I'm not going to sleep well tonight, so I thought I might as well blog. The crickets have been chirping loudly over here and I've just let them sing on and on. Unfortunately, I'm breaking the silence with a downer of a post tonight.
This wasteland of a blog started spiraling downhill last year when one tragedy after another happened to a bunch of dear friends of ours. These painful anniversaries are starting to come around in the next few weeks and it just sucks. Though the loss of Ben, Brandon, Cody, and Brian is not a strong presence in my everyday life (Camille is still much more so), the anniversaries of their deaths (or loss in Camille's case) bring everything back. I hate knowing that my friend's hearts will be aching more than usual for the next little while as they remember those awful, painful moments. I have not been looking forward to these next 6 weeks.
And then, we got a phone call today from Paul's mom letting us know that her cousin, Scott Burnett died today in a construction accident. Now, I couldn't tell you the name of ANY of my own mother's cousins, but I know pretty much ALL of Rhyll's cousins and love them ALL (and their parents and their spouses, and kids and grandkids, and in-laws, etc)! Every year, the Burnett-Oler family holds a great reunion that oddly enough, we all want to come to. It's usually up in Montana, so we don't make it every year, but we've never missed two in a row. The Burnetts are a tightly bonded family that invest in each other. We get together often enough that when a newcomer joins the clan, it's worthwhile to bother to learn their name and get to know them, since you'll probably get to see them again next year! It's truly unusual and an incredible blessing to be a part of it all.
This year, Paul and I made a last minute decision to actually go to the reunion in Gallatin Gateway, Montana. None of the siblings were going, so we were wishy-washy about the long drive up there, but ultimately figured... "let's just go," so we did. I don't have a close relationship with Scott, but I saw him, gave him a hug and had a quick conversation with him 10 days ago. I have nothing but love for Scott's parents, Clint & Bonnie, his sweet and fun wife, Colleen, his kids, his siblings. I'm just (AGAIN) aching for the loss THEY are feeling. I hate how unpredictable life can be and how quickly it can be turned upside down in such a painful way.
I had a brief moment of fear that the rest of this summer would be like last summer and I wanted to shout out to the world, "hide yer kids, hide yer wife, and hide yer husbands too..." Please keep your loved ones close and safe. Please speak kind words of love. Please strengthen your families and your relationship with God. These are my goals for now. I need to make sure to utilize these reminders of how short and precious life is, so the Lord won't need to teach me these things in any other way.
Sorry for the emotional post. I'm headed to the Stampin' Up! convention (aka returning to the mother ship) in Salt Lake City this week, so hopefully will take the time to brighten up this place in the near future. In the meantime... (((((((((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))))))))). If you read my blog, chances are, you're someone I care about a lot... and I want you to know that.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
No money for Obama!
So, I was a little bit worried this week on Wednesday night. The kids are on Spring Break, but I've had to work anyway. Our initial plans were to go to Trafalga on Wednesday afternoon, but when I saw how packed it was, we changed plans and took the kids to see Tron Legacy. We were all really hungry (since it was dinnertime afterall) and Paul had the brilliant idea of going to Olive Garden... a dieter's nightmare!!! I'd been doing really well with my diet all week and was down at least 1.6 lbs, so I reluctantly agreed with him and we introduced the kids to 'real' Italian food (they ended up with pizza anyway). I did order a healthy(er) meal than I wanted to, but eating half a breadstick, a bowl of minestrone and half my entree was still too much food.
For penance, I went to the gym that night and spent an agonizing hour on the eliptical machine doing a "personal trainer" workout. I drank at least 64 oz of water throughout the process because it was kicking my butt! Anyway, when I got home, I jumped on the scale right before bed and about cried! According to the scale, I needed to lose at least 3 lbs in my sleep in order to report success on my stickk.com commitment!! Because I have the emotional maturity of a 5 year-old, I was SO mad at Paul! It's his fault we went to Olive Garden and HIS fault we got ice cream for FHE (I got a frozen yogurt cone when they got yummy shakes). Doesn't he care about our country?!?!?!?! (I mean... my weight loss!?!?!?)
Anyway, after a fitfull night of sleep (you have no idea the amount of shame I was feeling with the idea that I'd have to post on my blog that they took $10 from me to give to Obama!), I was relieved that my naked morning weight was in fact, 3.2 lbs lighter than the night before! Which means that last week, I lost 1.2 lbs. YES!!! It's likely not as much as it could have been, but at least it got the job done.
Thursday night I went and did yoga, today I did about a 11 miles bike ride and my shoulders and back are screaming at me! Ah well. It's a good thing and besides, that's what Ibuprofen is for.
So there's an update for you. Rest well knowing that I did not contribute to the Obama campaign this week and am well on my way to not do so again next week!
For penance, I went to the gym that night and spent an agonizing hour on the eliptical machine doing a "personal trainer" workout. I drank at least 64 oz of water throughout the process because it was kicking my butt! Anyway, when I got home, I jumped on the scale right before bed and about cried! According to the scale, I needed to lose at least 3 lbs in my sleep in order to report success on my stickk.com commitment!! Because I have the emotional maturity of a 5 year-old, I was SO mad at Paul! It's his fault we went to Olive Garden and HIS fault we got ice cream for FHE (I got a frozen yogurt cone when they got yummy shakes). Doesn't he care about our country?!?!?!?! (I mean... my weight loss!?!?!?)
