More Selfish with Age?

As a child and growing adult, you believe things will change as you get older; you think you will be more wise and grateful for life. You think you will make better decisions and react with more dignity. You believe that you will be a better person; more kind and caring and less abrupt and selfish.

I wished this for my own life and hoped that as I aged I would grow to become the best person I can be. I think we are who we are but we continually learn how to interact with friends, family and society in general; we learn how to live in our world. We grow and learn every day of our life...

I hoped I would grow and lose some of the selfish qualities I had acquired over the years. However, I feel like I am still in a place that I wished I would be far from now. I am not sure how I feel about this and as I come to a new stage in my life, I worry how I will react to the inevitable changes and curves that life will throw my way.

Of course I still have a lot to learn and will never be finished growing as an individual but I know I have evolved and truly like who I am as an individual and as a wife. While I feel like I have finally arrived to a new level of life and should be able to continue on, there is still something holding me back. I feel like I am holding on to some selfish aspects but unfortunately cannot let them go... and I don't know if this is going to stunt my growth or if it will help me grow and learn.

I know I have come to another fork in my road; where one way will take me to the best place for this period of my life, and where the other way will take me to a place that may be harder but where I will learn a lot more about myself. Either way, I know that I have to stand up for what I believe in and even though it may be selfish, I think it is what I need to do at this point in my life.

I think...

Our First Stray

We spent a wonderful week with the sweetest little stray kitty. We've never taken in a stray, mainly because they never let you get anywhere near them. I have always tried to help but have never been able to.

Last week, I saw this little sweetie when I was decorating for Christmas; I called her and she came right up to me and started meowing. She was so precious that I had to call the boys out to look at her. She just didn't seem like a stray; she was so friendly and seemed pretty clean. We were pretty sure she was someones and had just gotten lost. It was going to freeze the next night and we just couldn't bare the thought of her staying out there in the cold. So, we took her in and made posters to find her owner.

One week later, we had a good home lined up for her but not with her owners... we think they just abandoned her because they would have seen the signs if they had been looking... how anyone could abandon this little sweetheart is beyond me! She uses the litter box better than any of our cats and will sit in your lap and purr for hours!

Anyway... a very nice woman called the very frst day and said she would be interested in adopting the kitty if we didn't find her owners. I thought it was meant to be because she was a very kind woman with a older cat that needed a friend. She had actually seen the kitty and had wanted to adopt her then. I met her and she was very sweet and seemed like she would provide an amazing home. So, we gave her the kitty and she had a vet visit scheduled for the next day. I am going to check in with her sometime soon to see how the kitties are adjusting. =)

YAY! A happy ending right before Christmas!

Miracle for Christmas... Light Saver!

It's almost Christmas time and you know what that means! It's time for Christmas lights! HOORAY! I really got into this tradition last Christmas and went all out for the first time as an adult. I always string up a couple of sets and we did put some up outside in 2008, but nothing like I did last year. Jon was proud. ;)

Anyway... this year, I got everything done even quicker and even more efficiently; I was quite proud as well. When I was finished, I loved the decorations but for some reason, one side of the snowflake lights had gone out. We hung additional snowflakes on the ceiling and they glitter in the lights; without that half of snowflake lights, one side of the porch was less sparkly. And because there are around 10 little bulbs on each of these snowflakes, I was a bit bummed at the thought of having to check every single one of them.

Well, I never knew if there was something that could check light stands but I was determined to find out. I told Jon that if there wasn't something, we were going to invent it! Well, there was and it is the most amazing creation and the frikin' best $20 I have ever spent!!!

I got the Light Keeper Pro. It can be found here or at Walgreens. I TOTALLY recommend it! Not only will it restart a burnt out set (if the problem is found in the bulbs) but it will also check the entire light strand and individual bulbs!

The first option is the best and coolest thing ever! You pull out the first light that is out in the strand, then put the light-less bulb socket into the Light Keeper Pro, and click the button until the lights come on! You put the original bulb back in and the lights come on again and the burnt bulb can be identified.

Mine came on the first time. It does say to move onto the other options if the lights do not come back on after 20 clicks. I am telling you... AMAZING!

I will never have to stress over those pesky burnt out lights again! Merry Christmas everyone!

Peaches,the Munchkin

We are pretty sure that our little Peaches is some sort of interesting cat breed because she is still soooooooo tiny! Winslow is only a little over 7 months old and is already bigger than Peaches who turned 2 years old about 4 months ago! We looked up some breeds and think she may actually be a Munchkin! It is an actual type of cat and she looks pretty close... we're going to continue to research but in the meantime, Munchkin seems to be a fitting nickname. =)

Isn't she beautiful!?!

Round 2! I'm Gonna Get Cha!

Hyperthyroidism won the 1st Round unfortunately, but I am coming back to kick its ass in Round 2!!! I spent a year getting my thyroid levels up to par and was finally able to get off medication. I was off them for about 4 months but had to begin the process again because the Hyperthyroidism symptoms creeped up again. Grrr.

Currently, it is going well and my symptoms are definitely less than this time last year. So, hooray! We'll see how it goes; I am staying strong and positive. =)

New information on this crazy disease, coming soon!

Thankful for it all!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

I have had the best year of my life; it just keeps getting better and better. While there have been some hard times, there is always good waiting after the bad and I am so thankful for each and every day I have on this earth. We are so lucky to have time with friends and family and it is so easy to forget. But don't forget! Always remember why we are here; we are NOT here to work, we are NOT here to worry about money, and we are NOT here to be angry and sad...

Enjoy your life, each and every day. Remember that we are blessed. And remember to have some fun! Happy Thanksgiving! Make sure to take time each and every day to thank those you love... every day should be Thanksgiving. =)

There's the Frikin' Light!

Ohhhhhh, yes! We can actually see the light at the end of our very loooong Master's tunnel!

We have 3 classes left! That's it and we are free and on our way! ;)

Yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jonathan, the Rock Star

I just wanted to take a moment to thank my incredible husband. Jonathan is an absolutely amazing and hardworking man; he never gives up and does whatever he needs to do, no matter what.

He has taken on 2 jobs, just started back to school, and is doing wonderful! He temps during the day and works as a restaurant server and manager in the evenings. The temp agency loves him and he has had some great opportunities; he has already gained so much experience and even more confidence that he can do this. He will have a full time job, doing what he wants, very soon!

