I had a conversation with a couple of my aunts and my mom at Christmas time, and I'm being chastised for not updating my Xanga. How do you tell the people who joined a blogging community just so they could keep up with your college drama, that you in fact, are no longer a member of the community. I know this isn't a serious issue, but I'm making it one. Obviously I need more important things to focus on.

I think I'll write them a letter, er, post tomorrow and explain my decision.

I am making this way too hard.

btw, can anyone explain to me how to do a "strike-through" in blogspot. I can't figure it out.

Home sweet home

So good to be back home, checking banking and blogs on a computer, not a phone. Lots to catch up on, comment on, and post about, after I spend time loving on my dog. And starting a load of laundry. Oy.

Much more later!

Natalie

ees not goood

well, i'll just start here because lots has happened and my thoughts are basically a mess. my mom had back surgery last wednesday. it was some sort of infusion and she has rods in her back now, and she's in pain. however, her pain is relatively mild compared to the nausea. remember when you were little and you stubbed your toe and your parents said they would close your finger in the door and you'd forget about your toe hurting? no? oh, just me. anyhow, the pain pills have made her so sick to her stomach, you really would never know that she has staples in her back. she hasn't been able to keep food down since sunday, and had to spend 3 hours in the emergency room today because she was so dehydrated. she's back home now and sleeping, but it's been a very trying week for her and i know she would appreciate any prayers. once the nausea goes away, she will probably notice the back pain a little more...

on a much lighter note, i just finished watching the episode of dog the bounty hunter when he gets married. it's sad because he found out that his daughter died on the day of his wedding, but really, it was one of the most white-trash weddings i've ever seen. the bridesmaids dresses were tie-dye and the ring bearer had a mullet. i mean really.

we opened presents tonight, and as i'm sure you can imagine, it was enjoyable for my mother. she really was a trooper. i got lots of great gifts, including a pair of coach rainboots, and a kate spade purse. my favorite gift though, was a calendar my mom had made that has pictures of me and aaron when we were growing up. it meant a lot to me because i've never seen pictures of him as a child because he doesn't have any. his mom has a few, and my mom was able to borrow them from her to put into this calendar. it is not near me, but i will hopefully post pictures sometime.

time for rest, as i am on "mom-duty" tonight, and i want to be sure i am available if she needs me.

Merry Christmas to all.

"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." - Luke 2:10-12

Not Me Monday!

Honesty at it's finest. I did not have my first Christmas dinner of the week last night and while I wasn't there, I certainly did not eat 4 cookies, 2 helpings of corn pudding, and mashed potatoes with lots of butter. This, of course, is NOT why I'm wearing sweats today. HA! Not me. I did not cancel an appointment today with a part-time job prospect because I want to spend more time with my husband. I will probably not regret that in January, when we are sick to death of each other. We NEVER get on each others nerves. I did not have another appointment cancel ON ME today because parents can't control their teenage children. Nope, that didn't happen here. I don't associate with children who are in control of the court system. That would not be my 1st part-time job.I am not going to go eat a ton of left over food for lunch, from the Christmas dinner we did not go to. AND, OH CRAP, I did not just realize I haven't seen or heard the dog in about 10 minutes, which would never mean he's eating the trash! OH, and I would also NOT like to introduce my littlest bestest friend as a new blogger, and one-day-professional-photographer, aubri. (can i call you littlest? you ARE younger than me, you know!) Check out her site and leave her loving comments, or don't. Whatever. (I would also not be elated if someone could show me how to do a "strike-through" in blogspot. Just saying.) For more "Not Me" fun, hop on over to MckMama's site!

we're going to have little friends over tonight, and i hope i can be better about taking pictures. i've been avoiding the camera because of the extra winter-weight (who am i kidding with that one?!?!) but this is no reason to not take pictures of other people!

abby and mal, run and hide now, because aunt natalie is camera happy once again!!

oh man, she decided to come after all.

aunt flo came into town today. her arrival was expected last week, and i'd started to think she was cancelling on me. BUT, just in time to celebrate some Christmas festivities, she's here! I have a feeling she's going to outstay her welcome.

