Ah the sweet serene snowfall

As I left rehearsal last night, early because my flute part doesn't require me to be there the whole time, I entered the parking lot alone. For a moment I actually looked up and smiled at the snow falling softly around me, looking pretty in the silent darkness, enjoying God's beauty and listening to the world around me.

Then I got in my car.

The band bus has ruined me

It ocurred to me today that I have been scarred by the band bus. People who make fun of the band kids really should experience the band bus before reaching this hasty conclusion. The band bus is a place of debauchery, a place of trashy magazines (for some), a place of 1 bus-ride romances you're embarrassed to admit to, a place of Mt. Dew and swearing. A place where the "cool" kids, and I realize I am now reaching maybe just a bit, sit in the back of a coach bus and literally time people in the bathroom and develop a strict no-pooping rule. AND, if people take longer than their allotted 20 seconds, there may be any number of consequences, such as anywhere from pounding on the door, to an announcement being made to the entire bus. ...Or to anyone in the surrounding area who cared to be listening anymore, or who was just plain too bored not to be interested.

And this is the point where I reach how the band bus has ruined me. While timing people in the potty seemed funny at the time, it suddenly ocurred to me today during a work potty break, that I am ruined for life by this. Even though I was never a victim of the time limit or the no-pooping rule, because let's face it, who would actually attempt that on a bus anyways, it hit me like a ton of bricks that I am completely paranoid about the time I take in the bathroom. I'm afraid someone will notice if I've taken 20 seconds longer than usual, or God help me, if I've taken a MINUTE longer. It has become so engrained in my ways that it didn't even dawn on me where this need to cover my time in the bathroom came from until, what, 15 years later?

Well, by now you're thinking, "who the heck would change their patterns to cover their time in the bathroom?" The answer would be ME. Don't believe me? I'll take my purse sometimes, just so people aren't sure if I had to run to the vending machine, have a cigarette even though I don't smoke, make a call, touch up my makeup, go to the bathroom, or any combination of the above. I vary my times so no one notices if I stray from my usual timing, even if it means taking my dear sweet time for dear old #1. I will take a little walk before or after in case anyone saw me and knew where I was headed. I'll make sure to work in super freaky fast trips too.

While the bus situation developed out of necessity, I can't say I'm thrilled about or proud of the end results of what seemed like a harmless and funny way to keep unwanted stench out of a bus. Thanks a lot, band bus, I can't believe I'm putting this out there for people to read. Though I will say, the hubs thanks you for real, because in public I'm in and out of the bathroom faster than he can say "how long has it been?"

Happy Birthday to my Baby 2-yr old!!

She was so happy to have a party and Minnie Mouse ears!! She wore them at least 2 hours straight! I figured between 5 Christmases, why not cram in Ellie's New Year's Eve birthday party too! Followed by the 5th of 5 Christmases. Too parties at my house on the same day? SURE! Tacos for one, chili for the other. Tacos were a hit. I highly recommend it for birthday party fare. Along with Alton Brown of The Food Network's guacamole recipe - YUM!

Happy Birthday, my baby dolly - you're the happiest, cutest girl I know!

The 4-year old mind

The 4-year old mind really cracks me up sometimes. Over the weekend, we had Grandma come over and watch the kids so we could go out to dinner. Now, we haven't been out much without the kids for quite a while, so Matthew was sad we were leaving. Or so we thought.
We had hashed out the details, why parents need to go on dates, why kids can't ALWAYS come, etc. I thought it was a resolved issue.

After we left, apparently Matthew was grilling Grandma about where we went, why we went, and why kids couldn't go, and Grandma explained that's why it's called a date. Then she asked "are you disappointed you didn't get to go too?," and Matthew says "no, I'm disappointed I didn't get a donut." The background? We had gone to the apple orchard and bought donuts which were sitting out on the counter. Matthew had been eating dinner and decided he was too full to finish. So I struck a deal to get him to eat half his spaghetti, which he did, and proceeded to ask for a donut. This was right before we were going to leave for our date, and I turned into total Mom and said "if you're too full to finish your spaghetti you don't get a donut."

I can't believe we thought he was sad we were leaving him, and it turns out that he's just sad he didn't get a donut. And that's the way of the 4-year old. He sure gave the adults the giggles!

Inside a giant corn maze at the apple orchard

Let's take a journey

Has anyone else noticed a resurgence of Journey lately? Or is that just me? Is there something I'm missing which would indicate a reason for the resurgence? Don't get me wrong. I love, love, LOVE Journey. Somebody help me out on this!!!

Express Lane

Am I supposed to be excited that I now have the opportunity to use the newly opened express lane, in which I can pay a ridiculous amount of money to drive to work in a lane that, if it was a normal lane, would make traffic flow normally? Am I the only one seeing a flaw here? And what do I make of the fluctuating rate, which seems to depend on traffic? If traffic is worse, I can spend double. Yippee. Then, if someone screws up or thinks they can beat the system, the cops are hiding out nearby to nab them. So not only is there this express lane with no one in it while the rest of us putter through in the other TWO lanes, but now there are cops to pull offenders over, causing even more traffic for the rest of us in our measily TWO lanes. What sense does an express lane make if there are only three lanes?

I'm feeling I needed to rant about this. I'm feeling we've all been wronged since Jesse "the Gov" Ventura brought us our multi-billion dollar light rail system that is useful to 2% of the metro area. (I hope I'm exaggerating).

So for now, I'll be the one enjoying watching the handful of people that have been suckered into paying for their commute fly by me at irregular intervals, from my traffic infested TWO lanes.

To all I say, have a good Friday. Don't be put off. I'm really not this negative, only towards governmental agendas like punishing me for driving my car.

Back to the drawing board

No more quandary. However, we're back to the drawing board on the job front. The hubs decided AGAINST the job, after receiving an icky phone call from the owner saying the actual salary would probably be even lower than she had previously said, and an even-though-I-asked-you-when-you'd-make-your-decision-the-job-isn't-neccessarily-yours puzzler. What? How do you offer someone a job and a salary, and then renege on both? Sounds like a classic case of them not knowing what it is they want in the position they're hiring for. Or trying to put too much into one position and not being willing to pay for it.

In other words, that salary is SO 3 jobs ago. Unacceptable. I'll admit, I'm in some agony over this one, but I believe the hubs made the right decision.

Since we've been close twice now, does that mean the 3rd time's a charm? Let's hope and pray so. And let's hope and pray for no gap in employment. Gulp. Go baby go!!