The Lucky Wifey

excuse me, do you have the time?

2010-08-30T20:01:00.010-05:00

have you ever noticed how purposeful we can be with our time when we know that there is only a little bit of it left? i would venture to guess that we military families understand this better than most people. when you know that a loved one will be deploying soon, you make the most of every moment. things like facebook or shopping or watching pointless shows on tv just don't have the same appeal as say, doing laundry with your loved one and packing their bags with them, or cooking dinner together or going for a walk as a family.

moms, we also understand the value of time pretty well. the minute you get that little one down for a nap, you know your clock is ticking. every second counts, and if you haven't prioritized in advance it is so easy to get off track and distracted (at least it's easy for me to do it). it is so disappointing to hear my son* waking up from his nap and realize that i've wasted an entire naptime reading nonsense on the internet and have accomplished nothing.

i'm trying to make a concerted effort to be more purposeful with my time now. it certainly isn't easy, because i will be the first to admit that i am the queen of distraction, but i have memorized these verses to help me stay on track: "Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is." Ephesians 5:15-17. making the most of every opportunity... i love that phrase. here's my challenge to you: be purposeful this week and see if you notice a difference in your life somehow, whether in your relationships with family, or in your performance at work, etc. and then let me know about it.

*i don't exactly like calling my son "lucky baby." it just doesn't fit him... we have a nickname for him that starts with the letter Z, so i think he's just going to be Z on my blog from now on. and no, his real name does not start with the letter Z.

baby story time

2010-08-25T21:52:00.002-05:00

i realize it has been over a year since i posted anything here, but i have a reason! our son. he has to be the busiest boy ever born, and he doesn't need much sleep. thankfully, i don't need much sleep either, but that leaves me with precious little time to take care of necessities while he is sleeping, and blogging obviously hasn't fallen under the necessary category.

however, i have a little extra time on my hands due to LH's current assignment and so i think i'll try to write a little more if for no reason than to keep myself amused. first and foremost, it's time for me to finally tell the story of lucky baby's birth.

i don't think i've ever met a woman who hasn't enjoyed sharing her labor and delivery story. let me start mine by saying that i truly hope God allows me to repeat pregnancy and the whole birthing experience one day, because i cannot wait to do it again. to me, there always seemed to be a sort of dread among women when it came to the all so important point between pregnancy and motherhood: childbirth. i too, felt that way, but deep down inside, i believed that God wouldn't want us to dread something that he created, something that leads to such joy afterwards. a friend loaned a book to me called supernatural childbirth, in which the author laid out God's promises concerning pregnancy and delivery. i immediately began praying for my delivery, and also for our developing baby. even though satan wants to steal our joy, our God is so much bigger and more powerful than he is.

for weeks leading up to lucky baby's birth, i had been having the usual braxton hicks contractions. on this particular sunday, however, i woke up at 4:30am and thought that this would be a perfect day to have our baby, even though it was a week before my due date. i began praying and talking to God before i got out of bed, and then i remember sneezing. after the sneeze, something was definitely different about my contractions. around 5:30 or so, i rolled my enormous body out of bed and realized that i was leaving footprints... definitely a good sign! rather than wake up lucky hubby from his deep sleep, i began cleaning the kitchen, getting bozeman's stuff ready to go to a friend's house, and anything else that i felt needed to be done around the house. at one point, LH woke up and asked if we needed to go to the hospital, but i declined.

finally, around 9:30, we called labor and delivery and since there had been no "gush" of water, they wanted me to wait another hour to see if my water really had broken. LH and i took bozeman for a mile walk and then ended up at the hospital around 11'ish. i'm a little fuzzy on the actual times, but LH could tell you exactly. anyhow, by then my contractions were 5 minutes apart, but the doc on call said that i was only dilated 1 and 1/2 cm. he wanted me to go on pitocin since my water had in fact broken (or begun leaking), but i believed that God was going to give me a fast and easy delivery and didn't want the pitocin. try telling that to a doctor who isn't your normal doc. the nurses were great and held off on the pitocin until the doc pretty much made them start the drug and just like i had prayed, everything went super fast after that.

