A better day....

Today was such a nice, relaxing day despite knowing that I lost two girls frommy team.

I felt that somehow things would work out, and it looks like they are. I talked to Mr SA's wife (who is my team mom, and actually pretty nice, her DH is just the weiner) and I let her know to leave those two girls off the snack schedule and to ask her DD if she had any friends that wanted to play.

Well, she called me back and she thinks she may have found one! One of her neighbors. SO that would be totally cool. Then this afternoon I swung over to another girls house to drop off her uniform since she wasn't at practice, and her dad was there. I let him know and he said his other daughter might be interested, and he would let me know. Thank goodness!

And then I got a wierd call from my coordinator. She said I was gonna keep one of the girls after all. But its not the one that they JUST took - its one that has been gone for over a week. So I don't quite understand, but I am sure that things will get sorted out by Saturday.

Tomorrow we were supposed to take DramaQueen down to the dr for shots, but we decided to do a "family day" instead. We were going to take off and go somewhere, but I think we are just gonna stay home. So, in retrospect, we should have kept the shot appointment! Then we could have made it into a down the hill trip!

I need some chocolate right now. I know - it has no bearing on my journal, but I could really use some anyway! :P

I talked to my neighbor across the street today. The new people next door to him apparantly like to scream at 2am. Nice. I told him that yesterday they had started up at around 6pm.
We talked while I waited for Hongo to come home and he was waiting for his wife. He asked about my mom, and I told him that she was doing better than I was. As a fellow Mexican, he understood alot about what kind of life I had, because a lot of Mexican households tend to be the same. So he would say something and I would just marvel an think "How did he know that???" He could even describe the relationship my dad had with his siblings and how it affects my relationship with Hongo. Eery. Mr B is wise, and I could definitly learn a lot, when I am not teasing him, of course.

But Hongo came home and neighbors wife came home, so the conversation turned to tiling the kitchen! I think I'll invited wifey over to see it tomorrow. She feels honored that she inspired me. She even has a tile saw I can borrow to make those last few cuts. Because right now, I am not really happy w/ my IL's and I am trying to not let it bother me.
On Tuesday I told MIL that Opening Day was Saturday (actually I told her a month ago), and there was a game. I didn't ask her to come, because last year they were late and then they went to the hardware store while we had lunch, and then they missed the game because they were shopping at the hardware store too long. LegoQueen was crushed.
So my beef with them is that she has not said a word about coming, and I really don't think they are. LegoQueen takes it really personally, and I just feel sad for her. Its not like i miss my ILs, lol. So if they don't come, then I don't want them coming in 2 weeks for Opening Day for the two other kids. That wouldn't be fair.

Ah....

Oh, and we got a birthday invite today. The kids are excited, and so we will go shopping for the birthday girl soon. The girls love picking out gifts - Hairy Boy...not so much. He just about died when he realized the Bioncle he picked out for his cousinwas actually going TO his cousin. He wanted to keep it!

NOT my day..

The day started out fine enough, but it went sour around 4:30pm.

That high school team would NOT get off the field. SO I had to put in a call to my coordinator (ugh) and ask for her help. Thankfully, she was the right person to call, becuase he got off - just 25 minutes late.

I handed out uniforms, game schedules, etc. and we got right to work. I am coming to the realization that our pitching is VERY weak. I am sad.

I became MORE sad after I found out why my VP of softball was hanging around my practice. He took one of my girls (my 3rd baseman, dangit!) and he was looking at taking my shortstop too (dougle dangit!)
I told him that his was literally taking away any hope I had of having a competitive team.

So I am now down to 9 girls, possibly. If he takes the shortstop, then that pretty much seals it. I put out a plea to the girls - if ANY of them have a friend that has played before and WANTS to play now, PLEASE let me know.

I am out of girls from last year's roster. Either they moved away, are in the major division, or on another team. 2 of them are not playing - 1 made it clear she was not coming back, and the other 1 I can't find her number. She's even got a sister.

Ugh. Maybe if I offer them some candy, they'll play for me?

What day is it?

I lost a day somewhere.

Yes, I know yesterday was Monday. We had practice and then on the way home the sponsorship coordinator (who is AWFULLY nice to me *wink*, despite knowing I am married ) called my cell phone (Hongo answered, cuz he had the phone) and wanted me to pick up my uniforms and game schedule.
It became a chaotic nightmare, because he told me that if I didn't come get my stuff that night, I would have to go through my coordinator to get it. Well, I'd rather stab myself in the eye than talk to that woman, so I relented and went to his house to pick it up. I took LegoQueen with me, at Hongo's insistance.
We arrive and it was a madhouse. They had my schedule, and my paperwork. But no uniforms. I had to get in a separate line to get my game balls. I looked at my game schedule and almost had a heart attack. We have a game this Saturday and no one told me. I was waiting around for uniforms and I overheard Sponsor Guy saying that they were 30 minutes away. I asked him to repeat that, and he confirmed that my uniforms were 30 minutes away!!!! So I was honest. I said "Listen Curt, I am starving and I'm not happy right now. I just got done with a practice where I was running around with 10 little girls. I'm going home to eat, and I'll be back."
So LegoQueen and I went home, ate, and then went back. I was feeling much better, but I could tell Curt wasn't. He was overwhelmed and frustrated. I took my uniforms, and since he was busy with someone else, I didn't have the chance to thank him for opening up his home to the league for gear handout.
I emailed him today. I had two questions that needed to be answered, and he also wears the hat of "Umpire in Chief" In the email I thanked him for letting the league invade his house and apologized for my grumpiness.

