Last night Roy tells me he isn’t feeling so hot.  Now, I admit it, when I here that I immediately get scared.  The idea of him not being, well…him, of something being seriously wrong….I’ll say that is probably the only thing that scares me.  I like to think I can get s**t done.  You need something done that might involve some confrontation, or some tough love…I’m your woman.  But a part of me also thinks I can be that person, because I have Roy there at the end of the day. 

So, I wiggled an appointment out of our doctor this morning, and it was exactly what I thought it would be!  And while it is uncomfortable for him, it isn’t anything serious! YEAH!

But, we needed to check on a prescription and grab a few things, so we drove on over to Target.

Now, I have been searching for a maxi dress for MONTHS!  Something pretty, but not cutesy.  Something that covers, but not a flannel nightgown type deal.  Something reasonable, but not cheap looking.  And because I am on the short side, about 5’3”, most dresses I have tried on are too long, even petite sizes!  Yeah, I know I could get them hemmed, but I’m lazy.

Well, anyways, we are in Target, and I spot this pretty purple dress.  Maxi?  Check?  Feminine?  Yep.  Reasonably prices?  Oh yeah!  I decided if the top fit ok, I was going to get it, even if I needed to have it hemmed.  I tried it on..and it fit!  perfect length!  I can even wear it with flats!  SCORE!

So, I decide to check out the flip flops.  And then I see them, these cute little bright blue sandals, I had tried on a few weeks ago.  6 dollars!  No Way, I would get lucky enough and they would be my size…I turn it over…a 9!  NO WAY!  At this point, I couldn’t believe my luck!

Good trip to Target.  Roy treated us to some Chick-fil-a and Dean ate all his grilled chicken bites.

And then he bursts out with this little diddy, while playing his DS and swinging on the swing.

“It is hot in here……”

I stopped folding the towels, was he gonna go there?

“So take off all your clothes…”

Yep, he went there…been listening to too much of the LMFAO channel on Pandora!

I want to be famous!

I don’t remember the rest of that Pussycat Dolls song.  But when I was younger, I did want to be famous.  I LOVED the movie Grease, and I wanted to be Sandy.  NOT the poodle skirt wearing Sandy, but the one at the end of the movie.  I was about six when I begged my mom to let me be Sandy for Halloween.  She said sure, and I was convinced I would have a rockin’ black outfit with a tight fitting leather jacket.  I did not have either of those, and instead I had a baby blue poodle skirt with my white Sunday blouse.  I was not happy, but I did get a lot of candy, so I couldn’t complain too much.

When I finally figured out Sandy was just a role Olivia Newton John played, I decided to be Olivia Newton John. When my parents explained to me how that wouldn’t work, I thought I would be an actress. What little girl didn’t have that dream?  When I was about 13, I decided I wanted to be a doctor - specifically a pediatrician.  My mom was SO proud.  I held on to that dream until I was in 11th grade, when I realized that the idea of 10 more years of school and hundreds of thousands of dollars of school loans was NOT something I wanted.  Writing, more specifically story telling, was always something I excelled at, so I looked to journalism.  As you can tell, those plans went awry with the birth of my oldest, though I was fine with that.  Dreams change as we grow.  Right now, I can’t say I am doing the ‘job’ that I thought I would be doing when I played house with my friends, but I also can’t say there is any other job I would rather have right now.

Roy also wanted to be a doctor - a neurosurgeon… my own McDreamy!  And he got further along in his quest to practice medicine… two years of college, pre-med.  But his interests shifted into computers, and that interest brought him up to 2011 and the career he has now.

The boys on the other hand are all over the map…

Corey, who is about to graduate, should be thinking about the future in some respects. On the other hand, I realize it is a scary prospect for him.  He has always loved food. Eating it, making it, wasting it… you name it.  He took Culinary Arts 1 last year and really enjoyed it.  He is taking the advanced class this year, and I think he likes it even more. If we ask him right now, at this very moment, he wants to be a chef, but that could change.  All he knows is he wants to be involved in the restaurant/food business in some way.

Joe wants to be just like Dad (Roy).  But ask him what Dad does, and he isn’t quite sure, just that it relates to computers.  So, for now he just says he wants to be a computer programmer. But, truth be told, I’m not even sure what Roy does!

Addi is obviously being swayed by my love of tattoos and the TV show NY Ink.  He has decided he wants to be a tattoo artist. Of course, that will probably change next week, but you never know.  As it stands right now, if he was an artist that specialized in skulls with fire coming out of them, and there is a real market for that, he could make a bundle.

Hayden changes his mind quickly.  One minute he wants to be a member of SWAT. The next he wants to be a cop. Then he wants to be a “Black Op.”  Joe and I told him Black Ops are secret operations that special forces in the military perform.  So, while he changes his mind, often his interests all seem to have something to do with law enforcement.

I asked Dean what he wanted to be when he was big like Daddy.

“Hmm… I want to play with toys.” He answered confidently.

“You want to play with toys?”  I was amused.

“Yes, toys that Daddy buy me.  I play with them.” He replied.

