The Great Reread

I think I've mentioned once or twice that I love to read.  Lately I've read a slew of mediocre books that have left me feeling kind of ... well, kind of meh.  Nothing interesting or entertaining about them... actually, that's not totally true.  In the last book I read I created a kind of game where I counted how many similes and grammatical errors I could find.  That's not usually what I do with a book, but when you have errors as blatant as "The children was playing in the clearing" (not a direct quote, but close) then you just have to start paying closer attention.  My grammar isn't perfect, but I also don't have an editor or a slurry of people read everything I write before I "publish" it.
Anyway, I'm tired of these bland and boring books and I've decided to take a couple of months to do some rereading.  I want to read the Percy Jackson books again.  I can't wait to get lost in the Chronicles of Narnia.  Who wouldn't love to walk the halls of Hogwarts with Harry Potter?  I have a stack of books from the library, but I think I'm going to take them all back so that I can revisit some favorites and maybe find myself really enjoying reading again.
Do you ever reread books?  Or are you the type of person to read something once and then be done with it for good?  If you do reread, what are your favorite books to pick up time and time again?

A Deep Breath

For the last few years I have had a mantra... something that I've chanted to myself when things were a little crazy with kids/work/life in general.  That mantra is : It will be okay.  

I know.  It's very profound.

I can't count how many times I've told myself this.  Told my kids this.  Told anyone with a problem this.  It's my go to answer for everything.  And now... well, now that mantra is being put to the test.

Let me ask you something... how many times have you moved in the last 12 years?  If you were to ask me that question I would probably say "One too many".  How many moves do we have exactly?  Well... that depends on how you categorize a move.  I count it if we moved all of our worldly possessions from one location to another.  So, let's start at the very beginning... 

1. January 1998 - moved into our first place together after we were married.  
2. April 1998 - we moved out of the first apartment and in with my Grandma for the summer.  We ended up putting most of our stuff in storage... but we did move it all.  So it counts.
3. August 1998 - moved into a teeny tiny apartment.  I was pregnant with our first baby and had to back into the shower.  Really.
4. November 1998 - got accepted into government subsidized housing (Hubby in school, baby on the way...).
5. August 1999 - moved to Moscow, ID to further the education of afore mentioned Hubby.
6. September 1999 - got accepted into government subsidized housing about 2 days after I had finished unpacking.  Now, technically while we were in college, we moved home each summer... but we didn't move all of our belongings.  So, I don't count it.
7. June 2002 - moved for our first job to a house in Murtaugh, ID.  Got almost everything unpacked and then...
8. June 2002 - got offered a cheaper, nicer place to rent by our landlords.  And it wasn't just a little nicer... it was A LOT nicer... and it was on a lake.  Couldn't resist.  Packed all our junk up and moved again.
9. September 2002 - we moved to Irrigon, OR for another job.
10. June 2003 - moved to Hermiston, OR to be closer to said job.
11. June 2004 - bought a house in Hermiston, OR and thought we would live there forever until....
12. September 2006 - moved to our current location here in Southern California.  But this summer....
13. June 2010 - Yuma Arizona... here we come.

We've been married for 12 years and will have 13 moves under our belt.  Yes, we are insane.  Yes, we are incredibly tired of moving.  Yes, the kids are fairly upset with this decision.  Yes, we think we're doing the best thing for our family.  But that doesn't mean I'm happy about it.
I'm tired of starting over, finding new friends, figuring out how to fit in, getting the kids into school... just everything about moving makes me cringe.  I like where we are at.  I like our friends.  I like the school situations for all of my kids. I'm not looking forward to moving.  At all.  And yet... I know it will all work out.  

Now.  That being said... does anyone know anything POSITIVE about Yuma?  I've looked on the internet a bit and everything I can find is negative.  EXTREMELY NEGATIVE!!  For example... they don't have a Costco... which, in my opinion, is a crime.  But if you know anything good about Yuma, I'd love to hear it.  If you don't know anything good about Yuma, well, pat me on the head, commiserate with me for awhile and then, if you don't mind, please tell me that it will be okay.  Because every time I start to give myself "the mantra" my voice quivers and my eyes start to get all watery... 

At least I get to take you all with me.  You won't mind going to Yuma inside of my computer, will you?  

Unfinished Business

I like to create.  It's fun to sit down with a few pieces of fabric and see what I can throw together.  Sometimes it's a mess and other times it turns out a-okay.  Unfortunately, I have a bad habit of starting a crafting project, but not finishing.  I thought about taking photos of all my items in progress, but decided against it.  First of all, I don't have the time to take that many pictures.  Second, I don't want to waste your time looking at that many pictures. Suffice it to say, my projects are varied and many.
But I've set a goal for this month.  I'm going to finish at least one project - Red's quilt.  I started it last summer when he complained that his old quilt was too hot.  It has a fleece back and it's a tad toasty for the summer months.  Unfortunately for my oldest child, he's like his mom.  He wants to sleep with a blanket of some kind.  I can't sleep unless I have some kind of fabric tucked all around me... he's the same way.  But when the desert summers hit... it can be a tad uncomfortable to be swaddled in fleece.
So I'm going to finish it.  He's enjoying the fleece for now, but it won't be long before the heat settles back into the valley and he'll be sweating it out.  This is what I have done so far... hopefully in a few weeks I'll be able to show you the whole top!  Wish me luck.

I'm Sorry

I can't remember how many times I've ranted and raved over the comment verification on blogs.  It's always a frustrating thing for me to have to type all those letters in... usually I have to type it in 3 or 4 times before I get it right.  My fingers mover faster than my brain.
But, I'm afraid that I've had to cave and put it up here.  I'm not getting nasty comments.  No haters or anything like that... just spam.  Lots of spam on my older posts.  And it annoys me to no end.  This is my place!  I don't want you to write about your "helpful, cheap, medical supplies" on my blog.  GET YOUR OWN BLOG!!
So, I'm sorry, but you'll have to type in those crazy little letters from now on to read my blog.  My deepest and humblest apologies.

That Extra Incentive

There is a 5K this May in Del Mar - just north of San Diego.  And, since I am insane, I've decided to run in this race.  Actually, I use the term "run" rather loosely here.  What I mean by "run" is actually more of a fast walk/slow jog.  I haven't run on purpose since I got out of high school.  My expectations for this race are fairly high - I want to finish and I don't want to puke.  Reach for the stars my friends!  Reach for the stars.
Unfortunately, my desire to do the race hasn't been enough to keep me motivated in my training schedule.  I've had really good excuses for not running every day... things like "I'm going shopping.  I'll do lots of walking there and that will count as my workout." or "Meh.  I don't wanna".  And so, oddly enough, I'm not progressing.
I decided that I needed to find something to motivate me to get up and get moving.  Apparently having good health isn't enough.  Meeting my goals for the race doesn't keep me moving either.  I thought about rewarding (a.k.a. bribing) myself somehow.  But, the only rewards I could think of were edible, fattening and therefore, highly counterproductive.
But I think I have now found a motivator that might actually work.  Three little words that for some reason strike fear into my heart: high school reunion.
I graduated in 1995 and there is a group trying to get a 15 year reunion put together.  Why is it that the thought of seeing people from high school makes me panic just a bit?  Are these people really going to judge me and my life?  Possibly.  Should I really care?  Probably not.  But I do.
And so, I'm going to attempt to loose a little weight.  And hopefully preparing for this race will be a good way to do it.
Have you attended any of your high school reunions?  Did it make you nervous?  Or am I just being weird??  (that's always a possibility...)