Trick of Treat

As I post, the kids are wandering aimlessly around the neighborhood in the fruitless pursuit of candy. We let them eat some, but most ends up at work, or in the trash. There has been a lull in the trick or treaters, so after I cleaned the front hallway and shredded the millions of Terry Spence flyers, I downloaded some pics. Alright - in fairness, I am recycling the damn flyers, but I shredded all the personal mail. I think it would have been therapeutic to shred Terry Spence.

I thought this outfit was too small, but the picture on the bag shows the belly should be hanging out. A black shirt fixed that.



And he's off to fight something or other!


Spooky!

Terry Spence

If I get one more piece of mail from Terry Spence I swear I am going to find out where he lives and throw it on his lawn. I got a call from one of his people last night and they asked if they could count on my vote. I explained that he sends too many advertisements (plus a birthday card every year) and I prefer someone who actually cares about the environment. And before he could even try to defend himself, I hung up. I'm sure Terry Spence is a nice guy. Heck, he even paved our development roads one year right before election day. I just don't want to hear from him.

And by the way, I had to go to Wikipedia to find out his party affiliation. Republicans are really ashamed to stand up and be counted. The DE Democrats sent out a note explaining how we need to vote. I haven't decided if I am voting for Biden for Senate. It would be too weird.

Pumpkin Pics

Kids and knives

Phillies

The family of pumpkins

Words I never thought I would say......

DON'T PEE IN THE PUMPKIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Family time

Tonight I decided to let the kids stay up and watch the 30 minute Obama infomercial. I thought it would be nice for all of us to watch it together. While it was nice and fluffy, I enjoyed it. In between the "stop hitting your brother" and "put your arm down" we had a good time. We got in our snuggliest pjs, turned on the electric mattress cover and snuggled in together. I caught hubby dozing off, but I think he saw enough to help answer any questions the kids have.

BRACES

Yup - in the next year or so, we will have to deal with early intervention and braces. Poor Trinks. She was pretty cranky after the dentist tonight. I had braces early. It was nice to have them early so they were just coming off when my friends were getting them for the first time. Hopefully it will work out for her.

But overall, the dentist trip was better than last time. No one cried, including me. My fatal flaw was taking the kids myself. I was in the chair getting scraped when they called S. Trinks volunteered to go with him, mainly because she's so smothering and wanted a little entertainment. When he was done - this time without kicking the dentist - he came and perched on the chair next to me. MTV was on and we watched a completely inappropriate show about parents hating their child's boyfriend or girlfriend. At least we're done for the next 6 months.

17 freaking years

Ok - the official count is 28 years, but I have known hubby for only 17 years. Each year I have had to put up with the agony of him sulking that the Phillies choked yet again. FINALLY they won. He tried to wake Trinks up to let her know (as was her request), but she is quite the sound sleeper. She'll find out tomorrow and will probably design a special outfit to show her excitement.

Proof

I saw Kathi today and she looks FANTASTIC!!! There's nothing like seeing her with my own eyes. I was amazed to see her sitting in a chair looking nothing more than a little tired. Amazing.

Phew!

It was a nerve-wracking day, but I finally found out that Kathi did really well in surgery. I swear waiting for people to come out of surgery is really tough. I had to have a Hershey bar (with almonds since they are healthy) to get through.

My kind of election material

I was window shopping online and found this. That's what I'm talking about. It's all about who has the right T-shirts.

More prayers for Kathi

Kathi has more surgery scheduled for Tuesday. This will be the first one I'll be in the state for, and it will be the longest. I think I'll be a wreck waiting for news on Tuesday. Because, of course, you know it's all about me. She'll be under anethesia, I'll be awake. But in all seriousness, Kathi and her family will be on my mind until I hear the words "cancer free".

The boys

In case you haven't noticed, there are no pictures from Day 3. My camera died. So I will tell stories about some people I met on the walk.

