It's in the eye of the beholder

You know that saying "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder?"

I really love that saying. We can see beauty everywhere. When I was single, I saw the world one way. When I married, my views shifted a bit. Once I had children, I often was amazed by what THEY saw.

The kids and I went to a Children's Museum the other day. And one of the things that the museum is trying to do is educate children on how to recycle. That simple things around us can be used to create art.

You see this pretty stuff?


The stuff behind the Princess?


It's an entire 3-story wall of CD's. Pretty, no?



What we also found something really neat was outside the museum.

I know these look like long plain sticks, but take a closer look.


See? Flowers!


Made of soda cans!


Spending time with my kids makes me see things differently. I'm more in awe of what's around me. And that's saying a lot for this self-professed type-A personality.

What pieces of beauty did your children point out to you this week that you wouldn't otherwise have looked twice at?

It's all about the details

When people ask me about stuff, I try to make sure I'm answering their question. I listen to what they're saying. I read their email all the way through. Then I reply. I don't glaze over what someone is saying. I don't skim through their words. Because doing that? You miss what they're trying to get at. You end up not answering their inquiry.

The other day I told you about the surprise party birthday for my BIL that my MIL/SIL were planning. The Hubs responded saying that we'd be busy with the Bear's opening day baseball activities on that day. Turns out that IS opening day. So I asked the Hubs about where and what time the surprise party was at. He didn't know. And I obviously didn't know. So last night I broke down and wrote an email.

Email I wrote to my MIL and SIL:
We (the Hubs and I) have no idea what's going on for David's party.

Could one of you tell us the where and when of the "surprise" party?

The Bear actually does have opening day on March 27th, so we'd like to get an idea of the timeframe of what's being put together.

MIL wrote back:
Long story short, he suspected S (his wife) was having a party for him so it's no longer a surprise.  The family only (cousins and aunts and uncles included) get together will be at their house (it was going to be there all along, we were going to get him out of the house) and everything is still status quo for the 27th, nothing's changed.

People? I see that she wrote WHERE the party would be. But the when? The time? Anyone see that in her response? Wasn't I CLEAR about what I wanted? I think I was. Am I crazy?


And another thing...yesterday I wrote another email to my MIL about meeting up to hand-off the kids. MIL wrote me back last night.

My response:
The Starbucks I am referring to is just up the steps from California Pizza Kitchen. It's right where they have the valet parking in the covered area outside the food court. I chose it because it's got easy access with loads of parking all around so we don't have to go into the mall.

MIL wrote back:
Thanks, which entrance is it nearest to, like which anchor store should I park near?

It's like she's never been to that mall. Which she has. It's like she doesn't know where the food court is. [banging head against desk] THIS is what I have to deal with.

A Starbucks is easy to find via a phone call or internet search. The info on a party, on the other hand, is only known by the folks throwing the party. You know? SHE wants details from me but doesn't provide us with any details.

Y'all? I'm going to IGNORE her inquiry. I'm finishing up packing and driving up there this morning. I'm just going to tell her that I didn't have time to log into email. She can just call me tomorrow morning as she's driving to the Starbucks. HA!

But for now? I've gotta get some coffee in my system. It's going to be an interesting day with the kids!

Obviously not detective material

Tomorrow the kids and I are headed up 1.5 hours to spend the day in another city. We're actually going to hit the Children's Museum. It's a much larger one than what we've got here in our little city. I'm planning on making an entire day of it, so we're spending the night up there.

Not sure if you've been following my Tweets, but I was perturbed earlier this week about how when we mentioned to my ILs a couple weeks ago that the kids would be on Spring Break this week that my MIL said she'd take the kids on Friday for an overnight. Then my BIL and his wife would take them Saturday night. So out of a 10 day period, the kids would be with the Hubs family only 2 nights.

I don't know about your own families, but if MY Mom heard the kids were on break and she lived close by she'd want the kids at least 3 to 4 days. So imagine how disappointed I was to hear about my MILs plans. I mean, she isn't working since she got laid off about 1.5 years ago. She's been sending out her resume and has had one interview. She does watch my BILs son one day a week (Tuesdays). But that's it. No other real commitments. [shrugging shoulders]

Since the kids are on break and I did want to do something "fun" with them outside the norm I decided to plan this little trip. And since we'd be up there where my ILs live, I asked the Hubs to ask his Mom to meet us at a Starbucks close to the freeway to do the hand-off of the kids on Friday morning.

Hubs wrote:
Grace wants to spend Thursday doing things with the kids there in the Valley.  She's going to stay overnight in a hotel with them.  Grace would like to have you meet her at the Starbucks at the C Mall around 10am on Friday and then you take the kids from there.  Please confirm this will work for you.

