Update

We got a couple of things done this weekend.

First, I remembered that my Aunt told me she had an abundance of Lily Turf next to her garage. She said I could have as much as I wanted, so I returned the 5 I bought from Lowe's earlier last week. I'm thrilled to be able to use free plants!

Secondly, I went ahead with laying the small pavers and planting the Mexican Petunias. I'll transplant the Lily Turfs in the near future.


Thirdly, we spent an hour outside laying the first row of extension we have planned for the existing porch. This row is made up of 4 2'x2' pavers that match the porch that my grandmother had laid many years back. The rest of the pavers to follow are 16"x16". We have them but it'll be a few more weekends before we're done with that project.


Slowly but surely!

Gardening

Oh holy cow. I thought the gardening bug already bit me but I was wrong. Earlier this year I bought a book about garden designs in Texas. I looked at it initially and thought it was a great book with great ideas but for some reason none of it really stuck.

I picked it up again this week and man oh man do I get it now! I've realized that most of the plants I bought at last year's plant sale (at the botanical gardens) are perfect for Texas. Most of them are used in this book's layouts and most of them are perennial. That's what I wanted! I bought stuff willy nilly last year and this year I'm learning that they are exactly what I should have bought. Also most of the bulbs that were existing in the yard that need to be thinned are mentioned in the book too, so I've got an abundant supply of the perfect plants to transplant and put in new beds.

You'd think that I would already know that the plants that have done great in my yard are great for Texas, but to be validated by this book just lights me right up. I've got garden designs flying all over my brain and I'm already trying to figure out how to adjust my budget for the fall sale that I know is coming.

In the meantime though, I did buy some plants for the bed I started earlier this year. I had to get those irises in the ground but after I did, I didn't mulch and other than watering, didn't do any more tending to them. So this past weekend I cleared out all of the weeds and mulched the hell out of it.


So far this week I've bought 12 long skinny pavers to put between the mulch and the curb so if it rains the mulch won't wash away. I also bought 5 Lilyturfs and 4 Mexican Petunias. The Petunias will go around the front of the light post and the Lilyturfs will go around the back side. I'll adjust the existing irises back and more clumped together.

I'll update with pictures after Sunday!

Got Some Things Done

Minus some curtains, curtain rods and hanging the mirrors the red room is done! The mirrors are in there though leaned up against the walls. We'll have to hang them later. The curtains and rods are all cosmetic so that will come in time. I should have taken pictures already but I moved my sewing stuff in there to work on a costume and I don't want those things in the photos.

Speaking of my sewing stuff, I have a table, machine and 3 cases/boxes full of sewing supplies that my grandmother gave me. It is so nice to have everything I need and I didn't have to buy any of it! There are things in one of those boxes that I still haven't figure what they are.

I figured out how to thread the machine and I worked on a costume I started well over a year ago. Most of the skirt is done now and I am highly impressed with myself considering I've never made anything from scratch and it is actually coming out as I envisioned it. I think the true test will be how I make some pants and a top using a store bought pattern.

I hope it all turns out okay and doesn't look too bad when I'm done!

Back on Track

Well we were going really good there with progress on the house and yard for a while then everything seemed to come to a screeching halt.

We've both been down and out for various reasons over the past 2 weekends plus the weekend before last was Father's Day and my Dad's birthday, so I spent Sunday at my folks' house for those festivities.

This coming weekend is open though and I HAVE to get the red room cleared out so I can start practicing a routine for the August belly dance show. I should actually do that before the weekend. We've also still got those pavers we bought just loosely stacked here and there in the yard waiting to be put down. I think we should lay at least one row down and get that process rolling.

The yard needs to be mowed and I've got weeds to pull plus some cleanup from a recent rain storm. There is also the stuff in the living room that is the last remaining remnants from the move that we started working on and now it's just sitting there collecting dust.

I think I'll work out a "to-do" list this week to give us a bit of a schedule to work from and prioritize it so we (read I) don't get overwhelmed. Oh yea and the fish tank needs so serious love.

In other news, I have cucumbers! I've counted 4 that have sprouted this week. 3 of them are pollinated and growing and the 4th still doesn't have a full open female flower, so I'll see how that one goes. Most of the carrots also look good and now that the weather has turned hotter the okra is starting to take off. I think we'll get some out of those sad little plants after all.

I'm not sure I mentioned it but the watermelon plant isn't actually a watermelon plant. It's another cucumber plant, so, there ya go. I have cucumbers x cucumbers + carrots, okra and zucchini. Oh that one is doing well too. Maybe not as good as it should but the flowers are starting to open so I think it is going to be fine. I might have over watered it but I think it's bouncing back now that I've backed off.

So! Back to it! There's plenty to do.

Weekends

Well I've been waiting to blog until I have pictures to post with it but I keep forgetting to take pictures of things so this time I'll just talk about the couple of things we've done over the past 2 weekends.

Last weekend my Uncle and I put in a border around the okra he has planted and made an area for the carrot seeds I bought. It's just a small L shaped area next to their house but it needed a border and it needed all of the weeds removed. Honey and I also went and picked up some free compost to spread in there as well.

This past weekend little carrot sprouts were showing! I knew it only took a week or so but it is still exciting when you see the little greenery poking through. Honey and I also went and bought the remaining pavers we needed to finish out the patio project. I'm not sure when we'll get to that but at least we now have the materials we need.

Also late yesterday afternoon we adjusted the water hose situation in the front lawn. We attached 2 new soaker hoses to the existing one and ran them around the "beds" in the front then attached a regular hose to the splitter so the regular sprinkler could be attached to it. Now my water process in the front is easier.

That's about it. Just a little done here and there. :)

The Home Outside

Oi. The yard.

Where do I start? I've done a lot to it in the last year. The first thing I did last April was prune and clear all the overgrowth in the back yard. That was a full day's worth of work and my first time at doing it. My hands were so sore the next day.

I planted a couple of lantanas back there too in August I think.


Shortly after that we moved in and the dogs moved in mid way through September. The lantanas didn't last through the end of the year. That's when I realized all my gardening would have to take place in the front yard. However, I noticed a couple of days ago, one of the lantanas is coming back. I'm going to dig it up and move it before the dogs destroy it again.

Last fall I bought a ton of plants and put new beds in around the red oaks out front.

Before


After

I plopped in a few other plants in blank holes and pruned the crap out of all the small boxwoods, one of the hollies and the two nandina clusters. A few weeks later I took out one entire boxwood and pruned the other holly next to it.

This spring I've hacked (severely pruned) the 3 remaining boxwoods off the front porch. They were massive. Now they aren't and they have pretty beds around them with flowers and plants for company.

Before


Hard to see After

I also pruned the pomegranate tree but it needs much more.

When I put in the beds around the boxwoods I also planted 3 vegetable sprouts. I have a zucchini, cucumber and watermelon plant. Last weekend I moved them to the ground and have been babying sitting them since. They need a lot more water than I expected.

Zucchini


Cucumber


Watermelon

Also a couple of weeks ago I added a new bed around the block light post and planted irises. They're looking hot and tired. I hope they make it.

I've got a ton of bulbs around the southeast side of the house. Amaryllis, iris and jonquils. They will all need to be thinned and separated this fall for next year's bloom. They were all there when we moved in and haven't been thinned in years.


We have plans to extend the beds around the entire front of the house as well as adding in a raised bed right in front. I hope to have that project done before the year is out. It'll take time though but that's okay, we aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

In the back, instead of planting, we're adding on to the porch. We'll be extending the existing 8x8 porch out another 12 feet to make it 8x20. It will enclose the two crepe myrtles that are there.


I also added a small brick pad just inside the gate so we'd have somewhere to step instead of the dirt or mud.

Before


After

One day soon I hope to get a sandbox out back for the dogs to dig in so I can reclaim my backyard and grow the grass back in where it's been destroyed. Leveling out the holes and hills that have been created will be what I'm most looking forward to. Mowing back there is hazardous to twisting ankle health!

It's all a never ending, yard changing saga. I love every second of it.

Fleas, Ticks, Tapeworms! OH MY!

'Tis the season. Since our winters normally aren't cold enough to wipe out the critters, flea season starts early and can get bad quickly. Fortunately none of our pets have ticks.

