Have You Ever Seen a Naked Lady?

One afternoon in the middle of an uneventful day a very nondescript family was preparing a very simple meal.  The mother and daughter were working on the food prep while catching up.  Both women were quite comfortable standing at the counter chopping their respective items.  The conversation flowed easily, as both women loved each other very much and had wonderful stories to tell the other. Mom finished chopping her parsley and she picked up a lemon and started zesting it.  She was almost finished when she asked Daughter, “Have you ever seen a naked lady?” 

“Of course, every morning when I look in the mirror,” she giggled. But Mom wasn't asking such a light question.  Daughter watched Mom's facial expression, and followed Mom's gaze out the window.  There in the backyard was a naked lady standing in the rain. 

To the surprise of both women, the lady wasn't running around screaming or begging to be let in the door.  The lady, also, didn't seem to be worried about her nakedness. At this awareness, both women looked at each other and shrugged.  They walked to the back door and went out to talk to the lady.  By the time they opened the door, she had disappeared. 

Both women were quite perplexed and walked to the front of the house looking for the naked lady.  Daughter suggested due to the extreme heat outside, maybe the lady had evaporated.  Both women were mystified and laughed it off and went back to their cooking.

Later, when the men arrived and everyone was sitting around the table, Mom brought up the naked lady. She explained how the lady had mysteriously appeared in the back yard and then seemingly vanished. She told the men how she and Daughter were concerned about the well-being of the lady and wondered where she had come from and where she was.

Both men laughed at this story and suggested the women had pre-dinner libations which had caused them to have visions of this naked lady.  However, both women took offense to the men being so simple-minded and the meal ended on a rather stale note. 

That evening, after Daughter and her husband left, Mom was sitting in her chair in the living room.  She turned on the television to catch up on her documentary and found the news on.  There the beautiful news anchor was telling the story of a missing lady who had been found. 

 The lady had been missing for three months.  She told how she had been walking down the street headed to pick up a few groceries and the next thing she knew, she was standing in the backyard of someone’s house without any clothes on. In her embarrassment she had run as fast as she could to find shelter.  In the process, she had run towards a McDonald’s, but saw there was a policeman and she didn't want him to arrest her for being naked.  So she kept running. 

She ran and ran until she came to the freeway.  It was then she realized she had quite a dilemma. Due to an accident, the traffic was dreadful.  All those cars stuck on the freeway.  It was then she came up with a brilliant idea!  She would entertain all those miserable people. 

She ran towards an enormous white truck.  She started climbing up on the truck when the truck driver started hollering at her to get off his truck.  She told him, “I am going to provide a little entertainment to all the people stuck in traffic!”  He was so confused, he didn't even know what to say and besides, if he touched her, she might accuse him of assault.  Before he knew it, she was on top of his truck, singing, dancing and putting on quite a show.

After spending a little time entertaining everyone stuck in traffic, she realizes the police have shown up and now hopes in an unattended car and drives off.  Before she knows it, she is doing over 100 mph.  Driving this fast is very liberating and she enjoys it immensely.  She looks up in the rear view mirror to change lanes and realizes she is yet again being followed by the police.

She drives a little faster, exits the freeway and ditches the car.  As she runs through the parking lot, she remembers her school is nearby.  She impulsively runs to the campus and has a fleeting thought that her best friend is there.  As she enters the campus courtyard, she sees another policeman and panics. She doesn't understand why all these police are following her.

Wearily, she runs from the policeman.  By this point, she is starting to get tired of all this running.  Her feet are starting to hurt and she is worried someone thinks she has done something bad.  As she continues running she sees a sign for a race.  The race is near by and about to start, so she heads in that direction.  As she approaches the starting point, the lady hears the gun fire, signifying the race has started.  There are people all around her and she finally is starting to feel at peace.  She isn't the only one running naked and she feel like she is part of a family.

