Normality...kinda...I guess...I mean, what is normal? lol
So, I realized I never shared how the van came out. I came home from the play and David told me that it was all put back together except for the throttle cables connecting the throttle body. That was the last thing and he was so done...told me I'd have to put it back together. For all you non-car people like me, that's what hooks up to make your gas pedal actually do anything. It's just a bit obnoxious fitting the cables back on in the right order...and by that time of the day, his aggravation level had been completely met! He said it started...but I couldn't go anywhere until I hooked them back up...and then, at 4 in the morning, he headed to NJ...thanks babe! lol! Anyways...I managed to hook it up in no time...no biggie...like a tiny two piece puzzle.
those are the cables on the left...and on the right is what they hook up to.
It's funny, I know nothing about cars...really...but I've worked on them way more then I ever thought I would. David's always calling me out to disconnect these plugs that you have to hold down the clasp and take them apart...the electrical connections. He's rotten at them...and I can usually get them pretty quickly. Oh, oh oh! I forgot...while taking a bolt off the back of the intake manifold (my hand fit better than his) I dropped a ratchet...and we couldn't find it! Luckily, David couldn't make fun of me too much, since he'd already done the same thing...but had better luck in that it fell all the way through to the ground. I'm scraping my hand all up trying to reach down in the tight space back there...no go. Couldn't see it or feel it. So, needed to figure out how to get that out before driving it anywhere too...wouldn't do to have that come flying out while I'm driving. Unfortunately, we had a snow day on Monday, so wasn't a great time to drive the van up on ramps to look for it. The next day, Dad and I put it up and I was able to see the ratchet. The driveway was still a bit snowy...so I was a little scared...I slithered under, got it out as fast as I could...couldn't budge it at first, but then I manages to loosen it and get out of there! hahaha...but anyways...after that, I drove it around to test it out. It was a little sluggish at first...but once it warmed up it's been driving like nothing ever happened. Whew!!! Glad it was a (relatively) easy fix...if extremely aggravating. Gotta admit, it is nice that David knows about cars and can take of stuff like that! Now, if only he's finish changing the rest of the brake pads out! :P
Because of the van, David wasn't able to take Red One paintballing...so I told her I'd take her to get her pedicure that week. I had bought her a gift certificate for her birthday...but we hadn't redeemed it yet. So Tuesday night just the two of us headed out. I've only ever been once myself...but it's so much fun and so relaxing I couldn't wait. There was no one there when we first got there. They have these massage chairs...aaahhhhh...so good! Poor Red One was super nervous though...had a hard time relaxing. She didn't know what they were doing to her! hahaha...poor baby. She enjoyed it...but thought it was kinda weird too. lol...the lady even painted flowers on her toes. Super cute!
Then we got Chipotle's afterwards...yum!
We got another snow storm on Wednesday...about a foot! Ugh...I am not cut out for this! I have to admit though...it is super nice to have Papa around. He's out there snowblowing and shoveling. So much nicer...as I'm usually the one doing that chore. I mean, I go out and help him, but he really does do most of it. Thanks Dad!!! I mean, of course I'm glad he's around for more than just the snow clearing...hahaha...but it's a nice perk! The kids had two snow days last week. They went sledding at Auntie Kim's house a bunch. We even made maple snow candy...they loved that!
Looks a little weird, but basically you boil the syrup down a bit...then pour it over the snow to harden. I remember reading about that in the Little House on the Prairie series...but had never done it before. Fun!
Here's my Buddy being adorable section ;)
Have you ever seen such a cute face?!?!?! David wanted me to send him some new pics of Buddy with his mohawk...it took many tries for me to get him still enough for the pic to come out ;)
Buddy actually took a pic of his lunch with my phone...lol...where did he even get that idea??? So of course, like anyone else would, I Instagrammed it! bwahahaha
He came up to me and said "Look at my mustache!" I didn't have the heart to tell him it was on the wrong side of his mouth :)
Red Three had her first confession on Saturday. She was a little scared...it's so funny to see them go up all shy and nervous and then come back with the biggest smile on their face! It was really cool...at this church, the kids had to make a "fine garment" that they would put on after their confession. It was from the parable the Prodigal Son...when the son came home and his father forgave him and gave him a fine garment, and a ring and a feast. So she got to pick out some fabric to decorate to put on afterwards. They even gave all the kids little rings afterwards. I thought it was such a great way to drive home how much the Father loves us and forgives us.
