Outside and loving it. 

This one turned out well. 

Eating fancy fruit at the Nashville City Club : ) 

Reruns

I've had some complaints from faithful readers there haven't been enough posts lately, so here is the update:

1) Last week was Spring Break for Daniel and we were bored out of our minds with the cold, rainy weather and no where to go and daddy out of town! But we survived and this week it's looking more like spring.

2) It's Run Flat Replacement # 2 today, not on my agenda, but I got a flat tire at 9am, and a free new tire by 11 am. I keep going back and forth about whether these expensive tires are going to be worth it in the long run (you can drive on them for 120 miles after getting a flat, but the replacement cost is $500 per wheel- no one can change just the tire yet). Fortunately, they are under warranty for 6 more months. The peace of mind is wonderful- I never have to worry about getting stranded. But when I have to pay $500 for a nail in the tire (they can't be plugged), I think I'm going to be ticked.

3) We are becoming a Nielson family again, but just for sweeps week. We used to be a full-fledged Nielson family, with wired tvs and a computer that dialed into Nielson headquarters every night. It was pretty fancy considering how little tv we watched then. Now that we have a DVR, a PBS loving toddler and an Oprah habit, we might actually make a dent in the ratings.

4) I am going back to my former employer starting next week on a temporary basis. I can't decide if I truly am the Indispensible Person (Modelnetics) or they can't find anyone stupid enough to take my old job.

That's about it. I'll try to get some new pics up too : )

Recruiting old friends

Dave's firm needs some new people- like yesterday. Dave offered to go recruit in his home state of Pennslyvania, which is home to a few good architecture programs. He graduated from Temple, but since they don't have a formal recruiting event, he is currently at Penn State conducting interviews. An added bonus is Dave's cousin Mike is a student there also.

Last night he told me he went to a reception and he ran into a former roommate who is now a professor at Penn State (in architecture). Of course, they hadn't talked in 10 years. I was half asleep, but I think Dave told me he's going to try and interview him today (did I mention he desperately needs some help at work?)

Dave doesn't keep in touch with any of his (former) friends. I find that very disturbing, and I've often told him I suspect he had no friends before he met me. I did meet one of his roommates one time early in our marriage so at least I know these people are not fictional. The other option I've briefly considered is Dave is in the witness protection program and my name may not really be Stewart...

It's just weird to me not to at least want to know how people who used to be in your life every day are doing now. Even if you just exchange a corny chain email, or Christmas cards, keeping in touch is really not that hard. Unless you're in hiding...

My ears smell like grapes

Last week I had a monster sinus infection. My post pregnancy woes include an increased susceptibility to sinus problems, along with huge knuckles (I still can't get my wedding band back on my finger), and darker non-shiny (ugly) hair. So, Friday afternoon I threw myself at the mercy of the doctor. Literally, I went to the office at 3:30 pm and begged for an appointment. Daniel roamed the waiting room for 45 minutes touching every germ in sight while I tried not to pass out.

Our doctor is our age and so he is quite the smart aleck. He took one look at my mucus issues and pronounced it as "nasty garbage". He jumped back after looking in my ear. He said it was the worst crusty ear wax build up he's seen in quite awhile. Frankly, I was instantly relieved. I thought I have been experiencing great hearing loss over the last few months, on track for hearing aids by the end of the year.

His solution: a few drops of liquid Colace (stool softener) every day to soften things up. It's very hard to find, so our personal Walgreens pharmacy (yes, we are on a first name basis with them now) had to order it. Dave went to pick up my other miracle drugs and told them the Colace could wait until it came in on Monday. Then he wondered if they thought some poor person was going to be constipated the entire weekend.

Anyway, I picked up my liquid colace today and come to find out, liquid Colace is the kids' version. So it is in a huge bottle and it is grape flavored. I just put it in my ears. Yummy. Dave sniffed and confirmed it. : )

Hair Mission Accomplished

Well, it only took 1 yr and three months, but I have finally highlighted my hair! I love the way it looks and I found a nice stylist who is half the price of what other people are paying in my area.

