If I could I would. I would tell my "guests" what I really feel about them, at my job.
Tonight was just plain frustrating. People don't get it. This is why EVERYONE needs to work as a waiter just for a portion of their lives to figure out life.
Take note.
When going out to dinner and your table is not ready, RELAX. Especially when you have cocktails in front of you and a fire in the fireplace that you are sitting in front of. 20-30 minutes on a Saturday night is not that bad of a wait.
If you are told not to throw anymore logs on the fire because we are having issues with the back draft because of the wind DON'T TAKE OFFENSE AND LET IT RUIN YOUR EVENING.
Again, relax. it's not the end of the world that you can't show your friends how you can stoke a fire.
Once you get to your table, let go of the fire thing. For one, it's super annoying that you keep bringing up the fact that you couldn't stoke the fire. I'm sorry your ego was hurt. And the Elk we saved for you that you weren't to psyched about well, it was a great product and you were just looking for something to bitch about since your ego was deflated.
Also, the d'Arenberg, The Love Grass, Shiraz that you ordered is an EXCELLENT wine and for you to snub your nose at it shows that you know nothing about wine. Again, you were just offended and had to look for something to complain about.
When you order the Bavarian, instead of the signature Blueberry Cobbler, or the Chocolate Mousse, or the homemade Ice Cream on Red Velvet cake and throw the "F" bomb when you get your not so talked about Bavarian, you need to realize that you are a complete idiot.
Clearly, I had a bad table tonight that took out a not so perfect night, in one guy's mind, on me. Everyone else gave me HUGE verbal tips. The monetary tip I received from them was terrible and the service they received was exceptional. They even told me so.
Except the guy with the huge ego.
He was just a complete ass hole.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
My Menopaus
A day in the life of me goes something like this.
We got home late last night for a last minute trip to Taos, New Mexico for a little skiing. The skiing is amazing and we love it there. We didn't get home until around midnight and by the time lights were out it was well after 1. Of course, I had appointments scheduled for today. The first one being at 9 am at my dermatologist. I had the where-with-all to get in the bathtub last night so I felt fresh, at least. But, me being me I got out of bed at 8:10, brushed my teeth and since we didn't have any coffee in the house I got in my car right smack dab at 8:14. The weather was terrible and the interstate was closed, the dam road was closed and it made for some slow driving. But, I did get to my appointment on time and felt good about that.
Now, let me back up a minute. I last saw my dermatologist a year ago for just a face check. I secretly have a little crush on him after that appointment. He is funny, nice, and I just felt comfortable around him. He gave me the time of day, we joked around about stuff. Not typical for a Doc. Bottom line, he made me laugh, hence the small crush. So, before I left for that appointment, a year ago, I made another appointment with him to get a yearly check up. I got to the office today and checked in and was brought to a room. She told me to get undressed and leave my bra and underwear on and put on the gown, back side open. I was kind of confused and she told me that I had made an appointment for a full body check. Oh, right, I remember now.
So I get in my gown and immediately think to myself how I haven't shaved my legs. No problem, I'll just keep my red knee high socks on.
Now I'm sitting in the chair, on the paper, with my gown on, back side open, my red knee high socks on to hide my extremely hairy legs, reading a magazine feeling all confident. Doc comes in and we make small chit chat and I am feeling a little insecure in my hospital gown and ugly socks and shabby bra. He does his normal face check on me and I'm asking questions about my adult acne and he has a solution and I'm feeling super confident.
He has me stand up so he can check my back so I do and I'm having a hot flash, because I'm menopausal and all of that stupid paper that they have on the chair I'm sitting on is stuck to my backside and it's all wet with my sweat. I apologize and start picking pieces of sweaty paper off of me and he's a doctor so he could give a shit but I'm horrified. I pull out more paper from the roll because I've completely ruined the paper I'm sitting on and need more. It's like cheap toilet paper and trying to wipe up something with cheap toilet paper. It just disintegrates before your very eyes.
Now, he's done with my check up but I don't want to sit down again because I'm just going to repeat the same sweat on the paper thing again. So I just stand there while he is talking to me, wrapping up the check up.
UGH.
I am over the menopaus thing.
We got home late last night for a last minute trip to Taos, New Mexico for a little skiing. The skiing is amazing and we love it there. We didn't get home until around midnight and by the time lights were out it was well after 1. Of course, I had appointments scheduled for today. The first one being at 9 am at my dermatologist. I had the where-with-all to get in the bathtub last night so I felt fresh, at least. But, me being me I got out of bed at 8:10, brushed my teeth and since we didn't have any coffee in the house I got in my car right smack dab at 8:14. The weather was terrible and the interstate was closed, the dam road was closed and it made for some slow driving. But, I did get to my appointment on time and felt good about that.
Now, let me back up a minute. I last saw my dermatologist a year ago for just a face check. I secretly have a little crush on him after that appointment. He is funny, nice, and I just felt comfortable around him. He gave me the time of day, we joked around about stuff. Not typical for a Doc. Bottom line, he made me laugh, hence the small crush. So, before I left for that appointment, a year ago, I made another appointment with him to get a yearly check up. I got to the office today and checked in and was brought to a room. She told me to get undressed and leave my bra and underwear on and put on the gown, back side open. I was kind of confused and she told me that I had made an appointment for a full body check. Oh, right, I remember now.
So I get in my gown and immediately think to myself how I haven't shaved my legs. No problem, I'll just keep my red knee high socks on.
Now I'm sitting in the chair, on the paper, with my gown on, back side open, my red knee high socks on to hide my extremely hairy legs, reading a magazine feeling all confident. Doc comes in and we make small chit chat and I am feeling a little insecure in my hospital gown and ugly socks and shabby bra. He does his normal face check on me and I'm asking questions about my adult acne and he has a solution and I'm feeling super confident.
He has me stand up so he can check my back so I do and I'm having a hot flash, because I'm menopausal and all of that stupid paper that they have on the chair I'm sitting on is stuck to my backside and it's all wet with my sweat. I apologize and start picking pieces of sweaty paper off of me and he's a doctor so he could give a shit but I'm horrified. I pull out more paper from the roll because I've completely ruined the paper I'm sitting on and need more. It's like cheap toilet paper and trying to wipe up something with cheap toilet paper. It just disintegrates before your very eyes.
Now, he's done with my check up but I don't want to sit down again because I'm just going to repeat the same sweat on the paper thing again. So I just stand there while he is talking to me, wrapping up the check up.
UGH.
I am over the menopaus thing.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Not It, but, it Depends
OK. After calling "NOT IT" last night for tonight I went to work all smug and snarky. I looked at my set up number and being number 2, that means, I am in charge of the seating chart. That means I can assign tables to whomever I want and I can either marter myself or not. Usually I play fair but tonight I knew I was not going to wait on the family with the baby. I left out much of the story from last night and now wish I would have gone into detail.
Read on and all I have to say is, enough said.
I started vacuuming the dining room and checking tables for the correct settings. I was about 45 minutes early which I like because I can get a jump start on the night and be all set up and ready to go. I'm weird that way. I'm annoyingly early for stuff.