You know, I get grumpy when I am hungry....Hongo might volunteer to say that I am hungry OFTEN, lol.

So then this is where I lost track of the days. I was talking to my team mom on the phone, giving her info about the game schedule and uniforms. She said that barring any weather difficulties, will we get uniforms tomorrow. I told her no, I would hand them out Wednesday.

Duh, Kim.

I have to admit - looking over the schedule, I am very happy. It appears that the few Saturday games we have will not interfere with DramaQueen and Hairy Boy's game schedules. YEAH!!!!

SO everything is messed up. I mowed my lawn today, and I kept thinking "I'm only a day late, and the grass is LONG!" But no - I am TWO days late. I thought I had tomorrow to go to the grocery store to pick up sale items, but I don't. The good thing is that Hongo got paid today, so I went and paid all of my bills before I lose anymore days, lol.

Let's hope I make it to Park Day...


Oh, and for you local gals.....

We are re-tiling the kitchen counters. We started with the island, and made it a little bigger. Actually, its not as big as I would have liked, but its big enough so that the little ones can eat together like they did at the table. We are getting rid of the IKEA table and its wobbly legged chairs! Actually, they could be tightened, but Hongo never liked the table anyway and would rather get rid of it.
Next are the counters - no more tiny 4x4 white tiles. I chose the color "Desert Mist" (pretty fitting for our area, huh?) and it just gives a warm look to the kitchen. I have to find a new sink though - a drop in sink. You all will have to come over and marvel at my counters, lol! And the kicker - we are tiling it ourselves.

Eating a Chipwich...

You remember those ice cream sandwiches that were the giant chocolate chip cookies with vanilla ice cream squished between them, and then choclate chips rolled on the edges? Yum! I used to get one after school with my lunch money.
I was craving one today, and since we don't have any kids, Hongo drove me around to 3 stores to find one. I finally got my hands on one - it set me back 2.39. Yikes! Not only that, I read the back of the wrapper only to discover that one sandwich has a whopping 470 calories in it! No wonder I was so chunky when I was little. Too many Chipwiches and not enough school lunches!
So like I said - we don't have any kids tonight. They actually won't be gone a full 24 hours, but I'll take what I can get. Like dinner at Chili's, where I can blabber on and on about my friends and my knitting project. Hongo tries not to yawn, but I see his eyes glaze over occasionally. Thats my cue to shut it and ask him something so he can talk. I see NO problem when we get old and the kids leave the nest. I'll have plenty of conversation material that has nothing to do with kids. Like my friends at the rest home....and my latest knitting project. See? And the best part is that I won't have to bring it out on kid-less dates. Everyday will be a kid-less date! I bet Hongo can't wait for that day....

The best part of being kid-less (besides the ice cream) is the opportunity to take a quiet bath. No NASCAR bathing for me, where I have 3 pairs of hands in the tub trying to wash me and talk me into giving them a piece of candy for all their hard work. Ah, just me, washing me, with MY own hands.

Oh and while i am on the subject of being kid-less, I will also say that I will enjoy sleeping in tomorrow. WITHOUT hearing my door shut at 6 am and then giggles and laughter being heard. Every single weekday, I have to drag SOMEONE out of bed. Its usually not the boy, because he comes in during my workout and waits in my bed for me to finish so he can have breakfast. No, its usually one of the girls, and I have to threaten to actually DRAG them out of bed before they get up. But on Saturday morning, they all get up when I want to sleep and they laugh and giggle and watch cartoons. SO then I can't sleep, and I have to grumble and want to kick my Hongo, who is sound asleep and blissfully unaware that Tom and Jerry are performing IN STEREO for our children.

Yes, I will enjoy my 22 hours without children. But in the end, I'll miss them and they will miss their grandparents, want to stay there forever and I'll force them to come home. No worries - they'll be back to the grandparents' house on April 9th.

We are contenders....

After practice tonight, I have serious thoughts that we are going to take 1st place this year. The girls were just awesome - I couldn't stop saying nice things about them, The phrase "GOOD JOB" got used about a gazillion times. However, we COULD use a little less laziness from one of the girls...no wait - two girls. But, I digresss - the girls are totally pumped, stoked, whatever about tomorrow's game.

Speaking of tomorrow - its gonna be busy. I have to make dinner BEFORE I leave for the park in the morning, becuase there will not be a lot of time between coming home from park and heading off to the field. Probably just enough time to pop dinner in the oven and set the timer, bathroom break, and change of clothing.
I am soooooo looking forward to park tomorrow. WHEEEEEE! I am squealing with excitement. I get to go sit and relax....possibly knit. Its just gonna be a good day - I can feel it.

Since I won't have a lot of time tomorrow - I better get up and clean the kitchen before I go to bed. I already made the kids clean their rooms, threatening them with NO park if they weren't done, lol.

Making friends....

Hongo said I make friends too easily. Who me? Just because I spent 1/2 an hour on the phone chatting with a coach that I've never met in person, and I was giving him tips on how to get more girls on his team? Oh, and we've made arrangements to have a scrimmage this Thursday on his field?

Me? No way.