I am so proud of him and am very thankful that I am his wife. Way to go, Jonathan! Good luck and I love you!

A Guy's REAL Love...

Yep... no matter how we'd like to think we are his first love... we are not.

© 2010 Amy Yeilding

My First Must Be Repeated!!

My first Gin and Tonic!

It is one of Jon's favorites (besides good ole beer) but I never had once until this past New Year's. =) And I haven't had one since... so, here's to me having another one reeeeeeal soon!

It was delish!

Zona, the Frikin' Trooper!

My fish is bad ass. I got Zona to celebrate being hired permanently. That was 2 1/2 years ago. He is a blue Beta and has always been really cool. It's like we have similar personalities because he is a bit spastic too. =)

I am not sure how long fish live but I love this little guy and will be sad to see the day...

Happy 2 1/2 years, Zona! Love you!

Tree Frogs Galore!

I am not sure if Tree Frogs are native to this particular area but I had never seen them before just recently. I grew up loving nature and as a kiddo always had a special love for lizards and frogs of all kinds. In fact, a friend and I boxed over 30 tree frogs one time when I was 10 and we let them loose in her bedroom. We enjoyed them for a while and eventually caught them and set them all free. It was awesome!

1st sighting of the tree froggies

I have seen all kinds of toads and frogs who, in the past, have taken over our garden area with their underground cubbies. But I have never seen a tree frog around here until I brought 10 potted plants back from my father's house (where I caught the 30 tree frogs as a child.)

2nd sighting of the tree froggies

Now, we keep seeing these little guys every now and then; I think they are the same little frogs and think they were chillin' on some of the plants I brought from Dad's. I am happy to have them here but really hope I didn't take them away from their family. :(

Here's to the frogs! I hope they make a happy home here. :)

October is Fantastically Full!

I love this month! It just keeps going and going... We feel slightly overwhelmed but are having the time of our lives!

We began the month with Austin City Limits and the best line-up I have ever seen; it was the single greatest musical experience of my entire life. We also celebrated our first wedding anniversary and had a beautiful day together; we spent the day together and ended it with a trip to our college town and the bar where we had our first beer and conversation.

This past weekend, we attended Renaissance festival and actually didn't get rained out! We normally go in November and usually meet rain and way-too-cold weather. This time, the weather was great and the nights were wonderful for camping! We spent all weekend playing music and enjoying time with friends. We had such a great time! Hooray for Ren fest!

We will conclude the month with a weekend with friends, a celebration of our first date and 5 years together, and our 3rd Annual Halloween Partay! Helllllz yeah! What a month! I love you October!

Run Over by a Truck: ACL After Effects

This song is an excellent representation of how Jon and I feel after 2 days of ACL awesomeness. Weezer says it perfectly and took the words right out of my mouth! Hehe. We got to see some of my ALL TIME favorite bands and I have to say, we experienced 2 days of pure joy. More to come on ACL soon! Pictures and details of our most favorite weekend ever! Not only did we get to experience the best ACL lineup (in our opinion) but it was our Anniversary weekend! One year as husband and wife! We had a beautiful weekend and it is one we will never forget! =)

Video: Weezer - Posted on YouTube by: SinkFloridaSink

Krystal... Oh, how I am torn!!!

I haven't called yet... but I will! I like to use my feelings to my benefit but in this case, it was a much better idea to wait a week or two. Ha! I cannot even begin to explain how majorly disappointed and EXTREMELY PISSED I was last Friday afternoon. Oh my...

My mother-in-law got all of us tickets to see Chelsea Handler!!! So, Jon and I rushed from work and I mean, I was downtown by 5:10 pm which is EXCEPTIONAL and we were on our way. It took us 2 hours to get half an hour away from our destination after the sickening traffic we had known would be our demise; however, we planned for this and dinner while also fulfilling a special request. Hehe. Oh yeah.

I have been waiting for a Krystal hamburger for years. I had my last one when they finally came to my home town and Dad treated me their awesomeness. Unfortunately, there are no locations anywhere near me but to my excitement, we were going to pass one on our way to see the show! I was SO frikin' excited because it was the perfect solution to our extremely tight schedule, need for dinner, and end to my Krystal's attack! The show stared at 8pm but Jon didn't get off until 5pm. What could we do? Well, we could get us some good ole Krystal hamburgers to eat on the way to the show! Mmmm mmmmm!

Things started to go sour at this point... we get there and are about to drool all over the place but can't find the Krystal building. We drove around and then again until we realized that there is a building with the iconic red and yellow, just no signage what-so-ever. Yep... they were closed. Every sign was gone and they were boarded up. I could even see the sun markings from where the name sign had been plastered. OMG. It was not a pretty sight and I was pissed.

Unfortunately, we couldn't drive to the other location on the other side of the city because we had to get to the show. Uggg! I had to forfeit my beloved Krystal Hamburgers and will never forgive myself. Also, however, I am not sure when I will forgive Krystal. Oh, how I want to though! But geeeez, have they ever heard of updating a website? HELLO!!!

None the less, I will be expressing my concern to their management team and it will not be a pleasant experience unless they bend over backwards to make it one. Utterly ridiculous. These frikin' restaurants are in the most random places and when someone has to drive more than 2 hours, there better be a Krystal where their corporate website said there would be!



I am still so pissed...

Cool Green Product!

I have ALWAYS tried to find ways around wasting plastic baggies. I reuse them, wash-n-use them, recycle them... but I have never been able to totally get around the waste, except to actually stop using them; which... I should have but didn't.

Thanks to a lovely coworker, I now have a replacement that has totally come to my rescue! Check this out! The Wrap-N-Mat is like a sandwich bag but with so many more awesome features. First, it is a baggie which also opens up to make an awesome little mat (to eat on). And second, this little piece of awesomeness is totally washable and reusable!

The Wrap-N-Mat is really neat because it allows you to save baggies and stop wasting money while it also gives you a clean eating place and a way to say that you are doing your part! Check out the Wrap-N-Mat and stop wasting money and resources today!

