My Favorite Plant

Hee hee hee:c)

The King

The King of our house is of course Shawn.  

I love him for many reasons but a big one is because he's always eaten whatever I cooked.  What...e...ver.  I haven't always been very good at this cooking thing.  He survived the first four months of our marriage with me, a hotel room, a hot plate, a slow cooker, and one cookbook that had a can of Campbell's soup in everything.  I have gotten to be a much better cook, but even a good one occasionally has a flop.  He's even eaten the flops.  Sometimes he doctors them up a bit, but he eats them.  He's also the king of leftovers.  He's not embarrassed to take them to work.  He's even been known to share!  At home it doesn't matter what it is, he will dump it together and eat it.  I love that.  In 16 years of marriage he has only disliked one thing.  A chicken, mozzarella, tomato sauce concoction.  I don't know how I messed it up, but I did.  That recipe was thrown away. 

But he reminded me of Elvis a little this morning with his choice of breakfast.  I don't lay claim to this recipe.

A jalapeno cheddar bagel, butter, peanut butter, red pepper jelly, and a banana.  I was a little afraid to kiss him goodbye.  He called later to say his creation was delicious.  Hmmm...makes me wonder if my cooking is really all that good if this was considered delicious...:c)

Friday Evenings

Shawn is on an men's Friday night soccer team. The games are usually 9:50 or later. I've attended a midnight game.

The thing about having a late night game is the beer...and the fans.

I guess I should mention that this team plays in the hood. He plays at two different indoor arenas. This one...is scary. I am not being mean in any way when I say I am a minority when I'm there. I have noticed over the last few months though that many of the people in the stands aren't there to watch a team, it's just where they go on Friday evenings. They make a meal from the snack bar, buy lots of beer from there, and just hang out. Even at the midnight game there's quite a crowd, children also. Young children. I've sat by children who were screaming from what I'm assuming is tiredness. I've seen sleeping children shaken awake to leave.

But the thing that bothers me the most??

The stragglers.

Last week Shawn played on Field #1. I hate Field #1. It's basically the walkway to get to the other two fields. The stands are pushed back against the wall and people walk in front to get to Field #2. The stands were filled when I got there so I took a seat at the bottom and patiently waited until the previous fans left so I could move up. Shawn is goalie and the only way to see him when he's on the opposite end is to be on the top row. The game started and no one moved. The team joined their fans and my view decreased. The players didn't exactly sit though. Basically they stood in front of me to have their after party. When the case of beer showed up it got worse. They were in no hurry to leave. The children slowly left to go somewhere else to play so I was able to move up a little bit but this still happened a lot.
I didn't think to snap the picture when there were 7 of them. But this guy never sat down once. He stood there, blocking my view, the entire game. The entire game. I got to the point where I just stood up. I am always afraid to say anything. I value my life a little tiny bit. Most of these people are pretty rough. So I just sat there getting madder and madder and sick to my stomach. That happens to me when I'm nervous or mad. Plus it was a pretty intense game. With Shawn as goalie I'm usually sick to my stomach anyway. We left after Shawn's game and the crowd in the stands was still going strong. I needed some fresh air and possibly a stiff drink.

We'd won, but I still was fuming.

Oh, and the red sign to the right of the blockade?

"DO NOT STAND IN FRONT OF GLASS"

Ugh.

It's Friday again. Wish me luck.

We Came, We Saw, We Balled

My feet beg to differ, but the Ball was a blast and a huge success. Since it was put on by a Foundation board that I'm a member of, as a fundraiser, it was all hands on deck. I volunteered to be in charge of posed and candid pictures. So I took a leap of faith and started my own website. Then I asked a friend who is an incredible photographer to handle all the dance floor candids. Then I asked a friend and neighbor and incredible photographer if I could borrow his lighting and backdrop so I could take the posed pictures. And then I prayed, crossed my fingers and toes, lit some candles, and stopped breathing deeply.

You know what? I survived. The pictures all turned out, and I will rejoin life in about a month and a half when I have them all identified and edited and delivered.

In about 2 months the Foundation pulled off a very financially successful event that was a hit. The dads and daughters ate, danced, laughed, and bonded. It was precious to watch. And the moms that couldn't stay away sat in the back and teared up and took pictures.

I was so busy taking pictures that I missed most of the dance floor action. But I did take these before we left.Boy howdy they're cute!

The Ball

I had to leave my house today.

I had to peel myself out of bed today.

I had to shower today.

I had to put makeup on today.

I had to fix my hair today.

I had to take the 4 x 4 car from Shawn today.

I had to find my Cuddl Duds, coat, and gloves today.

Why you ask??