I walked out of the kitchen and here she comes around the corner. Nana. Now, Nana is a pretty women, nice and sweet, but a little off. She has this waste basket in her hands and comes up to me while holding the "waste" out to me and says,
"I don't know what to do with this. As you can see it's very full because my husband wears depends and of course my grandson is in diapers."
She hands me the 30lb "waste" basket, which is lined with a plastic bag but the plastic bag isn't tied up all nice a few times. Nope, it was wide open with the stench of her husbands depends and baby grandson's diapers for everyone to smell.
Lucky me for being there early. I walked to the dumpster with her "waste" basket and dumped it in the dumpster and relined it and brought it up to her room and rather then knock on her door I just left in out in the hall. I certainly didn't want to hand that back to her husband and act all polite-like.
I immediately went and scrubbed my hands all the way up to my shoulders like an ER doctor and followed that by a good dousing of hand sanitiser which was now hand, arm, body sanitizer.
I have seen it all now.
Being in the restaurant business sure does have it's downs and downs. Ooops, I mean ups and downs.
A few hours later I'm waiting on a couple from Florida. They order a $300 bottle of wine and can't say enough about the ambiance and food and, of course, the service. They left me a $100 tip.
I'll deal with the "shit" for that. And we do, too.
What a weird night.
Read on and all I have to say is, enough said.
I started vacuuming the dining room and checking tables for the correct settings. I was about 45 minutes early which I like because I can get a jump start on the night and be all set up and ready to go. I'm weird that way. I'm annoyingly early for stuff.
I walked out of the kitchen and here she comes around the corner. Nana. Now, Nana is a pretty women, nice and sweet, but a little off. She has this waste basket in her hands and comes up to me while holding the "waste" out to me and says,
"I don't know what to do with this. As you can see it's very full because my husband wears depends and of course my grandson is in diapers."
She hands me the 30lb "waste" basket, which is lined with a plastic bag but the plastic bag isn't tied up all nice a few times. Nope, it was wide open with the stench of her husbands depends and baby grandson's diapers for everyone to smell.
Lucky me for being there early. I walked to the dumpster with her "waste" basket and dumped it in the dumpster and relined it and brought it up to her room and rather then knock on her door I just left in out in the hall. I certainly didn't want to hand that back to her husband and act all polite-like.
I immediately went and scrubbed my hands all the way up to my shoulders like an ER doctor and followed that by a good dousing of hand sanitiser which was now hand, arm, body sanitizer.
I have seen it all now.
Being in the restaurant business sure does have it's downs and downs. Ooops, I mean ups and downs.
A few hours later I'm waiting on a couple from Florida. They order a $300 bottle of wine and can't say enough about the ambiance and food and, of course, the service. They left me a $100 tip.
I'll deal with the "shit" for that. And we do, too.
What a weird night.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
NOT IT !!!!!
We used to call "Not It" when we were kids when we didn't want to be "it"
Remember that?
Well, I still say that at work when I don't want to wait on someone or I don't want to do a particular job. And usually it works out well in my favor. Tonight I called "not it" for tomorrow.
I do not want to wait on the same table two nights in a row. As, I'm sure, they don't want me to be their server two nights in a row.
First of all, they have a baby. I love babies but not in our restaurant. Our restaurant is no place for babies. No one likes a loud baby in a restaurant and when you are paying $70/person for just dinner one really does not need a baby screaming and throwing food AND they have the table by the fireplace. But, that is was the best place for them considering we are a very small dining room and they had their own corner to themselves.
So,
NOT IT!!
Remember that?
Well, I still say that at work when I don't want to wait on someone or I don't want to do a particular job. And usually it works out well in my favor. Tonight I called "not it" for tomorrow.
I do not want to wait on the same table two nights in a row. As, I'm sure, they don't want me to be their server two nights in a row.
First of all, they have a baby. I love babies but not in our restaurant. Our restaurant is no place for babies. No one likes a loud baby in a restaurant and when you are paying $70/person for just dinner one really does not need a baby screaming and throwing food AND they have the table by the fireplace. But, that is was the best place for them considering we are a very small dining room and they had their own corner to themselves.
So,
NOT IT!!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Squatters Rights
I'm missing Costa Rica so much. I can't stop thinking about our summer there two summers ago. It seems like a lifetime. I got on Google Earth to check on our land. I want to know if our banana trees are growing. I want to see if our fence is still up. I want to see the house next to us and if they finished it. I want to see if squatters have moved in. Costa Rica has something called squatters rights.
We won't let that happen but I do find it interesting.
I want to be in Costa Rica. I found our lot, on Google Earth, and unfortunately couldn't see the fence or the banana trees and the lot next to us seemed undeveloped. I think it's from a few years ago so nothing was updated. I don't know. And the pixels weren't doing their job. It was too fuzzy the more I zoomed in. But, it was great to see the lot and I followed the road with my mouse cursor like we would ride on our bikes.
I really, really miss Costa Rica!
Our Costa Rica Land
-
Squatters Rights in Costa Rica:
Squatters, or precaristas, begin to receive rights to a piece of real estate after 3 months of living on the land. After a year, the squatter can apply for expropriation with the Agriculture Development Institute (IDA). If the IDA declares the property in conflict, the land is sold and handed over to the squatters. Oceanfront real estate in The Maritime Zone can not be owned, it can only be leased, and prime beach front properties often attract many problems with squatters. If squatters are not evicted within 3 months, the process of eviction can be long and expensive, often resulting in the loss of the property.We won't let that happen but I do find it interesting.
I want to be in Costa Rica. I found our lot, on Google Earth, and unfortunately couldn't see the fence or the banana trees and the lot next to us seemed undeveloped. I think it's from a few years ago so nothing was updated. I don't know. And the pixels weren't doing their job. It was too fuzzy the more I zoomed in. But, it was great to see the lot and I followed the road with my mouse cursor like we would ride on our bikes.
I really, really miss Costa Rica!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Deer Creek-Our Trailhead
We call it our trail head even though it's not. But we do own part of the land that people park on to ski, ride, snowmobile, hike, etc. And it's not even the official trail head. The official trail head is up the road a half a mile or so.
We continue to pick up the trash left behind by these purists who come up to the mountains to enjoy the day. We have seen people pee, poop, spit, puke, you name it. We have seen it. We have picked it up. Used rubbers, used toilet paper, used hanker chiefs, old broken bungies, left-over parts from snowmobiles or jeeps just left there, twine, cigarette butts (what's up with you smokers that can't understand throwing cigarette butts on the ground is LITTERING!), bottles, cans, bon-fire wood that has been burned even though there is no pit or ring. It's frustrating and now we are even more frustrated.
This winter has started off very slow for us because the snow just hasn't been falling. But, the snowmobilers don't seem to mind. We get an inch and 3 or 4 of them are raring to go, revving up their machines and taking off up the mountain, rocks, water, grass still showing.
The next week, we get and inch and more trailers are barrelling up the road to get it!!
Give it a rest people. This is so ridiculous to watch. Not only that but the snow pack is extremely unsafe right now and everyone knows that but still flirts with it.
This is what happened 2 days ago.
We had a storm, not a huge storm but it dumped some snow on the mountains. The day started out normal. Kids driving up the road like a bat out of hell to get some powder. 10 or so are in the parking lot, smoking, peeing, laughing, revving up the machines, psyched. We see it everyday.
