Book reviews

I've been tearing through novels like crazy lately, and finished another one last night. The last two I read were Jonathan Kellerman novels, Rage, and A Cold Heart. Rage had a disappointing ending, in my opinion, but A Cold Heart was great. The only thing I dislike about Kellerman's "Alex Deleware" series is it is very similar to James Patterson's "Alex Cross" series, and even more like Stuart Woods' "Stone Barrington" series. I think Patterson and Woods do a better job on bringing the characters and the stories together, but Kellerman's are decent reads. I've read at least 5 of Woods' novels since November, and he is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Oh, and Cross, by James Patterson is excellent! I'm probably a bit biased there, since I've been waiting for years to find out who killed Maria Cross, but I was pleased with the way the story wrapped up. It did have a feel of finality to it, like this may be the end of the "Alex Cross" novels, but only time will tell. I've exhausted a decent amount of B's library, but have already warned him that I'm adopting his books while he's in Iraq. The great part about having similar tastes is we can just trade off when we finish a book, so whenever he's away for a period of time I can just snag a few from his bookcase, and get lost in the books. So, read any good books lately? Got any recommendations?

Expect them sometime around Valentine's Day

If you're on my Christmas card list, please don't hold your breath. I've still got to pick up the pictures from Wal*mart, and get them mailed, so you will DEFINITELY receive them by next Christmas, but I make no promises for anything earlier.

And when I should be doing something productive, I'm going to do a meme instead. Stolen from Lisa...

(I’ve done the bolded items)

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game/event
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper (Had two of them in diapers at the same time!)
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends Still have them
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach (The sand on Jupiter Beach in FL glitters when you kick it at night)
50. Gone sky diving (I booked my jump, and 4 weeks in a row it was postponed for weather, I took that as a sign)
51. Visited Ireland (I want to!!)
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karoke (see drunk on champagne)
59. Lounged around in bed all day (Some of my fave days!!)
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married (2x)
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced (about to be again. :( )
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo (Three of them)
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason (not nearly enough though!)
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date (The last time I remember wondering "Is he ever going to kiss me?" I'd about given up!)
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children (working on it still)
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour (no but I want to!)
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback (PTSD is a bitch.)
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears (technically 3x)
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Para sailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair (only for the past 12 years)
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident (a minor one)
150. Saved someone’s life (How about italics here, a few close calls, my daughter, my ex, I didn't save them, but I called 911 and provided care until the medics arrived. Ironically enough, someone saved mine, quite literally)

Christmas Photos

As promised, here are the pictures for Christmas this year. Shane is going to be a big guy, they don't even look like twins anymore, Madison just looks like a little pixie!


And me and my munchkins together...


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Last minute shopping?

Are you still trying to figure out what to get that hard to shop for person for the holidays?? Best Buy has a cool new tool to help you find the perfect gift. It's called the "Wow Factor Finder", you enter some information and it helps you pick out a gift that will really "WOW!" your loved ones. Believe me, after the trouble my friend Meegan and I went through picking out gifts for our boyfriends, I wish I had known about this sooner! (Men DEFINITELY have it easier, you can never go wrong with jewelry!) Check out the FAQs, great gift-giving suggestions, and they even compare how men shop differently than women, along with things retailers are doing to make shopping fun and easy for both sexes. The even have live chats to help you out, there is one for the Friday after Christmas in case youre still trying to figure out how to work your new gadgets. The only thing missing is an actual human to be your personal shopper, but at Best Buy shopping around is half the fun. Enjoy!!

PS: Case in point, I received a gorgeous pair of earrings to match the necklace I got for my birthday. Aren't they to die for?




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Finally...

