Just checking in to say yep, it’s still me, I haven’t been hacked or handed over my readthroughing, I just changed my username having shut down the other blog. The long story is that no longer doing derby any more, I didn’t really have use for the other blog, so the name’s a bit redundant, and I felt it would be better to go back to a fannish nom de plume rather than leave people with the assumption that I’m a rollergirl.

I’d also like to apologise yet again for the delay in updates and thank you for bearing with me. There is SO much for me to reply to and to keep on doing: thankyou for sticking around. Imma getting back on this shit, bigtime.

Sure… some days we want to smash all those proverbial jars of pickles (or, more accurately, smash the phones of people photographing our children without permission they would never get even if they asked), but most of us don’t. Most parents want to model the same behavior we hope our children will practice. We nicely request change- whether  it’s to an individual, company or a body of government to recognize a community more respectfully.

So here I am… with my first story. I am SO thankful I have  not only had numerous conversations with the woman who made this change, but she will be spending Addie’s birthday party with us this weekend! I will meet a trailblazer! How blessed am I?!

 Kate lives in New York and is an educator. She has one of the strongest profiles I’ve ever seen- fierce, sexy and memorable- framed by her blond hair and flawless skin. Every email is perfectly written with satire and vocab words I [sometimes] have to look up. We talk about everything from society to children, school to SNL. Oh yeah, and she has achondroplasia.

The story is brief. She wrote a letter, it was responded to with much understanding and by action alone, the idea that the education was appreciated was shown: the name was changed.  I will share pieces of my email with Kate with you:

Rochester, NY is iconic for its businesses.  George Eastman and Kodak, Xerox, and Bausch & Lomb have their headquarters stationed in this rather conservative, white collar town.  Thus knowing how important business ethics echos in the community, I felt it necessary to write a letter.  Zweigles, Inc. offered a sincere and welcoming response…in a timely fashion, too.  It was wonderful.  * * * The company explained why they used the word “midget”; it referenced “small.”  They agreed; however, its context has different meaning today.  And they removed the word from their products.

Kate is unsure that if the story was shared with her local community that our stories would  be any different- her proactive letter did not make any headlines. At one event, someone familiar with Kate’s action was discussing the letter that was written and they stated: “Kate, you’re overreacting.  It was stupid you even wrote the letter.” Crushed and feeling defeated, she wondered if she had done the right thing, but walking down her local grocer’s aisle and not seeing a word that emanates hatred and mockery told what she, deep inside, already knew. She had made a difference. A change- with just one letter.

Thank you, Kate, for being the first to share your story with me.

Truth be told, I don’t have a lot of time. I love writing, though; I’d love to have my stuff out there. I just wanted to give you a heads-up before I go changing the name on you.

I’ll give it a few days and change it then. I’ll make one more post on here before I do that.

Maybe it’s my own fault for having misplaced mine.  But if I hadn’t misplaced it and needed a new one, I would have only delayed the inevitable.  The new law says that WV has to be in compliance by the end of 2017.  It requires every woman to document every change in her name.  Marriage, divorce, adoption…..

I guess it would apply to men as well, but unless you’re a man who voluntarily took your bride’s maiden name at marriage, you will never be subjected to this form of legal harassment and discrimination.  You will not have to trek down to the courthouse and pay for duplicate documentation that you will then have to transport to the DMV to show a complete stranger.

Which begs the question: If a gentleman does decide to bear his wife’s ‘surname’, which I’m told does happen, would he then have a Messer’s name instead of a Maiden one?  And would his new ‘surname’ be instead a ‘her-name’?

As it turns out I am an excellent record keeper.  I kept my first marriage license.  And when we divorced, I placed my divorce decree in the same folder.  In a separate folder are the records for both the marriage and divorce to and from my second husband.  The third folder, so far, holds only a marriage license.  It rests comfortably beside the other two.

I won’t ponder that question just yet.  I’m still contemplating that whole ‘her-name’ issue.