Anyway, after a fitfull night of sleep (you have no idea the amount of shame I was feeling with the idea that I'd have to post on my blog that they took $10 from me to give to Obama!), I was relieved that my naked morning weight was in fact, 3.2 lbs lighter than the night before! Which means that last week, I lost 1.2 lbs. YES!!! It's likely not as much as it could have been, but at least it got the job done.
Thursday night I went and did yoga, today I did about a 11 miles bike ride and my shoulders and back are screaming at me! Ah well. It's a good thing and besides, that's what Ibuprofen is for.
So there's an update for you. Rest well knowing that I did not contribute to the Obama campaign this week and am well on my way to not do so again next week!
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Can you believe it?
Yes, you saw correctly, my name has jumped to the top of your blog list and I'm actually posting something on this wasteland of a blog! For a long time, this place was haunting me and making me feel all kinds of guilty for neglecting it, but considering that it's been four months since I've posted, I was able to get over that a bit. Honestly, I've realized that this blog is just not serving the purpose that it originally did. So, I apologize if that has been disappointing to anyone.
So why am I on here now? I don't really know. There are SO MANY STINKING THINGS that I need to update on here, but there's no way I'm going to be able to give each item it's due attention. In thinking about this blog's function in my life, one thing it helped me do initially was report on the progress I was making in my weight loss journey 2+ years ago. Well, I'm at it again.
When I reached my goal weight in the fall of 2009, I think I admitted outloud somewhere that my fear was that I would gain the weight back. I had made a lot of healthy lifestyle changes, so I didn't want to think that it could happen... but amazingly, life happens and things change sometimes. When we were putting in a lot of work into improving and selling the house (which went nowhere by the way), I wanted to be training for the spring triathlon again, but painted the entire upstairs instead. Then, I trained for the Ragnar Relay again and as the Red Rock Relay had done, it wiped out all motivation to keep running after that point. I will not be doing another one of those races again any time soon. Any race that makes you feel like you never want to run again, is not a good idea for me until I get to a much higher fitness level than I was last year at racetime.
So the result? Over the past 15-16 months, I've just not been very careful. I've not had any big weight gain jumps, but you know, gaining 1-1.5 lbs a month for a long period of time, you end up 25 lbs heavier than you want to be! All along the way, I would think to myself, "Self, just lose it again... you know what to do! It's only 8 lbs." But then, 8 lbs turned to 12-15 lbs, and then 15-18 lbs, and somehow, the motivation to really restrict my diet and get it done wasn't there. When I initially lost the weight, I was dealing with the emotional issue of newfound infertility. The wound was new and the exercise and healthy focus was healing for me. Thankfully, those emotions have settled over the last 3 years. Unfortunately, I've come to realize that my emotions (especially negative emotions) are a very powerful tool in my life! I clean very efficiently when I'm upset!
So now that I'm not obsessing over having another child, what am I gonna do to get motivated again?! I'm definitely not going to pray for another trial in my life just so I can get back down to a size 8! And then I heard about stickk.com from a colleague/friend of mine. What a concept! This friend of mine has recently lost over 30 lbs and when I asked what he had changed this time, he mentioned the role stickk.com had played for him.
Basically, stickk is a goal setting website based on some research of some Ivy League professor dude who knows something about the economics of achieving goals. When someone sets a goal, has a support system and then puts something at stake, they are more likely to achieve their goal. Makes sense, right? My friend made a commitment to lose 1 lb a week for 10 weeks and every week he failed, the website would charge his credit card $10 and at the end of the commitment, they would send it to the Jason Chaffetz for Congress campaign... which made me laugh because I really like Jason Chaffetz, a lot! But my friend doesn't!
Then I realized that there IS something that I have a lot of negative emotions about! POLITICS!!! and more specifically... BARACK OBAMA!!!! I really can't stand the guy one little bit and think he's a terrible leader for our country. I know I'm not alone in this in my primary circle of friends (but that doesn't mean I exclude those sympathetic to Obama's policies!). I thought to myself, "Self, the last thing you want to do right now is be a fatty that contributes to the 2012 Obama campaign." So, I decided to do it and commit!
On Thursday of this week, I made the commitment to also lose 1 lb a week for the next 10 weeks. If on Thursday I have not lost a pound, they will charge my credit card $10. At the end of the 10 weeks, they'll send that money to my colleague/friend (who loves Obama), who will then make a contribution to Obama's campaign. Doesn't the thought just make you sick!? It does me! I've set Paul up to be my referee, so he's going to keep me honest.
When I posted something about this on facebook, a couple of my democrat-leaning friends commented about disapproving of my methods and wanting to sabotage my efforts. Apparently this is offensive to them. If this offends you, please know that this is less about Obama, and more about me losing weight! It's about motivation. And so far, it's working! I've actually tracked my points over the last 3 days and hit the gym for a 60 minute workout on the treadmill, even though I was freaking tired the other night.
So, I guess, this little blog of mine might have a small little purpose in my life again. Though I won't promise... I may make an effort to update on my progress. I fully intend to NOT send ANY money to Obama! Any sabotage is unwelcome (send money to Obama yourself if you love him so much!) and all support is appreciated!!
