Happy Easter!!!

Hey everyone! I hope you are all having a wonderful Easter Sunday!

Gravel at my feet

So The Husband is on his way to the quarry right now to get a load of gravel.

Because Yard Work Day!

There is this little gully type thing on one side of our house, where all the rainwater seems to gather and create a little stream, and quite frankly, it's a mucky mess.

And since we have the limited green-thumb cognition to at least understand that grass likely won't grow there in that soup, we're going to turn it into a gravel/rock path leading from the front yard to the back yard.

Improvising!

May as well turn an ugly into a useful and pretty, right? Of course right.

Of course, this means that I'll be spending my afternoon shoveling gravel out of a trailer....

Man that's going to suck.

Cat puke and cancer screenings

Okay, so first of all, what is it about animals that makes them feel compelled to eat non-edible items and then proceed to puke them back up in my entry way or on the bamboo area rug under my dining table?!?

Because seriously.

It's gross.

Is this a feline thing?

Is my cat just extra-special stupid?

Is he a vindictive ass-hat who's doing it on purpose to make my life difficult?

At some point last night or the wee hours of this morning he ate three pieces of yarn and part of a Nerf dart, and clearly his little body didn't approve of that snack, and now I have a stain on my area rug that I'm still trying to figure out how to get rid of without ruining the hardwood floors underneath.

*grumblegrumble*

I'm contemplating using Spot Shot, because that stuff gets anything out of carpet.
                                                          

Seriously. Anything.

Tea, lentil soup, bloody nose, Crayola marker, mud/traffic stains, you name it, I've removed the stain with this stuff.

I'm just not sure if it'll hurt the wood floors, and I'm a little hesitant to risk it....

Stupid cat.

ANYWAY!!!

I mentioned awhile back about being somewhat of a vegetarian. I used to be really good at it, and in the last several months I've gotten a little too lax about it. When life gets busy it's easy to fall into a pattern of what is easy, rather than what is healthy.

And suffice it to say I've definitely been feeling the effects of falling off the veggie-saurus wagon.

See, the whole reason I quit eating meat in the first place was because for several years I'd been having digestive "issues", and couldn't figure out why. I tried cutting out caffeinated beverages, fried foods, dairy, wheat, all the usual suspects, and with only limited improvement. Then, when I cut out meat, BAM! Instant improvement.

And thus my veggie-saurus-ness was born.

I am someone who is probably more aware of my digestive patterns than most. I can't help it, it's ingrained in me at this point.

My dad died of colon cancer when I was 16.

At first, I didn't really know much about it or make a point to learn. I think I was in denial about the whole thing and it took me a few years to work through all that (but that's a whole blog post unto itself, so we'll discuss that another time).

Finally, the more I came to accept what happened, the more I was willing to learn about colon cancer. Signs, symptoms, prevention, all that jazz.

So I am aware of the need for high fiber intake. I know that diets high in Vitamin D3 aid significantly in prevention and during treatment, and that D3 deficiencies have been linked to various cancers, specifically colorectal cancers. I know that red meats, processed meats, and charred meats are directly linked to colorectal cancers. And I know the red flags that something has gone awry in your guts.

And right now, I am experiencing some of those red flags.

Now, I'm not in some panicked tizzy thinking that I totally have cancer or anything like that. I haven't had... ahem... blood... you know... back there... and that's usually the first big sign that you likely have colon cancer.

So I'm not freaking out.

But my digestive patterns have been, shall we say, less than ideal lately. In the opposite way as what they used to be like. And the weird thing is that even in doing all of the things that normally get things back on track- drinking plenty of water, eating lots of fiber-rich foods, regular exercise, etc- it hasn't helped. To the point of being in physical discomfort on a regular basis.

So I'm going in to see a gastroenterologist next month. I'm curious what they will say. I'm assuming a colonoscopy is on the table, though I don't know if they will jump directly to that or try other approaches first. This is all new to me, man, so I have no idea what to expect.

For now I'll keep on keeping on, trying to rebalance my digestive system and get back to my happy place.

Oh yeah, and drinking my daily glass of MetaMucil, as per my doctor's suggestion.

