Italy, here I come!

I knew I should have been Italian! I love pasta WAY too much!

You Belong in Rome

You're a big city girl with a small town heart Which is why you're attracted to the romance of Rome Strolling down picture perfect streets, cappuccino in hand And gorgeous Italian men - could life get any better?

What City Do You Belong In?

Pain the neck (and the back)

Well, it turns out that I actually have several different problems. The middle of my back has 3 vertebras that are crunching together every time I pick something up the wrong way. The doctor said that this was probably due to 2 pregnancies and carrying both kids and that stupid car seat around. The other problem is with my neck. Normal necks are suppose to have a curve in them. Mine is perfectly straight. He said that until recently they only saw this kind of "minor spinal injury" with trauma patients. They've now discovered that too much time at the computer (sitting the wrong way) or driving too much causes it too. Apparently, I've done this for so long that my neck has straightened out. The third thing is that both my lower back and my neck have muscle spasms in them and the muscles that surround my spine are inflamed. He suggested a 24 week therapy program to correct my issues. It will be twice a week for several weeks and then once a week for several weeks. After that it will be every other week. I start Thursday evening. This should be fun. I'm ok as long as I don't sit in the same position for too long, lift too much and keep the Ibeprophren by my side! :o) Night time has been the hardest. I can't seem to get comfortable when I sleep. The heating pad has been my friend though (and some Icy Hot). Where's a good Epidural when you need it?

Aaaaahhhh, my back!

So I've managed to mess my back up pretty good this weekend. The last time I felt pain this bad was during labor. Oh, how I wish Epidurals were over the counter. I'd be ordering one right now. I go tomorrow to the doctor to see what's up. The couch and the floor have been my good friends for the past few days. Carrying Erin has been the biggest challenge. She can't walk yet but I have had to chase her a little bit since she's pulling up on the coffee table and rolling everywhere.

In related news, she's been up on her knees rocking like she wants to crawl. We're thinking she'll probably be crawling by Christmas. She's WAY more spunky than Ethan was as a baby. I'm beginning to think that she'll be the one who will be sneaking out of the house in about 15 years. That will be fun. :o)

Frank Caliendo

Two for the price of one!

I'm bored tonight. And, I can't sleep either. (Yes, it's almost 2 AM.) So that means you are getting two posts in one day. Consider it your lucky day. :o) John is at a church planting conference for the next few days in Birmingham, Alabama. I just talked to him a little bit ago and he sounds like he's having a blast! I'm anxious for him to return so I can hear all of the stories and such.

Today has been kind of a crazy day. After seeing John off this morning, I took the kids to the doctor. Erin had to get some shots today. Upon seeing the nurse come into the room with the needles, Ethan put his hands over his ears and said "this is going to be loud". Seems he knows his sister pretty well. Ha! :o) He's also been going around the house today saying "Call now and save, save, save!". When I asked him what he was talking about he said "oh, it's just a commercial, Mom". I guess this is a sign that our kid watches too much tv. I don't even know what commercial it is for. Later, we went Christmas shopping a got a few very cool items. I then drove home from the northside in rush hour traffic and pouring rain. I think the woman driving in front of me was drunk but it was around 6 PM so it's not too likely. :o)

And lastly, I played around with some greeting cards that I've been making. It's my latest obsession. My mother-in-law, Brenda, has asked me make all of her Christmas cards this year. Here are a few that I've done:

















I should probably go to bed now. Erin will be up in no time. She's like a rooster crowing as soon as the sun comes up! :o)

Stars, Horseshoes and Milkshakes

I noticed something weird when I got the mail today. We had the usual array of junk mail but tucked in the middle was a Steak n' Shake ad. No biggie...until I noticed a Dallas Cowboys logo on it saying "proud sponsor of the Dallas Cowboys". I did a double take. It's cool that Steak n' Shake support them and all but the coupons were for the Indy Steak n' Shake. And to state the obvious...this is the home of the Indianapolis Colts. To top it all off, the Colts play the Cowboys this weekend. How funny... I found a link to a news article about the goof-up. It seems that Steak n' Shake is "apologizing for the fumble" and giving anyone who dines in and wears Colts attire a free milkshake. At least this mistake is a yummy one! :o)

For John

I love you for who you are
For what you stand for
For what you do

I love you for your smile
For the twinkle in your eye
For your sweet embrace

I love you for your humor
For your laughter
For your wit

I love you for your mind
For your generosity
For your grace

I love you for your wisdom
For your patience
For your kindness

I love you for your openness
For your acceptance
For your love

I have and always will
Love you just because
You are you

Rollercoaster

Today was a mix of emotions. I was tired from going to bed too late. Saddened during our prayer time at church for the Haggard family. I spoke a few unkind words to my husband (we've resolved it though!). We had a great, fun afternoon just hanging around and being lazy. John and I dropped the kids off at a babysitter and went to see the stage production of RENT. The show was incredible. After that, I got ticked off at a friend for being who she is and ranted about it all the way home. (Did I mention I was emotional today?) :o) Then I binged on chicken nuggets and greasy fries from McDonald's after we got home. The really good part of the day is that when I went to put Ethan in bed tonight, he looked up at me with a really sweet look on this face and said, "Mom, you're a big chicken nugget!" And then he proceeded to laugh himself silly! I have no idea what that means but it made up for a rollercoaster of a day! I actually laughed too. It felt good.

In other news, I'm thinking of working with the youth group at our church to see if that is the role I want to play if we decide to help out with the whole church planting thing. Wow. That's a run-on sentence! I'm specifically thinking of working with the junior high kids. For me, junior high was the most awkward time in my life. I wish that I would have had a youth leader to lean on during that time. We couldn't keep a conisitent youth pastor there and the one that was there the longest didn't give rip about us. In fact, he was a bit of a jerk. I want to be able to help ease their teenage years and provide a little stability.

Anyway, time for bed. I'm about to fall asleep at the computer. :o)

-The Big Chicken Nugget