i played solitaire, texted friends, and ate the ice chips and popsicles LH kept bringing to me and before i knew it, i was telling him to get the nurses because i was actually trying not to push. it still amazes me how God designed our bodies to do this wonderful thing so naturally... i mean, no one has to tell you to push or what to do if you don't have fear to hold you back. anyhow, LH was the most amazing birth coach and i totally didn't listen to the doctor or nurses on how long to push because, like i said, i could feel exactly how my body was working and how hard i needed to push and when.

i have to interject here and say that i kind of had a one-up on other first time mom's because years ago, i had the wonderful privilege of being by a friend's side when she gave birth. i truly believe every mom should witness a birth firsthand before going through it herself.

okay, so, the pitocin was started around 1:30 or so and the doc turned up the dosage once, and then lucky baby was born at 4:03pm. i have to give big thanks to God for answering so many prayers i offered up about this birth. i was able to deliver without any pain meds, no episiotomy and NO tearing! even 17 months later, i'm still in awe of God's design for the whole thing. yes, it was painful at times, but it certainly was bearable and immediately after lucky baby was born, and we discovered that he was a boy, i knew that i couldn't wait to do it all over again. what a privilege!

it's a boy!

2009-03-16T08:37:00.004-05:00

just thought i'd let you all know that our little one arrived safe and sound last sunday. my water broke at 5:30 in the morning and after cleaning the kitchen floor, the dog's dishes, taking a long shower and going for a walk with LH and bozeman, we headed to the hospital where lucky baby was born that afternoon. i'll post more later about our great labor and delivery experience as well as how much fun it is being a mom and watching LH be the amazing dad that he is.

just when you think you've got it all figured out...

2008-12-05T11:50:00.007-05:00

for months, i visualized exactly how our thanksgiving was going to go this year, from the sparkling clean kitchen floor to the ironed guest sheets to the perfect dinner conversations centered around my perfectly arranged table. a week before everyone was supposed to arrive, i made their welcome goody bags and the place cards for the thanksgiving dinner table, made sure all of the guest towels were fluffy, i swept, swiffered and cleaned all of our hardwood floors, reworked my menu and cooking plans for the gazillionth time and went running a few times. that week, i also made another trip to the grocery store, made dinner for a family at LH's office who had a new baby, and hosted some friends for dinner.

i guess i did a little too much, because i started spotting that weekend. this being the third time that i had experienced bleeding during this pregnancy, i honestly wasn't too worried. every other time, i've gone in and they've completely checked me out with plenty of ultrasounds and everything else you can think of, and the only thing they ever told me was that the baby was perfectly healthy, the placenta was just where it needed to be, and my cervix looked just like they wanted it to look. they really never had an explanation for the bleeding. however, since this spotting lasted a couple of days and our guests were due to arrive the next day, LH and i decided to call my doctor and let her check me out once again. same story this time with everything where it should be and the baby looking exactly like he/she should (although it's getting really hard not to find out the baby's gender with all of these opportunities to do just that), only this time, my doctor told me that she really wanted me to take it easy and be careful not to overdo it. this was definitely not something i wanted to hear right before i was about to entertain 7 extra people in my house over the next 5 days. LH assured me that he would help out and everything would go just great.