My girls are going to The Ball.

Not just any ball though, the Daddy Daughter Ball.

And two need a dress and new shoes.

And one needs to come home from her extended stay with another family.

Oh, and I need to finish designing a website, buy an adapter for my camera, and pray I don't break any of the expensive lighting I've borrowed for the posed pictures.

And maybe shave my legs.

But that one is debatable.

Dating. Do You Still Do It?

When school started again this year Shawn and I decided to do something.

Start dating again.

Each other. Don't worry.

It had been almost 16 years and we'd settled into a routine. So now we have a weekly lunch date. He works within walking distance of two hospital cafeterias and driving distance of several wonderful and unique restaurants. We don't have a specific day, but always make one work. Then we discovered that with the girls going to piano every Thursday night for an hour and a half total, we could have a date night as well!

We've met for dinner, we've gone to Starbucks, we've run errands, and we've gone to the lake and watched the sunset. It doesn't matter at all what we do or where we go, we just like spending time with each other outside of the house.

And you know what? I've always loved him, but I'm falling in love with him all over again.

How could you not love this face?Do you all still date? If not I challenge you to. You never know what you'll discover!

Word Feud Again!

Since I blogged about the wonderful app that came into my life, I've been busy! About 40 people have requested games with me. As I said, I've won about 50% of them. I'd like to say that the games I've lost were close, but not always. I'll just leave it at that.

I went to statcounter.com to see how people are finding me. Here are the hilarious results.

*Word feud Stefunk
*Word feud chat not working
*Word Fued (I like this one. I'm not the only one who spells it wrong from time to time.)
*Stefunk Word Feud
*How to play word feud
*Word feud addiction (I don't know anyone who has one)
*People resign word feud immediately
*How much chat goes on in word feud
*Word feud chat
*How does word feud find opponent
*How do you finish a game of word feud
*Is it rude to resign in words with friends if you're loosing (misspelling was them, not me)
*WORD FEUD
*Husband chats online with other women in word feud
*Resign from word feud
*Word feud chatting
*What does resign on word feud do

Wow. And wow. I love it!

Something happened on the night that I went out to celebrate 16 years with this hot guy I know....he got an android phone. It was time. He's been living in a house for over a year with three women who have phones and cool apps. All the app talk was starting to get to him.

Because of that we always have two games against each other going on. He requests a game with me, and I request one with him. I've won all but one game. I didn't need to tell you that, but I felt like I should:D

On Christmas Eve I played both games back to back.

Here's what happened. The same word in two different games for the exact same points. I impressive myself!

And then yesterday this happened. I'm still apologizing for it.

Sorry honey!

But..come closer...I need to whisper something...IT ROCKED!!!!!

Again, sorry honey.

He Did It!!!!!!!

It took three tries, but my laptop is back together and working perfectly!! My cute little pink laptop is now back on my lap where it belongs. I've missed my little keys, my smaller screen, my cute e-mail program, and my touch pad. And my pictures! Hello to all my folders of pictures!

I have to say how much I love and appreciate my amazing husband for being able to fix it. Just the purchase of the screen and free labor. I of course will reward him in my own way;)

Stay tuned for the finish of my San Francisco trip. Remember when I went there?? It's been more than a month!

But for today I have been requested as the official photographer for a group of freshman girls who are going to their first high school dance:c)

I of course will blog about that soon!

Late Night Soccer Games

After my date with Shawn I told him I'd go to his 10:45 soccer game. 10:45 in the p of m. We switched clothes and headed down to the hood. It's really not a scary part of town, but the type of people that hang out there at that time of night...a little frightening. Not all of them of course, but quite a few. What amazed me even more was there were children everywhere! They were at an indoor soccer arena after 11. I know it was a Friday night, but my children were home sound asleep. I settled into the bleachers and pulled out my camera. I couldn't talk to anyone around me since they were speaking in a language I don't know.

There's horrible light in there. Horrible. I've figured out how to get good pictures. Good, but not great. I've tried every setting. Every aperture and ISO. Half the game I had to shoot through the net. Still, I caught some of his finest saves as the goalie. I usually get physically ill when he's the goalie from constant worry, but taking pictures kept that from happening. See, taking pictures saves lives!!

Except his that is.

This is my favorite! Shawn agreed and it's now his Facebook profile picture. That, to me, is the highest compliment I can get. I have about 10 friends that have a picture I took of them as their profile picture. It makes my day every time I see it.

But back to the picture.

That's my man!! Okay, so pictures might not save lives...but they do tell a story.

Like this. This tells a story about a guy with a big sense of humor, or no sense of style. The end.