It is here she realizes she has a family and begins to wonder where they might be.  The lady becomes melancholy as she remembers her father had kidnapped her and kept her drugged.  They had been traveling across the country with him keeping her hidden. 

People are rushing past her as she stands in the middle of the road.  She is weary and tired and now sad.  She realizes she is in the way and walks out of the street into a liquor store and starts screaming she is so mad. She yells and cries and tells the people in the liquor store how her father has kidnapped her.  Someone calls the police, but at that moment, a man walks into the store. 

The lady sees the man and becomes terrified she screams and becomes inconsolable.  This man is her father and he is trying to take her away.  He starts to explain to the staff she is crazy and takes drugs.  He is dragging her out of the store and she is fighting him.  To her ultimate relief, the police show up.  This time, she doesn't fight with them or run from them.  She has remembered what has happened and with relief, finds herself, finally safe.

The news anchor explains the father had a psychotic break and had been drugging his daughter and keeping her prisoner because he thought she was going to marry and leave him alone, never seeing him again. He loved his daughter so much, he couldn't bear the thought of being alone and losing her.

The other night, my daughter was visiting and we were preparing dinner.  In the process, I was zesting a lemon and I turned to her and asked, “Have you ever seen a naked lemon?”  She thought I had asked if she had ever seen a naked lady. We had a great laugh over it, but it gave me the topic of this blog.

When you have the Cooties

It seems my body is revolting against living. I am not sure if it is revolting against me, or maybe it is just against living in general.  Maybe it would be happier in that voluptuous blond we saw the other day or perhaps it would prefer to be a man and not a woman. Either way, it hates me.

For as long as I can remember, I have been fighting with myself in an effort to not be in pain.  I have worn glasses since I was four and easily can tell you I can remember being in pain then. Some days it felt as if someone was trying to shred my bones from the inside. I would take pain relievers, but they rarely worked and who rally wants to suffer from liver damage or stomach issues because they took too much?

Unfortunately, I am not the only one who's body is having a Civil War. My mom also has been seeking a diagnosis for as long as I can remember,  Parts of her have already won little battles here and there; her uterus, her intestines...all removed because they couldn't stand her. My youngest daughter also appears to have similar symptoms.

Recently, she chose to have a full genetic analysis run.  Her diagnosis: Myotonia Congenita.  So I chose to have the same test.  My diagnosis: Myotonia Congenita.  My daughter had the test run.  Her diagnosis: Myotonia Congenita.

Myotonia Congentia is a hereditary disease which affects the muscles.  It causes the muscles to spasm and when activity is induced, they don't always relax.  But...as all the doctors kept telling us, "Myontonia doesn't cause pain."

In an effort to figure out what is causing the pain, mom and I have become lab rats, pin cushions and experts as navigating parking garages and the Medical Center. Not only do the insurance companies charge you an arm and a leg, but the parking garages are in on it too!  I have become quite convinced the doctors are in on the who charade, since they can't seem to keep appointment times.

You arrive 15 mins before your appointment.  Wait until a half hour after your appointment to be shown into a room.  Wait another 45 mins for the doctor to show up. Doctor walks in and leaves 5 minutes later.  You wait 15 minutes for doctor to return with all your orders and prescriptions. By the time you make it out the door, you have easily passed the 1 hour parking rate and and now into the 3 hour parking rate. $10 later you are finally able to escape!

Trouble is you have orders to see another doctor all so you can waste more time and money!

Our last visit was to see a neuro-muscular specialist.  Quite frankly, the only thing he had specialized in was the ability to be duplicitous. He decided I needed to have another EMG so HE could decide if I really had myotonia congenita.  My reward for submitting to yet another pin cushion test...a nice bruise. "Oh, did I hurt you?"  This was the doctor's response.  You can only imagine my irritation.  The next visit, I wore my "Infidel" shirt to let him know what I thought of him.