David tried to take Red One paint-balling afterwards...but the field was closed. He was a bit steamed, as they brag about being open all year. He wound up taking her to a different field on Sunday. They had a lot of fun...but really they're gonna have to wait a while to play again. With the temps so cold the guns really don't want to work right. Not to mention, it's a bit miserable...lol...I sure wasn't gonna go watch them in that! But at least they had fun.
A few weeks ago I found some adorable dress shirts with ties on clearance at H&M for Buddy...and some really cute converse style sneakers. My favorite is this blue one with rocket ships, UFOs and planets all over it and a blue bowtie. Buddy was looking snazzy for church on Sunday!
Kim invited me over to breakfast with some other friends this morning. We had such a great time talking, laughing, and eating! They were even asking about my blog (I've been less than prolific lately :/)...so a shout out to Heather, Anna, Carey, Sarah, and Kim! hahahahahah ;) You made the blog! Thanks for having us today Kim!!! It was so much fun hanging out with all you lovely ladies! Then Sarah twisted our arms to go with her to Christmas Tree Shop (haha...not really! I mean, I'm always up for shopping!) I actually scored really cool artwork for my wall...I was super excited about it!
lol...I'm realizing I don't have any Red Two pics to post for this week...I'll have to make sure to have a 2-centric post soon! lol
Tomorrow we are heading to Sloan in NYC for an MRI and then a check up with David's oncologist. Please keep us in prayer that things haven't changed. I'm really hoping that if everything is still normal that maybe we can start going less frequently. We'll see though. Yeah, I'll have gray on...so expect an outfit post ;)
Dave took this great pic of Sarah, Kim and I when we had our dinner together last month. I meant to post it last time, but forgot. These are just about my favorite people in the world! Love my girlfriends!
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
January...not much to do outside...but loads of geeky fun ;)
As awesome as my husband is...he's not known for his gift giving prowess...lol...I've pretty much gotten used to either not getting anything for Christmas/birthdays from him...or else he orders something on that day and it comes much later. Used to bother the heck out of me...now I'm used to it...there are certainly much worse things! And then of course, he makes up for it some years by getting me something ridiculously extravagant (albeit late)! A Coach purse and $300.00 perfume come to mind. Something in the middle might be better...haha...but, anyways, we weren't even sure Christmas was gonna happen this year. Thankfully all that was sorted...and he decided to get me a tablet! I've been wanting one for ages! I really didn't care what I got, as long as it was a large screen, 10 or 11 inches. He, of course, was very much concerned about the stats...it had to be up to his standards. Anyways, he did a bit of research...found one with whatever quad-core processor, RAM, speed, I dunno, I just smile and nod ;) I was so stinking excited when it came in the mail...love those Amazon boxes! ;) It is super duper cool and I absolutely love it! David got me a cool blue leather case for it too. It's perfect for browsing Pinterest, checking Facebook, playing games...etc. Thanks a million babe!
I know I mentioned it before, but David's been working out of town in NJ for a while...he's home on weekends, which is good though. He actually went and saw The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug while he was gone without me!!! The nerve! So of course, I had to go see it...our theater has discounted tickets on Tuesdays, so Rachel and I went to see it then. I really enjoyed it. The Hobbit is truly the book that got me hooked on all things fantasy and sci/fi. I actually used to be terrified by it...my brother used to try to get me to read it, and I refused for years. We had a picture book of the Hobbit with pictures from the old cartoon, and it scared the crap out of me when I was little. Bilbo was actually the freakiest thing in it to me, more than Gollum even.
