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I've been tagged...

My SIL tagged me with this MEME, so here it goes. The instructions were to come up with words using the letters of my middle name that describe me.

S- Self-conscious- I am always worried about what others think of me- to a fault
U- Underestimate myself, my self-worth, my abilities...
S- Super-sensitive. I wear my heart on my sleeve, no matter how hard I try not to.
A- Avoid conflict at ALL costs (I do NOT like to be at odds and will do everything in my power to keep the peace, even if I know I am 100% in the right)
N- Negative self-image (I have a hard time, even three years post-surgery, seeing myself as anything but fat & awkward)
N- Nice (back to the avoiding conflict thing- I will be unfailingly nice if it means a peaceful situation on the outside- never mind whatever stress it's causing me...)
E- Encouraging to my friends and family- no matter if I agree with them or not I will always stand behind them.

Now the instructions were to tag one person for every letter in my middle name- however- I don't have that many "blog-buddies". And I'll be kind & not tag Sally again.
I guess I can tag Jayme & Laura- and if anyone else want to play along, let me know! :-)

Lessons from a calf...

I "borrowed" this from my cousin's blog. This is one smart & compassionate young man. (Warning- you might need Kleenex!)

I was wondering...

Is it Friday YET??

YESSSS!!!! :-)

Finally...

I am finally feeling better! Just in time for a very busy weekend, but at least I don't feel so worn out & exhausted. I only have 35 days left to get all our Christmas presents completed (all but two of the gifts we are giving this year have some sort of home-made element to them) so this weekend is going to be busy getting those started! We also have to go shopping for dog kennels so we can take our puppies with us to Kansas for Chirstmas, so we can start using them and get the puppies used to sleeping in them at night. I am excited about Christmas coming this year, but still have a lot to get done before then! :-)

Another round of re-runs...

Just as soon as I have one good day where I'm feeling better and hopeful of getting over this crud- it rears its ugly head again- with differnt sympotms, but same yuckiness... today its a pin-pricking sore throat and ears again... I guess I'm gonna have to finally break down and go to the doctor- but finding the time to drive to Pueblo is sooo hard right now (especially since I'm trying to save my time to go to Kansas for Christmas). We'll see how the warm drinks and sore throat lozenges do today... sigh... I hate feeling lousy :-(

My wonderful husband...

My hubby texted me around 12:30 today, out of the blue, to tell me he was bringing me lunch. He is sooooo wonderful- he came and picked me up and took me to the park for a "car" picnic! I love him so much, and am so thankful to God that he brought G into my life. Thank you for a wonderful picnic G. :-)

BRONCOS RULE!!!

Just a little dig for my SIL, Sally, who was at the Broncos/Chiefs game in Kansas City today. Hope you had a nice anniversary even though the Broncos tromped all over those Chiefs! :-) Maybe we'll have to have that friendly bet for the Dec. 9th game (Broncos vs. Chiefs @ Denver)...Lets say losers buy dinner out at winners restaurant of choice at Christmas??? ;-)

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Friday...

for a repeat of Monday... I had to come home from work earlier today- again. Yuck!!! I have, what I am guessing to be, a chest cold. My chest burns when I cough, which isn't all that often, but it seems like a lot because of the burning. And my ears hurt off and on- like someone is jamming a pencil in them. Some of my co-workers have been put on antibiotics this week, so I guess that's the road I'm heading towards too. I'm hoping resting and treating with OTC stuff will help- we'll see... I just wish the peanut butter cups would have worked... ... What a way to start a three-day weekend...

Sick day...

Well, half a day, but still, it's because I am sicko!!! :-(
I caught a head cold from work, (its a germ cess-pool all winter long- as soon as school starts- all those kids bring their germs in with them) thankfully most of my clients don't come into the office for themselves (most of my clients are in the nursing home or home-bound)or they would all be sick too.
So I'm bundled up on the couch, watching Food Network, reading my newest Karen Kingsbury novel (I just got 13 new books from Ebay for about 1/3 of reatil cost!) with my Reeses Minature Peanut Butter Cups and Cherry Cordial Hershey's Kisses for a little recovery time. Hope it helps- cause I have to go back to work tomorrow...

Beautiful Fall Day

We took advantage of a rare weekend home to play in the fall leaves and warm November sun today! :-)

Halloween Treats

Yesterday, my office had a "party" for Halloween. We all dressed up in our costumes, and had a pot-luck that we all ate off of all day long. It was Yummy!!! :-) Here's what I brought for the pot-luck! Doesn't it look delicious?!?!?


It's called Kitty Litter Cake! It's the perfect "trick" to play on pot-luckers. :-)
It really is good, even though it looks so gross:-)

Update

My uncle is doing a lot better! They released him from the hospital this past Saturday, but sent him to a rehab center to get stronger before letting him go home. But the rehab center seemed to think he didn't need to be there, he is able to do so much compared to other post-op patients they have. So hopefully he won't be there but a few days.

Lonely

Tonight is the first night my husband and I are spending apart. He had a two-day work meeting to go to 3 hours from home. I am LONELY! :-( And I haven't gotten anything done off my "things to keep busy while G is gone" list, I just don't want to do anything! So, sorry G- the after pic will probably look like the before. ;-)

Mom's Song

This is funny but so true!!! :-)

Recovering

My Uncle is now out of I.C.U., they all seem to be impressed with his progress, he hasn't even asked for any pain medicine since Friday. He has to stay on the cardiac floor 4-5 days, so hopefully he'll get to come home on Thursday or Friday. We are so very thankful for his progress! :-)

Redneck Church

My husband emailed this to me- he loves redneck jokes! :-) This was pretty funny if I do say so myself! :-)

1. YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN A REDNECK CHURCH IF...THE FINANCE COMMITTEE REFUSES TO PROVIDE FUNDS FOR THE PURCHASE OF A CHANDELIER BECAUSE NONE OF THE MEMBERS KNOWS HOW TO PLAY ONE.

2. YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN A REDNECK CHURCH IF... PEOPLE ASK, WHEN THEY LEARN THAT JESUS FED THE 5000, WHETHER THE TWO FISH WERE BASS OR CATFISH, AND WHAT BAIT WAS USED TO CATCH 'EM.

3. YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN A REDNECK CHURCH IF...WHEN THE PASTOR SAYS, "I'D LIKE TO ASK BUBBA TO HELP TAKE UP THE OFFERING, " FIVE GUYS AND TWO WOMEN STAND UP.

4. YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN A REDNECK CHURCH IF...OPENING DAY OF DEER SEASON IS RECOGNIZED AS AN OFFICIAL CHURCH HOLIDAY.

5. YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN A REDNECK CHURCH IF...A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH REQUESTS TO BE BURIED IN HIS 4-WHEEL-DRIVE TRUCK BECAUSE "IT AIN'T NEVER BEEN IN A HOLE IT COULDN'T GET OUT OF" (LOVE IT!)

6. YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN A REDNECK CHURCH IF...THE CHOIR IS KNOWN AS THE "OK CHORALE".

7. YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN A REDNECK CHURCH IF...IN A CONGREGATION OF 500 MEMBERS, THERE ARE ONLY SEVEN LAST NAMES IN THE CHURCH DIRECTORY.

8. YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN A REDNECK CHURCH IF...PEOPLE THINK "RAPTURE" IS WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU LIFT SOMETHING TOO HEAVY.

9. YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN A REDNECK CHURCH IF...THE BAPTISMAL POOL IS A #2 GALVANIZED "WHEELING " WASHTUB.

10. YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN A REDNECK CHURCH IF...THE CHOIR ROBES WERE DONATED BY (AND EMBROIDERED WITH THE LOGO FROM) BILLY BOB'S BARBECUE.

11. YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN A REDNECK CHURCH IF...THE COLLECTION PLATES ARE REALLY HUBCAPS FROM A '56 CHEVY.

12. YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN A REDNECK CHURCH IF...INSTEAD OF A BELL YOU ARE CALLED TO SERVICE BY A DUCK CALL.

13. YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN A REDNECK CHURCH IF...THE MINISTER AND HIS WIFE DRIVE MATCHING PICKUP TRUCKS.

14. YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN A REDNECK CHURCH IF...THE COMMUNION WINE IS BOONE'S FARM "TICKLED PINK".

15. YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN A REDNECK CHURCH IF..."THOU SHALL NOT COVET" APPLIES TO HUNTIN'DOGS, TOO.

16. YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN A REDNECK CHURCH IF...THE FINAL WORDS OF THE BENEDICTION ARE, "Y'ALL COME BACK NOW, YA HEAR".

Slow Recovery

My uncle is doing better- he is awake and alert (as much as he can be while sedated- he is still sedated because they haven't taken him off the ventilator). They are planning to take him off the ventilator later today. More updates later.

Out of Surgery

My mom called at told me my Uncle made it through the surgery- they ended up only doing triple- bypass (the 4th blockage was in such a small vein they couldn't do anything with it). He's in the I.C.U. and will be on the ventilator until he wakes up some more. Thank GOD he came through the surgery, now the long road to recovery begins...I'm sure we will all be learning lots of new things through this! :-)

Surgery

My uncle went in for his open heart surgery this morning at 8am. I still haven't heard anything, but I have been praying all morning! The doctors were very optomistic about his outcome, I just pray that will actually be the case. At least he is only in Colorado Springs instead of Denver (Colorado Springs got a bed open before Denver and his doctor in Pueblo said the doctor in Springs comes highly reccomended), I just wish they would have got him in before today. He's been in the hospital for a week already (basically waiting for a surgery time), and probably another week after the surgery. Please, GOD, let him be okay...

Modern Medicine

I am thankful that we live in this time of "Modern Medicine" where doctors can diagnose diseases and such so quickly that in many cases you take some medicine, or have a minor operation, and your problem is over- like it was never there. But it is sad that there are still doctors that can let someone's symptoms get so far that it is life-threatening, when if it had been caught earlier, when it should have been, it would have been a minor problem.
My uncle, my mom's brother, kept telling his doctor that he felt increasingly tired- for two years he has told the doctor this- every time he got on him for gaining weight, and telling him he had to exercise more; my uncle would tell them that he was so utterly exhausted after work, that he could barely make the two-mile drive home, and then he was fast asleep as soon as he sat down in his easy chair. He has had a cough for a while now, and at times it can get so severe he has broken ribs- just from coughing. He had another such spell this past Tuesday night, and went to the E.R. with back pain from his coughing spell. The E.R. doctor told him he'd had a heart attack (which the Cardiologist later retracted). But they kept him in the hospital to monitor him, and when he didn't get better, they decided to do some more tests. Today, they did a angiogram and found out that all four main arteries to his heart are 99-100% BLOCKED! It is amazing that he is still alive.
So right now were are wondering how his doctor could let him get this sick, and waiting to find out where they are going to transfer him to Denver University Hospital to do quadruple bypass surgery (because none of the doctors in Pueblo will touch him- too high-risk). Your prayers are greatly coveted at this time as we wait and see, and wonder, and worry, and... PLEASE pray for my Uncle and my mom, he's her only living relative left, I don't know what we'd do without him...

The ABC's of the Happy or Horrible Homemaker:

I got this off my SIL's blog. She did it a few months back, and now since I've got almost six months of honest-to-goodness homemaking under my belt, I thought it woild be a good time for me to do this one. :-)

The ABC's of the Happy or Horrible Homemaker:

Aprons (Y/N): Nope, just means something else to have to clean, I guess it wouldn’t matter now that I clean my hubby’s work aprons

Baking (Favorite thing to bake): I LOVE to bake...any kind of pastry- I love experimenting with new recipes!

Clothesline (Y/N): NO, I don’t even like hanging things to dry, I don’t like the “dimples” left by the hangars or clothespins.

Donuts: Not something I go out of my way for- but if they’re around I’ll have one.

Every Day (One homemaking thing you do every day): I cook dinner at least five times a week, from scratch- and the others are usually reheating something I made earlier in the week, and then have to at least rinse dishes…

Freezer (Do you have a separate deep freeze?): Yes, and I love it! We live in a small town, so it’s nice to have the deep freeze so we can shop in the larger town where things are cheaper. My goal is to eventually only shop once a month.

Garbage Disposal (Y/N): No, and I miss it! But my husband decided since we live in farm community that it would be ideal to have a compost heap so most of our scraps go there.

Handbook (What is your favorite homemaking resource?): MOM...First, and any cookbook or magazine I can get my hands on for new recipes- we try at least one new recipe a week!

Ironing (Love it or hate it?): What’s Ironing??? 

Junk drawer (Y/N) (Where?): Yes, sort of. Right now it’s still in boxes from moving, maybe we’ll try to keep it that way!

Love (What is your favorite part of homemaking?): Cooking- I love trying new recipes, and making up my own- we’ve come up with some really good meals just by mistake! 

Mop (Y/N): The new “swiffer” style mops do make it easier, but still not something I do real regularly.

Nylons: Only in the most formal of situations do I wear them (I even went without them for my wedding- went barefoot!  But I remember hearing stories about my grandmother and aunt getting dressed up, Nylons and all- just to go grocery shopping!!!! I’m thankful I live in the time I do, and not back then.

Oven (Do you use the window or open the door to check?): I try not to open the door, but sometimes you have to do the “toothpick” test to check doneness.

