Happy New Year!

The only resolution I usually make is that I hope the new year is better than the old one. This year (2006) was much better than 2005 that is for sure, so things are looking bright and beautiful for 2007. Justin and I are working tonight so there will be no partying to ring in the new year, however we will get paid at 2 1/2 times our normal rate, which is pretty dandy.

As for a resolution just for myself... I'm going to try to lose 2 pounds. That's all I'm gonna hope for now and if it's more then that's great and if it doesn't happen by next December 31, well I'm sure I can do something just before stepping on the scale that will push me that 2 pounds. Heck, my jeans probably weigh that much right?? Here's to feeling good about yourself!

And, even though this picture was taken just before Christmas, I'm calling it our New Years Portrait because it's cute and I want to share. Sue me.

An Update.

Yay, the holidays (except New Year's, which involves way less pressure) are over and with them my pre-post holiday depression seems to have gone. I got lots of good stuff this year and my parents even pulled through this time with nothing random or weird and the inevitable craft from Sussan is actually a set of cool candle holders so all is well.

Justin got me a beautiful ring that looks like a flower and has some tiny little diamonds in it to make it shiny and a bookshelf which is the only thing that I really really wanted. We put it together yesterday and got all the stuff on it and it looks really really great. When I come into the room and see it I automatically smile which is great. My brother and sister got me a Magic Bullet blender which I've wanted for like 5 years. I need to cook something using it soon but I haven't been to the grocery store yet. I got Justin clothes and he bought an X-box but I'm counting it as a Christmas present since it was quite expensive and the money is "our" money anyway. Yes, I know, this is cheating.

Here's my ring:

On the way home from work on Tuesday morning we saw a little basset hound on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. She was wandering around sort of lost looking and I was terrified that she was going to get hit by a car so we turned around and she came to me and we brought her home. She was very soft and sweet and good in the car. She was wearing a collar with a tag, (Her name is Ellie) and I really wanted to just keep her because I kind of think that if you lose your dog on the highway you aren't taking great care of her to begin with. But Justin said that I should do the right thing so after we got home and I gave her a bath and got some food and water into her and let her play with Maybe for awhile, I called the number on her tag. They guy didn't seem all that thrilled that he was getting his dog back safe and sound so now I feel really cheated that we didn't just keep her. Even when he came to the house to get her he didn't ask where we found her or if she seemed like she was ok...he didn't even say thank you. I am not happy...but I guess you can't always choose the outcome when you do the "right thing." I just know how freaked out we would be if we lost Maybe and how happy we would be if someone brought her back to us...so I totally don't understand that guy's ambivilance.

We are leaving next Thursday to see my mom in Bryan. I'm excited about this trip because it will be the first time in a year that we have been anywhere besides our usual haunts of Levelland/Lubbock/Amarillo. I'm not sure exactly what we will do when we get there. My mom keeps asking what we want to do, it's important to her to have a plan apparently. I'll have to check online for some ideas. Really though, I just want to get away from here for awhile.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Eve

I've already de-frocked the tree. How depressing.

Oh well, here's a picture from before the (pre) post Holiday depression set in:

What Do You Know?

Create your own friendquiz here

Angry Mutterings

I have been having trouble sleeping. Add to that the fact that every time I actually do manage to fall asleep, the phone rings, the dog barks, the dog runs into my room when she's supposed to be in her crate, the cats start fighting, the car alarm goes off, someone comes into or goes out of the house or the dog barks some more. My sleeping pills aren't working. I have to go to work now, and I desperately want to go back to bed, but it wouldn't matter. It's not like I'm getting any sleeping done there. Auggh.

Ho Ho Ho

Last night my dad was Santa at Levelland's Festival of Trees. It was a pretty big deal and he even got to be on the news. Because I've got special connections, Santa also came to visit my house a little early!!

Here's my dad with the news guy and camera

And here with a child I don't know...I hope she doesn't mind

Then Santa came to my house. Maybe greeted him like an old friend.

Apparently my star wasn't up to par...

Me and Justin, a little Christmas Cheer!

Jingle

There is nothing that does not have a Christmas Ornament. Justin and I went and walked around Holland Gardens yesterday. During the regular year they just sell plants and gardening supplies, completely what you'd expect from a place named "Holland Gardens," but during the holidays they turn it into a huge Christmas tree showplace. There are TONS of trees, all with different themes, and I dare you to go in there looking for a specific kind of ornament and not find it. The also do custom Christmas lights, where you pick the color and shape of the bulb and how many you want and they string them up for you right there. It's really really amazing. Justin and I want to get an ornament together every year to commemorate what happened that year, and we're starting this year, since it's the first time we've both a) had the money for a special ornament and b) put up a tree together. Last year I had a tree, but only for 2 weeks as I got a late start and we were super broke. My dad gave us a little dog ornament that says "New Home 2005," because it was the first year we'd lived in a house instead of an apartment.

This year however, I went to Holland Gardens to break out the fancy stuff. I got a really beautiful sterling silver wedding cake ornament, which we will have engraved with 2006 on the bottom to celebrate our wedding this year, and I also got a little pewter bone ornament that says "woof," to honor the first year we had Maybe. And, not to commemorate anything, I got two bumble bee ornaments, one blue and yellow and one traditional gold and black because I like them, and Justin calls me "bumblebee." I'm going to keep those out all year and hang them from my dresser or something after the tree comes down.

Surprisingly, I'm practically done with my Christmas shopping. I have to grab one thing for my parents, one thing for Nikaia, and one more thing for Justin and that is *it* people. I'm so proud.
I thought my tail-bone was feeling better yesterday, but apparently the drugs were just working their magic, because I got overly excited last night and didn't take my pain pills before I went to bed, and now I feel once again like I'm going to die every time I sit down and stand up. As long as I can stay in one position for as long as possible I think I can make it...The chair I'm sitting in now kind of makes me sit really far forward off my butt, and is less painful than the couch, so I guess I'll camp out at the computer desk as much as I can...

