Still not over quite yet

I sit here at 4am on Tuesday writing this. I'm not even sure if I will get a chance to post it since mobile phone signals are really sketchy here. I can't connect during the day too easily but at night it's a little easier. Problem is that we turn off the generator at night for a quieter evening and to avoid wasting fuel unnecessarily and I can't stay on the computer too long at night. Obviously we are still without power but a cool front moved in yesterday morning. Between having a generator and the weather cooperating, things are actually very bearable.

It's almost bizarre sitting here writing at a time of the night when there is normally extreme quiet. In some neighborhoods, it's probably quieter than normal. In ours however, all I hear is the hum of generators all around me. The only light I see is from an airplane flying overhead. It is a shame that it is overcast this evening. Normally the glow of the city lights prevents you from seeing the stars. I imagine that if there were no clouds I could see every star out there. Maybe tomorrow night we will be luckier in that respect.

I will have to say that I feel highly blessed. Many did not fare as well as my family did. We sustained no damage to our home. We did have roof damage to our Conroe rental home so we didn't come out completely unscathed from Ike. However we aren't dealing with not being able to get back to our home as the people from Galveston are. We didn't lose any loved ones either. There is no telling how many of the people who refused to leave the evacuation zones that didn't make it.

I have a list a mile long of things that I'm able to do that others are not. We are don't sit in the dark in the evenings. I have a working refrigerator and deep freeze. I watch television almost whenever I want. I can get on the internet occasionally. I can charge up my mobile phone and computer. We have running water and natural gas service. I don't know if the water is safe to drink yet but we can boil it on the stove if necessary and I have plenty of clean drinking water from before the storm as well.

I could go on and on about how blessed my family is but you get the idea. You may wonder if this is easy. The answer is no. We drove about 55 miles out of town to find a gas station with a line that was only about 45 minutes long. Around here if you can find a station open, the line is at least two hours long. Going to the grocery store poses the same problem of long lines. We stopped for supplies at a little grocery where we got gas and they were out of things like bread. It is the little things that you expect will always be there that is hard.

One would think that this of all things would trigger my anxiety issues that I often suffer from. The funny thing is that I'm about as relaxed as I've ever been in my life. Maybe it's because I've gotten to spend quality time with my husband where he isn't being constantly interrupted by a work call. Or because I haven't been to work since last Wednesday. It could be that I see on TV the people of Houston and the surrounding area are pulling together to help each other. I see that in my neighborhood as well.

It also could be recollection of being curled up in my bed listening to the worst part of that storm and feeling an unnatural calm and sense of feeling safe. Everyone else tells me how scared they were. I don't recall having that feeling at any point. I feared that a tree would come down on our house but somehow I knew that we were going to be OK anyway. I had faith that God would pull us through this and he did.

Ike Update #8

Well we lost power right after my last update. That was about the time that the highest winds were getting to Spring. It was really freaky from what little I could see. At this point I think the eye has passed us and we are on the other side of the storm. I slept through the eye passing which I am not happy about but at least I got an hour or two of solid sleep.

I did take some video from before it got really bad but I'm not sure how much you will be able to see. I will post that later. The hubby is getting motivated to get up and film another update so you may be getting several videos in the next post.

Ike Update #7

Satellite, internet and power are sketchy at the moment. We keep have power flickering and tv is even less reliable right now. I slept a little bit earlier but now I can't seem to sleep at all. Looking at the radar on tv, we are at the edge of the highest winds and will see those very soon.

They are warning of tornadoes so I'm up will be listening for that since everyone else is asleep. I can pretty much deal with the hurricane winds but tornadoes are much scarier.

I am completely amazed that I can still watch tv even off and on and that I can still post on my normal internet connection. I do have a work computer which has a Cingular card so I will continue to post updates after we lose all of our creature comforts. At least I'll have the internet to keep me company!

Ike Update # 6

The wind is still howling outside and the rain is hard. We are getting to the hurricane force winds and within the hour we should have the worst of that. No damage that I can see so far. We lose the dish signal off and on so our updates outside of the computer are getting spotty. I still have power and will continue to update everyone as long as I can.

On a sad note, Brennen's is on fire and the general manager and his family are in the hospital right now. Wonderful restaurant that is a staple of midtown Houston. Hopefully they will be ok.

Ike Update #5

At the moment, it's raining hard and the wind is super strong. The eye of the storm is close to making landfall so it's still going to get a lot worse for us. We have electricity and tv still (tv is surprising since we lose Dish Network in a light rain usually). The hubby is all sleepy so his video updates may not be happening until tomorrow morning. I'll try to get a picture to post though.

Ike Update #4.5

Mark finally got the latest video up on youtube. Nothing much more to report other than the wind is getting pretty high.

Ike Update #4

We are getting some pretty good wind now. We made some video earlier and then were talking to our neighbors and didn't get to post it right away so you are getting that one. We have recorded another but the hubby doesn't have that one up on youtube yet.



For dinner this evening I decided to go all gourmet on the family and did a pan seared salmon recipe that I created myself. It had a chipotle lime sauce that was a little too spicy if you asked me but the family loved it. Also had some lovely baked asparagus with olive oil and garlic. Then I added a little frozen broccoli and cheese because I was lazy. It was good too though.

There will be another video very soon when Mark bothers to upload it.

Ike Update #3

I had a request for an update so here it is. We are finally starting to get a little sprinkling of rain and it's a little windy now but nothing out of the ordinary yet. As I was watching the news, I did catch a picture of this dumbass running around behind the newsmen on the seawall in Galveston wearing a freaking bear suit. Some people are idiots! The picture is a little hard to see but you get the idea.






This will be the first video update from my husband with his new camcorder.

Non-Ike update

I have been so concerned about the storm that I went to get my hair done. 'Cause it really would take a hurricane blowing me away to get me to not show up. Anyway... here is my new look for the hurricane. If I'm going to live with this mess, I may as well look good!

Ike Update #2

So far nothing to report up here. It's starting out to be another beautiful day which is so very odd knowing that a very huge hurricane is less than 24 hours from landfall. I would take another picture but it would pretty much look like the picture in the sidebar.

Things are a little different in Galveston though. We are seeing pictures of parts of the island underwater already. The island will be completely underwater before this storm is over yet people stay there. That is something I don't understand. There will be storm surge in Galveston and potentially all the way to downtown Houston. If I lived south of I-10 on the east side and south of Hwy 59 on the west side, I would be heading to someone else's house for sure. Oh well, I'm sure there are plenty of people who think it's nuts for me to stay. Maybe so... We shall know soon enough.