I firstly want to say ‘ta’ to those that have commented so graciously on my Blog Etiquette Post – which is here       Blog Etiquette- The 10 Commandments from the reader and the writer’s prospective – 400th Post
if you haven’t read it I shall refrain from asking why not. For those who have, I do hope that I imparted some useful advice (if not, I tried).

A few days ago Lynette decided upon a name change for her site which you can now see here
http://lynettedartycross.com/2013/04/05/a-new-name/

Which got me thinking, upon her suggestion that I should change mine from ramblingsfromamum. I am now open for suggestions.

Should I change?
Why should I change?
What suggestions do you have?

Naturally I will take all your comments on board (as per the Blog Etiquette) and promptly trash them, then make up my own mind …….. kidding!!!

So yup,  putting it out there, testing the waters, getting a feel (not that!)

So what do you think of the idea? Hmm, come on don’t be shy.

I shall in a day or two reply to suggestions and comments made in a post, so forgive me for not answering each of you individually as I normally would have.

Gaston Memorial Hospital in Gastonia has become CaroMont Regional Medical Center and plans to work with restaurants to create “Cheat Death” menus and will work with gyms to create “Cheat Death” workouts. A social media campaign will offer tips on cheating death.

CaroMont CEO Randall Kelley says the hospital hopes to create a community health movement.

But not everyone likes the new slogan.

County commissioner and hospital board member Jason Williams says the new slogan is a bad idea. Williams says the hospital’s new marketing campaign needs a new, positive slogan.

He says some hospital employees think the “Cheat Death” slogan cheapens their work. He says some pastors consider the slogan blasphemous.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

When my family and I moved to the U.S. about 10 years ago, many people were confused as to why my mom and dad did not share the same last name. After a while, my mom got so tired of explaining the cultural etiquette behind this that she just started using my dad’s last name for everything.

Taking your husband’s name is not a very common occurrence in Europe so having to  change my last name wasn’t the easiest of decisions. Nevertheless, I LOVE the idea of becoming one with your husband and taking on his legacy and making it part of yours.

So if you want to change your name, here’s how to go about it in 6 easy steps.

1. SOCIAL SECURITY – This is the most important one – oh, and it’s free!
Make sure to bring the following:

- Application for a Social Security card (Can be found on their website.)
This is where you choose your new name you want to have displayed on your card. I chose to use my last name as my middle name and so far I am loving that decision! (Told you it was hard for me to make that decision.)
- Marriage License 
Once you get your marriage license back from your County Clerk’s Office, you can request certified copies. I haven’t had to use one so far yet ordered 2 certified copies and 3 regular copies. I know, I’m a bit OCD. If you bring your official marriage license with you everywhere, they will make the copies. Make sure not to lose it!
- Form of I.D. such as your driver’s license. 
- Proof of citizenship
This can be a birth certificate or U.S. passport. If you are not a citizen, like me, make sure to bring all your immigration status documents (visa, passport, immigration forms, etc.)

2. DMV
Once you have received your new Social Security card (it took 3 days for me but can take up to 14) you are ready to get your license changed. Make sure to bring all the necessary documents again (new social security card, old license, any immigration documents, original marriage license) and figure out which DMV in your area actually officiates new licenses (not all of them do!). You will have to pay the fee for a new license and should receive it in the mail within 30 days.

3. DMV - Car Registration and Car Title
I got lucky. My car registration was due a month after I got married so I got my car registered for the new year and changed my name all at once. This was the easiest task so far. (Things were a bit complicated being in the U.S. on a visa and trying to change all my forms because I can’t change my passport.) There’s no fee to change your name. All they need to see is your license. You can get away with not changing your name on your registration and title for a while as long as you explain that you got married. If you have a loan on your car and the bank has the title, just wait until your car is paid off and then change your name.