Because I have the guts of a 70 year old, clearly

It's the REALLY simple things in life, amiright?

So... Day 3 of my spring break, and I've come to a not-so-startling, and yet still very pathetic realization: I lead a very... shall we say... simple life.

Small things make me giggle like a school girl happy.

I find ridiculous amounts of enjoyment out of situations that others may take for granted.

Let me give you a for instance.

In light of the recent spring-like weather, I painted my toenails.

Yes. That's right.

Painted. My. Toenails.

For most people, this would be just a regular part of their beauty or self-pampering regimen. But for me, Queen of the Short Attention Span?

IT WAS A FREAKING PARTY!

I'm sad, I know. It's okay to judge. I judge myself.

But here's the thing. It was genuinely a treat, and I'll explain why. First of all, it's been winter, and I don't see the point of painting your toenails in the dead of winter. No one sees your feet, so why have pretty toenails? That's like getting (your toes) all dressed up with no place to go. Second, as a mom of three and a full-time student, having the free time to pamper myself is rare. Hell, it takes me three months just to get around to making a hair appointment. My poor stylist, she gets so aggravated at me! But it is what it is, and I'm sure any other mom can relate (well, at least the ones without a full time staff). There is always, I repeat, always something more important to focus your attention on than yourself.

But you know what? Sometimes us moms just need to make it happen. Don't just pencil in that hair appointment or manicure or, you know, shower (here's looking at you, new moms!)

Write that bitch on the calendar in permanent marker and make it happen. Trust me, your sanity (and self-esteem) will thank you.

Anyway, back to my not-a-big-deal-to-anyone-but-me pedicure.

When I finally do get around to painting my nails, I'm a little uppity about what brand of polish to use. Because if I'm going to take the time out to make my digits pretty, dammit I want it to last! Not chip within the first day (or less, if you're really scraping the bottom of the bargain nail polish barrel).

I use OPI. It's a little spendy compared to other brands, but it lasts. And my little piggies are rocking Bogata Blackberry like it's no one's business!

Artsy-Fartsy

So as of two days ago I am officially done with winter quarter!

WHOOHOO!!!

Now I get three weeks off before jumping into another round of crazy.

And so far I'm loving it!

Yesterday I did... well, pretty much nothing. I mean, I did my standard cleaning and housewifery requirements, but beyond that? I pretty much sat on my rear end and cross-stitched. I didn't sleep worth crap the night before, and was therefore pretty much a zombie.

A crafting zombie, mind you.

I grew up in an artsy-craftsy family. Quilting and crocheting and sewing and cross-stitching and embroidery and scrapbooking and ornaments and jewelry and stained glass and painting and all that brouhaha.

And I inherited? Very little of that natural talent.

I can sew.

Ish.

I mean, not in a straight line by any means. And I've pretty much only made napkins at this point. But my goal is to be able to make curtains for my living and dining rooms one day, to make tablecloths and napkins for the various holidays, to be able to make at least a basic block quilt, and to one day, if I'm brave enough, maybe sew a summer dress or something.

For now I stick with slightly crooked napkins.

I also want to learn to crochet. But I don't yet have the patience, so that's on the back burner for the foreseeable future.

BUT!!!

I can cross-stitch.

I mean, anyone can cross-stitch, so it's not like I'm gifted or anything remotely resembling talented.

(And I still can't do French knots to save my life, which irritates me greatly)

But I enjoy cross-stitching. There is something soothing for me in the rhythm and pattern of all those bloody x's. For some people it makes them crazy, but for me it's almost zen-like.

This is one I did a few years ago, when I first got back into cross-stitching as an adult. I love the saying, and use it regularly, so finding it in a cross-stitch pattern was serendipitous I guess!

First time out of the gate

After completing that (quite easy) one, I moved on to a slightly significantly more challenging pattern. Because, you know, why start slow when you can jump from zero to 60, right?!?

My most recently completed one

This one took me a long time to finish, because I ended up putting it down for a couple of years out of frustration (that whole zero to 60 thing). But I picked it up again last spring and just slogged through it, and now it's hanging in my hallway in a pretty black frame.

Now I'm working on this one.

