Camp.

Today I am grateful for invitations.

more specifically, an invitation to me. from my dear friend, Kristy.

It's not a new invitation. it comes every summer. once or twice. if i'm lucky enough for her to make it up this way more than that, even better. and it usually produces some of my favorite memories from the summer. so what is this oh so special invite?

"do you want to come see me at camp this weekend?

Why yes, darling. I do.

Kristy's parents own a camp just up the road about 10 minutes from where I live. and every summer she comes home for a couple weekends and stays out at the camp. and she always extends the invite for myself or the kids and the marsh and i to come out and visit. and i love getting to go out there and see her.

I love sitting on the deck with her in the morning, drinking a cup of coffee and catching up on everything going on in our lives. I love sitting on that same deck in the evening with her, drinking a glass of wine and listening to the loons sing. We have hilarious conversations. and we have serious ones. It's where I first met her amazing boyfriend, ken. and it's where I asked her to be my children's Godmother. It's a time to come together and remember why we're such good friends. even though we live two states away.

It also comes with the benefit of her parent's hilarious neighbor, Gale. she's seriously one of the funniest people I have ever met. She reminds me alot of my mother, so i took to her right away. She is also amazing and has no problem letting us lounge on her deck down by the water or taking us out on boat rides. she's even taken my children out on boat rides too. She is just awesome.

The whole atmosphere at camp is awesome. and i seriously look foward to the time spent there with kristy each summer. this week i received my first invitation this summer. and i'm grateful for the chance to see her this weekend. and enjoy camp. I am also even more grateful for this invitation because Kristy is leaving next month to go live in London for 8 weeks. and while i'm extremely excited for her, it also means that I won't get to spend those special days lounging on parent's deck with her this summer like i normally would. so i'm glad we'll have this one weekend until August when she comes back.

I'm not entirely sure which day i'll be out to see her, but i'm going to try really hard to make it happen. and I'm grateful for any chance to see my best friend.

Thanks for reading!
Lana

Thunder Storms.

Today I am grateful for thunder storms.

I love thunder storms.

like really really love them

I love them during the day. when suddenly the entire world (or you know, that little town you call home) goes dark. it feels like night it's so dark. and then the lightning is so bright and shiny in the darkness. and then no matter how old you are...you start counting. just to see how long it is before the thunder sounds.

I love them at night. when the lightning seems to spider across the sky. creating so many different pathways of current. I love just laying in bed and being able to see the lightning out my window. and just listening to the rain on the roof. I woke up at about 2:00am this morning and just watched the lightning for a few minutes. and then this morning at 5:30 when i needed to get up for work I had no desire. I think it would have been easier to get up and go to work if it had been sunny. the rain and thunder seemed to be whispering to me. "stay in bed with a book."

and why I ABSOLUTELY adore thunder storms? because around these parts, it means summer is finally coming. thunder storms don't happen in the winter. they barely happen in the spring and fall. but in the summer? oh yes. we get them. and I am soo ready for summer. I'm done with the cold and the wind and the mud. I just want it to be summer now. and while memorial day weekend typically is the beginning of summer season as far as tourists go..i don't consider it summer time until we've had a couple decent thunder storms.

I'd say we're off to a fantastic start.

YAY for summer!

thanks for reading!
Lana

I Love You.

Today I am grateful.

for them.







somehow they just make everything better.

and I am so GRATEFUL for them. all the god damn time.

I just can't help it.



Happy Memorial Day!

Please know that i am also extremely grateful for everyone who wears a uniform. now and in times past.

thanks for reading!
Lana

Under Cover.

Today I am grateful for The Marsh.

I know. I know.

I'm ALWAYS grateful for The Marsh.

and why per say..am i so grateful today?
(hehe, that totally rhymed!)

because a few weeks ago he bought me a beach umbrella. a very pretty blue beach umbrella with pretty blue polka dots. and I love it.

and while I haven't yet ventured out into the beaching world (it's not that freaking nice out), I have on occasion used it at my house. earlier in the week my fair skinned sister and i used it while sitting at the table on my deck so as to not tarnish our beautifully pale skin. (a.k.a. we are incapable of tanning so we might as well prevent the burn) Today, I very much enjoyed my new umbrella while my children were playing outside in their little pool.

