I've Been Published!!

Ok, so it is not some great triumph. It is not like I have written a book or even had an article published in a magazine, I have been published on a website...can you even call it being published when it is on a website??

Anywho, my friend Kinan sent me a link http://firstkissproject.blogspot.com/ where you can submit your first kiss story. And as I sat there thinking about my actual first kiss, not just the one kiss that is stuck in my mind for eternity because I didn't know what the h*ll I was doing, but my FIRST kiss, the innocent one, it all came back to me.

Sunday, June 08, 2008
Tracey Hunter, 7th grade
Interesting Place / Sweet Kiss
It was 1986…Shane Dimmit was his name. He was the epitome of cute; tan, blonde hair, athletic what more is a seventh grade girl looking for. We had been on a double date, if you will, to the movies. I couldn't tell you what movie was playing, heck I can't even tell you all the parties involved in the double date, but I do remember that the "pick up" parents worked across the street from the mall at Ernst hardware. While we were waiting for our ride we cruised the aisles of the hardware store and there in the middle of the toilet seat aisle I received my first kiss. Not slobbery, no tongue, just a sweet, genuine 7th grade kiss.

Fun Times

As long as Andy and I have been together we have been going to Long Beach for Memorial Day Weekend. It started out just the two of us and Aggie, and has now grown to four families with dogs and kids. Although it is a lot more work than it was the first time we went, when I look back at the pictures it makes it all worth while.

Georgia, Me & Nat

Kate & Georgia...wow, how she idolizes her!

Nat and Liv....best friends

Liv smiling, Nat with her infamous scowl

Andy being a dork, riding Kate's scooter.

The Nation's Capital

Andy and I just returned from a trip to Washington DC; part business, part pleasure. I was there for the National Rural Water Rally and Andy finally came along to take in the sites. Six days, no children...need I say more....ok, I can't lie, six days was too long for me to be without my girls. A bonus of our trip was seeing an old friend of mine, Cami Beaudry. Cami and I went to junior high and high school together and I don't think I have seen her for at least 6 years. It was nice to see her and hear about her family. They are moving to England in a few months so Andy and I have decided we will have to take a trip across the pond.

Here are some photos of our trip.

Andy & I with George, Martha & the kids.

In front of the Capitol, getting ready to do my "thing".

Having lunch with Cami.

Boot Camp

I have one more week for life as I know it. Starting March 17 I will be a changed women. I have joined a fitness bootcamp. Lord help me. Three days a week I will be getting up and out of the house at 4:45am to start exercising at the ungodly hour of 5:30am.

Today I headed over to get weighed and measured, body fat tested and go over my nutritional plan. Apparently I eat too much sodium. Apparently lean cuisines are horrible for you (who knew?). And apparently I consume a few too many calories. The only nice thing he said to me was that if I cut back on my calories, drink more water, and stop eating so much sodium I will get tight sculpted arms and stomach. NICE!

Wish me luck, I am going to need it.

We Made It A Year

I made it a year as a mom of two. That's right Natalie turned one a week ago!!! She is trying so hard to walk and talk and it just isn't coming together. She gets so frustrated.





Here is a picture of her waiting for cake.

Christmas Time!

As you may recall in our house hold the Christmas season is usually referred to as wreath season, and as you may also recall during wreath season I rarely see Andy. Well this year was different, my husband was home most nights by 8:30 and more often than not he was home before the girls went to bed. One thing that was interesting to watch was Georgia's behavior during this time. She really started acting out when she wasn't seeing her dad each day, so after I made note of that to Andy he made certain to be home for dinner and have a special evening with Georgia...you know what she didn't act out at all that night or any other night that daddy was home. I had know idea Andy not being around would affect her so, guess that means I better keep him around : )

Here are some pictures from Christmas Eve:

Andy & Natalie

Andy, Natalie & My Dad

Georgia & Natalie and their LOAD of gifts.

Andy being goofy.....(Georgia took this picture)

Natalie & Georgia "sharing"

Georgia dressed as Belle

Trick or Treat

This past Halloween I trick or treated for the first time in 18 years. Yes I realize that means the last time I trick or treated I was 15, hey how is a girl suppose to give up free candy, but I digress.


This Halloween I had the joy of seeing Georgia trick or treat for her first time, and while I thought she would be too shy to say the words and knock on the doors, she wasn't. She was a champ. She was an old pro. She literally ran from house to house. For a two year old it was quite a night. And as a mom in an overly politically correct world it was nice to see some traditions continue.