Current project...

Needless to say it's going to take me awhile. My goal was to have the main stitching done by the time spring quarter starts, but I think that may be an unrealistic goal, as right now I only have the pink butterfly, the big white flower, and the little flower above it (and the leaves) done.

Because clearly doing things that are less complex isn't really my style!

After I complete this one, I have a really cool pattern that The Husband's coworker gave me. She actually designed it years ago when she lived in the UK, and usually sells them, but since I'm so awesome she gave it to me for free.

It's a map of Ireland, England, and Scotland, and it's really pretty. The entire pattern is in blues and greens and white, but she includes red thread so you can stitch in your own path when you visit over there, which I thought was a really cool touch.

When I finally go, I will be sure to map out my journey on my cross-stitch pattern!

How does your garden grow?

So spring is nigh.

In theory, anyway. Considering we got about six inches total of snow this week I'm a little hesitant to fully believe it. But fingers crossed!

Yesterday we spent the afternoon planting the two maple trees finally, now that Mother Nature's version of March Madness has subsided. We also shoveled out a trailer full of topsoil and then spread grass seed.

Our front yard is almost done!!!

Of course, my celebrating has to be mildly subdued on account of my screaming back muscles. But whatevs. It was worth it.

The next major step is getting the garden prepped and ready. In theory it should have been started by now, but again, Mother Nature kind of screwed that plan up. Apparently this coming week is supposed to be really nice and get up into the 60s, so I'm super stoked about that!

We have eight 4x8 raised beds, and last year we grew snap peas, green beans, black beans, pinto beans, lettuce, carrots, onions, corn, and tomatoes. Unfortunately, the lettuce got eaten by slugs and the corn didn't mature enough before the end of the growing season. We also tried growing peppers and herbs, but neither turned out well. Likely not hot enough.

This year, we plan on amping up the nutritional value of the soil to increase our yield. While we were up to our eyeballs in carrots, peas, and green beans, everything else was a little disappointing. Not bad for our first ever garden, but there is some serious room for improvement!

First, once our greenhouse is mended we are going to start peppers and herbs in there. We also plan on building a potato tower, which I'm super excited about. We started potatoes last year, but they quickly were consumed by slugs... or rabbits... I'm not sure which. Either way, I was unimpressed. Hopefully the tower protects them. I'm going to look into planting repellent plants around them to keep away the nibbling thieves.

Also, we need to blend some compost and organic fertilizer into the beds and get the seeds planted, and I'm looking into copper tape to repel the damn slugs. Last year we tried sprinkling a barrier of slug repellent, but they just slide right over it. Bastards. Apparently copper tape is much more effective, and is also 'greener'. It's also pricier for a garden as big as ours, but it may just be worth it to not lose food to them.

Hopefully the weather really does improve as is forecasted, and I can spend next weekend being Mary Mary Quite Contrary.

Just wanted to share

This made me smile.

Happy Sunday!

Update

Apparently Mother Nature reads my blog and, in response to my most recent post, has fired a shot across my bow...

It's snowing again.

Oh it's on now!

Mother Nature can suck it

So the weather has been crap lately. Absolute crap. And I'm a little bitter about it!

It's like Mother Nature realized it was nearing the end of March and that she hadn't yet met her quota on snow, hail, wind, and torrential rain, and decided to make up for in it a 72 hour period.

Monday the boys were outside replanting some of the spruces that had been knocked over in the wind, and yesterday not only did the spruces get knocked down again, but so did the red maple.

And our greenhouse.

Yes. Our greenhouse got flipped over on it's side like it was a dinner table in Jersey, taking the huge wooden shelves that were inside with it. Needless to say it's severely damaged, and I'm disgruntled about it. When the greenhouse flew it also knocked down and broke the big wooden T-stand that held our tomato and strawberry Topsy Turvy's, and crushed the kids' kiddie pool (which they haven't used in quite awhile, but I'm still annoyed it's smashed to smithereens). So yeah, our yard looks like a tornado swept through, hence my bitterness.

But there is one thing that is keeping me from going completely postal and divorcing nature altogether.

Spring is here.

