Where's the Birth Certificate?

First off, just to let everyone know, this has nothing to do with the Obama birth certificate thing. I just thought the whole thing with the billboards and this situation was kind of ironic.

My husband is a truck driver. He hauls stuff to all places of the country. He goes on ports and military bases, steel mills, and lumber yards. All to haul raw materials or finished products back and forth. Over and over again.

In order to drive, the prospective company must do a 10 year background check, get a full report from his state's Department of Motor Vehicles - they are looking for a clean driving record of coarse, now they check his TSA 2010 score, and he must past medical physicals.

Recently his employer made it a requirement to obtain a TWIC. It's a card that allows you to go onto ports and military bases and such - though no one bothers to use it. They charge you nearly $150 to apply for this card and the government does a rigorous background check. I guess it's sort of like a security clearance. They verify that you are who you say you are and determine whether or not you are a threat to the nation. Well, my husband got this card, so the government acknowledged that he is who he is and that he is not a threat.

Then, of coarse, he has a driver's license. In order to get that, you have to show identification that you are you. I'm not sure how they do it now, but when I got my driver's license, I had to show my birth certificate . Seeing as how my husband is older than me, I'm fairly certain he had to provide that as well. So again, the government has declared that he is who he says he is.

So yesterday my husband's employer asked him if he had a copy of his birth certificate with him. My husband laughed, knowing where this was going. The place where he was either picking up, or delivering, would want to see it to prove that he is who he says he is. He said yes, and laughed again as his employer told him that he would be delivering to Boeing.

Why did he laugh? Because of the craziness of it all. He has a commercial driver's license, which by the way is more rigorous than a regular one, and a TWIC, in which the government has proclaimed he is who he is and not a terror threat. Why would they need to see his birth certificate?

My guess is that they are just being super anal about it. I would think a TWIC would suffice since he already had that. But I guess not.

It is so far ridiculous that it's funny. So off he goes, license, TWIC, and birth certificate in hand to Boeing. What's next? A DNA report? Yeah, I actually suggested that he have one of those handy! haha!

A Hair Affair

I love my hair!

I'm not being vain, really I'm not. Everyone should have something that they like about themselves because most of the time we are criticizing every little thing about ourselves. Your nose, your mouth, your weight, your height, your curves or lack of...the list is endless.

The thing I really love about myself is my hair. And if I feel bad about other parts of myself, at least I can look at my hair and I feel so much better. My hair is long, it's blond, and soft and wavy. People spend thousands of dollars to get their hair long, blond, and soft. My hair is like that without spending that kind of money.

Anyway, I'm growing my hair out long. It's already long - almost to my waist, but I want it to grow longer. So I have been spending a lot of extra time and effort into taking care of my hair. Sometimes people think it's a little crazy, like putting oils and lotions on the ends of my hair to help prevent breakage. Think what they will, at least I have gorgeous hair! haha!

For the past year, I have been looking for a shampoo and conditioner that works on my hair. I've tried all kinds of different brands - name brands, off brands, store brands, you name it. I actually found an off brand at the dollar store that I really liked, but I haven't found anymore since, so I had to start my search again.

Anyway, after trying different brands, I think I found one that I really really REALLY like and it makes my hair soft and shiny. The winner is...

Garnier's Fructis Moisture Works Cream Conditioner works so nice on my hair that I can't stop running my fingers through it. It actually feels like silk. The good thing about it is that it's not that expensive. I have been using the shampoo and conditioner for about a month now, and the ends of my hair feel thicker - which I'm really excited about because it means that it's working. No, it doesn't make your hair thicker for real, it just makes the ends less susceptible to breaking.

Anyway, I love my hair!

The Things Kids Say

Last week while my husband was home, we thought we would check out the music store in town to see if they had any guitars for sale for my son. We've lived up here for a good 8 years, but never really explored the downtown area.

For those of you who are not from here, it's a cute little tourist downtown area with the old buildings. Cover it with snow and you get the little picture perfect ski town.

Anyway, we parked the car near the music store - which happens to be a flower shop now. I guess they don't do as much music as they used to - and my son saw a sign across the street and said,

"Hey Mom, Dad, we could go to The Secret Thigh cafe!" Both of us turned around and looked at him like he was crazy. What is my kid doing talking about thigh cafes???

Then he pointed out the sign.

The Secret Thai Cafe

Thigh - Thai.

My husband and I laughed and my son looked at me like something was wrong. While I laughed so hard I couldn't speak, my husband had to explain to him that it was Thai, not Thigh.

Then my son asked, "Well, can we go??"

"Only if they serve beverages."

Oh my!!!!

Happy New Year!

I know I'm a bit late in wishing you all a Happy New Year. It's been a little busy here and I finally had a few moments of time to blog. So Happy New Year!

My husband came home on his birthday- which is after Christmas, so my son and I had a quiet Christmas. We got him his Christmas present this weekend. Which he LOVES. We got him his own cell phone. He's growing up so fast and we thought it would be good for him to start managing his own resources, money and phone usage. So far so good!

Then my husband got me a Christmas present that I had not expected.

For a few months I have been looking at exercise machines that I could use in the house during the winter months so that I didn't have to bundle up to go for a jog on the road. I was originally looking at a treadmill, but I really wasn't set on anything.

Well, I had been talking about this to my husband for months now and he got me an exercise bike. I can simulate hills and plug in my iPod and download workouts to the bike, and if I were really a couch potato, I could actually watch a movie while I rode. Yeah, not really into that.

Why a bike though? I kept thinking. Why not a treadmill or an elliptical?

Several years ago while skiing, I ended up with a pretty nasty knee injury which never healed properly and recently - the past 3-4 years - if I kneel, my knee dislocates. I found that running and hard walks hurt my knee even more and in turn cause other parts of my to hurt. The bike works out my knee without the weight of my body stressing it. It actually feels really GOOD on my knee, so that's why. So far, I've been riding several times a day inside where its warm and getting a nice workout on my knee.

Maybe by summer, I'll be able to start running. ;) My husband is so wonderful to me. :D