Lots and Lots of Ever-So-Random Information

I apologize for seeming like I'm on some sort of a negative kick lately...here and there....

Wait.

No, I don't.

*ahem*

Things around here have been very different. Not BAD different, just different. I remember the days when my life consisted of waking up, getting kids ready for school, sitting around with the smallest C, cleaning house, washing clothes/dishes, picking up kids from school, going to the gym, then cooking dinner and just chillin' out all evening. Now, I rarely seem to have time to do ANY of the above.
Except the gym. And the whole "getting kids ready for and picked up from school" thing. But that's a given.
Anywho, it feels like I'm being pulled in about 10 directions at once. I love being busy, but I also enjoy just lounging in my pj's with no makeup.
The internship thing went really BAD for a while, but now it has turned a corner and I'm excited about it again. Without going in to all of the painful details, the trainers at Gold's were less than helpful when it came to scheduling times to shadow them for my 40 hours of required internship. After a call to my most helpful professor, I've swung a deal with him where I can get my hours in at AC's Carter Fitness Center. I will be working with the students who are currently in the personal training course---it's sort of a help and be helped kind of thing. Any way you say it, I'm super excited! The remaining 36 hours I need will hopefully go by fast.

Recently, we had to meet with Caitlin's teachers at school, mainly her Math teacher regarding her recently plummeting grades. Poor, sweet Caitlin--she has struggled with math since last year when she transitioned from private to public school. The TAKS test isn't making her life any easier in this area, and she seems to be constantly daydreaming or not focusing on her tasks. Her teacher felt it necessary to address some issues beyond just academics, so we have an appointment with her pediatrician next week. Basically, they want to evaluate her for ADD Non-Hyper. She is such a passive, easygoing child. The concern here is that she is not fully grasping things at school and at home. She lives "in a fog" on a daily basis, and that is something we do NOT want for her. Simply having her evaluated is the best plan. That way we can either confirm or rule out a problem. Being honest about this situation is not easy for me. No parent wants to believe that their child isn't functioning at 100%. There has always been something different about Cait, but John and I assumed it was simply her personality. After much discussion with a diagnostician and her teacher, we've come to the realization that we may (or may not) be facing something bigger than just a personality trait. The fact that she was born at 33 1/2 weeks gestation apparently plays in to what we have been dealing with. All of that said, I'm both looking forward to and apprehensive about next week's appointment.

John has been very busy lately, not just with the fire department and the National Guard, but also with possibly looking in to other job opportunities. He recently tested for a position with the FBI. He's not really certain if that's where he wants to go with his life, but he's willing to continue with the testing process and see where it takes him. I couldn't be more proud. If all goes as planned, he will be starting OCS (Officer Candidacy School) for the National Guard in a few months. That's an 18 month long course, one weekend a month and 2 weeks out of the summer--all in Austin, TX. Basically, he will fly back and forth. I might occasionally take the trip with him, if I can swing it. :)

~Mel

I'm Just Gonna Throw This Out There

Please pardon the interruption of my Ireland postings (ok, well there was really just 1...but you understand, don't you?), but I had a stream of thought that just won't go away.

Life lately has been "interesting."

The way I thought things would go hasn't been the way they've gone at all. What's up with that?!? I need to know.

Anywho...

John and I were having a serious conversation in the front seat of our car on the way home from Dallas/Ft. Worth this weekend. We discussed a broad spectrum of things--work, lack of work, goals for each of us, religion, etc. It was thoroughly entertaining and maddening all at the same time.
I was able to fully express my opinions, and so was he. It has, however, had me truly thinking.
Being a Christian...what in the heck is it really? Is it all about being better than sinners? Should we have to dress a certain way and go to a certain building on Sunday mornings, Wednesday nights, etc? Should the "potty mouths" we all deal with make us feel shame if ever used? Should drinking a beer or anything alcoholic for that matter out in public make us worry about getting caught doing so? Are there really THAT many rules?
I know I cannot speak for John here, but I've been struggling with the whole "God thing" for quite a while. Circumstances in our marriage, my life, and life in general have flipped my religious views and concepts completely upside down. No longer do I want to hide my gossiping behind prayer requests and the taking thereof. No longer do I want to live one way and put on a good act for the Christian friends I have.
It's absurd. And it's tiring. And I'm DONE.
I love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, strength, mind, etc. In fact, I know where I would be if I didn't have Him on my side. He truly picked me up from the worst possible point in my existence and walked me back into the light. I have every reason to praise Him, love Him, and worship Him.
I will NOT, however, continue on and pretend to be a goody-goody (if any of you ever really believed that's what I was doing, anyway).
Yes, I'll watch my language. No, I won't feel shame if something comes out that wasn't 100% good.
Yes, I will raise my children to love, honor, respect, and follow Him. No, I will not shove religion down their throats.
Yes, I will watch my actions and words toward others. No, I will not continue to say just what I think everyone wants to hear or do what everyone expects of me at all times.

