Yes, you can lick it

Black Friday:

4:32 a.m...I begin kicking Ben to wake up.
5:05 a.m...Ben gets dropped off at the door to Best Buy armed with a sales ad and his cell phone so that we can communicate as I go to park the car and fight my way into the craziness that is an electronics store on the day after Thanksgiving.
5:15 a.m....Ben figures out that we can pay for our purchase at the back of the store where the display is rather than having to wait in the loooong line where the Best Buy employee holding the Santa balloon signifies the end is.
5:16 a.m....I figure out that I can assault (figuratively) Best Buy employees to figure out how to have them unlock the case that holds our cherished prize without having to ask the person running the cash register for it.
5:17-5:24 a.m....Silly lady and her silly daughter waste my time and the Best Buy employee's time as they forgot to look at or bring the ad and aren't even sure what cameras are on sale but surely the employee could give them a complete run down of all of the benefits of each camera that is on sale. There are many cameras on sale. Oh, and they want to know about memory cards, too. Silly ladies. The daughter used to be Ben's student. What does that tell us about the quality of his clientele?
5:26 a.m...The lady in the ugly Betty Boop leather jacket elbows her way in front of me as I'm basically staring at my desired purchase so that I know no one unwittingly takes it from me (alas, it's on hold for me at the register rather than in my hands...I don't trust my good fortune yet). Ben must go search out a memory card while we're waiting. It's not like I know the difference between them. Yes, this is definitely Ben's job while I hold our place in line.
5:27 a.m...Ben beeps on his way out of Best Buy. I have the receipt in my purse and all confusion is made right. I'm relieved that we're not thieving on this Black Friday morning. I'm looking forward to a special trip to IHOP (mmm...the french toast is calling). I can't believe that we just dropped over $600 (stupid sales tax) and we're both thrilled about it.

If I can ever figure out how to do it, I can post pictures from our kickin' new camera that has no delay and can take 2.5 pictures per second and will be, overall, better for trying to capture those special little moments with a baby bopper toddling around the place.

Make sure that you trim your nose hairs. You never know when we'll be using the extra special zoom lens that a friend (who will be allowed to lick the new camera but also needs to realize that yes, it has germs on it you supposed medically learned person you) convinced us that we desperately needed as well. Ah well. 'Twas only an extra $50 more or less for the ability to find out who truly grooms their nasal cavities. And I guess that we'll be able to get better pictures of little Omar with it, too. That's the goal at least. Ben's only half-way through the novel that is the owner's manual currently.

Jury Duty Day

For once I had some luck. I still had to go in this morning (oh yay...$15 compensation!) amidst cold, drippy, misty raininess. BUT,

***I got to park at a metered space without paying a meter!

***the entire jury was released about 10 minutes after we were to report because the substance abuser pleaded guilty

***I didn't have to go to school

***I had time to buy my first Christmas present for 2008

***J.C. Penny does not carry any maternity clothes in Kokomo

***I actually popped in to say hi to the father-in-law or a few minutes after the jury was released (his office is right across the street from the courthouse, so it just seemed to be a nice little surprise)

***yummy leftovers and Pepsi (mmm) for lunch)

***a pair or sleeping rather than pesky felines

***finally (excited amidst all of the dread) starting the background research on the intimidating 25-page paper

***new James Bond movie and free dinner out tonight!

***if I get lucky...there might be some ice cream in my future, too! (culver's flavor-o-the-day: butter pecan, yummy)

June 3rd

It was exciting amidst the poking and prodding and multiple samples taken. It was anxious despite being annoyed at having to wait so long (why do these places always run so far behind?). It was a long appointment, but that last little niggling doubt was finally quieted, and I can finally admit with 100% confidence that we are pregnant. (!!!)

Oh, and the due date is June 3rd.

The nurse was really happy (impressed even) that I had such a firm grasp of specific dates needed to determine due dates, but when things all happen coincidentally with big school dates, then it works out nicely.