*fingers crossed that this is her last visit for, well, 10 months.

this blog is about to get incredibly honest

i am not perfect and my life is messy and why not make fun of it while you can, right? i did not wear the same pair of pants to work 3 days last week. they are not comfy and do not look like pajama pants. i'm a professional, i would never! nope, not me. i did not take 7 (count 'em, 7) pregnancy tests last week because my period is late. i would never waste all that money on those tests just because aunt flo isn't here yet and i would just pee my pants if two lines showed up. eh, not me! i did not yell at my husband because he wants me to spend my whole Christmas vacation with his friends. that would be selfish and i, for one, am never selfish. not this girl. i did not buy a training collar for my dog because he bites me all the time, and i did not shock him when he ate my baked potato right off the table as i put the butter in the fridge. that would be nonsense. and as i type today, i do not wish for my husband to feel better, so that we can not sit together and cuddle on the couch and watch ellen. he would never watch ellen, not him. :) more "not me" over here.

re-do please

the video in my last post isn't working. i have marinara on my shirt/dress. the dog smells like baby oatmeal?? well, is this just my day!

i had so much i wanted to get accomplished at work today, and then every time i started a project, someone came along and asked for something else. i know it's my job to help people, cause i'm the quasi-manager, but SERIOUSLY?? you people can do nothing for yourselves. sad.

then i went tutor-ing, and i got pineapple pizza on my outfit. my tutor-ee just laughed and laughed, and i looked like a nerd in front of her. sweet.

now i'm home and duke smells like a baby threw up on him. i find no vomit anywhere, and he's acting just fine, but really?!?!

tomorrow is a new day and i am so thankful.

wordless wednesday, on thursday, cause that's how we roll around here...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here!

Such a productive weekend! We baked cookies yesterday with my aunts and little cousins while listening to Christmas music, and it has me really excited for having kids one day and being able to start our own traditions.

Baby Andrew slept the whole time!
Aunt Heather made enough cookie dough on Friday to make 6 dozen cookies. We ate a bunch of the dough though, and ended up with about 40 cookies. oops.

Grace and Veronica were mostly responsible for eating all the dough.

Aunt Jen told me it was time for Senior Pictures.

Master cookie decorator, Heather.

Every present in the house is wrapped (!) and under the tree. 3 more presents to buy, and we're DONE! Such a great feeling of accomplishment, seeing as how I'm usually finishing up my shopping on the drive back to Ohio on Christmas Eve.

Took pictures of Duke today to send out with our Christmas card, and just have to get them printed and picked up soon to get them out in the mail. I'm not usually this far behind on the cards, but we couldn't decide if we wanted a whole family picture, or just Duke. We settled on just Duke and I'll post the picture after the cards go out.

Extreme Makeover Home Edition on next, must go!

A baby changes everything

I wish the title of this post was about me having a baby, but it’s not. It is about me, though. And you. All of us.

I recently bought this song off of iTunes, and if I could figure out a way to share it with you, I would. But the best I can do is share the lyrics, and hope that you’ll want to download it too, because it’s become one of my favorite Christmas songs in the brief time it has been out. (so cliché, right?)

A Baby Changes Everything by Faith Hill

Teenage girl, much too young/Unprepared for what’s to come/A baby changes everything

Not a ring/On her hand/All her dreams and all her plans/A baby changes everything

The man she loves she’s never touched/How will she keep his trust/A baby changes everything

And she cries, oh she cries

She has to leave, go far away/Heaven knows she can’t stay/A baby changes everything

She can feel it’s coming soon/There’s no place, there’s no room/A baby changes everything

Shepards own, they got their own/Star shines down…

Choir of Angels say/Glory to the newborn king/A baby changes everything
Everything, everything, every day
Hallelujah!

My whole life is turned around/I was lost and now I’m found/A baby changes everything


Who knows, this post is probably more fitting for Christmas day, but on this Thursday, December 4, 2008, I hope that you realize THIS BABY changes everything. I know He does for me.

Luke 2:11-12 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

Thankful

Okay. So before yesterday, I had a bunch of stuff I wanted to post about. Like that Thanksgiving was great, but we got a couple pictures taken, and the box in the back of this picture has sparked massive Facebook commenting, even from people who aren’t in our family. And apparently, my uncle Tony is Mormon, but I thought he was catholic, so I really missed something that day.