He did, submit mom and I to an ANST test.  Basically, it is a test which gauges your autonomic nervous system which controls blood pressure, sweating, and other things. They put all these sensors on you and stimulate the nerves with some protein water.  Then they do breathing exercises in an attempt to cause you to freak out and fail the test.  At the end, after laying flat for 45 minutes of these tests, they rapidly tilt the table to an upright position of about 70 degrees in an attempt to get you to pass out!

What is wrong with me?!?! I allowed them to do all these things to me!

In the end, I passed. Apparently, with flying colors (and I found out I am not a Time Lord). The evil doctor told me he didn't think our issue was myotonia.  He is more inclined to believe we suffer from an even worse condition called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) .

EDS is an inherited disorder which affects connective tissue. And it causes pain.  Lots of it.  Lately, I have had a flair up.  I have been pretty uncomfortable and yet, I have persisted and pressed on, knowing it will go away and tomorrow may be a better day with less pain, less discomfort and the ability to do the things that make me happy; like jumping out of a plane, riding a roller coaster, tubing down the river, or just going to the gym.

There are about five different types of EDS. Some aren't as bad as others.  Some are pretty nasty.  I look at my symptoms and I think I am pretty lucky considering some of the symptoms other people have.

Now to play the hunt down the right doctor game!

Marine Corps Mom to Be

So much is changing.  I had a birthday, my children are growing up and my marriage seems to be distorted from what it used to be.  Lately, I don’t know who I am.  I always knew this would happen.  I even have tried to prepare for it. 

I know it seems as if I am complaining. I am not.  I am just trying to figure things out.  For me putting my thoughts on paper (or Word) is therapy.  It is like telling my best friend and never having to worry about them telling my secrets to anyone.

Yesterday, I turned 40.  At times, it seems as if I am old and have forgotten to live life.  And at others, it seems 40 years isn't that long ago.  I know neither of these thought to be completely true.  I know in one perspective, they may seem true, but when viewed in totality, neither is correct.  I have lived a full life and could die today knowing I have experienced more things than most people.  However, if I were to die today there are so many things left I want to experience and accomplish.

I read recently you should laugh at least 5 times an hour.  Yesterday, I laughed at least that!  Today, I am feeling more melancholy than happy.  Yesterday I was with people in my life who help keep me laughing. 

In the last year, I feel life has taken a turn I wasn't expecting.  It has been stressful at times, making it hard to remember everything I want.  I have hit a point where I notice I am starting to forget things.  The more stress I suffer, the more things go missing.  So far, it is the simple things, but there are times I worry it will be the important things.  So much has happened in the last few weeks, I feel it is necessary to write it down so I don’t forget.

Last year in July, my youngest child, a daughter, signed up to join the Marine Corps.  You cannot imagine how proud of her I am.  She has made me more proud than I think any parent can ever be even if their child chose to be a cancer researcher or a charitable doctor doing work in Africa.  She opted for the delayed entry program.  She was so eager to enlist.  She had been waiting for months to turn 17 so she could go and just talk to the recruiters.  About a month before she turned 17 she was in the office with a friend and the recruiter’s asked her if she was planning to join.  She told them, “Hell, yeah!”  Only problem was she thought they wouldn't even talk to her until she turned 17.  To her amazement, they immediately started talking to her.  She was exuberant when she came home that day.  A piece of me died.

Every mother hopes their daughter will be a mother and only a mother.  I have known all along Alanna would never be a mother and only a mother.  Her dream in Jr High and even through the early years of high school was to become an actor.  Not a Hollywood actor, although I imagine it was the end game of the dream. Alanna wanted to act on stage.  I knew in my heart of hearts, this meant she was going to New York and even this scared me. 

I was confident she would live in a little closet of an apartment and possibly share it with someone.  They would take turns sleeping in the single bed and the rest of the room would be their closet.  They wouldn't have a kitchen and, of course, the room mate would be the same size as Alanna's so they could share clothes.  In effect, cutting down on the need for closet space. 

