Hi :-)

I know...it's been a while. And I've broken one of the major rules of blog etiquette by not stating that I'm okay, just not around for a while. One reason for that is that I didn't really intend for it to go this long, but the longer it goes, the easier it gets.

I AM okay. In fact, I am happier now than I have been in a very long time. There are many reasons. My son is a completely different child this year. His teacher likes him and has faith in him. The team working with him is awesome. He's HAPPY. He doesn't complain about going to school, we don't have meltdowns after school, and he even offers, and loves, to help his sister with her homework. There is so much less stress in our home.

I've connected with a lot of old friends through Facebook. Say what you will, those of you who might think its silly for adults to use FB, but it has brought me back old friends, fond memories, and, because a lot of these friends are from high school and college, it's a piece of home.

I am comfortable and confident in my skills at work. I no longer fret *as much* about BP launches. I still get a bit ill (those of you who know that I was about to puke an hour before are raising your eyebrows), but it's a long way from fretting for weeks. I was given the honor of having one of my classes be THE launch class at that location, and it went well. This was two days ago, by the way.

I have learned to let it go. Not any *it* in particular, but it in general. I now ask myself "Can I change it? Do I have any control over it?" When the answer is no, I try to let it roll. My new motto is "Don't let it steal your happy." I worked hard to get here. There are days when I chant it over and over in my head...and it works.

Hmm...what have we been up to...

My son's birthday is September 15, and he had a climbing party at a local rock climbing instruction place. It was the perfect kind of party to reel in the boys, and I was so happy they actually came. I think we won the award for coolest party of the year. No one around here has done a climbing party. My biggest fear was that they wouldn't come. H has no real friends, and has never really expressed a desire to have one until recently. He has started asking "Do you think ______ and I would make good pals?" I know it's not really so much about that boy in particular. It's a declaration that he wants a friend. Y'all, this is a big step. It makes me sad (don't let it steal your happy!) that I can't snap my fingers and make it happen, but we'll do our best.

Bean's birthday is the day before Halloween. She decided that she wants a party at home, and she wants a FAIRY PARTY. Y'all know I'm not a frilly girly girl, and she wants a fairy party??? This has required much googling. We have a plan, and I will pull it off, but I will be so happy when it's over.

She also decided she wants to dress as her character that she created on Animal Crossing on the Wii. Obviously, this equals homemade costume. Geez, kid, you're killing me! This all has to happen in the next week.

Nimbus is a kickass cat! He's a sassy little one, too. Often needs to have the last word when you tell him no. He comes when you call him, and when I come home after being gone a while, he runs to me and begs to be picked up. He presses his little head against my forehead like a different version of a nose kiss. His favorite toys are the fish aquarium, the little leather mice my husband made for him, and a purple stick-on bow that he swiped from a birthday package. He like to take the bow into the bathtub and play hockey with it.

I think that's all. Mostly just life as usual, and stability is certainly a good thing!

Meet Nimbus

I'll get my sickening googly-eyed proclamation of love for my boy out of the way, and try very hard not to mention him anymore!

We adopted this beautiful boy a week ago Saturday. I had fully intended to get an adult, but the ones we looked at were all a bit skittish, and just didn't "fit." Nimbus stole our hearts. My husband actually picked him out and held him a bit while I was visiting with the cat I had intended to adopt, based on the profile given on the humane societies web page. He showed him to me afterwards, and I held him while I talked to the foster "parent." As we chatted, I cradled him upside down like a baby, and he purred up a storm. The foster glanced down while we were talking and realized that Nimbus had fallen asleep in my arms. She smiled and said "I don't normally do this, but...", and we went home with a kitty. I never put him down until I put him in the carrier.

He adjusted to his new home with no effort at all. For a four month old kitten, he is very well behaved. Sure, he gets the screaming mimi's a few times a day, but he's funny as hell when he does it. Otherwise, he's calm and sweet, and very tolerant of being picked up constantly. Sometimes, he pats my face when I talk to him, meets me halfway when I bend down to pick him up, and almost always comes when you call him.

Why "Nimbus?" This entire family is made up of weather freaks, and as has been well documented here, I am a major storm freak. The gray cumulonimbus clouds are the clouds that bring thunderstorms and intense weather, ergo "Nimbus."

One nation, under *MY* God

It always amazes me that people who say "What's all the fuss about? I mean, it doesn't matter which god." fail to recognize how very patronizing that statement is. It's easy to say when it's *your* god that is being referred to.

But, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. So, let's attempt to compile an all inclusive list of names for deities...God, Allah, Jehovah, Buddha, Krishna, Goddess, The Force, etc...and rotate or pick randomly when we say the Pledge.

I mean, it doesn't matter, right?

Or, how about we let schools be about learning, and sporting events be about playing, and leave the pledging of an allegiance to anything at all for our personal lives? I'm certainly not unpatriotic, but if we can't make it fit everyone, why do it?

Oh, and one more thing. Those who are offended by the gift of positive thoughts - or, positive vibes, as it is sometimes phrased - I have to ask, REALLY? How can one find discomfort in the fact that an agnostic or atheist expresses a heartfelt wish for their well being?

Okay, it was two more things. This really is the last one, then I'm off my box. As opposed to being off my rocker, which unfortunately will remain a permanent state.

Atheism ≠ Devil worship. It is simply a lack of theism. Get over it.

***Perhaps I should have stated the NOT UNPATRIOTIC part a little more clearly. We are a very patriotic family. I never intended for the interpretation of my statement to be that we shouldn't teach our children to love their country.

My point, which I was apparently too subtle about, is that I am constantly amazed at those who ridicule individuals who dare to be uncomfortable with the idea that God is paired with patriotism.

Surprise! Biscuit has opinions, and sometimes they are unpopular.

You may regret encouraging me

Because some of you liked, and wondered if I had more...oh boy, do I have more...here's just a few more that I really like to use lately.

When I was younger, my brother used to say "Broaden your bubble, punkin." Sometimes I try to broaden everyone else's bubble, too. Sorry 'bout that. I promise to keep my music to myself for a reallllly long time. :-)


Let Me Think About It, by Ida Corr (Fedde Le Grande remix)

Bruised Water, by Chicane feat. Natasha Bedingfield - This is a mash up of I Bruise Easily and Saltwater.

Wake Up, by Chicane feat. Keane - Are you getting the idea that I loves me some Chicane?

Dancefloor, by Crystal Waters (Speakerbox Original Club Mix) - This one is just plain fun.

Let the Feelings Go, by Anna Grace (Original Radio edit)

Anthem, by Filo & Peri

Many of these songs, in fact a large percentage of electronica/dance songs, change into something different later in the song. Keep listening. That "something different" might be the thing that grabs you.

There's a reason why they call it a climax

School starts two weeks from today, and (shhh...don't tell anyone)(especially the moms at the bus stop that I make fun of when they pull out their cameras and cry on the first day of school) I think I might actually miss my children. I've always been the one who happily waved goodbye, bid the sobbing mothers a subdued farewell, and then leaped into the air in celebration after I rounded the corner.

I think I might actually be lonely this year. My children have become little people all of a sudden. Plus, there's no other warm body in the house anymore. Unless you count the hermit crab. And I do not.

I've got big plans for what to do with my time. I usually do... It will take pulling out that recipe for *any* goal you want to achieve. Here it comes...Biscuit's words of wisdom. Ready?

A little bit of common sense, and a whole lot of will power. Ta da!

It really *is* that easy, friends. Name a goal, and I'll bet you that it applies somehow. We don't like hearing it, but it's true. We want a magic pill. There's no relief or promise of success when we find out that *we* are the magic pill.

So, two projects. One has been a years long planned project that has never gotten off the ground. Why? Because there is no defined beginning and end, and I do not operate well under those conditions. Add to that a fear of failure, and you've got yourself a big ol' heaping helping of avoidance.

The house. The bain of my existence. My soul sighs and groans at the very thought. It needs to be emptied. It needs to be painted. It needs to be dragged, kicking and screaming, out of the '80's.

The second project is also one that I make no promises about at this time. It's in the investigative stage right now. Kind of like that personal trainer cert I've been "working on" for years, but this one should be a lot easier.

I *think* I'm ready for a new format. I need to add more teaching hours at the gym, but it needs to be something that won't tear up my body. Pilates and yoga fit the bill, and while I LOVE pilates, it's a damned expensive and difficult certification to get. So, yoga it is. Maybe. I gave myself about 18 months to get Spinning under my belt before I took on BodyPump. It's now been roughly a year since then, and I'm starting to feel confident in my abilities, so I think I'm ready to tackle something else. Step 1 is to actually start attending some yoga classes. It's been a long time, and you can't teach something you wouldn't do on your own, so I need to find out if I can develop a love for it. If not, then no loss.

