Today is the first day....of my exercise regimen

I made good food choices today (some cheese sticks, yogurt, and fruit) and consumed 80 oz. of water.... I should have moved my office in the bathroom!  I was in there so often.

A friend and I walked 2.5 mikes in under 1 hour. I think that's pretty good, and if we continue to make this a daily thing, we might make better time and distance.

All I know is I need to lose 30 lbs. Any tips, suggestions, and advice are welcome! I will consider it all!

House for Sale, Soccer, and a Marathon?

April has certainly been a "fun" month.

Cameron started his 3rd season of soccer, and is showing great improvement. He seems to enjoy the sport more than he did in the beginning, which is fun to see. I always think of him as my little guy, but he is the 2nd tallest kid on his team. It just amazes me…this is the kid whom a geneticist deemed to be on the shorter side, so it is nice to see him growing more and more every day (or so it seems), but it is also sad :( My baby isn't a baby anymore!

We also had our annual Craniofacial team visit last week. The obvious was brought up, at some point Cameron will need braces. No surprise there- I had the same orthodontic issues he is about to go through, and we're going to be in for a long road to straighter teeth. As some of you know, one of Cameron's 10 surgeries was a jaw distraction in 2002. While the surgeon was careful in trying to preserve his tooth buds, we won't know if there has been any damage until Cameron is older and more teeth start to come in. Heck, he lost his first baby tooth in September 2006, and the adult tooth is just NOW starting to come in, and it is crooked. Like mama, like son… I had excessive crowding with my teeth prior to braces. My poor little guy is doomed! While at the team visit, we saw many other specialists, and it is possible Cameron MAY need another jaw distraction in the future. "May" being the key word. It all depends on his jaw growth and if he has any future problems with his breathing, which he hasn't.

Work is still going well. I have been employed with the University of Michigan for over a year now, and I am go glad to be here. It has been both a fantastic career move, and a great learning opportunity. I hope to be here for many, many years. It is very interesting to work for a department which handles all of the construction and renovation projects on campus, especially the "Big House." http://www.umich.edu/stadium/

Erik, my current roommate is due to move out at the end of this month. He is a state employee, and his job is one of many on the chopping block. He has the opportunity to relocate elsewhere in the state, so he is doing so. The whole roomate scenario went better than I expected (with the exception of a few instances). Pending the standard background screening, I have another roommate moving in in early May. She is an older woman, who has family in Hamburg. She and her little dog will be living with me. Hopefully everything will go smoothly with her as my new roommate. It is funny, before I found Erik, I had searched for about a year. This time, I found someone else practically right away!

Last night, I listed my house for sale. I've been debating it for a LONG time. I have been doing a lot of thinking about life, and what would be best for Cameron and I. While there are plenty of "pros" (lakes, Potowotami Trail, Pinckney Recreation Area, quiet…) to living in the boonies, there are lots of "cons," too. My plan is to move into a rental home (preferably within 10-15 miles of Pinckney, due to the custody situation) after my home sells. And, with this market being what it is, I understand it could take awhile. Or, maybe I will get lucky? I can only hope, right? My new roommate does know that my house is listed for sale, and that didn't change her decision, so I am happy about that. A little extra help with the mortgage is never a bad thing.
My book, Adventures in Dreamland: The Wild Ride is FINALLY in the design phase. I will soon be meeting with my design team to choose an illustrator. I am still gunning for Eric Merckling, an illustrator I found when "Dreamland" was just going to be an individual project. So, we will see what happens with that. As of right now, I should have advance copies of my book in hand by November, and the book will be available at retail outlets in the late winter/early spring of 2009. Yay!

On April 26th, along with another one of my friends, will be participating in a 5 mile trail run as part of the annual "Trail Marathon" at Silver Lake. Part of the run goes through the Potowatomi Trail, so I am looking forward to a hopefully nice day on a scenic trail. My goal for the day is not to speed through it (I run like a turtle), but to finish it within a reasonable amount of time. I am looking forward to it.

Well everyone, I think that is it for my overdue update. I am sure there is more I can share, but I will leave it at that. Have a great day!

Lisa

What a dork am I...

Okay, so I have been asked to write an "about the author" piece for my soon-to-be released book. This is tough for me. Not only do I have to write this piece myself, but I have to do so in the 3rd person. I really struggled with this...what do you all think of what I came up with?


From the time she was old enough to write her first sentence, Lisa Pollock was composing short stories.
Her love for storytelling flourished throughout the years, and became a favorite bonding activity for her and her son, Cameron.
For Ms. Pollock, It is the little things in life, the silly times, the cherished moments, and daydreams- all of it, is inspiration for wonderfully entertaining stories.
Ms. Pollock resides in Pinckney, Michigan with her five muses; son Cameron, three cats, and a betta goldfish.

Oh, I wish I had my camera....