Mother Nature may be in denial, but she's a fickle bitch anyway, so her opinion matters little. It is still technically spring whether she likes it or not.

And spring means hiking!!!!!

I love hiking. I love being out amongst the trees, in the mountains, smelling the fresh air and listening to the birds and taking in the beauty that is Western Washington. It's where I find my peace.

Now, I'm not one of those hard core hikers whose sole goal is to make it to the top of the mountain as quickly as humanly possible.

*cough*cough*Age*cough*cough*

I prefer to take it a little slower and enjoy my surroundings.

I also enjoy being able to breathe, and as I learned the hard way this past summer, hiking with *certain* people (Kotyks) is like asking to be punched in the gut and have the wind knocked out of you for three hours straight, all while struggling to keep up with their ridiculous pace and simultaneously not make it too obvious that you're wishing for the sweet hand of death to release you from this misery.

Love you guys!

It's just that, I'm not in terrible shape, and yet I was still having my ass kicked. Like, totally, mercilessly, unabashedly handed to me.

And I expect Age to literally run circles around me. As previously mentioned, she's kind of a fitness goddess.

But I also got shown up by her dad. Who had just had OPEN HEART SURGERY a few months prior.

Yeah, to say it was demoralizing would be an understatement.

And their perspective?

"That was a nice walk, eh?"

Dude, you just climbed a world-renowned black diamond ski mountain in what I'm pretty sure is record time, and you consider that a "nice walk"?

Dear god I hope I never witness what they consider challenging...

But I digress.

There are several hikes that I am wanting to do this spring and summer. Some that I've already done and just want to do again, and others that I haven't done yet and am dying to go do.

Since we have kids, not all the hikes we do are hard core. Two of our favorite kid-friendly hikes are Lime Kiln and Old Robe Trail.

Saw blade on Lime Kiln

Lime Kiln is a beautiful hike, and isn't terribly difficult, so kids are more than able to come along. The trail starts out in lush, beautiful forest (beware of horse and dog droppings, not everyone is as courteous as they should be). It then opens up to some four-wheeler paths, which aren't as pretty (and are private property, so stay on the path). After awhile you turn left back onto a trail (and back onto public lands) and follow the trail down along the Stillaguamish River. Along the way you'll find relics from the mining days- saw blades, pots, a rusted-out stove, bricks, and various other weather-worn scraps. About two and a half miles in you'll come to the lime kiln. It's pretty cool, I must say! After that you continue on another mile or so before dropping down to the river, which is a perfect place to have a snack and relax (or if you are the intrepid hippies we came across last time, it's the perfect place to start tubing down the river half-naked).

The only indication there is a hiking trail there.

Old Robe Trail is in the same park as Lime Kiln, on the opposite end. It is a historical town site, and after dropping down the switch backs (which are not as easy on the knees as the site claims) you meander through a pleasant trail and along the Stillaguamish River. Washouts in the last few years have made the trail more difficult, so I would recommend only bringing older kids past the washout marker. After that, you are following the old railroad tracks. You have to scramble over a couple pretty sketchy slide areas, but once you do, you can follow the tracks through old railroad tunnels. It's pretty neat. We've never gone past the second tunnel though, as apparently it gets a little more dicey further down, and we've never felt comfortable taking the kids out there just in case. But I've always seen families hiking out there every time we've gone, so maybe it isn't as scary as we've been told.

Two of my personal faves so far are Heather Lake and Mount Pilchuck. Heather Lake is challenging, but still kid friendly. Mount Pilchuck is not kid friendly at all!

Heather Lake

Heather Lake is gorgeous! You are deep in old growth woods the entire time, and it has some breathtaking views. Definitely bring a camera! There's a little bit of switchbacks at the beginning, but then it is a straight trail after that. It's fairly steep, but our kids were able to do it (with plenty of rests and drinks of water). Once you get closer to the top, you are likely to encounter some late season snow- which the kids thought was the greatest thing ever! Shortly after that you come to the boardwalk that encircles the lake. Stop, rest, and enjoy the subalpine views!

