26 January 2015

Blue Friday Night Dinner

Usually the family goes out for Friday Night Dinner every Friday.  Lately, Kevin's mom hasn't been up for it so we haven't been going.  Kevin and I have both realized how much we prefer to stay at home.   We're just over eating out at restaurants.

So, the deal is that if he works on Saturday we don't go.  Or if we do go, we take a separate vehicle. Sometimes, and these are good days, Kevin just decides he doesn't want to go.

Last Friday, I texted him in the afternoon and said that I was thinking about take-out for dinner.

He writes: "I told them I would go to dinner. Sorry. I understand if you stay home"
Me: "Dude"
Him: "I know. I suck."
Him, again: "Brother bought mom a Seahawk shirt and she said she can't wait to wear it out of blue Friday night."

It turns out that she wanted to wear her Seahawks shirt for Blue Friday.  Kevin had to explain that it's Blue Friday and not Friday Night.  A person wears their Seahawks gear all day, not just to dinner.

She was SO EXCITED.

Coincidentally I had ordered a hoodie for Kevin and it arrived that afternoon.  So, I wore my hoodie and he wore his.

She was so pleased that we were all honoring Blue Friday.

Then, during dinner, she explained that she won the shirt as a bet from Kevin's brother.  Kevin was all "What, now?"  She explained that she said "If the Hawks win, then I get a shirt!"  Somewhere in her muddled brain, she has decided that she won a bet versus just making a wish for a shirt.

So, Kevin's brother bought her a shirt when they won on Sunday to settle their bet.

Now, she's looking at the sweatshirts that Kevin and I were wearing and "betting" that if they win again, she could have a sweatshirt.

This is where smart phones are invaluable.  I clicked on my Amazon app and tried to reorder the sweatshirt like Kevins.  It increased by $20 in less than a week.  Yikes.  I kept browsing and found one slightly different for less.  One-click-purchase and it will be here tomorrow. She is none-the-wiser.

Now she can really celebrate Blue Friday and the Super Bowl.




22 January 2015

Two Plates, Two Cups, Two Spoons

The kids watched movies at our house on New Year's Eve while the adults played games next door. The plan was they would watch movies and have popcorn then come down just before midnight.

We had already left when the kids dropped off the kids. I dug out every extra pillow and blanket I could find so that each kid had their own.  We were pretty specific with the Nephew and Fiancee about "rules" because we don't have a kid friendly house, really.  But there were only two instructions: no horseplay and stay out of our room and office. They've been there before and they're good kids. But there are five of them and they're kids.

The Nephew and Fiancee joined the adults after getting the kids settled.  Although Fiancee has been in our house before, getting the kids settled gave her the opportunity to really see the house.  A person doesn't feel quite so conspicuous looking around when the owners aren't there.

"It's so TINY! So clean! I kept thinking Is This REAL?" she exclaimed to us.

I just laughed because it is tiny and it is clean.  I told her "Honey, we don't have five kids like you do!"

This spun her off onto another exclamation.  "We had to get bowls out for all the kids and we opened the cupboard and there were just a few bowls and I was confused.  Then it occurred to me: there's only two of them.  Isn't that sweet?  They only have what they need. And they only need two!"

She meant it genuinely and lovingly. Being a mom who needs at least of five of everything AND make sure that one child has the green one and the other has the blue one, etc.  this probably is a dream to her.


19 January 2015

Suddenly, I Can't Concentrate

We know that I don't like medicine.  It doesn't help my attitude that I'm allergic to most everything.  But mostly, I just resent that there is a pill for everything and that it seems like the go-to for solving health concerns anymore.

When I had to begin taking nerve blockers for my leg, I was pretty hesitant about it.  But I was desperate to feel better so I took them.  Turns out, they make me stupid so I could only take them at night anyway.

The fun part of this medicine is that you're not supposed to quit it cold-turkey. They are addictive. As I take the lowest dose and only nightly, the suggestion was to alternate nights and gradually taper off.  I am not wired in a way that makes this feasible without charts and graphs and babysitting.

