Merry Monsoon Christmas

So...I don't really feel like telling the whole story right now...I'll post it later...but it turns out that it's raining in our apartment. The rain shower was contained to the kitchen last week...but gravity, doing what it does best, has spread the rain to the living room now. I'm pretty bummed. In the grand scheme of things, it's not that big of a deal...but i feel overwhelmed by all that's up in the air currently. I mean, we don't know if we're going to be able to live there while repairs are taking place...we don't know where we'll live if not...we don't know where we'll store our stuff...and I really don't want to have to be somewhere else for Christmas.

Everything each of us owns TO OUR NAME is in that apartment.

And just answer some questions that I know you're thinking:

1. No. The apartment manager cannot move us to another apartment because they're condos. Each unit is individually owned and there is no "manager".
2. We DO have renter's insurance, and that will cover any belongings that are damaged.
3. The people who own the unit above us ARE responsible for the damage to our unit, but they moved out 6 months ago when they foreclosed on their unit.
4. No. We're not going to move permanently. Our landlord has been GREAT to us, and we don't want to hang him out to dry during this difficult time. He lost his job a few weeks ago and I'm pretty sure our Rent is the only income he has right now.


Oh, and on top of all this, the pilot light for the heat keeps going out, so we don't have heat. YAY.


Merry....
Christmas.

If you pour a pan of boiling water on the sidewalk...

It'd freeze almost instantly. You don't believe me? Look:

It's hard to see that, but it says that the temperature right now, at 12:45pm in the afternoon...in the midday sun is 1 degree. ONE DEGREE above ZERO.

This morning when I got up and was heading out to drive myself to the bus stop (so that I don't have to drive in the snow) the radio said it was -18. The windchill was -36.

Yesterday our pilot light went out. Which meant no hot water. No hot water means no heat, because our heat runs off the hot water. So...all day in the negative-degree weather we had no heat. Our landlord is usually so good about taking care of things for us, but he didn't ever call me back, and once the sun went down it was clear we wouldn't make it through the night without heat. So, we called Mike...because Mike almost always comes through for us...and he came over and re-lit the pilot light.

This morning while standing out in the negative-degree weather my toes got really cold. So cold, in fact, that I almost started crying. When I got on the bus the windows had ice on them. Not frost. ICE. On the inside.

Someone tell me why I live here again?? Maybe because of this:

Babies don't like me

Last night we had our commUNITY group over...and one of the "members" (or whatever) had to babysit so she asked if she could bring the baby. I said sure. I figured there's no reason she can't come just because she has this one baby. Now, bring over a toddler and it becomes a dangerous situation. Our house is puppy-proofed but not toddler-proofed. You know...toddlers have thumbs and can open things...whereas dogs just paw or nuzzle things. Anyway. She brings the baby over and as soon as it crossed the threshold of our house it started crying. I said..."Babies generally don't like me." and they just laughed. Y'ALL! That stinkin baby cried the entire time. We tried everything to get it to stop. Nothing worked. They changed her diaper, they fed her milk...everything. She just kept on crying. I felt very glad that I was not caring for this child. I even found myself thinking..."for heaven's sake, kid...will you STOP crying??" and then I thought, my goodness...it's a good thing I'm nowhere near ready to have kids.
Then, because we were talking about babies, M and E, who are engaged to be married in April 09 started discussing babies. E said, "I think we're going to try to have a baby in September 2009." and I thought for a minute...then I said, "Well, you had better get started on that now, because you have about 9 months and a couple weeks to get that going." and everyone laughed a lot. E meant to say 2010, and so she was like ?????? but it was really funny!

Today I called an English Muffin a "McMuffin" about 453 times. Fatty is as fatty does.

And Heather finally posted again! I was so glad to read it, except the parts about how she got pregnant. Thankyouverymuch. But Anyway, it's a sweet post about how much she loves her children. They are sweet children. :)

OK...I'm doing better today. I didn't get any more sleep than I was getting, but today I had some coffee and it's really helping me!

Let's waste time chasing cars...

Hi.

I have no idea why I always feel compelled to say Hi at the beginning of my blog posts. Jules joked me about it the other day, and until then I hadn't realized I do it. But the proof's in the pudding...or whatever the saying is.

Anyway.

Oh, also random: my title. Just a song playing on the radio right now. Whatever.

I'm having a hard time right now. I've started riding the bus, and although I cannot tell you how thankful I am for not having to drive to work everyday now, and also for the fact that the bus is not like ghetto and scary, I am TIRED. I have to get up much earlier than I would if I were driving, and since I'm new to the bus thing, I'm still having to perfect the amount of time I need to leave my house in, etc. Also, I get home around 7 instead of 6, which means LOTS to do at night and not much time to do it in. Also, I keep getting car sick. The driver is doing a great job, it's really not his driving. It's that I can't see out. The windows are constantly and completely fogged up because it's like 3 degrees outside and if you sit in the back part of the bus you just can't see out. And I like to spend my hours on the bus reading...so that adds to the car-sickness. So, I'm trying different seats, different sections...i don't know.

The point is...I'm really really exhausted. I haven't been getting enough sleep and this morning I got up, looked in the mirror...and I have black bags under my eyes. BLACK. like someone punched me. Hi. I'm 24 and I have the eyes of a 55 year old woman. YAY!! I'm trying to go to bed early but it just hasn't been happening. I actually am starting to feel a cold coming on...I think that's partly to blame on the tiredness and partly to blame on standing in the dad-blasted cold all the stinkin time.

Tonight is our CommUNITY Group...and although I'm really glad to see everyone...I'M SO TIRED. and lots of times people stay over until like 11. That CANNOT happen tonight. I have no idea if it's too rude to tell everyone that I'm super tired and that I'm shutting down at like 9. Is that too rude?? (i have no idea who I'm asking...Heather???)

I feel like crying. I feel like laying in the exam room and crying. Because I'm tired. Because I don't see any light at the end of the tunnel. Because there' s still so much to be done. Because my house is a disaster and people are coming over tonight. Because work is SO busy now. Because I need to do things like eat and shower and I just don't feel like I have enough time. :(

It's too bad I'm not riding to work in an RV. That's SORT OF like a bus...and it has a shower...a kitchen table and fridge...and I could probably even sleep on the way. Anyone want to drive me to work everyday in their RV???

Yo! What's up with all the unity???