MIL wrote:
Son, this is perfect. Just checked and it says Starbucks is inside Great Indoors at the C Mall, is this the right place?  The mall usually opens at 10 so I will be there.

Hubs wrote:
Yes, I believe that is the correct Starbucks.  Suggest you call Sharon on her cell when you are on your way to make sure you can find each other. 

MIL wrote:
Hi I just called the number shown for Starbucks inside Great Indoors and that was not correct. Grace, I checked again and they told me they were nearest the Harkins Theaters, I will call your cell Friday morning when I'm leaving and just reconfirm,

My response:
The Starbucks I am referring to is just up the steps from California Pizza Kitchen. It's right where they have the valet parking in the covered area outside the food court. I chose it because it's got easy access with loads of parking all around so we don't have to go into the mall.

People? Up where my MIL stated that she "just checked and it says Starbucks is inside Great Indoors"? I have NO IDEA where she did her checking. The Great Indoors? That place is ACROSS THE STREET from the Mall in a totally different strip mall.

What's amazing to me? My MIL was an Executive Assistant for about 20+ years at a national NEWSPAPER. I'm sure she's had to perform research of one type of another at some point during her career. And she couldn't find the Starbucks at the Mall? No wonder she still doesn't have a job.

Stuff that makes me C-R-A-Z-Y

It's Spring Break in my neck of the woods.

Yes. It's Wednesday and my kids are still alive!

I've made a deal with them that in the mornings I need to work and then by lunchtime we could go out and do simple things. Like errands!

Yesterday we actually headed out to the new park in our area that opened up about 2 weeks ago. We spent about 1.5 hours there. They mostly played on the climbing equipment and chased each other so that was nice.

Today? We got the oil changed out in my car. We went to get gas. And we topped it off by stopped by the library.

It was on our outing that I went stir-crazy. My kids didn't drive me crazy. It was the adults around me.

Was it YOU at the CostCo gas station in front of me pulling the hose from the pump that was on the right side of your car to your where your gas tank is on the LEFT side of your car? Oh yeah. And (for those of you who know CostCo) you didn't park close enough to the pump so that I could squeeze through in the middle of the aisle. Yeah. I was stuck. You couldn't take that hose out of your car so that I could squeeze through. You just kept your wide-body in the middle of the aisle pumping away like the world revolved around you. The world? It doesn't. If my kids weren't in there, I may have reacted differently. Less calmly. But inside? I was seething with all kinds of vile words. Seriously. Vile. Gross. Words.

Or were you the gal talking on your cell phone in the kid section of the library. I heard every word of your conversation. EVERY. DARN. WORD. It's funny how when you were finishing up your conversation you readjusted your sitting position and looked up. And saw me staring at you straight in your face. Funny how you ended up adjusting yourself so that the sculpture in the middle of the room blocked your entire body from me.
Were you embarrassed about your behavior? You didn't want me to continue staring at your blatant disregard for others around you in the library?

But what didn't catch me by surprise was that the kids at the computers, the ones who were chatting away like they were at home? That they belonged to you. Yeah. I guess they learned by your example that the library is just another place to talk in loud voices. But what made me almost laugh out loud? Was when you finally "shushed" them when they started getting exponentially louder. And? They barely toned it down. [shaking head] I'm not saying my kids are angels? But when they were little and we started visiting the library I taught them to use their "inside" voice in the library.

Ay-yay-yay!

The bitch session is now concluded.

Onto something more fun...here is what the kids were climbing on.




Can you see the SNOW on the top of that small mountain behind the Princess?


Here's a shot of the covered play area with slides and a couple swings at our new park.


See these puny little twigs that they call trees? In a couple years these things will be about 15 feet tall and will create quite a bit of shade.

And I'll do this....and you do that...

Some folks are big on parties. I'm not a big party person. I can take it or leave it. I guess I just don't like the organizing of a party the most.

Well, my BILs birthday is fast approaching. The other weekend when we were visiting my ILs, my MIL talked to us about this plan of hers to celebrate my BILs birthday.


MIL: Okay. He doesn't want a party but we're throwing him one anyway since it'll be his 40th. 

SIL: But how do we throw him off? 

MIL: I'll send out an email saying I want it to get together on March 27th. Then you both (SIL and the Hubs) will respond that you can't make it that day and suggest the next weekend. That's Easter weekend, so say we can celebrate both. 

SIL: Okay. 

Hubs: Okay. 

MIL: That'll throw him off. So when S (BIL's wife) takes him out to dinner on the 27th he won't think anything of it since we'll all be getting together the next weekend.


Fine and dandy right?

But that's not the way it worked out....


MIL's email sent Mar12th @ 8:11am

Can we celebrate D's birthday on March 27th?

Let me know if that works for you, we'll let D pick the restaurant.


