Adios 2009!

Today is the final day of 2009, and what a year it has been. Some good, some bad and a whole lot that falls somewhere in between the two. But, for better or worse, the year ends tonight. And with a blue moon even! So I figure, what better than to end the year with a post on my blog, which in recent months seem to be "once every blue moon"!



With the close of one year, and the beginning of a new one, I've decided to set several goals for the year. Don't we all!?!?!



One of my goals for the upcoming year is to blog more regularly. Another goal is to participate in a 365 photography challenge. This means that I am challenging myself to take at least one photograph every day in 2010. To simplify things, I decided to combine the two. I will be posting the daily pictures here on my blog as a means to keep up with the challenge, and also to help me photograph things I'm either passionate or obsessive about.



I look forward to starting this project tomorrow, and I look forward to sharing it with you as well. I hope you'll follow along with on this journey, whether it is just from an observation point-of-view or an active participant. If you'd like to participate along with me, please let me know as I'd love to share the journey with others. As always, I'm open to your thoughts, comments, and even constructive criticism regarding my photos.

Bad drivers

Dear Terrible Driver,

In case you aren't aware, you do NOT need to suddenly veer left in order to execute a right hand turn. The same goes for veering right in order to turn left. You especially do not need to go so far in the opposite direction of your turn that you take half of my lane, coming precariously close to my car.

Also, my signaling my intention to change lanes, therefore putting my car in front of yours is NOT an invitation for you to speed up in order to block my maneuver. That's just plain obnoxious and completely rude. If you don't want me to drive in front of you, at least pull up fast enough and far enough for me to move over behind you.

And finally, a question, terrible driver. Why do you feel the need to drive ten m.p.h below the speed limit until the upcoming traffic signal turns from green to yellow which prompts you to step on the gas and fly through the intersection doing at least 15 over the speed limit? If you were in such a hurry that you can't stop for the three minutes the light will be red, drive faster!!!

Thank you.

So....what's your driving pet peeve?

Growing up

Today was Day 3 of Vacation Bible School!

And today was the hardest...for me. It was a day of letting go, of watching the little girl transform even further into a big girl.

Vacation Bible School was an exciting new adventure for us. Miss Mac is homeschooled, and therefore has missed out on the separation-anxiety that comes with the first day of school or even day care. The closest thing she has experienced was the play room at the gym and she was only away from me for, at the most, an hour. VBS was key because later this summer she has other day camps and classes scheduled.

Day One, we were both a bit excited and nervous, but after walking her to her group and getting her settled in, I did manage to let go of her hand and leave. Day Two was easier because I overslept, and we were running late so I had to walk her to the classroom and leave quickly so she didn't miss anything.

But today. Oh, today. We were on time when we pulled into the parking lot, and she saw other children walking up to the door - most with mommies, some older ones by themselves. And she said, Mommy, can you just pull over there (points to curb by the steps) and drop me off so I can go in by myself?

*gasp, swallow, try not to cry*

I did. She got out all by herself, ran around to the steps, waved, then pulled open the heavy doors. To everyone else, she appeared to be just another child going into VBS. To me, she was a little girl going into a new chapter of her life - one filled with confidence and self-assurance.

ABC's of Me

Yea I totally stole this from Meadowlark because I'm just far too tired. My morning started at 8am as opposed to the 10:30 am that I usually tolerate. Can you tell I am not a morning person? Anyway, I digress. Here are my answers for your reading pleasure or entertainment, whichever you prefer:

A - Age: Physically I'm 40, mentally I'm still in my 30's somewhere and some days I behave worse then my 5-year-old.

B - Bed size: King. We need a new one but good gravy it's expensive to buy a king-sized mattress. And yea, we're still paying on the one we have, so you can figure why the hubby won't splurge on another one!

C - Chore you hate: Chore? As in I have to pick one? Ok...I hate chores. All of them. Equally. Well, not totally true. I pick the one I hate so much I would rather pay someone else to do it...bathrooms. Blech.

D - Dog's name: Sherman, and Meg

E - Essential start your day item: Coffee. Preferably by IV, thank you.

F - Favorite color: PURPLE!!

G - Gold or Silver or Platinum: Yes!

H - Height: 5'2

I - Instruments you play: I can play anything. Oh, you mean, so others can tolerate listening? Piano.

J - Job title: Chief cook and laundry washer, aspiring writer and photographer.

K - Kid(s): 3

L - Living arrangements: My dream house. I just wish we had a lot of land to go with it.

