Darlene's interview....Interview of a snob!

I have been sent 5 interview questions by Darlene that I am to answer on my blog so here they go.....

1. If your credit was maxed, your wallets were empty and the Gap had the most wonderful sale in which you needed $500.00 or you would simply die, where would you get the cash?

This question is easy because I actually have this problem all the time. First I rack my brain to see if anyone I know owes me money. That usually does not get me to far because since I spend all my money at Gap I never have money to lend anyone. So then I go to plan B. I dig out all the credit cards and call the 1-800 number on the back to see if I can russel together a few bucks that way. This can give me a 20 spot here and there if I am lucky. I consider one night of stripping for some quick cash but then see my butt in the reflection of my sliding glass doors I mean the whole door) and realize I would have to pay someone to watch me strip. That takes me to plan D write a hot check and tell Ben he has two days to pick up some extra shifts and cover the checks before they go through or he will be receiving a letter in the mail.

2. I really need to know this next one, so I'm asking the expert. If Ben wants sex and you both know your period's not due for two weeks, what excuse could you possibly use?

Hmm let me get out my little excuse book for this one.....So many to choose from let me tell you some of my favorites......Lets see excuse number 12 works, no wait a minute lets just do a top ten
10.I am too tired
9.talk to a friend during the day and have her call me with a major problem right when we are about to head to bed. Then pretend to solve her problem while Ben is falling asleep, and once he is out joke about how easy guys are to fool, then bet each other an outfit on who can go the longest without putting out.
8.Tell him I did too many squatts when I worked out that morning and I cannot open my legs because it hurts too much
7.drink some slim tea mid afternoon and it should kick in right around bed time. Nothing like a bad case of diarrhea to turn the guy off. If he has a strong stomach then you might have to throw in phrases like "Oh my gosh I just finished dry heaving out my butt" This should put him over the edge.
6.Tell him you just have a "not so fresh feeling"
5.make him get a second job so you are asleep before he gets home at night. This also pads your shopping wallet.
4.on your way up to the bedroom pinch your youngest child in their sleep. When the child wakes up crying tell your husband you are so sorry but the baby has to sleep in your bed tonight.
3.Tell him you just cannot get intimate with the cat watching you.
2.Keep scratching yourself and then say I would love to make out tonight honey butt I just can't stop this itch.
1.the number one sure fire way to make sure you do not have to put out when you are too tired is.............
start a fight right before you go to bed. End it with a "you just don't make me feel pretty, and with my self esteem so low there is no way I can even think about such an act."

3. If I went to Hawaii for just 24 hours, what would we do?

I feel like this is a question you would hear on the dating game. First I would woo you with a champaigne breakfast with waffles and fresh strawberries at a table on the beach while we watched the sunset. Then we would take a walk hand and hand........blah blah what ever! We would hit all the best beaches on the island, snorkel for fish, and Europeans in speedos, throw in a speed shopping trip, load you up with cheesy Hawaiian souvenirs to add to your collection you have going on your computer desk. Top it off with a kick ass game of catch phrase and cranium, while we waited for your plane to take off and the sun has set. But really you should just come for 3 weeks.

4. If you lived in Hollywood, and Ben left you for Jennifer Aniston, who would you date in order to get over the whole Bennifer thing?

Who else but the original Bennifer himself. Funny because I was actually talking about this with my friend last night. I am kind of getting over Ben Affleck but he has been the man I would leave my husband for for so long that he is more a habit then a crush these days. However it has worked out to be quite convenient because when I am in that once a month romantic moment and I am concentrating on Ben Affleck to get me through I can let his name slip and my Ben (Ben turner) thinks I am talking about him.

5. Did you ever have someone crush on you that weirded you out?
Well there was this guy that worked at the Gap with me during the night stocking shift. No wait I thought he was a guy but it turns out he was a she and "she" was always getting a little close and smiling a little to much at me. Freaked me out!

There you have it folks. My first official interview. Now don't get fooled. I have posted twice today so make sure you read both. I would hate to let a blog go unnoticed!

