♪♫♪♫♪♫ Life Comes at You FAST ♫♪♫♪♫♪

Now that the Smell is Familiar

2011-07-08T22:40:00.000-07:00

How about one of my favorite songs?

This song is so sentimental for me! I want to find LOVE again. He gives and takes away. My heart will choose to stay.

Please tell me of a time, Internets, where things have come and gone. A time where you've received something when you've least expected it.

xoxo

This Feels So Weird, Yet So Familiar

2011-07-08T22:01:00.000-07:00

Scent is the closest sense to memory. Have you ever smelled something that took you back 10 or 15 years? Calvin Klein's Contradiction, do you remember it? That's my take me back 15 years. When I smell Calvin Klein's Contradiction (to THIS DAY), it takes me back to the summer before my freshman year of HIGH SCHOOL. I'm walking with my best friend (who is still my best friend) and her sister to see Nine Months. We're walking from Ruby Tuesday's to the movie theater. You remember it, don't you? Hugh Grant and Julianne Moore, before he was caught sleeping with a prostitute. My best friend cried at the end, I thought it was sweet. Contradiction, IT TAKES ME THERE. Thanks Calvin Klein ;).

Well, anyways, this has nothing to do with Nine Months, Julianne Moore, or Hugh Grant. Nice diatribe though, right? But it does have something to do with scent being tied to memory. You see, I kept having this nagging feeling I should re-open this blog, but I kept denying it. I hadn't written on it in so long, what would people think? Where would I start? And then I opened a 'new post' to see how it would feel AND I could SMELL the familiarity. I could smell it, you guys. Don't ask me how it smells, as I'm not sure how it smelled *exactly, but it smelled like something I recognized. AND I REALIZED I MISSED THE SMELL.

And it was sweet (not the smell but the fact that it took me back). And I thought, YOU KNOW WHAT, I can do this, I can write on this blog. I might not recognize the life I had THEN but I have a life now, and it's not about being SINGLE, but it's about being happy. And this space had and HAS so much to do with being happy. I love this space! I was always so honest and real, so much fun we had here. I'm not finished yet! And if we're being COMPLETELY honest, I feel much more comfortable with Blogspot.

So, I'm back. It EVEN smells familiar. I'm not sure how often I'll type. But I'm sure I'll find something to type about at one time or another.

xoxo,
RAW

Big News!!

2010-06-03T10:27:00.000-07:00

Ahem... look who decided to show her face again- I can't believe it either!! After a good think about it and a huge desire to blog, I decided to get back to blogging. But not here!

NEW BLOG IS HERE! Add me to your Reader at http://bloggergonesingle.wordpress.com/.

I'll be waiting for you (wait... does that sound weird?). And I'll be commenting again, so blog away!

xoxo,
r.a.w.

Why Shouldn't You Tickle an Egg?

2010-04-04T17:37:00.000-07:00

Because it might CRACK UP. Bahaha. I'm sorry but I love Easter jokes almost as much as I love snowman jokes.

Happy Easter! I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday. I did. It was such a beautiful day here. Sunshine, sunshine, sunshine. It was wonderful. Well, except for that darn dog that kept biting the tires on my bike as I was trying my hardest to ride it. What a strange dog, it really loved rubber. It would not stop. And I couldn't get off the bike because it was my Mom's bike, and if we're being honest, I couldn't touch the ground very easily because I'm SO short. So it was weird and kind of like a scene from Kujo. But the day really was beautiful, so I'm thankful for that.

Also, while we're talking about things for which I am thankful but are also a bit strange... yesterday Homie was at Kr0ger perusing the vegetable area when a CAR CAME CRASHING INTO THE STORE. It didn't stop at the building either, it bulldozed through the card aisles and wiped out a couple of the checkout lanes. Luckily, no one suffered serious injuries. It was a case of a 79 year-old woman who accelerated instead of braking while parallel parking. Also, she didn't let off the accelerator while crashing through the store, which caused her to bulldoze through half the store. How crazy is that? Homie was RIGHT THERE and a bit shaken to say the least. Wow. Crazy. I tell you. Crazy.

And let's be honest, I haven't blogged in ages. I rarely have a computer when I'm away from work, and blogging from work just. seems. wrong. But all that's about to change because....

get ready for it...

I BOUGHT A HOUSE! Yes, I did. I close on May 6th. This means May should be a lively time for this little blog. I will have my COMPUTER, my CAMERA, my CAMERA CORD, and everything else that brings joy to my blogging. So, get ready for it.

Until then though... I'll be sleeping on an air mattress at a friend's house. Nothing like a piece of humble pie to get me excited for my own little place. A little cottage in a cute little area. I can't wait to share pictures of it... get ready for it. Because there will be LOTS of pictures.

Happy Easter! I miss everyone, and will be back to commenting soon.

xoxo,

r.a.w.

Health Kick Season

2010-03-09T08:44:00.000-08:00

Hello Internets!! It's good to see you again. The sun is shining, my calendar says it's the month of March, my pocketbook says ouch from its incessant opening and closing at department stores across the nation (the online nation), and my gut is feeling ~~firm~~ flabby... ruh roh. That's right ladies and ~~gentleman~~ more ladies, it's that time of year again. Health kick season is upon us. And in case you haven't figured it out yet, I love a good health kick.

This year I made the executive decision to join a gym, but not just A GYM, two gyms. Both gyms are at my work place which give me the opportunity to (wait for it) workout early in the morning (i.e. BEFORE work) or during lunch. Because we all know how popular I am after work, I can't be bothered to work out then. My new goal is to workout five days a week. If I workout before work I'll use one gym (lonely, cramped, not many machines gym) and if I workout during lunch I'll use the other gym (hello beautiful, open, lots of machines gym). So, that is my theory anyways. It's only a few dollars more to join both, and the little gym is close to my office, while the big gym is not. Makes perfect sense, right?

Also, I my car was washed on Sunday. It felt good to rid it of the salt and bird poo. However, what was not cool was the rain falling a mere three hours after it was washed. And before you even say it, it was not forecasted to rain. Not even a little bit. There was no rain in the forecast for DAYS. But luckily it only sprinkled and it hasn't rained again since. So, I'm still happy I got it washed.

Maybe it's the sun but I feel better. It's not quite as hard to get out of bed on Sunday mornings (why Sundays are the hardest, I have no idea). I've learned to make lists because I WANT to accomplish the tasks on that list, but only if I have a list do I care to accomplish anything (especially on a Sunday and its sad I know). I can see life zipping by without me and I want to keep up with it (I just noticed I was acting as a bystander). I'm still lonely sometimes but that's getting better too. The one thing I can't figure out is how to cook for myself (any ideas?), Homie and I remain friends, and that still seems like a good thing.

How are you? Am I forgetting anything?

Getting into a Routine

2010-03-01T18:31:00.000-08:00

So, I'm finally getting into a routine. I'm learning to live on my own again, which is so strange. I'm used to having a family- people who eat the food I cook (rather than me eating the same leftovers all week long), who are gracious for the house I keep clean (now it's just me), and for the love of all things blogging, I am used to having someone to talk to at all hours of the day and night. And someone to snuggle with at night (gag! I know). This breaking up is so hard to do.

And it's so hard for me to come to grips with everything. I love to have control of things, or at least have A PLAN. And now there is nothing. I just cannot come to grips with what happened to Homie (his traumatic brain injury), and WHY DID IT HAVE TO HAPPEN? It's the worst feeling in the world, the one thing I cannot change, the one thing I could not keep from happening. Yet these happenings are a part of life, and life was going so smoothly, but then it wasn't. And the hardest part is dealing with those curve balls.

But Homie and I have decided to remain good friends (at least for the moment). And that means a lot to me, that we can still communicate. But I also cannot imagine going out into the dating world again. I was so young when I met Homie. Not just my age, but my thoughts and naivete. I've grown so much since then, and I've grown so much in the past year and a half, I don't even know what age best suits me. Am I thinking too far into this? And I've lost a part of my sense of self. The part of myself that was part of a family and had a family plan.I had a plan when I was with Homie. Having kids, growing old with him, and loving him until the very end. And although I still want to do those things, the future is now so unknown (and that is SCARY). To know and have a plan, and then the darkness!

But I am happy for the most part. And I have great friends. I love both my IRL friends and my bloggy friends. I know with all of the support I've been given, I can get through this, I can get through anything. Thank you for still reading my blog even though the posts are so sporadic. It means so much to have a place where I can write and people will listen.

All of the Things I've Meant to Say but Haven't...

2010-02-17T18:45:00.000-08:00

... and none of it earth-shattering or juicy.

Since I'm only about six weeks behind, I'll say that I did join the hoopla that is New Years and resolved this year. Nothing serious. But I made two New Year's resolutions. One is to slow down. I am always barreling through life at break neck speed, I'm always scheduling myself in and rushing from one thing to the next. This year, I'm resolving to slow down. To relax, to calm down. Everything I do, need not be a competition with myself to see if I can do it faster than the time before. Also, I'm resolving to eat more salads. I love salads, and generally, they are packed with vegetables. So, I've been *trying* to eat a salad every day. With this, I also gave up french fries (except for the very rare occasion). And that is only because I eat out much more than I should, and I will get french fries every time if I'm not careful. This is actually going quite well. I do have to remind myself to slow down all the time when I find myself *rushing*. But it's definitely helping, and in the forefront of my mind.
I am taking the Complete Course in Professional Photography from the New York Institute of Photography. I quite like it. So far, I've completed two lessons. And am working on my third. It's really helpful, and I've found myself taking and studying my pictures much more intensely. Also, I've subscribed to a blog that does weekly photo challenges. Well, I've only done one of the challenges, and it's not online yet because I don't have my camera cord with me (boohoo), but I plan on keeping up with that. I've also thought about joining a 365 day flickr challenge, but I need my camera cord first. And that is a huge commitment, it would have to happen EVERY DAY.
I bought a new pair of jeans and I love them. I want to wear them every day. I haven't fallen in the snow once this year. This is a new record for me, especially since it takes me 25 minutes to walk into work and I have slipped (but NOT fallen) about 500 times. So, glad too. Last year I fell and ripped my pants like you would not believe, so embarassing!
The walking... and the snow... is making me so hungry. SO HUNGRY! It's like all I want to do is shove food in my piehole. Every chance I get. So weird.
Today I ate Indian food, it was so good. Tomorrow I am a hosting a little dinner party (at a friend's house), and I am really terrible at the dessert part. I have no idea what to make, and I am usually pretty bad at making sweet things. It might come out of a box... oops.

OK. I can't think of anything else. Happy Wednesday!

Raise Your Hand

2010-02-16T16:23:00.000-08:00

If winter has your panties wadded so far up your arse you can't think straight. You too? Because this season is doing a number on me. Also, I cannot believe I just said that on MAH BLOG!? What has gotten into me?? I go away a couple of days and come back a foul-mouthed panty- talking fool (don't take note of this Google, I don't want the panties stalkers on my blog). Anyways, back to the subject at hand, and that subject is SNOW. It's pretty at first, but just when you think you've had all the snow you can take, you are presented with another 5-7 inches. And do you know what I hate the most? The fact that it is damn near IMPOSSIBLE to run out to your car quickly and grab one small thing (or just to warm it up for that matter) and come back clean. By the time you make it the 2.5 feet from your door to the car and back to the door again, you've gotten snow so far up your legs you begin to wonder if you are actually wearing pants. But you know you are because that shit is cold, and although your legs are cold, they're not THAT cold. And then no matter how hard you try to keep the snow on the OUTSIDE of the door, it makes its way inside. In an effort to shove the snow out the door, you open it just slightly, just enough for those raging 25mph wind gusts to send another inch of snow through your front door. Which is AWESOME, right? Who doesn't want to clean up snow clumps when they're already running five minutes late for work? And the best (this totally happened)... boots go on, warm car up, take boots off, welcome an inch of snow inside the front door, clean up snow clumps, finish getting ready, boots go on, get in car, realize that something I very much need... is you guessed it, INSIDE. BAHAHA! I love the snow.

And I could shovel the snow, but let's be honest, I don't even own a snow shovel. Especially not now that I'm staying somewhere that isn't even my own house (and let's face it, I didn't shovel then either). And it's not that bad. It's not that I sit around grumpy because there is snow on the ground, it's just that when you want to do something, going out to your car takes on a whole new meaning. And I really think that February is the be-all-end-all on winter for me. So, next year the groundhog better not see his shadow. He better come out and play. I need that six weeks to be nice weather. And everyone keeps saying we're going to get hit hard... one more time. But it will end... March is the 'in like a lion, out like a lamb month'. So, hopefully, only one more month. And don't even remind me of that one year we got hit hardest in April, because then I might cry.

So, are you still enjoying winter? Or are you ready for those nice warm Spring months too?

Also, Happy Fat Tuesday.

Hi'Ya and a Winner

2010-02-10T17:59:00.000-08:00

Thanks so much the sweet comments in regards to my last post. It was definitely a hard post to write, and it was definitely difficult to put out there. But now, NOW, I feel so much better. And I only lost ONE follower. So, that's not too bad right? Of course, I'm only kidding, I don't get my panties in a wad that easily. And I'm sure it wasn't that one post that sent them on their way, anyways. So, yes, thank you. I'm looking for a new place to live, and crossing my fingers that I can find one before April (hello tax credit). I'm kind of excited about this new adventure (if we're looking at the positive side of things and we totally ARE).

On to more important business, I finally picked a winner for my Gap Giveaway. In the end I used random.org. I had great thoughts of printing the comments, cutting them out, and then drawing an entry. But that was just too much. I don't have my camera cord right now, or a printer, so it was just out of the question.

Now... drum roll please, are we ready to find out the WINNAH??? Drum roll again... #30 Heather wins from Paisley-Place. Email me, yo, and I will happily send you the gift card. I really wish I could send one to all of you, but of course I can't afford that, so I'll just have to do another one soon.

Also, I loved reading everyone's answers. It was fun to see your favorite posts, what you'd like to read more about, and it was also nice to know that only one of you was using me for my giveaway (ahem...Nettie, it's a good thing I love you ANYWAYS).

So, Happy Wednesday. I hope you have a wonderful night!!

And email me Heather.

xoxo.

At Least I've Lost Weight!?!?

2010-02-09T12:07:00.000-08:00

I remember when Homie was sick, and I was shuffling around, transporting him to therapies, and every where else I (or he or the Bean) needed to be at the time. The stress of that time, I can still remember, the adrenaline pumping through my veins. Right now, I feel the same way. I feel like I am running on adrenaline alone. And I feel like I am making the ups and downs of my life more than known on my blog. But there does to be one important aspect I've left out. I'm not sure why I haven't said anything, but I guess it has something to do with my pride, and the fact that letting it out in the open is like revealing a huge epic failure. And revealing it to one person at a time OVER AND OVER AGAIN. Fun!

There are good days and bad days. But these days seem to have more bad than good. And I'm trying to change that because it's annoying even to me. Anyways, I'm looking for a new place to live, like a new place to live on my own. It's strange and weird to be on my own again, but I think it's for the best. After Homie's traumatic brain injury (his thoughts are) he needs to find his independence and not be such a burden on others. That I can understand (I guess). I don't think his way of implementing that plan was very honorable as I was quite surprised, and taken aback at some of his accusations. It's almost like watching someone slide backwards. The most daunting is that from his injury, it seems as though he's filled in the gaps of what he can't remember, with what he thinks is the truth. AND ACTUALLY BELIEVES HE KNOWS THE TRUTH. So, that was quite surprising and upsetting. But I will be fine, everything will be fine. I did really, really love Homie. But he very obviously has some soul-searching he needs to do ON HIS OWN. Also: he's crazy. :)

But anyways, now that we have that out there. Let's talk about something a little more uplifting. I am so excited about the giveaway. And I have not forgotten. I just haven't had my computer, so of course, I haven't been able to pick a winner. But the entries?? They were AWESOME. And every time I felt sad or depressed, I would think about the entries, and they would instantly make me smile. I'll elaborate more on what every one had to say at some point. And I can't wait to use some of your post ideas. I'll pick a winner tomorrow (I need to print them out and such). So, come back tomorrow, OK??

Also, I have the best friends in the world. Thanks guys!!

xoxo

Finally Friday!!

2010-02-05T08:02:00.000-08:00

I am SO excited today is Friday. The first few days of this week were rough, but I rallied through, and today is FRIDAY! Doesn't it feel so good to say that? I always wonder if Stay-At-Home-Moms feel that way. I babysat extensively for a family (who COINCIDENTALLY had a nanny but also worked from home), and when I/we weren't there during the weekends (equaled to ALL of a couple of hours), they were always, IT'S FINALLY MONDAY. I HATE THE WEEKENDS... WHAT!? I could NOT sympathize. But since then I always wondered if that feeling was mutual among SAHMs. And then there is Sundry who sometimes cannot wait to go back to work after a weekend at home. I also can't sympathize with that either... at least not yet.

Anyways, what I was trying to say was, HAPPY FRIDAY. I am so excited about this weekend. I'm not sure why, but I am REALLY excited. And I get to see ONE of my favorite friends. I hope I don't get a migraine like I did last weekend, that was NOT cool. Do you hear me Universe, NOT cool?! And also, I am going to relax a lot. And try and use my mind to keep the snow from falling (as if that has any possibility of working). I might even go shopping, there is so much I want to buy. My list is totally obnoxious, and completely materilistic, nothing I need. Is that terrible?

Also, I plan to take lots and lots of pictures. Photo project: blur. Plus, my giveaway. Don't forget to enter today, as THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE. LAST CHANCE. And thanks to everyone who did enter, you made my day. SERIOUSLY. It definitely put a smile on my face, I loved reading every last thing you had to say. And I'm so excited to pick a winner. I HEART YOU!

And I have tons of posts ideas. I'll keep those filed in my brain for next week (or if I'm feeling extra creative- this weekend). But yes, my blogger-brain-block is GONE. Thank goodness. I was worried I might not ever know what to write about again.

Also, a post that makes me happy, proof that it will be [semi] warm again soon- I love having archives. I remember this night, the night I was sprinting home in the dark. And the best part, we had been sitting out with friends/neighbors, and I specifically remember I WAS NOT WEARING A COAT, NONE of us were wearing a coat. It's the little things people, the little things. It's also the day we booked our tickets for England. Wow! I remember that day... it makes me nostalgic.

And the song I am feeling today (too much for a rainy day? perhaps. but I can't get enough).

Laughter... And a Freakin Tutu

2010-02-03T18:17:00.000-08:00

And today... there was laughter. Can you believe it? Don't even tell me you just did the biggest double-take of your life (or NOT, just go along with it, OK)? Because after yesterday I thought I might not ever laugh again, especially laugh like this... I was convinced yesterday was the day spawned straight from Satan himself, I was... unsure I would find happiness in my daily life EVER AGAIN (slight exaggeration). But after all of that pouting and depression, there was something beautiful in starting a new day today, and I am so glad I got that chance. Because after yesterday... I needed a laugh. And although I came upon my laugh by chance, I got it, and I sure as hell took it.