I, also, was aware she would live a hard life, but I had seen her on stage and KNEW she was going to make it.  Her eyes are so big and her nose and mouth so petite.  She has the strong cheekbones which run on my mother’s side on the family and the tiny chin my youngest sister has.  She has been nicknamed Anime after the Asian cartoon characters with the large eyes and tiny features.  I have always thought of her as my own Kewpie doll.

Needless to say, I was resolved and had accepted the fact my daughter was going to New York.  I was aware and prepared for the day she called me to tell me she had been mugged, molested or raped, even,  I was prepared for the long drives to New York and had even considered moving to Kansas City just to be closer to her and my other daughter.  (I love Kansas City).  I was prepared for the initial heartbreak of not getting call backs, but I had seen Alanna on stage.  I knew she was good.  She was so animated and it projected through the stage and melted your heart and drew you in. 

When she started talking the Marine Corps, I figured it was a fluke.  My dad went through the Marine Corps and my brother barely made it out with his sanity.  When Alanna told me she wanted to join the Marine Corps, having heard my father’s edict when I was 18, I sent her to talk to him…knowing he would talk her out of it! 

It was my safe and magically plan.  The one no one knew would turn out the way I wanted it to.  Ever thing would be perfect!  She would listen to him tell her how the Marine Corps was no place for a lady and she really should consider the Coast Guard or the Air Force.  She would get a better education in either of them.  He would tell her how it was a noble thought, but even the Navy and the Army were better places for a lady.  This was the story I had heard.

I set things up and made sure we were all together so I would be there to comfort her.  Dinner at a restaurant was a safe public place.  She wouldn't make too much of a scene.  The subject was finally breached and she expressed her decision to my father. I sat with baited breath, on pins and needles, itching for him to tell her the decision she had made wasn't the best and she really needed to rethink things.  I knew he would provide her with guidance in a different direction, helping her to see a different, better future.  I knew he would never outright tell her not to do it. 

But as I sat there, the oddest thing occurred.  The one thing I never anticipated.  He told her how proud he was and how excited for her he was.  In that very moment a bond between my youngest daughter and my father occurred.  You can’t imagine how sad I was.

I felt I had been left out of something important.  I felt I had been conned.  Dad was supposed to tell Alanna the same thing he told me.  The Marine Corps was no place for a lady.  She needed to consider something else. Instead, he gave her the go ahead to follow her dreams.

I really only have myself to blame.  I can remember one afternoon I was taking Alanna to the orthodontist.  Alanna's grades were slipping and I was busy trying to impart on her how important it would be for her to do well in school.  I was explaining how challenging it would be for her to go to college and I would only be able to help her, but she would have to go to community college and such.  That was when I threw in the whole possibility of joining the Armed Forces. 

I knew she wouldn't like the thought.  She had very adamantly professed her disgust with the military during the previous year when her brother had chosen to enlist in the Army.  She knew he would ship to a war torn area of the world and be killed.  The thought of him being in danger scared her to her core.  You could see the terror in her eyes.

I can remember telling her if she joined the Armed Forces, the benefits were beyond beneficial.  I told her she would be able to get help with college.  I told her there would be medical benefits for life.  I told her if she played her cards right, she would have tons of money when she got out.  I told her every positive thing I could think of when it came to the Armed Forces and how noble it would be to serve.

She still wasn't accepting much of it, but I knew she was thinking and listening. I don’t get credit for this conversation and probably never will, but it is one of those things I vividly remember.  I was so pleased she didn't just tell me no and actually was processing the information I supplied.  I should have thought then, to add the disclaimer, ‘anything but the Marine Corps!’

Sometime during Alanna's junior year she decided she wanted to be a Marine.  She hunted website after website looking for information on why you should join any branch.  All she could locate was a bunch of fluff and the websites for each branch.  Until she asked Google, “Why join the Marine Corps?”  Then the answers changed.

