Happy New Year!

Have a happy and safe New Year!!

Stuck in the 80's and partying down

This past Thursday I did something I normally don't do. Something completely out of character for myself. I went to......a rock concert! *gasp* It was a spontaneous thing; I bought the ticket the week before when I found out my online friend was going. I thought it would be cool to meet her and I really needed a night out from Mommyville. As much as I love my children (more than anything) I desperately needed a break. Just one night where I'm not a wife or a mother....but just a woman that loves music.

I saw Night Ranger. You know, the group that sings Sister Christian .They sing much more than that obviously, but that would be their most well known song. Why Night Ranger you ask? I actually didn't start liking them until just recently. Michael Lardie, whom I'm totally and utterly infatuated with for the past 18 years, left Great White a few years ago and joined Night Ranger. Now he's back with Great White, but I got into Night Ranger. They are incredibly talented.

What a night it was! I met my friend Pattie there (my online friend I met at Michael's yahoo group) at 3pm with her friends. Here is me and Pattie.We went in the venue (in Chicago area) and hung out, watched the sound check, met the band, ate and talked. Pattie is friends with the band members, so I was able to be introduced to them. This is me with Brad Gillis.

The show was awesome. I was right up in the front row in between Jack (the lead singer) and Brad (the lead guitarist). Brad did quite a few solos right in front of me, and even gave me a guitar pick. They rocked! I am no longer a Night Ranger virgin, as this was my first NR show. I'm so going back again when they come back too! They were in prime form!

After the show I hung out with the ladies at the venue while we waited for the guys. We talked, took pics, had fun. Finally, we all figured out where we were going...to a restaurant just down the street. So we headed over there, had some drinks (some of us...I had water since I was driving) and had a grea time. About a half hour later or so, Brad, Kelly, and Reb joined us. I was a bit nervous at first.....hanging out with rock stars, but it didn't take me long to become comfortable and have a good time. By the end of the night I was sitting on Reb Beach's lap!

We hung out until 2am, then I drove home and didn't get to bed until 3am. What a night!

And I'm hoping to be able to do it again (sort of) next month. Great White will be coming to the area Jan 19 and I'm going. I'm hoping to be able to meet the band....or at least Michael. :) It makes me giddy just thinking about it!

It was awesome to live out a night from the 80's....all that was missing was the fashion and the big hair (though some of the ladies in the crowd did have that).

Merry Christmas!

Everyone have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Remember, there is no Christmas without CHRIST. :)

Happy Birthday sweet Jesus.

Into the Night

I've been into Nickelback for some time now. I love Chad's voice, and the lyrics are amazing....they actually make you think and are introspective. Not to mention the music is incredible.

The other day I heard this song and listened to the lyrics and fell in love with it. I knew it was Chad's voice, but the music certainly was not the style of Nickelback. So I did some research and found out it's Santana with Chad.

Anyway, amazing song. Just thought I'd share my favorite song currently.

Rock on and shake your booty

Yes, I was stuck (and still am) in the 80's. Yes, I truly was headbanging! I think it was to Queen, but I'm not even sure. I can't even remember.

I used to love dancing. Still do. When in colllege I used to go to dance clubs and shake my "thang". I even had designated "dance" clothes I would wear. Remember body suits? Oh yeah, I used to have them...several. My favorite was a black one I wear with green jeans and a green silk shirt that had a few buttons open. During the wamer months I would wear a sleeveless body suit with cut off jean shorts.
At any rate, I heart dancing. You couldn't get me off a dance floor at weddings. I did all of them....Achy Breaky, Macarena, and my personal fav, the Electric Slide. I headbanged, I did "da Butt", I was Dangerous on the Dance floor.


Ever since I married Bob though, I don't dance anymore. Bob HATES dancing.....with a passion. I was lucky to get him to dance with me to our wedding song. And since marrying him and havin children, I don't dance either. I know I shouldn't let him influence me, but really, I have no friends near me that do go (Amy moved to MN so she's out), and I feel I'm too old for that, so to speak. I'm a mom of 2.


