redesigned

2010-04-15T19:27:00.000-04:00

This blog is going to be discontinued. Please go here:

http://allofmypieces.blogspot.com/

2010-03-22T11:23:00.002-04:00

Mommy stuff

We recently converted Eli's crib to a toddler bed. It's SO cliche to say, but it is really true - it goes so quickly! It feels like I fell asleep and woke up two years later. But every new phase has its perks.

It's been a week now since we converted the bed, and it also marks a week of Eli NOT napping. This is not one of the perks. But he gets really excited about bed time now, and lays right down, gets cozy, and drifts off. This is a perk.

Last night, for the first time, I went into his room and he was on the floor. He'd slipped out apparently at some point. I just picked him up and put him back in and he fell right back asleep. Then, at about 2:45 am, I was woken up by Eli standing at my bedside. He said, "Mom?", and I about peed myself. Scared the crap out of me. But he wanted in our bed, so I picked him up and laid him between Jim and I and he snuggled up and fell right to sleep. I have to admit, I kind of loved it. It took me awhile to fall back to sleep because Eli was moving around a lot, but once I did, we both slept comfortably until this morning.

Jim told me before he left for work, that he was woken up a couple times by Eli kicking. I figure that's fair since Eli kept me up kicking for most of my last trimester.

Payback is sweet :)

2010-03-15T14:47:00.002-04:00

Craziness.

I have thirteen people coming to visit over the next four weeks. So naturally, I'm on the computer and not cleaning. Because that makes sense.

We all have our vices...

2010-02-24T10:35:00.002-05:00

Snow!

Here are a few pics of the snow "storm" (ha) that came through here a couple weeks ago.

It was a beautiful snow, with big fluffy flakes, but it didn't stick.

2010-02-21T15:06:00.003-05:00

Hmm...

Me: "Hey babe...where is the cereal I picked out at the store yesterday?"

Jim: "It's not in there?"

Me: "Nooo..."

Jim: (looks in the pantry) "Which cereal was it?"

Me: "Special K Fruit and Yogurt"

Jim: "Oooooh, I remember what happened. We were waiting for you in an aisle and Eli grabbed it out of the cart and put it on a shelf."

Me: "Why didn't you put it back?"

Jim: "I'm not sure...I think I was distracted."

Me: "Ok, so you saw him take it out of the cart and put it on a shelf, knowing I wanted it, and you just...walked away?"

Jim: "Basically."

Me: "... ...interesting."

2010-02-18T11:28:00.002-05:00

My little man(iac)

Eli has officially hit the "terrible twos" phase, and, not coincidentally, I have officially hit the "I want to shoot myself in the head" phase. Everyday is now a battle of the wills, and I'm sad to say I don't always win. I want him to eat, he doesn't want to. I want him to nap, he doesn't want to. I want to sit and relax, he wants me to play. I want to play, he wants to play alone. This morning he refused to eat the breakfast I had for him, but then seemed open to the idea of cereal. So I put some on his table along with the box (he likes to point out and say the letters he's learning), and he proceeded to open it when I wasn't looking and pour the entire (yes, entire) box onto the floor. It is days like today that drive me right to the real soda. Sugar is my nicotine. And I think Chick-fil-a is my booze.

As I write this, my hair is greasy and I need a shower. However, I did brush my teeth and put on deodorant, so I label this day a success :)

2010-02-12T18:13:00.002-05:00

OK, I'll stay...

Fresh start, fresh layout. And I've enabled blogger commenting instead of using a separate site for that.

I just have been feeling the need to simplify my life a bit lately. I started by going onto my facebook earlier and deleting a ton of apps, most of which I don't use anymore. Along with a couple I did. Let's just put it this way - the fish are gone and the farm will be soon as well.

I also downgraded from an iPhone to "just a cell phone". I am not anti-technology at all. I love technology (cue the wedding song from Napoleon Dynamite). I just want to slow down a bit and enjoy life more, and being so "wired" was definitely going against that.

I know people who always have to be on the computer or on their phone. Constantly. Like an addiction. And that's fine...for them. Not for me.

Maybe I'm weird, but I love listening to records. Yes, records. As in LPs. And I'm currently fixing up an antique radio. And loving every second of it. I can't wait to be able to listen to it! I also love writing real letters to people. On paper. And sending cards. I think it's really a lost art of keeping in touch with friends. Maybe it's just because I really love putting thought and effort into things. Getting email is commonplace. Getting an actual letter or card is exciting.

Weird, huh?

2010-02-10T09:31:00.002-05:00

Last post...maybe

I'm considering deleting my blog. There are a lot of reasons, but the main one is time. I just don't have time to update this blog and Eli's blog and write notes on Facebook for everyone who doesn't visit this page. I would continue with Eli's blog and my Facebook page.

This post will be a bit of a test to see if anyone even checks this anymore...

2010-01-04T14:28:00.003-05:00

Oh, what a difference a month (or two) makes...

We've been living here for a year come March. It's cliche to say, but it really is hard to believe it's been that long already. It was VERY rough in the beginning. I dealt with a lot of anxiety and restlessness and even a little depression. The two decisions that really booted me out of it were 1. joining the mom & toddler group, and 2. adopting out our puppies...a decision that still hurts to this day. But because of those two decisions, I've made friends...a challenge in and of itself for an introvert, and our house is...clean. Our carpet is clean and piss-free, and we just bought our first new couch ever.

The changes in the past few months have really freed us up in so many ways; we can travel more easily, the house is easier to keep clean, we can have people over - as a matter of fact, I'm hosting my first play date for my group one week from today!! I'm so excited to have people over and it be an enjoyable experience and not a stressful one.

As for the dogs, we still have Sammi (and are probably keeping her), but she's really well behaved and other than shedding, very clean. We've tried finding her a new home, but it just seems like all the doors are closing in that area. Maybe we're meant to keep her. We can take one dog when traveling pretty easily, and already have once. We've gotten rave reviews from the new parents of our other pups, Bo and Shiloh. It's great to hear they're doing well and are really happy, but I still try not to think about it too much.

All in all, life is very different from a year ago this time, but still very good. God is very good. And so faithful.

We have one more great piece of news, but I'm going to reveal that next week on my facebook. And NO, Mama Martz, I'm NOT pregnant.

2009-12-14T14:41:00.002-05:00

New bedding :)

Old, outdated, guest bed set.

New, beautiful, modern guest bed set.

Now, who's coming to visit me?

2009-11-06T20:14:00.003-05:00

NOLA-isms

When meeting someone at a certain time: "Let's be there for noon." For, not at.

When trying to determine where someone is: "Where yat?"

And don't even get me started on the use of "y'all"...

2009-09-21T23:30:00.003-04:00

Living is bad for my face

I went to the dermatologist for the first time recently. I was there to get a little skin tag removed, but while I was there, I thought I might as well ask about my complexion. As most of you know, I am Irish, and have always attributed the redness in my face to that heritage. The thing is, it's been getting worse. So after about 27 seconds of being way too close to my face, the dermatologist informed me that I have Rosacea.

Oh goody.

There are three main treatment methods. The first is to avoid things that cause it to "flare up". He said that the three main things that cause flare-ups are heat, stress, and caffeine. Well, that just won't do. I drink caffeine to deal with the stress of the heat. He gave me a sheet with lists of "don'ts" as I was leaving. Among the list of things to avoid are extreme heat, humidity, cold, stress, exercise, alcoholic beverages, caffeinated beverages, hot beverages, and about every food I eat on a daily basis. So basically life.

Life is hurting my face.

On to option two: creams. I have only tried one so far, and it turned my face a lovely shade of lobster. No thank you. There are several to try. I am apparently in guinea-pig mode until I find something that works, because the third option is taking a pill, and the possible side-effects would NEVER be worth it to me.

Eh...no biggie. This is why God created make-up. Besides, it's not my fault...I'm Irish.

2009-08-25T14:25:00.002-04:00

Funny Links

The credit goes to Trevor on finding these a while back.

This page charts pop song lyrics. Just go there and you'll see what I mean.

2009-08-13T14:21:00.004-04:00

OK, so it's been a while...

Since both my mom and mama-Martz are now on Facebook, I kind of slacked in the whole blogging area for a while. Sorry...

A shy introvert's nightmare

Being new to this area has really "brought out" the introvert in me...so to speak. I've had to and continue to force myself to be social, which I keep telling myself will be rewarded by karma somehow, perhaps by my attaining a bikini body with very little excersize...you know, something realistic. This morning was almost comical, it went so against the grain of my personality. Today was the grand opening for Once Upon a Child here. I'd been to the store in Indiana and really liked the quality vs price, so I decided to attend. The store opened at 9:30. I went to Chick-fil-a first, to get my free breakfast and a sweet-tea. It was $1.79. I'm a big spender. I gave him a ten and exact change. By the time I got to the store, I realized he hadn't given me my $9 back. Crap. I realized this right as I pulled up to the store and observed a huge crowd of moms and kids. My inner introvert immediately started screaming at me to leave. Fortunately, my inner bargain-hunter overpowered that prude and I got out of the truck. I knew exactly what I wanted anyway, having already been in when they were open to buy only. I managed to squeeze my way in and get to the counter area (where the DVDs are) within a few seconds, only bumping into about seven people. I found three of the four DVDs I wanted right away, but they had so much overstock that one of them had been put in back, so one of the employees had to go fish it out for me. I hate inconveniencing people. But we were talking four to six bucks for brand-new stuff. Sorry, lady.

Once I had the stuff I came for, I paid for it and got out of there, vowing to come back when it wasn't so crowded...like maybe in a month. I then headed back to Chick-fil-a to get my $9 back. To be quite honest, the conflict wasn't worth it to me, but I had promised Jim change and thought he'd be upset if I spent $10.79 on a cup of sweet tea. As I approached, I was grateful that there was no one in line behind me. After speaking to the man on the headset and identifying who'd served me, he told me they'd have to count down his whole drawer. Oh geez. I got to the window and was immediately apologetic for the inconvenience. They took my money and I was apologizing. That makes sense. Eventually, they came back and I received my refund, and I high-tailed it out of there. On the way home, I decided to call Jim so he could tell me how good it was that I made that effort. I recalled the entire tale, and he responded, "Wow. You went all the way back there for that?"

Well, piss.

2009-06-28T23:22:00.003-04:00

Links :)

I am becoming slightly obsessed with Stacks and Stacks and The Container Store. And when our house in Lafayette sells, there are a few hundred items I would love to buy to use in the house we either find or build down here. I'll probably have to settle for two or three...

And speaking of that...