Honey took the cats³ to the vet yesterday for a general check up and any shots they may have needed. Miss Stormy had a tapeworm. We knew this going in, or at least that was my assumption and with the fleas so bad right now I figured that is exactly what it was. He said the trip was smooth and none of them have ear mites.


Thunder weighs just over 13 lbs.


Lightning weighs just less than 13 lbs


and Storm weighs just over 11 lbs.
They gave Storm a shot for the tape worm and then they sent Honey home with pills similar to the ones the dogs² get once a month. They also gave us super duty flea drops to put on their backs. We had tried 4 different types of treatments before this with none working. The vet said this season is especially bad (don't they say that every year?) and that the crap you buy at the store never works when it gets like this.


Mina


Milo
I hope what we have now works because those poor pups (in particularly) have been itching and scratching for weeks! I'm super glad we have pills to give the cats once a month now too. I had no idea they made those. I always thought they only had the ones for dogs to prevent heart worms.

Hooray for healthy beasties!

Long Time no Blog

I have been cuh-RAZY busy. A lot has happened in the last year. I'll try to be brief.

Mostly the news is about a house. Our house. Yes, we finally got a house. My grandmother decided it was too much for her so she moved into a home last spring (2007) and is selling us her house.


All of last spring and summer was spent helping her work through her things. We donated a ton, gave just as much away and then helped her move what she wanted to keep. After that we started painting. Our lease was going to be up in September so we wanted to get the house the way we wanted it before the move.

We painted 3 rooms and a hallway and pulled up carpet in 2 rooms and the hallway. We still aren't finished with the painting but that's okay. We'll be there a while.

Anyway, so we moved in last September and since then we've been adjusting to the differences in living in a house instead of an apartment. There are a lot more things that need taken care of as I'm sure many of you know. I love it though. I've planted, pruned, dug up, transplanted and landscaped so much in the last 9 months.

We still haven't perfected keeping a larger space clean though. That's an on going process at this point.

Well I'll wrap this up for now. Many more posts will follow with more details about the house, yard, life and everything in between.

Bento Boxes - My Newest Fascination

Well it's been along time and I've got alot I could say but I think I'll just stick to bento boxes for the moment.

I heard about them for the first time in early March by the end of March I had one of my very own. :)

They make lunch time a little brighter some days.

Incase you have no idea what I'm talking about...

Wikipedia's Description

They come in all shapes, styles and sizes are fun to put together and a joy to delve into when it is time to eat.

I recently bought a few items to make the foods in my bento more fun (egg molds, shaped cutters, etc.) I'm still waiting for them to come in the mail but have continued to use my bento box for lunch.

There is even a whole flickr group dedicated to them.

Flickr's Bento Box Group

What fun!

My Blog Worth

My blog is worth $0.00.
How much is your blog worth?

Well that sucks. I guess since I never post anymore it makes sense. BUT I AM gonna post in a few minutes... so... ;) Maybe it'll be worth something soon.

Wow, I Did It!

October 27th, 28th & 29th - 3 days I will never forget.

The actual mileage for the event ended up being 56.1 miles. I walked 29 of it. I couldn't be happier with myself for my accomplishment. Here's a link to my 3Day Photos. And below is the best I can do to describe what it's like to participate in an event like this.

When people say it will change your life, they don’t really explain how and until you do it you can’t imagine how. I’ll do my best to describe it because it really had absolutely nothing to do with being affected by everything that comes with breast cancer or any illness for that matter.

It was the whole collective consciousness of doing something good and right. There were 3000-ish people all together, doing the same thing for the same reasons. You can’t grasp the positive energy that comes with that many people doing something like that for 3 whole days. Everyone and I mean EVERY.ONE. was nice, pleasant, happy, supportive, encouraging and using every ounce of energy they had to walk. And if they weren’t walking they used every ounce of energy they had to support those who were. And the ones who were walking used every ounce of energy they had to support those who were supporting us. It was absolutely amazing.

Everyone thanked us for walking, we thanked ourselves and each other for walking, and all the walkers thanked everyone who wasn’t walking for doing whatever it was they were doing. Thank you for helping us cross the street. Thank you for serving me food. Thank you for bringing us toilet paper. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you for cheering us on. Thank you for playing this music to keep us going. Thank you for stopping to pick me up because I can walk no more.

And when it wasn’t thank yous, it was please, and good morning, and how are you? Do you need encouragement? You can do it! YAY!! GO WALKERS! Have a sticker! YAY! Here’s some water! You’re doing great! People driving by honking horns and waving, kids yelling “Thank you!” from the back seat of their family’s car. Constant encouragement, constant gratitude.

It was the hardest, most fulfilling thing I've ever done.

It was the world we all want to live in, for 3 whole days.

It was absolutely incredible.

60 Miles, Here I Come!

I did it. I actually did it. I set a goal to prepare for the 3Day, 60 mile breast cancer walk at the beginning of November 2005 and over the last 12 months I've worked hard to train and raise the required money in order to participate.

Today I collected the final donation to push me over the required amount!! The walk starts this coming Friday and I actually collected the money before the event!

Not only that, I set a goal to loose 40lbs before this event. That's quite allot and was probably doable, but I didn't quite make the halfway mark of that number, but hey, I'm not gonna gripe about loosing 18lbs!

I've trained to the point of having little to no ankle pain when I walk any longer and feel ready to walk this event. I also have hope that I might actually be able to walk the whole thing! I had thoughts that I might not due to my pace being a bit slow, but I think I can actually pull it off.

Anyway, I'm super excited and sorta nervous and real, REAL proud of myself. I DID IT!

My Donation Page

The coolest webcam EVER!

I ran across this link today and haven't been able to stop watching it. Which is really bad considering I am at work.

It's of Pete's" Pond in Botswana. When I first clicked it I expected a bad stationary web cam where your only hope to see anything cool at all is to stare at it all day and hope something pauses long enough in front of the camera. But oh how I was wrong!

Not only is it not stationary, it's a really great connection and camera. Plus the watering hole is VERY active. Within 5 minutes of watching a pack of baboons came down for a drink. Less than 10 minutes later a bull elephant was there!

In the course of the afternoon, checking randomly to see what might be there, I've seen a warthog, giraffes, an ostrich, an elephant, baboons, lions, steenbok, elands and assorted birds!!

It's AWESOME!

Well, I'm back

The myspace shiny has worn off and I find myself wanting to blog here more and more.

I spent one afternoon reading back through most of my previous posts and found myself inspired to start again. I was also inspired by some of the things I wrote. I've made progress in alot of areas that I might not have noticed if it hadn't been documented over the last few years.

I hope I can get the word out to whomever previously frequented my blog so that they can again. It is always nice to get comments back on some of my posts.

Anyway, to catch up on some things. From my very first post I complained about some home improvement projects that needed doing... that were long overdo when I posted it over 2 years ago. Hehe, I can proudly say I've finally completed my bathroom and hung the kitchen light. Yes!

I also mentioned the 3Day Breast Cancer walk a few months back. The event is closing in and I've been training and working hard raising money. I can also proudly say that I'm ready, the money that hasn't been raised can easily be covered and I feel I've grown leaps and bounds better in the walking department. So I'm looking very forward to the 27th-29th.

I could go on, but for now I think that is enough of a quick update. All things are looking better, not that they were grim to begin with, but better is good. That's all I ask of myself these days... to just be better in whichever department I feel needs work. So it's all better. ;)

Oh yea! I almost forgot... I'm debt free! Yay!

In Case You're Wondering...

...where I've been.

http://www.myspace.com/nadirah6

I found a new toy. Or should I say, I finally gave in and joined the masses.

I might blog here or there, or everywhere... as Dr. Seuss would say.

Which SciFi Character Are You?

I'm Elrond

A stern yet benevolent organizer who often knows best, your wits are keenly fixed on aiding efforts you deem worthy.

"Now at this last we must take a hard road, a road unforseen. There lies our hope, if hope it be. To walk into peril to Mordor."

Elrond is a character in the Middle-Earth universe. TheOneRing.net has a short biography.

Photos

I love to take photographs. I have alot of them too and I FINALLY took the time to start archiving some on flickr.com. It's a great site. I even signed up for the 'pro' membership so I could have alot of storage space.

