Friends...

**When you read this post, don't read it with a mean voice in your head. I am not ranting...this was just on my mind. When I read through it just now it sounds like I am mad...but I'm not and I don't know what to change to make it sound different. SO just read it with a happy voice and maybe that will help...

I have found that as an adult, it is kind of hard to make new friends. I'm not talking about "fake" friends...you know, the ones that when you are with them it feels a little bit like a first date??? Do you know what I mean? Well, those aren't the friends I am talking about. I mean really good friends that you want to be with and actually take the effort (because, in a big city it takes a lot of effort...that's a whole other blog topic) to be with them and have a meaningful, fun relationship. I know that one of the reasons it is so hard is because everyone is at a different point in their life when you are an adult. When you are in school...everyone is in school. When you move off to college and have to make new friends, everyone has to make new friends. But when you are an adult,that's just not the way it is. For example: You might find some friends who all married but some of them are trying to have kids, some are pregnant, some have a kid and some aren't ready for kids at all. Or maybe most of your friends have kids and it seems like you are all at the same point but really you aren't. Because some might be on their first kid, some on their second. Some moms work and some don't. Some kids are easy so their parent's get out a lot and with some it's just easier to stay home. No matter the situation...you are just at different stations of life.



And I am almost convinced that I will never find better friends than the friends I made in college. They are the girls that I can really be myself around. I have always considered myself a very open person...I will share anything, sometimes too much. But I sometimes find myself having to edit my conversations with people who are my "friends" because I wonder what they might think if I said one thing or another. I would NEVER worry about that with my girlfriends from college. Why is that??? Is it because when you live with someone they see all aspects of you and you see all aspects of them? the good and the bad? the pretty and the not-so-pretty?
I wish it were still that simple. I miss having really close girlfriends right across the street or in the next room or a few blocks away. Ryan is my best friend in the whole world but it is still nice to have girl time. There is just something about being with a group of girls and talking and laughing that makes my world a better place!



All of that to get to this...today I was thinking...what does a really close friendship look like to me? And there was one thing that kept coming into my mind... I know I have a close friend when I can make fun of them and they can make fun of me and no one gets their feelings hurt. I am not talking about making fun of the way they look or dress or mean things like that. I am talking about if you do or say something stupid, I can call you out on it and we can laugh about it. Because I say and do stupid things all the time and I like to laugh at myself. And I like to have someone laugh with me. Please don't think this is my main goal in life...I don't sit around and make fun of people. I just mean that I know I have a close friend if I can joke with them and say what I am thinking and not have to edit myself.

So, to my faithful readers out there...how do you "judge" a close friendship? Don't answer with the cheesy things like "I want a friend who is patient" or "I know I have a close friend because they are nice to me." Duh...no one wants a mean friend.

5 month picture...s

These are getting more difficult each month.

Summertime and the livin's easy...

Only 6 days left!! I am really excited about summer this year! The last two summers I was taking classes at UNT but this summer I got nothin. Here are some things I am looking forward to:

1. Being with Blake in the mornings because that is the time of day she loves the most.

2. Not having to set my alarm.

3. Wearing tank tops and shorts.

4. Taking Blake swimming.

5. Not putting on any makeup unless it is absolutely necessary.

6. Eating lunch at home.

7. Getting to hang out with Ryan more.

8. Meeting friends for lunch and playdates.

9. Blogging more often because there are people (at least one that I know of, thanks Mel) that check my blog daily for pics of Blake.

10. Using my new scanner to upload pics to my blog from back in the day (heads up Wally Hotts)

11. Only washing my hair every other day because it's probably up in a pony tail anyway.

12. Going to bed late because I don't have to wake up early for anything.

13. Reading.

14. Seeing some movies at the matinee. (I just realized that matinee is very close to manitee)

15. Going to the zoo. Thanks mimi and paco for the zoo memberships!

16. Going to the zoo with friends!

17. Hanging with Heather, Laine and Bowen.

18. Traveling.

19. No stress...at least not the school kind.

20. Playing with Blake as much and as often as I want.

21. Eating a bowl of cereal and having a cup of coffee BEFORE my day starts. (usually I do this as the kids are coming into my room.)

22. Not having to pick out what I am wearing the night before.

23. Not having to iron.

24. Using less gas because I am not driving all the way to school.

25. Finding some projects to work on around the house.

Completely different subject:

Has anyone ever taken their baby to the daycare at the gym?? We just renewed our membership because Bally's was offering an incredible deal where we only pay $18 per month for both of us and we get to work out free until August...anywho, Ryan and I thought we would go at the same time but that would mean Blake would have to go with us. I think she is too young and we should work out at different times...but I am not completely against the idea either. Any advice?

