-14T01:07:00.001-05:00

Q: Why can't I sleep?
A: Facebook

P.S. Yay for me! I figured out how to re-activate my Blackberry e-mail all by myself...

Facebook Face-off

2009-01-12T12:16:00.002-05:00

Well, I've spent the better portion of the morning setting up my Facebook page (Thanks, Christa!) I can see how people really get sucked into this stuff.... you could go on for hours searching for past co-workers, friends, classmates, enemies, arch rivals, teachers, sales clerks, tarot card readers, etc.

I don't feel very "popular" yet, as I don't have nearly as many friends as some of my other friends out there, but watch out... I'm on a mission to become Miss Facebook (or would that be Mrs. Facebook?) 2009! Ha ha! Gotta go check my facebook page. Oh, my God. Addicted already.

Deep Clean on New Year's Eve

2008-12-31T14:16:00.004-05:00

The tree is down and all of the holiday decorations are back in the attic. Old toys, shoes, clothes are stacked up in the back of the truck ready for a trip to the Thrift Shop for donating and Jason and I feel a new sense of freedom in our own house from the clutter within (and out). We just (I should say Jason just) got finished going through the pool toys and all the stuff on the porch. It is so nice (and cathardic) to purge the unnecessary crap from the house. It makes room for the other, newer, shinier unnecessary crap that we've got.

I am not a pack rat and I hope that I never will be. I don't have any difficultly giving stuff away and I don't like having a lot of stuff around me... I've never been a big fan of garage sales or junk stores and I do not like knicknacks (sp?) AT ALL... I got very turned off from all that crap at a young age when my Mom made me dust around all of her 70s-era "decor," which I am sure is all dying a slow death in a landfill somewhere nearby.

Anyway, enough rambling, have a Happy New Year tonight and best wishes to you for a safe, happy and prosperous New Year 2009!

Jake Rides in a Hot Rod

2008-12-30T14:01:00.003-05:00

I almost forgot, while visiting "Grandpa Betty" in Inverness we saw long-time family friends Harold and Susan Craige. On the way to lunch (where soup is 99 cents if you order it off the menu, but free if you go up to the soup bar and help yourself) Jake got to ride in Harold's 1954 Ford, which was probably one of the highlights of his weekend. Photos above!

Weekend o' Fun

2008-12-30T13:50:00.004-05:00

We were on the road this past weekend (literally)... Friday we went to Daytona so Jason could try his hand as a NASCAR driver... he did the "Richard Petty Driving Experience" -- 8 laps on the hallowed speedway... problem was, during his driving experience, ten other people were having their own "Richard Petty" Experience in a "ride-along" where the driver goes up to 160 around the track. I believe being passed by these other cars really was a bit daunting... I know he wasn't going very fast because I was able to photograph him going around the track and that is usually not easy to do when the cars are going very fast. Oh, well. For more of his experience see his blog at (www.doa-jason.blogspot.com). From there we went to Clermont on Saturday to spend the day with Kevin, Cindi and Summer Foshee. We had a nice time, grilling out ribs and chilling at their beautiful house. From there on Sunday we went to visit "Grandpa Betty" -- the kids' shortened name for Grandpa (my Dad) and Grandma Betty.

The Grand Mansion

2008-12-30T13:27:00.003-05:00

So, here is the Grand Mansion, exactly the way I decorated it while the kids were napping. Jason accused me of playing with this on more than one occassion since it was assembled. (Notice the adult pointing and yelling at the kids in the playroom... that would be me! LOL!).

351 Pieces in Under 3 hours... Phew!

2008-12-25T16:22:00.006-05:00

So, today was the BIG DAY! Even after going to sleep after 11:30 p.m. Bryce and Jake managed to wake us up at 6 a.m. sharp. Jake apparently started opening gifts before they came in to our room to tell us that Santa had indeed come to our house, despite all of the hollow threats that Mommy had been yelling about for the past four weeks.

Cutest quote of the morning: "Mom, look! Santa has the same wrapping paper as us!" Thank God for innocent 5-year-olds.

Bryce and Jake are two lucky kids, but I have to say that one of the gifts I got for Bryce was just something that I could not personally live without. The 351 piece (I counted the pics on the instruction booklet to be certain) Grand Mansion Playmobil dollhouse. Now, if you know anything about Playmobil, the first thing that you know is that these are the coolest toys in the whole world. Secondly, you know that there are a million little pieces that fit ever so perfectly together, as German toy-builders (and Engineers) are so wont to do. The Grand Mansion is a beautiful Colonial three story with five rooms. You can even expand it to be four stories, but alas, that might just be a tad overkill for us; as the dollhouse makes our renovated 1950s ranch look like some kind of code-violating public housing project.

So after my first cup of coffee (I really needed that jolt) I began my career as a master builder. I have to say, that despite having trouble with the first floor door, everything else went together pretty smoothly. I had to call Jason in to help me with the roof (twice) and miraculously at the end, I only left out one piece that easily popped into place.

Anyways, the best part of today was setting up the Grand Mansion to my liking while the kids took a nap. I will up load the pics of the living room, dining room, bathroom, bedroom and playroom later. What a perfect little world it was, but it's all over now. Bryce just put a tiny jackhammer and construction worker in the kitchen. I guess it's time to renovate all ready. Oh, well.

A side note, I have noticed that the Playmobil people are predominantly white and male. They lack diversity in all sorts of ways. In our group of more than 50 men, women and kids there are no black or dark skinned people, only one older person (and she walks with a cane umbrella and wears a hat with a feather in it!) and probably 8 men for each woman. That could be because we have so many of the construction playsets, but I think the Germans are still in fact trying to force their "supremacy" issues on us though our kids' toys. (JUST KIDDING!!!, But it IS weird!)

Hope you all had a great day. I will post photos of today's melee soon!

A Chronicle of Christmas Eve

2008-12-25T12:26:00.014-05:00

Merry Christmas! Last night we hosted the annual family Christmas gathering at our house and I have to say that it was quite possibly the best one that I remember in the 19 years of attending (and hosting except for once during the past six years) this family ritual. I'll just bullet point just some of my reasons... maybe you'lll get the feel for it. I'll post the photos in a few days when I get to download them all.

1. PERFECT weather. All the doors and windows were open -- it was probably about 68 with a cool breeze. No bugs either!

2. Jason's jell-o shots. I thought these were a mistake when they made the fridge smell like a Willy Wonka factory on acid, but they were a hit; even Nonna (85-years-young) enjoyed one! Flavors were Santa's Strawberry Surprise (strawberry/Bacardi), Christmas Tree Tequila (lime/Patron) and I'm Off to See the Lights (lemon/Grey Goose Le Citron). Wow!

3. Follow the shots with the Wii Tourney -- Bowling and Guitar Hero! That was fun, but we definitely needed more time so that everyone can play.

4. Crazy Thriftmas gift exchange. Who can resist the TV Kitty Remote Control Holder? Or the Glitter Light Up Clock? Used men's silky shorts that were "supposedly" used in the movie Boogie Nights. (Creative, people, very creative.) How about an old wooden tennis racquet that can double as a snowshoe? We have it all... and still do, since no one took any of that crap home with them. By the way, to whomever hung the macrame plant hanger on my palm tree out back, many thanks.

5. The food. It's really the centerpiece for all of this mayhem. I made tiny (delicious) pigs in a blanket, Swedish meatballs and my olive crostini... we also had Aunt Cathy's wings, Cheryl's cheezy broccoli rice, Auntie Karen's pizelles, Buffalo Chicken dip (courtesy of our friends Angie and Brad who didn't go home for Christmas to Louisiana this year so we were their "adopted family") and about a hundred other items, the remants of which are crammed into the fridge.

6. Erica and Rachelle made it back from India and got to the party just after 8:30 p.m. We thought they might not make it, so this was an awesome surprise, as was their cool stories and pics from the wedding they attended. They were there just in time for Crazy Thriftmas and a major bonus for me, they brought me some organic cardamom straight from India for my Swedish coffee bread! Thanks, Ladies!!!!!

7. Michelle and family stopped by for a few minutes at the end of the party, but what makes the list (and what I missed) was Michelle's grand entrance... I guess she was attempting a ballet move for Bryce, tripped on the kids' train tracks and landed on her ass in the living room in front of everyone. At least she makes an entrance when she arrives!!!!

8. Seeing Tara with her new beau Chris. They make a great couple and she seems really happy. That was terrific!

All in all an absolutely great night.

M-I-S-S-I-N' Mississippi

2008-12-19T21:37:00.016-05:00

I am delighted to have "found" some old friends from my college days at USM this past year... I got back in touch with my pal Jarrod Ravencraft about two years ago, found Michelle Howell on Classmates.com about 6 months ago and just recently Kristen Phillips (now Kern) (whom I totally idolized because she was such a fixture doing graphics and design "downstairs" with the production guys) and I got back together, keeping up with each other and reading each other's blogs.

Kristen e-mailed me this week and said that she had run into Melissa Medley, one of my very favorite people in the state of Mississippi! Melissa was nice enough to have me do an internship at her company, Success Marketing, during college and hands down, she was the very best boss I have ever had. Period. I think that now, as a boss, I do try to emulate those qualities that she possesses, but I'm not sure I hit it on the mark! Melissa is now the director of communications and marketing for the Mississippi Development Authority and does work with the Mississippi Governor's Office.

Kristen is the Director of Communications for the Mississippi Bankers Association and she and her husband have a beautiful little girl.

It's been a delight to reconnect with these amazing people. I'm going to curl up on the couch with my college yearbook and re-live some of those great memories!

Christmas Cards & Tax Planning (???!!???)

2008-12-17T14:48:00.003-05:00

Today I am proud to say that I put my very last Christmas card in the mail... hopefully, (unless some random person that wasn't already on my list of 58 people sends us a card... then I will have to reciprocate!) The big news of the day is that it was tax planning day for 2009 with the CPA. Fun, fun, fun... NOT exactly. We deferred income from 2007 to 2008 so we owe again in April. Yucky. For now I'm going to focus on the positive and get back to wrapping gifts and eating the big tin of gourmet cookies the CPA gave us along with the bad news. Just what I need, eh?

