Chances Are

Posted in Family by teamtradermom

I thought I’d take a break from writing about our vacation to talk about chances, fate and destiny.

You know, a light-weight topic.

I was inspired by this post from Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point. She talks about all the different paths our lives could have taken if only one thing or another had been different. She was inspired by the movie “The Adjustment Bureau“. There was also a movie with Gwyneth Paltrow that touched on this called “Sliding Doors“

To be honest with you, this topic fascinates me and I think about it quite a lot. There are so many things that happen in life of which I had NEVER expected. My college roommate used to say “If you’d asked me to bet that ____ would happen, I’d have lost the best!”

Here’s one small example – 3 years ago I was drafted on a co-ed volleyball team. I knew no one on the team. One of the gals was also named Sara and was new to the city. We got along well on the court but didn’t hang out much otherwise. I was honestly quite jealous of her because she’s a great player and has a magnetic personality that draws people to her. I wanted to BE her! When that session was over we went our separate ways on to different teams. The next summer I ran in to her at a pick up volleyball game and it just so happened I needed a new gal for Team Trader. She joined the team, we started hanging out and now we’re close friends! Had I bet on that 3 years ago, I would have lost money!

I often times think “what if” this or that had been different. What if I had gone out for the high school volleyball team? I wanted to but was chicken and never did. If I had, I might have become a great player and gotten a college scholorship. Maybe I would have gone on to play in the Olympics! But then again I would have had much different friends in school, gone to a different college and my life would be totally different. Would it still have been a good life? Probably. But I wouldn’t have met CJ and I wouldn’t have Isabella.

Or would I? If something is truly “meant to be”, would CJ and I have found each other anyway? I guess we’ll never know!

As it turned out, I met CJ at a social event. He was at the door greeting people and I was there with my current boyfriend. He actually made a comment out how “hot” CJ was and no wonder I wanted to come to the event. My ex and I broke up shortly after that. Then I started attending support groups to help me work through some emotions about it and CJ was there. We became friends. Later, my friend Jason invited me to a pick up volleyball game and CJ showed up. We started hanging out and a year later I asked him out. The rest is history.

What if I hadn’t gone to the support group? What if I had told Jason “no” to the volleyball game? What if I hadn’t had the courage to ask CJ out?

What I do know is that I don’t regret any past decisions in my life. Some were good, some were bad. But all of them led me to the place I’m at today, which is a pretty good one. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, an awesome dog, a successful career, and a loving family. No I’m not a millionaire or an Olympic gold medalist but I don’t need to be. My life is perfect the way it is.

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Family

23May2011

CineDine?

Posted in CJ by teamtradermom

Saturday night was Date Night for CJ and me. We haven’t had one of those in a while and it was good to get out. Overall the evening was great – went out to dinner, caught a movie, walked around in the moonlight and then stopped for a yummy dessert. Jealous yet?

But wait, there’s more!

The only black spot was our movie going experience. There is a dine-in movie theatre in one of the newly renovated parts of Omaha, Midtown Crossing, that we’ve heard a lot about but not experienced. So, we thought it would be fun to check it out. I had heard from several friends that the food there was just ok, so we ate dinner at another restaurant and then went to the theatre for the show and snacks.

Being newbies, we had no idea what to do. We walked in and instead of finding a ticket counter, there was only an escalator, some movie posters and 3 computers at which to purchase tickets. So we got regular tickets (i.e. not in the dining section) and heading upstairs. On the 2nd floor is a lounge so we kept going up to the 3rd floor.

This reminded us a lot of what going to movies is like in NYC. You literally have to go up many flights to get to your theatre. One movie we saw was on the 10th floor! The difference is that everything is well-marked and laid out there so you know exactly where you’re going. It wasn’t well-marked at this theatre.

Anywho, we got to the 3rd floor and were greeted by a ticketing agent. She sees our tickets and tells us that the regular seats are the first 3 rows, as in those closest to the screen. I did not want to see “Thor” 3-D that close up, so we shelled out an extra $1 a piece to sit in the dining area, in the very back.