So why am I on here now? I don't really know. There are SO MANY STINKING THINGS that I need to update on here, but there's no way I'm going to be able to give each item it's due attention. In thinking about this blog's function in my life, one thing it helped me do initially was report on the progress I was making in my weight loss journey 2+ years ago. Well, I'm at it again.
When I reached my goal weight in the fall of 2009, I think I admitted outloud somewhere that my fear was that I would gain the weight back. I had made a lot of healthy lifestyle changes, so I didn't want to think that it could happen... but amazingly, life happens and things change sometimes. When we were putting in a lot of work into improving and selling the house (which went nowhere by the way), I wanted to be training for the spring triathlon again, but painted the entire upstairs instead. Then, I trained for the Ragnar Relay again and as the Red Rock Relay had done, it wiped out all motivation to keep running after that point. I will not be doing another one of those races again any time soon. Any race that makes you feel like you never want to run again, is not a good idea for me until I get to a much higher fitness level than I was last year at racetime.
So the result? Over the past 15-16 months, I've just not been very careful. I've not had any big weight gain jumps, but you know, gaining 1-1.5 lbs a month for a long period of time, you end up 25 lbs heavier than you want to be! All along the way, I would think to myself, "Self, just lose it again... you know what to do! It's only 8 lbs." But then, 8 lbs turned to 12-15 lbs, and then 15-18 lbs, and somehow, the motivation to really restrict my diet and get it done wasn't there. When I initially lost the weight, I was dealing with the emotional issue of newfound infertility. The wound was new and the exercise and healthy focus was healing for me. Thankfully, those emotions have settled over the last 3 years. Unfortunately, I've come to realize that my emotions (especially negative emotions) are a very powerful tool in my life! I clean very efficiently when I'm upset!
So now that I'm not obsessing over having another child, what am I gonna do to get motivated again?! I'm definitely not going to pray for another trial in my life just so I can get back down to a size 8! And then I heard about stickk.com from a colleague/friend of mine. What a concept! This friend of mine has recently lost over 30 lbs and when I asked what he had changed this time, he mentioned the role stickk.com had played for him.
Basically, stickk is a goal setting website based on some research of some Ivy League professor dude who knows something about the economics of achieving goals. When someone sets a goal, has a support system and then puts something at stake, they are more likely to achieve their goal. Makes sense, right? My friend made a commitment to lose 1 lb a week for 10 weeks and every week he failed, the website would charge his credit card $10 and at the end of the commitment, they would send it to the Jason Chaffetz for Congress campaign... which made me laugh because I really like Jason Chaffetz, a lot! But my friend doesn't!
Then I realized that there IS something that I have a lot of negative emotions about! POLITICS!!! and more specifically... BARACK OBAMA!!!! I really can't stand the guy one little bit and think he's a terrible leader for our country. I know I'm not alone in this in my primary circle of friends (but that doesn't mean I exclude those sympathetic to Obama's policies!). I thought to myself, "Self, the last thing you want to do right now is be a fatty that contributes to the 2012 Obama campaign." So, I decided to do it and commit!
On Thursday of this week, I made the commitment to also lose 1 lb a week for the next 10 weeks. If on Thursday I have not lost a pound, they will charge my credit card $10. At the end of the 10 weeks, they'll send that money to my colleague/friend (who loves Obama), who will then make a contribution to Obama's campaign. Doesn't the thought just make you sick!? It does me! I've set Paul up to be my referee, so he's going to keep me honest.
When I posted something about this on facebook, a couple of my democrat-leaning friends commented about disapproving of my methods and wanting to sabotage my efforts. Apparently this is offensive to them. If this offends you, please know that this is less about Obama, and more about me losing weight! It's about motivation. And so far, it's working! I've actually tracked my points over the last 3 days and hit the gym for a 60 minute workout on the treadmill, even though I was freaking tired the other night.
So, I guess, this little blog of mine might have a small little purpose in my life again. Though I won't promise... I may make an effort to update on my progress. I fully intend to NOT send ANY money to Obama! Any sabotage is unwelcome (send money to Obama yourself if you love him so much!) and all support is appreciated!!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
The Halloween results
Who sucks at blogging? I suck at blogging.
Halloween was so fun this year and I have to credit it to the costume. A good corset makes you look uh-MAZE-ing!! I couldn't get enough of my manipulated hourglass shape! I wore the dress to school on the Thursday before Halloween, and let me tell ya, that was the longest 38 minute carride I've ever had! I made sure to untie it for the drive home that afternoon! I wore it again on Friday night for our annual Halloween party, and then again at the ward trunk-er-treat on Saturday night. Here are a couple pictures from the friday party that I can post right now. I still need to get the others from Melanie and Amy.
The Hostesses! Diana, Amy, Melanie
Have you ever seen a picture of yourself and thought, "I've never seen my face look like this before."? I think my face looks SO WEIRD in this first picture! Ah well, at least the rest of me looked cool! Anyway...
My hottie and me!
I thought Paul looked so awesome in his Elizabethian get-up! He played it up well in this photo of us. I just wish he would have broken out in song with, "I've been dreaming of a true loves kiss..."! His outfit is perfect for a Prince Edward!
