Continuing in my lazy ways of the past two weeks, I have no creative title here. Feel free to make one up.

Yes, it's Wednesday, and yes, I should be writing a "What I Like" post but I just have to comment on the fact that I've been gone for 2 weeks now and I'm still consistently getting views.  You guys are awesome!  I know I haven't been lately, and I really am hoping to get back to posting nearly daily.  Things have been a bit crazy with settling in to married life, adjusting to changes at Man's job and preparing for changes at my job but that is no excuse and I WILL work harder!

I can't say much on the job front at this point since I'm not sure how or when the changes are happening, but I'm excited to get to stay with a company I know and like while still moving on to bigger and better things and hopefully some new challenges!

As for married life, things are good great!  Our oldest worried a lot before the wedding that things were going to change and somehow her life was going to be turned on its top but Man and I have worked really hard to make sure things haven't changed and we're all settling in nicely.  I told our oldest the only things that would change would be that we would each wear a wedding band and my last name, and I really wasn't too far off.  I've never been a big advocate of living together before marriage, but when there are kids involved, I really do think it's the best way to go.

So, while there are still many changes coming (my job, hopefully finding a home that's big enough for all 5 of us plus our zoo, etc.) and I know there will be many rough times down the road, I really am so lucky to love such a wonderful family!

Counting the days to the Aurora Farmer's Fair

Driving home from Schmo's birthday party last night, our oldest and I were playing the alphabet game, where you name a category and come up with something in that category for every letter of the alphabet.  Our category was food, so we did apple, banana, cantaloupe, dragonfruit, eggplant, fennel (and on and on) and it just now occurred to me that we did eggplant and fennel instead of elephant ears and funnel cakes.  Clearly we need festival season to get here quickly!

You'd think 3 weeks would be enough time to recover from having the girls for 3 weeks.

It's not.

And in two short days we'll have them again.  I miss them like crazy and can't wait to have their smiling faces and laughing voices filling the house again, but I also can't believe how these last three weeks flew by so quickly.  I'm still not back to myself after the weeks of our little one waking me in the middle of the night to help her potty, fighting with our oldest over makeup, clothes (did I ever mention that she has the immodesty of a toddler.  10-year-old body hanging out all over the place is NOT okay with me!) and anything else she could challenge me on and Wolfey and our middle child breaking my heart but I'm getting there.  I have high hopes that I will be back to blogging daily here shortly, but in the mean time I'm taking my New You to help me sleep better and my greens for energy and just plugging away!

Facebook PM between my old "new girl" and me

• (work talk that I won't bore you with.  Now that she works at a different store, we often keep facebook up at work so we can chat in between customers.)
• 

  5:46pm
  

  Karen
  

  
  

  Is anyone else finding it a little ridiculous that we're fb messaging and texting?

  That's a good idea
• 

  5:51pm
  

  H
  

  
  

  i know lol we are weird
• 

  5:52pm
  

  Karen 
  

  
  

  but awesome
• 

  5:52pm
  

  H
  

  
  

  excatly lol

Potty mouths

Yes, I really mean poop talk.  If you're not amused by poop humor, maybe skip this one.  You've been warned.  Also, potty mouth language, just a heads up.

Last night, as Man and I were preparing for bed we were talking about our days and trying to figure out why we both had such bad headaches.  Headache talk always leads to analysing what I've eaten over the course of the past day or two, because usually I can track my aches and pains back to eating an allergen and last night was no different.  Man started with my intake yesterday and eventually got back to the three ears of corn on the cob I'd eaten at our 4th of July cookout.  Yes, I know better, but come on, it's corn on the cob on the 4th of July and you just can't pass that up!  So as we're talking food intake and he mentioned the corn, I burst out with "so that's why I shit my brains out today!" and we both moaned at my over sharing but then laughed uncontrollably, with Man commenting on how inappropriate I am and inquiring as to whether I was going to discuss texture and color.  I pretended I was disgusted, so Man launched into a description of his "frothy" poo, saying he had a crappuccino and we again dissolved into fits of laughter.

It's true that we're gross.  It's true that we overshare.  It's true that we're horribly inappropriate.  But it's also true that we really enjoy each other and can have more fun brushing our teeth together than I could have with some past boyfriends actually going out and doing some fun activity together.  I really am so lucky to love someone who loves me not only for my good, appropriate side, but also for the silly, dirty, inappropriate, craziness that is me!