Today is Justin's last day of school this semester. He's taking his final now. He has to make an 8 to have a 'B' or a 68 to have an 'A.' Impressive.

Let it Snow.

The scene:

So it started snowing Wednesday night, and just kept right on going into early Thursday afternoon. We couldn't see to drive to work on Wednesday, so we've had an extra long weekend, which would normally be quite nice, and it was, except that on Thursday morning when I took Maybe out, I decided that instead of staying on the porch like an intelligent human being, that I should try to get into the car for a box of Kleenex. I made it down the front steps with minimal drama, and all the way to the car. Just when I thought I was home free, both of my legs flew out in front of me and I crashed to the ground. I don't remember the actual fall, just the landing, (directly on my tail-bone, without benefit of even trying to catch myself). There was a terrible cracking sound, and my whole body was just...I don't even know the word...I felt like someone had dropped me off a roof. Because I couldn't move anything at first, I was terrified that my back was broken, it was 7am, dark, snowing, and really, really cold. I did not think I would be able to get into the house, and I was quite convinced that I would just have to freeze to death, and so be it.

I'm not sure how long I stayed on the ground, I'm sure it was only about 5 minutes or so, but it felt like hours. Justin was in the house sleeping, so in spite of the fact that I screamed for him, there was no way he could have heard me. I tried to dial 911 on my camera, surprisingly, it didn't work. Maybe, sensing that there was trouble and channeling Lassie, broke out of her terrified huddle in the snow (she'd never seen it before, and was quite scared), and managed, through nose prodding and whining, to convince me to get up off the ground. I didn't want to traumatize her any more than necessary, so I managed to stagger into the house. I think that if Maybe hadn't harassed me, I probably would have just stayed there, and happily became a pop-susan. She was a very brave dog and was rewarded with a wasabi-peanut.

I made it to Justin's room and got warmed up. I told him the story and since Justin is a fan of authority, he made me go to the emergency room for my broken tail-bone. However, the nurse there was like, "well, we can do an X-ray for you, but even if it's broken there's not a thing we can do about it." So after a short discussion we left. I don't need to pay for an emergency room visit if they're not even gonna fix me. (My HMO should send me a Christmas card.) Sooo, my tail-bone is probably broken, and it's very-very difficult to sit down, and to get back up again (getting up is worse). It's also hard to roll over in bed and riding in cars is just torture (although, probably not as bad as maybe riding on a train...or a horse. I haven't tried that yet). They tell me it will be like this for about 6 weeks. It's nice to have something to look forward to.

On the cheerful side, I did get a pretty good picture of Maybe in the snow:

Thanksgiving Pics

Thanksgiving was fun and now it's time to get ready for Christmas. We went to Panhandle on Thursday and drove back Thursday night. It was very scary because we were both quite tired as we worked all night Wednesday night and didn't really sleep in between work and going up North. We got home about 10 and I slept better than I ever have in my life without the benefit of medication. My Aunt Tommye, my brother and I went shopping on Friday like the maniacs we are, and she did manage to get some good deals on electronic gifts at Circuit City and I found some green apple licorice at Sutherlands (whoda thought?) I was super excited because I haven't had it since moving away from Canyon (home of the Mountain Man, oh how I miss him...) On Saturday we had Thanksgiving lunch at my dad's house which was also fun and I got to meet D'Liesa's boyfriend for the first time. He seems very nice. Anyway, nothing particularly new or exciting to report, except that I did get my Christmas tree up!! Most of my shopping is done too, and I'll start wrapping this weekend during arts and crafts time at my aunts. Yay! Here are some Turkey Day pics and one of my beauuuutiful tree

This is our official Thanksgiving picture. It was actually taken on Thanksgiving Day when we went for a walk in Panhandle

This is Ashlie with Nikaia. Isn't she getting big? (The baby, not Ashlie, who is quite slender)

Here's my Dad and Hunter waiting to eat.

And Hannah practicing her famous Whipped Cream Swallowing ActThis is D'Liesa with James. Cute huh?

And finally....my lovely tree!

Happy Thanksgiving

Yesterday was our 6 month anniversary. To celebrate I worked overtime, and today we went out for Indian food at our favorite restaurant. At lunch they have a buffet. Brilliant!! Justin just came back from a dog walk, and Maybe made a friend today. He lives down the street. I think he's a young pit-bull. She took him a rubber bone from her extensive collection of chew toys. I'm glad I have a dog with good manners.

I'm almost done with my Christmas shopping and in 3 days I get to PUT UP THE TREE!! We're still figuring out how we're going to keep Maybe from chewing on it, but I'm sure it will all work out.

I'm slightly morally opposed to Thanksgiving, as it was started by a bunch of Puritans who thought it was ok to hang people for their religious beliefs (whether they actually believed them or not), however I do enjoy the food. With that in mind, we're heading to Amarillo for Thanksgiving (actually, Panhandle by way of Amarillo). We get off work at 5:30 Thursday morning and we'll head towards Amarillo around 9 or so. I'm shopping with my aunt on Friday and then my family is doing the turkey thing on Saturday, so the rest of the week will be quite busy. Anyway, Everyone have a nice Thanksgiving and eat lots of dressing, that's my favorite!


{Editors Note: No actual turkeys were harmed in the making of this blog}

Whisper

I don't really have much to say, which is good as I have laryngitis. I figured I'd better post something even though my readership is steadily declining. Yesterday Justin and I got our flu shots. I had had a cold for the past few weeks as I mentioned in a previous post, but I thought that I was just about over it. They told us (not verbally, on their handy questionaire) that if we were sick we shouldn't take the shot. First off I tend to believe that's hooey, everyone knows that you don't get the flu from the shot these days...and Secondly I didn't think that I was still sick...