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Blessed Kwanzaa, Delightful Boxing Day and best wishes for safe and (let's cross our fingers, folks) prosperous New Year 2009. Just a shout out in case I get busy and don't get around to blogging in the next week or so. I hope that you and your family enjoy a wonderful holiday filled with memories and laughter to cherish!!!! Lots of love! ASB

Hectic Holidays Are Here

2008-12-12T15:30:00.002-05:00

Haven't blogged in awhile... like everyone else I'm just trying to keep my head above water getting ready for the fast approaching holidays. We have had a few weeks of fun, though, Thanksgiving at Josh & Larissa's (followed by a bout of the flu for the entire family), a fun get together at the house last Sunday and numerous other gathering, dinners and parties. My head hurts just thinking about it all.

Our big family Christmas Eve shindig is near and I've got to get all ready for that, too. More meatballs forthcoming for that and the house will be destroyed, but it's all in the name of fun and family!

I eat meat...

2008-11-21T12:51:00.001-05:00

SOoooooooooooooo, yesterday I had a turkey lunch at Cracker Barrel and today? Yes, today was Chik-fil-A nuggies. Yum. I gave that meat-hating book to Michelle last night. See how quickly we forget?

Awwww! Isn't that sweet?

2008-11-20T15:12:00.002-05:00

I didn't really take any pictures during our trip to South Florida, but I just had to capture this sweet shot of Bryce curled up around Jake at the hotel when I came in from dinner Friday night. Usually when they are touching each other it's with a hit, slap or punch. In this photo you might even get the idea that they kind of like each other. Of course, they were sleeping, that's probably why they were so tender. Even so, it's pretty cute.

Fun (?) in Ft. Lauderdale

2008-11-17T13:04:00.003-05:00

We came back yesterday from Ft. Lauderdale... had a good time, Jason had a great race yesterday (see his blog http://www.doa-jason.blogspot.com/). I think I have realized (AGAIN) that staying in a hotel room with two small children isn't exactly an enjoyable experience, but we survived.

We went to Wannado City on Friday with the kids (expensive and maybe better for kids a bit older than ours) and then I got to go to dinner at PF Chang's with Brent and Karen Friday Night. We had a blast. Jason took the kids to dinner that night and then turned in early. Saturday the kids and I went to see Karen at her house while Jason rested up for the race.

The best thing about the weekend... we got a Wii! Played quite a bit last night and I beat the crap out of Jason at Bowling AND Boxing! You suck, Jason! Ha ha ha (Just kidding!!!!) At least I can beat him at something! It's fun and the kids really enjoyed it until Jake got totally pissed at Bryce because she was beating him at boxing... he pushed her (HARD) and had to be spanked and put in his bed. YAKES!

Tagged.. I'm It

2008-11-17T12:45:00.003-05:00

OK, OK.... so I've been tagged. Thanks a lot CAROL! HA HA HA! Six random things about me... OK, this should be interesting.

1. I am obsessed with clipping my kids' finger nails. (Is that random enough for you?) I make sure that when I'm with them during the day that they are clean. I clip them at least once a week (while they're in the tub) and this weekend I almost had a coronary b/c we were away from home (no clippers) and the kids had longer nails than I've seen on some drag queens! FOR REAL!

2. I am sick of trying to lose just ten pounds. Really. I'm just sick of (trying to) watch what I eat and attempting to work out and still not get anywhere. I mean really, I thought the no-meat thing would help but it's hopeless! I am always apparently going to be me +10 pounds. Yuck.

3. I miss a lot of my old jobs. Don't miss the hours, the cranky bosses and lazy co-workers, just the fun, creative stuff that I used to do. I don't miss the inflexibility or the dress codes either, but it was fun being a part of a large organization. I wouldn't trade it for the world now (REALLY, Jason, I wouldn't) but there are days that I miss the part where I thought of an idea, brought it into being, promoted it and got press for it. That was fun stuff.

4. I LOVE HBO! TrueBlood, Entourage, Flight of the Conchords, Bill Maher, Little Britain... HBO has some of the very best original programming ever -- oh, John Adams. Some of my old favorites Six Feet Under, Sex and the City, The Sopranos, Carnivale, Deadwood (HBO you should never have cancelled those last two!) And, if it matters, I'm not a big fan of watching TV. Would much rather curl up with a good book.

5. I can only drink out of a Tervis Tumbler at home. Nothing else. I hate using glasses that sweat and leave rings all over the place.

6. My guilty pleasure in the summer time is a huge 7-11 Slurpee, half Coke and half Cherry flavor. I love taking the kids to get them after school when it's 90+ degrees and then go home and hop in the pool with the Slurpees lined up near the pool steps melting in the sun.

Jason, consider yourself TAGGED!

Weekend Away... I am READY!

2008-11-12T14:53:00.004-05:00

So, we're headed for Ft. Lauderdale (cool pic from their CVB website above) for the weekend because Jason is running a 1/2 Marathon on Sunday. (You'd think he was curing cancer or leading the charge for world peace, but whatever!) I am soooo delighted that I get to see my very dear friends (ex Ritz-Carlton cronies) Brent and Karen on this trip! We have a night out planned for Friday and I have exhausted every effort to find a babysitter so that Jason could join us, but unfortunately he's out of luck and will be eating Chicken McNuggets while I booze it up with my pals! Looking forward to a change of scenery and hopefully no rain! Hey Karen, thanks to you and Tom for the super-duper rate at the Renaissance Hotel! I owe you both BIG TIME!

Perfect Weather for a LAZY Weekend

2008-11-10T13:07:00.003-05:00

What a beautiful weekend. The weather could not have been better -- I pretty much spent the past two days laying around reading with all the windows and doors open and hanging out outside with Jason while he worked on the landscaping. Jake had his best friend Malcolm sleep over on Saturday night and Sunday we had a picnic on the bayfront. The kids loved it, running around and tossing rocks into the water. We also spent some time laying on our backs identifying the different clouds in the sky. I don't believe it gets much better than that.

#14 at Precinct #151, Sarasota County

2008-11-04T10:14:00.004-05:00

So this morning at 9:30 a.m. I cast my vote for President and various and sundry amendments, local leaders, etc. It was very exciting to actually have people (other than that volunteer poll wokers) in Precinct 151, normally I am either the 2nd or 4th voter... a sad state of affairs. Still, there was no line, no wait, just signing and filling in the bubble and then voting... (you gotta love having a tiny Precinct)!

The same old guy has been checking me in for the six years I have been in Precinct 151. He is so sweet and I get the feeling that he lives for these election days... he's always in such a good mood, just like the guy who gives you the sticker at the end. He was nice enough to give one to Bryce, too, since she accompanied me.

Have you noticed yet that I enjoy typing the word Precinct? Precinct. Precinct. Precinct. See? Isn't that a great word? Hmmm... I wonder what it really means and what the orgin is. I need to look it up. If you haven't already done so, go vote and get that really cool sticker. Precinct!

Rules to Live By... (for Toddlers)

2008-11-03T15:15:00.002-05:00

A friend of mine who is an attorney sent me this awhile back and I found it today when I was cleaning off my desk. Thought it was too cute and certainly these rules apply at my house right now where fighting is the pastime of choice for both Jake and Bryce.

Bill Maher is My Hero!

2008-11-03T11:06:00.002-05:00

How could I forget to mention???... Saturday night we went to see Bill Maher's movie, Religulous. My good and like minded friend Joe Messing told me that I just HAD to see it when I went to lunch with him last week and Jason and I LOVE Real Time with Bill Maher, so we knew we had to get a babysitter and go out to see this one.

The Youngs (a bit surprisingly to me) went with us to Burns Court, where it is truly fun to enjoy a movie with a glass of beer or wine... and then we headed over to Ceviche for some tapas at the bar. A fun night... and it's been awhile since we've been out sans children!

Back to the movie, I have to say it's quite honestly the best documentary I have ever seen! But maybe that is because I clearly enjoy having someone (esp. someone as witty and acerbic as Bill Maher) confirm my suspicions about religion in general.

P.S. Carol, please, please don't hold this against me, just pray for me!!! Just kidding!!!!!

Halloween 2008

2008-11-03T10:54:00.002-05:00

For Halloween we went to the Young's house for pizza and salad and then onto the neighborhood for trick or treating. We found out on Friday that Jeff Ball was going to have a hayride for the kids in the neighborhood and there was a party at the park on Sun Circle. So we trick-or-treated out way down to the waterfront. It was nice to see Jeff, Lotta and their families there, as well as other neighbors. We had a lot of fun, got wayyyyy too much candy (we left a big bowl out at home that went totally untouched) and relaxed most of the rest of the weekend with the doors and windows wide open.

Yesterday we took a walk over to the museum and checked out the new Egyptian exhibit on loan from the Brooklyn Museum. Amazing! The kids really loved it and they especially liked writing their name on the board in hieroglyphics!

I Did It! 8.1 Miles Under 2 Hours, One Scraped Knee and Bruised Ego

2008-10-29T13:24:00.002-04:00

Last Saturday night I actually participated in and completed the Tower of Terror 13K (8.1 miles) at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Jason and I went up to Orlando with the family and Jodie and Chris also did the race with us. I'm not sure what I did would qualify as a race as I walked pretty much the entire time, but it wasn't like a stroll down the beach. I finished 1:57:16, which is about 14:44 minutes per mile... pretty good for me and considering that I started out with Jodie and Chris going about 17 minutes per mile for the first two miles.

Once I broke away from them I got in my groove and was having a ball with it. Once we entered the park I actually felt good enough to jog a little bit, which is amazing! Once I hit the last stretch I decided to give it my all and actually run (not jog, run) to the finish line. Huge mistake. The finish line had a mat which was a good 2" off the ground and in my glory to beat some random guy who was also running to the finish line I stubbed my right foot on the mat and went down flat, landing on my left knee. No real damage, just a burn from the mat and a bruised ego. I was hoping that Jason would have missed that, but I'm not that lucky, he saw me in all of my finishing glory. You know me, I had to finish in style!

It's the Great Pumpkin... Festival!

