Where Have I Been?

Oh boy, it's been awhile since my last entry. Shame on me! Anyhow, my recent trip to Orlando FL went really well and was a ton of fun. I had to go for work and stayed for 3 nights, 4 days. The weather was kind of crappy and I was all packed and ready for a super hot steamy stay....only to arrive in sunny Florida and shortly thereafter suffer through some balmy rains. Yah.

So no, I did not get to lounge pool side and sip some cocktails, although I desparately wanted to. Instead, I was in a convention center from 6 am to 8 pm every night, having late dinners and slipping off to sleep around midnight. I was impressed with the labor crew for the exhibit this year, they were fast and very easy to work with! It made my job easier and I got all of the propping for the kitchens and laundry spaces done in about half the time it usually takes me (I was there for our biggest client, Whirlpool). Let's just say last year was nightmare as the exhibit was a brand new build and it's (deep breath) 20,000 sq. ft. We need walkie talkies just to find each other in the exhibit, it's so big. That's like 10 of my houses put together.

Anyhow, work was urgently busy leading up to that event and it all went smoothly! We just had our company party and got our bonuses, which I am happy to report was triple the amount from last year. ROCK ON! Things are going well at work and we are slowing down, which isn't good because then people start to panic about bringing new business in, while we peons try to lay low and bask in down time because we aren't busting our balls to get shit done.

So on to family news...Aliyah had her annual check-up at her ear specialist in Minneapolis early March and she is doing o.k. Her left tube has become dislodged and is currently floating around in her ear canal. The doctor isn't worried, but I took one look at Ben and said...mark my words...she'll have an ear infection in a week. And guess what? I WAS RIGHT! Never doubt a mother's wisdom. So she had her hearing test and she doesn't have full hearing back in her left ear yet. She's not deaf, but when her ears drums ruptured two years ago, it left some scar tissue and a little bit of damage. When she talks, she does it really loud because she's trying to compensate for her hearing loss. Silly girl. She has been a little bit naughty, but, come on. It's Aliyah!

Alex, my sweet innocent has also been a little whiney lately. I'm convinced she has super high doses of estrogen. Yep, I'll just keep telling myself that. The highlight of her life right now is her brand new bunk bed! We got it at Ikea after shopping around at 4 different stores. She loves it because she gets the top bunk and Aliyah gets the bottom. We moved the girls into Alex's room and made Aliyah's the play room. It works out nice because there is a lot more room in Alex's for moving around and stuff. Now I just have to figure out what to do with the crib and toddler bed. I'll probably drop them off at the goodwill.

And my poor poor husband. In February, the night before I left for Florida, he got the flu. A nasty, hurling bad kind of virus. He threw up all day and night and then I had to leave for 4 days. Poor guy. Then just last week, I had to stay home for two days with the kids while they got the flu bug and Ben stayed home for two days too because he got the flu again. Poor thing...so now the family is on the mend and Ben swears he will get the flu shot next year.

Until the next installment...