Apparently, you don't get the flu, but it bangs around your immune system enough preparing all those flu antibodies that you're susceptible to all sorts of other lovely diseases. And if you already have one of those lovely diseases (as in my case) the shot gives it room to just take on over. Gross.
I'm supposed to go to my aunt's house today and clean and perhaps go to Lubbock for some shopping...I'm still going to go but it's gonna be way less fun if I have to whisper and cough the whole time.

Socks

I'm a newly converted shoe wearer. That's right folks, the flip flop queen has made a turn around. I now have 3 pairs of new really cute tennis shoes. It was shocking to walk around target without my feet starting to hurt. I think I see a trend starting.

HOWEVER

I do not have any socks....so on my mission to find some I stumbled across this website, which, even non-sock wearers will confirm is pretty darn cool.

Also, anyone know a good gift for a 5 year old boy? I've got to buy for two in that age range this year, and having never been a five year old boy I'm just not sure...I don't think socks will cut it though.

Disgusting

I have a cold. It is making me cough and sneeze and gag and vomit (because of the drainage to my stomach, isn't that a lovely picture?) I've had this disgusting infection for almost a full week. It doesn't seem to be getting any better, but it doesn't seem to be getting worse either.

I wonder if I can file this under my accident insurance? I certainly didn't get it on purpose.

More True than Not

How to make a Susan

Ingredients: 5 parts competetiveness 5 parts silliness 3 parts beauty

Method: Layer ingredients in a shot glass. Top it off with a sprinkle of sadness and enjoy!

Username:

Personality cocktail
From Go-Quiz.com

AhhChoo

Does anyone else feel like their arms are coming unglued when they sneeze? It's a wildly uncomfortable feeling, and usually, shortly afterwards, I have to lie down from the pain and exhaustion of that sneeze. It's not every sneeze, just the really big ones.

I cooked all weekend. I tried several times to make monster cookies but every time they ran all over the cookie sheet and into the oven and set the fire alarm off...and then they wouldn't come off the pan. They taste really good...but they aren't the way they are supposed to be. My aunt is going to try to make some tomorrow from the same recipe and see if she has the same problem. I also made star shaped tea-cakes, and salmon patties. I have done dishes 6 times. This may very well be a personal record.

Justin and I are now the proud owners of a table and four chairs. We don't really know where to put them as we don't have a dining room, for now the table and two chairs are in the kitchen and the other two chairs are in the living room. I like them though. They are purple.

We also got a full length mirror. I'm going to have to move it as I'm terrified of mirrors when I sleep. Perhaps this is somehow related to the sneezing...

Smile

This picture is Justin's desktop background. It makes me smile every time I see it.

Tasty!

I've decided to fill my time (and my belly) with baking to keep myself entertained, at least through the holiday season. I'm also going to do gift baskets for my family for Christmas filled with, among other things, baked goods. So, anybody that has a good cookie, candy, bread or general treat recipe I would appreciate it if you would send it to me. Anything that can be cut into pieces (or is made in pieces like cookies) would be great. If you email me a recipe and your mailing address, I will send you some treats sometime between now and Christmas...


P.S. Jonathan, I can't read your blog!! How do I become an "invited reader?"

Hello?

Is anybody out there??

Crafty.

Justin says I have to find a hobby. Something I like to do. Any suggestions? I can't crochet, as I proved last year, everything just is a circle, and I don't really want to learn how to knit because yarn apparently has it out for me. I used to like to shop, but a I no longer have that kind of disposable income, it can't really be my hobby. As it is now, when I fill out one of those "what do you like to do" profiles for MySpace or whatever I put that I like to read, but I'm doing that for 8 hours a night at work. I can't take it anymore. Anyway I have no idea, so suggestions are appreciated.

P.S. I don't want anything that will leave me with a bunch of extra stuff so nobody say "oh I know, you can make [potholders, birdhouses, decopage, friendship bracelets...insert craft of choice here]

Ew Fashion.

I've been watching the Style Network for over an hour because it's too cold to take my hands out of my shirt and change the channel. This girl just bought enough clothes so that she could have eight different outfits for the weekend. How stupid. I've been wearing basically the same velour pants/hoodie combination (with different tank tops) for 3 days...I'm going to have to rethink it though since Justin said something like "mmm look at that big velvet bottom." When he saw the apalled look on my face he assured me that he meant that said bottom was sexy... so then I had to tell him that the words "big" and "sexy" do not go together unless you're talking about lips, boobs or eyes.

I may be applying for a new job. There is an opening for unit secretary in the birthing center where my aunt works. It would be Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 6pm to 6am. This sounds amazing to me. It would be great to be off for 4 days a week....

Now StyleTV is talking about the importance of eyeliner...dear god.

Where My Mind Wanders

I've been having some trouble sleeping... well, actually I was having some trouble sleeping, but I've started taking a sleeping pill before bed on work days...However, yesterday was not a work day so I went to bed without it. The problem is that my mind just races. It doesn't think of anything real, like bills or work or any of the important stuff usually...just random crap. Sometimes it doesn't linger on a single thought long enough for me to even fully realize what it is before moving on, and I don't usually remember what those passing ideas were...but here are the "big ones" I remember from the past week or so...

The first thing, and the one that for some reason got me worked into a tizzy that particular night was the idea that my cat, Nic, was desperate to be an actor. {I told you these weren't normal thoughts.} It seemed very important that I find an agent for him and look for work in commercials or whatever cat actors do. Very stressful in a very weird way. Anyway, just in case this was Nic trying to channel his deepest desire, I'm posting his "headshot" here, just in case any animal agents are looking.