(You may have to enlarge the picture to see the box of Bud Light in the background. Or not. You do not, however, have to enlarge the picture to see that, as the oldest grandchild, I am 8th in height order.)

The annual day-after-thanksgiving shopping trip went off without a hitch. We went to Wal-Mart on the south side of Fort Wayne, which is scary, but no one got trampled so we were lucky. No, really, that incident is very unfortunate because there wasn’t anything there worth someone’s life. Moving on.

We drove the Donny and Tesia’s for the rest of the weekend, and they announced their pregnancy! It’s very exciting for them because Tesia has been told that she can’t have kids. She is taking extra good care of herself, and preparing for little fingers and little toes. We went with our friends to a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese, and then brought the now 6 year old birthday boy back to their house for a sleepover. Trae either had too much cake, or a bug, because he was sick all night long. I am terrified of vomit (so much so that it was reason I changed my major from education to P.R. but that post will come later) so I ran in the other direction, while my darling husband sat with the sick boy in the bathroom. He is going to be such a great dad. Of course I felt sick for the rest of the night, although I was sure it was all in my head.

Still with me? Cause this is where it gets real sucky. Aaron was on his way to class and I was on my way to tutoring in Hobart when he called.

“Hello?”
“HI. I’m okay. Really, I’m okay."
“WHY WOULDN’T YOU BE OKAY?”
“Well, I was driving and I hit a patch of ice and went into the ditch.”
“Oh my gosh, are you okay? “ (lol, right?)
“The truck is flipped and..." (I stopped listening here and started FREAK.ING.OUT.)
“Where are you? Are the cops there? Are you okay? Are you still in the truck? I am on my way. I love you. I love you. I love you”
“I am fine, there is someone here to get me out. I will call you back.”
“GET YOU OUT?????? WHAT IS GOING ON??”

CLICK.

And I pulled up to this:

And my darling husband was standing on the side of the road talking on his cell phone with nothing but a scratch to show as a wound.

So needless to say, there was much thanksgiving last night, in a non-turkey eating, Bud Light drinking way. We are thankful for God's protection over Aaron, and the others out driving last night.

This post lacks eloquence, which I can only apologize for, but I had all these thoughts I wanted to get out, and this is how they landed.

Thanks for checking in.

Uh, yeah

This post is being iphoned to you from north central Indiana so please excuse the lack of punctuation. Thanksgiving was great as spending time with my family is always enjoyable! We did the shopping thing again this year and I feel good about my deals. On friday night, we drove here to visit with friends and go to a 6 yo birthday party at chuck e. cheese. More on that later.

Anyhow, Trae, our birthday boy, is now very ill. Could be too much cake or the flu, but please pray for him to get better. Also please say a prayer for Aaron as he was cooperative with clean up and we have to drive 2.5 hours tomorrow and he can't be sick. Please add me to your list because of the drive home also. Thank you.

More tomorrow from the homeland.

Nat

Hot Pants!

we made the trek to ohio last night to visit my family and, you know, eat lots of food and nap alot. my mom asked me to look for something in my closet, and low and behold, look what i found!

"clubbing" pants. size 11. HAHA. i wore these to go out when i was in san antonio in october 2004. with a black tank top and hooker-ish style boots. i'm sure i attracted the attention i didn't want but deserved because i probably looked absolutely ridiculous. red pants? really, natalie?

i'm gonna fit into these pants again. i'm not going to wear them out of the house, but i'm going to put them on and take a picture for you to see.

just give me a few months.

natty, natty, so fatty.

there are not enough hours in the day. i am going to sound very superficial here, but i need to get my nails done before going out of town tomorrow. they are so long right now, i can hardly take my contacts out. they are like claws. and they are 1/2 hot pink, 1/2 natural nail color. all together now - T.A.C.K.Y. thank you.

i have tutoring tonight in a town about 35 minutes from my house, and that won't be over until around 8:30 or 9. my sister-in-law is house/dog sitting, so i need to make sure the house is in living conditions since she will be there, which means washing the pillowcases on the bed. the extra sheet sets are all clean, but we have so many pillows on our bed, we use every pillowcase in the house to sleep with. and by "we", i mean aaron. she also will have to survive on cereal, because the grocery store is not my friend.

