An Ode to Dorothy

That day in October 2006 changed my life.

The day I came over to help you clean your house before you moved into your new one.

We hadn't seen each other in 8 years but this day would be the beginning of a friendship I so badly needed.

A friendship, I believe we both badly needed.

Pretty much for the next two years we'd be inseparable. It was either dinner at your house with your fam or dinner at my house with mine. At one point Josh asked me, "what did we do before life with Amber?" To which I had no response.


We were pool dolphins. Not sharks, because those are scary and we're anything but.

We brought back the fanny pack.
We started the annual Christmas get together.
Simple trips like to Target or WinCo, it didn't matter how simple it was, we had fun. We made it fun!

Of course there were the exciting trips to see Dirty Dancing with Johnny and Baby on the Big Screen or when we fulfilled our lifelong dream of seeing New Kids on the Block in CONCERT this last November.

The nights we had the cops called on us. Ahem.
Times remembering all the boys we loved in high school that never returned said love. Dumb boys anyhow, huh? Who needs 'em?

You've been there for me for almost three years. You've been an amazing friend.

And for the last few months, things have been different. We're changing. We're growing. And sadly, it doesn't seem that we're doing these things together. And quite honestly, it makes me panic. I haven't seen you in two months, it's been almost two months since we've talked on the phone.

But you aren't far from my thoughts, my prayers. My heart.

A year ago today I was making you Peanut Butter Bars and praying the UPS man would get here in time with your gift before you, Shawn, Josh and I headed to Red Robin in your honor.

Today, I sit here without a gift for you, because I just have no clue, I'm at a loss. I don't know what you're doing today. Or what you're doing tonight. I know you don't care much for your birthday but I'm hoping someone is making your day memorable. Letting you know how special you are, how amazing of a friend you are.

I love you, Amber.

Happy Birthday, my friend.
Love,
Blanche

Talk to the Man

I haven't forgotten you. It's just that I seem to be outta stuff to write.

So, how 'bout we shake things up a bit?

We like to shake, no?

How about in the comments section, or in an email, you ask my husband a question. About whatever.

You only get my side of things, this way...you can get the real version. ;)

I'll take questions up til Friday morning and then my post on Friday will be his answers to everything you're just d.y.i.n.g to know.

Because I like the Number 3 and I have nothing else to blog about

Three names I go by:
1. Mama
2. Sarie
3. Sarah

Three jobs I’ve had in my life:
1. Walking paper route girl
2. Barista
3. Assistant Manager at Pier 1 Imports

Three places I’ve lived:
1. Arizona
2. California
3. Washington State

Three favorite drinks:
1. Iced Hazelnut Breve
2. Sangria
3. Slightly sweetened Iced Tea

Three television shows I watch:
1. We don't have tv.
2.
3.

Three of my favorite foods:
1. Oreos with a glass of milk
2. Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches (made by someone else)
3. anything Mexican

Three of my favorite restaurants:
1. El Valle
2. Red Robin
3. Chang's Mongolian Grill

Three things I couldn’t live without:
1. a toothbrush
2. flip flops
3. Kitchen Aid mixer

Three things I can’t stand:
1. People who chew with their mouth open
2. Slow/bad drivers (post on that coming to a blog near you!)
3. phone calls that aren't returned.

Three things I’m decent at:
1. Sleeping
2. Eating
3. Laughing

Three things I’m looking forward to this weekend:
1. Church on Sunday, I feel like it's been forever.
2. Cooking dinner.
3. Hopefully finishing the last bit of fence we have left to put up!

Three things I’m addicted to:
1. Blogging-whether reading them or writing my own.
2. Coffee
3. Flip flops

Head on over to Amy Beth's if ya wanna see her answers!

Check Up

I went in today for the first of my six-month checkups. For two years I've gone in every three months to have my liver function checked. They're on the look out to see if my cancer has returned.

The lab slip came in the mail a couple of weeks ago. The return address always causes a lump in my throat. I know what's inside the envelope.