M - Mom's name: Psychotic Bitch.

N - Nicknames: most aren't printable on a family-friendly site. My friends call me T. yes, just T. It's a laziness thing that started with me calling my friends Karen "K". See, somethings are just better left unanswered.

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: Hospitalized with pregnancy-related heart failure after Miss Mac was born.

P - Pet Peeve: Oh, I have FAR too many to list here. I could sum up most of them by saying arrogant, inconsiderate, stupid people.

Q - Quote from a movie: "I'll have what she's having" from When Harry Met Sally.

R - Right handed or left handed: Right

S - Siblings: No, I'm an obnoxious lonely only. Surprised? No, I didn't think so! :)

T - Time you wake up: usually about 10:30 but this week Miss Mac has vacation bible school so I'm up around 8am, and I'm NOT liking it! The only way I'll be a morning person is when mornings start at noon.

U- Underwear: Do you really wanna know? No, I didn't think so...

V - Vegetable you dislike: Broccoli, unless it's steamed, then pureed, and used to batter chicken nuggets, then it's all good. And yes, I do use it this way because my kids and I will actually eat it.

W - Ways you run late: I try not to be late. Usually I'm late because of someone else, like another person not doing their part to get ready to leave.

X - X-rays you've had: Yearly teeth x-rays, and chest x-ray when I had heart failure.

Y - Yummy food you make: II'm learning new recipes all the time so it's hard to narrow it down. I'm going to copy Meadowlarks' answer and say it's all good; otherwise, why would I make it? ;)

Z - Zoo favorite: I don't like most zoos because I don't think animals should be kept in captivity for human entertainment. The ones that actually serve a purpose, like research or to help endangered animals, that's different...and you can see the difference. My favorite animals are koalas.

Ok, well, you made it through to the end. Thanks for playing. No, you don't win a prize. But, if you post on your blog, post a message for me here so I can read your responses.

Kid Logic

My youngest daughter, Miss Mac, is currently upstairs cleaning her room. Well, that is what she is supposed to be doing. However, it is far to quiet so I believe she is playing rather than cleaning since every toy that normally resides in two pink storage buckets in her closet was scattered throughout her room and in order to putthings back in the buckets, and then back into the closet, noise must be made. You know, the sound of toys hitting against toys as you toss them into the storage bucket? Yea, it isn't.

So, I call up to her:

Me: Miss Mac, you need to be cleaning, not playing.
Miss Mac: I AM cleaning!
Me: It is too quiet for you to be cleaning.
Miss Mac proceeds to walk very heavily across her floor.
Miss Mac: Can you hear me cleaning now?

Now, before you think her a spoiled, sassy child, she isn't. She didn't say or mean it maliciously. It was honest, innocent...and just adorable.

Track? What track?

You mean there is some sort of track I'm not only supposed to be on, but manage to stay on?

Yea, right. Okay.

I'm so far off track, it has passed the point of even being remotely funny. My "to do" list is growing into a "to do"pile. I cross one thing off only to find five more things to take its place. I'm praying I have a next life, or five or six, because it will take that many just to complete the things in this life I didn't get finished!

This past week was insane. Nothing else could possibly describe this week except pure insanity. First, I started a new medication to help me get rid of the lovely water retention (yea, you *know* you wanted to know...just wait, it gets better), only to have it dehydrate me to the point that I got sick at work on Wednesday and spent the rest of the day in bed praying for either a quick death or instant improvement. Thursday was spent taking Miss Mac to her homeschool girls group, going to see a replica of the Liberty Bell, having dinner, then going to CPR training and finally getting Mac to bed. I have no clue how Friday was spent so it was either insignificant or such a chaotic blur that my alternate personality stepped in to take over (joke..please laugh).

Saturday was so hellish it deserves its own paragraph. I should recount, but I don't want to even remotely relive it. Besides, I already posted an explanation over on the NPWA forums (for all my police wife friends!).

But now, life is good, and I'm back on track. Yea, there is a track. And it goes in a never-ending circle just like the ones in high school. Like a big ol' hamster wheel for humans.

Days Like This...

Ugh.

Days like this just suck. There is no other polite way to describe them.

And on days like this, I seriously think that if I could go back in time, I would opt to join the circus instead of being a mom. At least you can train animals.

Ugh. Just ugh.

Mission Accomplished!

A HUGE thank you to my oldest daughter who unknowingly helped me accomplish my mission of getting a picture of the TIV (Tornado Intercept Vehicle) 2 from Discovery Channel's Storm Chasers show.