**And just for a side note, if I want to wear torn jeans, a crazy tattoo-promoting shirt, and a little extra makeup to church, I'm going to DO IT. Please don't get me started on tattoos, piercings, and dyed hair. It won't bode well for you. End of story.**

There are those in this world that view rebellion as a bad thing. Nope. I believe it can be a good thing sometimes. I'm choosing not to follow along. Instead, I want to find a different path--the right path for me--and go for it.

Like it or not, love it or not, God died for ALL of us. And I tend to think I make him smile more than I piss Him off. Yup, I said PISS on my blog. No apologies.

I ask myself now just one simple question: "What have I done TODAY for my God?"
That's enough to keep me going, keep my mind on the right track, and help me conquer.
And I'll do it with a smile.

~Mel

Ireland Vacation Series--Day 1 & 2

I've decided to write a day-by-day description of what happened on our recent vacation to Ireland. This is purely meant as documentation for my family, but I would be more than happy for all of you who read my blog to follow along. I don't want to forget the fun, excitement, and pure beauty of that country. Here it goes:

Day 1--February 6th, 2010

John and I were dropped off at the airport by my dad, and we began our journey at 9:25am with a flight to Dallas/Ft. Worth. After a 2 hour layover there, we continued our flight and landed in Chicago, IL around 3pm. The special Irish airline, Aer Lingus, departed Chicago around 6:30pm our time. The flight was pretty uneventful. We did get to watch movies and play Sudoku puzzles on our own personal televisions built in to the headrests in front of us. Sleep was a no-go. Everything was too new and exciting! :)

Day 2--February 7, 2010

We arrived in Dublin, Ireland around 10am (their time, which is 6 hours ahead of CST). To say that John and I were exhausted from no sleep was an understatement. We made our way through customs and out to the car rental spot with no trouble. We ended up with a Fiat Punto (it was black and oh so TINY) as our car. It was a standard as well, so clearly John had to do all of the driving. I'm terrible with standards!
John had to learn to drive on the left side of the road while sitting on the right side of the car. Adding the standard transmission in to that mess was hysterical. He did so well though. I was the official navigator with just the map from the car rental joint as my only clue as to where in the world (or Ireland) we were going. Dublin is the capital, and it's in the Republic. I was amazed at the scenery. Everything was SO GREEN. The cars there are super tiny, and the streets are all narrow and very winding. We were able to make it to the hotel without getting lost too many times. Their road signs are ridiculous--either terribly hard to read or nonexistent. We stayed in the Ritz Carlton Powerscourt, which was the most amazing and beautiful hotel I have ever seen. We were spoiled rotten--there was even a flat panel television built in to the bathroom mirror so I could watch my shows while I bathed at night. Heehee
After checking in, dumping our luggage in the middle of the room, taking pics of our surroundings, and removing our shoes, we passed out in the gigantic, comfy king sized bed.

Seriously, we basically slept the entire 1st day away. We woke up some time around 8pm that night...starving. Not having changed our dollars into euros yet, we were forced to order room service. I got a delicious pizza, and John ordered an Irish burger. Both were super yummy, but definitely NOT worth the price we had to pay for the stupid room service. Alas, our bellies were full, and we passed out again. The next thing I knew, it was around 10am Monday morning.

To be continued...

~Mel

No Lesson Learned Here

I have this darling 3 year old. She's pretty much the cutest thing ever. I happen to see a TON of myself in her on a daily basis, and that can be both really good and really bad.
The bad?

She's amazingly determined.

This determination crossed a new line recently, and it involves a small hairy animal with claws.

*deep sigh*

I have no picture to go with this post, simply because I don't think I could actually post one of the carnage. Caroline will not...I repeat...WILL NOT leave our precious kitten alone. She's on the "Gary agenda" every morning by 6:30am and doesn't stop until she goes to bed around 8pm.

Seriously, folks.
It's THAT bad.

Her poor face, arms, hands, and stomach look like she got in a fight with a weed whacker. And what does she have to say about this?

She came in to the kitchen yesterday with blood dripping down her face--scratches at least 3 inches long across her little cheek--and she deep sighs and says, "Momma, Gary scratched me again. I promise I put him down when he said 'meow'."

GOOD GRIEF.

