Gotta Rest

Sorry. I just HAVE to rest for a few days. My infection is not getting any better and I am totally exhausted. Today is supposed to be the last of my medication. If I have not made a very significant improvement by tomorrow, I will have to go in to the maniac and put his tiny pea-brain in a vice. I must have got the D student doctor.


Yesterday seems like a fog. I think that the kids called. And that stupid LO just boggles my mind. I can't even remember doing it now.

Ooops~

Well, I should have read the fine print on my prescription bottle. When I was very proud of having gotten a scrap page done today, I hurried eagerly to share it with my husband...who proceeded to look at me as if I had lost my mind.

Drugs can cause false memories. Maybe they cause utter chaos in my brain. Whatever, I think they stirred when they should have shaken.

Sorry Kelsey. This is NOT your great-grandma Bauer, it is your great-grandma Lehnen. I think she probably only held you this one time...that is why they had a picture of it. She never whispered in your ear and I doubt you laughed or giggled while she held you. She was a distant, unusually cold woman. In this picture, you almost look like you were going to cry. We have NO idea when your great-grandma Lehnen died.

Nitrofurantoin

I am not yet dead. But I feel like I am dead.

More drugs. Lots of liquids. I hate being sick.

Sulfamethoxazole

This is an antibiotic that the doctor prescribed for me. I have been battling an infection since Tuesday and it finally just became too much on Friday night. Greg took me into the Emergency Room on Saturday and the doctor diagnosed a kidney infection.

On the upside, my BP is 120/70 and I have had no fever. Just intense, horrible pain. But the pills that I took were so much worse. I finally had the hubby get on the internet to find out the side-effects. Migraines, Nausea, Vomiting, and Depression. In the final throes of death, I vowed that I would have to see this doctor burn in hell. What insane maniac would prescribe such medicine?

And even though I felt like a freight train ran over me today, I still managed to drag myself to the computer to document this information. So if I am dead by Monday morning, then future generations will know who to sue!

Obviously, I have to get a new prescription (if I live that long). But on the upside...I am an M&M.
http://www.becomeanmm.com/

Thru The Years

Karen, the excellent office help at our Chiropractor's office has gotten so busy lately with all their work, that they hired an assistant to come in on M-W-F. Kelly is a cute little girl. And I mean little. She is only about 5' tall, blonde hair. I didn't ask her age, but I think she is about 20. Which got me to thinking about back when I was 20.

So here is what hubby-bubby and I looked like when we were VERY young.

We met in college. We were friends, but not best-friends. And certainly NOT best- friends with benefits.

This picture was the 2nd half of "I go to the wedding you have to attend; then you go with me to the wedding I have to attend." I believe that his wedding was for a friend of his. This wedding was for my best friend in college-Bev & her fiancee, John; I had been on/off dating the groom's best friend, Kirk. John & Kirk were really big into motorcycles at this time, and it was easier when they went out, that I hopped on behind Kirk on his cycle. I suppose we just fell into being together because of that. We had nothing in common. He almost never called or came to see me. I think a lot of it was influenced by the fact that he was OLDER and had a HOUSE already. But I was upset because of his ignoring me, and I wanted to demonstrate that somebody wanted me.

At the time, it was quite a coup for me to bring Greg to the wedding as Greg was taller, better looking (in my opinion) and nicer. In addition, Greg had this amazing Ford Granada. (I will try to find a pic.) He was so hot showing up in that car. Kirk just drove a beat-up Toyota pickup. (if I had thought about it at the time, it was probably all he could afford-with the house, and cycle payments...) They were both equally well-endowed, but I didn't know that at the time. (C'mon. I don't sleep with EVERYBODY on the first date!)

Pretty much after this, I didn't even think about the other guy anymore. I suppose you noticed that my hair was bleach-blonde. Well. That is a phase I went through. Instead of tattoos, I had different hair colors.

So as we progressed in our relationship, I wanted to go back to my original hair color. And when I went to my hairstylist, she reverse-frosted it. And this was what I had to live with. I even took several old photos in to the appointment with me so they could get an idea of what I had before the bleach. For some odd reason, they thought that my hair had been grey before...

Further observation shows that Greg was very tall, muscle bound and solid. He had always been overweight as a child, and teen; but he had a job at a manufacturing plant building concrete sewers. So he was really getting a workout everyday.

I really HATE that my photos are old, discolored, and creased/torn. It is very difficult to find anything worth salvaging. Plus, when we moved here, a majority of our stored belongings were damaged in the spring-melt. We lost tons of pictures and lots of irreplacable items. Like a quilt that his grandmother made. And Kelsey's woobie-blanket.