Surprisingly just a few days after posting my mission, a chance run-in with my oldest daughter at the gym provided necessary information to finding TIV. She went to have her car inspected, and what should happen to be at the automotive shop? You got it! The TIV 2 is there getting some work done. The best thing is my husband worked with the co-owner of the shop years ago (pre-LE days!), so not only did I get to take pictures of TIV 2, but the Little Miss got to actually sit in the driver's seat!

So, missioned accomplished beyond wildest possible expectations!

On a Mission

For those who don't already know, I live in the panhandle of Texas. The area is also part of a larger place commonly known as "Tornado Alley". Each year, weather geeks descend upon our area of the country in hopes of chasing big storms and possibly catching a glimpse of a tornado. In fact, the Discovery Channel even has a show called "Storm Chasers". I love this show!

Well, today while driving my son over to his dad's house, my husband calls. Apparently one of his fellow deputies told my husband that he had seen the TIV here earlier today. If you don't watch the show, the TIV is a Tornado Intercept Vehicle, and it's just freakin' cool looking (that's it in the picture, but not a picture I took). And my husband, knowing how much I love the show, had to tell me that it had been here in town. Like less than 5 miles from my house.

Since hours had gone by since it was spotted, I know it's too late to go find it. So, on a whim, I check online at the Discovery Channel site. Probably not a good thing. Because now I know I can track the vehicles. Live.

So, I have a mission. A goal, if you will. I want to get a real picture of the TIV sometime during this tornado season.

Like my husband said when I told him this a few minutes ago...everyone has to have a hobby, I guess!

Results from the shooting range

Here are some pictures from our trip to the shooting range yesterday.

My son's result from shooting husband's sniper rifle.






Little Miss's results from shooting the .22.

Pretty good shots, I'd say!

PWO blog-a-thon success!

Well, we didn't quite reach the goal, but we did raise $300 at last count and I think that is a huge success.

A huge thank you to everyone who read and supported the blog-a-thon and to those who donated.
A huge thank you to all of the blog authors that stayed up to participate.
And to MJ who took on the task of organizing this challenge and managed to actually stay up all night to continue. You are a force to be recognized and we are blessed you are part of the site. Thank you, yet again.

It was a great project although I'm embarrassed to admit I fell asleep about 4am. I didn't mean to. I meant to simply lay in bed and read until the husband fell asleep...but I actually think I passed out before he did! Even still, it was great fun!

Writing prompt response

This writing prompt is from MJ, the Blogger Extraordinaire and organizer of the PWO blog-a-thon.

Writing Prompt: Everyone has a bit of nerd in them. Tell us the nerdiest thing about yourself.

I am a total book nerd. I'll read anything. I get a rush from being in a bookstore or a library. Every now and the, I get the opportunity to visit a "real" bookstore. You know the kind. Locally owned, been at the same location for decades, and it just smells like old books inside. They usually sell new and used books. It doesn't smell or feel sterile like the big name bookstores. We have one here and there is no way that place makes money - it must be threre because the owner just loves books.

That's what I'd love to do. Own a bookstore like that. I'd sell old and new books, and coffee because I can't live without it, and my photographs.

Yea. I'm a total nerd.

Reflecting

It was a gorgeous day here today. Mid-80's with a ligh wind. Bright, sunny. Just a perfect day.

And while we were driving out to the shooting range, I notice many people enjoying the day while riding motorcycles, and I felt envious.

You see, one of the things I really enjoyed doing when I was a teenager and in my twenties was riding. I had many male friends with motorcycles so there was always someone available to catch a ride with on days like today.

However, the husband doesn't ride. And after becoming a cop and working so many fatalities involving motorcycles, he refuses to ride. And me being a married woman, the opportunites of having male friends who DO ride are few.

I respect his need for caution. But I'm still a little envious.

I miss riding.

Through a child's eyes

This is a story the husband just shared with me. I thought it cute enough to share with you.

Last week, while the husband was away as sniper training, I bought Little Miss a set of police gear she found in the toy section of Walmart. During his absence, part of her writing assignment consisted of writing letters to Daddy. After we bought the police gear, she wrote him a letter. It read:

Dear Daddy,
When you get home, will you play police stuff with me?

