Two Days Before Christmas

Two Days Before Christmas, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

I have the most princessy princess parking at the whole entire mall and I couldn't NOT document it.

Wardrobe Planning

Wardrobe Planning, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

We aren't the most enthusiastic bungee jumpers ever...

We aren't the most enthusiastic bungee jumpers ever..., originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

Santacon

Santacon, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

I'm PERFECTLY happy not to be at Santacon today, but I'm going to drink this in honor of my comrades. And then tomorrow when I wake up feeling healthy and relaxed and not in a painfully hungover state, I'll be EXTRA happy.

On my brother's couch...

On my brother's couch..., originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

...where I am not allowed to doze alone.

Good wine and sought after leftovers

Good wine and sought after leftovers, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

I'm immensely proud of my first significant Thanksgiving effort. (Can't take credit for the wine though -- THANK YOU STANKA!)

Good wine and sought after leftovers

Good wine and sought after leftovers, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

I'm immensely proud of my first significant Thanksgiving effort. (Can't take credit for the wine though -- THANK YOU STANKA!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

Getting my day off right with a Dailey Method class, a high fiber English muffin and three servings of fruit.

Butter and refined sugars: Pending

Unexpected Holiday Sparkle

Unexpected Holiday Sparkle, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

I've had that pumpkin sitting there for several weeks and only just today did I notice that when the sun hits it, it creates a neon light display.

The picture above it is of an ancestor of mine also named Elizabeth Holt. I hope she enjoys the party!

Starting a lineup in the recycling area

Starting a lineup in the recycling area, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

The internet is filled with great ideas!

The internet is filled with great ideas!, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

Too much pulled pork to eat in a reasonable amount of time? Freeze single servings in a muffin tin and then bag up for future use!!

OPOTD

OPOTD, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

Businessy business lady

Things

There are a whole bunch of things I'd like to write about, but life is full of distractions....so I'm going old school and making a list:

1a. My friend Dionne and her husband Phillip came to visit me and I took them on a tour of SF and I enjoyed that day SO DAMN MUCH. Dionne and I are very much on the same page, and not just when we accidentally stumble upon an undercover police sting while we're eating our sandwiches and gawk at the whole experience while Phillip gawks at the first cameltoe he's ever seen in the wild.

Me & D: OMG that guy on the bike is actually a cop!

P: WOW. Can't she feel that her shorts are totally up in her business?

Me & D: How does that potential drug dealer keep his pants up while he is being searched?

P: WOW. A cameltoe. That's amazing.

Me & D: That one undercover cop is really OWNING his undercover ensemble.

P: CAMELTOE. OMG.

I have been looking forward to my next opportunity to hang out with them since the moment I dropped them back at their hotel and drove away. Houston 2014 HOLLLLLLLER.

1b.  Phillip unintentionally reminded me that I need to be looking for a man who doesn't allow me to be the man. If there's any hesitation when presented with a check or a door that needs opening or anything of the sort, I'll just pay the bill, open the door, etc. I haven't dated many men who just made bills disappear without any awkwardness or production and that whole day I was with Phillip and Dionne, bills were just magically paid and that was ASTOUNDING to me.

It is ONE THOUSAND PERCENT not about the dollars. It is entirely about the gentlemanly approach to things. Drinks appear, bills disappear.

MAGIC.

I will add that these are things that happen around my dad and my brothers (and Carrie's dad too, actually), so it shouldn't be such a shocker, but the best lesson I learned from that day with Dionne and Phillip was that I need to set my damn bar higher.

2. I have five nieces and nephews under the age of five and I love them all SO SO SO MUCH. I can't believe it's only been four-ish years since I became an aunt because I really, really, really can't imagine my life without them.

Baby J (the oldest) is such a good big cousin/brother to the others. He's so loving and so sweet and I didn't realize this was as special as it is until I saw him interacting with another 4-year-old whose sole mission in life, it seemed, was to get himself hurt and/or give his mother gray hair. I feel so good about Baby J being the role model and protector for all the others.

I can distinctly see/feel the shift from the world revolving around me/my brothers to the world revolving around the five babies. I'm happy to take a back seat to whatever wonderful things they'll all do or become.

It's also interesting to me that I didn't have any aunts who were as in love with us as I am with my brothers' children. I really really really don't mean that in a bad way, but just as a I-surprise-myself-with-how-devoted-I-am-to-these-children way because my aunts certainly loved me and my brothers, but I doubt they were all "ATTENTION ANYONE WHO WILL LISTEN!!!! MY SISTER/HUSBAND'S BROTHER HAS THESE THREE CHILDREN WHO ARE THE LIGHTS OF MY LIFE" about us.

And it's not that I'm a nicer or more nurturing person because that's not true. My mom's sister is actually a much nicer and more loving person than I am. My dad's brother's wife was perhaps less over-the-moon loving, but definitely more capable of keeping us alive and unscathed under her watch.

I love both of my aunts, but they did it differently than is natural for me. 

3. My dad was on the USS Hornet for a portion of his service during the Vietnam war. Last night was their big anniversary gala and I went as my dad's date. He got all tux'd up and I put on a lot of lipstick.

My dad's favorite picture:

My favorite (less shine'y-from-flash'y) picture:

4. Carrie and I are going to New Zealand in 83 days. We'll be gone for two weeks and in that time we will accomplish:

* Nine things from two books I have about life experiences that are awesome
* Three boat rides
* One helicopter ride (my first!)

There's nobody else in the world with whom I travel better so I am SO EXCITED to go see another corner of the world with her.

NOW IT'S TIME FOR DINNER.

List: COMPLETE.

Mimic

Mimic, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

So this was a surprising autocorrect...