I've become one of those women

It was purely unintentional. I just realized it. And I think I'm going crazy. I've lived on my own for so long I've learned to take care of just about anything around the house on my own. Yet somehow when Man moved in and started helping with things I became I've if those helpless women who relies on her man to take care of her. The biggest problem, though is not that it's not me, but that it's causing fights between us. I can admit I've spent a good portion of the past weeks (since Man started his new job and is helping around the house less) irritated with him. But there's no reason to be! Man said he'd install the new under sink trash system we bought (it's one I'd those ones that slides out for easy access) weeks ago but it's been sitting in the garage ever since. Yesterday Lolly got into the trash and Man and I both ended up irritated, though for different reasons. Man was upset with Lolly for getting into the trash while I was upset with Man, because the whole mess could have been avoided if Man had installed that darn trash system. But today it hit me: why am I upset with Man when I could have installed it just as easily? Yes, Man said he'd do it and should have done what he said he was going to do, but it's my house too and it's about time I start acting like it. I'm so lucky to love a Man who puts up with me getting irritated with him and lets me come to these realizations on my own instead of beating me over the head with them! For the record, I installed the new trash system this morning.

Warning: Grumpy Karen ahead

I'm having a day.  I promise Happy Karen will be back tomorrow, but today you're getting Grumpy Karen.  Deal with it.  I'm tired, I'm working someone else's store and it's dirty and unorganized and I'm tired.  Or did I say that one already?  I'm not sure, I'm tired.  In the past 12 days I've had 1 day off (the vast majority of which I spent on the road to visit The Girl and at a meeting for The Arc) and worked 83 hours, not counting the 10+ hours I will have worked by the end of the day today and the 12ish hours I'll work tomorrow.  Oh, and I'm working all weekend.  So please forgive me if I'm a little tired.  And grumpy.

So here it is: I just can't understand how some people can be so incredibly stupid and still have the confidence to speak.  I don't know how many times today I just wanted to throttle someone just for opening their mouth.  Thankfully I'm a professional, and I maintained what my employees call my "customer voice" but on the inside I was screaming "SHUT UP!!!"  I am beyond ready for this day to be over so I can go home, get a hug from Man and crash.  Who's going to bring me a beer?!

Reality check

I was really having one of those days this morning.  I overslept, which sent everything tumbling all wonky.  I took a shower and realized was out of my favorite conditioner so I used the other stuff and now my hair is all heavy and weighed down.  I tripped over Wolfey getting ready for work and he looked at me like I'd beaten him, which was just about enough to send me to tears (especially since I'm PMSing).  BBS called and as much as I wanted to talk to her I had to rush her off the phone since I was running late.  I packed my lunch for work and couldn't find anything I needed, so I made a huge mess of the kitchen I just cleaned last night.  Finally, when I realized I was 15 minutes late leaving for work and didn't even have my shoes on yet, I woke Man out of his hibernation (and boy, can he be a bear!) to clean up after me.  I sped as much as I could but was still more than 10 minutes late to work.  Thankfully I always build in a cushion so I can get the store ready without having to rush, so I wasn't late opening my store, but I was definitely running around like a chicken with my head cut off.  It was really looking like it was going to be one of those awful days where absolutely nothing goes right.

And then I got my first customer.  He was a tall, thin, elderly gentleman who needed some help finding something that was right in front of him.  I put on my usual "friendly neighborhood pool supply lady" smile and went about my job, helping him find everything he needed and requesting that he pull up to the curb so I could load the heavy items in his car and he headed out the door.  My next customer, a young woman with a little boy, came in and was very friendly but pretty self sufficient so I told her to let me know if she needed anything but that I was going to stay near the front of the store so that I could see when the elderly gentleman pulled up.  I waited.  And waited.  And waited a little longer.  Finally I started scanning the parking lot to look for him, hoping he hadn't left without his purchases; I saw him standing in the middle of the parking lot with a completely bewildered look on his face.  I told the woman who was in the store what was going on and she offered to go out and help the man, but I was worried that if he was completely confused, having a stranger approach him might scare him, so she then offered to stay in the store while I helped the man.  We finally found his car (it was on the complete opposite side of the parking lot from where he thought it was), got him all loaded up and on his way and I returned to my store to ring out the lady who was watching the store for me.  The first thing she said when I walked in the door was, "I hope he's okay.  If he's that confused, I wonder if he's safe to drive."  Talk about restoring your faith in humanity!

