Birthday Blues

I turned 35 over the weekend. I had relatively low expectations set for the day. I wanted to 1-exercise, 2-use my Valentine's gift certificate for the spa, 3-eat good Thai food, and 4-go to a movie.

1-I woke up at 6:00 a.m. to go for a run. I got dressed, hydrated, geared up, walked out the front door and discovered it was snowing. Plan B was to go to the gym once the kids were all at school. Unfortunately both the carpools we're a part of had conflicts and had asked me to drive for them. This meant that I had to drop off Anna and Isaac at 8:00. The middle school has late-start on Fridays so Zachary needed to be dropped off at 9:00. The elementary school has early-release so they needed to be picked up at 1:00, and then I had to go back for Zachary at 3:00. In the few hours that I wasn't driving kids back and forth, I had to find a birthday gift for the party Isaac was invited to, look for a a replacement jacket for Noah, and drop off a forgotten lunch. No gym.

2-And no time to go to the spa.

3-Early in the week Cory did a thorough internet search for the best Thai food in Salt Lake City. He sent me various menus and locations, and we finally decided on a spot. He called the restaurant to make a reservation, but they told him they were small and didn't take reservations. They assured him they would be able to fit our whole family in on Friday evening when we showed up. To accomodate our movie time, we needed to do dinner by 6:00 and since the restaurant was downtown, Cory suggested I drive the kids over and meet him there. Thirty minutes of traffic and bickering later we parked a block away, trudged over and discovered the place was no more than a pick-up cafeteria with 6 chairs. Since 2 of them were taken, this meant either find a plan B or eat standing up. I can just imagine that whoever took Cory's call about "placing a reservation" earlier in the week must have thought this guy was totally crazy. Since we were downtown, we decided to try out "Thaifoon," an Asian chain that we'd heard good things about. Friday night downtown, meant that we waited 30 minutes before finally finding a seat and another half hour before we got any food. This began the "tears rolling down my face" portion of the evening. By this time, I was so tired and hungry and disappointed that I just couldn't hold the frustration in any longer. Anna seemed very concerned, and the boys a little uncomfortable, but finally after a trip to the bathroom and a good nose-blowing, I actually felt a little better. The food was over-priced, un-authentic, and really salty.

4-By this time, we had to hustle to have enough time to get the kids home and to bed and back to the movie theater for an 8:45 showing. We had to sacrifice Cory's plan to pick up an ice-cream birthday cake. Fortunately we made it about halfway through the opening previews of "True Grit." I have to say, I wasn't that sure about a western, but I ended up really enjoying it. It was darkly funny...(Let's just say the movie opens with a comical hanging scene.) ..just what I needed to end my own comedy of errors.

5-I finally made myself a birthday cake two days later.

I know this post comes across as whiney and I should probably have just put a cheerful face on and been more grateful, but I truly do want to remember the events of the day now that I can laugh about them.

Better luck next year.

The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

Cory:

the good--He survived a full week being both Mom and Dad while I went to help my mom out after surgery. The house might not have been sparkling clean, and one or two homework assignments may have missed the refining touch of a mother's supervision, but everyone was fed and clothed when I got home. He is finishing up the season as Zachary's basketball coach where he has done a great job. He also has kicked into P90X gear once again and has been steadily losing weight and bulking up muscle. Drat..I guess that means I better get up and go to the gym now.

the bad--Cory lost a cousin in a tragic industrial accident a few weeks ago. Cory was able to drive out to Eastern Utah with his father and sister for the funeral and see many family members he hasn't talked to in years. Rest in peace Cody McMullin.

Cami:

the good--In spite of the fact that my trip to Sparks was facilitated by my mom's emergency hystorectomy, it was a pleasure to spend a quiet week with her and my dad. I was glad that my children are old enough to be left fairly easy and that my husband was at a place in his work where he could sacrifice the time to be at home with them when they got home from school. I also got to spend some memorable moments with all of my siblings except one while I was staying in Nevada. I LOVE my brothers and sisters! It has taken the better part of a week and a half to get my Utah life back in order, but spending the time away has helped me better prioritize my home life and to appreciate my own dear little family.

the bad--My mom's surgery led to the discovery of uterine cancer. However, last week she got the good news that there was not cancer in the lymph nodes which means she will not have to have chemotherapy or radiation and has a very slim chance of any recurrence.

Zachary:

the good--He made it to the Countdown Round of the Chapter Math Counts competition and will most likely be moving on to state. He'll find out for sure at the end of the month. He was called as the Deacons Quorum President and is showing tremendous responsibility in this new calling. It is great to see him take this duty so seriously.

the bad--Between my distraction with my trip and an exceptionally busy holiday season, Zachary found his grades in a few classes crash and burn in the last quarter. Hopefully, this is a chance to learn from mistakes and recommit to finding better organizational strategies.

Noah:

the good--He continues to be a self-motivated, commited student, piano player, and basketball player. We have seen him really shine on his basketball team this season and finally find the competitive drive that lives up to his height and natural athletic ability. He has been working harder than any of the boys on preparing for their March piano assessment and his talent is blossoming.

the bad--Noah procrastinated his Science Fair project until I got back from my trip and discovered we only had a couple of days to pull it all together. After a stressful race to the finish, he pulled it off and got it up and displayed. Then of course, I totally blew it and forgot to go to the school for the actual presentation. The day after all of this stress, Noah casually mentioned to me that the Science Fair was a completely optional assignment!

Isaac:

the good--Isaac has finally found the books that have turned him into a hungry reader! He discovered that he really likes Fablehaven and it is great to see him reading for the pure joy of it for the first time. He also was excited to drive down to St. George with me, Noah, and Isaac to see his cousin Emily get baptized. Cory and Zachary couldn't join us because it was the same day as Zachary's math competition.

the bad--The night before the baptism while staying in St. George, Isaac started throwing up..so we managed to expose 5 different families to a stomach virus.

Anna:

the good--Our little budding artist won in her division for the school Art Express competition. She also independently wrote special Valentine's notes to every member of the family. They were so thoughtful and sweet...she truly is my best example of being kind and loving.

the bad--Anna loves reading and we have recently discovered that she has been staying up a little too late at night to finish books. This has meant a few cranky, hard-to-get-out-of bed mornings.

And now for the ugly...