Buckle up and keep your hands in the ride at all times....

Can I just say that I have had a major blogger's block! Christmas came and I took a break to be with family and I just can't get motivated to regularly post. To the very few that I actually read this, sorry, I suck!  :(

Life is going to be a roller coaster in the next few weeks so everyone hold onto your hats cause it could get bumpy. We've got Olympics/ Vacation for 2 weeks, which I know will be a blast but a lot of detailed planning has to go into this so I'm a bit stressed. When we came up with the idea to buy the tickets we had NO idea the amount of intricate details that would have to go into this. You are on the Olympic Committee's  staggered timeline so you buy your tickets when they say you can, book your hotel, ferries, bus transportation to the events on a crazy schedule. There is no parking at any event so you have to take public transportation to the Vancouver events or take special 3 hr charter buses up to Whistler for the skiing events. On a positive note... at least all the info is in English! I can't imagine coming from a country that speaks another language and trying to figure out how to get here, there and out to the boonies on public transportation....that would SUCK!

Oh yeah, and I'm turning the dirty 30 while we're up there!!!! So far, the idea doesn't really bother me. I think it's the fact that I have so much going on in the next month or so that I don't have time to dwell about it. Add to that that I have a bunch of friends that are between 30-35 and they show me everyday that they are still fun, young, outgoing and hip mamas! You girls make 30 look cool!  If you would have asked me a few years ago about being 30 I would have FREAKED, but now I am embracing it with open arms  Even though they probably have no idea what they've done, they have made the transition to 30 seem easy. Thank you ladies, you guys are AWESOME!

So we've climbed the first hill and made our descent when another mountainous climb arises. When we return we're officially turning in my immigration paperwork for permanent residency to Canada. I'm nervous but excited, eager to start another chapter but sad about closing the current one. So many mixed feelings go into that process and I hope to share those along the ride. And I'm sure there will be some drama and comedic relief as I chronicle the goings on of two first time homeowners searching for a house. I'm picky and I'm not going to settle and I have this feeling I will be "that client" you know, the annoying one that  the realtor is going to secretly despise. She'll avoid our calls and comment to all her coworkers on how many houses she has shown us with no offers. Yep, that'll be me! :)

Are you Quirky?

Due to a major case of writer's block and the fact that it has been raining for almost 2 weeks straight forcing me to not be able to play outside and take pictures I am forced to write about nonsense. To make matters worse, I have a GREAT giveaway planned for my 100th post (we're on 92 today) and I'm struggling to write anything worth reading. So here goes another "filler" post and I might even attach a MckLinky so that you can all join me in your own "filler" post.

So here it goes.

Now I wouldn't necessarily call myself quirky but I do have my fair share of quirky habits and I don't exactly know why but I'm going to share them with you.

• I will NOT eat any type of meat off of a bone. Chicken, nope. Ribs, nope. T-bone steak, nope. I have no issues eating meat but if I have to bite it off of a bone that would be a big no thank you from me. It started somewhere in my childhood and I've never been able to overcome it. So if you're a finger licking, bone sucking, eating fool please do not sit at my table or I might just have to barf!



• Oh, and in addition to the meat on a bone rule, don't even get me started on the grossness of chicken skin. Needless to say I would never make it as a southern girl because the sight of fried chicken would send me running the opposite direction.



• I'm a Diet Dr. Pepper addict! Seriously, I'm not going to openly admit to the amount of cans I can consume in a week because that would be embarrassing. Just know that when most people consume their morning coffee at the butt crack o' dawn, I'm drinking Diet Dr. Pepper.



• I MUST make the bed before I leave the house. It's an unwritten rule that I follow religiously (thanks a lot Mom!) Some days I wish I could just skip it and do it when I come home but I can't. I get myself all in a tizzy about running late but it's like my body HAS to do it in order to function normally the rest of the day.



• The last quirk I will bore you with is that I need the TV on to fall asleep. Something about the sarcastic background noise of Chelsea Lately (great show by the way) lulls me into lala land. What was life like before sleep timers?

So, there is a small peek into my world of wackiness and I would love it if you would give me a bit of comment love with your quirks or if you need a filler post feel free to link up.

P.S. 8 more posts until my super fun, very cute, colorful Etsy Giveaway!!!!

Mental Notes

I thought I would make a little list of the mental notes that I make to myself in my head.

1. Never, never, never, under any circumstances go to Chuck E. Cheese on a Saturday night!I learned my lesson last weekend and from now on I will go on my normal weekday lunchtimes to preserve my sanity.
   


2. Have your husband hide the Halloween candy so that you don't consume mass quantities of chocolate once your child goes to bed. My stomach and my son were none too happy with my pile of empty chocolate wrappers.





3. Do not forget the sippy cup of milk in the car. 2 days of forgetfulness, one look at the inside of the cup and I didn't even attempt to clean it, straight in the trash it went. So gross!