I overslept, but it was because I have a comfortable, safe place in which to lay my head.  I didn't have the conditioner I like, but I had a hot shower and enough resources to have alternative conditioner on hand.  I tripped over my dog, but it's because he wants to be near me.  I rushed BBS off the phone, but she loves me enough to call me even at a time when she knows she may be rushed.  I had troubles packing my lunch, but I have food to pack.  Man was a little grumpy with me about being woken up, but he loves me enough to do it anyway.  I was late to work, but I have a job and enough job security to know that being late one time isn't going to get me fired.  It was such an awesome realization when it occurred to me that this woman had put her errands on hold, volunteered to help a man she'd never spoken to and taken complete responsibility for a store about which she knew nothing and her only concern was for the health and safety for a man she would never meet, and it really put my entire day into perspective.  I am truly thankful that I not only have these wonderful things, but to have these awesome experiences that help me appreciate how lucky I really am.

I want.

Have you heard of the NapTV?  This thing is a stool you can sit on, but on the under side there's a TV, so you can lay it on its side to lay on your side or belly to watch TV or you can stand it up over your head so you can lay flat on your back to watch your favorite show.  I think the idea is that it helps drown out the outside noise so you can just get to sleep, but in my opinion, it's scary and a sad commentary on how lazy we are.  And I need one.  I mean, seriously, how many times do I fall asleep on the couch watching a show only to go to bed and be wide awake?  If I could take my show to bed with me, once I fell asleep Man could just put the NapTV on the floor and I'd never know the difference!  I know what you're thinking, "Karen, why not just watch a show on the TV in your bedroom?" but then you have to sit up and when you fall asleep you're all scrunchy or you lay down to watch it and then you get a crick in your neck from trying to angle your head enough to lay down but still see the TV, it's really a pain.  Ahh, first world problems.  If only I were lazy enough to think it was actually worth it!

Lots of rambling, but it's worth it. Just wait for me to get to the point!

Last night Man and I were driving home from a jam packed day together.  We did some housework in the morning, then went to my cousin's house for Man to get a massage (don't worry, he's not just having random people rub him, my cousin is a licensed massage therapist) and for me to sign up to be an It Works! distributor.  By the way, if you haven't heard about this crazy wrap thing, you definitely need to check it out!  I'll post info and links to my website soon!  Anyway, from there we went to visit my grandpa in the nursing home.  I know I haven't given an update in a while, but it's because not much has changed.  He's doing better than he was when he was in the hospital but still not great.  He looks a lot better but is still weak and isn't all there mentally.  They're saying he may not ever recover further than he has, but we're holding out hope.  Okay, where was I?  Oh, yeah... so then we ran some errands and went to dinner.  It wasn't the most exciting day, but it was productive and enjoyable and it was really great to spend the entire day together.  So on the way home, we were talking and laughing and just generally enjoying ourselves.  I got to thinking how sad it is that no one else gets to see the hilarity that is our intimate relationship.  Man brings out a side of me I've never known before and I absolutely love it!  I can truly let go and be fun, silly and spontaneous with him in a way I can't with anyone else.  Even Bestie, who I've known since college, or BBS, who (obviously) I've known my entire life can't get me to relax the way Man can.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that I truly hope that everyone has a Man in their life, because I know that I am so lucky to love this Man!

Voicemail from Man

Sorry I didn't answer but  my phone didn't ring.  Umm, I just got your message.  Did you call me Wolf?  I'm not Wolfey, you know.  Are you confused?  Anyway, call me back.

Either I mumbled, he can't hear or we're both crazy but I'm pretty sure I didn't call him Wolf.  The world may never know!

Another reason Man is a keeper

I'm having a crappy day today.  Like, it's only 12:15 and I've already cried twice and been close to tears several more times.  There's really nothing that's gone super wrong, it's just a lot of silly little things, combined with the fact that I'm crazy moody today.  Man thinks it's from the juice fast, I wonder if it's not a little from that and a little from the fact that I'm about due to...umm...you know.  Anyway, he always texts to check in a few times throughout the work day and just shot me a message asking how I'm holding up.  When I told him about my day, he said he has a big hug waiting for me at home.  Admittedly, he had me close to tears again, but I really am lucky to love someone so supportive and loving!