Fall Into Reading 2011 Wrap-Up

Alas, my favorite season is coming to an end. I know I say this every year, but I wish I lived someplace where I could experience a true Fall. The high desert has more summer than fall weather, and then we smack into winter.

I have lacked in the reading department since the untimely death of my beloved husband. Therefore, I'm ecstatic that I sat down and actually read, albeit, not all the books I planned, but a few I really wanted to.

My favorite read was The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks. I am a sucker for a great love story. This one tugged at my heart strings because of the teenage love point of view. You know what I mean, the boy who first stole your heart. There will always be a soft spot for mine.

I also really enjoyed True Believer and it's sequel, At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks. I sure wish the friend who suggested them had taken into consideration my emotional state. A captivating, brilliant love story, which had me completely devastated at the end. I highly recommend them. I think maybe I should have waited a little while longer before diving into them.

I have had Afterlife by Claudia Gray sitting in my nook since released in March (pre-purchased it last year). A quick read, but wonderful conclusion to the Evernight Series. Of course the series is geared toward the young adult audience, but you know me...I love a great vampire story.

Having said that brings me to my final read. A friend has been on me about to start this new vampire series. I finally gave in and read the first book, A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole. Wow! I was expecting it, but it turns out it is vampire erotica. Needless to say, her writing is flawless, with story lines built in to story lines, the Immortals After Dark series is something I definitely could sink my teeth into.

Thank you again to Katrina at Callapidder Days for hosting Fall Into Reading. I'll see you again in the Spring.

Peyton Goes to the Dentist

All 3 kids were scheduled to see their dentist in February. Since we lost our insurance January 31 because Mike died, I had to cancel the appointments. It was to be Peyton's first visit. I called the boys' dentist, Dr. Bell, and explained what happened. I was told that he would not accept medical, which REALLY bummed me out. I called back last month just to make sure before searching out a new dentist.

Because the boys were already established patients, we had been with him since 2004, Dr. would keep us on under medical. He doesn't accept NEW patients with medical. Whew! When I asked about Peyton, the nurse said I would have to discuss that with him when the boys saw him. Yesterday I took the boys in. I was already coming off of a bad night, a REALLY bad one, so my emotions were ON the surface. I had to make sure all the boy's info was still correct. UGH! Of course it wasn't. Insurance changed, Mama's relationship status changed, I had to mark deceased next to Dad's info...I was a MESS. The woman asked me, "You aren't the one who lost her camera at Red Robin, are you?" I was taken aback and said I was. "I heard them talking about it on the radio. I told her the story. Finally she asked me, "Could you sign and date here to verify the changes?" I began bawling. There was Mike's signature and I hadn't seen it in almost 9 months.

While Dr. Bell examined Cameron we talked about faith, what God has planned, etc. He told me that because the boys are already part of the Bell family, Peyton is too, and he would love to see her. I was relieved. When I was setting up the next appointment for the boys, they told me they could see Peyton today. Done.

We got up this morning and did it all over again. This time I filled out new paperwork for Peyton, which didn't seem as bad as scratching out my old life yesterday. I also wasn't a blubbering basket case today.

I was a little perturbed about not having a camera to commemorate Peyton's first dentist visit, like I have with the boys. My iPhone had to do the job for me. GRRRRR!

Peyton played Star Wars while the hygienist cleaned her teeth. She did such a wonderful job. I had been concerned about some spots on her teeth, and fortunately, NO CAVITIES! They were iron stains from her kid's vitamin. (Dylan is the only one who has ever had a cavity, it was the beginning of one, so I am very blessed.)

As Dr. Bell went to his next patient, he said, "Don't forget what I told you yesterday Tiffany." The hygienist looked at me. Cameron looked at me. I told him I wouldn't. Before we left yesterday, Dr. Bell pulled me aside and told me, "If you need anything, please call my office and leave a message with one of my girls. You are part of our family and we're going to help take care of you."

Have I mentioned lately how abundantly blessed I am?

Fall Into Reading 2011

My favorite season...Fall. One of my favorite parts of the season? Katrina's Fall Into Reading.

