The Return... Maybe

I got a bill from the hospital last week. Just for me, just for being in the hospital (no doctor's fees or anesthesiologists fees or assistants fees, etc) is $12,000.

Gulp.

No, I don't quite know what the next step is. Those of you have been following our billing woes will know that we were already pretty stressed about getting stuff paid for, but this just blows it all out of the water.

Pray for us. We need it.

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Aiden's preschool has a field trip this month. We get to go to a dinosaur museum!! It's going to be so much fun! Aiden has been asking if this is the day we get to go every day this week. We don't go for a few more weeks yet. We're pretty excited, and by we I mean Aiden!

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Did I tell you guys I got the winter guard gig I was hoping for?? If not.. well, uh, I got the winter guard gig at the high school nearest our house. I'm really excited. They seem like a good group of kids, and there shouldn't be a lot of drama going on.

I have an assistant, too. It can be a really good thing, but sometimes it's annoying. I kind of have to remind her I'm in charge, I think. For example, *I* should have the set of keys, not her. *I* get the final say on what music we're doing. And *I* set the schedule and call extra rehersals. So, yeah.

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Mr. Universe has his music educator's conference this weekend. It's nice that it's essentially here in town because I will still see him. Sort of. He still leaves before I get up (or want to, anyway) and he won't be home until late, but he's close if I need him and we don't have to pay for a hotel or anything for him.

It feels kind of odd to not go to the conference with him. I didn't go when we were in Nevada, either. But technically it is my career, too. I may not be teaching, but I'm still interested in all the clinics and concerts they have. It just costs too much for me to go, and besides, I don't want to have to get a sitter, especially since Parker is refusing to take any formula and my breast pump is totally dead now, so I have to be at his beck and call.

Anyway, I hope Mr. Universe comes home with lots of cool information to share. I'm interested in the Body Mapping class, but I don't know if he will go to that one.

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You know those Yahoo! Avitars? Laural and I were complaining to each other several months back that they didn't have any avitars with pregnant bellies. Well, now they do! They are cute, too. Of course, I'm not pregnant any more, and neither is Laural. But they do have a couple where you can be holding a baby, or there is a toddler that goes across the screen in a walker, or you can even have a baby in a stroller. So I chose to be holding a baby. If you want to see it, I guess you'll just have to see my Yahoo 360 page or talk to me Yahoo IM. I can't see a way to show my avitar here (I'm sure there's a way, but when you are so technologically challenged, as i am, you just don't know how to do this kind of stuff).

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While in Idaho, I got three new shirts from Old Navy. One shirt is so cool. It says, "I put the R in RAD."

Ches just laughed and said, "Who says 'rad' anymore?" I don't know, but I like it anyway. So there. Oh, and I heard someone on TV say it the other day, and it wasn't some old show from the 80's or anything either.

When I first started at Ricks College, I was very surprised to hear people using the word "rad". I mean, it was 1995, for heaven's sake! Who says rad??? It was such an 80's, Southern California word to me. (It helped that I lived in Southern California for most of the 80's, I'm sure) To hear what I thought were fairly intelligent people use this outdated word just made me laugh... a lot. And then one day, I used the word "rad". I was now one of them!!

It was kind of like living in the South. I did not want to ever use the word "fixin'". I have no problems with words like "y'all", but "fixin'" was just too much for this "Yankee" (why in the world they called me a Yankee... that's another subject.). One day, it just popped out of my mouth like it was the most natural thing in the world: "I'm fixin' to get ready for work. I'll call you later, 'kay?"

I never did use either word all that much, but they became a part of my vocabulary for a while there.

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Aiden wants me to turn on a movie for him, so he is standing here, next to the computer, saying, "Can you come now? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease?" He wants to watch The Incredibles, and then he asked me to type it. I said, "In just a minute, Aiden" and he said, "C'mon! Type it!" He is so going to be the one in his group of friends that talks everyone else into doing things:

"C'mon! It's okay! You can do it. What's the problem?"

This kid is trouble, I tell ya.

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Aiden's preschool teacher told me today how smart he is because of his knowledge of space. She said how impressed she is. She also said we must work with him a lot. We're doing a great job, and it shows.

Well, I don't know that we actually work with him a lot, but it made me feel good anyway. And I am extremely proud of my smart son.

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Taking bets on whether or not I do Random Friday again next week. Any takers??