It was gorgeous out today. and my babies wanted to play. sometimes i really enjoy sitting in the sunshine. pretending i'm getting a super awesome tan even though I just put half a bottle of spf 1000 on. today though, i had just a little bit of a headache and I knew sitting in the direct sunlight wasn't going to be my idea of a good time. So i grabbed my shiny new umbrella and stabbed it into my yard for some nice shade while the kiddos went crazy. it was lovely. they used up lots of energy. and i used up none, while i sat in my shaded little fold out chair with my book.

isn't that the life?

that was rhetorical. of course, it was the life. it was amazing. and i'm grateful that the marsh bought me the umbrella to make it happen. and i'm grateful for this life i have that allows me lazy sundays full of sunshine and books and happy babies.

Thanks for reading!
Lana

twice as nice.

Today I am grateful to my sister-in-law.

again.

and to my brother.

for being a part of the few people whom at this point STILL had not seen The Avengers.

why is this so wonderful? or should I say why WAS this so wonderful?

because last night my sister asked if i wanted to go see it again with her...

AND I WAS LIKE YES FUCKING PLEASE.

because you know, i may have enjoyed it the first time i saw it.

and I asked my brother to come because I knew he hadn't seen it yet.

and i knew he wouldn't want to go alone. he would want to go with his favorite sister. for company. it doesn't matter that she's already seen it.

nope.

and i loved it. again.

and I drooled all over Loki. again.

it made for a very nice evening of beautiful men. in tight pants.

i mean really..who isn't grateful for that?

heck yes.

Thanks for reading!
Lana

Getto Margaritas.

Today I am grateful for getto margaritas.

I know.

they were about as awful as they sound.

but after two or three, you don't really seem to notice anymore. they actually become ingenious. maybe.

How do i know this? Well, today after work The Marsh and I went to his parents for dinner. We arrived just in time to see his mom leaving. "Where are you going?" The Marsh asked. "To pick up some jose cuervo" she replied.....and in that moment. i knew it was going to be a good night.

of course, The Marsh's sister, Kristin, and I didn't wait for his mom to come home, so we started out making some horrible mixed drinks. i'm talking malibu and fruit punch. and some other weird green alcohol.

it felt a little bit like my freshman year of college all over again.

and then the jose showed up. with limes. everything we needed for margaritas! except, of course, an orange based liquor, because Kristin didn't realize she was out. so we used orange juice instead. no biggie.

I told you they were getto.

Kris and I had fun drinking them though. and alot of fun laughing about what geeks were are. and how much we really need to make time to go out dancing.

over all I would say it was a successful friday night. lots of music and laughing. and tequila. a girl really can't ask for more. so i'm grateful for my sister-in-law. for tequila fridays (or you know, tequila any days) and for getto margaritas.

Thanks for reading!
Lana

Cinderella.

Today I am grateful for Cindrella.

No, not the princess.

but my very good friend, Corey.

I just happen to call him Cinderella. because we used to work together. and i had to teach him how to mop. he was 16. how a 16 year old doesn't know how to mop is still beyond me. but apparently we bonded over the experience. and i've loved him ever since.

Like i said, Corey and I used to work togther at a little place i like to refer to as HELL. okay, so i guess it wasn't that bad. but it was a pet store. full of little animals that piss, and shit, and bite you....and okay. i lied. it really was that bad.

but obviously i was in good company. Corey and I became very good friends. he was a grade behind me and even went to a different school, but we stayed in touch when i moved out of state and remained friends throughout the craziness of my marraige and pregnancies.

When my brother told me he wasn't going to be able to make it to my wedding, i remember feeling devastated. and remember thinking in that moment that there was only one other person I would want to take his place in my wedding...and that was corey. he really came through, renting the tux and everything last minute. I was so glad to have him there sharing in my special day. he made the fact that my brother couldn't be there a little bit easier to bear. I'll always be grateful to him for that.

The reason I am grateful for him today,is  because after not seeing him for almost 2 years (thanks to him going to grad school in D.C.) I FINALLY saw him tonight. He came over for some dinner and wine. and it was just amazing. the best part about having such an easy and wonderful friendship with someone since you were 16, is that no matter how much time has passed, every visit is just so much fun. We drank (after all, we are WASPs), we ate, we laughed, we caught up, we drank some more. I'm just so grateful for wonderful nights like this one. He's back home now, all finished up with school for the most part. so i am hoping to be able to see him a little bit more often than once every two years. He's just such a happy, fun. amazing person. and he makes me feel like i have those qualities too.

i hope everyone else is lucky enough to have such a friend. and is also equally grateful.

Thanks for reading!
Lana

Darwin. and all that jazz.