~*~*~

Are you like me in that you get stuck on a song for a while? There are basically three categories to my music loves. New favorites, long term favorites, and lifelong favorites.

While I like just about any type of music, my new favorites these days tend to be more of the electronica/dance variety because that's what I focus on for work, and because they tend to incorporate something that I find irresistible.

The build up. The lonnnng build up that induces goosebumps, makes the hair on my arms and the back of my neck stand up, and gives me chills until BAM! the release. Sound like sex? It is, in a way. Those moments? The anticipation that makes me feel as though I'm going to burst? When I'm alone, without distraction, those moments are as close as I can come to grabbing a little bit of the exhilaration of mania.

So, because it's my blog, and I'll ram my music down your throat if'n I wanna, here are a few songs that do that to me right now. I can only think of one of you who might actually click, and *might* actually enjoy them. Don't worry, I won't out you. ;)

Saltwater, by Chicane

What About Us, by ATB (It doesn't hurt that, to me, this guy is just so hot that it's ouchie. It's not the way he looks so much as it is his personality and his energy.)(And if you do bother to watch, 1:27 to 2:12 on the timeline of the video practically makes me jump out of my skin and I smile so hard my face hurts.)

Going Wrong, by Armin Van Buurin. This one does for me what few songs do when I'm riding. I can be completely whipped. Feel like quitting. Totally bonking. Fried. And I hear this and it's like I'm brand new again. Everything that hurts disappears. If you actually listen, I'm sure you'll be able to pick out the part where that happens. The build up...the BAM! And, BONUS!, my version is twice as long as this YouTube one.

Stoned In Love, by Chicane, featuring Tom Jones. It's not so much the build up as it is the beat. I just love this one *so* much.

~*~*~

I've had this HNT in my head since last spring, and missed my chance to do it before school got out. It requires sunlight. And no children to inquire what the hell it is that I'm doing. As good as it has been for me to back away from that for a while, I'm excited about trying this one. For me, not anyone else. That's the way it has to be now.

Ow! That's Gonna Leave a Mark!

As noted by my friend Kelly, this was one of the most often heard exclamations over the weekend. It is impossible for us to get together without bruises occurring. I usually get off easy because, in keeping with my reputation as The Instigator, I whisper "Do it!" and then dive for the sidelines when the melee begins. And when I say "melee," I do indeed mean:

me·lee (mā'lā', mā-lā')
n.
1. a. Confused, hand-to-hand fighting in a pitched battle.
b. A violent free-for-all. See Synonyms at brawl.
2. A confused tumultuous mingling, as of a crowd: the rush-hour melee.

(thank you, Dictionary.com)

I did end up with one little bruise, but I'll save that story for later. It's the missing Biscuitude.

I tried to make this shorter (HA!) by making the pictures small. You can click 'em to big 'em if'n you wanna.

My weekend began with a flight to Nashville, where I was picked up by Kelly. We started our drive to Tunica from the airport, planning to stop somewhere for groceries, beer, and ice for the two coolers she brought. After crawling along the interstate for a while in a bad storm, we decided to stop at a Walmart where we could...

...buy said groceries, and...

matching boxer briefs with Ed Hardy-esque tattoo designs on them.

Yum! FUD! I can't decide if that's the brand name, or some creative spelling of "food."

We arrived at the Goldstrike Hotel at around 11:30 p.m. After dumping all of our stuff into the room, Kelly suggested that she give me a tour of the casino, seeing as I'd never been in one. When the tour of our casino was over, we walked to the next, and discovered a band playing at one of the bars. They weren't great, but you're not choosey in the wee hours of the morning. Plus, there was beer. I had two Coronas, which came with the limes on little skewers. Somewhere around 3:30 a.m., after having been awake for 21 hours, I thought it would be a riot to put those skewers up my nose. Kelly thought it would be a riot to take a picture and post it on her Facebook page. I agreed until I realized that it would also show up on *my* Facebook page, where I am friends with not only high school and college friends who would think this was hilarious, but also co-workers, gym members, and the parents of my children's friends.

The other girls arrived the next day, and the goddess fun began.

One night, we went to Hooters, where we had a really fun and cute little waitress.

I think she's a goddess in the making. This was our empty paper towel roll that we handed her.

The picture taken immediately after this one depicts the early stages of a Kelly vs. Sam smackdown, with me diving out of the way. I did *not* whisper "do it" this time.