well, there were dirty dishes in the sink and dog hair on the floor when everyone arrived, but i learned that i had to live with it. LH delivered on his promise and was unbelievable all week long. rather than let me stand on my feet in the kitchen and cook for everyone, LH made me sit on a bar stool and direct everyone who was working in the kitchen. as difficult as it was for me to just sit there, i had a blast watching everyone work together. my mom, my MIL, LH, my brother, my brother-in-law and his girlfriend all helped in the kitchen at least once during the week. on tuesday night, i had planned to make a southern cornbread salad and fish tacos. LH, my MIL and my brother did all of the chopping, slicing and dicing for everything in that dinner and it was absolutely delish. my brother even did some research on the internet and taught us all the proper way to slice a mango for the mango salsa that tops the fish tacos (a recipe i think i need to share with everyone here). our thanksgiving dinner was prepared the exact same way, with everyone pitching in. my mom made her famous stuffing, my MIL made her famous homemade dinner rolls, my brother in law made the salad, and the list goes on and on. i could not have planned it any better if i had actually wanted all that help. i think everyone appreciated the meal so much more because they helped, too. it also helped me get used to accepting help for when the baby gets here. usually, i'm the kind of person that likes to do it all myself and let everyone else enjoy it, but after last week, i have learned that it's okay to ask for help and you don't have to feel guilty about accepting it. of course, i'm making sure i send out plenty of heartfelt thank you cards to everyone involved so they don't shy away from coming to visit again =)

my babies

2008-12-02T12:14:00.005-05:00

bozeman has most definitely been my baby since we got him over two years ago. i don't think he's going to mind one bit sharing the attention with the new baby, though, because he absolutely loves having extra people in the house. i'll tell all about our exciting thanksgiving week later, but for now i thought i would just post a picture of me with my babies - bozeman and my baby bump =)

pregnant running

2008-11-21T11:15:00.006-05:00

i'm still running while pregnant, albeit much slower and for much shorter distances. occasionally, a group of high school boys will drive by on their way to school and honk at me. it always makes me laugh because they usually honk while still coming up behind me and then i get to watch them look twice when they realize that 1) i'm at least 10 years older than they are and 2) i'm pregnant.

for the most part, i'm still able to wear all of my regular running shorts and pants. shirts, however, are a different story. you'll notice in this picture that i'm wearing two shirts. the bottom shirt is an extra large t-shirt that i bought on clearance at old navy. because it is an extra large, the neck and shoulders are way too big, but the length is perfect, so i just top it off with another shirt that actually fits on top, but not on bottom. with the two combined, i have the perfect running shirt =) i suppose i could just buy some maternity running clothes, but as much as i love this running skirt, i'm too cheap to shell out the money for it. besides, it's kind of fun to have the challenge of creating new outfits out of the old pre-pregnancy clothes.

there's a twenty pound bird in my freezer

2008-11-15T09:31:00.005-05:00

i don't think i've mentioned yet that we are doing thanksgiving at our house this year. LH's family and my family are all coming into town, minus my sister-in-law and her gang who just have to far to go and too many kids to tote all the way out to us. some people might get freaked out by having so much family in their house at once, but i'm stoked. i've been planning the menus and table decorations and every little bit for months now.

yesterday, i went to the commissary to get everything but the produce for our thanksgiving week. i was officially THAT lady walking around with the shopping cart stuffed as full as it could possibly get. after every aisle, i would pull my cart over to the side and try to rearrange everything so it would fit in there better. i'm sure everyone was looking at me and thinking, "oh that poor girl. her husband must be at home watching her ten children while she does the grocery shopping." my pregnant belly and high heel shoes probably didn't help the situation at all, especially when i practically had to get a running start to get the cart moving.

as silly as it sounds, i had a lot of fun putting all of the groceries away. i love organizing things... any excuse to rearrange the refrigerator or pantry makes me happy. i even had to use the top shelf in pantry that i usually reserve just for extra foil, baggies and paper plates. if i have time and think about it later, i'll take a picture and post it on here. has anyone else done their thanksgiving shopping yet? are any of you entertaining this year?