Today I am grateful for strong stomaches.

on both The Marsh and mine's part.

You see...The Marsh has a little problem with getting squigged out when it comes to blood. well, The Marsh actually has a problem with getting squigged out when it comes to alot of things. blood just happens to be one of them.

I'm built a little tougher than he is. but being married to him has started rubbing off on me. consider him the colorado river. and me the grand canyon. parts of him exist now where I used to be.

long story short. i tend to get squigged out now too.

but being parents you don't always get that option. especially when you have two toddlers who's favorite past time is beating the shit out of each other.

in today's episode of Captain BreyMan America ...(or was it Iron BreyMan?) Arch Nemesis Numero Uno (a.k.a. my not so sweet daughter) got the upper hand. and by got the upper hand, I mean she body slammed herself down on him. in the face. which caused immediate tooth through lip damage. and then lots of loud screaming. and blood.

oh yes. lots of blood.

I'm grateful The Marsh went into instant Daddy-Mode and just grabbed Brey and ushered him into the bathroom while I went into Mommy-mode and grabbed the ice. I was worried for a sec about The Marsh. Was he going to faint? please god no. he might hit his head. and then there would be even more blood to clean up.

.....moving on.

You want to know what the problem with two people who get squigged out easily reproducing is? they have babies that get squigged out too. (I know you are so in love with how many times I have used the word "squigged" by the way) Brey was doing okay, yelling and crying, but keeping it together for the most part. and then all the blood that had been pooling in his mouth proceeded to run all down his stomache. every see a 4 year old instantly turn hysterical? it would almost have been funny if I didn't feel so bad for the little dude.
We got him cleaned up and he seemed a little bit better. as long as he couldn't see the blood he wasn't quite as worked up.

He's fine, btw. Got a pretty little scab on his lip, and it's be fat in the morning. hell, it's fat now. but he'll be okay. he's was very proud of himself for still being able to give bed time kisses. cause he's all adorable like that.

so I'm grateful that my little man is okay. and i'm grateful that The Marsh and I seem to have been able to reach a mind over matter attitude when it comes to parenting. blood happens. there is no room for the weak. oh so i've been told. Darwin and all that jazz.

Thanks for reading!
Lana

Dic Dot Com.

Today I am grateful for Dictionary.com

Why?

Because the older i get, the more freaking dumb i get. apparently.

I used to be such a good speller. I mean, I wasn't winning any spelling bees or anything. mostly because i was always that kid who needed to write down a word to be able to spell it. actually, i'm still that kid.

The longer i've been out of school, the more i feel basic stuff just slipping away. okay. so it really hasn't been THAT long since i've been out of school, but spelling words just seems so much harder now than it used to. and I can't even blame it on spell check for making my brain mush. because i HATE spell check. and don't turn it on. the squiggly red line makes me ANGRY. like the hulk.

When i'm at work and need help spelling a word, i break out the trusty dictionary. and then have to proceed to say the entire alphabet out loud in order to even begin looking for how to spell the word. but it makes me feel like i'm using my brain to accomplish something. when i'm at home? everything is dictionary.com. I must use it three to four times per every blog entry. well maybe not every one. but you get the idea. It's basically always open in an extra tab. like a little security blanket. or you know, a crutch. i enjoy it also because i hate it when i'm forced to use a different word than what i originally wanted to. because i can't spell it.

so today i am grateful to the awesome dictionary.com site for keeping this girl's spelling and vocabulary in check. i appreciate the ability to not look like an idiot.

does anyone else feel like their brain just doesn't work as well as it used to?

Thanks for reading!
Lana

I believe this thumb is turning green.

Today I am grateful for this beautiful weather we have been having....

I figured I should be grateful for it today.

before it goes away again tomorrow. motherfucker.  that's new england for you.

ANYWAYS....

great weather. right.

my reason for being so super psyched about this beautiful weather is that I finally got my vegetable garden planted. *SQUEE!*

I say finally like it's been planting weather here for so long or something. technically planting isn't even suppose to start until next weekend, so i'm ahead of the game. but i've just been so freaking excited about actually doing this, that it feels like it's taken FOREVER to actually accomplish it.

and now it's all done.

again with the squeeing.

I didn't take a picture....I probably should. (memo to self: take picture of super awesome gangster garden tomorrow.)