4. BANK
To change your name with your bank you will have to fill out a specific form. This might be different for each bank. My bank’s form was called a ‘Change Name/Add Joint Owner’ form. Again, they will have to see your new I.D. along with your new Social. My husband and I are members of the same bank which made it an easy fix. We added each other as joint owner on both accounts and requested new debit/credit cards and checks – waiting on those as we speak.

5. Insurance/Employment/Post Office/Voter Registration
After you receive your new driver’s license you can really change anything else you need. Your car insurance agent will need to see your new license. If you are sharing a vehicle with your husband or vice versa, have each other added to the insurance. (You can also add them to the car title in case anything should happen.)

Your employer will also need your driver’s license. If your employer provides you with health insurance and it’s a ‘group insurance’, they will have to contact your health care provider for you. If you have any other benefits such as dental insurance or a retirement fund you might have to fill out these forms again with your new name through your employer. If you want, you can change your beneficiaries on these forms as well (I had my parents listed here and now have changed that to my husband).

If you really want to make sure all your mail is forwarded to your new address you can fill out a change of address online at usps.com. You don’t necessarily have to change your name with them, but you can. Going in to your local post office will be your easiest answer.

6. Anything else…?

The rest will kind of point itself out. Next time you make a new appointment somewhere you can mention that you got married and provide them with identification.

You might have to do a lot of waiting… Don’t procrastinate and just get it over with.

Things to think of: the doctor’s office, mortgages, loans, landlord, utility bills, passport, investments, email address, etc…

What else is important when changing your name? Is there anything I left out? 
Feel free to comment below. 

Happy name-changing!

It started last Friday the 29th when my soon to be brother and sister law arrived from out of town.

We started early Saturday – I made breakfast and relaxed while planning out our afternoon. We were terribly exciting and took our relatives to Wegmans (because it’s just awesome!?), found a really nice pair of sandals (thanks to my brother in law!), and had lunch. After lunch we came home and I started dinner (my pot roast wasn’t perfect….) but it was tasty nonetheless.

Easter started off early again (I’m not a morning person) with dropping off my sister in law’s prescription at CVS and finding out most places are closed on Easter Sunday. [As an aside, I'm not used to having off on holidays thanks to the nature of my job.] I wanted to get my nails done for my wedding and that was its own adventure. We got really lucky on our way to my aunt’s house for Easter dinner and found a lovely nail salon on the way to her house. I must remember to go back to Stars Nail Salon – reasonably priced, professional and efficient. After my sis-in-law and I were sufficiently pampered, we proceeded the rest of the way to my aunt’s. Lots of yummy food and yummy wine! This also gave my family a chance to meet my new family before the ceremony on Monday (which seemed like a good idea). I think everyone had a good time – and it’s nice to see my families meshing well.

Monday morning rolls around and we get up waaaay early to coordinate bathroom time. That may sound odd, but when you have one bathroom/one shower and 6 people that need to get ready yeah scheduling becomes incredibly important. We end up getting a later start that K wants but we’re still early for our appointment. My aunt, uncle and cousin are already there and after paying for our certificate and copies we wait for the judge to be available. I cry pretty much for the whole thing (I guess I was more anxious and nervous than I realized) and it was only a 5 minute ceremony! We take family pictures in the ‘chapel’ area and outside the courthouse before heading for a nice quiet Mexican lunch.

Of course the day after our ceremony our drain backs up and I shuttle my new family to mom and dad’s house… so that they might have access to a bathroom and showers. I left work early thankfully so I was able to get everyone over there at a somewhat reasonable time… and give my new husband some time to himself. I of course froze in my old room.

Everyone left for home or to visit more family yesterday morning/afternoon. The house is now back to the 2 of us and our dogs and cats. I didn’t get to knit very much at all, nor did I get to sleep much over the last week or so.

And I just woke up from a nap after starting this post. But I really needed it! In any case now it’s just relaxing before I work this weekend, prepping for all the name change stuff (social security is done), and the upcoming Sheep and Wool Festival the first weekend in May. (Hope to see you there!)

Now of course I have to get everything updated but the most important part is done!