I finally got around to returning the costumes to Michelle the other day and for the last week or so, I've kept checking her etsy shop and stalking her blog. She's having a sale on a bunch of corsets right now and just announced on her blog another sale she's having on Black Friday. And ya know what? I totally want to get one! I have NO logical reason to get an outfit like these, but I WANT one!! LOL! You'd want one too if you tried one on! I don't know... maybe someday.
Hopefully I can get my hands on the other pictures of my boys and the rest of the family from Halloween. I've got some digi-scrappin to do!
Halloween was so fun this year and I have to credit it to the costume. A good corset makes you look uh-MAZE-ing!! I couldn't get enough of my manipulated hourglass shape! I wore the dress to school on the Thursday before Halloween, and let me tell ya, that was the longest 38 minute carride I've ever had! I made sure to untie it for the drive home that afternoon! I wore it again on Friday night for our annual Halloween party, and then again at the ward trunk-er-treat on Saturday night. Here are a couple pictures from the friday party that I can post right now. I still need to get the others from Melanie and Amy.
The Hostesses! Diana, Amy, Melanie
Have you ever seen a picture of yourself and thought, "I've never seen my face look like this before."? I think my face looks SO WEIRD in this first picture! Ah well, at least the rest of me looked cool! Anyway...
My hottie and me!
I thought Paul looked so awesome in his Elizabethian get-up! He played it up well in this photo of us. I just wish he would have broken out in song with, "I've been dreaming of a true loves kiss..."! His outfit is perfect for a Prince Edward!
I finally got around to returning the costumes to Michelle the other day and for the last week or so, I've kept checking her etsy shop and stalking her blog. She's having a sale on a bunch of corsets right now and just announced on her blog another sale she's having on Black Friday. And ya know what? I totally want to get one! I have NO logical reason to get an outfit like these, but I WANT one!! LOL! You'd want one too if you tried one on! I don't know... maybe someday.
Hopefully I can get my hands on the other pictures of my boys and the rest of the family from Halloween. I've got some digi-scrappin to do!
Monday, October 25, 2010
gonna look so good!
I did something fun today. In honor of Halloween, I got to go play dress up... and it was so fun! With most holidays, I'm not a big celebrator. My poor children are destined for an underwhelming life. I pray that they marry women who were raised in families that make big deals out of holidays so that they can see how the other half live.
Every year, we have a big halloween party at the lodge. It's really my sis-in-law, Amy's brainchild and I make some of the goodies (and usually handle the invitations but Amy even took care of those this year!) and invite people to OUR halloween party! It's actually a very fun event each year. Costumes are encouraged for all partygoers, though, and this is often the hardest part.
But not this year!
I know this awesome girl named Michelle. I grin and chuckle when I even think of her because she's so cool. She used to live across the street from us and all I really knew about her was that she was super spunky & fun and that she and her husband have a corset/costume making business. I also know she managed to have the COOLEST halloween costumes each year at the ward trunk or treat, but had no idea how big her business was or how awesome her product is until today. Woah!!
Melanie (another sis-in-law who does a ton of work for this party) and I were talking yesterday about our costume dilemmas and I mentioned to her that I was hoping to track down Michelle's number to see if she could outfit me for the weekend, and I asked Mel if she wanted in. So I called Michelle this morning and she was so sweet to say, "sure, come on over!" With Melanie's two little boys in tow, we got to witness behind the scenes of their company "Damsel in This Dress" - clever name, ya?! It was so cool.
Check out her website: Damsel in this Dress
Or her blog... cuz she's really quite fun and crazy!
We each tried on one outfit and I'll get to be wearing something along the lines of this corset (a courtier bodice):
but with totally different colors (red & green) and a full-length green skirt. I also borrowed a KILLER outfit for Paul which he will look AWESOME in (once we find him some black opaque tights ;)!
So watch for the pictures next week (because I THINK I can manage doing more than one blog post a month). I can't wait to put the whole outfit together with the hair and gaudy jewelry & stuff! What are you dressing up as?!
Every year, we have a big halloween party at the lodge. It's really my sis-in-law, Amy's brainchild and I make some of the goodies (and usually handle the invitations but Amy even took care of those this year!) and invite people to OUR halloween party! It's actually a very fun event each year. Costumes are encouraged for all partygoers, though, and this is often the hardest part.
But not this year!
I know this awesome girl named Michelle. I grin and chuckle when I even think of her because she's so cool. She used to live across the street from us and all I really knew about her was that she was super spunky & fun and that she and her husband have a corset/costume making business. I also know she managed to have the COOLEST halloween costumes each year at the ward trunk or treat, but had no idea how big her business was or how awesome her product is until today. Woah!!
Melanie (another sis-in-law who does a ton of work for this party) and I were talking yesterday about our costume dilemmas and I mentioned to her that I was hoping to track down Michelle's number to see if she could outfit me for the weekend, and I asked Mel if she wanted in. So I called Michelle this morning and she was so sweet to say, "sure, come on over!" With Melanie's two little boys in tow, we got to witness behind the scenes of their company "Damsel in This Dress" - clever name, ya?! It was so cool.
Check out her website: Damsel in this Dress
Or her blog... cuz she's really quite fun and crazy!