2008-10-20T13:53:00.002-04:00

Sunday was a very fun, beautiful day that we spent at Hunsader Farms with the Kotters, the Rileys and the Youngs. The kids had a blast playing, riding the ponies, jumping on the trampolines, tormenting the livestock and generally creating havoc around themselves. The pumpkin shooter was pretty amazing (apparently the contraption sent the pumpkins more than 2000 feet! Crazy!) It was very "down home" (eating deep fried stuff on the fly and sitting on the grass in the shade) and Sara admired my "Bradentucky feet" -- flip flops in the dirt and grass. A great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. We should make it an annual tradition.

I have a crush...

2008-10-17T11:56:00.004-04:00

He's short, gray and very much a techno-geek. I never really knew that I needed him so much until he came into my life, like a knight in shining armor on Monday. I've named him "Bill" (in honor of the hottie vampire from TrueBlood). He gives me all of my e-mails, stores all of my contact information and (amazingly, unlike the other men in my life) he is very organized and not very sarcastic. In fact, he is the very quiet and shy type, not normally what I find attractive, but that is OK.

Sorry, Jason, hope you're not upset. Maybe you can get the red one and name her some stripper name like "Sierra" or "Jasmine."

La-la-la-la-la-la(I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!!!)

2008-10-08T17:45:00.004-04:00

Credit. Capital. Wall Street. Bailout. Depression. Economy. Money. Every where you freakin' turn all that people are talking about is this economy. Could it be that we are talking ourselves into this crisis? Nah -- but I don't think the widespread media coverage and panic helps at all. I have to say, I thought that by now I'd be sick of the election crap, but that's very secondary on my mind... (and everyone else's).

When will this situation settle down? I talked to my financial guy and got no comfort whatsoever, so I've just decided to do what works best.... ignore it. Yup. Forget about it. Day dream... try not to talk about it, avoid the news and newspaper...

My skin is breaking out and that is most definitely one good reason to ignore this crisis. I think I'm going to start having a "Family Night In" for our friends, maybe every other weekend where we all just get together at the house, watch TV, bring covered dishes, play board games and chill out. Cheap. Fun. Easy. We need a great name for it though... I'll get back to you on that.

Hectic, but Happy...

2008-10-02T15:15:00.002-04:00

Life is crazy... I can hardly keep up with it. But I can hardly complain either. We are busy enough at work to keep everyone employed (and getting overtime no less!), I've got some really fun, really cool freelance work that I am truly enjoying and the kids keep things interesting.

News on the home front... Jake started indoor soccer at the YMCA on Saturdays a couple of weeks ago, his first game is this Saturday... Bryce starts dance classes, also at the Y on Saturdays this weekend. Jake is really starting to like kindergarten (I was getting a little worried there for awhile), I think he just needed to adjust to his lack of 2 hour afternoon naps. I am still not eating meat and haven't touched a Pepsi in almost a week (shocking, I know!). I walked 6.81 miles on Sunday, did bootcamp on Monday... nothing since. I do not know if I will be ready for the 13K on Oct. 25th, but I am going to do it... no matter what!

Jason and I are considering a trip to Vegas with some friends for SuperBowl weekend... just need to get someone to watch J&B, so that we adults can go play... also I'm really trying to plan a fun, real, first family vacation for us this April (Spring Break)... any ideas for a fun family getaway would be appreciated... I've been thinking about going back to Vermont, we've tossed around Utah (I want to see Bryce Canyon)... I don't know, but something different would be great! Any thoughts, guys?

Skinny (and VERY Freaked Out) Bitch???

2008-09-26T20:38:00.003-04:00

So, my dear husband bought me a present this afternoon when he was messing around and not working (that's OK, Jace you deserve it!)... it was the Skinny Bitch book, which I have been meaning to read for a long time. (INSERT HUGE HINT OF IRONY HERE BASED ON PREVIOUS BLOG ENTRY)... so I eagerly started reading the book waiting in the car line to pick up my son from kindergarten. From word one I was hooked... short readable chapters, lots of cussing, funny, irreverant and very much in-your-face... totally my kind of read.

Until, that is, Chapter 4. This chapter is titled, "The Dead, Decompsing Rotting Flesh Diet." Gulp. OK... I just had heaping plateful of pulled pork at Sonny's for lunch, but I can handle this. Right? Wrong. DEAD wrong... no pun intend.

I have to say that I am pretty good at ignoring things in this world that bother me... so I act like horror movies don't exist (they do), I think that little kids don't get hurt or killed in wars (uh, yeah, I know they do) and that the animals I eat don't really feel anything when sacrificing their life for my dining pleasure (uh. well, let's just say they do, too.). The shock and horror of the words in this tiny little $13.95 paperback and the chemicals and shit in all of our foods has me COMPLETELY rethinking what I eat.

Ironically, just before I started chapter four (and right after I got home) I took out hamburgers for dinner. Needless to say, I couldn't eat them or even look at them and after I went for a quick walk so Jason could cook them for himself I smelled them on the grill and proceeded to gag as I walked in the door.

The book promotes a vegan lifestyle, which admittedly would be very difficult for a finicky eater like me, but after what I just read, I don't think I have any choice. So to be a skinny bitch you just give up everything that is delicious to you because suddenly you find it so repulsive that you couldn't be forced to eat it if your life depended on it. I KNOW I can lose weight that way.

Reading Material Avalance/Tsunami/

2008-09-25T21:10:00.008-04:00

Have you ever heard that the amount of printed information doubles every four years (or less)... I can't remember exactly what it is, but I used to think (as an avid reader) how great that was! More stuff to read, more to learn, more to share and show that I was erudite! (I don't know exactly what it means, but it sounds good, so just go with it, please). Anyway, I am now regretting I ever even had that thought. I freakin' can't even keep up with the stuff that I WANT to read and that really sucks. For fun, here's a list of all the stuff left (like a mis-behaved puppy) laying in piles all over the house.
Books:
Last Harvest (read 12 chapters last Saturday haven't picked it up since)
The Good Life Diet (read most of it about 6 months ago keep meaning to start it over)
You: Staying Young (same as above except 4 weeks ago)
Nurturing Resilience in Our Children (tried to start it ages ago, but I'm not into it)
Safety 24/7 (just bought it for work, will probably never read it)
Magazines/Newspapers
Real Simple Oct 08 (my favorite, usually read it cover to cover the day I get it. Got it over a week ago)
Fast Company Oct 08 (ditto)
Parents Oct 08 (still in plastic wrapper)
Esquire Oct 08 (in the potty room so I've seen some of it)
Also, Biz941, WonderTime, an article in Smithsonian from June, SRQ, Sarasota Magazine, Green Builder, Modern Contractor Solutions, a zillion copies of the weekly Gulf Coast Business Review and even a Wall Street Journal cover page article given to me by my CPA.
Oh, and some random American Express special publication about on-line marketing and a Scholastic magazine about kids are around here somewhere. I think I should start a paper recycling station right here.
Get the picture?

Prepping Early For Halloween

2008-09-16T23:40:00.003-04:00

Just remembered this and it made me laugh, so I figured I'd better do a quick post. Two weeks ago Bryce had decided that she wanted to be Belle (of Beauty and the Beast) for Halloween. As luck would have it we found a Belle dress at the Disney shop at the Outlet mall for 1/2 price in her size. Yay! She's done! Well, we've been asking Jake what he wants to be for Halloween for a couple of weeks and the answers have ranged from a Hot Wheels Driver, to some scary robot like-thing in a costume catalog. But after our trip to Disney this past weekend, he's got this year entirely figured out. He wants to be a Monorail Driver or in Disney speak a Monorail Transportation Host. Sooooooooooooooo, I e-mailed my two girlfriends both of whom have husbands who work at Disney to get an old nametag and a good description of the uniform. This one should be fun folks. I've actually got to put it together. Wish me luck! Thankfully he's got a tiny monorail that he can carry around to explain his costume. Someone help us, we're a bunch of lunatics!

Escape to the Happiest Place on Earth

2008-09-16T23:30:00.002-04:00

This past weekend we went to our second home, Walt Disney World, to celebrate Jack & Emma Kotter's 4th birthday! It was a very fun trip, although Jason was a teensy bit hung over, everyone else was on their best behavior and we actually got to go on a ton of rides at the Magic Kingdom on Saturday. Highlights from the trip include:
- The excitement of meeting Ariel
- Jason and Bryce napping on the train. Really? Sleeping at Walt Disney World? That should be against the law unless you're under 18 months.
- Lots of birthday greetings and singing for Jack and Emma... including one weird-o employee stationed in Tomorrowland. Dude, you know who you are. Creepy.
- Watching Christa and Jason contemplate how they would fare if forced to go on the teacups...
Fun stuff! We have to do it again sometime.

Also, Jack and Emma's party Sunday night was great! The kids had a blast, dinner and cake was delicious... in my estimation two day weekends are just too short.

The Near Attack of the 100 lb. Raccoon

2008-09-12T15:22:00.002-04:00

So I'm taking this working out and weight loss thing pretty seriously... last night I decided to go six miles at about 7 p.m. and it was dusk, so I knew it would be pretty dark during parts of my walk. Got passed by two runners (boo hiss) and then encountered a very smelly dead animal (not sure of it's identity) on the sidewalk... yuck. On the march back there is a part of the sidewalk that is very dense with trees and bushes. I was making a pretty good pace and getting my "second wind" when I heard something move in front of me. Oh, it's just a cat I thought to myself and proceeded to walk toward it. The "cat" then growled like a freakin' sabertooth tiger and lunged toward me -- this thing was huge! I ran (f-a-s-t) to the other side of the street and realized that the "cat" was a ginormous raccoon, probably rabid, probably hungry for a sweaty, unshaven bite of leg. Nice.

Anyway, I survived. 1 hr 34 minutes. 14:35 average miles and burned 692 calories. Woo hoo!