mustard toast

2008-11-13T15:00:00.006-05:00

people keep asking me if i've had any weird cravings during the pregnancy and i keep answering "no." however, LH heard me answering the question a few weeks ago when my mom asked, and he corrected me. apparently, i have a thing for mustard now. i made baked potatoes with our dinner one night and proceeded to cover mine with yellow mustard. it tasted way better than my usual sour cream topping and added a nice little kick. while eating lunch with a friend a week ago, i had tons of mustard with my french fries (i never liked ketchup anyway). and then to top it off, this week i made a super yummy lunch for myself: toast with grainy dijon mustard and a few slices of hard boiled egg on top. i thought it tasted absolutely delish and might even pass for a gourmet egg salad sandwich, but LH didn't quite agree.

i've also been eating a good bit of cereal lately, although at odd hours of the day... and night. i think our baby goes through a growth spurt about every 3 or 4 weeks, because at those times, i tend to find myself waking up at 3 in the morning with a very rumbly tummy. one bowl of cereal usually won't do it, either... i have to eat two bowls and have a glass of water before my belly is satisfied. it's amazing how fast my tummy will feel full and then how fast it will drain and be hungry again within a 30 minute period. this week, we went out for a hibachi dinner with some good friends and i ate quite a bit of steak, veggies and fried rice. not thirty minutes after getting home, i was hungry again and hit the cabinet for some cereal.

my tummy is rumbling right now with all of this talk about food. i'll leave you with a recent belly shot. i'm not good at remembering to have LH take a picture when he is home, so i usually resort to my lovely mac's built in camera. you've probably noticed the wonderful green color that graces the walls of our office. right now, it is the last room on our list to be painted, so you'll just have to suffer through the agony like we do every day.

baby brain

2008-10-20T14:11:00.005-05:00

i'm blaming my blogging absence on baby brain =) it's so hard to believe how fast this pregnancy is flying by and i have to say that LH and i are thoroughly enjoying every little bit. i feel like i have so much to learn, not just about baby, but things i want to teach baby one day, and i'm also trying to make it a point to spend extra time with LH before the baby comes. we have also been ridding the house of anything that we don't use or find necessary, because we know that we are about to be adding quite a bit of baby stuff.

as far as the actual pregnancy goes, i could never have dreamt that it would be this good. the only time i even felt remotely sick was when my body decided that it no longer like bananas, although i tried them the other day and they are okay again. i've needed more sleep than pre-pregnancy, but nothing crazy. i have the most amazing husband who i respect so much; he has taken the time from his busy schedule to go to every regular checkup with me thus far. he is going to be the best daddy ever. i'm convinced that the baby already looks like him, too. when i saw this picture printed from the ultrasound, it made me smile, because it looks just like LH's profile from one of his baby pictures. silly, i know, but i really can see the resemblance.

another "side effect" of this pregnancy has been that i've become a little bit more private with my life, other than with friends and family, of course. i guess because i'm not only "eating for two" but living for two, i feel very protective of this growing baby that constantly lets me know he/she is in there by kicking and rolling and bumping me. i love it. oh, and we decided not to find out whether we are having a girl or a boy. there are so few surprises in life now, and i think this is going to be such a cool surprise to wait for. plus, it will help me get through the labor when i have such a desire to know whether it is a boy or a girl!

anyhow, that's a little update on our lives right now. i'm still here, just enjoying being pregnant and trying to make the most of my time. unfortunately, that means i don't always take the time to sit down and blog much. just know that no news is good news =) feel free to email me if curiosity is getting the better of you. my email is visible to everyone in my profile.

retainers are sort of like paint brushes

2008-09-17T10:07:00.002-05:00

in eighth grade, my family moved almost a thousand miles across the country for my dad's job. i wasn't exactly happy about being uprooted and torn away from the friends that i had grown up with and had planned on going to high school with, but i didn't have much of a choice. thankfully, there was a group of girls in the eighth grade who welcomed me into their group with open arms. they let me sit with them at lunch, invited me to sleep overs and even helped me sign up at the dance school where a few of them took classes. i was extremely grateful for their friendship, so when one of them accidentally threw her retainer away one day, i jumped at the chance to show my loyalty by helping her dig through giant lunchroom trash cans in search of her glittery, pink retainer.

