This was my week, How was yours?

Z's party went great, except I personally didn't take any pictures. My unofficial photographers haven't shared the photos with me yet. I want to make a cool photo montage of my little men but haven't seem to have the time and energy to get that done this week.

It's been a busy week, not necessarily bad, just busy. Here's a recap of the last week.

Friday-- Meeting with counselor. He thinks we are ready to have the hubby move in with me by next weekend. I am not so sure, still not convinced when we leave the office. Feeling a bit stressed, but managed to get it under control with a walk instead of the chocolate I was craving. Score one point for my unofficial diet.

Saturday-- Coffee and a green chile bagel at Milagro Coffee Shop with hubby and kids. Muy bueno! Run into old friend from high school, and had a nice visit while there. Birthday party at Chuck E.Cheese. I danced with Chuck E. I bet you are glad you missed it. Afternoon of putting together toys and finally watching Goblet of Fire. I cried at the end, I am such a sap. Good family day.

Sunday-- Migrane that made me spinny and loopy without the fun of drinking first. Nothing accomplished. Slight fear that the food I took for snacks at Sunday School had made everyone else sick like me. I ate more the next day and was fine, whew! Plus I didn't receive any extra prayer requests in my email box, so I don't think that was the cause.

Monday-- Interviewed people for my two open positons. Amazed that I was getting overqualified applicants and hire two people. We also had a dinner at the nursery for the local horticulture students at the university. Another supervisor and I gave a tour to the students. We let them pick who they went with and my former employee dubbed crying girl come on my tour. I told you she didn't cry because of me! Got to visit with some old professors and other plant nerds had a good time.

Tuesday-- We had Sexual Harrassment and Descrimination training provided by the NM Department of Labor. The first thing my boss does is ask the presenter (who also investigates claims against companies) what the shortest time she has ever heard of someone working at a job before quitting. I thought I might not be the worst when she asked, "Down to the second?" but even she was shocked at half an hour. Apparantly half an hour wins the contest statewide. She kept her eyes on me like I was someone who needed to be watched closely after that. Great, my reputation grows. ; )

Wednesday-- Start the day off with one of my new hires right. I got my truck stuck in mud so bad that I had to be pulled out. Damn. I haven't done that in a long time. Then to save my life I couldn't drive the truck out straight. (In my defense it was muddy sugar sand.) So I had to let him back the truck and I pulled with the tractor, which I was slow at because I am apparantly also incapable of backing it straight. I guess it serves me right I gave him a hard time about being a real Aggie since he is a graduate of Texas A&M. (You know because us NM State Aggies are smart!) I was the one acting like an Aggie for sure. At the end of the day I had a meeting with the preacher of the church I have been attending. No time to change or clean up first and so I go in covered in mud, nice. He did treat me like a lost hobo and I think gave me some helpful advice about the situation with the hubby I feel much better. Went home to clean up and go back to church for Z's Children's Choir and my big Choir. I am so excited I haven't got to sing in a Choir in 4 years! For a church choir this is a good choir, and I am singing 1st Alto. I love that I even have that option. I'd love to sing in one of the Community Choirs that sings Requiems and the like but I can't afford the sitter every week, so to find a Church Choir on almost the same level is super exciting!

Thursday-- Actually not eventful, but I was tired, too tired to blog. Teaching my new guys what I expect about working means I have to work with them and damn, working just wears me out. LOL. I'll be glad when I can go back to being a supervisor and just lean on my shovel. Know what I mean. ; ) Oops I mean planning and coordinating and researching, not leaning on a shovel watching people work, I don't do that. That would be wrong. ; )

Tip Of The Day

First let me say thanks for all the well wishes for the brother-in-law.

Second I won't be around much this weekend it is Z's 4th birthday and party central.

A few weeks ago I had a learning experience I thought I should share.

TIP of the DAY

No matter how appropriate Metallicas thrash metal hit Seek and Destroy is for your cell phone ring tone, remember I hunt bugs, It will be very embarrassing when you forget to turn off your phone and it rings during church service.