She located website after website on why the Marine Corps was the best, blogs and web journals and videos of people telling their story and expressing how excited they were to be part of the Marine Corps family. For weeks and months, I suffered listening to Alanna try to find a way around all the rules.  She wanted to turn 17 so badly, all so she could just TALK to a recruiter and know they would take her seriously.

Here we are 11 weeks, just 77 days from Alanna's scheduled ship day.  We have suffered her ship date being moved from this day to tat and back again.  We have endured injuries and we have endured heartbreak. Alanna has even had the chance to experience the ugly side of the Marine Corps and understand that it isn't everything she has hoped it would be.

And with all the good and bad, she still wants to be a United States Marine.  The best thing about it all is I want her to be a United States Marine.  I was raised a child of a United States Marine, I am the sister of a United States Marine, and now I am striving to be the mother of a United States Marine.  Oh, the stories I have to tell about her adventures and the stories I will have to tell!

I will need all the support you can muster and an outlet to vent my frustrations and my laughs.  I hope you find our adventure an exciting one as I know we will have some crazy stories to tell and we will keep you crying and laughing!  Most of all, I hope you keep me motivated to keep telling our story!

Thank you,

MCM2B

FB posting vs Blogging

So much is going on lately! Kids are so busy doing their things and it seems like at times I am trying to figure out who I am. Nichole is going off to college this fall and it seems weird to think she is that old or even ready for the separation. John is asking to join the Army and I have such mixed emotions regarding this decision. Alanna is getting ready to learn to drive! All of my kids seem to be hitting milestones in their lives and is sure shakes things up!

Nichole has started her own blog and it was her doing so that encouraged me to sit down and make some note of what is going on to at least bring things current. And since I am rarely blogging without cynicism below you will find my dash of mental and verbal Hodge-podge! Hope you enjoy!

I think as far as a social network, this is easier than trying to come up with a Tweet or a post on FB. At least here, I can write the details and provide what information I feel is necessary, walk away, and then return at my own pace. I don't have to check up on all the people who want to be my friend and yet really aren't anymore. How many FB friends do you have, who you actually know would come rescue you from jail? How many of them would you call to tell you were in jail? It is those friends who are the ones who really don't need to communicate with you on FB because they are in your speed dial on your cell phone already!

We all know that on FB, you can post random things that make sense to only a select few of your friends. Those blessed few get the posts about why it might be an issue that England blew up. It might require a little more insight to understand the banter between you and your friends isn't you being in a poor mood, it was all a game. So why must we continue to spill our innermost feelings, opinions, and beliefs on the rest of the uncaring list of FB friends? Do we really think that our post are even read by them or that we are significant enough to not be one of the many friends who have secretly been unfriended or worse yet, have all of our comments hidden?

For those who agree with me, or are so paranoid as to believe you really don't have any friends, blogging is for you! While blogging, at least you don't have to deal with others input, you can say your peace, hit save and you are done, walk away. You don't have to worry about who is following you because you don't have this blaring list telling you who your friends are. And the best reason of all, you don't have to feel obligated to do it every day. One time a week, a month. That is sufficient.

Social Morals/ Values - Driving Ettiquette

Everyone I know has been complaining about the drives around them, lately. Whether it be while they are headed to work, headed home, or just out for a little rest and relaxation. I have heard complaints regarding drivers who choose to ignore your indications of a lane change, drivers who fail to yield and provide the "right of way", and drivers who just plain need to leave their attitudes at home when they get behind the wheel.

I feel maybe now, so close to Christmas, a little reminder is just what the doctor might have ordered, and hopefully, if you get into the habit out of sheer holiday spirit, maybe it will last past the season and you will be set to be nicer, politer, and just overall, more happy with yourself, your drive and with those around you during your commute!

