25 Things

Here's a post of randomness...because, well, I'm just not that creative at 1:30AM. So I thought I'd post one of these type of things instead. Either that or I'm boring. My only updates? Damn nanny quit (AGAIN- what is with our luck?! It's all these freakin' stay-at-homers who have never held a real job and have no idea what responsibility is!), but that is ok, because we're contemplating enrolling Aili in a preschool-style daycare, which I think would be great for her- she needs more structure. I've been feeling pretty under the weather lately. I can't wait for spring; it can't come soon enough. I've had it with the dreary weather...ok, now on to my post of randomness...I'm pretty sure of my 25 'random' things, most of you know almost all of them already :-) Oh well...

1. I never met a cheese I didn't like, even the smelly ones- yumm. How can someone hate blue cheese?! My current favorite is a dutch cheese called beemster or something- at nearly ten dollars for a small-ish slab, I'll be you can figure out why my grocery bill is so high ;-)

2. Disneyland is waaayy better than disney world. Just sayin'. Though I do love Florida. And they're right, disneyland is definitely the happiest place on earth!

3. I love love LOVE the beach, water parks, and anything water-related. If I could I would so move back to California, but hubby comes first and his job is here. I love sunny weather, tank tops, and swimming, although I still haven't learned to surf or wakeboard (I will eventually...and we just got another boat, a little ski boat, so maybe now I'll take up wake boarding...)

4. I find most newborns annoying. Ssshhh. Don't tell my work. Their cries typically resonate in my head like the sound of a few cats all fighting over a single peice of fish. That being said, I'm pretty good at dealing with newborns.

5. Snakes are not my friend. One reason I think it would be great to have all girls is because a girl is much less likely to hide a snake in my room/bed as a joke. I don't harm snakes or wish them ill, I just don't want them near me. Funny thing, when I was little I would catch them and hang them around my neck and do all sorts of horrifying things. Ugh.

6. I really want to learn Spanish. I'm getting a little better at it, since we have a lot of Spanish-speaking only patients at work, but I've still got a loong ways to go.

7. I'm really getting sick of work. Maybe it is the monotony, or maybe it is the fact that I work full-time, I don't know. But I'm reaching the end of my rope.

8. I hate going out to eat with people who are cheap and tip poorly.

9. I've always found medical stuff interesting. When I was little, going to the hospital was fun times.

10. I really don't want to ever drive a "kid mobile" (AKA minivan) but I'm not opposed to a crossover. Some day I will have my little sports car with leather seats...

11. I hate folding laundry, which is strange, because it is one of the few chores you can do while watching TV

12. I don't understand when people don't even try to breastfeed (unless they have medical issues). However bottle-feeding does make my job much easier

13. I want to make more friends in my area, and make time for those friends, because I am definitely a people-person. Yet I still haven't managed to do that much since moving.

14. I love game nights. I love things like bumper cars and laser tag even more. I'm a kid at heart

15. I accidently caused the color of our last house to be pink. I thought the sample looked cream. I guess the name "blushing bride" should have tipped me off. Oops.

16. My favorite sport to watch is baseball, hands down. To play is soccer, and football is second for watching. Only superbowl on TV though, otherwise it has to be live to keep me interested.

17. I love Alvin and the Chipmonks. The original, cartoon ones. I even own CDs. I can sing the whole theme song.

18. Dilletante (sp?) desserts and hot chocolate are the yummiest

19. I'm a big believer in baby-sitters and date nights. Your kid will be fine as long as you leave him/her with someone responsible. It might not be fine if you have a lousy relationship with your significant other due to not communicating and spending time alone together. This is also why I don't do extended co-sleeping past the newborn stage. Maybe it is just from my personal experience, but I think if you're not showing your child that you value yourself and your partner, and taking time for yourself/them, you're gonna end up with either a spoiled child or one who doesn't know how to be in a healthy relationship. Once again...just my experience from *my* life.

20. Kid's TV shows today have nothing on the ones we used to watch. Now there always has to be a "lesson." Whatev.

21. I love sleep so much, it is a major reason why probably I'll have 2 kids. That and I want the freedom to be able to travel a lot(as opposed to more than 2 kids that is).

22. If I can afford it, I would seriously give some thought to a tummy tuck and a boob lift. We'll see.

23. I would really like to make it out to Spokane more...that is on my priority list for the year. Not because of a deep love of Spokane per se, more about my deep love for my friend Lisa who lives there :-)

24. As a child, I always won the who-can-eat-the-donut-with-no-hands-the-fastest contest. And I can already tell that my daughter, who is just like her mama, will be doing the same thing.

25. Lisa and I did some seriously weird things as children. We were meant to be friends I guess. Our parents really took it in stride, I think I would be humiliated if Aili did some of those things. A random sampling- yelling abour birdseed and other bizzare things while on rides at the fair, trying to convince people we were twins, choreographed dances to Michael Jackson, and road-side "skits." Umm yeah. We'll just say we were "creative." And there are other things that, well, I just won't even go there ;-)

Why I Started Yet Another Blog

Clearly, I suck at blogging. I have had quite a few in the past few years, but I'm hoping this one will be more successful. Why? The only time I seem to want to blog is in the middle of the night, at work, and a lot of our computers block myspace and facebook, where I used to do my blogging. Thus I will join a different sort non-blocking blogging community (I have a few friends who use this one, so that seemed to be the easiest selection). Here are some quick updates of how life is going for our little family since the summer~

Fall- Moved to a townhome in the Mill Creek/Everett area. We like it here pretty well! Takes 30 minutes to get to Seattle, 90 or so to North Bellingham where Jeff's family is, and is a really family-friendly neighborhood. We're planning to hopefully stay here until we buy another house. (Gotta probably sell the old one first...but that is a debate all in itself). Then, right after moving we went and visited my fabulous family (seriously...I have the BEST extended family EVER) in California, and my mom watched The Princess (AKA "Aili," now 2 and a half) for a week so we could have a second "honeymoon" in Mexico. It was fantastic! We loved it so much that we bought a time-share (not normally my thing, but you can use it anywhere in the world) and are still committed to traveling as often as possible. Here are some pics of our trip:

The pictures are from the ancient Mayan ruins of Chichen-Itza, snorkeling in caves/cenotes, zip-lining in a Mayan village, etc. We had a great trip, and I can't wait for our next one- we've already paid off the time share so now we can just enjoy!

Winter- Not much new there, we visited my family in California and had an awesome time, as always. I *love* going to grandma's- we all hang out, have a good time, and eat far, far too much food. As a result I am now several pounds heavier. Oh well, it was worth it for the fanfreakingtastic 3 (eh,...8) squares-a-day. My latest mission for the winter is to visit Lisa in Spokane, take Aili sledding for the first time at the pass, and...well actually, that is enough until Spring.

Aili is doing pretty well. She keeps me busy! I am thinking of enrolling her in a gymboree or little gym class to use up some of that toddler energy and help her make little 'friends.' I also am looking into preschools for her- man is there a lot to choose from. It is especially hard when I'm unsure if she will be fully potty-trained, as most schools either A. Want them Trained, or B, Charge More. Ugh. She'll pee on the potty, but only with constant asking, and rarely poos on it. You'd think a child so food-motivated would go more, but...she's got more important things to do.