Ike Update #1

It's coming! Damn that Jim Cantore for showing up in Galveston. It was headed to Victoria until he showed up. That man and his shiny bald head attracts hurricanes.

I've stocked up on the essentials. We have lots of beer, wine, bloody marys and mimosas. We should be good for the duration of the storm. Oh and I have water and canned food. We have a little camp light that is powered by propane for when we lose power (it's not if but when). We are riding this thing out. Fortunately we are about 90 miles away from Freeport area which I believe is where it's still supposed to come in.

It's actually beautiful weather here today and nobody I know is evacuating completely. I have a friend who lives south of Houston who "evacuated" to my other friend's house not too far from here but so far she is the only one I'm aware of. I think that they were in an official evacuation zone so they were told to leave. We were not so hopefully it won't be too bad.

My hubby is currently playing with his new toy. He bought an HD camcorder today so I may have some video to post. Right now nothing exciting to report other than we are preparing for this storm.

We have moved all potential "torpedos" off of the patio and put them all into the garage. We will be rearranging everything in the garage so that we can get two of the four vehicles in there. We don't have any plywood so we will not be boarding up the windows but we are prepared to cover any broken windows.

I will post updates as long as we have power. Here is a picture of the current conditions.

Oh and my hairdresser will be working tomorrow so I will be keeping that appointment barring any extreme weather tomorrow morning. And yes, my hair color really is that important!

Oh CRAP!

Jim Cantore showed up in Galveston. We're all gonna die!

What's new since last year

An anonymous commenter has brought me back to this post I had mostly forgotten about from nearly a year ago. She told me that she envied me and my relationship with the teenager. It prompted me to re-read the post to see where my head was at that time. As I read through my thoughts on becoming a full-time parent a year ago I started thinking about what has changed and what is still the same.

What has changed... my husband has taken a job that keeps him traveling about 75% of the time making me essentially a single mom for that same amount of time. This has been the hardest change for me because I wasn't prepared to have a kid whose well-being is my sole responsibility much of the time. I worry about her all the time and the decisions that I make each and every day. I can say the added stress of this responsibility has caused many an argument with the hubby because sometimes I feel overwhelmed by it all. My biggest fear around this is that the teenager will think it's her fault and it's really not. It's me and my stupid anxiety and coping issues.

The teenager no longer confides in me quite as much as she used to which probably means that she thinks of me more like a parent than a friend. It makes me sad because sometimes we had conversations about her life that amazed me. However feeling more like a parent is ok with me too.

To make things even more interesting, the teenager's older sister moved in early this year (from here on to be known as the college student). Keep in mind that this is not the hubby's child by blood but he did raise her from about the age of 5 on but he loves her as if she were his own. this was a weird situation for me at first but I now find it to be a blessing. The college student is another very good kid (I use that term loosely because she is 22) and helps lots with the teenager by driving her places and generally being a good example to follow. This alone has relieved some of my anxiety about doing this alone during the week. I don't know if I could cope without her help.

What is the same... I still believe that this is the hardest thing I will ever do in my life. I'm still terrified that I'm going to somehow screw her up and we will all be on Dr. Phil someday hashing out what I did wrong.

She's still a good kid though and I feel lucky to have her in my life daily. I like to think that I also give her good yet different examples to follow on how to be a woman. While her mom was the quintessential mom who loved having her kids as the center of her existance, I am the woman who was determined to make it in the world of business and became independent and strong. I hope that we both help make her a well-rounded woman who is a good wife and mother when she has a family but is perfectly capable of being ok without a man until she finds that one right guy for her.

All in all, I think that this has been a really good for me since I chose to not have children of my own. I feel like I'm at not completly missing out on the experience of motherhood. I still occasionally feel like I've missed something by not having a little one running around the house but mostly I think it was the right decision for me at this juncture of my life. I don't want to give up my freedom now for a baby. I feel very selfish that way now that I'm 40-something. The thought of having a kid in college when I'm 60 scares the crap out of me too. However, having a kid in the house who can mostly take care of herself and will be out of college before I hit 50 is ok.

My conclusions about being a parent? I think I will live through it and be a better person for it in the end.

Happy Belated Birthday to me!

My niece singing happy birthday to me on YouTube. I would have to say that this is one of the best birthday presents ever!

Update: In case the embedded video isn't working, here is the link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=62qv4umpch0

Being a parent has just gotten harder!

I was told the most ridiculous thing by the teenager yesterday. I knew this was coming because the same sort of thing happened when I was about her age. Kids her age are turning 16 and getting cars of their own to drive. I find this ridiculous in itself... I think a teenager shouldn't get their own car until they have had at least 6 months of experience. I may lose that battle with the hubby but that one is ok I guess.

Now to the ridiculousness that makes it harder to be a parent today... I was taking the teenager to church last night when she said that her friend was very spoiled and told me to guess what she got for her 16th birthday. I couldn't guess so she told me. And guess what it was... a vehicle!

But not just any vehicle either. Oh no, her parents thought that it would be a spectacular idea to get this kid a Hummer. Really? Does a kid who has very little experience driving need a vehicle such as a Hummer? That sounds like a fatality waiting to happen (not for her mind you, for some other unsuspecting driver or unlucky pedestrian in her path).

I don't personally have a problem with Hummers. I have a very good friend who owns one and if she can afford the gas on a vehicle then more power to her! But I do have a problem with giving one to an unexperienced teenager. Not to mention the fact that even if you have the cheapest H3 out there, it is going to cost at least $30K. Does a teenager really need a vehicle that expensive?

Keep in mind that this did happen when I was growing up. A girl in my class got a tricked out Camaro (which she promptly wrecked and was lucky to survive) and another guy got a Jaguar as a graduation present. The difference is that these two kids were the super rich kids. All of us average kids were thrilled to death to have anything to drive even the uncool station wagon. This girl's parents are not super rich. They do well like me and the hubby do but they are not of the elite kind of rich like the kids were when I was young.

So where does this leave me and the hubby? We are still going to make sure that we bring up a girl with realistic expectations for when she is out of our home. She may or may not have the money to live like that after college. We try to make sure she understands that when she gets a Coach purse from us that it's a very special gift rather than something she should always expect. I will say that this lesson is becoming harder to teach when everyone her age does seem to think Coach purses and Hummers as the norm.

