No More Ads

After several years of having the BlogHer ads on my side panel and complying with their specific rules about where and how and what to do with their ad panel, I decided to let it go. I stopped posting so they'd pull their ad, and I would likely not have been posting much anyway. But the rule is you have to post regularly to keep their ad panel up and running, and I haven't been, so they took it down, and I was ready to let it go. It's designed to generate income for the blogger, but for whatever reason it never earned me income. In fact, I'm pretty sure I got ONE $18 check in about 5 years' time. And I like having complete control back from my blog, frankly, and would be reticent to take on those kinds of ads again. And now I can review any product I want, if I want to, and nobody can tell me I can't.  (That was another of their rules that I didn't like, but tolerated for long enough.)

Updates for Cathy:

Making cake truffles. Lots of them. Folks like them, I like making them. Considering incorporating, but we'll see. Strangely enough, folks want money for stuff like that, but the tradename I want is PERFECTO for me and I cannot wait to share it with you. My attorney is checking availability this week and we'll see what we'll see when we see.

My side still hurts. I've had every test, up to and including exploratory surgery, to figure out why. Still don't know why. I am in the process of a high-dose vitamin D treatment plan as I am drastically low, below normal healthy levels, so we'll see what that brings.

Today is my 8th wedding anniversary. Greg and I were married in our hometown, surrounded by our loved ones, EXACTLY 8 years ago. Actually, right now we were probably standing in the receiving line. Beautiful, beautiful day it was, in every way. Never been sorry. I love you Greg, in ways that I never knew existed. I hope the next year blows this past year out of the water for us, but I know even if it doesn't, we'll muddle through together, and I'll be glad you're by my side while we go. No road too long.

Jackson is four and a half, Samantha just turned seven. They are growing so very, very fast, and the days seem to fly by. They continue to amaze and delight me with who they are and who they are becoming, and I smile in my heart when they say "You're the best mom EVER!" (I even try to smile when Sam tells me "It  must be AWESOME to have a mom like {insert another kids' mom's name here}..." Thanks, kid.) How I got so lucky to have two healthy, smart, fun, beautiful kids who also happen to usually think I hung the moon despite my many, many faults, I'll never know. But I'm not complaining.

I fell this morning in the shower, hit my left side on the tub going down. So, much sitting and little else is in my future for the next few days, as I'm pretty sure I cracked at least one rib. As in, I HEARD an audible "CRACK" when I hit the tub. Dear sweet baby jesus, this hurts!

I miss blogging and plan to return soon, and hope you'll return to reading. It's good for me, and I need more things that are good for me. Don't we all? Yes, we do.

Holiday Greetings

Nothing particularly fancy, dear reader.  Just me, telling you, from my heart, that I hope your holidays are joyous, peaceful and filled with love and family and all of your favorite things.

I'll be ending my 2010 by going under the knife, for an exploratory laparascopy, in hopes of finding what's been causing me pain for the better part of the year.  Cross a finger or two, and send up a prayer for me, wouldja?  I hope 2011 is as full of solutions and relief as 2010 was of pain and unanswered questions. 

I need to sleep, and I need to finish up my baking.  I'll do the former first and the latter tomorrow.  Hopefully back to write more before the year gets away altogether.

So I'm Thinking

And we all know how dangerous that can be.

I'm thinking of Aimee today.  Not unusual, and today's thoughts are for no particular reason, just thinking of her.  Actually not true.  Some stuff on Facebook reminded me of her.  That's all.  So here's the thing. I still have moments, and you're going to think I'm crackers, where I think I should be able to shoot her an email, or pick up the phone and call her.  There is still a small part in my brain that just simple re-fucking-fuses to believe/accept/process that she's really gone.  And that sucks.  Every time I have the realization all over again. 

I'm thinking of cake truffles today.  That's nothing new, I think of cake truffles every day.  This week I'm doing fun fall/Thanksgiving ones, and they are going to be deelish and bee-u-teeful. 

I'm thinking of my office.  Unfortunately, it's gone the way of TRASHED again, and now requires another great paper movement. 

I'm thinking that PBS's show "The Cat In The Hat", starring Martin Short as the cat, may have my new least-favorite songs E.V.E.R.  "The thingamajigger is on its WAAAAY, go! go! go! go! on an adventure..."  Wrist-slit-inducing, that one is...

I'm thinking I have the cutest kids ever.  I have pics to prove it.

I'm thinking it's time to get Sam to school and get my but in gear around here today.  And I'm thinking that this was a rather random, pointless blog entry.  And I'm thinking that's OK.  And I'm thinking I should stop typing now.

No Way It's November

And yet, somehow it is. 
The blog has gone by the wayside, and I undoubtedly write this mostly for myself.  Earned.

So, some random tidbits from my life, as though anyone but me was still reading about my life here.

~ October blew by, with beautiful weather, and another craft show's worth of cake truffles sold (in 5 hours, thankyouverymuch).  I rocked the craft show, baby.  Believe it.

~ My side still hurts.  It still sucks.

~ We've been battling stomach flu and head colds this week, and I'm tired as can be despite some pretty decent sleep.

~ My house needs help.  Being sick all week does a real number on my housecleaning efforts.  Everything's been Lysoled within an inch of its life but it's all still laying around.

~  I am sick to death of cooking meals.  Seriously.  Six years being home has driven me over the brink of giving a crap if I ever bake/broil/fry anything ever again.  We could live on cereal and sandwiches forever if it was up to me.