And he ran off to tell his Daddy about his aspirations.  Roy is very proud.

Whew!  Glad I survived the weekend!  Granted our weekends are usually crazy, but this one seemed like it was nonstop for Roy and I. 

This past Friday we drove down to Charlottesville for Doctor’s appointments.  We left the boys at home, so we took Roy’s motorcycle.  And it was a wonderful trip, for me that is.  I obviously don’t do much but hold on and try not to move around too much and disturb Roy; Roy has the hard job.  But I love riding around on his bike with him.  And then it started to rain.  I imagine for some people that is annoying. And again not sure how Roy feels about riding in the rain, but I love it!  As long as it isn’t too chilly, and it isn’t a torrential downpour!  A slight rain feels wonderful!  And the smell!  Ok, sometimes we get stuck behind a smelly car, but every once in awhile you catch a whiff of that fresh rain smell.

So, Roy went to the dermatologist, and he is ok!  Words can’t even express how happy I was, as the idea of something being wrong with my husband is tough for me.  I will say the doctor was a little rough removing a mole though - my poor husband has a lovely hole in his back now!  Of course the real pain came from the chairs in the waiting room!  Not sure who picked them out, but a more uncomfortable chair I have yet to find!  Roy sat down wrong, and I swear he screwed up his back!  He might have to go to a doctor just for going to a doctor.

I went to the OB/GYN and without giving out too many details, I have to go back next month for more tests.  Fun!  Ok, not fun, but I really liked the doctor, and she seemed willing to help me find out what is going on so that we could come up with a plan to provide some relief.  Thank you!  So, even though I don’t like all the poking and prodding (ha ha, I know!), I am happy that perhaps I can get some answers.

Lunch was great!  We went to a little joint called “The Mellow Mushroom.”  I imagine it is popular with the UVa students.  Great pizza, and I am not really a pizza person.  We did a little shopping (mainly window shopping), then rode home.  It was nice to spend the day with my husband, even if we did both have to visit the doctors.

Saturday continued our run of doctor appointments with Roy going in for an eye exam.  His prescription isn’t nearly as strong as mine (and mine is pretty strong!), but it was suggested to him that he get glasses for work and reading.  Ok! But they didn’t have any that stood out there. So we decided to look elsewhere at a later time.

At home we started talking about cars.  Not sure how we got around to that, but after some research we found a car that we both liked.  (Well, Roy loved it; I wasn’t sure, but…) I told him if the payments were under X amount of dollars, I was cool with it, so go get it.

“Chris, I wouldn’t go without you.” He says.

“WHY?!  I told you my bottom line, keep the payments under this amount and I don’t care! I trust you to get a good car.”

“I know, but I wouldn’t do it without you.”

I won’t lie… this bugged me!  While I know he was just implying that he didn’t want to choose a car that I would not be happy with, I know he also hates dealing with paperwork. I didn’t want to drive all the way up to Northern Virginia, but I KNOW my husband wanted this car.  I know he would make some comment in the future if we missed this deal. (Though to be fair to Roy, he wouldn’t hold a grudge; I would just take it that way.)  So, I fussed at him, told him fine! Let’s do it!  Then he ran out to clean the Prius top to bottom, and I called to arrange an appointment and obtain financing.  We were approved quickly, and I scheduled a time for us so that we wouldn’t have to wait to have our Prius appraised.  Roy finished cleaning and I browsed online to find a few more cars I was interested in and off we went.  

We got up to Carmax with little hassle, and to Roy’s credit, he more than gave the cars I was interested in a chance. We browsed the lot and looked at quite a few brands and models that caught our eye. BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Jeep, Land Rover, Hummer, SUVs, trucks, cars. We really liked this burnt orange Land Rover, but someone bought it just before we were ready to test drive. There was a white one, but we didn’t want a white car. So we decided to test drive two cars that we really liked and then we would go from there. First up was the Porsche Cayenne (I call it a fake Porsche, and yes I know it is an actual Porsche - but it’s so big). We test drove it, and it was a great car.  Handled wonderfully, turned on a dime (got that from Pretty Woman!), and it looked good (damn good). Full featured and super clean. As far as I was concerned, it was a contender. And then it was on to the next car. Time to drive Roy’s pick-a 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8.  I didn’t think I would like it, but Roy was drooling on it.  Yes, he was actually drooling as was every other guy on the lot, including the sales people!  The car is hot. But it is more of a sports car, so two door only. But I actually didn’t mind the back seat! The back seat actually has more room than our Prius unless the front row is all the way back. The seats are leather, and so soft and comfortable.  I didn’t particularly care if I drove it. I knew Roy wanted this car, and I loved seeing him happy, but he pushed me to drive it to see if I liked it.  Driving it was fine.  It handled very nicely, I didn’t sit too low (which is good since the front end is long).  I know Roy was sold as soon as he touched the gas pedal, and I wanted him to be happy - he works so hard and rarely asks for anything, even though he makes all the money!  So we glanced over the lot one last (but quick) time, and finally decided… Let’s do it!