As a reminder: Once everything is switched over the remaining funds that were generously donated from folks around the world to make this possible will go directly to my local food bank. I pocket nothing. Of course I’ll be updating every expenditure in this on going event.

I hope you guys have a great evening!

I’m uber nervous-mainly because I’m in a small town that is filled with ignorance and I’m wondering what kind of reaction I’ll run into once everything is finalized.

After my name is changed the fun part really begins- driver’s license has to be changed, social security card, birth certificate, update insurance, bank accounts-ahhhh!

It feels like it’ll take another 2 months to get everything squared away!

Anyway, I’ll be back a little late to update everyone.

What do you think of the new title? Let me know in the comments!

Kisses!

-M.

On Sunday, Brian and I attended a brunch celebrating the 5oth wedding anniversary of his extended family members, Roberta and Larry. It was exactly what you would expect from such an event, a room filled with lots of love, laughter, tears and screaming kids.

Thankfully, they served mimosas and thankfully Brian’s parents, Steve & Zina and Aunt and Uncle, Carole & Michael, sat at a table with us. They are a seriously fun bunch, each one of them comes equipped with their own wicked sense of humor. They have always made me feel accepted, appreciated and loved. Believe me, I know how lucky I am; I’ve heard horror stories from people who dislike their future family.

They are also incredibly generous toward me, treating me as if I was their own. Early in our relationship, they brought me along on a family vacation to Nicaragua for Zina’s 60th birthday. Pretty nice, huh? I fell in love with his parents somewhere between the late night games of cards with his Dad and the drinks by the pool with his Mom. They are a solid family and my life has been made richer by having them in my life.

Toward the end of the 50th anniversary brunch, Roberta, the guest of honor, gave a speech, during which she thanked everyone for being there, including the Glodney’s- Steve, Zina, Michael, Carol, Brian & Kate. When I heard the name Kate coupled with Glodney, I thought, who? Seriously, for a split second, I thought who are they talking about?? Then I realized, oh, she meant me. I’m the Kate Glodney she’s talking about.

Well, not officially yet but I guess the crossover has begun. I am considered part of the Glodney family now, a family I am honored to be part of but it still feels kinda strange.

With all the wedding planning hoopla, I hadn’t really being doing much thinking about the whole name changing thing. Part of me thinks there is something so archaic about it. I mean, why doesn’t Brian just take my last name? Brian McClafferty. HA. I also think it’s funny for anyone to have to change their name. I mean, why? I thought about hyphenating it but I think Kate McClafferty-Glodney is a bit much.

Then I got to thinking about when we have kids and how I want our home to be a home of Glodney’s. I want us to walk in the room and be “The Glodney’s”. I want us to be a team.

So, yes, after doing some thinking, I’ve decided that I am going to change my name. Kate Glodney. It has a nice ring to it right?

What are all of your thoughts on the name changing thing? Did you? Would you?

*

find me elsewhere:

instagram @kate365, twitter, facebook

If you were married or divorced and changed your name last year, be sure to notify the Social Security Administration before you file your taxes with the IRS. If the name on your tax return doesn’t match SSA records, the IRS will flag it as an error and that may delay your refund.

Here are five tips for a person whose name has changed. They also apply if your dependent’s name has changed.

1. If you have married and you’re using your new spouse’s last name or you’ve hyphenated your last name, notify the SSA. That way, the IRS computers can match your new name with your Social Security number.

2. If you were divorced and are now using your former last name, notify the SSA of your name change.

3. Letting the SSA know about a name change is easy. File Form SS-5, Application for a Social Security Card, at your local SSA office or by mail with proof of your legal name change.

4. You can get Form SS-5 on the SSA’s website at www.ssa.gov, by calling 800-772-1213 or at local SSA offices. Your new card will have the same number as your former card but will show your new name.