I think I've mentioned a couple (or 456) times that me and my roommate/best friend host what we call a community group on Wednesday nights. It has been going on a little over a year now. It's called a Community Group because our church is fairly large and we don't have Sunday School (thank the good Lord!!) and so it's a way to branch out and meet people and "do life together". It's a fairly new idea (or at least the idea set in motion is fairly new) having started a little over a year ago. The preacher was challenging the "congregation" (i hate that word) to start a small group where people can come over or meet at a central location and just do life together. When all this occurred, me and Jules had only lived here for about 8-9 months and we didn't have a lot of friends. Actually, we had 2 friends. TWO. So, Jules said, "why don't we do it!?" which is totally out of character for her! She's usually a little bit introverted and holds back when it comes to meeting new people. I'm usually the one who's like, "Yeah!! Let's put ourselves out there!!" But the roles were completely reversed at that moment. She said we should do it...I said Heck no!! But, in the end she talked me into it--basically by saying that if we wanted to make friends and have a life here then we needed to do SOMETHING. So, we signed up...took the "class" and started our group.
The first Wednesday we had a couple come. They were super nice. We hung out and had a little finger food tray. I think I remember thinking that they'd never come back. I figured that people have enough "crazy" in their lives without adding us to the mix. The next Wednesday night that first couple did not come. (I knew it!) but a new couple came. They were really nice and seemed pretty normal, too. I figured they wouldn't come back either, but they did. And guess what!? The first couple came back too. I think the next time we met was for a Christmas Party. There were 6 of us there. It was the first time the two couples had ever even been in the same room with one another. Me and Jules were both going out of town for the next week or so for Christmas and then there was New Year's so we didn't meet for 2 Wednesdays. I figured we would never see these people again--that they wouldn't come back after the holidays.
So, January 2008 comes along and the church hosts this thing where all the groups set up a table and a sign and you stand there and you advertise your group and people can sign up to get emails and info about your group. We had people come. About 8 signed up. Maybe not even that many. I can't remember. So I emailed the group list and the next Wednesday we packed like 10 people in our house. I remember thinking...Oh, these people will get a taste of my crazy and they'll never come back. But they did. They kept coming back. And they brought friends. (I have no idea why). At some point we were packing 25 people in our house. TWENTY-FIVE. I still couldn't figure out why 25 people wanted to hang out with us, and I kept saying, "They'll never be back.
In the beginning me and Jules sat down and really discussed in what direction we wanted the group to go. We knew that neither of us felt we wanted a very serious, straight-laced Bible Study of sorts, because neither of us are straight-laced or very serious. We knew we wanted to provide a fun atmosphere, and we knew that we wanted to create a comfortable environment where people could come and make good friends that they could count on and build relationships with. So, that became our main focus. We started out with a schedule of doing Dinner nights, Game nights, Themed-snack night, and Bible study night. That went on for months, and was pretty successful. We had a couple "members" who were coming every week, but sort of putting pressure on us to create a more strict "Bible study" program rather than a "fun" program. We weren't sure what to do, and we really didn't want cause anyone to leave, so we started trying to please everyone. There were some who wanted a little bible study but still fun, some wanted only bible study and some said they got enough bible study elsewhere (i.e. church, other groups, etc). We weren't sure how to please everyone and we started to dread having the group. We tried to assign volunteers to particular weeks to do a Bible study, but then people wouldn't show up and we'd be left scrambling. We refer to that time period as "the wonder years" because it's a WONDER anyone stuck around. It was terrible. The group felt strained because we were strained. It was a very rough patch. Finally we had to sit down with the people who were causing a rift and tell them that we had gone astray from our original focus. It was a very uncomfortable thing for us to tell someone, "hey, if this is not the group you're looking for THAT'S OKAY....but we're not changing. Let me tell you about some other groups you might enjoy." I was constantly worried that we had stepped on some toes and that those people would gossip or whatever about us. But, eventually we felt we had done the right thing. It wasn't immediate, but those people who were unhappy with our group, they left and last I heard they found a group and were very happy. And we were happy too.
So, fast forward a few months. We no longer have 25 people coming...lots of those must have figured out how crazy we really are ;-) . We do have a core group of about 12 that come almost every week. We have new people email me almost every week who want to try the group out. Sometimes they stay and sometimes they don't but either way, it doesn't matter. I really feel like we are doing exactly what we're supposed to be doing.
So, now we don't have a set schedule of what "activities" we do each week. But we are trying really hard to come up with some fun things to do. During the summer we did a great job, with things such as Kickball games and swimming nights. We had Thanksgiving dinner last week, and in December we have all kinds of things planned. Including a Christmas party--where there should be more than 6 people, and almost everyone will know one another.
In the beginning if you would have told me that we'd still be going strong after a year, and that the original 4 "members" are still there, I would have laughed in your face. I would have said that you were insane, because people have enough Crazy in their lives without adding us to the mix. I would have said that we don't have much to offer and that people won't come over just to be bored. And I would have been wrong. As it turns out, we love these people who come over on Wednesday nights. They have supported us in every way possible, showing that they really care about us too. There have been times when Jules was out of work when we weren't sure how the bills were going to get paid. Without anyone else knowing one of the "members" gave us 1,000 dollars. ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS. Another person gave us 300 dollars. THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS!! People sacrificed what they had to help us out. And they haven't just supported us. They've supported each other. They've been there for one another. They've built the relationships that count and that they can count ON. They have friends they can call at 2:00 AM if something goes terribly wrong. And THAT'S what we were aiming for. We love our friends--and can pretty securely say that they love us too.
That's what CommUNITY is all about.

Thank you, God, for Turkey Day!

So, this Thanksgiving I couldn't afford to fly home, and let's face it...I wasn't making it on Standby, so Jules and I decided that we would just stay here and cook for our other out-of-town friends. Jules had to work most of the day, so we prepared almost everything ahead of time and just popped it in the freezer or fridge. It all went off pretty smoothly--I didn't even burn anything. I did have to peel the skin off the turkey because when I unwrapped the turkey it had this slimy snotty stuff all over it and I couldn't get it to wash off. So, i just pulled all the skin off. GROSS!! nobody wants snotty turkey. Later I got a little panicky because I felt like our turkey wasn't going to cook on time. It only took us a little while to realize the reason it didn't look like it was cooking was because it was naked. I took off it's (snotty) skin and so that made it a little more light pinkish than golden brown. Sounds appetizing, eh?

Well, anyway, we ended up with 6 people at our little intimate Thanksgiving Feast! I tell you, there's STILL some of that food left! Someone PLEASE come eat it!!!

And the best news of all, I didn't over eat. I ate slowly until I was full, and got up from the table. And seriously, I think that's the first thanksgiving in my life that I've done that!

Ok...now I have to go and gouge my eyes out until it's time to leave!!!

Would you mind passing me thazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz........*snore*

Hi.

I come to you from the land of SLEEPY today. I didn't go to sleep very well last night and then I didn't wake up very good today--which means I didn't get any coffee today.

(Late night + Early Morning) / no coffee = dozing all day.

And the reason I didn't fall asleep very well??

A cramp in my lung.

Yes. My Lung. The right one to be exact. And it was in the inferior lobe. I think it might have gotten hooked on a rib or stuck in between two of my ribs while I was curled up on the couch watching one of the final-airing episodes of Pushing Daisies. Then when I stood up to go to bed, OUCH! I think it took a while for my lung to get pushed out from in between my ribs, or to get un-hooked from the bottom of my ribs. Those bones are probably sharp.

So, finally I went to sleep. After the cramp in my Lung.

I'm serious.

And even though I'm sleepy...today is like Thursday, since tomorrow is Wednesday before we're off Thursday and Friday, so it's a Wednesday-Friday. That makes today Thursday. Well, really it's Tuesday-Thursday.

I have no idea what I'm writing about. I'm so tired.

Fatty-Fatty, Two-by-Four...

I accidentally just ate milano cookies.

Not just one. Not even two.

I won't tell you how many.

I will tell you it was too many.

OOps.

But don't you think the serving size is tricky with Milano cookies? I mean, they put 5 in that little crinkly cup, and it's so convenient to just count the 5 cookies as ONE serving. (ha!!!)

And before I would have said, "oh well, I blew it today, so why not eat all the crap I want and start again tomorrow."

But right now I say, "oh well. I'll finish out the day as though the "Milano Raid 2008" did not happen. "

I'm seriously not going to stress out. So, either I'm making huge strides (mentally) in the realistic approach to losing weight...

...or I'm in COMPLETE denial...

either way...I'm okay with it. ;-)

At First I was Afraid...I was petrified...

I'm embarking on a journey that is Weight Watchers. YAY! And I don't want to talk about it much yet, because I'm just starting and I'm just getting into the "making smarter choices" mindset...(and I'm not there yet!!!). So, I don't want to talk about it yet...but I do want to say that this morning I had a comment on my previous post about WW and it was from the woman who inspired me to start WW. She helped me believe that I CAN do it and I've felt inspired by her. She left me a comment that said She was proud of me and that she was rooting for me. Now I know that I don't know her personally. But I read about her everyday. I hear about her struggles and her smart kids and her funny life and her dog that barfs and her husband who brushes his beard and her job that doesn't care about her. The thing is, she's such a REAL person. She's friendly and funny and she cares about people. She talks about life and love and God, but not in such a oh-so-holy-you-can't-breathe-in-the-same-room kind of way. She's fun and loyal and I don't even know her personally. I know it sounds weird, but I really look up to her. I think she's great. So when she's shown the world that she can do WW...and succeed, I think I can do it too! And she left me a comment saying she was proud of me and she was rooting for me. It really meant a lot. Because I have been afraid to let go completely. I have been afraid of starting to try to lose weight, because what if I fail?? What if I can't do it?? What if it's too hard?? And so it's been easier to not try than to try and fail. But I feel like me and Jules can do this. I feel like WW is the most realistic way to lose weight. And so...at least for this moment, that comment has empowered me.

Now excuse me while I go eat a small palm-full of nuts. :)

Just kidding. I'll do that after I finish this post.
In other news...

I am going home this weekend. Jules works for Southwest Airlines so I got a free flight to take home. YAY! I'm going on Thursday night so I can see the kids on Friday and then I'm spending the whole weekend with mom and heather! yay!!!! I'm very excited!!!

OK...now I'm going eat some nuts!

Leaving on a Jet Plane???

So, I think I might try to go home this weekend. I have two free flights that I have to use by the end of December, and so I have been looking at my work schedule and it's virtually impossible for me to miss any weekdays, except MAYBE a Friday. Being out of town on a M-Th is just not going to happen. So, I am thinking if I use one of my free flights in November and another in December then it's a way more plausible approach than using two in December. You see, the way it works is I have to fly standby, so I have to pick flight days and times where there are lots of openings on the flights I want. So, If I try to fly on a holiday weekend, it's not going to happen. I'll end up sitting at the airport all day, wasting my time, because all flights will be full around the holidays. Also, weekends are usually a pretty bad time to fly, but the schedules look okay for this weekend. Next weekend is a bust, because it's the weekend after Thanksgiving and there's no guarantee I'd be back before work on Monday.

