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.