the whole wide world

This morning we drove the same route we've driven for all of Kady's 3 years. Today, as we topped a hill, she announced,**

"Mama, I can see the whole world!"

**not our actual view. It might have been the quickest one I "borrowed" from flickr. . .

rambling notes from my christmas card list

Hello, all. Welcome back. Where ya' been? Me? Well, I was on the brink of death from some no-name, pathetic little virus. Did I get sick with the "real" flu bug going around. Nope. I managed to get really, really sick from your everyday virus. I'm an over-achiever that way.

Moving on.

It's time to send out my Christmas cards! I always moan and groan about doing this. I complain about having to pick out a card, and gripe about the trouble of rounding up all the addresses. (I always need an address. My address book consists of a bundle of envelopes scavenged from last year's cards and tucked in my never-opened scrap booking tote. . .)

The truth is that I actually LIKE getting Christmas cards. It's fun to open the mailbox and see a note handwritten by someone you know (and usually like!). Unfortunately, I discovered last year that my mailman IS authorized to deliver something besides bills and junk mail. Heretofore, I had simply blamed him for my lack of written Yuletide Sentiments. . .After stumbling upon my mother's stash of cards, I learned the truth: my family and friends do know how to send cards and are sending cards. . .just not to me. (Hey, S, Mom got your card! It was SO cute. I wish I had gotten one after sending you one for ELEVEN years straight. . .)

Anyway, this year, my new motto is "you gotta send one to get one." I'll keep you updated as to the progress. However, if you've been here long, you know I like to break rules, so I've already added a few new people to the list. Utilizing the old and new list, here are a few observations thus far. . .

• I am an eternal optimist. After years of knowing better, I will try for the "perfect" photo card EACH and EVERY year.
• We can't take a decent family picture.
• If you manage to get both kids looking at the camera, cover the bare feet, and hide (most of) the clutter, your camera will be out of focus.
• In. Every. Photo. completely out of focus. . .
• I know two people who live on Nottinghill. . .in different states.
• I know one person on Bearberry, which is just downright fun to say.
• My mailing region is rather small, even with the addition of 3 new states.
• The coldest place my card will be travelling: Minnesota.
• The warmest place: Texas or Alabama.
• Of course, the idea of a Hog fan's Christmas card travelling to Crimson Tide country could cause catastrophic weather conditions. . .

Do you want to join in on the Christmas card fun? Just drop me an email (rlkendr at yahoo dot com) with your address. Now, I want to know your Christmas card traditions. . .

what I didn't know

In case you've been keeping up with my captivating tweets regarding my illness, I'm still sick. I can't seem to shake this horrible, awful respiratory thing I've got going on. The doctor's take is it's a "virus thing" and I'm just going to have to get over it. . .Anyway, I have managed to squander most of my paid time off this week by staying home and watching crappy tv instead of going on a long-awaited cruise. . .not that I'm bitter or anything. Just to show how much I've been missing out by going to work each and every day and not staying home glued to my tv, I wanted to let you in on an upcoming show Tyra's doing. Seriously.

If you or someone you know attempted YOUR own plastic surgery but botched it, PLEASE call the Tyra show.

I spent the first delusional day of my illness convinced I had missed something, but it came on again the next day. They are seriously looking for people who tried to perform plastic surgery on themselves. Obviously, I've been living under a rock, because I had no idea this was a serious problem. Ssssoooo, share. What types of surgery are you considering attempting?

Nana, the secret running back

My son is a little obsessed with football this fall, after just completed his first season of REAL football. (It was awesome.) He plays football. He watches football. He shops for football stuff. He talks football. The kid likes football. Therefore, the following conversation should not have caught me as off-guard as it did.

Kyler: Mom, did Nana every play football?

Me: Nana? Play football? No, I don't think so.

Kyler: Yeah, did she play football?

Me: No, girls don't play football. [Forgive me. My brain was travelling in many directions trying to figure out where this was going.]

Kyler: No, Mom, like H. Did Nana play football?

Me: No, son, she did not.

Kyler: Are you sure? Because she had 2 of those mouth guards at her house. I asked her, and she said they were not Papa's. SHE SAID they were hers. Are you sure she didn't play football?

The mouth guards in question? They belong with this. . .

Question: What position do you think my mom secretly played before she was my mom?

nothin' much. and you?

Life is busy, and these are my random updates.

I am still trying to get down to my cruise weight. I'm pleased to announce, 10 more pounds, and I am CRUISE bound!! I tried a new workout last night. It's called Zumba. (Search it on youtube, if you're unfamiliar. Be assured that I looked nothing like that.) It's great if you have rhythm or coordination or hips that move. Unfortunately, I don't. I spent one hour and ten minutes attempting to not knock anyone down. I succeeded but just barely.

I will be attending a conference next week. I will be spending Wednesday through Sunday in New Orleans! This will only be my second flight (seriously), so pray that I arrive safely, please. Also, pray that Kyler and Kady behave, stay safe, and stay healthy while I am gone. There's nothing so nerve-wracking as being a mother and being away from your babies.

My long-awaited niece arrived last Wednesday. Miss M is here, and I still haven't managed to see her! I am certainly going to try to see that girl this weekend. In fact, other than cleaning house and packing for my trip, that's all that's on my to-do list. How about yours? Oh, and you can bet I'll be at least listening to the Razorbacks.

Go, Hogs, go!! Beat Troy!

favorite kyler quote of the month (so far)

"Well, whoever finds my underwear can just have it!"

This was said after my 9 year-old son attended a birthday party at an indoor pool. Apparently, his underwear miraculously wandered out of his locker and off to play basketball. . .or something. Yes, he is definitely my son.

just doing my part

It's now official. Arkansas is sin-filled. I am now living in a gambling state. . .and loving it. Really, I'm just doing my part. I'm stimulating the economy, while providing scholarships for the students of my state. I like to think of it as investing in my children's college education. And so far, I'm investing a lot of money. If our so-called "educational crisis"can be solved by throwing money at our educational system, I'm pretty sure we've solved it in about 30 days. And the new vocabulary. . .double down. Quick pick. One pick. Power play. Addiction. Fascinating stuff, I'm telling you. If you'll forgive me, I have to get my scratching quarter ready. . .I've got a winning ticket headed my way. Ooh, and now there's Powerball. . .