Dreams

You know how people often have that dream as a child where you go to school in nothing but your underwear?

Occasionally I still have that dream. Like when we first moved and I had to take The Boy to his new school. I had a dream that I was pulling into the drop off line at school, where the teachers come and get your kid from the car, only to look down and realize I had forgotten to put a shirt on. I panicked and then I woke up.

However, more frequently I have another re-occurring dream that completely irritates me. I dream that I have to use the restroom but I can only find one that is in the middle of a room full of people, or has doors that are really low so people can see you while you are doing your business. But the one that really irritates me is the dream I have about trying to find a restroom that is private,but when I do find it it's ALWAYS disgustingly dirty so I am forced to use the one that has no door on it, or is completely exposed. In these dreams I tell myself to hurry up and "tinkle" before someone comes in, but inevitably some stranger walks in and I try to act normal, as if peeing in front of people is an everyday occurrence that I'm OK with.

These dreams are so vivid and I wake up feeling embarrassed and can't stop thinking about them...Hence this post. Perhaps writing about it will rid them from my mind...Or perhaps it will make you think I am crazy...Maybe both are true.

A New View

A storm came through early last evening. It was amazing actually. A good soaking rain. Then the clouds started to blow away, but not before making a beautiful display on the mountains to the north.

I love living in the land of trees but I do miss being able to see sunsets and moments like this when the mountains are visible and showing off just a bit.

On a side note:
I have long wanted to change the face of this blog.
Today you get the new look.
Let me know what you think.

La Vida Dulce!

Random Question - June

For your birthday, your aunt gave you a maple syrup dispenser shaped like a rooster. Please write her a thank-you note:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Auntie,
Thank you so much for the beautiful rooster syrup dispenser. I have always wanted one just like that.

Actually I saw one once at a boutique, in a little town I vacationed in called Roosterville, and I wanted to buy it. But, just as I was opening my wallet to pay for my rooster, a hen walked in. She looked at my dispenser on the checkout counter and started to cluck very loudly, was crying profusely and making a scene. I tried to comfort this chicken and asked if she was OK.

Apparently my dispenser looked just like her husband of 10 years who had recently had the misfortune of meeting a door-to-door salesman by the name of Sanders. He was duped into believing that if he followed this grey haired salesman to to his office that he would be given $250 dollars for listening to a "talk" about his new business. This was an attractive deal to this fine rooster because he desperately wanted to buy his beautiful birdie bride a sky rise coop in the most coveted neighborhood.

Unfortunately this rooster followed Sanders all the way to Kentucky where he found out that he was actually a Colonel in an unidentified army who liked to serve roosters with a side of mashed potatoes.

After hearing this sad tale I felt horrible for this widowed chicken and decided I would gladly give up my rooster maple syrup dispenser(even though it was the most beautiful thing I had ever laid my eyes on and I desperately wanted it for myself)...I bought a cow dispenser instead.

Having the rooster dispenser is a much wanted addition to my collection. If in the future you see one in the shape of a pig or a sheep please buy it and I will pay you back.

Thanks again for the gift..You are always so thoughtful.

Love,
Kellie

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Now, if you feel so inclined, it's your turn...write your thank you notes in the comment section...I like to hear from you!

Hanging Out

The Gang: (minus my youngest brother Dan and my cousin Katie).

In a past post I mentioned my cousin who is 24 years younger than I am...He is sitting next to The Boy on the couch...My brother Fil is sitting next to me with his two little ones.

We are still having lots of fun here in hot, dry, AZ. This weekend I have eaten sushi, thrown a shower, and been gloriously slobbered on by my sweet nephew. I've been shopping and had more Venti Passion Fruit teas than I can count! This next week will be exciting as I anticipate the arrival of my sweet husband on Friday!

I wish I had more to say, or something funny to write, but my brain has gone on vacation mode. I will work on it! Until then...

La Vida Dulce!

Saturday Fun: Emily, Maliah, and Me

Two Things

#1. I have a new addiction: Starbucks Passion Fruit Iced Tea. I woke up thinking about it.

#2. I am getting lost in the city I grew up in. I got lost on the way home from the gym yesterday. They have built stuff all over this town and now I have no idea where I am. It annoys me....Luckily they have built a Starbucks on every corner so I can solve all my problems there. (see # 1)

Happy 1st Official Day of Summer

It's the first day of summer and it couldn't be better.

