My Crazy Life

Applenauce

2007-04-04T11:15:00.000-07:00

Noahs has been on the BRAT diet for almost 3 weeks now and he has come to be obsessed with the "A" in the BRAT diet. As many of you moms know, and maybe husbands too, "A" stands for apples. Either juice, diced, puree, etc., according to my Dr, it doesn't matter. Well, Noah LOVES applesauce! Every time we sit down to eat he screams for it. Unfortunately I still cant get him to say it right. Here is how it always goes.
Conversation:
Noah: "Applenauce, Applenauce" (chanting it)
Me: You want Apple-SAUCE?
Noah: APPLENAUCE! APPLENAUCE! (loudly chanting)
Me: Noah, say APPLESAUCE. (with most of the annunciation on the sauce part.)
Noah: (very slowly says) APPLENAUCE.
Me: Okay say Please.
Noah: PEASSSS
This one has to go in the baby book!

A Sigh Of Relief

2007-01-30T12:27:00.000-08:00

To all of you in blog land who were wondering what was going on with me in my life well here it is, a summary of the last 2 months.

The past 2 months has been a whirlwind of emotions, deadlines, projects and most of all stress.
First we had the ordination, that was a whole other full time job for me. Coordinating, planning, shopping, calls, mailings, etc. I was so happy when the day finally came and I was able to look back and say, "Dang I did good, thank God for all my friends who helped."
In the middle of all that craziness, the night before the ordination I got a call that my Grampa had passed away. The emotions were a little all over the place and honestly I didn't really grieve all that much. I had too much on my mind with the ordination and then once it had passed I fell into the state of, "did all this really happen?" I think I am still there, not coming to terms with the fact that I wont be able to see my Grandpa again in this lifetime. We were very close, I will always have fond memories of the time we spent together.
Then of course we had the Christmas holidays which are always busy, but always fun!
At Christmas I was told that for the rest of December and thru January I was going to be leading praise music, not only on Saturday nights with the youth, but on Sunday morning as well. I must say, I was a little shocked but I was up to the challenge, knowing I had VERY big shoes to fill. I am in no way a professional musician, I can sing and play the piano somewhat but I definitely cant be put into the "professional" box.
Leading worship was amazing, when I remembered to take my ADD meds! :)
There are things that I will miss and things I definitely wont. In a way I am glad I did this, I proved to myself that I can step up and lead music, with the help of some very talented musicians. I loved felling the Holy spirit move me as I lead and seeing it move others in the congragation. If nothing else I was truly blessed to be a part of that! With all the good comes bad and I was prepared for that too. I heard back handed comments, judgments, comparisons, etc. I tried not to let it bug me but there were times when it hit to deep and I went home crying. All in all this made me a better person. I grew in this experience whether it was good or bad. I am thankful that Fr Mski gave me the opportunity to grow and that he believed in me enough to let me go at it on my own.
New Years Eve was a blast, we had friends over and played board games and ate a ton of food. I attempted to cook my first turkey and passed the test, even though I cooked it upside down. My hubby has now hid the board games and probably wont let me play until next year. He says I am too competitive and that it gets annoying. Hey, what do you expect, I was a national swimmer who trained and competed for years. The competitive nature runs in my blood! Anyway, it was still so much fun.
The new year started off in a bad way, all of us got sick and were out of commission for several days. Hubby with a MS flare up and a nasty head cold, me with the stomach flu and nasty head cold and Noah with a virus of some sort. We recovered and then just when we thought we were on steady ground, Noah goes and "breaks" his arm. Off to the Er and DR's appointments until we hear, "Well maybe he really didn't break his arm. Lets take off the cast and see what happens over the next week." Praise the Lord! The follow up will be on Thursday and I will let you all know what they say.
Well that's it. **Sigh** Now I can go back to the way it was, at least for a little bit.

God Really Does Provide

2006-12-21T09:48:00.000-08:00

So, most of you know that things are tight in our household right now, having the ordination and it being Christmas doesn't help with the money flow either. (all well worth it though!) :) We haven't been to the store since the end of November, before I left for my trip. We were needing to go, but trying to hold out till next pay day.
I get to work today and I am walking back to my bone chilling office and a fellow coworker comes up to me and tells me that she is handing out her gifts to all the employees. I really didn't know what to say. In my head I was like, "Okay good for you." But I think I said something to the effect of, "Oh how nice of you to do that for everyone!" and continued to walk away. She then came into my office and told me that she was unable to bring my gift in and then paused for my response. At this point I thought maybe she didn't have her morning coffee yet and she was just being wired. My response was, "Well, okay, do you need help with it?" Her response was, "Yeah, see I bought you groceries and some toys for Noah and I want to just put them in your car now, so people don't see." Tears began to fill my eyes and all I could do was give her a great big hug and tell her Thank You!! When we walked out to the car I was not expecting anything much, maybe just the staples to get me thru. To my surprise she kept bring out boxes and bags of stuff! She even bought me a turkey and a big package of bacon! She bought me so much that it almost didn't fit in the back of my friends Ford Explorer. (I carpool so I didn't have my own car with me!)Tears kept filling my eyes and all I could say was thank you.
What a wonderful thing she did for my family, what a wonderful heart she has, and best of all, WOW God provided again, thru her!

Have a very blessed Christmas!!

