Welcome to my life..my family..my world..unedited.

I took over 200 pictures today, playing with aperture, iso and other strange settings on the camera I’ve had for years.  I want to take pictures that are better than snapshots, so I think it’s time to learn.  Really, I want the manual mode to do it perfectly, but since it doesn’t, I guess I’d better try another avenue.  So now I get to go through all of the pictures to see which settings worked in which situations.  And maybe, just maybe, there are a few good shots in there. 
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In completely unrelated but very annoying news, our stupid cat peed on Preston’s bed AGAIN.  I thought it was a fluke yesterday when I noticed it, but today? Not a fluke – definitely on purpose.  This cat has done stuff like this before, usually when something gets him mad (being chased by the dog, running out of food, needing the litter box cleaned out),  but this time? I have no clue.  And I am SO frustrated since I just washed everything yesterday!!  And who is to say he won’t do it again tomorrow??  UGH.  WHY do we have pets?!

* Sometimes having Preston repeat what he’s saying makes it harder to understand him.  For example: Tonight we were sitting down to dinner and this is what we heard:
Preston: Wan fuk!  Mama, wan fuk!! 
US: Uh, WHAT!?  Mike and I are looking at each other, trying not to laugh, knowing that he couldn’t possibly be saying what it sounds like.  I start repeating him, asking him to say it again…
Preston: FUK!  Wan FUK!!  
Me: Laughing now, looking at him, looking at his dinner and suddenly realizing….
HE WANTS A FORK!!!

* I got a new lens for my camera today – it’s a wide angle and so totally cool!  P and I took advantage of our trip to the vet’s office to pick up meds for the most expensive dog EVAR Maggie to do some driving around and picture taking.  Once I figure out some more photoshop tips, lighting, exposure, aperture, etc, I should be rockin that thing!     Actually, I do alright photography-wise, but I’ve been super lazy about learning all I could/should.
* I’d bet the people from What Not To Wear wouldn’t take me – not because I couldn’t use a makeover, but because I would totally do …

Apparently, according to a b*tchy lady in an ugly white car at the bank today, I “am the reason we have the issues we do today”.  Wow.  I’m WAY more important than I thought!!
I was going into the drive-thru at the bank.  Picture it with me, eh?  Two lanes, two cars at the thingy-majobbers.  White car lady parked right in between the lanes.  Uh, no.  See, you may wait for the next available teller (cashier, associate, whatever) in one line at Best Buy or Joann or even inside the bank, but not outside.  At least not at this bank (or any branch I’ve been to).   So I paused, albeit briefly, behind her in my car.  I saw that the one person’s tube thing was coming back to him, so I went around her to the opposite one.  That’s right, I didn’t cut in line, I simply moved forward behind the guy that was still being helped.
Woman honks at me, then pulls slowly up next to me, shooting evil death rays  glaring at me.  Well, I’m a bit of a smart ass and can be a bit snotty myself, so I  looked over and said “What?” and she just looked, …

While making dinner tonight, Mike was chatting with Matt about potential allowance for helping set the table every night. Matt was beginning negotiations, with little to no understanding of what a dollar really is and Mike was trying not to laugh.  A minute later, Mike said something like “I don’t want him to get big anymore”.  And I laughed a little and asked if it was just hitting him and he nodded and said yes.  Immediately, I got a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes.  Just knowing that he was a little emotional about our little boy growing up so fast got to me.  I know, everyone laments their baby(s) growing up too fast, but now that Matt is in Preschool, he seems to be changing and growing faster than ever.  This morning? He was picking up the playroom and asked me to help him!  And this afternoon, when Mike picked him up from school? He was picking up a puzzle he had been playing with!!
Don’t get me wrong, that’s all GOOD stuff, but just one more step in his needing us less and less.  All those little things add up pretty quick.  Four sure is turning …

But I wanted to check in anyway, lest any of you worry about me. 

We didn’t really do anything all weekend.  Mike washed his wheels and got an oil change; I got some scrapbooking done. The weather was chilly but sunny and we pretty much watched it through the windows.  A perfect fall weekend spent doing basically nothing.  Sometimes, though, nothing is the best thing to do.
Had my staff meeting last week and it went astoundingly well.  At the very last minute (literally) we decided to throw the ball in the staff’s court and let them tell us what they liked and disliked about what has been going on lately and they totally stepped up to the plate. It was cool.  Will it change much? Eh, who  knows, but it was a good start!
The boys were totally obnoxious today – like little leeches stuck to both of us.  Non-stop talking, yelling, asking, etc.  They were in good moods, don’t get me wrong, but they were NON STOP ALL DAY.  Some days, I just look forward to a little nothingness and downtime – today was the day – but not really at all.
I’m watching the Emmys.  This is the award …