~ After our FABULOUS {eyeroll} health insurance changed July 1 again (thanks Greg's employers), they raised our deductible another $1k mid-calendar  year.  Result: we owe $1300 for my colonoscopy that should have been covered as I'd already "met" my deductible as far as we knew.  You know, the colonoscopy that told me nothing.  The one that said I'm "normal". 

~ I still have some of the best freaking friends and family in the world.  Get used to hearing it.

~ My bestie Deb is coming in December to visit, and possibly wrangle a show with me.  I have to keep myself from giggling all day long when I think about it, and sometimes I just can't stop myself.

~  Sadly, we said goodbye to my Granny in October. She lived her life loving God and witnessing the best she could, and we believe she has gone on to be with Him, and that He welcomed her with loving arms, and we rejoice in letting her go on to that reward.  But it's hard to let her go, even though we really let her go a few years ago when Alzheimer's put its grip on her.  We miss her and celebrate her and believe that she's watching down on us, and that she can feel our love, even from where she now rests.

~ I hope, as always, to blog more soon, but as always, make no promises.  Peace.

Most Unlikely FUN Date Night -OR- How The Nighthawks Won Me, Too

So, if you know me, you know that I'm no football junkie.  I'm barely a football fan at all, frankly.  I support "our Huskers" because my dad loved them growing up so it's kind of automatic; and my husband and his family love them, too, so I spend time yearly submerged in Husker Nation.  But we don't get out and SEE games in person much.  We're a "watch it on TV" set of fans, mostly.

In fact, I've only been to two live football games (other than high school and midget games, and really, those don't count) ever in my life, both Husker games: one as a kid with my mom and siblings, and it was SO fracking cold that I can't even tell you who they played, if we won, or any other pertinent information; and the other with Greg, 12 years ago, and I think "we" clobbered "them" thoroughly enough that Greg and I left before the 4th quarter to beat the traffic.  Frankly, I was impressed almost-not-at-all BOTH times. 

Greg always said I just didn't get it when it came to watching football live in the stadium.  He was right, I didn't get it. I can take it or leave it at home on my own couch, so the idea of trekking long distances to sit on a hard seat, surrounded by potentially offensive strangers, for hours on end, to maybe watch "my" team get clobbered, lacked appeal. 

So I told you all of that to tell you this:  for his birthday, I bought Greg season tickets to see our newly-formed Omaha Nighthawks (one of the new teams who are part of the UFL) play some ball, live and in person.  No stadium football here, this is regular outdoor pro football.  And these guys are former- and just-barely-missed-out-on-NFL players.  Guys like Ahman Green, Jeff Garcia, Jay Moore.  Four home games will be played at the famous-and-soon-to-be-demolished Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium, home to my much-unbeloved-CWS.  (OK, and so now that I've been there, I like Rosenblatt a lot, but I still loathe the CWS.)

For the sake of a date with my husband, and out of curiousity, I wanted to go to one game.  And I sure as heck was not going to go to the COLD ones...so I wanted to go to the first game.  Greg was happy to oblige. (I think.  He didn't argue, anyway.)

So last night was the big night.  Our incredible friends the R family took our kids for us, despite the ridiculously busy week or three they have going on at their house, and we LOVE them for that.  I left them there at 3:30 and ran home to fetch my hubby, my Nighthawks shirt and my camera.  By 4:30, we were getting off the interstate and heading down 13th Street.  The entire area was already abuzz with pre-game activity, with tailgating and special events for those of us who'd bought season tickets.  Concerts, food, beer garden, bounce houses (Shhhh, don't tell our kids), and cheap programs and free game posters, and all of that before we even went through the gate.  There was an electricity that seemed unlikely for a team who had never played a game together as of  yet, and it was clear early on that our fellow Nighthawks fans are the kinds of fans that only Nebraska can produce. 

The gates opened and we filed in, excited to find our seats, to see the field (converted from a baseball field to a football field in a few shorts week) and get settled in.  We quickly found that A) with a little help from my friends, I'm not too bad at picking season tickets, and that B) there really are no bad seats for football in Rosenblatt.  By the time we sat down, we had about 90 minutes until game time.  We spent it visiting, posting pics on Facebook and texting them to friends, and with about 40 minutes left to wait, I spotted two fellow 'Hawks fans eating a fabulously yummy and unhealthy plate of something I knew I had to have.  We found out it was a "Fritos Pie"...and since we had 35 minutes 'til kick-off, we had plenty of time to go get one, right?

WOW.  As we walked back up into the concourse, we saw how we would spend those 35 minutes.  Now, the concourse which had dozens of people milling around in it when we arrived, held THOUSANDS.  Belly-to-back, the hallways were packed, 12 - 15 people across, as far as the eye could see.  We'd heard it was sold out, and this showed us that it was NO silly rumor. 

We got back to our seats just as we heard them announcing "our" Nighthawks, and while I admit I was swept up in the moment, I still didn't know if I could "get it".  We'd already been sitting/standing for two hours, and the game was just starting!

And so it did. 

And then I got it. 

Roaring fans, all dressed in black and silver, came to our feet and cheered for the Nighthawks, who took on Hartford, met the challenge they brought head-on, and in the end, handed them a loss in the final seconds.  A victory for this new team, and a victory for this history-making UFL crowd, who were like old souls cheering for a team they'd loved for years.  The sea of black and silver was almost as moving (and it's strange for me to say that, trust me) as the sea of red that all Huskers understand and love.  I have never enjoyed three hours in an uncomfortable seat, surrounded by (a few) rowdy drunk people, eating junk food and screaming my head off, more.

I think the the Nighthawks and the UFL are in Omaha for the foreseeable future.  And believe it or not, I think that's a good thing.

GO Nighthawks!