Colds Stink

While Blake and I did CPR training, Larry and Debbie took James to the Botanical Gardens and the children's garden there. They had a lot of fun, and Larry got some great pictures.

Then we all went out to lunch and had plans to go to a winery in Augusta, since it was such a beautiful day and the drive would be lovely with the trees at this time of year. But, Blake hadn't been feeling very well, so we didn't go. Maybe Sunday. Blake slept all afternoon.

By that evening, I had the cold, too, and have felt lousy all day today. I hate it when perfectly good weekend plans are ruined by colds. Hopefully, James won't get it, or will get it and be over it before Halloween.

Elmo Goes to the Library, H & B Go Someplace Far Different

Playgroup had a Halloween Party at the library. While we were waiting to get into the meeting room for the party, we wandered around the children's area. James immediately found and grabbed the big stuffed Elmo they had (that looks like his at home). The librarians were saying they wished they had a camera. I'm glad I had mine. That kid sure likes Elmo.

For the party, there was a story and a couple of games, but mostly just a lot of kids running around in costumes. He had a lot of fun. But, he still hasn't figured out about sitting in a circle.

That night, Larry and Debbie came to watch James, and Blake and I went to see Body Worlds 3 at the Science Center http://www.bodyworlds.com/en.html. James had a lot of fun staying up late and playing with his grandparents, and I really enjoyed the exhibition. Blake wasn't so sure, and I think he has finally decided that he didn't like it. I was surprised by how much was included. I had heard about the plastination and the posed bodies and had seen photos, so I expected that. What I didn't expect was the different body parts that were shown, both healthy and diseased. I'm glad I don't smoke. It was a very educational show.

Happy Anniversary!

Tuesday was the anniversary of the day Blake and I met at Cherry Street Artisan, a coffee shop in Columbia. It was the luckiest chance meeting of my life. I was just there to kill time and read my book (What's the Matter with Kansas) while my car was being repaired. And he was there before the Mizzou football game. He was moving in two weeks, so we met just in time!

Rather than pay $60 for a sitter, we decided to spend a romantic evening at home. I made confetti for the table with my Cricut, Blake went to get winery food, and we had some wine and Frangelico. We started the festivities with James, which was fun for a while, until he kept demanding "MORE AGAIN!" but only wanting chocolate.

And, here he is, with his chocolate goatee, dancing. Not sure if the red eyes are from the camera's flash, or from all the chocolate . . .

I am so happy that Blake and I are together and with the life we are making. I'm looking forward to many more years together.

Elmo goes to the zoo

James got his first opportunity to wear his Halloween costume when we went to the Pumpkin Prowl at the zoo. As soon as he saw me get the costume on, he grabbed it and said "On!" But, we waited until we got to the parking lot to actually put it on. He was so excited to be Elmo, and we were really surprised by how many people we heard say, "There's Elmo!"

The zoo really had some great decorations set up. I thought these jack-o-lantern figures were cool.

I wasn't as excited about the giant spiders set up near the insect house, especially the ones in the tunnel, but Blake and James were fine with it.

In the children's zoo, James enjoyed the guinea pigs, but was not allowed to pet the lizard, because he kept trying to pull its tail.

This little kid was happy to be sitting next to Elmo in the jeep. James appeared to enjoy his elevated social status.

Blake helped James through some of the balance activities in the children's zoo. They had fun, and James even climbed into the hippo's mouth, which he had refused to do last time.

I love going to the zoo, and we got a membership, so we'll have lots more opportunities.

On Sunday, we went for a walk at Quail Ridge Park, where there's a 3 mile paved trail. It was a GREAT workout for me, as there were lots of hills. I'm looking forward to going there for more workouts. There is also a dog park there, but we're just not sure how well Joey and Nutmeg would do off-leash around a bunch of other dogs.

It is called Still Heather, after all

My blog. It's definitely a place to keep friends and family posted about life in the Hemen/Theiss household, but it seems to be mostly about cute pictures of James. Here's one now -- from playgroup today, as the kids decorated a banner and ornaments for troops in Iraq (took forever to get them all to sit for the picture, then James got up to start clapping . . .) Not a bad thing at all, but thanks to Beth's Mental Graffitti blog http://mentalgraffitti.blogspot.com/, I found A Fancy Word for Simple http://fancysimple.blogspot.com/. There's a lot going on there about girl power. Pretty fun. Today's challenge? Twenty Questions about being a GIRL.

1. Name -- Heather

2. Pink - Love it or Hate it? Always hated it, but actually starting to like it now. On occasion.

3. Signature shade of lipstick, lipgloss, etc. -- no signature, but seem to use browns.

4. Do you have a best girl friend? Well, I've done a terrible job of keeping up with her since I moved, but Lori is my longtime, true friend.

5. Do you have a woman mentor? Not really.

6. Are you a woman mentor to someone else? No.

7. Tomboy or Princess? Neither, but would probably lean towards princess. I could handle being a princess :)

8. Favorite Girl Band -- Well, Sheryl Crow has a band.

9. Are you a mom? Do you want to be one? Yes.

10. Do you and your mom have any rituals? Not so much a ritual, but we used to take vacations together on a fairly regular basis. Now, it is much less regular.

