Category Archives: me me me

October 28, 2011

It’s in the jeans

By rhonirenee

A friend of mine recently stated “I’ve only had one wish for my daughter – that she have long legs.”

I totally understood where she was coming from. I inherited my little stumpy legs from my mother who used to comment wistfully “That girl’s got legs up to her armpits.” Growing up around a dance studio, we saw a lot of that actually. My middle sister inherited my Dad’s long lankiness and her ballet extensions…wow… She was an elegant natural. Me? It didn’t matter how perfect my form was (although it never was)…I was never going to achieve those beautiful lines. Because my legs, they are short.

So. I went jeans shopping the other evening. I found a pair that I actually LIKED. I liked how they fit through the waist and hips. I liked how they felt. But the only length in stock was “Regular”….which was approximately 4 inches too long.

(Yes tailors, hemmed, blah blah blah. I needed a pair I could wear the next day.)

I finally found some that I didn’t absolutely hate. They were labeled as “average” length but they were okay. I purchased them, put them on the next morning and went to work where a coworker informed me that my brand new jeans had a rip in them. Actually it looked like they had gotten between a box and a cutter. I kept my jacket on the rest of the day and took them back last night to exchange.

This morning I put on my new-new jeans. The jeans that are identical in size, length, brand. According to the tag, they are exactly the same as the ones I picked up Wednesday (minus the tush exposing rip).

Annnnd….they’re too long by about an inch or two. I keep stepping on the hem. I hear them dragging on the ground when I walk.

Anyone (currently or formerly local) have recommendations for a good tailor in town?

Leave a comment | posted in life, me me me, Random

October 25, 2011

Volleyball, first match

By rhonirenee

Before we left for volleyball last night, I tossed out the comment “I mean – how bad can it be, right?” Jon proceeded to tell me about a volleyball player who ended up with a compound fracture….and the prospect of ending up with bones sticking out of my leg was actually more appealing to me than making a public fool of myself and tanking my team.

I tell you that to give you an idea the extent of my nerves/my state of mind.

Turns out, I wasn’t the best on the team but neither was I noticeably the worst. I wasn’t nearly as aggressive as I should have been. I stood back too far from the net. I missed a lot of hits and sent others bombing wildly. I also made some good hits, was the only one to not screw up a serve (although one came CLOSE) and even had a really decent serving run.

We lost two out of three sets. We also only had five people to put on the court, and the most recent anyone had played was last season.

Most importantly – we had fun. By the end we were starting to loosen up, communicate and get into a rhythm.

Our next game is tomorrow night and we should have six players there.  And this time – no nerves; just excitement.

1 comment | posted in health/fitness, hobbies, me me me

October 18, 2011

To crunch or not to crunch

By rhonirenee

I realized something yesterday. I do not like crunch.

  • I enjoy cooked vegetables but can barely tolerate raw. (Raw carrots – not happening AT ALL…unless they’re shredded in a salad).
  • Apples are my least favorite fruit. I don’t mind them in small pieces as much but I have to force myself to eat a whole one even though I (usually) love the flavor.
  • I’m not a fan of potato chips. Again – I like the flavor of some but I rarely want them. I don’t like pretzels either…except the big soft ones. Those I love.
  • I prefer soft chewy cookies, not crispy ones.
  • I love “floppy” french fries. If they’re too cooked, I pretty much don’t eat them.
  • I can’t stand peanut butter unless it’s smooth.
  • My favorite cereal is frosted shredded wheat…but I have to let it sit until it’s soggy. (I do that with all cereal actually)
  • I love the idea of salads. I like salads. Mostly. But I need to have an equal proportion of lettuce to soft stuff – tomatoes (yum!), eggs, etc. Too much lettuce and I can’t eat it unless it’s soaked in creamy dressing which kinda defeats the reason for eating a salad.

The one exception I can think of – I love almonds. Otherwise, I don’t like the way “crunchy” feels. It’s rough, it’s uncomfortable…I don’t know…I just don’t like the texture.

I have a feeling I might be the odd one out here. I definitely am in my family.

 

Leave a comment | posted in me me me

October 17, 2011

All’s fair in love and war

By rhonirenee

Our house was invaded last night. A massive spider set up camp above our bedroom door. I declared war and sent in the troops (aka my husband) who promptly picked up his (unloaded) BB gun.

I told you that thing was big.