I still have a couple more garden related things to do. I bought a tomato plant today that needs to be transfered to a bigger pot. and i need to find a home for it on my deck. I also got an orange pepper plant, a red pepper plant, a jalepeno pepper plant, and a habenero pepper plant. yes. I do indeed like my peppers. and they all need homes now too.

but as previously stated, we're getting rain AGAIN. tomorrow. so they'll just have to wait.

for now I'm just grateful the weather was so beautiful over these past two days so that The Marsh and I could get the garden planted before the rain comes again.

my skin? not so grateful. no matter how much sun screen i used, my face is still red, damn it. I think i need a big floppy gardening hat.

i'm sure i would rock it.

Thanks for reading!
Lana

One More Night.

Today I am grateful that there is only one more night of this horrible horrible thing i like to call "The Marsh's current work schedule"

Can I get a hallelujah?

This is currently me.

on the inside, of course.

It's been a long five and a half weeks. I have so much respect for people who spend their lives working on the opposite shift of their partner. five weeks and I'm done. I couldn't even begin to imagine doing it for years. YEARS! pheww. fuck that.

the last five weeks have been full of sleepless nights and the babes missing The Marsh helping them through their bed time routine. there has also been many days full of "if you wake daddy up you are going to BE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!!!" yea. I'm not going to miss that. at all.

after this last shift, The Marsh will go back to his ORIGINAL work shift for a grand total of two weeks, and then he'll go back to what he was working before, the 12 hours days. It'll be good going into the summer, because when he gets out at 6:00, it will still be light out and he can play with the babes outside for a while. plus he'll have more actual days off again, so we can somewhat enjoy the summer. beach trips and what not.

mostly i'm just excited to have him back with me again when I sleep. I've been sleeping in the same bed as him my entire adult life. I don't care for change thankyouverymuch.

so tonight i'm grateful that this whole ordeal is over. and it's just one more night.

oh, and if the title of this blog didn't get you singing Phil Collins in your head, we can no longer be friends.

or maybe I'm the only one who relates everything to a Phil Collins song....

Thanks for reading!
Lana

Ginger Kids.

Today I am grateful for genes.

specifically, my genes. and The Marsh's genes as well.

kinky, right?

Why am I so grateful for our combined genes?

because I am SO grateful that we didn't produce this....

a ginger kid.

yes. I went there.

You see, after years and years of fighting the fact that I am actually a red-head, (that's strawberry blonde! thankyouverymuch) i finally began to embrace it. being a blonde or a brunette is soo over done. only 3% of the population are red heads. or something like that. and being a red head is kinda hott, right? (the correct answer is yes..) but it might not be so very hott, if you are THAT kind of a red head. crazy curls. wire-y hair. lots and lots of frizz. half of the time they are compared to orphan annie. the other half, someone is going on about their souls. or lack there of. but how can being THAT kind of a red head be even worse? you could be a boy.

yup.

it's pretty awful.

painful really.

and i thank god every single day....that the ugly kid in that picture will never be my son. go ahead. call me shallow. and then tell me how you don't want you're children to grow up to be beautiful.........oh whats that? you don't want your children/future children to be ugly either. thats what I fucking thought.

anyway. when I found out that i was pregnant with a boy, I was soo excited. but then i had a moment of panic. everyone kept saying "oh, your baby is going to have red hair!" and then I would hyperventilate. I did not want my son to have red hair. at all. why? because no one ever looks at a red headed dude and says "wow, I want to have sex with that!"

are you still with me?

I know. no mom wants to think about their babies growing up and having sex. but that doesn't mean it isn't going to happen someday. and I want my son to grow up with confidence. i want him to know that not only is he this totally amazing person on the inside, he's also one good looking guy on the outside.

lucky for me I ended up with this little dude.

ladies, eat your heart out.



yes. he has red hair.

but he doesn't have the crazy ginger kid red hair. thank you baby jesus.

i thought that it was only me. that i was just this crazy mom making a big deal out of nothing. until The Marsh called me tonight to say that he had watched We Are Marshall again and realized that the coach's son in the movie has crazy ginger red hair. and he said "I'm so grateful Brey doesn't have hair like that!"

Me too, babe.

me too.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend! and please don't think I discriminate against ginger people. as I happen to be one. I'm just grateful that my son is gorgeous. you can't really hate me for that?

Thanks for reading!

Lana

Just Dance.

Today I am grateful for a few very special moments.

not for myself.

but for my dear friend, David.

This is him....

