And so begins our 15 minutes

Well, we have a very huge announcement. Our problems are over, there is a light at the long road to financial security, and we will soon be joining the ranks of the rich and famous. As of now, my husband is a published author!
I am sure that his article will soon be nominated for a pulitzer, and you will probably start seeing it in your inbox every three days as the next sentimental forward that promises you full hair and angels singing over you if you forward it to ten people in the next 42 seconds.
In complete seriousness though, Chad submitted an article that he wrote about (you guessed it)HUNTING to several (yes, you guessed it) HUNTING MAGAZINES. After his elk trip last fall he decided to record the adventure, and then he got an email back that Traditional Bowhunter (you want a subscription? That link in a moment) wanted to run the article online.
So yes, his resume will now include Published Author in the accomplishments (?) section, which ought to come in super handy for all the firefighter applications. Right up there with Professional Singer (he sang the national anthem at the rodeo) and College Rodeo Cowboy. Is there anything my man hasn't done? I am so proud of him.
And the income from this second career...a whopping $50!!! So yes, watch out Beverly Hills, we are moving on up, and loading the mattress on top of the car when we come.
Read the story here!

OH MY WONDERFULNESS!!

So I am relatively new to the spa scene. As in, this is my second time inside of a building that is a real genuine spa. I don't think you can count the establishment that I frequented in high school to get my inch long acrylic nails. It was called Cali Nails, and we thought that the Asian woman who owned it was named Cali (that's what we called her anyways), but she didn't speak english and it turns out Cali was for CALIFORNIA...and what that has to do with nails I will never know.
Anyways, my first trip to a real spa was last summer. I had a gift certificate that I got for Cade's baby shower and decided to go get a facial and a manicure and pedicure. I expected three hours of bliss. Instead, I swear, they tried to use an acid rub on my face and my nail polish all wore off that afternoon. And trust me, this was no 'Cali Nail' type establishment. I expected more and really couldn't see what all the hype was about.
Enter this gift card and my appointment yesterday.
I was a little doubtful and wishing that the nice folks had given me money instead, but once my little Cat Nap was over, oh wow, I now understand the hype. It was, hands down, THE. BEST. THING. EVER. I think that if I could do that once a week, I would be the happiest mommy on the block. I have cracked the code to the abundant life--Jesus and Spa W. A winning combo.

Oh my poor brain...

So the other day I woke up in a funk. I went to my women's study and listened for an hour about how to get some joy, but I just kept thinking that joy only lives on one side of the bed. And I got up on the wrong one. Plus it was hot. And I was sunburned. And Cade wants to live outside, which is not good for all the hot and the sunburn. At any rate, by the time the afternoon rolled around I was really done with being a mom.
Chad comes home for dinner and then heads out again for class, which means I do bath and bedtime by myself. I was really debating about telling him that I NEEDED him to skip class and take over so that I could sleep or eat chocolate or a combination of both, but instead I decided to give myself a little incintive to push through. I called and scheduled a 'cat nap' at Spa W. They wrap you up in warm, good smelling towels, then massage you for an hour. It was just the carrot I needed to get through the night.
Or so I thought.
Right after Chad left, Cade picked up a water glass and threw it against the wall. It was a fun night.
But the most important part of this whole whiney story is this: I GO TO THE SPA TODAY!
And also, for any concerned parties, my mood is much improved. Chocolate helps.

Luke's New Moves!

This is Luke's newest AWESOME skill, all of the sudden he has gone from scooting around on his belly to this, the full fledged crawl. I will give you grammas some easter pics soon, but for now enjoy the trick moves of Luke!

Well, because I am bored, that's why

So, we are in Portland for a quick job application trip for Chaddy, and I am blogging at 5:30 in the morning. I don't really have anything to say or to add to the world except for this: Why do the boys hate me so much? They have already been up for an hour and a half AFTER not really sleeping at all last night. Seriously, if the bags under my eyes get any darker I will have people questioning me about spousal abuse.
Anyways, if you are up and around this ridiculously early, be praying for Chad's mad test-taking skills this morning. Like most fire agencies, you have to take a standardized test/personality profile before being asked to interview--so that's what he's up to this morning. Not this early, because no one does anything this early except feed cows (so I'm told), but he is studying to get ready. Because really, how beneficial is sleep before a test? The boys didn't think so either.