New Year's Eve

So New Year's Eve was a low key affair in this house. I was asleep by 10 but...whatever.

Nick and Layla had a date at the theater. She's so freaking cute!









P.S. They saw The Wizard of Oz. How appropriate are her shoes?

Black Friday Door Busters Can Kiss My Ass And Here's Why....

*Warning: This post contains strong language. Because I was pissed when I wrote it, that's why.*

So I always shop on Black Friday but I go the sane route and wait until mid morning to go anywhere. I still get good deals on the stuff that I probably shouldn't be buying anyway.

This year I'm not sure what I was thinking but I decided that if Target was going to open at midnight then surely they would want me to be there. So my dumbass decided to go wait in line.

I was with my sister, her (future) step-daughter, Kyra, and Gage. We got there at 11:30. The line wrapped around Target and the strip mall that is next door. Whatever, no big deal, we'll wait.

So...we wait. Gage abandons me immediately for friends he hasn't seen in a while and we start up a conversation with the woman in front of us. That's no biggie until the lady lights up a cigarette.

Let me stop and say now that I was a smoker for too many years and would smoke where I wanted and when I wanted and if you said anything about it I probably didn't really care.

As a former smoker you'd think the smell wouldn't bother me but in fact I feel like if she doesn't finish soon I might just puke up my vanilla latte on her feet.

And...she's done. Thank God. Except, oh wait. She's a chain smoker. Oh.

We can't be friends anymore. No more witty banter with you lady. I'm talking to this lady behind me who is equally disgusted. I like her.

But wait. What is this? The line is moving. Well, at least she'll have to put her cigarette out. Or she'll smoke ALL THE WAY TO THE DOOR. Whatever, I'm done with her.

And, we're in. So now what do we do. The 150 people that were in front of us in line are already in line to check out and you can't see a single face through all of the 46" T.V.'s in their carts.

We head back to electronics and just as quickly WALK AWAY because every person in this store is clearly mentally challenged, employees and shoppers alike. Does this employee standing in the middle of the aisle really need to scream in people's faces that "THE LINE STARTS OVER THERE AND JUSTIN WILL TAKE THE NEXT PERSON NOW!!!" Does this customer really need to argue with her about how RIDICULOUS THEIR SYSTEM IS? I really don't think so. Plus that lady is a lot bigger than you, guy, and it looks like you're really starting to piss her off so if I were you I'd get in line and wait until Justin is ready for me.

We quickly grabbed our crap and headed for the check out. Except where the hell is the line for the check out? I see a line snaked around a few aisles and start to follow it. I keep walking....and walking....and walking...and, what the hell! It snakes all the way back to ELECTRONICS ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!? This is where we fucking started.

Now what the hell do we do? Well, if you're me (very impatient) and my sister (maybe even more impatient) you put your shit down where you're standing and leave.

That's right. I said it. We left.

Because we're that smart.

To Stay Or Not To Stay

So if you know me than you probably know that I did not spend my childhood in Minnesota. I spent it in the complete opposite climate of Southern Georgia. Moving here was shocking to say the least. I was 17 when we moved to the tundra and that means I've been here almost 20 years.

I still hate it.

Snow is pretty to look at. And that's all I appreciate about it. And even then, it's only pretty when it first falls. The day after it's brown and dirty and gross.

I don't mind the cold. But cold stops being cold at around 30 degrees. Anything below that is not just cold but unreasonably harsh and painful.

And I could talk about wind chill factors but, seriously, that's just depressing so I'll skip it.

So do I stay in the frozen tundra of a state or do I convince my loving, amazing, perfect husband that we were not meant to live out our years here but somewhere....tropical?

I think it's pretty obvious!

Oh Layla

So today Layla turns 11. Might as well be 21. She is growing up too fast for me. I'm not a fan. Although...

She gets sweeter every day. She gets more beautiful every day. She gets more mature every day.

I love the person she is turning into. She's pretty amazing already, I can't imagine what her future holds.


Happy Birthday Baby!!

Dancing Queen

So when she was little she would dance all over the house and wanted to be a ballerina for Halloween.



She took a dance class a while back but quit when she got bored. She went to a few classes with a friend this summer and decided she wanted to try it again. These girls were doing things she had always wanted to do. So she worked at it. She did stretches and workouts in the basement all summer.



Once she could do this there was no stopping this kid. She is in love with dance and getting better every day.

Seriously, how beautiful is my Dancing Queen?

My Awesome Kids

I Miss My Kid

So...that's it.

I just miss him.

And I wish he hadn't decided to live so far away from me.

My heart hurts.