Up And Riding

So I've pretty much decided that in order to be cool, you need to dress like a surfer. Especially after seeing this site. (www.upandriding.com)

Seriously, do they have this in my size?



Or this hat?! Why don't they make adult clothes look like this? Actually, my head is so small, I could probably wear this.



I have a small obsession with birds. Not real ones. I have a friend who used to get attacked by birds while running and then when she had a bird as a pet, he liked everyone in the family except her and would peck at her! Peck, peck, peck! Plus, I still have eerie dreams about the kind of mind it takes to write something like Alfred Hitchcock's THE BIRDS. Actually, did you know that Hitchcock didn't write it? He directed it. Daphne du Maurier wrote it. She must have been a conflicted woman. This little bit of trivia does nothing to explain my slight obsession. But, still, I'm obsessed all the same.

And I've decided that it's a good thing we don't have a boy, or he'd be wearing this:



And it's just not that subtle, you know? We don't want the whole world to know that we're ninjas.

Apparently, if you sign up now, you can get a 30% off coupon in time for some Christmas shopping. AND, free shipping right now on all orders with the code: FREESHIP. I'm totally going to bookmark this site....and maybe see if I can squish into that hat!

Squmpkin?

Pumpquash?  Squakin?  

This is by far the most interesting thing we harvested from our garden this year.  It is my guess that our pumpkin seed had a little fun with our squash seed. 

What would you name this hybrid vegetable?  Or more importantly, how would you treat it? Humanely, we should not treat it any differently than it's cousins.  It's not his fault that he looks so different.  :o) But for tasting purposes, I'm not sure if I should treat it like a pumpkin, and toast the seeds, make pumpkin pie, etc.  Or if I should treat it like a yellow squash and saute it up in a little butter with salt and pepper on top.  Suggestions welcome please!  :o)

What NOT to Say to a Pregnant Woman...

"You're going to have a HUMONGOUS baby!"

That is exactly what was said to me during a recent trek to Fred Meyer, by a well-meaning, older gentleman before me in line.

But first, let me set the stage: He first asked when I was due. I could tell by his expression that he expected me to say "next week." When I said "August" (aka: 3 months), he was more than a bit taken back and his eyes got as big as my belly at 6 months pregnant.

Ok. I get it. I do look like I'm carrying a basketball in my tummy. And really--I don't take this all personally. I figure, if I'm going to have a baby, I may as well look like I'm going to have a baby. But telling a pregnant woman that she is going to have a humongous baby makes her mind go places she doesn't want it to go! The horrors my mind has gone through ever since that fateful comment! Exactly how big will Reesie-girl be?

REALLY.

I know I am being irrational, but I'm pregnant, and that is how I roll when I'm pregnant. So the irrationality of it all continues. I have already "heard" the doctor's words when she arrives:

We were wrong about your due date! You were supposed to be due sometime back in June!

or

Better call the Book of World Records. This one's a doozy!

or

You may need some help out to the car with her. I called for the fork-lift operator to meet you out front.

Yes, this is all exaggeration. My husband would be so proud of me for my embellishments. But exaggeration or not, I now have braced myself for a big baby all because of this man's comment.

But it's not all because of this one man's comment. Everywhere I go, people keep asking if I am due this month. Manual doors now open automatically. People part ways for me quicker than the Red Sea.

I was at Winco and was placing veggies on the conveyer belt. It was a quick trip and I didn't need much. In fact, if Winco had an express line, I would be in it. This man in front of me asked me 3 times if I could handle placing my groceries on the belt myself. I felt like telling him I was pregnant, not disabled, but instead thanked him for asking. But no, I do not need help lifting this jalapeno. Or this bag of lettuce. Or small 1-inch baggy of bulk cumin. I still wonder how he thought I had gotten these "heavy" items in my cart in the first place. Yes he was being nice. I'm just having fun.

I also went to Costco yesterday and got a smattering of groceries. It has been my experience that Costco does not provide help with large loads. In fact, a few years ago I purchased a playhouse and had to lug Brian back with me later in the day to help me get it home, as I was told that they do not provide assistance with large items. Yesterday was different. Upon exiting the building, the nice man who writes smiley faces on our receipts insisted that I get some help and instructed me to drive my car up to the front. When I arrived, my basket was promptly emptied without so much as a lifted finger from myself.

Thus my growing paranoia over a humongous baby.

I've Been Tagged

by Rachel and need to share seven interesting things about me!

1. I once taught 3 female students how to change a tire along a busy road while teaching Driver's Education one summer and didn't even know how to change one!

2. In 1989, I won the Wednesday night Puyallup Fair Hoola Hoop contest.

3. I was once handed Joe Walsh's guitar pick right after his concert and lost it. I KNOW!

4. I was baptized in Lake Wasilla during a youth group mission trip to Alaska. Awesome!

5. I helped lead a children's Vacation Bible School in Tecate, Mexico during a mission trip in High School. Completely in Spanish.

6. I bungee-jumped over the Snake River while in College with my boyfriend, who is now my wonderful husband. He truly thought he was going to die, but he "had" to jump because I jumped first.

7. The little voice in my head that tells me to do things, speaks to me in text.


Honorable Mention:

While backstage during my job at The Taco Bell Arena (formerly known as The Boise State Pavilion), I [accidentally] tripped Nancy Kerrigan while she was getting ready to skate for Disney on Ice. She was not happy. Please note: This was not the famous incident you read about in the tabloids.

So now I need to tag 7 more people! So, please consider yourself "tagged". You can post your interesting facts on your blog, facebook, etc. Be sure to send it back to me so I can learn more about you!

Danielle Richert

Keri Swan

Sharon Cooney

Chelsea Drake

Katie Jennings

Miranda Risinger

Suzanne Porterfield

Psssssst! This has changed my life.

Warning: Following blog content may or may not be for the male audience.

Those of you who know me, know that I am not prone to exaggeration. In fact, I've been advised by someone of the male gender who lives in the same house I do (name is withheld to protect confidentiality agreement) that I could use a little exaggeration skills to make my stories more interesting. Whether or not that is true, or morally correct at least, is up in the air. Either way, I must say that my life is different now that I started using a waterless shampoo called Psssssst! It's the only thing that brings life to my fly-away fine hair. It's actually designed as 911 for those "no-time-for-a-shower" days, but I actually use it most days right after blow drying my hair to give my hair more body or if I need a hair-pick-me-up really quick-like. I would say more, but then I risk sounding like an infomercial. And that's just not my style. I do, though, need to give a shout-out to Katie for introducing me to this blessed product. :o)