I'm not one of those daily, or even weekly updater's. The only time I post to my blog is when 1.) I have time; 2.) when something funny comes to mind; or 3.) when something makes me angry and I need an outlet to vent... This would be categorized in #3!



All throughout the presidential election, it was evident that if you were for Obama, you were to be as loud as possible. However, if you were against Obama, you had better keep your mouth shut because the attacks would come! At least that was the case for me here in Dallas; I know there are some more conservative towns that might not have seen this first hand. Even if you did not see it in your community though, you saw it on television. No one dared to question him. And to this day, no one questions him... Except Fox News. This entire time they have been the only ones (at least in public) that had a differing opinion from the Obama screamers. So... it was only a matter of time before Obama made a move against them-

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/10/18/white-house-escalates-war-fox-news-1925819282/

Yes, I am cheap!

I am way behind the times when it comes to music. Considering how much I am into all kinds of music this is really strange, but I never really seemed to move past cassette tapes! I think I have owned 10 CD’s in my entire life, though at this point I only have like 3. I might be the only person over 9 years old on the planet without an iPod. Dad even has an iPod. Dad, who still has a bag phone in his pick-up has an iPod, and I don’t! For some reason, even with as much as I love music, I don’t spend money on it. Because of this I constantly flip through radio stations in my car, all excited about what one of my “favorite” songs might come on next. Now though, thanks to my husband, I have discovered PANDORA!

So all you do is go to Pandora.com and it walks you through creating your own radio station! You tell it what artists and/or songs you like, and it builds a group of songs based upon the info you give it. Once it starts playing songs, you can tell it that you either like or dislike a song. You can even bookmark songs for later! I have built 9 stations so far! I just go back and forth between them based on my mood! In a yelling, angry girl mood? Well then I have a station for that- it is Alanis Morissette Radio! In a laid back, chill sort of mood? How about The Doors Radio? Going to the lake or to play in the river? Well then I suggest my Pat Green Radio station! LOVE IT!

The best part of all this is that it is FREE! They can do this because there are advertisements on their website. Plus, about once every ten songs or so they play an ad, but it is never more than 20 seconds. The only way you get a charge is if you listen for more than 40 hours in a month. I personally listen all day every day at work, so I do pass that. When your 40 hours are up, the website gives you the option to pay 99 cents to finish out the month. 99 CENTS! If you don’t want to do that, you just have to wait until the end of the month to begin listening again!

The only drawback I see to this service is the fact that it only either plays off your computer, or your phone (if your phone has the capability.) But with speakers, headphones and attachments for songs on your phone to play in your car- you can easily get around all those road blocks.

So anyway- try it if you get a chance! I am listening to mine right now! And by the way, I chose this picture to go witht he post because Hailey is a little rocker herself! She loves music too and is quite the dancer!

"How is married life treating you?!"

You get engaged and tell the world that you will soon get married. Everyone is happy for you and wants to know all about your wedding plans. A few will tell you that the first year of marriage is “hard.” You, being the dreamer you are, think those people don’t know what they are talking about. After-all, this person is not just your fiancé, he is your best friend! You aren’t going to run into the “hard” first year like most people. It will be all roses and rainbows for your love story…

Once the stress of the wedding is finally done, and you begin to settle into your new life, you begin to look around and think “aren’t I supposed to feel different? Am I supposed to feel like an adult now?” Your best friend is starting to sort of annoy you. He leaves his clothes on the floor of the living room and his wet towels in the floor of the bathroom. He doesn’t close cabinet doors when he is done getting something out. He complains that your hair is everywhere- on the bed, on the bathroom floor, on the counters… He complains that you wash your hair in the kitchen sink. He complains that you get low-fat groceries and don’t ever buy snacks.

Then there is the cooking- every good wife should know how to cook right? You assume that cooking is something that comes to you naturally once you have gotten married and magically morphed into an adult. You stand at the stove and wait for divine intervention. It doesn’t come. You all the sudden wonder if you missed some sort of wife class in high school/college because you have no idea where to begin. You set off the smoke alarm a billion times and throw away more food than is eaten in your attempts to get acquainted with this wifely duty.

Money… oh money…. You have had your own checking account since you were 12. You don’t answer to anyone when it comes to how you spend your money- after all, you have a job. You have had a job since the dawn of freaking time and you like it that way. You like having your own money to do with as you would like. You go to the store now, in this newly married bliss, and spend $20 on things you need. Meanwhile, your husband is at a different store, in his newly married bliss, spending $20 on things he needs. You both get home, look at the account and wonder how the heck $40 has just been spent instead of the $20. You get mad at each other for spending the same $20 that you just spent. You could afford to spend $20, but you couldn’t afford to spend $40. It is your husband’s fault. He says it is your fault.

