HUGE News for Lyndzi...

I've known that Lyndzi was an artist, since she was three years old.  YES, three!!  She sat down with some crayons and drew the bee that was on  the Honey Nut Cheerios box, and I knew right then and there that she had a gift.  Being a mom who blogs, I frequently write about my kids;  so I took a look back to see what I had previously shared  about Lyndzi's artwork and I came across a post from 2010 called  "What A Mom's Gotta Do",  where I wrote "Lyndzi is an absolutely BRILLIANT artist; and yes, I know that most moms think that their kids are great at one thing or another; but trust me when I tell you, my girl's got TALENT!! Lyndzi is a multi-faceted artist - not only can she draw; she also sculpts and paints.  Lyndzi pays exceptional attention to detail and her vision is way beyond her years.   She's won prizes for her artwork and been featured in our school district art show; and at the tender age of 8 she PRIDES herself on being an artist."  While it's hard for me to believe that I wrote that over 7 years ago, those words still hold true.  Lyndzi's become an extraordinary artist.  She's won several contests, has done commissioned work and she continues to sell hand drawn sneakers.Now, if you read my last blog "Cinnamon",  then you know that "as much as I love surprises, I often have a hard time keeping the secret and waiting to reveal the surprise."  Well, the universe has surely been challenging me; because (thankfully), the surprises keep coming and I've been keeping a secret (from most of you) for a few weeks now.  It wasn't that I didn't want to tell EVERYONE, believe me, I DID; but when I received the call from the PUSD Public Relations Department, notifying me that Lyndzi had won the district Anti-Bullying Art Contest (for the third time), they asked me not to say anything publicly until after the awards were presented at the Peoria Cultural Arts  Festival. Lyndzi was so excited to find out that she had won; but like me, she's a rule follower so she didn't say anything to anyone.  Well, the next day when Lyndzi came home from school, she said to me "You didn't fracture your ankle in vain." (And side note, if you're totally confused by that comment, stop here.  Read "Oops I Did It Again, And Again", and then come back.  Everyone else KEEP READING...)

So,  I asked her what she was talking about, and with tears welling up in her eyes, she told me that when she had walked into her art class, her teacher said "Don't you have something to tell us."  Assuming that he was talking about the Anti-Bullying art contest, she shared the news of her win.  He then said "And?" to which she replied "And?" And he said "You also won a bus?"  Lyndzi was taken aback and she asked what he was talking about.  He then explained, that the Principal had come in to see him earlier, with some people from the Valley Metro bus and they said that she had won the Transit Wrap Contest!!!!   I was stunned when I heard her news, and I'm not sure how many times I said "You won?"  Not because I couldn't believe that she'd done it, but because it was such a HUGE contest, and such a fantastic prize and I was just ecstatic for her.  Now I don't know about you, but because I heard it from Lyndzi, who heard it from her Art teacher, and I hadn't heard a peep from Valley Metro, I didn't want to say anything publicly, in case there was some type of misunderstanding.  When I saw the Art teacher at the Cultural Arts Festival, I asked him to tell me about what happened when the bus people came in to see him and he said that Lyndzi had definitely won, but he got the impression that they wanted to surprise her.  OK, I can understand that part, but I wondered why they hadn't contacted me.  (Maybe they heard that I wasn't great at keeping secrets, lol.) Well, hallelujah, we got the official call on Monday, and I can now say with all certainty that Lyndzi has won the Valley Metro Transit Wrap contest!!!  She'll be getting a bus and a light rail wrapped with her design for a year, in addition to a cash prize!!  They'll be unveiling her bus at her school on May 16th AND they'll let us know when the lightrail and bus are being wrapped so that we can go down with family and friends to watch and take photos.  So, if you're in the area and you'd like to see Lyndzi's bus, consider yourself invited!! 

Since this ride may have been a lil bumpier than usual, here's Lyndzi's Anti-Bullying Award winning piece...  The theme this year was "All Different All Equal".

What more can I say?  I'm grateful for the surprises that we've been receiving.  Not only because of  the joy that they're bringing but because it seems that as long as I have surprises to share, I have subject matter for my blog!

Till next time,

Paige
XO

Cinnamon

After I posted  my last blog, I shared the link on my Facebook, with the status "I live to surprise people! Just posted my second blog this month - I even surprised myself!"  Welllllll, as much as I love surprises, I often have a hard time keeping the secret and waiting to reveal the surprise.  Sooo, I am extra pleased with myself tonight, because in addition to keeping a secret for almost a week; I'm actually writing a my third blog of the month!