Just thought I would save you the embarassment. By the way, Mom, thanks for calling. Why weren't you in church?

911

I am sure most of us know what we were doing exactly 5 years ago today.

Like our parents generation knew what they were doing when they heard Kennedy was shot.

Looking back to that day it seems surreal.

The horror I felt is still too fresh, I haven't been watching much TV so Z won't see it and ask. I want him to be innocent a while longer.

I remember thinking back then if I were but a little younger and unmarried I would just go join the military to defend our country.

My brother-in-law did just that. He had been out of the Marines a few years and he re-enlisted after that day, by March 2002 he was back in the Marines.

He felt called to war he has yet to go and do so. He and my sister have spent the last few years living seaside at Camp Pendelton. Last year at this time he thought he was going to be put on recruiting duty. They have a baby now, she turned a year old last week. In fact her early arrival delayed him from going to recruiter school. Then his orders changed and he was told he is staying attched to Force Recon.

We drove out to see them last week not only for my niece's birthday, but also because Scott is shipping out finally. He'll be gone 6 months to a year. I've learned to love him like my brother and I'm glad our goodbye last week was short due to time constraints, or I may have blubbered like a baby at the thought of him going to war.

He doesn't know for sure where they are going, they haven't been given all the details yet.

I do think it's slightly strange that today is the day he is leaving.

HUAH Scott, and I pray God keeps you and your unit safe.

My middle name is Aliene not Alien

• I promised an entry about how my mother and sister make me feel like I was dropped off in Roswell instead of born there.
  
  Spending time with them isn't bad for me, in fact it is probably good, it always makes me slightly less tomboyish. My husband still laughs at how they think someday they may turn me into a girl.
  
  I am not totally devoid of any girly habits, I bake. I wear a dress on special occasions. I even own a pair of heels, I just am incapable of handling the torture of wearing them. Okay, so my makeup has a bad habit of expiring before I have used it more than three times, and I have to cut my nails off to get rid of the dirt. I'll admit the only reason my toenails are painted is because at least one is black underneath the paint. I'll also conceed that it is possible that I get out the shower, put gel on my hair and won't look at it again all day.
  
  My mother's standard questions:
  
• Do you need mascara? (she buys in bulk from Avon or something)
  
• Do you need clothes? (aka you aren't going to wear that are you?)
  
• What kind of bra are you wearing? (I guess my sports bra uniboob bugs her)
  
• Are you going to comb your hair? (I already did, mom!)

She calls me last week before we leave. I am at Bealls. Do you need clothes? I'll buy some and bring them with me. They have this cute brown and turquoise shirt with matching tank underneath it. It doesn't sound appealing, she buys and bring it to me. Lets just say the fabric pattern looked like someone puked after eating a couple bags of turquoise M&M's. And it reminded me of the 70's. I passed, although I did try it on. She bought this other coral thing that reminded me of a nightie. In fact I thought it was pajamas at first, it turned out it was cute, but alas I am going to have buy a nicer bra since it doesn't go with my industrial strength nursing bras from last year.
My sister speaks a language I don't understand. She was instructing her husband on which outfit to put the baby in. Get the CK with the Robeeze she said. Que? He apparently knows what this means as he comes down with the correct outfit. I would have called it the pink dress with yellow flowers on it and the pink shoes, but then again that is just me.
Spending time with them also means that I will be fixing my hair, wearing clothes that are not muddy and wearing makeup. I sit down at my sister's vanity to put makeup on and she has this lighted magnification mirror. I try not to look, I know I won't like what I see, but like the girl in the horror movie, I do anyway. I spend the next hour exfoliating, plucking and cursing my ugly self. The next morning the same thing happens, it is a scary cycle. I even use her torturous device that plucks hair from your skin. I am tough. I have birthed two children. I can handle it. --No one can prove I cried so it did not happen. (Just kidding, it wasn't that bad, I want to buy one, except I have no idea where you even shop for one.)
The upside is I try out all her product for her hair and find which ones I like because I don't usually spend money trying all kinds of new stuff. She did turn me on to the powder makeup which is easy and doubles as sunscreen since I am allergic to most lotions. (It doesn't go bad as quickly either.)
They think I am weird as I stroll around looking at plants naming the bugs and weeds I see. I think they are weird as they discuss clothes, fabric and sewing.
Family is a funny thing. If we didn't look alike I wouldn't be sure we were related sometimes, except for our snarky tempers. (But I am the best behaved, just ask me.) I have come to accept they will always try to help me look a little better, and that Mom is going to buy me girly watches that I am never going to wear for Christmas. I love them, but I am still going to be playing in the mud with bugs and wearing my ball cap okay?