Lily (family friend),Georgia, Natalie

Natalie & Georgia with their jack-o-lanterns

Pumpkin Patch

Andy and I took the girls to the pumpkin patch a few weeks ago. Not too much to say about it, Georgia's favorite part was the tractor ride...this girl is very into her John Deere....lord help me, I am raising a farm girl. Here is a picture of Georgia and Natalie in the pumpkin patch.....it only took six tries to get this picture, this again is why I hate digital cameras (the delay can kill a mom of small children who have yet to develop patience).

Summer's Over, But I Finally....

Well, summer is over and has been for about a month and a half and finally, yes finally I got my film developed. Yes I said film. Yes I prefer a 35mm camera over digital. My only problem is getting the rolls developed. But alas I have done it. Here are some pictures of the girls this summer.

Natalie, 6 months old, kicking it in her bouncey seat.

Natalie in the yard.

Georgia, 2, in her sand box, wearing her leotard.

Georgia, in her Coug Cheer Outfit....you gotta start 'em young!!

Mother of Two

Incase you haven't heard, I am now the mother of two. Being the mother of two is a lot different than the mother of one. With one you can do your weekly shopping and take them with you, with two you can only get enough food that nights dinner because your two year old pretty much takes up the interior of the cart....which makes me ask, why did they change shopping carts anyway, remember when we were little and could ride underneath the shopping cart. Another thing that comes with being a mother of two is a messy house. Maybe this is just because I work, but my house is never clean. By the time I get home and cook dinner, give the girls baths and put them to bed, it is time for me to go to bed, hence the messy house.

Enough of my complaining, being a mother of two is wonderful and I wouldn't trade it for the world, I just need a nanny, full-time maid, butler, cook etc.

Apple Cup; Not like last year.

Well it is with great pain that I must say the Cougs lost Apple Cup. We have won the past two years, I had forgotten what it felt like to get beat by the damn purple and gold wearing Huskies; it hurts. Although for some reason the Huskies that were at the Apple Cup party I attended seemed to care more about the USC game than their own game, which was nice because I didn't have to hear a lot of smack talking, but odd in the same sense. I guess when your team has sucked for so long you just start to watch and prefer other teams/games.

Oh well, although the cougs did not give it their all, I say good game and we will see you next year and preferrably we will be victorious once again.

It's A .....

GIRL!!!

Well I had my ultrasound today, and found out we would be having another girl. I am really excited for Georgia to have a sister. I think there is an amazing bond that siblings of the same sex have. Oh sure my sister and I fought like cats and dogs when we were little, but now I don't know what I would do with out her.

I've Been Shamed

That Lynnae, she is a tough cookie. She has shamed me into getting my blog back up and running, so here goes. I will hit you with the highlights of the last six months:

• I bought a quad....my husbands family is really into quad riding. Oh sure I enjoy it, but I am not a die hard like the rest of them. So since I was thrown into the activity I had to get a cute quad. You know my motto, you don't have to be good at something, just look good doing it.
  

• - For those of you that are not abreast on the Cougs they are currently ranked #25, this is astonishing, not that we shouldn't be ranked that high, but because the gods that be had originally placed us to finish second to last in the PAC-10. HA HA HA to you that underestimated the Cougs once again.
• Oh I almost forgot the biggest news....I am pregnant. I know we were all a little surprise, but hey I look at it this way, as of March 2007 I will be done being pregnant, forever!! I can raise my amazing children, feel free to enjoy a margarita whenever I wish, and just focus on life (as opposed to constantly creating life).
• We just had Halloween, my baby girl was a Cougar Cheerleader for Halloween. She was adorable, had her game face on and everything. Unfortunately I don't have pictures, our stinking digital camera went dead. But I do have an adorable picture of her at the pumpkin patch to share with all of you.

My Baby is "1"

I can't believe it, my baby girl is one! It certainly doesn't seem like a year has already gone by. I am starting to understand when parents say "before you know it she'll be 18 and off to college". When she was first born and I was getting zero sleep, I thought no, no it will definately not be "before I know it". But now that sleep has entered my life again I am starting to see what they are saying.
And with my baby turning one came a reflection on my life, I started looking up old friends, thinking about how different my life would be if I had just done one thing differently. I hope I am not the kind of mom who pushes her dreams onto her daughter....what I should say is if you notice that I am pushing my dreams onto my daughter please smack me and remind me that she gets to choose her life, just as I have choosen mine. And in all honesty I wouldn't choose another life, I married my best friend, have a job that I love, I have wonderful pets and the smartest, cutest baby girl ever. But I do kick myself a few times a year for not following my professional goals. Oh well I do believe that there is a master plan for everyone and if I was suppose to be some brillant news anchor taking over for Katie Couric when she leaves the Today Show then I would have applied for reporting jobs in Po'dunk, ID and would have been on my way to stardom. Instead, for some reason I have yet to figure, out I am a farmer's wife.