11. Fashion magazines - yea or nay. Nay. They usually make me feel bad. Or frustrated that it's always the same information, recycled again.

12. Do you have a feel good outfit? A red blouse.

13. Have you called your grandma or special aunt, or special older lady lately? No.

14. Signature Scent? This changes each time I run out and buy something new. Right now it is Armani Code.

15. Favorite female tv character -- Miranda from Sex and the City

16. Favorite place to hang out with gal pals? Mall or at a scrapbook crop.

17. Did you ever ditch your girl friends to be with a guy? Do you still? I don't remember ever doing this, because I hate it. But, probably have.

18. Friend you call when you need a laugh? Any of them.

19. Friend you call when you need a shoulder to cry on? There are a few, who know who they are.

20. Have you reminded your friends of how much they mean to you lately? No. I have been terrible about this lately. This will change.

Has it been a week already?

Yikes! Apparently it has been busy around here, since it has been a week since my last post. Here are some of the highlights:

My mom came for a visit and took us to the zoo. James had fun in the children's zoo. He was afraid of the goats, who kept swarming around me because I was silly enough to carry in the zoo map (goats do love paper). He liked the guinea pigs, though, and pet them. He also enjoyed looking at the bears and the penguins. With the bears, I wonder if he realizes how different they really are than the cuddly toys he has . . .

Maybe it was because she had an early flight, but I think Mom fell asleep here because what is exciting viewing for a 2 year old really doesn't have enough character development and plot twists for an adult.

That night, we went out to our favorite Japanese restaurant, Ariake. We loved it! The food is great, it is entertaining, and there is a girly drink there that I've become rather fond of. However, James did not like the chef shooting peas at his mouth, and REALLY did not like the fire.

Saturday, Blake and I got to go out for a bit while Mom watched James. Much needed and much appreciated time away. But, we need to start thinking of more creative uses of this time than going to a mall . . .

That night, after Mom had left, we went to a hayride with playgroup at Valley Farms. It was so much fun. The hayride was short, but probably about right for the under-5 crowd. But then there were horses, sheep and rabbits to see, as well as lots of pumpkins, a little barn with hay to crawl on and a slide.

Here, James is having fun being pulled by Blake in a wagon.

The little boys all wanted to get at those sheep, each trying different approaches that were thwarted by parents. James tried to go over the fence, Elliot under, and Brody through the middle. Pretty cute.

Then there was dinner and a bonfire. The bonfire was fun, and we had marshmallows. Yum! It's been a while since I've had them.

Another fun event during the week was Mom's night game night. We actually played 2 different games. I love games, so that was great for me -- especially since the 2 games were Scene It movie edition and Cranium Pop 5.

Reflection Time

On an assignment, which fits well with the title of this blog, here are some reflections about my life, where I was and where I am going.

10 years ago -- I had just started working back at Mid-Mo Mental Health Center. I was returning to the site of my first job as an Occupational Therapist. When I came back to that job, I made some wonderful friends. I had been in my house for 2-3 years at that point, and had 2 cats, Aslan and Mica, and 2 dogs, Nutmeg and Joey. I wish I'd had a blog then, because I'd be able to remember so much more!

5 years ago -- I was still working at Mid-Mo, and had been the director of the department for about 4 years. Working with my higher-ups wasn't always easy, but I was fortunate to work with wonderful people in my department. Still in my home, with my wonderful pets. At this time, I was training for my first marathon, to be done in Honolulu in December.

3 years ago -- I met Blake while hanging out at a coffee shop, waiting for car repairs to be completed. I didn't realize at the time, what a huge event that would turn out to be. Still at Mid-Mo, still in my home. I was sad during this time, as my cat Aslan quickly became very sick and had to be put to sleep.

1 year ago -- James had just turned 1! Blake and I had been in our home for just a few months. We had to have Mica put to sleep, which was very difficult for me. I was still getting used to my job as stay-at-home-mom, which always seemed to be changing. I also had found our playgroup, which was helping me to make friends.

Now -- I feel at home in the St. Louis area, and comfortable in my job. James is 2, and learning and surprising me every day. We still have Nutmeg and Joey, and are cat-sitting Amos for a year. The biggest change is that Blake and I are engaged! I did not really plan on this as my life 10 years ago, and I wouldn't change a thing!!!

5 years from now -- James will be 7 and in school. Blake and I will be married. By that time, we should be much more settled in terms of finances and responsibilities. I don't know how my career will pan out. I am preparing to be able to work as an occupational therapist, but don't know if jobs in mental health will be there. I am remaining open minded about my options. I would hope that Nutmeg and Joey would still be with us, but they are already pretty old for dogs.

10 years from now -- James will be 12, I will be older than I've tended to think about for myself. Blake and I will have been together for a long time. By that time, we may be living anywhere. My biggest goal will be to work at our lives being happy. I am happy that I have started this blog, and that I scrapbook, because I will have documented our lives. I like that. I miss not having easier access to the reminders of my past.