You have now been married for 6 months- and if one more person asks you how married life is treating you, you might beat them with the sharp ends of your wedding ring…

Fast-forward 5 years later- you are still together. You are best friends again. You talk on the phone 5 times a day because you just can’t wait until that evening to tell each other things. He says “I love you” all five times you get off the phone. You talk about money, often. He still leaves his clothes in the living room floor, your hair is still everywhere, and you still occasionally set off the smoke alarm. You are content. You are happier every day that passes. THIS is your newlywed phase- that first year was just practice, and we came through with flying colors. THIS is our reward for that. Spending every day together, loving each other and our children. I would do it all again a thousand times.

I love you honey! Happy 5th Anniversary!

Who are you people???

A little over a month ago I added a tool to my blog that tells how many views there have been. I thought it would be fun to see how many people actually looked at this thing- I have sent the link to a few people here and there but for the most part I was pretty sure it was my mom, sister in law and maybe a few other random visitors...

Well in the time of around 5 weeks, the counter shows 224 views! Who the heck are you people?! Not that it bothers me, I am posting publicly and it is open to anyone- I am just curious as to who on earth is reading all my ramblings! It is actually very funny to me!

In other Williams News- Becca started basketball camp this morning. I can't wait to hear how it went! I hope she is doing a better job of staying awake today than I am. We went to Gruene this weekend and played in the river for two days. We didn't get in until sort of late last night. It probably isn't near as big of a deal to her as it is to me. At 16 I could stay up until 3am and still be up for school, church, work or whatever else was going on the next morning with no problem. These days I have to have my eight hours or I will end up with the imprint of a keyboard on the side of face.

The Mom Club

Lots of things happened pretty soon after finding out I was pregnant with Hailey- but one thing I did not expect was that I was suddenly part of a huge network of other moms. This network can have it's advantages and disadvantages, but once you figure out how to recognize the toxic members it is a huge blessing!

When I began to tell people I was pregnant I noticed something almost immediately- When I told a mom, the reactions and questions were completely different than when I told someone that did not yet have children. The moms (for the most part) would offer their complete support to you. I had women that I rarely spoke with before offering me their phone numbers to call them at all hours of the night if needed. Friends and family that I had always talked to before, just not that often began to call me on a weekly basis to see how I was feeling. Of course you do have the "toxic" ones I referred to above- the ones that only wanted to tell you how horrible their pregnancy and labor was and that they don't envy me for what I will have to deal with once the baby is actually here... The ones that would tell me "OH! Well you better get all the sleep you can now because you will never sleep again!" THOSE are the toxic ones, and those are the ones that I learned to just block out. For some reason these moms think they deserve a medal for doing what others have done for thousands of years. Instead of enjoying motherhood and appreciating this gift from God, all they want to do is complain. I want no part of these kinds of Mothers, and fortunately, they are not the norm.

Once I did actually have Hailey, it was clear to me why all those mothers were so excited for me and were so willing to help. From then on, anytime a woman has told me she was pregnant I can hardly contain my excitement for her! I immediately begin thinking of all the things she needs as gifts and the things she will need to know- I have to stop myself from emailing once a day with a little tid-bit of advice! Then once the baby gets here I feel mixed emotions for them. I am excited for them that their little one has finally arrived, but at the same time I worry about them. I wonder if their hormones are overwhelming them and making it so that they can't enjoy this time- I wonder if their little one is sleeping a few hours at a time for them. I want to hug them and tell them it is normal to feel overwhelmed and that things get better everyday- that this will be the most fun, rewarding experience of their lives they just have to get through the first few hard months! This is about the time I begin to offer up my phone number with an "any hour of the day or night" promise because I just feel compelled to!

This Mom Club is, in my opinion, the single most helpful thing a mom could ever ask for! The best advice I have ever gotten has not been from doctors, it has been from moms! When your baby is colicky and won't stop crying, you don't call your doctor or even your husband- you call any member of the Mom Club you can think of to learn what worked for them. The Mom Club helped me find childcare, a pediatrician, ways to calm Hailey, affordable clothes... the list could go on and on. They have provided me with gifts, hand-me-downs and invaluable support when I have been at my wits end. They actually ask for, and genuinely want to see pictures of Hailey; as I genuinely want to see pictures of their little ones!

Membership doesn't just have it's perks your baby's first year, it is something that I think you will use forever. When I run out the door in a rush and forget sunscreen, I don't panic. I know that there will be a mom, a total stranger wherever I am going that will be more than happy to give me a handful of sunscreen for Hailey, and the rest of the family if needed. I do not feel bad about asking because I know that I will return the favor. Mothers have asked me for wet wipes, a diaper, medicine, teething cookies, etc. You name it, I will ask for it or offer it up. There is no room for embarrassment once you have a little life to care for.