Last night Las Vegas was in my head. I decided that they should change their name...The thought pattern went something like this:

Los Angeles means "the angels." This is a fitting name for this city because it's beautiful, warm, and all the people look heavenly, {please excuse that pun} thanks to great plastic surgeons, anorexia and the zone diet. If you took away all the sin, Los Angeles would definatley look like the sort of place where angels vacation.

Along those same lines, Las Vegas means "the fertile valley." This is a very poor name for the city because well, it's in the middle of a desert. The thought was that if Los Angeles is the city of "angels", then Las Vegas should be called "Los Menos Dios" : "the lesser gods", which would translate to "demons." It's sin city after all right? So then we could have "the city of angels" and "the city of demons."

I do realize that this might cut down on tourism from the church ladies going to see Blue Man Group and Celine Dion, so it might not be a brilliant marketing strategy, but at least it would make more sense.

Yeah...it makes even less sense now than it did as I was falling asleep. Oh well. Hope it was entertaining at least.

The Lighter Side

Ok, this made me laugh, so to make up for my depressing previous post:

I think it's really funny when Maybe tries to catch bugs on the other side of the glass door, because she bonks her nose and then acts offended.

Damn Damn Damn.

So, after a week without our regularly scheduled programming, the DishNetwork guy came yesterday and fixed our TV...and today when I got home from work it had stopped working again. Lovely. Also, the b**** at the water department told me that the adjustment on our bill from when we had the leak, (which they have delayed making for a month) is only $43, in spite of the fact that our regular water bill would probably have only been $40. So now we have to pay a $100 water bill today. *sigh* I just cried and cried for an hour, because there's so much more that we need to do with that money, but at least it's less than it could be. Finally I just decided to suck it up...but now I have to tell Justin when he gets home from school. He's going to be pissed...about both the TV and the water, and he's been very sensitive for the past few days. This is not going to be fun.

In other news, my dad thinks our drug dealer neighbors are stealing water from us. He knows that their water has been disconnected, (the fire station turns into the water department after hours) and he knows that they have already been charged with theft of public service for stealing water from someone else last month. (I don't know where he came by that information, but I guess it's public record. I don't even know their names) I dont know either way, but he thinks they're coming over at night while we work or during the day while we sleep and taking water from the outside faucets. I have no idea whether this is true or not because with the water bill being unadjusted I can't tell what it "really" is. It wouldn't surprise me though. I'm pretty sure that they're stealing electricity though. Our bill is more than it seems like it should be with only one window unit air conditioner and usually only one small lamp and the TV on consistently during the hours that we are awake. My estimate is that it should be around $75, but it is consistently over $150. Oh well...Can't think about it now. I'm already too stressed out.

Now for the fun news...assuming that we can afford it, (after the monster water bill) we are going to go to the corn maze tomorrow. He is very very excited about it...like a little kid going trick-o-treating or something. I think it will be way fun too, {must remember to take allergy pills}. I just love Halloween and fall things. I'm hoping to take Hunter and Hannah to a pumpkin patch and take some pictures in the next week or two. We'll see if I can round up the energy to cope with the toddlers. Oh... I think Justin's home...more as and when.

Domestic Violence

It is Domestic Violence Awareness month. My dad's extra job is working at a funeral home, and part of that involves going all over the place to pick up bodies. Last week he went to get a man who had chased his wife to the Dallas area, then killed her and himself because she left him. I don't know what can be done in an official context to stop this sort of thing...but something should be.www.ncadv.org

7 am Griping.

Can someone tell me why UPS insists on dropping my packages off at the post office instead of my house? It makes it take an extra day for them to get here and that is really dang frustrating. I want my new jeans!!

In other postal complaints, I was walking Maybe yesterday at about the time that the mailman came by. Maybe and I were standing on the porch waiting (Please note, she was on a leash, and could not get off the porch, also note that she is a 15 inch beagle who weighs less than 20 pounds, it's relevant, I promise). I watched him go to all the other houses on the block, and then turn and walk back to his truck. So I said "Hello? Do we not have any mail??" and he said "Yes you do, but I'm not bringing it with that dog up there." What the hell is that all about?? So I shoved Maybe into the house and said "So do you want to bring it now?" (all meanly, it was fun). And he did, but acted like it was a huge inconvenience.

Hello Mr. Mailman, its YOUR JOB to deliver the mail. It's not like my dog is big and scary...or even like she was off the leash and could possibly attack. Whatever. We've only been getting our mail every other day for the past couple of weeks anyway, and it's really starting to make me mad, because I know that the postman is just too dang lazy to bring it up here. AND almost every day we get mail for the people one block over. I wonder how much of our mail they are getting?? So anyway, we filed a complaint. If I don't have my jeans today by noon, someone's head's gonna roll.

I also discovered that the man I married is lazy beyond belief. I went to wash the dishes when we got home from work yesterday morning, and before I could start I had to take tons of trash off the counter from where he left it when he made his... I guess, dinner the night before. When I confronted him about it he said: "I don't like to throw stuff away because I have to open the trash can." Is this just a guy thing?? He made up for it by letting me cut out his incredibly painful ingrown toenail last night. Anyone who knows me, knows that I thrive on being able to pick at stuff like that. It's been suggested that I should go to dental hygenist school...perhaps, but I'm very offended by [really] bad teeth, and Ashlie told some horror stories.

Nothing's changing much around here...It's our weekend now and I hope we can have dinner at my parents house at least once because we don't have anything good to eat and I'm starving.

Ok well..sorry for the boring update, I guess thats....OH MY GOD, I just discovered the empty dish where Justin ate all the rest of the mango dessert he made last night!! I only got one little bit, and it was the last good thing we had!! ugh.

