6 going on 7

Spent some time at my sister's tonight looking through our old family photo albums.

Me at the beach in 1965. It was a very good year.

A Polaroid.  Age 15.  1974.  I just finished painting my room light blue.  Wearing my favorite hand-me-down Levis from my best friend's brother, Don Turner.

Point Loma

Pacific Ocean at Point Loma, California

Our son went to the zoo with his grama and he was excited to go.  We had the afternoon to ourselves so we took a ride to Sunset Cliffs in Point Loma.  Temperature was about 71 degrees with a soft breeze making a short hike delightful.  There were a few people on the beach too.  I always enjoy the smell of the salt air.  Tons of yellow daisies growing everywhere. It was a perfect spring day.

This is where we walked from. We walked down that big crevice and looked at the water.

Next time we want to take the stairs down. I put it on our list of things to do.  The kids would love it.

The month

My dad's wife rented a super whoop-dee-doo rug cleaner machine. It looks like some kind of industrial strength Hoover upright vacuum. While we were at my dad's house, she told my sis that if she'd like to borrow it she's welcomed to it. My sister, a hardcore Mrs. CleanFreak, froze in her tracks. She looked at me. She looked at the rug cleaner. Again, me. Again the rug cleaner. I knew she was torn.

And then she turned down the offer. And she declared, "This is the month of Liliana! I cannot do any carpet cleaning this month." I was duly impressed because I know my sister would luuurve to super clean the carpet of her abode. She would probably do the backyard and front yard rugs too, and the garage rugs! They have rugs in the garage - to walk on when you're in the garage.

Anyway, I thought that was pretty nice that she set me above the carpet cleaning. Woohoo!

It is well

At a restaurant where I ate last week. Aztec warrior holding dead princess who loved him.

It is well with my heart.

My sister's on her way over. We're going shopping. I found a western jacket with long fringe on the sleeves that I like, but I need my sister's input before I buy it today if I buy it. I've been looking for one I like for two whole years. Husband seemed nonplussed by it and said get it if I want. Well! What is the matter with him.

Most of the western jackets I've found in-store and online are too gee-gawed out - too much embroidery, studs, big ugly buttons, or decoration of some sort all over them. I want a plain one.

I need new tweezers and checked makeupalley.com and Tweezerman is the best brand. I'm still on the hunt for a fragrance. The four I brought samples home of for my husband to smell, he disliked them all. Says I don't need perfume. He says I smell fine like I am. I told him he's so 2009. He insists I don't need a fragrance. We had words. No shots were fired though.

I have a new hairstyle that I have to get photos of.

It's been all good days all month.

Toothbrush, joy, and On Golden Pond

Today my husband bought us a four pack of toothbrushes and I got a purple one. A purple toothbrush. What a good day! I could end my post right here.

Yet I was happy through much of the day and not just on account of the excellent toothbrush. It wasn't excitement. It wasn't "Oh boy, oh boy!" kind of happiness. It was joy? Yes. The day was filled with joy. Anticipating seeing my sister gave me joy. Seeing my sister gave me joy. Being in San Diego in a nice campground, yet in the midst of major urban mania gave me joy (I bought lip gloss and a new cotton plaid skirt today). And dancing. I went to a Stretch and Strengthen class tonight and it was very good. The instructor has a master's in dance from New York. The hip-hop teacher has performed with Culture Shock Dance Center and I haven't been there but I know they have a massive reputation. The hip-hop class kicked my you-know-what. In a good way! Such a good work-out. I was sweating a lot. The teacher gave about six counts of eight and ol' Lil can remember two counts of eight, tops, in one day. I watched and followed a dancer in front of me who was very talented and fast. Unfortunately, in the first count of eight there was a step that goes real, real fast. Say 1,2,3,4, out loud, fast as you can and that's how fast those four steps were, and it was a strain for me to keep up. I've never been able to dance lightning fast. So I had to catch up quick. I faked it on a few steps. But I know I looked good in wide second where we all flipped our heads up and down twice. That, I can rock. We broke up into two groups and danced for each other a few times and then he turned down the lights and told us to get our attitudes and dance. Now that was fun. I sat down and the girl beside me gave me a two-handed high five. She was sure sweet. I was the worst dancer there. But you know, dance being such as it is, if you're too full of yourself to look imperfect then you'll never learn it. I picked up some great combinations that I can use. When and where I can use 'em, not sure. But anyway. . .

