Wordless Wednesday

(Pictures taken in October 2006)

Another Free Day!

I can't believe my luck. Another snow day. Who would have guessed we'd get so lucky?!

I should probably clarify "snow day." It should be called "cold day." That's why we didn't have school yesterday and today. It was like zero degrees both days. My first thought was how do these pansies over here survive Michigan winters? I have only lived on this side of the state fo 5 years, and seriously, when I was a kid, it was this cold at least once or twice a winter. It was expected! But now, there is some law I think that says kids can't go to school when it's a certain temperature. I don't really know that it's a law, but come on, what did we do in the past? What did I do when I was a kid? Bundle the hell up!! But, don't get me wrong. I love having 2 days off in a row unexpectedly. Especially when I knew BEFORE my head hit the pillow last night that I didn't have to wake up to an alarm this morning. THAT was nice.

So yesterday I started packing. It didn't get me too far. I got 7 huge banana boxes from the grocery store and came home to start the ugly process of throwing things away and packing. And at the same time, I indulged in my latest obsession, Dawson's Creek. My friend has the entire DVD collection, and I'm now on season 3. Maybe that's why I didn't get a whole lot accomplished yesterday....to much oogling over the TV. Lindsay asked me to take pictures, so here is what it looks like outside....a fair amount of snow, but keep in mind I'm home these 2 days because of the extreme cold.

Today I have been much more productive. I'm cleaning out our files of paperwork so when it comes time to file new paperwork crap, it's all organized and clean. Look at the mess I've made, and this isn't even the worst part!

My next task this afternoon will be the kitchen. My weakest point. Not only do I NOT enjoy cooking, but I enjoy EVEN LESS cleaning up. So the dishes will need to be dealt with soon. If you look really close in the upper right hand corner of the picture, you can see a few not-yet-used banana boxes.

I sure have my work cut out for me today. But, it still beats BEING at work! Oh yeah, and that wild strawberry jello with bananas added in was THE BOMB!!! And it's on the low carb menu too, so check out the recipe here. If you make it, just add the bananas after you mix in the whipped cream.

I'm Free!

SNOW DAY!!

Woo-hoo!

Boy, am I a happy girl today!! It's been a year since we had a snow day, and I was getting jealous that everyone around here as well as in other parts of the country (Lori) was enjoying these days off. I am SO thankful for this. While the work was piling up around here, not to mention the mess, this makes it so much easier to start the week. Plus, I had 2 meetings after school. And since I can't stand meetings, I'm not one bit sad that we aren't having them at all this week. The best part about this free day is that the sun is shining. And it's BEAUTIFUL!

Thankful

I can't believe how cold it is! Wait a minute, yes, I can believe it. It's Michigan, the state of everchanging weather, day to day, minute to minute. A few weeks ago, jackets were hardly required. And now? They are telling us to stay inside if we can. I do love cold weather, the snow, skiing, building snowmen, the crisp, pretty look of new snow....but come on! We don't need these frigid temps! I guess it's paybacks from such a mild winter thus far.

Since we are getting ready to move, I find myself stepping over boxes, falling on piles of clothes and shoes, losing everything, finding it, and then re-losing it. Basically, our life is everywhere it can fit inside these small four walls (and a storage unit). I usually clean once a week, but I haven't in about 3 weeks because I kept thinking, what's the point? We're moving! No need to clean! Mind you I have kept the kitchen and bathroom tidied cause that's just gross, but for the most part, there is shit everywhere. And when I look around at all the messes, I am even LESS motivated to do anything about it. So, I guess, for now, it's okay to live like slobs, cause there is an end in sight. And when we move there will be more room to spread things out (like the basement). I remember Tasha talking about how everything was so chaotic last summer when she moved, and I feel her pain now!

I guess when I think about all the things that I could complain about, this is nothing. There are many health related issues going on with my family and loved ones right now, so when I complain about trivial stuff like moving, the snow, a bill, whatever it may be, I instantly feel guilty. What am I really complaining about? I have a WONDERFUL life, and I'm privilaged to be happy, healthy, and ABLE to move.

I look at my grandparents.....married 60 years last summer. My grandma took a nasty fall about 2 weeks ago and is in a short term nursing home facility to recoop. My grandpa doesn't get to see her every day. Did I mention they have been married 60 years? That's 21,900 days of getting to see each other almost every day. And now they can't. My grandparents are 88 and 91, so it's hard for them to recover from things that I would bounce back from quickly, but I can only imagine how sad they are not to be together. They still hold hands, and listen to each others' stories as if it were the first time they were hearing it. That's real, true love, and it just saddens me that they can't see each other every day. Hopefully my grandma will be home soon.

