happy august- Tequila!!

As sad as it is to see the summer fly by, I absolutely adore this time of year. There is so much to look forward to in the next couple of months... the Fall, everyone's kids going back to school and leaving the parks/museums empty for us, Halloween, birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and a baby due in the middle of the mix. Of course, August still means it's bloody hot here in Vegas, but the autumn and winter bring perfect weather. I am really looking forward to closing out 2009 with a bang. What a year it has been!

Last August, we were venturing out on our month-long hotel stay.. I still cannot believe we were homeless for an entire 30 days. Isn't it funny how you go through an experience and even though you tell yourself it's crazy at the time, you look back and think how/why/whuuut? So grateful that "adventure" has come and gone. I honestly wasn't emotionally stable last year at this time. I didn't realize that I was about to have a breakdown, but I certainly did- (come January.) It's been a hard year, but I have learned so much. Someone knew I needed a lot of growing up to do. I think I am finally ready to turn 30. I've spent a lot of time prioritizing my priorities. I honestly feel like a different woman than I was 12 months ago. I look forward to what's in store for the future, even if that means spending all my time surrounded by testosterone.

We planned on welcoming August with a family camping trip. But for some reason (not known to my husband or myself) it just didn't happen. Instead we organized the garage, put up shelves, mopped under the washer and dryer, hung curtains, bought a new vacuum- and a carpet cleaner, swam with friends, went garage sale shopping, watched movies, enjoyed slushies at Sonic, and relaxed somewhere in between. I think I will take that over camping, anyday.

Friday night, we got a sitter for the kids and went on a hot date. I have been wanting to see The Proposal for some time. Two weekends ago, we got to the theater a little late and it was sold out. We bought tickets to Harry Potter instead and I complained the entire movie. Don't get me wrong.. I love Harry. I've read all the books and I eventually wanted to see it (like when it came out on video) but I am definitely not a die-hard fan of the movies. Anyway, this weekend we were finally able to see The Proposal and I was completely disappointed. It was cute, at best. After it was over, I told Aaron I would have rather watched Harry Potter again-- and he punched me. I guess I was expecting it to be funnier because so many people told me it was. But I don't think I laughed at all during the entire movie. I did LOL at dinner, though.

We had a nice, quite, child-less dinner and Aaron told me at story about one of the secretaries at his office. I guess for years she assumed that LOL stood for "Lots of Love" so whenever anyone was going through a hard time, she would make sure to write extra LOL's in her loving emails. When the office tried to explain to her that it actually meant "Laugh Out Loud" she was mortified. She had to send out a long email to all her friends and family explaining that she wasn't really laughing during all their difficult times, but was in fact trying to send them extra love. That makes me smile. I wonder if some of her friends are still her friends after getting an LOL in response to a death in the family....

During dinner, we also talked money issues-- which I HATE to do on a date. I believe the conversation opened with me mentioning all that we have to look forward to (new baby, the Holidays, etc.) which made Aaron think about ALL that we have to pay for in the next couple of months. I resent him for being so practical and responsible. We have a lot of debt- thanks to law school- and we haven't exactly been penny pinching, lately. For instance, a simple dinner and movie date ends up costing $75 (when you include paying the babysitter and getting popcorn.) Can you believe movies these days are ten bucks a pop? I constantly wish we still lived next door to the dollar theaters in Provo. We used to go on Tuesday nights when it was 50 cents a show- which happened to be the same night Del Taco had 3 for $1 tacos. Those were the days, when dinner and a movie cost a total of $3. And we had to walk to the movie theater in the snow, barefoot... uphill, both ways.

Anyway, over dinner we made a few financial goals for the rest of the year. #1- no more eating out. We both agreed we can go the entire month of August with not even a soft drink the the drive-thru. We went a solid 2 months at the beginning of the year, and it wasn't too hard. Just takes a little more planning. #2- more creative date nights. I think getting a babysitter is always a brilliant idea, no matter what the costs. The kids love it and I can't survive without a night away. But we don't need to be spending a ton of money when we go out together. Most of our dates during law school were spent walking in the park or finding the craziest books at Borders. There's no reason to spend a fortune when all we really want is to be away from the kids. #3- a challenge to see who can spend the least amount of money in the next 30 days. We are down to a cash system and will be counting every penny. I think this will be the most difficult for me because I am with the kids ALL day and tend to splurge when I see that new backpacks are on sale. And when you buy a backpack, you get a cool new Transformer or Star Wars lunch box for free. Granted, my kids don't even go to school and the last thing they need is a new lunch pail, but I caved in. You would realize it's worth it if you saw Zack flying around with his new Superman backpack (that came with an embroidered cape!) Ben has carried his Bumblebee lunch pail and new water bottle around him since we bought it. I probably shouldn't have bought Luke's GI Joe backpack because he is a kid who has never cared about anything. I could've given him a plastic bag and he would have given me the same shrugging shoulders response. But I figured I should treat them all equally... some mom's tend to do that.

I can't write a weekend wrap-up without mentioning that we watched Pee-Wee's Big Adventure with our kids. Oh, yes we did. We found the new DVD at a garage sale for $1 and I just couldn't resist. Our boys LOVED every minute of it-- the Abraham Lincoln pancake flipper, the ginormous toothbrush, Francis: the fat man-child rich kid, the magic store, the psychic, the Alamo, the pet shop fire and the unforgettable motorcycle dance scene, "Tequila!" Of course, their favorite person was Large Marge. Zack was a little scared by her ghost, but he got over it soon enough. As much as I hate to admit it, the movie is a total classic. If it's been 20 years since you've last seen it, I would highly recommend it to you and your kids. If you live close by, I have a copy I am more than willing to lend out. After it was over, Ben asked if he grew up to be Mr. Bean. I told him no sadly. He grew up to be a pervert. I know you are, but what am I?

Oh, and yesterday I finally saw the Twilight movie for the first time (I watched it by myself while sewing curtains.)
I gave it a 7 out of 10. The books were a 4.