I have joy. And I have freedom. Husband bought me a Garmin, one of those GPS thingies. Man, I can go anywhere now. The Garmin got me to dance classes all by myself. Usually I am so afraid to drive so I only go where my husband will take me. I love him so. He's taken me a lot of places, but now I can go places by myself. And I haven't dented the truck either. Hahahaha!

*********************************

I can't stand Jane Fonda, but I do like her in Barbarella (she was so pretty).  And I watched On Golden Pond in 1981. I admit it.

In the movie, Jane does a backwards dive for her dad. She was never able to do it as a kid. I guess it was a big deal to her. She and her dad always had a troubled relationship. Story line was that he was mean toward her and he didn't like her. I dunno, it was a long time ago I saw the movie.

So my On Golden Pond is this: My dad phoned me yesterday and invited me up to help him get the '53 Buick he restored ready for a car show. I polished the chrome. Love to polish chrome. And I cleaned the windows - I'm not so fond of windows, but I did 'em. I picked up the hood for him because it was too heavy for him. When I was ready to go home he thanked me, man, about five times. I was kind of embarrassed he said so many thanks because I didn't do all that much.

One time my dad and I were at a show where he was showing his Corvette that he restored. There was some guy we were talking to. You always chat with car guys at a car show when you're with my dad. The other guy was all proud and bragging on his daughter around my age who had helped him clean his engine. That's why it was so shiny he said. She had small hands and was good at it. Liked to help him, he said. I felt a stab of jealously. I wished it were my dad talking about me instead. I would have liked to help my dad and have him talk about me like that. I worried about making my dad yell at me though. And if you yell at ol' Lil, well, she plum shuts down. God made me this way. I don't deal with the yelling well.

So I told my dad how working on the car with him reminded me of On Golden Pond. How I'd always had a secret desire to help him and I lived it out yesterday. And his response was not one I expected. He said he's tried to work on that. (I wondered what he meant.) He said he yelled too much and has tried to change. It was a moment. A snapshot in time. Of life. Of realization. Of concession. Not to sound all Valley Girl, but, wow, cool. Actually, I don't remember a lot of yelling, but when he raised his voice I couldn't deal with it. I don't remember him yelling a lot. It was more like, he was sharp. All he needed to do was raise his voice and I crumbled.

He did yell at me as I pulled out of the driveway to go home. Bwa-hahahaha! No kidding, he did. I still love him though. Life is a kick, eh.

Joy. Joy of the Lord. Once I read, "Show me how God has transformed your life, and maybe I'll believe in your God." It's getting me through better than ever before. "Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."

Hip-hop tonight

Tonight I'm going to an open level hip-hop class at a dance studio. Ooooooh. Hope it's good. Hope I can do it. I got new dance shoes, new dance pants, ooooooh, and a new top at Discount Dance Supply today. Had to. :)

In the past, I wanted to take hip-hop, but I was always afraid the jerky stop/start style would ruin my smooth belly dance moves. I'm not belly dancing much anymore. By myself I do, to keep my moves, yeah; but it's not like it's a huge amount of fun dancing alone.

Easter

Easter service was good. We went to a Calvary Chapel nearby, my husband's pick. It's very small and the people so friendly. A lady behind me asked a dozen questions about my hair.

I went to Zumba instead of Shabbat on Saturday. Next Saturday I'll go to Shabbat. I like the Messianic Temple very much. Zumba was okay. It was a 9:00am class and I don't like things that early. I was hoping since it was at a dance studio the class would be more dancey, but to me it's aerobics to Latin music. I've tried and tried but I just can't get into aerobics. I had one dance teacher in college who taught aerobics and his class was extremely popular. It was very dancey is why. I want to go to a hip hop class, but I don't have the right shoes.

It's raining a lot today.