Great Timing - Great God

I just had the most beautiful moment. As I was out in my garden trimming and watering, I called my husband after his first day at a new job. =) He was very excited for this position and I couldn't be more proud of him; he was asked to come in over others based on some of his Publisher work and was also asked to come back on Monday and Tuesday after today's work. What is REALLY interesting is that this job is one of the first places I started working when I was with this same company. So neat!

But it kept getting cooler because when I hung up from the awesome conversation with my husband, I looked up to see a beautiful rainbow between white fluffy clouds with what could have been blue birds flying over it. It was amazing and such an inspiring moment. I love the Lord and the gorgeous world He created for us and I love the opportunities that come when they are needed the most.

Thank you Lord and thank you all! Let's live in peace on this incredible gift we have been given.

Little Winslow! FINALLY!

Two things:

Number One - I am FINALLY posting some pictures of Winslow. I know; it's ridiculous BUT all I can say is that I have only had time to snap pictures and enjoy him! The posts had to come later. He is TOO cute for words and I can honesty say that he was meant to come to us. Even though Shadow's passing was one of the hardest things I have had to go through, I know he was meant to go on and I know that Winslow has a little bit of Shadow's spirit in him. =)

Number Two - Winslow is FINALLY off medication! He has been on antibiotics since we got him up until this week! First he had the cold... and then all the cats had colds (and had to go to the vet!) Then, he cut his back paw on something RANDOM. Then, he cut his front paw on something RANDOM. And lastly, he developed some weird lip-growth that the vet described as something she had never seen in the whole 3 years she had been there. All in all, he was on antibiotics 3 different times! He finally got better and is all well and off all meds! HOORAY!

And now... drum roll please!!!

MEET LITTLE WINSLOW!!!!!!!!!!

Look at those eyes!!!

Remembering Joe Coppeto

The world lost a good man on September 13, 2010. Joe Coppeto was an amazing human being, friend, son, and brother. He was a kind man with an amazing heart. He loved to laugh and enjoyed people, music, and having good time.

I am so sorry to hear of his passing and my prayers are with his family and friends.

Some of you may know Joe as the drummer from my wedding. His band, Professor Shark, played for us and truly made our night one of a kind and more special than I can ever describe. Our wedding was Professor Shark's last performance together and is a truly bittersweet memory.

Joe passed away in his sleep and was later found to have passed from an enlarged heart. The world will not be the same without him and he will always be in our hearts.

Rest in peace, Joe. We love ya, man.

Good 'ole Jager

Jager is my friend.

After years of drinking in college and learning all the bad things, I have truly discovered "my drink" and its name is Jager. I actually prefer to sip on a "Jager-bomb" as opposed to shooting the Jager-bomb or drinking the Jager straight. Now, you must realize that not all Jager bombs are made the same/correct way and I have prided myself on finding the best mixture to achieve this at home (AKA the MUCHO cheaper, safer, and equally fun way).

I had gotten it as close as I could when my amazing father got me a set of Jager glasses as a gift. These amazing little glasses allow for THE perfect measurement and have been my pride and joy ever since. I LOVE THEM. You can view and purchase these HERE.

I do not enjoy Red Bull as a mixture for my Jager-bomb; I have tried many different amounts and have never been able to get it to where I actually enjoyed it. My shots are made with a Monster Energy Drink and I really enjoy the Blue or Green Monster. The mixture is pretty much a shot to a shot (Jager and Monster) with more or less Monster to your own taste.

*** Please be careful with Jager-bombs. *** These should NOT be consumed in excess. ***

Enjoy and remember to ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS drink responsibly!! DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE!! =)

Hyperthyroidism & Graves Disease

I get a lot of people looking for information on both Hyperthyroidism and Graves Disease here on the 'tude. I not an expert but am always learning and trying to get the knowledge to help those that have inquired. And while I am dealing with both and have been able to gain lots of valuable information, I am definitely always interested in hearing what y'all have to say.

I am trying to make it a point to post more information here and to be a valuable resource for those seeking answers. These are complicated diseases and they should be battled from all angles. Please seek me out for questions and while I know I have not been the best at this in the past, I will definitely do what I can to answer any questions or share any knowledge I have.

I am also very interested in hearing what information or resources you can share. I enjoy learning and would love to share what knowledge you have with others. Thank you all for your readership and please let me know if there is anything you would like me to include or try to answer for you.

Thanks! =)

Need a Laugh?

Watch this and done. =)

(I have to credit Tosh.0 for this blog - I would not have seen this piece of awesomeness if it were not for Tosh. Thank you, good sir.)

Wheel Admiration

I loved this idea and had to share it. What a cute idea for a table! I had to share this with my family because this is the type of thing they would totally enjoy making and which would look super cool with their decor (especially Dad's!)

This is a simple and very hip idea for a table. Check it.

Mattress from the Sky

I was grabbing a bite to eat and minding my own business when out of nowhere, a mattress fell from high in the sky. That's right, I said a mattress! After some shock and a little laugh, I realized that the mattress did not fall from the sky but from the freeway directly in front of me. It was craziness.

(Photo taken after a woman pulled the mattress out of the street.)

It landed right next to a car on the road and while I totally enjoyed this little bit of randomness, I am sure that I would have enjoyed it much more if the mattress had fallen on the car that was 2 inches away. That would have been superb!

None the less, I feel honored to have been at the right place at the right time. It was cool, it was funky, it was RANDOM! Yay for me!

A Look Back - The Best Day EVER!

I did post the link for our wedding photos but never put up any of the pictures specifically. I think I should have and am still disappointed in myself with this and several other things that I will not bring up at this moment.

It was such an amazing day and while a lot of my good friends and family were unable to be there, we still had the best day of our lives with some pretty spectacular individuals.

So, here are some of my absolute faves. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do. =)

October 2009 was an incredible month. Here it comes again, and even better this time!

Anonymous Individual... 2 words for ya

SUCK IT!

My Love of Pogo

I have been a member of Pogo since December 31, 2004. I started playing because my Mom had been a member for a long time and quite enjoyed it. =) I started and really did too. There are a GAZILLION games and you can win tokens for almost all the games (only a few don't give coins). Also, you can win real money for playing them! If you reach a certain score you get a spin and a chance to win the "jackpot" for the game.

Along the way you can have some childhood fun... use your tokens to buy things for your "mini" (your Pogo character) or you can just save 'em all and throw them into one big chance to win money.