Just for you Jeff

Fellow blogger, friend, and blog mafia member Jeff has suggested that we blog anyway even if we have nothing fun or creative to say. He want us to embrace our boringness! So I was not going to blog today but thought oh hey why not throw ya bone. So close your eyes and imagine someone with black bags under their eyes with red veins going through the white parts of the eye, and then two toothpicks poked through the lids, and that is about what I look like today. Oh wait forget that first part. Do not close your eyes. If you close your eyes you will not be able to read my blog. So keep your eyes open keep that same picture in your mind and I will proceed to tell you why I look like that.
Well let me back up and start from the beginning......The evening started out so well. I had a trip to Gap in the works, but as I was getting ready for this blessed event my sweet 4 year old came upstairs crying, and I picked her up to find she was burning up like a furnace. I gave her some motrin, tucked her in my bed for a nap, and decided to push my Gap trip forward a couple hours and go when my husband came home. You see I had to $10 gift cards (which I earned by shopping:) that were about to expire so I HAD to go! Anyway I did eventually make it to The Gap! I went, I saw, I shopped, I bought, it was delightful.....Until Ben called and said that Camryn is now projectile vomiting......No rush or anything. "No that's ok honey I will rush right home but since I do not have time to ponder the stuff I really want I will just buy this pile that I have going in the change room right now."
So I went home and Dr'ed up my poor little girl. We decided that I would sleep with her in my bed and Ben would sleep in hers. Since the mom has mommy immunity to all illnesses. So we pumped her with motrin and proceeded to la la land. It was a short visit b/c a few hours later she rolled over next to me, and I could roast marshmallows off her skin. I jumped out of bed and took her temperature to find it a shocking 104.6. That and the fact that she had just had motrin a few hours earlier got me worried and I decided it might be time for a trip to the ER. I started her a bath to see if we could get her temp down when the second wave of vomit came in. (all over my sheets and floor) Joys of motherhood I tell you. Anyway Ben got up and helped me get us out the door. To make a long storey short we got home at 4am....4 hours later and they diagnosed her with strep, gave her some antibiotics which she spit out three times before I got her to swallow the bad tasting serum. As you can imagine at 4am this was real fun! I really must say I get some enjoyment out of cuddling a sick child who thinks there mommy is the best nurse ever. Luckily my husband was able to take the day off work today and Camryn and I got some shut eye!
So since I am tired of thinking of creative blogs and Jeff demands I blog anyway I thought this might be fun. I saw it on someone else's blog and thought it was a cute idea. Everybody has to tell me two things they want to see in my life and I will take a picture of what ever you say and post it. Example- inside of fridge, front door, what ever, be creative. That's right I am making you be creative now. Later Gators!

Where do I start?