So, of course I bucked the recommendation and quit cold turkey last week.  I figured, like I do about most things, What's the worst that can happen?

Luckily, it hasn't been all bad.  But it's been a trip, if you will.

Firstly, I decided to go off them not only because I hate medicine but with my upcoming surgery I felt like I needed to not have anything in my system so I could truly know where I am afterward pain and mobility wise.

Wait, did I explain that I'm having an allergic reaction to my bionics and it all has to be removed? Yeah, that's fun. All the screws are loosening (insert joke here) and the tissue is rejecting the parts.  I went from planning on just getting one screw that was troublesome removed to getting all eight screws and both plates removed.  *fun*

The point of this story is that I had the displeasure of detoxing.  I understand why addicts avoid this feeling and I wasn't going through the whole process like an addict would.

The job of the medicine is the exact description of the problem and the withdrawal: nerve blockers.  It dulled the nerves in my leg so that I didn't want to saw it off all.day.long.  So when a person stops taking these, the nerves wake up and party.

I thought that I would just have issues with my leg and had kind of a game plan for coping with it. What I didn't anticipate was the whole body reaction.  I've been dizzy, like just got off the merry-go-round dizzy.  I've been hot, which is really weird because I'm never hot. I've been squirmy and a little more ADD than usual.

I remember noticing when I started taking the medicine that it slowed the ADD down a little. It was a pleasant side effect and now I'm missing that a little.  I'm not too worried about it, I just have to remember what it's like to feel "normal" for me again.

Also, I will miss the sleeping.  I used to be able to sleep through the night and now I'm back to my wide awake until 11-midnight hours and awake again around 3:00 am.  Sigh...

As I write this, it seems like there are more entries in the Pro category than the Con category.  I am probably going to need to think about this more.  Less ADD behavior and better sleep are good things.  I just wish it didn't take a pill to change those.

It will take a few weeks for everything to subside and return to normal so I do remind myself that this will level out.  This was particularly challenging when I felt like coming out of my skin while watching a movie the other night. I felt like my very own After School Special.

The shiny side is that I'm not totally miserable.  I think that I will be just fine without these meds, if the parts weren't trying to leave my body.  My hope now is that the new surgery doesn't make them necessary again.


18 January 2015

We Believe

So, you might have heard the Seahawks are returning to the Super Bowl.  Trust me, if you live in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia, there's no way not to know.

Except if you're Kevin.  With three minutes left in the game and Seahawks down by over two touchdowns, he declared himself a Fair Weather Fan and went out to the shop to work on the racecar.  I started doing my chores and ended up folding laundry in our room while watching the game. 

I am superstitious so I thought maybe this will change the game. (shut up) And it seemed to have worked.

I might have yelled.  I might have clapped.  I absolutely cursed.

Two minutes left and the Seahawks tied the game.  Unbelievable.

So, I text Kevin:
Lynch Touchdown under review.
Touchdown reversed.
Wilson touchdown.
Seahawks interception.
Lynch touchdown.

I even posted on the facebook "Holy wow Beast Mode"

He didn't answer, which was a little unusual but I thought maybe he was next door or listening and not able to respond.

And then he comes into the house and is on the phone, like the world is not exploding in excitement.  I walked out to say what the hell when he sits in his chair and looks at the screen.

His jaw dropped and his eyes got huge. "Wait, what? What is HAPPENING!?!?!  It was over. What is going on!?!?!"

I yelled "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?!  CHECK YOUR TEXTS! We're still in it!"

He was talking to one of our Canadian friends that wasn't interested in watching the game so he don't know either.  I'm all "GET OFF THE PHONE!!!"

And then we won and OMG OMG OMG.

One of the major things about Russell Wilson, the quarterback, is his steadfast gratitude. If you're unaware of who this gentleman is, look him up.  He's the person we all want to be.