My friends know me well!

Lazy mom

Anyone who has been reading lately may know that I've been dealing with some amount of insomnia. It's mostly related to the decongestant I've been taking that has kept me from being too miserable while I was sick. Yesterday I felt like I could make it through the night without taking any and I slept like I haven't slept in weeks.

This morning at 5am when the waking of the teenager was to commence, I didn't really feel like getting up quite yet so I hit snooze for five minutes. The alarm went off again I still didn't want to get up but I knew that if I didn't wake her up, I was not getting to work anytime soon. So I called her cell phone to give her a hotel style wake up call and went back to sleep for 30 minutes. Does this make me a bad person? ;)

A beautiful mistake?

Because my birthday is coming up next weekend, my wonderful hubby told me that I could go get a new table either for the breakfast area or the dining room. As much as I would like to have a table for the dining room, we wouldn't use a formal table as often so I decided that I wanted a new table for the breakfast nook. I have been patient for a long time to get a new table. I bought the old one from my grandmother not long after I graduated from college. We relocated the old table to the dining room as seen here:



I set out on my quest for the perfect table. I went to several stores to look around but none could beat the table I found at Gallery Furniture. For those who are unfamiliar, Gallery Furniture is a massive warehouse of furniture that used to carry lower end furniture only. They have started carrying a lot more higher end furniture in the last several years so I have started shopping there more.

I drove there after work and walked back to the area where they display the tables. Instantly I fell in love with a certain line of tables they carry that are made of Mango wood. I'm in a mode of trying to be more eco-friendly and the wood that they use in these tables is supposed to qualify (although I will admit I didn't research it so hopefully they aren't lying to me).

So I bring the hubby back in to make sure he likes these table too and he does. The tables I considered are bigger so that I can can get a lot more people around it. We regularly have more than four people at our dinner table these days since four actually live here and then the college student's boyfriend is here often as well. I've always loved the pub height tables so I was leaning towards those but still considering regular height tables too

Each of these tables are solid wood with no wood veneers. Rather than finishing the table to be smooth, the company that makes these tables do them all by hand and leave the beauty of the wood evident. After lots of hand-wringing over which of these beautiful tables I wanted, I chose the 58 inch square pub height table with eight leather chairs. Yes, I said eight. We have a lot of space in that breakfast nook and I'm not afraid to fill it!

Another reason I love Gallery Furniture is that they guarantee same day delivery and this works well with my need for instant gratification. We bought it Saturday morning and as promised they delivered it Saturday evening. The delivery guys bring this table in and they struggled with it because is just that heavy. They put it where I wanted in the breakfast area and it's BIG! It looks bigger than it did in the store but I love it anyway. You can see it in the picture below:



Sunday evening was our first family meal at this table and tonight it was just the four of us. I wasn't prepared for the feelings that I had when I got ready to set things on such an expensive real wood table. I put all of the food on silicone trivets to protect the wood from the heat. Then the teenager sat down and promptly set a soda can on the table. I just about came unglued inside and got a coaster to put her drink on.

We all decided on a new spot to sit and plopped down to eat. As I sat there across from the teenager I found that I was very sad that she was nearly five feet away. I realize now that I enjoyed the more intimate feel of that little old table.

Have I made mistake? Only time will tell. As I sit here looking at it, I think I know what must be done. I need to put the new table in the formal dining area and continue to use the old table. At some point in time I will have the money to buy a nicer table for my breakfast area. The next new one will be a good bit smaller and much more abusable than my birthday gift is.

Business Casual

A few months ago my company sent out an email regarding proper business casual for our company. I don't really have a problem with anything they said just a dilemma on the definition of one particular section of the policy. So instead of going to the source of the email (HR) and getting them to clarify, I felt the need to let you, the internet, help me out with this one. Makes perfect sense in my insomniac fog (read the next post for explanation).

The section in question is the following:

"For all locations, unacceptable dress includes, but is not limited to: t-shirts or tank tops; sweatpants, sweatshirts, or workout attire; shorts, cutoffs; beach attire; halter or tank tops; sheer clothing or clothing that is otherwise revealing or tight fitting; mini or short skirts; loose fitting sandals or flip-flops; clothing that is frayed, faded, or torn; or any other attire that is excessively distracting. Any clothing displaying offensive, derogatory or inappropriate language, slogans, or images is strictly prohibited."

This is from the policy that they have posted on our intranet. I have no problems with anything stated there. I think the request above is completely appropriate. In an email reminding us of the policy, they stated that we could wear casual sandals. This is where my problem occurs. Where does one draw the line between casual sandal and flip flop?

For instance is this considered a flip flop?

No one has commented to me on those sandals. Consider the next photo... Sandal or flip flop?

The white sandals have garnered some attention from the male coworkers on my floor. I have worn both shoes to work without management making a comment. However a group of my male coworkers who are obviously jealous said that the white pair were flip flops.

I'm trying to figure out what the distinction is between the two. They are both flip flop shaped. Both are leather with some sort of decoration and both have normal sandal type of soles rather than the flip flop style. I personally think the brown pair is much more casual looking than the white ones but the brown one seem to be more accepted.

My definition of a casual sandal is one that I wouldn't wear to the beach for fear of ruining them. Another female coworker agreed with that definition. So internet, am I right to wear either of these sandals or should I be flogged with a wet noodle by HR?

Lack of sleep promotes bursts of blog activity

Every once in a while I have a short period of insomnia. There are usually two types of insomnia for me. The first is due to something stressful happening in my life and I find it impossible to shut my brain off. For me this is the worst kind but there is nothing I can do about it short of taking some sort of sleep aid.

Fortunately my current insomnia is due to the second reason which is physical discomfort. The reason this is fortunate is that I can generally do something about it. Last night it was all about the cough I have developed from the cold that I've been suffering. I didn't have any good medicines that would allow me to sleep so finally at midnight I took the one that would likely keep me awake all night but at least I would be comfortable and wide awake.

The side effect of this sort of insomnia is that I have an idle mind at a time when there is no one to talk to. I got up and read a magazine for about an hour then went back to bed around 1:15am. I slept for about 2 hours and was wide awake again. So I laid there for an hour with my mind pondering things like whether people who weren't born as pasty white as I was are bothered by the fact that their are no band aids to match their skin color... or maybe there is and I just needed to find them since the standard color matches my skin almost perfectly. You know, important stuff like that.