I think I can get away with calling these young men boys. They were no older than early 20s and I think they were brothers. I didn't catch why they were walking, but it seemed like a great adventure. Only the young could find a 20 mile walk through downtown Philly boring enough to look for more fun. They ran up the Art Museum steps, too. There seemed to be a difference of opinion on who won. Shortly after that, we passed a subway station. They looked at each other, ran down the stairs and up the other side. Further on, they paid to go into an historic cemetary. As we passed, they yelled through the fence that they paid $1, so we didn't have to take the tour. They just plain enjoyed themselves!

I Rock(y)

After walking a mere 30 miles, I summoned the energy to RUN up the stairs at the Art Museum. Maybe now I should watch Rocky to see what inspires people to do this. Last year I heard about women who were able to do this and I set a goal to do it this year. It was wonderful!!!

Day 2

It was a little dark when we started....



If I saw this Minnie Mouse again, I'd RUN!!


More beautiful sights.



These guys were EVERYWHERE!!!



If only Jack Sparrow was with her....


Mummers!!!



At 17.5 miles, it was time to hit the bus. My feet thanked me by walking all of Day 3.

Today

Today, I woke up and felt fantastic. Tired, but fantastic. I did wake up earlier to pee (stubbed my sore toe) and realized I was parched and had a headache. Oops - dehydration. I recovered with the help of hubby who went downstairs to get some Tylenol and got me 2 glasses of water. I told S that the pink socks I gave him to wear were to support breast cancer awareness. He stopped complaining and proudly put them on. I just didn't feel like walking all the way to his room for a pair of his socks when Trinks had a pair right in front of me. He's a good boy.

Re-entry to the real world is tough. No one hi fived me when I walked into daycare. No one beeped at me when I crossed the street to go into the spa. The women in the spa fawned all over me and that was nice. They remembered me from last year.

I can't believe how great I feel. The blisters are a little tight, but I haven't yet figured out why there was blood all over my foot last night. The massage was amazing. I spent today writing about the experience, downloading pictures, and setting up my website for next year. It's done (for now) but looks really weird. I'll check it at work tomorrow to see if it's just this computer.

I made it to another kung foo class. It was really cool seeing what Trinks is learning. They had a lesson about the word compassion and it was really interesting to see what kids think about the word. Then Trinks and I picked S up, and remembered tomorrow is picture day. I just need to remember decent clothes for tomorrow. While picking S up, I ran into someone in the hall who noticed my shirt and asked if I felt like she did. I just smiled and let her know I felt that way last year.

Pictures from the 3 Day - Day 1

Eat more chicken!!!


I got to carry a flag on Day 1.


We passed by some very scenic locations.


Look at the pretty pink tents! After 20 miles, this is a fantastic sight!


Tired and happy feet. We made it back to camp!

We did the impossible

The main part of the 3 Day is to raise a boat load of money. The walk is to get out in the community and let them know we are walking for breast cancer awareness. The walk is to challenge ourselves so we realize we can do what we think is impossible. The walk is to meet new people, carry their stories with you and inspire others. The walk is to come together with people who have had similar experiences and laugh and cry with them. The walk is to get closer to the people you walk and crew with.

But as I said in the first sentence, the goal is to raise a lot of money to further breast cancer research. There were 3,100 of us. We raised $8.1 million. AWESOME!

Humbled

I'll be posting throughout the day about my awesome experience at the 3 Day. It was incredible and I have a lot of stories. I also have some pictures, but I have to recharge the batteries to download.

Prior to the event, I kept tracking the top fundraisers to see how much they raised. You see, the top fundraiser gets a tent you can stand up in and a queen air mattress on a platform. This is otherwise know as heaven after walking all day. I aspire to get that tent one day. I followed the story of this woman. Check out her family picture, her story and even the beautiful jewelry her friend makes to help her fundraise.

Then imagine that you are seated with a couple thousand people, listening to her tell her story. She found a lump at 24 and her dr told her to go home because she was too young for it to be anything. Are you screaming yet? Then she found a lump under her arm and the dr decided to take it out and discovered cancer. She went through chemo and 35 radiation treatments (that's every day for 5 weeks). She was cancer free for almost 5 years when it came back in her sternum. Further test results indicated it was in her liver. From what I have read, cancer in the liver is a death sentence.