Cruising

Back in the day I was quite the cruiser, every friday and saturday night by best friend and I would cruise around the mall parking lot across the street to the burger king parking lot. It was our life, we met boys, hung out with friends and socialized....it was Heaven.

Well now that I am in my 30's I have taken to a new kind of cruising, the open water kind of cruising. My husband and I just got back from a 4 night cruise to the bahamas. It was amazing, the relaxation, the no planning, no driving, no fighting because we didn't know what to do or where to go. In a word it was Heaven. I truly believe everyone should experience a cruise, no they are not boring, yes there is tons to do even on a day at sea, but best of all they allow you your sanity.

Vegas Baby!!

In 5 days I will be throwing my money away in Vegas. My husband surprised me with trip to Vegas for Christmas and as a little bonus we are staying at the Wynn Hotel. However after reading the reviews on Tripadvisor.com I am not sure the Wynn is as great as we were hoping. Hopefully those who wrote reviews are hard to please people and the hotel will be as wonderful as the pictures.
Cross your fingers we win big!!

Pets are People With Fur

I just received an email from my former boss. It was the saddest email I have ever read, it really tugged at my heart. It was a letter from a dog, telling about his life and how he accepted all the changes in the family, ie wife and kids, but how he was left out of family life more and more. In the end they put him in a shelter and he was put to sleep because they were moving to an apartment.

I don't mean to harp, but please do not have a pet, just to have a pet. They do have feelings and dogs especially, live to please you and to be part of a "pack". Many people asked me if I was going to allow the dogs near Georgia when she was born. Of course was my answer, why wouldn't I? My dogs, Aggie and Gus, were my first babies, I was miserable on my honeymoon because they weren't with us. I still worry about them when I am work, more so than I worry about Georgia. I guess because I know she is in good hands, and my doggies are at home by themselves.

Just remember pets should be part of your family and you accommodate them as you would any member of your family.

All Grown Up

With in the last year I have realized that I am an adult, all grown up. I have come to this realization because I work with 22 year old...she will be 23 tomorrow and she makes sure to tell me each month how many months and days left until her next birthday, it is quite cute. Ah, I remember counting the days til my next birthday. I don't really do that anymore, in fact for this past year I completely forgot that I had turned 31. People would ask how old I was and I would say 30, oops.
So as I talk with my co-worker each and every day on her love life and the cute new clothes she wearing I have come to realize I am all grown up. I am an adult. I am a mom. She talks about this guy or what she did last weekend, and I think back to when I was 22/23 and remember the feeling of freedom and fun. No cares in the world, very little responsibility. I miss that. Don't get me wrong when I was 25 I created a list with my friend Kinan on where I wanted to be when I was 30 and I have hit every goal. But now that I am home and in bed by 9:30pm everynight...yes even weekends, I haven't bought new clothes in two years and I am actually wearing a maternity top today and no I am not pregnant again, I have realized I am not hip and cute anymore, I am all grown up. I am an adult. I am a mom.

Family Photo

So it is Christmas Card time again, and I must say I am a little disappointed in the number of cards I have received so far. Would you like to know the count...1, that's right 1 Christmas Card....Does that mean that we have no friends? I know when you have a baby you tend to lose touch with people, but I am pretty sure I didn't alienate myself from the WHOLE WORLD.

Anyway, the fact that I have no cards was not the point of this blog. For our Christmas card we do a photo card. This year we went over whether or not to have a family photo, like years in the past, or to have a picture of just Georgia. Andy said, let's do the whole family...."Ok great, can you be home before 7:00pm one night so we can get a picture before Georgia goes to bed?" I asked and his reply was "no problem". Needless to say he has not been home before 9:00pm any night since wreath season. Therefore, two nights ago Georgia and I took our own family photo. I am thinking we will just draw a stick figure in for Andy. He was a bit appalled that we took a family photo with out him, but hey Christmas is in a week and here I am whining that I haven't received any cards, yet I haven't even taken our picture for our cards that still need to be made and sent out. I know...hypocrite.

My Precious Peach

Here is my baby girl on Halloween. She was a Georgia Peach. (Her name is Georgia, so we thought it would be fitting if she was peach.

That's it for today..short and sweet.