But is it too much for me to ask my family to drive all the way to Nashville to pick me up. It's about two hours each way and that's a lot of driving in a weekend. I don't know. I wish I could rent a car, but they're so expensive. I have to talk to my mom and sister about it...see what they say. I know they'd like to see me, but maybe they'd like me to wait until I can take some days off. Maybe leave on a Thursday night and take Friday and Monday off then come back to work on a Tuesday. It might be possible in December, but I'd have to do some maneuvering. Anyway, I know I am so lucky that my dilemma is that I have free flights and don't know when to use them. I am lucky that my dilemma is not that I cannot afford a flight home to see my family, like it has been in the past. But, seriously, I want to use these flights so they're not wasted!!!

What to do?? what to dooo???

Hello!!!

I wish that I could be at home, in my pajama pants, watching chick-flick after chick-flick all day long, with a large diet coke, taco bell, and chocolate at my disposal.

But today is day one of Weight Watchers. So instead, I am wearing normal clothes, and eating things like carrots, and hummus, and other things things that grow in the wild. Which would be fine if things like carrots and hummus tasted good. But they don't (unless the carrots are smothered with ranch dressing, or cooked and covered in butter.) So, there is my problem. It's a change of mindset. I HAVE to do this. Two pounds a week for a year is over 100 pounds. HELLO!? that's insane. Two pounds. WHO CAN'T DO 2 POUNDS A WEEK?? So, today is day 1.

Please say prayers for me. I'm already hungry. :)

A new level of "dummy"...

So, my poor little niece broke her arm. See:

At least she gets to rock that pink for 6-8 weeks.

And for those (one) of you who are wondering about the title of this post...it refers to her dad. Catie Grace fell out of a truck, from what I understand, and tried to catch herself, hence the broken arm. Although they didn't know it was broken (mostly because none of them have x-rays built into their brains) and so her dad asked her (the 7-year old who has never broken a bone before) if she needed to go to the ER. He says she said no, she says she said yes. Regardless of what she said, he didn't take her and she had to go two days with a broken arm before my sister got her back and saw in 3 MINUTES that something was wrong with her arm! Oh man! So, he's not on my top 10 list of smart people at the moment....but he DOES make a different list. ;-)

Jet-Lagged

My boss has been out of town since October 27th. He and his wife went to various areas in Europe, spending most of their time in Germany, with one of their oldest friends. I'm sure they had a great time. I got a text message from my boss yesterday around 4:30 saying something like this:

"were back. n chicago. any patients tomorrow? were very jet lagged." or something close to that.

I wrote back and informed him (for the 45th time) that I had cleared the schedule a long time ago and he was not expected back at work until the 13th. And I might have told him to chill, or something.

So, I'm pretty sure he's still going to be jet-lagged tomorrow...because you just don't recover that quickly from that many days of different time stuff. I tried to talk him into taking the rest of this week off, back when he was planning the trip, but he said his usual, "It'll be fine." And I think that his record of being right once he's uttered those words is pretty pathetic. He really should try to listen to me sometimes. Anyway, of course I stacked the schedule extra full for the rest of the month because he wanted to make up for the days he has been out (half the month.) And the week before he went out of town we saw like 20 patients who couldn't be charted on at all because of technical problems with the charting program here at work. They are leaving the records open until the 15th. That means that not only does he have to see a full day's patients on Th and Fri, but he also has to chart on 20 patients that he saw like 20 days ago. And I get to be the one to tell him all this. YAY!....................boo.

So, anyway, aside from still being sick...and the dread of clinic opening back up...things are going pretty good. We're having a coffee house tonight at CommUNITY group. That should be fun!!

Oh..and I just need to admit that I took my niece to see High School Musical 3 while I was in Alabama, and I JUST LOVED IT. I think I am really a 13 year old girl trapped in a 24 year old's body. :) OH, that troy. It should be illegal for someone so young to look so beautiful.

Seriously??...seriously?

Well, after 2 separate visits to the doctor, within 3 business days, 60 dollars later, I am STILL not getting any help for my sickness. Whatever sickness that might be. I just think that doctors become so numb to sick people around this time of the year, that they just brush you off as though you are a waste of their time. Maybe they'd like me better if I had the plague or something more interesting than a chest cold. Maybe they'd like to help me control my symptoms (at least) instead of telling me there's nothing they can do if I had nails sticking out of my head or something. I have no idea what I have to do to get some help, but I do know that I'm switching to a new doctors office. I have tried a different doctor at the office that I'm at now, and I LOVED him, but he has proven to me that he's not one of those doctors that TRULY want to help you. Here's my problem:

REASONS I GO TO THE DOCTOR:
1. Over-The-Counter medications/remedies are not working.
2. I am getting worse, even while taking the OTC's.
3. I feel so crappy I can hardly stand it.

NOT REASONS I GO TO THE DOCTOR:
1. I just wanted to see how my doctor is feeling.
2. I want to literally SEE my doctors face (because he's very good-looking).
3. I had 30 extra dollars lying around and had NO IDEA how to spend it.
4. I just wanted my doctor's opinion or thoughts about a particular issue.
5. I had too much free time on my hands and thought that spending hours at a doctors office sounded like TOO MUCH FUN!!

I mean, seriously?? Do doctors think that you come there just to hear them talk??? NO!! I am not saying I am as smart as a doctor, or that I know everything about all illnesses. But I do know my body. I DO know the common illness's that I get, and I know how to treat them. When that doesn't work, or when I get sick with "something new" then I go to the doctor to get HELP...not to hear their opinions. And, even if it's a virus and you cannot "FIX" me, you can give me medicine that will treat my symptoms. And I'm not even talking about medicine that I can sell, or abuse. I'm talking about a stinking antibiotic or a disgusting cough medicine so that I can get some sleep and actually FUNCTION!! Do they really have to treat you like you are going to try to inject your cough syrup in your veins if they give it to you??? I mean, seriously?????

I am just fed up with the medical system. When I lived in the South I could CALL the doctor, tell them my symptoms, and they'd CALL IN A PRESCRIPTION for me. Out here, I have to call the doctor, beg them to even see me, let them take my money and then they say things like, "your body just needs to work through this," or "I really don't give prescriptions to people unless they've been sick for about 12-14 days." SERIOUSLY??? how many of you are going to wait TWO WEEKS before going to the doctor when you're sick!?? hello!????? These hippie doctors are CRAZY! And I just don't think I can take it ANYMORE. I have to find a doctor that will HELP me.

SERIOUSLY!!!!

And to think...I used to be "most dependable"...

I know.

I did a terrible job of blogging while I was gone.

The truth is, I had the BEST time. I really got to spend a lot of time with my sister this time, and that made it such a special trip. I really wasn't ready to leave, and that is still causing me grief. I love my sister--I haven't kept that a secret. But to get to spend SO much time with her was just heavenly!! I can't wait to go back to do it again!

The bad news is that I am sick. I resisted the illness that my sister, mother, niece and nephew had the WHOLE time I was there. I came home and Jules was sick too. I'm not sure which one I ended up with, but I'm not doing so great.

I stayed out of work on Tuesday and Wednesday and today I'm leaving early to go to the doctor. I'm taking off tomorrow too. The thing is, I don't get sick very often, usually. I have been sick three times in the past 3 months. I just think that's too much. So, today, I'm expecting to get some answers. :) I have a wonderful doctor anyway, after I fired the first one...so I'm really anticipating a pleasant visit.

Anyway, I'm freeeeeeezing right now in my office. The other girls here swear it isn't cold...but i just checked my temperature and it's normal. I think there's a draft over where I sit. Oh well, I'm leaving in a bit anyway.

So, this is why I haven't been blogging. I miss my sister terribly. I wish my family would move here...then we could all be together. Besides, we ALL know that they'd love Colorado more than Alabama. They are just afraid of the snow...but we could work with that, right? :)

Anyway, I'm sure it'll be a few days before I post again. I am going to try to go to fusion this weekend...it's been a LONG long time since I've been. But, anyway...

OK...who am I kidding...I'm not doing good blogging this week.

Today, after mom left for work, Heather overslept, so Catherine stayed home from school. Then, Steve overslept and he was almost late for work. He woke up at 8:30 and had to be there at 9. oops.

Then, I woke up and went to see Heather. I was sooo tired, I wanted to go back to sleep, but instead I forced myself to get up, get ready and take the kids to Mamals. So, by 10:50 we were off. When we got there she started cooking pork chops, green beans, mustard greens, mashed potatoes, biscuits, and mac and cheese. It was a feast. It took her a long time to cook it all, so by the time we ate we were all about to waste away. The food was excellent tho.

Around 3:30 we headed back to the house, and rested a bit before mom came home. Then we went to eat supper at some place called Lisa's and it was a small little country buffet. it was pretty good.

Now, we're home, the kids have been bathed and hair washed. I used the blow dryer to straighten catie grace's hair and used my straightener to pull all the curls out. She looks so pretty!