HOORAY! It is tons of fun and I am glad to get back to it. =) I hadn't played in years!!!

Congrats to Two Lovely Ladies

I wanted to give a shout out and congratulations to my mom and good friend Christine. These two ladies have really been going the extra mile to be healthy. Both have changed their diets dramatically, cut out fast food, and have kept it up!!! They both got excellent reviews from their doctor, all their levels (cholesterol, blood pressure, etc) have gone down, and they were told to keep up the good work. HOORAY!

Way to go you two!!! I am so proud. Not only are you helping yourselves but you are helping to keep me inspired to help myself. Thank you both and congrats!!! =)

Another Need To

I need to start labeling and dating things. I used to be very good at this but since I was forced to become an adult, I have gotten lazy and have fallen WAY behind... we're talking years here. I am saddened by this because I love finding things and knowing when they came into my life; things like presents and pictures. Presents always start to run together as the years go by and I would really enjoy knowing now and even more the older I get. I have a spoon collection for example; even as memorable as the spoons are, it is hard to keep up with who gave me which; I have over 60... s

So, I vow to begin labeling photos and gifts as soon as I get them, starting today.

Yes sirey bob! =)

Welcome to the World, Bryce!

Elaine and Mike welcomed their little bundle of joy into the world on July 26, 2010. His name is Bryce and he is VERY handsome. Congratulations you two! We love you and I cannot wait to meet the little guy! Happy Birthday, little buddy!

=) Hooray!

I Got Snotted On!

My sweet little Winslow (who has yet to be shown here; I know I suck) sneezed and blew a frikin' booger on my leg. It was a huge, human-sized booger, GAG! I was mortified and at the same time also quite aware of my lack of parent-readiness. I am not quite prepared for that feat; I can't even deal with a cat booger! EWWW!

Help the Kiddos!

Family Link is an awesome organization that helps find foster and adoption homes for kids in need. Check out their website and help spread the word about this amazing service.

www.familylinkkids.com

Adoption does not have to be outrageously expensive; Family Link guides the way through adoption and fostering services and makes it easy and pain free. If you or anyone you know has ever thought about fostering or adopting children, please share this website and encourage others to do some additional investigation. Visit the website and ask questions. The support group with this organization is incredible and they help so many kiddos.

If you are not able to adopt or foster, no worries; help spread the word to others. You never know who may have thought about this so share it with your friends and family and encourage them to share it as well. Visit Family Link and spread the word. Thanks for thinking of the kiddos who need a loving family. =)

I Lost The Game

What a bummer! Hehe.

What is The Game, you ask? Well, I won't even try to explain this amazingly crazy idea but I WILL share it with you. I kinda have to... you'll see.

ENJOY!!!!! I one hundred percent agree with the overall idea and think it's pretty darn genius. Just enjoy life...

Tosh.0 and the Balloon Man

I LOVE this episode of Tosh.0! It is ridiculously funny in some very peculiar ways... and I love every one of them! I couldn't find the entire episode to post but if you google it, I am sure you will find it and I VERY MUCH recommend watching the entire episode.

*** Not for the youngins or those with no sense of humor. ***

Tosh.0
Nathan's Balloon Adventure
http://www.comedycentral.com/
Tosh.0 Videos Daniel Tosh Web Redemption

Yippee! =)

My "Change"

I donated over 10 inches of hair to Locks of Love and got a major transformation in the process. I didn't think I had enough to donate but told my stylist to "cut it off" if I did. She knows me pretty well so I gave her free reign to just make me look good. I told her I had also been toying with the idea of coloring; I was red all the way through college but have let it go natural for the past 4 years. She told me she thought it was a great idea and that she knew what would be juuuuust perfect for me. And she did! I loved the color and wanted to just go for it. I hadn't done something so bold in such a long time and I have to say that I was VERY shocked but absolutely loved the results. I loved long hair but the summer is just too hot and I think my hair was just a bit too long.

Yay! I'm a redhead again!

Service and Company = Exceptional

Rainbow Bridge Pet Crematory does an excellent job. Both myself and a friend have personally worked with this company and I could not have been more satisfied with the service as well as the professional and kind manner in which this company runs their business. The idea is sweet and comforting, if not a tad bit strange in some people's eyes. I think cremation is a smidgen weird but it was one of the first thoughts I had when I knew I would probably have to make the decision to put Shadow to sleep. I just didn't like the idea of leaving his poor little body at the vet; it just felt wrong for us. I would have buried him on our land if we had a house but we don't and I think cremation is a way to ease the pain that we have to go through after making one of the hardest decisions in our lives.

Rainbow Bridge made it such a thoughtful time and took the care to make every aspect as rewarding as possible. They are professional and really thoughtful from start to finish. I hope you don't have the need but if you do have to make this difficult decision, consider cremation and Rainbow Bridge.

It's Back! Whew!

Futurama is an all time favorite show of mine. I never knew about this little gem until I met Jonathan; he introduced me and I have been hooked ever since. It is absolutely hilarious and so cleverly genius. It was a four season show that surfaced again after its dismissal with several movies and has finally returned and is airing on another network (thank you Comedy Central).

The show was supposed to end after four seasons as it was created with the ending in mind; however, the response and love of the show brought it back and I hope it is around for decades to come.

Futurama is clever, hilarious, and ridiculously entertaining. WOO HOO! It's back! Watch it on Comedy Central every Thursday night at 9:00 PM Central time.

The Wheel of Time...

is AWESOME!!!!

It is the Robert Jordan series I have been reading and it truly is an incredible story. I am on book 3, "The Dragon Reborn" and I am so in love with this series. Ran read this awhile back and had mentioned it several times. One day Jonathan decided to start reading the series and I followed in his foot steps. I love science fiction and needed something that was ongoing. I hate the ending of a series because I really fall in love with the characters and the disconnect is always so hard; it is best that I read longer series so I have plenty of time with the story and characters.

Robert Jordan has passed away, may he rest in peace, and this series was actually left unfinished; it will be completed but by another writer using Jordan's notes and direction. It is so good, I wish Jordan could have seen the end of it, for myself and him as well.

The Wheel of Time series is incredible. Book 3, you're mine.

How Funny!