My husband misses Bella. He made me send him of photo of her and set it as his desktop.

Leah was the Easter Bunny at the park in NM for the egg hunt. I saw a Facebook picture of her with a child sitting on her lap. The kid was red faced and his little eyes all scrunched up with crying. It is a cute photo. Poor Leah. I know she was a great bunny and that suit had to be stifling. She volunteered for it because no one else did. Bless her heart. One year they had a bunny for the Luminaria for education and I saw the bunny (who shall remain unnamed) smoking a cig (that's slang for cigarette) on break. It was all wrong!

There was a big earthquake Sunday afternoon. As the crow flies it was a couple hundred miles away in Mexico. It was the longest quake I've ever been in. Thirty seconds. It came on small and built up, and went on and on. We all sat in the living room and kitchen area with big eyes and listened while the house rocked and asked each other, "Should we go outside now." Well, if you have to ask then you don't need to. You won't ask when you need to! Afterward our hearts were pumping mildly. I said it was a big one somewhere and sure enough it was. It was 7.2 at the epicenter. The strongest we've been in was a 5.9 - the Whittier Narrows quake, October 1, 1986. Quakes can be a thrill all right, but that one was all scary. Entertainment center, television, pictures, everything in the living room fell over. Water splashed out of the pool in six foot waves. We could hardly get our footing. Son and I made it into the bathroom, the worst room you can be in for a shaker, duh, and I was holding him and praying out loud and that's when I didn't even go to church. Fear will set even an unbeliever to believin', but James says that's no surprise. He said even the devils believe and tremble at His name. James 2:19

My husband said he doesn't want any more quakes while we're here.

San Diego

We're in San Diego. Got here on March 30th. The food is good, weather pretty, company sweet. I have to decide whether to go to Shabbat or Zumba tomorrow morning. Decisions, decisions.

A record

Husband is coming to church with us this morning. Third time in three months. It's a New Mexico record! Yippee!

"Sit tall in the saddle, hold your head up high. Keep your eyes fixed where the trail meets the sky. And live like you ain't afraid to die...don't be scared, just enjoy the ride." - Lyrics of a song by Chris LeDoux

I haven't ridden yet though. I did when I was about ten. My babysitter took us somewhere. We each got one chance to get on the horse. It was a small brown horse. I got on and we ran, or I should say galloped, from one side to the other and back. Fast. It was exhilarating and I've never forgotten the feeling of it. When I got off my pants were all wet from the sweat on the horse's sides. I remember it was sweating and had white foam on its sides which I'd never seen before. We lived in El Centro and the weather there is hot and humid because it's the Imperial Valley and there's a lot of agriculture (irrigation). I think maybe riding and dancing can be like drugs. You always want them. You always want more. Sounds like Jesus too. He gets hold of you. Gets hold of your thoughts, your heart, your desires, your actions, your habits, your words.

Bella was better today. Yesterday she was nervous and jumpy and I didn't feel good about it. I was worried. I hoped she would settle in and she is more settled now. Thank goodness. It was even windy today. Horses don't like wind, but she was calmer even in the wind. We want to put a few pounds on her. Her ribs show a little bit. Being the littlest and youngest horse in the pasture she was at meant she was low girl on the totem pole. Herds always develop a pecking order. She's also a slow eater. The older horses get kind of piggy and will eat fast, but not Bella. Bella has one eating speed. Slow.

We took her into the shelter and groomed her in there. It was nice to be able to get out of the wind. This week-end there's a rodeo and there will be tons of horses driving by because the rodeo grounds are at the end of the block. Should be good for her to see all the horses and hear all the traffic. It's normally a pretty quiet street. The homeowner said she saw people stop and pet her over the fence today and said she seemed to enjoy the attention. I hope so.

I used my new fiberglass shedding tool thingy on her today and it worked well. She's shedding so much! I also used some spray that's supposed to get stains off of her white areas and it helped but didn't get it perfectly white. I may have needed to rub more or something. She likes when I brush her legs. She stands still and relaxes one hind leg like she's Mae West. She's such a poser.

Christina hasn't updated since Monday. She's never gone this long. I think she might be in pain. I don't like it.