Anyway, we're just sitting around now. I don't plan on going to bed anytime soon, but that's what vacations are for!!

Day 1

Well, this morning Mike and Erin took me to the airport, because it was just too early when Jules left for work. I just couldn't do it. I got there at 7:30 and my flight was at 10:40. It was pretty good though, because security was MAJOR crowded and it took me a while to get through. Then when it was FINALLY time to board my flightl, I was really nervous about flying. I hate flying. I did fine, no panic attacks...and successfully went through a whole flight without grabbing any men's legs (a story for later).

When I came down the escalator at the airport I saw mom and Heather standing there with little Sarah Beth. I was so excited to see them. So we sat in some rocking chairs at the airport and I just held little teeny sarah beth for a few minutes! she's sooooooo small and cute! Heather's such a good mom. She lets me hold her even though I almost let her head fall off!

We stopped at Cracker Barrel on the way home and had a nice meal, then made the long drive home. Heather took a nap and mom fell asleep too, so i just listened to the radio the whole way. We finally got home and did a few little things around the house.

We just went a little bit ago and had some supper and now we're just watching the Alabama game. Bama's winning, but not by as much as I'd like.

Anyway, not much done today. We get catherine and connor back tomorrow and I'm super excited to see them.

A real post below...

A real post is below...but i just ran across this picture and I had to post it!

Read her little shirt! :)

doodly-doo

SO, today, I am very very tired. I was up WAY too late last night. Partly because I wanted to eat at a salad bar restaurant last night, and then i proceeded to watch Survivor, Grey's Anatomy, and Pushing Daisies. All of those were Tivo'd. Which means, I didn't stop watching TV until WAY too late last night. If only I weren't so easily entertained. :) So then we realized that Julie's work clothes were in the washer and she needed them dry for tomorrow. So, She went to bed, because she has to get up at 3:30, and I went to fold the clothes in the dryer. They weren't dry. So...I went and packed lunches and returned to the dryer. They still weren't dry. DARN! So, I decided even though it was late that I would shower and just go to bed with wet hair that way it wouldn't take me so long to get ready in the morning (and since it was so late, getting up early wasn't going to happen.) So, I showered...and then just stood under the warm water. It felt so good. Temps have been hovering around the 40's during the day around here lately and even colder at night. We don't turn the heat on much, b/c it's EXPENSIVE but also because it gets too hot at night sometimes. So...I just stood under the warm water, defrosting my frozen toes and fingers. When I finally got out of the shower and dried off and put clothes back on, the dryer was finished. I folded those clothes and then switched the washer to the dryer and went to bed. I slept so good!

One side effect of sleeping with wet hair:

Yeah. Do you see that? That little cock-a-doodly-doo there?? it's not supposed to be there!? My hair is not that short ANYWHERE. There's no reason for any piece of my hair to be 2 inches long. I have no idea how that happened. But anyway, today, it's standing straight up. Nothing I did this morning would make it lay down. So, I'm going with it.

In other news, look at the view out the window at my office. OH, the colors of fall in Colorado are just beautiful! In a bit the sky will turn a brighter blue (after the sun has been up a while longer) and it will be just gorgeous. Look:

OHhh. that's nice. That little golden tree is just fantastic. I bet Bob Ross would want to paint it righttherethissecond. :)

Ok, I'm very excited to be going home tomorrow, but I'll miss this little guy:

And Jules. But she wouldn't want me to put her picture up. But at least in the time I'm away from those two, I'll be with Mom, Heather, Catie Grace, Connor, Sarah Beth, Mamal and Stevie. I can't wait to see them!!

Gourd-jus fun!

We did pumpkin carving last night at our CommUNITY group. It was pretty stinkin fun...even though very few people showed up. I was suprised by the fact that not many showed, because they show for things like a mediocre dinner served by yours truly, but not pumpkin carving. Oh well, to each his own. Anyway, it was pretty fun. I painted instead of carving, mostly because I wasn't digging the pumpkin guts this year. yuck! And this is how mine turned out:

Ignore the mess surrounding the pumpkin...Everyone was still working. :)

Oooh! Scary!! He's frankenstein. And you know where I got the idea? I went into Microsoft Word and looked at the halloween clip art. They make all kinds of smileys that are halloween-related and since they're round it's easy to paint a pumpkin like one of the smileys. So that's what i did. I like his hair. It sort of looks like Eli Mattson, from America's Got Talent:
Photo taken from Eli Mattson's MySpace Page.

Doesn't the hair of my pumpkin kinda look like that, except Eli's is lighter? And might I add, Eli is just a beautiful man, isn't he? OK...moving on.

In other news...my feet really stink today. I am wearing these

OLD ballet type shoes and they stink to high heaven. If i arch my feet a certain way, or flip my foot out of my shoe even a little...a stench takes over! YUCK!!

Ok...that's all I have. I hope you're still awake after all this mediocre news! :)

Among Other Things...

Hi!

So, this weekend I got my hair cut. At the Aveda Institute. A girl named Kelsey did it. It turned out really really good...I really like it. It's a tad bit shorter than I would have liked...but it's growing on me. And...you pay 12 dollars...and they give you a scalp massage and use these calming oils in your hair and then they wash your hair and it feels so good! Plus, she spent like 15 minutes talking with me about what i liked and didn't like. She was so patient with me and really wanted to get it right. I loved it! Then, when you finish your haircut they give you lip gloss to wear!! yay!!

It was a great experience. The getting there wasn't tho. the day was supposed to start with a run to Hobby Lobby to return some wooden letters that I ended up not using for Sarah Beth's wall hanging...I was supposed to get something like $21.00 back. I originally paid with my debit card, so I thought that they would just give me cash back. Therefore, I decided to just run by there on my way to my haircut, passing by the ATM on the way to hobby lobby. The Aveda Institute tips can only be paid in cash, so i was just going to pay for the haircut with cash too. I had about 24 dollars in my account and Jules, who was going to lend me the 20 until payday, had about 28. (yes, i know...we are in a new state of poor). So...i passed the ATM and went on to Hobby Lobby, but guess what!? They told me they couldn't give me cash back. When i OH-SO-POLITELY asked why not the lady said "I'm sorry. It's just too much money." Just as I was opening my mouth to say, "too much money? You have got to be kidding." the manager walked by and said, "no, it's not too much money, it's that you paid with a debit card and so you have to have the refund go on your debit card." I was furious. I said..."the money in my "debit card account" is real money...so why can't you give me real money???" Still, they wouldn't budge. So there I was, in the middle of nowhere...no banks nearby, furious as a swarm of hornets, and getting closer and closer to my haircut appointment time. I frantically ran over to the bank, wasting gas to go the opposite direction and took the 20 out of my account. The exact 20 they just credited back to my acct. HOW ANNOYING!! So...i rushed downtown only to realize after my very successful ride to the right place that I didn't have ANY change for the parking meters. The lots are like 20 dollars and there's no hourly rate, so a meter was my only chance. I had to park about 8 blocks away, and I was wearing heels. (stupid!) I ran in a Starbucks that was about 3 blocks from where i was parked, risking a ticket. I bought a coffee and when i asked for some quarters in my change the guy told me he couldn't do it. OH MAN! WHAT A DAY! so i told him that was fine, but I would be exchanging some of my dollars for some quarters out of his tip jar. He gave me the quarters I needed. So i walked back 3 blocks (ouch! my feet!) and paid the meter, and pretty much ran to my appointment. I was hot, sweaty, and blister-footed by the time i got there, so the relaxing experience of Aveda was just what the doctor ordered.

Anyway, that's really the only exciting thing that happened to me this weekend. My haircut looks pretty good...but i forgot my camera so i can't post a picture! soon. :)

OH...and Nicole! I think I remembered who you are!! Are you the girl who does the stool and podium at the stage sometimes and we walked in front of the camera that time and ruined the tape for that service?? Did I meet you at the same time as Jolene? If not, I'm really sorry! If so...yay! I remembered!!!

A Sigh of Relief

Hi!

So, HeatherRae is going home from the hospital today! YAY!! It's such a relief!

And...only 8 more days until I venture home to meet that sweet little girl Sarah Beth, and actually get to hug my sister!