Lookout Cabin- Mt. Pilchuck

Mount Pilchuck is by far my favorite hike. It's brutal, but it's amazing. It's also the place where I managed to hike the entire thing without incident and then rolled my ankle in the parking lot (as mentioned in my post about my tendency towards clumsiness!) This hike is no joke, and as the warning sign at the trail entry states, Search and Rescue gets called up there multiple times a season. If you're hiking it in summer, you should be fine, just follow the yellow dots and arrows painted on the rocks. But if there is any snow still on the ground? Be careful, please.

Ladder of death

The hike starts out in the forest, but after awhile you come to a rock field. This is the first of many, and I believe the fourth one marks the halfway point. The rocks starts out smallish and more jagged (perfect for a sliced knee), but as you ascend the rocks turn into boulders the size of cars. Towards the top you start to feel like you're on another planet. It's very cool! The rock fields are interspersed with dense forest and scrubby alpine meadows, and there are a few points where it's good to be fairly loud as you are in 6-foot tall brush that could very easily hide a bear. At the top you come to the final rock field, on the top of which a lookout cabin is perched. For someone who hates heights, this was the worst part for me- climbing the ladder to the cabin. You are literally perched on the very tippy-top of a very tall, very pointy mountain. It was terrifying. And awesome. Side note: make sure you hike it on a sunny day, otherwise the killer views are wasted!

I am also looking forward to doing some new hikes this year. Friends of ours recommended Iron Goat. I'm dying to do Hoh River, since you're hiking through the rain forests of the peninsula. And apparently the Enchantments is an amazing hike as well, though that requires a bit more travel time from my neck of the woods.

There is also this hike (I forget the name) but it's up in the North Cascades. It's very long and fairly difficult, but you hike through alpine meadows and rim one of the main glaciers up there and I'm DYING to go, but apparently it suffered some serious damage a few years back and I think it's closed for now until the WTA gets up there and makes it, you know, not a death trap. But it's calling me, so I plan to keep a lookout until it pops back up on the site again!

Toeing that fine line between annoying and crazy

So I mentioned before about our crappy neighbor with his guns and guard dogs and overall antisocial demeanor.

It's okay, take a sec, refresh your memory if need be... I'll wait...

All set?

Okay, let's continue.

So while I spent the weekend planting trees, planning my garden, and in general beautifying my yard and increasing its value, our darling neighbors spent the weekend inexplicably digging a trench and burying metal posts on which to hang a six-foot tall chain link fence.

Yeah... nothing sends your property value down quite like destruction and chain link.

Yay me.

While we were out in the yard on Sunday, our immediate neighbors (the house in between us and the scary people) stopped by to comment on our progress with our yard, and the conversation naturally turned to the thorn in our collective sides.

First of all, they are "preppers". Not the hey-you-never-know-so-let's-be-prepared types.

No, no.

Like, hardcore the-world-is-ending-and-everyone-is-out-to-get-us types. Great.

Paranoid + high-calibre rifles? Dream neighbors, amiright?!?

And apparently, the trench in their backyard? That's all it is intended to be. A trench. To "run drills" in.

Dear God, I don't think I want to know what that means.

And the chain link fence? Well, besides the fact that it directly violates our neighborhood's covenants and adds a nice splash of ugly to an otherwise beautiful street, apparently they are looking into the legality of putting razor wire on top of the fence.

Yes. You read that right.

Razor wire.

Because that's what you think of when you picture mountain living.

A prison-like compound two plots down.

What's next? Guard towers?!?

Tree Hugger

So this weekend has been filled with one overarching theme for me so far.

Trees.

Yes, trees.

One Braeburn apple tree. One nectarine tree. A moosewood maple and a brandywine red maple. And thirteen spruces.

These are the trees we have procured for our yard in the last 36 hours or so. 

The apple and nectarine trees were added to our growing collection of fruit trees on the west edge of our property. The spruces will be planted tomorrow along the east edge of the property. And the maples will each go on either side of the front yard.

We chose the maples because they are fast growing and get the best fall color. 