Nap time

Blake is not a good napper. She sleeps well at night but she does not take long naps during the day. Except for today! She has been asleep for about 2 1/2 hours! Yippee! Nap time will be something we perfect this summer...which is only 9 and 2 half days away! Double Yippee! I feel sorry for people with "real" jobs who don't get to experience the excitement of summer time. I have had a summer off my whole life and I can't imagine anything else. Sometimes when I think teachers should make more money I remind myself that I work 183 days a year and then I feel pretty good.

We have had an eventful weekend. Friday night we decided to go to Central Market to have burgers and listen to music. We got there around 5:45 and there was not an empty table in sight. So we left and went to Mellow Mushroom pizza. We sat outside and had some great food.

Saturday Ryan played in a softball tournament. We went to Panera bread for breakfast before and ran into Rick Atchley. When I first saw him I felt like I was spotting a celebrity...weird. We were at the games until about 4:00 then went home and decided to go to Pei Wei because we still had a gift card from Christmas. We sat outside again and then went to Central Market for gelato and to listen to music. This time we were successful at finding a table. One of our favorite things to do at CM is people watch and it was great entertainment. A random lady sitting next to us came over and to a picture of Blake...awkward. I didn't really know how to respond but she seemed really nice and then asked for our address and she would mail us a copy. So I guess if we have a stalker in the next few days we have a suspect.

I hear the Blakester...time to put mom pants back on!

Thank you Julie Clark...

There are many people out there who think that shows like Baby Einstein are just babysitters for your kids so that you don't have to play with them. I say... Dang right! It's not that I don't want to play with Blake every minute when I come home...it's just that there are certain things around the house that need to get done. When she was an infant I could carry her around in the sling and do things. But now she wants to wiggle around and play so I hate to constrict her in the carrier. Plus there is a real danger of dropping her on her head into the dishwasher when I am unloading it. So, thank you Julie Clark...your concept was so simple and yet so amazing. Blake loves it! (Writer's note: Baby Einstein movies only last about 20 minutes...it's not like she is sitting there for 2 hours...it is a nice thought though.)

Here she is after she watches a few episodes:

This entry actually needs two titles: So here is title #2 (ha...that just made me laugh)

BLAKE ALWAYS GETS CALLED A BOY BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T HAVE MUCH HAIR AND I DON'T MAKE HER WEAR A BOW ALL THE TIME BUT MAYBE I SHOULD BECAUSE I AM SICK OF IT...

Wow. Actually the title pretty much says it all. And to all of you people out there who have "baby" looking babies that if dressed in the opposite gender's clothing pass for that gender, do you get pissed when people assume your kid is the opposite sex? At first I just ignored it. But we were at the Abilene mall on Saturday and FOUR people came up and asked things like "ohhh, how old is he?" "He is so cute, what did you name him?" That question can be awkward anyway since I can't say something like "Mary" and then they automatically know they made a mistake. I have to say "Her name is Blake" and then they maybe think that they didn't hear me right so they look even more confused.

But my suggestion for everyone who has run into the situation of not knowing the babies gender try this: FIRST-take in all the context clues. If the baby is wearing PINK (or a pink and black zebra outfit) then it's probably a girl. Or if the baby is covered in a PINK blanket then it is probably a girl. If you take in all the visual information and you still can't tell...DON'T GUESS! Because if you are wrong then eventually you will probably get corrected and you will feel like an idiot and in the meantime the mom is trying to decide if you are worth correcting and if you are then how they are going to go about doing it. But...that's just my opinion.

Family portrait on Mother's day. I love how you can see my aunt Linda in the reflection trying to get Blake to smile.

Science TAKS is OVER!!!

Yipppeee skippeee! I have been Debbie Downer for the past 2 1/2 weeks because all we have been doing is reviewing for TAKS. But now it is OVER!!! This morning I was able to accidentally sleep in, drop Blake off, pick up donuts for my kids and still make it to school on time! A great start to TAKS day. Now it's over, Blake laughed at me several times this afternoon (always a good confidence booster) and I am thinking of going to pick up some Pei Wei. A great end to TAKS day.

Next week we are dissecting frogs. I told my students and most were excited. There were some that are all freaked out about it. When I was at Franklin Middle School I remember that some boy took an organ from the frog we dissected and put it on another kid's lunch tray. Pretty sure he got in big trouble. I also remember that a kid in my group (Michael M.) was cutting the frog and the scalpel knife broke off and hit him in the goggles. I always tell my students that story when they ask me why they have to wear goggles. Michael might only have one eyeball now had it not been for a great science teacher enforcing the rules!

A few firsts this 4th month of Blake's life: she can now role from back to tummy.

And she is testing out some good old rice cereal and baby food. So far the cereal has been successful combined with carrots, green beans and peas.