Anyway, I thought I'd share my stuff. http://www.flickr.com/photos/45026945@N00/sets/

Enjoy!

p.s. per the post below, I DID get my damn shoes! :D

Procrastination, but Good Thoughts

I have a list of things to do. Most of those things have been on that list for an embarrassing amount of time. It's not a physical list, but a mental list. Perhaps that is why it weighs down on me so much. The list gets longer the more I think about it. I should probably write it all down.

But I digress. I feel the winds of change coming. I can sense the motivation to do these things. I think I *will* right it all down so I can get it off my brain and digest it a little more. It will also give me the satisfaction to cross things off the list once they are complete.

Namely that damn bathroom is STILL not finished. I haven't touched it in months and months and months. Also the light fixture I bought for the kitchen is still in my closet. Both of those projects have been half complete for well over a year. That's just ridiculous. Shame on me!

Then there's the belly dance class. I'm bored with it, but it's my own fault. I'm still in the Adv I class and I'm ready for Adv II. The problem is I have to prove my readiness to a teacher. I have to schedule a testing session where I will solo dance 4 choreographies that I've learned in the class. Two things have to happen in order for this to happen.

1. I have to wait until they are testing people.
2. I have to practice the choreographies so I don't look like an idiot.

Neither of these things is happening at the same time. They are about to announce a new testing schedule, so I hope I can get the courage and motivation to just do it!

The last big thing on my mind is walking and the shoes required to give me the support I need to train. I WILL get new shoes this weekend. Honey and I already talked about it and I cannot put it off any longer. On the other side of that mission though, I still continue to loose weight. I'm down 8 lbs total! Almost 1/4 to my goal!! (40lbs loss by Oct is my goal btw) :D

Speaking of goals, I obviously have this big one I keep going on and on about. But a dear friend of mine asked me what comes after the walk? He hoped that I still have a goal. A longer term goal to keep me healthy and happy. I hadn't thought about that much. I've been using this 3Day walk as motivation to keep me going through the rough parts of trying to change how I live my life. I figure by the time October rolls around I will have lost alot of weight and have a routine set that keeps me exercising and eating right. After 10 months of doing those 2 things I figure it'll be habit and I won't go back to my old ways after the walk. But I'm going to take his thoughts to heart and think more on what other things I might want to do that I could only do if I were in shape and healthy.

Thank you for that, dear friend. You've given me something good to chew on for a while.

It Is Working

Regarding my previous post, I'm losing weight and inches. :D

I set a goal to lose 1lb a week so that I'll be 40lbs lighter by the time I participate in the Breast Cancer 3-Day

As of today, I'm 4lbs lighter. I started this journey on Jan 5th. So my target for Jan was reached!! Not only that I've lost a total of 5 1/2 inches!

I feel fantastic. I'm actually doing this and it is going to work!

My New Life

I have so much to blog about I don’t even know where to start.

I know, I’ll start by saying that so far this year has been pretty darn good. Even though I’ve been busting my ass at work (more than normal) and I’m tired and burned out by what I’ve been doing there the last 3 weeks, I’m still in high spirits most of the time.

On Jan 5th I woke up to have an epiphany. I was suddenly able to talk back to the voice inside my head that nagged at me and called me ugly names and made me feel bad about myself. Being overweight that is.

Out of no where this other voice came and just shut her the hell up and then whispered this great truth to me. She said “Even if you buy good walking shoes, your feet will still hurt and you won’t be able to walk the 3-Day in October. You need to loose some weight and get healthy too.”

Later that day I joined an online group to help set a meal plan and fitness plan. Mostly so I’d know what I should be eating. It’s hard to know what to buy and what to make that’s good for you if you don’t have guidelines, or you’ve not done it before. Both plans have been pretty easy to stick to, but mostly it’s because of that other stronger voice in my head that shuts down the bad one.

Even just today the mean voice almost convinced me to run through Jack-in-the-Box drive through. Then the other voice came in and said “Subway, Subway, Subway, Subway, Subway, Subway.” I went to Subway. That’s happened 5 or 6 times I the last 2 weeks, and I’ve not succumbed.

Considering I was a 2 to 3 drive through meals a day girl, the fact that I’ve not had ANY fast food in 2 weeks is pretty amazing. I feel fantastic about this.

They always say you can’t change your eating and fitness habits unless you really want to and that you have to do it for yourself. It’s so true. And you don’t know it till you’re doing it. Until you can actually shut down that bad voice and make the right choice.

This isn’t a diet. It’s not a goal to “get into a bikini by summer.” It’s also not a resolution, just a coincidence that it’s the beginning of a new year. It’s a life change to make better choices, to be healthy and to be fit. I’m finally doing it and I don’t foresee falling off the wagon this time.

Last week some time I realized the day I had my epiphany and made this change was exactly 10 years to the day that I started dating my ex-husband. I just found that interesting. The moment I chose to date him lead me down a 10 year path to self abuse through neglect and bad choices.

10 years later, to the day… I’m finally free from that crutch.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Woo 2006! I got big plans for this year. Trips to take, walks to walk, other random stuffs I'm trying to be excited about. :D

But to start it off right, we had to celebrate the New Year. Mom, Dad, Me, Honey and my sister's two daughters (my oldest nieces) all went bowling. It was a package deal for 4 hours with pizza and soda, party favors and a toast at midnight.

I think we all had alot of fun. I know I did. There's not much to say about it. We went, we bowled, we laughed, we played... pretty much what we always do when my family gets together. :) I took my camera to capture the festivities.

Enjoy!


Honey & Me


Mom showing me her hat, Dad being silly(normal.)


Mom trying to show me her hat and not her double chin.
Dad still being silly and laughing - LOL.


My sister's girls. The blond is the eldest at 14. Can you tell?


GOOD TIMES! :D

Oi! Christmas

With the company days we were given off, the weekend and 2 other vacation days I had left to use, I was able to have a 6 day holiday break for Christmas.

I was off from Thursday the 22nd through Tuesday the 27th. Honey and I spent Thursday and Friday at home and then we spent the rest of the weekend at my parent’s house with family.

This year was the first year for the Ice! Exhibit to visit Dallas/Fort Worth. Honey and I got tickets to go Thursday night. It was AWESOME! They gave everyone heavy coats to wear inside because the temperature was 9 degrees. I didn’t think they’d let us take pictures so I left my camera at home. But I was wrong. :( We’ll have to get pictures next year. But I found one on the web that is just like one of the things we saw.



On Friday we spent the day doing laundry and cleaning. In the late afternoon we received two packages from Honey’s parents. We decided to have a mini Christmas before we headed out to my folk’s house. So we put on some holiday music and sat by the tree opening gifts from the north. :D


Our "little" tree

Saturday we headed out to my parent’s house but stopped on the way to visit R.A. We had gifts for her and she had some for us. So we got together to exchange gifts and we went out to lunch. We went to Campo Verde. It’s this hole-in-the-wall Mexican food joint that decorates the restaurant for Christmas. Or should I say, they take all the tinsel and lights within a 100 mile radius and spew it all over the inside of this place. It’s obscene. R.A. and I stumbled upon it in 2003 and have decided it to be a Christmas tradition to eat there each year.

After stuffing ourselves, Honey and I headed down to my parent’s place. On Christmas morning we got up early and went to my brother’s house to see what Santa had left for the little ones. We ate breakfast and played with the kids then headed back to mom and dad’s. Later in the night we had everyone over for dinner and gift opening. My sister and her girls weren’t able to make it due to my sister working, so we extended Christmas into Monday as well.


Tory(sitting), Aly(in purple), Mom(their Grammie) and Sammy

Honey and Me (and Tory again :)

Once my sister got there we had everyone over again for a second Christmas dinner and more gift exchange. I stayed one more night so my sister, her girls, mom and I could all visit and shop. We went out to the IKEA store and the mall. I was beat and got in last night around 10:45pm. I was in bed shortly after and practically fell asleep before my head hit the pillow.

It was so great to see everyone, as always. Great food, fantastic company and good times.

And as if that wasn’t enough, I’m gonna see several of them again in a few days to go bowling on New Years Eve! Hehehehe!

Let it Go

If you are holding on to something that doesn't belong to you and was never intended for your life, then you need to......
LET IT GO!!!

If you are holding on to past hurts and pains....
LET IT GO!!!