even though the lunch ladies provided us with plastic gloves, digging through soggy pizza crusts and tater tots soaked in leftover chocolate milk was just about one of the most disgusting things that i had ever done in my life up to that point. i didn't care, though, because my friend and i were laughing and gagging together and that's what friends did. after going through about three trash cans, we finally found her retainer. she wrapped it up in a napkin and put it in her book bag where it would stay until she could completely sanitize it at home. if it had been me, i would have just begged my parents for a new one...

anyhow, this past saturday, a friend came over to our house and did the unthinkable. she picked up a paintbrush and a roller and finished painting one of our front rooms for us. i haven't been able to stand the smell of paint since becoming pregnant and the "red room" had become a sort of mental block for LH and i. for whatever reason, neither one of us had been able to take the 30-45 minutes needed to finish cutting-in above the doorway and rolling a second coat over what was already painted. our friend knew about this problem, and had offered numerous times to come over and help. i finally picked up the phone on saturday morning and sheepishly asked if she would come over and help us finish the room. not only did she say yes, but she came over within an hour and had a smile on her face! she told us that she loves to paint, but i honestly thought that she was all talk. well, she proved me wrong. while i worked on cleaning the kitchen and LH mowed the grass, she finished painting our red room and we yelled back and forth across the house to each other. it was great. now, our red room is put back together and LH has even said that it is his favorite room in the house. all we needed was the help of a good friend. thanks, N =)

God has totally blessed us with some amazing friends in the city that we live in right now. realizing that a friend would get sweaty and dirty just to help us out made me want to go out and help another friend somehow. so that's my challenge to you guys today: don't just be a friend to someone, show your friendship to them in a helpful way.

the best compliment ever and one fun bachelorette party

2008-09-11T10:47:00.006-05:00

after a half dozen loads of laundry and one giant shopping trip to the commissary for some groceries, i am finally back to the blog. bozeman and i are so happy to be back with LH, but i think that bozeman is definitely missing the company of my parents and their dog... and their giant, fenced-in back yard.

during my time at my parents' house, my mom and i made a trip to visit my brother at school. i got to check out his teeny, tiny dorm room with the horrible fluorescent lighting, i saw his fraternity house and i even checked out the girls' bathrooms in his dorm. hey, i had to go really bad, and i couldn't resist seeing if they were clean or not. i had totally forgotten what it was like to go to the bathroom with dozens of flyers plastered on the walls around you. kind of distracting, if you ask me. although i did get kinda grossed out by the reminder to "flush it down whether it was yellow, red or brown." i guess college-aged girls still need reminders like that? i don't know...

while we were there, my mom and i took my brother out for dinner. at one point, our mom got up to use the "facilities" and i started telling my bro some of the weird things about being pregnant and how much my body was already changing even though i'm only 13 weeks. my mom caught the tale end of the conversation and said, "isn't it weird hearing your sister talk about stuff like that?" this was the highlight of my day: without even thinking twice, my brother said, "i've never thought that anything [LW] said was weird!" i told him it was because i brainwashed him when he was little and he had to throw in a smart remark about me throwing him off of the tractor when he was two. oops.

the next morning, i headed out to my friend's bachelorette party. would you believe that we went white water rafting and then tubing? i was planning on playing it safe and skipping the white water part, but once i realized that it was a part of the river that i had been down three times before and that our guide was not only a fellow bridesmaid from the wedding, but had also been guiding the river for 11 years and was an EMT, my comfort level rose considerably. she convinced me to go with them by promising to keep me and the baby safe, and she delivered on her promise. we had SO much fun. the bachelorette had a special helmet complete with a veil and a tiny bride and groom on top with a sign that said, "kiss me while you still can". her paddle even had her name and "bachelorette" written on it. suffice it to say, she received plenty of attention the entire trip down the river. i can't even count how many times people took her picture!