BIL's email sent Mar12th @ 8:17am

Sounds good to me, I don’t think we have plans that day.  I was thinking Tepanyaki, but maybe Oregano’s or Macayo’s would be better.  I’ll let you know.


Hubs email sent Mar12th @ 6:38pm

No can do on the 27th.  It's opening day for baseball and there are events most of the afternoon.  Let's do the following weekend.


MIL's email sent Mar12th @ 10:41pm

Bummer!  The following weekend is Easter.  We can have Easter dinner here early on Sunday, April 4.  Or plan b would be to just do Saturday, April 3 (we could also toast to the wedding anniversary couple).  We'll make it work, sorry it just won't be 3-27.

Just let me know about the following weekend and what your plans are.


BIL's email sent Mar13th @ 9:47am

We're going to S's mom's Easter probably.

We can just do 3-27 and catch up with the C clan (Hubs, me and the kids) in the spring.


Yeah. Our part of the "family" got kicked to the curb. For someone who supposedly didn't want any type of party, my BIL didn't protest much, eh? And where the heck was my SIL's response in all this that she couldn't make the gathering either? She had all day on March 12th to chime in.

The Hubs is totally staying out of it now. He did his "part" in the whole ploy just like his Mom asked. Too bad his sister didn't follow through. But we're not surprised about it.

The Hubs now knows how "important" we are in his brother's eyes. Yeah. Kick us to the curb. We got the message. Maybe now the Hubs knows how I feel whenever when I'm with his family...

Kinda healthy?

We'd all sat down for dinner tonight and since it was sunny outside we had our shutters open.

You may recall that our backyard has open fencing and we've got an expanse of "natural" landscaping behind our house. Past the landscaping is the other side of the block that contains a sidewalk.

Like I said, it was still sunny when we sat down to eat. All of a sudden the Hubs starts cracking up.

Hubs: You've gotta love it.

Me: What's up?

Hubs: There's a lady out there taking a walk.

Me: Okay. It's nice outside.

Hubs: She's taking a walk while she's smoking and carrying a Big Gulp.

Me: She is? [I turn around to see]

Hubs: You see that? She just put out her cigarette in the street.

Me: Oh...

Hubs: I can just imagine her thinking that she's being healthy by taking a walk. But there she is smoking and carrying that big soda with her.

And yes. She was totally smoking and littered by stepping on her leftover butt in the street. And we could tell that she was carrying a soda because of the way the sun hit the Big Gulp that she was drinking either a Coke/Pepsi. But hey! It might have been a DIET soda too. Kind of healthy, right?

The latest new expression

Surgical field?

That's the BEST expression I've heard in ages.

Even better?

A little NATURE in the surgical field!

I was rolling earlier when I watched the latest episode from the show that made Va-Jay-Jay a public word.

This was a funny episode rather than a depressing one.

Loved it.

I've been gone and quiet

I've been bogged down by life.

I've let life get me down.

And I'm trying to make some changes.

Just last month I mentioned that I was disillusioned with my job. While things have calmed down just a wee bit in the last few weeks, it's still kind of up in the air. Do this. Do that. And when take the time to do "this" and "that"? There's someone else wondering what the status on the regular stuff I do. [sigh]

I'm searching high and low for a new job. And where am I searching? Not here where I live. I'm searching in "America's Finest City". Yes. I'm hoping to find a job there. I mean, if I'm going to look for a new job I might as well look there. I'm also checking around for jobs that my husband can do.

Since the kids are fast approaching the end of 3rd quarter, they'll be off on summer vacation soon enough. Yes. Most of your kids haven't had Spring Break yet, and I'm already thinking of summer. My kids actually start their Spring Break this Friday afternoon. Yes, they do!

I'm wondering how much of an obstacle it is for hiring managers to even consider someone in my position. Someone who lives in one city but wants a job in another. I'm not asking for relocation help. The Hubs and I would move on our own if we need to. But it seems like no one wants to get past my physical address. So me? I'm leaving that off my resume. I'm just putting my phone number down. Like they wouldn't notice the area code, right? But I'm hoping they'll get down the experience section before realizing that bit of info. Hopeful, aren't I?

I mean, I've got my family out there. I've got a place to stay if I need to start a job soon. Then the kids could move once the school year is done and stay with my Mom during the day all summer. And the Hubs could move out once he lands a job.

[sigh]

Again. Our plan is wishful thinking. That's how we hope it'll all work out. But when do big plans in your life actually work out like you envision? Yeah. I'm expecting lots of bumps in the road. Like normal.

But I must tell you that the kids and I did have a lovely trip out to see my family last month. Yes. A quick trip out for just the three of us. Even though I had to do all the driving and getting the kids ready and cleaned and all that? It was so fun.