Living In Harmony, a still life by Lisa. Five girls crammed into one hotel room, having a blast.

Sam, our soldier girl on leave from Germany, made us all matching bracelets. Lisa made us matching hair rubber bands with little rhinestones on them. If you blow this picture up, you can see them on a couple of the arms.

Our hotel had two saltwater hot tubs, and a saltwater pool. Niiiice. The best part was that when we started sweating in the hot tub, this wonderful woman brought us freezing cold little towels, with ice still stuck to them! Heaven.

Okay, time for the last Biscuitude of the weekend (I think). As I said before, it is impossible to go unscathed. While everyone was displaying their battle wounds, I pointed out the "bruise on the back of my shin."

I'll let that sink in for a moment. I'm sure it'll hit you faster than it did me. In fact, you probably needed no help. Help that might come in the form of, say, "Uh, Biscuit...wouldn't that be your *calf*?"

The fitness instructor in me hung her head in shame. The Biscuit in me thought she was clever and retorted "You can kiss the back of my ass."

Uproarious laughter. Pride. Delayed processing.

Fuuuuccckkk meeeeeeee!

Kelly posted a picture of my bruise on her Facebook page (are you getting the idea that FB is a great place to embarrass me?) along with the caption "The bruise on the 'back of Biscuit's shin'." I can't decide if it's funny or sad that the comments made indicated that people got it right away. Friends of hers that don't know me at all understood exactly who they were dealing with.

I've already become an adjective in some situations. It won't be long before I'm a verb.

it's a question of lust, it's a question of trust

~Depeche Mode

1. How do you differentiate between love and lust?
Love wants everything. Lust wants one thing. Love is emotional. Lust is physical. Love is an enduring attachment. Lust is fickle.

If you're really lucky, you can make them coexist.

2. You are happily married, engaged, or committed in a relationship, yet you have a hot sexy dream about someone you have always wanted to do it with. Have you cheated at least in your mind?
Of course not! One can't control what their brain does when they're asleep. *I* can't even control what my brain does when I'm awake! Thoughts are not actions.

3. Do you trust your significant other?
Absolutely, without a doubt.

4. How important is it to you that your husband or wife wear their wedding band?
I don't see much purpose in exchanging wedding bands if they aren't going to be worn. I would have to question the motivation behind choosing not to wear one. That said, a couple can be just as, or even more, committed without being married, so I'm not suggesting that it's the ring that makes it. Just that if rings are exchanged, they should be worn, unless there's a legitimate reason not to.

5. Do you feel that flirting is OK if you are taken?
It depends on the type of, and motivation behind, the flirting. Some people *ahem* are just natural born flirts, and the behavior is not meant as an invitation. It is meant, I think, as a lure to draw people in, but not in a sexual manner.

Bonus (as in optional):If you were 100% guaranteed not to get caught having a one night stand with someone else, would you?
Just any someone? No. Justin Timberlake? Oh yeh!

~*~*~

I found the Biscuitude that was lost yesterday. I told you it was around here somewhere. I'll save it for tomorrow when I tell you more about Tunica, and show you some pictures. I have to clear the pics with the other Goddesses, first.

Until then, enjoy these...

If you don't have an iPhone, you've at least seen the commercials, so hopefully you can appreciate this.

You know those pretty little icons on the screen? You can move them around to organize them how you want, move them to different pages, or delete them if they have a little red x. The way you do that is to hold your finger down on one of them until they all start to wiggle. You move them, then you hit the home button, and all is well.

The other day, I was holding my phone, and when I looked down at it, all of the icons were wiggling. I had somehow accidentally set it off. After I hit the home button, I realized that there were only 3 icons along the bottom row, instead of the usual 4.

OH CRAP! Did I delete one? What was it?

Email...browser...SMS...

Dammit! What's missing?

I panicked. How would I ever remember? I kept trying to picture the row in my head, but it wasn't working. It finally dawned on me that I should check the other pages and see if I had somehow moved it.

*swipe*

Ahhh, yes. There it is.

Wanna guess which one was missing that I couldn't remember?

The PHONE button. You know, the one I would need to make PHONE CALLS. On my PHONE.

~*~*~

...and speaking of panicking. Have you ever pushed the button on your car remote, only to have it not respond? So, you push it again. And again.

How long did it take you to realize that you could open your car doors with THE KEY?

I'll bet your time beat mine.