They all take off up the mountain, tandem, towing riders/skiers. They get to Little Alaska and it looks great. Keep in mind, this is serious terrain. It's not to be taken lightly. Well, these guys are standing on the top and of course it slides. Not a little but it was a huge slide. Avalanches can kill you. But so many don't seem to care. Luckily, nobody was caught but it's just a matter of time. This is a daily thing up here and it's so frustrating to see when there is no respect.
Anyway, I'm heading to work and Kurtis is working on skis in the garage. I notice his snowmobile in our driveway and I'm thinking it's some skier/rider using our phone or "borrowing" a shovel without asking. So , I go into the garage and it's Kurtis and I'm joking with him saying I think he's some dude taking a shit in our toilet in the garage. It's happened. We're laughing at how living at a trail head has it's disadvantages when, this guy rides up on his snowmobile, panicked and asks to use our phone. I have absolutely no problem with this and give him the phone. It was just ironic because Kurtis and I were just talking about all of the people coming to the house for various reasons.
This guy dials 911 and his buddy apparently broke his femur up in Deer Creek. Terrible.
As I'm driving to work two cops in their trucks with snowmobiles in the bed are driving up to Deer Creek with their sirens on and I'm just hoping this guy will be alright. They ended up flight for life-ing him out of Deer Creek. I hope they had a fishing license.
That day was just an example of a great day gone bad. I was reading on Facebook all the comments about this day and of course there was the proverbial comment stating that they were just going up for a look-see and if the conditions weren't promising they were just going to hang out and enjoy the scenery and company of friends. I get that but give me a break. The conditions were extremely dangerous and everyone in this county knows that. It's all over the radios, CAIC (Colorado Avalanche Information Center) website, and everyone is talking about it. So, even if you aren't backcountry savvy and can't tell what the conditions are like it's in your face. You get 5-10 twenty-something guys together with snowmobiles, skis, boards, packs, and unstable conditions, something is going to happen.
My husband is beside himself everyday watching this, in our parking lot. And yes, we do consider it our parking lot/trail head because we maintain it.
For those who come up here for the first time or the 101st time and think it's special. It is special. It's been special for us for 21 years. And you first timer's. Quit acting like it's some long lost gem of a secret ski area that you are now skiing/riding and feel the need to tell your friends what YOU discovered. Believe me, I've heard it and just shake my head in disgust.
Be respectful people. If you have an emergency feel free to use the phone. If you're stuck and need a shovel, feel free to use a shovel but put it back where you found it and if you break it-you buy it. If you come up with a snowmobile, don't ride it round and round in the parking lot so we can hear you. Ride up the mountain. If you need to unload your snowmobile, don't park in our driveway to do so. Figure it out without using the berm. If you have to pee or poop don't use our bathroom. Go in the woods where I can't drive up and, for God's sake, see your little, tiny weenie flapping in the wind. And, dispose of your feces like you should. Pick up your PBR cans and bottles and trash and don't feed my dog. He has a sensitive stomach and barfs it all up at 2 in the morning. And last, don't ski/ride when you know the conditions are dangerously unsafe.
And if you do and things go wrong, own up to it and admit that you weren't smart that day.
I'm not saying the guy with the broken femur did anything wrong, that was just a part of everyday life skiing in Deer Creek. I hope he's alright.
We continue to pick up the trash left behind by these purists who come up to the mountains to enjoy the day. We have seen people pee, poop, spit, puke, you name it. We have seen it. We have picked it up. Used rubbers, used toilet paper, used hanker chiefs, old broken bungies, left-over parts from snowmobiles or jeeps just left there, twine, cigarette butts (what's up with you smokers that can't understand throwing cigarette butts on the ground is LITTERING!), bottles, cans, bon-fire wood that has been burned even though there is no pit or ring. It's frustrating and now we are even more frustrated.
This winter has started off very slow for us because the snow just hasn't been falling. But, the snowmobilers don't seem to mind. We get an inch and 3 or 4 of them are raring to go, revving up their machines and taking off up the mountain, rocks, water, grass still showing.
The next week, we get and inch and more trailers are barrelling up the road to get it!!
Give it a rest people. This is so ridiculous to watch. Not only that but the snow pack is extremely unsafe right now and everyone knows that but still flirts with it.
This is what happened 2 days ago.
We had a storm, not a huge storm but it dumped some snow on the mountains. The day started out normal. Kids driving up the road like a bat out of hell to get some powder. 10 or so are in the parking lot, smoking, peeing, laughing, revving up the machines, psyched. We see it everyday.
They all take off up the mountain, tandem, towing riders/skiers. They get to Little Alaska and it looks great. Keep in mind, this is serious terrain. It's not to be taken lightly. Well, these guys are standing on the top and of course it slides. Not a little but it was a huge slide. Avalanches can kill you. But so many don't seem to care. Luckily, nobody was caught but it's just a matter of time. This is a daily thing up here and it's so frustrating to see when there is no respect.
Anyway, I'm heading to work and Kurtis is working on skis in the garage. I notice his snowmobile in our driveway and I'm thinking it's some skier/rider using our phone or "borrowing" a shovel without asking. So , I go into the garage and it's Kurtis and I'm joking with him saying I think he's some dude taking a shit in our toilet in the garage. It's happened. We're laughing at how living at a trail head has it's disadvantages when, this guy rides up on his snowmobile, panicked and asks to use our phone. I have absolutely no problem with this and give him the phone. It was just ironic because Kurtis and I were just talking about all of the people coming to the house for various reasons.
This guy dials 911 and his buddy apparently broke his femur up in Deer Creek. Terrible.
As I'm driving to work two cops in their trucks with snowmobiles in the bed are driving up to Deer Creek with their sirens on and I'm just hoping this guy will be alright. They ended up flight for life-ing him out of Deer Creek. I hope they had a fishing license.
That day was just an example of a great day gone bad. I was reading on Facebook all the comments about this day and of course there was the proverbial comment stating that they were just going up for a look-see and if the conditions weren't promising they were just going to hang out and enjoy the scenery and company of friends. I get that but give me a break. The conditions were extremely dangerous and everyone in this county knows that. It's all over the radios, CAIC (Colorado Avalanche Information Center) website, and everyone is talking about it. So, even if you aren't backcountry savvy and can't tell what the conditions are like it's in your face. You get 5-10 twenty-something guys together with snowmobiles, skis, boards, packs, and unstable conditions, something is going to happen.
My husband is beside himself everyday watching this, in our parking lot. And yes, we do consider it our parking lot/trail head because we maintain it.
For those who come up here for the first time or the 101st time and think it's special. It is special. It's been special for us for 21 years. And you first timer's. Quit acting like it's some long lost gem of a secret ski area that you are now skiing/riding and feel the need to tell your friends what YOU discovered. Believe me, I've heard it and just shake my head in disgust.
Be respectful people. If you have an emergency feel free to use the phone. If you're stuck and need a shovel, feel free to use a shovel but put it back where you found it and if you break it-you buy it. If you come up with a snowmobile, don't ride it round and round in the parking lot so we can hear you. Ride up the mountain. If you need to unload your snowmobile, don't park in our driveway to do so. Figure it out without using the berm. If you have to pee or poop don't use our bathroom. Go in the woods where I can't drive up and, for God's sake, see your little, tiny weenie flapping in the wind. And, dispose of your feces like you should. Pick up your PBR cans and bottles and trash and don't feed my dog. He has a sensitive stomach and barfs it all up at 2 in the morning. And last, don't ski/ride when you know the conditions are dangerously unsafe.
And if you do and things go wrong, own up to it and admit that you weren't smart that day.
I'm not saying the guy with the broken femur did anything wrong, that was just a part of everyday life skiing in Deer Creek. I hope he's alright.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
I'm Sorry
I'm sorry we are living with Bipolar.
I'm sorry we offended you.
I'm sorry you don't understand.
I'm sorry she was disrespectful.
I'm sorry we had to cancel out at the last minute.
I'm sorry she cried in your class.
I'm sorry I don't want to exchange gifts anymore.
I'm sorry you think she's weird.
I'm sorry I don't feel like talking.
I'm sorry I can't explain and you want me to.
I'm sorry she just wants to listen to her ipod and not engage.
I'm sorry she can't concentrate in your class.
I'm sorry I keep calling your office crying.
I'm sorry I seem mad.
I'm sorry we hurt your feelings.
I'm sorry you don't get it.
I'm sorry she slammed your door.
I'm sorry we seem distant.
I'm sorry we have holes in our walls.
I'm sorry I cry when I talk about this.
I'm sorry you want to hospitalize.
I'm sorry you had to come to the house because it was a false alarm.
I'm sorry we upset you.
I'm sorry your kid is upset.
I'm sorry I can't help.
I'm sorry the meds don't work.
I'm sorry we keep seeing the Dr.
I'm sorry you don't "buy into" the Bipolar diagnosis.
I'm sorry you have to judge us.
I'm sorry I have to judge you.
I'm sorry you had to hear that swearing.
I'm sorry we don't want to come over.
I'm sorry we had to leave so soon.
I'm sorry we invited you and then uninvited you.
I'm sorry we lied because we knew you would not understand.
I'm sorry she can't sleep over.
I'm sorry I'm not the one with the disorder.
I am NOT sorry I have the most beautiful, strong, wonderful daughter that will not stop fighting.
I'm sorry we offended you.
I'm sorry you don't understand.
I'm sorry she was disrespectful.
I'm sorry we had to cancel out at the last minute.
I'm sorry she cried in your class.
I'm sorry I don't want to exchange gifts anymore.
I'm sorry you think she's weird.
I'm sorry I don't feel like talking.
I'm sorry I can't explain and you want me to.
I'm sorry she just wants to listen to her ipod and not engage.
I'm sorry she can't concentrate in your class.
I'm sorry I keep calling your office crying.
I'm sorry I seem mad.
I'm sorry we hurt your feelings.
I'm sorry you don't get it.
I'm sorry she slammed your door.
I'm sorry we seem distant.
I'm sorry we have holes in our walls.
I'm sorry I cry when I talk about this.
I'm sorry you want to hospitalize.
I'm sorry you had to come to the house because it was a false alarm.
I'm sorry we upset you.
I'm sorry your kid is upset.
I'm sorry I can't help.
I'm sorry the meds don't work.
I'm sorry we keep seeing the Dr.
I'm sorry you don't "buy into" the Bipolar diagnosis.
I'm sorry you have to judge us.
I'm sorry I have to judge you.
I'm sorry you had to hear that swearing.
I'm sorry we don't want to come over.
I'm sorry we had to leave so soon.
I'm sorry we invited you and then uninvited you.
I'm sorry we lied because we knew you would not understand.
I'm sorry she can't sleep over.
I'm sorry I'm not the one with the disorder.
I am NOT sorry I have the most beautiful, strong, wonderful daughter that will not stop fighting.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Never Mind
Well, the meet today didn't happen. We did get up early so I could have Jordan there by 8:15 and she looked terrible. Huge dark circles under her eyes, pale and just plain sick looking. I dropped her off and went and got a cup of Joe and came back. I settled myself on the bleachers for the day and she got out of the pool and I could tell right away something was wrong. She was sick. Her little body was shutting down and she couldn't keep it together.
The coach and I decided that she wasn't able to swim and there was no way. I took her home where she promptly got into her comfy pj's and feel asleep on the couch. There she still is, snoozing away looking super pale.
I hate it when my kids are sick. There is nothing I can do for them but let it ride the course. Which this will do. She's been through a lot this week.
Yuck.
So, never mind all that about me being mama of the week. I should've talked her into not staying up all night and next year she has already told me she won't. Some bodies just can't deal with that. Mine certainly can't.
Another learning process.
The coach and I decided that she wasn't able to swim and there was no way. I took her home where she promptly got into her comfy pj's and feel asleep on the couch. There she still is, snoozing away looking super pale.
I hate it when my kids are sick. There is nothing I can do for them but let it ride the course. Which this will do. She's been through a lot this week.
Yuck.
So, never mind all that about me being mama of the week. I should've talked her into not staying up all night and next year she has already told me she won't. Some bodies just can't deal with that. Mine certainly can't.
Another learning process.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Mama of the Week
That's me!
Mama of the Week! YessireeBob. I feel like I did well. I'm finally learning how to do this Mom thang, 15 years later.
Jordan called once more last night, totally in a panic and wanting to come home. She didn't have her science, math and another binder she needed for school. She also needed a glue gun and some wood. I told her I would come get her and we'll call the whole thing off and she could come home and sleep in her own bed and it'll all be fine. Well, I packed up the glue gun, a few pieces of different size wood from the garage, her slippers, and all of her school binders. I drove 25 minutes to where she was and when I got there she was happy to see me and I brought all of the stuff in the house and asked if she wanted to go home with me and to my surprise, she did not. She did give me a great, big, giant hug.
I drove off worried about her decision and thought "good, she'll be happy she was a part of it all"
I picked her up from the bus at 3:30 this afternoon and she looked like she has been up all night. Which she was.
They were taken from their warm beds at 2:00 am and never stopped doing stuff all night. They sang at 7-11, played at a park, went to fast food places and did stupid stuff. They had a ball. They ended up at the team captains house for breakfast and luckily swim practice was cancelled because the coaches took pity on them and they were all in school on time. Jordan was so happy to be a part of it all and she held on the entire night. Granted, she was asleep by 6 tonight.
Tomorrow, we get her to the pool by 8am for a swim meet.
I can't wait to hear from the other's how it went.
I'm so glad I didn't make her come home with me. Although, part of her wishes she would have gotten a good nights sleep. That, she did tell me.
Mama of the Week! YessireeBob. I feel like I did well. I'm finally learning how to do this Mom thang, 15 years later.
Jordan called once more last night, totally in a panic and wanting to come home. She didn't have her science, math and another binder she needed for school. She also needed a glue gun and some wood. I told her I would come get her and we'll call the whole thing off and she could come home and sleep in her own bed and it'll all be fine. Well, I packed up the glue gun, a few pieces of different size wood from the garage, her slippers, and all of her school binders. I drove 25 minutes to where she was and when I got there she was happy to see me and I brought all of the stuff in the house and asked if she wanted to go home with me and to my surprise, she did not. She did give me a great, big, giant hug.