Hold Me To It

2008-09-08T21:07:00.005-04:00

Well, this week began the real, bare-knuckles, actually-try-to-really-stick-to it-for-once exercise and weight-loss program. Sunday night I left Michelle and David's after dinner and did 2 miles jogging and walking intervals back home. Average 14:27 per mile and burned 257 calories. Tonight we had a heck of a workout at bootcamp; serious legs followed by serious arms. I was completely jell-o by the time we got to the 100 abs we had to do to complete the hour. I went to my new doctor this morning (she's great!) and she had some bloodwork done and gave me a tetanus shot. Food today was 1/2 cup coffee, my vitamins, lunch of soup and multi-grain bread with one Pepsi (I can't help it!), a tiny bit of rotisserie chicken for dinner... oh, and 2 Mr. Goodbar minis from Connie's desk at 3 p.m. (she's going to kill this thing with all the crap she keeps at the office). Drank lots of water today and I can't believe I'm going to put this on here, but I think it was be an incentive -- weight this morning was 141.5. So, it's actually 11.5 pounds I need to lose not 10.
On a not so good note, a girl from bootcamp was diagnosed late last week with lung and throat cancer. She's a mom, 35, stunningly beautiful and sweet, works out 5 times a week, has never smoked in her life. What the hell? Cyndi you are in our thoughts and prayers!

The Lazy Daze of Summer

2008-09-07T14:24:00.002-04:00

Today started out with the kids on their bikes in the driveway... Jason was out for his run and I was sitting out front drinking my coffee and reading the paper. This has become somewhat of a weekly ritual and I absolutely love it. I can see the bay from my seat and the water was like glass this morning.
At 9:30 we received the call we were expecting, changed into bathing suits and went to Siesta to pick up Jason. We took a dip in the Gulf and the made a sandcastle... we were all back home by noon, pink from the sun and trailing soft, white sand everywhere. Oh, well. We're used to it. (There's a makeshift beach in our backyard).
The big news of the day is Little Miss Determination conquering her bicycle. Bryce never liked riding her bike because she couldn't quite get the hang of pushing the pedals. Riding a bike for her amounted to us pushing her up and down the driveway or leaving her sitting on the seat crying because she couldn't go anywhere.
Finally, today a light bulb went off and she's been circling the pool on her bike for the past 20 minutes. She is very proud of herself and the determination I saw in her today was pretty darned amazing. Now I can't seem to get her off of it. Of course, I would ride forever if I had a princess bicycle with white tires, too.

5 Miles at Dusk

2008-09-05T22:42:00.001-04:00

Did 5 slow n' easy miles tonight. No watch. No sweating. Just walking, breathing and taking it all in. I don't know how many calories burned, but it was a great de-stressor.

The Worst of Times Brings out the Worst in People

2008-09-04T10:36:00.002-04:00

Yesterday my Mom's condo got broken into. Some loser(s) took some of her jewerly, a photo printer, but worst of all her debit card and lots of personal paperwork including her social security card. To boot, they were dumb enough to go around the corner to Publix and try to use her debit card a few minutes later. Hope they got the pissants on camera. Just this past couple of weeks the house next to our shop was burgularized and on Monday night (Labor Day) the house next door to us was broken into. To boot, we had a TON of people over that day and none of us saw anything.

We've had materials stolen from the shop, saws and other equipment stolen from job sites... scrap metal taken. When will it end? I have never seen such ridiculous desperation. It's a sad state when every time you turn around you find something missing and you feel completely violated.

Well, my new stance is to take the defensive position and we're going full board as security freaks starting right now.

High School Memories

2008-09-02T21:23:00.003-04:00

Tonight we had a great planning meeting for our 20th high school reunion next summer. I love getting back together with these guys... it's so easy to be around people who know you so well. Every time we get together there are a slew of new, hilarious stories that come out... one person remembering that she offered sex to her then boyfriend (a classmate) and was declined, another giving incarceration details about one of our 'state champion' athletes.

Among all the laughter and me yelling at my kid, we actually got a lot done and I think we got everyone excited about what is in store for us that weekend. Actually, all Christa and I want is for some people to pick up the reins and really help us out.

Even though I am already freaked out about how much work we have ahead of us, I am so excited to see everyone again for the event and re-live some of those ridiculous moments and memories. I was thinking that I should post some pics from high school. But on second thought, maybe not.

Labor Day Fun & Frolic

2008-09-01T20:08:00.002-04:00

I can't believe I didn't break out the camera today because there were a bunch of cute kids here having fun together, while the adults had just as much fun. The Kotters, the Rileys, the Youngs, the Blancos and Michelle & Melissa's Mom, Brenda all came over for a cookout of pork tenderloin on the BBQ and lots of other delicious stuff. Everyone had kid(s) in tow, so there were EIGHT kids in total. It seems like all had a blast and I'd wager that every single one of the kids are completely and totally pooped out like mine are right now. Jake and Bryce practically fell asleep in the bathtub.

Christa and I were talking about how great it is to have people with kids over to have them entertain each other. Kind of takes the pressure off Mom and Dad. And can I say that I love not having to worry about my kids as much since they can swim. That is super cool. Of course, I do have to say that I was caught completely off-guard when little 1-year-old Joachim decided to take off in the pool while I sat on the edge with Brenda. Duh. How quickly we forget. The last three day weekend of the summer was good one. I will welcome fall with open arms, though, as it's too freakin' hot outside.

Five Miles Away from the Mayhem

2008-08-30T12:54:00.002-04:00

I escaped from the asylum better known as my house at 9 a.m. this morning and did my walk to Jake's new elementary school. I walked down Bay Shore Road to Patterson, entirely around the school and back to the house a different way. Walk took 1 hr 15 min, average pace of 14:57 per mile and burned 588 calories.

When I walked up the driveway I could hear Jason yelling at the hoodlums in the backyard. Our house looks like an atomic bomb filled with toys, clothes, plastic crap and empty Capri Sun bags exploded inside of it. Gotta run, we've threatened to throw away whatever the kids won't put away so I need to call for a dumpster.

I'm Married to a Freak of Nature

2008-08-29T13:21:00.001-04:00

This is the note that I woke up to this morning. Enough said.

La Oficina de la Casa

2008-08-28T20:50:00.002-04:00

Sooo... as a result of my mini-breakdown last week I can now work 24/7 from home and have access to EVERYTHING I need. I had my IT guy install remote access to my work computer here on my laptop at home. I jazzed that up with a cheap-o wireless keyboard and mouse... now all I have to do is get the freebie printer I got from the in-laws set up so that I can print stuff that I'm working on remotely here on my computer at home. Once that's done I'm all up to speed. Sweet. Now I'm never going to go to bed.

Garden Update: Still Alive and Kickin'

2008-08-28T20:19:00.003-04:00

Exciting news at the Bennett household... the herb garden that we planted ain't dead yet! Shocking, but true. Thanks to all of the rain we have been having, and in spite of total and complete neglect from our family... five of the six plants are still alive, actually green and amazingly some are even thriving. We did lose the parsley plant, but who needs parsley anyways? Parsley... you suck. The rosemary looks awesome, thyme is a bit spotty but still mostly green and the basil is actually flowering. I didn't even know that basil has a flower. Tells you what I know about gardening.

If yelling at your kids was an Olympic sport...

2008-08-25T22:24:00.002-04:00

I would have the gold in every frickin' category.

Short Yell
Long Yell
Uneven Yelling
Speed Yelling
Spank n' Yell

Starting to feel better...

2008-08-23T17:50:00.003-04:00

Well, today I did four miles at about 9 a.m. and with a soft, cool breeze and light rain I felt invincible. I did my "old route" from when I was walking regularly about 6 - 8 months ago... and I really enjoyed it. I did the four miles in 59:05, burned 473 calories and averaged 14:44 minutes per mile. Mile four was tough as I started getting a cramp under my right breast and really slowed down... Oh, well. It was just what I needed. But another note to self, maybe I need to eat something before I do these morning walks... all I had was a cup of coffee beforehand.

Another nice thing, I got to spend about 2.5 hours of uninterrupted time at the office today which was awesome! Got caught up on a few things that were really starting to bug me, so that was good. Thanks, Jason for taking the kids to the movie.

I'm climbing my way outta the funk, methinks. I'd like to walk again tomorrow night, but that might be a tad too ambitious. We'll see how the rest of the weekend plays out.

Not Enough Hours in the Day...

2008-08-21T19:05:00.003-04:00

NOTE TO READERS: THE FOLLOWING BLOG ENTRY IS JUST A FEMALE B**CH SESSION. IF YOU'RE A GUY AND YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANOTHER WOMAN MOAN AND COMPLAIN ABOUT HOW TOUGH HER LIFE IS, THEN PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS ENTRY... AND BTW, GO F**K YOURSELF.

How is it that there is so much that I want to do and I can only seem to scrape the surface on some days? I have three business ideas rolling around in my head that I can't seem to get past the concepting stage, I have commitments that I have made for freelance projects that I really need to complete, and I have to update more than a week's worth of new contacts that have been found to add to our high school reunion database. This doesn't include the work stuff that I need to get to, namely closing out July in Quickbooks, finishing up billing for August, writing and designing a 1/2 pg ad, doing the 2009 budget, and WAY too many more tasks to count.

My in-box at work "over-floweth," yet anytime Connie asks me if I need help I am usually reluctant to give up some of this stuff -- unless I know it is her expertise area, which I do readily give her. (I think I do anyway.)

I think that I need some help with pritorizing stuff. I also think I want to get a real computer at home with the complete set up like at work with access to all of our files on the server at the office. (A work station, if you will, at my desk. )

Biggest challenge? Thinking that I was actually busy B.K. (Before Kids). What a joke. Now I've got to account for all the extra work a 5-year-old and 3-year-old add to my day. Two different school drop offs and pick ups. Lunches to pack. Etc., etc., etc. You know the drill. I'm really just tired of being tired. That's enough. I've got to go. Three loads of clean, but wrinkly laundry needs to be put away. And bedtime stories to read.

Can You Say "Anti-climatic?"

2008-08-19T12:31:00.002-04:00

I knew you could.

Soooooooooooooo................................................................. we haven't had any rain, any wind. Frickin' nothing. The most exciting thing to happen here today was to talk to Christa on the phone (complaining back and forth about being prisoners in our own homes during this non-event with our kids driving us crazy), Bryce pooping and watching Oswald on Noggin. Don't you love how Fay just swerved away from us? I was ready for just a little bit more excitement here. I'm going to fire up the micro for a Lean Cuisine lunch. Oh, the life of leisure.