We go in and sit down. It’s about 7 pm at this time. A waitress comes over and tells us this is not her theatre but she’s helping some guy out and takes our order: 2 pops and a large plain popcorn. Seems pretty easy right? She brings our pops right away but then says it’ll be a minute on the popcorn.

So we spend some time trying to figure out how to adjust the seats, which are basically glorified office chairs. You have to stand up and pump this lever to raise it up. If you pump the lever while sitting in it, you go down. I am not kidding you, it took us 5 min. of standing then sitting then standing then sitting to get our chairs right. That’s when I discovered there was a server calling button right in my view so I made CJ switch with me (since he’s taller it didn’t block his view) and then we did the chair adjustment charade all over again!

I had just gotten comfie in my new chair when a different waitress came over with out popcorn. It was a HUGE tub! As she went to hand it to me, she knocked the bucket against another chair and popcorn went flying everywhere. She was mortified and immediately started scraping it back in the bucket (and all over the floor and the chair next to us) and apologizing over and over. She mumbled that she’d be back with another bucket.

A few minutes later a couple of guys came to sit next to us and cursed the fact that there was popcorn all over their chairs.

The movie starts. It’s 7:30 pm now and we still have no new popcorn.We get through the previews and I tell CJ to press the call button. A waiter comes over (this is now yet another person) and asks if we’re ready to order. We tell him we ordered 45 min. ago. He says he’ll be right back with our popcorn. He comes over and hands us a small tub and leaves. At this point I don’t care that it’s the wrong size. I’m hungry and I dig in. Turns out he had brought us BUTTERED popcorn, which CJ absolutely abhors! I love it but usually sacrifice the butter for him, and for the state of my cardiovascular system. I warned CJ that it was butter and I thought he was going to pull a Hulk and turn green right there on the spot. CJ ANGRY! Would have been somewhat apropos considering we were at a Marvel movie.

We press the call button again. The dude comes over and CJ tells him we got the wrong kind. Waiter looks over at me, who is basically face planted into the bucket and devouring it not unlike how the Tasmanian Devil might. CJ says something about though his wife enjoys the butter he does not. Dude says he’ll bring another bucket, which he does about 5 min. later. By now it’s 8:30. It’s been 90 MINUTES since we first ordered and we’re an hour into the movie. And it’s just popcorn! It’s not like we ordered something fancy like a hamburger.

A few minutes later we get our bill. Dude charged us for 2 popcorns even though we ordered one. I don’t care that I ate the 2nd one like it was going out of style, we only ordered 1! I tell CJ not to pay it. Dude comes by and checks for our credit card then leaves. Comes by again. He did this about every 5 minutes. Finally when the movie was over, he asked us for it at which point I told him, in so many words, that there was no way in hell I was paying for 2 popcorns when I only ordered 1 and it took and hour and a half for them to get it right! He mumbled something about talking to his manager and sheepishly slinked off. He came back with a new bill with just one popcorn on it. We paid and left.

Maybe we caught them on a bad night. Maybe we were being smited by Odin. Whatever the case may be, it was a bad experience and I won’t go back. I mean, how hard is it to get popcorn right AT A MOVIE THEATRE!!! The other aspect I didn’t like was that you could see the heads of the waiters/waitresses as they walked by and hear dishes clanking. No thanks.

Other than that, the evening was magical, particulary the part where I got to eat my whole dinner by myself without having to share a bite with anyone, or have anyone throw it at me. Although I did give CJ a bite of my burger as a test to see if he could tell the diff between a hamburger and a turkey burger. He could. He totally nailed it.

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Points

15Mar2011

Happy Birthday CJ!

Posted in CJ by teamtradermom

Today, on the Ides of March, is CJ’s birthday! I love birthdays because they mean celebrating the life of someone you love and care about. Instead of writing a big long essay about how much I love my husband (lots and lots!), I will instead leave you with this: CJ is the best guy I know. He’s an AMAZING dad, who I am privileged to have staying at home with our little girl all day, and a loving husband.

Happy birthday Boo! I love you!!