MS Walk Web Pages

2006-12-14T09:25:00.000-08:00

Okay, here are the web pages for the MS Walk. The TEAM web page is www.mswalk.com/Joshuascure and my PERSONAL web page is www.mswalk.com/lovingwife.
Take a look and join up if you can. You will be able to create your own web page and accept donations online and all that good stuff! I have not set up my personal web page yet with my story and pics, but I will in a few days. The most important thing is that people can join now thru the team web page! Let me know if you have any questions or problems getting on or joining.

MS Walk

2006-12-13T10:04:00.000-08:00

Hi All,
Okay mark you calendars, the MS Walk for 2007 is on April 14th at UC Irvine. It usually is in the morning and then they have food and games afterward. We had a great experience last year doing this in Irvine instead of in Lancaster. Its about a 15-20min longer drive but well worth it. The campus is beautiful and it has more sponsors, which means more fun and food! I will let you all know when my webpage is up so you all can take a look, read my story, see who is on my team, join our team or make donations if you want. Till then have a great day!!

Real Working Women

2006-12-07T14:49:00.000-08:00

Well, I just got back from my first real business trip! I went to Las Vegas for a HR training thing, 3 days of INTENSE learning. My head hurts and is full of HR laws and procedures that I will most likely never use unless we move out of state. They are implementing a new designation just for us HR people out here in CA because we are so damn different!! Unfortunately, I have to know everything, even if it doesnt apply to my company, in order to take the national exam.
I didnt stay any where special, I didnt go out and I only used a $1 on the slots...and lost. I was, however, able to order room service, eat an entire order of creme bruele and take a 2 hour bath with no one banging on the door, every night. Eventhough that was great, I really missed home. I missed my baby, my hubby, my friends, and gasp, even my work! Its good to be back among normal people and not stuck in a room, with over a hundred people, all asking, "Does your company has a strategic plan for employee retention in place for the new year?"
Lord, I am so glad to be home!!

Grand Plans

2006-11-15T14:41:00.000-08:00

Yes, I confess, I am a BIG planner! I can also be one that has a "take charge" kind of attitude. Both of these are okay, at certain times.

I have found, in my life, that I have had a ton of frustration with the need to plan. If things weren't going the way I planned, I would freak and race back to the drawing board (so to speak). Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that not everything can be planned.

When I met Hubby, he wasn't going to church, drank a bunch, cursed a lot and could be a little harsh at moments. One day I told Hubby, "I don't think that I can date someone who doesn't go to church." To make a long story short, he came to church and SLOWLY began to like it. (Truth is, after the first time at my church he never wanted to go back, but he did for me!) After a while he was baptized and then later confirmed.
We got engaged and plans were wrapping up nicely. About 1 or 2 months before the wedding Hubby was diagnosed with MS. My planning went right out the window. Would he be well enough to go thru with the wedding? Would we have to postpone? Needless to say he spent about 3 weeks in and out of the hospital. He was angry and sad. One day we were driving and Hubby took my hand and told me that if I wanted out of the wedding that he would understand. He proceeded to say that he knew this was going to be a hard life and that I was young and should have to go thru this. Well, after hearing that I almost slapped him, I probably would have if we weren't driving. Needless to say I told him where to go! I told him that the wedding was still on and that my "vow" to him began when I said yes to marrying him!

A few months after our wedding Hubby came to me an told me that he was having really freaky dreams. I asked him what they were about. He told me that in the dream he was with the Fathers of our church and they were fighting against Satan. I was taken by surprise, and told him that maybe he should talk to someone about them. He agreed but never did. I think he thought they would just go away. A dream is just a dream, right? A month or two later Hubby came back to me and said that he thought he was being called to the Ministry. In my head I was like, "Hey wait a minute, that's not in the plan for my life! I cant be a wife to a Priest. Yeah this aint happening!" Hubby asked me if I could see myself as a Priests wife. I simply told him, "NOPE!". These types of conversations carried on for a couple of weeks when finally I told him to go talk to Fr. "Go Big Or Go Home" and see what he thought. BAD MOVE!! I thought that Fr "Go Big Or Go Home" would agree with me and tell Hubby that he was just having strange dreams and that he was not called to the ministry. That way, we could keep on living life according to Alena's grand plan. Hubby came home one night and said, "Well I think I am going to enroll in Seminary!"
"WHAT???" Wow was I wrong?
Fr "Go Big Or Go Home" knew he was called to the ministry for a long time and was just waiting to tell him. My plan...Knocked right out of the park.

Hubby started seminary and things were hard but we were being blessed. A couple of years later I got pregnant. A GREAT blessing, but not what I had planned. Hubby and I were told to expect that it would take about 6 months to a year for me to get pregnant, this was told to us by a DR.! Well 1 1/2 months later I was cookin' a bun in the oven. Just slightly off the 6 months to a year window! ;)

Trying to balance wife, mother, working women, church and having a hubby in seminary was/is hard...VERY hard.

Just a couple months ago I finally accepted the fact that my life was forever changed and what was going to happen was not what I planned. God has a different plan in mind...a better one in fact! I learned the hard way, my time is not His time and my plans are NOT His plans. His plans are better, are full of blessings and most of all are planned with love.

Hubby is going to be ordained Deacon next month and I couldn't be happier. In no way could I plan for the things that will happen in our lives as we take this new journey, and you know what, I am just fine with that!!

VOTE

2006-11-07T08:13:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
Please make sure you go out and vote today! You cant complain about our government or laws if you dont vote. :) (A saying from my Dad when I turned 18.)