okayyy, here goes. i am committing to the challenge over here, and am hopefully to lose some serious weight in the next year (i'm being realistic, people. i know i won't lose 50 lbs. by february 1, so i'm not even going to try. losing 25lbs/month is NOT healthy). back in 2004 when i was still in college (ah, the memories), i miraculously got down to about 140 lbs which is the least amount i have weighed since, like, 7th grade. the drastic weight loss may or may not have had to do with the end of a serious relationship that may or may not have spiraled into depression, drinking, and bad personal behavior, but that may or may not be the subject of a blog much different than mine. ahem.

anyhow, when i was that "small" (which is "big" for some people) i could go to my closet, pick out WHATEVER i wanted, and slip it on. JOY! but now, i hardly have anything that fits, and even if it does, it is not slipping anywhere, it generally involves tugging. so. time for change. i am brave enough to tell you that i'm on the journey, but not yet brave enough to post my weight. i'm brave enough to tell you that i went out for dinner at don pablos, but not yet brave enough to tell you that i ate the whole basket of chips and salsa. by. my. self. we'll get there though, because i have a feeling this journey will involve a lot of emotions, and my friends, i welcome you to come along.

who is with me?? join the challenge at http://shrinkingjeans.net/ and let's get physical! headband and side pony and spandex, OH MY!

i went to walgreens last night to scoop up some of my new favorite mouse and hairspray (v05 curl enhancer) ON SALE! and this is the bag they put my goodies in. this looks just like the trash bags i always intend to buy for the bathroom trash can, as in, 13 gallons and no handles. times are cleary tough for the walgreens people.





and this is an updated picture of the monster duke.





the day we got duke, august 4, 2008




wednesday, november 20, 2008.

he's currently 34ish lbs., and because his dad was a dalmation, there is a good chance he won't get above 55 lbs. which is a good thing because he already looks like a horse.

I need to work on keeping this thing up-to-date if I want to one day be a successful “mom blogger”. There are two things one must do to be a mom-blogger:

1.) go forth and multiply (or do whatever necessary to be a mom, like steal small children from the park or adopt.)
2.) write a blog about mom-ish things.

Currently attempting: 2/2
Currently succeeding: 0/2

OY.

The only thing remotely relevant to mom-blogging I can write about today is the part-time job I have taken on. Thanks to recommending by my full-time job manager, I have embarked on the journey of court ordered tutoring. Just a few hours a week with a student who needs a little encouraging on their school work, and all is well with the probation officer. Battery charge? Kicked a girl in the face at the park? Where do these hooligans come from? She doesn’t need tutoring, she needs her butt whooped by her parents or counseling. I am not a parenting coach, however, so I cannot recommend a swift kick in the pants as appropriate punishment for breaking someone's nose.

Pray for me. I don’t want to get pummeled because I know stuff about stuff and she doesn’t. Or the off chance her boyfriend thinks I'm cute. I'd be dead meat.

Happy Anniversary (plus 3 weeks!)!!

Our one year anniversary was October 20th. Our wedding day was the most beautiful day of my life. We were completely surrounded by people who love us and care about us and our marriage. There were plenty of tears, and laughter, and I felt like a princess in every sense of the word. Plus, I had a fun time dancing it up at the reception.

(tears)

(laughter)

(people who love and care about us)

(dancing it up at reception)

(cake, October 20, 2007)

(cake, October 20, 2008)

You really can have your cake and eat it too! Twice, if you're lucky!

I love you, even when you insist on growing out your facial hair and you look like a lumberjack.

Babywearing!

I am fascinated with babywearing. The closeness and comfort of holding your child close to your heart, letting her feel your love and warmth – I can’t wait! I introduced my husband to the idea of babywearing, and he seemed skeptical at first, worried about the baby falling out of the sling, but I reassured him that thousands of women wear babies, and if done correctly, it’s perfectly safe!

So imagine my surprise yesterday, when he proclaimed (rather loudly) “look, she’s babywearing!”, in regards to woman in front of us at Cabella’s, who was indeed, carrying her adorable little girl in a sling. It was quite fashionable, fyi.

I think he’s coming around!

