Would you like a recap?

Things are crazy! Let's start from the very beginning, a very good place to start. A few weeks ago I was helping Steve clean out the basement, as we are getting it finished and had to empty it out. I woke up the next morning and could not move. My back was in an ungodly amount of pain. It only got worse as the weekend went on. I couldn't bend over, pick up my kids, nothing. I managed to get to work on Monday but couldn't handle sitting in my chair. I headed to the chiropractor who subsequently sent me for xrays. The xrays didn't show anything, so now I attend physical therapy. I had my first therapy appointment yesterday and I was so sore this morning! I was twisted and turned and popped and smashed. I'm soooooooo looking forward to my next appointment.

Hendricks County was hit with some tragedies. A 13 year old boy died in a mobile home fire. A few days later, a woman was stabbed to death by her estranged husband. She was sleeping in her bed with her two young daughters, who managed to escape to a closet and call 911. Now not only do they not have their mother, but they don't have their father either. I cannot even begin to imagine waking up to what those girls woke up to. A Brownsburg teenager was killed in a car crash this week as well. Her father owns a car shop here in town. What is ironic and heartbreaking is that her father raised her and her sibling on his own after his wife, their mother, died in a car wreck some 14 years ago. His business is struggling and he can't afford to bury his child. If you are in Brownsburg in the near future, feel free to stop at a local business and drop some money in buckets to help this family out.

On to lighter news, my office is playing a sick, twisted game of Musical Chairs. The office is still under construction, and we were informed Tuesday with no notice that we all had to vacate the open room we were in so the cubicles could be brought in and assembled. I was actually out on a home visit when this decision was made, so I got a lovely call from a co-worker that my desk was now in the kitchen. Yes, the kitchen. I had to duck whenever someone opened the freezer. I was also lucky enough to hear people fighting over the thermostat. That about put me over the edge and I thanked Jesus I remembered to bring my iPod. Today I got to move back into the file room, aka kiddiecorner, with 4 other co-workers. There are five of us crammed into this room, and we are all operating out of boxes. I don't even have a phone (which is actually rather nice, since clients can't get ahold of me. Well, it was nice until two clients showed up at my office because they couldn't get ahold of me). Those of us still without a permanent cubicle home walk in every morning wondering where we'll end up. The day my desk is in the bathroom is the day I'm outta there. I'll be so happy when these shenanigans are over.

As always, I'll end with some absolutely fabulous pictures of my children. They were in slip 'n slide heaven last night.

Maybe the Dingo Ate the Remote

Let me preface this story with a backstory:

When I was in junior high or high school, I stayed home by myself while my sister, mom, and stepdad went somewhere. I was sitting in the recliner watching tv, and had the remote control in my hand. I had fallen asleep, and woke up when my family got home. The first question I was asked was, "where is the remote?" It was nowhere to be found. I looked everywhere. We dug our hands down the sides of the chair, turned it upside down, and couldn't find it. My parents then decided that I must have broken it and threw it away, then came up with the "I lost it in a chair" story. Of course, I maintained my innocence. My sister even came up to me later and said, "it's ok, you can tell me you broke it, I won't tell." I DIDN'T BREAK IT! I FELL ASLEEP AND NOW IT'S GONE! They never believed me. Until...years later my parents decided to get new recliners. My sister and I had moved out by then. I may have been in college. I honestly can't remember. I do remember getting a phone call, with my mom apologizing to me, saying that as they tore the chairs apart to make way for the new ones, the remote that I lost years ago FELL OUT OF THE CHAIR. I'm sure there was a lot of "I told you so's" in my response. I can't believe that it took the remote being found for them to believe me! I maintained my innocence all through the years, but that wasn't good enough.

Anyway...

Today I noticed that the remote to our DVD player was missing. We tore the house apart trying to find it. It was only after Steve checked my chair for the third time did we find it in the back of the chair. I don't know how it managed to get down there.

Long story short, I'm not allowed to touch the remotes anymore.

Things I Miss Doing Since Becoming A Parent

1. sleeping in
2. eating without having two beggards scream and cry until they eat my food
3. taking a shower whenever I want
4. going to bed with my husband and waking up with only my husband (3 out of 4 nights Sophie has managed to squirm her way into our bed)
5. hopping on the Harley at the spur of the moment (leaving young kids home alone is apparently frowned upon)
6. driving with the windows rolled down (Sophie doesn't like the wind in her hair)
7. using the bathroom without having the results critiqued
8. watching ANY channel but the Disney Channel

It's worth it, though! Just look at these beautiful babies!

DENIED

Today I thought I would perform my citizenly duty and donate blood. I used to donate pretty regularly back in the day (remember that) and lately I have been thinking about it a lot. I figure if I ever need blood, I hope there are enough people out there that had the same thought I did. On my lunch break, I traveled down to the local blood center, filled out the paperwork (all 51 questions) and anxiously waited. The technician came into the room to look over the answers to my questions. I answered "no" to having HIV, syphilis, and Hepatitis, so I thought I would be good to go. Not so fast. To explain things, let's travel back in time. I was born on an Air Force base in Weisbaden, West Germany. My father was in the army and was stationed there. From 1979 to sometime in the early 1980's, we lived in Germany. From 1980-1996, if you lived on a military base in Germany and some other countries that I can't remember, you could have contracted Mad Cow Disease. I learned today that there is no test that can be performed on blood to determine if it is contaminated with Mad Cow Disease. The technician told me, "I'm 100% sure you don't have it, but unfortunately, until a test is developed, you will be unable to donate blood for the rest of your life." But I have donated blood in the past! Now that we are up with the times, more is known about other diseases that make it impossible to donate blood. So, I left without being stuck in the arm (which I'm okay with), but was sad that I wouldn't be able to help someone who needed it. Plus, being told that I can't do something only makes me want to do it more.

This is the second time Germany has screwed me over. The first would be when I tried to get a credit card in college, and I was DENIED because, according to Visa, I wasn't a citizen of the United States. Once my citizenship status changed, however, I would be encouraged to contact Visa to reapply.

The Jews have nothing on me.