Clean Teeth and a Baby

Justin and I took a quick trip to Amarillo over the weekend. His sister is in Dental Hygenist school and she wanted to clean our teeth (for free!) and she made me a whitening tray, which would have cost $500 at the regular dentist...but was free from her. This is a great gift, since I spend a lot of time obsessing over the whitness of my teeth. We also had not seen baby Nikaia yet so we had to do that...AND I wanted to run by the flea market to get some new fake hair, since I'm a lazy hair-do-er but the place with the hair was closed. Anyway, here are the pics from our trip:


Create Your Own!

Boring Update.

Well I fell off the no caffiene wagon yesterday and had a diet coke (with refill!!) at dinner yesterday evening. We were at one of those restaurants with few drink options so there ya go. I'm going to try to climb back on again today.

Yesterday Justin and I left the house at 6:15 am and headed to Muleshoe to judge at a speech tournament. We had a really good time. Because we never get out of the house anymore, going to stuff like that is sort of like a date for us...so it was fun. My back is killing me today though from sitting in those awful highschool desks. How on earth did I ever do that for 8 hours a day?? I must be getting old.

We had an extra day off, so we didn't have to go in last night which was nice, but now I'm dreading going to work tonight. I really need to get a new book...

Also, anyone who likes historical fiction should check out Jester by James Patterson/Andrew Gross. I just finished it and it's quite good.

Addiction

I generally do not think of myself as someone who has an addictive personality. I've never really smoked, never done enough drugs to mention, and one martini knocks me flat... Because of these things I've never been able to muster up much empathy for those who are trying to stop smoking, drinking, drugging or what-have-you. Until I have unearthed my own addiction: caffiene.

It sneaks up on you really. I'm not a coffee drinker and haven't ever said the words "wait until after I get my caffiene," but the addiction is there people! And it's freakin' hard to give up. I've tried to stop drinking anything but water and other clear or naturally occuring liquids only, since my ugly kidney infection from a few weeks ago. But it constantly calls to me "go find a diet pepsi..it won't hurt...only one...if you don't we'll make you a huge angerball with a raging headache." So far I've survived about a week and a half. And I now have more understanding of what Justin is going through. (He stopped smoking, practically cold turkey in February, I'm very proud.)

The thing is though, I think it's easier to stop smoking. They (whoever those experts are) say that caffine is more addictive than heroin or something, and people just push it all the time! At restaurants, it's practically impossible to get anything to drink that's non-caffinated and diet. I know they make these beverages, and that they are available in stores...but I don't know why restaurants never have them. (Yes, I know that water is always an option, but it's almost always tap water, which is truly disgusting and way more likely to give me some sort of disease.)

So here I am, chuging bottled water, and green tea (yes, I know green tea has caffiene, but it's a different kind or something) and wishing that I had a diet pepsi. I think my dad is taking us to dinner tonight. I think it will be to Savannah's which has great Mexican food, but only tap water or soda to drink. Perhaps we'll make it BYOB.

To Come In From The Rain

Our dog does not enjoy the rain. She gets very confused when she steps off the porch and her feet get wet, and when she realizes that it's hitting her head it's a total breakdown. Thunder is worse. Like me, she is jumpy about loud noises. This is cute and all until you really need her to do her dog thing...you know...that one. I know she needed to go because she's been crated for the last 9 hours that we've been at work...for your viewing pleasure, a slide show about not being smart enough to come in from the rain. (me not her).



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Some of the pics are blurry. It's hard to snap a dog running for the door like a maniac.

The Fruits Of No Labor

We have a pomegranite bush, because I don't touch it with my plant assassin fingers, it grows fruit. I took a picture:

Ta dah

In an effort to keep all of our pictures from looking exactly the same, we changed the angle from which Justin snaps the picture...I call this, "the view from below." Not great, but it's a little different from the norm anyway...Justin says "this is how our child will see us someday..." God I hope not.

{Editor's Note: Please be aware that at this time I am not, nor do I have any plans to become pregnant, so everybody just keep your panties on.}

Family Ties....or Shackels?

This is so frustrating to me...So, Justin is working his butt off in school, he's studying really hard and learning really quickly and I'm really super proud of him. Today he spoke with his mom and was telling her about it and she was just like "well you better not fail." What the hell?! I mean first of all it's not any of her business to begin with. It's not like she's paying for any of it. The only reason that he had to wait until now to really get involved in school is because they wouldn't help him financially, even to the point of giving him their tax information so that he could apply for grants etc. He wasn't even asking for money for school, just basic information so he could get some help from the government and besides that, would it kill her to say that she's proud of him?! What kind of parent watches her kid start college and doesn't even have the decency to show some kind of support?

Don't get me wrong, my parents aren't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I never had to wonder if they were proud of me. I never had to wonder if they would help or support me when I needed it, and I sure know that they love me.

I can let the shit that they pulled with the wedding pass, but I don't know about this. Justin should not feel like I'm the only one in his life that loves him. Someone besides me should tell him that they're proud. Everytime he calls his parents they say something that's hurtful to him...or don't say something that would make him feel good. It's like they're making a genuine effort to make sure that he knows how disappointed they are in him...and I just don't understand it. I'm completely at a loss for what to do. My only instinct now is to scream and pull out my hair. *sigh*

If It's Not One Thing...

It's sure to be something else equally upsetting. I haven't posted in awhile because everytime I feel like I have something of interest to report, it's something bad. This makes for a really whiny, stinky blog. However, this is a matter of some importance, and perhaps I can make it mildly entertaining.