The dark navy blue dress pictured above had a handkerchief cut and I just adored it as it showed off my boobs quite well. All the guys got quite a look at my cleavage, and as I had to go braless, it was quite a benefit. Plus it really hugged my body and I wanted to show that I was quite skinny. (as I had been heavier during high school. not fat, but heavier than was popular back then-I lost quite a lot before college) The point to this whole paragraph is that Greg did NOT like the dress. He didn't like the cut or the color. Go figure.

Life With The Luebners...A Reality Show

Just recently, a friend posted a comment on my blog.

" I hope we can be you "when we grow up" because you really are an awesome person and a great couple!"

So I can just see this couple when they are all grown up. Shawna scrapping the kids in college via a virtual reality medium between complaining about the grey hair & new wrinkle she saw reflected in the mirror that morning, and George sitting on the couch with a bad back, farting while making comments about the new show...CSI Mars..."gee honey, see how the weightlessness of space fails to sensitize fingerprints?"

Cuz that is what my life is like.

hmmm. 9 Things That Make Me Happy This Very Moment

1. a clean house

2. bedtime is only 5 hours away

3. looking forward to another Yahztee game pitted against my hubby

4. i loved hearing my baby's voice on the phone today (she called unexpectedly!)

5. the sound of my husband's truck pulling in the driveway

6. the unlimited love of my puppy dog

7. my hot latte

8. toning up on my elliptical

9. my husband's kiss

And They're OFF!

ADSR #7 has already been posted. So I started on it today. It will be exciting to work on a template/sketch. It is being hosted by http://www.thedigiboutique.com

I was unable to get into the NDISB forums at all yesterday. The day before we had intermittent internet satellite. It was SO cloudy and dreary.

I am tired of winter already. And what? We have 3 more months of it? I need spring.

Theresa's entry for ADSR #6 was wonderful. It was very uplifting to read what she journaled on the layout. Lifting my spirits and enriching my soul. Somebody that has never even met me or my husband can do something like this. It just amazes me. I was lolling in the doldrums regarding a bad aspect of my life when I came across this Layout. I just can't express what it means to me.

Journaling

"Some people were just meant to be. You know it the moment you meet them. Although I’ve not met Bob and Greg personally, I feel I know Bob as well as anyone I’ve met face-to-face. And it’s clear to me that she and Greg belong together! Just reading her blog you can tell how devoted she is to him. And she is such an amazing, warm, giving, and funny woman, that he’d have to be completely insane not to feel the same way about her. And since I’ve never seen anything on her blog about Greg being insane, it’s safe to assume he’s crazy about her. They were just meant to be"

Nuttin' Honey

been nothing going on here.

other than the ADSR it is a truly boring january.

even the blogs have been uninteresting lately.

i don't eat.

i work out on the elliptical.

it snows.

it snows more.

Oh Yeah. I'm Good.

OK. I just about busted a gut making this one. It was SO fun. The ADSR Challenge #6 was to exchange photos and scrap them.

When T.H. emailed me that picture, I knew IMMEDIATELY what I was going to do!

I got the inspiration from my Far Side calendar. Gary Larson can make me laugh No.Matter.What.

As Theresa's team fell in defeat, she burnt her tickets to the game "in effigy" according to her email. So I couldn't resist putting some fake burnt tickets into the LO.

And NO Kelsey (or the husband of the kid in the bunny suit...) I am NOT 14. There you go with that Math again. You are SO Math-challenged.

In my previous post...I said I was 4 years old when YOU were born. 4 + 22* = 26. Therefore, I am TWENTY-SIX YEARS OLD.

*since you will be 22 in about 25 days.

PS-Matt had BETTER agree with me when I lie about my age if he wants to stay on my good side!

Never Too Early For a Count-Down

Only 25 days...until KRL-N turns TWENTY TWO. Wow. She is almost middle-aged! Three more years and she will be 25! Then she will be a quarter-of-a-century old.

Can you imagine? It was only the other day when she was a little girl.

It was quite a commemoration to my husband and myself when we realized that we had been living with each other longer than we lived with our parents.

Oh. By the way. Remember that I had KRL when I was only 4 years old. That makes me 26...

I really try to make her birthday celebrations "different" as she was born on Valentine's Day, I don't want her to feel like her birthday is any less important. So I have tried to incorporate the theme, because to me, she was the best Valentine's gift I ever received. Yes. Even better than the diamond necklaces, rings, earrings. Even better than chocolate.