(Plus, the moosewood just looks cool, and really, sometimes that's all that matters)

The spruces were from my grandparent's property up in the Skagit Valley. After they were done raising horses, they had decided to turn their pasture into a tree farm. Only once they realized how time consuming it was to run a tree farm that idea quickly went out the window, and now they just have a crap ton (very scientific term of measurement) of trees on their property. The trees starting having baby trees, and my grandpa requested we come collect some of the younger saplings for our property.

So we did.

And now we're lousy with trees.

The irony, of course, is that our property backs up to a forest, so in theory we could have just collected some saplings from there and transplanted them in our side yard.

Only, back there is protected green belt and wetlands.

So we can't.

Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink...

D'oh!

So... hi!

Yeah, I know, I fell off the grid again. Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you.

(suddenly I find myself humming Alanis Morissette)

Anyway, I've been ridiculously busy the last several days, and it doesn't look like it's going to slow down in the next couple of weeks, so I'm just trying to squeak out a little time to update you all (you know, all... two of you...) about my goings on.

First of all, I finally got my hair cut, so I no longer look like a homeless hippie (no offense to homeless hippies, just seeing as how I'm not one, you probably don't want me representing you!)

Second, I got my treadmill, and it's been kicking my soon-to-be-firm ass. And I've been liking it.

But there is one thing I've learned the hard way. Rookie mistake, maybe. Or I'm an idiot. Either way.

Anyway, last night we were watching an episode of Season 4 of Battlestar Galactica (damn you Felix Gaeta!). I was running on the treadmill whilst watching TV (it's better for me to have a distraction, otherwise I get bored and give up too early), and I was running in socks. This would be the idiot move.

Apparently I was too lazy to walk across my house to put on my running shoes or something. Isn't irony great?

Anyway, between the socks and the show as a distraction, by the time the treadmill's program was done I hadn't realized that two of my toes on my right foot hurt. I didn't pay it much attention at first, assuming I was just a little worn out from running for so long. But after awhile I finally pulled my sock off and examined my foot.. to find a big ol' blister on my second toe...

*facepalm*

So yeah. Don't run for 30 minutes in socks, kids! Turns out, that isn't the greatest idea.

See, it's things like this that have given me the (totally deserved) reputation of being clumsy. I've even been given my own reference. When you do something random to hurt yourself, or you do (or fail to do) something incredibly obvious, it has now been dubbed "Pulling a Sarah".

You're welcome.

First World Problems

Okay, so not to be totally obnoxious or anything, but...

Who's got two thumbs and has a new iPhone?!?

This girl!!!!

Well fine then... party pooper.

Anyway, I got a new iPhone 5 last night, and I'm super jazzed because... well, I had the iPhone 2... and I've had it for about four+ years now... and it stopped working reliably several months ago...

So it's nice to have a phone that, you know, functions. And doesn't shut itself down randomly out of some sort of technological protest or something.

So that's the latest news in my life. Exciting stuff, eh?

Moving on!

I'm taking a break from schoolwork for a little bit, because my brain is about to protest in the same manner my old phone did. Just shut off and refuse to come back on for a few hours.

And that would be inconvenient, as I have a multitude of things to get done today.

So I'm taking a breather, drinking some tea, and, well, I guess complaining about First World Problems? God, I suck.

Sorry.

The weather has been crap lately, and while I usually don't get bummed out with Seattle's rain spells, this week it has been annoying me a bit. Mostly because I seem to keep finding the deepest puddles possible to accidentally step in, and I'm running out of clean socks because of it.

Plus, I haven't had a good hair day in what feels like forever.

Partially because of the stupid wind and rain (and hail, WTF has been up with the hail lately?!?) but also because I desperately need a hair cut.

But luckily I can control one of the above issues (and clearly that's not the weather, I've tried, my powers are not nearly strong enough yet), so I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow, and I'm probably a little TOO excited about it.

See, I have long hair.

And long hair tends to go from flowy and manageable to wild untamable mess remarkably fast.

And then it becomes difficult to brush. Or shampoo. Or just keep it contained in a somewhat presentable manner.

And my hair is wavy too, which adds a whole new level of pain-in-the-ass-ness.

Combined with the wind and rain and hail... and it's been a ponytail day for a couple of weeks straight.

All the blustery-ness of late winter/early spring has also left me pining for summer to come.