AND! I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow! At the Aveda Institute. Hopefully they'll do a good job. I know someone who gets her hair cut there and it always looks good, so hopefully I'll come out feeling much better than when I went in. I am in some serious need of a hair transformation. :)

So, I watched my Tivo'd Pushing Daisies episode last night and I found myself just wanting more at the end. Jules watched the first 15 minutes with me before commenting on the "silliness" of the show and going into a different room. It is a silly show, but it's really funny to me. I have that sense of humor that laughs at general funniness. You don't even have to be REALLY that funny for me to laugh, because I find humor in most things. I laugh so loud at that show. Anyway...the episode from Wednesday night was about Chuck trying to find out about her family history, Olive's best friend at the convent was murdered, and Ned was trying to avoid his past while trying to convince Chuck that she didn't need the past in order to enjoy her future. It was all-in-all a pretty funny and sweet (as usual) episode. In short: it made me happy, as usual. And I swear, some day I will find a wonderful who looks at me like Ned looks at Chuck.
OH, i just realized it looks like I'm talking about two boys. Chuck is just the nickname of a girl named "Charlotte Charles". Sorry! :)

And Survivor China (two seasons ago) and Survivor: Fans vs Fave's were such good seasons! I mean, they had lots of the sneaky, blindsiding, back-stabbing, and repercussions for all of those things! I loved it! I loved it when in Survivor:China, James had BOTH immunity idols and didn't play either of them and got voted off! I love the surprise twists and turns of the show. I love to be shocked when i find out who gets voted off. This season, Survivor:Gabon, not so surprising. so far, every person who's been voted off has been exactly who was expected to get voted off. It's BORING! I will stick with it and see if it gets a little more juicy once they merge. Hopefully it will get a little more interesting!

And Grey's! Oh, I feel like it's getting back to the MEDICINE and a lot less soap opera-ish. I'm so glad! I think that the writers of the show are using the Chief to reign the show back in. I'm excited to see what changes will be coming. I like Meridith's vulnerability this year, and how she and Derek might actually work! I'm excited to see what comes!!

Anyway, that's all my TV Talk for now! Have a good weekend (my two readers!)

OH, and if the haircut is good, I'll post pictures!:)

WHEW

Well, it looks like Heather is going to be okay. Thank you if you prayed for her!

So, I am getting my hair cut this weekend! whooo! I'm excited.

There's really nothing to write here. I'm tired and sort of in a bad mood.

But I at least thought I would let my lone reader know that my sister (the stranger that my lone reader doesn't even know!) is okay! :)

Maybe I'll have more to say tomorrow since it's Survivor and Grey's night. :) And I have one episode of Pushing Daisies to watch too.

See you tomorrow.

Pray for Heather

Hi Y'all

I don't have much time...but please pray for Heather. She just had little Sarah Beth on Friday and now heather is back in the hospital for some sort of infection. They're not giving much info right now, but i'll post more when i can.

I know there are like 2 of you who read this, but please, if you are praying people please ask God to take care of her. I have no idea how serious it is...and if i had an extra 300 dollars i'd fly there to see her. I am so worried. I am just so far away!

So, please...pray for Heather. I need her to be okay. Please.

Sarah Beth

OHHHH! Guess who's here!! (in the world, not literally HERE)...





Sarah Beth was born on Friday afternoon, weighing about 7lbs and 2 ounces, i think. She's about 19.5 inches long! oh and she's so cute!!! LOOK:

OH, she's so cute! And she has this dark hair under that little pink hat, and it's so cute! I am so glad to finally have my 2nd niece here with us!! I can't wait to go see her and sqeeze her and love on her and hug her! And I can't wait to hug my sister and tell her i'm glad she's okay! I was really freaked about this birthing process. It was a very hard pregnancy for heather and the other two were very easy and so i just KNEW something was going to go wrong! But it didn't! YAY!

In just about 12 days i'll be going home to see them! Sweet Home Alabama!

Hi Y'all!

HI!

I originally started this blog so my sister HeatherRae (over to the left) who's about to have a baby ANY SECOND NOW!!! could read and know what I was up to, since we don't live in the same place anymore.

I've noticed you reading tho. Yes, you. You who are not my sister. :) And I must tell you that it makes me a little nervous.

Because I am NOT a writer. I'm not really all that funny (contrary to what the Fusion crowd thinks). And nothing remotely interesting happens to me on a daily basis.

Read: MY LIFE IS BORING!!

I mean, yeah, my sister cares what I had for supper and how many packs of toothpaste I got at sams and how many coupons I found for Grated Cheddar Cheese in the Sunday paper, but people who are not related to me (or who are not my sister, for that matter) DON'T CARE.

So, I'm sorry that you have stumbled upon my mediocre ramblings. If you're looking for any incredibly profound writings about how to raise a toddler, any good recipes for your dinner party, how to set a table for 9, what to wear with trouser jeans, the best fall fashions, a list of the top 100 best Bible Verses about wine, or the best at-home treatments for a rash, THIS IS NOT THE PLACE FOR YOU. I can recommend some other enjoyable bloggers, if you'd like. But if you're looking for lots of mediocre rambling about crafts, my work, my boss, sinus infections, my family, tissues, Clic-Stic BIC pens, hair dye, eyes, what i had for supper last tuesday, board games, movies, music i like, and things that make me laugh, THEN THIS IS THE RIGHT PLACE FOR YOU.

Oh, and I'll try to throw in the occasional rant about things that annoy me.

You gotta have goals.

Anyway, fair warning: the content of this blog will consistenly be sub-par.

Feel free to check out anytime. But if you stay, email me (krustylynn@gmail.com) and tell me hi, so I can say hi back. It's the polite southern thing to do.

* Hi Nicole! * see! Wasn't that fun?

Or not. Whatever. :)

Thanks for reading.

I've Been Framed!!!

Hahaha! SO CORNY!

Look what I made for my NEW niece. It should go GREAT in her new room. Plus...I'll have Catie Grace a birthday present, Connor a birthday present, and now Sarah Beth will have one as well. I'm thinking I might add a little lavender bow at the top of the frame, but it's mostly done! :)

Also, someone from Boulder is reading. HI! Please leave me a comment or email me at krustylynn@gmail.com. THANKS!! I'd LOVE to know who you are! :)

Ok...I'll steal too. Random Things That Make Me Happy

In no particular order:

1. Flatirons Community Church
2. Chili or Taco Soup on a Cold Day.
3. My sister and her beautiful kids
4. the way your hair smells after a good shower.
5. a good meal
6. free things
7. Laughing
8. Movies and television
9. Crafts
10. the snow (as long as I don't have to drive in it).
11. the feeling of a full tank of gas
12. getting my hair done (cut or colored)
13. traveling
14. getting in my warm bed at the end of the day
15. our Community Group
16. wedding pictures
17. fall
18. Alabama Football
19. land-line phones
20. Westin Puppy
21. Sunsets
22. swimming
23. Sharpie Markers
24. Coffee with 2 sweet-n-lows and cream over ice
25. the way new white out works so GOOD.
26. flowers
27. learning new things
28. payday
29. a good joke
30. grilled cheese and tomato soup
31. Plays
32. the smell of a new car
33. Gulf Shores/Orange Beach
34. music
35. clic-stic pens, by BIC
36. Pushing Daisies, Grey's Anatomy, Survivor, The Biggest Loser, American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance.
37. ice cream
38. feeling pretty (when it does happen)
39. Cooking
40. Water Slides/water roller coasters

A little of Heather rubbed off on me.

So. After work Jules and I had to go grocery shopping. MAJOR grocery shopping. We decided since we were OUT of everything we would go to Sam's. We never go there, because we usually never need 37 and 1/2 Tickle-Me-Pink Sharpie markers. Sam's sells everything in bulk, as I'm sure you know, and sometimes you just don't need THAT many tampons. But this time, we were out of toilet paper, to the point where we had to borrow some from friends. We were out of shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, and all things food-related. So, we decided that we might be able to save some money buying bulk at Sam's since we needed SO much. Well, boy did we do good!

At Sam's we got this:
36 rolls of toilet paper for 17 dollars
12 boxes of mac and cheese for 7 dollars
30 bags of popcorn (we have people over a lot) for 6 dollars
about 1 billion hot pockets for 12 dollars
two big boxes of Special K Red Berries for 7 dollars
10 cans of Chef-boyardee for 5 dollars
2 very large packs of sandwich meat for 6 dollars
1 huge shampoo and 1 huge conditioner for 5 dollars
a huge bag of frozen corn equal to about 12 cans of corn for 4 dollars
a huge bag of frozen green beans equal to about 10 cans green beans for 5 dollars
5 deodorants for 6 dollars
5 Colgate Total Advanced Clean With Whitening Toothpaste large tubes for 10 dollars
150 loads of Gain Fabric Softener (we didn't read it and thought it was detergent. oops!) for 9 dollars.
36 diet pepsi's for 9 dollars
2 loaves of bread for 3 dollars
2 huge bags of chips for 5 dollars

That is a crapload of food!!! I was so proud of how much we got for the money we paid. We would have spent that much or MORE at King Soopers but gotten maybe half the amount of food we did get! We were so stoked.

After Sam's we had to go the worst walmart in the history of America. Don't even get me started on how much I hate that place, but we had to get several things that aren't sold anywhere else. So...i felt so good after all the deals we got! I guess Heather rubbed off on me since she's always getting good deals like this or this or this. :) I guess it's my turn now.