And in giving credit where credit is due... I'll share my laugh with all of you (sorry about the rhyme, I'm not THAT happy, I swear). I was blog hopping (as I tend to do for SERIOUS hours of my day), and I happened upon Dooce. Now I read Dooce on occasion, and I'll be the first to admit that sometimes she really makes me laugh, I've been in stitches (about to pee my pants) a few times while reading her blog. It doesn't happen ALL of the time but it does happen sometimes. Well today, TODAY, was like no other and I could. not. (no matter how hard I tried) pull. myself. together... I could not do it. It was like the funniest thing I had ever read in my life. And in the back of my mind I kept thinking, but is it really that funny? I thought I was going to suffocate from laughing so hard (is that EVEN possible?). And I would think... get a hold of yourself, woman. You are crazy, this is SO not that funny. But I just couldn't do it. I read that post another 30 times and laughed and laughed every time.

Anyways, I don't know if it's just ME, or if it's just a side effect of my rotten day yesterday... but here is the post. I hope it makes you laugh just as uncontrollably as it did me. Man. Every time I think about it.

------------------------

As a side note, I think it's Leta's age. I can just picture everything about it, EVERYTHING. And I once was in an unfortunate situation where I *accidentally* said shit in front of a child while in the car. Something about a red light, I wasn't driving, and forgot the child was in the back seat. So, for the next THIRTY MINUTES or so, after the infamous 'S' word came out of my mouth that's all he said... shit, shit, shit. In every pitch and in every tone imaginable... it was like a never ending echo. It was awful but terribly, terribly funny. We were trying SOOOOOO hard not to laugh, but it was just so DAMN funny. And he would not stop... it was probably the best 30 minutes of his life. But then he finally stopped (and must have forgotten about it) because I haven't heard him say it since... thank goodness!!

Go laugh!!

One of Those Days.

2010-02-02T08:41:00.000-08:00

I am having ONE. OF. THOSE. DAYS. You know the ones. The ones where nothing goes as expected, or as it should go. The headache when I woke up, getting to work, parking my car and THEN realizing Homie's keys were in my PASSENGER SEAT (he moved my car to get into the garage last night), going all the way back home on icy roads, and then doing it all over again. NO FUN! But I'm feeling better now (luckily), and I want to remind you about my GIVEAWAY.

Hello people? It's for the Gap AND IT'S $25. Only a few people have entered. And the form is easy-peasy to fill out (if you can't get it to work, send me an email), and you don't have to answer all of the questions (the more you answer the more likely you are to win). I'll be picking the winner over the weekend (I hope, if I have Internet access).

Also, I am exhausted! Is it winter? Is it the fact that I keep getting hit with serious bouts of depression? I don't know. But it sucks a big bunch of ASS. I can barely get anything done. And I never want to take pictures, which SUCKS, especially when a few weeks ago I was merrily taking pictures of PLATES... PLATES. By the way, the snowman is now on my Happy Everything Plate... I'll be taking another picture soon (well, when I find the motivation... which could very well be on the 14th of Nevah... speaking of the 14th... hmmph). So, get ready for it.

I may or may not have heard from a certain someone (ahem... Homie) that I have the same chance of being a professional photographer as he does PLAYING FOR THE NFL. The NFL! And my photography... I am still learning. Maybe I don't even want to be a PROFESSIONAL photographer, or maybe I do. But Homie... he is OLD. Much older than ME, even older than BRETT FAVRE. So, when he says I have the same chance as he does (except he's playing for the NFL)... I have zero chance. So, guess who signed herself up for photography classes?? And guess who is going to be the BEST professional photographer EVAH! Right here ladies (and more ladies!). I'll show him. As soon as I find the motivation to pick up my camera again (ahem).

I'll stop here and save you from the never ending WHINE that has taken over my blog. Who doesn't like a blog centered around the whine (and yes, I would like some cheese with this whine thankyouverymuch)? Bahhhhhhhh. Thinking happy thoughts... thinking happy thoughts. I am a mess I tell you. A HOT mess.

The only thing keeping me sane is... YOU! Now sign-up for my giveaway! Do it!

Let's all whine. What's driving you crazy?

xoxo

Blog-O-Versary

2010-01-28T12:49:00.000-08:00

Say WHAT!? Has it really been a year since I started this blog?? Since I wrote my very first post. Seriously? I can't even believe it myself! A year... in so many ways it feels like I started this blog an eternity ago, and in so many ways it feels like I started this blog yesterday. Looking back it's amazing how so much can change in ONE year. It's amazing how much. can. change in general.

One year ago TODAY we were getting through the woes of Homie's traumatic brain injury. I was celebrating life, feeling blessed that he had made it so far and had done SO MUCH for me, I went on a health kick, and got uber sick of the cold. We went to England where I visited my favorite 5-year old niece, I was in a wedding, started cycling to work, we celebrated the fourth of July bbq style. Homie visited England AGAIN, and I missed him. I posted my first plate- The Happy Everything Plate- and debuted my new hair style. Each week for a number of weeks I participated in Hot and Healthy Thru the Holidays (until the Holidays became too much), celebrated Thanksgiving, posted more pictures of plates, and then went on a hiatus (of which I forgot to warn my bloggy friends... oops!).

I'll admit the beginning was rough. It's strange to write posts and not know who you're talking to or who's listening. It's strange to journal your life on an open forum. But now I love this blog. I love having a place to write and talk about my thoughts and theories. I love my sidebar and music notes and reading comments. It does so much for me, this blogging thing does.

So, how about we celebrate this blog-o-versary of mine. And by we I mean YOU. Do you feel up to it? Here's the deal. I have a GAP GIFTCARD worth $25. I also have a form below this text. For every question you answer on that form (AND IT'S ALL ABOUT ME, since this blog is all about me), you get one entry into this giveaway. EXCEPT if you blog about this giveaway or follow my blog (and provide the links on the form), you get TWO entries. Sound fun? Let's do it.

I am supplying the GIFT (or item to be given away). So, yeah, I can do what I want. The form must be filled out before 12pm (PST), Friday Feb 5th, to have a chance at winning. Also, the winner will be chosen randomly. **I am the only person who can view the answers, no one else will see them, or the spreadsheet where the answers are automatically sent**

xoxo,

Yours Truly

On Surviving the Cold: Part Deux

2010-01-26T18:26:00.000-08:00

So, last year I wrote a post about surviving the cold, in which I gave the Internets my mechanisms for survival during the horrid, snowy conditions that seemed to go on for years and years on end. Almost all of my very first posts were weather related (I'm not even joking here). Read it! Read them! I know you you're dying to know about the weather in my life. And since it's cold here AGAIN (imagine that, it's cold at the same time of year THIS YEAR as LAST YEAR, who would have thought?), I thought I would supply you with the mechanisms I am using this year to survive. Funny how nothing really changes.

This year...

I am still drinking Diet Coke, but it's NO longer a survival mechanism. I have broken free of it's ugly, addicting grip (well, for the most part). I have moved on to grape juice, peppermint tea and wine. I love the grapes, I'm not even going to pretend I don't, and that helps the Diet Coke situation.

Water... drinking it (sometimes).

Snow boots... to UGG boots (woot! woot!). They are so warm and fuzzy and I love them (have I mentioned them before?).

Scarves... I'm the first to admit I'm a little obsessed. I have my favorites, and then I have my most favorites. There are a few (see picture) that I switch out during the week. And I love them.

My camera. I'm not sure how I ever survived without it. It makes everything a little more enjoyable. My only wish is that the sun would stay out until I got home so I could take pictures with natural light.

My Crackberry. It always gives me something to do, something to hold, something to use. Isn't she pretty?

Also, my blog-o-versary is coming up! I can't believe I've been blogging for an ENTIRE YEAR (almost). When I started this blog I thought it was so strange to write posts each week, in which I basically had a conversation with myself and posted it for all the Internets to see! Now, I love it. It's awesome, and I love all of you. This blogging is so much fun! So much fun in fact, I think I'll have a little contest on my blog-o-versary. Only, this will not be your normal leave a comment contest, but something much more fun. I'll be working on it. So, don't forget to check back on the 28th of January.

See you then!

R.A.W.

Well, Ermm, Hi Bloggers!

2010-01-24T18:10:00.000-08:00

Sheesh, it's a been a while hasn't it!? I'll be the first to admit that when I posted my last blog entry ONE MONTH ago I had no idea I'd be stepping away for an entire month. I did have Christmas posts SAVED AS DRAFTS for the love of BLOGGING. I should have posted one of those bad boys... I'm sure you were DYING to see the Christmas ornaments adorning my Christmas tree. But the good news is we always have NEXT YEAR. And it's a little late to post those now, eh. But anyways, my month long hiatus was not really planned, it was just needed.

And it's a bit awkward. It's difficult to step away. And then of course dealing with THE PRESSURE to write again is even more difficult. I have so much to say, I'm just not sure when I'll be up to saying it. Awesome huh? What have I been doing? I've done a lot of traveling, which is fun. I took a trip to escape the snow only to find MORE snow. I've been hanging out with friends and playing lots of games, drinking some red wine. Trying to avoid the cold (and today- the rain) that is the other side of my front door. The Bean has gerbils... and they poop a lot. I finally took down the Christmas... FINALLY (let me tell you... I'm still kind of living in December).

Ummm... I got a new cell phone which is super awesome. And I lurve it. Let me tell you, I now know why they endearingly call the Blackberry a Crackberry. Because if it's not in my hands... ohmygosh... there is a lot of hand wringing going on- I wish I was kidding you guys. But it is that. addicting.

I also got a pair of Uggs which have taken over as the LOVE of my life. When I received these (as a gift) I thought pshhh, I'll never wear them, they're too trendy. And then I put them on... and I've not taken them off since. Well, except to shower. But that's about it... I'm IN LOVE.

So, that's me in a nutshell, how are you Bloggers?

Miss you all!
xoxo

Is This Blog Worthy?

2009-12-21T09:58:00.000-08:00

We all know that once the blogging starts the inevitable happens. You spend every waking moment wondering if every.single.thing. that happens during the course of your day is bloggable. Is the weather bad enough/interesting enough/unique enough to write a post on, are my kids being silly enough to acquire the space of an entire post, and should I blog this or or maybe I should blog that? You put t-shirts on your kids that read, 'My Mommy is Blogging This'. It happens to the best of us (please tell me I'm not the only one, please!?). Right? It does, right?

So, anyways as I was eating my yummy sandwich from Jimmy Johns, I came across this... and what kind of blogger would I be if I didn't blog it... Seriously!! I had a moment.

Dave Barry: 16 Things That Took Me Over 50 Years to Learn
My comments are in red italics. Also I read. I laughed. I cried (may or may not be slightly over dramatized to grip your attention). I agreed and disagreed. And then I decided to share.

1. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.
HOLY COW, this is funny AND true (AND NO I promise you I am not speaking from my own experience). I just hope it didn't take him ALL fifty years to figure this one out. It's just a bad idea all together.

2. If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be “meetings.”
Umm... OK. I guess 'meetings' keeps us from achieving our full potential...whatev. I'm not buying it. But I'm not age 50, so maybe I will feel that way then... or NOT.

3. There is a very fine line between “hobby” and “mental illness.”
Hahaha... this is so true! A very fine line indeed.

4. People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.
Profound. And true. Do you want others to share their views?

5. You should not confuse your career with your life.
Homie!??? Are you here, are you reading?! Take this man's advice. PLEASE. TAKE HIS ADVICE.

6. Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance.
True dat! You might remember when I showed you my dancing moves here (click on it, I know you want to)! It is indeed proof that no one cares if you can't dance (or if you just jump around and call it dancing).

7. Never lick a steak knife.
I may or may not be learning this little gem OVER AND OVER AGAIN. And maybe I like it that way? I always. want. to lick. the knife! Is that terrible?? ALWAYS. Come on. Have you? ** Though not to be tried at home, it can be painful.***

8. The most destructive force in the universe is gossip.
I like this one because it's so DEEP, and true. When will we ever learn?

9. You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe daylight savings time.
I think it has something to do with farmers!? Sheep? Hell, you're right, I DON'T KNOW!

10. You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests that you think she’s pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment.
I hope I never fall victim to this one. NEVER!

11. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age eleven.
Let's not tell the Bean about this one, she's turning 12 in February, and I think this could break her heart. And we don't want that, do WE? Besides, I like to make a big deal out of birthdays. Do you?

12. The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are above average drivers.
Are you a good driver? Above average? I used to be a terrible driver, terrible. Now I'm much better. And cautious. Just don't ask Homie, he doesn't know anything. He'd probably tell you he was the best driver on the planet! And you don't even want to know what he would say about me. And regardless, he'd be wrong!

13. A person, who is nice to you, but rude to a waiter, is not a nice person (This is very important. Pay attention. It never fails.)
Be nice to the waiter. Always tip.

14. Your friends love you anyway.
Aww... I like this one!

15. Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.
Favorite. Now, go build that ark!

16. Thought for the day: Men are like fine wine. They start out as grapes, and it’s up to the women to stomp the crap out of them until they turn into something acceptable to have dinner with.
Oh, gosh. ~~I'm still trying to bring my little grape back to life after it had the shit stomped out of him, previously.~~ my man is perfect already. cannot keep straight face!

Thanks to Dave Barry (click it if you want to laugh) and Jimmy Johns for supplying the material for this post. I will always be grateful a simple lunch turned into such a beautiful blog post. Or not. Whatever. I know you liked it. You can thank me in the comment section.

We Have a Winner!!!

2009-12-19T18:29:00.000-08:00

True Random Number Generator Result: 9

Timestamp: Saturday, December 19, 2009 8:13:49 PM

The winner is SUZ!! Congratulations Suz. Contact me via email so we can send you the apron of your choice. You are going to love it. YAY!!

This was so much fun, thanks everyone for participating. I can't wait to do another one.

**Thanks to Ashley from http://www.cookware.com for supplying the prize!!**

Thank You Ladies!

2009-12-17T19:28:00.000-08:00

It's Thursday. And what better day to show thanks than on a Thursday (you know with the alliteration of Thankful Thursday and all)... so how about it? Anyone else want to join in??

First... ALL of you sure know how to make a girl smile!! Thank YOU for all of your wonderful comments on my giveaway post. You're all awesome. And if you'd still like the chance to win one of the cutest aprons ever, please comment on this post before Saturday at noon. I'll announce the winner sometime in the evening on Saturday. Good luck!! And thanks again!

I'm also thankful there are only four more days until Winter Solstice (it's the little things, right?). Honestly, I love Winter Solstice because it's the first real indicator that winter will end... at some point. Maybe not any time soon, and maybe it's only going to get colder before it gets warmer, but from this point forward the days are only going to get longer. Right? I always make sure and remind Homie of that too, 'don't you think the days are getting longer, HUH? Dontcha?' He thinks I'm crazy. And I am. But that besides the point. I'm just thankful that the darkest of days are almost behind us!

I'm thankful that it's almost the weekend. And although I have Christmas gifts to buy, and the malls and shopping centers are going to be a madhouse, I'm almost finished. And that almost means so much.

I'm thankful that I am feeling SO, SO much better. I was worried that the dreadful, miserable feelings I had were going to stick with me well into Christmas. But I feel so much better now. And I hope everyone in blogland is feeling better too!

I am thankful for Homie and the Bean. Without them my Christmas would be pretty bleak. And also for all of my family and friends during this season. And my blog friends... xoxo.

Last one... I am thankful that ONE week from today is Christmas Eve. Holy cow... could the days go any faster? Could they? Oh my!

Also, a big shout out to Tina, it's her birthday today!! ♪♫ Happy Birthday, Tina ♪♫.

Squeeeeeee: A Giveaway

2009-12-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

EDITED TO ADD: Contest is now closed! I'll announce a winner later tonight. Good luck!!.

Guess what ladies and ~~gentlemen~~ more ladies??? I'm hosting my very first giveaway on THIS blog. The same blog you so graciously read every day and where you leave me so many WONDERFUL comments. You have a chance to win something. And guess what!? The prize is AWESOME! It's from CSN stores (I can't believe it either), which sales lots of Rachael Ray Cookware on their site, and you should definitely check them out now. I know you want to, so just go ahead and do it. Just be warned, you might ending up browsing all night long, and you might want it all (I may or may not be speaking from experience).

Anyways, you might be curious as to what I am giving away, no? Well, do you remember this post? The post where I talked nonstop about cooking. And where I talked about the one item that makes me HAPPY, that makes me feel like I am the sassy cooking queen, and that I would definitely wear to work if they would only let me (OK I didn't say all of that but you get the picture).... I am giving away an apron. But not just any apron, one of the four aprons you see below. Perhaps one of the cutest aprons in all the land? I think so. And I ♥ aprons, please tell me you do too. And please tell me you will leave a comment for a chance to win. Please? With all of the cookies, fudge, and other goodies you'll be making this time of year, you will definitely need one. DEFINITELY.

So, now that you're oh so excited let's break out the rules. Choose your FAVORITE of the aprons below. Leave a comment on this post telling me which is your favorite (don't worry you can change your mind if you win). Also, if you feel inspired to blog or tweet about this giveaway in which you share a link to this post, please leave me a separate comment where you will be given two chances to win. And for a THIRD chance, follow my blog, or leave a separate comment telling me you already follow my blog. Easy enough?

I'll choose the winner on SATURDAY from random.org! So, get your entries in before 12pm Saturday.

Let's break out the aprons:

1. This is the Sassy Cook'n Let's Sushi! Women's Bib Style Apron. And I'm in love. Seriously!

2. Sassy Cook'n Cherry Fresh Collection. So fresh! And so adorable! I'm dying.

3. Sassy Cook'n Flower Pot Collection. So bright and fun.

4. Sassy Cook'n Purple Peepers Collection. Love the peepers. LOVE.

Are you in love? And inspired? I hope so, GOOD LUCK!

**Thanks to Ashley from http://www.cookware.com/ for giving me this opportunity. Ashley is supplying the gift, and will assist the winner once she/he she (you can totally win if you're a man, I just don't know if any read my blog, that's all) is chosen. Thanks!!

Virtual Cookie Exchange

2009-12-16T06:21:00.000-08:00

Also, the best idea EVER!

Do you have a recipe you'd like to share? If so, go here and link up. Right this second! OK? Thanks. So, when it comes to making cookies, I have one recipe that I follow AND that I love. I actually found it on the Pioneer Woman website. The cookies are so good and easy to make, plus they are SO. MUCH. FUN. Here is the recipe in all its Christmas glory. Taken from Pioneer Woman site, it is not my own recipe- just so you know.

