i had some extra time this weekend... the kids were at grandma's and the hubby had gone to work... so i decided to really get in and play some WoW.

now for anyone who isn't aware, i have been avoiding the dungeon finder. not avoiding in the way you avoid doing the dishes. "i don't want to do them right now, but eventually either the sink is going to be full and stinky or there are going to be no more dishes to eat off of." i have been doing everything else i can think of to do without going into a dungeon. i did all the quests in Cata. all of them. every new zone complete. i did the dailies out in deepholm. i am exalted with the big rock people (on 2 toons). then instead of doing dungeons i leveled my priest. and my hunter. and another Shaman (like completely 1-85 brand new toon on another server). i even did dailies out in tol barad even though i have no interest in pvp on this toon. i have been "geared" enough for heroics for a few months and still i would sit in stormwind and keep the daily quest givers happy by filling their requests.

well, i did it.

i queued for a heroic.

i was promptly ported to grim batol (a dungeon i had not been in on regular yet). i did the necessary look at your group and see what we have. i got a bear tank. not just any bear tank, but one with less HP than half the group. seriously.

...

he died on more than half the pulls. out of 5 or so that he lasted he died at least 3 times. i ran OOM on the very first pull trying to keep him alive and as i sat down to drink he ran ahead and pulled another group. seriously.

i was able to salvage that pull with almost no mana sacrificing only him. technically he sacrificed himself. after flying around on the drakes torching stuff he ran right into mobs and got himself killed again. during all of this he is the one saying "gogogo... i only have a few minutes to finish this." and on his last pull i see that he has targeted the pally in the group. he wasn't even targeting mobs anymore (curiously enough this was a pull that he survived as he had zero aggro). after that pull we figured out that he had put himself on follow and left.

seriously.

being the somewhat smart people that we are, we kick him for a real tank. luckily we got one and the rest of the dungeon was pretty easy.

so, with my new-found confidence i decide to run another one on sunday. we all get ported into halls of origination and we are buffed and ready to go. first pull, we have our cc up and the tank is all over the place as are the remaining mobs and just as he is about to die he leaves group. so we are sitting there with a trapped mob and a sheeped mob waiting for a new tank.

WTF Blizzard?!?!?! Why are you punishing me??? i would like to know what i did so i can promptly remedy this!

we got a new tank and all we had to do was re-sheep one of the mobs. and we were again able to make it through the remainder of the place with only a couple of deaths. i did get a mad mage on the last boss. he was yelling that he didn't get any heals. in my own defense, he was on the other side of the room and i did run over to that side of the room to heal him, i was just too late.

overall, i am pleased with the level of difficulty that the dungeons present. i couldn't put myself on follow and tab out to play farmville. i just hope that the tanks that shouldn't be tanking stop torturing me soon and go back to DPS.

so... i'm 33 now. the party was fun, though the bar scene is just not the same as it used to be. i would rather just hang out at home or a friend's house any day.

so, both G & M got awards the other day at school for their writing skills. to anyone else this would be great news. but to me, this is just a sign of trouble. you see, i was reminded of my own writing skills in high school and how they landed me in the principal's office. maybe i will just have to teach them discretion as well...

in wow news, i have made a goblin shaman and i made my hunter into a blood elf and i have been playing the other side for a bit. i am up to level 83 on both and have really been having fun. i rolled on a PvE server, so the loss of world PvP has made it a bit quicker to level. i have also been leveling enhancement which is a completely new spec for me. i like it a lot so far, but it really is a lot different being right up in the action. the goblin totems are by far the most awesome of all the shamans.


not much else going on lately... just life i guess.

well, here i am again... at work...kinda bored. i just looked and thought to myself, "Wow... has it really been that long since i posted on here?!?!?"

guess things have just been that busy. such is life i guess.

i guess mostly i have not been updating lately because i log in and then realize that i really don't have much to say. the kids are good. i am good.

i logged into WoW like 3 times since the big patch. so far i do not like the changes. probably has more to do with the fact that i have not actually played and therefore i am not used to the changes yet. after all, most of the time i was logged in the first time was spent figuring out what talents to take. and most of the second time was redoing my macros. the third time i logged in my unit frames were back and i actually played in a few BGs. it was fun and all, but i just wasn't feeling it so i logged out and played farmville.

i know. i know. i know.

the shame.

...

i let G make a facebook account. i realize this is not my proudest moment as a parent, but it will give him a way to keep in touch with his dad and that side of his family. now all he does is play farmville. and cafe world. and frontierville. and petville - i think you get the point. i guess he comes by that naturally.

i have been working on a quilt for a friend that got married earlier this month. i was a bit hesitant as the colors were not what i would have picked out to go together, but as i have been putting the blocks together, it is starting to really grow on me... i think it looks pretty great now. i will put a picture up when i have the top done.

guess that is all for now.

Happy Halloween!!