I'm no Jim Cantore...

2008-08-18T14:25:00.000-04:00

But I've got a baaaddd feeling about this.

Get Ready Bay Haven, Here Comes Jake Bennett

2008-08-18T10:47:00.004-04:00

Today was the very first day of kindergarten for Jake. He was very excited but not really emotional at all. I thought that Bryce would have a hard time going to pre-school by herself, but she was just fine, too. I didn't cry or get all emotional, either. Of course, this all could be due to the fact that we are all a teensy bit focused on this storm (GO AWAY, FAY!) this is poised to possibly wreak havoc on our area.

Above are some pictures of Jake from this morning at Bay Haven. I am delighted that he is going to school there. I had to sign him up while I was still pregnant, so it's amazing to realize that it's already here. Have fun, Jake!

Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season

2008-08-17T17:08:00.003-04:00

Holy crap! This could be THE ONE. And, can you believe that it's named Fay? What kind of shit will we have to deal with if we get totally pummeled by a storm named Fay? I mean, maybe a little bit tougher name would be in order here. I was at Publix and people were in full FREAK-OUT mode... so the panic spread throughout the store as the cashiers rang up all the bottled water, beef jerky, batteries and canned goods they could. I think the chick behind the counter waiting on me had a wrist brace on -- she probably got carpel-tunnel from ringing up all of the people going through her aisle today.

We're in storm plan mode at home and work. Should be an interesting week. Oh, and Jakey starts kindergarten tomorrow. And he has a cold. Oh, and Bryce, too. With a fever no less. Stay tuned.

Mid-day 4-Miler with Mr. Passive-Agressive

2008-08-16T14:44:00.002-04:00

Today David and I did a 4 mile walk (jog/walk/jog for David) at about 10:45 a.m. Not exactly a time of day that I would recommend for this. Note to self: DO NOT DO THAT AGAIN. David started out jogging and was WAY, WAY ahead of me... but I caught him at mile 1. I passed him and then he caught me at mile 2. Mile 3 and 4 we stayed just about on par with each other. Last night David and Michelle came over and David (or as I affectionally call him "Dumbass" or DA for short) left a beer in our freezer... AGAIN. The beer, as frozen beers are wont to do, popped its top and dumped gross, smelly frozen beer-sludge in my freezer AGAIN. I'm not counting or anything but I think this is possibly the fourth time DA has done this, but only the second time I made him clean it up. I'm beginning to think that he really doesn't like us and this is his way of being passive-agressive. Either that or he's really, really dumb.

Brand-tastic!

2008-08-14T19:28:00.002-04:00

I really like that commercial that is out right now that says "...we're a country of consumers and there's nothing wrong with that..." blah, blah, blah... "since there is so much cool stuff out there to buy"... blah, blah. I totally agree. It got me to thinking about my favorite brands. You probably couldn't give a crap, but here they are, in no particular order:
- Cosmedicine
- Pepsi
- Charmin
- David Yurman
- Le Creuset
- Tervis Tumbler
- Disney
- Ritz-Carlton
- Raymond Weil (watches)
- Coach
- Grey Goose
- Bounty paper towels
- Bonefish Grill
- Bobbi Brown
- Ann Taylor (LOFT, specifically)
- Wisk (new favorite, just overtook Gain, which I used up until recently for years and years)
- Burt's Bees
- Tommy Bahama
- Sony
- Margaritaville (flip flops, blender and drink mixes)
- Dunkin' Donuts (yummy coffee)
- Tropitone patio furniture
- Bennett Contracting
- Columbia sportswear
- DWR (Design within Reach) - not really a brand, love everything in the catalog
- Modern Organic Products (mop)
- Circle of Friends (kids shampoo)
OK, I think blogging about kids' shampoo could possibly be a new low for me. I'm out.

Am I a Freak? No, really.... I need to know...

2008-08-14T18:45:00.003-04:00

I've been doing some soul searching lately and thinking about money and the future and life in general. Is that what happens to all of us in a shitty economy? I don't know. In my file cabinet I've got a file titled "Personal Goals" and there are maybe 25 pieces of paper with all different types of goals listed. Many are financial, some are travel "dreams" and others are just a combination of all types of goals. Some are organized, sorted and typed up with dates attached to each goal, others are neatly written in cursive and some are hastily scribbled on a napkin or scrap of paper. I used to go through the file a few times a year and toss out the old stuff, but now, I'm intrigued by how my goals have changed so I'm hanging on to all of them. For instance, here are a few of my personal goals from 4/24/04.

- Design easy, inexpensive exercise routine to incorporate walking, jogging, exercise ball and weights. (FYI -- it took me 4 yrs. and 4 months to get to this one and actually do it).

- Cut down on Pepsi to one per day only. Drink lots of water. (Shit, I've been working on this for as long as I can remember and still today even though I only drank it at lunchtime on Friday I had four -- FOUR, count 'em frickin' Pepsis!!!!!!)

- Get information about lasik eye surgery. Schedule within next 12 months. (Done. Did it in summer of 2006 and have had 20/20 vision ever since. Awesome! Thanks, Dr. Kantor.)

So, I guess what I'm getting at is that it's been very cool to look introspectively at myself and see what my hot buttons were and what I've been able to accomplish. But mostly it's been pretty eye-opening to see what personal battles I'm still dealing with after years. And years. And years. Am I a freak? Does everyone do this?

Walk #2 Update

2008-08-11T21:27:00.005-04:00

OK, I missed bootcamp tonight b/c Jason and I were meeting with one of our clients so I decided to just walk instead. This time I did the four miles in 58:08 (yea! I shaved almost a minute off of my time from Saturday!) Average time per mile was 14:32 and I burned 461 calories. You know, I really think the watch is helping by keeping me motivated to beat my previous time and I'm going to use this blog to keep track of my progress... So, dear readers, if I don't blog about my walks please bug me about it.

OK, Brent, I'll Play Your Silly Game

2008-08-10T18:28:00.003-04:00

My friend Brent just "tagged" me... no it's not what you're thinking, besides he plays for the other team. So here goes my answers to the questions. Love you and miss you, Brent!!!! XXXOOO

Four Places I Visit Over and Over:
1. Disney World (Duh.)
2. Lee Roy Selmon's Restaurant
3. IKEA
4. Sam's
(I'm sure you're all amazed by my incredible world travelings!)

Four people who call/e-mail/text me regularly:
1. Jason
2. Christa
3. Sara
4. Michelle
(Well, I actually have to call/e-mail or text Michelle regularly, but that does count, right?)

Four favorite foods:
1. Any kind of bread.
2. Stone crab claws.
3. Spinach quiche.
4. Pepsi. (To me, that is a food, OK?)

Four places I'd rather be:
1. On a pristine, deserted Caribbean island beach by myself with an unending supply of strawberry daiquiris with Malibu rum, a good book and no one else around.
2. Exploring the pyramids in Egypt.
3. Siesta Key beach at sunset.
4. In Beijing, China, for the Summer Olympics.

Four Movies I'd watch over and over:
1. What's Eating Gilbert Grape
2. Monster's, Inc.
3. Pirates of the Caribbean (any of the three will do).
4. Elf

I'll add my own category here of what movies we have to watch over and over ad nausem in my house:
1. The Little Mermaid
2. Cars
3. Shark Tale
4. Cinderella

Four bands/groups/musicians/DJs that I love to listen to:
1. Paul Simon
2. Jimmy Buffett
3. James Taylor
4. Flight of the Conchords
(And anything 70s or disco-era. I know, I know. At least I am confident enough to admit what I like even though it means the people around me will make fun of me.)

OK... now it's time for me to "Tag" someone else, so, Carol "Gimmegodiva" are you up for the challenge? Consider yourself "Blog tagged" and answer the questions by posting them on your blog.

It's Pretty Freakin' Far

2008-08-09T20:38:00.002-04:00

I.... just.... got.... back. Still breathing heavy and hands are shaky so it's hard to type. I did the four miles twisting around the New College campus, over the crosswalk on US41 and back towards the museum and around the neighborhood and once again twisting around the bayfront side of the New College campus. Phew. I did it in under an hour though, 58:58 to be exact. Average time was 14:45 per mile, but I only burned 456 calories. Going to take a cool soak in the bathtub. I guess I need to get used to this. I want to do 4-milers in August, 6-milers in September and then sixes and eights in October, leading up to the 13K on 10/28. That is a scary thought... just in time for Halloween. How appropriate.

Exactly how far is 4 miles?

2008-08-09T19:12:00.002-04:00

I am just about to change into my walking clothes and attempt to speed walk 4 miles. Actually, instead of dread I'm kinda jazzed b/c the kids are acting like total hoodlums and both Jason and I are ready to do things the DCF would definitely NOT approve of; so getting out of the house seems like a good option. Jason just got finished mowing the grass -- that's how much he wants out of the house.

I'll report back later. Jason's going to let me borrow "the watch" so I don't have to figure out when I make it 4 miles. Gotta love technology.

On to the Big Leagues... Kindergarten

2008-08-09T15:44:00.004-04:00

So last night we went to Campus Kids Pre-School program to celebrate the fact that Jake and three of his other classmates, Erin, Isabelle and Malcolm are moving on to kindergarten in a week. The program included singing three songs, a presentation to the "graduates" and finished up with an ice cream social.

Jake and his best friend Malcolm are both going to Bay Haven Elementary, along with Isabelle. During her speech about Jake, Miss Claudia described Jake's block building abilities and how he creates towers that take up the entire block area. She made predictions about what each child might be in the future based on the talents they have displayed. Well, due to his elaborate block creations Miss Claudia and the teachers think Jake will be the "architect" of the group. Go figure.

Here are a couple of pictures from the big event.

Saturday Night Horror Show

2008-08-07T02:40:00.002-04:00

You know how things can sometimes go inexplicably wrong when a large quantity of alcohol is consumed? Have you ever seen someone (a close friend... maybe your husband) morph into a bizzare creature that does things so out of character that you think you just may be in a parallel universe? Well folks, that's where Cindi and I were on Saturday night. It all started when the boys came back from the liquor store with some crappy, creamy "Tequila Rose" stuff in a black bottle. We decided to play "Cashflow," our favorite game and apparently shots of this crap and the Patron we had were part of the deal.