I am at a loss, literally, as I haven't read as much as I would have liked to this year. In the wake of my husband's untimely death, I have immersed myself in a lot of television watching, and computer nonsense. I have compiled a list of books I'd like to read, even bought a few on my nook...alas, no reading.

If I get the following books read this season, I'll be happy.

True Believer by Nicholas Sparks (need to finish)
At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks (sequel to True Believer)
The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks (comes out in October)
Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo
Afterlife by Claudia Gray (sitting in my nook since released in March, purchased it last year after reading the Evernight Series)
A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit by Francis Chan

Pity Party

I am TRULY disgusted with myself. After TLBS yesterday I took Peyton out of lunch at Red Robin. When I went to pay the bill, I took my camera, my glasses, and my camera out of my purse to get to my wallet. I put everything back BUT my camera. I had taken SUPER cute pics of Peyton at church, including her in a Zebra costume in the class, which she kept on telling the teachers, "I want Mommy to take a picture and put it on facebook."

I called Red Robin immediately after realizing I didn't have my camera. I explained to her that my husband died in January and THE last pictures of him are on the memory card (not to mention the ENTIRE 2011 year worth of pics that I have not downloaded). The manager on duty had nothing, took my name and number and told me to call back in the evening to speak to the manager.

I was sick to my stomach. After we dropped Cameron off to Tribes, the littles and I headed over to Red Robin. I was borderline hysterical. Nothing. The manager made sure she had my name and number assuring she would call me.

I picked Cameron up, we got home, the kids went to bed and I proceeded to throw myself the biggest, best pity party I have ever thrown myself. I. Deserved. It.

I am tired of holding it together all the time. I am tired of being strong. I have done it since January 10, 2011. I have been responsible and not allowed myself to be a mess. NOT ONCE!

I woke up this morning miserable. I have a migraine, my body aches, and my stomach hasn't decided if it wants to blow yet.

I realize that I can't do anything about my lost camera but pray that somebody somewhere looks at the pics, rather than just formatting the card, sees the pics of Mike, his urn, his children, wife, realizes it means an awful lot to me, and returns it.

Glasses

Peyton has come a long way since her "Gwasses" days. I got the call yesterday that Peyton's new glasses were in, so we took the boys to school this morning and headed down to Rancho Cucamonga to pick them up. Dwight, the owner of Children's Eyewear Sight, is phenomenal with the kids. He showed Peyton how to properly put on and take off her new glasses. He went over the 3 places where she can't set her glasses down, and completely took his time going over everything with her.



Her glasses are Disney Princess glasses, Belle, and her glasses case is a Disney Princess purse. Perfect for Peyton, right?

I paid extra for the transitional lenses. The ophthalmologist had explained that Peyton, likely, wore her sunglasses the way she did because her eyes are sensitive. She wanted to see them turn into sunglasses, so Dwight grabbed his mirror and outside we went. As soon as Peyton stepped out of the office, she turned her face toward the sky and said, "Daddy, do you see how pretty I am with my new glasses?" Of course the tears streamed down my face and poor Dwight was dumbstruck. I explained about Mike and then he was trying to dry his eyes as well. Out of the mouths of babes, I tell ya.

Once we were done, we headed over to Victoria Gardens to walk around and test out her new glasses. I treated her to the lunch special at The Cheesecake Factory and then headed over to Ontario Mills to window shop and then back to Apple Valley to pick the boys up.


Peyton has done a wonderful job wearing them today and I'm so proud of her. The lenses are SO thick and they magnify her eyes, which totally sucks. I pray that these glasses correct her crazy right eye, and help her vision.

Millennium Falcon

Cameron and Noah worked their butts off, and did an amazing job, putting together the new Star Wars Lego ship (Millennium Falcon) Cameron got for his birthday. His face is sick and nervous holding the ship. Cameron was so afraid of dropping it.

Diva Cup

Where have you been all my adult life? As you know, I've been on vacation in Las Vegas for a week. Wouldn't you know it, my Aunt Flo decided to join me. I was SO frustrated. I hate wearing tampons in the pool, and was planning on doing a lot of swimming. I hate wearing tampons when I'm not in the pool and despise wearing pads even more. Gone are the days of birth control, where I could set my watch by my period. I would get it on a Thursday, every 28 days, and be done with it on Monday. HA! When you have children, you know the havoc it reeks on your body. I'm more irregular than regular, which has some to do with my emotions, but have been irregular since getting off the pill in my early 20's. I'm heavy, thank you fibroid tumors in my uterus, and quite frankly, would LOVE nothing more than to have the plumbing removed completely. I am done making babies, which is the only useful part of our female reproductive system anyway, and too young for menopause.