So maybe this year it will be the 14 days of Valentine's. 14 Days of Presents. Yeah. That sounds good.

Memories

This will bring back a few memories for my baby.
A caricature artist at Casa Bonita, Denver, Colorado drew this in 1990.

He kept KRL laughing the whole time he was drawing.

What an amazing, talented artist.

I wish I could draw half this well.

The rendition is on a huge sheet of drawing paper.

I found it, scanned it, and reduced it down in size.

Someday I will have to frame the original before it falls apart.

Lists

Things That Should Not Be Heard During Sex

Sorry about the name tags, I'm not very good with names.
But everybody looks funny naked!
You woke me up for that?
Did I mention the video camera?
Do you smell something burning?
Try breathing through your nose.
A little rug burn ever hurt anyone!
Is that a Medic-Alert Pendant?
Sweetheart, did you lock the back door?
But whipped cream makes me break out.
Hurry up! This room rents by the Hour!
Can you please pass me the remote control?
Do you accept Visa?
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
On second thought, let's turn off the lights.
And to think- I was really trying to pick up your friend!
So much for mouth-to-mouth.
Try not to leave any stains, okay?
Hope you're as good looking when I'm sober...
Do you get any premium movie channels?
Try not to smear my make-up, will ya!
But I just steam-cleaned this couch!
Got any penicillin?
But I just brushed my teeth...
Smile, you're on Candid Camera!
I thought you had the keys to the handcuffs!
I want a baby!
So much for the fulfillment of sexual fantasies!
Why am I doing all the work?
Maybe we should call Dr. Ruth...
Did you know the ceiling needs painting?
I think you have it on backwards.
When is this supposed to feel good?
You're good enough to do this for a living!
Is that blood on the headboard?
Did I remember to take my pill?
Are you sure I don't know you from somewhere?
I wish we got the Playboy channel...
That leak better be from the waterbed!
I told you it wouldn't work without batteries!
But my cat always sleeps on that pillow..
Did I tell you my Aunt Martha died in this bed?
If you quit smoking you might have more endurance..
No, really... I do this part better myself!
This would be more fun with a few more people..
You're almost as good as my ex!
Do you know the definition of statutory rape?
Is that you I smell or is it your mattress stuffed with rotten potatoes?
You look younger than you feel.
Perhaps you're just out of practice.
You sweat more than a galloping stallion!
They're not cracker crumbs, it's just a rash.
Now I know why she dumped you...
Does your wife own a sawed-off shotgun?
What tampon?
Have you ever considered liposuction?
I have a confession...
Are those real or am I just behind the times?
Were you by any chance repressed as a child?
Is that a hanging sculpture?
Did I mention my transsexual operation?
Did you come yet, dear?
I'll tell you who I'm fanatasizing about if you tell me who you're fantasizing about...
A good plastic surgeon can take care of that in no time!
Does this count as a date?
Oprah Winfrey had a show about men like you!
Hic! I need another beer for this please.
I think biting is romantic- don't you?
When would you like to meet my parents?
Don't mind me.. I always file my nails in bed.
Do you mind if I make a few phone calls?
I hope I didn't forget to turn the gas oven off.
Do you have a light?
Don't worry, my dog's really friendly for a Rottweiler.
Sorry but I don't do toes!
You could at least ACT like you're enjoying it!
Petroleum jelly or no petroleum jelly, I said NO!
Keep it down, my father is a light sleeper...
I'll bet you didn't know I work for "The Enquirer".
So that's why they call you MR. Flash!
My old boyfriend used to do it a LOT longer!
Is this a sin too?
Hey, when is it going to be my friend's turn?
Long kisses clog my sinuses...
Please understand that I'm only doing this for a raise...
How long do you plan to be "almost there"?
You mean you're NOT my blind date?

Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

Theresa's ATC {--


My ATC --}















Here it is Sunday and my last post was on Thursday? How did that happen?

What has happened since then?

There's that Alzheimer's for you again...

well. I got my entry for the ADSR Challenge #4 completed. The challenge was to create an ATC (artist trading card).That was a fun project.




Then Greg went to the doctor on Friday. I stayed home and worked on digi-scrappin' projects, cleaned house, soaked my feet, and made cookies.

Saturday was bitterly cold, so Greg stayed home and played on the internet. I couldn't get him off it.

In regard to the title of this blog, I just remembered that Kelsey used to watch this show religiously after school. It was presented on PBS and was quite interesting.

Frozen Fish Sticks

My poor fish were frozen this morning when I went to feed them. Literally. They were swimming beneath 1 inch of solid ice. It was very cold last night and obviously their tank filtration & bubbler could not keep up. We immediately doused them in warmer water after axing the ice off the top.