When I do have a baby, I want this sling, from Nonny&Boo. SO Chic! I know some of my only readers here (hi nikki!) are either expecting or have just had babies. So be sure to check out the Nonny&Boo website for their adorable styles of slings and wraps!

For more information on Babywearing, check out Steph’s blog.

It has nothing to do with race. I’m already annoyed at the amount of people who have related my fears about Obama’s win to the color of his skin. That could not be farther from the truth. My fear is because of his relations with other countries, and his desire to pull the troops out of Iraq.


Trust me when I say, I don’t like war any more than the next person. But I don’t want war in my backyard. I don’t know if I’ll be able to feel safe again for quite some time. Not because of color, because of surrender. There are three people in my immediate family who have fought in Iraq or Afghanistan, or both. My brother missed my wedding because he was overseas. So trust me when I say that I don’t like war. But protection is necessary and I cherish the commitment of our service men and women to keep us out of harm’s way.


Nicholas M. –United States Air Force

Anthony J. – United States Air Force

Jon C. – United States Marine Corp.

My family. Right there. Not strangers who are a name on a piece of paper. My family.


Do I want them to go back? Heck no! But would they? In a heartbeat. Because “Country First”.


*many classmates, friends siblings, and acquaintances from college have also sacrificed their time away from comfort and their families to serve our great country. Thank you all.

Jared B.

Justin K.

Travis C.

Jason K.

Kade G.

Phil R.

Jon B.


May God hold everyone of us in the palm of His hand, and keep us safe from all harm.

ohio is for lovers

we're going to ohio this weekend for the 2nd annual cornhole classic tournament. for those of us in the 'burbs, we like to call this "bean bags". but, if you're from the sticks (and there is NOTHING wrong with that, cause i am too), you can just call it cornhole. because, as you know, you are throwing a bag of corn into a hole. brilliant.

i'm looking forward to spending time with my sister, and my mom, and then having lunch with my dad on sunday. the 3.5 hour drive is no fun, but i've downloaded a book onto my iphone, so maybe that will keep me occupied while aaron sleeps or drives. not at the same time.

i love home.

i have a problem with this.

i love my dog (most days), so every day, i click on this link, to give food to animals in shelters, with hopes that they will be fed until one day someone will take them home.

but more than i will ever love my dog (sorry, duke), i love my mom, sister, grandmothers, gaggle of aunts, female cousins and best girl friends. so i click this link, to give a free mammogram to a woman who can't afford one, or doesn't have insurance.

my problem is this: yesterday ALONE, there were 211,723 bowls of dog food donated to homeless shelters! TWO HUNDRED, ELEVEN THOUSAND, SEVEN HUNDRED AND TWENTY THREE.

and yesterday ALONE, there were 19.2 mammograms donated to women in need. NINETEEN POINT 2.

really? heartbreaking. please make this a favorite of yours, it is so easy to do everyday, it only takes 5 seconds, and it could save a womans life. then click over to the animal page, and feed a dog. but after giving free boob squishes, please.

if we don't save the tata's, who will?

*in honor of my aunt heather, who had an abnormal exam, but is cancer free!
*in honor of my mother's friend diana, who has beat breast cancer!
*in honor of pat, my grandma's sister-in-law, who lost the battle in 1996.
*in honor of mrs. bright, a friends mother, who lost her battle in 2004.

bad to the bone

duke started his puppy class last night, oy. there are 3 other dogs in the class, 2 girls and one other boy. duke is the largest in size, and little emma, the 3 lb. purse dog will never match my 30 lb. lab in size or bark. duke clearly thinks he is the boss, especially when none of the other dogs want to play with him. he pushed the other boy dog, mingus, because he wanted to get friendly with emma instead of play with duke. what can i say, my dog is mean.

we go back next sunday, and i hope he's learned some manners by then. i would hate to get kicked out of puppy class for bad behavior. eek.

football, troy bolton, and tears.

i love saturdays when i don't have much to do. i got up today, spent some time with duke (who is almost 5 months old and starts puppy class TOMORROW) and then headed off for the tanning salon and grocery store. it is amazing how so many $1.89 things add up to nearly $100.00. I always set out with intentions of only buying what i need, but who doesn't need 3 jars of peanut butter? you never know when there will be a blizzard and you will crave grilled pb&j...

aaron spent the morning tearing down an above ground pool for a co-worker, and when he got home, he informed me that we would be going to the "super bowl". hmm, like football? ah yes, football for 8 year-olds. our little friend abby is a cheerleader for a football team in a nearby town, so we made the drive to watch the game, and hoped that one day, our son (or daughter) would play football (or cheer) on the same field. chicken wings followed, because they always do.