Ingredients

Cookies:

⅔ cups Shortening

¾ cups Sugar

½ teaspoons Grated Orange Or Lemon Zest

½ teaspoons Vanilla

1 whole Egg

4 teaspoons Milk

2 cups Flour

1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder

¼ teaspoons Salt
_____

EGG YOLK GLAZE:

1 whole Egg Yolk

1 teaspoon Water

2 drops (to 3) Food Coloring
_____

WHITE DECORATIVE ICING:
I have to admit this is the DEATH of me. I am so bad at the icing thing, and I've never gotten it to work using these ingredients. I always add a lot more milk. But you should try it! Maybe it will work for you?

1 bag 2 Lb Powdered Sugar

¼ cups Milk

2 Tablespoons Egg White (optional)

----------------------------------------------------------
Preparation Instructions

Cream shortening, sugar, orange peel, and vanilla thoroughly. Add in egg and beat until light and fluffy. Add in the milk and mix.

Sift dry ingredients together, then blend into cream mixture. Divide dough in half (thirds if you double your recipe), slightly flatten between two sheets of waxed paper, then refrigerate for one hour (or freeze for 20 minutes).

While dough is chilling, combine egg yolk, water and food coloring to make the egg yolk glaze.

Roll out dough on lightly floured surface and cut into shapes with a cookie cutters. Transfer shapes to lightly greased cookie sheet and paint cookies (with a soft brush) with egg yolk glaze.
After brushing with egg yolk glaze, bake at 375 degrees for approximately 6 minutes. Do not allow the cookies to brown.

While cookies are baking, mix powdered sugar, milk and egg whites (which are optional) to make the decorative icing. Remove cookies from oven to a wire rack to cool. Then, using a pastry bag or Ziploc bag, pipe with white icing to decorate.

Note: when making the white decorative icing, make sure that it is thick and somewhat retains its shape.

Go to her site for more detailed instructions and PICTURES. They are so good. I love them, and so does my family.

XOXO,
r.a.w.

PS I have a great giveaway that goes AWESOME with this post. Check it out here.

On food and family...

2009-12-14T19:10:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't like to talk about food? Right!? I mean we all do it. Whether we're eating it, or cooking it, or eating it AND cooking it (ME!) we're DOING it. I'm doing it every single day, probably too many times a day. But as I was making dinner tonight I was thinking about the role I have taken in my family as the cook or head chef (if you will) (AND you will dammit). I like to cook, I really enjoy it. And I love any opportunity to wear a cute apron, so that's encouraging. But oh my holy hell, there is so much that comes with the cooking... SO much.

First, I will say I can't believe I'm talking about cooking on my blog, I'm so sorry. It's just on my brain and it's going to be there until I get it out. So, now that you've been warned, I was thinking tonight about how long it takes me every freakin' night to cook. I've been cooking for well over a year now (one year and six weeks to be exact), and it still takes me ages and ages and ages to slice mushrooms. Or julienne a red bell pepper. Or OH MY GOSH, trim the chicken. Talk about an all day event. It takes me so long to do anything that I know as soon as I see a recipe I just need to go ahead and double the prep time AND the cook time. And I know that Homie is in charge of the onions because my eyes have TEH HATE for the onions. So, there's that.

Also, there is the EXTREME anxiety that comes with cooking for others. WHY? WHY? WHY? Tomorrow night I am making a dish for my friend who gave birth a couple of weeks ago. And if I haven't hemmed and hawed over this like the world was going to end, OH MY GOSH. And the dish?? The dish you put the food in, what the hell kind of dish do you take? Disposable? Nice? China? Please help, I've lost my mind. Also, everyone else who has taken a dish is so much older, wiser, and more experienced than me. But then I remind myself that she is lurvely, and expects nothing. And she did so much when Homie was sick. So, I carry on and tell myself to relax already, and give myself a break. And once I did that I figured it all out, and it's not even a little bit stressful. Before though, wow. Ridiculous.

There is also the EXTREME anxiety of cooking for the Bean. Those tweens are tricky, and you shouldn't believe anyone who tries and tells you differently. Holy hell, the Bean is also a vegetarian which slightly complicates things. And then there's the fact that she's picky. So, yeah. Cooking for her is anxiety-provoking. Let's just say I've gotten a couple of bad looks. But don't tell anyone that, I'm working on it. And she's still AWESOME.

Next there is the ~~absolute shit~~ burden of not having a dishwasher. What!? You thought you misunderstood me? NO, I don't have a dishwasher. It is terrible as it sounds. And we have very little counterspace. So, I'm always cramped and trying to use the LEAST amount of dishes possible. And I'm always saying, Homie come wash the colander, or the frying pan or whatever it is that is dirty that I might need. It stinks people. Stinks.

But besides all of that I love to cook. And since I've gotten that off my chest, what's your favorite dish?

Peeks Head Around Corner Anyone out there?

2009-12-13T19:10:00.000-08:00

Out there...
Out there...
Out there...

Is my voice echoing? Because it totally should be, somebody needs to tell this blogger to keep up with her blog! This week I missed Yes! I Did Friday, SuperSnapshot Saturday, and Hot and Healthy Thru the Holidays. Guys. I can't even open my Google Reader without having an-almost panic attack. That's why I haven't been commenting lately. For shame. You know something is wrong when that happens.

What's wrong you ask? Well, I've been in a bit of a funk. A terrible funk! And I've been terribly busy. And well, let's just blame it on those two things, shall we? I'm trying to turn all of that around though. It seems to be working. Because now, NOW, I am in the holiday spirit... again. No more whining or being down, at least not until early next year when I am so sick and tired of the cold, and I all I want is the sun to peek it's head out from behind the clouds, but until then I'm back with a big fat smile on my face. So YAY, I'm back.

Today I made holiday cookies along with homemade icing (NEVER again with the icing!) for the Bean. Her finals begin tomorrow (since when do SIXTH graders have finals??!!), and her hardest two finals are tomorrow. So she gets cookies. In making the cookies I did manage to BREAK THE BLENDER. So, as you may have guessed, I'm soooo not a baker. And now I am without a blender. But besides that, these cookies were fun to make, and the *few* that I tried were delicious. Maybe I'll post pictures tomorrow?

I've also done two loads of laundry (although I need to get one load out of the dryer and put the other in the dryer). Shopped and bought a pink tree for the Bean. And now I am making dinner. How about a skillet full of olive oil, potatoes, green peppers, onions and sausage? It's Homie's favorite, and one I like very much.

Does anyone have big plans this week? I need to finish shopping for a couple of people (MEN are so hard to buy for, are they not?), and we also have our office Christmas party this weekend. So, I'm looking forward to that. Besides that, and finishing up work stuff before the holiday, that's all I've got to do.

Also, you should look forward to another Christmas edition. Now that I have all of my Christmas decorations out (sarcastic slow clap), I have a few more things to add to my blog. And I am going to try really hard to blog a lot more this week. I hate it when I neglect my blog, and especially when I don't participate in the memes, they're so much fun. I'll be commenting too, so get ready for that.

If you're still out there my lovely readers, thank you for being so sweet to me when I neglect my blog, and NEGLECT YOUR BLOGS (holds head in hands with shame). I'll make up with lots and lots of comments tomorrow. Tonight. I am switching out the loads of laundry (BORING!) and going to bed.

Goodnight, Peeps.

R.A.W.
xoxoxo

Bringing a Smile?

2009-12-07T18:08:00.000-08:00

In my last post I told you how much I love snowmen cartoons. And since most of us here in the States (and some of us beyond) are experiencing snow, I give you my favorite snow funnies!They make me laugh every time, and if you're feeling kind of low (like me... booooooo), you need a smile.

Have fun!! Or laugh. Or something.

This one... aww I love this one.

So funny!

And the best one yet!

Happy Snow days. Unless you're Jeanette, then I'm sorry (do you find humor in snow? or should I warn you not to visit my blog, LOL?).

Happy Monday!!

Yes! I Did Friday

2009-12-04T06:24:00.001-08:00

Because Yes! I Did get distracted by snowman pictures after reading the latest post at Fellowship.

Yes! I Did look for my favorite snowman picture of all time.

Yes! I Did find it (you're welcome).

And Yes! I Did post it here.

What did you do today? Or this week? Wanna share? Click here to go to Jeanette's blog and add your meme to the list of awesome Yes! I Did posts.

Christmas Edition: Take Two

2009-12-02T10:00:00.000-08:00

OK. So in the last couple of years I've really gotten into the plates. Weird. I know. But you know the ones. Right? Please tell me you do. The ones on display, propped on easels. And I'm pretty sure you would never, ever eat off one. But if you do, I won't judge you. They're fun to look at.. or something like that.

Remember this plate? My Happy Everything plate?

Well, this week I removed the birthday cake and added a Christmas Tree in its place. I love it. Though taking pictures of it proves rather difficult. The shape of it causes a huge glare over the 'E' in Everything, which is about to drive me mental. So, since I'm not exactly sure how to fix that, I'm just going to leave it for now, even if it's really hard to do that (can you tell, am I SCREAMING Virgo?). My Happy Everything plate with the Christmas tree affixed to the top...

And plate number two... snowman edition. I love this plate. It's definitely a favorite of mine. In fact, I just couldn't wait to get it out and display it. I've been thinking about it for ages now. Seriously, my house is so ~~plain~~ boring once the holiday season passes, it's not even funny.

Can you tell my peeps are sick of the camera clicking in their face? My pictures are becoming nothing more than plates. Plates! Please don't tell my friends. Please! They think I'm cool... or something. That's a total lie, but don't tell them anyways.

Also, I'm trying out the Amazon products on the sidebar over there <------------. I just wanted to see if it's worth the hype :).

Is everyone else decorating for Christmas?

Peace out!

R.A.W.

So, They Tell Me This is Week Five

2009-12-01T16:54:00.000-08:00

Mama M and Keely are saying this is week five- FIVE- in Hot and Healthy Land. But I just can't believe it. I can't believe I've made it to week five- if you can actually call this week making it to week five (more on that in a minute). Maybe it's the fact that this week is that week of the month for me, or maybe I'm just lazy, but this week has kicked my butt. And I was doing SO well.

After reading Mama M's post, I could totally copy and paste her answers to my blog because we were thinking the same exact way. I read her answers and thought, yes I was going to say that and that and that. But I won't because that would be PLAGIARISM, and I'm trying to stay clear of that. But I think we both suffered from the same after Thanksgiving lull? Or something. I'm sure she did a million times better than me, but you know it sounded a lot like how I was feeling (also I don't want to put words in your mouth, Mama M). So without further adieu, here are the questions and answers to this week's Hot and Healthy (in my own words of course):

Starting Week 5...seeing any progress?
Well, let's just say on Thanksgiving Day, and the day before, I was feeling progress! I kept thinking that I felt and looked so much better. That I was practicing portion control and it was THANKSGIVING. I couldn't believe it. And then there was Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. And that went right out the window. That awesome feeling of inshapedness left the building- and I hope it comes back (but with minimal effort because I'm out of energy).

Do you feel like you are "gettin' your groove on"? A nice routine?
Up until last Sunday (I'm totally lying, it was Saturday), I had a great routine going. And then it stopped. Shopping became my routine. And decorating became an incentive. The red wine sitting on the kitchen counter grabbed me by the arm, and forced me to have a glass. Since then I haven't even looked back. I don't even miss The Shred. Not even a little bit. And it was working, I could feel it working. Lesson One being the hardest of all (because I hate working out my shoulders and arms) was becoming a routine. I even got up early Thanksgiving morning and worked out (and almost died in the end). But now The Shred sits in my DVD player collecting dust and I don't even miss it.

Are Keely's Pilates exercises kickin' your butt (in a good way)?
Yes, the thought of doing them is killing me. I just. can't. do. it. I'm lazy. Remember it's that time of the month, can that be my excuse? Please?

How about the Healthy tips from Mama M.?
They were working until the end of last week. Now I've kind gone back into my silly routine of eating too much. And eating foods that are bad for ~~you~~ me. But I'm going to try and slow down and get back into it. I haven't lost all hope... yet.

Happy Tuesday!

Christmas Edition: Take One

2009-11-30T19:36:00.000-08:00

The cutest cookie jar ever! I love it. And tonight it's full of chocolate chip cookies- some of which (cookies) are as big as my head. Sometimes (more like ALL the time) I get a little too excited and make gigantic bakery items.

Decorating for Christmas is just so much fun... I cannot.stop. I'm definitely enjoying it this year. I think Homie thinks I'm crazy... putting up all of these decorations and then taking pictures of them. Shoo... it's a lot of work. But for once it's work I'm willing to do, and EXCITED to do. Who would have thought? I guess it helps that I am so sick of watching football, and the only thing Homie wants to watch is... you guessed it... football. It leaves a lot of time available for ME, and I'm using that time to fill my house with Christmas decor. Can you blame me?

Also, this cute little letter...

... is my favorite. I'm in love. But don't tell Homie, he says it's probably scaring the fish, but I think it's good for them. It reminds me of Sesame Street, I keep expecting it to come alive and dance, jumping around. Crazy... I know! But it's so true. Can you see it?

And since I cannot possibly leave you without promises of more pictures to come; I'm planning on taking and uploading more pictures tomorrow (you: fist pump... I know!!). And maybe even I'll be able to take some pictures in better light, natural light even. [Sidebar: What is up with this time of year and the darkness that accompanies it? I hate trying to take pictures under the tungsten light setting (you: I don't care... and again I know!!). Come on Winter Solstice (which happens to be one of most favorite days of the year, falling just behind Summer Solstice), I'm ready for the day to stay light out past 4:00pm. Yeah!]. So, look out for more Holiday decor pictures coming tomorrow.

I cannot believe today is the last day of November. It kind of makes me sad. I'm going to miss reading everyone's posts everyday. Although, I've gotten kind of behind in my blog reading. Homie and I have reconnected as great friends, and are spending more time together (except when he's going on fifteen hours of football)... so we've been together like every given minute. Even if he's watching TV, I'm in the same room hanging a Merry Christmas jingle from the door (pictures of that gem tomorrow). So, that's good. But I have A LOT of reading to do. So, give me a few days and then start posting everyday again!

Back to The Grind...

2009-11-30T06:54:00.000-08:00

... Of getting up early.

... Of being so very cold in the mornings.

... Of eating normal foods, you know the ones that aren't full of carbs.

... Of slamming Diet Cokes- one right after the other. I LOVE Diet Coke and I have no problems with drinking it all. day. long. It's an addiction... one I'd probably be better off without. And although I plan on breaking the habit... I can't fathom breaking it today.

... Of having a routine.

... Of making dinner for my family (leftovers! aren't cutting it anymore)

But even though it's back to the grind, I still get to...

... dream of what I want for Christmas

... find online gifts for my family, and make lists because it's easier that way

... dream of our Christmas decorations and where exactly I'll put it all (I started last night)

... dream of the Christmas tree that is still in a box (in the basement). I love all of my ornaments and I get so excited about putting them on my tree. So excited. I'll probably take lots and lots of pictures and put them on here for all of you to see.

... drink hot chocolate (with marshmallows- of course) and play Christmas music

... bake cookies... chocolate chip tonight... for my new Christmas cookie jar.

... And get everything together for our Christmas cards (and pictures) that will go out to our family and friends this year (yes, I'm a bit behind but hopefully, it will happen this week!). Have you sent your cards yet?

Woohooo. The season is here!! Let the countdown begin.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2009-11-26T19:28:00.000-08:00

This post is a little late, and in all honesty I planned on having it up this MORNING. But of course we were rushing around, leaving the house anywhere close but to being on time, and warming up our first Thanksgiving meal because we were running that late.

Happy Thanksgiving....

don't we all love a little debate? Okay. Wait. Maybe not on Thanksgiving, hehe.

and

I don't know about you, but I remember sitting at the kids table. And I also remember that one raucous cousin who made me laugh so hard food came out of my nose. Luckily, he was there this year, and even more luckily he was that funny again. I love my family. And hell, I wanted to sit at that kids table again (not the current kids table though... yikes), I love the 'kids' I grew up with, and so want us to stay together through the holiday eatings. But although we weren't at the same table, we still had loads of fun and loads for which to be thankful.

And I am thankful for so much. My family being number one, and my friends next (and that includes you my lovely blogging friends). Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! For giving me something to take such pleasure in and for giving me something to look forward to everyday, you all grant me so much happiness... more than I deserve. I always enjoyed reading and I think that is one of the main reasons I love blogging. I love all of your lovely comments (LOVE them) and your blogs. HELLO... best in the world. This world of blogging means so much to me, and I can't imagine writing or being here without YOU!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Hot and Healthy (Five)

2009-11-24T18:07:00.000-08:00

To make it simple tonight, I'm going to answer the questions Mama M and Keely posted on their blogs as my accountability for Hot and Healthy this past week. I'll say all in all it was a good week. My shoes were giving me pains, so instead of paying for new ones, I started doing The Shred with a few runs in between (probably two less runs than I had been doing during the week). I liked it, I did the Shred last winter, and it made me feel more tight and strong, so I I'm hoping to experience that again. It also gives me the option of not running, which I like as it was getting more and more difficult to run with it getting dark so early and the rain, or occasionally I would have somewhere to be or something else to do, and now I can make up for my missed run with this awesome workout. It's nice having that flexibility... doing one or the other. Hopefully, once this week is over I can get some new shoes and start running hard again, maybe it will motivate me to get up and do it in the mornings (hahaha). And maybe I'll even continue The Shred just to get that extra ab/strength workout (maybe... and that's a big maybe).

Have you gotten into a good workout routine that you're able to stick to?

Yes, I am running a consistent three days a week, and I've also begun working out with Jillian in The Shred. This is day five and I really like it so far.

Did you try Keely's Pilates exercises...please say you did...please!?!

*Hangs head in shame*. No. I actually forgot... forgot people. I'm not even joking. I didn't remember until I sat down to write this post, and then it was too late. I had just finished The Shred, and was tired. So, I didn't try it. Shoot! This week... pilates here I come!

Did you get all your cardio in?

Yes! Woohoo. At least I did something right?!

Did you have any fast food...if so, did Mama M's awesome healthy tips post make you choose more carefully?

I was about to write a big fat NO! And then I remembered, I did have fast food. And the worst kind of fast food. MCDONALDS FRENCH FRIES, and for no other reason than to just eat Mcdonald's french fries. Oh man! I'm in trouble now. What's wrong with me?

Last, but sooo not least...are you feeling Hot and Healthy?

I'm definitely feeling better! Hopefully, I can keep this up indefinitely, so I REALLY start feeling better. And I'll really be in shape!!

And lastly, a confession. Today, I have probably eaten worse than every other day combined. Even worse than the day I had McDonald's French Fries. And that's because... I started off with a doughnut. A big fat doughnut with gloppy, gloopy chocolate icing smeared all over it. It was so big, and from my favorite bakery in town. And from there it was just over... healthy eating out the window. I had subway for lunch (again!) with chips, some m&ms, and a healthier dinner, but still it didn't make up for that doughnut. Tomorrow I am going to rest my abs for Thanksgiving. And luckily, rarely does someone offer me such a doughnut, so hopefully, I won't be going out of control again anytime soon... well, you know except on Thanksgiving if I can't help myself.