You may remember that I posted a few weeks ago about going to his and his beautiful wife, Alison's, wedding. I may have also mentioned that they were, in fact, already married because David's mom was very sick and they wanted to mke sure that they were married before anything happened to her. So last November, David and Alison had a very small ceremony with close friends and family so that his mom could be there.

and you know what? She was there for the big wedding too. She looked beautiful, I wouldn't have even guessed that she was even remotely sick. I can only begin to imagine how special it was for David to have his mom sitting there in the front row at his wedding when he once thought it might not be a possibility. and then there was the mother/son dance. if you can imagine, it was a little bit emotional. okay, so it was alot emotional. I was so happy for him, so glad that he had that amazing moment of dancing with his mom. on the happiest day of his life.

16 days later, David's mother passed away.

My heart seriously breaks for him. in to teeny tiny unimaginable pieces.

I'm so torn between being sad for him, and being so grateful for him that he got those few precious moments with his mom. I'm sure he feels the same way, happiness that she was there for such an important day in his life, heartbreak that she won't be there for all the rest of his happy moments.

but tonight I'm choosing to be grateful for him. that he had these last few months with her. that he had the last 25 years with her. that she held on to be there for his wedding. and that she is somewhere now watching over him and Alison both.

and I'm once again grateful that my parents and still both here for me to call and say "I love you" to if need be.

Thanks again for reading!
Lana

Quiet.

Right in this moment, I am grateful for the quiet....

my babes have been fighting all night.

and now I have another migraine. i get them alot, unfortunately. (note to self: something to NOT be grateful for.)

but right at this very moment, the babes are finally sleeping.

and my house is finally quiet.

which is always something to be grateful for.

and i can finally try to sleep off this headache.

so with that I bid you goodnight!

and happy tuesday.

Thanks for reading!
Lana

Dig it!

Today I am grateful for my property.

ok, so that's kind of vague.

I guess I am grateful for owning this beautiful lot. so I can attempt to branch out in my green thumb department.

I suppose branching out isn't quite accurate. that implies some sort of base knowledge rooted by some sort of metaphorical tree. I guess what I am saying is I am attempting to plant that tree.



except instead of a tree I'll be planting a little vegetable garden.

you see in the above picture, all those little yellow daffadils on the bottom left? well, I had the great pleasure of ripping them out a few weeks ago. yes. i know most people don't get excited about ripping up pretty yellow flowers. I think at this point we've established that i'm not most people.

I'm grateful that by owning our own property and having plenty of it, The Marsh has agreed to let me proceed foward with this little garden experiment. He seems to think that he's a world class garden grower. I would say we'll see, but I haven't quite decided if I am going to let him near my garden yet. it is MY metaphorical tree. and attempting to garden is one of those life skills i really want to master. I want to grow my own veggies. I want the babes to be able to grab a few string beans on the go for a snack and it gives me some peace to know where they came from. Don't get me wrong. I'm certainly not a crazy oganic fanatic. I respect people who are, but it's just not for me. not to mention my frugal husband would never spend five dollars on a tomato. ever. but there is just something reassuring about the babes snacking on food from a garden that I planted. There's also a certain happiness or contentedness i'm hoping to feel with gardening. the same feeling I get after I've cleaned the house. or gone on a run. or practiced yoga. Today I was outside tilling up the soil and pulling more weeds in anticipation of planting in the next coming weekends. there was a sort of zen that came with finishing.

I am, however, glad that no one was there to witness the actual act of said tilling and weeding. the one set back in this whole gardening thing is that i don't particularly care for dirt....or bugs...I know. I know. not exactly ideal for gardening. but I'm working on it. maybe this whole thing will teach me some patience. or maybe it will be great anger management. no one needs to know the crazy that takes over when I come across a worm. but eveyone should be forewarned not to ever jump me when I'm holding a spade. fyi.

so today I am grateful for this new challenge I am about to undertake. and I'm grateful for this wonderful little piece of property The Marsh has bought for me, so that I can continue my personal growth. here's hoping i don't manage to kill my metaphorical tree.

Thanks for reading!
Lana

Oh Momma!

Today I am grateful for two things.

Number 1: My beautiful Momma.

Isn't she lovely?

I'm so lucky to have such an amazing mom like her. yup, this lucky lady right here hit the jackpot. obviously by getting me as her daughter! (I kid, I kid, I meant I hit the jackpot. jeez.) She's been such an inspiration to me and such a strong role model my whole life. She's been there through all my ups and downs. She's there for me when i'm sad or having a bad day. or feel like my children are driving me crazy. somehow she seems to relate to this...
we laugh together. we have fun together. we drink wine together. She's without a doubt one of my very best friends. and I cannot imagine my life without her.