We're probably going to be renting down here for a while. And that's OK. After our house up north sells, we've made it our goal to pay off a credit card and our only two loans before buying another house. Not to mention that we'll have to have 3% saved up to put down on it. We'd really prefer to build, and we've found the perfect house plan. It's just a 3 bedroom ranch, but its very spacious and has a gameroom!! It may sound silly, but that's something we've both always wanted. We're so excited!!! God willing, we'll be able to build within the next couple years :)

2009-06-26T14:28:00.003-04:00

Which Michael Jackson song are you?

Man in the Mirror

"I'm Gonna Make A Change, for once in my life. It`s gonna feel real good, gonna make a difference, gonna make it right."

Click Here to Take This Quiz
Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

Rest in peace, MJ. I will forever believe that you were an incredibly talented, innocent, and misunderstood loving soul. I hope you are up there entertaining God right now like

no one else can. I'll miss you.

You can be a child forever now, Michael.

2009-06-05T15:13:00.002-04:00

Cable, baby!

So we've been struggling with getting good tv reception with our antenna since we've moved here. Granted, we get a lot more channels than we did in Indiana, but it's still a pain. We basically have to adjust the antenna a certain way depending on which channel (of the dozen or so) we actually want to watch. And sometimes we have to fiddle with it more than once in one sitting.

Well, last night, while watching tv, we actually were paying attention at one point during the commercials and noticed our internet provider advertising basic cable (21 channels) for 9.95/month. I read a few days ago that our provider just declared bankruptcy, so all of their packages have gotten cheaper. I called today to see if there were any catches, since we already subscribe to their internet service. And according to the chick I talked to, there aren't! It would just be that ten bucks a month added to our internet bill. And she says it won't affect our internet speed. There's a hook-up fee, but it's small and we don't even have to pay it when the guy comes tomorrow!

One funny part of the whole deal is that if we added a phone line, they'd drop $5 a month off the price. I certainly can't explain that. But I said no thanks. I'm not against saving money, but we both already have cell phones, which are all we need. It would be silly to have a phone hooked up for nothing.

So we're getting every channel we wanted - CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, WGN, and 16 other channels as well. And the best part? He's coming to hook it up tomorrow morning and there's a Cubs game on tomorrow night! WOO HOO!!

2009-05-29T10:49:00.002-04:00

The fate of my new bird feeders

And here I thought I was being clever by getting a shepherd's hook for the feeders. There are two squirrels in the picture. As I type this, the total is up to three.

From storage room to guest room

Before

After

It's still a little tight, but very do-able. Just ask my parents; they stayed in it this past week. And Jim's parents are coming down for Labor Day weekend, so we needed a guest room again. It was actually fun for me. I love organizing and getting rid of crud we don't need, and we had to do both to redo this room. We left the bookcases up against the wall and used the space on the shelves to store empty boxes and such that we needed to keep. A couple of spring curtain rods and deep red panel-style drapes later, we have a nice backdrop for the room. And not only are the bed and futon usable, but Jim has full access to his musical equipment which he hooked up as we arranged things. Everybody wins.

2009-05-14T20:55:00.001-04:00

Hey mom-

Aimee has a new website. I've changed my link so that it should take you right there. You should check it out :)

2009-05-13T15:45:00.002-04:00

Hmm...

I took a drive to Chick-Fil-A on my way to bible study this morning, and noticed that the convicts were out cleaning up garbage off the sides of the road. I have to say, their outfits here are almost comical. I'm not making fun, it's just that they are huge black and white horizontally striped jumpsuits. I've never seen prison outfits that actually have black and white stripes. Usually, they're orange or something. It was almost like a cartoon. Although it wasn't quite as funny when I was stopped at a light and one of them was just standing there staring at me, about 20 feet away. There was a bit of nervous laughter at that point.

Bugs bug me

Aaaaand the termites swarmed again last night. Right after I'd vacuumed the whole house. I'm sure they did it just to spite me.

2009-04-30T13:01:00.002-04:00

Just so you know, Aimee, this post is for you :)

To defend myself briefly, I've been researching a few links online and bookmarking them in preparation for blogging. I just haven't gotten around to it until now.

Frickin bugs...

I have decided that my only complaint about living in the south, so far, is the bugs. They are much more abundant and significantly larger down here. Let me list my grievances:

Fire ants: I woke up this morning with a toe that was burning and itching. As of this afternoon, we've moved into the blistery, leaky, itching, burning phase. That's all from one ant bite. Imagine if I'd stepped onto the ant hill, (which is right under our table and chairs out back, by the way). Actually, I read about the little turds earlier, and it turns out that they are in the same family of insects as the WASP. wtf? They anchor themselves onto a person or animal and then sting 7-8 times. That's just one! No wonder fire-ant-killer is a common staple in stores here.

Spiders: I kill (on average) 1-2 spiders in the house per week. Big ones. We're not talking little guys. Although, as of yet, I've not encountered any so-big-you-pee-a-little sized arachnids. I still shudder when I think of that one you encountered, Danielle. UGH.

Moths: And speaking of you, Danielle, I seem to remember you having a fear of moths and such? I wonder how large they get in Australia, because down here in the bayou, they are crazy big. A few weeks back, Jim and I heard something hitting the window that we thought was rain, and it was this guy. He's just part of a whole strain of giant moths that hang out down here. He was the size of a small bat. No. Freaking. Kidding. Appropriately, we dubbed him Mothra.

Dragonflies: These guys really don't bother me much, surprisingly. They're pretty harmless, and if they come at me, I just swipe them away. They don't sting or bite, that I know of. There's just a bunch of them around.

Lovebugs: There are a ton of these everywhere. I'm not sure why. They look a little like fire-flies, but they fly around in pairs, literally attached to each other. They are really dumb and slow and fly right into my face a lot.

Wicki PAY de uh

I have become an avid user of Wikipedia as of late. Since Jim is gone a lot for work and travel, and Eli cannot really have deep conversation yet, I find myself looking up anything and everything online. Books, tv shows, characters from tv shows, actors, religions, movies, bugs, plants, symptoms to strange diseases... I'm basically stimulating my brain with miscellaneous stuff. But you never know, it could come in handy. I might go on Jeopardy someday.

2009-04-14T11:29:00.002-04:00

Nola Auto Show

I totally forgot, until today, that I took pics with my phone at the auto show a couple weeks ago.

Here is my dream car-the Saturn Sky Red Line:

And me in it:

The sexy new Dodge Challenger:

And Jim in it:

2009-04-11T17:44:00.002-04:00

Bottle talk

Me: "OK, if you're making a six ounce bottle, you measure it in the bottle and then pour it into the glass and heat it for 27 seconds. If you're heating eight ounces, it's 30 seconds, unless the bottle was in the refrigerator, and then you add one second for six ounces and two for eight to make up for the cooling effect the bottle will have on the warm milk when it's poured into it."

Jim: (looking at me mockingly)

Me: "Sheldon would understand."

2009-04-07T21:45:00.002-04:00

My 30th
I've had a pretty good birthday today. Jim is out of town on business, but right around noon, my doorbell rang and I was given these:

The note read, "Happy Birthday!!! Sorry I couldn't be there with you today. Love, Meme". That was definitely the highlight of my day. I also went on a little shopping spree at Old Navy this morning, courtesy of my mom and mama Martz. I combined their gifts and got some great new tanks and tees. I heart clearance! Then I treated myself to some Chick-fil-a. Yumminess. As a final little treat, I cashed in my points on my credit card for a $200 Spa gift card. It should arrive within a couple weeks. Yay!!

2009-03-28T20:58:00.002-04:00

HGTV Whore

I have been watching an incredible amount of HGTV while I've been on this trip with Jim. I'm beginning to wonder how I have lived without it...it's like aesthetic heroin.

Baby it's ~~cold~~ windy outside

Jim's project hasn't been going so well, due mainly to the screw-ups of the guys who did the wiring before he got here. He's working really hard, long hours to get everything fixed, so I decided on a whim to walk to his worksite. The walk was about 4 1/2 miles round trip. Silly me thought that since I could walk a mile in about 15 minutes, that it would be easy and relatively quick. Mmm hmm. There were some hills involved. And I was pushing a stroller. When I finally got to what I thought was the site - the hospital - turns out I overshot where he was by about a half mile. So I grabbed a bite to eat in the cafeteria and then headed back. He was only able to get away for a few minutes, but it was worth it to surprise him. The trip back was probably entertaining to anyone watching. I was walking directly into the wind the entire time. There was a storm front moving in, so these were some strong winds. Needless to say, pushing a stroller up hills with 25 mph winds blowing directly at you is challenging, to say the least. I felt like I was in one of those dreams - you know - the ones where you're trying to run away but can't. It was just like that. And to add to the comic aspect of it, I was getting smacked silly with leaves the entire time. Eli really enjoyed the wind. It was his first real experience being out in it for so long. And we got back to the hotel just in time. It's storming like crazy right now. All in all, it's been a good day :)

2009-03-26T09:30:00.002-04:00

Today is Eli's First Birthday!!!!!

And oh, how he has changed! It's been
truly incredible to see all of the changes
over the year and watch him learn SO much!

Here he is at two days old

And here's what he looks like now

2009-03-25T14:09:00.002-04:00

Hotel Hell

It's been an interesting trip...so far. To recap from my FB page:

"So we roll in to the hotel around 1 am. Eli is exhausted and sick, so we get to the room, a two-room suite, and I put him right to bed. About 10 minutes later, Jim comes up saying we have to move rooms b/c they only allow pets in smoking rooms. So we uproot our sick, tired child and move him from a lovely two bedroom suite to a tiny carcinogen-filled stinky room. Their website says pets allowed. It says NOTHING about room restrictions. We never would have booked this place if we knew they were going to stick us in a tiny cancer room. I. Am. Pissed. Did I mention this crap hole doesn't even have a fridge or microwave? They brought us a microwave to put...on our floor? They're bringing a fridge up in the morning. In the meantime, all of my perishables for Eli are downstairs in the employee fridge. UNacceptable."

Here's a sunny update. We moved to a different hotel this afternoon - The Residence Inn. We are now paying LESS for a two-room suite WITH a kitchen that is non-smoking. They not only allow pets, they have cute little signs to put on the door-knob saying "Four-legged guest inside". This room has a door AND a sliding glass door to the outside. And it's really nice. And it smells good. And it has central air. And a cute little table by the kitchen area.

Erin is very happy now.

2009-03-21T11:07:00.002-04:00

[New]Home stuff

-Our front door knob is strangely close to the door frame. I've shut the door on my fingers an embarrassing number of times, considering I know this.

-There were several stains on the living room carpet when we moved in. Our landlord says he's had the carpet "professionally cleaned" twice. I took some spot shot from Dollar General and got two of the stains out in a matter of minutes. I'm going to attack a few more of them this weekend. I wonder what he means by "professional".

