The Ladybug Pages - Life as a woman, wife, and full time step-mom

A Fabulous Mother's Day!

I had the best day yesterday!  I got hugs and Mother's Day wishes early in the day.  Then, Jordan skillfully persuaded Simon, Josie, and me to lounge lazily on the couch with her and watch two movies back-to-back.  We watched "Win Win" and "Unknown."  Both were quite good. 

I spent the next several hours doing a whole lot of NOTHING other than playing on the computer and other meanlingless things.  Every time I did anything even slightly resembling work, Jordan offered to help me.  Later in the evening, Josie surprised me with two roses and THIS!

How amazing is that?!  Simon, Josie, and Jordan:  THANKS FOR SUCH A WONDERFUL AND RELAXING MOTHER'S DAY!  It was perfect!  I love you guys!

Josie Got Her License Today

The day I've been dreading yet looking forward to has finally arrived.  Josie passed her driving test and got her driver's license today.

Naturally, I was quickly confronted with the fact that Josie would want to take the car.  Alone.  Without supervision. Ugh!

I reluctantly agreed to let Josie take my car to take Jordan to and from dance and go grocery shopping for me.  Bonus!  I didn't have to run errands after work!  This might work out after all...

CONGRATULATIONS, JOSIE ANN!!!!!

 

Lathrop Anniversary

I just want to say Happy Anniversary today to Simon, Josie, and Jordan.  Six years ago today I became Simon's wife and Josie and Jordan's step-mother.  This is the day my life finally changed for the better.  Simon, thank you for marrying me.  Girls, thank you for putting up with me.  I love all three of you with all of my heart!

Homework and Blogging Issues

At the beginning of the year, my goal was to blog every day in 2011.  I have only missed three days total, but two of those days were this week.

ACCT 5283 homework was especially brutal this week, and I procrastinated until the last minute like a big dummy.  It’s not that it was difficult.  It was just extremely long and tedious.  Toward the end, I just wanted to give up, turn it in unfinished, and walk away, but I forced myself to stick with it.  Several hours, six spreadsheets, and hundreds of mathematical figures later, I was done.  The best part?  Every single value I got matched the professor’s checkpoint numbers.  It felt really good.

I figure, at the rate I’m going, I should finish working on my MBA in about thirty-seven years.  I can see it now.  Ninety years old.  Cap and gown.  Accepting my diploma.  Falling off the stage, almost breaking a hip, right before Simon breaks my fall.

Here's Simon about to fall off Pike's Peak...

Chicken and Noodles

And Simon... I'm blowing off blogging... AGAIN!

Terry and Morgan Waska

A friend of mine from more than twenty years ago brought his brainiac son to see me at work today. It was so cool! Terry Waska's sixteen-year-old son, Morgan, has an impressive interest in and knowledge of chemistry. So, Terry thought it might be a good idea to show Morgan what role education can play in career options. I just hope I didn't bore them too much with my geeky enthusiasm. I love explaining analytical chemistry! It was a very cool experience for me...

Oktoberfest and More Fall Break

Coffee. Exercise. Oktoberfest in Tulsa. Whole Foods in Tulsa. In the Raw in Tulsa. Stillwater. Nap. Cocktails. OU football. K bobs, asparagus, and baked potatoes. Bed.

Fall Break Continued

Cocktails. Rib-eyes. Baked potatoes and broccoli. Chocolate. Bed. A perfect night. :)

Fall Break

Josie and Jordan have gone to Norman to spend fall break with their mom. Simon and I have the next four days to act like a young dating couple. Tonight we worked on the remodeling project, had cocktails, and ordered Thai takeout. Saturday, we're going to Tulsa for Oktoberfest, sushi, and Whole Foods. Lots of smiling on my part.

A Real Haunted House

Fall Break started today for Josie and Jordan, so they don't have school tomorrow or Friday.  I asked them what their plans were for tonight and they told me they were going to "The Haunted House."   I'm thinking, it's October and this is a college town, so there must be multiple haunted houses in Stillwater, raising money for this or that.  I asked them which one they were going to and how much money they needed.  Both girls explained to me that this was a REAL haunted house.  No money needed.

Jordan went on to say that, apparently some guy went crazy and killed his entire family in some house, right here in Stillwater.  Rumor has it, you can still see the blood on the walls!  Ooohhhhh!  Scary! 

We had an old abandoned mansion in the neighborhood where I grew up.  We used to go play in it and explore its creepy remains.  It was called Ma-Hu Mansion.  Every year around Halloween, it became a haunted house called Scream in the Dark.  I remember the exit was a slide that came out of a third story window.  The mansion has since been demolished, but it was a beautiful place before it became that run-down abandoned house on the hill that I knew as a kid

Ma-Hu Mansion in it prime

So, when my initial reaction was to scoff at the idea of a REAL haunted house in Stillwater, I stopped myself.  Why?  Because sometimes being scared is a lot more fun than reality.