My husband made me brownies and they are delicious with a big glass of cold, cold, milk.

In her corral

This video is right when we put her in her new home. She's saying, "What's going on? What is this place? Where am I?" She can stay here till the other horses come back.

I spoke with Ivan yesterday. Our son did some work for him so I got to stop and say hi too. He has his horse at Rush Rancho. Rush Rancho! He told me he goes there every day and brushed his horse just that afternoon. I asked him if he is special friends with them and he said yes. Oh dear. I really just blurted it out, but he's so lucky to be friends with them. He knows everyone. Rush Rancho is where we were driving by one day and saw the horse whisperer. It's laid out in nice, neat squares. Ivan said they're expecting two more horses and will not have any corrals available, but he will talk to them. It doesn't sound promising, but I know God has a good plan for Bella. She can be where she is till the end of summer. James 1:17 says, “Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.”

Look at me. I'm not stressed. Everything will work out and God knows how. I only have to figure it out and go one step at a time. One step at a time is okay. Plenty of people have a horse and don't have their own land. Right? Right. Okay.

Added note: My lower back has been sore for a week for no apparent reason. My sister emails and says I need a support belt. Yeah, like I'm going to wear a big, black belt with my cowgirl boots and jeans. She just wants me to look like a dork is all. I'm not bitin'. She says she's growing out her hair now too.

Moved

We moved Bella for the first time. By ourselves. We transported a horse! She did well too. She was hesitant about getting in the trailer. My husband had to get in and pull her some and coaxed her. He has a nice voice and she responds to him.

How can it be we're blessed to know such nice people. I don't know. Now Bella is only ten minutes from here and we can see her anytime and while we're gone during April they will feed her and care for her and love on her. I expect her to do well there. She has space. It's not a big pasture, but it's a real big paddock if you can call it that. She has room to run. It's clean and she has a small shelter. There are dogs and people and kids that she'll see going to a fro. There's a horse up the street she can "talk" to. The only drawback is that she's not with another horse, but I think it'll be okay since there are animals there and she won't be totally alone. I've read that even being able to see another horse is good for them. The enclosure is right in front of their house. They're so lucky to have a horse right in their front yard. They have an acre so they have land all around their house. They also have a ranch and they moved their two horses to their gigantic pasture there. That's why they have a place for Bella now. The only concern I have now is whether mosquitoes will get bad in the summer and if so, will they bother her. I don't have to worry about that yet though.

We're tired out from so much driving. Driving to get the horse trailer. Driving to get Bella. Hurrying to get son to his Hunter Education class at 6:00pm. He said class tonight was even better than the other nights. They handled guns and went over pretend fences and stuff like that. We had to buy him a sub sandwich for dinner on the way to class because we had so many miles to cover across the county to get Bella moved.

The neighborhood seemed to be in a hubbub because of Bella. People were driving by ever so slow to look at her. She was prancing and shaking her head. I think maybe it was a release of anxiety from the driving? Well, I sure felt proud when they were saying how pretty she was. I was sure proud. We're going to miss her terribly while we're in San Diego during April. That's our only traveling this year. We leave on Monday the 29th.

Mane and Tail shampoo. It's for horses, but women being women they'll try anything on their hair. I was wearing my hair down that day and she said it makes your hair long and thick and she asked if I used it. I've wondered ever since, did she mean my hair looked long and thick or did she mean I ought to use it.

Having trouble getting beyond upper thighs. Seems I'm languishing at this length; a tad past fingertips. I found split ends this week. Horrified. Did my first ever S&D. Search and Destroy. I'm all oiled and braided now.

Son is taking a class. Hunter Education / Gun Safety. It was today from 1pm to 5pm and continues M-Th, 6:00pm to 8:45pm. Hope he completes the course. He actually liked the first class today. Today he learned if you're holding a weapon and you fall down, hold it to your chest. It's the best way to avoid shooting your friends. You hold it flat against your chest, not pointing at your chest, of course. It's his first class without me not counting when he was in a charter school in second grade. I hope he does well on the test on the last day.

My lower back hurts a bit and I have no joy. No joy.