"This Is Your Brain, This Is Your Brain On Drugs"

2006-09-28T09:14:00.000-07:00

A "normal" persons, I use that word rather loosely who's to say what's normal anyway, brain does not need drugs of any kind to make it work better. In fact many people loose brain function do to drug (non-RX & RX) use. In my case, and some other peoples, the brain needs drugs (RX) inorder to help it out a bit. I am on a new med, as of today, that seem to be keeping my brain on tract a bit. I am hoping that my brain will be happy with this new drug.

Hard

2006-09-11T15:17:00.000-07:00

Sometimes in life you don't have to understand everything. This concept is hard for me and I am sure for others as well. I struggle with this on a daily basis. Pray for me because right now I don't understand.

New Favorite Show

2006-09-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

Okay so my friend Kerrie keeps telling me how I am REALLY missing out. See, I used to be a night person, before I had kids. I could stay up all night into the wee hours of the morning and be fine with waking up at 6am to go to work. Now...not so much, so I guess I miss out on really great TV because of that. Anyway there is this show called Greys Anatomy. It use to air at 10pm on channel 7...10 pm is way past my bed time. Its going on season #3. I tried not to get into it because I knew that I wouldn't be able to make it to the 10-11pm hour.
Since its summer and the "New" episodes have not begun yet I find myself watching too much reality TV. Until that is, I came across this show airing at a normal time. They are playing all the reruns from 8-9 & 9-10 so that people are ready and up to speed for the new season. Needless to say I got completely hooked. This is a great show, and I love the actors in it. (especially the male actors...one in particular.) Now that the new season is starting 9/21/06 at 9pm I will be able to continue my new obsession. Gosh I love TV.

Friendship Is Like A Pair Of Jeans...

2006-09-04T20:19:00.000-07:00

Okay I have come to the realization that friendships can be compared to a pair of jeans. Here goes.
In the beginning you buy a pair of jeans. They are great, you where them all the time and they become comfortable and worn in. As time passes those jeans that were once a perfect fit become slightly snug. Then later on, they become too tight and uncomfortable in all the "wrong" places. Even though these jeans don't suit you, you still hold on hoping that one day they will fit like they once did. The day comes that those jeans are put in the Good Will pile and you never see them again...unless you shop at the Good Will for something and you happen to see them in passing.

BUT once in a blue moon you truly do find the "Perfect Jeans". They go with everything and they fit like a glove. Even if you gain a few pounds, they seem to be forgiving. They go with a nice blouse and boots and a crappy old tshirt and tennies. These are the ones you keep forever.

Almost 6 Years

2006-08-24T10:18:00.000-07:00

I cant believe how fast time goes by. On the 26th of this month Joshua and I will have been together (dating and marriage) for 6 years. I can clearly remember the day the we first met, our first date, the day we got engaged, our wedding, etc. It truly seems just like yesterday. The funny thing is that I still learn new things about him daily. I think that's what makes a really great marriage. I love him more each day that passes.

My Version of Shoe Ish

2006-08-17T20:53:00.000-07:00

Since we seem to be on the topic of shoe ish, I might as well join in.

Since Noah started walking, I thought now was the time to put some shoes on that boy. Friends and family have been kind enough to donate many shoes that I thought were adorable. A couple of Sundays ago I sat Noah down to do the shoe thing. Here is how it went.

Step 1: Wrangle him from whatever he is doing to get him to sit still long enough to get the socks on
Step 2: Put left sock on
Step 3: Put right sock on
Step 4: Put left sock on again do to the fact it was mysteriously taken off
Step 5: Untie shoes
Step 6: Run down the hall to get Noah back to a sitting position
Step 7: attempt to get left shoe on (no luck foot wouldn't fit.)
Step 8: Attempt to get the right shoe on (you think I would have learned that it wasn't going to fit after trying the left one, but no.)

I did this about 4 times with different shoes. Hoping that one pair would fit. With no luck and after about 45min I decided that he was going to go bare foot!

Now that I knew that he needed shoes Hubby, Noah and I all went to the mall last weekend to see if we could get Noah sized properly since I had no clue now as to what size he could possibly be.

We get to the mall and went into the kids shoe store that's right by Macy's. They staff was very nice and they measured his foot. He is a 5 1/2 W. I was shocked, I tried the 5 1/2 W Stride Rite shoes that I had at home last weekend and I couldn't get them on!

Hubby found a really cute pair of slip on shoes in his size but just not wide, we tried them on and after he began to cry and crawled around the store whining and trying to pull them off his feet. I guess the "wide" thing really does matter. So the sales rep took me over the this wall where all the "just walking" shoes were. I picked out the cutest little shoes. We put them on and he was actually okay with them on for a bit. I flipped over the shoe box to see the price thinking, "how expensive could they possibly be...." HOLY CRAP!!! $60 for baby shoes that if we are lucky he wont grow out of for at least 1 month! So I very kindly asked her to place them on hold thinking that if I won the lotto that night I could go back and buy them. Needless to say I went to Wal-Mart! :(

Theology & Cocktails

2006-08-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

Dont always mix. But hey it makes for great conversation the next day! ;)

Decisions

2006-08-07T10:36:00.000-07:00

I think that at least once in a lifetime you are faced with a MAJOR life changing decision. Some may have more than others but on average I am going to say at least one. I have had my share of life changing choices to make in my short amount of time here on this earth, but when they come up it always seems to be "the first". As I am sure you can tell I am facing a life changing decision at this very moment. (NO I AM NOT PREGNANT) What path do I take? Do I go out on a limb and take a chance or do I just play it safe and go on with my day to day life? Both would suffice, but both bring completely different outcomes. As you see I am an obsessive thinker. I will replay the thoughts and outcomes, the possibilities, the pros and the cons until I am blue in the face, and still not be able to make a decision. That, I will say, is my downfall. I don't have faith that whatever I choose for myself and family everything will turn out okay because God has promised me that. I feel like I am "making boxes" to control the outcome. Why cant I just trust that the choice I make God will be in? I know he will but some how that doesn't come into the equation when working the problem. Gosh, I need to pray!