5. If you adopted your new spouse’s children and their names changed, you’ll need to update their names with SSA too. For adopted children without SSNs, the parents can apply for an Adoption Taxpayer Identification Number by filing Form W-7A, Application for Taxpayer Identification Number for Pending U.S. Adoptions, with the IRS. The ATIN is a temporary number used in place of an SSN on the tax return. Form W-7A is available on the IRS.gov website or by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).

Additional IRS Resources:

• Form W-7A, Application for Taxpayer Identification Number for Pending U.S.      Adoptions
• Adoption Taxpayer Identification Number

IRS YouTube Videos:

• Changed Your Name After Marriage or Divorce? – English      | Spanish      | ASL

IRS Podcasts:

• Changed Your Name After Marriage or Divorce? – English      | Spanish

Well, hold on to your hats because there is about to be more….

Recently I found out I am not able to use the Sensa name because Sensa the wight loss company owns the right to it.

So what does this mean? Well, anything I use with Sensa Fashion or Sensa…anything cannot be used as well.

I have had to go through a Re-branding before luckily so I know how to do this. It is not fun. It is tedious. Change all the names of where you are online. Change Twitter Accounts and emails. Change Blogs and Facebook pages, and so on and so forth.

People either love you or hate you for it I have found and in the midst of me growing I am hoping you grow with me and enjoy and welcome the change.

So why Trisha Trixie? Well, when I did my Re-branding the last time, my attorney said, “What is it that people know you by that no one can take away?”

My answer “Trisha Trixie”

And thus at THAT time became Trisha Trixie and Company. A Social Media and Web Company. But also in that time he advised that I go out and use the Trisha Trixie name so much there will never be an argument as to who owns the name. So I did. Go ahead. Good “Trisha Trixie” and you will be there for awhile. Images, pictures, logos, posts, you name it, there I am. So why not continue this trend when I decided to get back into PinUp Modeling? So I did that too.

This year my passion truly is to have a Vintage Inspired Apron Line and all the pretty things that go with it. My market is for Pin Up girls and moms and those who like the apron line and that embodiment of a retro or vintage woman.

I think Trisha Trixie embodies that.

But until I spoke to Susan from Business in Blue Jeans today I wasn’t aware of HOW MUCH it embodied it. Hearing someone else say it made me think about it more. Which then I researched more intently inside me thoughts of where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do. Was I willing to take the chance that the Sensa line could come after me? I did not want to build something up for someone to just take it away again. If I was going to change now, would be the time to do it.

I hope you all stay with me.

I hope you all will like the new changes we have in store for the rest of the year with this site and blog.

A new focus will be on Aprons, Recipes, Custom Made DIY projects, pretty things that go with aprons and things for PinUp Models as well that will go along with this line. The possibilities are not limited, in fact they are endless.

If you have any suggestions for us along the way, please let us know.

Since Corrina has alreadyprepared tomorrows post, I am going to leave it as is. Friday we will have our wrap up.

Starting Saturday I will be gearing you up for next week with a morsel of the direction the new site is going to take.

Sunday I am going to ask Corrina to share on of her favorite Sunday recipes.

And by Monday we will be in full force, look and direction for a new era of Trisha Trixie Designs.

I have already changed the logo of the site and the name…more changes will follow but I will try not to make them TOO drastically as I don’t want to give you all whiplash.

Thank you for following.

Thank you to those who understand and support.

I would love to hear your support and suggestions in our comments. Please click the little heart in the corner and share with us your thoughts. My Apron arms and ears are ready and waiting. You can also come check out our new look and LIKE it or LOVE it on our Facebook Page Trisha Trixie Designs.

Until Next time,

XoXO~Trisha Trixie

Well, hold on to your hats because there is about to be more….

Recently I found out I am not able to use the Sensa name because Sensa the wight loss company owns the right to it.

So what does this mean? Well, anything I use with Sensa Fashion or Sensa…anything cannot be used as well.

I have had to go through a Re-branding before luckily so I know how to do this. It is not fun. It is tedious. Change all the names of where you are online. Change Twitter Accounts and emails. Change Blogs and Facebook pages, and so on and so forth.

