Guests

Well I've had a request to update my blog describing the craziness that has been my house for the past month.
1- So first off...we had a movie party...I cleaned the house for that and it took three hours...no one came into the house at all, but since my babyshower was the next day I didn't consider the time wasted.
2- We had my baby shower. I really enjoyed it having never been to one of these before. The decorations were really nice and the food layout was beautiful (see pic). The punch was really good, the fruit, the dip, the prizes...good times. So only two people (besides Margie and her mom) had arrived on time, but by an hour into it we had almost half of the people that had been invited show up. So it was good...
3- That afternoon/night Patrick had a customer fly in to discuss an armor order and to get measured and all that. He actually turned out not so bad as he was interested in discussing things other than armor with everyone else. Margie and Josh and Dave all stayed late and we went out to eat and then watched Sky High. By the time they left I was incredibly tired and not very hospitable...but hopefully they didn't notice too much.
4- For the next week and a half I spent all of my time on the computer and at school finalizing papers and making presentations in order to graduate.
5- The last day of this phase another of Patrick's friends arrived...I had to clean the guest room once more and tidy up the house again...on top of the stress of school....
6- Three days later the friend left and my parents and brother arrived. This was preceeded by yet another slew of housecleaning.
7- The very next day I graduated....graduation was okay...it was way too long...and obviously biased towards the College of Education with whom we were combined. For example; while we were being hooded, they called out your name and then called the next person before you had even reached the stage...they then threw the hood over your head and ushered you on. For the education people they called the name, waited until they mounted the stage, the hood was arranged just so, hugs were exchanged all around and the person crossed the stage, took their "diploma" (really an empty case) and started down the other side before calling the next name. This combined with the fact that they had over 100 masters students, at least 50 doctorates and close to 250 undergraduates made the last 3/4 of the ceremony very long and boring. On top of this, I forgot my hat and spent the twenty minutes before the ceremony began frantically rushing around trying to find either my family so they could go back and get it, or someone with spare hats. Luckily there was a table with spare hats as I wouldn't have had time for Patrick to rush home since it turned out I was the second person in line for the whole thing. So...yeah, graduation.
8- Back to my family. I love my family, I enjoy spending time with them...however there was a reason I moved out. My mom is fine. She was very nice and willing to cook stuff with me, watch whatever movies I wanted...clean my house, iron my curtains etc... Unfortunately my dad and brother did not feel the same. Thorin really wasn't that bad aside from the fact that he kept swinging my swords around like a crazy person and I was sure he was going to break something....and the fact that even though he is nearly 17 years old, he still can't manage to use the bathroom without splashing all over the seat and the surrounding area. Urine is highly acidic and eats away the porcelain of the toilet, not to mention the sorry state of my hardwood floors. I washed the toilet three times while he was here and I know my mom did the same. He also hogged the computer, but I suppose that was okay. My dad is another story. He came here to metal detect...and apparently that was all he came to do. Even though my parents hadn't done any Christmas shopping yet as I had encouraged them to go here, dad left every morning around 8 am with their vehicle and didn't return until nearly 4 in the afternoon. This meant that I was the one who had to get up and hall my mom around town to shop. I don't generally like shopping that much to begin with...but add to that the fact that mom wasn't sure what she needed to get (as dad usually handles that), walks incredibly slow, follows you around with the cart only inches from your heels, incredibly crowded stores with psychotic shoppers and the fact that I'm nine months pregnant and you get a very unhappy Kiera. After hours of shopping, we would then come home and I (or Patrick) would make dinner. Dad and Thorin would show up for this, but not help set up, not put their dishes away, and generally sit around doing nothing. Keeping in mind the state I was in by this point after shopping all afternoon, this got on my nerves. Mom was very helpful with the dishes, but as soon as they were done Dad would come get out yet another glass and fill it with soda which he was constantly in danger of spilling all over the floor. Thorin would come in and get a new glass every time he got a drink of water. Dad once spilled his cup on my floor and rather then rushing for a towel stood there and looked at it blankly. So I had to rush for the towel and get down on my hands and knees mopping up his mess...me the 9-months pregnant uncomfortable one. Neither he nor Thorin offered to help me move the small sofa either even though, again I'm freaking pregnant and they're perfectly capable. So one night when I was freaking out, Patrick and I snuck off and went to a movie by ourselves...that helped alot. Also....we went down to Dallas one day and walked around way, way too much...I started having painful contractions for about an hour and thought I was going to die. Luckily I didn't.
9- Christmas Eve Dinner. I decided that we should have a turkey dinner for Christmas Eve with my family. So the day before while mom and I were on our daily shopping excursion I bought a turkey. When we got home mom asked if it was frozen, and I said that I didn't think so as it was only in the refrigerated section. So we tentatively plan dinner for 6pm. The next day around noon we discover that the turkey actually is frozen and set about thawing it. Five hundred million hours later (i.e. 7pm) we finally get the turkey in the oven. We don't eat until 11:30 that night. My parents are used to eating at 6pm....I also forgot to get cranberry sauce and several other things as I've never made a real dinner like this before. Usually on Christmas eve we eat, go look at Christmas lights, read the Christmas story, then watch a Christmas movie before going to bed so Santa can come. This year we ate, read the story and then went to bed about 1am....I cried several times as I felt I had ruined Christmas...
10- Christmas. We started opening presents and had only done a couple when my brother called from Slovenia. So we stopped everything to talk to him. This was fine, although it made for some awkward moments as mom cried and dad got all sentimental on the phone (which never happens). So then back to the presents....I felt bad for Patrick since I got him like 11 presents and he only got me like 4, but mine were more expensive than his so it evens out. I was just worried that my parents would be thinking he was mean to me or something as I got passed up again and again to open stuff.
11- We then went to have another Christmas dinner at Patrick's sister's (after church that is). We brought rolls that my mom had made the night before. She felt bad 'cuz they went stale while we were at church, but I don't think anyone noticed. We spent way too long there as my parents were bored and didn't know anyone so mostly sat off by themselves...my dad did get to talk politics with my brother-in-law though, which made him happy as they are both flaming liberals.
12- Tuesday my parents left, mom very kindly cleaned her room and both the bathrooms they had used as well as the kitchen. :) That afternoon Patrick's parents came over. I started freaking out when I got the impression that they were planning to spend the night. I had just finished cleaning the sheets and towels my family had used and didn't like the idea of doing so again....fortunately I misunderstood and they left that night.
13- Wednesday night I got sick. Apparently Patrick's whole family had some sort of crazy flu virus that I caught. So I spent wednesday night throwing up....this is not an easy task when there is a full term baby already screwing with your stomach muscles. Fortunately I did not cause myself to go into labor and am now feeling better. Now wasn't that an exciting story?