Pizza (What do you put on yours?): I have two favorite pizzas that we make at home, one is our taco pizza (refried beans, hamburger & salsa, and top it with cheese, lettuce and sour cream… MMMM!) and Chicken Alfredo (Alfredo sauce, grilled chicken and fresh spinach).

Quiet (What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment?): Just about the only quiet time I get is sleeping. But I am trying to do more Bible Study and pleasure reading lately. I just started the “Redemption” series by Karen Kingsbury

Recipe card box (Y/N): Not a box, but a notebook!  I have a “household planner notebook” that has all my menu planning and a list of recipes I want to try and what book or magazine to find them in.

Style of house: Ranch

Tablecloths and napkins? Nope, again- extra washing I don’t want to do

Under the kitchen sink (Organized or toxic wasteland?): Organized, cleaning stuff, dishwasher gel-pacs and extra sponges on one side, trash bags and grocery bag holder on the other.

Vacuum (How many times per week?): Not that often, if I’m lucky it’s once every two weeks, but its more like once a month, unless absolutely gross.

Wash (How many loads of laundry do you do in a week?): 2-4, sometimes we stretch it to last two weeks, and then I’ll have more It’s actually more economic for us, we have enough clothes to get through two weeks, and then we have full loads, so that’s what are trying to do more.

X’s (Do you keep a daily list of things to do and cross them off?): Work, daily lists home are more weekly, except for menus which I am trying to stick to more.

Yard (Who does what?): My husband’s domain- he takes care of the dogs (they are outside dogs) for the most part as well

Zzz’s: Try to get to be by 10p at the latest. Sometimes as early as 8:30p, very rarely it’s after midnight.

No news

It's really kinda sad... I've been racking my brain all morning trying to think of something to post about. I can't think of anything to tell... bummer. Anyone have any ideas, or anything you want me to expound on??? :-)

Slow -Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com for a pinch-hit dinner last night. I forgot to plan anything or get anything out of the freezer, so I found this recipe, went home on my lunch break and threw it all in the crock-pot on high (frozen chicken and all), and Voila! Dinner was done when I got home from work! The changes I made to recipe are (included).
It was very yummy!!! :-)

INGREDIENTS
1 pound shredded, cooked chicken (used frozen chicken thighs and then cut into bite-size pieces before serving)
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed (used jared Salsa- about 10- 12 ozs.)
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers (used a 7 oz. can)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water (only used 1 1/4 cups)
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf (left out)
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro (left out)
(Added a 15 1/2 oz can of Navy Beans, drained)
7 corn tortillas (used bagged tortilla chips)
vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS
Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup (we served it over cooked brown rice)

Where's George?

Check out this website. It's wheresgeorge.com. You can enter the serial numbers off your bills and the idea is that others will do the same, and you can see how the money circulates.

Lists

I have realized over the last couple of weeks that after having been married for five months now, I am getting good at making lists. To-do lists for work and home; short-term lists; long-term lists; grocery lists; bills to pay; menus; cards to send list; wish lists. And it all started with the wedding guest list!!!! :-) That's a lot of lists!!!
But one thing has become glaringly missing from my lists in the last few weeks. Where is Christ on my lists??? He has been repeatedly moved to the bottom of my list, or at times, even left off completely!
But let's face it- we could not get by in today's world without lists. We have to keep track of all our work and play activities, doctor visits, weekend plans, and how much money we have. And then there's the kids- and the lists for them are even longer!!! So how do we keep our lists from overwhelming us? Keep Christ at the top!!! Matt 6:24 says "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other You cannot serve God and wealth." (or in our case- lists :-)
Are you using your list to serve Christ or is your list becoming your master? My prayer for us all this week is to put Christ back at the top of our list.

A Pirate's Life for Me ?!?!?!?

My pirate name is:

Calico Anne Cash

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Often indecisive, you can't even choose a favorite color. You're apt to follow wherever the wind blows you, just like Calico Jack Rackham, your namesake. You're musical, and you've got a certain style if not flair. You'll do just fine. Arr!

Cheddar Bacon Hamburgers

This was a pretty good recipe- we didn't use the horseradish, and used Heinz 57 with Lea & Perrin's instead of the A-1 (it's new and pretty good).

Cheddar Bacon Hamburgers
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Ready In: 20 Minutes
Yields: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup real bacon bits
1 egg
splash of A-1 Steak Sauce

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat grill for high heat.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, Cheddar cheese, horseradish, salt, pepper, garlic powder, bacon bits, egg and A-1 using your hands. Shape the mixture into 4 hamburger patties.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place hamburger patties on the grill, and cook for 5 minutes per side, or until well done.

Online Sudoku Puzzles! :-)

I got hooked on these after watching my BIL do them at one of our family holiday gatherings. :-)

Sudoku puzzles courtesy of Sudoku Shack

Look at my sick puppy...

Look at my sick puppy :-( I took this picture with my phone a while ago. Oreo had to go to the doctor today to get spayed. She looked at me like this when I followed her to the front of the yard to see what she was doing. I feel so bad for her- but know it was a very necessary procedure too. Hopefully she'll be back to herself in a couple of days.
This mobile blogging thing is pretty cool- you can send blog posts right from your phone! Nifty ;-)

Fun Saturday

Yesterday a group from our church made the three-hour trek to Denver to go to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science to see an exhibit and IMAX film about the Titanic. It was really neat. The exhibit was set up with all kinds of artifiacts that have been recoverd from the wreckage, and also had "scenes" set up to show us what some areas of the ship looked like. There was a section that looked like the deck, right down to the squeaky wooden floor, and a First-class hallway and suite and a third class hall and room. It was neat to hear about the costs for the different classes, and what that would compare to in today's market. Some of the first class suites cost as much as $2500 then, which would be equal to almost $80,000 now! The only thing I was disappointed about was I couldn't take pictures in the exhibit :-( (this was the only picture I got of anything Titanic- it was outside the main exhibit in the main hallway)but here are some of the rest of the Museum. Mostly fossil skeletons hanging in the main hallways. We had a good time though. And the IMAX film was a documentary about James Cameron( made the movie Titanic) and Bill Paxton (starred in Titanic) going on an expidition to the Titanic wreckage. It was really interesting to see.

And then we went to dinner with our friends E & M, who rode up with us for the day. We saw a restaurant on Unwrapped a couple of weeks ago, and decided to try it. It was soooo neat! It's called White Fence Farm, and had down-home country food, and atmosphere, it was a very enjoyable day!

Here are E & M sitting in a buckboard seat- M & I are taking pictures of each other! :-)

And here is one of G's favorite things- a John Deere Tractor!

And they call my dogs vicious...???

Check it out- a dog broke into our yard this morning. It was chaos!!!