Personally I would’ve preferred a shoe and said as much. However my dear husband explained he was going to blast the enemy with strong burst of air and was thoroughly confident that this method would not only be effective but also be fun. I calmly reiterated my belief that squishing was a better manner of execution (while backing not so slowly away) but he was blinded by the excitement of shooting a spider.  I opted to huddle on the bed approximately 8 feet away.

He carefully aimed the barrel close to the monstrosity, pulled the trigger….and somehow LAUNCHED THE SPIDER ACROSS THE ROOM DIRECTLY TOWARDS ME. I screamed as the spider flew through the air and flailed wildly as it bounced off my face. I then ran screaming into the dining room where I proceeded to cry and laugh hysterically while my dear husband was still in the room, bent over double purely from laughter. After he could breathe again he casually mentioned “Maybe next time I should just squish it.” Ya think?

We never did find the corpse. I’m working on the assumption that there IS a corpse. Otherwise I’d have to have the entire house fumigated and that would be terribly inconvenient.

Later than evening I was getting ready to bed and opened the bathroom door to find our large, furry Halloween decoration spider dangling from the door handle…and my husband giggling around the corner.

It’s really a good thing I missed him so much while he was gone.

 

 

2 comments | posted in marriage, me me me

October 15, 2011

Some things change

By rhonirenee

And then again – some things don’t change.

It’s 11:30 pm on a Saturday night. Do you want to guess what I’ve been doing?

Cleaning.

And that’s one thing that hasn’t changed. I cope with stuff by cleaning. I mean – that’s not the ONLY reason I ever clean. I do it because it needs to be done too. But if you find me scrubbing the kitchen floor by hand or mopping the bathroom ceiling, chances are something has tripped my neurotic switch.

I mopped the bathroom ceiling tonight. After I did all the laundry – including sheets & towels because I want my husband to come home to fresh, clean linens. And after I scrubbed the kitchen counter tops…and doors. And washed the blinds. And cleaned the fan. And dusted….everything. And scrubbed the walls. And vacuumed. And mopped the kitchen floor. Somewhere in there I mopped the bathroom ceiling. Three out of the five of us take really long, hot showers so it gets humid in there. And the exhaust fan sucks…well it doesn’t suck actually. So the ceiling starts getting little black spots that I suspect are mold. Can I get an EWWWWW! I’m short. And there are spots of the bathroom I can’t get a step-stool or ladder positioned to reach parts of the ceiling. Hence, the mop. It works. Don’t judge.

But what tripped my neurotic switch…that’s what’s changed. I lived on my own for six(?) years. Yeah TheKid was with me but he was little for quite a few of those years and the last few he was gone to friends’ a lot. It never bothered me too much. I mean I’ve NEVER enjoyed being alone but I was okay spending evenings in an empty home. Tonight was the first time I’ve been completely by myself for any length of time in over three years – since July of 2008. Jon has been gone. We’ve been kid free. But I haven’t spent an evening TOTALLY ALONE. And it freaked me out. Jon is out of town. TheKid is at homecoming w/his girlfriend and is staying at her house tonight (well supervised and in separate rooms), the other two are with their biological mom. It’s just me and the dog. And I did. Not. Deal. Well.

The upside is the house is relatively clean. The downside is my poor dog is so tired she didn’t even move when I rattled the back door handle. Usually she’d be right at my side begging to go outside. Tonight, she barely opened one eye and sighed at me. It’s after 11:30. Perhaps I should shower & get her in bed.

1 comment | posted in me me me, Neurotic

October 15, 2011

Barber to Boise 2011 5k report

By rhonirenee

First of all I would like to note that I did not consider this a “race”. Not for me. Not for the women I did this with. This was a fun Saturday jaunt.

I originally had a goal of 45 mins or less. I know – I know. I’m SLOW. But that was my goal…especially since I had exactly a month to train when we signed up. Then I hurt my knee. So for the past three weeks I’ve done nothing outside of the elliptical and swimming. Great workouts, yes, but horrible prep for a race. My coworker, however, was almost GLEEFUL as I limped around the office. She solemnly vowed to stay with me NO MATTER HOW SLOW. As she smiled. Perhaps it’s needless to say she was not really keen on the idea of running at all.