And my son was a bad boy in church. He purposefully tried to start an argument. He sat three seats away from me. He made a face at me (the teenage "I'm not talking to you" look). He acted like I was weird during worship.

So. I did not drive him to youth group Sunday night. He will not be taken to Albuquerque on a planned shopping expedition for car parts (for his hobby car) this week. And I told him never to make a face at me. If you have something to say, say it, but faces don't mean anything and we're not doing that in this family. Can I get my money back? Can I send him back to the womb? Can I skip age 13 to 18? Must I expend the energy and put up with the annoyance of rearing up another person. It's really not fair. You put in nine months. You suffer through labor and birth. And you're punished with 18 long years.

Saturday

We're working in the Visitor's Center tomorrow afternoon. I wonder if it'll be busy. Our loop is full! Spring break is here.

I wanted a mermaid background but one of the mermaids was half naked. Darn it. It woulda been so cute.

Blog backing up

I wait outside the youth center.

A few months ago our son refused to go to the youth center.  Said he got a gander of the kids inside once and it scared him straight.  He cracks me up.  Where did he get that language from?  They're just regular kids with all the angst and excess energy that teenagers have.  He's one of the youngest there so it took him awhile to find a groove.  Now he likes going.  Sometimes he has a bad night and says he's never going back again.  Then he goes back again.  He'll be 13 in May.  God help me.

Went to 4-H meeting tonight and it was good.  The only drawback to the evening is I'm the photographer and I forgot to take my camera.  

I've been wanting to make a copy of my blog on my own hard drive so if anything ever happened I'd have this here five years of writing saved.  I searched and searched and followed the directions for saving the template, but that didn't help.  I saved what looked like a bunch of text and code - not what I wanted.  I want to have all my actual pages with everything clickable just like viewing it on the Internet.

I found http://www.httrack.com/ and downloaded it.  It's free.  And it worked like a dream.  I only copied a small blog to test it out and I have to copy this one still so am not sure if it'll save videos too, but it saved all the photos.   Pleased with my success, I transferred it to CD for safe keeping.  I was a little anxious at the prospect of building recursively all directories, but whatever that means I didn't have to do it.  It was automatic and intuitive.

Christina's family was on tv.  On Sunday the church I go to in San Diego did a bone marrow drive for her, and her husband and children were interviewed.  Ever since I watched it I'm overwhelmed when I think of it.  In the shower my eyes tear up.  Doing dishes my eyes tear up.  Her husband was solid.  He's a big man, has a steady voice, and he had just the right words.  The daughter had practiced her words and it showed.  She's ten and did a super job.  Her son was rattled and tried his very best what with all the lights and eyes on him.  It was hard to watch.  He stuttered and his voice trailed as he tried to find words.  And lastly he said, "I can't remember my mom."  That's when we broke.  He's only six or seven years old.  She's been in the hospital a month and a half and has two months, maybe more, of in-hospital treatment.  My husband cried when he saw the interview.  Christina is suffering so and I'm sure it has her tore up inside.  She hasn't posted since.

Our friend here works with the schools.  I forgot what her title is but she helps youngsters.  She was called in to help.  An intervention it's called.  And an 11 year old girl bit our friend.  Such rage a girl has inside her to kick, and fight, and bite.

I can't think of an ending tonight.

I've got a headache and I'm going to ignore it.  I want to write a post but the thing is I have nothing to write.  I will think of something though.

My hair.  I can always fall back on that subject.  Recently I changed shampoo.  My husband said what's so big about that because I've never used the same shampoo twice in a row.  That's not true of course.  He's used the exact same shampoo for 26 1/2 years and that's only as long as I've known him.  I bet he's been using Flex since they started making it.  That's weird.  Not changing shampoos or soap - that's very weird.

I'm a tad over 46" now and ought to trim the ends.  I thought we were going to see Ivan on Friday and I wore my nicest top, then we didn't go see him.  I'm using superly duperly cheap products from Wal-Mart on my hair and, and, and, my hair's doing fine.  I'm using Dove shampoo and a Suave creme rinse.  I'm even using Head and Shoulders sometimes because I like the smell.  I got some for our son.  Poor kidlet has some flakes.  He has such sensitive skin.  The Suave makes my hair unusually soft.