How did you do this week?

Looong Day and Rambling

2009-11-22T18:04:00.000-08:00

Three Things...

First. Today, I managed to clean out my car, and boy was it a job. I cleaned, and cleaned, and cleaned. I shampooed the carpets, vacuumed the carpets, sprayed down the dashboard and all of the leather, washed the outside, dried the outside. Threw away all of the candy wrappers I found on the floor (aarrgh), and all of the crap in the nooks and crannies. What an amazing improvement it was too! And I did it all while Homie napped and watched me through the window. Bahhhhhhhh! It wouldn't have been that bad if I wasn't absolutely freezing in the end, dripping with water, and left in the dark. But I got through it, and it looks so good.

Second. As you can probably tell, I've had such a long day today. I'm exhausted. I can't wait to get into bed and watch Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters. It's my Sunday night thing, the only shows I watch weekly without fail. And sometimes, I don't even watch them. But tonight Homie will have to turn off the football (we'll see how that goes), and settle in for girly television. He usually doesn't take that too well. And I usually watch my shows in the den, but tonight he will have to move over and put in his ear plugs. oh never mind, they're not even on tonight, DOH! It's the country music awards, and I can guarantee there is zero chance I can talk Homie into watching The Country Music Awards. As in, no way. I'll probably just stay out in the den a bit longer, and say goodnight to my perfect evening.

Thrid. The weather has been mild and awesome AGAIN this weekend. We never get these kind of temperatures in November, so I'm really happy to be having an Indian Summer this year, especially because the summer was so mild and bleak (even though it was pretty cold in October, does that still count as as Indian Summer?). And the work week is so short this week, so I'm hoping it will go by really fast. I also heard rumors we might be leaving at noon each day, and that is TEH AWESOME. And of course THANKSGIVING. Who doesn't love Thanksgiving? It's one of my very favorite Holidays. Probably top three!! Woot! Woot!

Have a good week. I'm sure I'll be back before it's over, but you know, have a good start to the week.

Love,
Me

Super Snapshot Saturday: Four

2009-11-21T18:49:00.000-08:00

Also: A lot as in A LOT of my pictures are on my old laptop, and of course, I've failed to transfer them to my new computer. So, I'm always digging deep to find photos for the SuperSnapshot challenges. But I like digging. Often times, I find photos that I've forgotten about, or photos that I wouldn't pay much attention to but really love in the end. This week's photo falls into the latter category. I've never paid much attention to the folder housing the picture I'm pulling for SSS, but once I pulled this particular photo I was really drawn to it. The more I looked at it, the more I liked it.

It's a photo of Homie and the Bean on Homie's birthday. He's talking to his parents in England. Homie is looking at me, thinking enough pictures already. Can't a guy get a break!? And the Bean is smiling big and large for the camera! I love her. What a gem.

Does your family get tired of YOU taking THEIR picture? The Bean is generally pretty good and understanding when it comes to the camera being in her face. Homie would rather not have a camera pointed at him. I think he tires of it pretty easily. And really ~~hates~~ would rather not be a part of my love for photography.

Happy Saturday! I hope everyone has had a good one. And a happy weekend.

Definitely click over to Angel's blog to post your Super Snapshot Saturday photo. You won't regret it, and you might actually find some good pictures you never even knew you had.

Peace Out,

R.A.W.

It's Thursday!

2009-11-19T16:54:00.000-08:00

... and for that I am THANKFUL! Tomorrow is Friday and I couldn't be more excited. So, let's get to it... let's celebrate Thursday by doing a Thankful Thursday. What am I thankful for on this cold, dark Thursday night!? Let's see...

It's one week until THANKSGIVING!!
A short work week next week! Monday and Tuesday... that's it!
Football this weekend... it's going to be a good one!
Subway and their fabulous buffalo chicken sub... I could eat one every day.
The Bean... today she witnessed someone puking (eww) in the hallway at school (middle school) and asked what she could do to help!
My Happy Everything plate because it makes me HAPPY!
My bloggy friends... love them.
My farm. Yes, my Facebook farm. Please forgive me, it's the small things in life, right?
Homie because he has been so sweet to me today.
Seeing my friend's little baby. She's sooooooo cute! So cute! And I saw her today. Yay!

Happy Thursday! What are you thankful for tonight?

Hot and Healthy Thru the Holidays (Three)

2009-11-17T17:19:00.001-08:00

This week in my adventures with Hot and Healthy Thru the Holidays (hop on over to Mama M and Keely's blog to read more about it and join in on the fun!), I REALLY had to push myself (HARD) to get through my normal routines. It definitely didn't come as easy or as smoothly as it did in the weeks prior. The miles seemed longer and my body seemed resistant. My running route was BORING... the one I'm using is getting old. I need to find a new one ASAP.

I also need new running shoes. And although I really don't want to hand over the money for new ones, I really need some. Mine are becoming a little holey. And it's kind of embarrassing to be running in holey shoes. And the aches and pains I experienced this week might have something to do with the shoes. I sometimes have a jarring pain from my foot up through my shin (FUN times!), which I didn't have before. If only they didn't cost so darn much money, right!?

I've also been trying to add strength exercises to my weekly routine (okay, like twice a week). I've been using dumbbells and barbells (no laughing, PLEASE!). They were sitting around the house, so I decided to use them with an exercise routine I found online. The routines are pretty sweet and I actually enjoy doing them.

I definitely have my moments where I want to eat CHOCOLATE! CHOCOLATE! CHOCOLATE! But I've been trying to use Mama M's advice and use PORTION CONTROL. And the water drinking is going well. I find myself drinking it really fast and then moving on to Diet Coke for. the. rest. of the. day. Since it seems as though 32 oz is going down smoothly, I might try and up the ante. Who knows, 64 oz? We'll see, I'm not very good at drinking water.

My weakness... eating out! I really like eating out for lunch. So, I'm trying really hard not to do that... I'm going to try eating healthy (i.e. bring my own food) Wed, Thurs, Friday of this week. Mostly because I've already failed miserably today and yesterday, although I did try and use major portion control. That counts for something, right?

Go visit Mama M and Keely now, along with all of the other amazing people who are working out through the holidays.

Monday Night Blogging

2009-11-16T16:54:00.000-08:00

So, I kind of wish Thanksgiving would hurry up and get here!! I usually don't get excited this early. But this year, there's something about it, I can't help it, I'm so excited. Maybe it's the fact that Homie was so sick last year, and we weren't able to celebrate the Holidays like we usually do. But I am so excited I can hardly stand it.

I really, really want my Christmas stuff out of storage... really want it out. I've never brought it out as early as Thanksgiving. This year though, I'm there.
I'm ready to start shopping... I know I could start now, but Thanksgiving marks the beginning for me. So, I'm ready to buy things. And for the first year ever, I KNOW WHAT I WANT TO BUY.
I'm ready to eat... and eat A LOT. I love eating a big meal at Thanksgiving. I plan on splurging, even though I shouldn't. But one day out of the year is okay, isn't it?
I'm excited to have a week off of work... LOVE IT! One week off at Thanksgiving, one week off at Christmas.
For Christmas, the Bean wants gerbils. I'm anxious to see how that turns out.
I'm anxious to see my extended family over Thanksgiving.
I like Christmas music (don't throw rocks at me, please)
I want to BAKE, BAKE, BAKE. Love it. I can't wait.
Christmas pictures... SO much fun. I love taking pictures (in case you haven't noticed)

Are you excited for the Holiday season, or are you taking it slow, and waiting until Thanksgiving to get excited? Usually I fall into the latter category. I've been known to procrastinate so long it's almost too late to do any kind of decorating or preparation. And I'm stuck waiting in line at every department store on the eve of Christmas Eve.

I've never done a ton of decorating for Christmas. Usually a tree and lights. Some ornaments around the house. This year I'm planning on going all out! I've gotten a few things to go along with my Snowman theme, and I'm planning to have a very Christmas-themed home. I'm so excited, can you tell? Are you sick of the Christmas-talk yet? I never thought I would be that girl, but here I am, being that girl.

Soo, do you decorate a lot or a little for Christmas?

Happy Sunday

2009-11-15T18:27:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I haven't updated since Tuesday. It's been a busy week in the Homie/R.A.W. household. We've welcomed new babies brought to us by a couple of good friends. Two baby girls both born within a couple days of each other. So cute!

This weekend we went away for a couple of days. I got my hair done and some fun new accessories for our house. We celebrated my Dad's birthday, and played with my brother and his wife. Good times!

I got one of these cute plates for my dining room, have you seen them? They're so much fun. You can replace the cake up top with all different things. I got a Christmas tree to replace the cake closer to Christmas, and a snowman for the cold winter months. I also got a sandal (so cute) for the summer.

I also got my hair done, as I mentioned earlier. Every year, I go a bit darker for the winter months. This year I went so much darker. Darker as in dark all over, usually I just do the highlights. So, of course I had to take a bunch of self-portraits today to display my new image.

Here I am behind the camera...

And stepping away from the camera...

Also, Mama M was sweet enough to give me a blog award!! Woohoo! I always love getting awards from my favorite bloggers. This award is the Heartfelt Blogger Award.

The rules (which as Mama M says are for breaking):

* Display the award logo.
* Nominate up to 9 3 blogs that make you feel comfy or warm inside.
* Link to your nominees.
* Let them know they have been nominated by commenting.
* Link to the person from whom you received the award.

I nominate:

Silver Hart

Heather

Angel

Yay. Have fun!!

Healthy Thru the Holiday: TWO

2009-11-10T16:17:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! It's Tuesday... and you know what that means... accountability at it's finest! So, since you're dying to know... what did I do this week? I ran a lot! And tried to watch what I was eating to make running easier. It seems to be working. I actually like running (who would have thought) and I am enjoying getting out in the nice weather.

Here is the breakdown:

I did NOT run on Wednesday (my scheduled 30 min tempo), I did visit my friend who is going to have her baby at ANY minute. And that was much more fun! I did walk to her house and back, which was about 20 mins each way.
Thursday I ran thirty minutes... although I was not in the mood.
Friday... rest day!
Saturday- I ran for an hour.
Sunday- I ran for 30 minutes and strength exercises.
Monday- I ran for 30 minutes.
Today- rest day. But I did do some strength exercises.

As far as eating, I have been chewing gum in the afternoons to keep from eating those tempting little snacks work keeps on hand. I've also been drinking tons of water... happily. Which is a huge improvement. Maybe it's the new purifier?

I also seem to be in a nice little routine, which is nice.

What did you do this week? Are you hoping to keep in shape during the Holiday season? If your answer is yes, hop on over to MamaM and Keely's blog to link up.

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Happy Birthday Sesame Street. I don't really watch you anymore, but Happy Birthday.

Also, every time I see the words Sesame Street, I think of the line in the Ali G. show where he's talking to a bunch of people in media, and he says 'why don't they make a Sesame Street... for kids?' The look on their faces= priceless!! Whaaa? Sesame Street IS for kids.

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On FIRE!

2009-11-08T17:27:00.000-08:00

So, for dinner tonight I made chicken tortilla soup. I used a recipe that I've used many times and that I always LOVE. It's always a hit, and it's never toooooo spicy. Although I do love spicy, I try to hold back a bit for Homie as he prefers things on the mild side.Tonight I don't know what happened. I don't know if I dumped too much red crushed peppers into the pot or what, but the soup was SOO spicy. SO incredibly spicy. I could barely eat it (even though I kind of liked it that way), and Homie must have been dying. It took him a while to finish it, and he had to take a couple of breaks. But he was such a good sport. He kept telling me how good it was, and how much he loved it. And never complained once. I kept apologizing. It was definitely one of my most embarrassing kitchen moments, it was SO hot (last time for emphasis).

Almost as embarrassing as the pork chops I made when his Mum was visiting last fall... and Homie LOVED those pork chops (truly loved them). I had sprinkled them with too much garlic... WAY TOO MUCH GARLIC. It was right after his feeding tube was removed (and right before I learned how to cook), so he hadn't eaten in a long time. They were terrible but he kept telling me how good they were, and asking his Mum if she liked them. Of course, she was nice enough to say yes, but I know what she was thinking. SO FUNNY! I think I need a steadier hand... or something.

And just in case you have a steady hand and love soup, I'll share my recipe with you. It's soo good (just watch the red crushed pepper).

Ingredients in no particular order:

two chicken breasts
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 red pepper
black beans rinsed and drain
1 cup corn (i use frozen)
rotel (the tomatoes with green chilis)
onion
garlic (4 cloves minced)
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

chop chicken and drop in 4 cups boiling chicken broth. boil approximately eight minutes. cook onion and red pepper until tender, add garlic and cook one more minute. add cumin and crushed red pepper (BE CAREFUL!). sprinkle with salt and pepper. once everything is soft and tender, add the chicken broth, chicken, beans, corn and tomatoes. bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes.

EAT IT UP. And if you'd like it with tortilla chips, sour cream, and cheese- add that as well. It is SOOOOOO yum!

Have a great week!!

A picture- proof that he does love me and my terribly unsteady hand.

Super Snapshot Saturday: Trois

2009-11-07T18:21:00.000-08:00

I'm so happy to be here!! It's been one LOOOOOOOOOONG week. And, let's be honest, the time change hit me like a ton of bricks. People usually complain about their kids having a hard time adjusting, but this has been terrible for me!! Awful. I've been so tired. I've barely read my favorite blogs, and haven't written anything. Please forgive me! I've been thinking about everyone in Blog-land. I just haven't posted.

What better way to restart my blog than with SuperSnapshotSaturday, thanks to Angel. Head over to her blog and link up. It's so much fun. And this week's theme is ANYTHING. I can't mess it up, haha.

My snapshots this week are of Homie and the Bean from a wedding we went to recently. It was so much fun!! And there's no denying that I love weddings.

{This is Homie, the Bean, and my lovely Mom. Woot! Woot! Mom gets on the BLOGGG!}

{The Bean- in case you couldn't figure that one out!}

{Homie and the Bean- TEH CUTEST!}

I hope everyone is having a GREAT weekend!

Healthy Thru the Holiday

2009-11-03T17:52:00.000-08:00

So, I've decided to move it, move it!! As in, EXERCISE through the Holidays. I want to run a 5k in November (on Thanksgiving Day, thankyouverymuch), and then a half-marathon in the Spring. Now, I know I can run the 5k without much problem, I'm mostly hoping to improve my speed. But the half-marathon. That's the one I'm not so sure about. I need motivation in a REALLY HUGE way. So, when I heard about Mama M and Keely's Healthy thru the Holiday blog hop-a-majig, I thought it might be the motivation I need (at least the motivation I need through New Year's Day).

I really enjoy running and always miss it when I'm not doing it. But lots of times in the winter I let it slide. It's just so much harder when the weather is cold, and the whole treadmill thing. And I just can't believe I'm putting myself out there like this... eek! But here's how it goes... Every Tuesday I'll tell you about my progress, which is GREAT because Tuesday is my rest day/strength day (Friday is also a rest day). So, I'll have plenty of time to do that. Right now, I'm running three miles, three days a week (Monday, Thurs, and Sat), and 5 miles one day a week (Sunday). And then on Wednesday I do sprint exercises. So, that is that. And I've been doing it for about a week and a half. Every week I'll try and either improve my speed or do things a little different to keep it 'interesting'.

Any advice please? I'm trying to drink LOTS of water, and eat lots of protein. I have comfortable running shoes and comfortable clothing. I have Homie who is being SO supportive, let's just hope I also have support from the weather (ha!)- I HATE running on a treadmill, HATE (big emotion, I know).

Join, join, join if you'd like. Dust off those running shoes!

Of course, you already knew Fall was here! I just wanted to post a picture of fall.

Baseball, Among Other Random Thoughts

2009-10-29T18:24:00.000-07:00

Baseball is worse than football and basketball combined. I would rather watch football all day than watch a minute of baseball on TV. Or even cricket (a sport that, FOR THE LIFE OF ME, I cannot understand). Any day.

Do you like baseball?

Are you pulling for the Phillies or the Yankees? Homie's pulling for the Yankees. I'm trying to ignore the TV.

I remember when I was little and baseball always interfered with Saved By the Bell. Perhaps I still haven't gotten over that. I loved Saved By the Bell, and always rolled my eyes when baseball was on instead. Did you watch Saved By the Bell? Everyday? Because I did.

And for the record, I enjoy going to baseball games. I think it's the hot dogs (yum). Or maybe the cotton candy. There's something about being there I like. Maybe it's the atmosphere.

I don't have a favorite team. Never have, probably never will.

It's fun to watch the nephews throw and hit baseballs. Baseball doesn't exist in England. They have cricket. But cricket is different. And it's fun to watch them play a sport they're not familiar with playing. Of course, I wouldn't want them to watch me play Rugby. No way.

My niece plays rugby. She's the only girl on her team, and is the shortest person on her team. I can only imagine how cute she must be, I haven't had the opportunity to see it yet. But I can bet it's TEH CUTEST.

It's almost over right... baseball?

That's all. Happy Thursday!!

Everything you ever wanted to know.

2009-10-27T17:26:00.000-07:00

Angel tagged me! So, while I'm waiting on my purple-mohawked mini-me of Farmville to harvest my plants, I'll get started.

1- Name someone with the same birthday as you. My friend Seth. I think. Or maybe his is the day before mine or the day after. Shoot. I'm not sure now.

2- Where was your first kiss? The BEACH!!

3- Have you ever seriously vandalized someone else's property? Nope.

4- Have you ever hit someone of the opposite sex? Nope. I've wanted to though. Does that count?

5- Have you ever sung in front of a large number of people? Well, no. Unless you count the many times I've tormented the Bean in public with my loud, horrific voice. Oh man, thank goodness she loves me.

6- What's the first thing you notice about the preferred sex? Smile.

7- What really turns you on? Homie. Did I say that out loud?

8- What do you order at Starbucks? In summertime I love me a grande iced hazelnut nonfat latte. Of course, I always have to order this, as it's too intimidating for Homie to say out loud.

9- What is your biggest mistake? Erm... something good comes out of everything??

10- Have you ever hurt yourself on purpose? Not exactly that I remember. Unless you count the COUNTLESS times I went out with the same boyfriend OVER and OVER and OVER again... ON PURPOSE. Thank you New Jersey for taking that 'catch' away.

11- Say something totally random about yourself. I am addicted to Farmtown.

12- Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity? Not in a long time.

13- Do you still watch kiddie movies or TV shows? Not so much anymore. I used to nanny for a little one, and the tune of Little Einsteins will forever remain a part of me. Is that sad? I thought so.

14- Did you have braces? Yes!