AND THEN, we went to see high school musical 3. i heard a woman say she cried 3 times yesterday during the movie and i lol'd. until i felt myself on the verge of tears, at which point i whispered under my breath "sorry". ah, high school. there is no time like it. no other time (at least that i've found) where your world is so care free, so easy going. not that there aren't problems in high school, i don't mean that. i just think back to the days of thinking i was sooo busy because i worked 3 hours after school and then had to go to musical practice. or when i had to get up early to go to choir practice, or whatever it was. i wanted so badly to just graduate and get out of there! but now i long to go back, just for a day. to the friends. the laughs. the jokes. the choir practice. the history class. where the biggest issue was who wore what and dated who (whom?? didn't major in english, sorry).

things were, are, so different. my best friend moved away, found alcohol, and all new friends. we were never the same. i thought he would be my best friend forever, or at least until i got married, and then my husband wouldn't go for that. my best girlfriend moved away to college, with her boyfriend, and did not need me anymore because she had new friends to talk to. there were no more choir trips, or late night pizza hut dinners. no more football games to go to, no more dances. no more of the familiar. it all changed. my other girlfriends (not from my school) and i lost touch. went away to college, had serious boyfriends, or just didn't have as much in common anymore. the things we used to laugh at weren't as funny, and the stories we used to share didn't interest us anymore.

people change and forget to tell each other.

anyhow, i cried tonight during high school musical. and also admitted to my husband that i think troy bolton is cute. he laughed.

shot up

i got my first flu shot today. i am still alive.

check back tomorrow.

well, see, i said i would change my signature, and i ended up changing my whole page. i closed my "myspace" page today due to lack of use.

i can't really find the words to describe how i feel right now...frustrated at myself, my dog, my bathtub. the tub won't drain, the dog won't stop biting me, and i won't stop saying things to my husband that i regret 10 seconds later. i really need to do some self-evaluating and figure out what's going on inside of me that's making me so ugly.

i told aaron tonight that i wanted to find a new church. the pastor at the church we've been going to was dismissed last week, and i just feel like it's a good time for us to start our search again. we never really felt connected there, but liked the pastor, so we kept going. i don't like the idea of "church shopping", but i want to find a place where i can get involved in study groups, women's groups, worship team.

tomorrow is friday, and for that, i am grateful. the weekends plan are full of nothing but high school musical 3 and potentially a new church.

i think it will be just what i need.

i just created my signature at mylivesignature.com and you can too. but beware, i will probably change it often, just to keep things interesting around here.

Do you see what eye see?

i put my contacts in the wrong eye(s) this morning. and one was inside out. after all the switching and turning right-side-out, i couldn't see for 3 hours. what a total waste of eye makeup.

not good at this.

i am so not good at this blogging thing. when we got duke 5 weeks ago, i never imagined how much time and energy he would take out of me. i am only able to type this right now because he is sleeping. we played a lot today which made him tired. otherwise, he would be in the computer room with me eating the cords to my computer and chewing on my nice comfy chair. after about 2 days of that, i just stopped using the computer. he seems to follow wherever aaron and i go, so we spend a lot of time on the floor.

we did venture out of the house to a "tastefully simple" couples bbq last weekend, which was delightful and a wonderful time with friends! my goodies should be arriving sometime this week and i am so excited for beer bread and spinach dip! also, i met a fun girl named steph who is thisclose to having her 4th child. she craves celery and knits a lot. she it totally nesting and managed to make a baby sweater in like, 3 days. i love that she craves celery, because 0 CALORIES! i wish i craved something so good for you. instead, butter pecan ice cream and chips and salsa (obv. not together). non pregnancy cravings. odd.

aaron is out at auto zone buying a part for his mustang. boys and their toys. i'm ready to go in the bedroom and knit myself to sleep. i decided i wanted to knit after watching steph last week. if she could learn to knit a baby sweater in 3 years, well then so can i.

