I Will Sing This! I Will Sing This?

Oh my oh my oh my. What have I gotten myself into? You see, I've always wanted to be a wild, crazy singer with a loud, rambunctious band, touring the WORLD and making mischief and such. I LOVE LOVE LO-O-O-OVE to sing!

One problem:

Can't.

Can't sing.

Can't carry a tune. I mean, it's

BAD.

REALLY BAD.

But Allie's playing a song at Open Mic Night Friday night and she wants me to sing. She figures the only song I can sort of kind of sing is Demolition Lovers by MCR.

But here's the scary part. Even MCR's lead singer, Gerard Way, has trouble singing it.

See video. Pray for me.

Doctor, Doctor, Gimme the News

I'm trying really hard to see the sunny side, seriously, I am. But it's only 10:15 a.m. and the day already sucks.

7:30 a.m. doctor appointment for me: a follow-up to get test results. Not good. Ultrasound showed I have something called "hydrosalpinx" of the left fallopian tube. This can mean 1 of 4 different things, one of which was a rare form of cancer. So of course now I'm scared that that's what it is. Following up with Gyn in a week-point-five. The healthy thing would be to NOT WORRY about it until I know for sure what's going on. Unfortunately, I'm not healthy in that way.

So I get home at 8:05 a.m. from my doc and Zane is sorting through some of my costume jewelry to wear to school for Switch Day. He finds an old silver ring, very tarnished and I tell him to polish it with a silver polishing cloth. He pulls a cloth out from the dispenser, but 2 come out, so he pokes one back in with his finger. OOPS! Finger is now stuck in VERY rigid plastic prongs and when he tries to pull the finger back out, they chew into his finger angrily.

Crap.

I look for something sharp to cut the prongs with, which is going to be difficult since they're so tight on his finger. Scissors aren't sharp enough. I'm afraid to try my box cutter. Zane is yowling in pain.

Off to Urgent Care we go (which is right next door to the doc I had just come from). We get there at 8:45; it doesn't open 'til 9.

We sit. We wait. We worry. We pace before the door. The nurse/receptionist sees us and lets us in and takes a good look at Z's finger.

By the time we get inside and present payment, Zane's finger is BLUE/GRAY. The doc still hasn't arrived.

Doc arrives at 9 and we go back around 9:01. Doc pulls out some heavy duty cutters and within a couple minutes, Zane's blue finger is free. Doc keeps us there to make sure the finger regains circulation. Checks his pulse-ox a couple times. Gives him Tylenol. Tells us a funny story about his little brother who once got his HEAD stuck in a similar fashion. Hehehe. Not funny, but hehehehe.

We take Allie to school and Zane comes home with me. He can't write with the finger, anyway, so what the heck. He's a little traumatized. I'm a little traumatized.

And now I have to spend the day trying to get my deadline work done before I take Allie to the eye doc at 4.

Where's the freaking CALGON and how soon can it take me away?

Another Campout at Airplane Flat

For Labor Day weekend, we decided to go back up to Airplane Flat where we had recently camped for Ward Campout. We love it there--it's cool, pretty, and fun!

Even the ride up wasn't so bad--Bryce is finally getting used to car rides. Allie brought a friend and so did Zane.

Zane and his friend had the honor of entertaining Bryce on the drive.

Todd entertained himself by making weird for the other drivers. Hehehe!

When we arrived at Airplane Flat, the campground was FULL so, totally bummed, we drove on to the next camp, which was also FULL. Refusing to be disheartened, I asked Todd to pull into Airplane Flat so I could talk to the host (he's like the ranger dude). The host told us that everything in the area was FULL FULL FULL but he joked that if we drove around the campground we might find someone we know and crash their site. Sounded like a plan to me!

We drove through and all the way at the other end, I spotted a sister from our Ward. I yelled out to her (I was so excited!) and asked if she wanted to share her site (the sites there are huge HUGE I tell you!) and she said sure, so we parked the 'Burban and got out.

Then I heard someone yell, "Sandi" from across the way. It was another family from our ward! Then another appeared one space down from the first family. We ended up setting up our tents between those 2 families. It was so fun and totally lucky that we saw them!