I guess I should start by telling you that my ideas of winning mother of the year award are thrown out the window for good! I won't even make it to the nomination list. In fact I will be real lucky if my son even makes it his second birthday at the rate I am going. Corben has had two near death experiences in the last week. First last week Ben was out in the back yard setting up our tent for the girls sleep over camp out. I was in the house and thought that Corben (our 22 month old) was outside with hid dad, while Ben assumed he was inside with me. As we were gaily going through our routines I get a knock on the door and my neighbor who was on her way home from the grocery store was holding my son who she found wandering down the street. To make the situation worse his diaper was sagging with a not so pleasant surprise and he had pink toe nails. Thank goodness it was her who happened upon him and not someone else. I would have had the cops at my door with allot of explaining to do. "who does this cross dressing, bad smelling boy belong to and why was he playing frogger in the street?" Umm Gulp.....well....How bout those Red Socks?
So if I was not miserable and down on myself enough this morning while I was getting the kids ready for school I turned my back on this mischievous little rug rat for 5 minutes and when I turned around he had downed a bottle of children's vitamin gummy bears. He got them down, opened the child proof lid, and swallowed 100 gummy bears in a matter of minutes.Now that is talent! So I hit speed dial to poison control and explained my situation. "Hi I am Alyssa Turner, yes that's me...The one you heard about....Yes the one who lets her son play out in traffic....Yes that's right the one who does not change her kids diaper until it falls off under all the pressure.....Yes mam that is correct he has pink toenails....Yes well today he ate a bottle of vitamins.....Yes I know that is not good.......No I was not watching....Yes I just turned around for a minute......Oh hold on he is playing in the toilet....Yes I am ok...No no...He's fine I gave him some boats to float until we are done....Yes in the toilet....He's fine. So anyway we were lucky to escape a trip to the emergency room because they were eccinasia and vitamin C pills and contained no iron or vit A which would be the concern. She told me to expect some diarrhea and he should be fine.
This whole boy thing is throwing me for a loop. My girls were never into stuff and if it was quite in the house they were having a tea party not eating cat litter. He is always on the go and he is much faster then I. We never had to put locks on the doors, or cupboards or toilet or anything else that can be touched. This is a whole new world for me and apparently I need to shape up before I get shipped out.....Or he does. I know I have joked about child protective services before but this could have been the real thing. They are going to have a spread sheet on me soon. So lets all try and make me feel better and tell me you have poisoned your kids, and lost them in the Neighborhood before as well. I mean it is not like he was playing on the roof or anything.....
Ok next subject. What a great segue that was. Anyway I had my first photoshoot and it went really well. At first I got home to download the pictures and was disappointed in myself. I went to bed that night thinking that I suck and there was no way I could actually do this for real, who was I trying to kid and all that. So the next morning I loaded them up again and began to go through all the editing. I took about 80 pictures and had 49 really good ones. After I got them off the cutting room floor I was actually really pleased. My husband was also kind enough to point out that when you look at a photographers work you don't see the 100 pictures that did not make the cut....You only see the good ones. That is so true, and once I only looked at the finished product I was quite pleased. You can check some of them out on the website.
Spring break went way to fast. It was over before it even got started. I had made plans with all these people to get the kids together and go to the beach, and before you know it, it was over and I hardly did a thing.
I am so looking forward to this weekend! My friend and I are going to have a girls weekend of shopping, tanning, and just flat out being spoiled. You see her husband just got back from a year in Afghanistan and she is in much need of a break. So her wonderful husband (well I have not met him yet but he must be wonderful because......) he suggested we get a hotel downtown this weekend and go shopping for some new clothes, and go relax by the pool and have a few drinks, and enjoy some time away. Of course when I got wind of this I was "game in" To top it off he said, "and why don't I throw in $500 for some new clothes!" Yes really, this is not an urban mith. I told her that her husband needs to talk to my husband so I get the same deal. I got a " sure go...Have fun, but you sure as H E double hockey sticks should not expect $500 of fun money!" Oh well I will live vicariously through her, and hopefully hit a few sales racks for us "little people." I am so excited and can't wait to have a girls weekend full of all my favorite things. That way when Corben ties a bunggie cord to his feet and dives from the roof he will be under Ben's watch!
Well hope everyone is doing well. Sorry I have not blogged lately but as you can see I have enough trouble trying to keep my sanity lately without having to think up creative blogs. Although who needs creativity when I can blog about the nine lives of Corben Anthony Turner.

Does this blog site still work.

It has been so long since I have blogged, I am not sure I remember how. Where do I start........Well I can officially say that for the time being I am tired of having company. I am hostested out! We have two months until our next wave of company starts coming and I am going to enjoy trying to get into a routine with my family. I love company but each time someone comes to visit we end up going on vacation with them. We spend money like we are on vacation, we eat like we are on vacation, we have seen so many luau shows that I could probably be in one, and so on and so forth. My get company, we go broke, I gain five pounds, they leave, I cry, I starve for a few weeks, I loose five pounds, I shop to fill the void of not having my friends here, we go more broke. It is a viscous cycle I tell you.

I am nearing the end of Addison's first officially spring break. We have been scoping the beach for boys and slamming beers like there's no tomorrow. Oh wait never mind that was my spring break ( go Panama City Beach!) Actually I am quite disappointed in myself. I planned to stay up late and hang out with my girls, and then sleep in as long as I want in the morning. Well for some reason this plan is failing miserably! I have been staying up late but then I go to bed and at 7am BING, my eyes pop pen and I cannot fall back asleep. I long to sleep in but my body is not letting me. What kind of crap is this? I am not at all impressed.

Today I have my first official family photo shoot! I hope it goes well and I get lots of great pics. More then that I hope they are more than happy with them. I will let you know how it goes!

I started the South Beach diet this week and I have lost 8 pounds so far! Notice I always post when I lose weight but never when I gain it. By reading all my posts you would think I was down to 80 pounds by now. That could not be further from the truth. The truth is I have been going up and down for the past year, but recently let myself go a little too far up. I hate when I let myself do that. I am very motivated right now to get back down, and then lose an additional 5 pounds so that when I fluctuate I will fluctuate to my goal weight. That means I have 9 more pounds to go. It might be a little unrealistic though because I cannot even remember a time I have been in the 120's. Just let me dream!