And here we go...  We got our beloved Chihuahua, Hershey from my brother-in-law in Puerto Vallarta when she was just three months old, and she's now nine.  (At this point you may want to check out The Tale of the Dog and then come back...) My kids and I are ridiculous when it comes to Hershey, and some may say (ok, have said) that we are obsessed, lol but we don't care; we just adore her.  We think that she's so cute, and so smart and she makes us so happy; but one of us has never felt as loved by Hershey and has been asking for quite some time to get a dog of her own. Typically when Kelsie would broach the subject, we'd remind her that Hershey doesn't think that she's a dog and doesn't like to be around other dogs; and although she knew this all to be true, she's still just 14 and she wanted a dog that would appreciate her. A dog like Copper...   A couple of years ago we met our friend April's rescue Chihuahua, Copper.  His temperament couldn't have been more opposite of Hershey's. He was friendly to everyone and snuggly, he was tiny and just a mush. And honestly when each of us held him, we were overcome with a sense of calm and happiness.  While Hershey emotes the same feelings from us, she's still really unpredictable and only lets you pet and love on her when she's in the mood, so experiencing a dog that was so sweet and lovable all the time, added to Kelsie's desire for a new dog.

Despite our love and affection for Hershey, Lyndzi, Kelsie and I would frequently talk about how great it would be to have a dog like Copper.  I don't know if it's because Hershey's getting older and every time she sighs, or makes an uncustomary sound, they think that something's wrong with her, and Google what these "symptoms" mean, or if they are just ready for some unconditional puppy love.

I suppose it didn't help that Luis (who has never been on board with getting another dog), recently started regaling us with tales of the cute dogs that he'd see when he was out at work.  To add insult to injury, he started taking videos of stray dogs and then he'd show them to us at dinner; which of course prompted the girls to ask him to bring home the next cute, small, girl dog that he found.  Surprisingly enough, Luis humored their request, and told us that he'd be on the look out.  I discussed this new development with Luis, because the girls were taking him seriously, and I kinda feared that he may accidentally kidnap someone's dog.  We were concerned that he could bring home a pooch that was sick and then of course there was the cost of shots etc; so last Saturday, when the girls and I saw what could possibly have been an Adopt A Dog sign outside Pet Co. we had to go check it out.

As it turned out the sign was for vaccinations; so I told the girls that we could go down the street and swing by PetSmart.  On our drive there, Kelsie asked if we got a black Chihuahua if we could name her Pepper.  I wasn't opposed to that name, but Lyndzi wasn't digging it.  I asked her to Google some dog names and as she read from the list, the one that I liked best was Minnie.  No one shot it down, so I figured this name could be a contender for our fictional dog.  We arrived at PetSmart and as luck would have it, America's Freedom Paws Rescue was stationed outside the store.  They only had two dogs with them, and they were bigger, so we weren't interested; but just as we'd arrived, a lady walked up with a Chihuahua.  Kelsie said "what about that one?"  But I was under the impression that the dog she was referring to was a pet and not part of the adoption.  We went into the store and when we came out, we had the pleasure of meeting Cinnamon, who was in fact a rescued Chihuahua.

When the ladies described her, they said she loved to snuggle, sit on your lap and sleep with you; and the girls (all 3 of us) melted.  We couldn't help but think that she was EXACTLY what we'd been dreaming of.  She's two years old, but she's small.  She weighs about four lbs, and she's super affectionate.  Could you say no to this???Well I couldn't!  I asked the ladies what we would need to do to adopt Cinnamon, and it really couldn't have been easier.  I just had to fill out a short application, pay $125 (which I thought was a steal since she had all of her vaccinations and had been spayed)  and they'd give us her collar, harness, leash, food and water bowls and a brand new bag of food. They also said that we could have a three day trial period, so if we needed to return her because Hershey couldn't adapt, then at least we could get our money back.  I called Luis, to tell him about Cinnamon and see what he thought about us adopting her and thankfully, he had no objections to us bringing her home.   To say that we fell in love with Cinnamon instantly would be an understatement.  I don't think that any of us could have left PetSmart without her; so I told the ladies that we had to take her.  The ladies were delighted and while I was completing the paper work, they mentioned that we should feel free to change her name if we wanted to.

