smackdown.

i played in a volleyball tournament with some of my favorite montroseans all day saturday, we took third place but really played better than we ever have. it was a fun day. i just wish i could go back in time about 25 (cripes) years and have a DO OVER when it comes to high school sports. i didn't make the volleyball team my freshman year at rapid city stevens and was too embarrassed to ever try again. after the volleyball flop, i tried out for the dance team (which is seriously, seriously funny) and didn't make that either. then i went out for track and they made me run the freaking MILE when i was supposed to be a sprinter. hey, i can take the hint. oh, i was also in a really bad play where i had to wear a tie die shirt and no shoes and reinact the assasination of jfk. pretty sure that was karen's idea.

then i decided to just get a job and a car and quickly became the girl who drove everyone to the kegs in the woods. (just kidding if you are my mom)

but honestly, i think somewhere inside me, there could have been an athlete. maybe not an athlete, but at least a PLAYER. i CAN serve that stupid ball over. i CAN jump up and tip it and block it and i bet if i would have had a coach and a chance i could have played the heck out of that volleyball.

IF.

grrrrr. i hate that word.

so yesterday the boys are getting ready to go play hockey in this new 3-on-3 league the husband signed them up for. sigh.

the good part is that they LOVE IT. it is a whole new set of kids and they play against two other teams every tuesday and thursday. last night their "green" team won both games, even beating the "white" team which is made up of a group of hot shots from sioux falls. they were pretty stoked.

yet i digress.

we are getting ready to go when little j throws big j's elbow pad somewhere into the living room. for the life of me, i could not find it. he could not find it. we searched and searched and i got madder and madder. we were running about 10 or 15 minutes late, so had to go to hockey without the elbow pad. i was not a happy mom, and made both of them hold hands all the way to hockey as punishment(i know, that was probably a weird move but i couldn't think of anything else at the time).

as we near the exit to go to sioux falls, i see tons and tons of flashing lights. there was a massive accident on the interstate involving a flipped semi and a whole bunch of cars. all smashed up. all over the place. according to the cop that waved us through, the giant accident happened about 10 or 15 minutes earlier.

gulp.

i think about how close we came to being in that accident, and i said to the boys, "we should thank God that we weren't here earlier. that could have been us."

little j pipes up "YES! i'm the one who threw the hockey pad!!!"

and big j says "i guess sometimes annoying can be a good thing."

i guess so.

oh boy. so i've got A LOT to talk about. literally.

the husband and i bought a lot to build a house on. in mitchell. yes. we are planning a move...building a house...changing things up. it's very bittersweet for us. we do love this little town, but things really didn't make sense for us anymore. the husband commutes 80 miles every day to work, and my job is really portable. i can do it from anywhere, and don't commute very often. plus, we have lots of family in mitchell. hockey is in mitchell. we prayed about it, and God started opening doors. i guess that means it's the right move...BUT i really will miss all the wonderful people i've met here. like i said, bittersweet. fortunately, it's only 40 miles and we can visit anytime...right? and we hope ya'll will visit us, too.

so back to the lot. it's kind of exciting. we're out by the lake, with lake access out our back door. it's a new development (it's called The Island) so things look a little sparse yet. the pictures are taken from where our house will sit. we can keep the blue dragon back there in her own little dock :) we know some people out there already and they say they love it. in the winter, they set up hockey nets and the kids play all along the canal. that sure perked up the husband's ears. as you can see, it's frozen and kind of ugly endless yellow now, but i've seen pictures of it and it's really pretty in the summer.

anyway...that's what we've been up to for the past couple of months. told you i had a LOT to talk about. so far we only have the lot and don't have firm plans for when we start building, this all just kind of fell together recently.

i'll keep you posted. and if you know how to pound a nail, paint a wall or decorate, you can expect a call :)

back from the land of sun and snow! we had another super trip to red lodge...it snowed hard the first day we were there so we got to enjoy some nice powder especially those first three days. the sun came out and the chair lifts became a rotisserie, it was perfect. as for highlights, both boys skiied multiple double black diamond runs, including the dreaded DRAINAGE, coal chute, sluice box and our favorite black diamond hellroaring. we also did some swim trunk snow dives out of the hot tub, ate some incredible food at grizzlies and were pathetically crashed out each night by ten pm.

we had some red lodge virgins along for the ride this year, including our neighbors and trevor's girlfriend. i think they had a nice introduction to one of our favorite ski hills. the best part--nobody got hurt (much).