Also...IT'S CATIE GRACE'S BIRTHDAY!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY CATHERINE!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU!!!

My weekend

So, Julie had to work on Saturday and Sunday, so Saturday morning I woke up and went with the Men@Work group (that's not really a link, so don't click it) and helped a lady paint a bedroom in her house. Simple, right? WRONG! It was her daughter's room and it was painted purple with craft paint artwork and oil pastel drawings all over the wall. It didn't take us long to realize that the oil pastels were mixing with the primer, giving the whole wall a rainbow effect (which judging by the girls artwork, she would have LOVED.) So, we had to send one of the men to the Man's Store to get something to get the oil pastels off the wall. I said specifically what he should tell them, because they would know exactly what to get it off with. He didn't ask anyone (go figure that!) and came back with a huge tin jug of Acetone. So, yeah, acetone gets the oil pastel off the wall, along with the paint...and the primer....and the sheet rock. :) After 4 hours of scrubbing we were all high as kites from the fumes and all the oil pastel was off the wall. We started priming, but since the room was pretty small there just wasn't enough work for 5 people to be doing. So, I did what any good city worker does everyday...i stood and watched. And occasionally I pointed.

Once that was finished I drove home with my windows down, because it was one of the most beautiful days I've ever experienced. Then, when I got almost home, i decided it'd be a good idea to go to the library and get some books to read while Jules was working. So, I got one Karen Kingsbury book and two Fannie Flagg books.

Then I went home, had some Ramen Noodles for lunch and took a shower. Jules got home around 5 and we had to leave at 5:15 to go to church. When we got there we met another lady who was also from Alabama and we discussed whether we thought Bama was winning at that precise moment. We had to do a singles event, and it pretty much stunk. We were promoting our Community group and that pretty much bombed. I thought people would really be interested in our group, but they really weren't. It turned out to be okay, though, because we already have a "core" group that attend the community group. The only thing that really stunk was that while wasting 3 hours of our time, we also missed church and the bama game. :(

Sunday morning Jules had to be in very very early. I woke up at 8:15 on my day off, and got up and read the Karen Kingsbury book I checked out on Saturday. I read it all. All day. That's all I did. Then when Jules got home she ate Ramen Noodles (notice a theme here??) and we watched the Bama Game and screamed our heads off at how EXCITING IT IS FOR BAMA TO BEAT GEORGIA!!

Then Erin and Sass called and said they were making Homemade Doughnuts and asked if we wanted to come over. We did. They made doughnuts and I made some glaze and they were pretty good.

Then we went home and went to sleep around 9:45.

This morning I woke up with a really dry, scratchy throat. YAY. I've started one of the Fannie Flagg books and it's hilarious!!

OH, another exciting thing of the weekend. I made plans with Catie Grace to go see HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3 with her when I'm in town later this month! yay!!!!

Anyway, that's my weekend, and now, Heather, I bet you feel like you were actually there!! :)

The Alpha Gam's would not like this post...

So, I hate squirrels. They are like little furry rats. They are fast, unpredictable, and armed with rabies and sharp claws. They can climb trees and attack from above. On my work campus people feed them, and that makes them unafraid of humans. They don't run when you stomp your feet. They stand there and stare at you, daring you to make a move towards them. They will purposefully run in your path so that you have to stop dead in your tracks, and then try to find a way around them. You go left, they go left. You go right, they go right. They stare at you with their beady little eyes, just daring you to test them. They perch on their hind legs, just waiting to spring into action and bite your face off. They run across the window ledge in my peripheral vision, just to make sure I know they're watching me. I won't walk through the grass once it starts getting dark earlier because I know they're waiting in the shadows to make their silent attack. They chirp and squawk in their little squirrely language telling one another, "Here she comes!! The scared one! Let's go get her!!" and they do. I honestly have no idea how to get around them. They know I'm afraid of them and they love to prance, as slowly as possible--mind you, right past me just to make me stand there, frozen in fear and wait.

I think I'll start bringing Westin to work with me so he can attack them.

Or at least bark at them and be more intimidating than I am!!

That Heather!

So, heather called today and said she was at Sam's and she found a bottle of 350 Zyrtec for $17.00. It's the generic, but who cares! $17.00. One month's supply of the real stuff is like $30.00. This is a whole year's supply for half of the cost of one month.

Heather can go to a garage sale and spend exactly 57 cents and get a new car out of the deal. She can walk into a store and load her buggy with $150.00 worth the stuff and only pay $8.00 because she has a coupon for EVERYTHING.

Heather can look on Cr*aig's L*ist and find a brand new San Pellegrino Stroller, or a perfectly un-used carseat, or a bra that turns into a stuffed animal all for $2.00.

Heather can go into an oil change place with a coupon for a free oil change and end up with that free oil change AND another coupon.

Heather can buy 25 pair of underwear from a L*ane Br*ant and them OWE her $2.00!!

Heather can go to the thrift store with two dollars and leave with more BRAND NEW stuff than she can fit in her trunk AND a free full tank of gas.

So, how is it that I had a free flight and ended up paying $200.00 for it anyway!?

That Heather!!!

VICTORY...at least halfway!

So, those stupid flyers I've been rambling on and on about for weeks?

I finished about half of them. We are sending them in two batches because sorting 1,000 flyers in zip code order is much much easier than sorting 2,000. So in that box is about 1,000 flyers that are stamped with the return address, labeled with the mail-to address, University stamped on them, and sorted, boxed up and FINALLY ready to go.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have ONE MORE 1,000 set to finish. Then I can be rid of those flyers forever.

Surrender

So, Jules has been trying to get a job working with a lab doing tissue analysis and using a microscope and squeezing pipets and slicing and spreading and all that stuff that lab people do. She has had 4 interviews for lab jobs. All 4 have been the best interviews of her life. At all 4 she was told they would like to hire her, they love her, and they'd call her back. She hasn't heard from any of them.

When she first became unemployed she applied for a job at Southwest Airlines. She didn't know if she would get it or not, but it was worth a shot. After a long process of about 3 months of interviews, stacks and stacks of paperwork, background checks, fingerprinting, meetings, and such, Jules got offered a job with Southwest.

She starts on the 17th. While she was in the hiring process with SWA I was just not sure that it was the right thing. I wanted her to have a lab job. That was what she wanted to do. The SWA job was supposed to be a "fall back" job.

Monday she applied for one last job at a great lab that processes donor tissue and organs. On Tuesday they called her back and said they would love to have a phone interview with her. On Wednesday they called to say that the shift had changed from Day to 3pm-1am. Working night shift is not really a possibility at this time, so unfortunately Jules had to tell the woman thanks, but no thanks.

So, she's back at square one.

I, being a Christian, believe that God is in control over our whole lives. I have struggled with anger issues with God lately, but that's okay, because I'm pretty sure God is big enough to handle me being mad at him. But, even in my confusion and frustration with the whole situation, I think I am at a point now where one fact is staring me in the face.

I think Southwest is where Jules is supposed to be.

Every interaction with the people of Southwest has been extremely positive. Jules is excited. There are good benefits. She will be treated like a human being, not just a robot filling a position. She will have a very good opportunity to advance in Southwest in very little time. She will be appreciated. All the signs point to this being a good thing.

I wasn't excited. I wasn't happy about it. I wasn't supportive. But after all that has happened...I had to remind myself that God IS in control. All those great interviews ending in NOTHING has to mean that God is clearing the path for her. Southwest MUST be where she's supposed to be right now. I have resigned myself to that fact.

So, stay tuned for a more supportive, more excited, happier me! Things are going to be okay. NO..they are going to be GREAT! And I'm feeling hope and optimism about this Southwest thing.

Watch out life....I'm BACK!

Hallelujah!

So, last night Jules and I went to this Chorale thing. *why do they call it a chorale? Is that different than a Choir? or a Chorus? Hmmm..* anyway. It's a whole collection of about 19,875 songs that make up "The Messiah" or something. It's by some guy named Handel or Mendel or something. (don't ask me, I'm no musical expert). We went with Mike and Erin because they kept talking about it last year and how fun it was and how much they enjoy it. So, we thought it would be fun for us to take part in too. Basically, you go, you learn the songs, and there's a concert towards Christmas. One of the songs is the Hallelujah Chorus...you know? "haaaaa-leeeeh--looooo-yuhhhhhh" you know? Angels singing and such? OK...well, last night, since it was the first night of the "season" they traditionally went through all 19,875 songs. Quickly. Without teaching anything. You were just supposed to either 1. Already know the music. 2. Be able to sightread music. If you did not fit into either of those situations then you were pretty much going to sit and listen. Guess what me and Jules did?

Did you guess Sit and listen?? Yeah.