So if you are reading this later today after my little burst of blog postings, you will know two things:

1. I haven't had much sleep which will explain any lack of coherent thoughts
2. My idle mind is a dangerous thing

Don't judge me!

I don't enjoy grocery shopping much anymore. I like it less these days now that I have a teenager and a college student living with me that can eat anything they want and still lose weight (join me as I hate them for a second). It's painful for me to buy all of the things I love to eat but just can't anymore.

I don't really need anything to add to my dislike of grocery shopping since I'm the only one in the house who will actually do it. However, I found another reason to hate grocery shopping this week. I had already been to the store before the weekend to pick up food for the visit from my family. However Monday evening we were out of milk and a few other things so I decided that I would just stock up on a few of those items that the young, skinny things love to eat. This means a basket full of frozen pizza, quesadilla, taquitos, oreo cookies, etc.

I gathered up all of these items and headed to check out. I don't mind it when the checker wants to chat. It can't be too fun to just check groceries all day without chatting with the customers. However I draw the line at the conversation I had with this particular Target checker. He started off commenting about my Weight Watcher cookie crumb covered ice cream bars. He said that he needed to buy some of those too. Not a bad comment so I engage in conversation.

Then came the 12 pack of oreo cookie single serving packages. He commented that I must really love oreo cookies. For some reason I needed to explain that THOSE were for the teenager. He keeps checking my groceries which includes 4 personal size frozen pizzas and then the fixings to make a pizza (for the teenager and her friend because the like doing that sort of thing). At this point the checker comments how I must love pizza and again I felt like I had to explain my purchases.

Why do I care what this Target checker thinks?? Because I have too many moms out there who are APPALLED that I let the teenager eat so much processed food. I was even told once that this wasn't who I am. My response to that is... No really it is who I am! NOW STOP JUDGING ME!

My cars hate me

I don't know why they hate me but they do. And really it's not just my cars it's also other cars around me that hate me. As soon as I get near them, they make me pay. It's really a shame too because I had planned on a really awesome post featuring Max the mutt-iferic puppy. He will always be this mutt-ilicious so that can wait. Right now I must talk about why my cars are making think that I should never drive again.

It all started after a perfectly innocent happy hour with friends a few weeks ago. I was happily driving home in the nearly brand-new Mini and out of nowhere came a ginormous piece of 18-wheeler tire rubber. The car in front of me ran over this huge piece of tire. It came at me fast and hit my car on the windshield on the passenger side. It pretty much scared the crap out of me because it hit my car with a very loud bang. I immediately checked the windshield and miraculously there were no cracks at all. I was joyous.... until.... I looked out the passenger window and where the mirror used to be there were only lovely colorful wires sticking out. WONDERFUL!!

So I take the car straight up to the Mini dealership since it was pretty close by to let them look at it and make an appointment to get it replaced. They tell me it will take a few days to get the parts in so I make an appointment for the next Tuesday right before vacation. I ask if they can get me a loaner and they say they can.

That next Tuesday only a few hours before I am to drop the car off to be fixed the next morning, the service chick calls and asks me about my appointment. She lets me know that they will need to order all of those parts for my mirror. I'm thinking that they really should have had time for that but I decide not to be bitchy about it. I tell her that we are going on vacation and I would just bring it in when I get back. I remind her that I will need a loaner.

After my wonderful and restful vacation, I take my car into the dealership. She happily takes the car and is acting like we are done. I remind her nicely that I asked for a loaner and she gives me this look like she has no memory of this (keep in mind that I've told them twice about this!) She looks through the available cars, tells me that they don't have much, and asks if I can drive a standard. I give her a nice blank stare since I just gave her my car... a standard.

So she sends me off with the loaner which incidentally is the spitting image of my car. I happily left driving my car twin and went to work without any problems the next morning. On the way home that next afternoon, I was gunning it a little to get out into the crazy Houston traffic and I felt a weird pop in the car.

I didn't think much of it right away and took the car to get some overpriced fuel. When I left the gas station the car felt a little weird and sluggish but it still seemed ok. I drive home to pick up the hubby and Max's kennel so that we can pick him up from the vet. As I drive back out of the neighborhood, the car keeps getting worse and worse until it gets to the point that I can accelerate and nothing happens. So I turn around and limp home.... very.... slowly.... to the annoyance of about 10 cars behind me. We make it back and call Mini to come get their stupid loaner.

Mini was only supposed to have my car from Thursday until Saturday morning. On Saturday they call to let me know that they don't have all of the parts. Really? Mrs. Mini Serviceperson, you have only had two weeks to get these freaking parts! Apparently Mrs. Mini Serviceperson hates me too.

So I've come full circle and I'm driving my Miata again. I really don't mind it all that much because I still love that car but it is a little annoying when I need to carry more than one person. On Monday or Tuesday (I am losing track now...) they call to let me know the part is still not in so they keep the car and I continue to drive the trusty Miata. On Thursday (which was this last Thursday by the way) they inform that due to a miscommunication, no one ordered the part. REALLY??? Yep, Mrs. Mini Serviceperson definitely hates me but at least trusty Miata loves me.

Until today! Trusty Miata hates me too. Trusty Miata gets me about halfway home in rush hour Houston traffic when Trusty Miata decides to join the "Cars who hate Carol" club. Did I mention that Trusty Miata decided to die in front of a very impatient angry 18-wheeler? And did I also mention that I had to move in front of a very impatient angry Big-Ole-Pickup redneck driver?? I think Trusty Miata was the ringleader of the club personally.

So my cars all hate me. I don't think I'm gonna drive ever again!

Pictures!

Sorry for the delay! They have been making me work lately! The horror!!

View from the cliff at Romney Manor

The teenagers posing for the camera

Fort Brimstone view (one of the best places to take pictures on the island!)

The black rocks... the picture doesn't do it justice. This is proof that the inactive volcano hasn't always been inactive. That and the black sand beaches in parts of the island.

The hubby and I posing in the roots of a tree from the ficus family. This isn't like any ficus I had ever seen before! This was part of our rainforest hike. Very fun!

One of the many reasons I love St Kitts. It's a much different attitude there... they just say it like it is. "Smokers Die Younger" Plain and simple. I like it!

The view as we walk out the front door of our hotel room. Not an ocean view room but still nice!

Our hotel! It was nice but I would stay at the Four Seasons in Nevis in a heartbeat if I come without the kiddos!

