What the what!

Ok, so I'm going to start this blog off very lamely. I don't know what to blog about. I have nothing. I'm an empty page. A blank book. Nada, zip, zilch.

I guess I'll talk about what's been happening - which is so unoriginal. But it's all I've got.

1. Cole got his cast off!! Woo hoo!! He was so excited. His eyebrows DID shoot up in the air when he saw the saw cutter-cast-offer-thingy, though. But the doctors aid explained that it's just noisy and impossible to cut skin, only casts. That made him feel better, you could tell. So, the cutting began. He cut one side through, and then the other side through, and then cracked the cast off his little arm like an egg. Cole's nose crinkled up right away. I asked him if his arm was stinky, and he responded, YES! Off he went to the X-Ray room to get his pictures taken and we waited for the doctor to come in and let us know if the cast would stay off or if he wasn't healed enough. But it was all A-OK and it was able to stay off! Mom wisked him off to the bathroom to scrub the stink off his arm while Dad stayed behind to pay the $458 we owed for the procedure.

(Crickets chirping)

Yes. $458. And that was after insurance. Do NOT get me started...

2. Abbey has decided that it's her time to learn to use a toilet. After over a year of, "Abbey - let's go potty on the potty seat!" To which she would respond, "No," and then walk away, she finally decided that now was the time to make it happen. And she's doing sooo well. She's been accident free (pee wise) in her pants for three days now and today she even pooped in the potty!! YES! I'm one step closer to not having to change a crappy diaper EVER again. Or until a neice, nephew, or certain best friend's yet to be conceived baby comes along.

3. We are going on an Alaskan cruise in like two weeks. TWO WEEKS. It's crazy. It's surreal. I can't believe it's finally here!! We booked January 12 and after months of waiting - it's time to start packing! I can not wait for it. I can not wait to see my Dad's face when he sees Alaska through his telephoto lense. I can't wait to chat with mom while sitting on our balcony, drinking some wine. I can't wait to share a once in a lifetime vacation with my 81 year old Grandma. I can't wait for Cole and Abbey to see humpback whales off the rail and take them on a bear watching expedition. I can't wait to sit and drink Irish coffee's with my best friend while watching the scenery glide by. I can't wait to walk with Scott on deck in the midnight sun and share a little quiet time. You have to understand, folks, where I'm coming from. Scott and I were so lucky to have been GIVEN an Alaskan cruise about four years ago. That's right, given. We are contractors, as most of you know, and the lumber company that we do 99% of our business with used to have a rewards program, like a miles account. For every dollar we spent with them over the course of a year, we would earn a point. At the end of a year, we received a slick color booklet full of everything from 1,000 point items on up, and you "shopped" with your points. We were lucky enough to qualify for a trip to New Orleans once, a trip to Las Vegas another time, and then our third year with them we qualified for the cruise. We enjoyed every second, and always hoped that some day we would be able to afford to go back with family. We showed our photos to anyone who would look at them. We talked about how much fun it would be to get a group together. Years went by, and mom and I always talked about it. Maybe we could make it work? Then I'd price it and it would always be astronomical, price wise. Well, thanks to the down swing in the economy, the cruise lines slashed their prices and began offering never-before discounts for Alaska (usually one of the highest priced cruises). So we priced it out. And our eyes about popped out of our head. This wasn't only affordable, it was almost cheap! 7 nights, balcony room - for THAT?? Talk about getting bang for your buck! So we got serious. And Leigh's family got serious. And then Grandma got serious. And here we are. Two and a half weeks to go. Wow.

4. I've been back on the exercise wagon. I've been watching what I ate, I've been hopping on the elliptical. I'm down 4 pounds!

5. I have two of the greatest girlfriends that ever walked the planet and I was lucky enough to share a fantastic time with them both for our annual tri-birthday celebration. Sushi, shopping, and spa. And a lot of giggling. And Oooooh, cute! And, hmmm is it on sale?? Eeee, it is!! Loaded down with shopping bags, my skin scrubbed and soft and my toes fancy, I drove home one happy girl.