I was on the phone with a friend today and I remembered I needed to have my blood work done. Today has been better than yesterday (by far) but still my mood is blah. I wasn't really excited about getting the girls changed into clothes fit for public, going out into public and then dealing with the public.

Our community hospital makes me want to commit myself.

Alas, today wasn't so bad. I was registered fairly quickly. They had to change my insurance information since we've changed that with Josh's new job. Now, I'll get a bill for the full amount instead of just 20%.

That gives me the shivers.

The girl registering me asks if I know where the lab is.

I tell her I do.

I've walked that hallway many many times.

The girls and I hold hands, we round the corner and we're almost to the door of the tiny waiting room when Spice trips over nothing and bloodies her nose. She's screaming because that's what she does best.

I offer her food.

Because that's what I do best.

She calms down and we enter the room. No one was in there but us and that was glorious.

They called my name and the girls and I went into an even smaller room. Sugar knows what to do. She stands very still by the door and watches. Spice sat on my lap and I had to keep her grubby hands from trying to grab the needle.

The girl who stuck me, stuck me good. It hurt this time. Usually it doesn't.

She hands Sugar some pretty princess paper to color when we get home and tells us to have a nice day.

I load the girls into the hot van and I'm thinking how I deserve a coffee. It's hot. I've been taking care of the girls alone for a couple days. I was just screened for cancer, etc.

But I drove home.

Leaving the hospital parking lot I told the Lord that I really don't even know what to pray every time I have my blood drawn. I trust that He had a plan with the whole cancer deal and that He still has a plan now.

I'm just praying that no cancer is still part of that plan.

Nevermind

Over the last few weeks Josh and I have been talking about having another baby. Not any time soon. Just some time.

After days like today I realize I can barely handle the two I have.

Adding another would surely do me in.

I know not all days are like today. But many of them are. I think it would be unwise for us to add more babies to our family just because I'm worried I'll regret it later.

Right now two seems more than I can handle.

My Day

It's not been good. Sorry. Don't mean to be a downer. It's just kinda sucked. I don't know if I'm pms'ing or what my deal is but seriously.

Rough.

Day.

I'm really wanting to lose weight and I'm really sucking at it. I was stuck at 135 forever and hated it. Now I'm pushing 145 and really wishing I could go back a coupla months when I felt fat at 135.

I finally packed up every piece of size 2 and extra small clothing I own. It's all washed and folded nicely. Waiting to go to a store tomorrow where I'm hoping to make a lil cashola for my trip this weekend.

Packing up these clothes was hard. Embarrassingly hard. I have such an emotional attachment to these clothes. They represent a time when I was thin. A time where I was excited to get dressed in the morning because I didn't worry about covering up this fat roll or that fat roll. I loved my jeans. I loved wearing skirts because at that time I didn't have cankles.

Now...now I have a couple different outfits. I feel fat. I feel frumpy. And skinny people are wondering, "um, then why don't you do something about it?!"

Easy to say.

Not always so easy to do.

Part of me feels like packing those clothes up and taking them to be sold means I've given up on ever wearing them again. That I'm succumbing to being overweight forever. I don't want to feel that way. I don't want that to be the truth.

Josh didn't want me to get rid of the clothes.

"You'll never be able to afford those brands of clothes again if you lose the weight."

He's right.

At the time I had no kiddos and worked at an espresso stand making great tips. I could pay cash for fun clothes. And I really liked it.

I'll never be able to pay $97 for a pair of jeans again.

Enough of the clothes talk.

Let's move on to parenting!

I'm bad at it.

Spice is the naughtiest baby I've ever met. She will sit at the table and cry/scream until food is placed in front of her. I just stare. Sugar was NOT like that. I thought it was because I was this amazing (pfft) mom and she was just a good girl. Not so. I'm still the same mom, I just have a kid with a completely different personality than her sister.

Josh tells me all these things I need to be doing to work with Spice. It's easy to say when you're 500 miles away...

She's teething. Molars are coming in and she's letting me know it. The other day I couldn't put her down. I'd try and she'd clench her chubby legs around my waist as hard as she could. Had I not been so appalled, I may have found it funny.

She's a beast.