-Housing is more expensive here, but not as high as most suburbs of big cities, for example: Chicago, New York, ...San Francisco...

-I've been told that car insurance will cost a bit more here as well. We haven't switched yet. We have two months left on our insurance from Indiana, and they'll honor it until it expires.

-Jim's car was damaged while parked on the street the second day we were here. It's dented and scratched above the right front tire. Jim was...um...mad. Our insurance considers it a hit-and-run, so we have a $500 deductible to fix it. So, our vehicle gets hit and we get punished. That's fair... ):-(

-The city of New Orleans is shortened to Nola here. New Orleans, LA. Events in the city are commonly referred to with that nickname. There's a website, nola.com, which has "everything New Orleans". There's even a channel we get here called Nola 38. People here would say that we live on Nola's Northshore.

Family time

Jim and Elijah and I are going to the Nola Auto Show today!! It's our first real time doing something fun here as a family. I'll post pics, if our crappy little digital camera takes any decent ones.

2009-03-17T15:37:00.003-04:00

Pictures!!

Here are a few of Eli's room. He's got the best
room in the house, with a big bay window.

This is our living room. I've created a cozy little corner by the front door.

And the French doors leading to the back yard are really nice.

Here's our really large backyard. I thought the dogs would love it,
but they really don't care. That's OK. We love it.

And this is our little dining nook/office. It will look better once we get curtains.

And just for laughs, here's our storage room. Its absolutely packed.

2009-03-16T22:38:00.002-04:00

Transition

So Jim left this past Thursday morning (the day after we finished unpacking) for a follow-up trip to a Gainsville, Florida worksite. He'll be lucky if he gets to head home this coming Thursday. Turns out he's mostly sitting around waiting for the machinery to be completely set up and running before he can do his job and tune the engine. They just want him there...because...I really don't know. Just...for...

I got nothing.

I usually get one phone call a day from Jim when he's traveling, in the evening. My conversation during the day usually consists of baby's first words and Dr. Suess, so by the time he calls, I'm desperate to have adult conversation. It's like opening a flood gate. Poor Jim.

Also, right before he left, he noticed that the truck was running a little hot. He thinks it just needs a new thermostat, but in the meantime (until he gets home), I shouldn't really drive it too much. So far, I've gone out twice, and only to get necessities, like formula and dog food.

So basically I'm stuck in a new house and can't really go anywhere, in a new town I'm unfamiliar with, with no friends and no family.

And it's rained for three days straight.

Kinda sucks.

Maybe the sun will come out tomorrow and I can take a walk with Eli.

And I know I'm not the only one who just broke into the song from "Annie" just then...

2009-03-12T14:19:00.002-04:00

Loooooozeeanna

We're finally unpacked and settled. We actually got everything unloaded and put away in a matter of days, thanks largely to Vinny coming down to help (thanks again, Vien!!). The house is smaller than our house in Lafayette, but it feels a lot cozier than that one ever did, mostly because it's carpeted in the living room and painted in light neutrals and whites. It's starting to feel very homey.

Mandeville is a small town; even if it were combined with its neighboring town, Covington, it wouldn't be as big as Lafayette. But I've always liked small towns. It's a nice compromise for Jim and I; I get the small town experience, and he gets to be next to a big city again.

We're living in what is referred to as "the northshore" here. That term includes Mandeville, Covington, Slidell, Abita Springs, and other surrounding towns. For anyone not familiar with the landscape, that's because we're all on the northshore of the huge lake, Lake Pontchartrain, that separates us from New Orleans. We have to take a 24-mile long bridge over the lake to get to New Orleans from here.

Or, New-aw-lins, spoken as close to two syllables as possible.

People are really nice here. Must be that southern hospitality I've heard about. The night we arrived, our new neighbors offered to help right away, and gave us some home-made soup. The next night, they made barbecue chicken. They're really sweet people. Up north, we're friendly with our neighbors, but basically keep to ourselves. Here, our neighbor Tom came over the second night, knocked on the front door, asked me where "the boys" were, put out his cigarette by the bushes in our front yard, walked in and insisted they come over for "a cold one". I couldn't help but laugh. Guess I'd better get used to it.

Louisiana fun facts:

-Louisiana is the only state to have "parishes" instead of counties. We live in St. Tammany Parish.

-Lake Pontchartrain is the second largest salt-water lake in the US. It is home to many large sea creatures such as alligators, bull sharks, stingrays, dolphins, and manatees.

-The 24-mile causeway bridge over Lake Pontchartrain is the longest bridge over water in the US.

Pests and pets

We have geckos here! I've always thought they were so adorable. There was one trapped between the screen and window in our dining room the night we got here, and it scared Jim when it scurried away. I want to try to catch one, but I don't want it to get scared and drop its tail.

Unfortunately, we also have crane flies. They look like huge mosquitos, but are harmless. They basically exist to mate and die. They're really clumsy and not too bright. When I let the dogs out at night, they fly in the house, run into the walls, and fall down. Then Bo eats them. Everybody needs a bedtime snack, right?

2009-03-05T19:52:00.002-05:00

Things and stuff: moving day

-We were going to move tomorrow. Now we're moving Saturday, with an additional moving truck and driver: Vinny. We bought him a one-way plane ticket home.

-We have a massive amount of stuff. Seriously. It's weird.

-Our refrigerator arrived today. That's right TODAY. Two weeks after paying for it. And did I mention it's not even the one we bought? Yeah. That one doesn't work. Imagine that.

-There are three men currently loading stuff into our moving trucks. I am sitting on my bum blogging. Somehow it feels right.

-I've been dealing with what I refer to as "fat cramps" the past couple days. You know, cramping in that line right below the rib cage where the roll forms? Don't act like I'm the only one...

-I'm thinking of starting a whole new website for myself once we get settled down south. Something to incorporate my photography and blogging. I need a creative name for it. I'm taking suggestions.

-I'm really going to miss my family and friends. I never thought I'd be thankful for email and Facebook.

-Those who have promised to visit, had BETTER. You know who you are.

-I turn 30 on April 7th. I'm surprisingly unaffected by this.

-I'm mentally tired from the past couple of days.

-I am going to miss Igloo vanilla cokes. I'm drinking one right now.

-Jim managed to damage his OWN car whilst moving an engine lift in the garage. He said "shit". It was funny.

-I've "said goodbye" to several friends over the past couple of days. I'll see three or four more tomorrow. It's not emotional or anything, and I prefer that.

-I have been very contemplative this past week. I've spent my entire life, almost three decades, in this city. It's a bit strange to uproot and leave it all behind.

-I need an adjustment. My back, not my attitude...

-In three days, I will be living somewhere warm. Be jealous, Yanks.

2009-02-24T13:20:00.002-05:00

Rage against stupidity

I am SO tired of ignorant people. I have had the unfortunate displeasure of dealing with not one, not two, but FOUR useless people today. Jim and I are scheduled to fly to New Orleans tomorrow. They booked our trips, but it was up to us to call about our seats on the plane. So we did that today. We talked to two different people from two different airlines that told us the same thing: "Your seats aren't assigned, but we can't do that. It has to be done when you check in at the airport." So what is the point of calling customer service about our reservations? All they can do is tell us we have reservations, and we ALREADY KNOW THAT. What the hell is the point? Obviously, I'm a little frustrated, but you would be too if you'd been through this the past THREE times you'd flown. That's right. The past THREE times Jim and I have flown together, they've separated our seats-EVEN when we've made sure they were together when we made the reservation. We've done what the useless people on the phone have told us to do, which is ask the lady at check in to put our seats together. You know what they tell us? "We can't get your seats together, all the seats are already assigned." Our last ditch effort is to ask someone next to one of us to switch seats. You know what happened last time I did that? The ASSHOLE said no. He wouldn't give up his seat to a woman with a baby. Heaven forbid his fat ass be a little uncomfortable for an hour.

Our second little slice of hell today came from the little hole-in-the-wall establishment where we recently purchased a refrigerator. Our realtor suggested we find a white fridge to replace the ugly blue one in our kitchen. I agreed. We don't have a lot of spare cash right now, so we resorted to buying one from this little po-dunk place in Brookston. Let me be the first to NOT recommend them to anyone. Oh, sure, the fridge is nice enough, but getting it here seems to be next to impossible for these people. It was supposed to be delivered Saturday. Then they had to change it to yesterday. Yesterday they called saying it would be today. I made sure to emphasize to them yesterday that it HAD to come today, because we were going out of town for just short of a week on Wednesday. So what happens today? I get a call from the grammar-challenged lady who runs the place, informing us that "the truck was a-knockin" so the guy had to stop deliveries for the day. With great restraint, I informed her that I had told him yesterday that it HAD to come today, because we were going out of town, and that the delivery had already been rescheduled twice before. Her response? "Well...I'm sorry." GEE THANKS. That makes is ALL better. I asked if we found a way to pick it up ourselves, if we could have the $30 back that we gave them to deliver it. "Um...I don't know about that. You'd have to ask him." So I had Jim call him. He then informed us that he actually wanted to replace a small part in the fridge before he brought it to us. WHY the hell would you sell something to us and tell us it was ready to go if it WASN'T?

The house is a mess, there's still a lot of packing to do, I'm not ready for the trip tomorrow, and to top it all off, all I got in the mail today was a bunch of junk.

This is officially the worst day I've had in a long time.

2009-02-20T13:51:00.002-05:00

We have a date...

So our official moving date has been set: Friday March 6th. As long as nothing comes up...

2009-02-08T13:44:00.003-05:00

Eli's napping

...which means I'm trying to get about 99 things done before he wakes up. So naturally, I'm online.

Hmm

I had to go to Wal Mart yesterday for some chocolate and magazines. Yes, I had to. I was balancing Eli with my left arm, while simultaneously trying to keep the four items in my right hand away from him. As I stepped up to the express lane, I noticed the middle-aged man in front of me was pushing a cart with nothing in it. He had a couple small things in his right hand. My mind immediately went to work trying to figure out why he had the cart. "Hmm. Why would he need to lean on a cart? He's not overweight...well, too much...I don't see any large items on the bottom...he doesn't seem sick in any way..." At that point, he put his items down for the cashier. He had three different types of plantar wart removers and a bottle of pain relievers.

...oh.

Packing, schmacking

I'm already getting tired of packing, and I've barely scratched the surface. Seriously, who wants to come over and help? I'll feed you...

2009-02-05T20:29:00.002-05:00

Detox, day 7

I'm one week into my cleanse. I haven't noticed any weird side effects, although I did accidentally wear my pink house slippers to Walmart today. Oops. I weighed myself just for the heck of it this afternoon and I seem to have lost about three pounds. Weight loss wasn't my goal, but I certainly don't mind. I'm not surprised. Let's just say the fiber is doing its job.