Yesterday I went to the gym with my sis-in-law. Her gym has these classes that are fun but are T-O-U-G-H! But with names like BodyAttack and BodyPump you wouldn't expect them to be easy. Let's just say that when I finished the Attack class on Saturday it felt good...But the rest of the day felt exactly like it did the day I ran a 10k...Tired and sluggish. Yesterday I did the Pump class which is "Resistance to Rhythm", meaning you lift weights to music until you think you are going to die, and then you wake up in the morning and can't bring your own coffee cup to your mouth because your muscles are screaming in pain.

Today I spent some time in my mother's real estate office doing some admin work for her and then I took the kids out side for several hours of swimming, popsicle eating and sun bathing. And although I used enough sunscreen to cover a small army I still got a bit of burn on my back (the perils of being 30). So my back has that sunburn itching that for now has to be ignored...Because the soreness of yesterdays work out doesn't allow for reaching around to scratch one's sunburned back.

But even a sunburn can't get me down on a beautiful summer day in the desert. As I type the first monsoon storm of the season is blowing in and doing it's best to look threatening. But there is something awesome about rain in the desert in the middle of summer and I say: Bring It On!

Below are a few pictures of the mountains as they anticipate a good summer drink.

La Vida Dulce!

Another view from the front of my parent's house.

Hazy Mountian view from my parents house.

Desert Monsoons on the 1st Day of Summer

Father's Day and Family Fun

My posting time has been considerably lacking but all is well. For those of you who were worried with all the news of Arizona being on fire, worry no more. The fires are in Sedona which is a good drive from here. Unfortunately, this is the desert and fires often happen at this time of year.
We have been having a great time swimming and hanging out with friends and family. On Father's Day we were all here and two of my cousins stopped by as well. They are fun gals and I learned two things while they were here: 1. Playing the game "can you fit through a coat hanger" is slightly humiliating but extremely funny. 2. Playing with cardboard boxes is still more fun than many fine toys.

My "little" brother gave The Boy a hair cut which in many ways is sort of like a passing of a baton. The Boy is the spitting image of Dan when he was 8 years old.Dan continues to wear his hair the same way. It works for him.

That's the scoop!

Speaking of "look-a-likes", these are my cousins Emily and Katie. Out of the 11 grandchildren (me being the oldest) there are about 9 years between Emily (on my right) and I . And 11 between Katie and myself. That doesn't make me feel quite so old as their little brother who is 24 years younger than me (and only one year older than my son!). Many people say that Emily and I are spitting images...what do you think?

The Boy getting a hair cut from his Uncle and look-a-like.

The Girl being pushed in said box by cousin Katie.

The Girl climbing into a box.

Me...trying to fit through a wire hanger.

Let's just say the top half went through without a hitch...but (as you can see) it got stuck somewhere near the bottom. It's hard to see in the picture but my hand is on the "hook" of the hanger. We finally had to untwist the top part of the hanger to get me out. I know.....I know.... We are easily entertained...and we weren't even drinking.

Extra Large Goggles...A New Fashion Statement

Jump!

I'm Famous!

My sister-in-law, Jen, asked me if I knew I had been made into an action figure. I said I didn't . (It was made when I had short hair) But it is true.
"She cleans the house, and she makes dinner. She plays nursery rhymes on the guitar (repertoire includes Old Macdonald had a Farm) and she tells really bad jokes. It's the blogger and coffee drinker who likes good hair and good shoes. She can leap small buildings made of Legos and she has a hankering for chocolate on a daily basis. It's the Kellie Action Figure!"

(Pictured below: a pic of me with short hair...to get the full effect.)

With short hair...and my Dad before a wedding last year. Notice he was helping get a pre-wedding "fix". You can click onthe picture to enlarge it.

Palm Tree's At Sunset

Blue Eyed Girl...Meeting my new neice. I'm in baby heaven.

Babe in Arms! My new nephew, Lil' Fil.

Sleepy...but almost there.

Bagel on the run

We're Here!

Three times I sat down between last night and today in an attempt to blog. But alas, swimming, holding babies, and hanging out with the "fam" has (rightfully) taken precedence.

In the last 30 hours I have traveled across the country, going from soggy, wet tropical storm weather to hot-as-an-oven heat (108 yesterday). But the humidity is killer...a whopping 6% humidity today (note the sarcasm)....my friends in humid places are rolling thier eyes right now.