No Fear

2006-07-31T11:09:00.000-07:00

Well, now that the family unit is all better, I started to freak out about my own issues. Isn't that the way it always works, after the dust settles you start to freak out about the things that you have tried so hard to ignore. Not to get into too much detail, but I have been trying not to accept something that really has been a problem since before I got married. I started off just denying it all together and then that moved into telling everyone that would bring it up that they were crazy now FINALLY I took a step that I was not prepared to take. After hearing it for years, I finally decided to "prove them all wrong". That attitude quickly turned into, "Oh My God what if they are right?". Then last night it turned into "Okay so if this isn't really an issue after all then what the HELL is wrong with me? Am I always going to be like this?" I think that when we view ourselves we don't see what others do. We never see, or simply ignore, the issues at hand. It takes a really strong person to reflect inward and try to identify and solve the issues. I think now I can truly call myself strong.

Hand-Foot-Mouth

2006-07-21T15:53:00.000-07:00

Noah has delevoped a rash on his hands and feet and around his mouth. This morning I noticed he had sores in his mouth and on his tongue. The Dr this morning diagnosed it as Hand-Foot-Mouth virus. Being the crazy science nerd I am I looked it all up on the web to see if I could get some good close ups pics of the mouth ulcers. WOW did I get some good ones. When the virus goes into the mouth it causes these tiny red spots to appear on the tongue and mouth area. The tiny red spots become ulcers and can be very painful. Even though my poor son is not feeling well I am being entertained by the gruesome pictures of others. He should be better with in 7-10 days. No medication just time. The funny thing is his day care isn't very happy with me...you see he did not have the rash yesterday morning and so I brought him to day care. Later when I came to pick him up she noticed the rash. Needless to say she called me today to see if I had heard anything from the Dr because one of the little girls was running a high fever. She was not pleased when I told her of situation. Oh well...welcome to the life of Day Care! :)

All At Once

2006-07-20T15:42:00.000-07:00

WOW! Okay so this week has been a insane. I never thought it was possible for all of us to be sick at the same time....boy was I wrong. We all had Dr appointments yesterday for various things, here is the break down on Dr's visits.
Noah was running a high fever on Tuesday and Wednesday, still not sure why. Dr's diagnosis...could not find any infection so she thinks its a virus.
Joshua had a sore throat at the end of last week and it got better for a day and then the "sickness" hit him like a ton of bricks yesterday. Dr's diagnosis...possible Strep Throat.
After taking the little man to the Dr's I get home and went to the potty and I almost passed out. So off I went to the Dr's too. I got to do what I am, unfortunately, the best at, went peepee in a cup. Dr's diagnosis...another UTI/Kidney infection.
SO needless to say we are all a bunch of sick-o's in my house all fighting our own illness. God really does have a sense of humor. You just got to laugh.

Birthday Photos

2006-06-20T15:31:00.000-07:00

Noahs 1 year Birthday Party!

2006-06-02T13:03:00.000-07:00

Had to post this picture. The boy loves his Cherrio's!!

Day Care

2006-06-01T15:31:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was Noahs first day of day care without Nanna and Papa. He seemed okay when I left him very happy, playing with the all the girls and toys. When I came to pick him up, as soon as he saw me he started to cry!! I felt like such a bad Mom for "just leaving him there". Come to find out from our Day care provider he didn't do as well as I had hoped. He really didn't eat or sleep and was really clingy to her. Anytime she would leave the room he would start to cry. I think he just needs time to adjust to all the new surroundings. I mean everything is new for him, the food, the people, the schedule, ect. But the good thing is that they have a nice shaded patio where, according to the sitter, he only wanted to be. I think she said that they spent the last 2 1/2 hours out side on the patio. That explains the dirty hands and feet. :)

Hugs Before Kisses

2006-05-24T12:44:00.000-07:00

I don't think I have posted much on my little man, so I thought this might be a great story to tell.
The other night Joshua picked up the baby and came home. I was in the kitchen making dinner, I am so domestic I tell ya, and they came in and I heard Noah clapping. He was just so excited to come home. Then Joshua walked in the kitchen to say hello and Noah was just smiling at me. I took him in my arms to give him a kiss and before I could even put my lips to his cheeks he wrapped his little chubby arms around my neck and put his head on my shoulder and squeezed. These are the moments that just melt your heart.

Babies Babies All Around Me!!

