Category Archives: Family

Marriage

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Rob and I have been married just over 8 years, together for a little over 10.  That’s a long time, right?  Right.  And if I’m being honest, I would say that it’s been a good run.  Wait, that sounded like an end.  Not what I meant.  We’re still running and it’s still good. Marriage is a lot of work though y’all.  And I think like most marriages, ours goes through phases.  Phases where we really dig each other and phases where we annoy the shit out of each other.  Because we really like each other (and love too, but like is really important), I decided we should try to pin down what it is that really annoys the other person and do our best to stop the behavior.

So, I made a list.  I’m a list maker.  I make lists everyday.  The thing about this list is that we won’t be crossing things off, which is what I really enjoy about list making.  Instead, the list is to serve as a reminder of the things we’re working on. We each have our own list since we have different things that make the other person want to throw sharp objects, but we also have things that overlap.

Rob’s list includes things like volume control, annoying noises and being glued to his iPad or computer. Minor, right?  Sure, but when you’re laying in bed winding down for the night, and your spouse decides to say something at a ridiculous volume, it’s not cool.  It really bugs me, actually.  There are even certain names or words I’ll avoid saying because for some reason when he hears these words he wants to scream them.  For example, a guy that works for our brother-in-law is named Armando.  Great name to yell apparently.  So I’m like, “Armando asked how you were today.”  And then Rob is like, “ARRRRRMAAAANDO!”  Ugh.  The ironic thing is that when he’s ready to go to sleep he will freak out at the slightest noise.  It’s not uncommon for him to yell, “Babe, you have a whistly booger.”  The cool thing now is that when he starts making his weird, obnoxious noises, I can say, “Uhhh… the list.” So far it’s working.

My list is more about giving Rob the “green light.”  In other words, he wants me to be 100% on board with him going out with his friends, doing really long bike rides, etc.  It’s not that I don’t want him to, I just want a little more notice.  At the same time, I know he likes that spontaneity, so I’m working on being OK with it.  That and not calling him things like “Doo Da” (a nickname he’s not fond of) or ass wipe.  I know, I know, it sounds terrible, but I swear like a sailor, so it’s not really that bad. Ok, it’s kind of bad.  Again, I’m working on it!

On our joint list are things like finding more things to do together as a couple.  What do people do anyway?  I mean I like what we do for our date nights (dinner at one of our favorite restaurants), watch as many Breaking Bad episodes, The Daily Show or Colbert Report before we start to fall asleep.  Sometimes we get crazy and go bowling!  What does everyone else do?

So that’s where we’re at.  Rob is really pretty great, I know, so I’m totally going to kick ass at my side of the list.  Yeah, it’s on!

Happy Birthday Stevie!

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Remember my really adorable (sometimes rotten) niece?  Well, last Saturday she turned another year older.  And you know what, when a kid with so many health issues hits another milestone like the ripe ol’ age of 7, we have to celebrate.  Here’s a picture of her at her party.  I know she might not look 7 (teeny tiny), but isn’t she freaking cute?!

Stevie turns 7!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After cupcakes and presents we headed for a haunted house.  I know you might be thinking, Isn’t this kid too little for a haunted  house?  And the answer is no.  She is really into (obsessed, perhaps)  being scared.  Most of the time it’s nearly impossible to actually scare her, but we know she enjoys all things spooky.  So, off to Nightmare on 13th Street we went.  Listen, I was pretty nervous.  I’m the person in the haunted house crouched down in a corner hoping the dude with the chainsaw will give up at some point.  I’ll do just about anything for Stevie though, so I sucked it up.  And holy shit, what a blast!  It was so fun going with such a big group.  I almost didn’t mind the weird smells throughout (cat pee?!) and wet “body bags” that you couldn’t avoid.

Thanks to my sister for treating us all to such a fun night!

The Travel Log

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Hi there!  Remember me?  I’m back to give you an update on all things Sonie. Why? Because it might be somewhat entertaining, and everyone loves to be entertained.

First, let me start by saying that my anxiety level has definitely decreased.  For one, I’m trying to imagine the worst thing that could happen in my anxiety-ridden state, and most of the time, it’s not that bad.  Since most of my anxiety involves Jack and his unpredictability, the worst-case scenario is he takes a little bite at someone.  Is this good?  No, but he’s never done much damage.  Plus, it’s been over 4 months since we’ve had an incident!  Many people have come to the house and he’s been nice to everyone.  And camping this weekend he hauled ass towards one guy walking by the campsite only to sniff him and get some attention.  Do I want him charging towards people?  No, but we’re working on it.  Oh, and he was a freakin’ rockstar hiking off-leash.  Yes, he chased the cows (which, by the way, cows can move a lot quicker than I thought), but he did come back.