I'll spare you the details and just say that Kevin doesn't follow the rules and Jason is a thief -- bottom line is that the game (shown above before the melee) ended in a shouting match with the boys locked out of the house and nefarious actions that I hope never to see again ensued. Luckily, none of the kids woke up, but I'm truly surprised the neighbors didn't. Thank GOD we have an 8 foot privacy fence in the backyard. Thank, God.

Fun with the "Master Minds"

2008-08-07T02:16:00.005-04:00

This past weekend Jason and I were the host company for a meeting of four small contracting company owners that met a couple years back while we were involved with a business building program specifically designed for contractors. Instead of paying the ridiculous fees to stay in said program, we broke off as a group and decided to run our own little gatherings with the idea of learning from each other while enjoying each other's company (i.e. drink lots of alcohol together, visit each company's office and meet their staff and then have a meeting where each company shares their goals and has "their feet held to the fire" on what they are doing to achieve those goals).

The group flew into Sarasota on Thursday afternoon so we started with a BBQ/Pool Party at the house Thursday night... lots of margaritas and strawberry daqs with Malibu flowing... the pool felt great after dinner and the kids had a blast. Friday we have everyone over to the shop to "play" on the heavy equipment. We did a tennis ball challenge on an excavator and an obstacle course with the skid steer... everyone loved it! We had dinner at The Table that night...amazing! Saturday we had our "MasterMind" meeting, which was very productive and actually emotional, as one company in our group is dealing with some changes in their life stages and are considering getting out of their business. Tears flowing. Wow... that was something I didn't expect.

I think the best part of getting this group together is that as business owners you don't always have someone to turn to... these meetings reassures each one of us that we are NOT in this alone and that we have friends that we can call on when we need help.

Saturday night The Smiths and the Erbsens left for Tampa as they had an early flight out on Sunday morning to get back to Sacramento, CA and Salida, CO. The Foshees, who were staying at our house with their 6-year-old daughter, Summer, stayed so that we could hang out.

Saturday night with the Foshee's deserves it's own post. Stay tuned.

I'm Exhausted... but I can't Sleep

2008-08-07T02:02:00.004-04:00

So what is up with this? I'm freakin' tired, so tired that I went to bed smelly from my work out and didn't even wash my face because I had such a bad headache last night. I NEVER DO THAT, yuck. I was supposed to call my friend Karen in Ft. Lauderdale last night to catch up with her as truly we have been trying to talk on the phone for months... maybe even a year I dunno... It is 2 a.m. and when I woke up about an hour ago I was so wired that I knew there was no going back to sleep. This does not bode well for the rest of the week.
I think I'm just stressed out (for a lot of reasons) but one main one is that we've had company at our house the past two weekends and now, my Dad called me on Tuesday and he and his wife are coming to stay with us this weekend. I guess I need to wash those sheets on the guest bed. Maybe I should come up with a nightly rate for our guest bedroom.
That reminds me, I'll do a post about this weekend's past events with "The MasterMind" group that we share business ideas (and lots of alcohol and laughter with) in a minute... (yawn.)

I've done it now...

2008-07-31T13:40:00.002-04:00

The game is on... I just registered for the Tower of Terror 13K (www.towerofterror13k.com) and I am in trouble. I've got to be able to finish 8.something miles in under 16 minutes per mile with just under 3 months to train for it. And something you probably don't know is that I am the "girl who cried "I'll do it, I'll do it" and backed out of a 1/2 marathon and this very same event last year. Shit. I am so screwed. I have to do it or my name is mud. Main reason I'm doing it? I need to lose 10 pounds before next summer -- 20th high school reunion, I am not going there at this weight. Period, end of story.

T-minus 17 Days and Counting

2008-07-31T11:56:00.001-04:00

Jake starts kindergarten on Monday, August 18th. This is a big step. Little did I know that all of those people who say "enjoy it, they grow up so fast" would be so right. I am delighted that the little guy is going off on his own to this brave new world, but at the same time it freaks me out because it seem like just yesterday that he was born. He's going to a great school -- BayHaven, has lots of friends that will be there (Malcolm, Isabelle, Logan and Jack), so it's likely that he will have someone he knows in his class.

I remember my first day of school and I have a lot of great memories of my kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Moyer at Tuttle Elementary. Here's wishing the same for Jake. Love you, buddy.

Disappointed Customer

2008-07-30T13:12:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I took the day off to bring Jake and Bryce to the Dentist, get their hair cut, shop for school clothes, etc. My dentist appointment was a 9 a.m. I arrived promptly at 9 a.m., got a rude look from the harried (and not so bright) receptionist and was told that my appointment was at 8:15. What??? Huh?? So, I reluctantly left, pissed off at her, but even more peeved at myself for screwing up... or so I thought.

I get my car washed at Johnny's. No one in line. Get car back, inside area still sticky between kids seats and foot prints on the back of both seats.

Go to Stride Rite in Sarasota to buy kids shoes for school. One grumpy old guy on the floor, ten moms ready to use "buy one get one 1/2 off coupon." He is downright nasty, rude and can't seem to find even ONE pair of shoes that I like in our size. More rudeness at the cash register when I try to use the coupon, and even more when I tell him the one pair we got was priced at $5.00 a pair instead of $19.99.

Go next door to Cost Cutters hair cutting place. Lady is nice enough -- just barely social, but I understand, not everyone has a great day everyday... but the cut on both of them is pretty crappy. Bryce's bangs are too short, back is uneven and she missed a huge chunk in the front. Jake has a huge piece in the back that I have to fix when I get home. (I didn't notice it right away or I would have had her fix it.)

Lunch at Pincher's Crab Shack -- awesome! Lady is really sweet, food is good and she is nice to the kids.

Go home. Find the appointment card for the dentist appointment at 9 a.m. I was right. Drive all the way back to dentist because they won't answer the phone, answering service is picking up. What do I get? Not even an apology.

What the hell happened to customer service? I am over it. Would much rather shop on-line and not have to deal with people who truly do not care at all about the people they serve. It is a scary statement about the state of our society and country.

Future Model... you decide!

2008-07-30T13:07:00.002-04:00

Bryce asked me to take some photos of her modeling, so here is the best one. This has been going on non-stop since she posed for my friend Michelle's organic children's clothing line (http://www.obliorganics.com/) Christa, I need to know, does she have a future? She sure as hell seems to think she does. :)

Jovial Dining at the 3B Restaurant

2008-07-28T15:53:00.004-04:00

Blake and Bennett (our nephews) finished up their visit from Texas with a weekend at our house. To say "thank you" to their Nana and Papa and their Aunts and Uncles, I suggested that they invite them all over for a home cooked meal planned, prepared and served by the kids. Wow... little did I know that they would get into it so much! We discussed it briefly on Friday night -- Blake and Bennett loved the idea. On Saturday we made handwritten invitations, decided on our menu, grocery shopped for all of the items, wrote and decorated our beverage menus and prepared our dessert "Strawberry Surprise," which then needed to set in the freezer. Jason assisted with the restaurant name, each word represented one of the six kids: Jake, Dane, Blake, Bennett, Bryce and RaeAnn. Cute, huh?

On Sunday we set the table, made our restaurant sign, made menus for each person, cut herbs from the garden for garnishes and for cooking and watched Ratatoille to brush up on our kitchen and dining room skills. (Of course, they were told to focus on the humans in the movie and not the rats, but I think our execution was a bit more like the rats.)

When the guests arrived they all jumped into action, eager to please everyone -- kids screaming, scrambling, bumping into each other. Total chaos. Just like a real restaurant. Needless to say, everyone had a great time and complimented the team on the food -- shrimp cocktail appetizer presented in margarita glasses, mini-chicken pot pies and the frozen strawberry dessert.

After the dinner the kids went for a dip in the pool, did a little dancing and posed for some photos of the cousins as a group. It was fun, but I am exhausted. I was the Gordon Ramsay of the weekend, but I wasn't as tough on my team. Maybe, we've got a future Executive Chef on our hands... you never know.

The Sling Shot

2008-07-21T15:54:00.003-04:00

Here's a movie of Chris and Jodie going on the Sling Shot... just to give you an idea of what it was like! Jason and I rode it twice on Saturday night -- OMG! It was amazing fun and a beautiful view! Our first ride was right at dusk and the sky was clear, you could see for miles! Just as good as skydiving, but even more fun! The second ride we flipped over two or three more times and the guy said it was because we were probably more relaxed, we also had a lot more wind gusts.

Good Times in Kiss-issi-mmee!

2008-07-21T15:39:00.002-04:00

So, this past weekend we went to Kississimmee with Nana, Papa, Jodie, Chris and Josh (and the six cousins) to stay at Nana & Papa's timeshare resort called Star Island. Well, I guess it is appropriately named because anyone (including me) can be a star there just by doing karaoke that is blasted over loud speakers that carry through the resort. I need to get the pictures from Jodie, but I belted out five songs on Friday night -- I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor (with Jodie laughing more than singing along with me), Takin' Care of Business by Bachman Turner Overdrive, Under the Sea by Sebastian the Crab (singing along with the kids including Bryce), Bust A Move by Young MC (that was hard -- lots of words very fast) and Only the Good Die Young by Billy Joel (Wow... that one was really bad). Saturday we hung out at the resort and then went to Old Town (cool antique car show) and the Fun Spot next door for some viseral fun... kiddie rides and the awesome Sling Shot, which Jason and I did twice! (That's me waving good bye on my second turn on it -- Look, no hands!). We had lots of fun and laughs, including delicious burgers and hot dogs on the grill, handwriting analysis by Josh Bennett and a paper airplane contest in the room Sunday morning. It's been great seeing Blake and Bennett and having Jake and Bryce connect with them is terrific. I'll miss them when they go back to Texas next week.

How does your garden grow?