leaving for red lodge bright and early tomorrow morning. we'll be back next sunday, so you all have a good week...i'll try not to break anything :)

today was one of those days when all the stars lined up and everything just rolled. instead of writing one of those "look how crazy my day" was blogs, i'd like to treat you to a "how did i get so lucky today?" blog:

i got a decent idea for a direct mail campaign while in the shower, wrote the copy and had it approved before i even ate cereal.
the tv spot i produced came in under budget, schwew
i am going on a ski vacation next week, and so far, there are no last minute work screamers coming in
i have three big jobs lined up when i get back
i got to have a nice long "work" lunch with bobbi
and i got presents from her for my birthday
and they were good ones
there was not a single car in front of me at the car wash
there was not a single car in front of me to get my oil changed
there was not a single car in front of me at the bank
i picked up the husband's skis and was told that the snow in montana is superb
i thought i was running late, but pulled up at school just as the first kid was skipping out the door
the boys got ready for hockey in record time
and they didn't fight
much
i ran on the treadmill and it didn't totally suck
i am home alone right now, for two more hours
i get to eat a big bowl of macaroni and tomatoes for supper and NOBODY can say "eww"
there is no school tomorrow
which means i can sleep in
a little
life is good
hope yours is too

so i had the big birthday on monday and i'm thinking maybe this is the year i grow up and learn how to do stuff that other girls...er women...do. i was at a friend's house over the weekend and she was showing me her big bathroom vanity, the kind where you sit down and do your make-up. I was like "ok, real women do their make-up." beyond mascara and lip gloss, apparently. another thing i've never really learned how to do is record my children's lives. i take pictures, but they remain in my camera for years. i don't ever print them out or make a photo album or a wall collage or anything...bad mommy. er...mom. sheesh. anyway, i do draw the line at scrapbooks, but maybe my kids would like to be able to show their kids a history someday. by then i'm sure i'll have lost my digital camera, so then what? yep, time to grow up. oh! and i should probably learn how to properly slice and dice stuff. especially vegetables. and watermelons. if you've ever seen me slaughter a watermelon, you'd cry. and maybe it's time i started doing laundry without losing all the socks. this must be a secret that grown-up women know, cuz i've been losing socks since the first day i attempted a washing machine. and i've always been amazed at how other girls...er women...can host events without major trauma.

wow. so much to do, and so little time. i'm going to go upstairs, toss in a couple pieces of bubble gum and start working on how to act like a grown-up. now where is my hannah montana cd?

happy eighth birthday big j! we celebrated here with pizza, cake and ice cream and then moved the party to chuck e. cheese...and then back here, where we had a four-boy sleepover complete with ping-pong, nintendo and lots of midnight giggling...

ok, jillian michaels says that your diet should reflect how fast your body metabolizes food. some people metabolize it really fast, some are slow and others are balanced. you should eat according to this, according to jillian.

so, here' s the test. once you take it, you can see if you are slow, fast or balanced and then you can google your type and find out what you should be eating...i'd tell you but it takes up way too much space.

get out a pencil and write down the letter that best corresponds to you...


In the morning, you
A. Don’t eat breakfast
B. Have something light like fruit, toast, or cereal
C. Have something heavy like eggs, bacon or steak, and has browns

At a buffet, the foods you choose are
A. Light meats like fish and chicken, vegetables and salad, a sampling of different desserts.
B. A mixture of A and C
C. Heavy, fatty foods like steak, ribs, pork chops, cheeses, and cream sauces

Your appetite at lunch is
A. Low
B. Normal
C. Strong

Your appetite at dinner is
A. low
B. normal
C. strong

Caffeine makes you feel
A. Great-it helps you focus
B. Neutral-you can take it or leave it
C. Jittery or nauseous

The types of foods you crave are (sugar is not listed because everyone craves sugar when they are tired or run-down)
A. Fruits, bread, and crackers
B. Both A and C
C. Salty foods, cheeses, and meats

For dinner you prefer
A. Chicken or fish, salad, and rice
B. No preference-choice varies daily
C. Heavier, fatty foods like pastas, steak and potatoes

After dinner you
A. Need to have something sweet
B. Could take dessert or leave it
C. Don’t care for sweets and would rather have something salty like popcorn

