Compliments

Blog Every Day in May is wrapping up here pretty quick but today's topic is: Tell us about the best compliment you have ever received.

At first I wanted to say one of the best compliments I ever received was Husband asking me to be his wife since today is our four-year anniversary. That's pretty nice right? Saying to someone that you want to spend the rest of your life with them? Then I got to thinking a little harder and I realized it was actually something Husband said to me the other night before we went to bed. He said:

You're a great mom.

That one little sentence that he probably didn't give a second thought to really struck a chord with me. Casey is my pride and joy. I'm happy to hear that his dad thinks I'm doing a good job because when I met Husband, I knew he was the one I wanted children with. I knew he'd be a great dad and I knew I wanted to parent with him. Those four little words also made me realize how important it is to compliment our spouse/significant other on the simple, daily things in life. Sure made me feel like a million bucks to hear.

13-Year Old Me

If you could talk to your 13 year old self, what would you say?

Dear 13-year old Randi,
There are a lot of people in the world that might not be intentionally unkind and might not really grasp just how sensitive a person you are but you will get your feelings hurt a lot in life. This is only going to make you a stronger woman in the long run although right now it sucks a whole lot. All that teasing Grandpa does to you now might not seem so nice but he might just be trying to toughen you up a bit and is just trying to teach you how to take a joke. When your classmates tease you about those scratches on your legs that you have no control over, it's only because they don't understand it, not because they don't like you.
You're doing the right thing by not chasing after boys. It's really not that big of a deal that it will take you a couple more years to get your first kiss. There is no rush to give yourself away because you will eventually meet the man of your dreams even if he's nothing like you ever expected and it will be much later than you ever thought it would be. I wish I could stop you from falling for and loving all the wrong boys between 13 and 30-something but they'll just make you appreciate your future husband all the more.
Math is so hard for you and will frustrate you for years but it shouldn't make you quit college all together. Although the struggles you will endure by working several ridiculous jobs - at times three at a time - will make you well-rounded and teach you many things, leaving your family to go away to college to get a degree should be your priority. Keep that amazing work ethic. Never stop learning. Read as much as you can. Travel often. Don't be afraid to try new things.
No matter what path you take and how many times you may stumble and fall along the way, things will be all right. You will survive. You will be surrounded and supported by amazing friends and a family who could not love you more than they do. Even at your darkest hour when things seem impossible and you feel like quitting, rest assured that you will be rewarded by being a mom to the most amazing little boy you could have ever imagined having as a son. We turn out pretty darn well.
Love,
36-year old Randi

Dream Job

If you could do anything in the world to make a living what would it be?

This might ruffle a few feathers but if I could make a living being a stay-at-home mom/keeper of the home, I think I would sign up for that in a heartbeat. Feminists fought to get women into the workplace and I definitely dig working but there are times when I am riddled with guilt because I am not spending the majority of my time forming my son into the man he will one day become. While I have the utmost confidence in Maria's ability to do this while I'm at my 8-5 job, I wish I was the one that without a doubt heard his first words, saw his first steps or had the satisfaction of knowing I was the one that initiated the potty training business we're deep into at the moment. 
Being a mom is where I derive the most pride in what I am doing. I see my accomplishments when Casey is polite or hilarious. I am very satisfied with the way I can run my household. Not only can I get everyone out of the door on time, I dig making appointments to make sure all the basic housekeeping as well as our physical wellness is being handled. I love how it feels after I've cleaned my entire home to my liking and if I have time to wash my own car, I am always very happy with what I have done. Balancing a checkbook and paying bills promptly and seeing my hard work reflected in a good credit score? Kudos to me.
So yeah. That's me. Basic to the core. 

News Flash

Talk about something that is in the news today.
A Powerball winner hit a $590.5 million over the weekend so I guess I will tell you the first ten things I would do with that money:

1. Pay off all my current debt
2. Save and invest a good chunk
3. Spoil the immediate family 
4. Get Husband a new car
5. Paint and repair our house
6. Fix up the yard
7. Take the whole fan-damily to Disneyworld for at least a week
8. Make sizable charitable donation to Parkinson's research 
9. Buy a whole new wardrobe
10. Have a spa day for me and my girlfriends - The Works! 

How about you? What would you do with that kind of money?

Favorite Traditions

We all make up traditions that carry over year after year. What is your favourite tradition? Big or small, share the details and why you enjoy it.

My dad has been a Dodgers fan ever since they were in Brooklyn and he was just a little boy in North Dakota. Because of this, we were all born bleeding blue. There was never any other option, we were simply Dodgers fans at birth. We have been going to Chavez Ravine for as long as I can remember and I don't know when it became a tradition, but my parents started taking me every year on or around my birthday. That tradition continues to this day but since I was in Michigan for my birthday we are going on Sunday the 26th this year.
The picture above was taken on May 10, 2008 at one of my birthday games. Over the years I have brought a guest, usually my brother Curtis, sometimes one of my girlfriends. This year, my guest was Husband. He and I had only been officially dating for less than a month. Mind you, we'd met up several times over the course of a year and had been communicating for ages online but we had only just made it official with I Love Yous a couple weeks before this game. 
Prior to this game, we had put Kiyah in Christine's parents' backyard so she'd have space to safely roam around. I couldn't leave her at my folks' because their yard basically leads onto a golf course and I couldn't leave her locked in my tiny apartment. We got to the game and about halfway into it we got a call saying Kiyah had escaped. Needless to say, a lot of the game was trying to make sure we could get her back when we got back to Oxnard. Near the very end of this game, Husband asked me to reach into his pocket but I declined to do such a thing in front of my parents. 
A little later he mumbled something about me being his wife or something of that sort and I realized he was proposing to me. No jumbo cam involved, just us and my folks in our seats. Boy did I cry! And when we got back home we were able to retrieve Kiyah from a neighbor and our story ended well. That was probably my favorite birthday game ever of all time and another reason why Chavez Ravine is pretty much the happiest place on earth for me aside from Disneyland.  