Anyways, it scarred me and I wouldn't read the book for ages. I finally did when I was 13 and became a die-hard Tolkien fan. I've read the whole series 13 times I think, along with the Silmarillion a few times and various other works. Actually, now that I think about it, I'm way past due to reread them. I used to do it every year or two, but I think it's been several now. Hmmm....anyways, back to the present, the movie! Loved it..I mean, I think Peter Jackson's LOTR movies were better, more canon...but I still enjoy the world he created and the stories he's brought to life. It was fun to see Legolas again...I didn't mind the addition of Tauriel to the story (many purists hated that!) and Thranduil was just over the top fun. And don't get me started on Smaug!!! Y'all know I'm a big Benedict Cumberbatch fan! And he did awesome...that voice! wowsers. I loved the way they portrayed the Necromancer as well! (also Benedict :) Overall, it was a really fun time, good movie, I highly recommend it.
On a super cool side note, Google made an interactive map of Middle Earth. It's so realistic, and has a bunch of cool games and fun facts. Check it out!
Speaking of my brother...I've mentioned he's in the Army and is stationed overseas in Qatar for a year. He's been over there for a few months, and I just now finally sent him a care package! I'm a terrible sister! Things have been crazy, but still, that's awful. He still loves me though! ;) don't ya, bro? right? right? ....crickets....
Our dear friends Dave and Sarah are in the middle of a cancer battle like we are. Well, it's never really the same, everyone's experience is so different, but being able to relate to the same types of doctor's visits, similar treatments, surgeries, etc..there is much in common. I know I've shared how about a year after my David's initial diagnosis, our friend Dave was unfortunately cast into the cancer boat as well. It hasn't been an easy journey...cancer is life sucking not just for the patient, but for the spouse, and family as well. Not trying to throw a pity party...but it really is something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy (if I had one ;) let alone my best friend!...anyways...one of the omnipresent scourges of a cancer diagnosis is the overwhelming medical bills. We have been supremely blessed that David had amazing medical insurance from his union...and still...ouch! Without the subsidy from his Indian tribe for medical fees, we'd definitely be in much worse straits! Unfortunately, Dave's insurance is not as good...and the bills are really starting to pile up. One of their friends set up a fundraiser to try to help out a bit. With their permission, I'm posting the info to y'all...I hope that anyone who feels led would think about donating to this wonderful family!
One of the many things I had been looking forward to in January was the release of Sherlock season 3. This is one of the most amazing TV series ever!
More like mini movies...each episode is 90 minutes, and some of the sharpest, wittiest writing out there. Not to mention the acting is incredible, thanks for Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman...beautiful cinematography, even the score is wonderful! Anywho...the Sherlock fandom is known on Tumblr to be a bit insane...lol...and the two year wait we've had since season 2 had been almost unbearable. It didn't help that Martin Freeman had been cast as Bilbo in the Hobbit...and Benedict had seen his star power increase and was offered roles in Star Trek Into Darkness, and many other movies (including the Hobbit as well...haha)...and Stephen Moffat and Mark Gatiss, the writers and creators are also writers and showrunners for Doctor Who...anyways, it all combines to make a delay inevitable. But, the wait was almost over.
It airs first in the UK and in the US a few weeks later. However, people were posting all kinds of stuff on Pinterest about the first episode and I wondered how. Come to find out, there is a nifty little extension to Chrome called Hola that lets you unblock BBC content so you can watch the show online ahead of time. WOOHOO!!!! I was so super thrilled, you seriously can't even imagine! If you still haven't seen any or all of the new episodes...SPOILERS ahead! And really, are you living under a rock?!?!
I mean, come on, even DQ believes!
So, episode 1, Sherlock is back! alive...Watson's pissed...and then we got treated to multiple versions of how he survived...some of which cracked me up...most of the time I was just kinda like "Whaaa.....??????"
Watson's moustache was not approved of...hahaha
Friends hug you when you return from the dead...best friends try to send you back!