2006-05-24T12:35:00.000-07:00

Okay so it seems like everyone I know is pregnant and I am just so excited! I went to retreat in May and like always the St. Michaels women are all pregnant or have JUST had babies. I left the retreat thinking...."Wow I really want another baby!" That thought lasted, oh about a week then back to reality. (I am NOT saying we will not have more kids!)
Next, my good friend Kerrie, her brother is having his baby today YEAH! I have known Kerrie for almost 2 years now and have become close with her family. Little baby Brody will be brought into the world today, and I am just so excited for them.
Three more of my friends are expecting too, one is due in August and the other 2 are due in December! It must be baby season!
I will say this its kind of nice to be on the outside looking in this time. :)

2006-05-18T10:12:00.000-07:00

I am back! Unfortunately blogging is the last thing on my very long list of "things to do". But now that the chaos is begining to fade away I seem to have a free second to do this. I am not really going to write a long and meaningful story because I dont really have one at this time.....but I am sure I will soon. :) I just wanedt to say "HI" to all of you. And tell my Hubby HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! I LOVE YOU!

I will post again soon. I will try not to wait 2 or 3 months to do so. :)

MS WALK!!!

2006-03-14T21:51:00.000-08:00

Please sign up if you want to walk or donate. We only have 3 people walking including me and we need 6 people in order to be a team! So please, if you are interested, call me or just go on to the site and sign up on our team!!
www.nationalmssociety.com click on mswalk and our team name is Y'shuas Cure. We are walking in Lancaster on April 8th!! Thanks you guys.
Love
Alena

Beautiful

2006-03-14T21:22:00.000-08:00

I am not one to really share too much about my personal life, when it comes to my marriage. Usually my answer to questions like, "how's it going" or "how are you and Hubby", is "fine" or "well, you know". Never really too deep and never really too positive or negative. As I sat tonight thinking about things I realized I haven't posted in a very long time. I sat in front of the monitor thinking what do I write about? Then it hit me like a ton of bricks, not sure exactly for what reason I am to share this but here you go. I hope you find beauty in this like I have.

I have been going thru a major attack. Dreams, visions, mood swings (no, this one is not hormonal, thank you.) tons of doubt. This last weekend I had a complete break down. I sobbed in Hubby's arms and said things I would have never thought I would come to say in my life. I was tired, broken, beat down and most of all depressed. Hubby held me for a long time while I let it all out, then once the words had stopped and all that was left was tears, he did something wonderful, he began to pray. I sat, still sobbing not really knowing exactly what was happening and next thing I know, Hubby tells me to "trust him on this one and to close my eyes". He put Holy Water on my eye lids and began to pray. God gave him such beautiful words for me. Words that my heart needed to hear. When I opened my eyes I knew my suffering was done and that God touched me in a way that I have never seen or felt before. As I began to dry my tears, I realized that I was changed and renewed something I have not felt in years. What a wonderful day!!

Muffin Tops

2006-01-31T10:35:00.000-08:00

One night, I mentioned to Hubby that we should go back on Weight Watchers. He in return said, "Yah it wouldn't hurt to loose some extra pounds." A couple weeks went by... and he came out and said, "Wow, my pants are getting a little tight." I started to laugh, not that his pants were too tight, but that it brought back something that I had heard on the radio that morning driving to work. Okay so here it is.......You know that extra "love" that hangs over your pants? Well that's called a "Muffin Top". As I told Hubby this he started cracking up. Lying in bed that night, we discussed how when we sign up for the MS Walk we should name our team Muffin Top Morgans. I was laughing so hard I thought I was going to wake the baby. Anyways, thought this was funny enough to share with you all.
P.S. We are going back on Weight Watchers Monday!! :)

How Sad It Is....

2006-01-12T19:55:00.000-08:00

I have finally realized that is has almost been a month since my last post. Wow.

Well today I am home and will be home tomorrow too, not really a vacation, I got this crappy thing called an upper respitory flu. I was a little confused because I got the flu shot. Thinking that I was dying, Cody took me to the Doctors office today and he pronounced me not dying, which was a good thing! (eventhough I felt like I was or wanted to.) So needless to say I am out of work until Monday and Cody is keeping me away from Noah. It kills me not be able to hold and kiss on him, but I would rather suffer than he.

Anyhoo, I am really posting regarding something I saw today on TV while at home and bound to the couch. I saw an add for this movie called Brokeback Mountain. This movies has two fo my favorite actors in it. So at first I was intrigued, but then they showed a seen where Heath Ledgers character and Michelle Williams character were hugging in front of there kids and then they cut to a seen where Heath is Hugging an other man bare chested in the middle of the wilderness. I was confused when they called it an epic love story of our time. Several things are wrong with this statement, but I will try to keep my train of thought. How can you call this movie an epic love story? When I hear epic love story I think classics with Audrey Hepburn and movies/books like The Notebook. How can a movie about two men who portray to lead normal heterosexual lives only to lie any really have secret homosexual lives be an epic love story? This movie seems to condone that its okay to lie and sin. In this movie don't these men give the sanctity of marriage a horrible picture? They "love" their wives and children (in some cases) but keep a life with each other a secret. I am sorry but to me that's not a love story that's heartbreak. Can you imagine, you come home one night only to find out that the man you have loved, married and had kids with is really homosexual? The sad thing is this happens on a daily basis. My heart goes out to these women and family's of whom their fathers and husbands have left them and broke their hearts, all while trying to lead this secret life. I am sure some will say that its just a movie, but the sad thing is, it really happens. If I have offended anyone I am sorry, this is just my opinion. I am not homophobic, I just don't think you can call a movie full of heartbreak and lies an epic love story.