Remember how I said the scarf I am crocheting was a bit long? Well, turns out it's actually way too long to even be a scarf! HAHA!

Pretty flippin' funny now and getting funnier and funnier every second, however, it wasn’t very funny at the time of my brain’s acceptance. I am still in recovery mode so bare with me...

I just found out that I am crocheting a blanket, a bedspread-sized blanket!

I knew it was a bit long, hehe, but really had no idea I had measured so badly; I didn't really measure... it was more like a way-off eyeballing. I couldn't stop laughing when I realized just how long it was.

How amateur. How funny!

DO NOT MISS THIS!

8/27/10 - Mark your calendars right this second (I am serious... get up and mark them RIGHT now BEFORE you forget).

August 27, 2010 (less than one month away) - the whole world will be waiting for the night it will look like the earth has 2 moons. Apparently, Planet Mars will be the brightest in the night sky in August and it will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. On August 27th, Mars will come within 34.65M miles of earth.

Be sure to watch the sky on August 27th at 12:30 am.!! It may look like the earth has 2 moons.

The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287. Share this with your friends as NO ONE ALIVE TODAY will ever see it again!!!!

DON'T FORGET!

Need to do: Smileys!!!

I need to take pictures of all my smiley collectibles. I also need more space so I can have a room devoted to these collectibles. I have a million gazillion and I would love to see them all displayed proudly. =)

Thanks to my entire family for years and years of helping me collect my beloved smileys. You truly out did yourselves. Thanks Mom, Aunt Lynn, Dad and Cindy! Your thoughts are still with me and the smileys!

P.S. This is a new topic. "Need To's" refers to all the little... and big things I need to do; those I think of randomly, those that I have been neglecting, those than are crazy and fun, etc. I'll probably need to add a follow-up topic to include all the wonderful accomplishments that will come from the "Need To's."

Quote of my Life (Quote of the Day)

”Maybe some women need to run wild, just until they can find someone to run wild with…” ~ Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City

I needed to run wild for a while and I sure did; college rocked! Then I found Jonathan and we are having a blast running wild together. Yay for true love.

Quote of the Day - July 19, 2010

"I want a cupcake." ~Me

"HEB has baked goods." ~Jonathan

Classic.

Congrats, Elaine and Mike!

Bryce Stephen is due on July 30th but he may come into this beautiful world a tad bit early. For Elaine and Mike's sake, I hope he does! Mommy and Daddy are SO excited to meet him and I am too!

Congrats you two! You're going to be greeeeeeeeat parents! Enjoy every second and make sure, as my Dad always says, to have fun every single day; as long as you do that, you're going to do juuuuust fine.

Woo hoo! This is the last stretch! Have fun and I can't wait to see you three. =)

OMG! They're All Sick!

Yep. All of them. All 3 of our little sweetie's have colds, thanks to Jon and me, and of course Winslow. We tried to keep them as separated as possible but little Winslow couldn't be shut away from them all day. We would separate him at certain times and he would just meow and meow... and meow and meow and meow... I am serious; he wouldn't stop and we just couldn't take it. And now look what we did.

Grrrr. 3 sick little kitties and 2 freaked out parents.

Happy 80th!

Happy Birthday, Nana! My Nana turned 80 on July 9, 2010. I couldn't be there but almost everyone else in my family was. I was very sorry I couldn't make it but they had an awesome time and Nana really enjoyed her very special day. =)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HOORAY! We love you Nana.

He was the coolest

I wanted to share some memories of Shadow. He really was the coolest cat EVER. He was a cat for sure but I always said that he was borderline dog; he loved for his belly to be rubbed and would fall over as soon as you walked in the door. He'd always pull himself across the floor, flippin' over here and there to enjoy the belly rub more. He was awesome.

I had Shadow through middle school, high school, college, and marriage. He saw a lot with me and was there for me one hundred percent. When I had my own apartment (only once in my entire life did I actually live alone) Shadow was my roomie and we had a frikin' blast. I would come home and flip him over in my arms and rub his belly. Then I would drape him over my shoulder and we'd dance to my favorite album; he would just chill and dance with me. Awesome...

He started standing up to see us when we came home; he would stand up as we went to pet him like he just couldn't wait another second. It was so sweet. He also slept at the bottom of my bed for forever. It didn't matter, come hell or high water, he was going to be at the bottom of that bed.

He was just as cool when it was time to send him off to heaven; he sat on my lap the whole car ride there and just looked out the windows and purred. He was cremated and the vet gave us a sweet memento with his paw print. He went out in style.

He was and still is the coolest. =)

Did You Know?

Cats get contagious colds...

I feel like a moron but I had no idea. I guess I have taken pretty good care of my kitties because I never knew they got or spread colds.

Winslow has a bad cold and has been fighting it for over a week. This morning his little nose bled because he has been sneezing so much. Unfortunately, it is contagious if he sneezes on the others cats which has been hard because they really want to learn about each other!

Poor baby... poor kitties... I thought they were immune. Silly me.

We Did it Again!

We couldn't help it. The weeks have been hard without Shadow and we really felt like the other two kitties were lonely as well. So, we did it again; we got another little kitty! His name is Winslow and he is a super cutie. I will have many pictures to come because he is absolutely adorable. Also, he matches both of the other kitties; he is a dark colored tabby but has a lot of white like Peaches and has really cool stripes like Jefferson.

YAY! He is a cool cat and a very welcomed addition. The first night he was here I woke up on the couch and went to the bedroom to find Winslow curled up on Jonathan's back. =) Hehe

His birthday is 4/20/2010 and we got him on 7/11/2010; he's a lucky kitty! He had a cold when we first brought him home but he didn't have it the day before; he has been on meds for more than a week and is slowly but surely getting better. =)

HOORAY for Winslow!

"Cut it off!"

I did it. I finally cut my hair!

I started growing it a while back to see if I liked it long (I haven't had it long since I was 10) and then kept it so it would be long for the wedding. In the past few weeks I started getting tired of it and really needed a change.

Well, a change is what I got! Pictures to come soon. It feels so much better and I love the color. You'll see soon...

=) HOORAY!

We're Frikin' Done!!!!

Applied Business Research and Statistics, you can suck it!

We're done. Whew! YIPPEE! HOORAY! TYG!

Happy Independence Day!