Shall we move on to my housekeeping skillz?

I don't have any.

Moving on.

Right now I'm just wish everything that needs to be done before tomorrow evening were already done.

And wishing it were Saturday morning.

The To Do List and a LOT of Parenthesis

It's barely 7 am and I'm already exhausted.

Just thinking about everything I need to do is tiring me out.

Being gone five days a week and then jetting off once the weekend comes leaves our real house (the one not on 26 wheels) a little ragged.

We aren't here very much. So when we are, we choose to just hang out and not do much in the area of work. However, we have a house that always needs work. Sitting around, hanging out, are not things we should do when we're here. But it's what we do.

And then times like now make me realize I have just GOT to get SOMEthing done around here. Josh called his mom and asked if she'd watch the girls today while I did some work. She, of course, agreed.

In a couple of hours I'll take the girls over there and then start these projects:

• Trim and mow the yard (weather permitting, looks like it could rain)
• Trim and mow the pasture (again, weather permitting)
• Pull weeds around our property ( I may use the weed burner if it's not raining)
• Clean off our back deck of all toys, junk, dog hair, etc. (yes, DOG HAIR)
• Move the rigs out from under the carport and clean in there
• Work on our upstairs (gives me the shivers just thinking about it)
• Vacuum
• Dust
• Clean the bathroom (one of the things I'm EXCITED to do. I love to clean the bathroom.)
• Laundry, only two loads to do woo hoo!
• Pack up my pre-children clothes and take them to this really fun store Melissa told me about that will BUY them! (stoked for the money. sad to get rid of the clothes.)
• Change the bedding in Spice's bed.
• Sweep and mop the kitchen
• Sweep and mop the bathroom
• make a few meals for this weekend (we're having company but I won't be here, so I'm going to be a good lil wife (pfft) and make some food for the men folk and children) (so they don't eat cereal and beer all weekend) (the kids wouldn't be having the beer, promise.)
• Vacuum my van (pretty sure I have the entire McDonald's restaurant on the floor of my van.)

I think that covers 'er. The basement needs a good cleaning too but I'm thinking of just striking a match for that part of the house.

What's your to-do list look like?

Some stuff before we head out for a weekend o' fun

First off...just want to let you all know that my lurker came forward. She emailed me. She's not freaky. All is good. Call off the dogs.

We leave in approximately 3, 4 or 5 hours from now. When your husband drives a truck for a living you just have to throw all time frames out the window.

That makes me CRAZY!!

(crazier?!)

Do you see my new blog design?!?!? If you're reading in google reader, get out NOW! and look at my new prettiness. I'm in lurv. Thank you to my amazing SIL Denise.

She rocks.

And now my blog design does too!

I bought some towels at Target the other day for my bathroom. We've had the same towels for the last 11 years and this is getting redarndiculous. I only bought two bath towels, two washcloths and one hand towel for now. Towels ain't cheap folks, not at all. I'm hoping to add to my collection soon. Soon like in before they discontinue 'em.

I like them. They're striped with brown, cream, blue and some green. That makes them sound ugly, but I promise they aren't.

I decided this morning that I'm going to leave my phone at home for the weekend. My phone is my access to all things internet-ish and I may or may not be freaking out about my decision. It's a good one and I'm excited to just focus on my family and have them know they mean more to me than that dumb phone.

Pray for me.

Speaking of prayer...thank you to everyone who left comments or emailed me about how I could pray for you. Man, oh man. It's amazing how praying for someone else and their needs really takes the focus off self. You're being prayed for and if I haven't emailed you back, know that I will next week.

I made a peach cobbler a little bit ago to take with us to Portland. Mmmmm. Of course I had to try it...you know, to make sure it was good enough to let others eat. I loved it. And considered eating it all. 'Cause, didja know? That if you make or bake something and eat it all before anyone knows it's been made...it never really was made and no one has to know! Your butt and thighs might but no one else will!

I'm going on a mini-vacation next weekend. Mini as in just overnight but I can't tell you how super duper freakin' excited I am! No kids. No husband. Just me. Well, and a friend of course! Yay!