Enter...the Diva Cup! A friend emailed me about it and I became instantly intrigued. Of course the good 'ol high desert doesn't carry anything like this, and it was too late to order one from amazon. According to the website, Whole Foods carried them. I got to Henderson and asked my cousin for the nearest Whole Foods store. Thankfully, one was just 10 minutes away. I walked in, picked the last box off the shelf, and went back to my cousin's. I watched a few videos online, read the instructions, and popped the Diva Cup in. (NOTE: There are sizes, and you should follow the size guidelines based on their website.)

You can wear your Diva Cup from 10-12 hours, and wash it with unscented soap. Of course they have a special wash, for extra money, and if you want to go that route, so be it. I just use the same antibacterial soap I wash my hands with after using the restroom. The HUGE plus for me was overnight. I got to tell you ladies, not worrying about an accident while sleep was a relief! I was on vacation and not having to worry about changing my pad/tampon every few hours. When my cycle has ended, I boil it for 10 minutes, let it air dry, put it in the cute little bag it came with, and throw it under my sink until I need it again next month.

Menstral cups have been around since the 1930's. Why aren't all women told about this option? I will NEVER look back. Yes, it's a bit of a price jump in the beginning, however, how much do we spend on our feminine products every month? Now times that by 12. Subtract $25 from that, and what a savings! You will need to take care of it every month, and inspect it to make sure it isn't deteriorating, but for the most part, one cup should last you one year, much like your mascara. ;)

Home Again

We're home! We got up this morning and had breakfast with Auntie Shelly, her parents, and Uncle Mark. I'm so grateful I was able to meet Auntie Shelly's mom and dad. Our family dynamic is so funny, I can't help but laugh at it all. Cameron and Uncle Mark had a contest to see who could eat the most at a buffet. They both got 4 plates in them. Mark was impressed. Ordinarily I wouldn't allow buffet eating for Cameron, for OBVIOUS reasons, but my family doesn't think like that, and since they were paying...

The kids slept most of the way home. I wish I could have slept too. Now I'm off to unpack, do laundry and work on my Bible Study, that I didn't touch the entire time I was gone. o.O

Auntie Shelly & Sin City Comedy

I was D-R-A-G-G-I-N-G this morning! We decided to hit the pool and had a fantastic time! What a great public pool they have there in Henderson.






We got home and did the whole bath thing while Alicia took Jackson and Gage to their swim lessons. She got home and in a whirlwind we were out the door, heading to her mom's house for a family BBQ.

We snacked on pita w/ hummus and shrimp cocktail, waiting for dinner, which I didn't get. As Alicia was taking the salmon off the grill, Brian tells me, you should leave. GREAT!

I never gave a thought to my cousin's needing to transport the kiddos back to their house and car seats. Brian handed me the key to his brand new, 2011 Volkswagon Jetta. I laughed. He was serious. I drove like a Granny onto the Strip. Hilarious! When I got to Planet Hollywood, where I was meeting my Auntie Shelly, I texted Alicia and said, "Tell Brian his car corners like it's on rails." I was LMBO the entire time texting it. She wrote back, "Drive it like you STOLE IT!!!!!"

Auntie Shelly got off at the wrong monorail stop, so I had time to myself sitting in Planet Hollywood. We saw Sin City Comedy and it STUNK! They claimed to have Burlesque, and it was terrible. I would NOT recommend the show, even though it has great reviews.

We grabbed a cookie, walked around the mall of Planet Hollywood, and decided to go back to my Aunt's room at the Flamingo to wait for her husband, my Uncle Mark, her parents, and cousins to arrive. They were flying in tonight.


When we got the parking garage, I lost Brian's car. What's his license number? I don't know, he didn't either, he just got the plates last week. FINALLY we found it, by clicking the emergency button.

