Kristen’s Blog

Sorry it’s been a while.  I’ve had a really eventful last two weeks.  Last Tuesday, we went to Craig’s and I sang my little heart out on Rock Band while the boys played a game in another room.  I had no clue they could hear me!  Poor things.  I’m surprised their ears didn’t bleed.  I can’t sing, but, boy, how I love to.

On Wednesday, we went to Outback for possibly my last ribeye ever, definitely my last bacon and cheese fries ever.  Yes, they were fabulous.  Thursday we stayed up late washing clothes for our weekend trip.  We saw Jonathan Coulton at the Houston House of Blues!  It was better than I could have believed.  Paul and Storm was the opening act, and they are hilarious.  We stayed at Robin’s granddad’s house since he is in Florida and Billy and Jessica stayed with us!!!!  It was great.  I’ve missed them so much.  We played a lot of bridge (with Billy and I partnering against Robin and Jess - and them kicking our butts like always. )  We spent a lot of time at Robin’s mom’s house, playing games with them.  I finally learned the secrets to Jim’s enchilidas - now I know why mine never tasted quite right.

We drove back from Houston on Sunday - in the pouring rain.  But we stopped at our favorite little store along the way - it seems there is always somewhere that we along every route that we either have to stop at or must by-pass - the Chevron in McComb is a must stop, the alligator themed rest-stop in Louisiana is a never stop.  We have several of these.  We had lunch and played Battlestar Galactica with Robin’s dad on Sunday - he and his wife seemed to enjoy it, the step-brothers did not.

It was around midnight when we got home Sunday night/Monday morning.  I left for Baltimore for the NDRN conference Monday afternoon.  It’s still one of my favorite conferences.  The speakers are excellent and I always learn lots of new things/new ways to do what we are already doing.  I’m in the lobby now, waiting for my Super Shuttle to pick me up and take me back to the airport.  I’ve had a great time here in Baltimore.  I had supper with Sheila last night - we walked from the hotel to a family owned Italian place and then walked over a block to a great place for dessert - they serve only desserts.  My hot chocolate was almost as big as my head.

But I’m tired now and ready to go home.  My room was nice, but everytime there was any vibration outside, my door wiggled.  I finally learned to place a bathcloth under one of the locks to keep it shut tight.  I went swimming in the indoor pool on Tuesday and woke-up with an ear-ache on Wednesday.  And of course I didn’t sleep well at all with Robin not there.  I’ll be home in about 5 hours, get to sleep in my own bed, and hug my Robin to pieces.  I promise, promise, promise that I’ll be better about blogging.  Maybe you’ve heard that before from me, but I don’t think I’ve ever used three “promises” in a row, so I really mean it this time!

I think our Wii Fit might be a wee (get it? HA!) bit sensitive to its placement.  According to its scale, I’ve lost 11 pounds since yesterday.  And my Wii age is 9 years younger.  Not bad for a day I felt crappy throughout.  The little walking germs (a.k.a. Laurel and Caleb) are sick and guess who shared her Flintstones Push-Up with both of them…am I genius or what?  Also, Daylight Savings Time is for chumps!  It wasn’t so bad yesterday.  I woke up before my alarm clock (I spent the day with the folks at Dalewood, so I had to head out early), I got a good night’s sleep, woke up to my alarm clock this morning at 7a, but it was DARK outside.  [Whiney voice] And I don’t like to wake up in the dark; it makes me tired…[/Whiney voice]

But, if being contaminated by adorable germ monsters and being tired all day makes me lose 11 pounds, I’ll do it every day!  I really wonder what’s going to happen tomorrow when I weigh in - will the Wii Fit shame me because I gained 10 pounds overnight?  It wasn’t excited about the 11, so maybe it will stop worrying about me losing weight too fast.  (Let’s all cross our fingers that I don’t “gain” more than 11 tomorrow!)

Tonight we are going to buy a Wii Fit.  We should have done it a long time ago, but we are both lazy and cheap.  The reason we need the thing is because we’re lazy, but I’m about to make a huge lifestyle change and need to really start an exercise program.  The way I work, I’m not able to get to Curves, my favoritist work-out place in the world.  If I were a student or stay-at-home mom, maybe, but they open late, close early, and are not open during the lunch hour.

Anyway, check back for random updates - especially to find out how long it takes me to break the balance board!