An update of some sort...
Thank you all for your get well wishes, it was just a 24 hour bug for me, poor Mads was sick for 3 days or so. Shane must have a Fort Knox-esque immune system, because everyone (the sitter, her kids, me, and Maddie) else got sick, and that boy was just fine, eating like there was no tomorrow. I've been busy at work, plus last-minute Christmas shopping, and trying to sleep every once in a while. Tonight is going to be an all-nighter, because we had some drama at work while I was manager on duty, so I'm fairly wired, and have a TON of gifts to wrap, laundry to finish, and stuff to put away so I can actually take a break this weekend. Of course, a meeting all day tomorrow (or today, actually), and then a shift until 0130, I'm going to be one CRANKY mommy on Friday. I've promised the kids some good old-fashioned spoiling, including a movie and pretty much anything else they want to do to make up for me only seeing them an hour or two a day for the last couple weeks. Of course, I still haven't had the satellite repaired, because you actually have to be HOME in order to do so, so I think we'll be spending a lot of time away from the house to keep them entertained.
B teases me about being an eletronics geek (ok, so maybe I am...), but I think the kids' electronics have officially gotten out of control. They already have the VSmile system, the handheld VSmile systems, My First LeapPads, and now my grandmom has gotten them the Leapster handhelds as well. Oh, and the portable DVD player, TV/DVD combo in the playroom, and even the StoryReader electronic books. Who knew pre-schoolers could be so high-tech?! Thank god for rechargable batteries.
Speaking of God, it's no secret that I'm not religous, although I was raised in the church. My family is Methodist, but the kids' father and Nate's family are all Catholics. I swore I wouldn't raise my children Catholic, but I'm actually reconsidering that stance, and thinking about starting them in the church studies. They were going to a non-denominational church with Tasha (their sitter/second mommy), but her husband wasn't happy with that church, so they stopped going. I'm not sure if raising them Catholic means I have to have them baptised (christened, whichever), or if I have to convert, but I think it's time they learn about their family's beliefs. Anyone know how all of that works? Do you just pick a church and enroll them? It almost feels hypocritical to teach them something I don't truly believe in, but I made up my mind before they were born that I would make sure they learned about God and Christianity, and then be given the opportunity to make their own decisions later, just as I did.
On a lighter note, I am seriously upset by the Sixers trading Allen Iverson. I know that's what he wanted, but he would have stayed in Philly if they hadn't thrown away their championship-caliber 2001 team, and self-destructed as a team. I am officially no longer a Philadelphia 76ers fan... GO NUGGETS! Of course, it'll be interesting to see how Carmelo Anthony and AI get along, it's always touchy to have 2 superstars on the same team, and AI is used to being the brightest star on the court. Now I'm just crossing my fingers that he can get a championship ring on his hand before he retires, it's be a damn shame for a player of his caliber to never see that trophy.
Well, I'm off to chip away at my to-do list, and prepare for the longest day imaginable. I hope everyone is having a good week, and that you are all surrounded by those you love over the holidays. I'll post the pictures I took for our Christmas cards later, it's amazing how much the kids have grown since last year!!

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To those taking bets...

House wins, it was just a stomach flu. And bite your tongues.

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Famished, sick, and utterly exhausted.

Well, some of those apply to me, and some to my kids. I got the call this morning that Madison was sick with a stomach bug, and might need to go to the ER because she couldn't hold anything down. I *still* struggled to get up, I've been exhausted lately and just not sleeping well. I went to the sitters, took her to the ER, where she was just fine, and then came back home to let her rest for a while. Poor baby hadn't had any sleep, so when we were at the hospital she was out cold, and was still pretty lethargic the rest of the afternoon. I, on the other hand, was famished, I have no idea why I was so hungry, but I felt like eating everything in sight. It's bad when you're falling asleep waiting on the doctors in the ER, and dreaming about food. Luckily, she's doing just fine, she held down the popscicle and pedialite they gave her, so she was spared the anit-nausea meds. So, come home, pig out, fall asleep with Maddie, get up, give her a bath, and it's back to the sitters, so I can head to work for a couple hours. I came home from work, decided to go for a short run, and am now wondering if I'm ever going to improve my stamina. Over the late summer, early fall I was running almost a mile without stopping to walk. I stopped running for a while, and now I can't even run 2 full blocks without my lungs feeling like they are about to jump out of my chest, kick me in the face, and walk off on their own. It's pitiful, and as much as I'd love to be a runner, it's never been a strong point for me, even when I played sports all the time and didn't smoke. Oh well, I'm off to snack on something, and go to bed.

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Seriously?

It's mid-December... did you get that memo? Because I don't know about you, but I am NOT ready for this!! I haven't finished shopping yet, I don't even know what to buy for my little rugrats who have everything, or a couple other people on my list. I have to take Christmas photos this week, like TOMORROW, for my kids and my best friend's kids, so we can get cards out ASAP. Oh, and I'm working odd schedules for the rest of the year, until I get official position the first week of January or so. Of course, 2 weeks after I get my team, I'm taking a long weekend to LA, so something tells me my laptop will be coming with. *sigh* Time is going way too fast.

So, have you finished your holiday to-do list? Are you prepared for the holidays, or running around frantically like I am?

psst... you'll soon see a new and improved look around here, so stay tuned for the blog makeover!

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Pictures from this weekend

I don't have very many, unfortunately, because my camera was too bulky for my purse. There were people taking pictures at the actual ball itself, and I'll get copies of those, but this series cracks me up. We went to our normal bar afterwards, and this is doing a round with one of the bartenders.