First, in case anyone has forgotten, we will deal with the basics. This is a blinker:

In case you have forgotten, you are supposed to use this to indicate you would like to change lanes or turn. And for the morons who see this, it doesn't mean speed up and close the gap to the car in front of you and not enabling the driver, who was polite enough to notify you of their intent, the opportunity to change lanes. This is the only way a driver can alert the drivers around them of their intent and when you choose to blatantly disregard a blinker or you feel some threat, or maybe you take it personally, you are only increasing the chances you will collide with said driver or cause an accident. When this occurs you haven't gained any advantage. Now you are stuck trying to explain to the other driver and the civil servant why your panties are in a bunch. If you happen to only cause an accident, I hope you know someone saw you and probably got your plate. And for those of you who were smart enough to get that plate, I encourage you to post the info here... http://platewire.com/

Second lesson is regarding the yielding. For those of you who have forgotten people backing up have the right of way. That means when one is attempting to back out of a parking spot, their driveway, or just plain going in reverse (yes, I have been known to do this so I am including it.) other drivers are SUPPOSED to yield. Can you see when you are backing out of a parking spot? I drive a car. Not a big one, not a small one. I live in a suburban town right on top of a massive city. Everyone else seems to have been smarter than me and drive trucks. I can't see over them, I can't see around them, sometimes I can see under them, but when I am backing out of a parking spot, I just can't see you in your small car, big truck, or crossover anxiously looking for a way into or out of the parking lot. For those of you driving through a neighborhood and not heeding the speed limit to begin with, you must remember a drive backing out of their driveway isn't just looking for you. Many of us put the seat belt on right as we are pulling out (I know, not smart, but you all know you are guilty of this, as well). We are also checking, double checking and triple checking to make sure the little kid who lives next door and loves to say "hi" isn't hanging out on the side walk. We are also checking for those less fortunate souls who have to walk everywhere they go. We are doing the look left, look right, and look left again thing (probably several times because we know you will be speeding through the neighborhood).

Their are other places you should yield as well. My favorite has to be getting on and off the freeway. For those of you who need a refresher, this is what a yield sign looks like:

People getting onto the freeway need to remember they have to yield to traffic. However, those of you who feel the need to be rude and not let another driver onto the freeway need to remember you don't live on the freeway and sooner or later, you will need to get off and, more than likely, on again. Exiting the freeway is tricky as well. Those of you who are merging into slower traffic need to remember that yes, you have the "right of way", but don't get off the freeway and expect to immediately fly to the right and pull into that restaurant you were supposed to meet your BFF at 20 minutes ago. Be safe, exit early and make sure you make it to see your BFF.

For those of you who feel the need to use your horn, let me remind you it isn't there for you to play your favorite song with. This is not a drum! The horn is a safety devise. It is used as a last ditch effort to alert a fellow driver they are not focused on the task at hand. Not to "yell" at the driver who indicated, well in advance, they were making a lane change into your lane. If you don't like my rear, change lanes. It is rude and obnoxious to lay on your horn because the driver in front of you chose the exact moment the light turned red to look over at their neighbor and wave. Or maybe that was when the babe in front of you got a spec of fluff in their eye and needed to make sure they could see where they were going. Allow your neighbor a moment then provide them with a short, gentle honk.

My favorite rude drivers have to be the ones who love hand gestures. I realize you might be mad. I realize you chose to epitomize the Grinch this year, and I realize maybe you were out of milk that morning, but is this any reason to wave your hands, displaying one or multiple fingers in an attempt to communicate with your neighbor? I hope it makes you feel better to know you just shot the bird at a 16 year old who just started driving 6 weeks ago. Do you feel better knowing that pretty girl who was making fun of you and offended you was only 14? I am sure we are all mature enough to allow a little mistake by one driver pass without having to stoop to junior high school maturity and flash hand signs at people.

One more issue I would like to address...bumper stickers. I love them. Some of them are so creative and each one has their unique expression that perfectly sums up your personality.