This morning I felt GOOD. When the gun sounded and everyone took off it was energizing. But my coworker doesn’t deal well with crowds so we hung back until the crushing throng had passed and cheered the other two women with us who were actually running. And although we didn’t run, it was FUN. We chatted and enjoyed the beautiful route. The one time we found our conversation drifting towards work, she called a halt to it and we vowed to pretend the office didn’t exist for the day. We were passing people often and before I knew it, we were at the first mile marker. I glanced at my watch at that point, did some quick math and announced we’d done a 15 minute mile! That’s certainly not out of our capabilities. But I should note I’ve never been all that great at math. That information spurred us on though and we picked up the pace a bit, passing even more people.

The participants were great. Everyone was friendly. There were a lot of people out there in jeans or khakis, obviously just enjoying a beautiful walk to support a great cause. There was a group of girls – I think they were called “Girls on the Run”…and they were running in groups of 2-3 younger girls (10-12?) with an adult. We passed – and were passed – several times by the same couple of groups. They were  a lot of fun to watch and listen to. We laughed at their antics a few times and cheered them often. It was entertaining.

By the time we got to the water station at 1.5 miles we were keeping a pretty good pace and the last half flew past. Before we knew it, we were merging with the 10k group for the final stretch around and then into the stadium. The last bit was about half way around the track. The two runners from our group were waiting at the stadium entrance and jumped out to finish with us. (They didn’t cross the line again though.) We had picked up the pace quite a bit at that point. One of our runners said “You guys! I can’t keep up with you!” I turned around and said “I’ve always said I walk faster than I run!” …and then we turned the corner and could see the finish line and….more importantly…the clock. It read 49 minutes and some change. I looked at my friend and said “We can beat 50 minutes.” She nodded and we took off. I think it read 49:57 when I crossed the line!

We had a conversation before the race started about why it’s “uncool” to wear the race shirt during the event. Our regular runner said “It’s because you’re supposed to earn it.” to which my coworker replied “Oh I’m going to earn every thread of that shirt.”  I’m wearing mine now. I really like it. But. I almost feel like I didn’t earn it. Not really. Did I do the distance? Yes.  This was fun, absolutely. I enjoyed it and I’m really glad I did it. But I walked the WHOLE time. And I can do so much more. I want to do another one but I want to do it for real. When we rounded the curve and saw the finish line…it was exhilarating. When we crossed it I was ready to GO. I was pumped and regretted not running more. (Then I noticed my coworker gasping “That took everything out of me” and grasping her side) So this was fun but it just whetted my appetite. There’s supposed to be a fun race around Christmas. I think I’ll set my sights on that.

 

3 comments | posted in health/fitness, me me me

October 13, 2011

Tick tock tick tock

By rhonirenee

So. My husband is out of town for work. He doesn’t have to do it often…less than twice a year. And he’s never gone long. This is probably the longest. He left Wed morning and won’t be back until Sunday afternoon/evening sometime. If you’ve read my past posts/FB statues/tweets, then you know I don’t usually deal well when he’s gone. I kinda like him. A lot. And I kinda enjoy spending time with him. Seeing him. Hugging him. Talking to him. Cuddling with him.

But. I’ve done remarkably well this time. I know I know. It’s only Thursday. But I SLEPT last night. I would almost even say I slept well. And I’m not absolutely dreading the next few days. Much.

Tonight I’ll be hanging out with all three boys. Tomorrow work & tomorrow night TheKid and I will probably watch old cheesy tv shows (Xena: Warrior Princess! Anyone?) or movies. Saturday morning I’m doing the Barber to Boise race with my coworker. But Saturday night…there’s a big black hole. Saturday night TheKid will be with his girlfriend for dinner & her homecoming dance. Then he’s probably spending the night at her house. Not WITH her. On the couch. But. I will be at home. All alone (with the dog) (and cat) (but the cat barely counts).

When I first realized that, the first thing my mind jumped to was all the cleaning I’ve been wanting to get done.  Deep cleaning that has been languishing on my to-do list for months. Really. Really? Really?!!? Cleaning? THAT’S how I want to spend my free time?

Maybe I’ll watch a movie that I wouldn’t get to watch with the boys.

After I clean.

Leave a comment | posted in me me me, Neurotic

October 4, 2011

40 days and 40 nights

By rhonirenee

Our church leadership has invited us to join together in a 40 day prayer & fasting initiative. They’re not asking that everyone participate in a full food fast but that we remove whatever distracts us from God in our own lives.

This was an “easy” decision for me. I will be stepping away from social media sites.