Cowboy Bebop

There are a few anime series I own. I'm thinking of watching them all through again. I've been feeling the urge to get back into my sketching, and anime was my obsession of choice. I feel like I've lost a bit of who I was back in the RLP days. I absolutely love my life now; I just want to incorporate some of the things I enjoyed back then as well.

New Orleans

It's been a while since I've lived in a new, unfamiliar place. The only time I've experienced that was when I moved to Waterloo, Ontario for two years. I was petrified at first. But I had several friends there. When Jim and I move, we'll only have each other. And he'll be working a lot. We're flying down in a couple weeks to find a place to live. Now that the reality of moving is starting to sink in, I'm getting a little nervous. I know we'll find a church and make friends. I just wish we could kidnap a few people and take them with us. You know who you are.

2009-01-29T12:55:00.002-05:00

Detox

So I've decided that while Jim is gone for the next couple of weeks, I'm going to do a self-cleanse. I've actually never done this before, but I've been reading a lot about it and have really been wanting to "get healthy", and I think this would be a good jump-start to that whole process. I went to Natures Pharm today and purchased what promises to be a powerful combination of capsules, consisting of an internal cleanse formula, fiber, and omegas 3, 6, and 9. It's a 30 day cleanse, and Jim will be back long before it's done, but I figure if there are going to be any gross initial effects, they will have passed before he's home. I'm actually kind of excited about it. Is that weird? The cleanse formula rids toxins from the liver, lungs, lymphatic system, kidneys, skin, blood, and bowels. Then the fiber and omegas help flush it completely out of the body. The only down side is I hate swallowing pills, and this will be 11 total per day. Yuck. I was told that I need to cut out any extra sugars (a.k.a. my soda) and red meat (which I don't really eat anyway) while doing the cleanse. That's fine. I certainly don't need it. I'll just drink ice water instead. I developed a love for ice water toward the end of my pregnancy. The colder the better.

So there you go. I'll let you know how it goes :)

2009-01-24T19:35:00.003-05:00

*Cough cough*

My baby is sick for the first time in his life. He has a double ear infection and a terrible cough. It's a helpless feeling when your baby's sick. I'm just giving him his medicine and loving on him and praying for God to heal him quickly. He's is such wonderful spirits, though. He's not been fussy once. Such a good little boy...

Showings galore

We've had three showings in the past week. Two for the same couple. They're definitely interested, but haven't yet decided between this house and another. It's nice to see things picking up again. Jim's on an extended trip to Colorado, so I'm packing up as much of the house as possible. As soon as he gets back from this trip, his boss is going to fly us down to find a place to live. It would be pretty cool if our house had a buyer by that time; we'd be free to do whatever we wanted in that case. Meanwhile, I'm packing as much as possible. I told Jim that he might come home to a house full of boxes. I think he's OK with it. We're both getting excited about the move.

And while we're on the subject...

Jim and I have decided that we're not going to compromise with our next place. If we're going to buy something again, we're both going to get what we want...if possible. I want white moulding in the interior, and a separate living area for the dogs (Louisiana doesn't have basements, being swampland, so we're talking a screened-in porch or something like that), and Jim wants plenty of storage and a place for all three cars and the trailer on our property. We've already seen two places like that in the online listings, so it's possible. It will be fun going down in a few weeks to try and find something.

In the meantime...anybody want to help me pack?

2009-01-20T04:31:00.002-05:00

It's 4:34 am

...and I'm still awake. I woke up at 2 am. I'm tired, but can't fall back asleep. There's nothing "bothering me", and I'm actually feeling better than the past couple nights, so what gives? I'm running out of things to do to make myself tired. I drank some milk, played a ton of Yahtzee on my phone, and cruised facebook for quite a while. Now I'm blogging a bunch of randomness. I did manage to accidentally call my mom around 4. That's always good, you know, to call your mom at 4 in the morning and then hang up before she answers. She called back, of course, and then I woke Jim up explaining to her what happened. Oops. He's quite grumpy at 4 am, incidentally.

Alright, the battery is about to die in my macbook, so I guess I'm off to try and sleep. Again.

2009-01-18T10:57:00.002-05:00

Two dates in two days...followed by the flu...

Vinny had a birthday bash Friday night at the bar downtown where my sister works. My mom came over to stay with Eli and we went and hung out for several hours. It was our first time out of the house together without the kid. Then yesterday, we dropped Eli off at his babysitter (one of my former coworkers), and we went to see "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", which was practically paid for by a generous gift from the O'Maleys :) It was really strange, but good. It's almost three hours long but it kept our interest really well. It's a really good adaptation of the original short story. Both Jim and I cried like babies at the end. It's kind of like Titanic; we knew how it had to end, but it still got us.

So last night, I started to get really cold and body achey and my throat started to hurt. Greeeat. I took some ibuprofen and went to bed. I was really hoping I would sleep it off. No such luck. I woke up around 1 am, roasting. It took almost two hours for me to cool off enough to get back to sleep, and then I didn't sleep very well. You know those weird fever-induced dreams? That's all I had all night, fueled by the weird-ass movie I had just seen. There's nothing quite like being stalked by a scary old shriveled up Brad Pitt in your dreams. At one point, I got up to get a glass of milk. I was trying to be quiet and keep it dark so I wouldn't disturb Jim. I put my glass of milk on my bedside table and then bent over to plug in my phone. The second I stood up, I was greeted by the thrill of something cold running down my front. I had dipped my hair in my milk.

Yay me.

Needless to say, I didn't get a lot of sleep and had a temperature of 102.3 when I took it around 8 am. I am thankful for a couple things: one-it's not the stomach flu, and two-we happened to have some DayQuil. So I'm currently drugged up and hungry. My fever's not totally gone, and my ears and throat still hurt, but the medicine is fighting the body-acheyness. That's the part that really drives me nutty, so I'm thankful.

Maybe two dates was overdoing it...

2009-01-10T19:55:00.002-05:00

Just fyi...

I had cookies for dinner tonight. Fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. I have incredible abs, but they are very shy, so I hide them under a layer of fat.

2009-01-05T11:02:00.003-05:00

AAARGH!

Why do we let these dogs run our lives? Why why why why WHY? The house smells like crap. They destroy all of our furniture and everything they touch. They are rude to our guests. I have to clean every DAY. And good luck to us trying to sell a house that smells like dogs no matter HOW much I clean.

I swear. I'm going to shave Shiloh and Sammi and bathe them all in Lysol.

AAAARGH!

2008-12-31T14:46:00.002-05:00

This post is for my mom

She said she was getting sick of looking at the movie the quiz, so here you go, mama.

Hmm...let me think about that

I went to the dentist this morning to get my third crown, and was handed the estimate to sign. Normally a crown, after insurance, costs about 200 bucks. This estimate was closer to $700. The lady explained that my insurance had reached its limit for the year. For...the...year. Today is New Years Eve. I smiled and said, "Do you think I could reschedule this appointment for...I don't know...any day after today, since my insurance will start over?" She kindly obliged and I left.

Wow.

2008-12-19T03:43:00.002-05:00

Really LONG Quiz

Ok, so this is a fun quiz, but it took me about 20 minutes to do, because you have to copy, paste, and change the answers. If you don't want to read all of my answers, just skip to the bottom where I posted my result.

Movies I've Watched:

(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
( ) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
( ) Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
( ) Boondock Saints
(x) Fight Club
( ) Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
(x) Neverending Story 2
( ) Neverending Story 3
( ) Blazing Saddles
(x) Airplane
( ) Airplane 2: The Sequel

Total so far: 7

(X) The Princess Bride
(x) Anchorman
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
( ) Saw
( ) Saw II
( ) Saw III
( ) Saw IV
( ) White Noise
( ) White Oleander
(x) Anger Management
( ) 50 First Dates
( ) The Princess Diaries
( ) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

Total so far: 12

(x) Scream
(x) Scream 2
( ) Scream 3
(x) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
( ) American Pie
( ) American Pie 2
( ) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp

Total so far: 15

(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
( ) Harry Potter 3
( ) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
(x) The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch

Total so far: 20

(X) Finding Nemo
( ) Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
(x) The Grinch
(x) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
( ) White Chicks
( ) Butterfly Effect
(x) 13 Going on 30
( ) I, Robot
(x) Robots

Total so far: 26

(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( ) Universal Soldier
( ) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(x) Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
( ) KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
(x) Joe Dirt
( ) KING KONG

Total so far: 33

( ) A Cinderella Story
( ) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
(x) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
( ) Halloween
( ) Halloween 2
( ) Halloween 3
( ) Halloween 4
( ) Halloween 5
( ) Halloween 6 (Curse of Michael Meyers)
( ) Halloween 7 (H20 20 Years Later)
( ) Halloween 8 (Resurrection)
( ) Halloween 9 (Rob Zombie's Halloween)
(x) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving X-MAS
( ) Flubber

Total so far: 36

( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
( ) Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
( ) Practical Magic
( ) Chicago
(x) Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
( ) Hellboy
( ) Hellboy 2
( ) Secret Window
( ) I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards

Total so far: 38

( ) The Day After Tomorrow
(x) Child's Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
(x) Ten Things I Hate About You
( ) Just Married
( ) Gothika
(x) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Nightmare on Elm Street II
(x) Nightmare on Elm Street III
(x) Nightmare on Elm Street IV
(x) Nightmare on Elm Street V
( ) Nightmare on Elm Street 6(66)
( ) Sixteen Candles
( ) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
(x) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(X) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask

Total so far: 47

( ) Bad Boys
( ) Bad Boys 2
(x) Joy Ride
( ) Lucky Number Slevin
(x) Ocean's Eleven
(x) Ocean's Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
(x) Bedazzled
( ) Predator I
( ) Predator II
(x) Alien
(x) Aliens
( ) Alien3
( ) Alien Ressurection
( ) The Fog
( ) Ice Age
( ) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George

Total so far: 55

(x) Independence Day
( ) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
(x) Darkness Falls
( ) Christine
(x) ET
(x) Children of the Corn
( ) My Boss's Daughter
( ) Maid in Manhattan
( ) War of the Worlds
(x) Rush Hour
(x) Rush Hour 2

Total so far: 61

( ) Best Bet
(x) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(x) Oh Brother Where art Thou?
( ) She's All That
( ) Calendar Girls
( ) Sideways
( ) Mars Attacks
( ) Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
( ) Return to Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
( ) Big Trouble in Little China
( ) The Terminator
( ) The Terminator 2 (T2000)
( ) The Terminator 3 (Judgement Day)