Our last view of the island as we were leaving. :-(

Back home and well rested!

I'm back home from beautiful St. Kitts and Nevis. We had a really great time staying at the Marriott resort there. There was a lot to do for the teenager and her friend as well as planned excursions for all of us to see the island of St. Kitts, the rainforest, and a catamaran trip to go snorkeling and visit Nevis.

St. Kitts (or St. Christopher as it is officially named) has a very interesting history as most of these Carribbean islands do I'm sure. This island was named by Christopher Columbus after himself because it was supposedly his favorite island. St. Kitts is not very big with much of the island take up by an "inactive" volcano. Incidentally, don't ask the locals about the fact that it is inactive as they know good and well that it will someday erupt again. I guess they believe it will jinx it to talk about it.

It seemed to me that the gap between rich and poor was vast... much worse than anything here in the United States. They have what they call middle class but they seemed more like the poor here in the states. The people that they called poor are desperately so. I would say that it was hard to see this but to tell you the truth, everyone I saw seemed really happy despite their living conditions.

And there really isn't too much crime to speak of. I had forgotten to leave my expensive jewelry at home so when I got to the hotel, I asked the lady there if it was safe to where my jewelry. She looked at me as if I was completely insane. I explained that there were places in the world that you just don't want to take that chance and she seemed really surprised. Wouldn't it be nice to not have to worry about that?

The only complaint one might have in St. Kitts is that the service is a little lacking. By that, I mean they move at a much slower pace than we do. After about a day of getting used to this new way of thinking, I found it quite refreshing and feel like I could get used to that all of the time. It's a shame that the American culture is so rushed all of the time!

I can't really say what my favorite part of the trip was because I liked all of it. I did discover that I like hiking though... more than I ever dreamed I would. The description of our rainforest tour claimed that it was a moderate hike. I might have agreed with that statement if I had ever done anything more than an easy hike. There were parts of this hike that were quite strenuous for a beginner especially considering that I had running shoes on. Still I made it through ok and really liked it. This brings up the possibility of doing more hiking on vacations. I don't mean the kind where you are packing your sleeping bag and staying overnight. I had enough of camping when I was a kid. However an all day "moderate" hike seems like it might be fun.

The catamaran trip was a blast as usual. This has become something that we do whenever we go somewhere tropical. I was a little disappointed in the snorkeling because there weren't all that many fish and I got bored quickly. The rest of the sailing was really relaxing though. They sailed us to the island of Nevis and dropped us off on the beach next to the Four Seasons. If I go back I'm definitely staying at the Four Seasons. It's not really a place I would take the kids but it was really quiet and relaxing.

I think if I had to do it over again, I would have tried to get one of the condo style rooms with a kitchen. After a while, I really got tired of eating out constantly. Occasionally I just wanted a bowl of cereal or a sandwich that didn't cost me 10 apiece. But other than that, it was awesome and I would definitely go back. Pictures to be added to this post soon....

Hi from St. Kitts

Thought I would blog just a bit while I wait for the teenagers to make themselves beautiful. Love it here. I think I'm not coming back! Just kidding... sorta...

See everyone in a few days... maybe

Gone for a while

I'm going to St. Kitts and Nevis on vacation for a week and don't intend to blog. So for all 4 of you who come by, I will be unavailable.

My husband is bringing his laptop with him and there is a prediction of lots of rain. I might change my mind about blogging. We'll see. Toodles for now!

Sad day

Dainty Musings has shut down shop. No more witty, amusing entries about her food adventures. Sad day.

Oh Deer!

I'm at the in-laws house in central Louisiana for the 4th of July weekend. I think I have mentioned that I never know what to expect here. The first time I visited, they were raising squirrels in cages. Then when we went on Thanksgiving last year, it was the racoon in a cage. Later in the Thanksgiving visit, Ruth Buzzi showed up (thankfully not in a cage!)

This visit is no different! This time it is a deer in the house. They have rescued a baby deer. It has got to be the sweetest little animal ever. It came out of the cage to see me immediately and was licking my hand and face. VERY CUTE!!!

Oh and Max was terrified of the deer. Not sure how anyone or anything could be terrified of that sweet!

For anyone reading this who may be in law enforcement, they aren't keeping the baby deer. The poor thing was attacked by a dog and they are just trying to figure out who will take him on Monday.

Boot Camp - the final week

It was better than the prior weeks meaning that I am in better shape so it did that for me. I still have the week to make up during the next camp so I'm not really done yet. The final total weight loss is -1 pound. I gained a pound (and inches around my belly) mainly because I only followed good eating habits the first week hence the 2.5 pound weight loss that week.

I'm disappointed in myself for not being disciplined enough to eat right since I do know how but happy that I went to the boot camp 4 out of 5 days each week for the last two weeks and 5 out of 5 the first week. I'm not sure what I will do now for exercise but I may do the boot camp again in August because it will be the last month I will be able to manage it. It's a lot harder when school starts back up for the non-driving teenager.

Any suggestions on workouts that are fun and working for you?

Weekend fun

Last weekend I attended a wine tasting party at a friends house. Well at least they used to be wine tastings in the beginning. Now it's really an excuse to have a party and drink lots of really good wines. This one happened to be a themed party. Everyone was to dress 70's, bring two bottles of cabernet and an appetizer or dessert.


Originally I was supposed to be out of town at a family reunion which we decided not to go to because friends in Oklahoma had adopted a son and were having a party to celebrate. Then we found out that my old house was coming up for rent and it needed work so we stayed in town.


At the last minute I was rushing around to find appropriate outfits for both my hubby and I with the hubby out of town. So while I was able to try stuff on, the hubby was not home and did not try anything on until the morning of the party. This is also the day that he had to hurry over to my rental house and powerwash the whole thing. By the time he got home it would have been too late to go get anything else to wear. Fortunately it all fit pretty well. The shirt was a little big but not too bad. Everything else was perfect.

My husband is the one with the big hair

My bestest friends and I

More of the great costumes

And a few more in a blurry pic (and I hadn't drank at all at this point)

My husband always popping up in all the pictures!

See the trend here?

Needless to say the hubby LOVED this costume! He is a complete ham most of the time

Max's Wine Dive, Coco's Round 2, etc.

I love my husband. I start out with that statement because I don't want anyone to think otherwise. However, I didn't get married for the first time until I was 38. Let's just say I'm accustomed to doing what I want when I want. That is the part of single life I do miss occasionally.