So I got this wild hair in my butt and decided to paint my living room (again). The color is called pumpkin bread, and it was a little more bold then I would normally go. At first I didn't think I liked it, but it is starting to grow on me, and the shock has worn off some. I think I am even starting to like it. For one whole week I started changing little things around the house. Rearranging stuff on the wall, adding a few accents here and there, countless trips to Ross (my favorite place for houseware), and now it feels like I have a whole new house. I re-did the girls bedding and curtains, revamped the kitchen a bit, colored the living room,ect. I think I must be nesting or something. Unfortunately when Ben was doing the bills the statement "Do you realize that you have spent $400 at Ross in the last week?" comes out of his mouth. OOOPS! It just kind of sort of adds up when you are not expecting it. "But the house looks good doesn't it honey?" Gulp....gulp....bat eyelashes!

Tomorrow night we are going to set a tent up in the back yard and camp out with our neighbors. They have two girls that are my two girls age so we are going to have a girls only sleep over! I like camping, but it will be nice having all the conveniences of home. We can have a warm shower in the morning, go to the bathroom in toilets that flush, and even run power out to the tent and watch a movie! I am sure it will not be a good nights sleep, but the girls will have fun I am sure.

Well I guess that catches you up on what has been going on in the Turner household lately. Now that life is going to get back to normal I should be able to blog more often, no promises though. It is at the bottom of my priority list these days. After all tiss the season for shopping! Just kidding Ben! No really dear, I hardly like shopping at all. I mean I hardly ever even think about it. Shuffle feet, bat eyelashes!

I think I am really doing this....

I know I have gone back and forth with this whole photography business thing, but I think it is actually getting started. I have bought a domain for my website, and although it is still under construction it is starting to look really good. My very talented niece is actually my web designer and she did an amazing job. She also created my logo which I love! I have two family photo shoots and a wedding in the works so far. The family pics should be a piece of cake but this wedding has me a bit nervous. I mean it is not like I can ask for a redo if I mess it up. So this whole thing has got me excited, and I am still trying to convince myself that I am talented enough to do this. My website is www.alyssapix.com check it out and let me know what you think. Remember it is still under construction, and I am open to any suggestions.

The Mind of a Shopaholic

Apparently some people (mostly males) have a hard time understanding the shopaholic psyche, so I am dedicating this blog to explaining the mind of a shopahoilc. Sure people like to joke about it but it truly is a real and serious disorder, also known as compulsive shopping disorder. I don't like to think of it as compulsive but simply a desire. A Dr. from an article in MSN Money says this of his shopaholic patients, "What the patients will typically describe is they have a baseline preoccupation with shopping, they're always thinking about it, and a tension builds and they have to satisfy that tension by going out and shopping. That relieves the tension, at least for the time being," he says.. I have to say I agree with this statement. If I do not go to a mall for a couple weeks there is a tension that builds up. I actually have an urge to get to the mall and shop. I will keep thinking about it until I get to the mall. I can sometimes control the urge by doing some surfing on the net and filling a shopping bag but not actually checking out. When I do get into a store I get overwhelmed with all the stuff I want and start loading up my cart. I often find myself having trouble deciding what color to get in a certain item so I buy it in several different colors. I also buy stuff that I don't really like or need simply because it is on sale and a good price. I have been trying to catch myself on this one and only buying it if I really love it and not because it is on sale for $1.99. Although I sometimes justify these purchases because they are less then a Big Mac or a Starbucks Coffee. Then I will buy a Big Mac and a Starbucks coffee on the way home. When I do see something I want it is near impossible to talk myself out of it and I start devising a plan to hide it from my husband when I get home. I convince myself that I cannot live without this item and it will complete my wardrobe, for a few days anyway. There is some guilt that sometimes seeps in but have learned to ignore it until after I have gone through the register, and then it is too late. The guilt however goes away quite quickly and I am soon yearning for another trip to the mall. When I know I have a shopping trip coming up I actually feel a joyous high. The closer I get to the mall the wider my smile gets. I get flush in the face and red in the cheeks when I come across a great sale rack. There is no better high then happening
upon the perfect sale at the prefect time. Once I go on a big spree it usually settles my shopping urge for a few weeks, but eventually I find myself with nothing to wear again. Having all this in writing is making it look way worse then it really is........that or there might be some denial happening here. In my defense I do buy allot of clothes, but I never ever buy anything over $10 and usually is around the $4.99 mark. So of course I get way more clothes then the person who spend $90 on one pair of jeans. I have complete outfits including shoes for less then $20. Ben says that would be fine if I found a deal and bought that one item. But because It is such a great deal I buy several. So I am spending the same money as the $90 jeans person but I am getting allot more. I could never find the $1.99 sale and just buy one. I think that is illegal anyway. So there you have it. I hope this helps you out Jeff. You may not understand the mind of a shopaholic but
that's okay, because I cannot fathom a person who does not like to shop. That is just crazy talk! I challenge you to take this test and see if you to are a shopaholic. http://www.yournewromance.com/shopaholicquiz.html Let me know your results. I am sure I am not the only one out there.

