No, no, no, we're not moving again (don't even think it!). We're headed back East to visit some friends! Funny that when you live ALMOST on the West coast, back East is pretty much anywhere but California. So, Chase and I are headed to Colorado for a week-long visit. We are looking forward to many things on this trip:
1. Cooler temps (and by cooler, I mean under 100. I'm not so picky...)
2. Visiting good friends
3. Girls' Night Out! If you are in the Denver area, are a girl and want to go, let me know! :)
4. Visiting with family
5. A birthday party
We have missed our Colorado friends and look forward to catching up with all of them! We were also hoping to get to Green Bay this summer, but as it requires a plane ticket, the cost of the car repairs have made that impossible. (sigh) We miss our GB friends!! We also hoped to get to Austin, but see earlier excuse about the car...
One of the benefits of constantly relocating is that you have free places to stay with fabulous people everywhere you go!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
It's hot here, man
So, I'm in Vegas for my second summer. Doesn't it just seem like yesterday when I was whining about my FIRST summer in Vegas? It doesn't seem possible that we have lived here for over a year now.
And it's hot.
Not as hot as Phoenix, apparently...
But it's really hot.
We have enjoyed going to the pool in our neighborhood - there is always a good group of boys hurling themselves off of the diving board and Chase is happy to join in. It's great at the pool because, did I mention, it's hot.
One difference between my whining about the heat last summer and my whining about the heat this summer is that I have now experienced all four seasons here in Sin City. I remember when we moved here, I was always asking people why in the name of all that's holy would anyone LIKE living here. I got lots of strange answers, but often people said ya just can't beat the weather. WHAAAAAT?? I thought as I nodded politely, silently thinking that their brains must be baked from all of the heat.
Who in the name of Jehozaphat would like this weather??
Well, in July and August? Nobody likes this weather. It's a dry heat, but that only takes ya so far when it's 115. Walking out of my front door is like walking into a blast furnace. I often channel Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as I'm slogging through the flames in my front yard...
But I gotta say. It is dangerously nice here the other 10 months of the year. Even June isn't too hot - and the Fall is downright glorious. I even broke down and wore a coat a few times this year...I swore my Midwestern blood was too thick and I'd never be one of those thin-blooded Las Vegans...but alas. And don'tcha love that I consider myself "Midwestern?" I lived there all of 11 months. :)
So anyway, I'm in Vegas for another summer. Did I mention that it's hot here? Not sure I did...
But this summer is sooo much better than last summer. Last summer, we had no friends. Last summer, we had no church. Last summer, we had no community. Last summer lasted for 10 years. Last summer I probably could have used some serious anti-depressants. This summer, we have lots of friends. This summer, we are very involved at our church and attend regularly. This summer, we have book clubs, Bible studies, free movies, karate classes and lots of community. This summer is flying by - and we are having a blast!
And it's hot.
Not as hot as Phoenix, apparently...
But it's really hot.
We have enjoyed going to the pool in our neighborhood - there is always a good group of boys hurling themselves off of the diving board and Chase is happy to join in. It's great at the pool because, did I mention, it's hot.
One difference between my whining about the heat last summer and my whining about the heat this summer is that I have now experienced all four seasons here in Sin City. I remember when we moved here, I was always asking people why in the name of all that's holy would anyone LIKE living here. I got lots of strange answers, but often people said ya just can't beat the weather. WHAAAAAT?? I thought as I nodded politely, silently thinking that their brains must be baked from all of the heat.
Who in the name of Jehozaphat would like this weather??
Well, in July and August? Nobody likes this weather. It's a dry heat, but that only takes ya so far when it's 115. Walking out of my front door is like walking into a blast furnace. I often channel Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as I'm slogging through the flames in my front yard...
But I gotta say. It is dangerously nice here the other 10 months of the year. Even June isn't too hot - and the Fall is downright glorious. I even broke down and wore a coat a few times this year...I swore my Midwestern blood was too thick and I'd never be one of those thin-blooded Las Vegans...but alas. And don'tcha love that I consider myself "Midwestern?" I lived there all of 11 months. :)
So anyway, I'm in Vegas for another summer. Did I mention that it's hot here? Not sure I did...
But this summer is sooo much better than last summer. Last summer, we had no friends. Last summer, we had no church. Last summer, we had no community. Last summer lasted for 10 years. Last summer I probably could have used some serious anti-depressants. This summer, we have lots of friends. This summer, we are very involved at our church and attend regularly. This summer, we have book clubs, Bible studies, free movies, karate classes and lots of community. This summer is flying by - and we are having a blast!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Wildlife in Vegas
So Paul-the-pond-guy called yesterday afternoon and said he's got some fish for us. I'm thinkin, wahoo! Salmon for dinner! No, no, no, not that kind of fish...it's koi...for our pond.
Paul-the-pond-guy (yes, I think that is his real name), keeps promising that once it really gets hot the algae will die. But, I'm a little concerned because he also keeps smiling lovingly at the algae and calling it an "ecosystem." Yeah, so is kudzu, but ya don't want that around, now do ya?? Not all ecosystems are to be cultivated, am I right? We bought a net and are scooping the algae out every day. Good times.
It's been 100+ every day this week. Not a cloud in the sky. Sun beating down on said pond. Algae seems healthy and is certainly growing. Am wondering just how hot REALLY HOT is?