If someone can't treat you right, love you back, and see your worth.....
LET IT GO!!!

If someone has angered you........
LET IT GO!!!

If you are holding on to some thoughts of evil and revenge......
LET IT GO!!!

If you are involved in a wrong relationship or addiction......
LET IT GO!!!

If you are holding on to a job that no longer meets your needs or talents ....
LET IT GO!!!

If you have a bad attitude.......
LET IT GO!!!

If you keep judging others to make yourself feel better......
LET IT GO!!!

If you are struggling with the healing of a broken relationship.......
LET IT GO!!!

If you keep trying to help someone who won't even try to help themselves......
LET IT GO!!!

If you're feeling depressed and stressed .......
LET IT GO!!!

Let the past be the past. Forget the former things.
LET IT GO!!!

(btw, I didn't write this)

:D :D :D :D

Well I didn't complete my paper, but I emailed my teacher the thoughts I had about it to see if I was in the ballpark of what he was looking for and ask for some guidance. This was on Saturday.

I hadn't heard from him so I sent him the following email today:

I sent my thoughts to you this past Saturday on the final paper. I assume I still owe you that paper. :) Can you let me know your thoughts. I wasn't sure I had the right answers and didn't want to write the paper with the wrong ideas.

Thanks!
Sarah

I got this response from him this afternoon:

You did just fine. I don't remember what you wrote and am not able to take a look at your paper because I am away from home. No body did better than you.

I'm just not real sure where to file that. ;) But I'm old enough to know when to say "thank you" and no longer worry about it.

Holy Crap - edited

My final paper is due Thursday. I could swear he said it was due NEXT Thursday. I have the due date as the 15th written down in two places! WTF?!

Until 9am this morning I've had it in my head that I had a week and a half to work on it. I planned on working on my notes this week and putting the paper together this weekend.

Now I have 2 days.

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

I emailed my teacher to ask questions about the paper topics. He said we should do that and he'll help us out if we needed it. He told me I could email my paper to him by Sunday.

He said he didn't think this paper would effect my grade (which means I got a A) and he thanked me for being a good student in his class. :)

*whew*

Breathe

I've gone and gotten myself full of things to do and no time to do it again.

Some of the things have been on the list for months and months and some pushing over a year... like my bathroom and the missing wallpaper.

I have a huge difficult paper due for school on the 15th. I have a smaller assignment due on Thursday.

It's the week of "close" at work and there's a large pile of payables that need to be entered into the accounting system. Not to mention the other 10 or so tasks I have to do for close.

My clothes and the effort I made toward packing away warmer weather gear is half done and scattered around my bedroom again.

I have a massive scrapbook to embellish for a Christmas present. And although this sounds like a fun little hobby and nothing to stress over.... it's not. Fun? Sure. Fun with a deadline? No.

There is still shopping to be done for the holiday that is fast approaching.

I also need to order a cake for my Birthday party this weekend.

In the next couple of weeks I should send out Christmas cards too.

Lots of little things, some big things and barely over 3 weeks to do it = stress.

*Sigh* I'll try my best to not focus on the whole and work to get bits and pieces fully done along the way.

I hope I don't yell at too many people during the journey. Now is the time to install your thicker skin Honey. ;(

A Good Day Almost Gone Bad

So I've been waiting for a new album to come out for about 2 months. It's by my favorite band and it came out today. System of a Down is the band name.

I got up bright and early and went off to school. I spent part of my time in school thinking about the CD. I'm clearly obsessed. Knowing I'd be slightly late to work and not caring, I stopped off at the nearest Target to buy it. That way I'd have time to hear several songs on my way to work. Still obsessed.

I get to the new release rack and there are two blank slots. The tags say "System of a Down - Hypnotize" but there are no CD's. I look up at the sale poster and there's the CD front picture with the Nov. 22nd release date written underneath. I frantically browse the regular section and find several more empty spaces. SOLD OUT!? ALREADY! It's 9:30am! (Of course I think they’re sold out cause everyone wants it … right? Right.)

I call over a Target associate and point to the sign... "Are they all sold out?!" The young man says, "No, we didn't get the shipment in. If UPS brings it today, it won't be until after noon."

Okay, no problem. I'm sure the Target near my work has them. So I suffer through my drive to work, without my new CD. :( Now I'm pushing 5 more minutes of being late to work. Oh well. It's SYSTEM!

I run in the "work" Target and there they are, new and shiny, waiting to be heard. Oh but what's this? A special version? With DVD footage? COOL! So I ponder a moment... "Will I really watch it? It's 5 dollars more... What the hell, it's SYSTEM!" So I grab the special 2 sided CD/DVD version and head to the register. It rang up for the regular version sale price... $9.98. Hmmm... cool indeed - good choice.

I rip it open on the way to the car, get in the car and start the engine. As I pull out the CD/DVD, I observe the label on the CD side and the DVD side, so I know which way to put it in. But I also notice it's a bit thicker than most CD's. No matter, I'm sure it'll work fine.

I push it in, and in seconds I'm hearing track 1. Brilliant! Fantastic! My heart is racing, I'm laughing manically. Good times.

I whip into the work parking lot and hit the "eject" button. ... "Err" "SHIT” I hit "CD" to play it... "Err" "SHIT SHIT!" "eject" ... "Err" "ejectejecteject" ... "Err" "NO!!!" ... breathe ... "CD" ... "Err" "Fuck."

I turn the car off and storm into work.

I try and think calmly... I'll get it out. I'll keep it for the DVD side and go buy the normal album. Crap, what if I can't get it out... then I can't even listen to the normal one in my car. Crap. No no, I'll get it out. Maybe Target will take it back even tho it is open. Maybe they'll swap it for the other... yea.

A couple of hours later I head out for lunch.

I took a paperclip with me hoping to find a reset button of sorts that may help in getting the CD out. I found the button, but it didn't help. I pushed eject and CD several more times to try and get it out and it just wouldn't come. So I gently slip the paper clip in the slot to.... I dunno... help. After a few delicate passes I hit something and POP! The CD came out. I snatched it with lightning speed so I wouldn't get pulled back in. Whew. GOOD! I was highly relieved.

Okay, step 2. Go get the normal CD and maybe not have to pay for it. So I get to Target and take in the opened one. I approach the return counter not expecting to get what I want, but proud of the try nonetheless. They were reluctant. I even said "If you can't, its okay - I just thought I'd try." I guess they didn't install their backbones this morning, cause they let me swap the CD. :D:D:D

I get back to my car... the new, normal CD is already unwrapped. I put it in and listen to the whole thing through my lunch break. And then back to my first favorite song for a good jolt of energy so I can get upstairs and put it into my work PC.

Hehehhe, it's playing for the 3rd time in a row now, quietly in the background while I work.

I'll play it over and over and over again until I know every word, every musical note and queue. And certainly until I drive Honey insane.

Obsessed you say? Yes. I freely admit it.

Thanksgiving Haiku

I was inspired by RA to write some haiku. She wrote some last week about her kitties. I'm going with the Thanksgiving theme.

Enjoy.

Thanksgiving, this week
Mom's stuffed mushrooms, piping hot
I am hungry now

Giving thanks each year
I am very fortunate
Remaining thankful

We are a large group
Fifteen if you count us all
There will be much food

Sleep

I was in a crappy mood on Friday. No particular reason. I wasn't mad, or sad. I think if anything I was slightly depressed. But mostly I think I was just bored. My boss picked up on it and at about 2pm, he told me to go home. I didn't hesitate.

Honey and I hung out, gamed and ate dinner Friday afternoon/night. We went to bed around 10pm I think. I woke bright and early at 7am. No alarm just had my fill and woke up.

Saturday night I went to be around 11pm and woke Sunday morning at 8am.

Yesterday (Sunday) I laid down for a short nap at 11:30am. I expected to get up about noon when Honey had to so he could go to work... but I didn't. I didn't know anything till 3:15pm when the phone rang. I'm not sure how much longer I would have slept if my sister hadn't called.

And last night, I got in bed around 11:30pm. I woke before my alarm today at 6:45am.

That's alot of sleep over the last couple of days! Apparently I needed it.

My 3-Day Link

Yea! I got it already!