Which leads me to these pictures. What I always used to do with Ryan ever since he was a baby was put on music and dance with him. I wanted him to grow up with music and not have the fear of dancing in social situations. So I used to hold him in my arms and dance with him. He loved it. At Julie's wedding when he was 11 months old I have pictures of us dancing. I heart those pictures. And as he got older, he learned to really love dancing. At a wedding we went to a year ago he had a blast dancing in the middle of the dance floor. Every time I turn on some music he's in the middle of the living room shaking his thang. Sometimes he even tells me to turn off the slow songs.


Kyle seems to be taking after his brother. I put on music frequently and Kyle bounces up and down and laughs. Whenever he's really fussy, we turn on Crazy Frog and he calms down immediately.

All of us getting down and funky. Well, except Bob, who took the picture. Just one of the many fun moments in our house.

More about me

Just wanted to remind all my old readers and inform all my new readers about my list of 100 Things about me. I keep forgetting to put it in my sidebar. Just some great info about me....though some of it is now outdated LOL

My early Christmas present

Bob and I were discussing a while back what to get each other for Christmas. We both had ideas of what we wanted, but we couldn't get both of our wants this year. Being the sweet, loving husband he is, he let me have my present this year. It's a laptop! Unfortunately, I almost didn't get it.

Circuit City had one for sale at a dirt cheap price on Black Friday. Bob said he'd be willing to let me have my laptop if I was willing to go get it. Which meant I had to be standing in line by 3am in the cold to try to get this thing. Normally I wouldn't. But hey, it was for a laptop people!!! Plus, I met some nice people in line. Unfortunately I froze my booty off for two hours for nothing. They were sold out by the time I got to it. I was a bit upset, but I figured getting a laptop would be too good to be true.

Later in the day Bob and I decided to go to Best Buy to check some things out. They had some USB drives for cheap that we wanted (2G for $14.99!!), and while there we opted to check out the laptops. Most of them were sold out already. (popular item this year). But Bob checked them out and found one that he was comfortable with and knew would suit my needs (basically just internet surfing, pictures, and writing documents). It was a good deal....a bit more than what we wanted to spend, but it was a good deal.

So the new prized possession in my life now is my new Acer laptop.

Isn't she a beauty? 15.4 LCD, and so much more. (I have no idea what it all has....Bob deals with all that. Just as long as it does what I need it to). The only problem I'm having currently......Bob is hogging it!!! LOL He obviously had it the first few days to set it up for me, but even now on weekends he is on it most of the time....I tend to get it at night. He rarely takes out his work laptop anymore since mine is already set up in the living room, ready to use. What's nice is he doesn't mess up my settings since he put his on his USB drive. Ahh, I love technology.

Nice to know that my gift this year is the coveted gift of the year. :) Makes me proud. LOL

Lost, in an obvious place (and Santa hats)

Be prepared!! I finally found those pictures.....dating all the way back to Sept/Oct. Pictures of Ryan's birthday, Halloweeen, Thanksgiving, and just plain cute pics. They were on my computer the whole time....go figure. They were just in a different file and that's why I couldn't find them! This blog is about to get picture happy. Gotta catch up on all the cuteness!

My Santa boys:

A baby reindeer and a lost Santa

My boys at Christmas time! Every year I take pictures of Ryan with the Santa hat on....and I did it this year with him and with Kyle. Unfortunately I have misplaced the pictures! Hopefully I will find them soon....if not, then I guess I will have to take them again! Until then, this will tide you over!

Have a purrr-fect Christmas!

The never ending day

Ever have a day where you just wish you hadn't gotten out of bed? Or that you can use the same rules as children's games and have a "do-over"? Maybe just skip the day altogether?

Yep...that was today.