We each tried on one outfit and I'll get to be wearing something along the lines of this corset (a courtier bodice):
but with totally different colors (red & green) and a full-length green skirt. I also borrowed a KILLER outfit for Paul which he will look AWESOME in (once we find him some black opaque tights ;)!
So watch for the pictures next week (because I THINK I can manage doing more than one blog post a month). I can't wait to put the whole outfit together with the hair and gaudy jewelry & stuff! What are you dressing up as?!
Friday, September 24, 2010
Soccer mom = psycho mom!
Last night I had a moment right on the very edge of that fine line in between soccer mom and psycho mom (ok, I'll admit it, I jumped over the edge and admit to feeling embarassed about it shortly after!). I'll paint the picture for you.
I have cute little boys... right?! See?
But with all their strengths and sweet parts, I gotta admit something... they're not destined for professional athletics. Somehow, they lack that cut-throat competitive spirit required for significant skill development and athletic performance.
Now, I've admitted before that the day soccer season is over is a day I celebrate. Every Thursday and Saturday morning, we stand there on the sidelines yelling at our boys for 2 hours... it's awesome. At least we're not having to chase Charlie off the field this year! Anyway, yesterday I sent Paul ahead to Canon's game and told him I'd meet him there shortly. After taking my sweet time to round up Charlie and some shoes for both of us, I made it to the game about halfway through...
and of course,
RIGHT AFTER CANON SCORED HIS FIRST GOAL IN THREE YEARS!!!!!
Crud.
Mommy-moment-FAIL.
He was so excited! The team they were playing was really small and looked really young. Canon was one of the tallest kids on the field. Over and over and over, Canon was able to kick that ball down the field toward his goal. He took like 10 shots on the goal! None of them went in once I got there, but I'd never seen him playing so well! I think at this point, they were up 3-0.
So the quarter ends and Canon gets a turn playing goalie. Perfect! He's standing there, ready to go anytime the other team manages to make it to his side of the field. He and his team were FINALLY having a good game. They even scored one more time while I was there.
Quick backtrack: Canon's team doesn't have any power players. They've won a couple games I think, but for the most part, they stink. A couple weeks ago, they had to play this team with a killer player on it. He was a little hispanic kid who was wicked fast, wicked good, and wicked aggressive. That kid (not his team, but THAT KID) scored at least 8 goals on Canon's team that day. He's not a kid you forget... his name was Diego and he. was. awesome. They got totally spanked!
So back to last night... I'm standing there on the sidelines close to the goal so I can appropriately yell at my kid just in case he needs reminders to stand up or stop dancing or something. Suddenly I notice this small little hispanic kid throws the ball in and starts dominating the field! He shoots at the goal and MY CANON actually stops it! As I watch this kid run around taking the ball and keeping it away from anyone who comes near him, a memory stirs. Once I realize this is Diego from a couple weeks ago, I kinda start freaking out!!
ME: "haven't we already played this team?"
SOMEONE: "no"
ME: "what's that kid doing out there? I know that's the same kid. It has to be!"
SOMEONE: "I think they're subbing him in"
ME: "what the crap is going on here? why is Diego out there playing? Get him off the field!!!!!!!!!" (I was talking loud enough that everyone could hear me.)
One of the moms on our team tries to tell me that the other team didn't have enough players so they had to sub someone from another team in so they could play the game. Now, remember, I got there late and didn't know if that was true. So, I shut up at that point, but was still thinking, "what the crap?" If you can sub anyone you want from other teams, yeah, I'd take that kid every time! Then talking to another mom nearby, she points out that the other team's coach (also hispanic, maybe related to Diego?) asked our substitute coach if it was okay if they sent in some extra players "since their team was behind." Our coach didn't know what to say, so the other coach just sent in 2 more of their players AND Diego! 10 players against 7, and one of them not even on the team. I was ticked. Yes, I know it's city-league soccer, but there is no reason to cheat.
Thankfully before I could make myself look like MORE of an insano-maniac, the teenage ref blew her whistle, the game was done and they didn't end up scoring on Canon.
Phew!
Crisis averted!
But it took me a while to fully calm down. For the first time all season, our little boys have a successful game. Not a blowout or anything near it... 4-0 is not an offensive lead in my book! My little boy had his first goal outside of cub soccer. My little boy was protecting the goal when all this cheating was going on. I'm so glad that no damage was done, because if that kid had jumped into the game and come back to beat them, that would have been devastating!
Canon was so funny about it. As we're walking to the car, he says, "mom, remember that mexican boy with the sleeves at that other game. That boy today was just like him." "No, Canon, that WAS him." "nu-uh mom, Diego was on my friend Cameron's team and we didn't play them tonight." "I know Canon, the other team was cheating by letting Diego play today. But you were awesome and he didn't score on you!! Way to go!" I was very proud of him!
I'm glad Paul wasn't there for my drama. He gets embarassed at me sometimes. We made our way over to Andy's soccer game next and I got to tell Paul all about it. He thought it was funny how upset I was over the issue. At least I was getting some validation from a couple of the other mommys that were there! They were upset about it too.
So there you have it... my psycho-soccer-mom moment. One more week til it's all over! And then, I get to look forward to next year when we have 3 kids playing (killmenow)!!!
I have cute little boys... right?! See?