You'd think my dear small child would get the picture. You pick up the cat, carry him around like a baby doll, and he's bound to let you know how displeased he is. EVERY TIME, Caroline. It's gonna happen every single time. Promise.

Our theory has been to let her get scratched a time or two. That will teach her.
Nope.
No lesson learned here.
In fact, she never cries and seems to care less what Gary does to her. She's just happy that he will wear her dolly clothes for .5 seconds.

Suggestions?!?

Ugggggg.

~Mel

In and Out

This just IN:
My sweet little 5 year old boy lost his first tooth yesterday!!!! I seriously can't believe he's old enough for that. He was so proud--the teacher put it in a little tooth keeper that he wore around his neck all day. Yes, he pulled it HIMSELF at school! I will post pics soon of that cutey pie missing tooth grin when I can.

And very shortly, the Haskell parental units will be officially OUT of the country! Ireland, here we come! It's been a great and fun experience traveling in a pair instead of having tag-a-longs, even though we miss the 3 C's tremendously already. We will be downloading pics to the blog as well as to Facebook as much as possible.
Until then...

~Mel

What I SHOULD Be Doing...

...is finishing up those lists. The packing list. The technology list. The book list.

You get the drift.

Instead, I was driving home tonight forming a blog entry in my mind with absolutely no thought of the fact that we are LEAVING FOR IRELAND in roughly 2 days and nothing is packed, organized, or even the slightest bit ready.

Wait. That's a lie. I bought the last bit of necessities at Wal-Mart today. And I "might" have purchased a new navy colored pea coat and awesome green leather purse.

*ahem*

What were we talking about? Ahhhhh, yes...my formation of a blog entry in my brain.

Wait.
Yup, I was afraid of that.
The entire blog entry that I worked on in the car is now gone. It made sense at the time, but now it doesn't even seem to apply. I was going to ramble on and on about my feelings on touchy subjects in life, but it passed.
Just. Like. That.
Gone.

What is REALLY important? Family? Friends? Church? Necessities? Technology?
This is something I ask myself on a daily basis. I don't always have the right answer, and I am fairly certain I never will.

This next week will be spent finding out what really is important to me. I will be alone with my darling other half with no small children around. We will have hours and hours and hours to converse uninterrupted. There will be no television watching or cell phone talking. We will be taking the computer to Skype with the kids and possibly throw some stuff up on Facebook, but that's it. Our time will be spent soaking each other up and enjoying the amazing country around us that we may never see again.

I'm beyond thrilled.

We've needed this.

~Mel

A Case Of The Don't Wannas

I'm in a blogging slump again, and it's only been a month since I've been back to it.

Gosh, I don't even know what that says about me.

John and I leave in 3 days for Ireland. I'm driving myself crazy trying to remember everything. Must make a list of the lists I need to make so I can remember to remember everything on the darn lists. Uggggg.

Here is our beautiful new kitten, Gary. He's a fiesty little number. His favorite game is catching our feet when we walk by from underneath our beds. He seems to be underneath every bed at one time--odd.

I have a UTI. If any of you ladies know how this feels, then you can totally sympathize with how I'm feeling right about now. It was so bad that I had to make a Wal-Mart run at 12:30am in my all naturale state. Supurb. At least it happened BEFORE we left the country and I can go see the doc and get meds this morning. Still...

This weather is driving me batty! I love the fact that we have 2 SUV's and can get around, but this snow is rediculous. Apparently we are supposed to get more tonight/tomorrow. Joy.

I still haven't been able to start my internship at Gold's. The man in charge seems to take his precious time calling me back and setting up the times when I can go shadow other trainers. I'll just keep on keepin' on until he figures his end of the schedule out. And I'll continue to swing the kettlebells and do power cleans while I wait.

John and I have a fun little ditty coming up in May called Warrior Dash. More on that at a later date. Just know it involves running a 6K with obstacles along with way. Dangerous obstacles. But you end up with a medal and a take-home helmet. I know, we're weird.

I got 5 loads of laundry finished, the dishes unloaded, my ipod updated, my hair washed/straightened, and all of the toys picked up during the time I was SUPPOSED to be watching the LOST final season premiere last night. We got a DVR just for this occasion, so I figured I could do housework and then sit and watch it at my leisure. I started the recording, but later realized I had actually recorded the first hour, which is background info and stuff I didn't need to see. The premiere was on after that, and I missed it. Totally, 100% missed it--recording and all. I can't tell you how much that ruffles my feathers. I came unraveled like a cheap pair of pantyhose. Good thing no one was around to witness the meltdown. Yes, LOST is that important.

I don't wanna get up and do anything today. The bed is calling my name. It's going to be good napping weather---if Caroline participates, that is.

~Mel