Earlier today, she took him upstairs to show him all of her new things. As she is showing him, she is telling him what each thing is. This is my handcuffs, and the keys really work! This is my helmet. These are my radios and they work, too! Then she holds up the police baton - the old style with the hand grip. She couldn't remember what it was called, but she remember it started with a "b" sound and was used to strike at someone. Finally she says, and this is my basher.

I guess that's one way of looking at it!

Spending time with my son

I have had to divide my time between the blog-a-thon and my family. It happened that the same weekend that we had the blog-a-thon planned was also the same weekend the husband would return from his week at sniper training and my son would be here over the weekend. So, like most moms, I have to divide myself between two equally important but vastly different priorities.

One of the things that bothers my son is that I spend a lot of time on my computer. I really do but not all of my time is spent online. I write. I edit photos. I work on web updates for the site. And, yes, I also socialize. But regardless of what I'm doing while on the computer, I'm not spending time with him. Until yesterday I didn't realize it was an issue. I figured he was texting most of the time anyway so he probably didn't want to spend time with me.

But, he does. And now I know this.

So, tonight we watched a movie. I'll admit - he baited me a bit. He said, how about we watch Twilight, because I haven't seen it yet.

Oh yea. I'm in. I made popcorn, we watched the movie. I didn't get up once to come make a post. And at the end, he said "That was much better than I thought it'd be."

I know, son. On all accounts. It was really awesome, and I'm glad I chose that priority.

Role of PWO

Police Wives Online was launched in April of 2004, so this year marked the fifth anniversary of the site. A lot has changed since the initial site. Cat, the founder, stepped down, and we are actively working towards gaining non-profit status.

I found PWO in the summer of 2004. My husband had been on patrol for about a year and a half, we had a daughter who was almost a year old, and I was in need of some adult conversation with people who could understand this life of being married to a cop. I honestly didn't expect to find anything when I did a google search. I was amazed when I signed onto the forums. These women knew exactly what I was talking about!

I made some wonderful friends over the years - some were long term, some have come and gone, but each are cherished. Yes, even the ones that didn't work out so well. I still consider these women to be sisters because we still share a common bond, and if God forbid something ever happened to any of their husbands, I'd be the first to extend a heartfelt hand in sorrow. I'd like to think that if tables were turned, they'd do the same.

Police Wives Online is a special place where bonds are formed, friendships are made, and support is given. We have come so far in five years but we have lofty goals for the future. Please, help us with our goal of raising $1000 during this blog-a-thon. Even if you can only give a dollar, every bit helps. And if you can't give, spread the word.

Thank you!

Home from the Range

We spent two fun hours in the windy sun - me shooting the camera, the others shooting various guns. I took a bunch of pictures that I will upload to show you after I cook dinner.

Little Miss (5) made some excellent shots, including one center mass, with the .22 that once belonged to her big brother. It's the gun he learned to shoot with and has now been passed down to her as he's moved on to bigger and better weapons. Although, he did fire off many rounds with it today.

The boy prefers to shoot the AR-15 but after stopping at two different Walmarts (both being out of ammo), he stuck to shooting the Glocks, the .22, and dh's sniper rifle. He shot a perfect head shot with it, too. Not bad, at all!

I don't know how my shots turned out yet.

Late start - story of my life!

I'm just getting around to the productive part of my day. I have never been, nor am I now, a morning person. So, until mornings start at 10 or 11, count me out.

But, here I am, ready to start the blog-a-thon. I'm excited although until later, my posts will be sporadic. You see, the husband just got back from a week-long training and the kids want to "do stuff", so we're taking them to the shooting range this afternoon.

This will be fun for everyone except me. While I completely support our 2nd amendment rights, I'm just now a big fan of guns. Shooting is not a fun thing for me. However, my son who will turn 15 next week, and my youngest daughter who is 5 love to go shooting. So, I play along.

After all, that is part of being a mom.

Blog-a-thon for Police Wives Online

One of my most time-consuming passions is Police Wives Online, an online support system for the wives of law enforcement.

Today, April 25th from 9am until Sunday April 26th at 9am, bloggers will be posting around the clock with hopes of raising lots of money for PWO and the programs we offer there. The more money raised, the more support we can offer.

Information about being a supporter or even a blogger for this great cause can be found at:

http://policewivesonline.blogspot.com/

There are ways EVERYONE can participate - be a blogger, be a donor, be a cheerleader. Everyone can do something.