This is Zane's friend (and another ward family's son) keeping the fire going with his air mattress pump. LOL!


Bryce found an old toy and spent a while in the tent investigating it.

Then he had the best time pouring dirt down his back! LOL!

He totally took over someone's chair while he watched a volleyball game.

Allie eventually got in on the game:

Then she got stuck crossing a fallen tree over a ravine. hehehehe

Of course I had to find something funky and interesting to photo: a weird mushroom:

Our camp neighbor's boys CRACK me up. They are total cowboys; here they are on their log horses:

Good times! We had to leave early because it POURED and I woke up with dripping wet hair...Jake H. asked me where I had taken a shower (there aren't any there) and I told him our tent leaked. LOL! Despite getting rained out, it was super fun!

Crap, I've Been Tagged

LISA!!!!

My delightful (she really is; I love her) sister-in-law just tagged me. So I'm s'posed to:

List 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 obsessions/collections, 3 surprising facts and then tag five other people. Leave a comment for the people you tag so they know they have been tagged. Okay, here goes...

3 Joys:
1. Cool, clean sheets
2. Bryce dancing, Allie giggling with excitement, Zane being dutiful and serious
3. Todd scratching my back

3 Fears:
1. Flying
2. Insanity (real, actual insanity; not the day-to-day stuff)
3. Menudo

3 Obsessions/Collections:
1. NY pizza crust
2. Make-up
3. Blogging

3 Surprising Facts:
1. I am really not a Princess
2. I was diagnosed in 2002 with bipolar disorder, type 2 (the not-as-extreme kind), but am in denial about it and am too stubborn to let it rule me; I have never taken meds for it
3. I have never entirely told Todd about number 2

5 peeps who are getting tagged:
Julie (Crazy Mama), Janie (SuperHotMama), Allie (MikeyFlippinWay), Todd (MonkeysShantyTown), Barry (invert this space)

Life

This may be the most beautiful thing I've ever read.

http://segullah.org/cjane-speaks/the-hourglass-theory/

History in the Making

I was super busy this morning, banging out the last of my work that was due at noon (I just love deadlines, especially when the person who's supposed to give me my assignment craps out on me and it all falls in my lap the night before it's due and I wind up doing a stressful half-nighter/ half-morning crunch). I finished with the computer part of it around 9:30 or so, then carried my huge stack of paperwork to the couch where I could sit and sign it all while watching the tail-end of my favorite t.v show, The Today Show (don't ask me why, but I have to have my morning dose of it or I feel I'm missing something).

I turned on the telly to find John McCain standing to the right and slightly behind an attractive woman who was speaking with conviction and verve. I liked her instantly. Then it sank in: this was John McCain's VP running mate!

HOLY hoink, my peeps! We're going to have either a "black" President or a female VP. This election has spawned more YouTube videos than I can count. Someone out there reeeeeeeally doesn't like Obama.



John McCain's running mate, Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin, won me over in about 10 seconds. I went online to read everything I could find about her and then liked her even more. She's real, she's tough, she's fair, she's strong. She's one of "us."

Zoots, the World's Greatest Trumpet Player and Cookie Baker

Todd & I got Zane a drum set four Christmases ago. He took some lessons in Mesa, then continued in Virginia when we moved. When we came back to AZ, I never hooked him back up with lessons, so the drums have been mostly sitting in the garage for the past year and a half. Such a shame, because Zane was REALLY talented on the drums.

So this year, he decided to take band. I was so happy! The drums would finally be used again on a regular basis, right? Uh-uh. Zane decided to learn the trumpet.

Bryce thinks Zane's trumpeting is absolutely brilliant!

But his real skills lie in cookie making:

He's seriously giving Allie some competition!

Lunch Out, Bryce In

There's been lots going on, but nothing exciting or interesting. We had lunch out last weekend while the car's tires were being rotated. Wow, such news! Pttth.

Of course, I had to turn the camera around and get a pic of my TWILIGHT t-shirt. I am soooo itching for the movie release. Dork am I! Note: the Italian creme sodas at Carrabba's are YUMtastic! That's the one time I will drink calories...it's so worth it.

Allie, cute as always:

And a cute pic of Bryce at home, snacking in his fave spot (on the bar):