4. Lastly, don't watch the Khloe Kardashian/Lamar Odom Wedding Special when your monthly visitor is in town. I was balling happy tears for this couple and realistically, I could care more about what Britney Spears found in between her toes two years ago than these two goons.

There you go, a small glimpse into my head. Kinda scary, huh!

Many Shades of Gray

Is it because I'm nearing then end of my 20's and my youth is forever fading away? Or is it because I'm a single parent more than 90% of the time and the stress can, at times, be overwhelming? Whatever the reason may be these little buggers keep creeping in on me! One will pop on up over here, then he invites a few more of his friends and they throw a little party. Now we all know what happens at parties, there are always party crashers and they can be crazy and wild, sometimes even kinda kinky! Then the offspring of those crazy party crashers start sprouting little buds and then BAM more of them appear. It's a vicious, never ending cycle.

So yes, I am now willing to admit that I am a 29 year old woman with WAY too many gray hairs! There, I said it! The last few years I have noticed many different shades of gray setting up house on the fertile ground of my little head and it's only cemented the fact that I'm getting older (and hopefully wiser.) On the plus side, thank god for hair dye or I would look like a woman way beyond my years! Really, what did women do before you could color your hair? I would just die of embarrassment if I had to show off my grays for the world to see at my age. I can only hope that in the future (way, way in the future) that I will be one of those cute, little, old ladies in her rocking chair with her grandchildren at her side and a head full of beautiful white hair. Needless to say the innate planner in me has gotten a really good head start!

So, here is your forum to openly or anonymously admit your gray hair. I'll go first. Hello, my name is Laura and I have gray hair.

Come one, Come all to a MckLinky Blog Hop

This week's MckLinky is a great way to intro your blog to new readers(yes, I do mean you) and hope that they stick around and become part of your bloggy family. So in MckLinky's honor....a big WELCOME to you!

For those you don't know my name is Laura.
And no, I'm not like the Duggars.
And no, I don't have 29 kids and counting.
I can't count how many times I've been asked that question by new readers so I will just answer it now.
Phew, now that that is settled let's get started for those of you who decided to stick around after you just learned that I'm not the mother of 29 children.

I started this blog when I turned 29 but unfortunately I've only got a few more months before I hit the BIG 3-0 (eeek!) and then I'm in a bit of a pickle for my blog name. Any ideas for a new title? Please share!

OK, back on topic. I'm a stay at home mom and I'm married to a wonderful husband who happens to be a long haul truck driver and we have 3 year old son which equals quite a bit of single parenting on my part. Needless to say, our situation gives me plenty of writing material, just not enough time to write it! I like to post about my daily life, the good, the bad,and the ugly.All wrapped up in a nice little package with a nice pretty sense of humor bow on top. Occasionally, you might see some honest (and unpaid) product reviews, there is always an abundance of pictures, and you can't forget sarcasm. Oh, how I love thee, sarcasm. So grab a Diet Dr. Pepper (aka my drug of choice)and some leftover pb&j crust from your kiddos sandwich, hit the stalk me or follower button on your right sidebar and enjoy the ride!

Obsessed Much?!

I'm officially a member of the paparazzi aka Mamarazzi! I got a new toy a week ago and it takes everything in my will power not to spend hours stalking my little man to get "the perfect picture."

We'll have to thank my husband who has a love/hate relationship with my point and shoot camera along with him trying to take pictures at a birthday party for this kind of splurge. Let's just say after a couple of hours of attempting to take pictures of our crazy kid at Chuck E. Cheese he had had enough. One day later, one Best Buy trip and I can't thank him enough for this wonderful gift.

This new gem of a camera takes 4 shots per second...can I just tell you how incredibly fast that is compared to my Cannon point and shoot! Way toooo fast! In the first week I have taken over 1000 pictures which sounds like a ton but it is so easy to do when it going click, click, click, click....in a second.

We've gone on various trips or walks this week just so that I can try out different settings on my camera. Let's just say I'm obsessed! I can see how photographers get hooked because there is so much you can do with these DSLR's. Here is a few raw pics from the last few days, I still have yet to figure out editing and if you have any recommendations on programs etc, please speak up :)

Happy BoyConcentration

Watch Me

Little Man Airplanes over the Bridge

Daddy and Little Man Airplanes over the Bridge

Getting to know you, Getting to know all about you!

I was reading Sandy's blog and came across this questionnaire and thought it would be fun to fill out for those that don't know me I(n)R(eal)L(ife).

1.What is the weather like where you are? kinda cool, cloudy.

2.Who was your first best friend? Her name is Nickie and thanks to facebook we've found each other again.

3.Who knows you best? Absolutely my hubby. He knows me better than I do sometimes.

4.Do you have a temper? Nope.

5.Have you ever flew in an airplane? Yeppers. Two times across the states and many short trips to California. By the time your up at full altitude it's time to descend. Easy trips.