And then there's a family friend who is not doing so well with her cancer. There's little hope. And little time. And then I immediatly think of the aunt we lost last year to cancer, and I can't help but think, who's next? I know it's awful to say it, but that's exactly what my mind does. It shouldn't take all these sadnesses around me to appreciate my life and all the privilages that I have. I should be doing that anyway. But I do take things for granted, and it's these times that make me stop and think about what really matters. I think we are all probably guilty of doing this from time to time.

So, whoever reads this post today, do me a favor--take the time to stop and think about the things you have (non-materialistic) and the people you love (past and present) and just really BE THANKFUL. Be thankful that you can be thankful for these things, and that you are not praying for heat, a car to get to work, a job, a cure for cancer. And if you are praying for those things, know that I'm praying for you too.

THIS WEEK'S THEME:

GROSS

I hate this. The cords under the computer are always in this GROSS mess. I can't wait to set up the computer in the new house where the cords are either in some kind of order, or NOT SEEN AT ALL. I really enjoy being organized, but when it comes to the computer area, until now, I have failed miserable. What do you do with all your cords?

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Places I LOVE to Shop!!

1. Target

2. Old Navy

3. Bed Bath & Beyond

4. Office Max
(I adore organizational office stuff)

5. Nine West

6. Famous Footwear

7. Michael’s

8. Penny’s
(it may be old school, but you can’t beat their sales!)

9. The Teacher Store
(ANY teacher store)

10.Barnes & Noble

11. JoAnn Fabrics

12. Gander Mountain

13. Hallmark
(I’m a card freak!)

Wordless Wednesday

Time Flies

Wow!!

I have been out of the blogging world for a little while.

I did a couple easy posts last week, but I STILL have to write about LAST weekend. And now this weekend. Whew!!

Where do I start? Last weekend we left on Saturday morning to drive about 8 hours to a convention that Kenny was involved in. I was thinking it was a vacation more or less, and the place we were staying was actually a resort complete with an indoor water park! Because we were there for the convention, our rooms (normally $300 a night) were free, along with free passes to the water park. Yipeee!! The resort also had an african safari theme to it, so everywhere you turn there is animal print....talk about wild! Here is a picture of us in the lobby. We kinda felt like we were in the jungle........

Kenny loved the convention and had a great time socializing, and I had a great time chillin out and EATING! The food was great, and I even stayed on the low carb thing. It wasn't that hard. There were some extra sweets involved though....why not, right?

We actually got a caracature done! I've been wanting one forever, and finally got Kenny to agree to it. Before we left home, I got my hair done, the usual highlights and trim. I decided to use the flat iron because you can see the highlights so much better when my hair is straight. I normally am too lazy in the mornings to take the time to straighten my hair, and it takes a lot because it's naturally curly, so I'm not even used to seeing myself wth straight hair. When we say the caracature, neither of us recognized me, mostly because of my straight hair! Of all the times to get this caracature done!!

We had a nice long visit with my aunt and uncle who only live about an hour from the resort. They met us in our lobby on Sunday evening for dinner, and Kenny had to go listen to some other people speak, so I had my aunt and uncle to myself and we just chatted and chatted away. Before we knew it, it was 10pm and they had to go to work in the morning!

I had taken Monday off, so Monday morning we got up and attended a couple more conferences, had an amazingly yummy lunch complete with CAKE (the best ever!) and then got on the road around 2pm. Because I have this HUGE paper due soon, I had to work on it on the way home in the truck. With Kenny singing LOUDLY to the radio and trying to talk to me. I had to make him be quiet for 45 minute intervals so I could work on my paper, and then at the end of each 45 minute block of time, I gave him 5 minutes of talk time, and then back to the paper. Can you believe it? It actually worked. I got a ton of work done. Who would have ever thought I would be able to work like that in the truck?

When I got back to work on Tuesday morning, I was pleasantly surprised to find my classroom in top shape. Everything was in its place, and I was greeted with a note from the sub that started with: "Dear Ms. L, Your students were little angels!" I was SO HAPPY! I know I have a good class this year, but everything changes when there's a sub in the room. It was just so COMFORTING to come back to that kind of note.