So now that I've spilled my friend making secrets (in case you missed it, it was BE FRIENDLY) the nasty, competitive catfight ME has reared its ugly head. The 3rd coach is a woman, she coached last year, she has an ego bigger than the state of California, and she happens to be buddy buddy with the league coordinator that was mentioned in either Fri or Sat's entry. The rumor is that HER team is THE team to beat.

Not if I have a say in it.....

Last year she tried to control all the games. My manager would always push her off on me because she was so intimidating to him. I would have to give my manager little pep talks before our games with her, lol. So this year, I strive to put together a team that is GREAT. LegoQueen was kind of mopey - she said "Its true, Mommy - their team is so good. They ARE the #1 team." So I said to her "Wait a sec - the season hasn't even started. WE are the team to beat - and don't you forget it. By saying THEY are, you've already given up. Wait and make them prove it."

Thems fightin words!

Fightin' words....words that echo in my mind. My dad always told me I was the best. I was the best pitcher, the best hitter, the best fielder. And I believed him. My dad's favorite thing to do before a game was to talk to me and tell me to "pump it up" That was his way of telling me to throw hard, hit hard, and take no prisoners. Softball then is nothing like softball now. Balls would graze your thighs and that was the pitcher telling you that you better back off the plate, or you were getting drilled. And this was when you were nine and ten years old! Now we play to have fun, and show sportsmanship is cool.
I do enjoy now softball - its much more civilized, lol.

So, Kim may have bitten off a little more than what she can chew, lol.

Speaking of my dad, tomorrow will mark 1 month. I still have weak moments, like this morning I was dreaming. I dreamt that I was sitting at a table with my dad and a couple of uncles. It was one of those banquet tables, and Dad was at the far end. He was asking why no one invited him to the funeral to see the family. I was flustered...trying to think of why no one told him to come. And then I looked at him, and I told him "But you WERE there. This was YOUR funeral." And he sat back in his chair, and he thought for a moment. He clenched his teeth, and said "But are you sure? Didn't someone take me to the hospital? Did they check for my pulse? Are you absolutly sure I was dead?" And I stretched out my hand, and he put out his. I began to tell him the chain of events as they had been relayed to me. I told him that he lay at the mortuary for a week. His brothers had come to see him and verify it was him.
And I was looking at his hand, and it was as if I could feel the roughness of his fingers.

And then I woke up.

After discussing the dream with Hongo, he has decided that I carry too much guilt and regret, hence the part of my dream where Dad asks if I made absolutly sure he was dead. Probably. And while I was doing the "Dad Memories" section of my journal, I came to the painful realization that there weren't very many good times to remember. I think that's what hurts the most. I loved being with him while he was sober....and sadly there weren't very many of those times.

SO after our discussion, Hongo suggested I work on that "red craft-knit-thing" in my basket. I reached over and pulled what I THOUGHT was my extra needle, and pulled all the stitches right out. ACK! I admit, I've dropped a couple here and there, and I just use the crochet hook to put them back. But this was 16 stitches, all pulled out and unsalvagable. I had to rip it out. :(

If I get some extra time, I will go and put new stiches on my needles and work my hardest to get it back to where it was so that I can bring it to the park. I want the knitting ladies to look at it, and tell me what row I should start knitting in stockinette in order to have the nice side show.

It could be worse...

you could be addicted to meth...." is what my Hongo just told me.

I'll admit it - I'm addicted to the Internet, lol.

Anyway - the main purpose of this entry is my knitting. I have been working on a handy dandy little elbow warmer. That's right - something to keep my elbow warm. Trouble is, I tried it on, and its too big for me. SO if its too big for me, its too big for my kids' arms. And Hongo has already made it clear that his elbows don't need warming.
So its gonnna have to go on a leg. But not MY leg - its too big, unfortunately. Maybe I can convince one of the kids to wear it....uh, like LegoQueen. Because let's be honest, her legs are the only ones probably big enough to fit.

Here it is...(drumroll please)


and...



So there it is... my current project. And since I knit super slow, if I refrain from any NEW projects, I should be finished with 2 of these by Christmas....

Ending on a good note

That's right - my morning started off bad, then went to worse, and has crept back up to pretty darn as of right now.

The bad - my son started the morning coughing like he was dying. The cough of death. So I had to call my mother in law and tell her we weren't coming over for BBQ. So there went my cool weather and day of no cooking.
Then my new team mom called - she couldn't go to the meeting today. I totally understand - working graveyard shift and then being at a childs activity...the woman wanted sleep. I hear ya!
Then my husband sees that not only do we have a major cough going on with our son, he has a spiked fever too. Spiked fevers are normal for my kids, they are naturally warm anyway, but we had to still get it down. My son hates the Tylenol we have in the house and no matter how hard we try to hide it, he can tell (just like his mama) SO now I make plans to swing by the drugstore after my meeting.
THEN my MIL calls to check on my boy and Hongo gets his boxers in a wad because the phone is ringing too much. I think he's getting sick too. Come on - the phone ringing too much? Give me a break!

