And......We're Back!

So it's been awhile since my last post.  I've been thinking about writing for some time but the problem was that I didn't know where to start!  I have so many "this is what we did" stories and pictures, but after a month of no updates I wasn't sure which qualified as crossing that line into interesting and worthwhile reading.  But then again, not much I write about is ground breaking journalism to begin with. That is unless, you too, understand why finding a missing Spider-Man head can be the dividing line between a great day or one that makes you question your past birth control choices.

So....hmmmmm....let me see. I guess I'll do a mini-update!  Tsunamis:  I conquered my fear and went back to the beach!  Let me be extra clear that this was only because it was Luke's company trip and because there was a free massage involved.  So with heavy relaxation in mind, we left the kids behind and headed to Salishan Resort where I would have one very peaceful nights sleep that wouldn't end with Handy Manny at 5:30 in the morning. Bliss!  Except.....

I'm not someone who thinks that an hour long massage is Heaven on Earth.  Beyond the awkward touching between strangers, it's actually the environment I have an issue with. I mean, think about it!  Dark room....stranger....candles....new age music....people pay for stuff like this?!  Other people (like me) file police reports for stuff like this!  In any case, during a typical hour long massage it usually takes me about 30 minutes to stop the conversation in my head that I use as a distraction from my #1 enemy....silence.  If you know me, you know that silence isn't my strong point.  I can find a way and a story to fill even 2 minutes of dead air with anyone from my kids to a stranger in a lobby.  Yeah....I'm "that" person in front of you in the grocery store line asking the checker if they've ever tried Chocolate Cheerios while it's obvious that all they care about is that their state mandated 15 minute break is running late and desperately needed after an influx of novice "extreme couponers."  But worse than the silence, and worse than the fact that this massage was at sea level (can I survive 3 days in a spa robe until help arrives provided I even find high ground??) was the fact that I had my very first male massage therapist.  Ummm.....aren't there just some professions that are best left to one gender or the other?  A male therapist massaging a female in a closed room = awkward.  A male therapist massaging a male in a closed room = really awkward. No offense to my masseuse Greg (or whatever his name was) but unless you are 25, a Cross-Fit® trainer on the side, and my husband totally approves*, I NEVER want to tell you what I think feels good! NEVER.

Other than that, our main adventure in the last month was a family trip to the Great Wolf Lodge.  I eagerly booked two nights as soon as I saw the following magic words on their website : "84 degrees every day!"  SOLD.

Our trip can best be summed up by a list of souvenirs -

•  MagiQuest Wand
•  Set of Wolf Ears
•  Case of Pink Eye  (No extra charge for that!)

On a totally unrelated note, does anyone know where I can buy a black onsie?  For Luelle....not me (although that would have been a smashing addition to my bodysuit collection in Junior High!)  I am not a fashonista but I live by one apparel rule: never buy black cotton!  Black cotton items are like land-mines in your wardrobe that explode at the exact moment you need a sharp dark tone only to find it's now a faded heather grey after one careful wash and line dry! Of course, there is no shortage of black cotton at retailers across the city until you actually need it! And I need a black onsie so I can take some pictures of LuLu that should have been done forever ago!  I've been procrastinating on this task for entirely too long and after helping a friend with pictures of her little girl this weekend, I realized that I am way behind the eight-ball on properly documenting my daughter's life.  It was motivation I desperately needed!!  And I hope she doesn't mind me sharing.....but how freaking cute is this little princess Ellie???!

* Side note:  For those of you wondering.....Luke didn't approve even when it was a man more likely to go shopping with me than to hit on me in a bar.