This brave woman got up in front of us and wasn't bitter. She was inspirational, and happy and upbeat. She was a warrior. She was fighting for her life! She was fighting for a better future for her 2 year old daughter. And she was walking. It doesn't look like she has the endurance she once had because she was being pushed in a wheelchair for the time we shared the trail. It looked like her team, who joined together to raise just under $69,000, took turns pushing her. It was a tribute to them because I had a hard time navigating on the uneven, broken sidewalks. I can't imagine how these wonderful people managed to pushed her. The power of love and support really goes a long way.

Almost $10,000

As I type this, we are so close to reaching $10,000 for our 3 Day walk. We just need to track down $350 more and we are there. When I set the team goal, we had more walkers. When it dropped to 3 walkers and 2 crew, I thought we would never make it. Amazing. I am sure we will hit our goal tomorrow, right before we leave. My team is AWESOME!!!

I walk

In anticipation of this weekend's event, I thought I would list all the reasons I am crazy enough to walk 60 miles over 3 Days.

I walk because I am angry.
I walk because I am sad.
I walk because I feel helpless.
I walk to figure things out.
I walk for Karen and know she is somewhere cheering me on, and thinking I am crazy.
I walk for Sarah and Molly and hope the money I raise will save their lives.
I walk for Kathi and pray she will remain healthy after her surgery.
I walk for Kathi's daughters.
I walk for Amy and see hope from her journey.
I walk for Louisa and Jen, two women I have never met, but keep in my heart as their journeys are really tough.
I walk for my own daughter. May she never have to deal with this disease.
I walk because I don't know what else to do.

Continental or Southwest?

I always thought I liked Continental. This trip to the Bahamas changed my mind. They are too straight laced and need to loosen up. I listened, horrified as they monotoned through the safety checks. No one once commented if oxygen was needed and you were traveling with more than one child, pick the child who could support you better in your old age. There were no surveys about who made the best cheese steaks - Gino's, Pat's, or Jim's? I think the worst offense was that they ran out of pretzels 3 rows ahead of us. I think we should get a refund.

In all seriousness, I don't mind flying Continental, but I will do everything in my power to fly Southwest.

NJ gas sucks

I hope NJ gas station owners all get sued. They charge more money when you use a credit card to pay for gas. I remember this from my childhood, and they were forced to abandon the practice. We needed to get gas in NJ on Saturday and found gas for $2.89. The credit card price was $2.99. I pulled out a $20 and we made it back home.

Today, I filled up my car in DE for $2.91 and for once, it cost $50 to fill my tank. AND I didn't have to wait for some attendent with a bad attitude to pump it for me. For someone who grew up disgusted by the idea of pumping my own gas, I have come a long way. Jersey gas is just too inconvenient.

Yes, I returned Starbucks

I love Starbucks coffee. I don't need a fancy drink. Plain old coffee, preferably a bold roast, works for me. And I don't fall for their pretentious ordering. Large coffee. Not Venti. And don't correct me - I just don't care.

I haven't had Starbucks in forever as part of my cost cutting. When we hit Newark airport, Starbucks was waiting for us on the other side of security. I ordered a large coffee, and paid my $2. I went to fix my coffee and was in shock to see it wasn't full. It was a clear 2 inches below the top. Who the hell uses that much milk? I brought it back up and informed the clerk that my coffee was missing. I think she thought I was crazy, but she filled it up. I just wanted my $2 worth.

Kung Foo

I left work earlier than usual because of the holiday and I was able to watch a little of Trinks' king foo class. She's pretty good.

3 year old photographer

Touched by an Angel (fish)

Well, we arrived in the Bahamas with two children, but we are leaving with 2 merkids. S lost his fear of water and cried when it was time to leave the pool and the ocean. Trinks is getting to be a strong swimmer and wave jumper. We swam with angel fish and needle fish at the Cove beach, hunted down the elusive coconuts, and collected shells. Grandpa is now an expert coconut opener - he could be the next coconut man to roam the beaches selling rum drinks.

