Favorite Things

My favorite things, RIGHT NOW...

They may change by morning, but RIGHT NOW they are pretty awesomely ridiculous.

1) I am reading "The Help", and I can't put it down. So much so that I read late into the night, I make Morrie read it to me while I shower, and Isabelle is cooking breakfast each morning so I have more time to sit with the cat and read.

2) I LOVE to dance while I am driving and embarrass Isabelle as much as humanly possible.

3) Sounders pictures are updated DAILY now that they are in pre-season training. This is seriously exciting. I am sick of the sports page being all about other stuff.

4) The Shellac Manicure that doesn't chip for 2 weeks, who the heck invented this and why didn't they do it sooner?

5) Contessa Sesame Chicken- actually a frozen meal- that is the best tasting thing EVAR. Morrie and I are totally addicted. Seriously, it is frozen. And comes in a bag. And it tastes freakin fantastic.

6) My favorite Sounders soccer players for this season: Hurtado (so happy he has recovered from the awful knee injury - I can't get it out of my mind), Fucito (so happy he has recovered from the awful knee injury), and Alonso (he doesn't follow the trend, he only gets quad injuries). Those are my BIG 3 for this season. However, Flaco is fantastic, I just need to see him start more often, and White may have promise. I will let you know.

7) If that meant nothing to you, it's okay. I would be more than happy to explain it. Our family has been discussing the starting 11 we would like to see this year and which 3 will be the main bench subs. We have been hemming and hawing over who Hurtado will have the best chemistry with when he finally gets to start.

8) We will be reviewing game tapes on Tuesdays and Fridays. Please feel free to stop by. Bring some french fries with you if at all possible.

9) I am loving Puma tennis shoes. I bet you couldn't figure that one out. Size 8 please. I like to have the extra room. My feet are really a 6. Six is what the petite, cute woman wears, and that is totally me. Because you know she has her shit together. Her handbag is clean and organized, her hair looks good, her jeans are a size 2. With room in the butt. Her lipgloss never fades. Yes, I definitely want to be her, so get me those shoes and I will be one step closer to the cuter, size 6 shoe mom , who probably also knows how to cook.

10) I am loving catching up with my girlfriends on the phone. Wait...I haven't used the phone in about 6 months. I don't even remember what my friends SOUND like. Please call me. I think I dreamt about catching up last night. It was nice.

Where IS the phone?

Things I am loving

Right now I am loving...

Christmas music that is on the radio 24 hours a day. Love. It.

The Kindle I didn't know we had. For a year. (funny story, that one)

Voss bottled water. I feel like a celebrity every time I take a drink. Where's my red carpet?

That my Christmas shopping is done.

And wrapped.

The Pioneer Woman's blog. Still loving it after finding it a year ago.

Sitting around a table with 6 other people last night shooting the breeze.

The fact that one of them was Adrian Hanauer and one was Kasey Keller wasn't too shabby either.

I know, right!

Taylor Swift's new album. Looove it.

The baby across the street. How could I NOT include that one?

Sleeping.

As a matter of fact, I think I am going to go take a nap right now.

10 Things

I love lists. I mean L-O-V-E lists. This list is 10 things that are NOT soccer related that I did this weekend.

Hold on.

Let me think for a minute...

...

1. Isabelle painted my nails. The jury is still out on how I feel about this.

2. I decided I should definitely start my own line of gift bags.

3. Target will carry them.

4. I have had these entrepreneurial feelings before.

5. Not much comes from these feelings except me feeling all excited and determined for a day or two.

I think my designs could also be on reusable grocery bags, pillowcases, cards, i-phones, t-shirts and coffee mugs. I may be ahead of myself here.

6. Metropolitan Market is fun to walk around in. And dangerous.

7. That's how I ended up with Butternut Squash soup.

8. Why did I get that?

9. Maria is feeling sick and I am haunted by her illness from last year. She was sick for over 2 weeks, had 2 different antibiotics, and went to the doctor's office no less than 4 times.

10. I organized my fine tip sharpies (35 of them) and my fat sharpies (24 of them). I love sharpies.

I may have also done laundry, gone grocery shopping, stopped by Old Navy, got gas (not myself, the car), shared hysterical home movies of Maria (when she was 4) with my family, celebrated my dads birthday, had Teriyaki, thought about removing the nailpolish 37 times, told Isabelle to stop juggling the soccer ball in the house 9 times, cursed the toilet for being dirty, accidentally walked into the pet store when they were having an adoptathon (I had to walk around with my eyes shut to avoid looking at the kittens), wondered what Butternut squash is like, and gotten overly excited about my brother becoming a father.

