The sunburn that gave me Skin Cancer.

In honor of the beginning of summer and getting my first sunburn of the year yesterday, I would like to share a very dear story this afternoon.

The Sunburn that Gave Me Skin Cancer. 

Once upon a time, my dear, wonderful extended family on my dear sweet daddy's side have had this dear sweet tradition of getting together every couple years for a dear sweet reunion at the dear sweet lake.

Okay, I'm done saying dear sweet now.

Anyway, those reunions were the best! I looked forward to them always. Who wouldn't look forward to 5 hot summer days filled with boating, tubing, wakeboarding, BBQing, walking around in swimsuits, staying up late, eating those little mini boxes of cereal for breakfast every morning, and soaking up delicious rays of sun? Please don't answer that question, I do not want to know if you wouldn't look forward to that. 

So this particular year we convened the reunion at Grand Lake in Oklahoma. I was about 10 years old. Me, my cousins and my sisters were this giggly, girly, stupidiously silly pack of girls who thought it was fun to do dumb things. The dumb thing we came up with this year was: Do NOT wear sunscreen the entire lake trip. 

(this wasn't so dumb for my cousins and sister who inherited the coveted darker skin of the family.)

Well, things went great. For about the first 3 days. Then suddenly one morning I woke up with a sunburn. The worst sunburn I've ever had in my entire life. It hurt to move. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to apply aloe vera. It hurt to wear a tank top. It hurt to wear anything except the swimsuit I wore when the sun burned me. About this time, I realized that not wearing sunscreen was a really. dumb. idea.

Later that night, as I lay in my bed listening to Groundhog Day in the other room, my body began to uncontrollably shiver. Minutes later it felt like an egg being cooked burnt on the sidewalk. Then back to an ice cube. Then a cooking burning egg. Misery.

(Now enter my hypochondriac stage of life). 

"Mom...?" I called to the other room..."can you hurry and come here please?"
She came, not too quick but not too slow.
"Yes dear?"
"Mom, I think I have skin cancer."

Needless to say, I did not have skin cancer. And please remember, I was 10. If I remember correctly, I think she tried really really hard to take me seriously and not bust up laughing. She's a good mom.

On a more serious note, I have several people who are very close to me that have experienced real skin cancer. It's not something you want to mess with. And my skin is prone to it. So I have made a recent decision to never enter a tanning bed again and to always (or try to) apply sunscreen when spending time in the sun.

HAPPY SUMMER!!!!!

May synopsis and picture overload

Where, oh where, did the month of May go?
Oh, where, oh where can it be?
It flew by so quick, In the blink of an eye
And now it's (almost) summer for me! ...and my babe. and the rest of the world. except my man.

Here are some things that happened in May:

Came home from Kansas, hung out, had the babe's 4 month check up: 14 lbs, 7 oz, 23 inches long. 25th percentile for weight. Started rice cereal. Mister Man started Tri 3. Zoo, Botanical gardens, hanging out, I dunno. In-laws came to visit. First Cardinal's game. Med school graduation for Mister Man's brother. $800 car repair. First trip to Arkansas. Very grateful for the car repair. Too many tornadoes too close.

And now May is pretty much gone.
But I have some ridiculously cute pictures.

Question. Mark.

Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar?!

 No, we did not move. But we moved everything out of the storage shed and into big plastic bins. 

Why?

Because it looked like this:

 Everywhere. 

That's mold.

Super baby! 

Note how strong he is.

Happy, social guy.

This is kind of my new favorite picture of all time.

Our first time at the Card's game.

Proof, below.

After it was over.

I'm awesome with a camera.

 These guys are best buds.

They had a whole conversation together.

Which I failed to get on video.

Dang.

Showing off his Pujol's shirt.

(that cost $3)

Again, I'm awesome with the camera.

I failed to take a full picture of his outfit.

It was cute.

Take my word for it.

The end!

Just kidding!!! Here is our little jabber mouth:

Too many tornadoes

Well, I'm a Midwest girl. I grew up with big thunderstorms and tornado warnings. I had a love-hate relationship with such storms. Then I moved out West and gripped about how I wanted a Midwest storm.

Well, now I would like to be back in the West. This tornado season has been really un-nerving. I might feel a little better if we had a basement, but we live in an apartment complex. I do feel a little better because we're surrounded by trees and we're in a very hilly area. But it doesn't help settle my nerves when I see an EF4 hit 30 minutes north of me, and hit the airport. It also doesn't help when an EF3 (I think) hits about 7 miles south east in a neighborhood. Then the worst is seeing the EF5 in Joplin and the many lives that were taken plus the destruction that occurred. It's also scary seeing an EF5 in Oklahoma headed toward my family in Oklahoma City and the surrounding areas. And of course we can't forget the Alabama tornado taking several hundred peoples lives.