The dog is a labradoodle (a cross between a Lab and a standard poodle). It forced its way into the yard, and all mayhem broke loose!!! And my poor Jonah was the one who ended up bloody and hurt.
:-(
We called the police, and Jonah recognized the vehicle that showed up- he ran and hid- he thought they were there for him!!! Poor baby- he was just minding his own business in his own yard, and he thought he was in trouble again.

Anyway the officer said they will hold the dog on viciousness and if anyone comes to claim it they will also be told if we end up needing to take Jonah to the vet they will have to make restitution. Unfortunately the dog was very unkempt, and had no collar or tags, so we figure he was probably abandoned... I feel bad for it, but also for my dogs. They get the bad rap for their breed, and yet it's another dog who attacks them!!!

And Jonah is doing okay, he and Oreo were playing just minutes later, but what a way to get woke up!!!
Here's where he forced his way in the fence.

"Parents" Again!!!

Check out our new puppy, and Jonah's new sister!! :-) We adopted her from the local rescue yesterday! We named her Oreo. She's only eight months old and is soooo cute and has a lot of puppy energy!!!

She bounces all over the place(except at the doggie-wash, she didn't like that very much, but she desperately needed the bath after spending two weeks at the rescue shelter). Jonah is very happy to have a playmate, and hopefully he won't try to escape anymore (though we hope the modifications we made to the fence will make that impossible.)

Our yard looks like a prison yard now (minus the barbs on the wire).

The worth of a human being???

I am worth $1,888,044 on HumanForSale.com
How much are you worth?

No rest for the weary...

This past week was VBS at our church. Our church is small, and because a lot of the parents work all day, we have our VBS at night. Monday through Friday from 6:30 - 8:15p for a week. G & I decided to get involved and chose to teach the 1st & 2nd grade class. It was fun, but tiring, especially since had to work our day jobs too. We had nine kids the first night, and I thought- I can handle this... then Tuesday night we almost doubled to fifteen!! Wednesday we jumped to seventeen, and back down to fifteen on Thursday. Our class was busting at the seams!!! (Literally- we had to take the table and chairs out and just sit on the floor so that we could have any room at all!) On Friday night we have our "program" which consists of each class getting up and sharing a song or Bible verses from the week, so parents can see what we did with their kids all week. It doesn't last a long time, and then we have refreshments- I think we were done by 7:30, and then had to clean up and tear down. But I have been growing increasingly tired over the week, and increasingly moody. And now here it is 4:25 am on Saturday morning, and I am WIDE awake- can't go back to sleep!!! I hate it when that happens- I am so tired I can barely think straight, but am thinking too much to sleep. Sigh... it's going to be along day... and my taterbug's third birthday party is this evening... I hope I get some sleep before then... I can't wait to give her her camera!!! (More on that later)
For now it's back to my laundry, and maybe I'll turn the T.V. on ( I hate to though, afraid I'll disturb my husband-who can sleep through anything...)

Actually we have found out G can't sleep through everything, he woke up to find me not in bed, and couldn't get back to sleep himself... so now we are both watching T.V. at 5:10am... Sorry G

Jonah the Cowardly Pit-Bull

I have to send my dog away... to Pueblo. He keeps running away (he did again today- the Police had him this time because he tried to get in some lady's car at the bank down the street.) So until we can get the fence secure (and we can't get that done until the weekend at least) we are taking him to my parents house so he can't get out and possible hurt or cost us a huge fine. And we also found out today that we can't use the electric fence in the city limits, we have to figure out something else.

Cowardly Dog

My pure-blood pit-bull, Jonah, is such a COWARD!!! He ran away again last night because of a thunderstorm. We had gone to Pueblo, and got home to find him missing. Spent about two hours driving around looking for him, calling & whistling for him. Checking in at the police station to see if he'd been reported out. NOTHING. So after crying myself to sleep, sure my dog was gone forever (and completely freaking out my husband- being so emotional about a dog :-) the police station called at 3 minutes to midnight to tell us someone had found our dog, four blocks from our house!!! We jumped out of bed, went and picked him up, came home- couldn't get back to sleep for alomst an hour. Needless to say- we had a bad morning trying to get up and ready for church, we mde it for worship, but not Bible study.

And boy does Jonah know he's skating on thin ice :-) He's been slinking around giving us those big "I'm sorry" puppy-dog eyes, and obeying our every command perfectly (which has NEVER happened before) I feel a liitle bad about what we are about to do, but not enough to stop me from doing it. We are going to hot wire the fence, so he won't try to get out again. Thankfully his cowardice should aide us in this- once he feels that zap, he will never get close to that fence again...

Changes...

I took a little time to look at my options with my blog template. What do you think?!?!? I like it, and had fun changing the design. I know there are tons more options, but I am just too tired and my eyes are hurting, so I'll have to save more changes for another day. But I am slowly learning! :-)

Birthday

Check out my birthday gift from my wonderful husband! :-) Its called PocketDish, and goes along with our Dish Network DVR. I can download all the shows I tape and take them with me. I can also download my music and pictures to it too. An all-in-one for me!!! I am excited to get it working, maybe I'll get a little on it tonight. G didn't get a chance to plan a birthday dinner for me, work was crazy yesterday; so we went out to eat, but he promised me BBQ later in the week.
Thank you G, for a wonderful evening! I love you!!! (And you are still the best gift- God blessed me with your presence in my life and I will ever be grateful to Him for it...)

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to me!!! I am working today (yuck), but don't have to cook dinner!!! :-) My wonderful husband asked what he could cook me for dinner. I picked BBQ chicken, and will leave the rest up to him. I did make my own birthday desert, last night, so I could share at work today, chocolate brownie cookies. Yum-O!!!(I LOVE Rachel Ray!!!) :-) I just hope I can make it through the day without anyone (clients) yelling at me. That would be a nice change...

Random Acts- revisited...

Back in May, my SIL, Sally, told about a random act someone did for her. She talked about paying it forward, which I always try to do with my time, but maybe not so much with my money. Last night at dinner, the opportunity arose to pay it forward and I took it! A local favorite restaurant has recently been "refurbished". The interior has been cleaned up, menus improved upon, including several new selections. On the back of the menu in the desert section was my golden opportunity!!! It actually provided a "pay it forward" desert!!! It was called the "Calorie Free Brownie" and read something like this: Calorie Free, fat free, guilt free desert! Just order our brownie pie and we will deliver it to the table next to you and you can watch them eat it!!!" So, to the shock of my waitress I ordered it!!! But I told her to wait until I was gone and just give it to some couple there just finishing their meal. When she came back with my to go containers she asked, "Are you sure you want that brownie too?" I told her yes- and then I left!!! I hope that couple enjoyed their brownie, and I think I'll probably be ordering a Calorie Free brownie every time we go there! :-) It does make you feel good to do something anonymously without expecting anything in return!!!