Technical Problems

My laptop is not the newest model. If you remember, Shawn bought me a new one for Christmas and I turned it down. I like mine. It's been mine for 2 years and I know everything I need to know about it. I can do everything that I want and don't usually have problems. The new one was bigger, had newer operating systems, and was a little too shiny.

I guess I'm saying I'm too old to learn new tricks.

There, I said it.

But over Spring Break something happened. My screen started dimming on its own. I can't brighten it, there seems to be a short. Shawn's replaced the screen for me before so I really wasn't worried. It's annoying, but I thought I could deal with it. Well, he doesn't think it's an easy fix.

I discovered that I can get the screen to look right if I jam my elbow on it right by the touch pad. That means I have to have it on a flat surface (which my lap is not), not be doing much typing since I will then only have one arm, and have an elbow that can handle that kind of pressure. Sadly it's the elbow that lets me down every time. It could be the carpet burn on that elbow from trying to beat my 21 year old cousin at holding a Pilates plank...but that can't be proven.

So even though I've fought it, I have a new (pink!) laptop on its way to me. This old dog is about to start walking in circles and licking itself because even the thought of learning has it nervous.

But until it gets here I am trying to cut down on my computer time because the dim screen gives me a headache in about 3.57362 seconds. I haven't been able to read all the blogs that I follow since that takes longer than my headache free time. I will have to spend about 3.57362 days catching up on everything when I get it.

If I can figure it out. Anyone want odds on it??

I want in on that bet.

What Happens When I'm Gone

While the girls and I were in Texas for a few days of Spring Break Shawn was left with limited groceries and an approaching snowstorm. I wrote on Facebook that if I could make it home I would probably find him in the den eating dry Ramen noodles. What I didn't know was that he'd brought home an entire pan of Chicken Spaghetti that my awesome catering cousin had made for a recent family funeral. That meant to me that I would have a pretty clean kitchen when I got home. After all, he was just reheating.

But I learned more when I got home.

When he'd decided to make some coffee he's started by putting the grounds into the filter in the maker. But when he looked away he poured some of the grounds into the water part. He emptied it all and rinsed it out and started again. Since he wanted the filtered water he'd set a mug in the refrigerator door that is just the right size to hold the trigger down so it fills without having to be held in place. While he was rinsing the coffee maker out that water overflowed, went down the refrigerator, and across the floor. After he cleaned that mess up he went back to the coffee pot and got everything going. After a while he went back to get his coffee and found this.

That my friends is what happens when you forget to put the pot into the maker.

He cleaned that up and tried again.

As he was starting again he noticed that coffee was coming out the bottom of the maker. He decided to take the bottom off and see what the problem was. Several drill bits later he discovered that a new screw has been invented that couldn't be budged. He still felt like he'd emptied it enough and set off to make a pot of coffee. Of course, while he was fussing with the bottom and the new fangled screw, yep, the water in the fridge overflowed again!

And I thought these things only happened to me!!

I love that he told me the story while laughing almost constantly. And I love him!!

And to tell you the truth, I love that I'm not the only one who makes messes in that room:)

He's A Keeper

Today my husband has:

• Changed the oil in his car
• Fixed a clogged sewer line that was backing water up into our den
• Found the problem with a shorted out phone line and gotten our phones working again
• Taken our family out to lunch
• Got out of the bleachers and hugged Kennedy during a time out to congratulate her for the first ever basket in a basketball game...the last game of the season.

There are no words to describe how much I love being married to a man who can fix just about everything.

I told my girls today they won't be allowed to get married until their husband-to-be has passed a basic repair test given to them by their future father-in-law.

Shawn won my mom over by installing a motion sensor light by her front door. The fact that he fixed the hole in the ceiling where his knee went through just sealed the deal:o)

Hmmm, I wondered why I felt bad

We just finished what will go down in history as one of the most amazing weekends of our lives. We were all a part of a historical event. All five of us. Our town, church, and school all turn 100 this year. I've blogged about our churches celebration already. Our school has two events and the 100 years of music was this Saturday. I was a part of the alumni choir and got to be in two ensembles. The ensembles were WAY out of my comfort zone. I'd never held a microphone and sung in front of a crowd before. Let alone the 1700 people that were in the audience! But the biggest part of the event was my girls singing in a three part harmony trio. I know I'm biased, but it was amazing. I have received so many sweet words from friends and strangers telling me how good they were. And a few sweet words about me!

But that's not what this post is about. But soon there will be one with pictures and hopefully a little video!

