Midweek Randoms

So last weekend, we went out to eat with my parents. That was great.

The next night, Val and I joined Terese and one of her friends for Bingo! Even though we lost, it was fun! It was nice to have a stress-free evening away.

 I feel like this is me... =)

 I've been able to spend more quality time with my boy this week, which has been awesome!

 I promise I do clothe the child on occasion. ;)

 This lasted about 1 minute. He is so in to books right now though. It's sweet.

 My attempt to get in more pictures...

 See... clothes!! =) Here he is reading one of his favorite books, The Little Blue Truck.

 He's also been way into blocks.

I was gathering up some laundry the other night so I put Reid in his crib for a minute. I walked right back by his room and found this. I asked Dac "what the heck are you doing?" to which he replied "reading books". Like Duh! haha. Then I just had to laugh and take a picture. I'm glad that he gets on Reid's level. They have so much fun together.

 Amen.

We got home last night and found this water table on our porch with a note that read "Have fun Reid!". I dang near teared up. A water table has been on my list of things I'd like to have for Reid but it was just a luxury so we didn't spend the money on it. It was such a blessing! After supper Dac filled it up and away Reid went! =) He had such a great time with it.

Again, I don't know who is responsible, but if you're reading this. Thank you for making our day! We prayed for you last night that you would be blessed in return. =) We also have our eyes out for opportunities to pay it forward!

Baltimore or Bust...

... and other tidbits.

This is my little love. You may or may not have seen a picture of him here before. ;) Here he is eating at Dac's parents' house while we went out to eat with a good friend who was in town.

 He's been way into his blocks lately...

 This is me taking selfies on my lunch break...

Here's my suitcase for the Baltimore trip. This was my first time to do carry-on only. I may never go back! I went for a national school public relations conference. I'm our state chapter's president this year so I got some financial help from them to attend!

This is me waiting in the Wichita airport for 8+ hours. You see, my flight was supposed to leave bright and early at 6 a.m. SO, I did what I do and got there at 4 a.m. after about 2 hours of sleep. Thanks for the ride Val!

We boarded the plane on time but after sitting on there for for about 30 minutes, the captain said there was a light on the dash that wouldn't go off so we had to wait for a mechanic to come take a look. Another 30 minutes pass. Wouldn't you know the mechanic couldn't fix the problem? Another 30 minutes pass. So, they had to order in a part. From Atlanta. Nice.

After an hour and a half, we de-board and I wait in a forever-long line to get re-booked. I had tried re-booking on the Delta app but it wouldn't go through for some reason. Then, I called the 800 number and got re-booked but went ahead and stayed in line just to make sure I was all squared away. You see, I was supposed to be in Baltimore at 1 p.m. and at this point it was clear the earliest I'd be leaving Wichita was 12:15. At this point I pretty well knew I wouldn't make it to any of my Sunday activities (a regional meeting and supper). I started getting pictures like this and I was sad. Once I got up to the gate rep, she checked my booking and was kind of enough to know the one I had booked (11:15) was overbooked and I probably wouldn't be able to get out. Lovely. She changed it to the 12:15 flight with most the other stranded passengers and even bumped me up to first class.

Finally, we took off and got to Atlanta in time for me to rush to my next gate with no real food to speak of. Turns out, the next plane was delayed due to excess air traffic at the Baltimore airport (they apparently had storms). That was about 45 minutes. Then, it was delayed again due to a storm over Atlanta (approximately 30 minutes). We sat on the plane for quite some time before finally being able to take off. It was during this time I met who I will refer to as my chatty fight buddy. He. Was. Chatty. He talked my ear off. At one point, I asked if he was getting enough air. He misunderstood me and thought I was propositioning an affair. I kid you not, I can't make this stuff up. We were both embarrassed as all get out. We then spent the next 15 or so minutes looking at all the pictures of his wife and kids on his iPad. My oh my.

Once I landed in Baltimore, I hailed a cab and headed to my hotel in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. It was nice but I couldn't find food anywhere and it was getting darkish outside... plus I was sooo tired and soooo hungry. So, I ate a little granola pack I took with me and had some vitamin C gummies for dessert. Fine dining. I'm so fancy.

Practicing my top knot messy bun. haha.