A child's reasoning...

"So does that mean Auntie K & Uncle G aren't married anymore?" asked my 7 year old niece yesterday. We were at the swim beach at the Lake Pueblo Reservoir where we had been playing in the water. G had been sick this past week, and with a sore throat and fever, had not been eating much. He lost ten pounds. (I'd love to lose ten pounds, but not that way- he was miserable!) Needless to say, the ten pounds made clothing (and other accessories) loser than normal, G had even cinched his belt tighter to keep his pants from hitting the ground! And with neither one of us thinking, we had jumped in the lake to swim and splash around with the nieces. Only later when I commented that my ring felt lose in the water did G get a horrific look on his face, as he pulled his left hand up out of the water, and sure enough... NO RING!!! :-( He is so upset! We looked all around the picnic site, and to no avail, drug our fingers through the sand and murky water where we had been standing (but there were about 200 people in and out of the water there). And Bug-a-boo was almost in tears helping us look- afraid we weren't married anymore because G had lost his ring. We got her calmed down and explained that the ring was just a symbol to let others know of our commitment. Luckily, we didn't spend a lot on G's ring, but it was still special to him, and he is upset about losing it. I love him and hope we can find another ring that he'll like. :-)

"The Boy"

"The Boy" is our only nephew. He just turned one year old last week. Isn't he cute??? Normally auntie and uncle think so too... but not right now :-( "The Boy" passed along his cold to auntie and uncle before ditching us to go home to Texas on Sunday while we were all visiting G's parents in Kansas. G's mom's family has a family reunion every year which we all attended, and then went back to the 'rents house to spend a couple of days with G's family. We had fun, but have been miserable for the last couple days... and nights. Like now, its 3:50am and I've been awake for an hour, and am feeling like its permanent for the day. Oh well- at least its Friday...

Update... I only got about another half hour of sleep. I'm glad I haven't sworn off Pepsi this week- it will be my best friend today... Only 8 hrs 45 minutes to go...

It is now 3:50pm- 12 hours since I first posted this. I am actually surviving, I don't know for how much longer, but I'll at least make it through the work day... I love Pepsi!!! :-) And I still think "The Boy" is cute and love him- auntie is just not used to being up at 3 o'clock in the morning on a work day... :-)

Tornadoes

I just crawled out of my cellar, where I sat with my husband and the insurance broker who was at our house for the last 45 minutes because we were under a tornado warning! It ws so strange, because we have a weather siren in our town that goes off every night at 7:00p, but tonight it was going off at 9! And it went off for three whole minutes, which means a warning has been issued. And here we are looking online and on the television for infomation- and there was absolutely nothing posted!!! It took 3 more minutes after the siren went off for the television and internet to catch up. My friend from work called and asked if we were in our cellar, I said "Not yet" and she said, "get going- the tornado just touched down 8 miles away- and its heading our way!!!"
And last night we sat at Wal-Mart while it hailed so much and so hard that we couldn't talkto each other in the store. And got home just in time to get drenched when round two started. We have a huge tree branch in our driveway that the power company had to come take down off the power lines. (I took pictures- will post later)
Summer is officially here!!! :-)
And so, I just spent 45 minutes in my cellar, but that is okay. Better to be safe than sorry. And luckily the tornado did not get close, and so far have heard of no damage or anything. We thank GOD for His protection.
We had to smile as the broker from Denver left, he is still freaked out and in shock. I have the feeling he'll be talking about his "near death experience" for a while... :-)

Wedding Pics

Okay, so they're a liitle late... but better late than never! :-) I can't believe that we will be married two months tomorrow already!!! How time flies, and we are getting closer and closer to getting everything unpacked in our new house too! I am soooo thankful for that!

Okay so here's some wedding pics (Sally- don't worry I'm still working on the online photo album as well, hopefully in the next couple of days I'll have that ready too :-)

Here's the bride and groom :-)

Sanctuary- we had a slideshow of childhood pictures and pictures of the two of us before the ceremony.

Bride, Groom and Preacher (also groom's father :-)

Wedding party- only one missing is the ring bearer- he was napping.

Bride and bridesmaids (and new SIL's :-)

Groom and groomsmen

Flowergirls and Ringbearer- our five neices and nephew!

Cupcake feeding! We didn't have a tradtional cake- we had cupcakes! :-)

Bouquet toss- can you tell who I was aiming at?? My freind H-

Us with our parents- (thank you mom for making my BEAUTIFUL dress!)

With my family- (neice # six came 5 days after the wedding! :-)

With G's family

We are so very blessed to have so many family members and loved ones that helped us celebrate our Wedding day. And we look forward to making many more memories with them in the years to come! We thank GOD for blessing us so richly.

Blahhh...

Ever have on of those days where you just don't want to do anything?!?!? I am having one of those days! Major!!! And its especially tough because its a work day, so I HAVE to do something, and I just don't want to- I would like to go home and crawl into bed, and not leave it for the next day. I would love to catch up my reading and my to-do list (still working on thank you cards), and update my blog... and I just don't seem to ever have enough time to get things caught up... BLAHHHHH!!!

Ten years already???

This weekend is my 10-year high school reunion. I can't beleive ten years has gone by. Am I really that old??? I feel like it was just yesterday.
I am going to this reunion, this is probably the only one I'll go to. Its not like I've kept in touch with anyone since graduation. There were not a lot of people who were nice to me in high school. But I am going to show that people can change, and that physical appearance does NOT make the person. Because while most of them are going to show up heavier and balder and wearier looking than ten years ago, I am showing up looking better that ever!!! Far from perfect, but 160 lbs lighter than the last time any of them saw me. I bought a new dress and new shoes (my SIL Sally, would appreciate them- they have 3 inch heels!! :-) At times I feel bitter about my high school days and the way I was treated, and at times I look forward to seeing a very few of the people who are going to be there. I pray my attitude stays away from the bitter, and that maybe some of these people have grown up and maybe we can just have a good time. But to keep my hopes from getting too high, I keep telling my husband, "We're just going on a date, and some of the people I went to high school with are just going to happen to be there." And he's the one I'd rather be with anyway!!! :-)

Jonah

This is my (our) dog, Jonah. He is a purebred Pit Bull. He is a wonderful dog, gentle and kind and cowardly. :-) He is the antithesis of what the news/media portrays all pit bulls to be like. My 2 1/2 year old neice loves Jonah and loves to feed him "cookies". I say cowardly because when we took him to the vet on Saurday, he even cowered at the puppy that walked by him, and anytime a person would walk by, he would shrink down and try to hide behind me or G. He also jumps every time his water bottle bubbles up!!! :-) We finally got to bring Jonah home this past Sunday to our house, and he is now settling in to his new home.