I must take this time to say that when I am here I have the BEST hair days. It could be my parents fancy shampoo, but the lack of moisture in the air has to help. My lips and skin, on the other hand, are screaming for chapstick and lotion...it doesn't take any time to be completely parched here. My large water bottles here aren't nearly big enough for this H2O junky.

I got this time to post with an unexpected 20 minutes of downtime before my brother and his family and my parents all sit down for dinner, which means I won't have time to post pics...but I hope to do so soon.

La Vida Dulce

Just like Tabitha

It's always on the day before I leave for vacation that I wish that I could wiggle my nose and make all the pre-work of vacation be finished. Of course, instead of being upstairs doing what I should be doing I am sitting at the computer in an attempt to avoid packing.

I always tell myself that I am going to have everything done so that I can relax the night before I leave. Inevitably I am up very late packing and trying to cram three days of work into three hours that I would normally be tucked into bed.

There may be a day or two lapse in the old blog...But then again maybe not. There is a three hour time difference between Arizona and the East Coast so I am sure that I will be ready for bed by 6pm tomorrow and will be wide awake at 3am Thursday, leaving some great early morning hours to catch y'all up on my adventures of flying all day with two children across the country. Fortunately I have two of the best travelers so I am certain all will be well.

Soon to post: Pictures of mountains and cacti
and of all things desert-y.

La Vida Dulce!

First Official Day of Summer

Today is the first official day of summer!

Seems like just yesterday I was sadly posting about the end of summer and the beginning of an empty (daytime) nest.

Here is a poem that describes my feelings all year and makes me anticipate the weeks ahead...

Summer

I like 'em in the winter when their cheeks

are slightly pale,

I like 'em in the spring time when the March winds

blow a gale.

But when summer suns have tanned 'em and

they're racing to and fro,

I somehow think the children make the finest

sort of show.

When they're brown as little berries and they're

bare of foot and head,

And they're on the go each minute where the

velvet lawns are spread,

Then their health is at its finest and they never

stop to rest,

Oh, it's then I think the children look and are

their very best.

We've got to know the winter and we've got to

know the spring,

But for children, could I do it, unto summer I

would cling;

For I'm the happiest when I see 'em, as a wild

and merry band

Of healthy, lusty youngsters that the summer

sun has tanned.

- Edgar A Guest

On a side note: 48 hours from now I will be arriving in the arid Sonoran Desert where the current temperature is predicted to be 108! Perfect!

Preparing for the Zona Sun!

G. takes a pic of me...and kind of misses...but we are having fun.

And Baby If You Call Me, You Can Call Me KAL

I just bought myself a new bag with my initials monogrammed on the side. I love it because it is big and will be great for traveling (just 7 short days from now) but will be also good for shlepping music to work in the winter when I am cold and need something summery to look at. The Big Bonus: It hold my largest water bottle with the greatest of ease.

Puppy Chow

Yesterday afternoon I took The Girl shopping for summer things. We shopped so long that we sailed right over the lunch hour and around 1:30 we both realized we were hungry. The Girl, having been born with a Golden Arches tracking device in her head, immediately let me know that there was a McDonald's not far away. I am not a lover of anything remotely related to two-all-beef-patties-special-sauce-lettuce-cheese-pickles-onions-on-a-sesame-seed-bun. So I decided I would grab a protein bar of some sort in the department store that I was currently shopping in.

I usually stick with the same bar but for some reason I was ready for a change and decided to live a little and try something new. I decided that I would try a Zone Perfect Bar: Chocolate Mint. Afterall, Jennifer Aniston does the Zone and she is skinny. So it goes without saying if I eat this wonderfully tasty, high protein bar for lunch, that is supposed to taste like a York Peppermint Patty, I will instantly be a super skinny California movie star shopping in a high end boutique, (instead of an average mother enjoying a day with her daughter...Shopping Walmart). Oh Yeah, I also won't be hungry for three days because of all that good protein.

This was the most vile thing (well maybe not most vile...I have had a raw Dim Sum thing once) I have put in my mouth. It tasted exactly like Puppy Chow.

It's at this time that you are asking yourself: How does she know what Puppy Chow tastes like?

The answer: I've tasted it.

And there's a story there.

When I was about 6 or 7 years old I was one of the privileged "Kim O'K" Kids. Kim O'K (KO'K) was lady who ran a daycare out of her home. I really liked KO'K. She was highly organized and she ran a tight ship, but she was kind.