Here's the link to my donation page. :D

3-Day Donation Page

3-Day Breast Cancer Walk

Well I did it. I registered for the 3-Day 2006 walk. Its 60 miles in 3 days. The event for my area is late October 2006.

Fortunately that gives me a lot of time to train. And boy do I have along way to go before I can do something like this! I'm nervous but motivated.

And to top off the difficulty in training, I also have to raise $2200 to walk in the event. I figure if I can accomplish both of those goals, then actually walking the event will be quite a celebration.

And of course we can't forget why I'd even do something like this. It's for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, to fund breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment programs, as well as the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund, to provide an endowment for breast cancer initiatives. (hehe i took that from their website) http://www.the3day.org

My father did this in June of this year. It was wonderful! We're actually working on this together and hope to walk it together in 2006!

I'm excited. It's a powerful event and I hope to raise enough money to walk, but if I don't, I'll be happy with what I can raise in order to donate to the Foundation.

I don't have the link to my donation page yet. Hopefully I'll get that this week and can get it out there for folks to help, if they so choose. :D

Monarch Butterflies

Every fall the Monarchs migrate from the northern US to central Mexico. Well that is if they are east of the Rockies. If they are west of the Rockies they migrate into southern CA. But the bulk of them make the journey to Mexico.

This generation of monarchs lives much longer than the generation born earlier in the year. The spring generation only lives 4 to 6 weeks. But the fall generation lives 6 to 9 months!

If you look at migration paths you'll see that they funnel into Texas and down into South America. I'm fortunate enough to live right in the middle of this funneling path and get to see the migration.

Only two years in my past have I noticed the migration. Perhaps some years they are more abundant than normal, or less abundant. Or maybe they don't always cross over my area of North Texas. Or maybe I've just been too wrapped up in my own life to notice them.

But this year I have, and it seems to be the most abundant group I've seen in my life! They were so thick this morning I couldn't count them all. I started to count just to get an idea of how many I might have seen, and in a 1/2 mile of travel I counted 50. That means I easily saw hundreds this morning. Hundreds upon hundreds. :D It was incredible!

Just one more thing I always forget about the fall that I love. Monarch migration.

Copyright © 2003, Jim Cline http://www.jimcline.com/

Wow-Blog Slacker

I have 3 blogs I need to write. I think I’ll back date them so it’s a more even flow. Be sure to read down a few if you wanna see them!

Fall

It got “cold” in the last couple of days. I think fall is officially here now. And I’ve been bit by the bug too. All the stores are full of Halloween decorations and pumpkins. I’m seeing people in turtle necks and jackets. I had to get out my close toed shoes too. hehe.

I’m so ready for the end of the year. This is my favorite time of year and I’m geared up for it, excited and ready for turkey and Christmas! WOO!

Walking

This past June my dad registered and walked for the 3-Day walking marathon that travels the country for and benefits the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer foundation. He has been cancer free for 15 years now and felt it would be a great thing to do to celebrate and help women all around the world with his collected donations. (Altho he didn’t have breast cancer hehe)

Anywho, since his walk, he and I have discussed doing it together next year. They’ll be in the Dallas area in late October 2006. At first we decided against it, thinking we might not be able to raise the mandatory donation amount on our own since we’d be hitting up a lot of the same people for donations. But when I saw him at Honey’s party he looked at me and said “Let’s do that walk.” :D

It motivated me. I’m excited about it and I want to do it. But it also fueled a greater desire. I suddenly wanted to walk! I want to train for this big event and in doing so get to the point where I can walk without my ankles hurting. I want to do other marathons and events throughout the course of the year to gear up for the big 3-Day. I want to do this so it becomes a normal routine for me, a hobby and an exercise regimen so I’m healthier and feel better.

I’m gonna do it! I found a great website for walkers with challenges and a message board full of other walkers who are great encouragers. I’m going shopping for a new pair of good shoes to support my arches. That’s what I need to keep my ankles from hurting. :D

WALK ON!

4 Day Weekend

About a month ago Honey and I planned this 4 day weekend to go to San Antonio to visit Sea World and see other SA attractions. i.e. The Alamo, Tower of Americas, River Walk etc.

Then the hurricanes hit. Miss Katrina and Rita. When we heard about the evacuations for Rita and heard that some people may end up in SA I immediately thought “Crap! We’ll need to book our hotel room to make sure we can get one.” Before I was done saying it my brain started to say “Well that’s terribly selfish.” So I quickly followed up with the second thought. Honey and I decided to cancel our trip so that folks that NEED a hotel room can have one, and we won’t be taking up a room so we can go on our precious vacation.

We went ahead and kept the vacation days we had planned though because it was Honey’s BDay weekend and there were plenty of other things we could do. :D

Last Thursday we had massages scheduled. We went to the same place and got massages at the same time by two different people in rooms next to each other. Hehe. It was fabulous. We went home in piles of happy goo and did nothing for the rest of the day.

On Friday we went to Six Flags! It was open in the evening for Fright Fest. There wasn’t anyone there! And the weather was fantastic. We didn’t have to wait in lines and rode a couple of the coasters multiple times. It was a great time and a perfect night to go. One of the “ghouls” jumped out and scared me as we darted from one coaster to the next. Heee!

On Saturday we laid around most of the day and then went out for the official BDay party. We went to Dave & Busters to eat yummy food, drink good drinks and play arcade games. Lots of people came too! My parents, my brother and his fiancé’. One of my brother’s girls and my best friend and her man. (you’d think it was my party, but Honey knows and likes all these people too. :p) Anyway, it was a great time too.

On Sunday, Honey and I did nothing. Watched TV and played World of Warcraft all day. Pretty perfect Sunday.

So the 4-Day weekend was a success, and although we didn’t make it to Sea World, I think we made up for it pretty well. I know I had fun!

50 Years Ago

The Good Wife’s Guide
Housekeeping Monthly 13 May 1955

Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favorite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.

Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you’ll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.

Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.

Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper etc. and then run a dust-cloth over the tables.

Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you lift too. After all, catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children’s hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair and, if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.

Be happy to see him.

Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first – remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home later or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.

Your goal: Try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquility where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

Don’t greet him with complaints and problems.

Don’t complain if he’s late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.

Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.

Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.

Don’t ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

A good wife always knows her place.

Unwarranted Indeed

I'd just like to follow up my last post.

Now that we've survived the weekend, I'm glad to report that it never rained and was only slightly windy on Saturday afternoon.

But thank god our gas tanks are full and every store within a 100 miles has zero water and bananas.

(you could cut that sarcasm with a knife)

Unwarranted Hysteria

They say the population of the Dallas/Fort Worth area will increase by about 1 million people by Sunday.

I-45 has been a parking lot for over 24 hours.

People are waiting in lines at gas stations and grocery stores for at least 30 minutes, closer to at least an hour.

Fuel stations are running out of gas.

Grocery store shelves are bare of milk, bread, water and more. My mother said that daddy exclaimed "Where's all the bananas!?" at Wal-Mart last night.

Hotel/Motels are booked solid. Reports are that the nearest vacancies are in Oklahoma.

I've yet to see any of this first hand, but I gather I will before the weekend is over.

Miss Rita isn't going to hurt us one bit. The masses of people will. And the panic of Dallas/Fort Worth residents. It's like the freaking apocalypse down here. Meanwhile, we'll have a nice breezy thunderstorm over the next 2-3 days.

It's insanity. Just as outrageous and irrational as people get when we get a freeze and all the milk and bread disappear from the grocery store shelves. As if we'll be stranded, frozen in our homes for weeks and weeks. *rolls eyes*

This is just silly. Everyone needs to just calm the hell down. And have some sympathy for those who have to come here from the coast. Leave some damn water and bread for them!

Old Friends Renewed

Within the last few months I've had the opportunity to get in touch with some friends from long ago. Some of them were able to find me, and another I've found myself as well as reaching out to a friend who I only hear from once every several months or more.

Lets start with Cory. Cory moved to my home town when we were all in 4th grade. After 8th grade he moved to another town in the area and spent his 4 years of high school away from us. We kept in touch through part of our high school years, but as things go, we eventually lost contact. One of his best friends during middle school was a guy named Shawn. Both of these boys ran with me and my best girlfriend and after Cory moved away, Shawn and the two of us girls still hung out. Shawn and Cory never lost contact after he moved away and not too long ago they were having a conversation about me and did the general "I wonder what Sarah is up to and where she is..."