It's just too close to home.

And another outbreak is supposed to happen today. In the metro area. Ugh.

Some things that do make me feel better: knowing that all LDS members in Joplin are alive and have been accounted for. All the missionaries there are alive and safe. All the missionaries in Japan were alive and safe. The stake center in Joplin was completely demolished while a single adults activity was happening. And nobody died.

It's a little unsettling to see so many signs of the second coming, and seeing the world change. At least I can find comfort in God, His will, His plan, and His love.

3 friends that are good to have

Yesterday I composed a list of friends you must have in every new city you move to. My list goes like this:

3 Very Important Friends to Have

1. A Doctor: A friend you can call at midnight on a Friday night to meet you at the hospital after your son brother gets his head bashed into a wall during a late night indoor soccer game and needs some stitches. True story. Or that same friend you can call to prescribe meds for your daughter who is 1,200 miles away and writhing in pain from a horrible ear infection because the doctors in her city won't do anything but prescribe useless antibiotics. True story.

2. A Mechanic: A friend who knows how to work on cars and has the tools and time required to help bail you out of an $800 repair job at the local shop. True story.

3. A Hairstylist: A friend who is superb at cutting and coloring hair, who works out of her home so you only have to pay a toe, instead of an arm and a leg, to get your hair fixed following a rash decision of dying your gorgeous blonde hair to dark brown only to realize a couple weeks later you want it blonde again. True story. 

So far in this new city we have only found one of those three. Although I guess we do still have some connections with Doctor-folk if needed. 

Now if only we could've found a mechanic friend before our car decided it needed all 4 brake pads and rotors replaced. Suppose we'll just have to keep making new friends and learning about current friends' hobbies.

Twas the night before mother's day

Unfortunately I have absolutely no pictures from my first mother's day. Fortunately, I still have my brain (I think) and can remember most of what happened. This is how it went down...

Twas the Night Before Mother's Day

Twas the night before Mother's Day, and there at the house,
A man came over, wearing a man blouse.
He sat on the couch and chatted with us,
Then dropped a bomb that made me feel thrown under a bus.

He inquired about nursery and service in our church.
I was not so excited, I thought I might burst.
We kindly accepted then he left us alone,
For we did not know what we had comin in the morn'.

The babe woke that morning at a terrible time,
For I could not curl my hair and feel most divine.
But I found sweet notes from that husband I love,
He's truly spectacular, a gift from above.

The first hour of church passed by so fast,
I didn't even have time to ponder my past.
I gathered my flower plant and chocolate with care,
Then slunk down the hall to find what awaited me there.

A room full of children all munching on snacks,
I thought "hey, this really might not be so bad."
It turned out just fine, a little crazy for sure,
And thus we returned the next week for some more.

Upon arrival at home my dear husband said
"You're tired, exhausted, please go to bed"
I slept for 2 hours, what a glorious delight,
Then woke to a dinner I didn't cook that night.

Steak salad, chocolate dipped strawberries, and candles had he,
And a surprise at the end, a late cake for me!
For I had not one on my birthday this year,
Perhaps on the next, perhaps from my dear.

I discovered more notes from the cute man that night,
They were coupons for things that money can't buy:
A night on the town, without my sweet babe,
Time with my husband I've dreamt 'bout for days.

Then a letter of love, appreciation and care,
I tried not to cry, so he wouldn't stare.
He knows I love notes of any old kind,
And that morning he definitely kept that in mind.

The day was delightful, lovely and nice,
For my husband showed appreciation more than thrice.
My babe loves me too, I know this for sure,
For when he is starving, he always wants me more.

And now that I've experienced Mother's Day like the rest,
I will not necessarily be the first one to attest:
Mother's day is to celebrate women and give them a break:
Mother's, Grandmother's and Wives, they're all really so GREAT!

The End.

My dearest child,

Thank you so much for making me a mother.

I love you,

me.

Shopping Tips!

Shopping Tips 

Karissa Style

Buy things from Target.
    Promptly return things to Target the following day.
Buy things from Loft.
    Promptly return things to Loft the following day.
Buy things from H&M.
    Promptly return things to H&M the following day.
Buy things from The Limited.
    Promptly return things to The Limited the following day.
Put shoes on hold at DSW.
    Never show up to get them.
Buy things from Kohl's.
    Promptly return things to Kohl's the following day.
Return to Kohl's and re-buy returned items, plus some, with a 20% off coupon, save around $100 and receive $20 in Kohl's cash.


Feel a little lame from thinking that anything costing more than $20 is expensive (especially one shirt)
Feel really cool from shopping at mall stores.
Feel pretty lame realizing everything from the mall was returned and you are officially a Kohl's shopper.
Feel really great because it almost feels like you're making money by returning things. Then...

