A Puppy, Please!

I just came across this photograph. A few years ago our family was in negotiations for a puppy.  My husband had mentioned this family feud to a client.  

Our daughter, wrote and mailed the following note to the client;

Dear Mr. Esptein,

Thank you for telling my dad he should buy me a dog.  It is starting to work.

From,

Randi Burks

Blue Ice on Lake Huron

I have never seen anything like this.  It seems that huge piles of blue ice are a phenomena that can happen in the Great Lakes, on occasion.  We found this formation off of a sandy shore of Lake Huron near Cheboygan Michigan State Park.  It was beautiful.  I begged my family (and one of Lizzy’s friends from college) not to climb on it.   They all poo-poohed me and had a great time while I fussed and worried.  

I was literally sick to my stomach watching them climb over the huge sharp shards of ice.  But, obviously, that didn't stop me from shooting a few pictures with my tired old Canon pocket camera.

As you can see in the photos, everyone is safe but I have read several articles since that warn about the danger of falling through a pile of this sharp ice.  I am not one to contain my anxiety to what could happen.  I let my anxiety run free and wild with Googlie thoughts of what could have happened, also. 

So today, my husband and I were telling a friend about the blue ice phenomena.  He grew up near Lake Michigan and has seen blue ice.  He added, "Yeah, every now and then some idiot would get seriously hurt climbing around on the piles.  It is very dangerous."

Uh.  Huh.  

I'm Not A Bitch! I Just Have Allergies!

For the last several years I have been tormented by splitting headaches.  I was always tired, too.  A simple trip to the park with the kids left me feeling exhausted.  In typical guilty mother form, I felt bad for feeling so bad.  But last year I had a knee surgery and, for the first time in our family's medical history, we met our health insurance deductible so I went crazy!  I went to an allergist.

Guess what?

I have allergies!  All this time I thought my fabulous suburban life was giving me a headache and sapping my energy.  I called it the "ungrateful bitch syndrome."

But I have allergies!

Yahoo!

Seriously.

Yahoo!
  

I have always loved this time of year, when everything is blooming, but this seemed to be the time of year that I was the most uncomfortable, too.  I am so thrilled to know that there is a physiological reason for my syndrome.

I have a runny nose and itchy eyes and I am short of breath so I am test driving allergy medications.  So far I am successfully using Optivar for my itchy eyes.  (It burns soo good!)  I have also developed a new appreciation for those kids that are crushing up little red Sudafed pills (the kind you have to sign for at Walgreens.)  I am beginnning to think that it is possible that all of those meth makers are just kids with really bad allergies gone bad.  Those little red pills are amazing and despite the fact that my doctor and pharmacist and webmd.com insist that it is not possible to become addicted to Sudafed it doesn't feel right to love a drug like I do.  On the advice of my doctor I also started a prescription of Allegra D.

I don't like having allergies but I am really happy to know that my problems aren't just my bad attitude.  Look at our lovely yard.  Everything is so colorful and alive.  What kind of monster would be grumping about while living in the middle of this suburban bliss?

Spring Break 2010

Shedd Aquarium with Friends!

Music:
Hard to Believe by VOTA

Photos:
Taken with a Blackberry so the quality is lacking but I believe the message was captured! The little kids seemed really happy (and exhausted) on the ride home.

Brochure For The Suburbs

School Assignment

Designed by Alex, Age 10.

Tell Me Your Story

Are you willing to share your suburban success story?
Tell me your story by clicking on this link.

Tami Kidd-Brown

Read my interview with a Successful Suburban Woman, Tami Kidd-Brown by clicking here.

I ask each of the women I visit to share some of their "favorite things."  Shoes.  Make-up.  Jewelry.  Awards.  Purses.

At first it feels a little funny but once I am able to prove that I am sincerely interested in what kind of moisturizer they use they kind of dig it.  One of the things that I was able to convince Tami to share with me was her favorite purse, a Choette Sac (in the picture above.)  The purse is really cute and it feels so sturdy that it might last for a couple of generations.  These bags are a bit pricey at $800, but as proof that I have spent too many years in my suburban universe I have somehow made peace with this price and am contemplating a purchase.  The amazing thing about this purse, that makes $800 almost palatable, is that it can be manipulated into 20 different styles.  Watch the video and check it out!

Choette Sac Website