Daniel had his 18 month appointment yesterday, and I think he's caught on to the whole doctor thing, because he kept telling her "bye bye", as in "go away" the whole time she was in the room. And of course, he has another ear infection.

Right after the doctor's appointment, we had a crazy wind storm and it blew half the trim off the top of our house in front! We had to search all of the neighborhood for the pieces, but Dave thinks he can fix this himself if he can find some siding to match and borrow an extension ladder. I feel like we have a naked house.

I finished Life of Pi. I have to say I was not impressed. If you've seen the movie Castaway, it's pretty much the same thing except the setting is different. It just made me want to go to the zoo again soon.

The Apprentice

After watching episode 2 last night, Dave and I concluded the best candidate is Ivanka Trump. Even though she already has the job, she definitely has something to prove since the assumption of America is she is not bright and would not be good tv material (note to Martha Stewart's daughter: watch and learn). So far we are impressed. It's not easy to get through Wharton, even if your dad is the Donald.

We just know Brent is a paid actor...

Insured or Not?

This may not be a big deal to you, but I find it incredible that it is March 7th and Dave still has not received the details of our health insurance. His employer switched to a new provider this year and at sign up were given a broad list of deductibles, co-pays and maximum out of pocket amounts. And since then they have not been given any other details. I have asked his HR group several times and have been told "they are working on the handbook". I won't name the insurance provider, but they are the biggest in the state, are not-for- profit yet make about about a $1 billion each year, and keep a few billion in their reserves. I think they have plenty of handbooks laying around and it's not that hard to make a few adjustments to a handbook for a new group.

My other concern is we are starting to get bills - and I don't like getting surprises in the mail. I've dealt with enough health insurance to know their game is to deny payment on as much as possible and you have to prove it is covered, using your "handbook". You also have to know up front, before you receive care, what rules to follow. If you don't follow the rules exactly, you are stuck with the entire bill. I've paid a few of those bills.

Here's my soapbox. I think if people had to actually write a check each month for their health insurance, they might be a a little more interested in what the money is going towards. They would be very inquisitive health care consumers. We pay almost $4,000 a year for our health insurance, and I just want to know what I'm getting. Is it too much to ask?

On Our Minds

I just finished an interesting book, Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. It was a Christmas gift from Carolyn and Josh. I didn’t like it at first, because it made me feel old to read it, but I thought it might be a good way to connect with the “younger generation”, so I kept going. It has a different style to it, and it reminded me of having a conversation with our friend James Waller. Tonight I found out that most of our community group has already read or heard of it. Well, here are some other things we are reading/watching/listening to:

Chris- Re-reading ToddlerWise by Ezzo (no, I don’t want to hear from you if you hate this guy), Kite Runner by Hosseini (excellent), and about to start Life of Pi. I have 3-4 books, including a Dave Barry one I’m dying to laugh about, for the iPod, but I haven’t bought a transpod yet for the car. I need to walk more so I can listen more.

I have been listening to lots of Dave Ramsey podcasts to keep me motivated to stay on our budget. My big tv accomplishment was watching the end of the “Sex and the City” series (the syndicated edited version). I had to see it through, I just had to know if Carrie ends up with Mr. Big. Music-wise, it's all about TobyMac. The guy is a genius. And while I'm at it, Chris Tomlin better sweep the Doves : )

Dave- Reading Robert Ludlum and tried to listen to The Firefly on cd- it just didn't hold his attention. He’s now listening to a FISH book on cd, similar to the one I had to read last year for work. We finished the Sovereign of the Seas makeover, and now we’re catching up on post-Olympic tv like The Office, Boston Legal, and Law and Order. The new Apprentice looks promising. Dave’s favorite cartoon to watch with or without Daniel is the Backyardigans.

Daniel- ELMO, ELMO, and more ELMO. I don't need to say any more.

Today we went to the ZOO with Sophie! 

Daniel absolutely loved the slide.