I know other people, men and women alike, who don't have that awesome relationship with their mother that I share with mine. and I am soo grateful that my mom and I have this amazing special bond. I'm truly blessed and I hope my children and I share the same bond someday.

So Happy Mother's Day to my Momma. For being a rockstar. obviously.

Number 2: My beautiful children.

I'm so grateful everyday to have them in my life. To hopefully be everything to them that my mother is to me. to teach them. to play with them. to sing and dance with them. to read them to sleep (when they don't mine me filling in for The Marsh). to love them.

I'm so proud to be their Momma. and so grateful for the wonderful gift of being their Mom.

So Happy Mother's Day to all the other mom's out there who know exactly what it feels like to have such an amazing gift. and who are rockstars at it to boot.

Thanks for reading!
Lana

Small Town, Saturday Night.

Today I am grateful for this little world I live in.

my family. my home. my life.

I'm grateful for the good days.

and I'm grateful for the bad days. they help me be extra grateful for the good ones.

Today was a bad day. and today was a good day.

It was a bad day because today was my dad's little cousin's funeral. It was enormously sad. He was 42. too young to die. he left a teenage daughter behind. and to me that seemed the saddest part of all. She will never get to have him walk her down the aisle someday. if she has children, he'll never know them. even though I didn't know him very well myself, I found my heart breaking today at the funeral for all the things he is going to miss. and I I found myself so very grateful that my own dad was there for those special moments with me. that my children know my dad, and love their "Bumpa".

it also made me think about how sick my father-in-law has been. and made me grateful that now that he's home again he seems to be holding strong. I pray that last a very long time.

Today was a good day because it was my sister Jasmine's junior prom. and she decided to take my other sister, Emily, as her date. So my oldest sister and I set to work doing their hair and make-up and generally making them look beautiful. It was a lovely moment. All four sisters in my mom's kitchen laughing and joking with my mom looking on. my husband was reading in the next room and my children and my niece were running around. Life just doesn't get more complete than that, does it?

 Of course, there is a certain happiness that comes with NOT being constantly surrounded by family. it's generally that motivating factor that pushes us out of our parents house and helps us create lives of our own. seperate from our families. but that doesn't change the contentment I felt being surrounded by family. maybe it's such a beautiful feeling because I know I can go back to my own quiet little house at the end of the day and get away from all the craziness after. :0)

So at the end of this bad and good day, i sit here now reflecting on all the emotions I put my body through today and I would have to say that gratitude definately trumps all. maybe i'm more inclined to be grateful for things now because I write this blog. maybe it's easy to be grateful for life when you have sick family members or you see life get cut too short. maybe it's just because I'm drinking a glass of wine and it's time for my kids to go to bed and I'm just generally grateful for those things. whatever the reason, I love my life. and I'm grateful. every. single. day.

I hope you all feel the same.

Thanks for reading!
Lana

1001.

Today I am grateful for  for 1001.

page views, that is.

After my 86th post last night, today when I signed on to blogger I noticed something awesome.

That my little blog about being grateful had 1001 page views.

wow.

I know compared to all the big time blogs out there, thats small potatoes. but to me, that amazing.

I started this blog as an outlet of sorts. as a way to keep myself in check. to keep remembering the positive things in life. even when faced with a ton of negative.

I blog about silly things. sad things. happy things. geeky things.

I blog about my father-in-law who happens to be sick. and I'm grateful that after a week in the hospital that he is home again.

I hope that somewhere along the way anyone who has read this blog has found a new reason to be grateful. or has remembered something they were already grateful for and took a second to cherish it. to be thankful for it. and I just want to say thank you to everyone who continues to read. and I hope you all know that I am grateful for you all putting up with my ranting and raving!

Thanks for reading!
Lana

Thank You, Mr. President.

Today I am grateful for President Obama.

because today he became the first president of the United States to publicly announce that he believed gay couples should be allowed to be married.

and I think that is just amazing. I am Amazed

The issue of gay marriage, or as I like to call it, marriage is so important to me. for several reasons.

1. I have some dear friends whom are wonderful and amazing. and they just happen to be gay. and I want each and every one of them to achieve happiness at every level they could possibly want. If they want to marry that one person that they are absolutely in love with, I'm down with that. Actually, if they want to marry someone they only sorta like, I'm down with that too. because it's none of my fucking business who they marry.