if you are in my family, expect to get a scarf for Christmas.

i don't feel like i have a lot of new things to post about. working so much, same as aaron, just trying to keep the house clean and enjoy the limited free time we have! i am very excited for the concert tomorrow, mostly because we are staying in a hotel and will get to sleep in on saturday and go out to breakfast in tinley park. it will be a little mini-vacation and i'm hoping it will be relaxing for us both!

my girlfriend jessica is getting married in august and i am so happy for her! her shower was last friday and i will try to post pictures soon. i really miss wedding planning and crafting, so i offered my help and she finally accepted. she's coming over tonight and we're going to diamond-decorate her home made veil. i had so much fun planning the shower too, i think i missed my calling as a party planner!

i have used way too many ! in this post, which is not just annoying, but also scary since it's only 7:20.

free stuff?

i love to listen to the radio. i also love to try to win radio contests. some would say i win a lot of stuff, but for as often as i call in, i feel like i don't. one time when i was in college, i was on the radio station in toledo talking to the author of a book i don't remember the name of. when i told her i was a youth leader and we were using the book (it was a bible study on female friendships, title TBD) for our sunday groups, she sent me copies of other bible studys she had written. i didn't even try to win that, i just lucked out! i mean, she sent like 14 books! FOR FREE.

well, last night on the way home from dinner, i turned on the country station and was rocking out to taylor swift, when the dj asked for caller number 14 for tickets to see toby keith. i dug the phone out of my purse, called the number and heard "the number you are trying to reach is busy. please try again". press end. press send. and hear "U.S. 99". i say "i was trying to be caller 14 for the toby keith experience", and he says "you're caller 14" and then i start saying things like "oh, i'm so excited! my husband will love this! thank you SOO much!" and that's that.

2 backstage passes, front row tickets to see montgomery gentry and toby keith on friday, august 1st in tinley park. 2 t-shirts from his upcoming movie, 2 tickets to the movie, and a jam session with a new artist he just signed to his label.

i have the magic phone number dialing touch.

ouch?

writers block? no, of course not. typer's block is more like it. my left wrist has been hurting so much lately, and even more when i'm typing. i'm a gluton for punishment, apparently. my mom bought me a lovely black wrist brace that resembles something arvile lavinge or ashlee simpson would wear (see below) .

okay, so you get the point. i exude coolness.

i mean, having used a computer since "oregon trail" in the 5th grade, and working in the field i do, i spend so many hours in front of the computer each week, it's a wonder this didn't all start sooner! hopefully my rockstar brace (really, i do appreciate my mom, just to clear that up) will ward of problems, or at least give me enough time to get any surgeries done the same year i have a baby so i can meet my deductible and get the health care system for all it's (not) worth (i work with insurance, i can say that).

i would write more, but i can't. and you know why.

and the dog search continues. we've spent countless hours doing doggie research online, looked at hundreds of adoptable dogs online and at rescue shelters, and we've got nothing. we just haven't found the one that "fits". i mean, it's not like a pair of shoes you can try on and then return, or a tank top that you can hang in the closet until next year to see if you like it more then. it's a freakin' living thing, a PET, and it's going to be harder to keep alive than the stinkin' flowers in my front yard.

it's a good thing i don't have to pick out a baby, cause i'd never be able to decide on one.

speaking of babies, i have a really heavy heart for surrogacy. i know, crazy, right? but there are 3 couples at my work who can't have babies. it just breaks my heart. i would love to offer to carry children for them, but after much research, find that i shouldn't do it until i know i'm done having children of my own, and who knows when that will be. but this is not an impulse decision, i've been thinking about it for over a year now and am just making it (semi) public information (other than to my husband). i know it would be terribly hard, but so worth it. so, well, between not getting a dog and not having anyone's baby, i feel pretty free. and not in the way i want to be.

off to look for more dogs.

we're thinking about getting a dog. crazy, huh? we have both been thinking about it a lot lately, and when i bring it up, aaron usuallys says i'm crazy. but in the past couple weeks, be has been agreeing with me when i throw the idea out there. i know dogs are expensive, but not as much as babies, and i figure it's a good step to take since we're just not ready for a child yet. our only issue at this time is the house being up for sale. if we leave here and go to an apartment, we'd have to make sure fiddo could come along.