We have a massive water leak under our house. I think it must have started off small, but our water bill has been steadily increasing by about $40 a month, every month for about 6 months. Looking at the bill we received yesterday, we owe the City of Levelland $140 for water and our monthly usage is 38 thousand gallons. This is a lot of water people. Apparently there's a small resort town under our home...I'm sure it's teeming with lots of lovely guests like mold, algae and bacteria. Buy your tickets early, the busy season is just beginning...

We also seem to be having some electrical problems...This house is basically wired to ignite at any moment, and we've lived quite happily with this eventuality for some time now...It's sort of like knowing that you're going to die...it's a fact, but you try not to think about it too often. Until today. It's been raining for the better part of 36 hours, and in the middle of our much needed beauty rest the electricity went out. We discovered this by waking up to a very quiet, hot house. We called the electric company and the guy came out and told us that we do in fact have power on his end...but somewhere in the house there is a short, and perhaps in the next week or so we should have an electrician come out, good luck until then. Very helpful.

Luckily, my dad knows most of the people in the civillized world, and most of them owe him a favor of some sort, so we did, in fact find an electrician who could come out on a holiday weekend in the pouring rain. I'm not sure what he did, as I was hiding out at my aunts house, but 3 hours after the emergent crisis, we have lights and fans and a working refridgerator. The short seems to be in the air conditioning which is lucky only in that it's supposed to be unseasonably cool for the next week or so. Hurray for divine intervention!

I also have a very painful kidney infection...perhaps some kidney stones. We were out of bottled water for the better part of a week, and apparently it is unwise to subsist on Diet Pepsi. I'm now taking some antibiotics and something called Azo Standard to numb my urinary tract, this wonder drug has the added bonus of turning my bodily fluids a particularly enchanting shade of neon orange.

If you need me I'll be in the corner contemplating Murphy's Law.

Better Than Restylane?

See my big, lucious, Angelina Jolie-like bottom lip in that picture?? Yeah, I just smashed myself in the mouth with a Mag-light. Forget the baseball bat ladies, this first class flashlight is what you need to keep by your bed to bash the intruders with should they dare to come your way.

Damn Chickens

I am so stinkin' sick. I do not know what the problem is..actually, I do. Those damn eggs. OH GOD...(10 minutes later) Ok so yeah...I'm throwing up. I thought they smelled funny, the eggs...but then I decided it was just the carton. So I boiled them, and then I ate them...and they tasted good...they were kind of texturally wrong...but I thought it was ok...So I took a nap, and then I woke up a few hours later and had to throw up...

So I felt better and ate some instant mashed potatoes, I thought the starch would be helpful...and it was. This most recent episode of vomiting was much more pleasant. Ugghhh. We're so not going to work.

Bah!

So this weekend I have managed to completely screw up my sleep schedule again. It's just all over the place...I stayed up late on Thursday (til 2:30) and then took a nap until 6, because I really wanted to have dinner with my family, which I hadn't done in quite awhile...so then I was so tired when I got home at 8 that I went to bed and work up at 4am. So yesterday all day I was on a daytime schedule...which personally I really liked. I felt pretty good for most of the day, but then I was tired at 9pm so I went to bed...and now it's 5:30 and I'm up...will have to take a big ol' nap before leaving for work tonight at 11pm. Oh well...at least it was a pleasant weekend. I'm hungry...I have to go find something to eat...this is the challenge for the moment.

Making Some Changes

Thanks to those of you who commented positively on my last depression post. I'm still really struggling with this but have decided to take baby steps to try and feel better. I'm going to give myself 3 months, (one quarter of a year) to get back to my old self and then if there is no change before Thanksgiving I'm going to see a doctor.

So, the first step is to be awake more during the day. For the past couple of weeks I've been coming home from work, and staying up until about 2pm, and then sleeping until it's time to get ready for work, it's just not working for me. I remember that I felt slightly better when I was splitting my sleeping time between early morning and late afternoon, so now I'm going to try to get to bed as soon as I get home about 9:30am, let myself sleep for maybe 4 hours and then get up for awhile. I can then head back to bed and take a nap at about 6pm to get my 8 hours in. I'm also going to try to start getting up early enough to put on a little make up before I head to work. I've never been a real fan of makeup, and never really needed it, but I feel like my skin tone has gotten a little splotchy, besides I need to make more of an effort on how I look and I'm not up to getting up early enough to wash and blowdry my hair every day like I used to yet. That may be the next step...

In other news, I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I woke up with my arms hurting, well last week both of them hurt for a couple of days, enough that I took some pain medication, {which I never do}. I blamed it on trying to scratch the hard to reach part of my back while laying in bed...I end up with my arm all bent backwards and resting my full weight on it which I thought was maybe stretching out the tendons and stuff...but today it's hurting again, so I'm going to go with the theory that it's a repetative stress injury from sleeping with my shoulder joint all stretched out and flattened under my head and pillows. I'm going to try to sleep differently for a couple of days and see what happens.

So...that's the update.

Be On the Lookout.

I've been feeling a little sad...and a little lonely for the person that I was a couple of years ago. I used to be really confident, and fun and well dressed among other things. And now...I'm just not.
I'm sort of anxious all the time and paranoid and there is no confidence left in me. Not a trace. Not a drop. It's very depressing. The fun Susan went right out the window with Confident Susan. I think they followed Well-Dressed Susan, she's been missing for a long time.

Here's the deal. I used to work at a place where I really felt like the people listened to me, and cared about me, and were interested in what I had to say. It mattered what I wore, because they were paying attention. I lived in an apartment that I loved, and I was able to go shopping on a regular basis. I didn't have a wildly active social life, but I did have a few friends that I knew I could count on. And I was really, really happy.

And then I moved.