Now that we have the Jack update out of the way, let’s talk about work anxiety. Actually, I don’t have much work anxiety.  Is traveling to Switzerland to deliver a 2-day training course to big wig pharmaceutical folks intimidating?  Hell yeah.  Am I capable of pulling it off?  Absolutely.  And I did.  I spent 3 days in Basel, Switzerland on very little sleep, but I pulled it off.  After taking three planes, one train and one taxi, I arrived.  The hotel was very nice (should be when it’s over $300/night), but what is it with the Europeans pushing two twin beds together and calling it a queen? It’s cheating is what it is.  Also, when I order a coffee, fill it up.  I don’t want to pay for a cup of coffee that is a quarter full.  I’m going on three hours of sleep!

What a whiner I am.  The people there were so nice.  In fact, on the train back from Basel to Zurich, the ticket dudes totally let my fellow training friend off the hook when her ticket wasn’t valid.  They even blew kisses to us when we got off the train. Now that’s nice!  I’m telling you though, trains CANNOT be trusted.  I can’t tell you how many wrong trains I’ve been on (did it this trip, in fact).  Would it be too much to ask to make an announcement?

Obviously we made it, but it was much more difficult than it needed to be.  The last thing you want is a bunch of angry Americans arriving at the airport only to discover that they can buy a Swiss army knife right before boarding their plane!  So in case security confiscated yours, you can still purchase one so you can stab all your fellow passengers.  Ok, maybe they make you ship it to yourself?

I’m always stoked to get home.  Part of it could be the whole not sleeping for 20 hours thing that really makes me want to crawl into my own bed.  I also knew I had a long weekend with my boys to look forward to though.  Rob was able to take a couple of days off and the three of us took the trailer out for (probably) our final camping trip for the season.  It was gorgeous with the fall leaves and we basically had the campground to ourselves.  Two different families attempted to take the spot next to us, but Rob death stared down the first group and cranked up the music and danced for the second.  Both attempts worked and they moved.

A view of the Rhine River

The boys on a hike in Mt. Nebo

My Boys

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I love these guys.  It’s as simple as that.  They are two of my favorite people (ok, one is a dog) to spend time with.  They both do things that are incredibly annoying and frustrating, but I suppose they would say the same about me.  The two of them are going to be spending a lot of time together (“bachelors,” as Rob told Jack this morning) when I’m on the road.  I just hope Jack keeps his partying ways in check.

Placebo

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My poor niece, Stevie, has been on every medication known to man.  Ok, not really, but she’s been on plenty.  And this has been her life since the age of 3, so she doesn’t really know anything different.  Which is why when she hears my sister and I talking about trying a new medication, supplement or vitamin for her, she obsesses over it.  Take the other day.  Jessica, my sister, mentioned to me that there was some debate about whether Stevie would benefit from Xanax.  For the next hour all I heard was…

“I want some Xanax.”

“Mom, please give me some Xanax.”

“Aunt Sonie, I’m ready for some Xanax.”

Finally Jess gave her something else (not a medication but some juice) and told her it was Xanax, Stevie said, “Ahhh I’m ready to calm down now.”

Just proof that there is a placebo effect, I guess.

Summer Love

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I adore summer.  I know that it’s not even officially summer yet, but kids are out of school, camping is in full swing and I’ve had the opportunity to smell the wonderful scent of sunblock a lot lately.  So, it’s summer.

I am so much happier during the summer months.  Just being able to eat dinner outside on our deck every night makes me smile.  The days are longer, the mornings are brighter and I never have to warm up my corn bag in the microwave (okay maybe once last week, but we had a weird cold spell).

Plus, check out this view from the front of our house.  Hello!

Holy gorgeous, right?!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We can hike all we want.

Em, me and Rob hiking Neff’s Canyon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And we can take our little Jack man camping.  Look at that peanut head!

Dad, Jack and Mom camping Memorial weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What’s not to love?  Now get outside and soak up the sun for hell sakes!

More on Words

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After I finished yesterday’s blog I was like, holy shit, I could have typed so many more things that come out of Stevie’s mouth. The kid has been through A LOT, so don’t judge.  Or do judge but act like you didn’t.  Here are some more favorites:

“Let me smell your breath.”  Stevie is very into smelling things (she’s like a dog in many ways).  For this one, we do ask her to ask a different question.  You should see the look on people’s faces.