But with all their strengths and sweet parts, I gotta admit something... they're not destined for professional athletics. Somehow, they lack that cut-throat competitive spirit required for significant skill development and athletic performance.
Now, I've admitted before that the day soccer season is over is a day I celebrate. Every Thursday and Saturday morning, we stand there on the sidelines yelling at our boys for 2 hours... it's awesome. At least we're not having to chase Charlie off the field this year! Anyway, yesterday I sent Paul ahead to Canon's game and told him I'd meet him there shortly. After taking my sweet time to round up Charlie and some shoes for both of us, I made it to the game about halfway through...
and of course,
RIGHT AFTER CANON SCORED HIS FIRST GOAL IN THREE YEARS!!!!!
Crud.
Mommy-moment-FAIL.
He was so excited! The team they were playing was really small and looked really young. Canon was one of the tallest kids on the field. Over and over and over, Canon was able to kick that ball down the field toward his goal. He took like 10 shots on the goal! None of them went in once I got there, but I'd never seen him playing so well! I think at this point, they were up 3-0.
So the quarter ends and Canon gets a turn playing goalie. Perfect! He's standing there, ready to go anytime the other team manages to make it to his side of the field. He and his team were FINALLY having a good game. They even scored one more time while I was there.
Quick backtrack: Canon's team doesn't have any power players. They've won a couple games I think, but for the most part, they stink. A couple weeks ago, they had to play this team with a killer player on it. He was a little hispanic kid who was wicked fast, wicked good, and wicked aggressive. That kid (not his team, but THAT KID) scored at least 8 goals on Canon's team that day. He's not a kid you forget... his name was Diego and he. was. awesome. They got totally spanked!
So back to last night... I'm standing there on the sidelines close to the goal so I can appropriately yell at my kid just in case he needs reminders to stand up or stop dancing or something. Suddenly I notice this small little hispanic kid throws the ball in and starts dominating the field! He shoots at the goal and MY CANON actually stops it! As I watch this kid run around taking the ball and keeping it away from anyone who comes near him, a memory stirs. Once I realize this is Diego from a couple weeks ago, I kinda start freaking out!!
ME: "haven't we already played this team?"
SOMEONE: "no"
ME: "what's that kid doing out there? I know that's the same kid. It has to be!"
SOMEONE: "I think they're subbing him in"
ME: "what the crap is going on here? why is Diego out there playing? Get him off the field!!!!!!!!!" (I was talking loud enough that everyone could hear me.)
One of the moms on our team tries to tell me that the other team didn't have enough players so they had to sub someone from another team in so they could play the game. Now, remember, I got there late and didn't know if that was true. So, I shut up at that point, but was still thinking, "what the crap?" If you can sub anyone you want from other teams, yeah, I'd take that kid every time! Then talking to another mom nearby, she points out that the other team's coach (also hispanic, maybe related to Diego?) asked our substitute coach if it was okay if they sent in some extra players "since their team was behind." Our coach didn't know what to say, so the other coach just sent in 2 more of their players AND Diego! 10 players against 7, and one of them not even on the team. I was ticked. Yes, I know it's city-league soccer, but there is no reason to cheat.
Thankfully before I could make myself look like MORE of an insano-maniac, the teenage ref blew her whistle, the game was done and they didn't end up scoring on Canon.
Phew!
Crisis averted!
But it took me a while to fully calm down. For the first time all season, our little boys have a successful game. Not a blowout or anything near it... 4-0 is not an offensive lead in my book! My little boy had his first goal outside of cub soccer. My little boy was protecting the goal when all this cheating was going on. I'm so glad that no damage was done, because if that kid had jumped into the game and come back to beat them, that would have been devastating!
Canon was so funny about it. As we're walking to the car, he says, "mom, remember that mexican boy with the sleeves at that other game. That boy today was just like him." "No, Canon, that WAS him." "nu-uh mom, Diego was on my friend Cameron's team and we didn't play them tonight." "I know Canon, the other team was cheating by letting Diego play today. But you were awesome and he didn't score on you!! Way to go!" I was very proud of him!
I'm glad Paul wasn't there for my drama. He gets embarassed at me sometimes. We made our way over to Andy's soccer game next and I got to tell Paul all about it. He thought it was funny how upset I was over the issue. At least I was getting some validation from a couple of the other mommys that were there! They were upset about it too.
So there you have it... my psycho-soccer-mom moment. One more week til it's all over! And then, I get to look forward to next year when we have 3 kids playing (killmenow)!!!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Remembering Brian
I had to cry myself to sleep the other night and wearing mascara has been a bad idea for the last couple of days. On Tuesday afternoon, I got home from work and jumped on facebook for a minute. I saw an old high school friend had commented to another friend some condolenses and something about his wife and child. Without reading all that he said, I jumped onto Brian's wall-page and saw this headline:
"North Van dad-to-be's final act saves family" next to this picture.
Following my initial gasp, I began crying almost immediately because this is my friend, Brian Raymond Wood.
Brian and Erin were in a car accident on Whidbey Island when an drugged-up 21-year-old swerved over the center line into oncoming traffic while taking off her sweater. At the last second, Brian hit the brakes and turned the car right in order to take the full impact of the collision. This action crushed the car and killed him instantly, but protected his wife and unborn baby. Erin is due with their first child in early November. I'm devastated.