15- Are you comfortable with your height? I'm ~~pretty~~ short.

16-What is the most romantic thing someone of the preferred sex has done for you? Once on a trip to Europe, Homie and I got bumped to first class. We drank champagne the entire flight, and ate expensive chocolates. It was pretty romantic. Does that count?

17- When do you know its love? This is intense. When it feels like love?

18- Do you speak any other languages? Not really. A little Spanish, a little French, a little German. Homie's family is fluent in English, French and German (his Dad studied French and German at Cambridge). Please help me!

19- Have you ever been to a tanning salon? Only a few thousand times. Haha. Not as much anymore though.

20- What magazines do you read? I like People. And a few photography magazines online.

21- Have you ever ridden in a limo? Yes.

22- Has anyone you were really close to passed away? My great-grandmother, and my grandmother.

23- Do you watch MTV? Nope. But if I had a cable, I might accidentally tune to the Hills and 'gawk 'at it.

24- What's something that really annoys you? Homie's alarm clock!

25- What's something you really like? My new pajamas.

26- Do you like Michael Jackson? Ummm... I'm not sure. Do you?

27- Can you dance? I just jump around normally.

28- What's the latest you have ever stayed up? Oh gosh. I'm not sure... all night. Two nights when Homie's injury happened.

29- Have you ever been rushed by an ambulance into the emergency room? No.

30- Do you actually read these when other people fill them out? Yes. Love it.

If you haven't done this little questionnaire and you want to, you're tagged. I'm so tired tonight. But I would really, really love to read YOUR answers!

And finally, think twice before asking me to dance:

I'm definitely doing the jumping thing here!

And we're definitely meant to be:

Have a great night! I can't wait to read YOUR answers.

Pumpkin-Carvin' Time...

2009-10-26T17:12:00.000-07:00

It was a lot of fun, actually. The Bean carved a pumpkin with nothing but her own hand, and her own drawing skills. Homie and I carved a pumpkin using cut-outs and carving tools, precise measurements, and creativity. You might know us by our God-given Virgo tendencies. Do you know any? Only the best will do for us Virgos (and by BEST we mean PERFECT!). I hope you understand, it's a Virgo thing.

And without further adieu the Bean's pumpkin:

And mine and Homie's pumpkin pictures:

Happy Halloween!!

Super Snapshot Saturday: Take Two

2009-10-24T14:41:00.000-07:00

Wanna see more awesome photos of some of the World's Cutest Kids? Head over to Angel's blog and check out Super Snapshot Saturday. It's so much fun. And you can play too!

My photos:

Picture one is a picture of my niece. She is the cutest little thing EVAH! And I love her so much. She's six here, and soo tiny. This was taken on their trip last year to the States. She lives in England, so she has the cutest British accent. OhMyGosh, I'm going to have to call her now. Be still my heart. This was at an amusement park:

And this truly special picture was taken at my best friend's wedding. This is her nephew who was also the ring bearer. About three minutes into the ceremony he laid across the stairs of the church and took a little nap. So cute. Anyways, this was at the reception, and it makes me laugh SO hard every time I see it (luckily I got to him in time and was able to keep him from actually touching the cake).

Enjoy.

It's Friday...

2009-10-23T18:38:00.000-07:00

And you know what that means? It's the best day of the week!! And since I gladly took the day off from work, I'm lovin' it.

Weekend plans?

Tomorrow we are carving pumpkins. I figure it's close enough to Halloween that the pumpkins won't rot before it gets here (and yes, I'm speaking from experience). I can be a little over-zealous (to say the least), and may have carved a pumpkin once or TWICE before I actually should have carved it. And said pumpkins may have rotted. Poor pumpkins and the poor time I spent carving... ohmygosh... the carving was complete with a bat flying over a house with windows (WINDOWS). It was lovely and scary at the same time.

Also, I'm totally planning on roasting the seeds. Is that still cool? I haven't done it in ages (actually, I don't think I've ever done it). So, I'm not sure if it's something people still do, or how they even do it. I'm sure I can find something on the Internet with step-by-step directions. Right? Right.

Also, I'm making potato soup (tomorrow) in the Crockpot. EASY day for me... and I like that. I also used the Crockpot today, but who's counting? Please don't count. I have tons of leftovers and would love to invite you over. As long as you don't count the amount of days I've used the Crockpot or plan on using it. Seriously, we will be BFFs this year (the crockpot and I). If only I had known how to cook LAST YEAR... shoot.

And I'm planning on participating in SuperSnapshotSaturday tomorrow- the RIGHT way this time! And you should too.

Happy Friday!

Distractions

2009-10-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

While I wear my headphones and distract myself from the chaos that is my life, I thought I might as well write another post. But schedule it for tomorrow (or today if you're just now reading this, as you probably won't be reading it until it posts). That is the essence of killing two birds with one stone, right!? And if impatience breeds productivity, I'm game. Yeah! Let's get this party started.

I was reading some photography tips a couple of weeks ago, and there was a survey (which was not a tip), asking people which eye they use to look through the lens of their camera. And I was in the minority, which is pretty surprising to me, as I cannot focus even a little bit with my right eye. How does the REST OF THE WORLD do it? I use my left eye and squint my right eye, and make a terrible face. Which eye do you use? Do you make a terrible face?

For your enjoyment:

{the black and white is to distract you from the ick of taking a picture after my evening run}

and

(don't look too close)

And the last colors of summer...

Oh, how I will miss you my beautiful flowers.

'Underneath the winter snow, lies a seed, that with the sun's glow, will become the ROSE!' OhMy, I am SUCH A DORK!!

Don't Tell Anyone...

2009-10-21T15:33:00.000-07:00

But it's been one of those days. One of those days where I feel like I could very well lose my mind. I feel like I am being tested in patience. Patience in everything. OhMyGosh... do you remember how I said I enjoyed Algebra? Well, NOT. so.much.anymore. That is a big, fat no. It is one daunting homework assignment after the other. Do you think they actually teach students how to do the problems before they send them home? Because holy cow... there is a lot of teaching going on in this house (I'm sure it has very little to do with the teacher though). And it's tiring. And the Bean sometimes doesn't want to do her homework, so it's a constant battle of wills. Fun times in the RAW house I tell you! How would you like to come over for tea?

And it's constant and soul-sucking (if that even makes sense). And Homie, let's not forget about him. He's high on my list of people who are driving me absolutely crazy just for the fun of it. FUN FOR HIM. I can hear him plotting his next move in his head. I need to read the post where I reminded myself of the things he does do rather than the things he doesn't do. Right? Yes, for everything he does that makes me want to gnash my teeth together, he does three things that make me happy, and makes my life easier. So, that will be my constant reminder/companion for the next couple of days while my understanding creeps it's way back.

Once it's back, we're all good. How is everyone else tonight? Are you lacking patience on this day in October, or are you as filled with love as I usually am (I know... GAG!). What is everyone doing for Halloween? We do have a Halloween party this year, so I will be dressing up for the first time in about 15 years.... wooohoooo. Of course, I haven't decided what to dress up as yet. I better get on that.

The weather has finally turned nice(ish). So, that has brought some happiness to my life. Let's see how long it lasts.

Mildly Funny and Kind of Cute

2009-10-20T17:56:00.000-07:00

So, the Bean is at this new stage where instead of admitting she's wrong, or (more importantly) that YOU'RE right, she has an excuse as to why you're not exactly right every. single. time. Or why she's not exactly wrong every.single.time. Make sense? It's so funny because it's happened so many times you can almost predict when it's going to happen. When she has the wrong Algebra answer but continues to guess answers one right after the other (against our better judgment) until she finally, randomly spouts out the right answer. Her story is always, 'That's what I said FIRST!'. We always give her the benefit of the doubt by saying, 'Oh yes right, I guess WE didn't hear you'. Or if I say something that she doesn't quite understand, and I explain to her what it meant, she always says, 'OH, you said .... (insert word I actually said), I thought you said ... (some absurd word that makes no sense whatsoever, and probably isn't even a word, or a word I would ever say in a bajillion years).'

It's so funny and so cute. And entertaining at the same time. I've been around other kids who do this too. I find it so silly that they think they are never wrong (or at least that we'll believe that). She's a little adult who amazes me with her intelligence, but also leaves me pondering why on earth she would say some of the things she says?

Here is a poster we made for Andy on his birthday. So much fun! I found parts of it on the Internet, and made up the rest myself (keep in mind Andy's birthday was months ago, and I'm just now posting). Do you like how I'm just throwing this in, as if it makes sense with the rest of this post?

Super Snapshot Saturday

2009-10-17T16:30:00.000-07:00

[Edited to add:] OOPS... I just saw this week's theme is black and white. I'm so embarrassed, let's just say I'm making up for last week since I didn't get to post then. Aaarghhh.
--------------
Woohoo. I'm so glad I have time to post my pictures. We went away for the night, and I was worried I wouldn't get back in time to post. To kick off my very first Super Snapshot, I'm choosing pictures of Homie. I took these while practicing the shutter speed function on my camera. I really like them because they capture Homie's sweet disposition and his beautiful blue eyes. They look better if you click on them, as when I attempt to upload photos as large pictures, it makes them all pixel-y. And then they're blurry as smaller snapshots- so just click on them :). Does anyone know why this happens?

and

{And those are really, truly the colors of his eyes :)}

I hope EVERYONE is having a good weekend, it's Saturday Night Football for us. Whooowee... so far ~~we've~~ Homie's watched, Oklahoma v. Texas, Florida v. Arkansas (what happened there!?), and some of Notre Dame v. USC. Holy cow. I think I'll just keep blogging.

Go over to Angel's blog and see more SuperSnapShotSaturdays. She takes great pictures and so does everyone else!!

Happy SATURDAY!

Have You Seen Me?

2009-10-16T10:07:00.001-07:00

I'm golden and round. And surround the air with warmth. Trees bask in my awesomeness, and in early fall change their leaves from green to yellow, red, and orange:

It always happens sometime between September and November, I quietly start to fade away. The trees are almost always colorful and pretty, and the skies are a dark, dark blue.

But this year, I've disappeared too early.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Seriously, have you seen the sun? I just keep thinking NO!NO!NO! this isn't happening. It will get warmer, IT WILL! But alas, there is no warmth to be had. It has been weeks, and I still haven't seen any sign of the Fall weather I know and love. It's almost always warm in October (record lows this year, peeps). Last year, it.was.so.much.warmer. The pictures above were taken last NOVEMBER, and I haven't seen a day like it SINCE.

I just hope this doesn't happen anytime soon...

{Same backyard, different weather conditions in February.}

If you've seen the sun, please send it to me. It's way too early to be this cold!

So, Erm... Hi. I Guess It's Been a While.

2009-10-14T17:51:00.001-07:00

Well, let me just start off with a big, huge apology. Not only did I hit send and briefly post a completely blank post moments ago, but I also haven't been around in AGES (note... this is my new favorite word). And what a sad week it's been. Please pray for our wonderful friends who are trying to wade through life and cope with the loss of their precious four year old son. We are comforting them, and sharing memories with them often. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

And on a completely different level, a sweet blogger friend awarded me an award recently. An Over the Top Award. And I LOVE of it!!

So, here it goes, the rules:

1. Answer the survey below using only one word answers.
2. Pass this along to six of your favorite bloggers.
3. Alert them that you have given them this award.
4. Have fun!

The Survey:
1. Where is your cell phone? Kitchen
2. Your hair? Ponytail
3. Your mother? Adorable
4. Your father? Funny
5. Your favorite food? Pizza
6. Your dream last night? Homie
7. You favorite drink? Diet Coke
8. Your dream/goal? Family
9. What room are you in? Dining
10. Your hobby? Wine?
11. Your fear? Traumatic Brain Injuries
12. Where do you want to be in six years? Home
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. Something that you aren't? Tall
15. Muffins? Chocolate chip
16. Wish list item? Louboutins
17. Where did you grow up? Here
18. Last thing you did? Blogged
19. What are you wearing? Down
20. Your TV? Crap :)
21. Your pets? Fish
22. Your friends? Lovely
23. Your life? Fabulous
24. Your mood? Blogging?
25. Missing someone? YES
26. Vehicle? Toyota
27. Something you're not wearing? Rings
28. Your favorite store? Anthropologie
29. Your favorite color? Pink
30. When was the last time you laughed? Today!
31. Last time you cried? Recently
32. Your best friend? Homie/Bean
33. Favorite place to eat? Bonefish

Thanks Amanda. I love your blog, and I can't believe you thought of ME!

Tagging:
Beth
SilverHart
Nikki
Jeanette
Angel
Tina

I wish I could tag so many more!! I love SO many blogs it was SO hard to choose.

I'm It.

2009-10-05T16:44:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Tina (aren't her grandkids SO cute)? Tagged to tell you seven things about myself that you might not know from this blog.

Here it goes.

Can you guess how tall I am? Not very. I stand at an astounding 5'1/4". I'm SHORT to say the least.
Because of my height (I think), I always wear heels. ALWAYS. It's strange, I have a closet full of flat sandals, but I rarely wear them. I wear tennis shoes to run in, and flat shoes to cycle in, but if I'm cycling in to work, I always bring a pair of heels with me.
Although I wear heels every day, I'm not fooling anyone into believing I am vertically impressive. In fact, I am often told I look like I'm 12. I'm carded everywhere, anytime I buy alcohol. In fact, there is one particular person who cards me, gasps, and then LAUGHS every.single. time. Seriously. She must know I'm old enough to buy alcohol by now.
I LURVE spicy food. I want my mouth to be on fire (yikes!). In fact, I usually have a jar of crushed red pepper sitting at the table with me.
I'm not a big fan of chocolate, or sweets in general, but Homie and the Bean have the biggest sweet tooths I've ever encountered in my life. They could eat so much of it, it kind of disturbs me.
I've met a few famous people in my short life. Most of them were really nice. At a 50 Cent concert, I shot t-shirts from a t-shirt gun (on stage), and then had a Bacardi drink with Mr. 'it's your birthday' himself. Also, I met and had a drink with Kiefer Sutherland once. He was very nice and good looking, so was his girlfriend. Also, I met and had my picture taken with Chris McDonald (from Happy Gilmore), but he was hmmm... how do I say this, tacky?!
I am addicted to Diet Coke.

Tagging anyone who hasn't done this yet. I'd love to know more about everyone (Beth, Amanda, Nikki, SilverHart, and anyone else!).

Football!

2009-10-03T18:28:00.000-07:00

Who's watching?

Right now, my TV is tuned to Oklahoma and Miami. Anyone else in football overload tonight? Did your team win today? MY TEAM LOST. But there's always next week, I guess.

Homie is an Oklahoma fan, so I'm hoping they win tonight. Go SOONERS!!

Hi

2009-09-30T19:18:00.000-07:00

Just checking in to say, Hi!. I know I haven't been around much, as I've been so busy at work AND home. Plus, the weather has suddenly taken a turn for the COLD, and I wasn't prepared. As in, no sweaters rest in our drawers, no coats hang in our closets, and no heavy comforters lie on our beds. I guess it's time to find it all, and clean it all. It looks like it's going to come quick this year. Though, I'm still hoping for some 80 degree temps in October!

And so far, among all the cool weather we've been to weddings and baby showers, and work and home. I haven't rested in so long. That's what I'm getting ready to do. But I wanted to say, HI first!

And have a good night!!

Motivation to Run

2009-09-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

The following are the steps I use to motivate mysel, to get off my butt and run:

http://www.ehow.com/how_5446551_motivation-run.html

Do you have any other tips? What motivates you? I'd love to hear your tips, as I'm always looking for ways to stay motivated. And believe me, some weeks are easier than others!!

And I could ALWAYS use the extra motivation.

Peace out.

It's Close Enough to Halloween

2009-09-25T19:44:00.000-07:00

So, I need to know, are you guys big into Halloween?I love it for the Bean- I love her excitement, watching her decide on what she is going to be each year, seeing her get dressed up, and then seeing that look of complete satisfaction on her face when she has a bag full of candy. By that description, it sounds like.SO.much.fun! And I love it for her. I do!

But Halloween just does not excite ME. Seriously. I don't dress up. I never go to Halloween parties. I might take the Bean from house to house, or pass out candy, but that's it. And it doesn't bother me, I never wish I'd had more fun on Halloween, or that I'd gone to this party or that. It's just not important to me.

I have lots of friends who love Halloween. Most of them dress up in their cute, creative pieces year after year. And they LOVE it. They get so excited and spend SO. MUCH. TIME. planning it. Holy cow! And then they try and convince me to be excited with them. But most of the time, I end up a little jealous of their Halloween creativity, and that's it. In those times, I think to myself, next year I WILL DO BETTER. I will! But, as you've probably guessed, it's always the same.

I'll never forget the time I went to 70-bajillion Targets looking for yellow tights, so my friend could complete her costume as SPONGE BOB SQUARE PANTS. We were in our twenties. I sat at home later that night with a friend, and we watched what seemed like everyone else, who were also all dressed up, prance around the neighborhood. They went from one house to the next. And, though, it sounds pathetic, I WAS HAPPY. I was happy to be sitting in my jeans, watching from a balcony. I was happy to see those dressed as the Spongbob Squarepants mingling before me, but I was also glad it wasn't me.

That was five years ago (at least FIVE years ago), and nothing has changed. This year I thought about convincing the Bean to to trick-or-treat with me, I could dress-up. I could find a creative costume and wear it. It would be my one and only chance. But she has other plans. So, another year without a costume. But I'm okay with that, I don't mind. Do YOU mind? Are you okay with the fact that Halloween is only okay? Or do you really love it? Are you like my friend, will you go to every Target in a 6o mile radius to find yellow tights?

And Nikki, I'm looking at you, do you guys do Halloween? Do you have a costume for Ava Grace picked out yet? I have a feeling it will be so much fun when I can dress SOMEONE ELSE up. :)

Happy End of September.

PS Thanks for reading my previous post. Sorry, if I sounded dramatic, or over-excited at the situation, but my blog is one of the only places I can let out those feelings. Thanks for the love!

Why Fall IS Kicking My Butt...

2009-09-23T18:50:00.000-07:00

Okay. So, generally speaking, I like Fall... A LOT. And although I really love Summer, I am usually SOO ready for Fall and everything that comes with it. This year... not so much. I'm not sure if it's my mood, if summer wasn't long enough, or if it was the summer we had, but I am not ready for Fall.

And honestly, a lot of the reason is not about the season, or the weather. It's the amount of light that seems to be missing... MISSING. It is dark in the mornings when my alarm screams at me to wake up, it's dark when I pull myself together, and it's dark when I open the back door for an EARLY EVENING run. And I'm really enjoying those runs, but in the dark, NOT SO MUCH?? Not at all. And I hate treadmills, and the thought of running early (when I get home from WORK) makes me nauseous. And running in the morning, well, it's DARK! So, ugh, the darkness is so depressing.