Best Friends

Who are your best friends and what makes them so special?

I will take this opportunity to tell you why I chose these girls as my bridesmaids:

• Caroline - we found each other in high school and have stuck together ever since. We've shared our best and roughest times together. I treated her very poorly when I was struggling with depression and she never once gave up on me. We had our babies at the same time. 
• Christine - my oldest friend, so much so that I hardly ever consider her a friend since she's more like family. We met at age two and know each other like the backs of our hands.  
• Kristi - She flutters in and out of my life but she's been around since Caroline & I first started kicking it. I can always count on her to take care of Rancho Viernes when I need her most. 
• Kelly - My other non-Jew when I worked at the Camp Ramah. She basically forced me to be her friend and we moved in together and she made me shine at a pivotal time in my life. She also is the first person that made me feel like I could dance without feeling like a dork.
• Olivia - I've known her since Kindergarten and though we hit a pretty lengthy patch of time where we didn't speak, we reconnected like no time was lost. She's my Hetero Life Partner and fellow movie lover. She has the most contagious laugh you'll ever hear.
• Frances - My sister-in-law first, friend second. I admire her ability to not only love but stay married to my brother. She gave me my beautiful niece and best buddy of a nephew. She's super funny and has the best hair of anyone I know. 
• Andrea - We share a kinship in being nerds and photographers. She was right by there when I was deciding Husband was going to be my one and only. When she is not on IM, her presence is greatly missed.

Catchup Haiku Friday

Internet was down

Like the dark ages at work

All day yesterday

***

I missed my blogging

So below you'll overdose

Cuz I'm catching up

***

Fun weekend ahead

The Strawberry Festival

Friends coming over

Saturday the 4th "Five Fave Blogs"
Share the blog love! Tell us about five blogs you love and why?
1 - Coodence's World: BFF's blog because she got me started  
2 - Adventures In Science: My oldest friend in the world! 
3 - Pant's Optional: Not only a bridesmaid, a daily IM companion
4 - Ly Family & Friends: Real life buddy with a cutie patooty daughter
5 - Hommemaker/Too Disgusting...: A good way to keep up with some sassy gays
But really? I love all the blogs I link to and check them daily.

Sunday the 5th "Fit and Healthy"
What do you do to stay fit or be a healthy individual? Share any useful tips and advice. Or tell us about your plans to get healthier.
Mostly I just walk the dog and chase my two-year old around. I should do more and will. I need to jump back on the diet plan now that I'm on the wrong side of 30. I'll likely start up again Monday.

Tuesday the 7th "Pets"
Tell us all about your pets, past and/or present. 

• Samantha the cat
• Ona the Akita mix
• Cuddles the white bunny
• Tippi the best mutt ever
• Kiyah the husky malamute 
• The Cat - must I say more?
• The bunny I killed with a couch aka Bubba
• The bunny that still lives with us aka The Bun
• Betty

Wednesday the 8th "First Job"
Tell us about your first job. Did you love it or was it horrendous?
My first paid job was babysitting and I loved it and continued doing it for about 20 years. My first "real" job was Hallmark. What wasn't to love?

Thursday the 9th "Favorite Social Media Channel"
Are you a Twitter-lover? Or maybe you can't get enough of Pinterest? Do you need to share every meal on Instagram? Do you waste away the hours watching Youtube? Or Facebook is your comfort zone? Tell us about your favourite social media channel and why.
I love and hate Facebook with a passion. I'm digging Instagram a great deal. Those 2 are my main go-to time killers.

Friday the 10th "Travel Dreams"  
If you could go anywhere in the world right now where would it be?
Right now? It would be anywhere but Mayville Michigan. Ideally I would love to go see more of, if not all of, Europe. 

Saturday the 11th "Book Love"
Tell us about your favourite book. Or maybe give us a top 5 of the books that changed your life.
My all time favorite would have to be To Kill A Mockingbird but right now I would just love to get through any book uninterrupted by my very busy life. I stinkin' love reading.

Sunday the 12th "Collecting" 
Are you a collector? Maybe a bit of a hoarder? Tell us about something you like to collect. Or if you favour minimalism, perhaps tell us why?
As far as collectibles go, I love getting crosses and miniatures from friends who travel. I also pick up magnets for the fridge when we go to special places.

Monday the 13th "Go Green"
Talk about being green, eco-friendly or ethical. What do you do to make a difference?
I totally recycle and try not to get bags when I don't need them. In general, we are a pretty conservative family.

Tuesday the 14th "Food Glorious Food"
Share your favourite recipe. Talk about the best cocktail you've ever tasted. Or maybe share you fave restaurant experience. Lets talking about food!   
I love all food. I can't really expand on this. I love the delicious as well as the social aspect of it. My ideal date is dinner or going out for beers. I think that wraps it up. 

Yesterday's Topic:
What is your ideal way to pamper yourself and relax?
Massage, mani, pedi, haircut in that order.
 
Today's Topic:
Describe or photograph your walk to work. Or journey to work if you use transport. Is it pretty or incredibly dull? Can you find something of interest on your way?
I have a 3-mile drive to work. It's down one of the busiest streets in Oxnard. I turn one corner to drop Casey off at Maria's. I turn another corner and pass an elementary school where there is always someone not using the crossing guard at the crosswalk to cross the street. Then I sit at 5-points which is a five point intersection that is the longest light in Oxnard. Then I drive through a hideous industrial area and arrive at my office. Yah, baby. Glorious.