Though Brian and I haven't had a lot of contact in the last 11 years, the way I describe our relationhip is "close." At one point way back when, we were more than friends, but never boyfriend and girlfriend. We would have never been compatible as a couple, but we were friends that truly loved each other. As was appropriate, we fell out of touch when I got married right after college. Occasional emails and a couple phone calls were shared, but otherwise, I knew very little about his doings for several years. But the day I found out he was engaged to Erin, I stalked their wedding website often hoping to get to know more about the woman who would make him supremely happy. I was and am SO happy that he found her!
For my own benefit, and for those that knew Brian when I did, and even for Erin to see a snapshot of her husband before she knew him through the eyes of someone who cared very much for him, I want to describe my relationship and history with Brian.
Brian and I met and had classes together in Jr. High. We became better friends by the time we were freshman in high school. It didn't take long for me to develop a crush on him that continued throughout that year, despite the fact he had a girlfriend. He was a cutie, even back then. I have so many memories of Brian from that year, memories you wouldn't normally have if you weren't paying 'ilikeyouwhydon'tyoulikeme' attention to someone! Ultimately though, I remember his smile and friendliness, even before we became closer friends.
Throughout high school, we had TONS of classes together, were in the plays and musicals together, and sang in the choirs together. But our friendship grew stronger during our senior year. I had a pretty psycho boyfriend that year and Brian was often there for me when I was confused or frustrated about stuff. I was also there for him when one of his mentors had committed suicide. We would talk a lot, hang out, sing, and tease each other. Brian would play his guitar for me after we'd rehearse for our graduation song audition. But the most memorable experience I had with Brian that year was playing the main leads together in 'The Pajama Game'. Brian played Sid Sorokin, and I was Babe Williams. We had so much fun playing these parts!
"Married life is lots of fun... Two can sleep as cheap as one!"
Here are some pictures of Brian and some of my other close guy-friends at graduation.
During the summer after graduation, things finally exploded with that previously mentioned psycho boyfriend and thankfully, Brian was there for me again. I was not-so-patiently waiting to head off to college at Utah State, but since it was on a trimester system at the time, I didn't start until mid September. Thankfully, Brian was still around so we could still hang out. But even after we both went our separate ways, me to Logan, Utah and he to Oberlin College in Ohio, we were in frequent contact... daily emails and often multiple emails a day. It was AMAZING the support I received from him. When I got my first guitar that Christmas, I named it "Sid" in Brian's honor. We even sent care packages to each other once. The one he sent me included this bear that Canon is holding in this picture at least 8 years later:
Sorry, I know that's totally random. Anyway, I believed in him and he believed in me. He always ended his emails with, "forever".
Brian finished school earlier than I did that next spring and even came out to Utah to visit me for about a week around Memorial Day weekend. He stayed at my friend's house at night, but hung out and went to classes with me during the week. He made fun of how 'dumbed down' my chemistry 101 class was and told me I could have gone to a harder college. I agree, that class was lame, but I can guarantee that USU did challenge me enough when it mattered! Neuropathology, much? Yeah. I think the week he visited was possibly the first time I'd purchased a green pepper and used it to cook a meal... he taught me how to make yummy fajitas!
That following school year, Brian transferred to Lawrence University and our communication with each other became less. We began not needing each other as much. But I would see him and hang out over Christmas breaks. Let's see, a random memory includes driving to a Shadows reunion together and him telling me I was wearing more make-up than usual. We'd catch up and talk about everything under the sun, including religion, the relationships we were or had been in, what our plans were for life. We were SO DIFFERENT from each other, but it didn't really matter to our friendship. I sometimes wondered in Brian and I could ever make a legitimate couple, but I think we both knew we couldn't. Which was fine, but because we were just a little "more than friends", everything changed our junior year of college. I'd behaved badly concerning Brian over Christmas break that year and then later when I began dating my future husband, Paul, we almost completely lost touch. It happens... life moves on, people evolve and carve their path in life; and relationships change, but the memories and love stay with you.
And that's again, why I was so happy when Brian met and married Erin. Brian was admittedly horrible at keeping in touch with me via email, but I knew he was so happy living his life with his true love. I was thrilled the day I found him on facebook, but he wasn't ever very 'newsy'. Most of his status updates were about how fast he ran 6km that morning, but it was nice to know he was there. It was fun to congratulate him on running his first half marathon this year and occasionally he'd comment on one of my updates about running.
Anyway, ultimately, I want to send out my thoughts and prayers to those of us who knew this wonderful man. We are all experiencing a huge loss. I'm sad he won't be here to help raise his baby. I'm aching to imagine what kind of strength it will take for Erin to pick up the pieces and redefine herself without him. She is living my worst nightmare. I want her to know that I truly care about her and her little one. And I want to thank her for helping my friend find joy in this life. I honor Brian and his love for Erin. He was a beautiful human being in life and a true hero in death. Brian, until we meet again, I will truly miss you.
"Forever"
"North Van dad-to-be's final act saves family" next to this picture.
Following my initial gasp, I began crying almost immediately because this is my friend, Brian Raymond Wood.
