April 9, 2010

Updates and a Call for Advice

Oh my golly, kids.  I’m seriously contemplating hanging up the keyboard.  I cannot seem to get my butt over here to blog on a regular basis.  I don’t know what the deal is.  Truthfully, I spend so much time living and being and doing and seeing, instead of writing.

Writing was my passion, once.  That flame has long been put out.  Perhaps it happened when I stopped working online.  Maybe I just don’t feel motivated.  I don’t know.  I do know that when I think about quitting I get very sad, because this blog was my place for so long.

I suppose I just need to go with the feeling and see what happens.  I shall rethink this later.

Tonight I went out to dinner with my bestest (as Dawson would say) friend ever.  Miss ‘Manda and I had fajitas (okay, she had fish tacos, I had fajitas) at El Mezcal, our favorite little Mexican restaurant.  Amanda is expecting her first child in July and we discussed baby names and baby registries and breastfeeding and every other baby related topic one can think of.

My friend has not had much experience with children and she had lots of questions about cribs and changing tables and if childbirth really is as painful as they say.  I’m no expert but I did try to fill her in on the good as well as the not so good.  I gave her as much honest information as I could without scaring the pants off her.  Then a light bulb went off!  Since I know so many awesome parent bloggers I decided to ask you for your help.

Share your parenting advice with Amanda in the comments.  What is one thing you think she really needs to know?

June 21, 2009

Two Weddings and a Graduation Party

So I’ve been busy.  How many times have you heard me say that?  Too many, I know.

It just seems to go in spurts, these moments of calm followed by chaos and busyness and holy spotted cow, I’m tired.

We’ve attended two weddings this month, and one graduation party, and then we did some other things.  I can’t really remember what.

I’ve been having more headaches a lot lately, and I’m starting to worry.  Headaches while pregnant can mean blood pressure trouble.  I’ve been monitoring it at home and it’s only slightly elevated, but when I get 3 or 4 headaches in one day (or one BIG headache that goes away and reappears like painful magic), I get nervous.

Also, it’s freakin’ hot.  I complained how the first part of June was cold and rainy and sucky.  Now I want to rip out my tongue.  The humidity has arrived, bringing with it swollen ankles, sticky heat and general discomfort.  Add that crap to pregnancy and Dear Heavenly God, please, PLEASE send me air conditioning.  I just may die without it.

So, in lieu of a real post, I give you pictures of the fabulous times we’ve been having.

First we have my friend Kim’s Wedding:

Next we have my brother Frankie’s graduation party:

And finally, photos from K & T’s Wedding:

Doug and I had a wonderful time at each wedding, and my little brother’s graduation party was lots of fun, too.  We’ve got so many things coming up this summer… I don’t know if I can keep up!

What have you been up to?

February 20, 2009

People Let Me Tell You ‘Bout My Best Friend

My BFF Amanda turned 30 on February 16th, the same day I got the fabulous news I was pregnant.  Before I could say the words, Miss Manda knew.  She looked at my stomach and with a huge smile on her face, she shouted, “Yay!”

Amanda was my first visitor in the hospital when I gave birth to Dawson.  At that time in 2004 she was living in Texas and managed to drive home for a visit during the same week I was admitted to the hospital for induction.

Amanda and I have known each other since the eighth grade.  Her mom, also named Dana, became fast friends with my parents and they were part of the same social circles.

Amanda and I have never had a fight.  Not once.  We both hung out with different groups of friends when we were in high school, but we always managed to pick up our friendship wherever it left off.  After graduation, Amanda moved to Texas to go to school (her mother’s family is from Texarkana, Arkansas, and her father’s family is from Wisconsin) and I stayed in Stevens Point to attend college.

Whenever Amanda came home to visit we made time to hang out and catch up.  On my 21st birthday, I went to Longview, Texas to visit her.

Miss Manda (a nickname given to her because she’s from the south and still has her southern drawl) is the kindest person I could ever want as a friend.  She’s always got a smile on her face and she loves to have fun.  Whenever we get together it’s inevitable that I end up sounding like Scarlett O’Hara.  Her “accent” is contagious.

We celebrated Amanda’s big 3-0 by having dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, El Mezcal, with a few other friends.  I only stayed for dinner (too tired from the day’s excitement) but told Miss Manda to have a drink or two for me.  Of course she obliged (and promptly ordered a shot of Tequila).

Happy Birthday, girl!  Here’s to being 30!  I’m right behind you, dahlink!

January 4, 2009

Dana + Dinner + Drinks + Partying All Night = Really Bad Hangover

Last night Doug and I went to a holiday party at the Red Mill restaurant.  We had a fabulous time.

Dinner was delicious.  We both had the ribeye steak and potato puffs, and I had chicken dumpling soup while he had the tossed salad.  Then we had cheesecake for dessert, too.  I had several cocktails — before, during and after dinner.  One too many cocktails.

(Speaking of the desserts, the waitress told us if we didn’t like cheesecake we could order an ice cream drink instead.  So then I said, “Oh!  Do you have the cricket one?”  And she replied without missing a beat, “No, but we do have the Grasshopper.”  That was totally what I meant.  Cricket, grasshopper — same family, right?)

I started out drinking a glass of Coca-Cola.  Then I decided since I drink maybe once a year I was going to enjoy myself and have a screwdriver.  After two of those, I switched to Malibu and OJ because the vodka was tasting funny.  That could possibly be because I was getting sloshed.

Doug had two Budweisers and then promptly stopped drinking so that he could drive us home, but the friends who hosted the dinner invited us to their house for a glass of wine, or coffee and to hang out.  Because we like these friends, Doug and I agreed.

When we got there, I decided to have soda so that I could sober up.  I thought that I could avoid a hangover that way.  It didn’t work.

While at the after party, Doug got to try a wheat beer that our friend E. offered him.  It was a German beer (I only know this because it had Weisse in the name) and let’s just say it was probably made of river water and rotten cheese because the toxic gas emissions these men were giving off could have killed a village.

We were just getting ready to leave (because my brother was babysitting and we didn’t want him to drive home too late) when S. got me involved in a game of Catch Phrase.  Oh my gosh is that way too much fun.  Imagine six drunk people trying to play a hilarious game, similar to the game Taboo.  Much laughter and cursing were shared.  I had the best time so I promptly purchased the game from Amazon.com today.

Right after I drank three huge glasses of water and swallowed an Excedrin.

Oh the headache.

Now were going to have lunch at the Tempura House.  Nothing cures a hangover like salty Chinese food!