The types of sweets you like are
A. Sugary candies
B. No preference
C. Ice cream or cheesecake

Eating fatty foods like meat and cheese before bed
A. Interferes with your sleep
B. Doesn’t bother you
C. Improves your sleep

Eating carbs like breads and crackers before your bed
A. Interferes with your sleep, but they’re better than heavier foods
B. Doesn’t affect you
C. Is better than nothing, but you sleep better with heavier foods

Eating sweets before bed
A. Doesn’t keep you from sleeping at all
B. Sometimes makes you feel restless in bed
C. Keeps you up all night

Each day, you eat
A. Two or three meals with no snacks
B. Three meals with maybe one light snack
C. Three meals and a lot of snacks

Your attitude toward food is
A. You often forget to eat
B. You enjoy food and rarely miss a meal
C. You love food and it’s a central part of your life

When you skip meals, you feel
A. Fine
B. You don’t function at your best, but it doesn’t really bother you
C. Shaky, irritable, week and tired

Your attitude toward fatty foods is
A. You don’t like them
B. You like them occasionally
C. You crave them regularly

When you eat fruit salad for breakfast or lunch, you feel
A. Satisfied
B. Okay, but you usually need a snack in between meals
C. Unsatisfied and still hungry

What kind of food drains your energy?
A. Fatty foods
B. No food affects you this way
C. Fruit, candy, or confections, which give you a quick boost, then an energy crash

Your food portions are
A. Small-less than average
B. Average-not more or less than other people
C. Large-usually more than most people

How do you feel about potatoes?
A. You don’t care for them
B. You could take them or leave them
C. You love them

Red meat makes you feel
A. Tired
B. No particular feeling one way or the other
C. Strong

A salad for lunch makes you feel
A. Energized and healthy
B. Fine, but it isn’t the best type of food for you.
C. Sleepy

How do you feel about salt?
A. Foods often taste too salty
B. You don’t notice one way or the other
C. You crave salt and salt your food regularly

How do you feel about snacks?
A. You don’t really snack, but you like something sweet if you do.
B. You can snack on anything
C. You need snacks but prefer meats, cheese, eggs, or nuts.

How do you feel about sour foods like pickles, lemon juice, or vinegar?
A. You don’t like them
B. They don’t bother you one way or the other
C. You like them

How do you feel about sweets?
A. Sweets alone can satisfy your appetite
B. They don’t bother you but don’t totally satisfy you
C. You don’t feel satisfied and often crave more sweets

When you just eat meat (bacon, sausage, ham ) for breakfast, you feel
A. Sleepy, lethargic, or irritable
B. It varies day to day
C. Full until lunch

When you eat heavy or fatty foods, you feel
A. Irritable
B. Neutral-they don’t affect you
C. Satisfied

When you feel anxious
A. Fruits or vegetables calm you down
B. Eating anything calms you down
C. Fatty foods calm you down

You concentrate best when you eat
A. Fruits and grains
B. Nothing in particular
C. Meat and fatty food

You feel more depressed when you eat
A. Fatty or heavy foods
B. Nothing in particular
C. Fruits, breads, or sweets

You notice you gain weight when you eat
A. Fatty foods
B. No particular food. You gain weight when you overeat
C. Fruits or carbs

What type of insomnia, if any, applies to you?
A. You rarely get insomnia from hunger
B. You rarely get insomnia, but if you do, you often need to eat something in order to fall back asleep
C. You often wake up during the night and need to eat. If you eat right before bed, it alleviates the insomnia

Your personality type is
A. Aloof, withdrawn, or introverted
B. Neither introverted nor extroverted
C. Extroverted

Your mental and physical stamina are better when you eat
A. Light proteins like egg whites, chicken or fish and fruits
B. Any wholesome food
C. Fatty foods

Your climate preference is
A. Warm or hot weather
B. Doesn’t matter
C. Cold weather

You have problems with coughing or chest pressure.
If yes, “C”: if no, move on to the next question
You have a tendency to get cracked skin or dandruff
If yes, “C”:if no, move on to the next question
You have a tendency to get light-headed or dizzy
If yes, “C”: if no, move on to the next question

You eyes tend to be
A. Dry
B. Fine
C. Teary

Your facial coloring is
A. Noticeably pale
B. Average
C. Pink or often flushed

Your fingernails are
A. Thick
B. Average
C. Thin

Your gag reflex is
A. Insensitive
B. Normal
C. Sensitive

You get goose bumps
A. Often
B. Occasionally
C. Very rarely

You are prone to
A. Constipation
B. No stomach problems
C. Diarrhea

When insects bite you, your reaction is
A. Mild
B. Average
C. Strong

Your body type is
A. Short and Stocky
B. Average
C. Tall and thin

Your nose is
A. Dry
B. Normal
C. Runny

Scoring your metabolic typing test

When you have finished the test, add up the number of A, B and C answers you have circled A____B____C____

If your number of C answers is 5 or more higher than your number of A or B answers, you are a fast oxidizer.