Things you didn't know you wanted to know, you know?

Malathion Man tagged me. I typed this up before I left and saved it to my drafts in the event that a spare moment in front of a computer was available. That moment has arrived at 5:30 in the morning while everyone else is asleep. I guess I am still on Mountain Standard Time. The trip out with three children under four in the car wasn't too bad. They were pretty good. I would like to just say one other thing before we getting started on this very revealing entry. HA! Malathionman I evaded your cloud of doom, but you got away. Justice will find you!!!

What is your name? Nora
Three names you go by? Nora, Aron, that fat mean girl

Three screen names you have had besides the one you have? Leucantha, Bugladynora, Azuldragonfly

Three Things you like about yourself? My singing voice, it scares the children to sleep at night. My curls when they behave. My amazing ability to get all manner of golf carts, trucks out of that mud hole I just drove through, without calling for help.

Three things you hate/dislike about yourself? My curls when they don't behave. My fat behind (I know this is shocking) I stink, literally, if you put a fragrance on me, it's going to be bad.

Three parts of your heritage? Scottish, Redneck, German (no wonder people think I'm scary!)

Three things that scare you? Malathionman's fog of doom. (you sure that is a labelled use?) Losing a kid, sometimes they find a hole in the zone defense. Lima beans, I really think they are tasteless.

Three of your daily essentials? Coffee with some sort of chocolate in it, chile (red or green some days both), a little quiet time.

Three things you are wearing right now? Bra, undewear, capri's.

Three of your favorite bands/artists of the moment? Metallica (old favorite) Sheryl Crowe (present) KT Tunstall (new favorite) *Sing along now, one of these things is not like the other.*

Three new things you want to try in the next 12 months? Miracle weight loss pill. To see if you can really eat enough Chic-Fil-A to get full. A margarita with as many of my blogging pals as possible. Tassie and Lizzie we are definately going sometime in September!

Three things you want in a love relationship? Respect, an ability/desire to clean, and of course sexy facial hair. (the facial hair is on him not me, okay?)

Two Lies and a Truth? I secretly wish for a million dollars, I secretly wish to be a circus clown, I secretly wish to have more kids.

Three physical things about the opposite sex that appeal to you? Facial hair, the curve of the mouth, and the eyes. (Hooters are bad thing in my case, man boobs are not cool.)

Three things you just can't do? Eat pasta, spray chemicals for no reason, figure out how not to be a tomboy.

Three of my favorite hobbies?Polymer Clay, Organic Gardening (It's more of a challenge), Blogging.

Three things you want to do really bad right now? Have a butler to pack and clean for me. Have some Godiva chocolate. Have the ability to pull myself away from this blasted computer and quiz.

Three careers you're considering? Teacher, Landscape designer, World Famous blogger.

Three places you want to go on vacation? Scotland, New Zealand, San FransiscoThree kids names. Zach, Max, Arwen (lucky I don't have that girl, right?)

Three true loves. Husband, kids, New Mexico

Three favorite animals. Tigers, Dogs and Horses.

Three reasons why you're doing this quiz. I rock at quizes (yes I am a nerd, thank you.) I cannot resist the challenge from Malathionman, he played along when I tagged him. *cough* I am lazy and this is easy.

Three people who have to take this quiz. This is not a command, anyone that wants to can.