The Chrismukkah

2005-12-19T09:59:00.000-08:00

Well, most of you know that I am a HUGE O.C. fan, BUT I must say this last weeks episode was very disappointing! I was looking forward to the "Chrismukkah" episode, they usually are great! (One of the main guys in the show is half Christian and half Jewish, so the family made a new holiday name for their situation, hence Chrismukkah.) Well this episode was not so great. I actually could have gone with out seeing it. The end was way corny and there were not many funny parts on behalf of "Seth" (the half Christian half Jewish guy). He usually is my favorite. But I will say this, I was very impressed that they mentioned that Christmas is important because its the Birth of Christ. I almost fell off the couch!!! I was very happy they made that point. So, even though The O.C. was not up to par... lets remember what this wonderful holiday season is all about! Merry CHRISTmas!!!

Always Something To Do

2005-12-06T21:03:00.000-08:00

It always seems as if I can get things done at work but never at home. I need a professional planner for my life. I say that seriously, but in the back of my head I know several of you with WAY more on your plates and still get everything done. Hats off to you. This Mom cant seem to fold the clean laundry that's piling up on the floor. You probably are thinking well at least you can get the clothes washed, well not really. See, we usually do laundry when we are out of things. "Honey can you please wash a load of whites because I am on my last pair of socks, undies, etc..." Cooking dinner usually happens (thanks to dream dinners and a loving Hubby) but the clean up takes a few days. I will say Hubby is very good about taking out the trash, but the random crap we leave around the house never gets put away. Well here is a top ten list of things that need to be done but most likely wont, enjoy:

10. Folding those clean clothes
9. Cleaning the kitchen before this weekend
8. Cleaning out my car
7. Going thru the crap I cleaned out of my car.
6. Organizing Babys dresser for the 6-9 month clothes (gosh he grows fast!)
5. Going thru a pile of paperwork that has been in the same plastic box for 3 years. ( I think my Marriage Certs in that?)
4. Finishing Baby's toy chest that I started decorating BEFORE he came. (Yes, it still says "ALL" instead of "ALL STAR" it really looks lame!)
3. Finding the Christmas Decorations
2. Setting up the Tree
1. Taking down the Christmas decorations, that's assuming we get them up in the first place.

Thanksgiving Hell

2005-11-29T15:08:00.000-08:00

I am sure that all of you had a great, relaxing Thanksgiving, mine on the other hand was total chaos! Baby had a bad reaction to the otc meds the Doctor recommended for his cold. He refused to sleep and was completely out of control. Nothing we did would satisfy him. It was horrible. We left Mom and Dads house at 5, which is unheard of in our family. I felt really bad, but Hubby and I were about to flip our lids if we didn't take him home and try to get him to calm down!
Needless to say we got in the car so fast I barely had time to say goodbye to everyone. As we were driving home Baby dosed off, YEAH!!! I begged Hubby to keep driving the gas money was worth the silence. He only slept for about 30 min. but it was worth every minute!!! Ahhhhhh... the holidays! :) Cant wait till Christmas, I wonder what that will bring! (hee hee)

Baby's First Cold

2005-11-23T10:15:00.000-08:00

Well the inevitable happened. Baby got a cold. I knew it was just a matter of time, both hubby and I had it. The cold really is not that bad, a runny nose and a slight cough, but being a new mom I really wasn't sure what to do. I called the doctor and they told be to give him some otc meds and that if it got worse or he was running a "real" fever to get an appointment.
I cant believe that I sat there picking and sucking baby's nose this morning, trying so hard to those sticky green boogies out. Baby really hates the booger sucking thing. When he was a little baby he didn't mind it too much, but now he gets violent when I use it on him. But I must say he really like the grape flavored meds. They are probably a nice change from breast milk. :)

Follow not Lead!

2005-11-10T00:32:00.000-08:00

I know where I am in my life. My Hubby is on one side and Noah on the other & God is in front leading the way. Sometimes I see where He is going and I hesitate, other times I am walking blind. I feel, knowing where God is trying to get me to go is harder than not knowing. At least with not knowing you cant fight it. When you know where he is going and you see His plan, you realize that its not exactly what YOU had planned. I know this side all too well.
When I married Hubby I had just finally got him to start coming to the "wacky" church of mine. We had a very easy, low-key, life together. Then one day Hubby comes to me and says, "I think I am supposed to be a Priest." Ummm... I am sorry WHAT??? I had seen this coming but refused to allow myself to except it, after all me a wife of a Priest, yeah right. I could not play the whole quiet and submissive role, it just wasn't me. I protested that I could not be married to a Priest.
As time went on, Hubby kept coming to me with this whole Priest idea. Finally I told him to talk to Fr. GoBigOrGoHome. He did and came home with confirmation. Needless to say Hubby is in seminary, go figure. Not at all what I had planned for us, but none the less I am comfortable with it and honestly cant wait till his ordination.
I think walking blind is hard to do but its easier to accept the overall outcome. Right before Hubby and I got married he was diagnosed with MS. This was the hardest thing to deal with, literally a month before the big day. Do we continue with the wedding, do we postpone, do not go thru with it at all? Questions and many many emotions surrounded us. I was lost completely blindsided by the entire ordeal. One day Hubby and I were driving home from somewhere and he told me that he would understand if I didn't want to marry him and that it was going to be a long hard road and he would completely understand if I didn't want to be there with him. I got very upset with him for even thinking I would leave him because of the situation. My vows started when I said yes to his proposal, not when the honeymoon began. (Call me old fashion, but really!) I knew that what ever road God was going to put us on would be the right one. Not knowing what that road was, was easier than seeing it and knowing exactly how hard it will/is/would be.
I am happy with where I am in my little journey. I trust, sometimes hesitantly, that He has me right here He wants me. I just have to know to always follow and never lead.