There is only one downfall that I have noticed, (other than the toxic moms, but those have been weeded out by now.) Along with the bond you feel with other mothers, comes be heartbreaking empathy you also feel for them. I have two friends that are desperately trying to get pregnant and cannot, I literally, physically hurt for them. One mom, her daughter is mentioned on this blog, had twins and one was injured at birth causing Cerebral Palsy. I cannot imagine. Even TV shows are hard to watch. I know that they are actors, but if it involves losing a child I just can't watch it now.

I'm not sure why I spouted off with this today- I guess I just want other mothers to remember that this awesome network is behind them. Always ask for help and advice if you need it. It doesn't show weakness, it shows that you will do whatever it takes to care for your child.

The Adventures of Grandma and Grandpa

Email from my Grandma today-

“We love the pictures and your Blog is outstanding.

Since I never learned to swim and have a fear of water, I'm so glad Hailey is taking swimming lessons. In fact, I'm glad our whole family knows how to swim. When I took your Mom and Kathy to swimming lessons, at the first session I was encouraging (demanding?????) them to do what the teacher was telling them. I was just so fearful they'd end up like me. Well, the teacher "encouraged" ("demanded") that I be quiet and let her take care of things. : ) And I did, and they learned to swim.”

I laughed out loud, and am still laughing about this email! Grandma is one of the funniest people I know, but what’s better, she has no idea how funny she is! I don’t think I ever really appreciated it until the last few years or so…

David and I went to visit them in Roswell for the day a while back when Lennox happened to have a flight there. We were all sitting in their living room together visiting when I noticed a paper-weight sitting right in the middle of the living room floor. It just seemed so odd sitting there all by itself. I looked over and noticed David was also looking at it, we exchanged a confused look… Finally I thought, what the heck, I’ll ask… “Umm, what is with the little decoration there in floor, Grandma?” Without missing a beat she said “Oh, that was to remind me that I had a doctor’s appointment today. It didn’t work though, I still didn’t get there at the right time.”

This little exchange caused me to start looking around to see if there were more little “reminders” around the house… Sure enough- David found one a few minutes later! We were on our way out the front door to go get lunch somewhere when he noticed a toy car sitting on the ledge alongside my Grandparents’ car keys. This time there was no hesitation in asking, we were excited to know- “So what is this for?” Well, I can’t remember their exact words, but basically there is a car that is always parked in the street across from their house. The toy car is to remind them of that so that they won’t hit it. I almost fell over! David casually grabbed the keys and offered to drive. J

I love my grandparents- I have laughed the entire time I typed this!

Today I am having a really hard time. Reality came crashing down on me when I got up this morning, and the weeks of being busy non stop are catching up.

Poor David made the time on Father's Day to tile our bedroom- (for those of you keeping up, we went so long without flooring because the airplane has been broken for months now and David has been gone non-stop ever since.) Anyway, the tile is put down, but grout and sealant are still needed. So, everything that should be in our bedroom is spread out all over the house. It is a wreck.

Then there are all the things that need to be done that have nothing to do with the tile- the laundry is piling up, we are completely out of things like milk which means a trip to the grocery store is mandatory, and we have used almost all the clean dishes out of the dishwasher without ever unloading and loading it.

We found out at work yesterday that we are merging with another company. This will leave us with "duplicates" in workforce. They let us know that, basically, it is not IF layoffs will occur, but rather how many and who that they are not sure of yet.

Hailey has swim lessons this week and next at 6pm- so it is a mad dash from work to get her a snack and get us changed, then straight to the pool to begin. After that is a mad dash to get dinner together for her and she is almost immediately ready to sit with me for our cuddling before bedtime.

David leaves again today and should be home Thursday evening with Becca, (yay!) He is going to Wichita to again check on the airplane- hopefully they are to a point where some decisions have to be made about next steps... it has been down way too long. From Wichita he flies to Rochester, where he and Becca will then drive her car to Dallas. Then Friday, Becca, Hailey and I will drive to Dougherty. David will get there on Saturday.

The thought of getting through the next few weeks, and the idea of David being gone again, have left me completely stressed out and in a horrible mood. I have to snap out of it for anything at all to get done.

So, I taking a minute to list the things that I am thankful for. I know that there are people who would love the have the problems we are having as opposed to the ones that they have. I need to focus on that.

I AM THANKFUL BECAUSE:

- My immediate, and even extended family is healthy.

- I have a husband that works hard to provide for me and our two awesome girls.

- I have a job today.

- David has a job today- actually several jobs.

- We have money in the account to buy the groceries I am complaining about shopping for.

- We have a home

- I miss my husband when he is gone. Some people seem to be relieved when their spouses are out of town. Mine is my best friend, and when he is gone I am sad.

- I have a 17 month old that hugs us, kisses us, and tells us she loves us.

- I have a 16 year old that hugs us, kisses us, and tells us she loves us.

We are a blessed family.... busy, but blessed. I have to remember that.