If your number of A answers is 5 or more higher than your number of B or C answers, you are a slow oxidizer.

If your number of B answers is 5 or more higher than your number of A or C answers, or if neither A, B, nor C’s are 5 or more higher than the other two, you are a balanced oxidizer.

reaffirming the reaffirmation (just for cher)

ok. how do i explain this without sounding kooky?

i've been talking a bit about this great bible study i'm taking. it's a study that actually makes you study, dig into the bible and learn from the scriptures. the kind of study i've wanted for years. i am proud to say that i can pretty much flip to any section of The Bible without fumbling around, wondering where in the heck David is, or Hebrews, or Joshua. i have it down. that in itself is a feat for me.

so, something funny has been going on ever since i started this study. it seems like every time i read something that's meaningful to me in the bible, or even something that makes me think, i come across those very words or someone talks about that very thing within the next day or two. i have told a few people about it, but it just keeps getting stranger. it's like groundhogs day with God or something.

examples:

i had just finished reading a whole section about why God doesn't always answer prayers, why He allows suffering and found some pretty good answers in the scriptures. I went to the store, bought a gallon of milk...and the woman in front of me said, "i just don't understand why God is so cruel, why does he allow suffering and why doesn't he perform more miracles?" i had all the words right there and we had a great conversation. she left saying "hmmm...i never thought of it like that before."

i was reading about Jacob to the boys from their children's bible. the next day the entire story was told back to me from another child at hockey practice.

i was telling bobbi how i would love to make a movie out of just about every story in the old testament. the next day, i open my bible study and beth moore says "i can't wait to get to heaven and watch the old testament in technicolor, complete with buttered popcorn."

i will look up various words from the bible that i might not understand, and the next day, those same weird barely-ever-heard words will pop up in the newspaper or in a book or someone will say them, sometimes i hear the word multiple times.

we were talking about the importance of imagination, and the next day, my bible study talked about how God loves to use our imaginations.

maybe it sounds like coincidence, but i'm pretty sure He's telling me that He's happy i'm finally trying to learn more about Him. it's pretty cool.

i have been thinking a lot about the faith of people like abraham and noah and jacob...and i just bet that sometime today or tomorrow, it will come back to me from somewhere. i'll let you know if it does.

i know you will laugh at me, bob, but if it wasn't for the biggest loser, i would have no idea how cool sugar ray leonard is...and my boys would not have spent two full hours last night practicing jab jab punch, dodge, hook, uppercut...

it's dr. seuss's birthday today. grown-ups often look at me kinda funny when they ask me who my favorite author is, and i answer dr. seuss. but seriously. he is. i have loved his books since i was a kid, and i still do. my favorite is The Lorax (written in the year of my birth, no less). in all honesty, i have weaved a little dr. seuss into my ad copy more than once--just ask bobbi. i still remember my first project as a college student. it was to invent a product and then advertise it on a billboard. my product was sunscreen with bug spray mixed in--i'm pretty sure this product exists today, but it didn't back then. anyway, my billboard was "Tan man. Bug ban. One can." he he. not exactly rocket science, but it was all about the rhyme.

anywhoo, the boys are celebrating dr. seuss's birthday with a special day at school. little j usually goes to jr. kindergarten at 11, but today he got to ride the bus and go for the whole day. you should have seen him pop out of bed. pretty cute. big j got all ready and was standing at the window watching for the bus. little j came up, his backpack slung over his shoulders and said, "i'm right here with you, buddy." big j had The Lorax tucked into his backpack, courtesy of me.
you should all read it today, just google it and you can read it online. i leave you with one of my favorite pages:

He was shortish. And oldish.
And brownish. And mossy.
And he spoke with a voice
that was sharpish and bossy.

"Mister!" he said with a sawdusty sneeze,
"I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees."