Tuesday, February 23, 2010

no new pictures

My Mom...So Llaurel calls me and asks if I had talked to mom recently.  I had just gotten off the phone, but we hadn't talked about anything in particular.  So Llaurel tells me this:  Apparently Randy had seen a picture of me posted on Facebook and emailed it to mom.  Mom asked him why in the hell he was emailing her pictures of random women.  At which point he told her it was me.  She couldn't believe it.  Mind you, I have cut and permed my hair and the weight loss is still going strong, so I don't blame her for not realizing it was me. 

Now I tell you this story for one reason only.  For those of you who will be seeing me come May, well I don't want you to see me BEFORE then.  So all pictures will be stopped, at least as much as I can.  I want a big reveal and so getting sneak peaks of me aren't allowed.  Granted that means I have to get my friends to play along with me, but they are good sports so this should work. 

So things here aren't nearly as crazy as they were before I quit working at the Treasure shop.  I have taken to watching girlfriends kids, which is nice since Maegan loves playing with the kids.  And I have a big craft fair this Sunday that I will be participating in.  I will be selling bottles.  Bottles are big here, and no one sells them.  Esentially, we are slowly cleaning up the litter left behind in the 30's.  The bottles are so cool.  Most of them have Cuba stamped somewhere on them, which is huge here.  I was going to sell salsa as well, but just found out that I need a special permit for that and I haven't gotten that yet.  Oops.  So I will sell salsa at the next craft fair in April.  Until then, it will be bottles. 

Okay quick news today and I never blogged about the kids.  Crud...well I am late for a date so that will have to be next time.  Until then, I send you all my love....-Monica

Monday, February 15, 2010

three weeks...good Lord

I have a ton to tell you.  But in order to catch up on all the happenings, I will have to go back in time.  I will try to do a quick recap...well you know with me, I have no clue how to make it quick...
Okay the last time I wrote, lets see...Devin Lewis had come to visit and Llaurel was giving all her babysitting props to Chy...
Okay so the last week of Jan I left the island and headed to the states.  I was sweating it I tell you.  As I am sure you all know by now the DC area was hit by snow-magedon and snow-pocolipse and my personal favorite, snow-gasim.  Well I flew into BWI on the tail end of one such storm and subsequently was snowed in for two days.  But lucky me I got to hang with Spencer, Jen and Eric.  It was great.  Spence took me to a fantastic play called "I am my own wife" and then we  had a great dinner with Jen and Eric. The following day I encouraged Spence to call in sick and we headed out to explore the white city.  I promised the kids pictures of all the great sites in DC in the snow.  So Spencer took me to the top of the Washington Monument and I got pics of all the sites, which freed up our after noon at which point we had lunch at the Tombs and a great Hot Cocoa from some little chocolate spot.  It was a great few days.  I missed all my kids and Alan somethin' fierce, but I did find it in me to enjoy my first time alone since being pregers with Madie.
After all that fun with Spencer I was finally able to head to VaBeach and my Peyton.  It was amazing driving in the snow and just going fast.  It took me a good hour to get brave enough to hit 60mph and I never passed anyone that first hour.  I finally got my driving nerves back and was able to actually hit the speed limit and pass people by the time I hit Richmond. 
Once in VaBeach I played and played.  Peyton and I hit every store imaginable.  I went to Victoria's Secret for the first time in my life and bought myself a few bras.  Then Peyton hit and made me go to her bra fitting lady at Dillard's.  Can I tell you, this woman rocked.  I think Vic's Secret is really all about selling their bras, not really getting you into the right size.  The lady at Dillard's?  Holy Moses, she got my girls up and sitting pretty.  I am so happy...First time in my life that I can remember being in a, get this, 34....Yep that is right, a 34.  Who would have imagined??  Not me that is for sure.  But I look a thousand times better.  So the other bras went back to Vic's Secret.  Then I shopped for my Gtmo family.  I had a long old list with everything from breast pumps to bingo games.  I am telling you I was running around VaBeach everyday.  I bought things for the kids that we have been living without for the last six months.  I got Adam his yogurt and butter.  Bought him donuts and ceral bars.  For Alan and the girls I bought Chipotle, Bojangles and Dunkin' Donuts.  I am telling you, I went to VaBeach with two very large empty suitcases and a small carry on suitcase.  I left with 184 lbs of new crap and to top it off, I had to send myself two boxes weighing in over 70lbs together.  But I think our family as well as my Gtmo family is set for the forseeable future.
Then it was time to come home.  I was scheduled to leave out of BWI on Sat the 6th of Feb.  Alas that was when the next wave of snow hit DC and I was stranded in VaBeach.  So I made the most of it, of course hanging with Peyton and her family was no big sacrifice I tell you.  She cooked for me, let me rent an ass load of movies and even indulged me by going to the movies with me.  I had a great snow in.  Then on Tuesday the 9th I finally boarded a plane out of Norfolk headed to Gtmo.  I got on the plane with sweat pants, two jackets and gloves.  I stayed dressed like that and added two blankets until we flew over the Bahamas.  I then shed my sweat pants for a skirt, took off the gloves and packed up my jackets.  By the time I hit the island I was still freezing, but looking forward to the sun.  I made Alan ride on the top of the ferry, no shade mind you, and by the time the ferry was docked on the winward side I had thawed out.  I could feel my toes for the first time in 10 days.  It was glorious being back in my Caribbean Home.  Have I mentioned I love GTMO??
And now that I am home I have been so busy.  I would like to say I have been busy doing lots of productive things, but I haven't.  Nope I have been playing with the kids, and hanging with my peeps.  Sat night I was out until 2am with girlfriends hanging and visiting.  Well we did have a go at a bounce house.  Nothing like six grown women trying to jump in a bounce house at midnight.  Can you say alcohol much? 
And yesterday our good friends Matthew and Monique Ford renewed their wedding vows.  It was so beautiful and touching.  We then went to the reception at Rick's Lounge, complete with kids- can you imagine going to a bar with kids in the states? and then our hospital friends came over and played games until midnight.  Whew
Tonight my handsome husband has a date planned for me, a surprise. And then the week starts all over for us. 

And now I sit here, contemplating life, and I realize that I am one blessed woman.  I have a husband I love and and adore, kids that are amazing, and friends that love me.  Not to mention my families, and well, I am a bit swooshy right this minute.
My next blog will be all about my amazing children.  I have things to say about them.  Until then I send you all my love
PS sorry about all the mispellings, my spell check button is missing and I can't find it on my blog page.  Until I figure this out, you will have to tolerate all my mistakes..