The Odyssey

Even though Dwayne and I have been together for over 12 years, I am still always finding out something new about him. So, imagine how shocked I was when he told me yesterday he doesn't like apples or pears. Seriously, I've never heard of someone not liking apples. He made a comment about how I put a pear in his lunch bag yesterday. Yes, I pack his lunch for work every single day. I told y'all he's spoiled. The reason I didn't know about this particular dislike is because he eats food that he doesn't like simply because he knows it's healthy. So, let me run down a list of the things I can think of right now that he doesn't like. Let me know if you think it's a bit weird. apples pears peaches raspberries blackberries blueberries papaya cabbage yellow squash zucchini okra asparagus tofu Okay, that's all I can think of off the top of my head. But, he'll actually eat most of these things and just have a nasty face at the end. Weirdo! I don't l...

A few days ago, I got my letter in the mail verifying that as of January 2, 2009 I will no longer be employed. Although I haven't actually worked in almost 2 years, there was a sort of peace in knowing I still had a job to go to. But, they can't keep you on a leave of absence forever, you know. This will be my first time being unemployed since I was 14 years old. I've been working more than half my life. Crazy! The only scary part is that there is no fallback plan for us. If Dwayne were to lose his job, we would have to hustle something up quickly. We have planned well and know we would be okay financially for at least a year though. So really there's nothing to worry about, I guess. More than that, we know God will take care of us and that's really all the assurance we need. In all of my 17 years of working though, no job has been as demanding yet fulfilling as my current one of being a MOTHER. I feel so blessed to have been able to stay home with my children. I lo...

My daughter is a social butterfly when she wants to be. But, she's more likely to speak to strangers than people she knows really well. I find that a little weird. And, she remembers everyone. So, every sabbath after church she says she wants some friends to come over. She always wants company but doesn't realize we live on the other side of the world. We're thinking about having a kids holiday party at our house. Now, I have to figure out when. Dwayne and I told her our idea and she was excited except she doesn't want to call it a party for some reason. The only food she wants is cupcakes. If we actually do this, I'll bake them and let the kids decorate them. I don't know yet what else we'll do though. *** Brayden is sick now and Dwayne feels something coming on. Danae wants to be sick so she can take medicine. Brayden acts like such a baby when he's sick. He has to be all up under me and whines a lot. *** Do you all have fun plans for Christmas? We hav...

I just got off the phone with my dad. Is it bad that I hate talking to him on the phone? He repeats himself a lot and will tell me stories I've heard 25 times already. I want to say that but I know it will come out rude and I don't want to hurt his feelings. He'll be here on Friday to spend a week with us. My brother-in-law and his family aren't coming anymore and I'm so sad about it. The bad economy is hitting them pretty hard so they don't want to spend anymore than they have to. They have 4 children (and one on the way) to provide for so I understand. His wife and I keep sending sad texts to each other though. Why did Brayden come in my room this morning to tell me he peed in his bed. Then he said, can I get in your bed with you because my bed is all wet. Um, no, don't you still have pee on you? Besides my kids, I have bought no other Christmas presents. I need to get on that this week. Let me know if any of you have found good things for dads, husbands, ...

I have managed to get some kind of upper respiratory infection and now have to take antibiotics so I don't keel over. Really, my doctor is trying to get it under control ASAP before I get even further along in this pregnancy. Speaking of that, at my appointment my doctor said the size of the baby and how I've developed makes him feel my initial due date is incorrect. So, he adjusted it up a week to Feb 17th. Didn't I tell y'all my baby would be born around that date? Only time will tell. Because of my procrastinating ways, I have a lot of work to complete by Sunday so I've been staying up late at night this week. My husband complained yesterday about going to bed alone for the past few days. I told him I'll see him on Sabbath. We still have not made any moves towards getting a new vehicle. Supposedly, it will happen before the end of the year so we can get a good deal. We just can't decide on what we want. Well, only Dwayne is putting forth any effort. I rea...

I was so tired last night that I crashed on the sofa and fell into a deep sleep. So deep, in fact, that I didn't even hear my kids running around, playing, and screaming right in front of my face. It was so deep that I didn't hear them trying to wake me up for our nightly worship. Dwayne said he told them to leave me alone because I was obviously very tired. I guess I really needed that because I feel great today. I was reading an article today about Obama and his smoking habit. That is really not attractive. Even though I have family members who smoke, it's the one thing that is a complete turnoff for me. The closer I get to the end of my pregnancy, the more anxious I feel. Why? Labor pains. That's something you can never get ready for. The good thing is that I feel this one will be very fast. Danae came in 4 1/2 hours, Brayden came in 2 hours, this one should come in about 30 minutes or less. At least that's what I'm hoping. I'm still going without the epi...

Brayden: Mommy, can I call you Bridgette? (sounds more like Bijjit) Me: No, you can call me mommy. Brayden: Can I call you Bridgette [insert last name]? Me: No, you can call me mommy. Brayden: But, I want to call you Bridgette. Me: Brayden, everyone calls me Bridgette but you and Danae have a special name for me that I like way better than Bridgette. So, you can call me mommy. Brayden: Yay! Danae, we can call her mommy!!! If only it could always be so simple.

One of my pet peeves is truly bad kids. I don't mean very active, bundles of energy that can't sit down. I don't mean kids who get into stuff they shouldn't. I'm talking about actually disobedient children. Otherwise, I wouldn't like my own kids because Brayden is the poster child for too much energy and Danae is the one who will say stuff that you really rather she keep inside. I also know it's not really the child's fault. We all come into this world as a blank slate. Whatever is put in, usually comes right back out. So, maybe I should say my pet peeve is bad parenting. Let me get to the story. Our next door neighbors fit this bill. They (especially the mom) are what would be considered white trash kind of people. But, she's really nice. These are the people who live in this home. The parents, a 20-ish daughter and her boyfriend, and the 5 year old son. They have another son around 18 but I'm not sure he lives here anymore. The first time I met...

Someone sent this to me so I thought I would do it. You have to highlight the things you've done out of this list of 99. I haven't been to Europe so that automatically axes off a bunch of stuff. But, the thing is, just when I begin to think my life is a little boring and mundane, I realize, I've done a LOT of this stuff! 1. Started your own blog (obviously) 2. Slept under the stars 3. Played in a band 4. Visited Hawaii (I've only been in a Hawaii because of a layover) 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more than you can afford to charity 7. Been to Disneyland/world 8. Climbed a mountain (Mt. Diablo in California, although I didn't make it to the top) 9. Held a praying mantis 10. Sang a solo 11. Bungee jumped 12. Visited Paris 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea 14. Taught yourself an art from scratch 15. Adopted a child 16. Had food poisoning (I don't recommend it) 17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty 18. Grown your own vegetables 19. Seen the Mon...

So, I was talking to one of my longtime friends recently. We've known each other since elementary school. Our conversation centered around wanting what you don't have vs. being satisfied with what you do have. Anyway, this girl (let's call her A) was always THE girl. She was (and still is) one of the most beautiful women I know, both inside and out. She always encouraged her friends to be better and do better. She can make a Walmart outfit look like it came from Saks. When we were younger, A always had a boyfriend or several guys trying to be her boyfriend. Guys were always clamoring for her attention. Currently, A is not married and has no kids. During our recent convo, she lamented about how she really thought she would have a husband and children by now. She feels like she'll never marry. As a matter of fact, a few years ago she sent me an email saying the same thing. I told her I'm going to keep it to read during my toast at her wedding. A really wants a husban...