I started a job where the boss was a jerk, the people were psycho territorial and paranoid, and they couldn't have cared less about what I thought, or how I felt. They were however, rather obsessed about what I wore, and since it was never quite right, I quit after only a couple of days working there. I had a boyfriend who I loved, and everything was great in my love-life for once, but everything else was really not great. I got another job, but the people were still rather apathetic about my existence and I didn't have any friends. Then I got another job, and the people there were sort of openly hostile, and 7 months later it all sort of went up in flames. During that time, I completely forgot who I was...who I am...and I don't know how to get myself back.

I suspect that it will start with finding Well-Dressed Susan again. She must be out there somewhere...perhaps hiding underneath all the cargo pants and tanks tops.

*sigh* At least I got to keep the guy.

Anyway, if you see Well-Dressed, Confident or Fun Susan running around somewhere please send her home. Thanks.

Poor Little Dog!

So, our initial attempt at parenting, with our beagle mix, Maybe has been going well. We have now been proud poochie parents for 6 months and no one has died or lost any limbs. However, today I was walking Maybe and she got a sticker in her foot, which isn't unusual, considering that our front yard is a jungle. We stopped for a minute and I looked and couldn't see anything, so I figured that she had managed to get it out herself and we headed into the house. She continued to paw at her nose, so I grabbed her and couldn't find a sticker in her foot, but upon closer inspection found that in removing the sticker from her foot, she had gotten it stuck deeply in the roof of her mouth just behind her front teeth. Can you even imagine how much this hurt!? No wonder she didn't want clumsy me to mess with it! I did manage to get it out with my trusty eyebrow tweezers,(with Justin holding her down) but it still left a mean looking hole. Poor little Maybe!! Here's a picture of our happy baby:

The Recipe Meme

I stole this from Annabel, it's a very good idea...

Susan's Poppyseed Chicken

You will need:

3 Cups Minute rice
1 Can Chicken Broth
16 Oz French Onion Dip (2 small containers or about 2/3 of a big container)
1 Large can Cream of Chicken Soup
2 Cups Grated Cheddar Cheese
1 Box Cheez-Its (Or whatever cheddar cracker you like)
2 tablespoons Poppyseeds
Some kind of Non-Stick, butter flavored, Spray

Then you do this stuff:

Preheat Oven to 350
Find a 9 x 13 baking pan
Spray it with non-stick
Crush up the box of Cheeze-Its and spread about 1/3 of them on the bottom in a thin layer
Spread 3 cups of non-cooked minute rice evenly on bottom of pan
Cover with Chicken Broth, so that all rice is moist
In a large mixing bowl, combine French Onion Dip, Cream of Chicken Soup, Canned Chicken and Poppyseeds
Pour that mixture over the rice/cheeze-its
Cover with shredded cheese
Add a top layer of cheeze-its
Optional: Spray lightly with the non stick spray on top, (it makes it shiny when it cooks)

Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350. Just until the top is bubbly. Everything in it is already cooked so you're just looking to make it hot.

Serve with a side salad


Everyone I've ever made this for really loves it, but dieters beware!! It has like a zillion calories (I think, we have't actually counted). So worth it.

So now post yours, and let me know if you do so I can go look!

Oohs and Ahhs All Around.

Everyone should pay attention to my new plucked petal header. It took me 2 hours to make it look like that so be impressed dang-it!

Neat-O

I found a cool site that lets you turn pictures into these little polaroid-like posty things. Neat-o!
Image created at MySpace Layouts

Oh Look! An Actual Post...Sort Of.

In an effort to get healthy, get out of the house, and perhaps lose some weight, I agreed to go walking with my aunt in the evenings at 7 o'clock or so and have managed to do it exactly once before injuring myself. I sort of tripped down a curb and ran into a fire hydrant yesterday evening on our way to the post office. I know that sounds like minimal damage, and it really should have been...I didn't even hit the ground but it sort of...I don't know exactly, squeezed my knee. So, now I have a massive purple bruise (about 2.5 inches in a circle) next to my kneecap. I think it continues down under my kneecap too because it hurts to walk, and if I move in the wrong way, it sends little pain waves up into my thigh and down to my ankle. And it's swollen and really really ugly. So, I'm taking a break from the dangerous art of walking today to let my knee rest and then we'll try again tomorrow. I would take a picture of it, but it's really gross, so I'll spare you the drama.

Here's a Meme to Tide You Over.

20 Firsts


1. Who was your first love? Um...my first crush was Adam Jackson in first grade, but he didn't like me so I don't know if it counts as first love.

2. Who was your first kiss and when? Ben Wright, Kindergarten

3. Who was your first prom date? Beau Bayer

4. Who was your first room mate? My Nan

5. What was your first job? United Supermarket

7.When did you go to your first funeral? My grandfather, I think 1994 but I don't remember exactly

8. What was your first car? Blue Nissan Stanza

9. How old were you when you first moved away from your hometown? 20 to Canyon

10. Who was your first grade teacher? Ms Ivey

11. Where did you go on your first ride on an airplane? I have no idea. Maybe Austin

13. Where did you go for your first date and who was it with?
Not counting proms, I never really had a date until after high school. It was with some guy named Jason. We went to Taco Cabana, where I didn't eat and then...maybe to a movie?

14. When you snuck out of your house for the first time, who was it with? I never snuck out of the house.

15. Who was your first best friend and are you still friends with them? Elizabeth Bolden...I wouldn't say we're friends, but I still hear from her occasionally

16. Who was the first person to send you flowers?
A late bloomer on this too, Josh Samsel sent flowers to me and someone else when we did Gypsy, I think...or maybe The Miracle Worker. Some play.