Now, here are some pics from birthdays past…

2005 – Oh my goodness we look so young…amazing how one can change in 6 years!

2006

I can’t find the 2007 pic…oh well…

2008

2009 – with CJ’s dad and our nephew Jack

2010 –the first birthday shared with Munchkin!

CJ is currently out with his volleyball team, celebrating the fact that he’s turning 39 again! Hence, I am taking the morning off work tomorrow so that he can sleep in and recover from his ~~hangover~~ night out! It’s a win-win for both of us!

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3Mar2011

Points

Posted in CJ by teamtradermom

CJ earned major points this morning.

I’m sure you’re all familiar with the concept of earning points for things. With all the rewards programs offered by stores and credit cards these days, how can you not be? There are other types of points too. For example, man points. According to UrbanDictionary.com, man points are, “Points that one receives upon the completion of a distinctly manly task. More often than not, intelligent points and man points are inversely proportional.” ‘Nuf said.

Is it sad that I probably have more man points than some guys I know? What can I say, I’m a renaissance woman!

Anywho, back to how CJ earned his points today.

I was getting dressed this morning and having a hard time finding something to wear. See, I’m very conscious of wearing clothes to highlight areas of my body that I like and hiding ones that I don’t. So if I put on a shirt and it shows rolls and bumps/lumps that I’d rather not show, it goes back in the closet. Sometimes it takes trying on 3 or 4 shirts and pants combinations before I find one that works. Other days I just give up and go for the baggy sweatshirt.

Today I put on a purple plaid shirt that is loose enough to cover up my tummy but not so loose that it looks sloppy. I paired it with boot cut jeans, black tall boots, some sparkly jewelry and I was good to go. Then I looked in the mirror and the naggy, bitchy, negative mean girl who sometimes sits on my shoulder showed up.

“Your butt looks big in those jeans,” she said. “Maybe you should wear a longer shirt to cover it up.”

I checked again and thought maybe she was right. I have been eating a lot of junk lately and perhaps it was all settling in my trunk.

I pulled on my shirtto try and cover up what I now saw as the ginormous rear view in the mirror but it didn’t make a difference. I was about to change to another outfit when I heard Isabella calling from the next room. “Mama!” she said in her sweet happy little morning voice.

That was enough of a distraction for me to say “Aw screw it!” to the mean girl on my shoulder and just go as I was, though I wasn’t feeling the greatest about how I looked.

I went out in the kitchen and before I could say anything, CJ said, “Wow, you look hot in those jeans!” and gave me a big kiss.

Cha-ching! 5 gajillion husband points earned! And some man points too!

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5 Things

3Jan2011

The Meltdown

Posted in Family, Isabella/Munchkin by teamtradermom

Let me just start off by saying that I am still shell-shocked from last night. Isabella had a meltdown like you wouldn’t believe. Both CJ and my nerves were shot by the time it was over. Here’s the background.

Isabella is apparently a child who needs routine. I suppose all kids are that way but we definitely learned that if her routine gets thrown off too much, we will all suffer. Our holiday weekend was a busy one. We spent both Saturday/Sunday over at my sister’s house having some quality family time. Both days, we had a pretty normal morning and she got her naps and meals in as usual. But then we’d head to my sister’s house in the afternoon. Munchkin had lots of fun playing with her cousins and all the toys they have. So much fun, that she refused her afternoon naps. Saturday we tried 3 different times. I even had my mom try to work her grandma magic but to no avail. Also, we were eating holiday type food (chips, dip, chili, cheese/crackers, cookies, candy, etc.) with very little fruit and veggies. So her diet was thrown off too. By last night and bedtime, she was very crabby and out of whack.

When we got home, Munchkin played with some toys and watched a little bit of The Wiggles. Then it was time to change her diaper and put on her pajamas. That’s when all hell broke loose. As soon as I laid her down on the changing table, she started screaming and crying. She wriggled and tried to get away but I was able to keep her in one spot long enough to do what I needed to do (I’ve discovered that as parents, we come up with all kinds of creative ways to change a diaper when the kid is being less than cooperative). I figured she’d calm down once I picked her up again, because that’s what usually happens.

