Normalcy

Miracle upon miracles, we seem to have fallen into our usual routine.  No vomiting, no runny noses, no sinus infections.  Melanie is now officially potty trained ... life is GOOD!  Who in the heck would have guessed that I'd be potty training a baby at the ripe old age of 45??  But man am I glad that's over.  She's a smart girl .. didn't take much.  Most people use stickers; I use threats & intimidation.  Just KIDding.  I just showed her what to do and she did it.

Poor Panthers ... it's a shame they didn't show up for their playoff game.  What the #$%^>?  Must have been the jet lag.  Living in Charlotte has made me somewhat of a fan, having never really lived in a city with an NFL team before.  (Okay, I did date a guy once who was a place kicker for the USFL, but that doesn't count).  And Jake Delhomme is from Louisiana, my home state, so I feel a little connection.  We're some of the few people up here in NC who can understand him when he is interviewed on TV.  That Cajun accent.  The guy across the street from us has a double-life-size blow-up Carolina Panther, crouched in line-of-scrimmage form.  It went up every Sunday there was a game, but lay in a deflated puddle during the week.  I suppose he'll go into cold storage now.  David took me to a Panthers game one time, tickets donated by a business acquaintance.  We got to sit up near the  boxes, in the "frou-frou" section, where you could escape into the air conditioning if it got too hot.  Which I did, several times, but nevertheless came away with a blistering sunburn.  I mean, I like football, I guess, but sometimes I just don't get it ... all the games look and sound alike, only with different colored uniforms.  Of course it does help nowadays when the TV stations superimpose a fake line to show how far they have to go to get a first down, but I sure don't understand what the heck "holding" is, much less "offsides".  What's a girl to do?  Give me baseball any day, (although I'm not clear on what the designated hitter rule is all about.  Are sports just something we women are genetically not built to understand?)

Of course I was impressed when David came home one time from a hunting trip (business related, of course) and announced that he had been with Peyton Manning all weekend.  Peyton's dad, Archie, was a New Orleans Saint back when David was growing up in N.O. ... so it was like hunting with one of his childhood heroes. 

Quentin is on a Stanley Kubrick kick.  He is obsessed with movies of all type, and has compiled his own list of 100 movies he wants to see.  David and I went through and axed 75% of them, but we did watch The Shining.  Then I got interested in reading the book, and now I can't put it down.  The movie is pretty cheesy by today's standards, and pretty much glosses over all the character development in the book.  I've never been a Stephen King fan, but I may be one soon.

Za Zdarovye!

...which means "To your health!"  And I really need a big toast to bring back the health of our family!  We are in the midst of a stomach virus/flu that is wreaking havoc on us.  So far, Christian, Lisa and I have succumbed.  Christiain is on the road to recovery, although his eyes still look like one of the Addams cartoon people, with big black rings around their eyes.  His skin looks like tissue paper.

David and I had planned a long weekend away in Naples, Florida, in conjunction with a business meeting he had there.  We had a great girl hired to keep the kids.  I was to leave Thursday morning.  Wed. night Christian started throwing up.  I felt like a bad mommy, and surely didn't want to leave the babysitter with THAT, so I pushed my flight back to late Thurs. night (at great expense) and he seemed okay by then.  Got to the airport, and was expecing a car to pick me up, but they were a no-show.  Took a skanky cab to the hotel, met up with David; fell into bed.  Next day I wallowed in decadence and lay in bed watching movies on HBO while David was in meetings.  Then I got up and drove to "The Shops at Venetian Bay" which is as chi-chi as it sounds.  Tried to fit in with the "elite" and stuck my nose into some great little boo-tiques.

That night was a dinner with a band; I have to put in a plug here for this one:  Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers.  They will be big someday, if not putting out records, then on the nightclub scene.  They were awesome.  David played one song with them (on the drums) and had an absolute blast!  Google them!

We got back to our room, only to find that the AC was out, and it was like a sauna.  (This is Florida, remember!)  They kindly gave us another room in which to sleep, so out we went.  About 1 a.m., I get a wake-up call of the worst kind.  Yep, the creeping crud has stowed away in my bags.  It was an all-night affair, and there was much worshipping at the throne. 

The next day, having been up all night dancing with the tile floor, I slept away the hours.  David lay on the couch reading a book and napping.  We finally got up and dragged me out to dinner with friends of David's from Memphis.  I put on a good show, picked at a baked potato, but that was about it for me.  (I vaguely remember that 5th Avenue in Naples is very pretty!)

We flew home Sunday, after driving to look at Sanibel Island (nice!)  Everything seemed well and nice, until Lisa started throwing up last night at around midnight.  (WHY does it always happen in the middle of the night?)  So we are pretty much quarantined this week; I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.  According to Christian's teacher, there were 13 3rd graders out with it last week. 

Sorry no pictures!  Ha ha!

You Might Be a Redneck ...

Wow, where to begin.  It's been a hectic couple of weeks.  We had a big party for New Years' Eve, with about 30 people over.  Our house was clean and sparkly, and I think everyone had a good time.  We had lots of good food and I made a stab at making Cosmopolitans ... let's just say I need to stay away from them in the future.  They're good, but ...

It was tough going back to school, after sleeping our lives away during the week after Christmas.  Colin had to go back on Tuesday, and so did Melanie.  The others went back Wed., so we made a trip to the uniform store, since some legs seem to have grown over the holiday.  No more high flood waters.  Yes, I know hems can be let out, but the pants were looking ratty (holes in knees, etc.)  Then it was back to life as usual.  On Wed. I had a small outpatient procedure, (nothing serious) so spent most of that day sleeping off the anesthesia.  That was nice.  We had some company from out of town that night, but unfortunately I was still cuckoo in the head (sorry you guys!!  It was good to see you, even if briefly!) and had to miss out.  David played hostess, though, and I think everyone had a good time.

David took Christian and Lisa to the "Monster Truck Rally" in the new Charlotte Arena.  (You know you're a redneck if ...)  I was invited too, but politely declined.  He he.  Seeing as Christian has an obsession with anything on wheels, the bigger and badder the better, he enjoyed every minute of it.