My dad (and mom) built us his dog house, and I painted it. At first the paint (from a mis-mixed disount table) was pink, but it dried darker, thankfully.

I am excited to have him again, he is well trained and just needs a little refresher work. I couldn't work with him much over the last year or so because I couldn't handle him after having abdominal surgery. But now I can handle him- all 95 pounds of him! He won't weigh that much long though. We have a bigger yard and will be able to play with him and walk him now.

We took him on his first constitutional last night, and we were already getting requests to breed him! I had to laugh- he's neutered!!! :-)

A Fax from GOD

To: YOU
Date: TODAY
From: GOD
Subject: YOURSELF
Reference: LIFE
This is God. Today I will be handling All of your problems for you. I do Not need your help. So, have a nice day. I love you. P.S. And, remember...If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours. Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.
If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege. Should you have a bad day at work; think of the man who has been out of work for years. Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return. Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children. Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk. Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine. Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity. Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them!
Now, you have a nice day, GOD.

Slowing Down????

Everyone assured me life would settle down after the wedding. When?!?!?!?!?!? We've been married a month and nothing seems to have changed. I am sooooooo tired right not I can hardly think straight, and I still haven't even started on Thank-you cards. Will things ever slow down????

Coupons

Sometimes coupons are a pain-in-the-butt. But I got a great deal with some the other day. I went to the grocery store at lunchtime, and got an individual cup of rice pudding from the deli. When I checked out, the clerk told me there was a coupon on the back of the label, so he pulled it off for me to use right then. Well, then the computer generated coupons that are spit out with your receipt gave me a coupon for next time I buy two of the same kind of pudding cups. Now, normally I don't like minimun quantity coupons, but two single serve cups is no big deal. So I went back the next day armed with my coupon. To my surprise, not only did I find out that they were on sale, but the clerk took off the label coupons and applied toward my bill as well. So here's the breakdown of my pudding purchase:
2 individual pudding cups (normally .99 each) on sale for .79 each is 1.58 for the two cups. The label coupons were each .35 off, which the store doubles, so I got .70 off with each coupon. And then the quantity coupon that I had received the day before was for $1.00 off.
So the tally is
cost: $1.58 cost
minus: $2.40 in coupons
equals:-$.082- so basically the store paid me 82 cents to put the pudding in my cart!
Sometimes coupons do pay off... :-)

Pics of Doodlebug

Here are some pics of my new neice, Doodlebug. This make neice number six for hubby & me combined (and one nephew).
Comfortable in Uncle G's arms.

"So tired, Uncle G!"

And here is all three of my brother's girls. Bug-a-boo, Taterbug & Doodlebug!!!

I am so thankful for all three of them (and G's three neices and nephew as well!)! We are blessed to have lots of family around us to love and support each other. Thank God from whom all blessings flow...

Purse Meme

My SIL, Sally, tagged me with this. It took me long enough, but here it is finally! My purse! (I still miss the one Sally gave me for Christmas, but am still trying to figure out a way to fix it so it won't fray anymore.) So this is the one I've been carrying since I got home from my Honeymoon. :-)




It has two outside pockets, the smaller pocket is a perfect fit for my cell phone. The other has kleenex & lip balm & gloss in it.
Here's the inside. It really doesn't look like there's a lot in it but take a look at all the junk I have inside!!!

I have my wallet and checkbook, note paper, all the loose notes and receipts, keys, meds (tylenol), kleenex (my allergies have kicked up, so have to have lots of those), comb and hair ties, hand lotion, nail files, lip balm & gloss, my removable disk for the computer, my cell phone and headphones (I have a dandy phone, it doubles as an MP3 player as well) tums, lots of sweets (an energy bar and lifesavers and such- I'm hypoglycemic & always carry something just in case), eyedrops, and mine and my hubby's sunglasses all fit inside! Not to bad I think. :-)

Its Official!!!

I now have my MRS. Degree!!! :-) The marriage license came in the mail, its all final now!!! Now comes the long, drawn-out process of name changing, which I'm starting today at 1:30p. Going to Social Security Office to get started! Yea!!!

Wonderful Honeymoon

Last Saturday, after a wonderful afternoon with friends and family helping us celebrate our marriage, my new husband took me to the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs for our wedding night. When we got there, they upgraded us to a suite, free of charge. It was a magical night!!! I would have liked to stayed there the whole week, but Sunday afternoon, we boarded a plane to my surprise honeymoon destination, Los Angeles, California!!! (Not Camp Swampee:-) We had a wonderful week being tourists! We went to Disneyland on Monday, Universal Studios on Tuesday, NBC Studios and a taping of the Tonight show with Jay Leno on Wednesday (I called my mom and gave away our secret because I had to tell her why I wanted her to tape the Jay Leno show Wednesday night), and Thursday we went to Venice Beach, I wanted so badly to play in the Ocean, but it was freezing!! It was actually warmer at home in Colorado all week than where we were in LA!!! But we still had a lot of fun, and started a lifetime of memories together as husband and wife. I thank GOD for bringing us together as husband and wife, for planning such a wonderful man for me to wake up with every morning for the rest of my life! I'll post more later, but wanted to get something posted for all those who were waiting to hear about where we went.

Auntie Again!!!

Doodlebug, my brother's third daughter, made her scheduled entrance into the world today just after noon Mountain time. She is 7 lbs 8 oz and 19 1/4 inches long and looks just like my brother in his newborn pics. Thanks for sending me the picture baby bro, so I could see her. I can't wait to meet her and hold her and spoil her too- just like my two other "bugs" :-)

Honeymoon?!?!?!?!?

He brought me to *#?@* Camp Swampee!!! I can not believe he brought me here for our HONEYMOON!!! I can't believe he thought I'd enjoy sharing a cot and a sleeping bag for our honeymoon! I hope this is all a bad dream- there isn't even running water!! I guess I shouldn't have let him plan this all by himself... now where did the mosquito netting go?? Camp swampee... Maybe it'll get better... I hope so... can it get much worse?...

Round Two...

My voice is back, my cold has broke. I am seemingly on the mend. You'd think that would be enough for a soon-to-be (in two days) bride to have to deal with.
But not for this bride!!!
Here's what the National Weather Service is predeicting for weather in my area tomorrow (the day when family/wedding party is supposed to arrive...)
"Friday: Periods of rain before noon, then periods of snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Some thunder is also possible. Areas of blowing snow after noon. High near 35. Windy, with a northeast wind 15 to 20 mph increasing to between 25 and 30 mph. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%."
I am FREAKING OUT!!!
Granted, it isn't supposed to start until after noon, but we are in a blizzard watch!!! I know Aprils in Colorado are volatile, and that's why we decided to have our wedding indoors and not out. But c'mon!!!- now it's threatening to cut off travel for family and wedding party. I pray it turns out to be less than predicted, or at least waits til everyone gets here. Please Lord, let it be okay...