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY IT IS! We are sooooooooooo very blessed and I am so thankful for this day. This is also a very special day for me in that it was my Grand Dad's birthday. I will be drinking a beer in his honor today. =)

Happy Independence Day everyone. Take a moment to say a prayer for those who have made and those who continue to make this a safe and wonderful country. Thank you all!

Happy 4th! Be safe!

Dreams of Shadow

Boo.

I woke up so refreshed with this awesome feeling inside. Then... I realized it was because I had a dream about Shadow last night; one where he seemed so real. The whole dream made me feel all weird today because it was like Shadow was back. Back from the grave is kinda creepy but it just seemed so real.

I woke up with the feeling that he was here. I know he is with me in my heart and that he will always be apart of me, but I was so hoping he would pop up on the bed like nothing had ever happened.

I know.

I am stopping now.

11 years and 12 Seasons

BIG BROTHER IS BACK!

We obviously didn't make the cut this year but we are SOOOOO ready to watch the awesomeness again.

Can't wait, can't wait, can't wait! :) Big Brother 12 here we come!!!

Are We There Yet?

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Quote of the Day - June 28, 2010

"Do you have a Sloth on your shirt?" ~Emilie

Just as she needed no explanation of the shirt to understand it, there is no explantion for this quote. If you don't get it, you don't need to.

=)

Had it!

I hate this class.

Hate is not strong enough...

Missing my Shadow...

'Nuff said.

=(

Futurama, there you are!!!

WOOOOO HOOOOO! Futurama is back!!!!!!!! I am so excited, that I just can't hide it.... I'm about to lose control and I think I like it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There was no way that the most incredible cartoon series EVER would go away after only 4 short seasons. They came back with some AWESOME movies and now are FINALLY back on the air. Suck it Fox, Comedy Central has this under control from here.

Yippee! =)

Saying Goodbye to a Legend

The Legend... He will always be in our hearts and forever missed.

We love you SO MUCH, Shadow.

September 5, 1995 - June 23, 2010

Almost 2 Full Weeks!

I know I should wait until at least the 2 week mark but I am so excited that I just couldn't!

Project Health is going great! I have done really well and every day gets easier. I am trying to eat 3 meals and 2 snacks every day while drinking as much water as I can stand; I have fallen of track 1 or 2 days but still didn't do too bad. Unfortunately, one of those days was fast food. It was an okay chicken sandwhich with fries and a coke; horrible, I know, but I was sick as a dog and it was the only thing I could think about without wanting to hurl. I took one bite and went back to bed. I just couldn't eat the sandwich but every couple of hours I would sit up and eat a fry. Fries saved me this past Monday!

Also, I am trying to exercise every other day and got involved in a health challenge at work. =) I love my employer! For this challenge they are bringing in fruit every other day so there is always fresh fruit to snack on. =) They are the coolest and my team rocks! We're gonna lose some major fat pounds!!!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Happy Burfday to Me!

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday to mEEeeEeeEEEEeee, happy birthday to meeee! =)

It is somewhat bittersweet but I won't get into that now. I am having a GREAT day! My work buddies have been wonderful and my family and friends have really been the icing on the cake.

THANK YOU EVERYONE!!! I am having the best burfday yet!

You Just Never Know

I had an interesting experience the other night which has lead to this blog entry. I think I honestly may have seen one of those crazy UFO things. I know everyone knows someone who has seen a UFO but I am serious. I can't say for certain because I didn't have a camera and it didn't do anything too out of the ordinary. What I can say for certain is that I have never seen an airplane or a helicopter that close that I was not also able to hear.

It seemed like the object was close because the lights were big and it was moving relatively fast; if it wasn't close, that itself would be extremely odd. However, the really weird thing is that the object had absolutely no blinking lights and made absolutely no sound. It wouldn't have seemed strange to me except that I noticed the lights because they were so big and seemingly close and was taken aback because I didn't hear anything before I saw the lights out of the corner of my eye.

Now, I won't get into all of my beliefs because that's a whole other blog but I will say that I am not an idiot and am definitely not an arrogant earthling. We are not alone in the gazillion universes that exist and if we think for one second that we are, we're a lot dumber than I thought.

Look up at the night sky regularly and one day you may be surprised at what you see. =)

Committed... to Myself!

I am beginning a new routine. I am thinking of it as a 'life routine' and am approaching it as a necessity. I know I will fall off balance occasionally and have lots of learning to do in the meantime, but this is something I know I have to do and is something I want to do.

Jon and I have started eating better and while we have approached it slowly, we are doing great and making small changes every day. I find myself making conscious decisions to eat better and while I am not all the way there by any means, I do find it getting easier to think about and to do in general.

I have also committed myself to a friend who loves nearby (Hi Luciana!). We are going to run/jog/walk (haha) every Tuesday and Thursday. Once I get home, I am going to do my 3 key exercises and will throw something new in there as well. Then, every other day, I am going to do those same 3 exercises along with one of my favorite videos, Tae Bo or Pilates.

WOO HOO!!! Here we go!

The Cookie Doesn't Lie: Addition to "Experiencing Nature"

I have to share a tip from my fortune cookie! =) This tip was so so so cool and goes so perfectly with my previous "Experiencing Nature" post.

"Your good nature will bring you happiness." ~Panda Express Fortune Cookie

While I understand that the meaning was originally intended to reflect upon the individual specifically, I think it's cute and could be seen both ways. The awesome nature around me brings me happiness every single day. =) Hooray!

Experiencing Nature

I love love LOVE this world. I cannot express my feelings enough! Take the time to enjoy the little things; there are so many that we could enjoy them every minute of everyday if we took the time to look.

The other day I was driving down the road and all of a sudden a pretty butterfly flew right into my car window and landed on my leg. It was neat. I opened the windows all the way so he could get out but I thought I was definitely at the right place at the right time- right where I was supposed to be.

The next day, I was driving towards my apartment and just as I was turning in, a robin flew right in front of my windshield. I thought he was going to hit the car but it was just a really cool close-up.

Totally cool experiences with nature this week. =) Love love LOVE it!

How Do We Turn Back?

The place we are today... is it where we should be? Is it where we could be?