And GUESS WHAT!? It's haunting me... HAUNTING ME! I have the same, silly, anxiety-ridden attacks as I felt right after Homie's accident. His accident happened on Oct 4th, and it's so close to being that day. And at this time it felt so far away. It's only been a year... A YEAR. Oh, help me. I feel the tears coming. The more I think about it, the more my shoulders shake. And hello, those thoughts, those thoughts I used to have, they are back. Haunting me again... if he falls back THIS TIME, can I catch him? If I grab his shirt this time, will his shirt rip, or will I manage to save him? If he falls back here, is the surface as hard as that surface? Holy hell, I've already experienced this for nine months... and then it went away, but only to return. Now, it's back. I thought I had conquered those thoughts. Oh, Lord help me. Will the weather this time of year always remind me of last year? Will I ever find peace in Fall again?

But I will take deep breaths, I will try not to compare this year to last year. And that means, not asking myself repeatedly, does he seem as stressed now as he did last year, did he look at me like that last year, is he working too hard, he worked too hard last year, is he sleeping all the time, because he was kind of sleeping a lot last year, or maybe last year he wasn't sleeping enough. Is he sleeping enough? What can I do? How can I prevent this?
But there is nothing I can do.

And the fact that no one knows what caused it is comforting and utterly terrifying at the same time. We know he doesn't have tumors, or seizures, or abnormalities of the heart. He's had every organ checked, and checked again, he's had MRIs and Cat Scans. And nothing? Nothings wrong. But will it happen again? Can we prevent it? Holy hell. It's like walking a fine line, a line you wish you didn't know existed. Yet, here we are, we are here. And for that I am SO very thankful.

You mean to tell me there's more to TV than FOOTBALL?

2009-09-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

It's Fall!

And nothing screams Fall like the start of football season, right!? I love fall, and for the most part, I love football. I love watching my college team play, I love watching Homie's college team play, and I love watching some of the professional teams play (Adrian Peterson: I'm looking at you!). I love the Math aspect in football, and the numbers specifically. First in 10, second in whatever, I love it. The adding and subtracting to get to the number of yards the team must run is even better (Off Topic: my favorite numbers are those divisible by three, I test almost every number to see if they are divisible by three). But I also love watching the touchdowns, the strategies, the puzzles (the Adrian Peterson overcoming any and all opponents).

Now, for every ounce of me that loves football, Homie LOVES. IT. THAT. MUCH. MORE. He can watch football from the time his feet hit the floor in the mornings, until his little eyes close at night. And that doesn't include European football either. Yesterday, or maybe Saturday, he was watching European football via the Internet, and American football on television. It was football overload, I didn't think I was going to make it through the day. Every single second we were home, a football game was on tv.

Anyways, since the first day of Fall is today, and nothing reminds me more of Fall than football, I could think of little else to blog about. I love Fall, the colors of the leaves, the sports, the weather. But I also love summer. I love the heat, the pools, the outdoor activities. So, today is bittersweet... I'm happy and sad it's the first day of fall.

What is your favorite season? Do you love football?

Another Great Weekend...

2009-09-20T20:19:00.000-07:00

... And a Weekend Top Ten.

Oktoberfest... woot! woot!

Bingo (don't tell anyone BUT Homie and I LOVED playing BINGO)

Brats... fresh from the grill... YUM.

Fall Festival...

Seeing a FIRE TRUCK from 1917 (second only to the horse and buggy fire squad)

Homemade ice cream... strawberry... I'm in LOVE.

Spending the weekend with my lover... and the BEAN.

Football.. an SEC WIN (MY TEAM WON)!!! YAY.

SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY... Happy birthday, Nic

Watching it storm today...
------------------------

Also, have you been here? I love it. And I'm obsessed with hair, read here.

It's Friday! And it's going to be AWESOME!

2009-09-18T05:04:00.000-07:00

Confession: I never know how to format(?) my titles. Sometimes, I capitalize, and sometimes I do the sentence thing. Today, I did the sentence thing. But only because, I don't know... is 'TO' capitalized or 'BE'? Again, I just don't know.

Anyways, and moving on... it's FRIDAY!! I am ready to get this work day over with... I plan on listening to music and keeping myself busy... AND then it's the weekend. The weekend of Oktoberfest (in this city). Also, there's a fall festival happening in the cutest downtown of all small towns this weekend. We're taking the Bean to be both, and she's soo excited. And THEN (as if that's not enough excitement), there's a barbecue and surprise party for a couple of our friends. Did I say I'M EXCITED about this weekend or what!?

The Bean has officially begun Algebra. It's great because I.LOVE.MATH (I AM a dork), and just thinking about it puts a smile on my face (I'm getting weirder by the second, I KNOW). The hardest part is getting on her level. I've had Math for years, so what comes naturally to me, doesn't always come naturally to her. Often, I want to say, you do that because of this, but I am quickly informed she hasn't learned that yet. So, I have to breathe, and get down on her level, and think about it from her perspective. OffTopic, but some of the Professors at the local University have a hard time teaching Undergraduate students, because they can't get on their level. HAHA. That DOES NOT happen to me. I just forget that maybe she hasn't learned all of the concepts that are spinning in my head.

Also, they've 'thrown PEMDAS out the window this year' (the Bean's words exactly). Did you use PEMDAS as a tool for learning the order of operations? We did. And it stuck with me. Now, it's forever gone. I'm kind of sad about it... now they use something about Gary... I'm not sure. I was too shocked to care.

Also, the distributive property... my FAVORITE!! Homie and I were discussing it this morning (don't worry, he KNOWS I'm a dork), and it's one of my favorite things EVAH.

Moving on, I forgot to eat breakfast this morning. So, I'm going to have a couple of Girl Scout cookies for breakfast, don't tell anyone. Please?!

Later.

Have a GREAT weekend.

Photography Tutorials

2009-09-17T20:19:00.001-07:00

How To Improve the Colors of Your Photos

And

How To Improve Your Photographs by Getting Closer to Your Subject

Golf scrambles and birthday dinners

2009-09-10T19:23:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling a bit lazy tonight, but I wanted to add something, and I wanted to add something, especially because I've neglected my blog this week. So, I'm adding pictures. Pictures from the golf scramble (the LADIES won). And my birthday with Homie (mostly because I love the SHOES).

So, here we are... a golf scramble.

A golfer and her entourage...

A golf course...

---------------
And pictures of me from my date night (it DOES feel weird to upload pictures of ME)... and yes I know, I look SO young here (or maybe it's just me?). But I'm pushing thirty (not TWELVE... so don't even say it)...

And the MOST awesome shoes ever... I wish you could see them in their entirety because they get BETTER.

And I rarely upload pictures of me. But, what the heck. I love my dress, and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my shoes (did I mention I LOVE my shoes?). So, go ME and MY SHOES!

And what do you think about Ellen being the new American Idol judge (taking Paula's place)? It's an interesting choice. I love Ellen but I didn't realize she knew much about singing!?

Happy Thursday.

Intimidation... and why I must rise above it...

2009-09-06T20:26:00.000-07:00

Hear me through. Ten months ago my partner, my very best friend, had a traumatic brain injury. It was terrible and awful, and there was lots of blood, lots of blood seeped through every orifice of his body. You can read more about it here. No one knew whether he would live or die, and in fact, the main doctor of the neuro ICU said he would probably die (I subsequently, puked on her... but whatever). Homie spent lots of time in the ICU (two weeks in a coma) and two weeks in rehabilitation. They told him he improved in four weeks what most people (who had the same type of injury) improved in nine months. He's still improving.

Homie's always been competitive, so neither S nor I were surprised when the top neuro docs claimed, if anyone could write a book on how to survive a traumatic brain injury (while in a coma), Homie would be the person writing it (he was improving rapidly and exactly like he should). So, he's always been competitive, and it was good to know he continued that competitiveness while in a coma.

So, fast forward a few months, Homie and I set out to play tennis. And let me preface this by saying, I am a damn good tennis player. I've played for 15 years and have won more than a few tournaments. Homie and I brought lots of water, as it was a hot day. We used the same rackets we've always used (the same racket Homie used before his accident). And Homie beat me 8-0 (a pro-set). What!? It was shocking... and embarrassing. There were times, I couldn't even return his serve.

Golf on Saturday, he slammed us all.

How does that happen? And let's be honest, I am so impressed by how far he's made it. But, as you all know, my polish is still chipped... still! And don't get me wrong, I'm so glad he's my forever kind of guy. But I remember feeding him for six weeks through a feeding tube, and pushing him around in a wheel chair for a month (because he couldn't walk on his own). And now he's beating us all at our own sports. AND MY POLISH IS STILL CHIPPED. Excuse me while I give up on all sports.

SO UNFAIR!! ☺

ME!

2009-09-05T17:00:00.000-07:00

ME! ME! ME! memememe. Wow. Do I talk about myself a lot or what? I was just perusing my labels for each post, and without fail, the majority of labels included the label ME. I'm not even that interesting, why do I have so much to say about ME (little ol'ME- I'm only five foot and 1/4 inch tall)? It's kind of ~~disturbing~~ silly, really.

Next week, I'll desperately try to make a conscious effort to add a few more names to my labels WITHOUT the inclusion of ME. Perhaps since everything is from my perspective, it relates to me (in MY head). And the Bean is in school... BORING... I can only talk about her Math homework so many times before people quit reading, and quit reading with good reasons too- in an effort to completely forget about Algebra. Could you blame them? Homie is teaching now... I guess I could talk about that!? OR NOT. He's teaching statistics... what!? I hated that class in college... HATED! Maybe it was the teacher. I'm sure if I had had Homie, I would have loved it... LOVED it.

Anyways, I just wanted to talk about me a little more... ME. Hey, at least this time I included Homie and the Bean. I've got to start doing that more often. Right now, I'm out golfing, or driving the golf cart. This post is pre-scheduled, let's see if it works.

I hope you're having a good weekend. And I'll try to talk about something other than me in the future.

But one more time... ME.

Travelling and Cleaning...

2009-09-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry for a boring post, but I want to write it for some reason. Strange, I know.

When I was single, my apartment was always spotless, ALWAYS. If I were taking a trip, it was as spotless as spotless could be. There weren't any traces of dust, food, or an unmade bed in the ENTIRE place. The thought of coming home to an uncleaned house, was unthinkable. When I began dating and living with the The Professor, the fear of coming home to an unclean apartment still haunted me.

The first time that changed, the first time I didn't have time to clean the entire house, was the day we left for my brother's wedding. We had just moved. There were boxes everywhere, boxes lined the hallways, and were stacked against the walls. The dishes were done, but some had been left out to dry (GASP! and we don't have a dishwasher), there was an empty wine bottle, left by the back door that I had forgotten to take out to the recycling can on my way out. There was fresh fruit on the counter. It was NOT clean. And I remember the sinking feeling when I left to pick up Homie, the thought I had never left my home in such a state, and it hurt (it actually HURT), but I didn't have time. I had to go. There was no time for a deep clean.

That night, Homie had his accident. As we were in a different city two hours away, I was away from home for two weeks (so I could be near him as he was in the hospital). His brother, who flew in from England upon hearing the news, was staying near our home, and taking the Bean to school in the mornings. Since he was here, and I was not, he got me clothes as I needed them. It was embarrassing, the state of our house. I often still hear the JOKING ridicule from those visits- not in a mean way, but just some mention of the house being messy. And nothing against S, as it was a mess, but still (and whether he believes me or not), it was the only time I had left my house in disarray (not that S has any reason to believe me that after seeing the state of my house then). The fruit flies from the fresh fruit (that had been sitting out on the counter for TWO weeks)- OhMyGosh... I hope that never happens to you. It was bad...

Now, I am terrified to leave my house in any sort of mess. I will rush home from work- pack, scrub, and scrub some more. Before Homie's accident, I cleaned my house because it was nice to come home to a clean house. Now, I do it because, if I don't, I'm terrified it it will bring bad luck, that someone will see it this way (motivator for sure), and that I will worry all weekend. It's amazing... Amazing how much a traumatic event can affect you!

Also, as a sidenote, my house is NEVER as clean as it was before the injury. Reading Nie's post today, I realized I too once lived in a perfect house, with perfect floors, and perfect glass table tops. But now, NOW. It's so messy. I almost posted a picture of my laundry-laden bedroom. But I couldn't stand the thought of sending you into a shrieking mess so early in the day. Please tell me your bedrooms are also cluttered. Please? And I suppose when you're this thankful, you can't be bothered to clean, hehe.

Anyways, that's all. Just another rant. Have a good weekend.

You play golf!? NO, what do you mean, you only drive the cart?

2009-09-03T19:55:00.000-07:00

Man, I love this song. I listen to it SO much (as in... I'm listening to it RIGHT THIS SECOND). It's such a beautiful song. At work, it's often my 'saving grace' (pun intended), as it keeps me calm and at peace with myself and my work. Love it. What's your 'calming' song?

In further news, this weekend we are taking a trip... wahooooooo. Labor Day weekend R.O.C.K.S. We're simply traveling a couple of hours south for a quick getaway. And since we have entered the period known as the birthday meccah around here (because let's face it, almost everyone I've ever known was born the last weekend of August/ beginning of September- is it cold in December/January or what!).? Or maybe it's the holidays... but wow. Anyways, for the birthday meccah, we are having a golf scramble.

Cool, right!? Right? As if- and I'm totally stealing that line from Elle Woods- the star of Legally Blonde (like you've never seen it!? Right? Please tell me I'm not the only one). Or maybe it's Clueless with Alicia Silverstone? Oh no, I can't keep my teeny-bopper, I'm- blond- and- ditsy- movie themes straight. Does this mean I'm old and I've finally grown up? Shoot. And I totally missed the theme of this paragraph. It was supposed to be about how I was participating in a golf scramble, but was not actually golfing. Yes, back on track.

Let's try this again. Homie is playing golf. I will be driving the golf cart (the golf cart, not the driver... get it?). Eight of the 12 participants (all close friends) have birthdays within a week or two of ours. The other four, of course, have birthdays that do not include the words August or September. Of course, we are graciously allowing them to be a part of the scramble (haha... as if... they are graciously allowing us to be a part of the scramble... as they own the country club). We'll see how it goes. And lucky for us, or lucky for Homie, we have an awesome team (is that what it's called... 'team', I can't remember).

I will admit that I was on the golf team in high school. HILARIOUS (in every sense of the word), as I haven't played SINCE THEN. Can you believe it? I still have the clubs at my parents' house, which we will take from them tomorrow (just in case I decide to swing aimlessly at a very small ball set-up on a very small tee- SCARY). Also? I don't know if golf clubs have changed through the years (i.e. I haven't seen a golf club in about ten years), but mine are way older than that. We'll also see how that goes.

In spite of the daily activity being golf, I'm very excited (probably because the golf carts are pretty fun to drive). Plus, the people are so much fun, golf or no golf. And most importantly, Homie is SO excited. I love seeing the excitement on his face. He often plays golf in England, but not so much in America. It should be a great weekend.

What are your Labor Day plans? Are you playing golf? Eeek!

Obsession. And a part II

2009-09-02T13:18:00.001-07:00

Not to think I'm a crazy spender, because I'm NOT. Absolutely not. But I am in love with Anthropologie's latte bowls. Pulling them from the cupboard, makes my life so much brighter. And I always feel so much more enthused about eating, or about life in general when I have one sitting in front of me. I know that last sentence sounds weird, but you've got to try them. I always buy the brightest, prettiest bowls I can find, and I LOVE finding them on sale. So, guess what!? Today I went to anthropologie.com, and they have the most beautiful colors on sale (via the website)... six of them for 8.00 in three different colors (you pick the color). And they're beautiful. They're so beautiful, I don't think I can stand it. I'm not going to be able to sleep until mine come in the mail. Strange, you say? I told you I was passionate... I also had pizza today (figures, right!?).
-----------------------
Part II.. So, um I posted the previous paragraph earlier in the day. It was posted before my brain felt like it might explode out my ears and stain our walls. Thank goodness I went for a run and that seemed to solve that problem. I needed to calm down, in every sense of the word (as you can imagine). It's nothing big. And, in reality is quite funny, as I was in the midst of a very hyper tween who was trying to do homework, but for the life of her, could. not. sit. still. Oh my. It went something like this... sit at table, open book, exclaim... I need to look out your peephole, I wonder if I can see anything out of it, does this picture look the best (on the cellphone) or maybe this picture is better. Which is your favorite? I need to listen to one song while I do this, what song do you want me to play, any song but Man in the Mirror. Perhaps I should turn on the radio? Oh not that song. I should call my Mom. I'm hungry, I'm thirsty. I made this ring out of pipe fitters. I like your hair, do you like my hair? Have you seen [insert movie here]. Oh you haven't, you should definitely see it. And on and on and on. It's still going on. And it's late. Besides, there is so much more to do. It's great and I love her so much, but it makes me jumpy.

How was your day today? Have you been in the midst of a hyper child lately?

Hola!

2009-09-01T13:18:00.000-07:00

EEK... writer's block. I want to write a new post, but I'm not sure what to write about!? I could write about work and school, and the Bean, and Homie. It just seems so everyday and so mundane. Not that my life is either of those things, mind you. But... boring. I've been running and cycling for a month now, which is the longest stint of exercising I've experienced in a long time (props for me). I've also been rubbing my eyes for the past ten minutes at work, so I'm certain I have mascara on my bottom eye lids. Classy, eh? I'm also wearing flip flops with black pants, which to me is hilarious. And again, so not classy. What is up with that? I'm going to blame it on cycling to work. It just takes a certain type of outfit, and that certain type, doesn't happen to be very classy (well, at least a lot of the time the shoes aren't exactly classy).

And speaking of cycling to work, the students are baaaaaaack! And guess what that means!? If you're not careful, they will run you over. Like, get out of the way here I come, run you over. I can squeeze between you, and that truck on this little narrow road. They say with their eyes, you need to get over further. OH MY GOSH!? Oh my, some days it's scary. They have no idea how to cycle or how far they should swerve around you. Please. Don't cycle around student drivers... yikes!

Also, the Bean started school last week. It's going very well. She seems to love her classes and teachers. The math homework isn't pleasant for anyone, but we get through it. Sometimes, it takes a while. But I think this will be a good year for everyone.

Has school started in your area?

Next random thought- I have food in the Crockpot, and it will soon be time to add the next ingredients. I should probably head home. Aren't I such a dork? Tonight it's beef stroganoff... yummy.

Sorry, for my random, writer's block post. I hope you at least made it to the end.

Happy Tuesday!!

It's Finally Friday!

2009-08-28T19:45:00.000-07:00

Everyone in my house (but me) is in bed. They're in their rooms, all nestled up. It's so cute, and quiet, and peaceful. I'm in the nook, typing away. I wish I could go to bed. I wish I weren't such a night owl. There are very few nights when I can turn in early, especially on the weekend. It's something that I've worked on for years, but can't seem to overcome. Perhaps my body is unable. Perhaps, like a small child, I'm worried I'll miss something, or my body is afraid to relax. It's the strangest thing, I often stay awake until exhaustion sets in, and find my way to bed at the point where I can barely keep my eyes open.