I drove off worried about her decision and thought "good, she'll be happy she was a part of it all"
I picked her up from the bus at 3:30 this afternoon and she looked like she has been up all night. Which she was.
They were taken from their warm beds at 2:00 am and never stopped doing stuff all night. They sang at 7-11, played at a park, went to fast food places and did stupid stuff. They had a ball. They ended up at the team captains house for breakfast and luckily swim practice was cancelled because the coaches took pity on them and they were all in school on time. Jordan was so happy to be a part of it all and she held on the entire night. Granted, she was asleep by 6 tonight.
Tomorrow, we get her to the pool by 8am for a swim meet.
I can't wait to hear from the other's how it went.
I'm so glad I didn't make her come home with me. Although, part of her wishes she would have gotten a good nights sleep. That, she did tell me.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
The Kidnapping
Tonight's the big kidnapping. Apparently it's "fun". For Jordan???? I'm not so sure about that. Let me explain.
Every year the swim team seniors line up a "kidnapping" for the underclass. At the beginning of swim season they told all of the parents that they will pick a night and drive to that swimmers house and get them out of bed in the middle of the night and not let them get dressed, comb their hair, or anything. The asked that for those of us who live far away to maybe arrange for our kid to spend the night with a fellow swimmer. We were given instructions to put our dog's away, unlock the door and give directions to the bedroom our daughter is sleeping in. Sounds fun, huh????
Not for Jordan. She knows that this is going to happen but doesn't know when and she totally wants to be a part of it. Well, Jordan isn't like most girls. She suffers from extreme anxiety on top of everything else and two nights ago when I lined up for her to sleep over at a friends house she went into panic mode. There was no way I was expecting those girls to drive up here on our slick, icy, windy road to get my daughter. It's too far away.
I made up some excuse that I had to work a breakfast and that Dad couldn't possibly make it up and down the hill twice in one morning to get her to swim practice and Hannah to school. Well, she didn't buy it and went into panic mode and couldn't stand the thought of sleeping over at so and so's house ON A SCHOOL NIGHT!!!!!
She is crying and crawling out of her skin and can't get it together. I'm thinking this is a bad idea for her and I try calming her down saying it'll be fun and when does she ever get a chance to sleep over at a friends on a school night? It's not working.
I finally tell her the secret.
Shame on me but like I said, we're not dealing with your ordinary child here. This is different.
I tell her we can call it all off and it would be better that she doesn't stay up all night, then swim practice, then school. She almost bought it but then decided that she cannot miss out. Darnit.
So, tonight she is at her friends and hasn't spilled the beans and has already called 3 times. The first time she was crying, wanting to be picked up, the second time she put it together and the third time she just wanted to hear my voice. Sigh!
I love my daughter so much with her flaws and I am hoping that everything will be fine. It's all harmless and they don't do anything wrong or mean or inappropriate. It's just a great group of girls, 9th-12th grades that are doing what teens do best. Having Fun.
She's going to be a mess tomorrow and I will deal with that tomorrow.
Ahhhhh, High School.
Every year the swim team seniors line up a "kidnapping" for the underclass. At the beginning of swim season they told all of the parents that they will pick a night and drive to that swimmers house and get them out of bed in the middle of the night and not let them get dressed, comb their hair, or anything. The asked that for those of us who live far away to maybe arrange for our kid to spend the night with a fellow swimmer. We were given instructions to put our dog's away, unlock the door and give directions to the bedroom our daughter is sleeping in. Sounds fun, huh????
Not for Jordan. She knows that this is going to happen but doesn't know when and she totally wants to be a part of it. Well, Jordan isn't like most girls. She suffers from extreme anxiety on top of everything else and two nights ago when I lined up for her to sleep over at a friends house she went into panic mode. There was no way I was expecting those girls to drive up here on our slick, icy, windy road to get my daughter. It's too far away.
I made up some excuse that I had to work a breakfast and that Dad couldn't possibly make it up and down the hill twice in one morning to get her to swim practice and Hannah to school. Well, she didn't buy it and went into panic mode and couldn't stand the thought of sleeping over at so and so's house ON A SCHOOL NIGHT!!!!!
She is crying and crawling out of her skin and can't get it together. I'm thinking this is a bad idea for her and I try calming her down saying it'll be fun and when does she ever get a chance to sleep over at a friends on a school night? It's not working.
I finally tell her the secret.
Shame on me but like I said, we're not dealing with your ordinary child here. This is different.
I tell her we can call it all off and it would be better that she doesn't stay up all night, then swim practice, then school. She almost bought it but then decided that she cannot miss out. Darnit.
So, tonight she is at her friends and hasn't spilled the beans and has already called 3 times. The first time she was crying, wanting to be picked up, the second time she put it together and the third time she just wanted to hear my voice. Sigh!
I love my daughter so much with her flaws and I am hoping that everything will be fine. It's all harmless and they don't do anything wrong or mean or inappropriate. It's just a great group of girls, 9th-12th grades that are doing what teens do best. Having Fun.
She's going to be a mess tomorrow and I will deal with that tomorrow.
Ahhhhh, High School.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
The Clutter
I have purchased separate bins for the 4 of us.
Didn't work.
I have threatened, and threatened.
Didn't work.
I have labeled places for us to put our stuff.
Didn't work.
Obviously, nothing works.
I have literally tried everything.
Nothing works.
I'm over it. And I really don't know how to clean up the clutter.
I have been over to some of my friends' homes and they have no clutter. I didn't believe it so I decided to "drop" by unannounced and still, no clutter. How do these super Mom's do it?
I need help with my clutter.
Believe me,
NOTHING WORKS!!!!!!!
Monday, January 9, 2012
My 2011 Christmas Letter
This just went out to family and friends.
A little late but it went out.
February- The Friswold’s, our cousins, came for a ski visit.
March- Nothing.
April- Drove to Las Vegas for 3 days to get out of the snow. We stayed downtown 2 nights and the Mandalay Bay one night. Bye, Bye American Pie is now our family song.
May- Heather celebrated her birthday in Scottsdale with 3 friends. The weather was perfect. Jack and Heather celebrated 21 years of blissful marriage.
June- Jordan turned 15. Nana came for a visit to Fruita. Always fun.
July- Nothing.
August- Jack turned 51. Jordan started High School. Hannah started 7th grade.
September- Nothing.
October- Nothing.
November- Heather went to MN for a week with a weekend trip to Madison to see the Brolin’s.
December-Holiday Madness.
A little late but it went out.
Raising teenagers is like nailing Jell-O to a tree.
Wrinkles don’t hurt. Laughing is good exercise. It’s like jogging on the inside.
Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy. I found these quotes on an old Christmas letter from my Mom so I copied them. Good stuff!
I hope you had a great year. Here is a recap on the Bussy’s year of 2011.
January- Hannah turned 12.February- The Friswold’s, our cousins, came for a ski visit.
March- Nothing.
April- Drove to Las Vegas for 3 days to get out of the snow. We stayed downtown 2 nights and the Mandalay Bay one night. Bye, Bye American Pie is now our family song.
May- Heather celebrated her birthday in Scottsdale with 3 friends. The weather was perfect. Jack and Heather celebrated 21 years of blissful marriage.
June- Jordan turned 15. Nana came for a visit to Fruita. Always fun.