Total so far: 66

( ) X-Men
( ) X-2
( ) X-3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
( ) Sky High
(x) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(X) The Little Mermaid
(x) Freaky Friday
( ) Reign of Fire
(x) The Skulls
(x) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
( ) The Hot Chick
(X) Shrek
( ) Shrek 2

Total so far: 75

( ) Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th Street
( ) Old School
(x) The Notebook
(x) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf's Tribe
(x) A Walk to Remember
( ) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
( ) The 40-year-old Virgin

Total so far: 79

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
( ) Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Total so far: 85

( ) Baseketball
( ) Hostel
(x) Waiting for Guffman
(x) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
(x) Elf
( ) Highlander
( ) Highlander 2
( ) Highlander 3
( ) Highlander 4
( ) Highlander 5
(x) Mothman Prophecies
( ) American History X
(x) Thr3e

Total so Far: 90

( ) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
(x) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(x) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
( ) Monty Python's Meaning of Life
( ) Monty Python's Life of Brian
(x) Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard

Total so far: 95

( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
( ) Hulk
( ) Dawn Of the Dead
( ) Hook
(x) Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
( ) Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
(x) 28 days later
( ) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
( ) Waterworld

Total so far: 97

( ) Kill Bill vol 1
( ) Kill Bill vol 2
( ) Mortal Kombat
( ) Mortal Kombat 2
( ) Wolf Creek
( ) Kingdom of Heaven
( ) The Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
(x) Evil Dead
(x) Evil Dead 2
(x) Army of Darkness

Total so far: 100

( ) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
( ) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
( ) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
( ) Ewoks The Battle For Endor

Total so far: 103

(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix Reloaded
( ) The Matrix Revolutions
( ) Animatrix
( ) Team America: World Police
( ) Red Dragon
( ) Hannibal Rising
( ) Silence of the Lambs
( ) Hannibal

Grand total: 105

Supposedly, 85 or more means I have no life. I think it's quite the opposite...

2008-12-16T09:48:00.005-05:00

The 50's woman

I'm really loving being a stay-at-home mom and wife. It's very satisfying to take care of Eli and the house. I enjoy running errands, having dinner ready for Jim, and attending to my family's needs. I really think I would have fit into the 50's very well. Although, that was the somewhat expected role of a woman in the 50's, and I don't agree that it should be. But I also don't like the modern-day pressure on a woman to have a career. I believe a woman should be supported in whatever she wants-be it a career woman or a homemaker like me...whatever makes her truly happy.

Konichiwa

Jim's in Japan until Friday. It's his first big trip with this new job. I really like his new company. They treat him and us so much better than the big corporation for which he formerly worked. And this is the first time he's actually gotten to explore the country; it's only been a stop on the way to Thailand before. He's working on a naval ship stationed off the coast of Japan. We can only communicate by e-mail since their cell phone network isn't the same, but it's been kind of fun. It's like a modern-day version of waiting on a letter from a loved one. I hope I get a fun souvenir. It's our tradeoff. He can leave me for weeks at a time as long as I get something fun and unique from the country he visited. I think that's fair.

2008-12-04T21:00:00.002-05:00

You ever have one of those days...

...where you just want to get drunk and make out with Hugh Laurie?

2008-11-30T16:30:00.002-05:00

Lunch

(at Panera's earlier)

Jim: What do you want?

Me: I'd like a chicken-bacon-dijon, minus the dijon, with chips on the side. If they don't have that sandwich, make it a smokehouse turkey without the sauce. Also, a plain bagel sliced, but not toasted, and no cream cheese. And a Dr. Pepper-large.

Jim: OK, Sally.

2008-11-25T13:08:00.003-05:00

A quandary of sorts...

We really love our dogs. We do. But we're having SO much trouble selling this house because of them. Showings are limited, because of needing so much prep time because of them, and when we have had actual showings, people have mentioned that the house "smells of dog". In preparation for this last open house, I cleaned this place from top to bottom over the course of four days. The dogs don't even have access to most of the house-just the living room and kitchen, neither of which have carpet. I killed myself to make this place look and (so I thought) smell good. The one couple that came through smelled the dogs. And they were at my parents' house...so...yeah. What do we do? How can we sell this house with those dogs here? I don't think we can. We can't afford a mortgage and rent, let alone two mortgages. I just don't know what to do.

NO, we're not getting rid of the dogs. We love them very much. But we've got to find a solution to this problem. We've talked about renting the house over the winter and trying to sell it again once warmer weather hits, but we'll just have to see how that goes. It seems like a good idea.

I wonder if I know anyone with a bit of land and a love for dogs, who'd like to adopt them for a couple months.

On a fun note...

I love getting mail. It's actually one of the things I look forward to every day. Yesterday, for some unknown reason, I forgot to get it out of the mailbox. Know what that means? I got to get mail twice today. Woot!

2008-11-11T07:45:00.002-05:00

Ads

I'm working on three ads to place in our local paper. Tell me what you think:

Absolutely free: One pure-bred Golden Retriever male, 8 years old. Stubborn, insistent, and rude. Destroys furniture, sheds incessantly, and will relieve himself on flooring whenever he feels like it. Barks for no reason, and continuously until let in. Regularly offends people by going between their legs to get attention, of which he can never get enough.

Absolutely free: One German Shepherd mix female, 7 years old. Barks viscously at all people, although too scared to ever actually get near them. She will never get close enough for you to pet her, and will piss herself if you try. Enjoys rawhide bones, which result in massive bouts of diarrhea in the house.

Absolutely free: One pure-bred boxer male, 4 years old. Barks at nothing whenever outside, and will only come in if bribed. Whines incessantly in the morning until let out, starting as early as 6am. When pissing in the house, although not frequent, prefers to do so in a long, winding stream so as to make it very difficult to clean up. Eats anything and everything he can find. But, not to worry, you will see it again, as he pukes up the contents of his stomach two-three times a week, always in a corner.

OK, so truthfully, we can't get rid of our dogs. We love them too much. But holy HELL, they're difficult.

2008-11-05T00:55:00.003-05:00

Sigh...

Wow. A Democratic President, House, and Senate.

May God have mercy on us all.

2008-10-26T21:30:00.003-04:00

Wow...seriously?

I have never, in my whole life, boiled a pot of water dry. Never. Tonight, I did that very thing-not once

but twice.

Yeah. I'm a little concerned too.

2008-10-06T15:44:00.005-04:00

Rant

It's been a while since I posted. So here I go. For anybody who doesn't yet know, Jim lost his job about 6 weeks ago. It's actually turned out to be a huge blessing; he really hated that job. And he was working all the time-even into the evenings. The stress of that along with me having a part time photo business and working a couple nights at the store was really getting to us. By him losing his job, he not only got out of the job he didn't like, but ultimately means I will not work and get to be a stay at home mom like I've always wanted. The process of getting there has been interesting, to say the least.

At first, in order to have income to pay the bills, I went back to work full time at the store. It was OK, and actually gave Jim and Eli some bonding time that they normally would not have had. They are a lot closer now. I worked full time until Jim accepted a new job with a company based down south. We went down to visit and really liked the community, the people, and even found the perfect house. We will be moving to Louisiana as soon as our house sells, which hopefully will be soon. Our realtor seemed pretty confidant, so that's good. I'm done at the bookstore now, and also sold my car in order to give us a little cushion until Jim is getting paychecks again. He starts this Thursday. They actually told him that they prefer he work from home at first; he worked it out with them that he could stay in Lafayette for a least a couple months; hopefully we'll be moving a lot sooner than that. I'm also done with photography gigs for the year. That timing worked out well...

So now we're in the keeping-the-house-as-clean-as-possible-all-the-time phase, in case our realtor calls about a showing. It's not nearly as hard as we thought it would be. It helps that I'm home full time now. I can tidy up every day when Eli is napping or playing. So far, so good.

The reality of moving far away hasn't completely hit me yet, but I'm sure it will happen. Mom was in the hospital recently for almost two weeks with a serious case of pneumonia; she's fully recovered now-praise God!! But that whole time was difficult. It may sound silly, but my biggest concern about being gone is making sure my parents are well taken care of. I guess maybe one good thing that came out of mom being in the hospital was that my brother stepped up big time to help them and now I feel a little better about leaving. I know he will help out.

God is taking care of us in this season. We know He is and we see Him in every little detail that falls into place. It's amazing how, even with strong faith, it's hard for me to just let go and trust that God, who has been perfectly faithful up to this point, will finish what He has started.

I think once we sell the house, move, and get settled into our new community, I will breathe a sigh of relief.

Until then, there's always soda.

2008-09-09T08:59:00.002-04:00

AHBPLTHSMTHSH!
Mitch has a new album out today!! I MUST have it! EEE!!!

Something probably not blog-appropriate...
I started my period yesterday. Why should you care? Because I care. Why do I care? Because this means I can get pregnant again. Considering the luck we had with our last form of birth-control, I'd better keep Jim from even looking at me until we figure out what method we're using...

2008-09-02T00:16:00.004-04:00

Truth.

When a good person is going through something hard, there should be someone else going through it with them. It means that they are important to another human being. It means that somebody cares, and that they are not alone.

Tonight, I cried for a friend.

2008-08-28T20:36:00.002-04:00

FYI

Jim's employer "let him go" one week ago today. What does this mean?

-Jim's on a mad job-hunt. But it's going very well.
-We're moving. Don't know where. Don't know when.
-Gotta sell the house. Woot.

We're not upset at all. Actually, we're really excited. Life's an adventure. This is the next chapter for us. I'll update as things progress...

2008-08-24T10:32:00.002-04:00

Anybody wanna buy a car?

I'm selling mine. It's in great shape. I've never had any problems with it.

Seriously. Anyone?

2008-08-15T14:57:00.002-04:00

Um...

On a WalMart run today, I had an...interesting experience. I was unloading the stroller from the trunk, and in the space next to me, a mom was trying to load her two kids into her car. She had put her baby in the car seat and turned to say something to her toddler, who was standing between her car and mine. Next thing I knew, he was pissing between the cars. And she was standing there assisting him in his efforts. There was no laughing or embarrassment on her part, just quiet patience, waiting for him to finish. As soon as he was done (I assume, because I heard the stream stop hitting the pavement), she put him in the car, got in, and drove off.

Of all the reasons I've gone to the car wash, toddler piss has never made the list...until now.

2008-08-11T18:12:00.002-04:00

This could be addicting...

I had my first real pedicure today. It was a Christmas gift from Jim. I'm just getting around to using it. I was put into a massaging chair and asked what beverage I wanted. Then I was pampered for an hour.

It was niiiiiiice.

2008-08-10T15:34:00.003-04:00

Crazy going slowly am I...