WoW....

as i suspected i could not stay away for long. after about 2 months i think i started twitching and i just felt lost without my virtual world. so i started playing again.

now, i certainly don't have the time to commit to playing all the time, and after all the springtime drama i was left guildless. not really wanting to apply anywhere i was happy to get an invite from a friend. i also got to go right into ICC with them and pretty much start off where i left.

it really is chilly where the Lich King resides...

i haven't really had time to focus on raiding since the kids went back to school. i have 2 in scouts and i am the den leader for one. time is just something i have virtually none of. but i have managed a few fun things. i finally went back and did all the quests in Shadowmoon Valley earning me the Outland quest achievement as that was the only area i had done nothing in. while there i finally did Netherwing as well. i have always loved the green one and now i have my own.


i also decided to get the Frenzyheart rep so that i could get the achievement for getting to exalted with both... after buying egg after egg and getting no mount, i decided to take a short break and i got the Frenzyheart Brew out of my very first jar with them. it took me longer to get exalted than to get the best drop from them! i am now back up to buying the eggs again and still no luck.

still playing on the Lich King platform... with my baby oracle conveniently on a leash

i have been working on Bloodsail rep also. i figure that since i want the Hyacinth Macaw and am gonna have to kill a shit ton of Bloodsail to get that to drop, i may as well get the pirate title first so that i have another reason to be killing them... to get my goblin rep back.

other than that i have been working on PvP and playing in many BGs. i used to hate BGs but for some reason i now love them. i cant think of a place i'd rather be in game. there is always something happening, no one is being a jack ass in vent, i get loads of thanks for healing, and we have been winning as well! what's not to love about all that?!?

in the mage tower after killing some dirty horde that decided to camp here and kill some of my buddies. i dont think they were expecting all of us...

oh... and i really suck at 1 on 1 PvP, so killing me is still pretty easy. but am getting better. one day i will be able to kill someone without using my Fire Elemental buddy.

i cant believe the summer is almost over...

it seems like it just flew by. i don't really have anything to show for it, i don't feel like i got anything done. well, i did manage to go through all the kids clothes and toys and take out the old ones... but i did not manage to get any of that stuff into my car to donate it. so i guess i get 1/2 effort points for that.

CJ is now three... well, he turned three last month and i just haven't gotten around to putting up pictures from his party. his toy story party went well. there was a lot of excitement and balloons!
he got a bubble gun-toy and they had much fun playing with that outside one day.
now i have to plan another party because M is turning five next week... and then she is starting kindergarten a few days after that! Oh my does the time fly by! G is also coming back from a summer in Hawaii... i am pretty sure he is going to be disappointed in daily life here again after all that excitement. he got to spend a lot of time at the beach and i hear he has had loads of fun. we are having the party after he gets back so he doesn't miss it.

now i'm off to get something done... not sure what it is yet though! ;)

i need your opinion...

i have some good news... through eating better and adding (just a little) exercise back into my life i have managed to lose 15 pounds in 7 weeks. i have a long way to go but this is a pretty good start. seems i got lazy after baby number 3 and just kinda gave up. and unfortunately with the hubby being out of work for so long eating right was just kinda out of the budget. don't let anyone tell you it is cheaper to eat better. yea, vegetables don't cost very much over all, but you actually have to buy MORE of them because they have so few calories. mac and cheese costs less than 2 dollars and i can feed 5 people dinner... that doesn't make it good for me though.

so, why am i telling you this? well, i have set up a reward plan for myself. i am going to start my sleeves (well, not full sleves, just 3/4) and i am getting close to goal number one. i was going to start at 20 pounds and i am almost there. i am really quite excited, but i dont have anything drawn up yet. right now it is kind of just an idea that i have had in my head for a while. for anyone that knows me i have the 2 dragons on my arms already. here they are:


(and before anyone mentions it... i know i need to get some of the sun redone as there was a lot of orange shading in it and i think that is not a color i hold well. i will need to figure something out for that as well...)

as you can see, they are opposites and i want to keep up that theme on my arms. i also want to keep with the "fantasy" theme as well. so here is my idea. i would like to put cute & good fantasy stuff on one side and ugly (well, not too ugly) & bad stuff on the other side. you know like fairies and demons. problem is i don't know which side to use for what. i have a color scheme going already (warm/cool colors) but i don't know if i should use the cool colors for the bad or good side and vice versa. so i need your help and opinions... please let me know what you think i should do and why.