WHY!?!?!?!?

Three stinkin' days before my wedding, and I can't talk... I am so aggravated!!! My throat hurts, and I've been coughing my head off. I know its not an infection (yet) so I'm trying really hard to use natural remedies to kick this. (Vitamin C, Echinacea, and such). And lots of prayer. Lord, I don't want to be sick on my wedding day- please take this away... And G was very sweet this morning and brought me a new "Reeses Peanut Butter Cappuchino" from the convenience store. It is soooo good! I am not one who likes coffee, but this tastes great just like a peanut butter cup- and the warmth is soothing my throat wonderfully. Thank you G ;-)
I went and tried on my dress last night. My mom did an awesome job on it!!! It is wonderful and I feel like Cinderella! Just a few minor adjustments, and it'll be all done! The only problem is I'm gonna have to go barefoot for the ceremony, my shoes make my dress too short. But I don't mind going shoeless- I'll be a lot more comfortable that way anyways!!!
Only THREE more days!!!

Goin' to the Chapel...

...And we're gonna get married!!! I can't believe it is only four days away now!!! I get to go try on my dress tonight, my mom made it for me. I am so thankful for her, she has been through a lot, and yet still insisted on making my dress for me. Thanks Mom! :-)

This Saturday, I am marrying the man of my dreams (and prayers- God has blessed me so much by bringing G into my life) I can't wait!!! We are keeping the whole day pretty casual, no tuxes, the attendants are wearing Khaki- the flower girls are wearing denim capris, t-shirts and flip-flops! I'm even wearing Sketchers sandals under my wedding gown :-) We aren't having a wedding cake, we are having cupcakes! (G and I spent an evening baking 394 of them a few weeks ago- they're in my parents freezer til Friday) And our dinner is going to be grilled outside right before we eat. Nothing fancy at all- just good times and company to celebrate with! I am glad because I am much more relaxed over my wedding than I was over my brother's. I knew I didn't want all that stress again, and while there were moments, overall the whole process has been pretty laid-back.

Friday is the only jinx in the whole deal. It's Friday the 13th. I am usually not superstitious about that, but I have been dreading this one for a while now. I pray nothing drastic happens. Especially since most of our wedding party will be traveling that day :-0

God please be with them all- get them safely to town so we can all have a good time and celebrate together.

And then Sunday, my husband and I will get on a plane for our honeymoon. "To where?" you might ask? I don't know!!! All I know is that we are getting on a plane, and I am to pack shoes that I can walk in (the rest of my wardrobe is pretty much the same all year round -except for adding sweaters and sweatshirts in winter- so its easy enough for him to not tell me anything else) I have a guess about where we are going, but really won't mind where we end up- we'll be together for 6 days with no work, no alarm clocks- just us alone together, that's all that matters! :-)

Now if I could just kick this cold I caught over the weekend (moving into our house in freezing temperatures and snow) I'll be set.

Only FOUR more days!! YEA!!! :-)

Moved In...

After a long, long, long, cold weekend, we got all our stuff into our house. It never made it above freezing all weekend, snowed Saturday night, and I lost my voice. But we got all our stuff into the house and out of our apartments. Thankfully. We have a lot more stuff than we thought. Now comes the task of organizing and deciding what to keep and what to sell in our garage sale. We are gonna have one heck of a garage sale- that's for sure... But I lost my voice, I hope that's all it turns out to be... I don't want to be sick this weekend for my wedding and my honeymoon...

Finally!!!

We are FINALLY homeowners!!! Seven weeks after putting in our bid, the papers were finally signed yesterday afternoon. It's official!!! Now I can get excited! We get to start moving today after work. We have tomorrow off, so we can move alot tomorrow, and will ge done on Saturday. Now maybe I can get some rest before my wedding (whis is Next Saturday- only 8 days away!!!) No more noisy downstairs neighbors after tomorrow!!! Yea!!! :-) I can not wait!

Try it again...

The bank says everthing is in line for the closing this afternoon. I pray they are right. It would be very, very upsetting to have to wait some more. And now my brother has started the same process where he lives. I just smiled and told him to expect long delays and not to get in a hurry about anything... he's already experiencing it too. :-)
I have learned alot through this process. And hopefully we'll remeber all this for the next time around...

Stupid Stinkin' Bank

The stupid bank screwed up our paperwork!!! And didn't know it til this morning... so now all the paperwork has to be redone at the underwriter's office. Needless to say, we can't close on our house today... we are so bummed. Now they're saying it'll be next Wednesday before it will be ready. Stupid bank...

A MEME- I got this off my almost SIL's blog...
1.Where were you an hour ago?
same palce I am now- in front of my computer at work- for 4 more hours…
2. Who will be your next kiss?
My fiance
3. Who is your favorite character from the Wizard of Oz?
The Lollypop Guild
4. Are you wearing socks right now?
no way!
5. When was the last time you went out of the state?
February for a wedding shower in Fiance’s hometown in Kansas
6. Have you been to the movies in the last 5 days?
probably cloer to 5 months! The last movie saw at a theatre was the Guardian
7. What was the last thing you had to drink?
diet DR. Pepper
8. What are you wearing right now?
jeans and t-shirt
9. What was your last purchase?
groceries
10. Last food you ate?
animal crackers
11. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
A client for work
12. Have you bought any clothing items in the last week?
do shoes count? I bough my wedding shoes-scketchers!
13. Do you have a pet?
a pit-bull named Jonah
14. What's the last sporting event you watched?
Bronco’s game at thanksgiving with future brother and sister-in law
15. Favorite Disney movie?
The Ugly Dachshund
16. If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?
on my honeymoon (I don't know where I'm going on my honeymoon, but I'm still excited to go in two weeks!!!)
17. What is the last thing you purchased online?
DVDs from amazon
18. One thing you hate about yourself?
physically...all my loose skin
personality wise – That I don’t believe in myself more
19. What's your favorite soup?
Beef barley and Portuguese Bean Soup
20. Do you miss anyone?
yes.
21. Last play you saw?
The King and I –a high school production- many years ago- I can’t wait for the next one…
22. What are your plans for the day?
work for a few more hours, and pack up my house all night- maybe I’ll watch a musical!
23. There was no # 23!
24. Ever go to camp?
third grade- hated it
25. Are you an honor roll student?
when I was in school...yes
26. What do you know about the future?
that it’s secure in Christ!
27. Are you wearing purfume or cologne?
yes- OP Blend
28. Where are your best friends located?
Pueblo, Nebraska and Tennessee
29. Do you have a tan?
Nope- not in years, except my arms from driving.
30. How old do you want to be when you have kids?
before I’m thirty…
31. Last person who made you cry?
my noisy downstairs neighbors
32. Do you have any tattoos or piercings?
piercings yes...2 sets and one cartilage
33. How do you like your soda?
Ice cold PEPSI (regular- right out of the can)
34. Do you like hot sauce?
Absolutely!
35. What is your mood?
frustrated and anxious (house clsing tomorrow- wedding in two weeks!!!)
36. Are you someone’s best friend?
I hope so…