This week I got to pretend to be single for a couple of days. When I say that, don't misunderstand and think I was out prowling for men. What I mean is that I got to do what I wanted when I wanted for two whole days and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The teenager was off being a camp counselor and the hubby was traveling. The college student can completely take care of herself so she was on her own for those days.

Wednesday after work, I went to Max's Wine Dive with Heather and Kim. I would describe Max's as gourmet comfort food with fantastic wines. For instance they have mac & cheese on the menu but theirs is described as "Cavatappi pasta tossed in truffle cream with fresh mozzarella, Veldhuizen Farms Texas gruyere, and grana padano cheese blend." And the burger isn't just a burger it is "Yama Kobe Beef Burger - Yama Farms Texas Kobe beef burger with Belletoielle triple cream brie, in-house pickled jalapenos, Texas tomato and organic bib lettuce on Kraftsmen brioche bun, served with frites."

I went once with the same friends plus others and fell in love with the idea of having really nice wines with food you don't normally think of with wine. It also makes me feel better about the fact that I discovered the perfect French Bordeaux to go with a Pizza Hut meat lovers pizza a few years back. What can I say... I'm a visionary!

Last night, Heather was kind enough to join me out again for Coco's and the Tasting Room. Her boss/client joined us for some really great conversation and a wine that I really loved (Nigl Gruner Veltliner if you are interested) I had a wonderful time talking to adults for a change. With my husband traveling so much lately, my conversations are about who is "likes" who and how much fun hanging at the mall is. Love the teenager to death but need to talk to people my own age occasionally! I think I may have monopolized the conversation but I apparently I really needed to express myself last night. I thank both of them for the opportunity.

Since I promised a weekly update of my crepe adventures, will give a run down on the two we tried. I think I like going with other people so I can try more than one at a time. It speeds up my goal of trying them all. Heather ordered Chicken, Roasted Vegetables, Baby Greens, and Goat Cheese with Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Sauce. I ordered Spinach, Ricotta, and Oven Dried Tomatoes with Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Sauce. Heather said she liked mine better and I personally liked hers more. However, I still love my first one best.

It was a very good week for me!

Wife in mud

I have analytics running on my blog. This is mostly for my own amusement and ego. The ego part is to see how many different people from other parts of the country/world are popping in and also how many people per day, etc.

The amusement part was a more unexpected benefit of analytics. I find enjoyment seeing how people get to my blog through a google search. It has been mostly boring until lately. Let me share a list of my favorites:

Volvo jokes
i am not my wife's first true love
i don't like being a stepmom
mating peking drakes female goose (really? people search for that?)
what happens to the female ducks when it is mating season
ducks that bully
wife in mud

Apparently I'm a resident expert about mating ducks because that seems to bring me more traffic than anything (that and Coco's Crepes anyway). Not sure when I became a duck expert but seems like people come to me to read about duck romance.

Most of these searches make sense to me. I know which posts they come from except for the last one. Wife in mud? This is going to take some research. I'll get back to you on this one.

Impossible you say? I think not!

I may have mentioned that I have a picky eater in my house. In addition to the teenagers pickiness is her religious limitations that are even more difficult in my book. She can't eat any seafood that doesn't have scales. She can't eat pork either. This is even limiting when I buy frozen pizza! There aren't many without a pork product on it that she can't eat and if it does, it likely has a vegetable that she refuses to try.

I try my best to accomodate her because I do respect her beliefs but not having been raised that way, I often have to think twice... or maybe a hundred times about what I'm cooking for the family.

There is one major rule at dinner though... if you are allowed to eat it, you have to at least try it (this includes the hubby too but that is much less of an issue). Sometimes I feel like I'm feeding a toddler. The teenager will put off eating the things she doesn't like until the bitter end. At this point it is usually cold and doesn't taste as good as it did earlier so my rule is almost pointless.

Sunday (with the help of some unexpected peer pressure), I got the teenager to try something that I was never going to even attempt to get her to try. SUSHI!!! The same kid who won't even try spinach tried sushi!

The hubby and I were going to Tokyohana to have sushi which has become my hubby's favorite food lately. The teenager's friend heard that and commented that she had always wanted to try sushi. This wasn't unexpected since the friend is an adventurous girl. So because of this the teenager and the college student came along too. Keep in mind that I wasn't going to bother getting either to try sushi...

I was in for a HUGE surprise though! When I gave the teenager the other menu with the "normal" food, she announced that she was trying sushi! I nearly fell out of my chair in shock!

Don't think for a moment that the actual eating of the sushi was drama-free however. She picked up one that I thought she might like (Tiger Eye Roll - smoked salmon, cream cheese, and a slice of jalapeno). Nothing super crazy in that one so she agrees to try it. She bites it in half and says she likes it ok at first. Then she decides that one is too fishy and spits the other half into her napkin (see where the toddler reference comes in?)

Then her older sister (a.k.a. the college student) tells her that the other roll is super yummy. This one is called a Fuji roll. The Fuji roll also has smoked salmon but this one has avocado, green onion and special mayonaise. On this roll there are two items she doesn't like... onion and mayo. However she LOVED this one! I couldn't be more surprised but I will take every opportunity to use this incident against her 'cause that's what being a parent is all about!

As a side note, the friend had the Tokyohana roll which had shrimp and eel on it. She was pretty much game for anything that I said she might like. She loved her roll too!

It was such a momentous event that I needed to record it in photos. I'm so very proud of her bravery!

Tiger Eye and Tokyohana Rolls

The teenager and the friend doing a cheesy teenager pose

The teenager actually trying a piece of sushi! YAY!

Boot Camp Week 3

I actually don't have any clear memory of bootcamp last week other than pushing an SUV down the street. I think I must have been asleep for most of it. I have decided that 5 days a week of waking up at or before 4am is entirely too hard to keep up with. So I skipped on Friday and slept in. I am bad!

Another thing that has been bad are my eating habits. I truly believe that when someone tells me I have to cut something out of my diet, I will always rebel. Last Friday you could find my friend and I hunched over a very large and expensive wedge of cheese. We didn't finish it but we did try hard (I finished it before the weekend was over though). Then there was the day of crepes... sushi and wine later that evening. Sushi and wine twice over the weekend... the list of my dietary indiscretions goes on and on.