Back at the hotel, we jumped on the elevator and when the doors closed we all kind of looked at each other. It made a weird noise. Each floor people got on, people got off, until we were it, heading up to the 20th floor. We reached 20, and then the elevator fell slightly, to the 19th. We kept hitting the open door button, but it wouldn't open. When they did, it was SLOW. I said, "GET OUT!" I have seen one too many horror movies and we literally jumped out of that elevator. We waited for another one and got up to Auntie Shelly's room where we hung out until around midnight.

I got to see Uncle Mark, meet Auntie Shelly's parents, and cousins, and stood in the registration line with them for an hour and a half. I finally had to go, it was pushing 2 a.m. again.

I didn't drive the Jetta back to Henderson like a Granny. I drove like I ordinarily would, and pumped the music. LOVE Brian's Jetta! Nobody was awake waiting for me this time. I'm going to crash in Jackson's car bed and try to rest before we get up, get packed and head out in the morning.

BTW, STARVING!!!

Margaritaville & Drew Carey

As it turns out, Gage was dehydrated and did not have a stomach flu. We packed up, checked out and headed over to Henderson. Alicia wanted to take us to the pool, but the kids were pooled out, especially Peyton, who was complaining about her eyes hurting. We opted to stay in, and since Brian has every iElectronic imaginable, the kids had PLENTY to occupy their time.

I spent the afternoon cooking spaghetti salad for the family BBQ tomorrow, and made tacos for dinner. I had just enough time to get myself put together and head over to Jimmy Buffet's Margartiaville for drinks with my Auntie Shelly. The reason we pushed our stay longer than just a few days for Father's Day was because my Aunt was coming in to celebrate her birthday. I finally made it to Margaritaville and was pleasantly surprised to see my Auntie Pam and Uncle Mike there too. Plus, I got to meet two of my Auntie Shelly's BFF's. I ordered a Pomegranate Margarita with a bowl of corn and crab chowder. My Aunt's thought I was crazy eating soup in the 115 degree weather, but I could honestly eat soup 365 days a year. Plus, I wanted a little something more in my stomach because of the alcohol. I enjoyed my visit with my family, but it was much too brief.


Auntie Shelly offered to lend me her monorail pass to get over to the MGM Grand for Drew Carey's Improv-a-Ganza. I ordered another drink, and I don't remember what was in it, but GOOD GOLLY MS. MOLLY it was DELICIOUS! The show was AMAZING! I laughed so hard. Chip Esten touched my hand when he came out into the audience (I was in the first row, center) to grab the slips of paper with a line written on it for one of the skits. I was too busy gawking at Chip to realize Drew Carey was at the other end of the table. I caught him out of the coroner of my eye as he turned to leave. Chip Esten is HOTT!


I hopped the monorail again and headed back to the Flamingo to meet my Auntie's. Auntie Pam and Uncle Mike decided to call it a night, and I went up to Auntie Shelly's room to talk. I had a wonderful visit with her, and her room at the Flamingo...SO COOL! She was fortunate to get one of the newly remodeled rooms. Once I saw it was her bed time, I went down to the casino for a bit, played for about an hour and then headed back to my cousin's.

I walked in the door around 2:30 am. Alicia startled me when she met me in the hallway. I don't know if she was up, or heard the garage door. I've brushed my teeth, put my pj's on, finishing this and off to bed (Jackson's car bed).


On a side note: It was liberating, for lack of a better word, to be an adult in Las Vegas, to be out on the town, doing ADULT type things. I haven't had a night to myself since Mike died, almost SIX months ago! I needed this so badly.

Day 4 in Las Vegas

Today has been a nice, quiet, relaxing day. We lounged around in bed until 11 am. We went to the pool for an hour, followed by lunch in our hotel room. Hung around and played video games, read, and then back to the pool for 90 minutes. We ate dinner, took showers, I relaxed in the tub again, and now it's bed time. TODAY felt like vacation. Goodnight.

You must check out some of the AMAZING pictures I got using my underwater camera. The one's of Peyton remind me of The Little Mermaid.

