as days go by...

i am just terrible at blogging. it's just like many things in my life...healthy eating, exercising, not cursing, that i decide to do and then shortly thereafter, i fall off the wagon. i know i should document this crazy life for a couple of reasons. (1) so that i'll remember what REALLY happened and (2) so that other people can figure out what's going on with us. and also: i really do love it. it's nice to "get it all out." so, here are a few short stories to catch up:

a. hangin' tough.

jon took me to the new kids on the block concert for my birthday. my THIRTIETH birthday. it was great, and even though i was a number 1 debbie gibson fan during that era, i still knew all the words, and was even pleasantly surprised. i don't think they were lip-syncing. however, i left with the knowledge that i've aged well. or at least, i've learned to cover up what body flaws come with being thirty. seriously, i turned around when the boys sang hangin' tough and there was this sea of flabby arms waving in the air. i had worn a tasteful jacket so that no one would be exposed to that "extra" bit of skin. my counterparts in crime were wearing sleeveless little numbers and quite frankly a bit of modesty was called for. oh, well...they all had fun, i had fun, even jon had fun, and he was pretty jet-lagged from returning from moldova the NIGHT BEFORE. how great a husband is he?

b. the week without jon

i never posted follow up on this week. oh, did dennis and i bond! dennis decided to just ask about a million questions that i shouldn't have had to field alone. he was just incensed by the american red cross and wanted to donate blood at school - only he's 16 and needed parental consent. nice. and also, he decided that he wanted to go to prom with his (then) girlfriend and who should pay? oh, my. who would have thought that i would be pulling out emily post at this point, right?

c. the break-up.

we had to counsel dennis through the first break up. he broke up with (or vice-versa) afore-said girlfriend. who then proceeded to tell him that she MIGHT still want to go to prom with him. there are not words for this in mommy-speak. really. i saw red for days, i tell you. but after we explained to big d that prom was, like, the most expensive night EVER for a boy under 18, he pretty much told her that he was uninterested. NICE. here's how the conversation went:

"you know, you're going to have to buy her flowers."

"how much is that?"

"probably about $50." 

"can you delete the flowers?"

*snickers* "no."

great, huh?

d. the visit from the principal.

big d's principal from his  moldovan orphanage is in america for a visit. we got to see her on our soil, instead of the other way around, and it was nice. it was also awfully nice of her to explain to our little darlin that he had a pretty great life in america, and that even on his worst day, life in america was pretty sweet and way easier than life in moldova. sometimes it helps to have perspective - when you have evil parents that *gasp* make you keep your room clean.

e. our visit to miami:

here's a snapshot of jon and me on our way out to dinner. notice how relaxed! we took a long weekend to miami and had just the best time. we laid on the beach and got lost in coconut grove. we had fancy italian dinner that went on for DAYS (or at least a couple of hours). we had really fancy breakfast at the delano hotel and then noticed that rihanna had been sitting right beside us. but the coolest thing? my dear husband  called ahead and had an arrangement waiting for me when we got to our hotel room:

 

great, right? Those are yellow calla lillies, just like i carried in our wedding four years prior. undoubtedly the best husband ever.