6.Have you ever been on a cruise? Unfortunately not. My hubby and I are dying to take an Alaskan Cruise though.

7.Have you ever rode on a train? Uhh, yes. 12 hours, I departed at 3am and I was exhausted by the time we got there. FYI...it only takes 3 1/2 in a car but as a poor college student I didn't have a car and the only way to make my way home was a train. Never again.

8.Where is the farthest you've been from home? Orlando, Florida.

9.Do you plan to move in the next 12 months? Sadly, yes. We're moving up to the great white north to the suburbs of Vancouver, Canada. While I'm excited for a new chapter in life, I'm struggling with leaving all the wonderful friends we've made in Portland.This is truly the best city I've ever lived in.

10.What are your parents names? Greg and Karin

11.Do you have brothers/sisters? One little sister.

12. Can you swim? yes. I've also taught swim lessons and coached competitive swim teams. Swimming was my life for about 12 years.

13. Name one thing you like about yourself. The ability to be comfortable in my own skin. Many women struggle with body image and while I know that I'm far from what society labels as perfect but to me, I am comfortable with who I am and what I look like.

14. Name one thing you DO NOT like about yourself. How I can sometimes stress about the dumbest things.

15.Who is the last person you talked to on the phone? My hubby

16.What time did you wake up today? 7:30

17.What is your favorite animal? As a kid and all the way through college I wanted a pet dairy cow. Which is kinda funny cause I'm a city girl and where would I ever put an animal that big. One of my college roommates majored in Ag so I was able to get my cow fix and visit the farm with her. Baby Cows = Adorable

18 Where did you go today? Haircuts, Lane Bryant for some retail therapy for a really short haircut, Chipotle and then where else, Target

19. Do you have kids? One little boy, the light of my life.

20. What is the worst sound to hear? nails on a chalkboard

21.Who is the last person who sent you a card? My little boy for Mother's Day

22. Who is the last person you wrote a letter to? Sadly, I can't remember the last time I ever hand wrote a letter.

23.What kind of soap do you like best? Dove.

24.What kind of perfume/cologne do you like best? Vera Wang's Sheer Veil

25.Who is the last person you called? the hubster.

26Are you happy or sad today? Happy :)

27.Have you ever been in an accident? Just one, in fact one of my lovely blog readers was with me.

28.Have you ever broken a bone? nope. Knock on wood.

29. Have you ever had surgery? Yes, appendectomy and a ACL/MCL repair

30.Have you ever played sports? Yes, soccer, basketball, swimming and my fave, softball

31.Did you graduate high school? I sure hope so, my momma would have kicked my booty if I didn't

32. Can you sing? A big fat NO!

33. Can you dance? I've got some rhythm. I'm pretty good at what I like to call "ghetto booty" dancing. I was a wild child back in my college days :)

34.Can you play an instrument?I use to play the violin but I would never think of trying it now unless I wanted my ears to bleed.

35.Have you ever been in the newspaper? My mug shot...just kidding. I've had some sporting accomplishments published along with some articles on my volunteer work with Special Olympics.

36. Have you ever been on TV? Nope.

37.Have you ever wrote a book? Uh, not that I can recall.

38.What type(s) of music do you like? Mostly country but I'm into the hip/hop R&B thing too.

39.What month were you born? February.

40.Where do you like to shop most? If you must know see HERE!



Man, that was a long one. Hopefully I haven't bored you to death. :) Please feel free to share a little about yourselves whether it be in the comments or a similar questionnaire on your blog.

Who Am I?

My name is Laura and our family resides up in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. I've been married for almost 5 years although, we lived in sin for about three years before that..shame on us :) We are so lucky to have been blessed by our son about 2 1/2 years ago....I just can't imagine my life without him. We have a bit of an unorthodox living situation. See, my husband is a long haul truck driver which can leave a heavy weight on my shoulders to keep the house running properly. I'm a stay at home mommy to a wonderfully sweet little boy and can't imagine doing anything else. My life can sometimes be a bit chaotic, but then on some days, it's amazingly calm. As a wife of a truck driver you have to be extremely adaptable because in this industry, you never know what each day will bring. He might be on his way home for a few days off, only be told to turn around and pick up the next load in the neighboring state. This can be incredibly challenging for a planner like myself and 5 years into it, I'm still trying to figure it all out.

I 'm a tv addict, my dvr is my new best friend. I revel in watching reality tv to know that there are people out there even crazier than us. Our family loves sporting events, we often hit up football and baseball games, we've even bought tickets to the 2010 Winter Olympics and I'm so excited to cross off one of my "to do's" off my long list of things to do before I croak. We enjoy fishing, traveling, and just spending time with each other and our extended family (even though we don't see them as often as we'd like.)

I'm new to the blogging world and so far I'm loving it. I would love to hear from other bloggers as we all share our unique but similar stories in this cyber world.