Last week I was considering this very issue – just not as a spiritually based fast. At one point I was just so disgusted that my mouse was hovering over the “Deactivate Account” link.  Little did I know as I wrestled with this (and a few other thoughts), that I was being prepped for Sunday.  I experienced no internal rebellion or push back. There was simply acceptance…and a little bit of relief.  This is a spiritual fast, yes, but there are several reasons to make this move:

  • Social media tends to feed any latent negativity and feeds insecurities/fears (for me).
  • Along those same lines – it’s as easy – or easier – to type before I think as it is to speak before I think. And that’s saying a lot when  you consider my mouth…although I’ve gotten better. But I have deleted more than my share of updates that never should have been posted in the first place. And there are plenty more that probably should have been deleted that live on.
  • I turn to social media before God.
  • It has replaced communication with my husband. We post and assume the other read it (or someone else’s post). It doesn’t facilitate conversation. It subverts it. (I should note that he disagreed with this assessment when I talked to him last night.)
  • It’s a huge time suck.

I never fully resolved my thoughts last week. I compromised by seriously trimming my contacts and spending very little time on those sites. I rationalized; I DO use Facebook almost as much as email for arranging events/meetings/appointments. And my “heart sisters” are on Twitter.

But. There’s always email. And text. And I will still blog because it doesn’t impact my life the way social media does.

I’m not totally deleting my accounts. I won’t rule out that possibility at the end of this but for now, they will remain open but inactive. I don’t expect this will be easy. These sites have become a huge part of my life…too much so.

Leave a comment | posted in faith, life, me me me

September 19, 2011

Empty spaces

By rhonirenee

TheBoy and I were discussing The Announcement made yesterday at church. (PAUSE: If you attend The Pursuit and don’t know what I’m talking about, go here. It’s ok. I’ll wait.) He asked if these leaders felt God was leading them to makes this change, why did they not wait until they had all the details fleshed out and THEN go? (Vague, I know. Details are irrelevant. And I’m para-phrasing)  I said it was like that saying “you don’t need to see the whole staircase, just the next step”. God doesn’t hand you a 5 year plan. He just says “here’s the next step”.

That’s an attitude I’m working on myself. As someone that thrives on calendars and lists and plans, that has been a difficult concept for me to wrap my mind around.  It boils down to this – do I trust God? Or my plans?

Almost three years exactly from when I started in the kids’ ministry at our church, I will be leaving it.  I’ve slowly been telling people over the past week. It’s certainly not a major announcement for anyone else, nor will it be a massive change within the program. But it does mean a pretty major shake up in my life. It’s a great team. I love them dearly and I’ve worked with quite a few of them the majority of those years, if not all.  For all the tweaks and changes made to the program, it was still familiar and comfortable. I knew my roles, I knew where I fit.

Now? I have no idea. I know where my passion is but I don’t know how that is going to look.  God has introduced me to many people lately that are making fascinating moves within the hungry/homeless ministries, people with ideas and plans and passion, people that I am excited to talk with and would love to work with. Will I work directly with everyone? No. Of course not. I feel like a network is being developed but I still have NO idea what my role is going to be within that network. I have no idea what the next step looks like. I look to the future and my schedule is unwritten.

It’s a little scary.

Oh I know. We’re not talking major life changes in the same vein of Josh & Bren and families. God’s not asking me to risk…anything. He’s asking me to exchange faith in my calendar with faith in Him. And if I can’t do that with something as minor as volunteer details, how can He trust me to do that with anything else in my life? I’m letting go of the usual desire to jump headfirst into the next endeavor, to immerse myself, to fill up every empty space on the calendar. I’m  repeating to myself (and others) “I don’t know what it’s going to look like yet.”

I’m just…resting in the unknown. And my head hasn’t exploded yet. God really does change people.

Leave a comment | posted in faith, lessons to learn, me me me

September 5, 2011

When you give a mouse a cookie…*

By rhonirenee

or when you give Rhoni a free day and no to-do list…

I walked into the kitchen this morning to organize stuff for baking…and noticed brownie batter on the cabinet door. So I went to wipe that up and noticed the rest of the cabinet doors were dirty. I went to clean those and realized the floor needed cleaning. I added that to my to-do list.

I went to the refrigerator to get out ingredients. I realized the refrigerator needed cleaning out. So I did. Then noticed the trash can needed emptying. While emptying it I noticed the carpet in the next room needed vacuuming. I added that to my to-do list.

Suddenly I have a to-do list. And it’s growing. On the plus side my house is clean. And there’s lots of baked goodies around.

*If You Give  a Mouse a Cookie is a very cute book.

Leave a comment | posted in life, me me me

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