So, instead of celebrating on the field, the players huddled and gave thanks in prayer.  No one disturbed them, just stood quietly by and let them finish. They're going to the Super Bowl and they're huddled together in gratitude.  After proper thanks were given, then the celebration began. 

This is who the Seahawks are. Positive. Humble.  Grateful.






16 January 2015

No Christmas Present for Them

I'd forgotten about this happening until it randomly popped in my head again.

On Christmas Eve we went to get coffee with the puppy before we had to leave on our Seattle adventure.  We always take the girls candy on Christmas Eve as a thank you gift.  Kevin handed it to them the candy and we chatted while we waited for our drinks.

We have punch cards that earn free drinks after a certain amount of punches.  Over the holidays and vacation, we usually end up with extra free drink cards.

Kevin is really good at paying it forward.  He will randomly give one of his cards away to the car behind him or the State Patrolman that comes through about the same time as he does.

So, he gestured with one of the free drink cards and said "Should we give this to the car behind us as a Merry Christmas gift?"

Distractedly, I looked in the rear view mirror and said "There's no one behind us."

Kevin sighs, like he does when I'm not paying full attention, and says "I know that but there eventually will be.  So we can do that or should we just say 'eff those guys' and that's what they get for not being here right this minute? Nice. Real nice Christmas attitude."

It was one of those moments that still makes me laugh, weeks later.

15 January 2015

It's Always the Quiet Ones

In light of recent events in the world, I've written this very gingerly.

So, I have my first official Nerf gun fight story.  It seems that exchanges break out around the tired hour (3:00 pm)  daily.  Short little bursts happen throughout the day but an all-out skirmish seems to happen about then.

Today one had broken out and almost everyone was involved, so nearly eight people.  One of the guys involved was one of the nerdy IT guys.  He's usually pretty quiet and seems very nice.  He spends a lot of time staring at video screens and on the phone.

Apparently he sassed somewhere along the way so he was taking fire.  The rule is no shooting at people while they are on the telephone.  (this rule appears to have a lot of wiggle room) Unfortunately, he had to take a phone call during the exchange.  He did the international time-out sign and sat down.

He uses a wireless headset so he can move around where he needs to when on the phone. He put his headset on and sat down at his desk.  A few minutes went by and his neighbor shot him.  He gestured at him like "Effing really?" and kept talking.

About a minute later, I watched him calmly stand up while still talking.  He quietly picked up his Nerf gun and began "So, I checked the ABCDE and if you could check the FGHIJK then..." Pew Pew Pew.

Dude picks up his nerf gun and just takes everyone out all the while having a perfectly normal conversation with the client on the phone. "Great, if that works then we can test the XYZ switch and..." Pew Pew Pew " then we can proceed onto the.." *Pew Pew Pew*.

His voice didn't waver, his demeanor never changed.  He bobbed and weaved while being shot at by those who weren't doubled-over laughing. Everyone was laughing so hard they could hardly stand.
Then he calmly sat back down like nothing ever happened and eventually finished the call.  All the while, the client is completely unaware of what's just transpired.

This just supports the cliche that it's always the quiet ones you have to keep an eye on.

07 January 2015

Let's Go to the Movies!

Santa gave me a movie gift card this year.  I thought this was a very good present, one that I've given to my nieces before because I knew they couldn't afford to go the movies..  It makes people go to the movies, instead of putting it off because it's too expensive or whatever.

This the part where I say that I hate going to the movies.  Hate it.  Obviously, Santa didn't know this.  The way I am wired, it's just too difficult to concentrate.  People bug me.  It's too loud.  Don't sit so close to me, jeez.

I wrote about this a few years ago, the last time I went to the movies.  We sat next to a teenager who was trying to impress his date with his not witty and not clever comments THROUGHOUT the whole movie.  I told him to be quiet, Kevin told him to be quiet. The person behind him told him. Unfortunately for the rest of us, he was the funniest guy in the room.  When we left after the movie finished, I stood up and leaned toward him, and said "You owe your mother an apology."  Kevin just walked away, laughing.