Our eldest son is feeling bad at heart because during hand-to-hand-combat training he accidentally kicked a guy in the stomach - in the "gut" as he put it - and the guy walked around hunched over the rest of the day.  Being an ex-Marine it would be a feather in one's cap to get the ex-Marine down.  Anyway, he's hoping very much that the guy will be back to training on Monday because if he's not it will mean the guy will have to drop out of the academy.  No one wishes that on anyone after getting through the year long process to be selected to attend.

Our son was in the center and is circled by other men who have a pad in front of them and you don't know from where the next attack will come.  It's to practice having "eyes in the back of your head."  The other guy had his pad too high and that's why the accident.  I hope he'll be okay.  In such physical exercises I suppose someone is sure to be hurt eventually sometime.  Our son has bruises all over his body!

I talked to my dad tonight and it was good.  I sure like talking to him sometimes.

We're looking forward to Vons Supermarket in California.  Haha!  Well, here we don't get the best produce and not a lot of selection.  In contrast, Vons in California is a veritable delight.  Today I made chicken soup out of celery that was barely green.  What?  Do they say let's drop off the worst produce in New Mexico?

Wahooo

Tomorrow we'll be on Daylight Saving Time!  Here comes summertime, summertime, sum, sum, summertime!

Aw, spring isn't even here yet so summertime is a ways away.  But tomorrow night at 7:30pm it'll still be light outside!

There's no "s" on the end of Saving so don't put one on there.  "Be vewy, vewy careful," says Bugs Bunny.

The reason why is because of what we're saving.  What are we saving?  Daylight.  Daylight is singular, so "saving" must be singular.  And besides, a big savings is what you get at the mall or online.  I frequently cause savings for my husband when I order stuff all the time.  I tell him, "And honey, I saved us money."  Like when I bought cosmetics over the counter eons ago, as we fondly refer to it, in the before time.  "Look!  They gave me this cute little lipstick holder with a mirror! For free!"

She's gone

My little Canon S2IS is gone.  Hall & Oates did a song in 1976 called "She's Gone" and it's stuck in my head now.

Chorus:
She's Gone Oh I, Oh I'd
better learn how to face it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnVXIUyshng&feature=related

Her silver is worn off at the corners.  Her printing is half gone.  At first she started taking too long to start up.  Then she started taking an hour or two to start up (kind of bad but I loved her so I waited patiently).  Then one day, she up and never turned on again.

All my mechanical objects are female I guess.  Haha!  I'd print the whole lyrics, but then I'd have to include in the words sermon (not used as a positive thing), drink, and the devil.  It never ceases to amaze me how many of the tunes I grew up with and loved have biblical references, or rather anti-Christ references in them. 

Our child spent his first night away from us last night.  He spent the night at a friend's house.  I think he's having a fantastic time.  When he comes home we're taking them both out to feed and groom Bella.  I got the bright idea of feeding our leftovers to the piggies so we're taking some slop to the pigs and I can't wait to see them eat it.  What will they do?  Will they be happy?  We'll see.  I thought of it because Wilbur in Charlotte's Web got slopped.

I brought all my grooming tools home yesterday and washed them so everything is clean and ready for a new week. 

Our friend, Helen, is working on her Master's degree.  She's taking a class that requires her to shadow a student and make a 20 minute video about them and give a presentation to the class.  She picked our son for her subject and she was here half the day last Thursday.  I hope it turns out well.  Our son is the only home educated student that will be done in the class so, whew, hope it turns out.  I told Helen she's the only one I would ever say yes to because I know especially in the field of education there are some vocal critics of home education.  I keep an open heart despite misgivings.  I know she won't pull a Connie Chung on me and video tape one way and present in the opposite way.

