Pencil Thin

In just a few weeks we will celebrate 17 years of wedded bliss. When I think back to our simple and mostly “home made” wedding I am thankful. Thankful we didn’t start our lives with a ton of debt related to our wedding. Virtually everything about our wedding was made or created by someone in our family. Maybe my bridesmaids would have wanted more thoughtful bridesmaid gifts than I gave but it wasn’t in the budget. I wouldn’t trade a thing about my wedding especially the fact that it has endured when so many around us have failed. We didn’t start out with a fairytale and I think that gave us much firmer footing over the long haul.

On Thursday I met with my doctor to discuss having an outpatient surgical procedure. In advance of the surgery she wanted me to have some routine testing done. One thing she commented on a couple of time was just how low my cholesterol levels were. She asked if I “had a really good diet”? For the most part my diet is pretty low in fat. Another factor I think may be helping is the fact that for quite a long time I have been taking the diet drug Alli. I haven’t taken it consistently but rather I tend to take it for a couple months and then I stop. Most of the time when I have stopped it isn’t because I don’t like the results but simply because I run out and the pills are so expensive. After doing some research I was able to get the best buy on these pills online and typically save $10-$15 or more per bottle. With summer just around the corner I would love to knock another 10 pounds off what the scale reads and Alli is what works for me. It also seems to be doing the trick for my cholesterol.

Next month we will celebrate our 18th wedding anniversary. Our honeymoon ended up leaving a great bit to be desired. We have always promised ourselves that when the time is right we will take a second honeymoon.

One place we have been thinking of visiting is Branson Missouri. I spent a bit of time looking at various vacation options on BransonGetAways.com and really liked what I saw. They offer a number of different packages that would be perfect or a weekend getaway or a longer family vacation. The package that really caught my eye is called the “Great American Package”. It features a 4 day and three night stay for two at the Welk Resort Hotel and includes ticket to the Legends in Concert as well as the Veteran’s Museum. The price is perfect at just $454 per couple. There are also numerous other activities to entertain us such as the Silver Dollar City, Dixie Stampede, theme parks, museums, caves, and much much more. This seems like a great and affordable way to get that second honeymoon we have always talked about. I also like the fact that if we can’t manage to get away as a couple that Branson offers so many activities that our entire family could enjoy together.

How is it that some people have dogs that get incredibly fat? It isn’t like the dog can open the fridge and grab a snack. I watched this woman walking a dog that was so fat it just waddled along looking completely exhausted. The poor dog seemed to be saying “Can you just get me the best diet pills on the market and stop this walking business right now!” If people are punished for starving their pets it should be just as wrong to feed the poor thing until it looks ready to explode. I know there are always medical reasons this could happen but this isn’t an excuse in every case.

I cannot believe that my youngest son is just about to turn two years old! I found myself looking at birthday invitations today and thinking about party decorations. It seems like just yesterday that we brought him home from the hospital. With potty training and temper tantrums on the horizon I can only hope that I enjoy the coming years as much as I have the first two years of his life. In the midst of one of his meltdowns today I quickly reminded myself how blessed we are to have him. The world would be quieter and so much sadder without the little man who is presently screaming his lungs out for no apparent reason other than he can’t will the television to turn itself on.

My oldest son is eight going on nine years old. In the last few weeks he has been getting a pimple about once a week on his cheeks. It just seems way to early for this to be related to puberty. I suppose I better just concede to the fact that he is growing up and looking into the best acne treatment for young teens. His skin is pretty sensitive and he has allergies so I think I will need to find a special product for kids like him. Maybe it is a fluke and we won’t be facing the whole adolescent scene for a few years. A parent can dream right?

If you haven’t heard it already I just want to say for the record that my neighbors are slobs. They leave trash everywhere and they never mow their lawn. I have to giggle when I look out at the field that is now their yard and can only see the very top of their garden decor sticking out above the weeds. Now that we have critters dying in our garage, which is joined to theirs, I have to wonder what is going on over there. We thought about throwing the dead skunk over in the weeds but then we would have to smell it while it rots amongst the weeds. I probably could call the city and report them but there is only so much time in the day right now.

I went out to the garage today to get something and got the shock of my life. Prior to taking a step I happened to glance down at my feet and spotted a skunk. Thinking it was asleep I slowly backed up and went inside the house. While I thanked my lucky stars it didn’t spray me I began making phone calls to see how to get rid of it. When it didn’t move after an hour it was pretty clear it wasn’t going to. A friend came over and boldly poked it with a stick. The only thing I could picture was him getting a face full of skunk stink and then having that mess to deal with. Thank goodness it didn’t spray him because I have no idea how we would have gotten my house free of the stink. A person could be gotten somewhat clean in one of those walk in tubs or a shower but do you clean a garage? Needless to say the skunk is now in a box and headed for a proper burial.

For the last 3 years my husband hasn’t really gotten to enjoy his hobbies because he has been working so hard on our house. Now that the project have neared completion he is once again pulling out his golf clubs and practicing his swing. I am thinking about checking out some Cobra golf equipment as a gift to surprise him. After giving up every weekend and vacation for 3 years he really deserves some “me time”. Don’t tell him that I said that or I will become a golf widow sooner than I planned.

It is really sad to say but I feel pretty strongly I can see the future. This isn’t to say I have suddenly decided I am psychic but in this case the future is all to clear. The teenage girls who live next door are very much on a path of self-destruction. In the past few weeks the truant officer has been frequenting our neighborhood and lurking up or down the street waiting to find them. Based on the interactions we have had with them anyone can guess their lives are headed nowhere. It is pretty pitiful that at 15 and 17 it wouldn’t really surprise anyone in the neighborhood if they ended up in jail or drug rehab.

The guy who used to live next door stopped by this weekend. The only reason he did this was to show us his new truck. We really cannot stand this guy and had hoped to never see him again. How he can afford a new truck every couple years is beyond me considering he never works. When he did live next door all we ever saw him doing was polishing the hub caps on his truck. It wasn’t even a truck that warranted spotless hub caps. If it had one of those fancy Ford grills then maybe I could understand wanting spotless hub caps. What I really wanted to see was him get off his butt and get a job. How exactly do people without jobs afford $35,000 trucks?

There have been so many things going on in my life that staying fit has not been a priority. Between getting ready to move, starting a new business, and preparing to home school our son I haven’t had a minute to myself. When I am not reading up on what exactly a “Business valuation” involves I am trying to decide on a curriculum to use next year. My life should start settling down in the next few months but that doesn’t help me right now. I haven’t gained weight but I certainly feel less fit.

When I am stressed I can usually count on two things happening. The first thing that happens without fail is my skin breaks out. This 37 year old woman is graced with the skin of a pubescent girl when the world around her is going crazy. The other wonderful thing is that my right eyelid will twitch. The acne I can deal with by watching what I eat and stocking up on acne treatment. There isn’t much you can do for an involuntary eyelid spasm. Duck tape really isn’t appropriate. Creates a great image in you mind doesn’t it? A 37 year old woman with horrible skin and a nervous eye twitch.