But I digress...
So he brought us new fish. Four to be exact. Two of them are frankly enormous. I feel like we have whales in our little pond. But, it is fun to have fish - Chase and I spent as much time as we could stand in the heat watching the fish swim and eat. Guess what Koi eat? ALGAE!! Eat, little guys, eat!
We also have finally mastered the art of the hummingbird feeder. After about three beautiful blown-glass purchases (that leaked sugar water all over my patio thankyouverymuch) and one lovely terra-cotta feeder I found in a cabinet at the house (that leaked sugar water all over my $%#@ patio, thankyouverymuch), we have a very unattractive plastic one. That hangs from a metal hook on our patio. It does NOT leak and the hummingbirds love it!
So the moral of this story is: beautiful is not always functional. And at my house, algae seems to grow in the heat. Who knew?
Paul-the-pond-guy (yes, I think that is his real name), keeps promising that once it really gets hot the algae will die. But, I'm a little concerned because he also keeps smiling lovingly at the algae and calling it an "ecosystem." Yeah, so is kudzu, but ya don't want that around, now do ya?? Not all ecosystems are to be cultivated, am I right? We bought a net and are scooping the algae out every day. Good times.
It's been 100+ every day this week. Not a cloud in the sky. Sun beating down on said pond. Algae seems healthy and is certainly growing. Am wondering just how hot REALLY HOT is?
But I digress...
So he brought us new fish. Four to be exact. Two of them are frankly enormous. I feel like we have whales in our little pond. But, it is fun to have fish - Chase and I spent as much time as we could stand in the heat watching the fish swim and eat. Guess what Koi eat? ALGAE!! Eat, little guys, eat!
We also have finally mastered the art of the hummingbird feeder. After about three beautiful blown-glass purchases (that leaked sugar water all over my patio thankyouverymuch) and one lovely terra-cotta feeder I found in a cabinet at the house (that leaked sugar water all over my $%#@ patio, thankyouverymuch), we have a very unattractive plastic one. That hangs from a metal hook on our patio. It does NOT leak and the hummingbirds love it!
So the moral of this story is: beautiful is not always functional. And at my house, algae seems to grow in the heat. Who knew?
Monday, July 6, 2009
Night terrors
Not sure if I have shared this with all of my cyber-buddies out there, but I suffer from night terrors. I have suffered from this all of my life, but mostly they have been intermittent. Over the past couple of months, they have been occurring almost every night, and often several times a night.
The major cause of night terrors seems to be stress.
Om nama jama (that's me meditating)
The main treatment for night terrors is drugging myself up to my eyeballs every night.
Hmmmmm.
Om nama shlama (more meditating)
There are many different ways night terrors are manifested. Mine go like this:
Sleeping...maybe 30-45 minutes after going to sleep... when suddenly
BUGS CRAWLING ON WALLS, SMALL RODENTS INVADING BEDROOM, FLYING SPIDERS DRAGGING THEIR NASTY LEGS IN MY FACE, LARGE MEN ENTERING BEDROOM, SNAKES UNDER BED
I awake, freaking out about whatever flavor of night terror has graced me with its presence that night. The night terror continues until I turn on the light and/or wake up divine hubby with my screaming and freaking out.
Divine hubby just LOVES them, I'll tell ya. He has often said he has a letter with a lawyer somewhere so when the police find him dead in bed of a heart attack, they will know I've been trying to kill him for years.
So, the question is, do I drug myself to my eyeballs and enjoy marital bliss (albeit slightly dulled by the narcotics), or do I continue freaking out every night, several times a night, and possibly wake up one day and find that divine hubby has packed his toothbrush and moved on to quieter pastures?
At this point, divine hubby is considering duct tape...
I'm considering Yoga...
I have an appointment on Wednesday with a neurologist for a possible sleep study. It will be the only night I will wish for a night terror to happen! Of course, that night, I'll sleep like the dead...
The major cause of night terrors seems to be stress.
Om nama jama (that's me meditating)
The main treatment for night terrors is drugging myself up to my eyeballs every night.
Hmmmmm.
Om nama shlama (more meditating)
There are many different ways night terrors are manifested. Mine go like this:
Sleeping...maybe 30-45 minutes after going to sleep... when suddenly
BUGS CRAWLING ON WALLS, SMALL RODENTS INVADING BEDROOM, FLYING SPIDERS DRAGGING THEIR NASTY LEGS IN MY FACE, LARGE MEN ENTERING BEDROOM, SNAKES UNDER BED
I awake, freaking out about whatever flavor of night terror has graced me with its presence that night. The night terror continues until I turn on the light and/or wake up divine hubby with my screaming and freaking out.
Divine hubby just LOVES them, I'll tell ya. He has often said he has a letter with a lawyer somewhere so when the police find him dead in bed of a heart attack, they will know I've been trying to kill him for years.
So, the question is, do I drug myself to my eyeballs and enjoy marital bliss (albeit slightly dulled by the narcotics), or do I continue freaking out every night, several times a night, and possibly wake up one day and find that divine hubby has packed his toothbrush and moved on to quieter pastures?
At this point, divine hubby is considering duct tape...
I'm considering Yoga...
I have an appointment on Wednesday with a neurologist for a possible sleep study. It will be the only night I will wish for a night terror to happen! Of course, that night, I'll sleep like the dead...
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