I might have had excedrin before I talked to him. And then possibly talked very quickly and maybe loudly to him. He is definitely scared of me right now. And probably happy that he lives in another state. That is very far away.

That reminds me. Can I borrow someone's baby for a few years? I totally mean hours. HOURS. Just to hold and snuggle for little teeny tiny while?

Thanks.

Things I know for Sure

You know it. Time for a little me and Oprah. It has been hard to blog recently, and I wanted to share some of my new found wisdom that I have been soaking up in the Great Metropolis (that's "The Big City" folks).

-I know that I will throw up if someone says "bandwidth" to me again this week

-I know it really means "I have time", so why can't you all just say THAT???

-My bus driver drives waaaay too fast

- We can go 60 to 0 in only 4 seconds.

-I know FOR SURE that I still don't know exactly what to wear to work every day. What is the freakin policy??? I think they just like to laugh at me behind closed doors.

- I know this because they were literally all laughing behind a closed door

-I know that if your resume is 9 pages long, you will not get the job based on anything past page 2.

-I know for darn sure that I miss my girls when I am at work.

-I know this makes me a total sap- it's not like they are babies or anything.

-Excuse, me I have to crawl under the desk and cry for a moment.

-I know I should keep my hobbies separate from my work life.

-But it turns out I can persuade the office that they NEED bright, colorful posters hanging around

-I know for SURE that I'm still in love with the Sounders, despite the fact that they are breaking my heart.

-I know that if I crawl under the covers and hold my babies that everything will be okay even though Alonso and Hurtado are out and Keller is off his game and Bradley can't play as well as my 10 year old.

-I know for sure they need me down at Starfire

-I have to go.

10 things

1. I have taken to throwing pancakes at Morrie lately. Boy does it make me laugh!
2. I texted him a piece of critical soccer information regarding our youngest and he sent me back two pictures of the cats sleeping. What?
3. I love Arrested Development and they have 2 episodes On Demand, boy do they make me laugh!
4. I am thinking about training as if I were an Olympic Decathalon athlete. It suits my needs for changing my mind frequently.
5. I can't think of anymore, I have changed my mind about this post...

World Trivia To-Go:
This country is set within the borders of another:



Lesotho is set within South Africa

10 Things

Since I can't come up with a cohesive thought, here are 10 random things from this week:
1. It was great: Isabelle got to practice soccer with some of her old teammates - before tryouts begin in 2 weeks.
2. It was not so great: I had jury duty for 2 days.
3. It was great: I got to read my books for 2 days without interuption!
4. It was not so great: I worried about my girls and their soccer tryouts.
5. It was great: Maria made her soccer team! YAY!
6. It was not so great: I left the house at 6:40 to drive to Kent (jury duty) and noticed (after driving 2 blocks) that there an awful lot of bird poop all over the windshield.
7. It was great: There is nothing great about bird poop.
8. It was not so great: I have yet to get it off the windshield.
9. It was great: I walked 7 miles with my friend and caught up on her life.
10. It was not so great: My calves were killing me at mile 4, but I pretended it was fine and paid for it the next day.

Can I cheer myself up?

I am such a nerd. I was just reading some older posts, and I was enjoying it a lot. When my friends don't post, I'll just read more of my own...

10 Things that Happened Today (can't commit to 10 good things, and I can't commit to just 10 bad things, so here is a mixture)

1. I woke up with cramps...woohoo!
2. 2 minutes past time to leave for school I decided Maria was sick enough to stay home, quick make alternate plans (I had to work).
3. Maria is now fine
4. I am still reminiscing about my out of the country trip from yesterday...
5. Work was difficult as I was managing my cramp situation. Curling up under my desk is or is not apporpriate?
6. My 11 year old is growing up and I'm not ready. Boo.
7. I get to go to the Nutcracker on Friday!!!! So excited!!!
8. I get to go to drive some very bored, maybe lethargic, or perhaps uninterested 6th graders to the Nutcracker on Friday!
9. I'm still wearing my down coat even though I got home over an hour ago. And I'm NOT too hot thank you very much.
10. I thought it was over, but now Maria is reading the "Warrior" books and talking to me in some other alternate language that has to do with cats, clans, and weird names and NO I do not understand it even after Isabelle finished all 20 of them. Wow, so glad Maria just started last week. This is going to be a long year.