The OC Withdrawal Over!!

2005-11-03T12:34:00.000-08:00

I have gone an entire month with out The OC. Tonight is the night, no phone calls or interruptions, I get to see my show! This might seem silly to some that "don't watch those shows" but really, come one, I get very little time to invest in what I want to watch. Its usually Baby Einstein, Sesame Street, or Noggin, so please let me have this little, one hour of TV pleasure.
For those of you who don't have a clue to what The OC is all about let me fill you in......DRAMA! Really its fabulous, anyone who has never seen it, I can lone you The Complete First Season on DVD for a minimal price. :) But anyways, this Mom is happy!

Wanting more

2005-11-02T19:13:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine (she lives down stairs from me) is just about to have her baby. She came up a little bit ago to give me her thank you card form the shower and she looked very "ready". She has been asking me questions thru out her pregnancy and I would answer the best I could. I feel like such a Mom. Telling her how it was with me and offering her advise when she asked made me re-live my time being pregnant. I remember those 9 months like yesterday and cant wait for them to come again. Yes it was hard, but one of the best things in my life came from it. Cody thinks I am crazy for wanting more. I look at Baby and think, "Wow, I love this little guy so much, how could I love another just the same?" Well I am ready to find out, just give me a few years. :)

Listen, then speak.

2005-11-02T18:50:00.000-08:00

I have been at a Communication Seminar for the past few days in the wonderful shopping area of Pasadena. The seminar was kinda hokey but I did get somethings from it, but more importantly I was 1 block away from Colorado Blvd. The first day I controlled myself and only went into 1 shop. The second day I said lets go big, I went to the Mall!! I think its one of the best malls around. It has a MAC store, Ann Taylor, Macy's, and the list goes on and on!!! I was in shock! I was there with a friend who had a seminar too and we were on heaven, dressed very casual on a weekday shopping and eating hamburgers. That was the best thing ever!

Time....Where does it all go?

2005-10-27T15:01:00.000-07:00

Okay its been too long since I posted last. Sorry to all you readers.
I have finally realized how little time I really have in my life to do things for myself. Just to prove my point, Hubby is gone 3 weekends in a row (usually only two but Nov is special.) Once for Seminary, next for the men's retreat and then again for seminary. After all is said and done, then it is Thanksgiving. Thank God I have 4 days off for this wonderful, stuff your face till you burst, holiday. (except if you are on weight watchers then all you get is the bunny food) Monday nights hubby has evening prayer, Wednesday night is Taize, Saturday is Laudate, and Sunday morning is Mass and some how I work, cook and pickup and drop off the baby in between it all. Thank God Hubby cleans the house and does laundry cuz I think that it would be a waste hazard if it were left up to me and we would never have clean undies (a must!!). Its hard to find a balance to it all, but I am sure we will find it sooner than later. I just cant wait till I can get a pedicure or go shopping again! God bless clothes and hot bubbling foot baths!

Back to Weight Watchers!

2005-10-21T12:10:00.000-07:00

Well I have finally realized just how much weight I need to loose. 25 LBS to be exact. So back to weight watchers I go. I am not looking forward to the counting and portion control, something I got out of the habit with when I got pregnant, (the whole your eating for 2 justified everything I ate!) but hey I got to loose the weight.

In The Midst Of It All

2005-10-20T08:22:00.000-07:00

I was driving to work this morning and thinking to myself how great my life is. Some people that know me and my situation think and sometimes even say, "Gosh you really have your plate full" or "Wow you really do have a hard life." My usual response is "Well yeah, but not really." I mean if you are looking from the outside in I can see how some might think, "Why did she choose this life?" But if they were to take a closer look they would realize how truly blessed I am. I have a wonderful, loving, God fearing husband, who is constantly trying to be the best he can for God. I have a beautiful son, that gives me unconditional love and tons of smiles. I have a very giving Mother and Father, who are always making sure we are okay and doing what they can for us. We live in a GREAT condo that we actually can afford thanks to wonderful friends. BUT most of all I am loved by God. He blesses me daily with little reminders of all the things he has given me. I am such a lucky women to have such a trust in God. I think that without my faith I would have gone nuts. Eventhough times are rough and we have to go through some really crappy things, God IS there. You just have to have faith, that in the midst of it all, you are being blessed.

God I am listening

2005-10-18T20:59:00.000-07:00

I am still not sure, after all this time, how to tell when God is speaking to me. I had this discussion with Hubby a few weeks ago and to be quite honest, I am still very confused.
God speaks differently to everyone. Some have a stirring in their hearts, others actually hear his voice, some can feel Him, etc. With the Hubby God seems to speak very directly with him. Or maybe he is just listening more than I?
I cant seem to tell if its just in my head or if it really is God. Sometimes I think I am going crazy trying to tell the difference. I think I have a very hard time with the listening part too. I seem to always want to hear Him but very rarely take the time to sit and listen. And I wonder why God isn't speaking to me? I can just hear Him saying, "Well Alena its because you aren't paying full attention to Me." In the midst of all my worry and self pity because I don't think that God speaks to me, I realize its not Him its me. Wow, what a concept. I think I will go and listen now.