What about you? Are you an early to bed, early to rise person? Or are you more of a night owl like me? If you're a night owl, I'd love to invite you over for a glass of wine... it's hard to find people who stay up late, especially because (if you're like me) our employers expect us there in the mornings. I often have to drag myself out of bed, and often think, I'll go to bed early tonight. I've been saying that for five years now. At what point will I go to bed early?

It's such a difficult balance. But perhaps in the next year, when I (hopefully) give birth to my first child, I'll sleep peacefully. Right? I probably shouldn't even question that, I'll be happy to get the sleep I find, right? Or perhaps I'll just wander through life without sleep. It's such a difficult balance. ♪♫♪♫

But I wish you a good night's rest. Have a good weekend.

Keep me updated. And goodnight.

Birthday post and a confession...

2009-08-27T18:19:00.001-07:00

So, in our house this week is the busiest week of all the year, in fact, it's WAY busier than Christmas. How? You ask. Let me count the ways... we have the beginning of the YEAR, fall semester, faculty retreat for work, my cousin's birthday, Homie's Dad's birthday, my birthday, Homie's birthday, and car taxes for both of our cars are due. It's one crazy week! But of course, we try and make the best of it each year. And yesterday was a blast.

I love birthdays. I love the celebrations, the day in which every one is happy just for YOU. The cards, the mail, and being taken out for lunch, dinner, both or neither. I love receiving gifts and the thought that the gift was picked just for me. [Sidebar: Homie got me the most beautiful pair of earrings and I love them.] I'm never sad about turning one year older (more on that in a minute) and I'm somewhat of an old soul (but not too old, mind you). In fact, this year I turned 28, and I don't mind that in two years I'll be 30.

And my confession, it does have something to do with my age. It's the ditsiest trait I have, and I don't really understand why I can't grasp the concept. See, I can never remember my age. Ever. As sad and pathetic as it sounds, it's true. I always have trouble when I'm asked. And maybe the number is just not that important to me. But every single time someone asks me my age, I'm stumped. I think about it, and sometimes I get it right, but many times people have to correct ME. It's true. I always look at Homie, and say, 'that's how old I am, right!?'

What's your confession? Do you have just one EXTREMELY ditsy quality?

Thanks Facebook!

2009-08-21T21:11:00.001-07:00

If you have a Facebook account, and you've logged in recently, you probably have seen the free Starbucks ice cream coupons floating around. Somehow, I managed to get my hands on two such coupons, each for a free pint. I love ice cream (LOVE!) and I love Starbucks, so I can't wait to use them. The only problem, I always drink a hazelnut nonfat latte (iced) from Starbucks, and they don't have any such ice cream flavor. So, which flavor should I buy? HELP. Please. I don't want to waste my coupons. And I know I want to try the Caramel Macchiato, but what else? Have you tried any of the Starbucks flavors? If so, which is YOUR favorite?

This picture is from this website, and I'm salivating just thinking about all of those pints. Which would you choose?

Also, if you'd like to be directed to the coupon, I will send you the link on Facebook (well, at least try and do so), if you send me an email.

Furthermore, football season is in the air. Tonight alone, I watched the Cowboys (at their new stadium), researched Oklahoma's stats (not Oklahoma State), and watched priceless videos of Adrian Peterson on you tube (he's quick and can do anything with a football- so I've heard). It's amazing what you can learn from someone who loves football, both American and European. I'll thank Homie for his knowledge, as I'm just a blogger among the Internets :).

Chipped Polish

2009-08-20T18:09:00.000-07:00

In a strange series of events, in feeling rushed and lazy this morning, I left the house in sandals. Not a big deal of course, as we are permitted to wear open-toed shoes at work, and they were cute, professional shoes. The problem didn't come until I got a glance of my toes, my toes with CHIPPED nail polish. Red, chipped nail polish. I was embarrassed to say the least. I never let this happen! Ever. I spent the entire day hiding my feet under my desk and only leaving my office in extreme emergencies.

But as I looked at the mess created along my toes, I remembered the last time this happened, and it hadn't been all that long ago. In fact, it was in the weeks after Homie's accident. I remember I was with my best friend shopping for bridesmaid's dresses. It was during a time when I had to will myself to do anything. Anything that included, but was not limited to, getting up in the morning, brushing my teeth, going to work, and shopping. And that morning, the thought of moving was too much. The thought of removing chipped polish was unbearable. I went shopping with chipped polish, and it was embarrassing. I knew it. We were shopping at upscale boutiques, and everyone was dressed to a nine. I looked far from their nine. I was tired and I was weak. And I could have cared less what anyone thought.

So, as I thought about that day, and how hard it was for me to do anything, I realized how far I had come. I'm not sure when everything changed. When simple activities felt bearable, and getting up in the mornings took little thought. I'm not sure when I didn't feel the need to take naps at lunch, or sleep until noon. I know it happened after our trip to Europe, I remember feeling exhausted then. The start of summer was rough, as I was tired and resented work. But somewhere along the way, sometime in the last month or maybe two, everything changed. I didn't notice it happen, but it did. Perhaps it was the sun. Or just the fact that the season had changed to summer. Or that I could take endless days off from work. I'm not sure, but whatever it was, I made me feel so much better. And for that, I am grateful.

I noticed the change a week or two ago, but didn't think too much of it. Today I saw two people I hadn't seen since May, both of them at different times. And each of them told me how much better I looked, how refreshed I looked. They were giving me compliments, that much I knew. Both had seen me at my worse, far from refreshed, and I was happy to have the validation. But it left me thinking, what caused this shift, how did I go from feeling so sullen, to so refreshed. How did I do it without even realizing it?

I've learned a lot in the past 10 months, and I'm still far from perfect. But I'll take this mature, chipped polish, upbeat person in a heartbeat. I'm darn proud of who I have become.

I hope you are proud of you (even if you're not always perfect!).

And with that, cheers. And goodnight.

Goodnight.

2009-08-19T19:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday, almost Thursday!

Hoping for a quick and painless next couple of days, leading up to the weekend. Homie and I have big weekend plans. And it's almost my birthday. I can't decide which is more exciting!? The fact that the weekend is almost here (and Homie and I have a special weekend planned) or that my birthday is right around the corner. Also, fun fact: Homie's birthday is two days after mine (woohoo), my cousin's birthday was yesterday, as was my late great-grandmother's, and Homie's Dad's birthday is today. Did you get that? August is a busy month. But a fun, exciting month at the same time. One I look forward to every year.

Also, I got SO much done today. It was such a relief to be able to cross so many things off of my list. It will definitely help me sleep tonight. In fact, I am happily and guiltlessly, going to bed as soon as I finish this post. I still have a lot to do, but I feel much more confident that I will get it done (and soon!). I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. And what better way to start the weekend, right?

Goodnight!

How Does It All Get Done?

2009-08-18T20:01:00.000-07:00

As millions and millions of people have said before me, there is not enough time in the day. EVER. At this moment, I feel as though I am dragging, barely getting my feet off the floor. I am exhausted, I stay up too late, and get up too early. I'm not accomplishing things that I should be accomplishing every. single. day. Days go by and I forget to do so much. In fact, I probably should be doing something more productive right this second, yet I want to post and blog. I want to do something more than working and being productive, and cooking dinner and cleaning up. Yet I am so tired. And the to-do list is so long.

I guess everyone feels this way to some extent. It's hard to fit everything in every single day. And when you're trying to fit everything in, it's hard to remember to do everything. And lots of times at night, I like the thought of doing mindless activities, not continuing work, or editing pictures or reading photography books. Yet, when I do these things, so many other things don't get done. It's hard to find the perfect balance. And I guess that's what I'm looking for, the perfect balance. Even if it means doing work on certain nights, and non-work activities on other nights. Cleaning on some nights. And relaxing on others. I just hope, at the end of the day (or at the end of the week) it all gets done. Also, I'm hoping Homie will get back into the routine of cooking *sometimes*. Sometimes, the cooking and washing dishes is as stressful as everything else. I need sleep too. And a routine. I am not good with change and not having a routine.

So, these are the things on my mind tonight- Stress. It stinks. What's on your mind?

And with that, I'm off to do something productive! At least for an hour.

Almost There...

2009-08-16T19:19:00.001-07:00

Wow! So, I'm working on my blog, and is it ever addicting or what!? And thank goodness for Blogger's back-up powers. I was certain I had lost all of my sidebar items, all of them (those over there ►). In a matter of minutes, they were there, and then they weren't. And then they were again. It was a close call. And OhMyGosh, I would have cried if all of them had disappeared. There is so much stuff, and I don't have the memory or creativity to re-create it. Of course, I couldn't quit thinking, and then I was thinking of just deleting my blog... could you imagine? All over a sidebar? Now it's fixed... close call.

But I did intentionally delete my header. I was tired of it. And as you can see, I'm going minimalist for now, until I have the time to recreate it. But once that's done I'm hoping the blog will come together, and your eyes will be happy. Right now, it looks a bit strange to say the least.

And really, what do you care? I guess aside from the fact it may make your eyes bleed, your time is not really invested in the appearance of my blog. I get it. Yet, I can't quit talking about it. ☺

Moving on... how was your weekend? We enjoyed ours. And fulfilled our time with clothes shopping, book shopping, food shopping, art shopping (art fair this weekend), tree climbing, picture taking (of the tree climbing), tofu eating (addicted), book reading, homework editing, tennis playing, blog editing fun. But that was a lot of shopping wasn't it!? FAB-U-LOUS weekend ☺.

Happy August! My birthday is in 10 days, how exciting!?

EEEEEK!

2009-08-14T05:14:00.000-07:00

My site is under construction. In attempting to change it, late last night, I ran into some problems. Now, eeeeeeeek, it's making my eyes bleed. I'll fix it as soon as I am able.

--R

I'm relaxing... so shoot me.

2009-08-13T18:52:00.000-07:00

It's Thursday. So far I've gone to work, taken a nap (a whole hour if you will), ran, and started on a bottle of red wine (my fav-o-rite), which I hope I do NOT finish tonight (only because I have to be at work early tomorrow). And all of this for no particular reason. But it's been a GOOD day.

What are you doing tonight, or what have you done today?

Oh! I Have a Blog?

2009-08-08T11:29:00.000-07:00

I kid. I kid, I haven't forgotten about this space on the Internet that I call mine.

In all actuality, I've been spending my days with Homie, trying to keep away from the Internet as much as possible. I can't help it that I love reading about all of my bloggy friends, and that sometimes I do it just a leetle too much. HA! I'm sure Homie appreciates me cutting back. We've had some fun times together this week. Plus, I'm starting to get into an exercise routine. And I feel so much better now. I am one of those people who needs to exercise and doesn't feel complete without it (strange, I know). But that also means, it's one more thing to add to the list of things to do, and I don't have much time in the day already (or at least that's how it feels). So, blogging has been pushed down a bit for the time being.

I'll get in a blogging routine again soon, but until then, I'll just be hanging out with Homie. Hope everyone out there is doing well.

xoxo

Hi Ya...

2009-08-02T19:43:00.001-07:00

Just a quick post to say hello. I've been quiet lately, only because I've been out of town visiting my brother and his wife. I hadn't seen them in a while, and wanted to make sure I got to see their first house right off the bat! I was very impressed, and so glad I went!! My family and friends were also visiting (only one person was missing, but he'll be back soon enough! yay.), and we all had a great time. Their backyard was huge- they set-up a slip-n-slide, bean bag toss, and have a hot tub (I didn't get in but it looked fun). There was also a lot of really good food. I'm so glad I went. The weather couldn't have been better!! At some point, I'll post pictures (as if you couldn't have guessed that, haha).

Right now, I'm trying to clean the house, making sure it's spotless for Homie's big return. I can't wait to see him!! Woot! Woot!

If I don't post for a few days you know why :).

Talk soon!

Hello. Hi.

2009-07-30T20:47:00.001-07:00

How are you?

I miss my Homie. It's so strange having no one else in the house. I miss him. But that's no surprise!

And, anyhow, this is not what this post is about. It's about a blog award I was given.

It's called the 'One Lovely Blog Award'. Can you believe it? My blog is a lovely blog, and it was given to me by one lovely blogger, Silver Hart Girl.

Of course, I am so excited to pass on the love. I don't read 15 blogs but I do read a few really awesome blogs. So, how about if I award the blog to my favorite reads and readers?? The rules:

Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted you the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

There you have it, my favorite blogs :). Also, you can grab the button to the left there <---.
See it?

Love to all of you!!

R

Picture Time...

2009-07-28T17:52:00.000-07:00

I miss you Homie...

***Notice how he refuses to look at the camera :)

In counting the ways I miss you...

2009-07-28T17:07:00.000-07:00

Dearest Homie,

It's so true, one is the loneliest number... in counting the ways I miss you, I present...

1- the number of stomach bugs I've had since you've been gone

190- the number of minutes I've cycled alone since dropping you off at the airport

60- the number of minutes I've ran since seeing you on Sunday

1- the number of hail storms seen from my office building today

2- the number of meals I've cooked for myself, and only myself, since you've been gone

0- the number of nights I've gone to bed BEFORE midnight

5- the number of times I've remembered to feed your fish (we're right on track)

6- the number of fish that are still alive and swimming (and hoping I didn't jinx it)

5- the number of pictures of inanimate objects I've taken in the past two days.

10- the number of pictures I stayed up editing last night.

7- the number of dishes I've washed (zero is the number of dishes I've put away... yikes!)

4- the number of times I've talked to you via the phone and email.

450- the number of times I've cursed the door handle

a gazillion... how much I miss you.

2- the number of nights you've been gone.

Love you. And take care.

Love,
Me

A letter to my Homie...

2009-07-27T15:31:00.001-07:00

Dear Homie,

You've only been gone a day and I miss you.... very much. It's so strange not having you here by my side. You are such a good listener. And so much fun. I love running into your arms after work, and after workouts (GROSS! I know). You always put the bikes away, and wash the dishes. You help with dinner, and make the bread, you wash the clothes, and watch my favorite shows (even if you complain the entire time... ha!). Oh, how my heart wishes you were here. I know you're having fun, but I miss you.

I did get to talk to you twice today. Once over email and once on the phone. You had a decent trip across the Atlantic, although your flight was delayed. But even having a delay, and getting a couple less hours of sleep, you had a good day today- you weren't too tired. As I was getting ready for my workout, you were getting ready for bed. As I dream of you tonight, you will be waking for the day. How odd to think of things in that way.

I hope you have a good day tomorrow. And have lots of fun with your family. I'm sure you will help your Mum with the garden, and with the cleaning. You will eat her homemade pies that she made just for you, you might go shopping, or for lunch. In the evening you might go for tea. I hope you think of me as much as I think of you.

I love you!!

Love,

Goose

Happy and Sad at the Same Time...

2009-07-26T17:18:00.000-07:00

Wow. So, I dropped Homie off at the airport a little while ago. He is going to England for eight days (by HIMSELF!). And I'm not sure how I feel about that. On the one hand, I am really excited for him. He gets to see his family, and his brother and his brother's kids. Plus, he gets to travel- to another country, another continent even. I'm so jealous, I can't stand it (I love traveling). But on the other hand (that stinky other hand!), it's the first time in a long time I've been away from him for an extended amount of time (definitely since his injury). And I haven't been away from him at all since his conference in Vegas. So, I feel a little anxious (to say the least). And it's hard to be by myself, I'm so used to him needing me, or someone needing me. Now, it's just me, and I'm not sure what to do because NO ONE needs me. I'm sure it will be good for us both, I just need to get through it first. PRAY people! :).

Also, I have no idea what to do, and there is so much to do. But when you actually have time to do everything that needs to be done, do you really feel like doing them? No way (ahem, click here for evidence)!! So, I'm blogging. And cycling. And running. And going to Sonic for Diet Cokes. And listening to Chris Tomlin on full volume (okay, definitely not at full volume, but close to half volume, maybe). I'm also trying not to think about the quiet that surrounds me, I'm just not used to it. And I'm not really into quiet, well at least not for very long periods of time.

Plus, the emotions are so strong from when I was here on my own and Homie was in hospitals. I still (when on my own) feel that sudden urge of panic, that 'don't sleep too heavily, your phone might ring' panic (even though there isn't a need for it anymore). Or I expect him to walk through the door, like I did then. It's all very strange. And random fact: when Homie was in hospitals, I had those weird 'sightings'. You know the ones, I'd be sitting in the waiting area of the hospital, and I would see him (or someone who looked remotely like him), and think 'there's Homie'. But it really wasn't him, it was a person, just not him. I guess after seeing someone so much and so often, you expect to see them everywhere, even though they're in a coma. Has that happened to you? I was a zombie during those days, but I'll save those stories for another post.

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Weekend recap: On Friday night, Homie and I had a fabulous date night. We went out to dinner with a couple of good friends, and had a great time catching up. It was so much fun! On Saturday, we were hoping to take the Bean to the pool, but it was raining (again!). So, we had competitions on the Wii Fit, and went out for dinner. Today, we all went to the pool (this time it was NOT raining), and had a great time. We also went for ice cream.

Now, I am going to upload some pictures on the computer and edit them. The quiet will be perfect for that, I just hope I don't stay up too late, like I tend to do when editing pictures. I'm hoping to get up early and exercise (which I did do on Friday, yay me!). You may not know unless you read my tweets (is that what they're called). Sheesh. I can't keep up with technology anymore.

Talk Tomorrow...

Ahem... The Brighter Side of Things

2009-07-23T05:22:00.000-07:00

After yesterday's post, where I surprisingly did not play the role of emotional cripple- you know the emotional cipple, the one who hides from all things emotional. Which if I am being completely honest, is the role I feel most comfortable playing. As in, it's still hard for me to read this post. But anyhow, after yesterday's post, I thought I would participate in Thankful Thursday this week. Thus, you will see how very thankful I am for those in my life (even if we don't always see eye-to-eye).

So without further adieu:

I am thankful for my family. Both the Homie and the Bean mean so much to me. I live for them, breathe for them, love doing things for and with them. They are both so wonderful and awesome and have wonderful goals and aspirations. I am so lucky. My family means so much to me. My parents and brother and sister are always there for me when I need them, and I always have so much fun with them. I can't wait to see them all next weekend.
I have great friends, who I love dearly. And getting together with each of them is always so much fun.
My career. I have a job that I like a lot. I have also been afforded a camera that I love. One day, I hope it will enable me to have my very own photography career. This year I am taking classes in photography, and hoping to improve my skills.
Travelling. I am so lucky to have been afforded the opportunities to travel within the US and beyond. In the past year and a half, I've (we've) been to England twice, Boston once, New Orleans once, Hilton Head once, and Charleston, SC twice. I'm also lucky enough to be going on the MckCruise in January. For all of this, I am very thankful. I love travelling. It all means so much to me, and I save and save and save until I have all the money I need for these trips :).
On that note, I'm also thankful that I have family who live in Europe. This make it so much more affordable to travel so far away on a regular basis. Although we always miss them, it is nice to spend that one-on-one time with them while we are visiting.
Of course, I am also thankful for my house and car and bike. I love them all, and am lucky to have each of these things.