Um, no.

I picked her up and she kept on wailing. I tried to give her some juice/water/milk and she would have none of it. I offered her a bedtime snack of crackers and she refused. I gave her a woobie and she batted it away. There was no consoling her at this point so I thought, all right, she just needs to go to bed. We went through our usual routine and as I bent over to turn on her CD player, she grabbed my hair and yanked. Hard. I pulled her hand away and firmly said, “No!” She kicked and thrashed. I tried the CD again and she grabbed my hair for a second time. And yanked hard. I was fed up at that point so down in her crib she went. I figured she would carry on for a little longer than tire out and go to sleep.

I figured wrong.

She kept going. And going. After 5 minutes I went back in, with some juice, and tried to offer it to her again. She pushed it away. I offered a woobie. She threw it at me. Then, she reached out wanting me to pick her up, so I did. She pointed to the hallway and I thought, hey, maybe she’s hungry for something other than crackers. So we headed out to the kitchen and she stopped crying. Oh thank God. I tried applesauce but she didn’t want it. Offered cereal and she refused. When I handed her the juice cup again, she took it but wouldn’t drink. Just held on to it. CJ came in and we started discussing other options. Then the crying started again. And got louder and louder. I tried to take the juice away and she wouldn’t let go, yet she still wouldn’t drink it. I finally yanked it from her little hands and she freaked. She threw herself back and out came a wail like I have never heard before. I seriously thought she was possessed. I stared waiting for her head to spin around. When it didn’t, I took her to her room, made the sign of the cross over her and left the room. She continued with her meltdown.

That’s when I did the only rational thing any adult woman would do – I called my mommy. I needed more brainpower for this one – and apparently I needed God on my side. Since mon was a nun way back when, I figured she could help on both accounts. She suggested just letting her cry it out. Go in after 5 min to reassure her and then leave. Wait 10 min and go back in. Rinse and repeat until ~~the demonwas exorcised~~ Isabella was asleep. So, after a bit, I went back in. She was still standing up and crying. I told her it was ok and that she needed to lay down and sleep. She kept pointing to the hallway and I had no idea what she wanted. I asked but didn’t get much of an answer other than, “Muahhhuffffsnifffmuuuooooh.” Since I didn’t have my Toddler Speak dictionary on me, I couldn’t translate. I picked her up and felt her tummy, not really sure what I was feeling for but a nurse told me to do that one time so I did. Her tummy was a little distended and hard which I think means constipation. I had no idea how to fix that at 8:00 at night other than to stick my finger up her butt (a guy at work told me to try that). I didn’t find that option at all appealing so I put her back to bed and offered a woobie, figuring the crying was better than poop splatter. She batted away the woobie so I left her alone.

And she screamed.

It was at this point that I raised the white flag and told CJ to take care of it. After waiting for the right amount of time, he went in there. When he came out, all was quiet. I had to clap by my ears a few times to make sure I hadn’t just gone deaf or something. I don’t know what magic/exorcism/ritual he did in there but by golly it worked. He said he just rocked her and gave her a woobie. Gee, why didn’t I think of that.

Apparently, she just wanted some daddy time since they hadn’t had as much time together due to his surgery on Wednesday.

We tiptoed around the house for the rest of the night, deathly afraid to wake the beast. But she was out cold and slept great all night. By the time it was all said and done, she had screamed for about an hour. That’s an hour I don’t ever want to repeat.

I’ve learned a couple of lessons from this:

Isabella needs a set schedule. Missing 2 days of afternoon naps really threw her off and made her super crabby.
A regular diet is important too. She missed out on her normal amounts of fruits and veggies which contributed to the constipation.
You’re never too old to need your mommy.
You find religion real quick when the devil possesses your child.
From now on, CJ is putting her to bed.

I hope and pray that getting back to her normal schedule today will help and bedtime will be much easier tonight. If not, you will find me curled up in a ball under the stairs, rocking back and forth reciting The Lord’s Prayer.

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