Almost Spring

The geese that have flown over our home several times a day as they took off and landed in the small lake only a block from our house have now returned to their homes in the north. I noticed about a week or so I no longer heard their fly-overs. Their presence is one of the few things I enjoy about the winter months. They are very low as they fly in and the noise can be unbelievable! My youngest daughter and I love to go out and watch as they fly over us, then in a cyclone patten, glide down into the water.

Another sign of spring is the bulbs are poking through the ground. The crocuses bloomed last week! Sadly the blooms didn't last long. They were too tempting for the youngest one who, in a moment of generosity, picked them for me. We do still have daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths to enjoy.

Finally, I noticed our heating bill has dropped significantly. I've even been able to open the windows for some fresh air a few days the past week. There have been many warm days, but warm spring days in the Texas panhandle usually are accompanied by strong winds.

Absent-minded

I had this really great idea for a blog, but it has been way too long since I'd even signed on, and of course I had to catch up on what everyone else has been writing about, and now....it's an hour later, and I've totally forgetten what was so interesting.

*sigh*

Mom-brain.

Only a mom...

The following are small portions of conversations I've had with my children throughout today. Only a mother would hear things like this.

My 14 year-old son came to me this afternoon with a nearly empty box of chocolates he had received from his little sister for Valentine's Day.
Me (questioning the 5 year-old): Mac, did you eat his chocolates?
Mac: Only one.
Me: There are many more than just one missing. There are about 12 missing. Why did you eat so many of his chocolates?
Mac: Well, I wanted one with the pink stuff in the middle, but I kept getting ones with other stuff. I had to keep trying.

My oldest daughter, who now lives on her own, called while I was in the car a little while ago.
A: Mom, what's the non-emergency number for the police department?
Me: (I give her the number). Is everything okay?
A: Yea, a homeless guy just keeps pee'ing on the mailbox.

My son(earlier this afternoon): Mom, can I fry a hambuger patty? I mean, like deep fry it.

Mac: I love you mommy.
Me: I love you, too, ladybug.
Mac (giving me a big hug): You're the best mommy I've ever had.

Ah....children

Children. The ultimate daily challenge of one's patience and sanity.

Today is one of three days where we have scheduled things to do. We do things on other days, these days just have regularly planned activities. Today it was the gym for me and gymnastics for her (well, duh, I guess it'd be quite hillarious the other way around). Anyway, as I am getting myself ready, I tell Mac she needs to get dressed as well.

The rule is she is allowed to watch tv while getting dressed as long as she does the getting dressed part. I finish and walk into the room where instead of getting dressed, she is doing some five-year-old part roll/part climb on the couch. In her panties. In twenty minutes, this is all she has managed to accomplish. So, off goes the tv, out comes the screams - because apparently turning off the television in the middle of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is something akin to severing a limb.

Needless to say, we made it to the gym but not to gymnastics. Only because afer that meltdown, I needed some stress release.

Go Red For Women

In case you didn't know, February is American Heart Month.

Why should you care? Because heart problems can strike anyone..at any time.

On an early Saturday morning just over five years ago, our beautiful daughter was brought into the world via c-section. There weren't any seriously complications afterward, so with the exception of some serious water retention, I was ready to go home as soon as possible. On Monday afternoon, my husband drove me and our youngest daughter home from the hospital. We have an SUV and because of the swelling in my legs, climbing into the passenger side was very painful and difficult. The nurses all said swelling was normal after c-section and would go away in a few days.

That night, sleeping was tough. New baby, incision pain, swelling. I slept with two pillows under my head. The next night, same thing but a little worse. Wednesday night I couldn't sleep at all because I couldn't lay down. If I tried, I felt like the swelling in my legs was moving into my chest and within minutes, felt like I was suffocating. My heart raced. I thought I was having panic attacks made worse by sheer exhaustion. At about 5am, I had my husband call my doctor who told me to come to his office first thing in the morning.

I arrived at his office thinking at worst he'd send me home with a prescription for Xanax (or some other anti-anxiety medicine). Instead, he checked me, left the room for about 5 minutes, came back in and said "We are admitting you back into the hospital. You have post-partum cardio myopathy or heart failure caused by pregnancy."

What? Heart failure? I was 35 years old! Who has heart failure at 35? Apparently, I did. And what did he mean "caused by pregnancy"? That wasn't in any mom-to-be book I'd ever read.

I stayed in the hospital for almost 5 days - longer than when I was in for the c-section! I left with a lot less water retention, a ton of prescriptions, and a hatred of hospitals. I found out later from my cardiologist that my EF (ejection fraction - or the percentage of blood your left ventricle pumps out) was 17%. A normal EF is between 55-70%.