I went to my meeting. Said hi to my friend (president's wife, yes I mingle with the higher ups, lol) and there was a Mexican lady standing next to her. I said to her, " Hi, are you raquel?" and you would have thought I had said to her " Hi, are you a$$ face?" The REAL raquel was sitting down and it all went downhill from there.
We didn't start until almost 12:30. Personally, I am intolerant of not starting on time. If I tell you I want to meet with you at "x" time, I would appreciate that you be there and we start right away. 5, even 10 minutes and I am still cool (I am getting better at accepting 5-10 minutes, lol) but 1/2 an hour is unacceptable. And know what? All it was ....you had to sign for your packet of picture Day forms. All this waiting, for a stupid pack of forms.

the VP of softball was there....he doubles as the equipment manager. SO I went over and asked about getting a new catchers mask for my 12 year-old on my team, and we went to his car and checked a bag. Nothing, but we made arrangements for me to pick up a new mask at the park tomorrow. We talked (he talks a lot, giving me a run for my money) and he was heavily pushing for me to start doing action photos at games for extra money. I also found out his daughter is for hire when it comes to scorekeeping. Interesting.

Now my day started getting better - I went and bought lunch because the park thing took so dang long. What could make putting up with Raquel's stupity better? McDonalds. McDonalds cures everything.

Then I took a nap.

Then I went and bought dinner, and some more medicine that my son hated. I watched the kids play the Wii again, and Hairy Boy was groaning that he needed to change the shirt on his Mii again. Hongo is tired of changing Mii's, but when you are sick he'll give in to pretty much anything so that you stop whining, lol.

I did a workout, and now that all those good feeling endorphins are floding my body, I plan on bathing and then reading. I am out of Star Wars books, I may have to settle for a men's magazine or something. Men's magazines are like comic books, IMO.

Good job, me!

Tonight we are playing with the Wii. Our family was bowling, and I told DramaQueen "Good Job B!" Dramaqueen said "Good job, Daddy!" and LegoQueen said "Good job H!" and then Hairy Boy said "Good job, ME!"
Just a LITTLE competitive, ya think???

Its been WARM here, lately! Yesterday we got burned at the park, so this morning I made sure we went grocery shopping early in the day before LegoClub. I thought I lost my keys in the grocery store, and instead I had just grabbed the wrong set.

LegoClub was nice - even though we only got to stay for about an hour. Hongo came home early, so we met him at the house. We ordered pizza for dinner - oooh my lucky night!

The thing that bugged me about today is a phonecall I got from the little league coordinator. She was calling to let me know that there is a team parent meeting tomorrow. Hey - thanks for the notice. I JUST happened to get a mom to be my team parent on Wednesday. However, I have been doing the job for the past two weeks. I have already ordered my banner and squared away all the details. I already made the team phone list, and all I need is a schedule so that I can map out snack schedules. I guess I'll let her do that, lol. my team mom is Mr. SA's wife.
Anyway, the coordinator was not happy that I told her I might not have someone there, and she said all my paperwork had to be turned is TOMORROW. Well, if I'm not there tomorrow, I guess you'll have to WAIT! What a concept. Instead of harping on parents who already donate a lot of time to the league, why not start harping on parents who DON'T?
Grrrr.....

Tomorrow we might go to the ILs house for BBQ. Its much cooler there than we are here. Driving home from LegoClub @3:45 it was 92 degrees. MIL said it only got up to about 73 ar her house.

Hongo is making his "manuscript" comments again....good night!

Wow, I got burned....

literally.

Today the park was gorgeous. I was so happy to bask in the rays, and it really lifted my mood. My mood lately hasn't been so good, lol. Lots of good company, and the conversation was fun.

When I got home, I used the restroom, and as I was washing my hands, I looked up and did a double take. Holy cow -my face was red, with 2 large white circles where my sunglasses had sat. I went upstairs and took off my shirt, and sure enough - I had a white outline where I had been clothed.
Probably the funniest part of it all - I had pulled my socks up, so I have a VERY funny looking sock tan, only on the shin part of my legs.

I checked the kids - and poor DramaQueen did not fare well on her face and arms. She looks like she's wearing a mask and a pair of red sleeves. Thankfully, the rest of her body was pretty much covered by her shirt, skirt and socks.

So, we need to remember to reapply - it makes a difference!

Tomorrow is Friday. I am sooooo ready for the weekend. I honestly don't want to do ANYTHING but relax. Hongo offered to take me grocery shopping, but I HATE taking him. I end up with a cartful of stuff that ends up doubling my bill. It never fails. So I am going to try and do it before we go out to Lego Club.

My MIL called today. I have forgotten how long its been since I talked to her. I don't think I even updated her on the death certificate or picking up the remains. She wanted to give me the heads up on a dentist in our area that my FIL is investigating. Now I know not to pick him, lol. She also called to remind me that she doesn't have a date on her calendar for my drs appt. Har, har, MIL. Your point is made.....loud and clear. I will go. I just don't know when.

Hongo is very funny (not really) He told me just now that if I really want to make money, I should write children's stories, featuring my "hongo" character. Let me explain....

"hongo" is the spanish word for "mushroom" When I started dating my Hongo, I started calling him that because he would sit in his room with the windows shut and the curtains closed. Dark and humid. Thats how freaking mold grows. And mushrooms are just giant blobs of mold. (we are stretching here, stay with me) So to make my point, I began writing stories and poems about "(blank) the Hongo" I have a whole collection of them. I would write them in my mind and tell them to him as I scratched his back, or on our nightly telephone conversations. I even used to make illustrations, and when we would write notes at school, I'd draw him a little mushroom with eyes and a smile. The mushrooms would even have spots on them (to point out his freckles) and people would look at his notes like "??? mushrooms?"