The rest of the week was ultra stressful. Coming back to stress is so hard. I'm still not caught up yet. This past weekend I went home to work on my paper some more where I had very few distractions. I finished the writing part (whew!) and then had my dad edit it today before I came home. My parents only live a few miles from each other, so I stayed with my mom Saturday night and went over to my dad's this afternoon. He is EXCELLENT with English and grammar, so I completely trust him to edit my big ole paper that's almost done. I have to make the corrections and some last minute changes, and I'm hoping to be done on Wednesday. Then maybe I can get back to my normal blogging, which I MISS SO MUCH!! I feel like I'm neglecting all my blogging friends. I haven't been able to read and comment and enjoy being part of everyone's blog lives in the last week or so. I can't wait to get back into the normal routine after this stinkin paper is done!

Here is a cute picture of my mom plowing the driveway this morning.

And here is her new kitty, Zeke. He's so fun! My mom actually trained him to ring that bell to go out or to come into the house. A CAT!! I can't believe a cat will do that, but he really does!!

Check out the rest of my pictures at flickr.

Thirteen Things I Need To Do Before We Move!!

1. Finish my thesis paper (and I WON'T be graduating when I'm done).

2. Pack?

3. Throw some things away. A LOT of things.

4. Stash my scrapbooking supplies, photo albums, and college crap at a friend's house until after we move so nothing happens to them.

5. Change our address EVERYWHERE.

6. Get home owners set up.

7. Start & finish a quilt for a charity....when I promised, I had no idea we were moving.

8. Take a day (or more) off work.

9. Lose 10 more pounds (no reason other than to give myself another small goal).

10. Pick out paint & carpet.

11. Turn in lesson plans for the rest of the trimester so I don't have to think about it!

12. Pray.

13. Relax.

I was tagged by Tasha to do this one!!

I'm supposed to go through my archives and link the post that best fits the words listed.

FUNNY

Called out by kids....

SERIOUS

Nano

UGLY

Sick

(This one was really hard to find a post for, but think of it as UGLY in the not-feeling-good sense!)

ALL ABOUT ME

100 Things

Wordless Wednesday

Okay, well, not a great picture, but as you can see, it's an empty elevator. To be exact, it's an empty elevator from the student center/bookstore next to the dorms I lived in my first year of college. When I say EMPTY, I am referring to the carpet. Where did it go? I can't imagine whose computer desk it sits under now......or who took it......

Good times, good times!

Wanna see something.........

Here ya go:

It's the wild man himself. This was taken 4 1/2 years ago, after about 3 weeks of dating. Can you imagine what I was thinking about him at this point?? There was some alcohol involved (it was a cousin's wedding), but I do remember thinking exactly that........HE'S WILD!

And he's still that way now, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE him for it. Talk about adding spice to my life! There is NEVER a dull moment around here. Ever.

Ironically, this morning he complained that I didn't talk about him enough on my blog. I had no idea......I think I talk about him too much! But this catagory is PERFECT in every way to talk about Kenny.

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

In other news, I'm drowning with this thesis paper. I HAVE to finish it before we move, because that's just too much stress on a person while they're moving. But here I sit, yet again, on an evening when we could be out having a great time (you know the feeling, right Amy??) with some friends. And I'm getting no where.....fast. I've learned that when I get to the point where my mind isn't producing anything worthy of a good grade, I maximize the internet window and OOPPPS there's a blog or 2 to read, a few emails to catch up on, and before I know it, an hour has passed and maybe, just maybe, I can attempt to work on the paper with a fresh mind. That's my excuse for posting tonight. I need a break.

And speaking of breaks, we are headed out of town for a convention that Kenny is attending. We are staying at an amazing resort, kinda like heaven almost, at least that's what the website looks like! There's an inside theme park, shopping, pools and hot tubs galore, and lots of other stuff. It's work for Kenny, and it's a vacation for me. The only bad thing is, I'll probably be thinking about how much work I SHOULD be doing on my paper. Who cares though, right?? What's going 3 more days unfinished anyway? I'm sure in this fab resort place we're staying at, there will be internet, so I'll check back when we're settled Saturday afternoon. And until we leave in the morning, I'll be here, at my computer, trying to make a 40-60 page paper from the 10 that I have already done.

Thirteen Ways To Relax..........For FREE!