I've been very grumpy as of late. I haven't yet figured out the reasons why, but as soon as I do, I'll let you know. And I don't buy the whole post-pregnancy hormone thing. That's just an excuse for the un-creative.

Two things I know for sure:

-I am 20 lbs heavier than pre-baby, and very unhappy about it. I have no clothes that fit right. They are either too loose or to tight.

-I hate doing wedding photography. I really do not enjoy it. I'm pretty sure I want to quit. But I love doing photos for friends! You guys don't count. It's doing it as a business I dislike.

Well said.

My mom and I went to lunch with a couple friends the other day. On the drive home, we got onto the subject of televangelists. No idea how. Anyway, she mentioned to me that she was watching t.v. the other day and saw Tammy Faye Baker. As my mom put it, "She was saying that she just knew she was going straight to heaven. She looked terrible from the cancer, and she was still wearing those horrible, huge fake eyelashes. All I could think was, if she does make it to heaven, she's going to scare the hell out of Jesus."

2008-08-01T09:53:00.002-04:00

Happy happy happy happy happy Anniversary!

My parents have been married 50 years today. Isn't that amazing?!? Congrats mama and daddy. You guys are an amazing example of unwavering love and commitment. I love you both so much and hope that Jim and I can learn from your example and celebrate the same milestone someday...

2008-07-30T10:05:00.002-04:00

Hmmm...

This is the license plate of the rental car we had in Florida. Allison noticed it first...

Kind of freaky.

2008-07-11T16:36:00.003-04:00

Thoughts

My parents have a new phone number. For the first time since they've lived in their house...the house I grew up in. The old phone number is...gone.

For some reason, it's hit me kind of hard. A phone number. Maybe it's symbolic. Home used to be so safe and consistent. And it's not that it's not safe now. It's just so different. Everything has changed. And not all for the better. That number was the only part of my childhood left. That and some moldy toys in the basement.

It's like I took a walk and came back to a completely different place. Some sort of shadow of what used to be.

I guess life moves on with or without our permission.

2008-06-30T15:23:00.001-04:00

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

RRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Ok, I feel better now.

2008-06-25T14:58:00.002-04:00

Ugh...
I had another one of those dreams last night where pieces of my teeth start breaking off and falling out. It always seems so real. And disturbing. I can literally feel pieces breaking off and then having to spit them out. Aimee, you made a cameo in my dream last night. You didn't believe me until I showed you. I believe your exact response was, "Holy SH** girl, you need a dentist."

Actually, I really do. I think that's where the dream came from.

My O.C.D.
So, as some of you know, I have a few distinct O.C.D. tendencies. I was at Lowe's with Jim recently and found a magazine entitled, "Secrets of Getting Organized". It's like a combination room-decorating-furnishing-organizing type publication.

I'm in love.

2008-06-21T10:08:00.003-04:00

Kitten Rescue

A couple of the random stray cats that live around the building where I work decided to multiply. They had a litter of kittens about two months ago and a couple of the girls at work took to feeding them. My boss found out, and, being the animal-hater that he is, called the Humane society to come and get them. He emphasized in his "memo" not to feed them and that they would be caught "alive". What he didn't tell anyone is that our humane society has stopped accepting cats because they are overrun, so them "catching" these cats is death sentence. But the girls and I know this, so I decided a few days ago to take them in until we could find homes for them. There are currently four (one girl and three boys), but there may be one more to catch. I've named them just for fun:

Cameron

Foreman

Chase

and, of course, House.

He's the meanest. But he's cute.

Thanks to a co-worker of my sis's, they all are already spoken for. Too bad Jim's allergic...

2008-06-16T20:52:00.003-04:00

I did NOT cave.

I created a Facebook account. It was an accident! I didn't know I was doing that. I thought I was just answering some questions to look at a friend's page.

Crap.

2008-06-13T09:17:00.002-04:00

This is why I love him.

Me: Hey, you know the whole Bar Mitzvah celebration, where a Jewish boy becomes a man?

Jim: Yeah...

Me: There's a female version-it's called a Bat Mitzvah.

Jim: I know. It's where a Jewish girl becomes a man.

2008-06-12T13:00:00.003-04:00

Gardening

Our neighbor across the street recently planted a new tree. Did a good job, don't ya think?

And now back to...well...my back

Things at the chiro are going well. My hips are totally back to normal and pain-free. My back, however, has developed this strange cool-burning sensation in the bad spot in the middle that has to be adjusted every time. Makes me wonder if there's a nerve getting pinched or something. I'm going to tell my doctor (who, by the way, is great Steve. Just so you don't beat him up).

2008-06-05T16:08:00.002-04:00

Cubs mania

I've noticed a lot of people wearing Cubs paraphernalia recently. I hope they're not fair-weather fans. That would offend me. I've been a cubs fan since I was a little girl. I have loved them even when they've sucked. Which has been most of the time, mind you.

Let me do your job for you

The receptionist from Eli's pediatrician's office called earlier:

Me: Hello?

Her: Hi...Lucy?

Me: No...this is Erin.

Her: Oh...um...I was calling to remind you of your daugther, Lilly's appointment tomorrow.

Me: I don't have a Lilly. I have an Eli, and his appointment is tomorrow at 11am.

Her: Oh, sorry, I was reading the wrong information. Your son, Elijah has an appointment tomorrow at 11am.

Me: Oh, OKAY, thanks.

Her: You're welcome. Bye.

Thank goodness for her.

Body issues

Pre-pregnancy, I was 142 lbs, with a relatively clear complexion and smooth skin. Post-pregnancy I am stuck at 158 with pale, bumpy skin and acne. I am SEX-E.

I am also going to a chiropractor for the first time in my life. This, I am loving. Having a large child way overdue royally screwed up my right hip. Steve, you might be the only one who truly understands this, but there is only supposed to be a difference of 3 cm between certain hip measurements. My difference was 18 cm. Not to mention that my tail-bone was off center. I also got my back, shoulders, and neck adjusted. The good news is that I have not damaged my spine in any way from having bad posture (thank God!). My second adjustment was today, and I didn't pop nearly as much as the first time. We're making progress!!

As for the paleness, pudge, and pimples, I'm working on it.

2008-05-28T11:54:00.002-04:00

Linksies

My friend and co-worker, Kamie, started her own blog a while back. I really enjoy it. She posts interesting news stories and such related to her faith. And the occasional random funny post. Like this one.

Another good friend, Tia, whom I've known since 3rd grade, has a site as well. I's dedicated to the cats that she and her husband, Eric, breed. Ragamuffins and Bengals, I believe. They're gorgeous...and expensive.

That's all for now...

2008-05-26T11:13:00.002-04:00

Conversation in bed

Me: Morning baby!

Jim: (grunts)

Me: Happy Memorial Day!

Jim: (grunts)

Me: What is Memorial Day all about anyway?

Jim: (nothing)

Me: A memorial is usually built for dead people, right?

Jim: (nods)

Me: Happy dead people day, baby!

2008-05-14T09:59:00.001-04:00

So True.

2008-05-13T11:11:00.002-04:00

Mystery solved.

That site that you gave us did help, Aaron. Unfortunately, we know what happened. Because this is the first year I had my business to account for with taxes, we actually went to H&R Block to get our taxes done. Silly us...we wanted to be honest and make sure that we wrote in the correct amount of my profit so as not to cheat the government. And actually, he did correct several of my numbers, so I know it was right.

Here's the catch. Because H&R Block deducted a preparation fee, we have to wait for a paper check. They won't directly deposit it. So it might be as late as the end of June before we see our money.

In other words, the government is PUNISHING US for BEING HONEST.

2008-05-09T11:36:00.002-04:00

Grrr.

It's May 9th and Jim and I did NOT receive our economic stimulus money in our account today. We filed our taxes (direct deposit) back in FEBRUARY. According to the schedule, today's the latest we should have received it. If they'd gone by my social, it would have been last Friday. What the HELL, man? Don't promise me something and then not deliver.

2008-05-08T14:09:00.002-04:00

You know it's time to empty the recycling when...

And this cabinet is about two feet deep.

Pool-whores unite!

We're opening the pool soon. And I've decided to have a big opening party. More details to come.

2008-04-22T15:50:00.003-04:00

29 cent rage

Jim and I live around the corner from one of several Frozen Custards. This has been slightly detrimental to my attempt to lose baby weight. Regardless, I find it nearly impossible not to stop there...well...several times a week for a vanilla coke. The past two times I have gone, I have been helped by a very...interesting girl. Sunday I stopped to get my vanilla coke and a cherry coke for Jim. The total was $4.06. I gave the girl a ten and a dime. Easy math, right? My change should have been $6.04. The girl handed me $6.00 and no change. Now I know that it was only four pennies, but it really bothered me. I decided to let it go. Then yesterday, I went with my mom an bought three flavored cokes. One each for her, me and Jim. The total was $5.01. This time I gave the same girl my debit card. She charged my card $5.26. There is a sign on the drive-thru window stating that there is a 25 cent fee for all charges UNDER $5.00. It was $5.01 and she charged me the extra 25 cents. I let it go...again...but I'm really bothered by that girl. I don't care if it's 29 cents.

IT'S THE PRINCIPAL OF THE MATTER.

I said that just for you, Allison.

Stuff and stuff

-I have become slightly addicted to YooHoo.

-My child wants to eat constantly. Like every hour.

-I need to see a chiropractor. Steve, you're too far away.

-Canadan and his new wife will be in town this Thursday through Sunday. Woot!

-Aimee and I might have some much needed girl-time this coming Saturday.

-My May 1st paycheck is going to be around $5.00. Yay for un-paid maternity leave.

-Eli is asleep so I must take advantage of it and clean.

Bye for now.

2008-04-10T18:18:00.003-04:00

Healing

It' been about two weeks now since Eli came along. Physically, I'm starting to feel a lot better. I never thought I'd be thankful to be able to poo without it virtually killing me. And I've gotten over the hump with nursing as well. It still doesn't feel good, but it's not constantly painful. Speaking of which, I've already had to start supplementing with formula. My very large child has a very large appetite. I can't keep up. Actually, it's kind of nice that he's taking it well already. That means Jim can feed him at least once a day, and I can...well...shower.

Emotionally, I've had a bit of a rough road. I think I'm getting past the "baby blues" now, but it's been a ride. I know it's all chemical; my hormones are trying to get back to normal. And Jim's gone on two trips in the two weeks we've been back, which has made it more challenging, but he's back tomorrow. Hopefully my sanity will return soon as well.

Having said all that, I am absolutely in love with my child. He's perfect.

Oh, and I turned 29 this past Monday. The b-day kind of slipped through the cracks this year, but I had a nice dinner out with my hubby and new baby. Woot.

2008-04-04T11:44:00.002-04:00

Eli's Place

Eli has his own blog now!!