I made breakfast for Greg today; pancakes, sausage, eggs, toast, oj & milk. The dog got some, too.

Greg made stuffed peppers, an Irish stew, and an Italian meat sauce. Yum. The house smelled wonderful today.

I packaged some very late Christmas presents, sorry guys. But consider 'it's the thought that counts'.

While reading my baby's blog, I noticed that she has failed to follow through with her New Year's resolution. Don't get over-stressessed on New Year's Resolutions. The statistics are very low for anybody actually following through with them by the end of January. However, I am happy to report that I am doing 60-90 minutes per day on my Elliptical, even tho I did not RESOLVE that with the New Year.

Moose Identification Chart

5 Secrets Tag

5 Secrets (I sure hope George C meant ME when he tagged Bob-does he know any other Bobs?)
and these aren't as much secrets as much as "little known facts".

1. I WAS HORRIBLY SHY IN SCHOOL. This lasted from junior high all the way through senior high school. It was probably as a result of developing enormous breasts in the 4th grade and being voluptuous instead of stick skinny as many of the girls were at that time. I remember always crossing my arms in front of my chest; holding my books up against my chest, and wearing bulky sweaters. After high school, I lost quite a bit of weight, so that when I attended college, I was quite slender. So I blended in a little bit more.

2. NEVER WENT TO PROM. Nobody ever asked me. I was devastated. Stupid boys. Later in life, I got to share the excitement of shopping for the dress, getting the hair done and getting asked out for prom when my little baby attended her 2 proms and participated in the Junior Miss program.

3. We had a graduating class of over 500 students in the school I attended in the midwest. So I DID NOT ATTEND MY HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION. I had hated high school and didn't want to endure it any longer; I graduated in mid-year of my senior year, so I didn't go back as I was already enrolled in college. However, I more than made up for it when I graduated from college. At the graduation ceremonies, I strutted my stuff across the stage and waved to all my friends & family (and Greg) who were hooting, whistling, and hollering in the audience. The dean was somewhat pissed, but who cares!

4.Um. I HAVE A CRUSH ON KEVIN REESE. I think he's only like 24? But he is kinda big and bulky...like my husband used to be when he was young. So I think that is the reason for that. Kevin is SO dreamy. He is one of the kids that hangs out down at the shop with Greg. Kevin would probably be horrified to know that a woman as old as his mother would want to...ya know. I won't go into explicit detail here because I know my baby reads some of my blog and she doesn't think her parents do that stuff. Anyway, I don't really feel as old as I am. I still FEEL like I'm 26. As you get older, you will understand what I'm talking about. My 30s seemed to go by in flash, and the 40s are not slowing down.

5. When we owned a 4-wheel drive shop in Denver-Colorado Off Road Specialties, we hosted some of the Monster Truck events at the auditorium there. The guys from the store (employees and the ones who "hung out") would do flagging, vehicle control, measuring, etc. My friend Michelle & I did the ticketing at the gate for the Monster Trucks and their owners/drivers. Afterwards, I GOT TO DRIVE BIGFOOT! We met Bob Chandler (the owner), and his driver...I can't remember the guy's name, but he was dishy! He boosted me up and showed me how to drive it. It was exciting.

So there you have it. But don't worry. I got lots more secrets!

To Moose Or Not To Moose?

I heard this adorable little voice, waking me up at an ungodly hour of the morning today. "honey, wanna come down and take a picture of the moose?" (For those of you who don't know, see my previous post about our resident moose; dubbed Marty. This extremely large descendant of the deer family has made a pig out of himself by eating the bale of hay & salt-lick that we got for him while reclining in the snow.)

So I dragged my ass out of bed, more asleep than awake, stumbled down the circular staircase while rubbing the sleep scum out of my eyeballs. I staggered over to my husband who was standing by the window wearing this "oh, lookie, lookie, see what i see" expression on his face.

"Where?" I asked.

"There!" he replied.

I couldn't believe it. He was pointing at a dark blob. The blob was a tree. "That's a tree. I dragged myself out of a nice dream of running from the cops while being chased by my ex-best fat friend for this? A TREE? Are you kiding me?"

Bashfully, he hung his head. "I really need to see an eye-doctor, don't I?"

Rock Paper Scissors

My beloved husband, having attained a very decrepit age has never ever heard of the game Rock/Paper/Scissors. When we were watching the coverage on TV of the RPS in Canada the other day, he turned and gave me this blank stare. He had never played this while a child. So I taught him how to do it, and we listened to the show which gave the actual rules. Then we vigorously played a few games.