Robin and I have acted like newlyweds all weekend.  Our housemate is out of town, so we stayed out late on Friday, slept in Saturday morning, and played Civ IV Saturday afternoon.  We went to the for-real-this-time-last-game-night at Dragon’s Lair about 7p Saturday.  We left at approximately 2a Sunday and resumed our Civ IV game.  We stayed up to almost 7a playing.  Needless to say, I had consumed massive quantities of caffeine to keep me awake that long.  Guess who woke up at 11a Sunday (thanks for calling Mama - ‘preciate it!) with a horrible tummy and headache?  I just don’t do well with little to no sleep.  Once I started feeling better, we started playing Civ again.  We stopped for a short nap around 5p, only to be woken up within 30 minutes by a phone call from Robin’s mom.  We just “finished” our game - well, I realized way late that I wouldn’t be able to build the Space Elevator due to my position at the extreme top and extreme bottom of the board (it must be built within certain latitude parameters - it had never been an issue before, so I didn’t think about it.)  Anyway, I declared Robin the winner because it became next to impossible for me to win and I’m starting to see double.  My stomach is hurting again too.  Stupid human need for sleep.  Anyway, it was nice to be able to stay in our pjs all day, g0ing out only when we wanted, and playing Civ just like we did when we were first married, living in Dallas, only knowing each other.

It’s been a good weekend.  I’ll try to get back on schedule of daily blogging.  (We were able to sleep late both days because we didn’t set an alarm on Saturday.  We set an alarm today to make sure we were awake before our normal gaming group showed up, but Mama woke us before the alarm, and then we ended up cancelling on the group.  Have I mentioned I don’t do well with little to no sleep?)

I’ve got a secret.  Can you, nameless, faceless internet, keep a secret?  We can’t tell Robin. Okay?  Good.  I’m hopelessly in love.  It’s sad.  On the way to work this morning, I thought about something he said before I left, and I started grinning like an idiot!  And I was in  bad mood prior to that interfering thought.  And at lunch, he started talking about how I was his stalker, and I couldn’t quit laughing.  And he was being bad dorky, talking about an Excel spreadsheet, and I couldn’t wait to kiss him for his brillance.  I occasionally think he is on to me, but I’m trying to keep it a secret.  You’ll help me, right, nameless, faceless internet?  Thanks.

My Lenten discipline is not blogging, but I thought it would be a good idea to blog during this time. Robin and I have both given up the snooze button for Lent this year. This morning was kinda rough, but it was nice not to have to rush this morning - not that I need to rush, but obligations, yada yada. I guess maybe I should have tried to practice tolerance and patience for Lent, but I just can’t tolerate being patient!

I’ve had a pretty rough past two days and I really needed a pick-me-up.  And I got one.  Eli Stone has been renewed!!!!  Yippee!!  :Singing:  I’m so excited/and I just can’t hide it.  Maybe the Kristen-loves-a-new-series-so-it-is-cancelled-after-its’-first-season curse is over.  Wh00t!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/TV/05/13/tv.newseason.ap/index.html

Civilization IV is addictive.  Robin and I have finished one game and played another in the past 18 hours.  And I want to play again.  We can’t because we are going to Newton today, but, boy, oh boy, if we just could…

I don’t understand the obsession at all - I never win.  When Robin and I play against each other, I always lose.  I’ve recently started playing on a lower difficulty than Robin and the computers.  Nothing.  I SUCK at this game.  Why oh why do I play?  One of these days I’ll cream him.  That’s probably where the obsession comes from - Civ IV is the only game we regularly play that I have never won against him. 

I wonder, if I ever win, will the obsession go away?

Silly Kristen. 

 Yesterday, Robin and I had a date - we made burgers and cheese tots and rented the 3rd Pirates of the Caribbean movie.  I wanted sweet tea with dinner.  Milo’s makes a really good tea sweetened with Splenda.  For some odd reason, I also thought it was decaf.  Nope.  And I drank two really big glasses after 8pm.  I usually stop drinking caffeine after 6p because it keeps me up. 

I finally turned my lamp off at 3:30 this morning.  At 6:30, my alarm clock started going off - Robin and I have been going to the 8:30 service at a church.  I didn’t get up until 7:30 but we made it to church before the choir went in - unlike last week.

I’m going to have to start diligently looking for caffeine in anything I imbibe after 6 - I do not do well on 3 hours of sleep (’cause you really don’t get good sleep when you have to roll over every 9 minutes to get your alarm clock to shut up!)  And it made it so much easier for Robin to get me to laugh in Sunday school - he’s a punk and likes to make me laugh in inappropriate places and wears a straight face so no one knows it is him.  This time it was “Jesus says “ARRRR!”"

Today I got home around 4:30 and decided to take a little nap before Robin got home.  Well, Robin got home and I was still asleep.  He came into the bedroom, but I was so out of it, I didn’t get up.  He came back about 6:15 to let me know it was almost time for the guys to come over (Robin DMs a campaign every other Thursday at the house - I used to be in it, but work got crazy and I had to drop out.)

My plan had been to take a quick nap and then finish cleaning the kitchen - maybe bake a cake - before the guys got here.  I finally stumbled out of bed close to 6:30, still completely out of it.  When Reid and Leonard got here, I was sitting on the couch, kinda dazed.  I’m afraid I might have looked stoned.  I’ve tried to wake up, drank a lot of Diet Rite, ate supper, read, played Civ, but nothing has worked.  So I’m going back to bed.  I must be more tired than I thought.