Then episode 2 was all about John's wedding and how gobsmacked Sherlock was to be not only his best man, but that John said he was his best friend. That best man's speech was epic and cringe inducing, embarrassing and hilarious...and just the best thing ever! And, he even prevents a murder...go Sherlock!
Best line in the whole season, IMO!
Although, this moment came close! hahahaha
By this point, everyone was in dread of what was going to happen in the third episode. We knew it had all been too good to be true, something dire and tragic was bound to happen!
And true to form, Moffat did not disappoint. This episode was the most unbelievable, twisty, turny heart-pounding episode I've ever watched! I've never gotten into a show the way I did this one. I literally screamed at the computer, surprised I didn't' wake up the kids...paced the floor...called my sister-in-law at 11 o'clock at night to see if she'd watched it yet (she hadn't)...freaked out on her and said she had to right that instant. It was insane! lol...and the ending credits scene???? I flipped!!!!
What the??? How the???? Aaaaaggghhhhh!!!!!
I warned you, SPOILERS!!!
And then, the thrill and high wore off...and depression sets in...hiatus (or as us Supernatural fans call it, hellatus)
Taking this rumor with a grain of salt and mountain of hope! lol
Meanwhile, in the real world, life just kept on carrying on, like nothing had happened! LOL...I actually met a new friend at MOPS because she's a giant Sherlock fan as well! Us fangirls have got to stick together! Anyways, a bunch of my friends were talking about signing up for the Color Me Rad 5K...not really a race, just a really fun event. Basically you run or walk a 5K and pelt each other and get pelted with powder paint. Looks like a lot of fun...so I signed up! I needed a little extra motivation to get into better shape, and this should do the trick! It'll be in April, so I've got a little time to get ready ;)
Unfortunately, the van started driving really weird...kinda stuttering when I'd push the gas pedal. It was fine in park, but as soon as I started to go anywhere, it just didn't want to. Then the engine light started flashing at me....ugh! with David out of town, wasn't quite sure what to do...I knew he'd probably be able to fix it...but in the meantime I just got a rental. He figured it was either the coil packs or the alternator...we wound up ordering this little bluetooth gizmo that hooks up under the dash to read the engine code. It's really cool, cuz you run a program on your phone or tablet and it tells you the error code. Turns out it was a misfire on cylinder 3...which stunk! because cylinder 3 is under the intake manifold, which makes it a huge deal of unfun work! The parts didn't arrive that weekend though...so I had to wait for this weekend for him to fix it. It didn't help at all that last weekend I came down with strep throat! I haven't had a sore throat since I got my tonsils taken out when I was 18! and let me tell you, getting strep in your thirties is a whole different ballgame than getting it as a kid!
Red One had her friend birthday party last Friday...and I was fine that day...I'd had a cold for a couple days, but nothing that I even really noticed. She had a lot of fun, her good friend from church and her best friend from school came over. They decorated cakes, watched Doctor Who and generally had a great time. I wound up going to bed early because I was starting to feel terrible! Saturday morning, I was in horrible shape. I haven't been that sick in a really long time! I seem to come down with bronchitis pretty much every autumn, but this was way worse. It was terribly painful plus I was getting body aches, fever, etc...I was kinda worried I had the flu. And of course, every time I get sick, I'm always worried about passing it on to David. I know it wasn't the homecoming he envisioned driving back from NJ...lol...Anyways, I went to the doctor and the test came back positive for strep. I downed Dayquil and Nyquil by the gallon it seemed, sprayed my throat with Chloraseptic...slept as much as I could...didn't' really get out of bed all that day...finally started feeling better on Sunday as the antibiotics kicked in. I still can't believe David didn't catch it. Of course, all the girls did...but again, as I was telling my mom, they're made to get sick. It barely slowed them down, thankfully.