So Cory took the only number he had, my parent's number and tried it. It worked, because my brother lives where that phone number rings and Cory left a message. I got a call from my brother and he said "Dude, check this out" and played the message. I promptly jotted down Cory's cell number and called him.

About two weeks after our initial contact we went out to see a band together and have a drink. It was a good time. It was nice to see him again and I genuinely am happy that we've found each other again. On that night we went to a bar, and one of the bartenders is the brother of another old friend of mine named Cassie.

I took a leap and asked him to give her my phone number. He did that and also gave me her cell number.

Cassie was my bestest girl friend during my senior year and several years after high school. Without getting into all the details, I basically lost contact with her due to my ex husband and her ex boyfriend. Young minds are easily influenced by asshole boys and I was persuaded to sever ties with her. Unfortunately I had a young mind at the time and let her go.

She and I have played phone tag the last week and a half, but last night I was able to get a hold of her and we gabbed for almost an hour. We easily cleared all the old dead weeds that had cluttered our path to each other and were giggling girls like I had seen her yesterday. With squeals and wiggles, we ended the call with "I love you's" and we'll be seeing each other very soon.

Cory and I saw each other again last Sunday for lunch and Shawn came along too. I was just as comfortable and happy with the two of them as I was 15 years ago. Altho I think they aren't quite as comfortable. They can't seem to grasp why I have a man who doesn't mind if I go out for lunch or to a bar for beer with other boys! Hopefully they'll get over themselves. :p

To say the least, this feels fantastic. I can't wait to see Cassie, and I hope to see those boys again soon. I may actually have the basis of a small circle of friends again!

The only thing that can make this even better is if my Honey and R.A. like these people too. :D

…………...

I’m a baseball fan! But it’s Halloween, so *GRRRR!!*

I’m a basketball fan! But it’s Halloween, so *SNARL!!*

I’m a football fan! But it’s Halloween, so *ROAR!!*

Those might be the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen.

Ahhhh...

Work is so much nicer when I'm not running around like a crazy person trying to get caught up with 2 month old data because of the stupid new system implementation. Can you say, run on sentence? That's how I talk tho, so that's how I type.

Anywho, for the first time in about 3 months I haven't stressed over what I have to get done at work. I don't love it and I would certainly rather be somewhere else, but I don't HATE coming here anymore.

It feels good to know I can come in, get several things finished for the day and go home stress free and feeling accomplished.

School is nice and easy too. We have small reading assignments and journals to write, but it's pretty simple if you can interpret what these old philosophers wrote. Hehe

My life is calm again, for the time being. I hope it remains this way through the rest of the year. I don't wanna panic again until our next annual audit at work! I'll keep my fingers crossed. ;)

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In other news
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My sister has been assimilated into the blog world. I dunno if she’ll keep up the posts, but I hope she does. You can visit her brand new blog at http://utahbound.blogspot.com/

And no, she isn’t yelling, I just can’t get her to stop typing in all caps. :p She writes in all caps, and generally does whatever the hell she wants to do, so if you wanna read her blog, you’re gonna have to get over the caps. Painful as it may be.

Later!

Two Weeks Later

Man! I suck. Time flies by too fast some times. I can't believe it has been 2 weeks since my last post. I can hardly remember what has happened since.

Mostly work and school, but I did have some fun over the Labor Day weekend. It started pretty crappy but got better. I was supposed to have Friday the 2nd off but there was so much to do at work, I came in anyway.

Between a tantrum while stuffing envelopes and violently faxing papers, my boss told me to go home. I had only been here about 2 1/2 hours. He said he didn't care if I got everything done on Tuesday, we'll just take it as it comes and I should leave. So I did.

It took me the rest of Friday to shake off my bad past 3 months of work funk, but by Saturday morning I was good to go. I loaded up some clean panties and a tooth brush and went to my parents' house to hang with them. My sister and her two daughters were already there and the day was filled with shopping, crafting and giggling.

I stayed the night on an air mattress in the living room. When I woke the sun wasn't quite up (normal) and daddy was sitting at his computer playing a silly game and watching Bonanza. He gets TV on his 'puter. I got up and we sat in his office talking quietly over Bonanza, making up our own dialog. It's hard to try and laugh quietly. When it was over we sat on the porch and watched the world wake up.

Soon everyone was awake and momma was making breakfast. We ate and loaded up the car to head to my brother's house for swimming, grilling and playing with his 4 daughters. I got to see ALL of my nieces. :D We played in the pool for hours and ate yummy grilled kabobs and corn.

Dad and Tory

Sammy, Hannah, Aly, Paige and Mom

Abigale

Sammy

When I got home Sunday night, Honey was crawling around under my desk trying to figure out why my PC wasn't working. The power source went bad. So with some tech support from Dell we got a tech scheduled to come fix it. (it's under warranty) I actually just spoke to Honey and the tech called while we were talking and was on his way.

But I digress. Monday, Honey and I spent all day together. We got out of bed late and went to lunch out. When we came out from lunch my car wouldn't start. That battery went dead too! So again with the warranties, I took it to the dealership. Long story short I spent too much time and too much money, but my car is working again and all is well.

It was an eventful holiday weekend. Some parts were great and some were not so great, but now that my head is well above water at work, I can look back and feel good about the little extra time I was able to take off.

My Evil is Showing >;)

There is this turn I have to take to get to work. It's the kind that has two left turn lanes that go into 3 lanes on the crossing road. For some reason, people don't know what to do with this, even though there are dotted lines painted for guidance. Most people who turn here cut diagonally across the intersection and end up in the two left lanes on the crossing road.

This isn't how the lines are painted. They are painted so that you are to end up in the two right lanes. Every morning I turn from the farthest left lane, hoping to end up where I'm supposed to, in the middle lane of the new road. But no, every morning the yahoo in the other turn lane, cuts me off, forcing me into the far left lane and hogging up the middle lane. It makes me nuts.

So this morning I decide to turn from the other lane and do it properly, ending up in the far right lane. This nuts-o behind me rushes through the intersection, turning into the middle lane, forcing the other lane into the far left and then darting in front of me in the far right.

At first I thought she was just being a pushy wench and then I figured out she just wasn't paying attention and screwed up. She kept looking at me in the rear view mirror. Her eyes were darting around and I just knew she felt that "oh crap, dumb traffic move” feeling. I've had it, it sucks.

So we proceed down the road and she makes a turn, and I turn. And her eyes are there, staring at me in the mirror. Meanwhile, I'm just staring right back at her, perfectly still with no emotion on my face, sunglasses on. I imagine I look like the Terminator. She turns again, and I turn.

Then she turns again and again I turn. At this point I know she thinks I'm following her. She slows and turns into my work complex (3 large buildings all connected by parking lots) and almost stops. I'm pulling in behind her. She speeds up in the parking lot and makes a hard turn behind the 1st building. I work in the second building, so I cruise on to my normal parking area and get out and go into work.

That poor girl thought I was gonna hunt her down, confront her or fight her, for cutting me off in traffic.

It felt good. MUAHAHAHAHA!

Belly Dancing

I was in my 4th show last night. The first one I did was about 9 months after I started dancing. 6 months later we did another one and that was the last time I danced for about 2 years.

Last summer I took up new classes and we had a small “beginner graduation” after 6 months, which moved us into Advanced I. So last night we had our first Adv. I show and it was just as fun as the rest.

All total I’ve been dancing about 2 ½ years. And up until this point I haven’t had the drive to work harder and move into the higher class and possible consider soloing at some point. But something happened yesterday. I was inspired, or aware that I’m good enough or something. I also realized I do have a great desire to do more, learn more and be better.

So instead of dancing once a week in class I think I’ll start working a bit harder. I’m going to get out the choreographies I have copies of that we have to learn to test out of Adv. I. I’m going to work on them and learn them and test out. So come Christmas, instead of doing another Adv. I routine, I’ll do an Adv. II routine, or god help me a smaller show with me and a girl or two that we work out, on our own.

I’m finally ready to move on. I figured this day would come, when I was brave enough and knew enough to feel confident. Now that it’s here, I’m excited and can’t wait to see what happens.