We had a snowstorm last night....well, not really a snowstorm....more like a "disturbance" as the news called it. I seriously think these meteorologists need to learn their correct terminology...or explain it to us laymen because apparently a "storm" means schools, businesses, and pretty much most of the town is closed for only an inch or two of snow, while a "disturbance" means nothing is closed, the plows aren't out, the roads are crappy and it's about 10 inches of snow. Hhhmm. Something wrong with this picture.

At any rate, the snow started around rush hour last night. Perfect time. Good thing I don't go anywhere. Oh yeah.....go figure, it was the one night I'm able to go out for the Women's Christmas banquet at church. So I go (since I paid $14 for the ticket.....darn it I paid the money I'm going to go)....and the normal 15 minute drive took me 45 minutes doing on average 30 mph in a 55 zone. Once there it was fine...it was a beautiful banquet with good food and incredible entertainment. Then I had to drive all the way back home again, in the lovely snow.

Now fast forward to this morning. Bob gets up to snowblow and afterwards as we watch tv he decides he isn't going to go in to work. His normal hour commute was averaging about 2.5 hours. Good idea to stay home. However, there was no word of Ryan's preschool being canceled. So we head out and I make it 2 miles and decide to turn back. It was still snowing really hard and the roads were horrible. It took me 45 minutes to make the 4 mile round trip. Ryan was very upset that he missed his class today, but I'd much rather have him miss a day of school than risk our lives to get there.

I think snowdays were invented to punish us parents. Ryan was just off the wall today. He had such a difficult time listening and obeying today, I just wanted to scream. Time after time all day long I would tell him to stop doing something and 2 seconds later he's doing it again. Sometimes I feel like I am talking to walls.
Kyle was also in a mood today. Not sure if maybe he felt the tension or if he didn't want his brother to be alone in the punishments, but he was getting into literally everything he wasn't supposed to, and then getting cranky when I would redirect him. He seems to have this fascination with the DVD player currently. He makes a bee line for it every time....I say no and redirect, and yep, 2 seconds later he's back at it again. Must learn from his brother.

The hardest part of the day was trying to act like Bob wasn't home all day when in fact he was sitting in my chair most of the day. He technically was working from home since he can remote in and make phone calls and all that jazz. But it's pretty difficult for the kids and I to accept that he's here but not here. Especially when I have Ryan in a time out (who was not even being good in his time out), Kyle crying in his high chair because I'm not feeding him fast enough, attempting to make dinner, plus I had to pee like nobody's business! And my hubby, whom I love more than life itself, was just sitting there typing happily away on his laptop. I know it's not his fault....just bothers me when I am struggling and could use an extra hand (or three).

So after an early dinner tonight I get Ryan ready to take him to Awana. I left Kyle with Bob and we were off. Luckily the roads were much better...made the trip just about right on time and the main roads were perfectly clear. Once we get there, I don't see ANY cars in the parking lot. Not a good sign. I called my friend whose children are also in Awana and she tells me it's canceled tonight. Wait...what? No one bothered to call me to inform me so I wouldn't have to make a 15-20 minute drive to church when I didn't have to. She apologized and said she thought the leaders were calling everyone. Apparently not. *sigh* So I break the news to Ryan, who is just as upset as he was about not going to preschool, and cries the whole way home. Get home and not only is Ryan upset, but Kyle is extremely cranky. Get both ready for bed. Watch about a half hour of tv to get everyone somewhat calmed down. Ryan went to bed at 7 (an hour early......thank you!!!!!) and Kyle about 7:10.

Ahhh. Now the house is quiet. I'm drinking some hot chocolate, in my jammies, and catching up on some internet stuff and hopefully will get to editing my book tonight. I need to unwind.

And more to come. We are supposed to get another 6 inches of snow tomorrow night. At least Ryan doesn't have school on Friday so that won't be as much of a problem.

oy. I love my kids, but somedays.............