It's been five and half years, and until last January, my heath was terrible. I terified of working out, especially cardio, because I didn't want to strain my heart when just being over-weight was straining my heart already. See, the lovely little pills I've been taking since called beta-blockers help keep my heart rate and blood pressure down. They also make your metabolism slug. along. like. a. turtle.

In the past year, I've changed to eating about 60% organic food, I go to the gym 3-4 days a week, and after getting a Wii Fit last October, I try to do that several times a week also. I've lost about 20 pounds, as well, but still have more to go before I'm satisfied. Most importantly, when I first started doing cardio bicycle, my heart rate would jump to 160 in about 3 minutes. Now I do about 40 minutes at two levels higher and my heart rate stays about 145. So, my heart is getting better. My goal isn't just weight loss, I want to be off the beta-blocker.

So, I remind you again. February is American Heart Month. And here are some great sites you need to visit:

http://www.goredforwomen.org/

http://www.americanheart.org/

What are you doing to keep your heart healthy?

Thanks to some PWO friends, another obsession is entering these blog giveaways!

Some Free Giveaway contests I came across today- either through PWO, or clicking links at other Blogs:

Leather Necklace http://www.lifestylewithlove.com/2009/02/g-is-forgiveaway.html

Assorted summer-y things http://zapoldesigns.blogspot.com/

Newest obsession: Writing

Ok, so technically it isn't a new obsession since I've been writing off and on for many years. However, since I took a hiatus about three years ago, and haven't written anything substantial, creative, or worth publishing, I'm calling it new. For three years, I lost my writing voice and it really felt like I'd been stiffled. Is there anything worse than self-inflicted writer's block?

So, here I am. The beginning of a new chapter.

Let's see what happens.

Hockey Mom, part 2

Several years ago my son played hockey for about two years. While he mostly played inline, he did play one season of ice. The cost to play ice hockey here is outrageous! He has since moved on (and through) fencing, football, and is currently involved with the ROTC program at his high school.

I figured my days of being a hockey mom were behind me. This saddened me because out of all the various sports the kids have been involved with, I think I enjoyed watching hockey the most. However, with him being involved with other types of activities, and the youngest being a girl, I knew my chances were extremely slim.

Then, last weekend, all of us went to watch our local hockey team. This was the first game we'd attended in about 4 years.

Now, it seems the hockey bug has bitten not only my son, but my youngest daughter, also.

It is too late for either to play this spring, but it's possible by the summer, I could have two hockey players!

Obsessions

I think since I posted about my passions, it is only fair to let my obsessions have equal billing.

Currently , I only have two obsessions.

My first obsession is iTunes. I knew when I opened the purple iPod at Christmas, I was going to be addicted to downloading.

And, I am.

I download songs. I download podcasts. I listen to them while I workout at the gym. I walk and listen to tutorials on photography. I learn about finance and listen to Dave Ramsey talk about budgeting. I have song after song of 80's music, 90's music, new artists, old artists. And of course, my song list would not be complete without the entire Twilight soundtrack, plus some additional Muse songs.

Which leads me to my other curent obsession.

Yes, I am totally 100% addicted to the Twilight series. I have read all four books. I've read everything on Stephenie Meyers webpage. I've read the online chapters for Midnight Sun. I've seen the movie. And now, I'm re-reading the entire series.

Why?

Because, after blubbering like a love-sick, heartbroken teen at the beginning of New Moon, I read through the rest of the book, and then the first half of Eclipse, so fast, I felt like I really had missed out on some important parts of the book. Plus, I love the characters and I just flat wasn't ready to put them away yet. So...I'm re-reading and I'm currently halfway through New Moon, and I am glad I'm going back through because I did miss out. While I'm still not a huge fan of Jacob (he just really annoys me), I do understand his character more.

Passions

I figure since this is my first entry on my brand new blog, I should mention some of the things I'm passionate about. This isn't a complete list by any means, just the things I can think of right this minute at this late hour and the movie "Something About Mary" blaring from the other room.

My passions:

• My children - all three of them equally, even though they would argue this until they lost their voice.
• My husband - although sometimes, I admit, I entertain fantasies of plotting his untimely demise. He puts up with me (mostly) and that's a good thing.
• Writing - I really need to get back in a daily writing groove.
• Photography - While I hate being in pictures, I take the camera almost everywhere and will shoot just about anything that looks interesting.
• the color Purple