1. Take a bubble bath with the lights out.

2. Light a few soft scented candles.

3. Make something for yourself or someone else.

4. Post on your blog.

5. Read others' blogs.

6. Make cookies (only if you ENJOY it!).

7. Soak your feet.

8. Drink a cup of tea.

9. Email a good friend you haven't seen in a while.

10. Rub your entire body with sweet smelling lotion.

11. Read a magazine you love from cover to cover (PEOPLE is my favorite!)

12. Watch TV and zone out.

13. Write a letter (a real one!).

Now, if I could only take my own advice!

Wordless Wednesday

Monday Monday

I'm not a work today, thanks to MLK Jr, and I'm lovin' that. But I'm not lovin' what I'm doing instead!! This long ass paper is still looming over me. I did what I could do last night until I could do no more, at least not until I got a new ink cartridge for the printer. I'm one of those people who needs to print things out while they are creating something. I can't NOT print it out and do a good job, so I had to stop around 9pm last night. Conincidental that it was the same time that Desperate Housewives came on? Not even close......smirk smirk......

But I think I'm halfway there!! I really do feel much better about it. One of my new blog friends, Lori, who I met through Lindsay, said the hard part is getting started. And it really was! I've done a lot of writing....in fact, it's ALL been writing.... for these masters classes, but nothing has been as lengthy as this one. I promise I'll quit bitchin' about it soon. Just as soon as I'm done:)

So my priorities today? Working out, filling the ink cartridges (Rapid Refill Ink) and then the paper. Doesn't seem like anything fun, does it?? Well, maybe filling the ink cartridges will be. At this point, I'll take anything! It's still a form of retail therapy/shopping, right? Kenny says spending money in general makes me happy, so that should make me happy. Hmph.

I'll be back at the end of the day to check out everyone's Monday posts and lose my mind in something fun!

Busy Girl

Well, I posted a to-do list (sort of) yesterday, and I can happily say that quite a few items can be crossed off. The biggest pain in the butt, the 40-page paper, is not done. However, I know it's going to take MUCH longer than 1 day to complete, especially since it's an action research paper and I actually have to present it (....groan.....) to my peers at work and then finish the paper. I'm thinking maybe in a week or so I can do that, and finish it, and hand it in, and pray to pass. Whoever decided that requiring a professional to do this kind of research WHILE reporting to work every day was crazy....stupid....idiotic....I could say much worse, but I won't.

I sat down last night after attending to my to-do list all day, and started in on the paper. I think I have a handle on it now. I was having some anxiety about just starting it, and that was keeping me completely UNMOTIVATED. Now that I've started it, I'm slowing becoming more motivated to work on it a little more, and also realizing that if I just do it, it can possibly get done so I can remove it from THE LIST of unfinished things.

The crack of dawn is when I woke up this morning, partly because SOMEONE had stolen all the covers and I didn't feel like trying to pry them from underneath his sleeping body, and partly because my body is so used to getting up that early. Either way, there was no more sleep to be had. I jumped on the computer and did about an hour of work, then decided to get coffee (the good kind that I can't make) and read the paper at the coffee shop across the street. How relaxing!!! I mixed hazelnut with frensh vanilla (someone suggested it) and it was yummy. Now I am waiting for a couple of stores to open so I can finish up the weekend errands and get back to this computer. That's the only reason I'm blogging today. I swear. I just want to let you all know how proud I am of myself for STARTING this bloody paper. Oh yeah, and to show you what my desk looked like this morning........

And also to show you the result of my retail therapy session yesterday.....

We are moving, so it's time for a new bedspread/sheets/sham/bed skirt combo. This is the comforter, and it looks a little bit more pinky in the picture than it really is, but it's soooooooooooo pretty. My tastes have really changed lately. I still love purples, but this deep red is my new favorite, at least this year. What do you think??

Week wrap-up

Haven't posted in a few days after being so good at posting daily since January 1st. Oh well, I already got over it. This week has been a monster. Here's the short of it:

• Still battling allergies because it's not cold enough to freeze the nasty allergins away
• Nose has been "blown" raw since Wednesday, hence the travel size vaseline jar in my purse
• Involved in WAY TOO MANY projects/committee/responsibilities at work and paying dearly for it now
• 40-60 page paper deadline slowly creeping closer
• Still no packing even started (we're moving in Feb)
• LOADS of papers to grade
• LOADS of laundry to do
• Got a massage Friday after work and promptly fell asleep (ahhhhh...)
• Quilt for charity auction to START
• Charity auction planning (for my own school)
• Cleaning to be done (how much do I really have to do when we're moving so soon?)
• Grocery shopping needs to be done
• I dragged myself to work every day while in an allergy daze
• Sat through 7 hours of professional development only because I had a crossword puzzle hidden in my notebook (sneaky, I know)
• Attempted to do the Saturday Scavenger Hunt this morning, couldn't find pictures to match the theme, and didn't have energy to take one