Our one major disaster (and it wasn't even bad) was that Trinks got thrown off her tube in the rapids during the Current ride. She was with Grandpa and in a life jacket, so all was well. She did develop a healthy fear of going on that section again, though.

So here we sit in the Nassau airport eating the last of our food and recalling the good old days when we could bring drinks through security and get drunk while waiting to board. If all goes well, we will have a great Portuguese dinner tonight before we depart for home. Ahhh - vacations just keep getting shorter!!!

The economy, international edition

I thought things were bad at home, but the Bahamas has been hit pretty hard. Between hurricanes and lack of tourists, prices are soaring here. While I would have paid $8 for a hamburger ($10 with cheese) last year, this year I can't even think about paying $12, $14 with cheese. We are calling this week a week of forced dieting - and to be honest, it wouldn't hurt any of us to shed some pounds.

This place is pretty empty, and some of our favorite places don't exist anymore. We're having a great time, don't get me wrong, but it is a little sad to see how things are right now.

Gotta log off - my 15 minutes are almost up.

It's finally here!!

The kids are asleep, I am fully packed and not stressed and I can go to bed. We have a DIRECT flight from Newark and don't have to check in until 7:45. We all are in the same row. I must be dreaming!

Today was a busy day, but it was made easier because my in laws took both kids for the day. It was tough getting up there when they needed to because hubby got a little stuck at work. If they could, I think his department would keep him home this week! But we ended up with matzoh ball soup for dinner, so the stress of the day was erased.

If I get the chance to blog again this week, I'll post some pictures. The weather looks decent. Hot, but decent. I'll have to break my shoes in early in the AM!

And because I need inspiration to pack

Heaven!!!

S-T-R-E-P!!!!!!!!!

AGAIN!!!!!!! I swear it wouldn't be a trip to the Bahamas without a child on antibiotics, which are such a pleasure to travel with. Yup. Trinks has strep. FUN! And I'm pretty sure S will develop it some time during our trip.

I think the most fun thing that happened to me today was the moment when I was practically sitting on Trinks to get the throat culture. Ok Mom. You win. I got a child as horrific as I was when I was this age. At least it didn't take 3 nurses, one mother, and one dr to hold Trinks down. And she didn't break a thermometer. I was a terrible child.

But it's was nice showing Trinks where I work because I have so much work to get done and my boss is off this week. Trinks finds my office to be really boring. Heck, I let her eat her weight in junk food and she still was bored. Thankfully she was quietly bored. She listened to Hannah Montana, watched a little Ratatouille, took a walk with a co-worker, met hubby in the coffee shop - not a huge loss of a day.

So I am frantically packing. Well, not so much frantically as procrastinating, but in my mind I'm in a frenzy. Hubby took both kids to his parents - we are so lucky! I need to get the suitcases ready for the car (which needs to have the tires inflated because that warning light came on and I had to look it up in the owner's manual this am while I was driving S to school), so we can load it and dash off to get the kids tomorrow night. I need a Bahama Mama!!!!

A Bad Day

It's a bad day when S chooses not to listen at school. It's a bad day when Trinks gets in trouble at school. Today was a really bad day because the BOTH came home with bad reports. Trinks had been so good for so long, so I guess she just snapped and became chatty and bossy. S just never turned on his listening ears. At least tomorrow is another day.

For Kathi

Now I just have to transfer this concept to a cake. Prayers and good thoughts for Kathi!!!

Reverse growth

Now that I have complained about the kids' growth, it seems I have the reverse problem. I am packing for vacation and only have 1 pair of shorts that fit. And to get them to stay up, I have to wash and dry them every day. I have some shorts to try on tonight, but I think they may still be a wee bit small. I've tossed a lot of the clothes that sit in my closet and drawers, mocking me, saying all sorts of unkind things about how I'll never fit in them again. At least we have a washer and dryer in the Bahamas.