week in review ...

last weekend we went away for a visit to maine. shayna, one of my close friends from high school & one of my traveling partners for a summer of cross country driving is expecting a little boy anytime now ... so we went up for a visit & her baby shower. one of our friends passed away last spring ... which reconnected us. hadn't seen each other in over 10 years ... but it was like i saw her yesterday. i love that. we had a super time ... so nice to hang out - again find myself saying i wish they lived next door. i wonder how a life would be where i would have close friends just around the corner? ... that makes me smile. but, unfortunately ... since we all have been such travelers in our years ... we have all ended up spread out over the map. josie had a great ride ... slept most of the way both there & back ...

unlike this ride where she was miserable ... a dramatic hollywood picture we think.

when she was awake though ... she's getting ready for her stint on late night tv to show her silly baby tricks ... a big mouth needs two pacifiers ... KIDDING ... but she sure is chatty!

josie has started a new thing also - that is just so cool & i have to admit hilarious. her "thing" is her puppy .... well now, she has started to make her puppy do things. nice things ... they kiss & hug each other (with sound effects), she feeds him (with sound effects), she gives him something to drink (sound effects) & she shares her pacifier with him (yes, sound effects there too) and a lot more. but ... she has also started having him do things that she knows she will get in trouble for. so you see the puppy taking the toilet paper roll from the holder, i see the puppy turning the dials on the washing machine, the puppy trying to turn off the lights etc ... it is hilarious. i absolutely love her thought process right now ... it is so cool!

i'll finish up reporting some other things that have happened this week in josie world ...

josie is super stoked that they brought back this commercial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6743_i5FOZ4&feature=user, everything stops & her feet go into "foot fires" she is so excited!

she is going to see her own live drumming performance on 4.10 at the franklin opera house ... you should check it out ... http://www.blackbearmoon.com/

josie has switched from waving every time the vacuum gets turned on to crying ... not sure why??

says "oops" every time she falls or something drops ... so about 100 "oops" a day. it is still cute after 100.

has very long conversations with biscuit our cat.

whenever she sees anything resembling a plant or flower she starts sniffing even if she is all the way across the room.

i know these are probably usual things ... but to us - as "1st timers" this stuff is the best! and if we ever become "second timers" i'm sure it will all be just as special.

that was our week in review ... the end! oh ... p.s. april fool's rocked this year!! i was a partner in crime & fooled so many people ... rad! ... that might deserve a blog entry ...

storytime

quick story ...

so this woman came into the office yesterday ... and kept staring at me ... i could see her out of the corner of my eye. i eventually looked up at her & she did not break her stare ... i really don't like that when people do that ... very uncomfortable. finally, she says ... "wow, look at your hair ... you are way too young to have all that gray hair ... what are you 22?" ... off by 10 years there ... "well, i think the gray hair makes you look even younger". i was not offended at all, i'm actually used to it ... i like my gray. i find it very interesting how people choose their words to make "the comment". could be a touchy subject for some ... but not me. plus, almost always, the comments are very positive - i love how often i come across - or get into conversations with kind people.

so ... speaking of gray - it made me remember this story ...

years ago i used to work in a country store. one night a woman came in ... she shopped & then came to the counter. she looked up at me & she just stared. same type of stare as i was talking about above. finally she says ... "can i tell you something" ... i say "yes" ... she says "you have an indian behind you with long gray hair - he is your guide" ... i think i said "really" ... but i do remember turning around like an idiot ... (thinking i might see an indian ... what an embarrassing thing that was)

we chatted for a while - about "that subject" ... i finished cashing her out & then she got her stuff together to leave. as she was walking out the door she says "you should paint on rocks ... you love that" ... what? that was it ... she was out the door. so, when i was thinking about this encounter i did i remember that when i was younger i had these two rocks ... one painted like a cat & another had 2 hearts on it ... one pink & one purple. i loved those rocks ... i got them when i was maybe 5 & had them out in my room all the way till i went to college - (i wonder where they are now?). wonder if she "saw" that through me ... either way, the sad thing is that i haven't painted on any rocks yet. i should ...