Okay, so what are you thankful for on this Thursday morning?

Okay. Let's Be Honest.

2009-07-22T17:26:00.000-07:00

There are days where I want to run and hide. Hide from all of the things that are my life. My family is driving me a little crazy to say the least. And the Professor and I have hit a bump in the road, a LARGE bump in the road. This never makes my life any easier. And it's not about superficial things or easily fixable things. Rather it's about life changing events and differences.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that before Homie's injury, we had goals and dreams that we both believed in, that we both wanted to happen. Now, since his injury (and quite understandably), his goals and dreams are quite different. This is a huge pill to swallow. A huge pill. Everything I had counted on, and everything I wanted (we wanted), are no longer what he wants. Or no longer things that he wants at this moment. This is tough. Very tough. Where do I go from here? What do I do now?

This keeps me up at night, to say the least. I love him, I stood beside him, nurtured him, cared for him during a very difficult period. I love the Bean. And I love being in her life, a part of her family. But holy cow, life has a way of surprising you, right!? I am having a hard time dealing with these new changes Homie wants for our future, and the absence of our old goals. And it's never easy for me to deal with change, or tuck my dreams away (even for a minute). Please help me to have patience and the ability to see the bigger picture. :). Please help Homie to see how badly I ache for this, and want this in my future.

And remember, things aren't that bad. They are definitely difficult, but not life shattering (of which I am thankful). Please remember me, and my family, in your thoughts/prayers. I would really appreciate it. Thanks.

This Week... Recipes.

2009-07-21T18:33:00.000-07:00

I wasn't sure if I wanted to participate in the World Famous Blog Hop this week. It's not that I don't cook, or that I don't use recipes, it's just that I don't have very many recipes of my own. I scour sites on the web (Pioneer Woman, I am looking at you!), and use those... almost every. night.

I am getting better at adapting to recipes, and coming up with ideas of my own- especially those that fit me and my family's needs. Like, tonight, Homie and I had burgers, but I added spinach and feta as toppings (the Bean is a vegetarian, so she had a garden burger with the above). A year ago? I would have never been able to put something so simple together (it's true).

Before Homie's injury, he was the cook. I had never cooked seriously before meeting him, and he enjoyed cooking, so it continued that way. Then, once he came home from the hospital, and his feeding tubes were removed, he was (obviously) too fragile to cook. I took over, and have been the cook since about mid-November. Now, I find it quite enjoyable, and the more cooking I do, the better I get. Most embarrassing: when his Mum visited from London, England after Homie's accident (before the removal of his stomach tube and the commencement of my cooking), and I could not cook to save my life. Every time I think back, I think, do over- if only I could have a do over and cook like I do now. Because I can cook now, I can. Poor Mum probably thinks her son is forced to eat rubbish. :)

Anyhow, here is my favorite recipe, that I make, that I did not find on the web:

Spicy Olive and Tomato Spaghetti

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 large, fresh red chili pepper, chopped
1 large garlic clove, crushed
800 g diced tomatoes
500 g whole wheat spaghetti
4 tablespoons capers, drained
2 handfuls black olives
1 tablespoon parsley

Directions

Heat the oil in a large frying pan & fry the onion for 5 mins until softened. Add the chili & garlic,then cook for another minute.
Tip in the tomatoes and leave to bubble for 5 minutes until they start to break up
Meanwhile,cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the packet.
Stir the olives, caper & half of the parsely into the sauce, then fold through the spaghetti. Scatter with the rest of the parsely & serve.

And my favorite spots to find recipes each week:

CuisineNie

I love this site. All of the recipes are amazing and healthy, and, like Nie, I love making smoothies (she has a lot of great smoothie ideas), so I visit this site almost daily. Also, Nie is a true inspiration.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Who doesn't get recipe ideas from Ree? She is amazing, and adds so many fabulous recipes each week, yum! Just be careful, they're are not always the healthiest options. :)

MyCharmingKids

Even though Jennifer's blog is not a recipe blog, and she Hates to Cook, I really like visiting her site. She has some great, yummy ideas.

Getting ready to go on a date...

2009-07-18T14:13:00.001-07:00

With Homie... woohoo!!

Piccadilly Circus: You Mean They Haven't Pried the Camera from your little hands YET

2009-07-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

A recount...

Arrived from the Underground.

At Piccadilly Circus

Got my bearings straight.

Wondered where I should venture first... this way?

Or that way?

The top of that building is SO cool.

I'll take a picture... see how cool it looks!?

Oh yes, I'll walk this way. But this is my last picture (walking), I don't want to stand out too much. I mean, it's already obvious I'm a tourist, let's try and play it cool.

After so much walking, my hurt feet, and I sat at the Fountain of Anteros taking pictures.

while drinking a Diet Coke.

and watching the double-decker buses.

I thought about the game of Cricket and how foreign it was to me.

And what I should eat at the restaurant.

I wondered about this!?

and if I should go here!!

But, instead, I went back to the hotel. And g0t ready for Regents Park.

NEXT STOP.

The Post Where I Tell You, I am SUCH a Passionate Person

2009-07-17T19:00:00.000-07:00

So, I love pizza. And it is certainly not a secret around here. I could eat A LOT of pizza. A LOT. And I'm not sure what keeps me from only eating pizza. It's not healthy and it's not right, but it's true. And it's not that I just like pizza sometimes, or pizza sometimes is okay. I really, really like pizza. So, today when Homie asked me where I wanted to go for lunch (as we were celebrating the fact that today is, in fact, Friday), I jumped at the chance to meet-up with one of my other true loves. Mellow Mushroom. I don't know if you have one near you, but it's one of my absolute favorite pizza joints. My favorite pizza is their tofu barbeque. And I love the fact that it's stone-baked with a wheat crust. And I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. I'm not afraid to admit it, I do. Yum!

Anyways, my not-so-secret love of pizza, is very telling of my passionate personality. As in, I love what I love, I know what I love, I know what I want out of life (generally), and I will do whatever it takes to get it (within reason). It's not just about pizza, but I reserve the right to include pizza as a passion. Among other things, I am passionate about my relationship with Homie, the Bean, my family, friends, job, politics, spirituality, etc. But the one place I am lacking passion (and am hoping and looking for passion) is in my domestic responsibilities.

Before I met Homie, I lived alone (mostly). I had a roommate for a few years (which was nice). But, generally, I was able to do my own thing, and cleaning was easy. I only ever had to clean MY things. My personal (one person) things. And cleaning for one is no big deal. Also, I never ate that much. So, cooking (or the lack there of) was easy. My stomach wasn't that big, and eating wasn't huge on my list of priorities. So, again, it was no big deal.

But fast forward two years, I have my lovely Homie and the Bean. They are a HUGE part of my life and I love them to bits, which is the easy part. However, I am still having trouble domestically. Where is my passion? I have a passion to eat healthy- lots of whole grains, lots of beans, veggies, and fruit. But that's it. Don't get me wrong, I am concerned about the house being clean, but not that concerned. I want to have a happy home, a home where everyone feels welcome. I want to be one of those people who rises from slumber early, flips the blinds up, plays upbeat music, and starts breakfast. I just can't find the motivation. I'd much rather sleep. And the dish-washing is hard (as in we don't have a dishwasher... shut it). And laundry... wow. How often do you change your sheets... your kid's sheets? Please tell me a few weeks... please!?

I need to know how to work on these things. Hopefully, I'll continue to improve and find that passion, domestically. Because I want to have the same passion for my house as I do for Homie, the Bean, politics, pizza, traveling, photography, my spirituality, you get the picture, etc.

It's driving me spare (as Homie would say)...

Do you have a hard time domestically, or does it come naturally?

Even I'm Surprised...

2009-07-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

... another post of pictures from Piccadilly Circus. I can't believe it... I thought it would be a good month before I actually got around to posting anymore pictures. But, alas, I felt a nudge. A nudge to ramble about my latest trip to Europe. So, in no particular order, my latest Piccadilly pictures.

Whoah!? It's the infamous King of Pop. I'm sure you haven't heard enough about him in the last couple of weeks. Right!? {Sidebar: It was taken before we even knew he was addicted to pain killers, or his fate. I just like the picture, okay.}

My favorite! Favorite! Favorite! 'Master of the House'

Also, AWESOME!

My poor, tired feet... ouch!

It's me! It's me! And why does photo editor make my point and shoot people-pictures grainy? Why??????????

Peace out!

And Happy Friday!!

A bigger view...

2009-07-17T06:11:00.001-07:00

This is not my picture, I found it here.

Piccadilly What!? Circus, and I'm Old

2009-07-16T21:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I've finally decided to take the plunge. I am POSTING pictures from the bit of time I spent at Piccadilly Circus. Now before I post the pictures, let me provide you with some background information. 1) I was by myself, as Homie was at a conference. It was also the first time in a few years I had ridden the Underground by myself (I'm just throwing that one out there). 2) There was a 2 and now I've forgotten (seems to be par for the course). 3) These are not all of my pictures from Piccadilly Circus (what!? I was by myself??). 4) When I was young, Piccadilly Circus was AWESOME, and I do mean AWESOME!! I spent days and nights walking the streets with friends. There was and is so. much. to. do. And every fashion item you can imagine is right at your finger tips, right there. Everything. Plus, every type of food and bar is just around the corner. Everything (those pictures coming ~~tomorrow~~ soon).

This year, my FEET HURT. Oh holy night, they hurt. And hurt like the dickens (whatever that means). So sadly, I wasn't even all that impressed with Piccadilly Circus- I mean the excitement was there, but something was missing. Maybe I was a lonely tourist, maybe I feared I stood out too much, maybe it was the lack of money I had with me, or the ache in my feet. I don't know, but a lot of my time in Piccadilly Circus was spent sitting at the Fountain with Anteros. I sat and drank diet coke and took pictures. Oh what a day.

{In the photo above I am looking towards the Southern side of Piccadilly at Lilly Whites from the Memorial fountain}

{This is the huge display of neon signs in Piccadilly Circus.}

{Ripley's Believe It or Not, it's huge. The two pictures above are of the entrance, and of the entire building (respectively). I didn't go in, I just sat in the city square and took pictures. It is located one street over from the Neon signs.}

{This is an example of the street corners in Piccadilly Circus, it is at Regents Street and Leicester Square. Along with some other fascinating mega-buildings}.

So, there you have it, Round I. Everything I saw from my seat at Anteros Fountain.

Next up, the things I happened upon while walking through Piccadilly Circus. Believe me, you don't want to miss that.

I know you're excited, I am very excited.

Who Me!??

2009-07-16T12:59:00.000-07:00

Yes, ~~YOU~~ ME!!

I have not been a good blogger lately. I promised pictures here, and then didn't post pictures. Not ONE single picture. I promised pictures of my trip from England, and guess what!? That post is still saved as a draft. (What!? Who does that?) And who would have thought this alternate universe (blog world) would be so time-consuming. I knew from the start blogging would require creativity, that I would really have to use my fondness for words, and really, really use my ability to put words together and make sentences (which I do). I knew I needed to take pretty pictures and upload the pretty pictures for the Internets to see. But what I didn't realize, is how much time it takes to get it all out there. Which seems ridiculous, seeing as I spent so much time thinking about these things, that I didn't take the time to think about the amount of time it would take to blog. I thought about how I needed to do to be a good blogger, and then never thought about how much time it would take to do it.

Anyways... I started this blog so that I could write about this year, this time in my life. A difficult time, a time that includes a brain injury, and healing. A time of soul-searching. A time consumed by cold-winters and hot-summers. I wanted to remember what this year was about, to have access to my words a year from now, two years from now, three years from now, etc. I wanted to write, I love writing. In fact, I crave it!! I wanted to be able to look back at something other than pictures to see how the Bean has grown, how Homie has grown, how I have grown. I wanted to be able to cherish the good, and cherish a little bit of the ugly.

I wish it were easier, I wish I had the dedication to sit down every. single. day. and write something. But sometimes it is just too much (believe me, I never thought I would be saying that either). And sometimes, like last night, I forget. As in, I FORGOT to blog!! As in I was searching craigslist for treadmills, when I had really sat down at the computer to type a blogpost. Oh, help me.

But, I think I am fulfilling all of the reasons this blog was born. I think it will be something I can look back on to remember. To remember the Bean when she was this age, and to remember myself, and to remember Homie. Hopefully, I will continue this blog for a very long time.

That's all.

And I'm no Superman (tm: scrubs).

Obviously. HAHA!!

Hop Right In...

2009-07-14T18:42:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay I know that is silly. But I am participating in the Blog Hop this week.

And the topic is... three things you didn't know about me...

*** So without further adieu (and as long as I can get this to work properly):

I use initials/pseudonyms on my blog because Homie is a Professor. And as a Professor, he writes many books, textbooks, and journal articles that are searched via Google every single day (I know... so cool!!). And if someone searches his name or publications, I don't want my silly little blog to pop up, especially if they are searching for professional reasons. I also didn't want my name to be searchable (because let's face it, they all know me too). And even though my blog is meh, I don't want my boss, or students, or children reading it. And since my name is fairly uncommon, it would be easy to find (do you like how I continue to use the word searchable even though spell check continuously tells me it's not a word). But I am quite happy for YOU to know my name. So I will give you a very telling hint: I have the same name as a president (only it's spelled differently).
I love to be creative. I wish I could spend all of my time taking pictures, drawing, and coloring. I LOVE IT!! When I am not working, or thinking about something specifically, I'm thinking about the creative things I could be doing (so dorky, I know). I think the Bean even tires of my ~~pathetic~~ attempts at creativity. But you've got to love her (and me for that matter).
I had a crazy dream that I met the Duggars. And. stayed. at. their. house with my friend MB. In the dream, I was surprised at how well everyone got along, because hello they have 18 children (what!? how do they do it)? The children were very well-behaved. And Michelle Duggar gave birth (at home) while we were 'visiting'- strange to say the least. For some reason, the entire dream was so vivid and real, it's almost as though it really happened. I can't get it out of my mind. The entire thing. I think they're great people, I admire them. But I don't think I want 18 children. Also, I don't even have the TLC channel (sadly), so where did this come from??

***

Weekend Roundup...

2009-07-12T19:42:00.000-07:00

Well, this weekend has been a bit lonely and quiet to say the least. How weird to be used to a little one being around, always wanting to play this game or that, having competitions on the Wii Fit, wanting to know what's for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Now, the quiet is so weird. And it's just me and Homie, there are no games or Wii competitions. Just him and I trying to solve the world's problems.

But I must admit it was nice spending time with Homie yesterday, we went on a real, live actual date! Can you believe it? It was so much fun. We went to a local establishment for dinner and then just hung out. all night long. It was so good. And so much fun. I just love him and his silliness (and sweetness!).

Tomorrow the routine begins again, work work work. And cycling to work and back home. I'm sure I'll be tired because right now I am wide awake. We just got in a bit ago from playing tennis... oops. Tomorrow we'll have to play earlier because tonight I am going to have a very hard time getting to sleep. Perhaps I'll turn on The Office and laugh myself to sleep. Man, I love that show. And the British version is the teh coolest!!

I also got to go shopping today, woot! woot! My Mom came to see me and took me to the White House Black Market and DSW shoes. OH, how I love her, and not just because she fed my clothing and shoe addiction (hehe). She also took me to a Mexican restaurant, so I had one fabulous day.

Can't wait to see the Bean tomorrow. And I hope you also have a great day.

Leaving Us Tomorrow...

2009-07-10T20:08:00.000-07:00

Well, after a week of swimming, parties (as in cookouts on the weekend of the fourth), games, cycling, buying lots of fish, eating all things vegetarian, buying ice cream at all hours (hello, sunburn... that's my excuse), running, talking about Michael Jackson until my ears bleed, playing the Wii Fit just one more time, and watching the Bean stay up all night reading (for real), our week of fun is over. This makes me really sad. It is always so much having her here with us, and honestly, when she is not here it is strange (to say the least). I've always been an old soul, and so for me, life is more balanced, more enjoyable, more normal when a child is in the next room. Whether said child is sleeping, reading, eating, playing on the computer... it is just comforting to have a child in the next room. Perhaps it's the innocence?

Anyways, my heart is sad and heavy. I feel small tears forming. But it's not as though we won't see her anytime soon. She'll be back for the night Sunday, then Wednesday, then Friday/Saturday. It was just fun having her for a very extended amount of time. Sheesh... I cannot wait to add to the brood, so that we have the Bean here and little ones here too.

I hear my name. I'm being summoned. There are clothes to pack, rooms to clean, teeth to brush. Goodnight all!!

TGTIF

2009-07-09T19:19:00.001-07:00

Thank Goodness Tomorrow is Friday.
I am so excited... for the pool.

For the chance to sleep in past 7am.

For the chance to snuggle with my Homie and play games with the Bean.

For the chance to go shopping.

For the chance to be lazy but productive at the same time.

For the chance to eat whatever the hell I want to eat.

For the chance to be with my family and friends.

Yay! For weekends!! And for family and friends.

Best Week Ever??

2009-07-08T19:31:00.000-07:00

I used to love that show (well, at least when we had cable, I loved that show). Right now, I have no idea if the show even exists. But my point has nothing to do with a show on VH1, or how other people view my life. It's about how I view my life, and the way I live my life.

Sure, things happen and they suck. I know. I've been there... lived through that. I remember watching my partner, as he fell backwards (for no apparent reason), and hit his head on the concrete, so hard. The paralysis, the sickness I felt. The blood, oh the blood oozing from every orifice of his body. The paramedics, the medical staff, the swelling, the life support. I thought he was dead before he was ever carried away in an ambulance(omg.. did I say that out loud?). But he wasn't, and he's still alive today. Fourteen days on life support can do wonders (so to speak).

I'm not sure why I am sharing this with you, with the Internets, with people I hardly even know. But I do want you to know that good can from bad.I wish Homie had never experienced a traumatic brain injury, that I had never experienced a traumatic brain injury. But, oh how I cherish life now, oh how I love now. I love him and I have so much respect for him, and so much love (did I say that already). And there is so much love in my heart. For him and for others. I think MckMama's post touched me today. I can't even fathom a year from that night, the night that it happened... at my brother's rehearsal dinner. Without warning. Don't take today for granted, just don't. Homie got a second chance, I got a second chance. Others have not.

Life life as though this is the best week ever... it's not always easy, but it can be done.

Goodnight. Cherish today.. cherish tomorrow.

Love you all!!