i would never name my dog fiddo, btw. no offense.

anyhow, i would prefer a small dog that we can take with us when we go out of town, and of course, aaron wants a big lab or doberman or something huge that will weigh 80 lbs. in a couple months. so here we are, arguing over a dog that we don't even have. isn't marriage great??

my brain is very scattered tonight, so i think i'll retire.

last weekend was the festival, and i ate too much fried food! i got to spend time with family and celebrate leighton and simon's birthday. after the festival on saturday, we went back to the pool and enjoyed relaxing in the warmth of summer and family fellowship.

i don't really swim much, because i don't like to be wet, so i spend a lot of time lounging in the beach chairs. when family is there, i visit with them, but on days when i am alone, or just with heather and she is exercising in the pool, i grab a magazine and read up on the latest hollywood gossip. and you'll never believe, my pal and fellow blogger, corrin, is giving away magazine subscriptions on her blog! i am going to keep my fingers crossed and hope to get "LUCKY" in her giveaway!

has it been a month? where does the time go?! may was a BUSY month for us at work, but with things they way they are, we are just happy to have work. this saturday will be our first saturday off since mid-april, and we already have plans for house work. we have to paint the garage and repair the garage door. our garage is more of a "lean-to", if you will. when we bought the house we fully intended to tear down the garage and start over with the concrete slab, but now that the house is for sale we can't hardly justify a $5-6,000 expense with little return. so we'll just make it look a little better and hope that helps.

my mom helped me pick out some beautiful flowers for the front and back of the house and it really looks great. i have never been into gardening much, but they sure are pretty to look at.

aaron has always dreamed of having his very own mustang. his "baby". well, on friday, may 30, 2008, we welcomed eleanor into our family. it was the easiest birth possible.



i am happy for him because he worked really hard to save up the money for the car and now he has a new toy. just in case you wondered, the deal was this - you get a car, i get a baby!! he's on board for the baby plan too, it just sounds like i'm getting something now too. :)


the weather here is really muggy and it's been raining almost daily, but it's better than snow. it makes the pools hard to keep clean, so we have some grouchy customers, but we have the best service and maintenance guys who are very willing to do whatever it takes to make the customer happy. speaking of, my husband is on his way home from a job right now, so i better get the table set for when the pizza boy gets here (yay for carry out on late nights!).

some pictures from the month of may:







aaron surprised me with tickets to the tim mcgraw concert over memorial day weekend, and we had such a great time!



the only tomato on my plant, but it's cute!

college?

it seems some of the college students i blog-stalk are graduating. their posts are full of sentiments from college and the things they will miss. they talk about friends and boys and roommates, and i wish i could tell them to try really really hard to keep in touch with these people they love. but life just gets in the way. people change and they forget to tell each other. then your paths cross months or years later, and you think you'll have so much to talk about and catch up on, but your lives are in two completely different places. i do miss college, a lot. i miss the friends i made and the people i knew then, but when i reflect on the people who i have stayed in contact with, i am saddened by the amount of people i have remained true too. granted, i have the bestest girlfriend in akron who was married the month before me and we had the honor of standing up in each other's weddings. but when i think about it, i have kept in contact with a muslim (not someone i met through campus crusade) and a woman in a committed relationship with another woman (also, not someone i met in campus crusade). life is weird. the people you meet influence your life, but they come and go. sometimes the ones who have the biggest impact on your lives move on to impact other people and that's just that. i hope i have made an impact on someone's life, and when i moved on, i impacted someone else. hmmmmm. life is funny that way.

the weather here is cold and icky. aaron worked hard today and got back to work in just enough time to change, scarf down some junk from burger king, and head off to class. his final exam for this class is wednesday, so going to class tonight was not an option. derrick is coming over tomorrow to help him study, and then after his final on wednesday, he is home free until august! he is quite the man, with school and work and marriage. i understand his desire to wait for kids; he's just looking out for me because he doesn't want me to be "stuck" at home while he's at school. and he doesn't want to miss out on our kids lives, i'm sure.

he'll be on his way here in a little bit, so i'm gonna get him a snack ready and make sure he has warm clothes to change into. my husband is so incredible...