July- Nothing.
August- Jack turned 51. Jordan started High School. Hannah started 7th grade.
September- Nothing.
October- Nothing.
November- Heather went to MN for a week with a weekend trip to Madison to see the Brolin’s.
December-Holiday Madness.
There you have it.
I hope you don’t mind the recycled paper.
Have a Wonderful 2012!
Friday, January 6, 2012
Damn Kids
Bringing in the new year this year was pretty painless. That was until my daughters showed me the pictures they took of me when I fell asleep on the couch one night this week at around 8pm. I rarely fall asleep that early because I am such a night owl but that night I wasn't working and I had put in a very full two weeks over the holidays and I guess I was tired.
I had a glass of wine in my hand and my eyes closed and for some reason they thought it would be funny to start snapping pictures of me while I was laying there sleeping. No, I wasn't "passed out" like you are thinking, because I had wine in my hand. It was my first glass.
I had my glasses on, my hair was unwashed, I had about 8 chins because of the position I was in (OK, it's really because I am 10 lbs overweight) and it was just down right bad.
The girls were cracking up big time and Hannah started poking me with her finger like I was some dead animal on the side of the road. I woke up and wiped the drool from my face and blinked my eyes because I really didn't know what was going on. I, after all, was the innocent one in this scenario and they were laughing at me and I didn't know why.
Hannah started laughing really hard and kept snapping and by the time I got up and grabbed that camera she had taken around 5 pictures. I did manage to delete all but one.
Are you ready for this? It's bad.
Reality is now sinking in and it's time for a makeover.
Here you have it
I had a glass of wine in my hand and my eyes closed and for some reason they thought it would be funny to start snapping pictures of me while I was laying there sleeping. No, I wasn't "passed out" like you are thinking, because I had wine in my hand. It was my first glass.
I had my glasses on, my hair was unwashed, I had about 8 chins because of the position I was in (OK, it's really because I am 10 lbs overweight) and it was just down right bad.
The girls were cracking up big time and Hannah started poking me with her finger like I was some dead animal on the side of the road. I woke up and wiped the drool from my face and blinked my eyes because I really didn't know what was going on. I, after all, was the innocent one in this scenario and they were laughing at me and I didn't know why.
Hannah started laughing really hard and kept snapping and by the time I got up and grabbed that camera she had taken around 5 pictures. I did manage to delete all but one.
Are you ready for this? It's bad.
Reality is now sinking in and it's time for a makeover.
Here you have it
DAMN KIDS!!!!
Friday, December 30, 2011
"Go Out and PLAY!"
My kids are ready to go back to school. They are getting anxious and bored being home and trying to find things to do. Having no neighbors to harass it's always tricky to get them to get off the couch and stop playing wii and get outside. When they were little they had no problem getting on their play clothes and going out and just playing.
Now that they are older
1. They don't "play"
2. Don't even call it "play" because they will roll their eyes and act like that was the biggest insult you have ever given them.
3. They don't want to put on "play" clothes. For some reason, even though nobody will see them in our yard, looking good is priority.
4. If I tell them to go out and "play" they yell at me and tell me to stop treating them like babies.
5. Right now, for instance, Jordan is straightening her hair so she can go outside to sled.
6. I know longer am the cool Mom.
I did get them to go outside eventually. Jordan smelled real pretty too after she put on some perfume.
She will be the best smelling sledder in our yard.
Now that they are older
1. They don't "play"
2. Don't even call it "play" because they will roll their eyes and act like that was the biggest insult you have ever given them.
3. They don't want to put on "play" clothes. For some reason, even though nobody will see them in our yard, looking good is priority.
4. If I tell them to go out and "play" they yell at me and tell me to stop treating them like babies.
5. Right now, for instance, Jordan is straightening her hair so she can go outside to sled.
6. I know longer am the cool Mom.
I did get them to go outside eventually. Jordan smelled real pretty too after she put on some perfume.
She will be the best smelling sledder in our yard.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Day Off
Day off!!
This season kicked my sorry arse but in a good way. All in all, it was great to be working and making money and the tourists weren't too cranky or weird which we often see during this time. I did, however, miss my family in a bad way and thought about everyone at my aunt's house. This time last year my Dad was in the hospital recovering from dying and being brought back to life and we were all there, at my Dad's house, celebrating Christmas, making visits to the hospital, having some fun watching our kids together. There is nothing like cousins. I love my cousins. And my kids love their cousins too. It's a super special relationship.
I am enjoying my coffee, looking out at the day. It's windy but warm and we still have no snow but I'm taking Jordan and going skiing. Later we are having dinner with one of my most favorite families in the world. I'm liking this day knowing I don't have to go to work and I get one day of reprieve.
Tomorrow I start all over with a busy week at work until Sunday when I get to recoup again.
Head down, game face on, work mode, but today I'm off and I am getting out and enjoying it.
Have a great day where ever you live.
This season kicked my sorry arse but in a good way. All in all, it was great to be working and making money and the tourists weren't too cranky or weird which we often see during this time. I did, however, miss my family in a bad way and thought about everyone at my aunt's house. This time last year my Dad was in the hospital recovering from dying and being brought back to life and we were all there, at my Dad's house, celebrating Christmas, making visits to the hospital, having some fun watching our kids together. There is nothing like cousins. I love my cousins. And my kids love their cousins too. It's a super special relationship.
I am enjoying my coffee, looking out at the day. It's windy but warm and we still have no snow but I'm taking Jordan and going skiing. Later we are having dinner with one of my most favorite families in the world. I'm liking this day knowing I don't have to go to work and I get one day of reprieve.
Tomorrow I start all over with a busy week at work until Sunday when I get to recoup again.
Head down, game face on, work mode, but today I'm off and I am getting out and enjoying it.
Have a great day where ever you live.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Merry Christmas Eve
Twas the night before Christmas
and the restaurant was busy
with tourists aplenty
eating and drinking until they were dizzy.
Most had a good time
in the past there are cranks
but tonight was a good crowd
and for that I say thanks.
The tips were all good
which is always a plus
At the end of the night
there was no need to fuss.
Tomorrow we wake
do it all over again
I'd rather be with my family
but working this holiday wasn't that bad in the end.
Merry Christmas.
and the restaurant was busy
with tourists aplenty
eating and drinking until they were dizzy.
Most had a good time
in the past there are cranks
but tonight was a good crowd
and for that I say thanks.
The tips were all good
which is always a plus
At the end of the night
there was no need to fuss.
Tomorrow we wake
do it all over again
I'd rather be with my family
but working this holiday wasn't that bad in the end.
Merry Christmas.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Mother/Daughter Time
My daughter, Hannah, rallied me pretty hard this morning to get up out of bed and go skiing. Since we don't have any snow it's hard to get motivated to go ski. But we went and had a blast.
We got on the lift at 10:30 and it was sunny and warm. We got off the lift, skied off the back side towards North Peak and rode up the lift for some more sun and smiles. We were both so content and happy to be outside.