2008-07-18T15:28:00.000-04:00

Here is our family's sad little attempt at gardening. I bought two rosemary plants, two basil plants, one Italian parsley and one thyme. Would anyone be like to wager on how long we can keep these green, or should I say partially green? Wish us luck... we need it!

It runs in the family...

2008-07-18T15:23:00.000-04:00

Well, what a crazy week it has been, as you can see with photos of those crazy cousins from this past Saturday... forget the pool, we love the dress up closet. Don't some of these kids look a bit too old to enjoy this? And, don't they seem to be enjoying it a bit TOO much? Oh, well. That's our family for you.

I HATE Being a LANDLORD

2008-07-11T15:15:00.000-04:00

OK. Well, this post should have been a glowing report about how relaxed our week at Vero Beach was and what a nice vacation it was, blah, blah, blah. BUT, it wasn't THAT great, the kids were hacking from the touch of red tide in the Atlantic, the room was small and beds even smaller, the "view" of the beach didn't exist and the resort itself was just not that spectacular. Not up to usual Disney level except for the sweet and attentive staff. SIDE NOTE TO MAINTENANCE PEOPLE AT DISNEY'S VERO BEACH RESORT: CLEAN THE POOL. SHOCK IT, SCRUB THE TILES, EMPTY IT OUT AND RE-FILL IT UP AND THEN KEEP CLEANING IT. IT IS REALLY YUCKY, AND I AM REALLY NOT THAT PICKY, SERIOUSLY, FOLKS!!!!!

So, unfortunately, I have no photos to share of our getaway. Oh, well. We were really just checking it out to see if we'd like it.. and we don't. So sorry. Instead, I'm going to bitch about what a crock of crap it is to have to be a landlord to my own Mother. What a pain in the ass. She is so difficult that I cannot believe that we ever even decided to help her by buying the condo so that she can rent it from us. (Purchased in April of 2006-DUH... this wins the title for Jason and Alisa's worst investment EVER!).

Last night we get a call at 9:30 at night. She's got water on the floor in the bathroom. But she doesn't know where it's coming from. It's in both bathrooms. Jason had to get out of bed and drive over there and figure out that one of the toilet o-rings needs to be replaced.

Well, this morning, Jason gets a call on his cell (he's SOOOOOOO happy she has his cell number) and she is now locked out of the apartment, because the new lock (which he had to install last week) doesn't work. So instead of spending this weekend putting down all of the top soil we had delivered, taking out the dead palm trees and start the urban garden we want to do with the kids, he's first got to play handyman at the condo. Yipee. My stuff will have to wait.

Happy 4th of July

2008-07-03T12:00:00.000-04:00

Here's wishing all a wonderful Independence Day. Little Bryce is going to the Doctor this afternoon, so let's hope she's all better for the big party tomorrow at Auntie Karen's house!!!! I hope to see some fireworks this weekend!

Mom Required Reading: Nation of Wimps

2008-07-01T17:06:00.000-04:00

I was talking to a Mom at my Boot Camp workout last week and she reminded me about this book which was publicized a year or so ago... I promptly ordered it and I have to say that I would make this required reading for all U.S. Moms and Dads. Yes, I know that's broad, but this book uncovers one of the most depressing social problems that will have lasting effects today, but most importantly, into the future. There is some psycho-babble and big words that even I had to look up (ha ha), but it's a great book to figure out what NOT to do with your kids. Since my friends (affectionately) call me 'Castro' when talking about how I deal with my kids, I was happy to read that most (not all, there is still room for improvement) of what I am doing is not going to scar them for life. Hopefully the toughness will make them productive, self-efficient individuals... but you just NEVER know!!!!!!! :)

19 Years Since 12th Grade

2008-06-26T10:33:00.000-04:00

This has been an interesting week... I've reconnected with a friend from high school who moved back home last year (Christa) and also gotten in touch with a few others via e-mail... and even though my husband and I have known each other since sixth grade (yeah, scary I know) and he knows everything about me, it's funny to catch up with people who remember you at the most vunerable and tender stage of life... as a teenager.

(Christa reminded me about "Baby Tide," which was one of those tiny boxes of Tide that I got at a hotel on a band trip (I think) and proceeded to carry around with me at school for at least six months in 10th grade. She even has a picture of the two of us with Baby Tide. THAT would be a good one to post on this blog!)

I'm definitely the same person that I was back then, however, I think that I used to let that goofy side out more frequently, maybe it was those 1980s perms that made me do it... Christa and I are leading the charge to have an awesome 20th Class Reunion next year and I am delighted to be finding old friends as great, or even better than they were so long ago!

The Endorsement - Outside Showers

2008-06-23T13:11:00.000-04:00

So, this weekend we did a whole bunch of stuff... went out for pizza with Nana and Papa on Friday night, Jason and Jake went kayaking and found a message in a bottle (total hoax, BTW)on Saturday morning, my Dad and Betty (GrandpaBetty as they kids call them) stayed over Saturday night, we had a late breakfast out Sunday morning with them after Jason's run, I got my pink chairs (yay!) from Michelle and David on Sunday and then they (the Youngs) came over last night for some grilled chicken. See, lots of stuff. But, I am mostly compelled to write about my early Saturday morning shower outside with Bryce. There was no humidity, no hot sun and no bugs, so Bryce and I decided to take our shower on the pool deck instead of in the bathroom. Now, for those of you who have not been to our house, let me preface this by saying our backyard is surrounded by an 8 foot opaque wood fence... the only people that could see us would have to be pretty high up in a ladder (which I would see) or flying overhead in a plane (which does happens frequently, but thankfully didn't happen Saturday morning). We got the soap, shampoo, conditioner and our towels out... turned on the outside shower and took the most relaxing shower E-V-E-R. One of the things I hate about taking a (regular) shower is that little sense of dread you feel when you have to turn off the water -- just before you wrap yourself up in your towel. You know what I'm talking about. It's 74 degrees inside and you get cold... very cold. Goosebumps cold. Well, outside, this is not a problem, as the temperature was a pleasant 78 - 80 degrees. Bryce soaped up the steps to the pool bathroom and played in the water. The birds were chirping. The sky was clear and the air felt clean after a nice rain on Friday evening. This is what life is all about. So there is my endorsement. If you don't have an outdoor shower, get one right away. Just make sure that you have enough privacy.

If I had to predict the future...

2008-06-02T11:33:00.000-04:00

based on what my children did this weekend, I would have to tell you that Jake would become an architect (albeit a cross-dressing architect, but an architect none the less) and Bryce would become a mermaid performer at Weeki Wachee. Which, if you know Bryce, is totally right for her. In fact, I'll take it a step further and tell you that if Weeki Wachee branches out into nude mermaid performances Bryce would be the first girl in line to perform.

Yesterday we relaxed around the house recovering from the pool party we had on Saturday. Jake took it upon himself to build a tent-like structure out of twigs on the back patio. He said that it was for our cockatiel, Boo Boo. Here's the mini-movie about the twig tent. Be kind, it's our first attempt at making a movie.

For the record, I am total loser when it comes to technology. Have had my digital camera for more than a year and just figured out it takes short movies. Duh. I hope to share more of these in the future.

A Triumph... the Home Office Is Conquered

2008-05-26T22:51:00.000-04:00

I am sitting here alone at 10:53 p.m. smugly smiling to myself. As a celebration of the fortitude I exhibited over this past holiday weekend I just blew a bunch of $$$ on the Pottery Barn Samantha Bench with raffia-colored cushion and honey wicker baskets. Why, you ask? Well, I am absolutely delighted to announce a major news item at our humble home... I have frickin' conquered the paper, receipts, brochures, junk mail and other useless crap (99.9785% of it paper) that I had been hanging on to for more than THREE YEARS in our home office/laundry room. This lovely piece of furniture will take the place of the plastic Wal-mart laundry basket that I over-filled with paper until it was sliding off the top.

Yes, that's right, THREE YEARS worth of investment receipts, check stubs, health insurance billing, kids artwork from school, restaurant receipts, and on and on and on. For some reason, I have never quite got a handle on managing our home filing for bills, etc. since the kids were born. Maybe because work and home have become so intertwined with the business I let the home stuff just pile up... it didn't seem important in relation to the Bennett Contracting stuff that I was doing. After moving a bunch of the crap across the street before our renovation started in earnest and then moving it back 10 months later in bags and boxes, Jason had basically had enough. Please, keep in mind, that we moved back into the house in May of 2007, so in addition to what was moved over there and back, I had accumulated another year's worth of paper stacked willy-nilly and in leaning towers all over the place. For awhile Jason took every opportunity to throw a sarcastic remark to me about the paper avalanches in the laundry room/home office, but he gave up a few months ago. Maybe that was the motivation I needed. Ha! Yeah, right. I do think that I really surprised him with this radical departure from the norm. Now, what do you suppose he's going to be giving me shit about next? Well. I don't care because now my laundry room/home office will officially become the laundry room/home office/mudroom with the addition of the pretty little PB bench right next to the door to the garage.

California - Part Deux

2008-05-22T09:50:00.000-04:00

OK, yesterday's blog covered the first part of our trip, which was in Sacramento, but the second part of our trip -- San Francisco, has yet to be addressed, so here it goes.

We drove from Sacramento into San Fran on Saturday evening... it took us almost two 1/2 hours to go 75 miles into the city. Along the way, we discovered that Californians allow motorcyclists to drive on the dotted line in between lanes ALL THE TIME. As this is not legal in Florida, it kind of pissed us off. So, so some jerk in a Toyota SUV tried to pick a fight with us because Kevin was staying on the right side of our lane. Welcome to frickin' San Francisco. We finally made it to the hotel, had a nice dinner downstairs and called it a night.