Because of the six weeks of rehearsals three nights a week, and then two days of almost non-stop practice, I was worn down. Add that to the stress and nervousness for the concert and for McKinley being in a Talent Show Friday and I was a mess. Yesterday after church and a celebration lunch I came home and settled in on the couch to renew our friendship. I soon was in bed with a horrible earache. Both ears. Shawn got me some Advil but even after those and a four hour nap, I still was in quite a bit of pain.

After getting everyone off to school and work this morning I sat down and realized I'd been really dizzy. That was it, I called my doctor. I told the nurse I thought I had a double ear infection. Imagine my surprise when I was told I not only had that but also strep throat and a sinus infection. Yee-haw. I've always been an overachiever. Just always in the wrong areas.

So here I sit. Incredibly dizzy, which makes me nauseous, which makes me not want to eat, ears still throbbing, and a very sore throat. I'm willing the Z Pack to start working faster. Luckily the weather is miserable outside to match my mood. More on that later also.

Sure hope I remember to!

Remind me, will you?

Thanks:c)

And good night.

I have a hot date with my pillow.

Can You Feel The Love?

With Valentine's Day fast approaching I need to ask Shawn if we're doing anything. We don't always exchange gifts and I don't want flowers. We also rarely go out and do something. We spend the evening with our girls and get gifts for them. Boy, we're a bundle of romance, aren't we?

A few days ago I stumbled into the bathroom and in the dim light saw what I thought was a little love note left for me. I knew it wasn't Valentine's yet, but maybe he was starting early.So, can you feel the love??

One of the many reasons I love my husband

While on our way to Reagan's indoor (thank goodness) soccer game yesterday Shawn started getting excited when we were approaching a low spot in the road. He plays three of his five indoor teams at the same place and had taken his Taurus through the high water. He said it would be so fun to drive my Expedition through it. As he talked faster he drove faster and soon we were in the midst of what looked like a water explosion. He told me on the way home he wanted me to take pictures of the car going through. He was like a kid in a candy store.

After the game we went through again and he dropped me off at the corner with the new camera and a setting for continuous shooting.

I shot as he drove through twice. Being the big kid he is, he loved these.

I just had to share. But now...he owes me a car wash.

New Camera Love

My sweet husband hasn't always been the best at giving me gifts. He gets that from his dad. I have been given an apple/corer/slicer as a gift and also a vacuum. I have taken to picking it out and telling him where to get it. Don't get me wrong, he has the best intentions and I have gotten some wonderful surprises. And he does so many other wonderful things for me that it's okay.

This year Christmas morning I got the gift I wanted from the girls, a Chi straightener. But Shawn had them wrap it in a box 20 times larger than necessary. I was a bit worried. So when I opened the present from him I wasn't concerned that my new camera was in a long, flat box. I wondered how he'd made it almost flat, but wasn't really concerned. Guess what? It was a laptop. A brand spanking new one that completely surprised me. Completely. I was so grateful...but I'd really wanted a camera. I feel like I've gone as far as possible with the Sony Cybershot that I have. To take some classes in town that I'd wanted I had to have a dslr.

He followed me into the kitchen and I told him how completely grateful I was and how I was about to tell him something awful. Being the awesome guy that he is, he understood and said he'd get me the camera I wanted. He'd just thought that I'd outgrown my laptop and would like a new one. I convinced him to keep the laptop for himself knowing that I could put a bunch of my pictures on there if needed. I'm so smart:c)

I started looking online to compare. But not knowing much, I decided to just look to see what The Pioneer Woman owned. When looking for those on e-bay I almost fell off the couch. Hello high prices. When I just did a Dogpile search for cameras I wasn't smart enough to read the reviews. I need to find a website where they talk to me like I'm six. Thankfully Shawn stepped in and started helping me. He'd been given a Canon EOS Rebel 35 mm camera for college graduation. He took some incredible shots with it. He knew all the ins and outs. He could make that camera stand up and bark. We decided on the digital version and he braved the icy, snow covered roads to run out and get it for me. Have I mentioned how amazing he is?

That was the day after Christmas. I have taken approximately 1100 pictures since then and still have not a clue what I am doing. I have read the owners manual front to back. I have underlined, highlighted, and bent the corners down on half the pages. I still have no idea to make it do what I want it to. I'm really needing to find a class. Or another brain. I can do everything it says to do in the manual but when I start to take a picture I don't know which setting to use.

Ugh. Still, I'm having fun. 1100 pictures worth of it.

Here are some from the first day that I took it out. From a crazy neighbor wearing a robe, shorts, and boots, snowman building, to another neighbor asking to be bombed as he drove by, to a snowman with two actual eyes made out of coal...here you go.

And if anyone knows of some good photography websites that talk to you in elementary terms, please let me know.