So now you all know that I have an overactive imagination, and I can get really creative if and when I need to. It helps if the situation has a defective person in it (like my Hongo) so that I have some material.

Love you, Hongo!

I can't sleep....

so why not blog?

Daylight Savings is wreaking havoc on me. I thought it was going to be no big deal - just get up an hour earlier and go to bed an hour earlier.

Not happening. I was "off" all day long. I just couldn't get it together! Legoqueen studied on her own today, and Dramaqueen sat and tried to read a few stories to her little brother.

I DID get through most of my mail today. I opened some cards, and I set those downstairs on display. I even got around to writing (and finishing) a letter to one of Hongo's grandmas. His dad's mom. I apologized for not making arrangements to get together after LegoQueen's birthday like I had promised, and explained the circumstances. I'm sure she'll understand.
We had practice today. A couple of those girls should consider themselves lucky that I have a ton of patience. Talk about a thankless job. Hongo came to help me out near the end of practice. I am going to call up my buddy Miss Shelly and see if her girls made it on a team yet. I could use a couple more girls and a good coach.

So here I am, almost 1am and wide awake. Tomorrow is going to totally stink. I hope my kids don't have their little hearts set on going anywhere. Mama's gonna take a nap! Plus the price of gas is just enough to make you want to stay home all the time.

No More Drama!

Please!

I am going to try and get back to normal this week. Goodness knows I need it. No more car accidents, no more funeral stuff, no more whining "family". And most of all, no more sick kids!

A dad update - Dad is here at my house with me. Currently he's sitting on the fireplace. I don't know when I'l get around to putting him somewhere permanent, but that is the least of my problems right now. All that matters is that he is all together, contained in one place, and safe from greedy family members.

Saturday was a good day - we took the dryer down to my mom, and James met us there. We were getting ready to leave, and James came up and started telling me that my aunt was okay. Uhhhh, I didn't ask - but I guess I'll stand here while you are talking. I'm sorry - I just don't care. I guess that they are putting their trip on Utah on hold. Bummer - I'd be glad to not have to deal with them for a week.....
After mom's house we drove to the funeral home to pick up Dad. My director was not available, so I left the urn there and we went to the museum.
I'm so glad we went! It was nice to get away and just do something as a family! We stayed for a couple of hours, the dinosaur exhibit was closed, so we didn't get to see what we had come for. The kids were totally interested in the gems and mineral section - it was a lot to takein all at once, I think Legoqueen only got to really look at a few things and ask questions.
After the museum, we drove back and picked up Dad. What I didn't realize is that I would receive the original DC and the permit, which stated that the remains will be kept at my address. Interesting.
Sunday we didn't do much - just played the Wii games and went grocery shopping.

Today I am going to go through my mail. I just seem to pick it up and then stuff it in the armrest console of my car.

Kitties!

Aren't they cute?









How about another?

Okay, you are probably wondering..."What is with all the cats, Kim?" It was inspired by a conversation we ladies were having at the park today. The topic was friends and family would are compulsive email forwarders. But one of my friends mentioned that her father in law would send pictures of kitties to her husband. I almost peed in my pants. I laughed so hard I thought I was going to burst something. I mean, come on - who doesn't love kitties? But sending them to your adult son? Bizarre.

Today my family proved that they could truly become more of a pain in my rear than ever before. First, my uncle James called to tell me that my mean aunt (the one who said the nasty stuff behind my back) was in a car accident. Apparently she was rear ended on the freeway. She had head trauma, fractrured ribs, and a broken collarbone. Then I was on the phone with my uncle Angel, and we talked about stuff and I gavehim the update. Then James called back just before we were heading out to give me all the hospital info. What did I do? I wrote it all down, left it on the counter, and headed out to the park! Hey, in my defense, we were attending park to celebrate a birthday! And sorry- I'm not about to drive an hour to a hospital to visit someone who hates me.
So, like I said before - we had a great time. The weather was gorgeous, and the company was great. We talked abuot kitty pictures and stupid email jokes, how winter missed our area this year, and a multitude of other things. You never know where the conversation will go.
OH yeah - my family. I asked James if there was anything I could do, and he said yes - I could hold off on my ash ceremony until my aunt was better. I told him that was quite a request to be making, considering the grief that she put me through, and the fact that I need my own closure. I was not under the blissful misconception that my dad was sitting in the urn at the funeral. I told him I would think about it.
Then tonight I was talking to my mom. My little cousin Melanie wants some ashes to spread at .....are you sitting down?......THE HORSE TRACK! I am so glad that I was on the phone, because I just started shaking and I told my mom "NO." Flat out, NO. She started to say that it would only be a little bit, and it was one of my dad's favorite place. I don't care - you aren't taking my dad's ashes to the horsetrack. NO! A cemetary is okay, the horse track is not.
So now I know that I will definitly keep these ashes. I can just envision my family dividing up Dad between all of them. Everyone gets a piece! Sick.

No dad memories tonight - I feel sick to my stomach over this whole thing.

AWWWWWWWW

Isn't she purty? I just ordered an 11x14 of it and some wallets to give out. She's 11, going on 21 - lol. I took some more - but that one was my favorite.
I really want some good pics of the other two to hang, but today they were not interested in cooperating. If I could steal one thing from her, it would be her hair. Gosh, I love her hair - so thick and luxurious.

We didn't do much today - oh we did lessons of course, but we didn't go anywhere.