Of course I'll tell you all about it later. You'll see pictures and if you follow me on Twitter, I'm sure I'll be talking about our trip. Or FB if we're friends on there.

Alright, enough of my random post. I have one kid eating, one kid sleeping and 273 things left on my to do list.

What are YOU doing this weekend?

Call me Paranoid

A coupla days ago one of ya took a fancy to reading my blog.

For a few hours.

Without leaving a single comment on any of the posts!!!

So, if you're from Tennessee and you were reading for the better part of a day on the August 4th, could you leave me a comment. So that way I'm not freaked out anymore.

You can email me if you'd rather. truckfamily@gmail.com

Thanks!!!

It's Your Turn

For the past few months you've all been absolutely amazing readers.

Amazing friends.

One day out of nowhere I had a girl email me with such encouraging words. I didn't know her. Didn't know she'd been reading my blog. Yet she blessed me like crazy letting me know she's been praying for me.

Now, we email back and forth as time allows and I'm trying to talk my husband into traveling a bit further in that truck so I can meet her!

The thing that gets me is how faithful you've all been to love on me and pray for me. Many of you don't even know me. Yet, you leave comments or you send emails letting me know that you've lifted me up in prayer.

I can't tell you how that warms this girl's heart!

I feel I've been selfish though. I've taken and taken and taken some more. Without once asking how I could pray for you.

So, I'd like to do just that. I'd like to pray for you.

If you'd like, leave your prayer request in the comment section or you can email me at truckfamily@gmail.com or you can just leave your name and say that you have an unspoken request.

Whatever you want prayer for.

Don't believe in prayer? I do and I'll pray for you anyway.

$25 Winner is....

Maria!

I can turn that $25 into a gift card to Starbucks if you'd like. It might be out of my way to go there today...but I can do it. Sigh. ;)

So, email me on FB and give me your address.

Thinking next month it's going to be shot glasses, y'all seemed to think those would be a hoot.

And Jeana, seriously. Your comment is why I miss your blog. Ya kill me.

Thanks to everyone who entered and put the button up, you all ROCK!

Cash Money Giveaway

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Finally! Sorry! I know I said I'd have this posted this morning and technically in my time zone it is still morning. I'm just not getting the post done as early as I would have liked.

If anyone is new here to this lil bloggy of mine, this is the deal: My birthday is June 3rd. I really love my birthday. And the next one I'm having is big.

My big 3-0!

And I want to celebrate with all my blog friends. Starting last month, I decided to do a giveaway on my blog each month on the third until my birthday.

I know I had a whole month to come up with something to give you for today but of course I put it off and put it off, because I wouldn't be me if I didn't procrastinate.

I decided I'd look in all the truck stops we stopped at this week to see if anything would be appealing to any of you. (Again, for those new here, my husband, two daughters and I live in a Peterbilt and drive around the Pacific Northwest all week.)

So, at the truck stops I considered shot glasses that said, "Everything's Bigger in Montana!" Or shirts that said, "Save a Kenworth, Drive a Peterbilt." And then there were gift certificates for 356 oz. Big Gulps.

And a truck stop wouldn't be a truck stop without p*orn.

None of this appealing to you?

Didn't think so.

So, for August, in celebration that my birthday is a mere 10 months away, I'm giving away...

CASH!

Not much. But you know, we have to build up to the big birthday bash of 2010.

So, you're entering today to win Twenty Five smackeroos.

$25.

You can order it in ones or fives. Maybe three fives and a ten. Get wild with it. It's going to be your money, afterall.

To enter, just leave me a comment and your email address if I don't already have it.

To enter twice, leave a comment, then grab my button at the top of this post-go to your blog, post about my giveaway with a link on over here and come back to comment that you did that and that'll enter you in twice!

Easy peasy and not a bit sleazy. (Huh?) (Yeah, I dunno.)

Just know that if you're the winner you'll have to email me your address.

Entries until midnight on Sunday PST and I'll announce the winner on Monday August 3rd (10 months before my birthday)

And for giggles, in the comments...tell me your favorite color.

Happy Commenting!!!