Believe it or no, the part of me that was hesitant to start advertising my thickening girth was that part of me that had not yet heard anyone confirm it who was not a trained, expert, medical person. It was that "Oh, there's the heartbeat" moment that really did it. And I'm so glad that Ben was there with me, cause I know by looking at him that it took him a bit by surprise as well. Granted, Ben's surprise was due in part to the fast heart rate. He's comparing it to the heart rate of an elite athlete (the difference of approximately 130 beats/minute), so he's obviously new to this too.

So now that mom-in-law will be thrilled that she can do her mom-in-law duty and tell everyone for me. Really, I've told a few people and that's enough for me. After a while, it just becomes redundant. :-) But it never gets old. The more I say it, the more real it becomes, too, which is, indeed, a benefit.

Perhaps I will write a blog soon about my frustrations already with clothing. First I had a love-hate relationship with food, and now it's mostly a hate-hate relationship with anything fastened around my waist.

"To my embarrasment I was born in bed with a lady." Wilson Mizner (I think that I have heard this one before, but I still find it amusing.)

P.S. I got home after the aforementioned three hours of poking and questioning only to find out that I have jury duty next Friday. Does pregnancy count as a good reason not to be chosen??

Oh the excitement

I filled up my tank (and I *was* somewhat dissapointed that my tank was only 1/2 empty) because I got gas for $1.97/gallon. I've been keeping track. This is exactly the third time since we moved to Kokomo that I have purchased gas for less than $2.00/gallon. That averages out to once a year. Half a gallon for $13.00. Hot dang.

"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their mind to be." Abraham Lincoln

I decide to be happy about this.

Halloween party and the search for a knife

My fuzzy, creamsicle cat, Leo, is sitting with me in the Saturday morning sunshine to write this, and it shall have to be quick like so that we can go shopping for 50% off Halloween candy (and other things, but really, it should be obvious where my priorities lay). I love Saturday mornings, especially when they're sunshine-y. It makes me feel like writing in my blog. So if it's not a sunshine-y wherever you are right now, and if it's not a Saturday morning, I'm sending warm fuzzies your way that are loaded with all good Saturday-morning-and-sunshine feelings.

Here's a big reason that teaching can be fun and dare I say rewarding. Unfortunately, I can't really claim benefit in this one, but I'm definitely enjoying the fruits of someone else's labor. There's a junior at my school who for the past two years has been notorious for his ambivalent, insubordinate, unpleasant attitude toward everyone and life in general. Summer break must have been good for him because he came back not an angel, but enjoyable, hardworking, polite and a lot of fun for everyone (students and teachers) to be around. I got roped into being involved in sponsoring the junior class again (yet so much better this time around considering the change in leadership). This particular student has been invaluable so far in the fundraising and meetings for the junior class. The junior class president, not so much of a help, unfortunately. But this kid, fantastic. We worked together this week to hold a bake sale at a junior class dance and I could barely keep up with him. Wednesday, we were getting the brownies, cookies and such ready to go when I realized that a plastic knife wasn't really cutting it (ba dum ching! boo...bad pun) with the delish chocolate chip cookie bars (you know if it's from the Dishons that it's awe-some). So Dominique went to borrow a sharper utensil from the home-ec teacher. His mistake when he interrupted her lunch break saying, "I need a knife." Oops. Yet funny. (tall black kid; known for his lack of discipline; older brother obnoxious; sure--just hand over a knife!) At least he smiled and corrected his mistake.

I never (oh not even once) went to anything that I or anyone else classified as a party during high school. My friends and I just didn't have parties. We hung out all the time, but parties...no. Ben and his friends did have parties. In fact, the first party that I ever went to was with him and his high school friends. Parties intimidate me, actually...awkward!! But, we went to a party last night. The worst part is that I have two choices: follow Ben like a puppy all night or stand by myself like the uncoordinated kid who gets picked last for kickball. Overall, it wasn't bad, thankfully. And at least there were a couple of people our age who I kind of know with whom I could laugh when Ben brought me a hot dog on a hamburger bun.

"Man is the artificer of his own happiness." Henry David Thoreau
Yet I suspect that sun is a bit of an artificer of my happiness as well.