I made arrangements today to pick up my dad on Saturday. I called my uncle to inform him that I would be bringing the dryer and the ashes. I will meet them at the cemetary at 10:30am. I will not wait for anyone, nor will I reschedule. I am tired of this family right now, and I hope to not see them for a LONG time. To strain things even more, he is trying to convince my mom to come move near us. I know - no one wants her down there, and now that my dad is gone, they feel no obligation towards her. Its a sticky situation that I have to handle now.

Today was our second practice, I had a WHOLE lot more help this time around. Hongo was helping, someone's big sis, a big brother, and two dads. AWESOME.
My evaluations of the team are over - time to get down to some serious business. This weekend I will map our journey to softball greatness, lol!

Now for more dad memories....

Growing up, my nickname was "Half Pint" People would call me "Little Charlie" too. Gaaaaa! I hated it! I used to sit there and pray they were wrong - I wanted soo badly to be pretty, not looking like my dad who was OLD! I mean, he was almost THIRTY! That was super ancient, on your way to the rest home old, wasn't it?
Yes, next time you see me, you may slap me for the old comment. Heck< I may even slap myself. My dad was old back then, but I'm not now!
My dad thought it was the greatest compliment ever. He was hanging on my coattails of beauty. LOL!
Okay, now on to the pictures. Don't laugh - for some reason my mom let me decide what I would wear for Picture Day and I chose my Betty Boop sweatshirt!

I SAID, don't laugh!
and thsi is an undated picture of my dad.....


Those eyes....creepy. And the cheeks! Chubby cheeks! My grandpa and his siblings would always go for my cheeks.

Not another one!

Today DramaQueen woke up and kept repeating "I don't feel good, Mommy" WAH! Not another kid sick! Actually, if Hairy Boy's experience is any an indication of what to expect with this virus, Drama Queen should be well at about noon tomorrow.
It seems to be a 48 hour thing - spiking high fever, thirst, and loss of appetite. Drama Queen was feeling better as of 3pm - she was chasing her brother around the house and trying to climb into the dryer. *sigh* That is life in this house.

ooooh I just found a red Starburst on my desk that was lost and forgotten. I hope its still good. Can you tell we have no candy in the house?

Oh wow - there are like 12 of them back there. And YES - they are still good!

Anyway - today I was sluggish. Blame it on swinging a bat for an hour yesterday. My shoulder blades and torso are sore. I tried to stay in bed, but I just couldn't get comfy. So with my achiness and Drama Queen's apparent sickness, we didn't go out today. I stayed in my room watching over her and reading a Star Wars novel. I finished it too! Poor Hongo - he needs to buy me more SW books!

I tried meditation today, something to help me clear my thoughts and sort through my feelings. I think having quiet time to myself and remembering my dad how *I* want to remember his is totally helping me out. His funeral was a week ago yesterday. I am looking forward to spreading his ashes this Saturday for some closure.

Another Dad memory:

You remember when the first Batman movie came out? Dad was all over it. He saw it in theater, and then he bought the video tape and the soundtrack. I remember his favorite line in the movie, when Joker looks up in the sky and says "It's the BATMAN!" After that, everytime he would pick me up for our regular Sunday meeting, I'd get in the truck and he would say "It's the BATMAN!" No Dad, I don't look anything like Batman.

Dad liked movies, especially sequels or trilogies. That included Back to the Future, RoboCop, Beverly Hills Cop, Star Wars. But he totally caught heck from me about his most beloved series.....Planet of the Apes.
Seriously, how many of these movies were made? At least 5:
Planet of the Apes (1968)
Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1969)
Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)
That doesn't include the TV series and the cartoon series.
My cousins and I would sit around an make up titles for future Planet of the Apes movies, and Dad would laugh at us.

Damn dirty apes....

Stay tuned for my next installment - the eery resemblence between my dad and I. In the meantime - check out my dad's slideshow. the link is to the right, above the archives.

First softball practice...

bt before I get to that....

I am SO mad at myself for not checking the hours for the VV library! I am soooo dumb! I KNOW they don't open until 12 on Mondays, yet I drive down there at 10:30 anyway. I should have just dropped in on my friend who lives right around the corner (LOL) but we didn't. We went to Target and the bread store instead.

We made MAJOR cleaning progress today - my room looks so nice! Before we left for the park, I made dinner and Hongo's lunch for tomorrow. Hey, I am settling back into my routine! I actually get stuff done!

So, today was practice. I knew what I wanted to get accomplished, but I didn't think it would be so quick. I let the girls go at 5:30. You know - NO parents came out to help. Kids did, but I need some adults!!! I am learning the girls' names pretty quickly, too.
The cop dad (Mr SA) sat away from all the other parents and then when I let the girls go, he bailed quickly while I talked to the parents of the newer girls.
I will be honest - I am totally impressed with the skill of this team. There are only a couple of not so great girls, but they still have potential. I really thought I was doomed when I saw all those first-timer hands go up.
Hongo arrived to help out, but we were already cleaning up. He wanted to meet SA, I think. He asked where he was and asked if Mr SA gave me attitude. I told him no, but I was honestly surprised that he sat his rear end on the bleachers instead of helping . Isn't that how its supposed to go? Ya help a fellow brother's wife out? Hmmm...guess not - maybe that is someother profession I am thinking about.