Check it out, yo.

2008-03-25T16:38:00.002-04:00

Last blog before baby comes...

I'm getting emotional. Not like all teary-eyed at the thought of giving birth-emotional, but extreme-emotions emotional. Like last night, for example. I managed to fall for something stupid online and was infected with an incredibly hard-to-get-rid-of virus on my old PC. Not to mention the other 27 viruses and spyware that apparently came along for the ride. I won't go into my 2-3 hours of anger and crying that followed, just give you the good news: my sister is an IT. And I just backed up everything on said-PC a couple weeks ago, so we're good to pretty much wipe it clean and re-install everything.

Then there's today, when Jim was working and got an e-mail that pissed me off. I literally had to walk around the house to calm myself down. And it wasn't even to ME.

I think I'm ready to have this kid. And tomorrow, that's exactly what we're going to do.

2008-03-22T14:14:00.003-04:00

Never-ending pregnancy

I sing that to the tune of "Neverending Story" by the way. Yes, I am a dork.

So here's the update from my doctor yesterday:

-I am dilated about 1.5 cm (finally!).

-If he doesn't come naturally, we set an appointment to induce this coming Wednesday. At 7am.

So this time next week, we will have a little boy. What an incredibly scary thought.

As for my body, it's definitely reaching its limits. I am SO poofy all over. My hands and feet are constantly swollen, and I'm retaining about a lakes-worth of water. Even my legs are red and poofy. Our little boy's head keeps causing sharp pains in my pelvic area, and my right hip gave out very painfully 5 or 6 times yesterday. I slept with a thick pillow between my knees all last night to try to get it back where it belongs. So far, so good.

As much as I'm not looking forward to any pain associated with labor, I've come to the conclusion that it is a fair trade-off for my body slowly going back to normal.

2008-03-19T10:54:00.002-04:00

Uncomfortable

2 days past and counting.

Does anyone know any ways to "naturally" induce/encourage labor other than sex and walking?

2008-03-17T09:33:00.003-04:00

Happy St. Patti's Day!

Today is my official due date.

And I'm still pregnant.

Woot.

2008-03-13T20:29:00.007-04:00

The baby room-start to finish

First we emptied out the room and taped it off for painting

Then we painted the walls a lovely light green

Then we built the crib, moved the dresser into the room, and I emptied out and somewhat sorted all of the stuff from the two baby showers

After I got most everything put away, we only were waiting on two things-the ladder shelf we ordered and for me to finish recovering the rocking chair my mom gave us

And finally-it is finished!!

Now we're just waiting on the little one to decide to be born...

2008-03-06T13:44:00.002-05:00

I'm so ready...

Physically, that is. I'm ready for this baby to come out. Mobility is definitely something I took for granted. Never again.

As for actually being prepared, the room is almost ready (pics to come shortly thereafter). And I still need to pack a bag for the hospital. Then I'm good to go.

And just for fun...
This is a pretty adorable site. And a good way to waste time :) Credit goes to Liana for that one.

And one more thing-
I have now watched all of season 2 and 3 of House and the first disc of the first season (some dumb person rented two of the three discs and never returned them). I've also watched all of the season 4 episodes that are available online. In addition to this cementing my crush on Hugh Laurie, I am also now huge-ly addicted to the show. Which is kind of tragic since I don't have cable. I can watch the new episodes on Fox's website, but I have to wait until they post (8 days after they're televised!!). And who do I have to thank for this new addiction?

Aaron O'Maley.

2008-02-28T21:29:00.004-05:00

I have a celebrity crush...

Hugh Laurie.

I can't explain why, other than the fact that he's tall, thin, has dark hair and blue eyes...

I've been renting and going through the series House M.D. I saw one episode on the plane back from Germany, and it intrigued me. I'm certainly not attracted to his character on the show. Gregory House is a cut-throat, tactless, God-less man. So we're talking pretty superficial, looks-based stuff.

However...I just read his biography. I am impressed.

P.S. I had NO idea he was British. His "American" accent on House is flawless. Like I said...impressed.

2008-02-24T08:02:00.004-05:00

Spoke too soon...

I was just saying last week how it's amazing that I've not really gotten sick once during this pregnancy. I'd had a low-grade fever a couple times, but that's to be expected with all of the body changes. Well, I started feeling it coming on this past weekend, and I woke up today with body aches, a painful cough, stuffiness and a rough throat. I don't have a fever though! That helps a lot. Looks like it's vitamin C and juice like crazy for me now.

And speaking of pregnancy...

Three weeks to go as of today. And that's if I go full term. As long as I make it one more week, I'll be happy. Jim's on one last unavoidable business trip. He gets back Saturday. We got the baby room prepared this past weekend so that I could unpack all of our shower gifts and get it all ready while he's gone. He did most of the work, AND he was sick for most of the time-that's how amazing my husband is. He painted, put the crib/changing table together, and moved the dresser into the room. (Side note about the dresser-it's Jim's dresser from growing up. His son will be using the same dresser he did-isn't that kind of cool? I think so...anyway...)

The only thing I've craved hard-core in the past couple months is milk. LOTS of milk. And now it's chocolate milk. YUM. And fluids. I just can't seem to get enough to drink. I've even hardly been drinking soda, I'm that thirsty all the time. I don't want to make myself thirstier. Jim said that I am with fluids like an SUV is with gas. It's true...

And speaking of fluids...I go to bed every night with stiff, swollen feet. And wake up with stiff, swollen hands. Something odd going on there...

My total weight gained now is 38 pounds. I can't really figure out where it's gone other than my belly. Maybe a bit in my bum and legs. But not much. I hope it goes away quickly after the birth...Both my mom and sister went down a size after their first babies, so maybe I have those genes...I hope.

I'm definitely uncomfortable. Boys are carried high in general, but I'm convinced he's made a home for himself in my ribcage. He's very active, which is both fun AND painful at times. I'm really getting to the point where I'm ready to have him. But not for at least a week...

I'll post pics of the baby room soon...

2008-02-21T13:17:00.002-05:00

Ants in my pants...literally

Danielle, I feel your pain.

My house is being invaded by little black devils. Ants. When Jim and I arrived home a week and a half ago from our trip, we discovered our pantry was being ravaged by ants. We thought it was an isolated thing and our fault since we had a bit of open food in there. So I killed and scoured and sprayed and thought I'd taken care of it.

Until a few dozen showed up in the office. And then by the stove. And then IN the muffin pans I used to make breakfast (that's right, kids; I discovered them after I'd baked them to death). And then in the laundry room of all places. Every time, I sprayed and cleaned the buggers up.

And then I saw some more. The last straw was when I was sitting in the hallway and I felt a little sting on my bum. WRONG MOVE BUDDY.

They. Must. All. Die.

I called the exterminator. They said that I most likely have a nest in the wall somewhere, and that they will keep showing up until the nest is destroyed.

Things NOT to tell a pregnant woman who is currently in the nesting phase...

So they're coming out in about a week to poisen them all. And you know what? I don't feel bad about it.

2008-02-16T19:41:00.003-05:00

Paranoia

The laptop I use is Jim's old Dell from work. By the time they gave him a new one, this one was so old that they were just going to throw it away. He asked if he could keep it and they said they didn't care since it was junk to them. He gave it to me since it would serve my basic needs. This is the computer I've been using for over a year now.

Recently...well, actually for a while now, it has been having random issues every now and then. The newest thing is it wanting to scan the drive every time I turn it on. Something about "FAT32". I don't understand why (nor do I really care to), but I just have a feeling it's on it's last leg. So today, like a good and paranoid buisness woman, I backed up ALL of my buisness files, all of my photos, and, well heck-even the My Documents folder.

Now if my laptop chooses to go, I can bid it farewell a little more easily.

2008-02-14T08:15:00.001-05:00

Couldn't have said it better myself.

http://info.org.il/irrelevant/may02-smilepop-soapbox4.swf

And the thing is, I STILL get these stupid forwards from people. People I actually consider intelligent.

2008-02-07T04:07:00.000-05:00

Germany is...not Holland

Well, I've been in Germany for almost 24 hours now, and the city we are staying in is not nearly as accomidating when it comes to speaking English. I've had to use a bit of German just out of desperation. Maybe that's a good thing. At any rate it's hard for me, as a stubborn American, to get used to the idea that not everyone can understand my language. I think this is good for me.

Actually, just being in Europe has given me quite a view of how self-absorbed Americans really are. I've been watching CNN a lot (one of the only English channels here), and when they say they are reviewing "world news" it really is WORLD news. Not just mostly American news with a few other things thrown in. I really love the diversity.

Holland is so full of tourists and other cultures, that English does kind of serve as a universal language, which was really convienient. But here in Dassau, if you don't know at least a little German, you're stuck. Actually, as I am writing this, I am trying to figure out how we're going to get clean towels in our room, seeing as how the housekeeper just walked in, saw me, apologized, and left. I instinctually said, "no, come on in!", and then realized pretty quickly that she had no idea what I'd just said. DANG it.

And speaking of quandries, I've found that (at least in Germany and Holland), hotels are not nearly as generous with their internet access. When I was in Holland, our hotel had two computers in the lobby available for use. That's how I was able to blog last time. But if we wanted access in our room, we had to pay $9.30 in Euro for 90 minutes. That's about $18.00 US for an hour and a half. WOW. I'm a little luckier here. It's only $13 Euro for 24 hours. That I could justify. Of course, my main reason for purchasing the use of the internet is so that I can log into our system at the store and work. I have SO much to do. I don't have much of a choice.

I'm paying to work. While on vacation. I must be crazy.

2008-02-04T09:29:00.000-05:00

I'm in Holland, yo.

The trip so far has been WONderful. Jim and I arrived at around 8:30am Sunday morning (that's 2:30am Lafayette time). We spent the whole day walking and driving around. He's been here twice before, so he was able to get us around with no problems. He's amazing when it comes to traveling. Once he's been a place just one time, he can find his way around again.

So as of just yesterday, Jim and I saw the following things in Amsterdam (where we spent the majority of the day):

-The Anne Frank House-it's now a museum. This was a powerful, tear-jerking experience.
-The "Old Church". It's right in the middle of the Red Light District. And still an active church!
-An old castle (I can't remember the name). It was gorgeous.
-The Sex Museum. Yes, I went to the sex museum. I had to. I was in AMSTERDAM. It was hilarious.
-And of course...the Red Light District. We walked around shortly after dark, so it wasn't as active as it could have been, but it was already totally hoppin. Here is my observation: it's not as racy as some people believe. Yes, there are prostitutes all over, but they're not by any means "on the corners". They are more like living advertisments. They stand in their doors and windows (which have red-lights over them, henceforth the name), and the men simply choose whether or not to buy some time with them. And everything is negotiable. I saw two men negotiating at two different times. I also saw three men leaving rooms at different points. If their curtain is pulled in their window or door, they are working. If not, they stand there in skimpy little pretty things advertising. And believe me, it's not like a Victoria's Secret catalog. Most of the women I saw were pretty. Only a couple were "hot". And there were several...bigger girls. I guess there's something for everyone. That's probably the idea. There were also several different races. Like I said...