Brian and Erin were in a car accident on Whidbey Island when an drugged-up 21-year-old swerved over the center line into oncoming traffic while taking off her sweater. At the last second, Brian hit the brakes and turned the car right in order to take the full impact of the collision. This action crushed the car and killed him instantly, but protected his wife and unborn baby. Erin is due with their first child in early November. I'm devastated.
Though Brian and I haven't had a lot of contact in the last 11 years, the way I describe our relationhip is "close." At one point way back when, we were more than friends, but never boyfriend and girlfriend. We would have never been compatible as a couple, but we were friends that truly loved each other. As was appropriate, we fell out of touch when I got married right after college. Occasional emails and a couple phone calls were shared, but otherwise, I knew very little about his doings for several years. But the day I found out he was engaged to Erin, I stalked their wedding website often hoping to get to know more about the woman who would make him supremely happy. I was and am SO happy that he found her!
For my own benefit, and for those that knew Brian when I did, and even for Erin to see a snapshot of her husband before she knew him through the eyes of someone who cared very much for him, I want to describe my relationship and history with Brian.
Brian and I met and had classes together in Jr. High. We became better friends by the time we were freshman in high school. It didn't take long for me to develop a crush on him that continued throughout that year, despite the fact he had a girlfriend. He was a cutie, even back then. I have so many memories of Brian from that year, memories you wouldn't normally have if you weren't paying 'ilikeyouwhydon'tyoulikeme' attention to someone! Ultimately though, I remember his smile and friendliness, even before we became closer friends.
Throughout high school, we had TONS of classes together, were in the plays and musicals together, and sang in the choirs together. But our friendship grew stronger during our senior year. I had a pretty psycho boyfriend that year and Brian was often there for me when I was confused or frustrated about stuff. I was also there for him when one of his mentors had committed suicide. We would talk a lot, hang out, sing, and tease each other. Brian would play his guitar for me after we'd rehearse for our graduation song audition. But the most memorable experience I had with Brian that year was playing the main leads together in 'The Pajama Game'. Brian played Sid Sorokin, and I was Babe Williams. We had so much fun playing these parts!
"Married life is lots of fun... Two can sleep as cheap as one!"
Here are some pictures of Brian and some of my other close guy-friends at graduation.
During the summer after graduation, things finally exploded with that previously mentioned psycho boyfriend and thankfully, Brian was there for me again. I was not-so-patiently waiting to head off to college at Utah State, but since it was on a trimester system at the time, I didn't start until mid September. Thankfully, Brian was still around so we could still hang out. But even after we both went our separate ways, me to Logan, Utah and he to Oberlin College in Ohio, we were in frequent contact... daily emails and often multiple emails a day. It was AMAZING the support I received from him. When I got my first guitar that Christmas, I named it "Sid" in Brian's honor. We even sent care packages to each other once. The one he sent me included this bear that Canon is holding in this picture at least 8 years later:
Sorry, I know that's totally random. Anyway, I believed in him and he believed in me. He always ended his emails with, "forever".
Brian finished school earlier than I did that next spring and even came out to Utah to visit me for about a week around Memorial Day weekend. He stayed at my friend's house at night, but hung out and went to classes with me during the week. He made fun of how 'dumbed down' my chemistry 101 class was and told me I could have gone to a harder college. I agree, that class was lame, but I can guarantee that USU did challenge me enough when it mattered! Neuropathology, much? Yeah. I think the week he visited was possibly the first time I'd purchased a green pepper and used it to cook a meal... he taught me how to make yummy fajitas!
That following school year, Brian transferred to Lawrence University and our communication with each other became less. We began not needing each other as much. But I would see him and hang out over Christmas breaks. Let's see, a random memory includes driving to a Shadows reunion together and him telling me I was wearing more make-up than usual. We'd catch up and talk about everything under the sun, including religion, the relationships we were or had been in, what our plans were for life. We were SO DIFFERENT from each other, but it didn't really matter to our friendship. I sometimes wondered in Brian and I could ever make a legitimate couple, but I think we both knew we couldn't. Which was fine, but because we were just a little "more than friends", everything changed our junior year of college. I'd behaved badly concerning Brian over Christmas break that year and then later when I began dating my future husband, Paul, we almost completely lost touch. It happens... life moves on, people evolve and carve their path in life; and relationships change, but the memories and love stay with you.
And that's again, why I was so happy when Brian met and married Erin. Brian was admittedly horrible at keeping in touch with me via email, but I knew he was so happy living his life with his true love. I was thrilled the day I found him on facebook, but he wasn't ever very 'newsy'. Most of his status updates were about how fast he ran 6km that morning, but it was nice to know he was there. It was fun to congratulate him on running his first half marathon this year and occasionally he'd comment on one of my updates about running.
Anyway, ultimately, I want to send out my thoughts and prayers to those of us who knew this wonderful man. We are all experiencing a huge loss. I'm sad he won't be here to help raise his baby. I'm aching to imagine what kind of strength it will take for Erin to pick up the pieces and redefine herself without him. She is living my worst nightmare. I want her to know that I truly care about her and her little one. And I want to thank her for helping my friend find joy in this life. I honor Brian and his love for Erin. He was a beautiful human being in life and a true hero in death. Brian, until we meet again, I will truly miss you.
"Forever"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