Mr SA's daughter hit a ball right back at me (I was pitching) It hit me on the thigh, and you could hear the parents gasp. The girl was so upset! I told her not to worry about it, really. I'll live. I lived through much worse when I was an actual player. Like when we were playing parents against kids and my coach drilled one right into my hip. I had a bruise the size of a softball for at least 3 weeks. 30 something males hit harder than 9 year old girls.

In a nutshell, practice went pretty well.

In this installment of Dad Memories, I will tell two short stories about how my dad was SOOOOO embarrassing.

One time, we were at a JC Penney. We were looking for some shoes, and it was just me and Dad. He yelled "Kim - ya gotta come look at these ugly shoes! Who would buy THESE?" First of all - he's yelling and I was NOT that far away. Second, there was a lady standing next to me with THOSE shoes in her hand, ready to buy. I'm brown, but I sure turned red that day. That was always one of his favorite stories to tell - the day his daughter turned red, and he knew that she had hit the teens.

This second one, its about softball.

No one ever saw my dad unless it was a Saturday game. He worked the swing shift - 2-11pm M-F On Saturdays, my dad would show up at the ball field, with a chair and his little cooler (with Bud in it) and a red plastic cup. Alcohol was not permitted at the field, but when you put it in a red cup with some ice, Bud becomes ginger ale.

Anyway, one game my dad was just yelling and cheering (that was the thing- he always cheered no matter whose kid it was) and one of the girls got up and said "Who the heck is that guy over there? He won't shut up!"
Um, yeah - that's my dad. He never shuts up - he just gets louder.
After that game, my dad was suddenly cool because he always believed in our team, and in us. "Kim, is your dad coming to the game today?" is what girls would ask, and I couldn't figure out why they wanted him there. He would coach me during the game and throw signs of which pitches I should throw - and I knew he meant well, but I already had my own gameplan.

That kind of parallels the way our last 7 years of relationship went. He wanted to stand on the sidelines and tell me what to do to make my life better, but I already had my gameplan that was working just fine.

You're killing me now.....

Today was an average Sunday.

Hongo stayed inside, playing his new video baseball game. I decided to get out there and DO something, so what did I do?

I went to Costco :P

After buying all I could fit in Hongo's car, I went and filled my little gas can so I could put gas in the mower.
I mowed my grass - it doesn't look any better, but I FEEL better since I know I'm not going to neglect it anymore.
I went to the park to meet my VP of softball and get my equipment. He opened it up and guess what? NO BALLS! OMG you are killing me! You mean I have to buy my own practice balls? What happened to the balls that I put in the bag last year? Did someone eat them?
Grrr....
So I came home and went across the street to the neighbors house. I will just quickly add that people were moving into the vacant house across the street today. I give them 2 months there before they get evicted. My neigbor gives them one month, lol.
Anyway. I went over and chatted with them. The man lent me 12 balls that he uses for prep sports, just until I can somehow build up a small collection. I think I am going to have to start sneaking 1 or 2 into my cart at Target or WalMart for the next few weeks. Hongo is refusing to purchase a set of practice balls.

The rest of the evening went okay. I was cleaning up and Hongo mentioned that he didn't want this whole softball thing to "consume" me. As in, that is all I do or think about. Oh, and he doesn't want it to take time away from the family.

I'm just slightly irked. This is something *I* enjoy. *I* am not taking time away from my family to do it, I am doing it WITH my family. Its not like I am going out with the girls, or somewhere the "family" can't go.

I know what his problem is:

His problem is that he doesn't want softball to disrupt "his" life. He comes home, eats dinner, and watches baseball on TV once baseball starts. Practice and games cut into his "relaxing" time. Please, give me a break. My relaxing time comes from 7:00 am until 8:30 am. That hour and a half consists of computer, exercise, and a shower. I do enjoy a good game of baseball, but I usually fold laundry or pick up while we are watching TV. Sitting in front of the TV is not my idea of fun or relaxation.

We have gone through this every year for 4 years, but last year was worse because I had a co-manager role. I will continue to coach as long as I like, and he will have to accept it. I shouldn't have to stay at home all the time just because he thinks its great.
Maybe since we are on the issue of asking each other for things, I should ask him to not be an ass for the entire season :D

Long Night....

It was SUCH a long night. Hairy Boy was up all night coughing and screaming his little head off. At the same time, I was considering murdering my Hongo because of his snoring. He is stuffed up, so he would go long periods without taking a breath and then he would sputter and choke really loud. He woke me up TWICE, and I vowed that there would not be a third time, 'cause I was gonna smother him.
I figured I'd be caught and sent to jail and they don't serve cookies in jail, so I took my pillow, a blanket, and corn bag to the loft to sleep. But the choking Hairy Boy was worrying me, so I went and got him and brought him to the couch as well.
At 4am, I guess my voice got too loud when I told Hairy Boy "YOUR SISTER IS NOT TAKING YOUR TOY!" and Hongo came out. Darn him - he gave Hairy Boy some juice, a Tylenol Meltaway, and put him back on the couch to sleep. Why have I been sitting out for 5 hours suffereing with him?

Needless to say, we slept in. I called my mom at 10 and told her we weren't coming. She was fine with it, told me to make sure my baby felt better and to give hime a kiss.

Before I forget, I have to mention this - I talked to mom 2 days ago, and I asked her how she was doing, and she said she felt GREAT. Excuse me? My dad just died, I feel like shit and you feel great? Well, good for you mom, I'm glad I don't have to worry about you. I'll just worry about myself, then.