Moving Day Jitters

Not only do I still have half of my apartment to pack, but I have to be completely out of my apartment on Saturday (same for G- my fiance) and we still aren't for sure if we will even have somewhere to move our stuff to!!! The house closing is scheduled for tomorrow at 4p. I am PRAYING nothing else holds us up, because we both have to be out of our apartments Sat (end of the month) and with the closing situated like it is, there is no extra time to scramble for a rental or anything, if the closing doesn't happen according to plan. This is so frustrating!!! I will have most of my apartment packed tonight since G has to work late tonight so he can take tomorrow off. So I'll be ready to move, but I doubt I get any sleep tonight, trying not to get too excited, and trying not to play too many "what-if" scenarios through my head. Oh, Please Lord, let this all go okay...

Mini Pamper Session

I got to finish my book yesterday, I spent my whole lunch hour reading, and finished the last 40 pages at home last night. And then I got to use my new Pedicure foot spa last night. I LOVE it! It made my feel so good! Not as good as a professional pedicure, but maybe a mini papmer session. It was still nice though. I relaxed a little last night, even with more house/bank issues. Now the bank didn't get something from G's landlord, so G had to drop everything he was doing at work to go track it down himself, which he did- but just the thought of all the extra work he has had to do, I appreciate it and know its been stressful for him. I talked to God for a long while last night after realizing my worrying about ithas not been good, and told Him that I'm going to try very hard to leave the house details in His hands. He won't let us go homeless, and He will have a plan that is best for us, even if its not the plan we had in mind.
And now some exciting news! My mom has finished her radiation treatments and is Cancer FREE!!! I am so proud of my mom- she has accomplished so much in the last few weeks. Not only did she stand up to the big bad "C" word, she passed her CT-Scan registry test, and she's making my wedding dress, but she has given me a new perspective on silent strength. She went right on working and studying and sewing, and never once complained or asked "Why me?" she just kept plugging along, and I pray she is closer to God now than ever, I know she said she laid on that table and talked to Him every morning, since she knew He could hear her above the noise of the machines. I know I am closer to Him because of her. It was hard to "let go and let God", I am so close to my mom, and to not be by her side through all of this was tough. But I knew God would take care of her, and He did! He has been so good to us.
Well now down to business- its time for me to get to work. Only a few more days til I get a whole week off!! :-)

Stressed out and tired

I am praying I make it through this week okay, not only do I have a lack of sleep (thanks to the neighbors downstairs) and all the house deadlines (I haven't even started packing yet, and have to be out of my apartment by Saturday) but hormones decided to show up last night too!!! I cried myself to sleep last night, and the only reason I can think that stared the waterworks, was just how incredibly tired I have been. My fiance is so good to me too, he tucked me into bed, sobbing, and let himself out, and locked up for me so I wouldn't have to. I love him so much. He is my rock, and keeps me from going totally berserk at times.
I wish I could have stayed in bed today and finished my book. I love to read, and haven't been able to do a lot of it with all the wedding planning going on. But I found a new Lori Wick book last week and really got into it. I'll probably read my lunch away today, but it does help relieve some of the stress I'm having. I can lose myself in the book and forget my problems for a while.
I am also going through purse withdrawl... my future SIL bought me a really cool purse for Christmas, and I've only been without it a day since (when it got a bath), but I had to leave it with my mom to fix where I've already worn out the corners and they're fraying. None of my other purses seems to fit all the stuff I had in that purse... I'm gonna have to get another one simialr so I have a back-up in the future. I'd better make this short, I'm so tired, I'm having to type almost every word twice, with all the mistakes I'm making. 5 more days, hopefully less until I don't have noisy downstairs neighbors anymore, I pray.... And only 18 more days til I get married!!!

Red tape and Noisy Neighbors

More red tape with the house. Have to have more paperwork (for the things that need to be fixed) done before the closing. And now they tell us G makes too much money for the grant that has already been written into the loan stuff. So now the bank is scrambling to get us some other kind of "loan" to cover what the grant was supposed to. All this and we are supposed to close next week!!! It is soooo furstrating. And on top of that, someone moved into the apartment under mine, and three out of the last four nights, I have been rudely awakened between 12a and 4a when they decide to turn their music up and yell at each other. I am soooo tired, I was up from 12:30 to 2:30 this morning listening to "Low Rider" and other choice selections... Pepsi and Mt. Dew have been my close friends today. I keep praying that the house stuff will work out, I cannot WAIT to get out of that apartment!!!

Home Inspection

Oue home inspection was yesterday. There are probelms with the house that need to be fixed before our loan can be approved. I am praying that the sellers will fix them. If they refuse, we can't buy the house :-(

Homeowners!!!

We just got word the seller accepted our counteroffer for the house we have been looking at! As of today we are under contract for our first house! Check it out- not bad for a first home, completely redone inside, new kitchen appliances, new windows, new carpet and flooring, new bathroom. Ready for us to move in! Now just have to wait for financing. We have to wait til March 20th when the down-payment assistance for first-time homebuyers funds become available. But that's okay, and we'll be able to move most of our stuff all at the same time. I'll just have to keep a few things at my apartment til the wedding! Not a bad Valentine's Day present. The long stem red roses delivered to my office were a wonderful surprise this morning though! Thank you G for everything.

Blizzard 2007

I finally got pictures that I can post from the New Years' weekend Blizzard. Here they are! This first one was about 6:30 in the morning on Friday 12-29-2006. Notice the car off to the right. The "bump" in the snow is the same car on Sunday 12-31-2006 after the snow finally stopped.

These are the ones I like. This is the satellite dish on my neighbor's roof. These pictures really show the progression of the snow. The first two were taken on Friday, 12-29-2006, morning and afternoon. And the others are from Sat and/or Sun.

This is my Fiance G's little house that he rents. Look at all that snow!

The snow was even with the top step of his porch. There are three steps there under all that snow!!!

This last one is the one that best shows our "trench". We had to dig it that deep down half of the alley do that we could get our 4WD out to the street. Were we ever so sore!!!

We still have about half the snow left, it just isn't getting warm enough yet to melt much at a time.

I had to post one of Bug-a-boo and Tater-bug, who came to visit on Jan 1st. Look how high the snow was piled up here- the stop sign was right behind them!