People either love you or hate you for it I have found and in the midst of me growing I am hoping you grow with me and enjoy and welcome the change.

So why Trisha Trixie? Well, when I did my Re-branding the last time, my attorney said, “What is it that people know you by that no one can take away?”

My answer “Trisha Trixie”

And thus at THAT time became Trisha Trixie and Company. A Social Media and Web Company. But also in that time he advised that I go out and use the Trisha Trixie name so much there will never be an argument as to who owns the name. So I did. Go ahead. Good “Trisha Trixie” and you will be there for awhile. Images, pictures, logos, posts, you name it, there I am. So why not continue this trend when I decided to get back into PinUp Modeling? So I did that too.

This year my passion truly is to have a Vintage Inspired Apron Line and all the pretty things that go with it. My market is for Pin Up girls and moms and those who like the apron line and that embodiment of a retro or vintage woman.

I think Trisha Trixie embodies that.

But until I spoke to Susan from Business in Blue Jeans today I wasn’t aware of HOW MUCH it embodied it. Hearing someone else say it made me think about it more. Which then I researched more intently inside me thoughts of where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do. Was I willing to take the chance that the Sensa line could come after me? I did not want to build something up for someone to just take it away again. If I was going to change now, would be the time to do it.

I hope you all stay with me.

I hope you all will like the new changes we have in store for the rest of the year with this site and blog.

A new focus will be on Aprons, Recipes, Custom Made DIY projects, pretty things that go with aprons and things for PinUp Models as well that will go along with this line. The possibilities are not limited, in fact they are endless.

If you have any suggestions for us along the way, please let us know.

Since Corrina has alreadyprepared tomorrows post, I am going to leave it as is. Friday we will have our wrap up.

Starting Saturday I will be gearing you up for next week with a morsel of the direction the new site is going to take.

Sunday I am going to ask Corrina to share on of her favorite Sunday recipes.

And by Monday we will be in full force, look and direction for a new era of Trisha Trixie Designs.

I have already changed the logo of the site and the name…more changes will follow but I will try not to make them TOO drastically as I don’t want to give you all whiplash.

Thank you for following.

Thank you to those who understand and support.

I would love to hear your support and suggestions in our comments. Please click the little heart in the corner and share with us your thoughts. My Apron arms and ears are ready and waiting. You can also come check out our new look and LIKE it or LOVE it on our Facebook Page Trisha Trixie Designs.

Until Next time,

XoXO~Trisha Trixie

Above is a rather impressive short video the BFI used to propose a name change for Lesbian and Gay film festival. The details of that aren’t important, well they are to BFI but for this it’s more setting the scene (but isn’t T’Nia Miller amazing). I’ve never been entirely happy with the name of my blog, a little bit because I work with mental health kids but also because it feels forced, a bit obvious.

As I’ve made my way through my various posts, even though it’s not even been a month, I feel that it’s finally found it’s identity. I am an out and out fan of the musical Spring Awakening, a show that talks about lost youth and the ability to reclaim it for the better. And that’s when my blog finally named itself, PURPLE SUMMER (that was taken so it’s MY PURPLE SUMMER), the significance of it can be found here…

http://pataphysicalscience.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/what-hell-is-purple-summer-anyway.html

So please don’t think I’m flaking between names but this just feels so right, and brings me just that little bit closer to that world I so crave to be apart of. And here’s the song in case your curious…

Firstly, I fell off the face of the earth. Again. I know. Bad Laura. But see, the thing is, I got a new job teaching and its awesome and terrifyingly good and its also takes up more of my time than I thought was humanly possible. Like… For real. I don’t know how teachers do it. I’m not even in charge of coming up with course work! But I am beyond excited to be in this transitional state and I am hoping that in the next few months it will open up new opportunities for me and my career and that I can figure out how to balance teaching and life in an even bigger sense than this “trial period” of sorts offers.