Now I'm a big believer in signs from the universe.  Some people may just find things to be coincidental; and I get that, but other times, when things align perfectly and in more than one way, I can't help but feel that it's cosmic intervention and I enjoy that.  The girls and I couldn't get over our luck. (After all, it was St. Patrick's day!) We felt as if we had found the dog that we custom ordered.  She was small, and affectionate, and snuggly and mushy and oh so sweet; not to mention her name.  We had just talked about naming a dog Minnie, and here was Cinnamon (Cinn-a-min)  Minnie for short?  Or as it turns out "Cinnie" and/or  Cinna-minnie.

We were concerned about introducing Cinnie to Hershey, but we took the advice of  America's Freedom Paws and took the dogs for a walk. The girls slowly let them get close to each other and then brought them both into the house without incident.  Hershey didn't seem to mind Cinnamon being in the house, until she saw her being affectionate with Kelsie; but we've been doing a lot of Googling, and trying to do what's best for both dogs and suffice it to say, so far so good.  We've been able to leave the fur babies home alone together, and  they've gotten along fine. And even at this moment as I'm typing, I have both pups on either side of me, they're fast asleep and I'm in heaven.

Kelsie and Cinnie immediately bonded and it's so great to see Kelsie's wish fulfilled.

Cinnamon is just precious!  She's pure love!
She's such a great addition to our family, and it's truly amazing how much kids can learn from having pets.  I remember, shortly before Lyndzi was born, I thought to myself (while she was created in love, and I can't wait to have her here, I also can't imagine loving someone as much as I love Nicky.}  It wasn't that I doubted that I would love her, it was just difficult to comprehend the capacity that I had for love.  Of course the moment she was in my arms, I learned that my capacity for love doubled, and then tripled with Kelsie; but my girls already knew that, because Kelsie explained to Hershey that we wouldn't love her any less because Cinnamon was here; we would just love them both. How fantastic and true is that? 

I had planned to share the news of Cinnamon's arrival, once the three day trial had passed, (even though I never had any doubt that she'd be staying with us permanently); but as circumstance would have it, my story was delayed.  Nonetheless, I think it worked out perfectly because now I get to share this story with you on National Puppy Day, (which I actually didn't even know it was, until I saw it this morning on Facebook) - Thank you universe!

Enjoy the pics of our little treasure.

Till next time,
Paige
XO

This Is What You Raised Them For...

Saying time flies is a frequently used idiom; but there's a reason for that - it truly does!  In fact, the older my kids get the quicker time seems to pass; which is why those Riders who I don't know personally, may be surprised to hear that my son, Nicky is now almost 19 years old and a Freshman in college.  For those who are my Facebook friends, this should be less surprising, though probably not less believable.  As his Momma, it feels like just yesterday that he was born.  For years I both dreamed about. yet dreaded the day that I would move him to college; but I'm here to tell ya, it's a fulfilling experience and one that gave me great satisfaction and joy.  If I cried at all, they were happy tears, FOR my son; and not tears of sadness for me.

Nicky and I have always been very close, so the expectation (both mine and my clan's) was that I would fall apart upon his departure; but amazingly enough, the opposite was true.  
We moved Nicky down to the University of Arizona on a Saturday, because he was going to participate in Bear Down Camp a week before the other students arrived.  Since UA is only two hours from our home, our plan was to move him in and come home; and then go back with our girls the next day, since we had to attend a brunch with Nicky as part of the camp. 
I thought that I'd be very emotional when I left him that first night; but I think that knowing I'd see him the next day, made it easier to leave without incident.  We went back Sunday morning and although I got teary a few times during the brunch, I can honestly say that it wasn't because I thought it would be difficult to be apart; but because I was so happy to see what Nicky was going to be a part of.  I was so proud of all that he had accomplished to get him to this point and I was very excited for him.  Don't get me wrong, I must have hugged him a million times, (and not little short hugs) because part of me didn't think I could let go; but I managed to say goodbye without crying, and as much as I miss having him home, I haven't shed a tear.

My close friends were good to check on me often during Nicky's first few days at school.  They asked how I was doing, and while I'm not sure that my response surprised them, it pleasantly surprised me. You see, Nicky was able to text me while he was at camp (in Prescott), but I didn't talk to him until 4 days later, when he was back on campus.  The first time that we spoke on the phone, it was if my son had come alive.  He was talkative and animated.  I could hear the smile on his face in the way that he spoke.  He asked me questions and told me about his experiences, and I felt incredibly gratified.  As the week went on, and he participated in welcome activities and went to his first classes, it was obvious that he was exactly where he was meant to be and that he was doing all that we had raised him to do.  So how could I be sad about that? 