There - now you know - I'm a whiner.

I finished my slideshow for my dad. I'll send a DVD to my mom since she doesn't have Internet, but the rest of the family is going to have to download it off the net. Because I don't feel like spending ten dollars on them to cover blank DVD's and postage.

There - is it obvious that I haven't slept and I am cranky? LOL

SO my son is cranky, my husband has a serious snoring issue, and I am a sleep deprived zombie. Thank goodness my girls are normal.

Since I vowed to remeber the good times with my dad, and to keep with a semi - theme of holidays, I pick Easter today.

Easter is a religious holiday, and pretty much the only time my dad got religious was after a 12 pack of Budweiser. Lent was a time of sacrifice. Every year he would give up Bud for Lent, and since Easter marks the end, guess what was in full abundance at Easter? You got it.
Traditionally, you eat a ham for Easter. Not us. Dad would BBQ burgers and weinies. Potato chips, my tia's potato salad, and my mom's rice. Don't ask why we had rice on Easter with burgers and weinies. Its cheap to make and easy to transport in the car.
Mom and I would arrive after church, with a lily in a pot. Why we paid the church $5 for a lily when we could have gotten one for $2, I'll never know. Dad would stick the lily on the table with the food. It was a centerpiece.
Dad would pass out the easter baskets to me and my cousins. You know the ones I'm talking about - the ones from the grocery store with a defective toy, tons of fake grass with newspaper underneath, and 5 pieces of candy - and 3 pieces were Peeps. We loved our baskets.
The Easter egg hunt. Dad would collect money from his sisters and throw in some of his to make a "money egg". My tia had spent the past twelve months carefully hollowing out eggs and saved them to make confetti eggs, and of course, we had hard boiled eggs. The adults would go out and hide the eggs, while the kids stayed inside and dreamed of the money egg. Would it be $5 dollars? We sure hoped so.
Then we would go find the eggs. There was no limit to where the eggs could possibly be. Even the tailpipe of the car was not off-limits. Or my uncle's greasy workbench in the garage.
After all the eggs were supposedly found, we would crack the confetti eggs on each other's heads. I don't recall an Easter going by where I didn't hear three weeks AFTER "Hey - guess where we found another egg?" Yuck.

Now I am LMAO thinking about how rough my kids have it that they will never have the opportunity to eat a hardboiled egg that has been sitting in a tailpipe.....poor kiddos.

Before I hop off the computer, I just want to thank everyone once again for being so sweet to me. I am starting a feel more normal and like myself again. I do get tired more easily lately, but I expect that is from being out of my routine for so long. I got the call today that I need to go pick up the D.C. from the funeral home. I have butterflies in my tummy, knowing that I will find out the cause of death. *sigh* I definitly need to make that appointment with my doctor.

Friday.....

Today was a bad day.

It had nothing to do with my dad - my son is sick. He had been running around yesterday morning, we played lightsabers, and I was tossing him up in the air with my legs. We went to the park, and he didn't want to get out of the car. He walked over to where I had put my chair, crawled into my lap and slept the entire time. One of my friends lent me a blanket to put over him. He woke up and said he wanted to go home, so we did.

The two of us were up all night, he would scream and unfortunatly 9 times out of 10 it was right in my ear.

So today was all messed up. We got up 1 1/2 hours late, I dragged myself to the treadmill while he dozed on the bed. We tried to do stuff to get going, but everyone was in a funk. By about 12 I realized we were just not going to make it to Lego Club. I had decided that I would drop LegoQueen off and come back home with the little ones. But honestly - I wasn't even out of my workout clothes, I hadn't showered. I had made banana bread muffins to take to Lego Club, and I had flour all over me. Don't ask - I don't even know.
At 4 I finally got into the bath. Dinner was cooking. AFter the bath I felt better, but the day was almost over! Fine time for me to feel better!

Thanks to everyone who signed my dad's guestbook - it brings a smile to my face to see a new entry! I am working on getting my family to sign it too.

Today I found myself wishing that this was just one big hoax. Sure - I'd be pissed, and I would never speak to my dad ever again....
:P
But its not - and that is what I find myself having to face.

I am being urged to remember the good times, so here are a few memories:

After my parents split, we never celebrated Christmas on Christmas Day. We always opened gifts on the eve, and no Christmas was complete unless we watched A Garfield Christmas, and Its Christmas, Charlie Brown. My dad loved those Peanuts movies.
On Christmas Day, we would have the family back over and we would go out.

On Christmas Day.

So usually the only people out were the Jewish, the Asians, and the other groups that don't celebrate. Once, my Hongo got permission from his parents to come to my dad's after their Christmas so that he could come to the movie theater with us. We all went to the dollar theater and saw RoboCop (I don't recall what version it was) one year. Ah - my dad loved RoboCop too.

And every Christmas we kids got bubbles. It didn't matter how old we were, we could expect to find some bubbles under the tree for us. That was one of the things that my cousin Matthew said he would miss at my dad's funeral. Bubbles. Who was going to buy him his bubbles?
My aunts and my mom always got "Charlie" perfume from him. And the tree - he would go nutso on the tinsel. You know how you're supposed to pluck one at a time and drape it on a branch? Not Dad. He would grab clumps and toss them on the tree. So there would be a ton on one branch, and nothing anywhere else on the tree.