I love summer.

Summer is my lobster.

(please tell me you get the reference)

Summer means hiking and camping and bonfires and road trips and gardening and total blissed out relaxation. No school. No schedules. No restrictions.

Did I mention I love summer?

But summer does come with one issue.

One haunting, tormenting, uncomfortable issue.

Shorts weather...

All women have hangups over their body. Boobs too big, boobs too small, tummy too squishy, arms too wobbly, too big of a butt, not big enough of a butt. You name it, there are a million women worried about it.

For me, it's my legs. I've always been self-conscious about them. I have these spindly calves and itty-bitty ankles, so I feel like my legs look like upside-down triangles. And as with most women, I hate my thighs.

So shorts weather makes me... uncomfortable, to say the least.

But since I am of the mindset to understand the things I can change and accept the things I cannot, I get that I have my mother's legs (thanks, ma!), so the spindly calves and ankles thing? Not much I can do. Bone structure pretty much is what it is.

But!

I'm getting a treadmill today, and I'm going to do something about my muscle tone, so even though my legs aren't proportioned how I'd like, at least they can be more shapely, and then I will *hopefully* feel more confident when shorts weather rolls around.

Plus, that whole Couch-to-5k thing is hard to keep up on when the weather has been as crappy as it has been lately. Being able to run inside will greatly help that as well.

So bring it, summer! Muhahaha!

Quarters, Comic Con, and Queens

Hey hey!

I'm back! I know, I've been gone a few days. Things have been crazy busy around here.

The end of winter quarter is approaching, which means one thing- assignment loading.

Yes, that lovely time of the quarter when teachers start packing in as many papers, projects, and reading assignments as possible. And the one thing I've noticed that seems to be across the board, regardless of the course, the individual instructor, or the time of year?

All teachers seem to forget that their students are taking other classes.

'What?!? My class isn't the center of the scholastic universe?!?'

And by forgetting that, all teachers end up stacking their course schedules at exactly the same time.

Hence my absence for the last few days. I've been trying to salvage my sanity and maintain my exemplary GPA.

(3.95 in case you were wondering)

Besides that, the weekend was also busy for other reasons.

First, my oldest son went to Emerald City Comic Con for the first time. He went with my sister and, suffice it to say, his little geek mind was blown! He didn't know what to expect, and I think initially he was nervous, but he had a blast and is now hooked. I would expect him to be a regular attendee from now on.

The following day, my daughter and I went with my mom to the Northwest Women's Show. I've been going with my mom for over 10 years now, and it's always something we look forward to. There are countless booths with jewelry, clothes, skin care, health and nutrition, food samples, home and garden stuff, business information, you name it.

The whole point is to eat, shop, eat some more, and then shop some more.

What more could a girl want?!?

This year I came away with a couple of scarves (my accessory of choice), a few pairs of earrings, a couple of necklaces, and a cute halter sun dress. Definitely one of my lighter years, but this year not as much "called out" to me. Last year... well... let's just say I went a little nuts. They had some goooood stuff last year!

One fun thing that did come of the weekend though was solidifying plans for my mom's 50th birthday, which is coming up this spring. I've been wanting to plan something fun and special for her, but she's not one of those foofey, fancy-dinner-and-gifts-and-invite-everyone-she-knows kind of women. I mean, she'll take the gifts! But she's not so much about the big ritzy party.

So I needed to find something more to her taste.

And I did!

Julia's on Broadway/Le Faux!!!!!

It's this restaurant in downtown Seattle, and I've heard the food is amazing.

But then!?!

Every Friday and Saturday night they put on the most amazing celebrity impersonation/drag show.

Every year they have a booth at the women's show, and my mom has been talking about going for years, but never committed to it. These guys are amazing. Their makeup, the body language, even the voices- they're dead ringers for the celebrities they are impersonating. It's mind boggling.

And I have mad respect for any man who looks better as a woman than, you know, actual women.

So I'm taking mom for her birthday!!!!

I'm so ridiculously excited.

One, because it'll be fun to go do that with my mom.

Two, because it gives me an excuse to go to the show!

And three, because let's face it, I love me some drag queens!