Once I got all unpacked and ready to go for the next day, I hit the hay. A great big fluffy king size bed alllllll to myself. After only a couple hours sleep in almost 40 hours, I was beat. Once I fell asleep, I was out. My alarm went off at 5:45 and I just couldn't do it. I kept re-setting it and kept not getting up. Finally, I got up in time to grab some breakfast and get registered before the first main session at 9:30.

FOOD! DRINK!

Selfie time. I had planned to take a picture each day to document what I packed/wore but it didn't happen.

Apparently my feet have been used to wearing sandals and not these because after one day I had lots of blisters and was done with them!

 Our first keynote speaker was the author of this New York Times Bestseller. He was excellent. So excellent I actually bought the book (I'm not a reader) and had him sign it.

I was then invited to join my friend Lori from Kansas for lunch along with a lady from Stillwater, OK and a lady from around San Jose, CA. We ate at McCormick and Schmidt's. I had a crab cake sandwich. Pretty stinkin' good.

After an afternoon full of more sessions, Lori and I headed to the Power Plant Live area with people from Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, and California. We ate at Joe Squared. It was featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. I even had the featured pizza - chicken, corn, and apple. (crushed tomato, chicken, sweet onion, corn, granny smith apples, crushed red pepper, rosemary, mozzarella, provolone and cheddar). It was pretty fabulous and we had a great time.

Photo from TripAdvisor

After supper we went to a vendor-sponsored event. I enjoyed two rum and cokes, one with Malibu rum and a s'more (they had a fun little s'more bar). We listened to a band and danced a bit before Lori and I headed back.

 The next morning, I got this: goodness gracious I missed that kid while I was gone.

The next day, another great speaker and sessions before lunch with several people from Oklahoma at Miss Shirley's Cafe. Another Food Network pick. SO good. I had the chicken and waffles. (Fried Boneless Breast of Chicken Pieces & a Honey Mustard Aioli Drizzle on Cheddar Green Onion Waffles with Peppadew-Jalapeño Butter, dusted with Cajun Spice). Delicious!

Then it was MORE sessions (jam packed, I tell you). That night was a big social event at the Aquarium but I was on the waiting list so I made plans to grab dinner with a friend that lives in the area. Emily is one of my cousin Courtney's childhood besties that I know both through association and from spending time down there in the summers.

We met up and walked over to Phillips - a nice seafood place in the harbor. I had crab dip, crab cakes, and crab macaroni! =) Fantastic. I really didn't have anything in Baltimore that wasn't good. I enjoy checking out new cities and the grub is certainly a big part of that. =)

I had hoped to check out Fell's Point that evening but by the time we were done with dinner it was pouring rain so we skipped it. =/

I did get to talk to my little man though. =) Hooray for FaceTime.

The day was my last. I chatted with some veteran NSPRA folks in the morning, attended Lori's session, then took a quick stroll around the harbor to snap some pics before grabbing a bite to eat and heading to the airport.

Baltimore was cooler than I expected and I wish I could have seen experienced more of it! Still, I was glad to be headed home with this in tow for Reid. =) I wouldn't normally get a stuffed animal but they didn't have many options and I thought he was pretty cute. He has been named "Crabcakes".

I used Super Shuttle for the way back, which worked out great and was half the price of a cab. I got to the airport plenty early. When I sat down at the gate, I did a couple things and happened to look over and see the person next to me had an NSPRA bag. =) She was from around Atlanta so we had the same flight. She was nice and I'm glad I had someone to chat with for the next couple hours.

The flights home were much smoother than the ones headed out there. Whew! There was some weather around here so that had me nervous. I did have to book it through the Atlanta airport but I made it in time.

Here's some shots out the window as we approached Wichita. Clouds are cool.

All-n-all, it was a good trip (minus the crappy travel day). I had lots of firsts (first time flying alone for starters...) and adventures. There were plenty of lessons learned too. I'm glad I got to go and here's hoping I can implement some new ideas.

PS - I should mention that I got home around 10:30 p.m. Wed. The next morning I was sooooo excited to get Reid out of bed. Well, I went in there after he woke up and he threw a t-total fit! He screamed and did NOT want me picking him up. =( Talk about breaking my feelings! I even gave him his crab... he threw it to the ground. He really wanted nothing to do with me. Last night though, after I got home for a local photographer's meeting, he played with me a little bit and let me hold and rock him. =) Then, when I tried to lay him down in his crib (he was soooo tired), he just cried and held on to me as tight as he could. =( He looked so scared that I was going to leave again. Poor guy. I sure am glad to be back with my family!