After a few runs we called it a day and headed home. At the end of our last run we were behind a snowboarder going way to fast. He was not slowing down when he got to the slow fence and tried jockeying his way through the fence past a Father and his probably 5 year old daughter. He ran right into the little girl right in front of us. Luckily she was not hurt and the Dad was stunned that that just happened. There were two ski patrols standing there watching and they went up to the kid and just said, "Buddy, your day is over!!" They took his pass and kicked him off the mountain. Hannah and I saw the whole thing and we were just shocked to see this idiot try to ride his way through the fence at a high speed. Nice to see someone get busted for being a doink and not thinking about the people around him.
The coolest thing about today is that my 12, almost 13 year old, likes skiing with me still and we laugh and have a great time together. This will change, I'm sure, but I sure did relish in the moment today. We have a blast together and she makes me smile.
I could barely keep up. I had to turn it up a notch watching her ski fast down the mountain.
Damn.
We got on the lift at 10:30 and it was sunny and warm. We got off the lift, skied off the back side towards North Peak and rode up the lift for some more sun and smiles. We were both so content and happy to be outside.
After a few runs we called it a day and headed home. At the end of our last run we were behind a snowboarder going way to fast. He was not slowing down when he got to the slow fence and tried jockeying his way through the fence past a Father and his probably 5 year old daughter. He ran right into the little girl right in front of us. Luckily she was not hurt and the Dad was stunned that that just happened. There were two ski patrols standing there watching and they went up to the kid and just said, "Buddy, your day is over!!" They took his pass and kicked him off the mountain. Hannah and I saw the whole thing and we were just shocked to see this idiot try to ride his way through the fence at a high speed. Nice to see someone get busted for being a doink and not thinking about the people around him.
The coolest thing about today is that my 12, almost 13 year old, likes skiing with me still and we laugh and have a great time together. This will change, I'm sure, but I sure did relish in the moment today. We have a blast together and she makes me smile.
I could barely keep up. I had to turn it up a notch watching her ski fast down the mountain.
Damn.
Friday, December 16, 2011
My 2004 Christmas Letter
This was my first Christmas letter ever. I had just received a Christmas letter from a friend of mine who I never keep in touch with any more. She gushed and gushed and her kids are clearly the most perfect kids in the world. I was extremely annoyed with her letter and sat down on my computer and wrote this in about 5 minutes. It's all true and I felt much better. Needless to say, my Mother, who had a great sense of humor, was NOT amused by this letter for some reason.
Here it is.
Jordan is our oldest. She is now 8 and continues to amaze us with the fits she throws and is a true handful. She is a typical 8 year old and we can never turn our heads for a minute. She has had her 2nd offence at our local grocery store. By that I mean we are now in the stealing from the checkout line phase. The first time was embarrassing, and the second time was just down right humiliating. They told us that if it happens again they would call the police. Hopefully that scared her enough to get her to stop. Jordan also continues to struggle at school. We should have held her back as advised but she was such a good student in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade. Now that she is in 3rd grade she is struggling at math and reading but loves and does well at everything else. We are doing many math facts during our winter break. Too bad for her. Jordan is a great athlete. We are so proud of her swimming and she is a fish in water. We keep her up on her swimming lessons and she especially likes Mondays with the after school day camp program. There’s really no instruction going on and the kids just go wild at that pool. She loves it. We are not skiing yet because we have been just too busy but we have the girls signed up for the Arapahoe Basin Ski Club which starts in January. Most of our friends’ kids are already on double black diamonds. But not our girls. They still prefer the green runs and their favorite run is called Toilet Bowl. Sweet, huh?
Here it is.
As this year comes to an end I hope it has been as crazy and hectic as ours.
I’ll update you on our two beautiful children, Jordan and Hannah.
Jordan is our oldest. She is now 8 and continues to amaze us with the fits she throws and is a true handful. She is a typical 8 year old and we can never turn our heads for a minute. She has had her 2nd offence at our local grocery store. By that I mean we are now in the stealing from the checkout line phase. The first time was embarrassing, and the second time was just down right humiliating. They told us that if it happens again they would call the police. Hopefully that scared her enough to get her to stop. Jordan also continues to struggle at school. We should have held her back as advised but she was such a good student in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade. Now that she is in 3rd grade she is struggling at math and reading but loves and does well at everything else. We are doing many math facts during our winter break. Too bad for her. Jordan is a great athlete. We are so proud of her swimming and she is a fish in water. We keep her up on her swimming lessons and she especially likes Mondays with the after school day camp program. There’s really no instruction going on and the kids just go wild at that pool. She loves it. We are not skiing yet because we have been just too busy but we have the girls signed up for the Arapahoe Basin Ski Club which starts in January. Most of our friends’ kids are already on double black diamonds. But not our girls. They still prefer the green runs and their favorite run is called Toilet Bowl. Sweet, huh?
Hannah is 5 and is in full time kindergarten and loves every minute of it. She really doesn’t excel at anything but she is a very happy-go-lucky kid. She has a lot of friends and seems to be well liked. She is the pickiest eater on earth and I’m not sure how she survives on just noodles and plain bread. Hopefully some day we can get a vegetable or fruit into her little system. Jordan and Hannah are best friends and they fight like sisters do. I’m sure you all know that it can get pretty violent at times. But sisters will be sisters. Hannah has also discovered swear words which can be very embarrassing at times. Kids these days.
Our newest addition to our family is our dog, Teller. He’s named after the mountain right behind our house and our other dog Buck is buried up there. We adopted him from the pound last January so he isn’t quite one year yet but is well on his way to weighing over 100 lbs. Who would’ve thunk? He gets into everything from the garbage to any food left on the counter. We really need to watch him at all times too. He just gobbled up an entire plate of fresh homemade cinnamon rolls that were even wrapped. He’s also discovered that the couch is much more comfortable than the floor. Dog hair is all over our furniture now. We try to get him down but he sleeps there during the night when we are all sound asleep. He is a very smart dog!
Jack and Heather are still pretty much the same. We have arguments like normal people but we now argue much more constructively and that helps. Thanks Dr. Phil. Heather broke her collar bone over her 40th birthday and that really took a toll on the checkbook. But after her surgery in June she is fully recovered. Heather also went back to work in August. She works in a Dental office at the front desk and loves it. Jack is still a builder and he is one skillful builder. He mostly builds custom homes and it keeps him busy. Even though we struggle financially we still manage to put a smile on our face and enjoy life to the fullest.
We are very blessed and we feel so very fortunate to have a pretty normal family.
We hope this letter finds you better off than us.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Love,
Us
Thursday, December 15, 2011
My 2009 Christmas Letter
Merry Christmas. We hope this letter finds you all struggling just as hard as the B Family is. It gives us great joy to know that other families have a tough go of it too.
Heather
Heather is focused on not having a nervous breakdown. She is having a great time in life and the kids continue to be such a challenge but it’s good for her to have that. She has always liked a challenge and this is perfect for her. We did have quite the pregnancy scare earlier on in the year and thank goodness it was just that, a SCARE. We just know that if we were pregnant we would have had another girl. That would have been just par for our course. We were ecstatic to know she is just going through menopause. God works in mysterious ways.
Jack
Jack is doing wonderful. He was just voted number one dad by our two daughters and was so proud for being recognized in this family. He’s working very hard to be number one husband but has a long way to go. His job is still in the construction world and he has taken it upon himself to venture off on his own a bit and now he has so much more time to ski. He is skiing as much as he can in the winter and in the summer he rides his mountain bike as much as he can. Jack did travel to Costa Rica because we did purchase property down there. He spent 2 weeks in Costa Rica and unfortunately it rained and rained and the beach was polluted with raw sewage. We are hoping we didn’t make a mistake by buying property where we did. We’ll see.