This being said, I have a new blog name. And some of you might shake your heads and giggle at me for this one, but if you were to Google my first and last name (things that are available to my students because of my county email address) you could easily and almost immediately find my blog. And I don’t like that. I don’t want to be so easily found by the kids I’m teaching. If they’re dang determined and they find me regardless, well, that’s another story. And kind of really creepy. But this is the new space that hopefully offers a bit more privacy.

So, Through the Laurels. What does that even mean, anyway? I am so glad you asked! It means lots of things. Here they are:

My name. Laura means “crowned in laurels; victorious.” This has been a big deal in recent years as I’ve struggled with various aspects of life and learning and, ya know, becoming a grown-up. When I look back at what I’ve been through, I see God walking me through mini-victories all the time, I just don’t see it at the time. And thats of course probably the point, that whole terrifying trust thing.

Learning and education. Historically, laurels were given to graduating students in recognition of their achievements in learning. Ummm I don’t think this one will require much explanation – I love learning and I’m a teacher. Simple enough, right? (Side note: laurels have been a part of graduation ceremonies at Mount Holyoke College since 1900 – it was the first women’s college and that’s about as badass as it gets.)

Various other things that I think are cool (because I’m dorky and weird). In ancient Greece, laurel wreaths were given to victors in athletic events (cough, marathons) and poetic competitions. Legit. And there’s also the phrase I’m sure everyone has heard at least once, “resting on one’s laurels,” which is ultimately just relying on things that you succeeded in a long time ago to keep you happy and fulfilled and recognized. And frankly, that’s the exact opposite of what I want. I so easily get complacent and comfortable with where I am that I end up paralyzed with worry of failure and don’t ever move forward. That’s lame.

So that’s where I’m at! With the new name, I’m hoping to change things up a little and share more about my daily life. I think a lot of times I’m wary to post at all because I don’t have a really eloquent, well thought out essay to present, but most of the blogs I truly enjoy are just women (and men!) living their lives and sharing the highs and lows and normal-bits. And with that, I give you one more new thing that is definitely a high here at my house:

THE NEW ALBUM FROM THE STROKES.

Guys. The Strokes changed my life when I was a freshman in high school. I am so completely and unashamedly in love with them. My husband knows this. I’ve been streaming the new album, Comedown Machine, on Spotify all morning. It is so good. Give it a listen.

Alright. That’s all I got. This was a long post – thanks for stickin’ with me through changes and rambles and exciting new things.

I’ve also officially signed up for the color run in August. Super excited about it. You run 3 miles and they throw different color packets at you along the way. You end up a rainbow. Then all the runners throw their own packet at once at the very end. It will be fun. I need to start running! It’s been so long since I’ve ran I’m not sure I run in place correctly. This is great motivation. I’m excited.

TJ agreed to add my last name to Anna’s name, as a second middle name. She will still keep his last name. I do not want to take that from him but really am needing that identifying name for her and I. I thought that he would be the hardest part of this change but turns out I live in my own little bubble. I figured if he was on board we could just to the Social Security Administration and change it…nope!! Evidently I have to go to court. So now I’m trying to figure this whole process out, not only the steps but the cost. I guess nothing worth while comes easy, right???

I went out Saturday night, just for a beer. I found this super yummy blueberry cider, Vander Mill Bluegold, and was just craving it. I really wasn’t in the mood to go out but wanted it so bad I talked myself into it. Of course when I got there that had already circulated out so I had to try other things. I found Dazed and Infused and love that too!!! (I guess it paid off.) Early in the morning Anna crawled in bed with me. When we woke up the next day she asked me if I saw a friend. I told her I did. I looked at her asked, “you woke up last night?”, as she was asleep when I left. She stuck out her bottom lip and as sad as could be replied, “I woke up crying for you Mommy”. I died inside. I felt so bad. So bad in fact I surprised her after nap by taking her to an indoor water park about a half hour away. She was happy as a clam. I felt better too. It was a nice little get away for us both.