I hate living in reality in the sense that I don't like what it has become. I cannot stand where we are as a country or as a world in general. Where are our heads and why is it so hard to see the awesomeness that surrounds us? This world is beautiful but everyday the awful things we do changes a gazillion aspects of our perfect little world.

I love to stop and look around; to stop and smell the roses as they say. One of my all time favorite thing includes the sun and its shadows (although I am already slightly partial to shadows). I love the way the shadows hit the ground letting the sunlight peek through here and there; it is gorgeous and I feel like these little things are God's way of giving us joy, pure and simple. God doesn't necessarily give us the things we pray for; He gives us opportunity to develop and get what we desire for ourselves. However, this beautiful world and all the joys that come with it are His way of giving us beauty and joy straight-up.

Take a moment to enjoy this world each and everyday. Look at the sunset while sitting at red lights, admire the beauty in simple shadows and sun rays, stop and smell the roses.

=)

Quote of the Day: delayed...

This was something said a month or so ago when the guys and I got together...

"Everything this side of the toothpick." ~Ran

"Is something special." ~Jeremy


I cannot divulge the reasoning; I have been sworn to secrecy. Try me.

Gearing up for Awesomeness

That's right... the summer months are here and that can only mean one thing... well, two or three things actually.

1) Schlitterbahn!!!

We missed it last year due to some unfortunate and absolutely ridiculous (on our part) circumstances. We waited until the last weekend, got all ready, drove all the way there, walked up to the entrance... and realized we didn't bring the actual tickets. Yep... we brought the top part and not the tickets; we had to give it up. The dream of Schlitterbahn water and rides was crushed then and there. There was no way to get the tickets and actually make it to the park and they were closed the next weekend (although we didn't know this at the time). Boo hoo. =(

2) Warm-up for ACL!!!

We also missed ACL last year (bummer , I know) because we were preparing for the wedding and it was the weekend before. =) It was raining and from what we heard, it was absolutely miserable. Whew. We got our money back (sold the tickets on Craig's List), had the time to prepare for the best day of my life, and stayed dry and non-muddy in the process. =) However, we really missed it and are SUPER THRILLED about this year's lineup.

OMG! The Strokes!!! Spoon!!! Vampire Weekend!!! I am so excited that I can't go on.

3) Rev-up for Ren Fest!

And last but certainly not least, we also missed Ren Fest last year because it was so soon after the wedding and we were broke as a joke. But not this year. This year we are getting ready for it early, we may actually dress up, and will definitely be with Flag. =) WOOOO HOOOOOOOOO!!!

Here we go 2nd half of 2010! Coming at cha strong! LOOK OUT!

LOVE!

I love my husband. He was the coolest in the schoolest and still is! (We met in Spanish class...)

You're a doll Jonathan and I love ya!

Small Progress but Big Set Back

Our Shadow is not doing real good. We've been giving him some supposedly awesome kitty vitamins because I have read that they really help build strength and can make the last years of a kitty's life more pleasant. Unfortunately, Shadow had a major set back with walking when his back legs started having problems. Recently though, it really seemed that the walking had gotten a bit better and that he may be gaining a bit of strength. =)

However, he is also having some problems going to the bathroom. This just started and we only know of 2 times that it has actually occurred. He moaned really weird one night and Jon and I had no idea what it was; we had never heard a cat moan like that and I got kind of freaked out. We found him lying outside the cat box and he had all kinds of grossness on his little paws and belly. =( It was the saddest thing I have ever seen and I broke down a bit.

This happened one other time but we got there in time to help him. I am worried that this may be the major set back I have been dreading... I hope this isn't downhill. =( We are still hoping for the best and praying that the vitamins can help give him some strength back. We're taking him to the vet again to see if there is anything that can be found or done about the bathroom issue.

Poor kitty. He is a trooper though. He is still as lovable as can be and even stood up to say hello to Jason yesterday! A good sign! =) Prayers...

Hardest Class of my Life

That's all I can say...

Applied Business Research and Statistics... grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

No time... Gotta get back to it.

Disappointment X3

I have disappointed 3 of the most important people in my life; my Aunt, Father, and Best Friend.

I couldn't make the trip I had been planning for over a month. I had to cancel a day before because I just knew it was not going to be possible with all the school work that I had. I tried to get ahead but had a gazillion other things going on and it being the first week of this new class, I was not aware of the ridiculous workload that would be involved. The workload has increased on top of everything and I just knew it wouldn't be a fun trip with me sitting at the computer the whole time.

So, I canceled so I could go down another weekend and actually make good use of my time, gas, and overall distance traveled. I hated to disappoint everyone because I had really been looking forward to it. I thought I would get a handle on this and the juggling would be easier... but as they increase the workload and intensity, I sink back to where I started. It's frustrating... grrr.

This is where we start repeating to ourselves: It will all be worth it, it will all be worth it.

:)

Sleepy Sentences

I am not sure if I have mentioned this little phenomenon on the 'tude but as they become more frequent, I feel the need to share the awesomeness that are these sentences.

'Sleepy Sentences' is a new series that I will contribute to as frequently as they occur. These are real sentences that come to me when I am working long hard Master's hours... as I am writing, if I am ridiculously tired, sometimes I find myself dozing while I am still typing. Occasionally, I awake to find that I have typed some random, ridiculous sentence. As I am falling asleep I start to dream and continue writing. I have done it several times and they are always really crazy.

Here is the latest and by far the weirdest. I really have no idea what I was dreaming but I think the inspiration came from Sex and the City... although it is more like Sex and the City gone wacko. (I just watched the series in its entirety in prep for the movies. Yay!)

"As for the latest fling, I have learned that the city of New York also doesn't have any clean napkins. What are we? Where are we going?"

Yep. No idea.

The funny (and utterly ridiculous) thing about this Sleepy Sentence is that I actually posted it. Yep. I posted THAT sentence as the last sentence on a Research and Statistics discussion question. I had to make a correction obviously, but I have vowed to post earlier from now on... before I fall asleep and forget to delete Sleepy Sentences. =)

I do hope they still occur though so I can share with the world the creepy depths of my twisted little mind. I just gotta watch out for the posting...

Don't Let Them Define You

I just wanted to share a few words of wisdom that have been passed down from generation to generation. This is something that women are told but is something that we seldom remember. While this is my own take on this advice I think the idea is apparent and must be committed to memory for LIFE.