It's so hard to believe that Nicky will be done with his first year of college in just two months.  He had a fantastic first semester, earning a 4.0 at the College of Engineering.  He's taking his first computer programming class this semester and will be declaring his major as Electrical / Computer Engineering, with a concentration in Computer Engineering.  He DJ's a weekly radio show, and he attends shabbat services at Hillel.  He's made some good friends and he's actively looking for additional clubs to join; so what more could a Momma want?

I couldn't be more thrilled for Nicky.  I enjoy hearing from him daily. I always look forward to the next time that I'm going to see him; and I guarantee that all of you Momma's who will be sending kids off to college soon, will feel the same.  Just remember my words "THIS is what you raised them for."   You raised them to go out into the world and make it a better place.  You raised them to go out into the world and make their dreams come true. To go out into the world and learn who they are, apart from you; and then one day they'll come back and while they'll still be your baby, they'll be their own person.

Till next time,
Paige 

Oops I Did It Again, And Again...

Today is Oscar Sunday, so I'm tickled by the poetic justice of having some thing to write about; (since after all, it was the Oscar's that first inspired me to start blogging.)

So re the title of this post, I'm a klutz from way back.  I've been tripping over my feet, air and any and every little thing, for as long as I can remember; hence the "Oops I did it again".  Now the "And Again" - here we go...

It's been way too long since I last wrote, but I'm delighted to say that Lyndzi's been receiving great acclaim for her art work and she's been entering several contests.  She had been awaiting the announcement of the Valley Metro, Design a Transit Rap Contest, but only found out on Feb 13th that the entry deadline was Feb. 16th.  Lyndzi quickly got to work and created her entry in one day; so our real challenge was how to get her submission downtown in time.  

Before "The Ride" really begins, here are a few background things that you need to know:
1.  Lyndzi entered this same contest last year.  We physically dropped her entry off on the last day of the deadline, but the person that she was supposed to deliver her submission to wasn't in the office.  We left her piece with the desk assistant, but Lyndzi always doubted that her artwork was actually considered; so this year she wanted to have her entry received by 2/15, to give her a little cushion.
2.  I hate driving in any downtown area AND I hate driving places that I'm not familiar with.  For the purpose of this story, let's take hate to mean, it causes me great anxiety.
3.  I had a pedicure appointment scheduled for 4:15 on 2/14. OK, I heard your sigh, but consider this - I hadn't had a pedicure since early November (and yes, the toes in the photo, really are early November pedicure remnants.) ALSO I have such a great pedicurist, it takes weeks for me to get an appointment with her, so cancelling wasn't really an option.

So, given all of the factors above, Lyndzi and I agreed to overnight her art work after school on 2/14, so that it would arrive with time to spare on 2/15.  My plan was to pick Lyndzi up at 220, stop by Fed Ex, pick up Kelsie, stop at the post office (if Fed Ex was too expensive), pick up $5 sushi and cake slices from Fry's (for our Valentine's Day celebration), drop the girls at home and go for my pedicure.  Well, I picked up Lyndzi's drawing and saw that it was drizzling outside.  It had rained earlier, but I didn't have time to spare, so I couldn't look for something to protect the drawing.  In my infinite wisdom, I placed it flat underneath my shirt.  I chose a pair of flip flops to wear (only because I had the pedi appointment coming up) and I walked outside. The ground was wet, I was holding my hand on my stomach to protect the art work, I took the shortest route possible to get into my car, slipped and fell on the cement between my car and the rocks on my driveway.  The pain set in immediately and I screamed out loud (Don't ask what - lol).  I managed to get up, still trying to keep the drawing flat, and made it into my car.  I was crying (and I'm NOT a crier) and I think I said "ow" repeatedly, on the drive to Lyndzi's school.  There were leaves on my shirt, my jeans had torn a bit, and I had mascara running down my face; so needless to say, Lyndzi was quite taken aback when I picked her up.  I explained what happened, and through my sobs, I asked her to text my pedicurist to let her know that I'd just fallen and had to cancel the appointment. Oh the irony!
We picked up Kels, and stopped at Fed Ex. The girls went in without me, and decided that we might be better off mailing the entry from the post office.  On to the post office I drove and waited in the car while the girls went in.  They mailed the submission, so at least that goal was accomplished; and we then drove to Fry's because  I didn't want to disappoint the girls and they agreed that they could go in without me.