Anyway.  The point being is that it's been years since Kevin and I went to the movies together. I had to go look it up, it was 2009.

The city where I work just built a brand new multiplex.  It's really, really nice.  Well, look:



Isn't that something?  It's a nice mix of old and new.  It's huge, you can't quite tell that from the photo. 16 theaters are behind that facade.

It was nice adventure from the beginning to end.  I actually felt excited to experience it. It felt like being a kid at the movies for the first time, so much had changed. I could remember going to the movies the first time (Snow White, with my eldest brother, I think I was six or so) and marveling at the whole place.

While Kevin was just happy to have me at the movies with him.



This is the lobby/concession area.  This is where I started to get overwhelmed. The reader board above the counters are television screens that scroll the menu, advertisements, and movie times. It felt like something out of a movie (haha, get it?)  I leaned into Kevin and said "I feel really old standing here.  All this newfangled technology surrounding me.

One of the things that I don't like, along with every single other American, is the cost of the food.  We had two dollars left over from the gift card and we still paid $18 for two sodas and one bucket of popcorn. $18!!  

There was also a sign at the ticket-taker booth stating that large bags, etc. aren't allowed.  I, of course, was a little eye-rolly because we just paid $18 dollars for food.  Then it also occurred to me that now they're worried about guns as well.  Sigh...




This is the theater that we actually sat in.  See that railing? We sat right there, next to the stairs.  We chose exactly the right movie because the theater was nearly empty.  It was a Christmas miracle!

We watched The Gambler with Mark Wahlberg.  I think he could stand in an empty room and read the phone book and it would come out in the accent of "Eff you."  I do enjoy him.
Oh, the movie was good too.

I might consider going again.  The theater is so nice and if we go to the matinee, it's less busy and I'll not hate so many people.



A Team Builder, in a Weird Way

So, I was asked by Life of a Doctor's Wife about the nerf guns at my new work.  It's a strange thing, really, as I'm sure you all think.  I don't know about the origin of how it came about.  My suspicions are around one of the owners sons, who seems to be the instigator 90% of the time.  (this instigator once army-crawled across the office to surprise someone...he's over six feet tall)

Everyone has a nerf gun.  It seems that some of the people have different kinds of bullets though. One set of them whistles, another travels like a curve ball. Someones are colored by sharpie.

Some people hardly use their guns.  It's like a personality type determination test.  I haven't used mine; being the new girl, it feels weird.  I do foresee using it though.  I owe the Instigator a few shots as I was caught in the crossfire, twice.

The pattern seems to be that the gunfights break out in the afternoon, about the time that everyone falls into that lull that happens around 2:30.  Everyone is quietly working then you hear the "thwack" of the gun and usually a giggle or a "Dude!" followed by more "thwacks".

It's funny to watch people's reactions when they don't work here and a melee breaks out.  Think salesmen, repairmen, new hires.  One of the new people was trying to complete paperwork as nerf bullets are whizzing by him.  Yesterday I took a call and when I said that the person was unavailable, the man on the phone asked if he was taking fire.

It appears to be a stress reliever and strangely a team builder.  When bullets land near me, I usually collect them then return them to the two girls whose desks seem to be the front line. Thus building an alliance. (I've watched Survivor)

The tech guys don't have them, as they're working out of the building most of the day I'm guessing.  I've seen them steal/borrow guns and join in at the end of the day though.  I always enjoy that part of the day.

Actually the way my desk is located I am out of the fray most times, save the occasional misfires that wing bullets my direction.  Again being the new girl, I think some are uncertain to shoot at me just yet.  I'm sure that will pass before too long.

(P.S. Life of a Doctor's Wife: I think she bought the Sheldon pen online.  Ebay, maybe?  CBS Store?)

02 January 2015

The Gift of the Magi

Everyone had kind of a rough year financially so Kevin's family decided for the adults to not exchange gifts.  When we were first together, it was a big extravagant process with stockings and presents from everyone.  Over the years it has gotten pared down to choosing a single name, buying for all the kids, and your spouse.  This year, presents were only for the kids and your spouse.