“You have kids?”  If the person answers that they do have kids, Stevie has some follow-up questions, such as:

“And what they did (this is what did they do) when they were in your stomach?” or

“And you pushed?”  Stevie is very into labor/delivery stories.  What, we let her watch Baby Story on TLC.

“Dance.”  She is so demanding and just expects that someone she just met is going to bust out their best moves.

“Hold me.”  Again, said to strangers on a regular basis.

“Do a backflip.”  My sister reminded me of this one.  She requests it of me all the time.  Last time I tried explaining that I don’t know how to do a backflip and certainly wasn’t about to attempt it on the tile kitchen floor, she said, “Watch and learn.”  She then proceeded to a do a somersault (thank God!).

“What are you here for?”  This is what she asks people in doctor’s waiting rooms.  So far no one has answered.  I’m waiting for the day when someone’s like, “Well, I have this really weird rash….”

“Need some oxygen!”  The poor child’s world is all medical-related, so she requests oxygen throughout the day (she only needs it a bit while sleeping) and also to be “hooked up” to her TPN (liquid food she is fed via her feeding line).

Here she is with me last weekend.  I obviously gave in to the “hold me” request.

A Way with Words

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My niece Stevie has a way with words.  Like remember the time she told her teacher I “kicked her ass?”  Right.  And she has no problem talking to anyone and everyone. I mean literally everyone.  Some of her questions and comments to complete strangers are totally appropriate.  Like:

“Hi, how are you?”

“What’s your name?”

“How are you?”

Other ones?  Not so appropriate.  Like:

“I love you.” This is right after she’s learned their first name.

“Come over here, I’m talking to you.” This is generally yelled.

“Hug me.” Never a good idea.

“Are you pregnant?” This one happened just today in a doctor’s waiting room filled with lots of people.  Talk about awkward.  Of course, the girl was not pregnant.  I seriously just put my head down.

“Are you smoking?  DON’T SMOKE, IT’S BAD FOR YOUR BODY!”  While it’s true that it is bad for your body, I’m pretty sure people don’t appreciate a 6 year old lecturing them.

Surprise!

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Ok, I’m WAY late in blogging about this, but I’m taking care of it now so it’s all good. Rob had a big birthday on May 6th (he doesn’t like me saying how big, so I’ll let you figure that out), so I threw him a killer surprise party at Squatter’s a couple of days before.  Let me just say that I am amazing.  The dude seriously had NO CLUE!  I mean yes, it helps that he’s oblivious and unaware of his surroundings, but still.  I’m taking some of the credit here.  He kept his sunglasses on as we walked through the restaurant (classic Rob), so you can’t see the surprise in his eyes, but it was obvious he was blown away.  It actually took him about 30 seconds to realize the party was for him.

Here he is in total shock.


My sister Jessica and her husband, Heath. Jess was a huge help in pulling off the surprise. Heath did nothing except drink my glass of wine at the party.

Our little fam (minus Jack and Kitty, of course).

Rob was very surprised to see his good friend (my friend too!) Kathy who traveled from Arizona. Love Kathy!

Can you even believe this cake?! It’s a crashed mountain biking Rob! My wonderful nieces Nina and Carrie made it. I love them.

Oh and I made a toast. Not sure how good it was but I did work in this line, which I think is quite funny: “I could tell Rob was maybe a little older than me when I met him, so I asked my sister how old he was. She didn’t know, so I said, ‘well, if it turns out he’s too old for me, we should definitely set him up with Mom.'” I’m not sure how Rob felt about it.

Doggy Mommy

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Rob and Jack made my Mom’s Day today.  After Jack’s usual 6:00am wake-up with many kisses and jamming his paws on my neck, he and Rob presented me with a hot cup of coffee, beautiful flowers and a poem.  Rob says that Jack came up with all the words, but Rob helped him write them (he doesn’t have thumbs, remember). Some of my favorite lines:

Think of the things

That I’m much better at

Like not biting dad

And putting up with the cat

Know this Mom

That I love you a lot

You can tell when I’m scolded

And run to my spot

And I know my actions

Have made you cry

But I’m trying hard

To be your Good Guy!

This is the third poem that Rob and Jack have given me, and I cherish every single one of them.  This one made me laugh and cry.  It also made me feel hopeful.  I have been so anxious about Jack lately, but I know he will get it.  We just need to practice.  Today we let him off the leash at the park and he came right back every time!

And he always puts a smile on my face.  Like a few minutes ago when I was putting some laundry away and set a couple of towels on the floor.  Anything that is soft and placed on the floor is an invitation for Jack to lay on.  Which is exactly what he did.  I love my boys!