Looking back, and knowing what I now know of homemaking, I would bet my chocolate collection that she was probably a professional couponer...Something I admire and respect but (like gardening) have tried and am not cut out for...It's a lot of work. Anyway, she would make homemade lunches for all the children she kept in her home. I am not talking homemade peanut butter and jelly sandwiches here, I am talking homemade Mac N cheese, and for the interest of this story, homemade spaghetti.

I remember getting in line to get my bowl of spaghetti. The kitchen smelled really yummy and I collected my portion in a blue Tupperware bowl. I took it ouside to the covered patio where she had picnic tables set up. I placed my fork into the squishy noodle dish and what did I find...A leaf! A large green leaf!!!!

I took my bowl to her and explained that I needed something else, because on general principle, I didn't eat leaves. But she told me that that was what we had for lunch...There would be nothing else.

So I chose not to eat.

But soon I was exceedingly hungry.

The back yard was sort of divided into two parts. One half was the patio and an area covered with fake grass turf (the kind that you can roll out like a carpet) that had all sorts of toys and things to crawl and climb on. The other side of the yard was lanscaped and although we weren't banned from that area we didn't often venture over there because frankly, it wasn't all that fun.

I was sulking from the injustice of being served spaghetti with leaves in it so I wandered over to the "boring" section of the yard. On that side of the yard there was a sliding glass door that led to the master bedroom. On the little concrete slab that was just outside that sliding glass door lay a dog dish. Filled with Puppy Chow. As I was sitting there pondering the severe hunger pains (I mean I hadn't eaten anything in probably two whole hours!) another boy about my age walked up. I told him my plight and he dared me to eat some dog food.

So I did.

Only a few bites though. It wasn't too bad, especially for dog food. You know, it tasted just like a Zone Perfect Chocolate Mint Bar.

So that is the story.

Here's the funny part. I now make homemade spaghetti sauce as well. Not because I am anywhere near the homemaking caliber of KO'K, but because I prefer the taste over the jarred varieties. And guess what, I use leaves as well...It's called oregano.

So if you are a Zone-y out there and you think that those chocolate mint bars taste like anything tasty, I have some bad news for you:

It's been a long time since you had sugar. You're hungry...Go buy a candy bar.

True Confessions

I have a confession to make:

I think I might be a plant killer.

My garden isn't doing well after a hail storm we had a few weeks back. My tomato plant got over watered and wasn't in a pot that drained well. The three potted plants I got for Teacher Appreciation day are slowly fading (even though I am watering them) and a Rosemary plant given to me by a friend is looking a bit sad. I even planted grass seed in he Spring that hasn't grown very well.

I am not sure I am cut out for the caring of plants. Although I would really like to add "Amazing Gardner" to my list of talents I am not sure it's going to work.

I had such great dreams of homegrown salads and of graciously (and yet very humbly) taking my fruits and veggies to neighbors and friends and nodding demurely as they compliment my gardening abilities. The conversations would sound something like this: "Why Kellie, I have never seen such beautiful fruits and veggies...however do you do it"....But I digress.

I am a plant killer and I think I might have to resort to buying my fruits and vegetable this summer like everybody else.

Bummer.

How do spell V-a-c-a-t-i-o-n?

12 days from right now I will be in the warm sunny desert sitting by the side of the pool with the kiddos, eating a Popsicle and feeling good.

One of the many highlights of going home this summer is going to see my new nephew, Lil Fil, and playing with my niece Maliah. It's always fun to have some time with little kids whom you love like your own...But can give back when your tired. Being and Aunt must feel a bit what it is like when you are a grandparent...Only you can still remember vividly those sleepless nights...Which make you a bit more cautious.

As I blog in the coming weeks of our adventures in Arizona you will most likely see more of them. They are pictured below.

So the countdown to our Trek to the Southwest has begun! I can't wait!

To completely change the subject...Did any one watch the last bit of the Scripps Spelling Bee last night?

Oh the tension was unbearable!! I felt awful for those kids who missed it by like one letter...Come on, I mean some of those words needed to drop a letter of two anyway. When it was over part me just felt like I needed to go open my dictionary and stare at it for a few minutes...But then I decided to forget it...That's what spell check is for....The other part of me wondered what these kids do for fun...I mean what are they going to do for fun this summer? Other than experiencing weltschmerz (: a mood of sentimental sadness; Merriam-Webster Dictionary) from all those words floating around in their head.

I think I need a vacation.

Lil Fil

Miss Maliah

Shoes Glorious Shoes!

Summer-time and new sandals...both make me so very happy.

Happy June!