Kevin and I usually give each other two gifts, one at each family's houses.  This year, we were non-committal because we've reached the age where we don't need anything per se or what we want are big ticket items.

When I did my Christmas shopping on Amazon, I ordered the West Wing dvd set.  I figured it could be a present for the both of us but I would wrap it up for Kevin.  So, there was one present done.

When we were in Vegas, there weren't any event hoodies left to buy and Kevin was really disappointed.  I had to wait for the email saying they were in and it was getting close to being too late so I was starting to fret a little. Finally, just in time, the email arrived and I ordered one.  The next day I received another email for a different sweatshirt so I ordered that as well.  Okay, now I'm done with him.

Then, at dinner, Kevin asked about presents.  I told him that I didn't go big and to not worry about it too much.  I mentioned that we don't really need or want for much at this age.  He said that there was one thing that he wanted last year and didn't get.

Yeah, that feeling...the disappointment and dread.  I sat there hoping it was something I could order quickly.  He wanted a bug shield for his truck.  I had totally forgotten about it.  I had it saved on his wish list and everything and I still forgot.

I waited for him to fall asleep then grabbed my phone to order it.  Thank sweet baby jesus for the Amazon app and Amazon Prime.  I ordered it and it was due to be delivered the 23rd.  Cutting it close but I can roll with it.

So, I told Kevin's parents that it was arriving on the 23rd and could they please tackle the UPS guy and hide it at their house.  Yes, for sure.

The 23rd came and no present.  All day.  I was starting to panic.  We ate dinner and I was doing the dishes when I heard a truck.  They didn't come to our door though.  Soon, Kevin's dad called to say that a package ("From Vegas" he whispered into the phone) was dropped off.  It was his sweatshirts and not the shield.
I went over and got it, just to make sure.  As I came in the door, Kevin happened to be in the kitchen.  "What's that?" he asked.  "Um, well, it's, um, something for the niece. I totally forgot about it."

Half an hour passed and I was doing laundry, which is thankfully where the back door is.  Kevin is in the living room, cozy in his chair with the puppy, out of sight.  I heard a truck and immediately broke into a flop sweat.

Sure enough, they knocked on the door.  The puppy freaks out and I'm silently hoping Kevin just stays put.  It was the UPS guy and he had two boxes.  One was our magician's magic kit and the other was the shield.

The box for the shield was over six feet tall.  What.the.hell do I do with that?

We live in a tiny house so hiding places are non-existent. I stood in the laundry room like a Stooge, going back and forth trying to figure out where in the world I was going to hide this.  Laid across the washer & dryer? No. In the coat closet? big no.  In the office?  No place to put it. *bad words*  I couldn't sneak it next door because I'd already been over there and lied my face off to Kevin.

Finally, I thrust it in the extra bathroom shower.  Kevin rarely uses that bathroom and I knew it was super unlikely he would shower in there in the next 24 hours.  That would have to do.

We went to bed and I was still trying to figure it out.  Because of our trip to Seattle, I couldn't get it next door without being noticed.  I didn't have time to wrap it and even if I did, it wouldn't fit under the tree and he would know what it was.  Finally I just decided that I was going to put a bow on it and figure it out on Christmas morning.

Kevin always gets up before me because he's one of those annoying morning people.  I heard him in the shower and wondered what I was going to do with his present.

After he got halfway dressed, I told him "I couldn't shower in the other room, there's something in the shower and it's freaking me out."  (this is no lie, really)  He knows I'm not the kind of person that freaks out over bugs so he was a little concerned.

I hear the shower curtain move and a startled "Oh, sh*t! What is that? Oh....Totally Cool!"

So, I win.  Whew!

Three presents for him didn't go unnoticed.  He worried a few times that I felt bad but I assured him that I was fine. I've bought two books since then so I figure we're even.