Carmax gave us a great offer on our Prius.  This is the third car we have bought from them, and they have always treated us great.  As far as I was concerned, the Challenger was my husband’s!  We did our thing with the paperwork and got out of there about 9 that evening.  We drove to get a bite to eat and then started home.  About halfway there, Roy asked if I wanted to drive home. I did, and we switched.  I got in and drove home and liked the car a little more.  I felt safe. I was confident in the car’s ability. OK… cool!  We got home, and I fell into bed. I was so tired!

We got up early on Sunday.  Roy couldn’t sleep because of his allergies, and I’m just an early riser.  We decided to head back up north to a mall to find Roy some glasses, and I wanted to check out the Michael Kors store (I wish there was one closer).

And this is where I fell in love with our new car.  I usually like to drive, but I didn’t even mind just riding shotgun in this thing!  Roy opened it up a bit on the interstate.  Won’t tell you our speed, but it felt like… well, I don’t know how to describe it!  It didn’t feel like we were going as fast as we were; the acceleration is so smooth.

“Well?  We going to trade it in?” I teased, as we had five days to change our mind.

“Still have four days!” Roy joked back.

“Yeah, not happening.” I told him.

He laughed, “Oh, really?”

“Yeah, I think I love this car.” I told him as I stroked the leather seats.

He commented on this being the nicest car he’s ever owned… and driven. I think he loves it too.

So, we get to the mall.  Roy heads to LensCrafters to order his glasses (awesome looking pair of Ray Bans… very sexy!) and then we head to the toy store.  The kids were being good, so we let them pick out little treats - more lego sets for Addi and Hayden, and Ben 10 toys for Dean.  I know I spoil them, but it is the end of summer… and the older boys got their treats too!  I spoil all the boys, if nothing else!  And then… Michael Kors. To spoil me.  I went in pretty sure of what I was going to get, this beautiful red leather tote and a watch.  I left with something very different.  Well, the bag is actually the same style, but it is a new distressed leather.  Wasn’t sure I liked it on the website and when I first saw it, but the more I looked at it, the more I dug it.  I also got a pair of boots.  High heels, same distressed leather, can’t wait to wear them when the weather gets a little cooler.

And the young lady and young man that helped us out in the store were great!  Answered all my questions, very happy to pull shoes out for me, etc.  They might work on commission, I don’t know, but they provided truly great customer service.

Which leads me to my disappointments…  Dean’s sneakers broke.  Well, not broke, but the velcro was having issues, and since I have already tried to repair them twice, I threw up my hands and decided to just get him a new pair.  We went into Stride Rite.  These shoes are not cheap, or rather I don’t think they are.  Fifty dollars for a pair of little kids shoes isn’t cheap in my book, but Roy and Dean found a pair of Star Wars sneakers.  Fifty five dollars.  Ok, they looked well made at least.  And we could NOT get any help.  We couldn’t even get anyone to acknowledge us.  Sure, it was a weekend, but it wasn’t that crowded!  Finally Roy goes up to the counter, and the young lady looks at a clip board and calls a name.  The customer is there, so she walks right over to him… completely ignoring Roy.  Ok, guess you have to sign in, but we didn’t know that. And no one said to do so.

No one offered a “sign right here sir and we will be right with you.”  Nothing.  Not even a “sign here dude, and wait your turn.”  NOTHING.

So, we still kept on, because Dean seemed to really like the shoes.  Then we noticed another shoe with Boba Fett… Dean’s favorite Star Wars character.  It didn’t look like they were in yet, since it said coming soon next to them.

So I walked to the register, where EVERY single sales associate was standing around trying to ring up their customer.  Really?  One person can’t do it and then just ask who helped?  So, I asked the young lady closest to me.

“Excuse me, can you just tell me when the other Star Wars shoes will come in?”  I was polite.

“I don’t know.” A short, blunt answer.  Ok, seems to me I am a customer, could you MAYBE make an effort to find out?  Maybe even a lame effort? 

The other associate did speak up at that point, but I was already annoyed.  We sat around for 20 minutes, and no, I am not making that up, and nothing.

I went up to remove Roy’s name from the list.

“Not good customer service here.” Was my comment.  No, I wasn’t trying to be a witch, but this was ridiculous.

Again, NOTHING.  Not one word, they looked up at me and then went right back to standing around.  Sorry, but Stride Rite has lost my business from here on out. All it took was a few words to let us know we were recognized, but that’s too difficult.

So we looked around the mall a bit more, and I found a sweater in the window of Express that would have looked great on Roy.  He said he liked it, so in I went to see what I could find.  Now, here at least they attempted to provide some customer service, though it was less than stellar.  They couldn’t find the sweater and couldn’t tell me much, but at least they made an effort.

“Oh well” I shrugged, “We’re two for two here.”

Roy just walked away… no sweater today!  We picked up his glasses, got some lunch, then it was on to Costco to stock up on snacks for school.

I did my thing in Costco, and Roy looked like he was about to collapse from exhaustion, so I tried to hurry up.  We payed, and left.

And then I got to enjoy another ride home in our new car.  Glad the weekend is over… oh wait, school starts on Wednesday… GREAT!