In the news, a massive avalanche hit Berthoud Pass in Colorado. How many times I remember driving through there on our way to and from Winter Park for snow skiing. It was a very dangerous, scary area. Especially one night when it was snowing, there was a massive amount of traffic, and the snow was so heavy that you couldn't see a foot in front of the car. Greg was driving and I can recall being scared out of my wits.

Berthoud Pass has always been a very bad area for traffic as there was also another accident there in the 90s when a road construction crew worker was moving boulders and accidentally rolled one onto a Greyhound bus. The authorities later said that the boulder was the size of VW car. There were lots of people that died and I remember one young German male tourist was in a coma from his injuries. His poor mother had to come to the States to visit him, and the hospital finally made arrangements to get him to Germany. However, he died shortly afterwards. Such a tragic incident.

It has been a while since I last blogged, but nothing interesting has been happening here. I have been fanatically looking for a book, of which I can only remember a little of the plot line. So I have been eliminating my books gradually by looking through each one. Have you ever had this, where you remember just a little bit of something, but not all of it? My husband looked for an article in a car magazine when he was younger, and he took all day purusing the periodicals in his room until finally asking his brother if he had seen any magazines. His brother admitted to having the magazine in his room in a drawer!

When I was in my 20s, I had a very good memory. I could remember lots of telephone numbers, recall numbers from invoices in our business, and recite to the penny how much our bills were each month.

Now I'm lucky if I remember to get up in the morning!

Snowman Collection

These are the snowmen in my growing snowman collection. Actually, I am not collecting them, I get them as gifts. Kelsey's snowmen are the second and third ones from the right. Greg gave me the one on the far right as a birthday gift.

I got my entry done for the Amazing Digi Scrapping Race being sponsored by Natural Designs in Scrapbooking. It was so fun to do. Our team...the Queens of Rock and Roll & Scrappin' are GONNA WIN!

Today, I sadly put away all the Christmas decorations. The house looks so dreary and dull now. I think tomorrow I will dig out the Valentine's decorations.

Best Birthday in Years

Yesterday, Greg woke me up with the "family tradition" of a hostess cupcake with candle served while I was in bed. He sang Happy Birthday to me as the candle flickered. I blew out the candle and made my birthday wish. What better way to start a birthday morning!

Then he and Isabelle ran to get lattes.

I read through all my email and got a real surprise when I found that my baby had digi-scrapped a happy birthday page for me and posted it at DST. I have the best baby in the whole wide world!

Also a cute computer e-card from my best digi-scrap friend, Bernadette. We hope to make it to the UK this year (2007) and I want desperately to visit Bernadette then. Thank you SO much for the card, B!!

Another bunch of emails from the digi-shops wishing me a happy birthday, and also a very special email from my other friend, Theresa. Thanks T! You're the best!

I opened my presents and then the phone rang. It was Bruce. He wondered if he and his wife, Joanie could come up and bring their card for us.

So we cleaned up the house a little, and got some little snacks ready for them. They arrived at about 4pm and after talking for a while (Greg couldn't wait to show everybody his CARS dvd) we played some fast and furious games of Yahtzee. Poor Bruce lost so many times. He was a great sport, tho.

We dined on bbq chips, beef salami, crab, chocolate truffles, and wine.

As I read back on the last paragraph, I wonder where the days went of yore when we drank until we threw up, and partied in the new year. Well, maybe next year.

While they were over, Kelsey & Matt called to brag that it was 2007 THERE, but we were still in the 2006 year! How funny. They also wished me a happy birthday.

We didn't get to ring the New Year in with them as they wanted to be home before the noise disturbed their dogs. So Greg & I watched the ball in NY drop as a very OLD Dick Clark narrated.

Greg got me several Pfaltzgraff plates (which I was very disappointed to find that a "made in china" stamp had replaced the Pfaltzgraff factory embeded stamp. So I won't be purchasing their stoneware anymore. After 25+ years of collecting (almost) everything in the Yorktowne pattern, I was quite peeved.

I also got the cutest looking snowman...and after Kelsey getting me snowmen last year, I suppose I now have a snowman collection going?

A new SanDisk 1.0GB for my new Christmas camera, pink batteries for my camera, a couple calendars, a cute little card were amongst my other birthday gifts.

Happy New Year!

I resolve to try to live every day like it is my last.

To be a better friend.

Love my husband more than I did yesterday or the day before.

Attain a healthy physique.

Promise myself I will NEVER touch another knife.

& Visit the kids.

Happy New 2007!