dancin queen

josie dancin to her dad's strummin ... yes she is wearing her bathing suit over her clothes & yes she has the hiccups. a special night at the halles ... as the az halle's put it ... everyday is a "halle-day"

5 minutes of my day ...

my little girl being so cute! she looks like she should have a newspaper under her arm.

what a beautiful day. since papa had a little side job to do today josie & i decided to head out right after breakfast for a run to the post office & a walk.

on our walk we went by the farm that is a couple miles down our road .. saw a kitty, duck, & dog ... & josie said each one of their names the minute they caught her eye. i even heard a meow, meow come out after she said kitty. i swear this little girl has a ton of words in her brain that she just doesn't share. ... the best story of that so far was when we were in toys'r us & she points up to this bed that is basically up on the rafters & screams "dora" what!!! she was barely saying mama & papa. i think it might be time to get the ani difranco cd's out of my car before she starts picking up some of those nice words ... yikes ... that's just what i need to come out at story time. actually to be completely honest, i need to clean up my language as well.

so, back to the reason of writing ... within 5 minutes i had two interesting episodes. just finished my walk, josie was packed in the car & i was folding up the stroller to load it in the back of the car ... & this guys slows down & says ... "is there a campground around here?" " i have a wheel chair lift in my car" ... my mind gets confused about the two abrupt statements that basically came out in one sentence ... ok, "no, i'm all set - i don't need the lift ... and yeah there is a campground, but about 10 minutes in the opposite direction (giving him directions)" he says "i guess there is a lesbian campground around here, that isn't really that anymore, but i just need a cheap place to put my trailer ... see my wheelchair lift" (again one sentence) ... my response ... "yeah, cool lift ... & i don't know anything about the campground, if it is the same one ... it looks like a nice place" he responds ... "don't slip on the ice & drives off" i was waiting to see him come back around, as he needed to turn around to get to where he wanted to go ... but he never did. interesting fellow. so, truly "touched" by the special man ... i hopped in my car & started to drive off ... except, shit ... (wait i am cleaning up my language) ... shoot, i'm stuck! got out, looked around .. it's one tire that i drove up into the snowbank too far. wasn't quite sure what i was going to do, didn't have a shovel ... was thinking this out & within 30 seconds i see this woman and 3 children coming down the road. when they got to me she offered for her two sons (maybe 5 & 6ish) & herself to push me out ... i felt bad, but after a little convincing the 3 of them got me out ... while her little daughter waited so nicely behind them ... what a good little girl. ohhh ... thank you so much!

an interesting 5 minutes that i wanted to share ... people are special ... in every way that word can be interpreted.

14 days update

while i was working hard on my 14 days (a couple posts ago) my hubby was working hard on this

we like to say ... "this is what happens when you don't have wii" ...

so onto the 14 days update ... 1st week was great. did all my outside exercising, no candy from the candy counter, ab exercises everyday, to bed by 10 & no laptop in bed ... from monday to monday ... then tuesday i got sick & all my rules went down the drain. only things i followed, was in bed by 10 - cuz i was super sick ... & no candy from the candy counter. oh, & i did take a look at that mp3 thingy ... but still don't know how to work it.

i liked the idea of giving myself some short term goals ... i'll have to do it again ...

weekend highlights

josie learned a new word this weekend: TUTU
Pronunciation: \ˈtü-(ˌ)tü\
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from (baby talk) tutu backside
Date: 1913
: a short projecting skirt worn by a ballerina

she also pointed out the moon in the sky both nights this weekend: one from the car window & one while we were walking out to the car ... oh so cool!


the last exciting event of the weekend: dishwasher!

action: smiling while jumping in the air

noun: time saver, water & electric saver (checked on this ... it will!), no more pruney fingers, & no more rock, paper, scissors to see who does the dishes! here it is ...

tiny house = miniature version ... perfect!