So this was a surprising autocorrect..., originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

OPOTD

OPOTD, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

It's been a while!

Minions

Minions, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

Take two!

Take two!, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

Walkera getting in on the OPOTD action!

M&MBHDOPOTD

M&MBHDOPOTD, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

Mommy & Me Ballet Halloween Dance Outfit Photo of the Day. She's a mermaid and I am dead from all the cute.

Counting Down

Counting Down, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

This is how long it is until I fly to New Zealand. And boy will my arms be tired.

Arm Labia

Arm Labia, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

So, my most recent stitches didn't heal well. One side's top and bottom don't even touch and the other side's top is like on a whole different plane from the
bottom.

My dentist offers cupcakes??

My dentist offers cupcakes??, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

I need to remember to ask him what he hands out to trick or treaters. Snickers bars? Or dental floss?

Novice

Novice, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

I just changed his diaper, onesie and pajamas. He's tiny small. I felt like it was straight out of a movie where we talked ourselves through it and were high fiving at the end.

WE CAN DO THIS BABY!!

I'll spare you the picture...

I'll spare you the picture..., originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

...but I have a four inch war wound and a whole lot of stitches...which is a small price to pay I suppose. It hurts like crazy though.

OPOTD

OPOTD, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

Gray

Gray, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

My handsome nephew has had rogue gray hairs since he was a baby. It's so odd and I hope he won't go all over gray at a young age because he'll probably hate it, but I do think men who have gone gray early are pretty handsome.

OPOTD

OPOTD, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

Song Lyrics...

Song Lyrics..., originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

...from an event I just attended.

Red Laser Update

Red Laser Update, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

Polka dots!

Chipped Tooth

Chipped Tooth, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

OPOTD

OPOTD, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

I stole him away from Grandma

I stole him away from Grandma, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

This is what red lasers do to skin

This is what red lasers do to skin, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

The blister got pulled off when I rolled over in my sleep last night. It's basically raw meat underneath. I can't wait for it to heal so I can see if there's any tattoo left there. If it didn't make a significant difference, then I'm done getting this one removed -- the laser they're using to get rid of the remaining color is brutal.

OPOTD

OPOTD, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

I am Abnormal

A comment posted to an article I read about marriage:

It's abnormal and selfish not to want a life partner or to not want children.

The universe invested in you heavily - someone cleaned your diapers, fed you, took care of you. Your parents, family, neighbours and teachers gave so much so you could have this life.

At very least - you should give back what you took - meaning 2.1 kids.

Of course, even a basic understanding of the fact that in order to life and thrive in this world, we need to have kids, would enable you to grasp the transcendental obligation to have kids.

Of course, not all of us can have kids. Many of us will contribute in other ways - but in the end, it is 'normal' to strive for partnership and to have kids.

It is abnormal to not do so.

The moment it becomes accepted to 'not bother' - then the greedy narcissists who want to take more than they have given, will have won, and humanity and all that we have built will evaporate very quickly.  

I think it's right -- the universe DID invest heavily in me...and for me to be too lazy to pay it forward is pretty crappy. I still don't want to have kids though.

IMG_6872.png

IMG_6872.png, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

Representing!

2/5

2/5, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

Two of our now FIVE babies, hanging out on a giant hippo and waiting for My SIL Who Does Not Wear John Deere Pajamas to emerge from the recovery room. Baby AJ is a big sister to two baby brothers!

OPOTD

OPOTD, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

I feel like this outfit screams "I am a conservative office'y worker lady."

OPOTD

OPOTD, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

Making plans that involve not parking

Making plans that involve not parking, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

I'm pretttttty sure...

I'm pretttttty sure..., originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

...that I'm the ONLY Mommy & Me Ballet attendee who schedules her gang tattoo removals around her ballet schedule.

KBOPOM

KBOPOM, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

Kari's Birthday Outfit Photo of Monday

(Outfit is from the other day, but today is the day the earth celebrates the 40th anniversary of the birth of the baby Kari.)

Internet MD

Internet MD, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

Who needs SCIENCE when you have friends who, even in their mid-30's, find good uses for poo emoticons?

OPOTD

OPOTD, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

OPOTD

OPOTD, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

Exhausted from an afternoon of train and carousel rides

Exhausted from an afternoon of train and carousel rides, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

Yesterday's Horoscope + Waahh wah wah whateverrrrrr

I spent 2012 feeling really strong amidst all the drama going on in the lives of basically everyone around me, but right off the bat, 2013 turned me upside down and inside out and it’s a bunch of suuuuuuuuuper cliché blah blah blah and the silver lining is so thin I can hardly see it, but it is what it is.

This whole jumping-in-with-both-feet thing is bullshit and it’s just so much easier to remain guarded, which is a philosophy that is almost guaranteed to keep me single forever, but it’s very likely that I’m just not meant for that kind of success in life.

(Which is not wah wah wah, it just is what it is.)

But the whole point of this is that I happened to look at my horoscope yesterday (for work reasons, believe it or not) and it seemed very appropriate for my weird 2013 roller coaster:

(Though not really all that healthy because putting it off for a while is the same as letting it continue to draaaaaaaag out.)

And then I clicked on the yearly horoscope tab:

And now I’m thinking that maybe I need to take the whole jumping-in-with-both-feet thing seriously and not just quit the first time it fails. I mean, I’m willing to try skiing again even though it was way suckier and much more difficult than I thought it should be, so I guess why not this too?

But ugh. It's all just so much work and it's so much easier to just bury my head in the sand and start planning for spinsterhood. I should get some cats and some housedresses, STAT.

 

 

A children's book about big booties?

A children's book about big booties?, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.

OPOTD

OPOTD, originally uploaded by dumpstar_drummer.