Day 3 in Las Vegas

I woke up this morning and began calling hotels to see if I could find us someplace to stay for 2 nights. Everybody was booked. It looked like we were going to have to pack up and head home, and I was out the money for Drew Carey's Improv-a-Ganza ticket. Finally, I tried The Grandview, where we were already staying with my dear friend Maureen, and they had exactly 3 nights opened. I made a mad dash down to grab the key, they were even able to keep us in the same building as Maureen, and then packed up and moved down 2 floors.











Once we were settled in to the new room we headed out to have lunch. Yelp came through for me again, and we ate at this FANTASTIC wood grill pizza place. I had the veggie pizza, which was OUTSTANDING.



After lunch we drove to the nearest grocery store and picked up a few staples for the next few days. Albertson's had this cute Mickey Mouse made out of a Coke display.


Back at the hotel, it was POOL time once again.




We showered, ate dinner, and in bed by 9 tonight. Well, the kids were anyways. I took the last hour and decided to soak in the jacuzzi bathtub. BLISS. The only thing that would have made it better? If my Beloved had been here to share it with me.

Day 2 in Las Vegas

We survived another day in Las Vegas. We got up and headed out to the MGM Grand because Maureen had coupons for shows. Wouldn't you know it, she left the coupons back at the hotel. While we were there, I inquired about Drew Carey's Improv-a-Ganza, and bought a ticket for Thursday night's show. Once I bought the ticket, we checked out the Lion Habitat and then off to M&M's World.

Did you know the M&M's World has 4 stories? Good grief. I thought that place would never end. We explored all 4 floors and even watched the movie. I left the store without purchasing any M&M's!



Back at the hotel we ate lunch, and tried to get Peyton to take a nap, which was unsuccessful, as she catnapped on the way back from the strip.

The kids had been begging to hit the pool, and so before dinner, we did just that. The kid pool at The Grandview is awesome. It goes to 2 feet and I felt comfortable letting Dylan and Peyton run amok. Kristin and Dakota, Maureen's children, did not feel comfortable and watched Peyton like a hawk. Those kids sure got a work out tonight.


Once our hour was up (Cameron can only be unplugged from his pump for an hour), it was back to our room for showers, to change Cameron's insulin pump, and dinner. When I opened the fridge to get Cameron's insulin, the bottle was broke. Dylan had opened the fridge in the morning to grab a water bottle and did not report that the bottle had fallen out. Fortunately, I had brought 2, and left one at my cousin's in Henderson, a 25 minute drive. I gave Dylan and Peyton their baths, and took off for Henderson.

Alicia called and said they would meet me halfway, at Eastern. What a relief. When I got to the 7-11, she walked up to the car and said, "You got the stuff?" I was cracking up. I said, "No. YOU do!" Ha Ha Ha! I drew up the insulin, and since I was right across the street, I picked up In-n-Out for the troops, knowing Maureen and I would eat later.

Back at the hotel, Cameron had taken his shower, and we redid his pump. Dylan and I had a conversation about telling Mama when something bad happens, NO MATTER THE CONSEQUENCES!

We put the kids down for bed, and Maureen and I went next door to Southpoint to The Oyster Bar. I had read great reviews on yelp and wanted to try it out. I ordered a lobster grilled cheese. OMGoodness! It was too rich, with the lobster, butter, and white cheddar cheese, I could only eat half.



I knew I had to play nickel poker for Grandma, and so we headed to the casino. I played the same $10 for the 90 minutes we were there. I switched back and forth from Poker to Blackjack. I was down and had told myself that if I got back over $10 I would cash out. I hit 4 of a kind with 4's (Maureen called it) and was up to $12.80. I cashed out and sat the voucher on my machine to bless somebody else.

While at the casino Alicia texted me and told me that Gage had the stomach flu. UGH! With Cameron's diabetes, I can't allow him to be around that, so I don't know if I'm leaving in the morning, or if I can find a place to stay for a couple of nights, as I have that ticket for Drew Carey in 2 days. We'll see.

**NOTE** I found out that the second I sat that voucher on the machine, the money belonged to the casino, and if anyone picked it up, they are considered, legally, to have stolen from the casino. So, if I wanted to bless someone, I would have had to handed it to them. I'm not sure if I would have just left it in the machine, and not cashed out, if the same law applies.