So without further adieu my weight loss is -2! That's right, I gained back a pound and added another for good measure! I can see this boot camp is working well for me! Maybe if I stopped trying to eat everything in the house... I'll try that this week. Other than the Coco's breakfast or dinner... eating cheese... drinking wine... Aw heck! I give up!

I'm in heaven

After my truly evil bootcamp workout this morning that involved lots and lots of running, I decided to reward myself. The college student who lives with us told me about a really awesome crepe and coffee shop. It is almost on my way to work from the workout so I decided to stop for some breakfast.

I had the most yummiest crepe ever! It had smoked salmon, cream cheese, baby greens, and red onion capers on it. I was in heaven after every bite and mourned a little when it was gone. I think next week when I go back I will be getting the one with goat cheese, spinach and roasted red peppers.

It is called Coco's Crepes & Coffee (http://www.cocoscrepes.com/). If you are around downtown Houston, I highly recommend stopping by. I personally plan to go back every week until I've tried them all! A person has to have goals you know!

Boot Camp Week 2

Did I mention throwing my back out in week one? I was hoping it would get better by Monday for week 2. No such luck! I missed a whole week and managed to keep my one pound loss. Hey, at least I didn't gain!

Boot Camp Week 1

It went really well all week. I was enjoying myself despite the 5am start time until Friday. Then it happened... yes, I have injured myself. And it's not a little minor thing that I can work out with. It had to be my back. During Friday's boot camp when she was making us do some sort of crazy monkey walk up a hill, I pulled a muscle or pinched a nerve or something. Doesn't really matter what I did to myself because I could barely straighten up the next day.

I was doing really well with the weight loss too. On Friday morning I had lost 2.5 pounds total. Great you say? Then the diet-busting birthday party happened. My wonderful friend, Rhonda, decided to celebrate her birthday by going to Cafe Adobe (my favorite Tex-Mex restaurant) and going to see Sex and the City with the girls. I was doing pretty good at first. I didn't eat many chips and had ordered the tilapia with a side of grilled veggies. Admittedly it all had butter on it but it was at least better than the cheese and white sauce soaked spinach enchiladas that I normally get.

I was so proud of myself for standing strong! Then the truly evil part of the party happened. I was thinking that we would have the restaurant bring out a dessert for Rhonda's birthday and I would just not partake in the calorie laden goodness because there wouldn't be enough. Oh no... this is not how things went down. KB decided to make a ding dong cake. Now most people know that I pretty much don't eat cake because I don't consider most cakes to be worth the calories. I would estimate that the massive piece that I was given to have approximately 10,000 calories and it was worth every single one. Did I stop at the one piece? No, I had to pick at the piece in the middle of the table that no one claimed because it didn't have the yummy filling. I picked at it until it was gone. I stopped short of embarrassing myself by licking the plate (I did think about it though).

After that orgy of calories and the inability to move, my net loss barely 1 pound. Sigh... maybe I will do better next weekend.

Boot Camp Day 2

I hadn't planned on giving a daily update really but since Trix asked I will give a quick update. I have learned two things since Sunday. The first was to not forget to take any medicine and my vitamins before I leave for work (forgot on Monday). The second was to bring them with me rather than taking them before I leave the house.

Unfortunately I have discovered the hard way that vitamins make me sick before a workout. I've always known that most food does that but it never occurred to me to not take a vitamin. I got a little sick in the middle of the workout so the instructor suggested that between the strength exercise that I just do situps. I think I did about 100 - 150 situps total today!! The upside is that I'll have fantastic abs once I drop some of the excess weight I have gained recently.

So today didn't go quite as well as yesterday but hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Boot Camp Day 1

I survived it! I think this was partially because I was not quite awake at 5am when I got there. It was a major undertaking to just leave this morning. Since I live in Spring and I'm doing this boot camp in the Heights near work, I must shower close by. So I am hauling 4 separate bags this morning. My purse and laptop bag are normal for work. Then I need a bag to hold the yoga mat, water bottle weights and the towel that I need for the boot camp. The last bag hold everything I need to get ready.

It was all going well until I realized I had forgotten my hair dryer. Now this isn't a real tragedy since I have curly hair and can let it dry naturally but it was still extremely wet when I got to work. Heck an hour later it's still pretty damp.

I did remember to bring makeup with me but after I showered, I was still sweating quite a bit so I decided to put on the makeup at work. Great plan but I left it in the car and I'm feeling too lazy to go get it.

Showering was an experience all on it's own. I do have a gym membership but the closest one isn't all that close to work. I had heard there were showers at Memorial Park in the tennis center for a small fee. It was definitely small... 75 cents to be exact. It was a typical locker room type of shower. It wasn't bad but it sorta reminded me of a high school locker room. Nothing like the LA Fitness set up that I'm more accustomed to.

All in all a good experience for the first day... back to it tomorrow.

And so I can keep track of my progress... my beginning weight is 148. My goal for this 4 weeks is at least 10 pounds. I would love a 15 pound loss but I'm not really going to be upset if I don't make that one.

"What the F*ck?" Wednesday

In honor of Rhonda's birthday and since she is taking the whole day off, I thought I would have a "What the F*ck?" Wednesday post. Happy Birthday Rhonda!!

I have been meaning to get this posted for days but somehow with all of the Memorial weekend festivities, I haven't quite had the time. While grocery shopping this weekend, I saw this guy driving out of the Kroger parking lot.

Yes, I saw the "Road Warrior." It says so on the side!!

Note that it's a dually...

And the front pipes sticking out of the hood

When will I ever learn?

I'm not usually known for doing anything in a small way when it comes to exercise. I run marathons and cycle 160 miles on a fairly regular basis. Lately I've been somewhat bored with just running and cycling so I wanted to do something a bit different. Inspired by the results that Amber (a.k.a the Crazy Bloggin' Canuck) has achieved, I decided to try a fitness boot camp.

I did a little research and decided on this one... Houston Adventure Boot Camp They seem to be popular and have people come back for more sessions. This boot camp will last 4 weeks starting on June 2nd. I was pretty pumped about it until I looked over the registration form. The things they make you agree to are going to be difficult





No alcohol at all??? I don't intend to drink at all on the evenings before I have to go to the boot camp because I really don't enjoy being hungover, waking up at 4am and getting yelled at by the instructor when I can't move too fast.