It was pretty overwhelming. Intense. I messed up loudly once. Jules just moved her mouth to look like she was saying the words, but no sound was coming out. I leaned a little too close to the woman beside me in order to hear her angelic sounds...which turned out to be not-so-angelic. I sat when I was supposed to stand *hey did anyone else know you are supposed to stand when the Hallelujah Chorus is sung? I had NO IDEA!* I stood when I was supposed to sit. I giggled and grinned, if only to cover my embarrassment. It was all-in-all a below-par experience except for the fact that next week they start breaking down the songs, part by part, song by song. That will be better. But let's just say that if the performance had been last night....I would have been front-and-center in the middle of a very excruciatingly embarrassing experience.

It might have been ALMOST as bad as when Buzz puts the candle-lights behind Kevin's ears and such in Home Alone 2.

Almost.

Saturday through today...

So, I haven't been doing very good with posting. DUH. I'm just going to catch you up on what I've been doing lately. Nothing very exciting, but I figure writing about what's been going on is better than not writing at all. Plus, I mostly write this for heather and I'm sure she really does care about what I do durin the day, just like I care about what she does. So...

Last week I was sick for about half the week. I actually ended up having to call in to work on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday I wasn't feeling great, but I knew I had to go back to work. So, I pushed through the day. We were quite busy, actually, so I didn't have a lot of time to think about it. On Friday I worked almost the whole day, which is unusual for me. Usually I get to leave early on Fridays, but this one I stayed until like 4:30.

On Saturday, I slept until like 10, which was GREAT! Jules and I couldn't figure out what we'd like to do that day, but since Jules is cooped up in the house all week, we knew we had to go SOMEWHERE. We watched a few episodes of Friends and then decided we'd splurge a little and go to the movies. We saw H*ou*se B*unn*y and it was pretty good. Not as funny as I expected, but still pretty good. The overall message was nice. Plus we got some popcorn...and that can make ANY movie bearable. :)

After the movie we went to church, since our church offers services on Saturday night, Sunday morning, and Sunday night. I prefer the night services so we don't have to get up early on a "day off". Church was good. It was about not letting anger and bitterness rule your life. I thought about sending the message link to my mom, just because I thought it would be encouraging for her..but there's just no way to do that without sounding judgemental. Ya know? I mean, you can't say, Hey, mom...i heard this message and I think you should hear it too. HA! YEAH RIGHT!!

Sunday morning we got a text message from one of the girls who comes to our wednesday night group. She wanted to hang out so we told her to come on over. It was 11. She stayed until 9:30 pm. She ate lunch AND supper with us. She watched every episode of the first season of G*rey's An*ato*my. We were very tired and actually had some shows we wanted to see on Sunday nights. That didn't happen. We were very glad for her company...don't get me wrong. She's a great girl...but when we're on a budget and she eats TWO meals at our house, that's a lot of our scrimped and saved moo-lah. Plus, she drank two of my flavored waters and left her trash and stuff all over the house. She used our computer and desk and left her stuff everywhere. I was just tired and ready for her to go. :(

Monday morning came way to early. I had a hard time getting up, but I still made it to work on time. Work was busy and the Dr. was behind so people kept getting ill at me, asking, how much longer?? or Do you know we have another appointment to go to at *** time and we're going to be late??? OKKK>>>tell the Dr about it when he comes in...because honestly, I have NOTHING to do with the fact that he's not here yet. I have done my part...I have done every procedure and test I can do...now you just have to wait on him. Maybe if you complain to him, instead of me, something might be done about it. GRRR.
Oh...and a toddler wrote on our white wall with blue dry erase marker. And no one said anything to us. The parents just acted like it wasn't there. I saw the kid with blue marker all over his face when they were leaving and I thought..."hmm...that wasn't there before...where'd he get that?" So i went in the exam room and looked and sure enough he had marked on the wall. it's a big scribble mark about 8 inches by 5 inches. HOW ANNOYING. now we have to paint the wall to cover it up!! The least the parents could have done is tell us.

Today I am seriously dragging. Jules had to fly to phoenix today for some orientation stuff for her new job so she had to be at the airport at 5:30. YIKES! So it was an early morning for her and for me...so hopefully I'll make it through today without falling asleep. Really my main problem today is that I'm STARVING. I need a breakfast sandwich or some oatmeal from Starbucks!!!!

I have some pictures to upload. I'll put them up later. :)

Camping, Jobs, and Illness

So, on Saturday we went camping with our community group. Mostly? It was a disaster. I learned lots of things about myself though. Things like, I don't like to sleep on the ground, and I don't enjoy 32 degree nights when sleeping outdoors. I also learned that it's difficult to hold your poop for that many days. And that it's hard to change clothes in a tent. I learned that not taking a shower for 3 days does something to your confidence, and that roasted marshmellows are the best food on the planet. So, aside from my self-enlightening experience, i didn't sleep...i froze to death...i got a sinus infection which left me miserable for a good majority of the trip. I was so annoyed with some people's inconsiderate-ness that I was sure my head might explode. It rained. Mice got into our food storage and ate some of it. People fussed the whole time. I was very glad to go, and learn lots of things NOT to do if I ever go camping again...but I am not sure I've ever been so glad to be home!!!

Jules still hasn't heard from the interviews that went sooooooo great last week. It's a shame because she really deserves one of those jobs. :(

And, finally, the reason I haven't been writing is because I have been really sick. I got some stupid sinus infection while camping and it has knocked me on my behind. I had to take two days off work, and although I'm back at work today, I still don't feel 100%. So, that's why I haven't been writing. That's why I am not my normal upbeat self. I'll be back to normal as soon as I can get the 25 pounds of cotton balls out of my head and sinus cavities. :)

Flyers

Remember those flyers I was working on about a month or more ago? It was about 3,100 flyers? They were blank on the back and I had to stamp the Return address on all of them.
And stick the address label on all of them.
And then the mail center told us that they had to say the University's name on them. So we bought a stamp and I stamped the university's name on all of them.
Then they told us that they all had to be in Zip Code order from 00000 to 99999 and they wouldn't charge us for the sorting.

I sat here for a month putting all of them in Zip code order. Yesterday we get an email from the mail center saying that they are going to charge us no matter what for the sorting, so don't waste my time.

When I told my boss this he said just throw them all in a box and send them over to the mail center so we can be rid of them.

I did throw them in a box, but I wanted more clarification on the price before we just sent them over. Today I spoke to the supervisor of the DUMMY I had been dealing with. The supervisor said that there is a charge no matter what for sorting, but if they're in zip code order then they discount the charge half.

Remember what I said my boss said to do yesterday? Remember when I said I did that. I tossed them in a box, mixing up the zip code order I had slaved over. Remember THAT???

Livid.

I think fire may be coming out of my nose.

Step away from the remote!

So...I hate to admit it, but I love TV. I especially love getting hooked on a new show. And when I do get hooked, it's pretty serious. Jules jokes all the time that you don't even try to talk to me in the middle of a show/movie that I enjoy. Because, basically, I'll ignore you completely. I probably won't even hear you talking because I am so enthralled in my best friend: the telly.

When I went home to visit in April my mom and sister were watching this show called "Dexter." I had never seen the show before because it is a Showtime Original. They began re-airing the show on CBS or something, in an edited format. I watched one episode with my sister and mom and LOVED it. So later my sister bought the first season on DVD. This past birthday in August my sister sent the first season to me along with my present, so that we could watch it. So, I introduced the first episode (which I hadn't ever seen) to Jules and we were immediately hooked. We sat there and watched the WHOLE first season and finished around Saturday at noon. Then, because we are seriously addicted we went to Blockbuster and rented the whole second season. AND WATCHED EVERY EPISODE. :)

I know. but it was SOOOOOOO good. I love it. So, yay for next year being able to rent season 3!!!

Also, we watch...

....High School Musical: Get in the show....or whatever it's called. On Monday nights...with REAL teenagers as "contestants". It's so dramatic that it literally leaves you thanking the Good Lord that you're not 16 again! It's dripping with crying teenage girls, catty whispering, and much much waving of the hands paired with high-pitched squealing! The guys are all, "yeah. I'm hot. She's hot. We're hot. I like to be hot." all the time. It's so funny! I know it's not that long ago that we were teenagers, but it's such an awkward time and it cracks me up to think about us acting that way! Well, anyway, last night Zac Efron appeared on the show and you can only imagine the squealing that occurred. I muted the television just to protect my ear drums and the closed captioning just read ". Folks, that is NOT a good sign! We just laughed and laughed.

I love mindless TV. It's so nice to sit and watch some redneck with a mullet chase down his half-naked girlfriend who has, as chick would say, an inner-thigh tattoo, and just laugh. It's a nice reminder that no matter what problems you may have...you aren't that guy! :)

Jules had an interview today...

HEY!