Is there some reason we must use profanity?? When my children were growing up, they read the bumper stickers. I always worried I would get stuck behind that immature person who was unable to express themselves intellectually without using profanity. Once I modified a curse word when my child asked what something meant in an effort to shield them from the social disgrace. I realize some of you are shouting Freedom of Speech and by all means, I encourage you to speak. Use your profanity and prove how ignorant you are. Or you could be creative and get your message across intellectually where people will listen to what you have to say. We might even like your bumper sticker so much we buy one of our own and contribute to your cause as well!

So fellow drivers, please remember that as you climb into your beautiful ride, your crappy hooptie (that may not actually get you where you are planning to go) that if you set out in the right mood, choose to be a little more patient, and follow the laws of driving, you could make the experience much more enjoyable for yourself, as well as your fellow drivers. Happy driving, and don't forget to way to that nice person who blessed you with the ability to get where you were going a little easier!

House Match!

In an effort to spend more time keeping this up, I am back. I am in one of those moods where I am bouncing off the walls in joy. We are moving!

For anyone who doesn't know, we have been in an apartment for two years and it has to be the crummiest way to live. If you are ever desirous of being stacked on top of people like sardines, where you are able to hear people going to the bathroom, shaving, arguing, or just plain living, then apartment life must be for you. It is definitely not for me! I am so tired of listening to other people live their lives around me and so completely tired of living my life knowing that other people hear me living, that moving is actually looking like something I WANT to do.

I am actually for the first time in my life relishing the upcoming packing, unpacking, lifting, arguing with people and sweating my buns off! I don't seem to care if no one gets along because I will be happy knowing it is all to be back in a house. I don't even mind the sweating as we will be moving and it not be around Thanksgiving! (Inside joke)

Moving will also allow me to do a little spring cleaning. I have been doing this slowly but surely, but I can only imagine all the junk I will come across that will get disposed of in some form. I imagine that we will also find stuff we thought was long lost and be excited to find as if Christmas had come early!

Even with all the trials that have occurred in the process of locating the perfect place for us, I must say that it was worth it. The let downs that we have encountered through the process of finding a house, have made us both appreciate this house more and the experience feels ten times better knowing we made it through. I can't wait to share more news with you from our house and I can't wait to share the experiences that we have while there. And even more so, I can't wait to have my family and friends there to share in our joy, so start planning the house warming, or in our case cooling since it will be so darn hot anyway!

Finding Time to Blog

Why is it the average person doesn't seem to blog regularly? I was reading a friends blog for the first time today and noticed they blogged in spurts. Of course, then I thought about my own blog and was mentally smacking myself for not blogging more often. This of course, made me wonder why the average person doesn't blog more regularly and I started to evaluate my own reasons.

I have spent the last three months looking for a place to move. Mind you, our lease doesn't expire until the end of July, but I have been so ready to move for the last eight months, that I started early and wanted to have all my proverbial ducks in a row. This has required most of my extra time and therefore, all of it has been spent scouring the Internet looking for just the right place. And my diligence has paid off!

Of course, we have to factor in the long hours at work. I work full time and I rarely have "down" time at work and am unable to spend time surfing the Internet and accomplishing all the necessary tasks at work. (Hmmm, you think I get paid to surf?) When I am not working my regular 40 a week, I tend to work OT and that is always nice when the check comes in seeing that I do not get paid to blog...yet!

Then of course, after that hour long drive home, I have all the wife/mommy responsibilities. You know cleaning, cooking, and spending time with the family. I am not the average person; I like spending time with my kids and husband. I also like having a clean home and cooking, but never to excess!

By the time you climb into bed half asleep already at 10:30 there is little time to blog. With summer here, and the kids away for a couple weeks, I have managed to find more time doing some of the things I rarely find time for. It has also helped that lately, my wonderful husband has taken to performing some of the required activities at home. I have felt very blessed to have some spare time and am obliged to make note of that so he knows how much I appreciate him. After all, the only way he truly knows how to communicate is with a computer, but that is another blog in itself!