I sat in the car, in a good deal of pain and twenty minutes later, I got a text from Lyndzi.  She told me that they had gotten the cake slices, but the kiosk had just run out of sushi and they were going to make more.  I asked if they wanted to wait or come up with a plan B?  Lyndz said that Kelsie said they could wait; so I agreed.  Another hour went by before I heard from them again.  At this point Lyndzi called and explained that the sushi lady was helping other customers before them, even though they'd been waiting longer and ultimately she had made them the wrong thing and they were going to have to keep waiting in order to get part of the order.  I told them to just buy what they had, stop at customer service to tell them about the problem they'd had with the sushi lady and call it a day; because at this point it had been three hours since I had fallen and I was in a lot of pain.

The girls came out of the store crying.  They were upset that they'd made me wait that long, and that everything had gone so badly.  I thought that it was just my sushi that hadn't gotten made, but it turned out that it was Lyndzi's as well; so with that, I told them that I was going to go into the store.  Did you just say "oh no?"  lol  Well, yes I did.  I got out of the car and started limping through the parking lot.  It was raining again, and the ground was slick, so do I really have to say it?  Yup, I slipped AGAIN, and fell in the Fry's parking lot.  3 kind people came to my rescue, and I have to say I feel really badly for the gentleman who helped me up, because I weigh A LOT, AND  I couldn't put any pressure on my ankle.  Hercules managed to get me up and I hobbled into the store.  I texted Kels and asked her to come in because I knew that there was no way that I could make it back to the car on my own.  I went to customer service, and suffice it to say that after talking to the manager and waiting another 25 minutes, I left the store with 2 free sushi rolls and a $25 gift card. (NO, it wasn't worth it.)

I drove home and I don't think I've ever been so happy to get there.  My ankle was terribly swollen and my knee was scraped up, but other than that I wasn't injured, so I considered myself lucky.  I iced it, and elevated it, but I couldn't put any pressure on it, so I used the crutches that Lyndzi had gotten last year, after a soccer injury.  Within 24 hours I thought I could get around without the crutches.  I continued to limp for 13 more days, and since the pain hadn't subsided I decided it was time to go to the doctor.

The medical practice that I go to, can do an xray in their office, so I  thought this would expedite my diagnosis and I made an appointment on Tuesday.  After speaking with the PA, she sent me for an ultrasound, because she suspected that my ankle was fractured. (They can do ultrasounds there too.) She told me that it would take 1-2 days to get the ultrasound results, but if I wanted to, I could get a boot that day, just in case.  I had the ultrasound, and went to get the boot, but the assistant told me that since I have a high deductible on my insurance, I'd have to pay $80 out of pocket.  I thought, if I have to, I will; but since I don't know if it's actually fractured and I've already been walking around on it for almost 2 weeks, I can wait another day or two.  Welllll,, if you've taken "The Ride" before, then you should know that things rarely go as planned for me, and this time was no different.  I called on Thursday afternoon to see when they might have my results and the very nasty associate had no idea and showed no interest in finding out.  She told me that it typically takes 3- 5 business days to get ultrasound results; so I informed her that's not what I'd been told, and I asked her to please have someone get back to me the next day.  I waited till 2:30 on Friday but since I hadn't heard anything I called again.  Blah, blah, blah no results but the associate was a little more compassionate about it.  By 830 Friday night, the PA had sent an email apologizing profusely.  Apparently the tech who was supposed to enter the results had been out sick for 2 days and no one covered for her.  She told me to continue wearing the boot and she would have the results for me first thing Monday morning.  Well, therein lied the problem.  I didn't have the boot, but she didn't know that.  I emailed back and explained that I hadn't actually gotten the boot yet, and THAT was why I was so anxious to get the ultrasound results.  I asked that she please get back to me ASAP and thankfully I received another very apologetic email on Saturday morning.  She told me that she was able to get the results and as they showed a subtle fracture and inflammation, I could pick up the boot before noon that day and I'd need to wear it for 6-8 weeks.  

Lyndzi and I went to pick up the boot, and the techs were quite amused when they asked the size of my foot and I said "very big."  They kindly got me fitted and taken care of; and although I had to pay the $80, they're going to attempt to get me a refund (supposedly.)  I know I have a bit of a battle left with the doctor's office, because sadly it seems difficult for them to do the right thing; but at least for now, I'm on the road to recovery.  I'm still considering myself lucky AND if nothing else, it finally brought me back to "The Bumpy Ride."

Till next time...
Paige
PS - For those of you who are still wondering about the magnetic false eyelashes, I should now have plenty of time to try and figure them out, and blog about that too.