Confessions of a Shopaholic.......

The shopping itch is settling in and it is coming on strong and hard. I had really convinced myself that I was getting better , but it turns out the only reason I had improved was because all the stores where carrying winter clothes and I, living in Hawaii, have had no use for them. Now the summer lines are in and my heart has skipped a beat. My pulse rate increases as I look at all the new shopping opportunities. I am like a contestant on the show Survivor who had to live on rice for three months and am now at an all you can eat buffet. I can't stuff it in fast enough,(into my shopping bag that is). I have been frequenting the mall like junk mail in a mail box, finding a new excuse to go every day. I guess it is to be expected...I mean I have NOTHING to wear, and hardly anything in my closet. Ok so that is not completely true, and the bar in my closet has actually broken twice this year because there are too many clothes in there, and I have kicked Ben out of my closet forcing him to hang his clothes in the playroom, but I have nothing new and exciting to wear. Ok that is a lie too, I have bought several new things as well, but you know the old saying (and my motto) you can NEVER have enough clothes. Unless maybe you had 365 outfits and you could wear one each day, then you might have too many, but you would only have to do laundry once a year. Now there is a thought. Maybe that should be my new goal! So last night after coming home from the mall for my third time this weekend, I warned Ben that the shopping fever has started and I cannot help myself. SO we discussed options and some budgeting ideas that might get me through my weak moments. First I offered to go back and work at the Gap 2 nights a week, and that would be my spending money. Then Ben pointed out that he makes 4 times what I make at the restaurant in one night. So logically I suggested that he work an extra night and devote it to my shopping fund (this being said with dollar signs in my eyes and sale prices on the brain!). Ben was not real keen on busting his butt at the restaurant so I can go hit the racks. Go figure. Guys are just so wierd. I mean does that not just scream motivation to you? Not to mention logic and I know guys like logic. I mean if he makes 4 times what I do in one night then that means he could work less but have more money. Sounds like the logical thing to me. I think we finally settled on putting me on an allowance (with no advances:() darn it I hate when he is on to me like that. So we sort of settled on $50 a week, but then I thought I could make $50 a week at Gap and then get 50% off all my clothes. I would get more bang for my buck that way. Or I could just take the $50 from him and not work at all. Let me know what you think, but only if you are on my side.

Yes I still have a pulse!