The better portion of Sunday was spent shopping for clothes for Cindi! :) (Just kidding, Cindi!) We practically got lost in a Macy's so big (8 stories) that we were blown away that it still wasn't big enough to have ANY men's clothing. C-R-A-Z-Y. We took a cable car down to the shopping area and then meandered to Chinatown. We did the Alcatraz tour at 6 p.m., which was very cool (and chilly) and after getting back we decided to have some din-din. This is where things take a turn for the worse (for me, anyways). We ended up at some super-duper crab-tactular famous secret-recipe place on Pier 39 (I have no idea what the name of it was, but I do vaguely remember the waitress in her Slavic accent telling us 32 times about this frickin' secret garlic recipe and how the crab is perfectly roasted... it's amazing blah, blah, blah, blah). SOOOOOOOOOOO, like all of the other touristas visiting San Francisco we order the $100 "Crab Feast" for four. Now, I need to interject at this point that I have had only one Grey Goose & cranberry at the bar before we were seated, which I promptly sucked down b/c I was thirsty. I tasted Cindi's cosmo and decided to make a switch since there shoudn't be any harm in that, same liquor and all, right? Well, needless to say, three Cosmos coupled with the puny, miniscule portion of crab that I was able to wrangle out of the shell, made for a very intoxicated me. The rest of our party was feeling no pain either; Cindi had just as many Cosmos and the boys decided to drink their vodka on the rocks. Yikes.

I got up from the table to use the restroom and boy did it hit me hard. I can't remember the last time that I had trouble walking after drinking, but this was certainly one of them. And the fun was only beginning....

I had been mouthing off all weekend (JOKING, I might add here) about visiting one of San Francisco's most unique nightclubs, catch my drift?... well someone in our party got the bright idea to actually try to visit this place, where for the most part participation is encouraged and, per rule #7. You cannot laugh. OK, I am so screwed. Literally. I will save you the details, but we escaped unscathed and I, of course being as drunk as I was, missed all of the good stuff. All I could see was my new sneakers glowing in the blacklight and the six hundred signs posted on 8 1/2 x 11 paper that said NO CELL PHONES. Apparently Sunday is not a good night at the Power Exchange, but the next time you're in San Francisco on a Saturday night, please go and tell me all about it!

After the cab ride home (Thanks Mr. Cab Guy for sticking around and saving us!!!) I almost tossed my cookies in the elevator, but thankfully made it to our room. You know you have a great friend when their hold your hair off you face while you throw up, so thank you, Cindi!

I woke up Monday with the absolute worst headache ever (duh! Saw that coming, huh?), but I finally dragged myself out of bed at 11 a.m. CA time (2 p.m. FL time). We trekked to Ghiradelli Square and then on to Haight/Ashbury, where Kevin wanted to see Jerry Garcia's house. We came back for lunch on Fisherman's Wharf... everywhere I looked I saw c-r-a-b... not a good thing for me on that day, but I'm happy to say I survived without another incident.

We all took a late nap and Jason and I had dinner at a nice Mexican restaurant at the Cannery. We left the next morning for the airport and got home Tuesday night. It was quite a fun adventure indeed. But I am glad to say that I am home now. Phew.

Five Days in (1/2 Sunny 1/2 Overcast) California

2008-05-21T14:09:00.001-04:00

Jason and I returned last night from a much needed getaway to California. We started out in Sacramento last Thursday, which was for our "MasterMind" business building group... we determined that we (Cindi & Kevin Foshee) and Jason and myself are not MasterMinds when it comes to directions, though. We met up with our friends the Smiths, Lindsay and Gloria Smith and their son Phil run Cal-Pac Roofing in Rancho Cordova, a beautiful city, a 100 degrees hot city, but beautiful, especially the old West downtown. We had a great meeting, amazing dinner at Fat's and the best part was tubing on Lake Fremont! Some photos are shown above.

Working on them...

2008-05-13T11:51:00.000-04:00

OK, so the personal assessment thing worked out interestingly... because this weekend I started chopping away (literally) at one of my number 7s, "organizing my home office." This happened because we finally, finally, finally cleaned out the garage. And then when I least expected it, a number 11 hits.

7. I am delighted to announce that The Bennett's Charity Store Mor (read: our garage) is just about closed for business since Monique took all of her stuff back. Scratch that, since Jason and I packed up all of Monique's stuff and moved it back from where it came. Now all we need to do is get Michelle and David's table and chair out of there and it will actually be home to ONLY our stuff! EXCITING!

Anyway, in the garage there were two filing cabinets and a multitude of boxes/bags/piles of paperwork that I have not filed/organized/looked at for more than 2 years. Yup. 2 years worth of receipts, bill stubs, health insurance forms, kids artwork, yada, yada, yada. Our little shredder shred his heart out. I stuffed it full at least six times and I think I'm about 1/2 way through the mess. There are little bits of shredded paper all over the laundry room floor, but I'm happy because I'm making progress. I think Jason is happy, too, because he hasn't even complained about the millions of tiny shreds and they're a pain in the ass, they stick to everything!!!! They are beginning to appear all over the house. Sneaky little suckers.

11. I missed a phone call from my step mom on Sunday. My Dad had a blood clot in his lungs and was rushed to the hospital. He was in intensive care all day Sunday and was transferred to a regular room on Monday morning. The kids and I drove up to Inverness to see him Monday afternoon and came home Monday night. I am exhausted, but happy that I went. He doesn't look so good. Love you, Dad, and hope you get better soon!

By the way, for Mother's Day Jason made his famous spaghetti sauce. Yummy! I'm going home for lunch now to have some! :)

A Personal Assessment

2008-05-09T10:19:00.001-04:00

Just thinking about things... and trying to quantify my abilities... and inabilities. I believe the results of this assessment will be very scary.

THINGS I AM GOOD AT...
1. Rollerskating.
2. Writing.
3. Spending money.
4. Wasting time.
5. Talking.
6. Socializing. (Is that a sub-cateorgy of #5?)
7. Being positive.
8.
9.
10.

THINGS I AM NOT SO GOOD AT...
1. Ironing.
2. Listening to my husband.
3. Anything that has to do with having willpower.
4. Any abdominal related exercise. (I totally cheat through these at boot camp!)
5. Putting on make up.
6. Doing my hair.
7. Coming up with a quick comeback.
7. Organizing my home office. (see previous blog entry.)
8. Counting (see above).
9. Hiding my emotions.
10. Getting out of bed in the morning.
11. Dealing with bad news.
12. Flossing.
13. Programming electronics.

Yup. Just what I thought. I'll be back to this later. Many things to think about. But I need to be doing my 2008 budget right now. Always good to do that 5 months into the year, don'tcha think?

I wish I were 3 again...

2008-05-08T13:56:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I went to pick up Bryce and Jake at their "school" I like to say school because it keeps me from saying "daycare" and makes me feel better about the fact that I'm not home with them 24/7, which I certainly couldn't handle anyways. (Shit, I can't handle the 48 continuous hours of a weekend with them!) ANYWAYS, I walk in and Bryce and her little friend Ryan are dressed up like gypsies... running around the room laughing and squealing... and I realized for the first time in a long time what a pleasure it was to be a kid. No bills. No headaches. No mortgages. No illnesses. No death. Everything was a frickin' joy ride. For the most part anyways. I think what I'm going to do now is really try harder to be more spontaneous with them and for them, which will probably make my life a lot better, too. Sorry for the philosophical entry. I am just sitting here realizing I could be playing with them now instead of on the computer.

Hershel Fastwheel

2008-05-06T14:04:00.000-04:00

Mommy's new ride is the MB R350. Yes... an outrageously frivious and extravagant purchase especially in these crappy economic times. Oh well. I freakin' love it. We've named him (yes, it's a him, we're sure) Hershel Fastwheel. Hershel because he resembles a hearse (my morbid conribution to the name) and Fastwheel is the last name Jake decided on. He probably would have said Hot Wheel, but I think Jake knows that Hot Wheels is trademarked and we don't want to get sued, you know. Smart five-year-old.

Mommy - M.I.A.

2008-05-06T13:06:00.000-04:00

What the hell? I cannot believe that I am that much of a loser. I mean, November. Come on. Yesterday I helped start a blog for the BOHOs (a very select group of hot Mamas who get together once a year away from our families to P-A-R-T-Y!) and I thought... what a terrible blogger I have been so I better just get back into the swing of things and make a post. Let's see what has happened since I last blogged..... Hmmm.... my husband keeps losing weight by running and he is looking hotter and hotter! YAY!... Christmas, New Year's, SuperBowl, Birthdays (Jason and the kids).... a ton of crap that I haven't chronicled. Oh, well. Here's a pic of the BOHOs at about 2:30 a.m. Saturday night (actually Sunday morning). We look damn good for that time of night, don't you think?

Why do they display Christmas trees at Halloween?

2007-11-14T15:22:00.001-05:00

Oh... I guess cause it's right around the corner. Here are two pics of the kids at Halloween! Trick-or-treat???

What happened to my summer?

2007-10-09T14:41:00.000-04:00

The first day of fall has quickly passed. It's football season. It's less humid, and I'll be damned if I don't know where the hell the summer of 2007 went. We've been busy to be sure. This summer we.... moved back into the house, tried to redecorate the house, tried to recover from the financial shock of the renovation of the house, went to Disney World a zillion times, worked our butts off looking for work and had some fun times with friends and family. (See previous blog entries.)

I am delighted to have the change of weather upon us, but I am frightened by the speed at which this summer went by. I didn't even have a party to celebrate moving back in the house yet. Looks like that will have to wait until '08.

On a great note (and I don't have a photo yet, but I will post one soon...) Jason has lost 46 pounds! He looks great! YAY! I am so proud of him... now we've got to do some clothes shopping for him, but I'm not going to do that until he's done.

A Few Weeks Worth of Pictures

2007-09-06T11:00:00.000-04:00

It really has been a crazy summer... we are busy trying to get the landscape done at the house, trying to get some new jobs at work, trying to take some time out for ourselves with a little vacation to Disney (yes, again!). So this entry will be done in pictoral style. Enjoy!

From top to bottom: 1. Bryce and Jake in their new backyard beach. They have named it Lizard Beach, however I have yet to see a lizard in the sand. Hmmmm. 2. During our trip to Disney we went to the Pirate and Princess Party on Friday night. There was a rainstorm of epic proportions during the first couple of hours, so our pirate and princess were very soggy. It was still fun, though! 3. While swimming in the pool at the Wilderness Lodge early one morning we were joined by ducks! 4. The kids love the pool! 5. Aunt Mary visited Florida from Mass. so we had a cookout; here she is pictured with Bryce.