Another misconception about this district is the concentration of women. This area is actually several blocks in size and contains a lot of actual buisneses other than the women. Yes, some are geared toward sex (toy shops and sex shows), but there are actually totally normal busineses within the area. The women are spread out over the area (and more concentrated in the alleys) There's even a whole block or two that is a local China Town.

You have to take into consideration that, within this culture, this is normal and has been for several hundred years. The only people walking through with any sort of fascination were tourists. One has to walk through the area to get to pretty much any area in Amsterdam, and not a lot of people drive, so it's a part of daily life here.

It made me a bit sad to think of any woman making sex her career, although I did not see a single woman who looked like they didn't like what they were doing. I guess that act just means so much to me...

Well, I'd better get going. I must eat something. The little one is kicking me. Either he's hungry or just...well...bored.

I'll update again soon!!

2008-01-24T16:43:00.001-05:00

Something random...

I've always been fascinated with how cars work. Especially the inter-workings of the engine. It's actually really nice that I have Jim, because he is a bottomless pit of information when it comes to this subject. We have had hours upon hours on conversations where he's explained the various parts of automobiles to me and how they work together. He's even taught me how to change my own oil. I'm a visual person, and I loved being under my car looking at everything and how it was connected.

The reason I'm even mentioning all this is because I've noticed my car not slipping into gear like it should. I asked Jim if it could be the transmission, and he said it was most likely the fluid (since I haven't had it changed...well...EVER...and I got the car in 2001). I decided to add that to my list of things to check on my car (in addition to oil level, air in the tires) before my trip to Canada tomorrow, and I found this article about ATF (automatic transmission fluid) that is perhaps the most user-friendly and easy to understand step by step ever.

Is it nerdy that I want to print it out to make sure I remember everything I learned from it?

2008-01-22T18:27:00.000-05:00

Sadness.

Rest in Peace, Heath. I hope you are surrounded with true joy and happiness now.

This tragedy makes my heart sad. Not just because it's an actor I admired, but because this kind of thing happens every day. To the famous and the unknown. Why can't everyone just die of old age in their sleep?

Today's joy

Today at my doctor's appointment, the doctor was trying to find our little boy's heartbeat through my belly. He'd just get to where he'd find it, and our little boy would lash out and hit it. It was so cute. I'd hear *woosh woosh woosh BASH*. And then I'd laugh and distort everything. This went on for several minutes. I kind of joked that he didn't like being crowded, and the doctor said, "no, he just wants to play".

How adorable is that?

2008-01-18T08:59:00.001-05:00

Forced to be social

I tend to get a bit reclusive when Jim's out of town. I don't know why, because I love to go out and spend time with my friends. I think maybe it's a security thing.

But my friends and family are making sure I get out of the house...

Wednesday night, a couple of friends from work and I hung out, ate dinner, and watched the second half of the American Idol tryouts. It's so hard for me to watch the people who can't sing. I get so embarrassed for them. I can't look.

Then last night, my mama invited me over for dinner (fried chicken, biscuits and gravy, and corn on the cob-yum!) and I finally got to play my dad in some pool (he got a pool table for Christmas). The food was delicious and I beat my dad. It was a good night.

Tonight, the new show I love is on (Moonlight). It's kind of odd, but I am really into it. I think it's my obsession with vampires. Or maybe it's my obsession with the tall, dark-haired, blue-eyed lead actor. Either way, there's a new episode on tonight, which, in a world where the writers' strike may go on forever, is a very valuable thing. The man playing the lead is Australian (or so I've read). I would love to hear him talk without the "American" accent sometime. Aussie is by far my favourite accent. Do you ever get used to it, Danielle?

2008-01-15T22:07:00.000-05:00

Snippets of sunshine

-Today, I got an e-mail from the passport people letting me know my passport had been processed and was on its way back to me. Since I payed to have it overnighted, that means it will be here Thursday at the latest. HUGE sigh of relief.

-Not only did I book one wedding today (a.k.a. received a retainer check), I mailed out contracts to two other brides who want me and plan on returning those contracts with checks. I have three more who have had me tentatively "hold" dates as well.

-Jim called me earlier and we talked for over a half hour. You have to understand, Jim's not a big phone-talker. He did that just for me. My husband is just wonderful. Plus, his phone has been receiving most of my texts again. Woot!

-I'm getting caught up at work. This is just good.

-I'm ready (I think) for my big meeting tomorrow with the tax guy. If I calculated correctly, my business will take a loss for its first year. That sounds bad, but in the tax world, that's good, or so I've been told. We'll see!

-God has given me amazing friends. I'm thankful for all of you :)

2008-01-14T16:58:00.000-05:00

Overwhelmed

Because:
-I'm dealing with some recurring anger issues toward a friend (nobody who reads this).
-I just finished advertising at The Bridal Fair this past weekend, and am following up with a TON of leads, which is good, but have had several brides e-mail me asking about my website and why it's not working. There is a good reason for this; it's not up yet. And I might be losing potential business because it's not.
-I have been praying hardcore for a close friend for some really serious crap, and it's been on my heart constantly for about three weeks now.
-Jim's trip to Thailand and Bangladesh just got extended by another whole week because they figure since he's "in the area" he should go to Australia. He'll now be gone for a total of almost three weeks. That's the longest since I met him, 3 1/2 years ago.
-We have several bills that will come due before Jim gets home. I can't PAY them, because Jim has the laptop we use to balance our account and actually see how much we have to spend.
-Jim's fancy new Blackberry does not get reception in Asia, so I'm basically cut off from him. He can call and text me, but I can't reply or call him back. I'm helpless here.
-I am in my eighth month of pregnancy now and am NOT comfortable and starting to deal with a CRAP load more emotions, which magnifies everything on this list by about 100.
-I just realized TODAY that I sent in for a new passport for the trip to Europe but somehow managed to forget that I NEED IT TO GET TO CANADA ONE WEEK FROM FRIDAY. I've only been promising to photograph Dan's wedding for months. There's a number I can call if I haven't received it yet, but I have to wait til within 1 week of travel. (Why?!?)
-My house is a mess and I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to clean it or even get motivated since I've been working every day since he left including weekends and will be continuing to do so through February 1st.
-Jim doesn't even know if he can get home before Dan's wedding; he might have to fly into Toronto and meet me there...that is, assuming I can even get into the country.

Whenever I think about it, it's hard to breathe. I just feel overwhelmed and alone. I want to curl up in a ball and cry myself to sleep. And then sleep until it all goes away.

2008-01-10T13:35:00.001-05:00

Recovering from PC hate

Actually, the hate will probably always be there. There are at least two more chapters to the saga, but let's just say I'm working my way around the inept-ness of PCs. That, and when Jim and I went to Best Buy recently, an hour long chat with an employee and fellow Mac lover served as an adequate catharsis for the time being.

Jim is in Thailand again. This is his fourth trip there, and this time he's swinging by Bangladesh on his way home. Woot for him! He really enjoys travelling as part of his job. And I'm thankful he gets to experience so much. And I'm really excited to let everyone in blog-ville know this:

I get to go with him on his next trip!!!

It is the first full week in February (the 3rd to the 10th), and we'll be going to Holland and Germany. (I'll finally get to go there, Aimee!) And unlike our two former attempts, this trip cannot be cancelled. There are people coming from all over the world to meet in Holland these days specifically. It's quite the big deal for his company.

And before anyone asks, YES, I asked my doctor. I will still be in my 8th month at that point, and the doc said that since I've had a perfectly healthy pregnancy, the risk is really low. He said that if I did go into labor, it wouldn't be because I flew somewhere. It would be because it was going to happen anyway. The doc said it's unlikely at that point anyway (6 weeks early). But we'll be in two major cities mostly anyway, so I feel secure in their facilities if that does happen.

I'm excited. EEE!

Other than that, I'm just getting ready for the Bridal Show this weekend. My display is going to be much better this year. I'm going to have a banner, really professional business cards, and best of all, a slide show of my work on a wide-screen monitor. It's going to look much better than last years...much more professional and modern. I'm looking forward to it.

I hope I'm not bored...last year was quite the test of my attention span. Well, I pretty much failed the test...

OK, must get back to work now. I have a lot to do. And I want some chocolate.

LOVE!

2008-01-06T12:58:00.000-05:00

Ode to the PC

Your freeze up for no reason.
Your programs cannot share files or communicate with each other.
Hell, some programs can't even recognize their own files.
Anyone attempting to do anything media related with you
Would be better off blowing their brains out
Than wasting any portion of their lives trying.
I hate your guts.
I want you to die.

I want my MacBook.

2007-12-29T14:16:00.000-05:00

2007, year-end review

January 1st: Celebrated New Years in Tennesee with Allison, Aaron, Josh and Andrea
March 8th: Got engaged
June 1st: Got married
June 2nd: Left for honeymoon in Jamaica, and got my first stamp in my passport!
June 16th: Partied at the big reception
June 20-somethingth: Got pregnant
July 14th-ish: Took home pregnancy test; found out we were pregnant
July 18th: Blood test confirmed we were pregnant
July 19th: Practically deafened by mother-in-law's scream when we told her we were pregnant
July 21st: Master's reunion-mucho fun!
August 18th-19th: Drove to a race in Ohio that got rained out and ran out of gas twice
August somethingth: Had 10-year high-school reunion. It was boring.
September: Fred the spider came into our lives.
October: Nurtured/took care of Fred for most of the month due to pregnancy-induced psychosis.
November: Lost Jim to the light show prep for most of this month; belly started showing
November 22nd: Hosted Thanksgiving at our place. No comment...(Aimee was there...)
December 3rd: Light show up and running for the first night
December 15th: Puppies got out for 19 hours and we spent the day in Hell
December 24th-25th: Had Christmas with both families and survived

New Years Eve this year is going to be WONderful. But I'm not saying why...

In other news...
I prefer my toilet paper to go over and shoelaces to be laced under. How about you?

2007-12-22T16:39:00.000-05:00

Recovering from the exhaustion and soreness...

It's been a week now, and the puppies are at about 98%. Bo is still limping occasionally, but I'm sure he's going to be OK.

Bo-the day after they came home...

Sammi chose to warm herself by the light of the Christmas tree...

SO thankful they are home...