So how sad am I? I swear I'm not looking for sympathy, but I feel like I'm drowning and I have so much to do. I decided to make my list of things to do based on priorities. So today, I'm working out first, cleaning up second, and then starting some laundry while I work on this awful paper that's due soon. I feel like when that paper is done, I can enjoy the rest of the things I need to do. And the paper won't be done today, but maybe the guilt of it NOT being done will subside, just a little. The next post I PROMISE won't be so sad and dramatic. I promise. Happy Saturday to all. Now pass the vaseline.

I got tagged!

Memes are so much fun!

1. Do you like the looks and the content of your blog?

Duh, YES!! Check out what else this amazing chickee did...

2. Does your family know about your blog?

Yes, some of them do, although I don’t know who because NO ONE EVER COMMENTS!!

3. Can you tell your friends about your blog?

Yes, they all know, but lots of them DON’T COMMENT!! (I’ve leaving hints all over!)

4. Do you just read the blogs of those who comment on your blog?

Of course and I try to be faithful to all my favorite daily reads too!

5. Did your blog positively affect your mind?

Yup! It’s an outlet for all those thoughts....

6. What does the number of visitors to your blog mean?

Not too much...I hardly ever look at it because most of them aren’t linked to blogs.

7. Do you imagine what other bloggers look like?

YES! And like so many other bloggers, I LOVE it when they post with pictures or have a flickr or photobucket account!

8. Do you think blogging has any real benefit?

Yes, it connects you with other people in similar situations and even those who are not. But it really gives you perspectives from complete strangers who can become your efriends!

9.Do you think that the blogosphere is a stand alone community separated from the real world?

Yes and no. It can be stand alone, or it can be a way to meet people, and the beauty of it is you can have it any way you want.

10.Do some political blogs scare you? Do you avoid them?

Most of them, but I don’t read them if I can help it.

11.Do you think that criticizing your blog is useful?

No unless it has to do with editing!!

12.Have you ever thought about what would happen to your blog in case you died?

NEVER!! But I’m thinking about it now!!

13.Which blogger had the greatest impression on you?

Redneck Mommy: I'm learning to appreciate what I have while I have it.

14.Which blogger do you think is the most similar to you?

That’s a toss up between Tasha, Lindsay, and Tee!!

15.Name a song you want to listen to?

AC/DC
Shook Me All Night Long
(reminds me of Kenny...he loves it!)

I will tag.....
Niki, Bethany, and TEE

The worst.......

It happened this morning. There's been many MANY close calls, so close in fact that I swore I would never let it go that far again and plan WAY ahead. And I knew on Saturday that I needed to take action before Monday morning, but with all the Build-A-Bear hype, I lost track of time, and forgot to get to the store. And then, I woke up, got in the shower, got dressed and dryed my hair and then....

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

HHHHHHHHHHH

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

TTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!

I ran out of the magic potion I put in my hair after I dry it so it doesn't frizz!!!!

What could I do? It was too late to straighten my hair, it was already dry. I didn't have time to start over, and a ponytail was out of the question with my outfit.

I did the only thing I could.....I called N, who was on her way out the door to my place because we carpool to work. I asked her (pleaded) to stop at the 24 hour Rite-Aid and pick up the anti-frizz juice so I could go to work, cause at this point, I wasn't going ANYWHERE WITH FRIZZ HEAD!

So, being the awesome friend that N is, she stopped and picked up the magic potion (Citre Shine Anti-Frizz Serum) at Rite-Aid before getting to my place!

I was happy. No frizzy hair:)

Guess what I did today????????

BUILD-A-BEAR!!!!!!!!

The girls and I try to make a yearly tradition of Build-A-Bear every January. I know it's slightly childish, but it's super fun if you can find the time and the dollars, and I'll tell you it's not cheap!

Here's the process.....

We have been getting together more often because B is moving down south this week. It's hard to say goodbye to best friend, knowing that the times you will be seeing her will be limited to a couple times a year at best. We're trying to keep our traditions going, even if we're far apart.

To see the rest of the Build-A-Bear pics, click here. Happy Sunday!