About Me: My Dream Job

In case you missed it, I recently started a little "About Me" series. I'm working through a list of things I want my kids to know about me. I thought it was sort of a cool getting-to-know-you project and would also be nice for this scrapbook that Reid will eventually look through.

Here's what I've done so far:

1. List 20 random facts about yourself

2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears

3. Describe your relationship with your spouse

4. List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could

5. What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?

6. If you could have three wishes, what would you wish for?
7. What is your dream job and why?



Oh boy, here we go. What is my dream job? I have no stinkin' clue, I tell ya!

Here's the thing... I've always wanted to do the same things... kind of.  Everything has basically fallen into three major categories:

Performer: Since I was little, I sang, danced, modeled, acted, and pranced around like a total diva in a tom-boy shell. Whether in costume and makeup on a brightly lit stage, or shakin' it through the house with my hair brush microphone... I was happiest puttin' on a show. I was specifically interested in musical theatre. Wait, I still am... is it too late?!

Journalist: A lot of ideas I had over the years fall into this category - magazine columnist, news anchor, investigative reporter, storm chaser, photojournalist... the list goes on and on. I think I liked the sense of adventure, plus again, it's creating something and I've always liked that.

Helper: I've always wanted to help people and one way I seriously considered doing that was by becoming a counselor/therapist. I was a class short of a minor in college and the thought of grad school made me break out in hives so that was out. =)

You probably know I ended up getting a degree in journalism and broadcasting from Oklahoma State. I specialized in public relations after taking an intro class. My professor had done PR at a children's hospital. It seemed like it was right up my alley and that I'd still be making a difference in the world.

After graduation, I got a job selling shoes at Dillard's until I could find something in my field. I ended up taking a job as the Public Relations Director with our local school district. It's not the PR job I envisioned. In addition to this job, we started our photography business.

I suppose at this point, I've pretty well given up on the intense career options. I'd still love to be a helper and I love to write and certainly love photography. I guess maybe my ideal job, right now at least, would be working from home, part time and being a stay-at-home mom the other part (which is certainly work in and of itself). I'm thinking pro photographer, blogger, MOM.

I want a job that allows me to watch Reid grow more up-close... one that lets me be more hands-on with his upbringing. I want a job that allows me to wear sweat pants and tennis shoes. I want a job that allows me time to bake, clean, and decorate. I want a job that allows me more cuddles with my boy. I want a job that allows me to be creative and allows me opportunities to help others. I want a job that helps me be more positive and less anxious. I want a job that doesn't feel like a job. I want what I do to matter.

Hurts Worse

Pregnancy hurt. Labor hurt. C-section recovery hurt. Going back to work hurts worse.

It was inevitable... I had to go back to work and Reid would have to go to daycare. My heart couldn't have been more broken this morning as I got us ready to start a new routine. 

I pumped then hopped in the shower. As I was getting out, I heard his cry. Dac was getting him out of bed. I quickly took over, fed, and changed him. Then I had to put him down - hardly a chance for snuggles - while I got ready. I heard him cry again... then I cried. There I was, straightening my hair and pulling on dress pants and I couldn't comfort him. It was the first of many times that day it wouldn't be me to comfort him. Someone else (though a good someone else) would be taking my place. To top it off, my hair still ended up looking like crap. Sigh.

I got him all dressed in an actual outfit for his first day and snapped a couple shots to commemorate the traumatic experience. Clearly he wasn't as traumatized as me.

I left the house in tears and stopped by the donut shop on my way to Cori's... thinking a chocolate long john and donut holes would ease my pain. #donutsfixeverything #exceptthis =(

Cori let me stop by on my lunch break so I could cuddle him. I got to change two diapers and feed him. Couldn't have spent my lunch hour doing anything better. =) When I got back, I had these beauties waiting for me on my desk:

Thanks Val and Cori!

She also sent me pictures throughout the day. Sometimes it was hard to see what I was missing but I was oh so glad to see his face. Loved getting them!

I received a lot of sweet calls, texts, and facebook messages re-assuring me that it gets easier, that I'm a good mom, and that it's definitely harder on me than him. I'm thankful for those and I'm thankful for Cori taking him in and loving on him when I can't. I'm also thankful I got to come home to him... never left work so fast! =)