Redemption Necessary?

Life is full of regret, right? Isn’t that what they say? Well, I now I know it’s true (as if I didn’t before).

This past Friday was our Summer Party at work. It was a pool party at my boss’ house. Most of my coworkers are twenty-somethings, single, no children, blah blah blah. They are having the time of their lives no matter what the circumstances. I, however, am full of responsibility and generally regarded as the “mom” around the office. I’m supposed to be the serious one, not the fancy free one.

All of that changed at that party. I have six words that will define the day… sweet tea vodka and cranberry juice. If you haven’t already tried the concoction, consider yourself warned. I discovered it that day and am now full of regret. The drink was wonderful, but the consequences not so much. I won’t go into all the gory details. Suffice to say I had too much.

So I’m sitting at my desk this morning wondering who will give me a hard time for my behavior last Friday, most of which I probably won’t recall. Do I laugh it off? Do I apologize? Do I ignore it? How could I have been so stupid? I am old enough to know better!

Oh, and to put the evening in true context… my husband and Weasel had to come pick me up from the party to get me home. Although that particular act was responsible, I wasn’t exactly the role model I would choose to be.

Or maybe I’m just a cool “mom” at the office… right?

Boog, R.N.

Boog is currently on the path to becoming a nurse. She is still doing her pre-req’s at school, so she’s not fully immersed in the nursing program. However, she recently started a job that is more closely related to nursing than being a hostess at a restaurant (her previous job). She has obtained a job at an assisted-living facility as a care assistant. Now she is doing some things that I could never do… and I’m in complete awe of my Boog.

Practically all Boog’s life, I was there to listen and give advice. I knew about her friends, boyfriends, school, etc. And, of course, being the overbearing mom I am, I always had an opinion or advice to share. Now, I can only sit back and listen to the stories about her new job. I have no advice to give because she is doing things I have never done – and probably could never do!

I cannot relate to having to bathe an elderly person. I haven’t bathed anyone over the age of about six. I cannot relate to changing the diapers of an adult. I’m truly not sure I would even be able to do it if I had to. And she is not only fully capable of doing these things and caring for these people, she actually seems to enjoy it.

I’m so, so proud of my Boog… and we are only in the early stages of her grown-up life – which makes this just that much more exciting. I think she is going to continue to do great at this job. I know if I were one of those residents, I would smile just a little bit more after seeing Boog.

And before you know it, she’ll be “Boog, R.N. “

Engine-uity – Update #2

Well… I hadn’t actually been giving updates to the engine swap in Weasel’s Miata. It was just too depressing. We ran into one problem after another. We were constantly problem-solving and undoing and redoing things. It has been quite a learning experience. But… THE CAR FINALLY STARTED! Weasel has a little fine tuning to do, but he should be good to go by this afternoon!

I won’t go into all the specifics as I’m sure you don’t really care. Suffice to say I now know all about: timing belts, cam gears, crank shaft sensors, ignition coils, drive shafts and much, much more. I even know how to use a torque wrench and a feeler gauge (which is not as sexy as it sounds).

The only thing that was disappointing when all was said and done was Weasel's reaction. He didn’t seem very excited. His excited face and his frustrated face and his sleeping face and his angry face and his happy face are all the identical. He is the most stoic person I know. I nearly cried when the car started, and all he could say was, “cool.” Where was the excitement and elation? Where was the giddiness that only comes with slaying that dragon? Wait a minute… I take that back. When confronted about it, Weasel said he would be excited when he was driving away from the house. I guess that’s good enough, even though I won’t have the pleasure of witnessing it.

I’m proud of you, Weasel, for sticking it out and getting it done!

And if I never have to clean black gunk from under my fingernails again, I’ll be just fine with that!

The Tax Man

Pumpkin lost her second tooth this weekend. Luckily, the Tooth Fairy stopped by and traded her tooth for a crisp one dollar bill. She was quite excited about her new found money. When Hubs asked what she planned to do with it, she quickly responded she was going to take it to IRS.

WHAT?!?!

Hubs and I were shocked by her answer. It took a couple of minutes before we were able to get her to clarify that she was taking her money to Toys R Us, not IRS. Big difference!

Now that makes more sense!