17. Where did you live the first time you moved out of your parents house? 815 North Denver, Levelland.

18. Who is the first person you call when you have a bad day?
I talk to Justin first, then sometimes I email Patrick.

19. Who's wedding were you in the first time you were a bridesmaid or a groomsmen? My step-sister, D'Liesa

20. What is the first thing you when you wake up? Brush my teeth and walk the dog.

And Now: The Meme You've All Been Waiting For

So here's another meme. This one stolen from Jennifer, very early this morning.

9 Lasts....

1. Last place you were: The sofa.
2. Last drug used: Lactaid with dinner at 4am
3. Last beverage: Water
4. Last kiss: Sometime in the last few hours.
5. Last movie seen: Little Black Book
6. Last phone call: I talked with my brother almost 24 hours ago.
7. Last CD played: I don't even remember.
8. Last bubble bath: Bubbles make me itch.
9. Last time you cried: Hm... I don't know. Maybe a week.

8 Have You Evers.....

1. Have you ever dated someone twice?: I prefer to think of it as "continuing education"
2. Have you ever been cheated on?: Not that I know of.
3. Have you ever kissed somebody and regretted it?: Uh...yeah.
4. Have you ever fallen in love?: Why is this question always here? Is there anyone who says no?
5. Have you ever lost someone?: Of course.
6. Have you ever been depressed?: Frequently, I'm quite good at it.
7. Have you ever been out of the country?: Yup.
8. Have you ever been on T.V?: I don't think so.

7 States that you have been to:

1. New Mexico
2. Oklahoma
3. Alabama
4. California
5. New York
6. Arizona
7. Washington.

6 Things You Have Done Today....

1. Went to Wal-Mart
   
2. Washed Dishes
   
3. Slept
4. Watched Monk and Psych (haha, I typed that and looked down and it was the same answer that Jen had before.)
5. Microwaved Sugar Snap Peas
   
6. Made cookies
   

5 Favorite Things....

1. Justin
2. Maybe
3. Hard, sharp cheeses
   
4. Books
   
5. New panties

4 People You Can Tell Almost Anything....

1. Justin
   
2. Tommye
   
3. Maybe
   
4. My blog readers

3 Favorite Colors

1. Green
2. Pink
3. Navy
   

2 Things You Want To Do Before You Die....

1. Go on a Cruise
2. Get really skinny

1 Thing You Regret.....

1. Moving away from Canyon.

Yawn...Stretch

So, I've been sleeping really well, the new night time routine seems to agree with me, and I'm feeling much less stress in general. However, last night {this afternoon} I just could not seem to get my pillows right. I tossed and turned for 8 hours or so and then gave up. My neck is killing me, so I might have to take a nap later. {I get really tired when something hurts for very long.} However, our never ending weekends allow for such luxuries. I always start to freak out on Friday evenings because I think I have to go to work, but Ha! We're still off 'til tomorrow at midnight!

In other news, a friend sent a link to this website...why oh why would you want to make your kid look like this?? Patrick and Tiffany, if I catch you photoshopping Bronte like this, we may have to have words....bleh.

200th Post.

This is my 200th blog post!

I wish that I had something more interesting to say here... Had I known before now, I would have come better prepared.

Instead of coming home and going straight to bed after work as is my usual routine, I stayed up, and my dad came and got me and we turned around and headed back to Lubbock. We had to go to the social security office to:
A. Finally turn in the paperwork for my name change. I really was just going to mail the stuff off, but they wanted my original marriage license, and I just didn't trust them to really mail it back to me.
B. Have a meeting with a caseworker about getting Stacy, my younger sister, on social security disability.

So, we got there, and there is a security guard arguing with a very old woman about what she can and cannot use to prove her identity in order to receive a new social security card. Hers was lost or stolen or something. He spoke in this incredibly annoying, overly patient tone of voice, {something that I, personally, could never master}, and managed to say the same thing about 20 times over. It was painfully clear that she wasn't getting it, but instead of changing his wording, or just giving her a list of acceptable documents he just kept saying the same words. It was maddening. Ten minutes later she left.

Then it was our turn. My dad and Stacy had a real appointment so they typed Stacy's social security number into the computer...and it promptly informed us that her appointment had actually been yesterday. Ookaaay... We take numbers and wait to be called. My dad is super frustrated at having gotten the date wrong. He could have sworn that it was the same day as his doctor's appointment, which was later this afternoon. Oh well...We waited for about 20 minutes, and they called me. I got my paperwork done very quickly, so I officially have a new addition to my last name, without a freakin' hyphen I might add. A ccouple of minutes later my dad and Stacy were called and the girl just made them a new appointment.

Then we left and ate at Dimbas, which is a fried food restaurant. {I think it's actually "Southern Cuisine" or something, but who are they kidding?} I had a couple of chicken strips and then we came home.

After narrowly avoiding several collisions we made it home and I got to bed at almost 1:00. So, naturally, I slept until 9:45 this evening and now I feel all out of whack. Hopefully, since we're off tomorrow {tonight} I can fix my sleep schedule without too much trouble.

Ok, it's time to watch some girly TV before Justin wakes up.

Job Posting

WANTED: Best friend for 25 year old new wife.

The job description includes the following: Must be an experienced shopper, entertainer, and amateur personal therapist. Also, must drive, listen to complaints about husband without actually criticizing him, and like to eat out.

Candidate must be comfortable around cute dogs, and must be willing to use bjore nose strips so that I can examine them when they are done.

Candidate must not have strong desires to visit SeaWorld, The State Aquarium, or the fish section at PetSmart.

Pay rate: lifetime supply of friendship, occasional home made cookies, and great gifts on holidays, birthdays, and after vacations to exotic locales.

Starting date: Immediatly

Apply in person or online by commenting on this post. All applications will be considered.

Wedding Pictures!

I have a new blog. It only has one post, and will only ever have one post probably, but it's all of our wedding pictures...so if you want to see them go look.

The Sweetest of Plums