I know I know it has been awhile. I have a pretty good excuse........I have been lazy. Ok so it is not that great of an excuse, but at least I am being honest. Actually we have had company (again) for the last 3 weeks and Ben and I took full advantage of having grandma here and went on a fabulous romantic trip to Kauai. So I have lots to catch you guys up on. First of all Kauai was beautiful. Our favorite part of the island we live on (Oahu) is the North Shore because it is so laid back and has a great small town beach atmosphere. Well Kauai is a whole island of the North Shore. There are no malls, no big chain restaurants, no crazy traffic jams.....just beautiful mountains, green country side, blue waters, and lots of rain forest. We left home early Saturday morning and in 20 minutes landed in Kauai. I had surprised Ben by having a red mustang convertible waiting for us when we arrived. It was a bit cloudy the first day so we got in the car with the top down and took a drive around the island just to take it all in. At 2 we checked into our condo with a complimentary mai tai!! It was like they read our minds! Then we hung out by the pool to catch some rays, and a little snooze. We went to a great restaurant for dinner. It was expensive but very tasty! Finished the night off with a long walk along the beach and a drink at the Hyatt's piano bar. We were up bright and early the next morning (6:30am) because we had a boat tour booked at 7:15am. This I must say was the highlight of the trip. My highlight anyway, I bet you can guess what Ben's was. So anyway I say boat trip but that is using the term lightly. It was actually a 60 foot hard bottom raft. The sides were inflatable and you actually sat on the sides of the raft. There was a rope running along the top for you to hold onto (for dear life) There was also another rope along the floor for you to stick your feet under, and this was basically what was holding you in. We then rode into the wild oceans North Shore waves (15-30 foot swells) and jumped the waves at 30-40 miles per hour. Can you say air time. We got ten minutes into our 5 hour tour and one of the girls on board was hysterically crying to get off the boat. This was also the girl who bragged all the way there that she was a big and crazy party
girl. I kind of got a chuckle out of that. So anyway we turned back and brought her back to the dock. When we got the 6 people got off the boat and said this was too much for them as well. So there was us and one other couple left. Now that we got rid of all the sissies we got back out there for some real adventure. At one point we had to stop the boat and floated in 60 feet of water the was so blue and clear that we could see right down to the bottom. If that was
not enough add 50-80 dolphins swimming all around us. Close enough that we could reach out and touch them. Every where we looked we could see dolphins swimming. It was amazing. We stopped and took in this beauty for about 20 minutes before we ventured on. As the sun was rising over the mountains we jumped in for a swim. The rays coming over the mountain and hitting the water were absolutely breath taking. Then we drove on for another hour and stopped for some snorkeling and lunch in a little bay. We finished off by going on some extra big waves to see how much air time we could get. It was a great adventure for any thrill seeker. If you ever have the chance I would highly recommend it. The only complaint is me fingers were cramped from hanging on so hard and my arms felt like they had been pulled out of their sockets, but in a good
way. We got back around noon and headed to a beach that is owned by the military and you must be military to go to it. This was three miles of white sand beach with some good sized waves to play in. There was us and two other couples on the entire beach. $ hours and a good sunburn later we headed back home, hitting a good burger joint on the way. We went to the beach near our condo to watch the sunset, had a drink at the bar and the hit the hot tub with a six pack wear we remained for the next 2 hours. The next day we were up early again for an appointment we had. You see they have these deals where you go check out a time share and they give you discounts on all the activities. It was kind of a gamble for Ben and I because we are kind of gullible and it does not take much to convince us to spend money. I will admit we were intrigued but stuck to our will power and said no thanks. However they then bring you to another room for a "last chance offer" which we did not pass up. Basically what you do is join the club for 2 years and they wine and dine you and show you how impressive it is, then at the end of two years if you decide to join the money you spent goes towards your purchase, and if not you still got a really good deal. They run it on a points system and basically a nights stay at a condo is so many points and we have two years to spend 6000 points. We should be able to take about 4 trips with these points in the next couple of years, and stay at 5 star resorts which would normally cost $400plus a night for less then $100 a night. So we figured if we are going to be traveling anyway, then we might as well try this out. So we bought the 6000 points and went on our merry way to enjoy the rest of our trip. From there we had lunch and grabbed a surf board for our surf lessons. Now I know why surfers are so buff. It is so much work and allot harder then it looks. My arms felt t like they were going to fall off from all the paddling. For the first hour the instructor would push you into a wave and you just had to stand up and ride it. I did fairly ok at this but then the last hour we were on our own to try and catch a wave. So I soon learned that the hard part was not the standing up and surfing, but trying to actually catch a wave. It is very hard to get up enough speed to get in front of the wave, and then worry about standing up. I only got up once after I was left to do it on my own. After our surf lesson we hit a much needed happy hour and it was back to the hot tub to soak our weary muscles. I am telling you I needed a vacation from our vacation. Every muscle in our bodies was aching. The last day we went zipping! This is where they drive you to the top of a mountainous rain forest in the middle of no where and you attach yourself to a cable by a pulley and zip 800-900 feet at a time in a zig zag pattern down to the bottom. It was fun. Not thrilling really, but the scenery was amazing! That night we came back home and loaded up on hugs from the kids because we were going through some serious withdrawals. Isn't it funny how you get away from the kids to have some alone time and all you talk about is the kids and how much you miss them. So that is what we have been doing lately. Now we are trying to recover our weary old bodies and get back to normal.