2. along the same lines as number one, I have some very dear family, whom are wonderful. and amazing. and they just happen to be gay. or bisexual. I want all of them to be able to get married. or not married. whatever they decide. I want that to be the beauty of it. they can have it if they want. or not if they want. the point is, it's THEIR decision. no one elses.

3. I am a human being. and I don't think that anyone should have the ability to tell anyone else who they cannot or cannot marry. a person should never be denied such a basic human right. a person is a person. Jeez, didn't any of these people ever read Dr. Suess? It breaks my heart that people think they have a right to tell another human being what they can or cannot do. and it breaks my heart that people are saying President Obama only did this for the votes. and disagree on this for several reasons...but I won't get into that now.

right now I am just going to bask in this amazing moment. and be so grateful.

and I'm also going to pray very very hard that our president gets re-elected, so that the next one doesn't come in and undo everything that Obama has done for Americans tonight. Gay. Straight. Bisexual. Asexual. whatever.

Bravo.

Thanks for reading!
Lana

My Dear Watson.

Today I am grateful for netflix instant viewing.

it allows me to watch this gem...

which is awesome because

1. It's Sherlock. (seriously)

2. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Sherlock.

and it just so happens that he's also been cast as Khan in the upcoming new star trek movie. so I can watch him here, before seeing him take on such an epic role against one James T. Kirk.

I know what you're thinking.

Does everything in her life come back to Captain Kirk?

no.

it doesn't.

It often comes back to Mr. Darcy too.

and you know, Thor and Loki.

or possibly Professor Snape..

and absolutely Mr. Spock.

and yes, EVERYDAY on occasion James T Kirk.

Both of them.

On top of being grateful for netflix for giving me the gift of Sherlock, I'm also grateful fot The Marsh.

who puts up with all of my fictional boyfriends.

Thanks for reading!
Lana

Arch Nemesis Numero Uno.

Today I am grateful for Arch Nemesis Numero Uno.

yes, my son and I have an arch nemesis.

duh. you can't be a super hero without one.

Our arch nemesis just happens to be this lovely lady...

also know as Georgie.

Isn't she beautiful?

Don't I know it. Thats what makes her such a powerful arch enemy. her powers? cuteness. and manipulation.

But all kidding aside (no I'm not actually kidding, she really is an evil villain) I'm so absolutely grateful for her.

Georgiana falls into that awkward category of planned, but yet unplanned. The Marsh and I were already married and had our son. We absolutely planned on having more children. finding out that we were having another one when Brey was only 5 months old? that was just a little unexpected. but the best things in life are, right? I mean I always planned on falling in love one day...okay, so maybe I didn't, but when I met The Marsh it just happened anyway and I wouldn't take that back for anything. Just like I wouldn't take back Brey being the suprise that he was. or Georgie's overwhelming sense of timing.

I have to admit that when I found out i was pregnant again I really didn't have an opinion either way as to the sex of the baby. during my first pregnancy I knew without a doubt that I wanted a boy..after achieving that, i could admit to being perfectly happy having two sons. but also knowing how much The Marsh wanted a girl, well I certainly would have been happy with that too.

 and I am.

Because this little miss is the epitome of girl. Can't you tell? She loves pink. She actually told me last week that beautiful people like the color pink.

she's 3.

She loves her hair curly. she loves her hair straight. she loves pretty dresses and tea parties. and she loves her baby dolls and princesses. Now I myself was not in anyway shape or form a girly girl when I was little, but I certainly am now. I admit to enjoying myself a little too much when she sits in the bathroom with me watching me put on my make-up. she always asks for a little blush on her face. or maybe a little lip gloss. It's incredibly sweet. and those are the moments that i cherish more than everything. i'm so grateful for those beautiful little moments that all seem to pass too quickly.

They also seem to help make all of those "I'm about to go all evil villain on your ass" moments a little easier to handle. most of the time.

This weekend she was my big brave girl and decided she wanted to get her ears pierced. The Marsh has been really hesitant about allowing her to get it done. Something about making sure she actually wants it done. maybe she should wait until she's a teenager. he's such a boy. and a dad. but he finally relented.

She was perfect. a little shell shocked at first. It's hard to explain to a three year old exactly what is going to happen during the piercing process. but she took it like a champ. no tears. she's been really great about not playing with them. i'm so proud of her :0) my little lady.

So tonight I am grateful for her. or at least that's what I keep telling myself at 11:29 pm while I keep telling her to lay down and go to sleep and no she does not need anything to drink...