Flu Shot Terror

2005-10-18T15:05:00.000-07:00

Today I had to get the Flu Shot. My company was paying for all of the employees to get one (and inviting their family members too, at an additional cost of $20) As I watched with terror as the employees got shot up one by one I thought, "I have to go thru all that when I haven't come down with the flu in like 3 years, NO THANKS!" In turn I asked my friend, "Did it hurt?" She replied with a very calm "No." So you would think that I would have taken her word for it and jumped in line. Nope not me, I asked more people the same question and in turn received the same answer of "No." So hesitantly I went into the room and sat down in front of the nurse and said, "Is this going to hurt?" When she replied "All done." I was shocked! I look back and think gosh I am such a wimp. But at least I can say I am immune to the nasty flu bug! So HA! :)

Love the rain?

2005-10-17T20:01:00.000-07:00

Well as to counter act my friends post, 10 reasons he loves the rain, I will post why I don't. Occasionally the rain is good but lets be fair when addressing this issue.

Ten reason why I don't like the rain.

10. It is wet.
9. You get cold, (unless you live in like Hawaii)
8. It makes mud when mixed with dirt, gross!
7. You have to use umbrellas, I hate those things, all they do is make it harder for you to carry anything else.
6. You have to wear golashes (sp?) how lame can you possible look!
5. You automatically have a bad hair day.
4. Your visibility while driving sucks.
3. Flooded roads and mud slides (refer back to #8) = road closures.
2. People freak out when having to drive in the rain even if its barely sprinkling.
1. It takes you 2 1/2 hours to drive 17 miles.

Simple things

2005-10-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

Today I came into work late, Noah had an appointment for his shots. I got to work at 11 and then before I knew it it was lunch. I didn't want to go out because of the rain and lack of funds. As I was hunting thru the fridge at work, I came across left over food from the party we had on Friday. I was so excited about the Humus and pasta salad that was going to be my lunch. I am so easy to please when it comes to food.
Sunday was a beautiful day. I got to sleep, like really sleep. I took a 2 her early morning nap with Noah, and then we went to church. After, Hubby, Noah and I went out to lunch with friends and as I was trying to breast feed Noah, I was eating a plate full of Angel Hair pasta. Try that one handed! Later we went to our Priests home for dinner. It was so nice to be surrounded by friends all day, I finally felt like we were a normal couple again.
On Saturday I was supposed to go out with a friend, but being that our life is a life with little boys, it got postponed. So needless to say I sat on the couch and watched The O.C. first season while my son slept by my side. That was the best Saturday in a long time, the only thing that would have made it perfect is if Hubby was there to participate in the relaxation!
I look back on my weekend and realize that I am a woman of simple things. I don't need to go out to fancy restaurants or get to go shopping every weekend. All I need is The O.C., my Hubby, my son and good friends and I am a very happy women!

Sleep. Oh wonderful sleep!

2005-10-13T10:07:00.000-07:00

The other night my Hubby and I were talking about how tired we were. Him from his MS and me from the endless nights of no sleep do to a crying, screaming, hungry baby. (Hubby does help but there is only so much a man can do if you breastfeed!) Anyway, I sat thinking to myself, "Wow, we look and feel so old." Its amazing what sleep deprivation will do to you.
In talking with him I asked, "Well besides no sleep how are you feeling?" The response was "Like a whole bunch of really big people sat on me."
Luckily, for me our baby is now on a new schedule and is finally sleeping almost thru the night! YEAH!!!! Unfortunately for Hubby he is still up to 3 or 4 am and when he does sleep its nightmare city. (He quit smoking and is wearing the patch.)
But the point is, I never knew just how much I love to sleep until I had Noah. Oh how I miss the days where I could sleep until noon!

I am hooked!

2005-10-12T12:38:00.000-07:00

Okay I will admit it, I am hooked on this blogging thing. About 2 weeks ago I was telling my friend that blogging was a cult and anyone who is into it has major problems.....well, here I am checking my blog and other peoples blog every break I have. All I have to say is, I am glad its not crack!

Why are you crying?

2005-10-11T21:50:00.000-07:00

Well you know how just on some days you feel like you just want to cry, either out of frustration or sadness or sometimes for no good reason at all! The other night I was crying just cuz, and the hubby asked me "what's wrong, why are you crying?" I had no answer. I was just crying because I felt like it. Men must get so annoyed by this. To think, if we asked them, "Honey, why to you scratch/adjust all the time?" think how crazy we would go because there answer would be the same as ours...."just because."

So next time I feel like crying for no real reason I will remind myself of these top 10 reasons not to cry.

10. Usually your face looks distorted when you cry.
9. Your nose runs, a lot!
8. You get the instant puffy eye.
7. Your makeup smears, runs off, etc.
6. Your face gets red.
5. You can get a headache.
4. It starts to get hard to breath(depending on how hard you are crying)
3. You start realizing that you are crying over nothing
2. And so you start crying more because you think you are crazy.
1. You will get asked "what's wrong, why are you crying?" by the hubby. :)

I Have Succumb!

2005-10-10T22:23:00.000-07:00

Well I have joined the blogging cult of All Saints Church! I did not join because I wanted to but because I had to in order to post a comment on Codys blog. LAME!!! Anyway, this might be good for me. It will give me an outlet from my crazy life (hence the name of my blog). Please understand, when I say "crazy" I do not mean "bad". My life is carzy in a good way....well, most of the time. Here I go!