No fried foods, sugar, or saturated fat??? I can probably do without the fried foods. I don't eat them often anyway. I'm ok with cutting down on sugar and saturated fats but to cut them out completely seems a little extreme! I have a sweet tooth and I do try not to eat much sugar but when I cut it out completely, I find that I end up having awful cravings. Limiting myself to smaller amounts seems to work better for me. Same with cheese which happens to be one of my major sources of saturated fats. I will cut back and I will eat lower fat cheese. However if you ask me to eliminate them, you will eventually find me hiding in a corner like a rat gnawing on a huge wedge of fully fat cheese. And don't even try to take it away from me... you might lose a hand!

So I signed up anyway knowing that these people are probably going to yell at me for my food choices. The point of this little story? Stay away from me between June 2nd through the 28th. I expect to be a BIIIIAAAATCH!

The light at the end of the tunnel wasn't a train

It was actually graduation! My hubby finally got his MBA this weekend! YAY!! Sometimes he felt like that light was a train running over him but he persevered and got it done. This was despite being discouraged by an ex-wife who didn't see the value of this achievement and working a full time traveling job. I can't say enough how proud I am!

We went to San Antonio this weekend to graduation. I tried to get a few pictures of him walking the stage but my poor little camera really does not perform well at a distance in low light (really gotta get a real camera!) The pic is blurry and could be anybody but I assure you this is my husband.

Hubby and his best friend

The teenager wanted to try on the cap and gown and get a picture. This one was my favorite. Note the diploma that she is holding... it's upside down. We are so proud! :)

Wordless Wednesday

New member of our happy little clan

Last night we had a new member of the family join us. We got a new puppy!

A good friend of mine had adopted this sweet boy but with a new baby, a toddler, two dogs, and either two or three cats, you could say it was all kind of overwhelming. We were discussing how crazy her life was with all of these little people and animals over a lovely sushi dinner the other night. I told her that the teenager really wanted a dog and would LOVE the little guy dearly.

I could tell it was difficult for her to let him go but we are really happy to have him. Meet Max with the very happy teenager...

The fearless dashchund, Abigail, is not too happy with us for bringing in competition but the evening went better than expected. As soon as Max arrived, they spent several minutes barking at each other. After that we all went outside where he either sat with my friend or followed Abigail around. Abigail ignored him which was the best thing I could have hoped for!

Later that night she proceeded to take any toy that Max wanted away from him when he wasn't looking. He seemed to take it all in stride and just went on to the next toy.

Bedtime was about as expected. Abigail went into her kennel and Max went into his. He then proceeded to bark for the next half hour before everyone went to sleep. And that was day 1 with Max.

A New Car!!!

After 6 years of the beloved Miata, I have decided to move on. If you are one of the 3 people who read this blog then you may recall that I was getting a Volvo C70. I was super excited about going overseas to pick it up. That was before gas started shooting up to it's current levels.

I woke up one morning and knew that I had to get something more economical. I drive 50 miles round trip each day to work and the price of gas is killing me. Not to get too off topic but I have very mixed feelings about all of this since I work in the energy industry. So while I'm happy for the Houston economy, not so happy for the Squirrel Assassin household economy.

I have considered just getting a soul-less car that gets super awesome gas mileage... you know a car like a Prius or other small hybrid. I just couldn't do it! I am known for always having a little sports car so moving to something like that is just wrong!

Instead, I bought this car... YAY!!!

For anyone who is unaware, this is the Mini Cooper Clubman S. The Clubman is a slightly bigger version of the Mini (A jumbo shrimp as the advertising calls it). It is a very fast little car with a nice turbo and it still gets at least 34 mpg on the highway. Yay for me!!

Sorry for the crappy pictures but it was dark out. More pics when I get a chance.

Cute Grandbaby pictures!

No explanation needed!

And the one that made me laugh:

Speechless!

That's how Mark and I felt when we saw this:

A little background: We were picking up crawfish to boil that afternoon in a somewhat shady neighborhood. As we left we saw two trucks with LOTS of stuff piled up. One truck was mostly unloaded (you can see some of the stuff on the right side of the second picture). Basically they were unloading all of this stuff for a big mobile garage sale.

Walk down memory lane

I have had so many things to talk about lately but I really just haven't been motivated to get it done!

A few weeks ago I went down to San Marcos to hit the outlet malls. I grew up in San Marcos but I haven't been back for several years because my parents moved right after I graduated from high school. While I was there I took an opportunity to drive through town to see some of my old schools, the church I grew up in, and old neighborhood.

It was a good trip around town until I got to my old house. It was painted an ugly color of blue and wasn't as well kept up as when we lived there. I had to take a picture to show my parents. Here is the house where I spent most of my childhood:

Why I love Texas in the Spring

This is the view from my favorite chair on our back patio


Yes, you can be jealous of me today! The temperature was about 80 and the pool was around 75 (still a tiny bit cold but bearable).

In about two months when it will be around 98 degrees and 150% humidity every day. At that point, I will always be in the pool submerged up to my eyeballs to keep cool. You can stop being jealous of me then! ;)

I'm in shock

A friend got some disturbing news today. The couple got a call from another parent about their 10 year old kid. She told them that her daughter broke down and told her that their kid was talking to friends about suicide and had attempted it before. This post isn't so much about them as it is about my shock of learning about it.

Having a teenager in my home has brought up all kinds of fears that I'm sure most parents experience with that age group. I remember my teen years as being hyper-emotional. Things were either super great or super awful. I don't recall things ever being in-between. Kids in this age group often get to the point of feeling life is hopeless. I'm assuming it's being hormonal and being on the cusp of having actual responsibilities in their lives. So I worry about the teenager's happiness and well-being now that I'm the one who has to keep her safe and sound more often than anyone else.

However as hyper-emotional as things were for me in my teen years, I don't recall anything like that before I hit that age. When I was 10, I only recall happily playing with the neighborhood kids, riding my bike, climbing trees and generally just having fun. I don't ever recall having so much stress on my life that I would feel like it's not worth living. And I was a very awkward and shy child too... I don't think I really started having any real self confidence until I got closer to college graduation.

Another friend told me that suicide is becoming more common amongst that age group of kids before their teen years. Are things that much more difficult on kids? Is it because I now live in Houston and kids here have a rougher time than it was for me in my small town?

All I can say is that I'm shocked and saddened that kids that young feel that there is nothing here for them. What kind of a world is this when a young kid is thinking about ending it all rather than playing and having fun? Have we as a society put too much pressure on these kids to grow up too fast?