Jordan
Jordan continues to keep us on our toes. She is now in the swearing phase of her life and is experimenting at home when she throws her fits. She loves to just let those bad words fly and see our reaction. After all she is a teenager now (13). She is now homeschooled and is determined to send her mother to an institute of some sort. Jordan continues to make us proud though. She excels at computer games, and hand held yahtzee. Jordan is our thespian She was cast in the Christmas Carol play and has 2 lines. She loves every minute of it. She is not the athlete of the family and hates winter but theatre has filled that void.
Hannah
Hannah loves swimming and has been on our local swim team for 3 years now. She competes in swim meets all over Colorado. The last meet she swam she only got disqualified once. Hannah enjoys skiing and now wants to do gymnastics. Too bad we don’t have the money for the gymnastics but she’ll get over it. She’s been there done that with us before. Hannah is also the comedian of our family. She continues to impress us during our fights and she’ll just break out with a dance or a joke just to get us all to stop. Hannah is our happy go lucky child and is really just very average.
Teller,
Even though our girls are definitely not gifted or talented, our beast of a dog is! He is soooo smart. He eats us out of house and home daily and has figured out that he can get food from our garbage as soon as we fall asleep. He’s even figured out how to open the cupboard where we keep the garbage! We are still very proud of him. He’s as big as a horse, being part Great Dane, which Heather didn’t know when she adopted him 5 years ago. She thought she was bringing home a small lab mix. Surprise!!! Teller is an incredible watch dog for our family. Anytime someone comes to the house he barks and growls and scares the youknowwhat out of whomever it is. It is a great comfort to us to know that he might attack at any given moment. FYI, call us before you come for a visit. Teller brings us great comfort and joy. We are truly blessed to have him.
Buster is the newest addition to our family. He is our cat and loves to pounce on the kids. He also scares the living daylights out of us and he is just scratching up the furniture something fierce. Too bad we bought a new couch before we got him. It’s trashed. We love him and although our house smells like cat pee we are now a complete family.
We hope this letter finds you all healthy and happy. We are still working on it.
Happy Holidays,
The B's
Thursday, December 8, 2011
WARNING! Bragging Rights
WARNING!!
I have to brag for a bit. So if parents who brag about their kids make you gag, don't read on.
I have good kids. Both, completely different from one another but both equally good in their own way.
Jordan has been swimming and loving the team and the team has taken her in like she has been a friend for life. No judgement, no drama, no attitudes. Just good kids having a great time as a team of swimmers. As many issues as Jordan has not one of those girls seem to care and they include her in everything. Her endorphins have kicked in and she is happier. She swims 5 days a week. We get up twice a week because she has to be at the pool by six. That means we have to leave our house at 5:15 am and it's tough. She swims 2 meets a week and the drive is a long one to Denver from here. Tuesday I drove down to Denver to see the meet and I watched her swim the 50 fly. It was awesome and she swam it well. Her stroke was beautiful. It was worth the drive. She hasn't complained once about swimming. I love that sport.
Hannah has been busting her butt in school. Last month she got off of her IEP which made her a special ed student. I have said this before and I'll say it again. GET RID OF STANDARDIZED TESTING!! She scores low on those tests but is an excellent student. Needless to say, she was ecstatic when she felt like she was not a "dumb" kid or a "sped". Well, she was placed in a lower level reading and math class and was just bummed about it. For a couple of weeks she has been asking me to set up an appointment with her teachers to discuss this. Her thought process, with good reason, is that why did she work so hard in school to get off her IEP and now she's not seeing any benefits from it? She kept thinking "why am I still in the sped classes? Good point. She called me at work and asked me if I had emailed school. I'm telling you she is on it. I asked her which teachers needed to be addressed and she told me. Then she said, "Mom, before you set up an appointment let me tell you when I'm free". Ha Ha. She's so organized but that's one thing I do know. When she is free. She cracks me up. Anyway, I email and they explain why she is in the classes she's in, because of the standardized tests, and after they thought about her situation they moved her to a higher level class and the morning she was so upset, with these huge Cindy-Loo-Who tears streaming down her cheeks, she came home that same day a different kid with way more confidence knowing that she would be challenged.
The cool thing about this is that she totally advocated for herself and made that change. She works hard and it shows. The teachers love her. Especially her ski coaches. One has told me that they have never seen a kid so excited all the time when she is on the mountain. And it is contagious. She loves every bit of winter and the cold. Crazy.
I've shed a lot of tears over the past 2 months because parenting has really given me a run for my money. It's the hardest thing I have ever encountered. This week has been a good one for my parenting confidence.
I have to brag for a bit. So if parents who brag about their kids make you gag, don't read on.
I have good kids. Both, completely different from one another but both equally good in their own way.
Jordan has been swimming and loving the team and the team has taken her in like she has been a friend for life. No judgement, no drama, no attitudes. Just good kids having a great time as a team of swimmers. As many issues as Jordan has not one of those girls seem to care and they include her in everything. Her endorphins have kicked in and she is happier. She swims 5 days a week. We get up twice a week because she has to be at the pool by six. That means we have to leave our house at 5:15 am and it's tough. She swims 2 meets a week and the drive is a long one to Denver from here. Tuesday I drove down to Denver to see the meet and I watched her swim the 50 fly. It was awesome and she swam it well. Her stroke was beautiful. It was worth the drive. She hasn't complained once about swimming. I love that sport.
Hannah has been busting her butt in school. Last month she got off of her IEP which made her a special ed student. I have said this before and I'll say it again. GET RID OF STANDARDIZED TESTING!! She scores low on those tests but is an excellent student. Needless to say, she was ecstatic when she felt like she was not a "dumb" kid or a "sped". Well, she was placed in a lower level reading and math class and was just bummed about it. For a couple of weeks she has been asking me to set up an appointment with her teachers to discuss this. Her thought process, with good reason, is that why did she work so hard in school to get off her IEP and now she's not seeing any benefits from it? She kept thinking "why am I still in the sped classes? Good point. She called me at work and asked me if I had emailed school. I'm telling you she is on it. I asked her which teachers needed to be addressed and she told me. Then she said, "Mom, before you set up an appointment let me tell you when I'm free". Ha Ha. She's so organized but that's one thing I do know. When she is free. She cracks me up. Anyway, I email and they explain why she is in the classes she's in, because of the standardized tests, and after they thought about her situation they moved her to a higher level class and the morning she was so upset, with these huge Cindy-Loo-Who tears streaming down her cheeks, she came home that same day a different kid with way more confidence knowing that she would be challenged.
The cool thing about this is that she totally advocated for herself and made that change. She works hard and it shows. The teachers love her. Especially her ski coaches. One has told me that they have never seen a kid so excited all the time when she is on the mountain. And it is contagious. She loves every bit of winter and the cold. Crazy.
I've shed a lot of tears over the past 2 months because parenting has really given me a run for my money. It's the hardest thing I have ever encountered. This week has been a good one for my parenting confidence.
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