Happy Father's Day

i have been blessed in this life to have many father's in my life that have made my life special.

i will start with my own father. while i grew up away from him, he always made the time we had together special. i will always remember the times we went tubing down the river and that he would always take us to the organ pizza place even though i can only imagine that he tired of the food. i only wish i had more time to spend with him. it has been almost 6 years now since he passed away. i am comforted in that he was able to meet his grandson and take him to that same pizza place i loved so much as a child.

next up is my step-father. you has been in my life for as long as i can remember. you have watched me grow up into the woman that i am today. you ordered a limousine for a father-daughter dance i wanted to go to. you helped guide me through the throws of what will now be known as the high school experiment. you are there whenever i need you to be there or even just to talk about life. and last but not least, you take my children to the zoo when i need a moment to breathe. i appreciate that more than you know.

now for my husband, i know that you don't always feel like you are the best dad in the world and you have your moments of insecurity and doubts, but our children know that you are the best dad in the world to them. even though this thing with work has been difficult and we have had to make sacrifices to make it through, it has given them the opportunity to be home with you and learn from you and they know that you are great. we all love you more than you know.

for my oldest son's dad, you have never let our issues come between you and your son. he knows that you will always be there for him and to him, everything that you do is "awesome." i have never seen such adoration in a little boy's eyes, but when he talks about you i know how much he loves you. you are everything that he wants to be when he grows up and i hope that he is as great a father as you are to him.

for all of my friends that are fathers, i know that you are all wonderful men. you all do what you can to be part of your childrens' lives no matter what your situation and they will be better for it. i know it is important to have good role models while you are growing up and i am confident that you all fit very well into this category. if all the fathers in the world were as great as thee ones i know i think the world would be a better place. so to all of you, Happy Father's Day. each and every one of you deserve it.

ok, i have finally gotten back to my blog and i have a pic of the new tattoo... now this is the day it was done and it isn't completely healed quite yet, but here it is:

also here is a picture of the kids on my birthday:

i was going to go visit a friend in denver, but they all got sick so me and the kids came home. we did stop by the Capitol building for G's Wolf badge requirement and took the tour there. and then we went to the Downtown Aquarium and saw all kinds of neat fish and the tigers and birds that they have there... sadly since that was not in the plan for the day, i did not have my camera and so i do not have any pictures to share...but it was still loads of fun. i was going to take them to Casa Bonita for dinner, but after the tour and the walk through the aquarium, they were all pretty pooped so we just ate on the way home.

then on saturday, we all went to see How to Train Your Dragon. It was a great movie!! I think the kids liked it too! ;o) then we hung out at home for the rest of the day. I did get to working on the quilt i started last year for my nephew... i finally got the top done and will be finishing it next weekend if all goes well so i can get it too him soon! I also crocheted a hat for my niece that i was going to send her for her birthday...several weeks ago... but i forgot to mail it and so i hope that she can use it next winter.

thoughts on a new tattoo

so... i think i want a new tattoo for my birthday... i have not gotten one in a few years and have been wanting one for a while... in honor of my birthday i was thinking of some sort of shamrock/clover... i like them anyways (i mean - look at the title of my blog, i call myself shamrockgirl on the internet!).
so here is the problem... there are just so many that i like ... i don't want to be COVERED in shamrocks, just one would be nice.

so here are a few that i like in general... let me know if you like any of them ... whatever i do end up getting probably wont be exactly like any of the linked pics, but just in general i want to narrow it down to a fun design...

this one has a cute ladybug

this one has Bat wings!!!

this one has sparkles - i would probably want stars instead...

here's a lucky pinup - i have always liked the idea of getting a pinup girl but couldn't ever find one i liked enough to do it

That is what i have found so far... it would be going on my calf i think... for those of you that know me - where Felix is, but on the other leg.

i am hoping for a good birthday this week. i have taken the day off work and my only real plan for the day is to go downtown to the irish pub and have a few beers and maybe some well advised lunch to go with it. I hardly ever go to this place on st. paddy's day because the line is always all the way down the block. makes a good case for another irish pub... but so far there really isnt another good one. i am hoping that since i will not be working that day, maybe there will not be such a line during the day and i can get in there and have a good time for a few hours or so. Other than that - life has been pretty slow this month and not a lot has happened. maybe i can cause birthday drama and blog about that later in the week... let's hope not though!

i can't believe that january is almost over already. time is just flying by - a bit too fast for me. i get to be a den mother for G's wolf den. the person that was going to be the leader seems to have dissapeared without word and since he was the only other boy, i am officially in charge. we are going to try and get a couple more 2nd graders to join so he doesn't have to do it all alone though.

today they got to launch soda bottle rockets that they made. it was pretty fun. Here's a couple pictures from that. most everything else is the same - not a lot going on these days. i have quit the awesome guild that is Cadia and gone back to the old one. even though some of the people grind on my nerves, overall they are still fun to play with and i missed them. i was also finding it hard to keep up with the other raiding schedule since i have school age children and they raid on only school nights. >.> oh well, i guess it just wasn't meant to be.

slowly but surely i am working on cutting out most of the junk food that i consume. i have a pretty substantial goal on fitness and i am going to start working on that any day now. i have been working on getting some things around the house organized first though. sometimes i just feel so overwhelmed and can't seem to focus when i feel everything is out of order.

hope everything is well with you all in the new decade. here's to the next 11 months!

Toddlers

at times i think it is just me... apparently it is not!