Truckie

We dropped off our truck with Mike and we get her back on Friday.  He is putting a new side on her and painting her.  He says she'll look perfect when he's done.  She's sitting in his big garage now.  It's the first time she's ever been in a garage.  When we first bought the truck we tried to fit her in the garage but our garage wasn't long enough.  Can't wait to get her back.  In the meantime, Manny lent us his truck for the week.  He's awful sweet and awful kind.  My husband gave him a check and Manny ripped up the check.  Serenity Now!  I think we will take him and his wife out to dinner instead.  He should have taken the check though because it's still a deal to us because we don't have to drive to Cruces and back to pick up and drop off a rental car.  Manny's got a heart of gold.

The person who hit our truck told her father about it and her father paid for the repair out of pocket.  Our insurance, Progressive, was terrible.  They would only approve $1,600.00 and the three estimates my husband got ranged from $1,900.00 to $2,100.00.  Progressive originally offered $600.00 to pull out the dent and bond it.  Unbelievable.  Yeah, as if a dent like that can be pulled out.  Suffice to say, we will be changing our insurance company soon.  We now hate Progressive.  How can they do business like that.  How can that insurance man look himself in the mirror.  They're supposed to be on our side.  I wasn't even at fault.  I thought insurance companies are supposed to accept the lowest of three estimates.  One of the estimates is even from a repair shop that the insurance man told us to go to.  The employee there talked to our insurance man and said no way can that damage be pulled out.  And seriously, I didn't even deal with it.  My husband did.  I only made about two calls. But I hate waking in the morning knowing unpleasantness lies ahead.  Ah well.  It's in the past now.  I must let go.

Sleep mix

I keep my iPod safely under my pillow and one night it went missing and I was tearing up the bedroom looking for the thing.  Woke my husband up.  I couldn't help it.  I have to have it.  I have so successfully substituted the iPod for my old ex-night-time-shot-of-whiskey that if the iPod isn't in its place my world is tumbling down.

Tonight I downloaded a few new tunes for my sleep mix.  It greatly helps me drift off to sleep.  Sleep has eluded me since I was fifteen years old although there have been times which I slept well like when I worked 60 hours a week.  I never had any trouble going to sleep then.

Our son gave me his ear phones and they fit my ears real well and don't hurt.  I can lay on them and sometimes I even wake up in the wee hours of the morning and they're still in my ears with no discomfort.  My other ones called Skull Candy keep outside noise out very well, but I get sore ears if I use them all night.  One morning I woke and got out of bed and the iPod, buds, and wire were all tangled up in my hair.

This week my poor husband seems to have allergies and his nose has gotten stuffy every night.  He was snoring so loud I couldn't sleep for hours.  Last night I put Vick's Vaporub on his feet and put socks on him and it helped!  We heard about that somewhere.  I hope it works for him tonight too.  I remember my dad putting Vick's Vaporub on my chest when I was five or six years old. I didn't like the smell, but his big hands made me feel much better.  We used to put it in our nose too.  Haha!  I'm pretty sure it says don't put it in your nose but everybody did.

My sleepy time mix:

Sea of Love by the Honeydrippers (it's in the movie about Richie Valens)
Sleepwalk (an oldie by Santo & Johnny that I found when I researched '50s music for a friend)
Moon River (I think it was in the YaYa Sisterhood book and it got into my head)
Landslide by Fleetwood Mac

I hardly ever fall asleep that fast so tonight I added:

Shawn Colvin's Viva Las Vegas
I Can't Tell You Why by The Eagles
Womb Music by Calmsound
Rain by Calmsound
Music Box Lullaby by Calmsound

When I had our youngest son I had this great CD that had a heartbeat on it and a hair dryer.  I loved that CD.  There was a problem I still remember though and that is that the heartbeat was too quiet.  It's too quiet in this recording too.  I tried running it through my sound editor to amplify it, but it didn't work.  Anyway, I'd listen to the heartbeat and then the hair dryer would come on and explode my brain with high volume.  They should fix that.

I added one of our pastor's sermons to the end of the playlist because otherwise when the music ends I have to open my bleary eyes and search for the sermon playlist.  This way, if I'm still awake the sermon will come right on or I can turn it off and tuck it under my pillow when the music is done.

My current favorite verse is James 5:16, The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.  I think I will memorize it.

Now I will test out my new sleepy time playlist.