Thanks for reading!
Lana

Daddy-O.

Today I am grateful for my Dad.

Here he is with my brother last December...

Today is his 45th birthday. Happy Birthday, Dad! (even though by the time you read this it won't be your birthday anymore.)

I'm so very grateful to have my dad in my life. I wasn't lucky enough for him to be my biological father. although whether or not my mom met up with him in a dark alley 9 months before I was born is still up for debate. My mom met my dad, Jay, when I was 4. and the rest as they say, is history.

Over the years there have been ups and downs, of course. We're both emmensely stubborn people. and have what you might call "strong" personalities. sometimes that tends to clash. but I thinks all the clashing made us closer over the years. I may not have my biological father in my life, but I've never felt for one moment that I lacked a Dad. ever.

Adding to this giant fuckery of a year, Today, on my dad's birthday, his little cousin passed away. I'm just so sorry for everything that his family is going through. and so very terrified of anything happening to my dad. My father-in-law is still in the hospital and The Marsh is dealing with the very real possibility that he could lose his dad soon. I'm so so so grateful that right now, my dad doesn't seem to be going any where. I need him right here with me. because the two of us together can make fun of everyone else like no one's business. and really, it's an act that's taken 20 years to perfect. I don't plan on breaking in a new partner any time soon.

So today I am grateful for all my dad's 45 years. and I'm grateful in advance for the next 45.

Happy Birthday, Daddy. I love you.

Thanks for reading!

Lana

Peanut Butter and Chocolate.

Today I am grateful for Peanut Butter and Chocolate.

Has there ever been a more perfect combination?

I mean, other than James Kirk and Mr. Spock....

Obviously.

My Dad's birthday is coming up this weekend. and since's he's a big pain in the ass (love you Daddy!) and didn't mention anything in particular that he wanted for his birthday cake, I chose for him.

which I'm actually kind of okay with, because I tend to be a control freak. sometimes. on occasion.

I didn't make a traditional cake...just some mini-cakes. and these mini-cakes just happen to be chocolate. with peanut butter cream frosting. and chocolate ganache. and chopped reese's peanut butter cups.

I'm not quite sure if they are gonna make it to tomorrow's party. i might sleep walk and eat them all or something. They just look oh so yummy. and I'm so grateful for the combination of chocolate and peanut butter. because as previously stated, it just doesn't get any better.

Thanks for reading!
Lana

$3.39.

Today I am grateful for Kohls cash.

because I got new set of beautiful red wine glasses and one very large beverage dispenser for $3.39.

and I really needed some new wine glasses.

and the beverage dispenser was just fun. it will hold lots of homemade sangria.

and it was also super cheap!

YAY!

I'm choosing to be grateful for kohls cash right now, because earlier today my father-in-law was admitted to the hospital.

He basically had no white blood cells and had a fever. Last I heard they also think he has pnemonia. so he has been admitted to the hospital. none of this is super great news, because on top of the cancer, my father-in-law also has pulminary fibrosis. so pnemonia is not good thing. and neither is being admitted to the hospital. because hospitals are full of germs. that cause infections. which isn't a good thing at all either.

so instead of focusing on all of that not so good news, I'm gonna be grateful for my super great buy. and you can all have a good laugh at what an alcoholic I must have looked like at the check out with my wine glasses and giant new sangria dispenser.

Thanks for reading!
Lana

the saddest thing in the world.

The saddest thing in the world....

is realizing my wine glass is empty.

is realizing my wine bottle is empty.

is The Marsh not ever being able to pick up wine on his way home because he is in uniform.

is running out of coffee creamer.

is an empty k-cup box.

is an empty coffee cup.

is wanting a triple double stuff oreo and realizing i don't have any.

is wanting to lose 20 pounds when all i can think about is wine. and coffee creamer. and oreos.

is finishing a good book and realizing it's over.

is finishing a good book series and realizing it's over.

is having my heart broken by fictional characters.

is watching The Marsh drive out of my driveway, even though i know he'll be back in 12 hours.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
no. these actually aren't the saddest things in the world, but more often than not, I feel like they are.

and i'm grateful for that. it means that in that very moment, when I look into my wine glass and realize it's empty and think to myself There's nothing in the world more sad than an empty wine glass...life is good. great even. because there isn't anything going on in my life more sad than that. I'll take that kind of heart break anyday.

although, I would prefer not to. because I love my wine.

Thanks for reading!
Lana