Two years ago, Cameron received a very special gift from his Great-Grandma Zahn, a gift that has kept on giving from the time he received it.... a child-sized acoustic guitar. We've been blessed over the years with songs Cameron has recited, and songs he's made up on his own. Every time he pulls out that guitar, I am sure to be entertained.

Last night was no exception.

Cameron also has a small karaoke machine/radio/CD player. He decided that he was going to sing AND play guitar. So, he first got together his audience (a collection of stuffed animals, including his beloved "white kitty") and lined them up on the bed. Then I was called in to come listen and dance along.

Before the show, Cameron walked over to white kitty, guitar and microphone in hand, and said....

"White Kitty, are you ready to ROCK?"

It was so darn cute.... I really wish I had my camera....these moments are soon going to pass us by. Then again, it will be fun to re-tell these stories when Cameron is a teenager. Hehehehe.....

Do I have a sign on my forehead that says "freak magnet?"

It seems like I've attracted all kinds of me over the years, some good, some bad, very bad.  Examples of the bad and very bad range from the extreme mamas boy to the pathological liar, to my personal favorite (and current headache) the commitment-phobe.

Why can't I meet a nice, stable, handsome, successful guy who can appreciate a good thing when he has it?

Am I really destined to keep going through the circus of freaks for the rest of my life?

Oh Lord help me....

Bathroom Marriage

Last week Cameron and I were at dinner with my Grandma.

Whenever we go out to eat, Cameron always visits the restroom at least twice, sometimes more often. He's done this ever since he was potty trained, so since the age of 2 or 3, but he'll never admit that he has a fascination with the bathroom. He always says he has to "go."

While eating our dinner, Cameron says out of the blue, "When I get married, I am going to get married in the bathroom. I don't want to get married in no fancy schmancy place, I want to get married in the bathroom." I almost choked on my pasta when I heard that.

Trying to maintain astraight face, I asked "well, who are you going to marry?" And he said he didn't know. My Grandma then commented, "Well, I won't be coming to a wedding in no stinky bathroom." That made Cameron laugh.

So then, we asked him, "well, what if the person you marry doesn't want to get married in the bathroom?" And Cameron's response? "Why wouldn't she?"

My boy sure loves his bathrooms…..and boy, do I have some great blackmail for when he gets older! Hehehehe…..

You're Gonna Miss This....or am I?

I heard this song on the radio today. It wasn’t the first I’d heard of it, but it was the first time I let the lyrics and tone of the song absorb into my system...

"You’re Gonna Miss This" by Trace Adkins

She was starin’ out the window of that SUVComplainin’ sayin’ I can’t wait to turn 18
She said I’ll make my own money and I’ll make my own roots
Mama put the car in park out there in front of the school
and she kissed her head and said I was just like you

You’re gonna miss this
You’re gonna want this back
You’re gonna wish these days hadn’t gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you’re gonna miss this

Before she knows it she’s a brand new bride
In her one bedroom apartment and her daddy stops by
He tells her it’s a nice place, she says it’ll do for now
Starts talkin’ about babies and buyin’ a house
Daddy shakes his face and says Baby just slow down
Cuz you’re gonna miss this
You’re gonna want this back
You’re gonna wish these days hadn’t gone by so fast
These are some good times so take a good look around
You may not know it now but you’re gonna miss this

Five years later there’s a plummer workin’ on the water heater,
Dogs barkin’ phones ringin’ one kid’s cryin’ one kid’s screamin’,
And she keeps apologizing, he says they don’t bother me I got 2 babies of my own one’s 36 one’s 23 it’s hard to believe

But you’re gonna miss this
You’re gonna want this back
You’re gonna wish these days hadn’t gone by so fast
These are some good times so take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you’re gonna miss this
You’re gonna miss this
Yeah, you’re gonna miss this

Looking back on my life, there are things I do miss from childhood...the carefree days of school and spending time with friends, and my only worry being if my report card had good grades.
But, on the flip side, family memories are something I am conflicted on. Every family has their own set of issues, there is no denying it. But, in my house, there was a lot of conflict. Without going into too much detail, there was a lot of drama in my household during my childhood. Some of it, I am learning to let go of. The rest? Well, that remains with me, like glue... I just can’t seem to get rid of some of the memories.

Now that I am grown with a child of my own, and a divorce under my belt, I pray that I can create wonderful, loving memories that my son will cherish and "miss." I do make mistakes quite often (who doesn’t, right?), and I do worry about being a good parent, but my son does always know that he is loved.

As my child grows, I think back to the lyrics above, and there are already moments that I miss. Time really does go by so fast. And these moments, and times of youth, are fleeting. It seems like just yesterday, my baby boy was a sweet 2-year-old who loved spending time with his mommy. And now? Oh, we have our special time together, but it’s different now, already! I can just imagine how it will be in the teenage years. Because, I already do miss "this" time, and it’s not even over yet.