Maybe R.A. will get out her shinies one more time and dance a routine we know at Christmas. Just the two of us.

Another Adventure

Despite all my whining and moaning over the past few weeks, I got over myself and registered for the regular Fall semester. I start classes week after next on the 30th, and will continue until December 15th. I took another morning class, but this time it's on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

I registered for Intro to Philosophy. I'm looking forward to it and hope to learn some new things. It counts as a liberal arts credit, which is another I need on the long list of basic courses. So we'll see how it goes. I expect to do just fine in it. I think my confidence is a bit boosted. ;)

Onto other things. On Sunday I'll be belly dancing in my 4th show. It's almost old hat now, but that doesn't mean I'm not nervous. The teacher put me in the front row, right in the center! I assume that means I know what I'm doing, which is flattering, but I still feel like I'll stick out like a sore thumb. Thinking on it a bit more, I'll probably be the one least watched. The ladies that will be noticed will be the ones not doing it right. :)

Work has also backed off a bit and I'm able to breathe a bit better. I still don't think we're completely over the implementation hump, but damn close. I've been able to send out invoices and pay bills, which stops phone calls and eases my stress.

I think Fall will come along and I'll calm down and relax. Settling into classes and easier work and preparing for Christmas! :D

Hooray for Fall !

I's Smart

Course/Section and Title: HIST-1302 7501 Hist U S
Grade: A
Term GPA: 4.000

Foul Mood

Man, I just can't seem to pull out of this. Sure I have highlights, see the post below, but overall, I am in a foul mood.

So school is over for now and I can't muster up to desire to get into the fall semester. That sucks. I should go, and I don't want to. 2 classes down and suddenly I have zero motivation.

Work is somewhat better, but not completely and I hardly care. I'm so burned out I don't give a crap if I get my work done or not. I just want to stay home in bed.

I just scheduled a bit of time off in September, but what I'd really like to do is never come here again. 3 more full weeks of work is going to wear me down to a nub before I can take a 4 day weekend. And then what? I'll come back for 3 weeks and hate it all the same and then take another 4 day weekend.

It's a double edged sword. Work has be so worn out I don't have energy or care to do it, nor do I have energy or care to go to school. If I don't go to school, I'll never get out of this hell hole or any other job like it.

I hate it all and I don't want to do anything.

Not to mention my house. If you read my very first blog here you'll see the things I wanted to get done around the house. That was last October. They still aren't done. I have a bathroom with no wallpaper and a kitchen light fixture I paid a hefty dollar for that's laying in my closet.

There's recycling stacked up to the porch ceiling that needs taken away and my bathroom houses a laundry monster. Albeit clean at this point, but it still lives in baskets in the bathroom.

The carpets need vacuuming, the dishes need cleaning and I should probably move the 4 or 5 soda cans from the top of my desk. There are papers, mostly useless, piled all over the "dining" table.

I think I'm gonna flip out.

System of a Down

Two words. HOLY CRAP! That was an awesome show.

I acted like a 20 year old, broke a couple of laws, danced my ass off and got really drunk. So drunk, it's 11am the next day and I can still feel it. I'm in hangover hell and I don't care. It was worth it!

And obviously, if you read my blog from the past couple of months, I needed this.

We arrived at about 7:45 and by 9:15 I was on my 4th beer and the band was coming on stage. I screamed till my head hurt, pounded my fist in the air and had a good hard headbang/body pulse going for a straight hour and a half.

My legs hurt and I kept going. My voice weakened during screams and I kept pushing. Every ounce of built up stress I forced out as hard as I could. And when they went off stage I screamed till the lights came on.

Even in the parking lot I kept whooping and hollering and we listened to the album again on the drive home and I sang and danced as best I could in the car.

Possibly the best concert experience I've ever had. I'll see these guys again every time they come through.

From the Straight Jacket

.mjgcxddsunpl., vf vbewdcverbnio;, b vv dcfvhnbj7

4 Down, 2 Days To Go

A bit late on this post, but I wanted to wait until I had my 3rd test score. I got another 96. Honestly I thought I had done worse than the others, but apparently I knew more than I thought I did. I also turned in my paper last night. I'm not worried about it and I'm not worried about the last test on Wednesday... tomorrow. I have no fear that I'll be keeping my 4.0.

The test score was a shining moment yesterday. I wish it had come earlier in the day, but I'll take what I can get. Work sucked. It was only Monday, after a restful weekend, and by 5 o'clock I had a knot in my stomach so big all I could do was break down and let the stress overwhelm me. I cried again. Quietly in my cube so no one would know. This happened a week or so ago too. I hate it. People aren't supposed to cry at work.

We're STILL working in data to get the new system going full force. It's about to make me loose my hair. I won't be surprised if I get a few grays from this. All I can do is keep hoping the end is in sight. And hope I don't completely fall apart in the process.

At this point I think I am gonna skip the fall semester. I have no desire to continue pushing on at this moment. I'm afraid it'll drive me insane. All I want to do is stay home and do nothing. I don't want to have anywhere to go or have anything to prepare for.

We'll see. My next post may be from a straight jacket.

3 Down, 2 To Go

Only two weeks of class remain. 2 more tests and a paper will happen before next Wednesday.

I made a 94 on my second test, so the A is still secure. I also wrote the rough draft to my paper this past weekend. It is due tonight. It's total crap, but I still have time to improve before I turn in the final paper.

In other news, the last two weeks I've spent Friday nights riding my bike with Honey and my dad. We've biked about 13 miles each night! I presume it'll be a regular thing cause we're getting together again this Friday. It's fun. :)

I also have a belly dance show performance on the 21st. I've got to finish putting together my costume for that and practice the steps a bit. We'll be going over it and over it the next couple of weekends in class though, and I've pretty much got it down.

I spent all day yesterday at my brother's house. We played hard in the pool, with the kids. I wore myself out. I wanted to stay in bed this morning, but alas, the stupid work implementation is still going on and I've got too much to do to take a day off.

Rest and relaxation is in sight... I hope.

2 Down, 3 To Go

Well week 2 of class was about the same as the first. Busy but interesting. Work is letting up more now too. We're almost completely cut over to the new system and the auditors are now gone.

I passed my first test with flying colors, as they say. A big 'ole 96. I imagine the next test (Monday) will be the same. Or I hope it is. If I study the same way, I don't see how it could be worse.

I need my weekend to be relaxing, but it's not going to be. Honey and I are meeting my father tonight after work for a bike ride. I have a feeling when we return I'll collapse and not rise until late in the morning. Then I'll be off to class to dance and after that I'm going to lunch with R.A. We're going to relax in the pool and after that I plan on spending some time in game. (World of Warcraft)

Sunday I plan to go to my brother's house for more swimming, but at this point I'm not sure I will. I think I'll make that decision when I wake up on Sunday. I'll have to spend the morning studying (3+ hours) if I plan to go there in the afternoon. So if my motivation is hiding, I may not make it out there.

As of right now all I can think to do is sleep. Maybe I can take a day off next week.

1 Down, 4 To Go

Well I somehow made it through last week without dying. Heh. *drama queen*

My 12 hour days have turned into 16. The system implementation is still in the works and I'm working half in the old system and half in the new. I've got 10-15 phone calls about past due payments that I can't send because I can't print checks... or at least I haven't been able to the last 2 weeks. I'm hoping to get some out this week.

The auditors had us running around like crazy people again all last week and one of them is back today. I already have a task to complete for her.

I had 4 full 2 hour classes last week. We covered a chapter or more each night. My first test is tonight and I spent 3 hours yesterday preparing for it.

This week doesn't look any easier. But we're 1 down, 4 to go. I look forward to this weekend coming already so I can go soak in my brother's pool with the kids and relax.

*still treading water*

As a side note…. Aunt Flo tore into the driveway about 7am this morning, made her fat ass comfortable on my couch and started hollering for pork rinds and beer. >:(

The Adventure Continues

School starts tonight. I've fretted and whined and moaned to R.A. and Honey. They volley back words of confidence and truth. I know I'll do fine if I have the motivation and put my mind to it, but my fear is the motivation.

I procrastinate and cut corners whenever I can, or at least when I'm not passionate about something. So I'm not sure the surge of passion will come with this class. All I can do is hope that it does, or hope that I pay attention enough to keep my 4.0 for the next 5 weeks.