Here's something y'all ain't gonna believe. David totally took advantage of me basically being out of my mind sick and decided it was a good idea to time his paintball gun on Saturday, in our bedroom! He actually had a little bit of a plan, it just didn't work. He had a laundry basket in there, covered it with a towel and started shooting. The very first paintball went right through the towel. My room was covered in paint! I couldn't believe it...at the time I was too out of it to think straight, much less protest. But the next day or so...I was just in disbelief! Bwahahahaha...it was even on the ceiling! And of course, who left it when he went back to NJ for me to clean up???? That's right...that naughty man! lol
My phone came in that weekend too! Let me tell you, I've basically had a third world phone for about a year. Between Buddy and me taking it out of its case because it frustrated me...that thing was in bad shape! The touch screen only worked 50% of the time, you couldn't press anything right in the middle of the screen. Other times it functioned perfectly. The case had strips torn off of it, courtesy of Buddy. David would get so mad at it every time he borrowed it. I finally got a replacement. I really didn't care what I got, since I had my tablet now...but since we have the smart phone plan I got another one. It's SO nice to have a completely working phone!!! I forgot they're supposed to actually work! hahaha I even have all my ringtones and text notification sounds set up...all either Sherlock, Doctor Who, Supernatural, or Loki sounds! :D
And there are my other fandoms represented! lol
On a little side note, since I just mentioned Supernatural...Timothy Omundson from Psych (a hilarious show!) guest starred on Supernatural as Cain, yes, the OT Cain, the father of murder...he killed it! hahaha, yes, I kid...but seriously, really cool episode!
Ain't my little Buddy just too cute!
So this past weekend, David was gonna fix the car and then try to take Red One paintballing. He's taken Red Two last weekend...but wasn't really the right weather for it! It was freezing, and with snow on the ground...the guns didn't like the cold, paint kept breaking, then Red 2 got snow in her shoes...overall, fun but then not! lol...So he said he wasn't going to take anyone unless it was above freezing. Anyways, Sunday he started on the car. I was planning on going to see Coriolanus at the local art theater with Rachel at 1:30...but I didn't want to leave him working on the car by himself. He said as long as I made him coffee before I left he'd be fine. We had changed spark plugs on the van a couple years ago, and it was a huge job. You wouldn't think spark plugs would be a big deal, but unfortunately, half of them are located under the intake manifold, which is a huge pain to remove! He was hoping since we'd done it before, it wouldn't be as big a deal. Anyways, we started at 11 or so...and had barely removed the intake manifold by the time I needed to leave. I felt bad about going...and he rubbed it in, of course! He said he'd lied earlier...he didn't want me to leave. But I did make him coffee! If that wasn't the only showing left, I would have stayed...but that was it! It was a live broadcast of the theater production in London of the play by Shakespeare, Coriolanus. I had seen the film version Ralph Fiennes made a year or so ago, and enjoyed it...and wanted to see how they handled it as a stage version...didn't hurt that Tom Hiddleston was playing the lead! Have to say, he is my absolute favorite actor. For those of you wondering, he's the actor who plays Loki in the Marvel movies...and absolutely steals the show in them! He is such an amazing actor, and an amazing man in real life. I can't wait to see what else he does! I'm really impatient for his upcoming films...Only Lovers Left Alive, and Crimson Peak...and of course, I really can't wait for him to reprise his role as Loki...but no news on that front.
He did an absolutely incredible job inhabiting the role of the less well known Roman general in Shakespeare's play. The staging was superb...it was really cool to watch the more minimalistic theater version...and in a way, much more visceral than the movie version. I really hope they release the performance on video!
When we got home, time for the Superbowl! I was rooting for the Broncos, not because I like them so much, as I've been a fan of Peyton Manning for years. It was a bit heartbreaking to watch. Certainly, it was not a boring game though. The half-time show was good, except for some reason the sound was messed up. Apparently it was just our TV as everyone else said it was fine. Oh well...as Papa says, as bad as you might feel for those guys, they're all millionaires...ahahahaha
My favorite commercial was the Jaguar commercial...why are all villains played by Brits? Starring none other than, Tom Hiddleston! And Sir Ben Kingsley and Mark Strong...so funny!