Jules got a letter on Friday at 5:30 that said that a job she applied for was very interested in interviewing her. The letter also said you must reply by August 22nd to get an interview. Friday WAS August 22nd. Remember what time I said she got the letter?? YEP. 5:30. She called the number immediatley, but no one answered. She left a message saying that she was sorry, and that she didn't get the letter until after business hours today (friday). Our mail-man is fantastic and honest and hard working...but he is also overworked and so he's out there delivering the mail after 5 on most days. So, she got up early this morning and called the woman again and left another message. About 1o minutes later the lady called her back and told her that the only time they could interview her was today at 11. Jules got up and rushed a shower and such. She then stopped by here on the way to her interview because I had the makeup bag (i was running late to work AGAIN today). I walked back out to the car and got the makeup bag (which was no small feat in itself) and met jules at close to 10.
She got lost on the way to the interview, mostly because the buildings weren't labeled with signs or addresses. After multiple calls to the office she finally arrived close to 10:45. I didn't hear from her until about an hour later, and she said it was a great interview. Actually, she said it was one of the best interviews of her life. Great, eh?

So, they said they'll be in touch. It really seems that something positive is going to come from this interview. They said they love her and they really want to hire her, but if they cannot get it to work out then they will hire her in a couple weeks when they open another lab position. It seemed really promising.

I know Jules is afraid to get her hopes up...after all she's been through. So, if you are a praying person, please pray that this works out one way or another.

thankyouverymuch.

House Sitting

We are house sitting for our friends.

They house-sat for us when we were gone to visit our fams in April.

They have a cat.

They're cat, as it turns out, is not Satan.

They have movies....and caramel popcorn...so we've been enjoying their house.

Yesterday when Jules went to check on the cat one last time before coming home...

The cat shredded a bag that held cat treats.

SHREDDED it. and ate EVERY treat. Of a FULL bag.

The thing is...the cat treat bag was up on a shelf.

A shelf with nothing around it.

No counters, fridges, desks, furniture of any sort.

Now, unless in the past few years where I have been cat-less cats have grown wings or frog legs that hide under they're allergen-infested fur, I just cannot understand how this cat got to his treats.

Perhaps someone broke into our friends' house, gave the cat the treat bag and left. Without taking anything. Because THAT seems more possible than the cat somehow getting the bag himself.

The focus is all wrong...

So, I was reading That Chick's blog today, and it was a post about a certain politician (i don't want people to google that politician's name and land here) having an affair. The post was about how someone said that the politician cheated on his wife and it was acceptable because she is overweight. I was infuriated by this person saying this and so I went to comment on her comments page and as I started reading what others had commented I ran across several HATEFUL and ignorant comments made by some coward who wouldn't list their real name. They only commented about 48 times under "anonymous" because they KNEW they'd be stoned by the other readers who love That Chick. I was infuriated to the point of 1,000 fiery suns by what this idiot said. I won't quote him, because he's probably typing in the ignorant things he says in a google search right now, just to make sure SOMEONE is talking about him. That's all he wants. But, he basically said that the reason men cheat on their wives is because the wives have gotten fatter and the men want someone who is prettier/thinner/whatever.

You know...I just feel sick to my stomach thinking about that. I feel angry towards this man who said this...this disgusting pig who admitted that his wife can't "SATISFY" him because she's gained a few pounds, so he went and found himself a 'better model'. PUH-LEASE. Judging by the way this guy talks, he's probably only someone a mother could love...and I'm sure we're pushing it to say that. But anyway, this post is not to bash him. It's to express something that I have learned from reading several strong women's blogs here on the interweb.

These are things that I believe because I am a Christian. You don't have to believe them...or even read them. But, this is what I have learned.

A man who has morals, values, and integrity...a man who searches after God and loves Him...a man who is looking for a woman who also loves God and who also has morals, values, and integrity...that man will not be so concerned with the size of a woman's pants. A man who is trying to be 'in the world' but not of it will not discriminate against a wonderful woman because she is not a size 0. I refuse to believe that EVERY good man in the world, especially Christian men would be only concerned with body size. A God-centered man will have other objectives and qualities to look for.

I stand firmly next to that belief. So, the guy who supposedly cheated on his wife because she gained weight...well, I'm sure he'll finish with that mistress, move on to another and another trying to fill the emptiness that has hijacked his life. The only thing is...he's looking in the wrong place for the answer. Real men do not trade in their wives for newer models. REAL men see the beauty in their wives in each stage of life.

I know that the whole world does not believe this. I also know firsthand that there are a lot of Christian men who DO cheat. But, the point is, if you are focused on God, size really doesn't matter.

OOPS...I did it again!

I used to have longer hair. My dad was weird about me cutting my hair, so I kept it fairly long forever. Then, when I was in college I thought about cutting it, but my boyfriend at the time just begged me not to cut it, so I didn't. Once he broke up with me I wanted a fresh start, so I went and got my hair cut. And I had it cut SHORT. It was about an inch long all around my head except the top and my bangs. It was flippy and cute and I loved it. Because it was so short I had trouble keeping it out of my face when I was exercising or needed to pull it back some. That's when I started using Bobby Pins, and I have never turned back since that fateful day.
My hair is not nearly as short as that now, but When I pull my hair in to a ponytail there are always pieces that stick out. So, I still use bobby pins everyday. I have them in my purse, in my pockets, sometimes they're clipped right onto the sleeve of my shirt, just in case I need them at a moment's notice. There is nary a place I can go where a bobby pin is not readily available. This poses a particular problem with bobby pins turning up stuck in the carpet, in the change bowl, in the car, at work in exam rooms, at the desk. They're everywhere! It drives Jules crazy because she will pick them all up and put them in a central location, like my bathroom drawer, and then in two weeks they're scattered all about again!

What does this have to do with anything? you might ask...

....keep with me....I DO have a point.

So, Jules called me on Monday and said that she was doing laundry and the water from the washer wouldn't drain. I said to put it on spin cycle and see if that got it all out. She did, and it didn't work. So, we called the ol' landlord and he came over on Tuesday and said it was beyond him and he would have to have someone come out with him on Wednesday. So, Wednesday he returns with his handy brother and they fiddle and flip and unscrew and push and prod in this washer. Finally, Jules calls me and said that there had been a problem with the motor in the washer and that's why the water wouldn't drain.

Do you know what the problem was?


There were two bobby pins stuck in the little propellars of the motor.


OOPS.

Signs of Hope

So, Saturday night we went to church. (for the one person who reads this who doesn't really know a lot about me, my church is a Christian church but they are a very contemporary church, so they offer services on Saturday nights, Sunday mornings, and Sunday nights. This allows for a larger percent of the population to attend...especially if you don't do mornings..like me.) Anyway, we went to church and although the preaching was good, it didn't speak to me as much as the songs did. Lately my mood has been suffering. Not because I'm angry or depressed. I'm just "down". I am saddened by the misfortunes of Jules. If you've been reading lately you know that Jules quit her job because it was a very damaging environment for her. She did so with faith that she would find something else quickly. That was 3 months ago. So far, not an inkling of a job has come through for her, and we just can't quite understand why. So, we have passed the anger stages and moved on to the hopeless stages. Things have been rough, and even when good things happen we have a hard time celebrating because we are just waiting on that next shoe to drop. But Saturday, as we sat at church, the songs began to speak to me. They were words of hope. I felt a calmness that I haven't felt in a long time. Then, I began to remember that Satan would like me to feel forgotten. He will try everything to make me feel in a deep, dark, hopeless situation. But the truth is, we're not. In reality, we have NO IDEA what is in store for us, and God's plans are not to harm us. They are for us to prosper. So...I felt hope.

Sunday we went to the Rockies game with our friends from church, because it was Faith day and all the churches in the area bought tickets. After the game Steven Curtis Chapman played. He talked about how difficult it's been for his daughter to have been accidentally killed. He had his son there with him, Will Franklin. Poor kid. Anyway, SCC began to talk about how this song he wrote years ago called "Who's going to love Maria?" has new meaning to him. He was clearly fighting the emotion the whole time. Clouds started to roll in as he was talking. He made the comment that if we saw him take off towards the lightening to just let him go. He said he's ready to go Home, and see Maria again. The pain was clearly more than he could bear. So he started singing the song and slowly rain started to fall, like God was crying right along with Steven Curtis Chapman. Then, the brightest rainbow I've ever seen was painted across the sky right behind Steven Curtis Chapman, where it was impossible to miss. God created the rainbow as a symbol of hope and of a promise that he would take care of us. So...I felt hope (and I hope Steven Curtis Chapman did too).

It truly was a weekend of reminders that things would be okay. Yesterday the washer broke in our apartment. Luckily we rent, and the washer and dryer are included, so we don't have to pay for it. But, I think it was a desperate attempt by Satan to bring us down again. But, you know what, it won't work. I feel hope. Things will be OK.







And I will keep telling myself that until I am positive it's true.


Fake it till you make it. :)