I'm mostly worried about being tired. I'm exhausted when I get home from work, and now I have to go to class at 8pm till 10pm. I'll be beat!

Anyway, it starts tonight. We'll see how sour of a mood I'll be in by the end of the week. That is, if it can get any worse than it already is.

Implementation and Audit and School, Oh My!

Lots and lots to do. Work is very busy right now with a new Accounting/MRP system implementation plus an annual audit. Not to mention normal course of work, plus the month end duties and payroll this week!

We've been in system implementation mode for many many months now. In a nut shell, the project managers suck and we're way behind. I've busted my ass and bitch and moaned and baffled at how badly the wheels have fallen off of this project for weeks and weeks and I'm literally burned to the wick. I'm so worn by it all I just really don't care anymore. Eventually it will work itself out and hopefully we'll be able to make some sense of this circus and move forward. In the meantime, I've washed my hands of it as much as I can.

It's also annual audit time. Actually we're about 6 months behind, but they are here now and we're in full swing. I've been scurrying around all morning gathering files and binders of data, printing reports and explaining processes to get things moving in the right direction. I just unloaded a bunch of data on the 1 person who is here doing this audit. I like to call it a paper bomb. Give them what they ask for and then some and it'll keep them busy most of the day.

I need to make sure payroll gets in smoothly this week. We had a few changes, so my brain gets to work some numbers, more so than normal. Certainly not difficult, just one more task on my plate. One more responsibility. But hey! That's why they pay me.

I'm hoping most of this extra work is done and out of the way by the end of the week, because next Tuesday I start school again. It's only 5 weeks for the second summer semester I enrolled for, but the class hours are tough and I'm going to be beat down by the end of it. My "me" time is going on the back burner for the next 5 weeks, and honestly, I've never done that before, so I'm not sure how I'm going to handle it.

I just keep telling myself that it's only 5 weeks. :) Piece of cake. I hope this teacher is as easy as the last one and I keep my 4.0 with no problem. I'll know next week!

*trying to keep my head above water*

New England

Last week I visited 4 states I'd never been to before. That brings my state visit count to 24. Almost half the country! :)

Anyway, we took a vacation to New England to visit Honey's family and friends and to give me an idea of where he comes from and see all his old stomping grounds/schools/homes. It was quite an informative trip for me. Different than any other vacation I've been on.

We flew into Boston MA and picked up a rental car. We drove straight west to a town called Springfield. It's a decent sized town, so you'd see it on a map if you looked. Honey's brother was in the area for a friend's wedding so we met him there with Honey's folks and spent a couple of days visiting, site seeing and they reminisced about the area. A town called Ware is near there and that is where they lived for a while and Honey was born. They also lived in another town near there called East Longmeadow.


Bridge of Flowers - Massachusetts

Coming from Texas, it was difficult getting used to Massachusetts. Trees line the roads and you have to turn left if you want to go right and vise versa. Well, that is if you CAN turn left. I'm glad we didn't spend the whole week there, I was getting frustrated. :p You can't see anything and you can't make U-Turns. Crazy!

We then drove up into Vermont and spent most of the day site seeing and enjoying the scenic byway we took. It's interesting to see how old the towns are, and the cemeteries. Considering that is where the English first settled, it's the oldest part of the country and I hadn't seen those things before. Alot of the buildings are close to the road because they were dirt paths for horses initially. And the roads wind around alot more. Other than the weather being hot and humid, Vermont was very nice and very beautiful.


Quechee Gorge - Vermont


Old Cemetery - Vermont

The next stop, and the last few days of our trip was spent in New Hampshire. This is where Honey spent most of his life before he came to Texas. We went to his parents' house and ate dinner with them again, and spent a couple of other days visiting some of his friends. If it hadn't rained so much we could have seen more of the White Mountains, but alas, the clouds were thick and the rain was cold so going up to the summit of Mount Washington and hiking out to some of the water falls will have to be done on the next trip. We were able to see one waterfall and it was worth it!


Glen Ellis Falls - New Hampshire

Along with learning more about Honey and where he comes from, I learned a bit more about New England. The old Grand Hotels are beautiful but also, to me, a sad story. Apparently there aren't many left because when the automobile was invented, there wasn't much need for large central gathering points for the wealthy. So most of these old hotels went out of business and have since been torn down. There are a few left and we briefly visited one. It's the Mount Washington Hotel. It made me wish I was there 100 years ago with a fancy ball to attend with a big beautiful dress and white gloves and a handsome gentleman waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs! It was quite a flashback in time and still as beautiful as the day it was built, I bet.


Mount Washington Hotel - New Hampshire

Another tid bit I picked up was that the white birch trees were apparently perfect for sail boat masts. And if I remember the history, the king of England declared that any white birch, 24 inches or larger were property of England and they were to be cut down and used for these ships. I'm guessing there was a price on these trees as well, so anyone who brought one down would get paid for it. Therefore, today, it's probably safe to say that there are virtually no white birch trees that large. It'll be a handful of years more before the smaller ones at that time they were being cut down are large enough to be desirable for ship masts. But of course by that point, they'll most likely be left to flourish. :)

The day before we came home we drove up the coast of New Hampshire and into Maine to see the ocean. It was windy and cold but wonderful. We walked out to the water and watched the waves roll in for a few minutes. It's been along time since I've experienced the smells and sounds of the ocean. It makes me feel good, and I'm glad we stopped there. We then drove up to a nearby lighthouse called Nubble Point and watched the waves crash in on the rocks. That was wonderful too!

Nubble Point - Maine

All in all, I can easily say I had a great vacation. And I look forward to our next trip up there. We'll plan to go in the fall or winter so I can see the beautiful trees change and all the snow!


Honey and Me - York Beach - Maine

*Pant* *Pant* *Pant*

Honey and I are going on vacation next week. We're leaving Saturday actually. I'm looking quite forward to it, and after this week of things to do, I'll most certainly need it!

For one thing, someone I work with is out this week on his own vacation, and I get to do his job along with my own. Everyone knows that getting loose ends tied up at work to be gone, always makes for a busy week. Add someone else's job to that and you're down right out of control with stuff to do. I'm beat. It's Wednesday and I'm completely spent.

Then of course there is the billion and one things running around in your head to prepare for at home. Things to buy for the trip, things to pack, remember to do this and that and send emails with itineraries, and give keys to friends to take care of things while you are away. And if you're like me, you'd like to come home to a clean house, so there's laundry to do and things to clean and straighten and vacuuming.

I'm real ready to be on that plane about now.

If you're curious, we're going to New Hampshire. That's where Honey is from and he's not been there in 2 years. He packed everything up and moved to Texas to live with me and hasn't been back since. I get to meet his folks and brother and some of his friends, and see Mass, Vermont & New Hampshire by car. :) It'll be wonderful.

Rude!

So I'm standing in the lobby waiting for the elevator and it dings and opens. Out of the way, I patiently wait for the 4 people on it to leave so I can climb aboard.

"Blah blah blah... blah. blah. blah." As they exit taking their SWEET ASS TIME, almost stepping on me and as they finally get the hell out of the way the doors are almost closed and I have to hit the damn button again.

I try REAL hard to always be aware of my surroundings and the people that may be there. Anywhere. If a person is in my line of sight, or I hear someone behind me, I always take note that they are there and do my best to not hinder them.

This doesn't mean always stepping out of the way, or letting people just walk all over me, it just means being conscious of others.

My honey has a wandering space that is much larger than mine and doesn't always keep tabs on others. I notice it alot in the grocery store when he's standing in the middle of the aisle staring at the soup completely unaware of anything around him because suddenly he's got nothing on the brain except SOUP. So a person rounds the corner with their basket and I feel I have to move him because he's completely oblivious.

I know everyone has different personal spaces, and not everyone's mind works the same. Some people can't do anything if they aren't focused completely on one thing. Honey is like this. And I don't mind it, nor do I think what he is doing is rude, because I know he's aware enough to do things like process the elevator door opening and think "I should stop talking now and focus on getting off the elevator and out of the way of anyone trying to get on."

But those stupid self absorbed people today were in the damn way and never even noticed I existed. And I'm a big girl, and I have on a pink shirt! Not real sure how I could be missed.