"As strong women, we must be able to differentiate between a man's opinion of us and our opinion of ourselves."

If there are things that we as individuals want to change about ourselves, we should do so for ourselves and not because someone else told us we needed to. We all know the saying, "Love yourself first". This goes right along with this important advice in that it is critical to always remember who we are and to never let others sway our opinion of this- men or women.

A long time ago, I was in a relationship that I thought I was supposed to be in. I thought I had found the perfect person but what I didn't realize is that throughout the entire relationship, I was trying to tell myself that he wasn't right. He made me someone I wasn't and made me think I was crazy, literally. In reality, he was not the right person for me and I was screaming out to wake myself up. He didn't give me what I needed; he wasn't sensitive or engaging and only enjoyed attention but rarely affection. It was totally the opposite of what I wanted in a relationship but I didn't listen to myself.

Along the way, as our relationship deteriorated and my heart continued to scream that he wasn't the one, I started believing him and thought it was all me. I started believing that I was that person and that it was all my fault.

It wasn't.

As all relationships go, it was both of us. He was wrong for going along with it if I wasn't for him and I was wrong for not listening to myself. Very wrong. I knew along and because I didn't listen myself and allowed a man to "define" me, I lost a year of my life, friends who took his side, and probably a couple years off my entire life.

Don't do it. Don't make this mistake. Don't let them define you.

Baby Fever is Everywhere...

and I don't have it!

But everyone else seems to! I can say that maybe 5 of my friends are not pregnant or with child at this moment... it is kind of strange. Sure, I want kids; I have the absolute perfect father for them and am truly excited to have them one day. I can't wait... but I can and will. Ha.

It is crazy to see all my friends having kiddos because I thought I would be in the same place at this point in my life. I always said I wanted to have kids around age 28 but as the time rapidly approaches, I have started thinking otherwise. I keep thinking that I haven't even had time with my husband and I really want to be selfish and lazy (or as lazy as a full time job while working on a Master's degree will allow).

My husband and I have been together for almost 5 years with our 1st marriage anniversary coming in October. I can honestly say that these years have been the best of my life. I know that children will be a huge blessing and that I will be happier than I could ever imagine... but I think I want to get the most out of what I have right now and let the future be awesome in the future. =)

To all the mothers and mothers-to-be out there, God bless you and congratulations! I'll be there one day! Until then, I'm sure you've got this under control. =)

To Nicole at Teleflora.com

Thank you for the response. I do appreciate that you took the time to apologize and explain your business practices. I did want to expand on the situation however. While I understand we are all human and make mistakes, most don't make the same one 3 times in a row.

My original order was for Saturday and then there was a redelivery date for Monday. It was not delivered again on Monday and there was a redelivery date for Tuesday. It was not delivered AGAIN on Tuesday and there was a redelivery date for Wednesday.

It was finally delivered on Wednesday... 4 days and 3 redeliveries later. On top of this, I spent another hour and a half between the next two calls I had to make to find out why the order had not been delivered again. That's a total of 3 hours for 3 phone calls...

I do hope this was a fluke incident and understand that we do all make mistakes. However, this was in no way a little mistake; it was 3 big ones. I will say that all of your customer service reps were very nice and in the end Teleflora did make it worth the while. While my surprise and actually getting my Mom a gift on Mother's Day was ruined, Teleflora did come through and made it right. The delivery was beautiful and there was a very nice note of apology. I think that was very kind and my Mom really appreciated it.

I stand by my feelings and really hope that you can do better for your customers. Unfortunately, I am no longer one of them.

Thanks again for following up. I do appreciate that.

Thanks for Nothing, TeleFlora.com!

As I told the customer service guy, I will never use their service again. Number one, I put an order in for a Mother's Day delivery. I was told the order would have to be delivered on Saturday as they don't make deliveries on actual holidays. Well, as crappy as that was, I said okay. Well, I waited until Saturday evening to hear from Mom because I was just sure she would call to tell me how much she loved her surprise.

I waited...

and waited...

By 7 PM I had not heard from her so I gave her a call. She had received my card in the mail ("the biggest card I've ever got") but said nothing about an extra special delivery. So, I had to ask if she had received anything else and was both happy and disappointed to hear that she had not. I told her she should have and that I was sorry; I didn't think they would redeliver on Sunday (as they had told me they wouldn't) and the order was promised to be there by Saturday before 2 PM. I told Mom I was sorry and that I had to get off the phone so I could call and chew some one's ass out.

Well, an hour and a half later I finally get someone on the line from Teleflora and they tell me that they couldn't find someone to take my floral order for Saturday and that there had been a redeliver date set for Monday, one day after Mother's Day. First of all, they didn't bother to call ME and tell me that they had to reschedule. I told the gentlemen it was a bunch of crap and that I didn't put in an order for Monday, I put in an order for SATURDAY! I asked him what he was going to do since I had just waited on hold for an hour and a half and my order had not been fulfilled. He said he would give me 40% off but the order would have to be delivered on Monday. I told him I would never use Teleflora.com again (AND I MEANT IT) and he told me he was sorry. Sorry...

I told him he was correct; they should be very sorry because I would NEVER use them again. As a consumer, I have to spread the word about my experiences. It seems that they cram as many sales in while there may be no chance to get them all filled, and knowing all these people are going to have to explain to their significant others why they didn't get a gift on their special day.

A BUNCH OF CRAP. This was absolutely ridiculous, Teleflora.com. This experience has made me never want to use a service like this again.

Shoppers beware: My advice for future gifts like these? DO NOT USE TELFLORA.COM!!!!!!!!!

Attack from Above

A warning for all you people that like to enjoy time outside; whether that be walking, running, swimming, hanging out, walking to your car, anything at all.

Watch out for crazy attack birds.

A few days ago, I was outside standing in line, innocently, when I heard a crazy bird call and saw him soar over my head. I looked up at the tree he flew towards and then looked back down. I thought nothing of it. Unfortunately, the exact second I looked down, he flew at my head; he thrust his little bird body as hard as he could and I am pretty sure he pecked me in the process.

Jerk.

(Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31717722@N03/3107267397)

He looked like this and I am pretty sure he was a Grackle. Crazy birds. Watch out, they'll get cha.