Patiently wait for May 12th to use DSW gift card with extra $10 off coupon and free bag coupon.
Patiently wait for May 14th for 30% off storewide Loft sale for white pencil skirt (and hope for free shipping).
Patiently wait for an additional sale and additional 15% off coupons to use at Kohl's with Kohl's cash.


And that, my friends, is how you shop Karissa Style.


p.s. It's really hard to shop after having a baby. Suddenly my body is all weird and strangely shaped in new areas, I feel no sense of fashion, and I have no capabilities of making decisions.

10 things for 10 days

Well, golly gee whiz. It's been ten days since I've written anything. I think that's a record blogging drought for me. But, life happens. 

So now that I'm back, here are 10 things for the 10 days I failed to write. 

But first real quick: we woke up this morning to a very chatty, gurgling, cooing, talkative and happy baby boy. It was probably one of the best ways to wake up. 

Now in no apparent order....

1. It was my birthday. 10 days ago. I turned a year older. I spent the dreadfully rainy day shopping with my boys. They got sick of it by the end. Then Miss Gorgeous came to babysit our babe while we had our First Date Ever Without Baby! You wanna know what we did? We ate at Bravo. Then we walked around the mall. Then we came home. 2 hours later. Lame. 

2. Here in the lovely Midwest state of Missouri, it rained for 7 days straight. Plus an additional shmorgishborg of hail, strong wind, and tornadoes. I think the sirens went off every day for 3 days in a row maybe... My heart goes out to the many families who lost their homes and loved ones. 

3. We took a trip to visit Gammy and Papa Ding. Yes, that's right, Papa Ding. It's his grandpa nick-name. And it suits him well. This is how our babe traveled in the car:

Ha! Yeah right! We're not that dumb. But it is the cutest picture ever.

The babe really likes holding hands fingers, especially with Gammy. 

4. While we were vacationing in the beautiful, tropical, 50 degree weather Kansas City area, my dear sweet sister got engaged to a man. The following picture was an inpromtu shot taken with a camera, that drowned in a sink full of water and then became alive again, outside in the wind, while eating the most delicious Paciugo gelato. Don't try to pronounce the name. It will make you crazy. Just be satisfied with saying "Pa-choo-chees" or "pa-see-goes" or "pa-choo-gi-an-os" or something like that. We'll know what you mean. Anyway, this shot was not planned well by the posers or photographer, so the hair is covering the face. But it is less dumb than the other two shots in my small repertoire of sister and man-friend photos.

5. This is my baby. He has recently become obsessed with his toes, his tongue, his lips, and chatting. 

Also he rolled over twice when I wasn't watching. And he had a bad cold for a couple weeks. And he is starting to teethe. I think. He drools alot. And cries more than normal. And chews his finger. And plays with his gums.

6. This is my house. And by house, I mean apartment. But house sounds way cooler than apartment. It looks like we're moving. We're not. Don't be fooled. We found out this week that our outside storage closest is infested with mold. And there was sitting water on those blue tubs and on the floor. But before they can fix that, they had to replace our water heater. Apparently it leaked downstairs and flooded our neighbors. Retaliation for them smoking all the time? So now we're waiting for the repairs and for more big, plastic bins to arrive at our house so we don't have to deal with cardboard boxes.

7. We went to the Zoo. It was the first time with our Babe. Before we went inside the actual Zoo, Mister Man decided to feed the ducks, geese, fowl of the air (and water). They flocked to him. Can you find 8?

By the end he was pretty tuckered out.

Then he was cranky the next day and Mister Man held him up and gave him a talking to.

8. I went shopping. Alot. The key to shopping is to buy a bunch of things, wait a day or two, take them all back, and re-buy them again because they went on sale. We saved around $100 doing that. I've also had to re-learn how to shop. It's weird. More on that later. I found these bad boys after searching every shoe store in the nation. They were hiding at Kohl's. Happy birthday to me!

I also realized why Loft is so expensive. 

Their bags. 

See that ribbon?

It probably cost $5.

And I found these for $3.20 each. Clearance is my best friend.

Sometimes.

9. While in the KC area, I went shooting some guns. At one point, I shot a rifle I've never shot. Instead of snugging it in your shoulder like normal, you're supposed to not snug it on your hip. I misunderstood and snugged it inside my hip bone, against, well, flubber (great movie, by the way). When that beast kicked, I crumbled to the ground. A week later I have a nasty bruise with a pebble underneath my skin. Literally. Well, it feels like it literally.

10. Our babe tasted salsa last night. We laughed so hard we cried. Here is the video, only because I love you and I'ved neglected you.

And that's all folks!