once we finished rafting, we headed back to the cabin so i could stuff my face and then we loaded up the cars again to go tubing down the "lazy" river, complete with a floating cooler filled with alcoholic drinks for them and non-alcoholic drinks for me. i laughed so hard during most of that trip, because a few certain people, who will remain unnamed, kept getting stuck in trees and on rocks because they couldn't paddle well enough. back at the cabin, i fell asleep while playing some of the typical bachelorette party games. they were kind enough to wake me up when the bachelorette was opening the lingerie present that i bought for her and then to send me to bed.

we all left feeling like it was one of the most fun weekends that we had had in a really long time, and promised to get together next year to do it again. i'll just have to get LH to agree to watch the baby... =)

i have gas! lots of gas!

2008-09-04T17:23:00.005-05:00

that is a line from cars and every time LH and i hear it, we crack up laughing. we are all big burpers in our house, and that includes bozeman. it is so funny, because bozeman has somehow learned to come to LH when he needs to burp. LH has this magical touch that somehow helps bozeman burp so much faster than if i try to help him. since we've been away from LH this week, bozeman has been a little bit lost. today, after my mom and i got back from eating some amazing thai food, i was sitting on the floor next to bozeman when i burped. not one second later, bozeman looked at me and burped, too. i guess hearing me burp triggers his burping mechanism... or else it was just a coincidence.

anyhow, LH obviously has the magic touch. there have been times that i will have this huge burp lurking beneath the surface that just doesn't want to escape, so LH will rub my back or something. no kidding, i burp just as easily as bozeman does. i don't know what it is. honestly, i think LH balances out my type-a personality and somehow my whole body just relaxes when i'm near him.

i'm hoping that LH's magical touch works on the baby, too. my plan is to feed the baby and then hand him/her over to LH every time so he can do the burping. think that will work out well? other than the whole LH having to go to work every day thing...

political opinion time

2008-09-04T08:29:00.008-05:00

i think i've mentioned before that LH and i don't have cable in our house. on top of not wanting to deal with yet another bundling debacle, we would both get sucked into tv shows when other things could be getting done. we do watch a ton of movies, though, so maybe we don't save much time anyhow.

anyhow, since i've been at my parents' house this week, i have to admit that i have been glued to the tv. yesterday, i watched every little bit of commentary possible about sarah palin. she is my new hero. i have been so impressed with everything i hear and read about her and after watching her speech last night, i'm even more convinced that she should be the next VP. her personality is so strong and she is so incredibly tough, yet she is also very easy to like and relate to at the same time. her addition to the presidential ticket totally sold me on voting for mccain.

great news

2008-09-03T16:18:00.004-05:00

we finally have a renter for our condo! he paid the deposit and rent and moved in all in one week. LH and i are so excited to finally have some of that stress off of our chests.

other news in our house: LH and i are spending about five days apart and it stinks! he had to travel for work last weekend and i decided to go along with him. but, rather than drive all the way back to our home afterwards, i ended up hanging out at my parents' house for the week because a good friend from college is having her bachelorette party this weekend. bozeman is loving my parents' back yard and i'm spending some quality time with friends that i haven't seen in awhile, but i am already missing LH so much. he said that it is quiet in the house without us around and i'm kinda worried about whether or not he is eating enough. i guess he did survive as a bachelor for many years before i came along, so he'll be okay...

would you believe that i'm having a baby shower already next weekend? neither do i. there are five of us in our young marrieds group at church who are pregnant right now, and in order to fit everyone in, we are having a group baby shower this month. crazy, huh? and on that note, i must leave you to go eat some more food. baby's gotta eat, you know.

unwelcome shower guests

2008-08-29T10:42:00.004-05:00

my brother just started his freshman year of college at a very large university. it is totally different than the college experience that i had, but i bet one thing is similar: dorm showers. i came to college prepared with the shower shoes, a robe and little shower bucket to carry all of my soaps, shampoos and razor in, but i didn't come prepared for the hair in the shower. being a blonde, i guess i never had to confront the fact that i do lose hair in the shower and it might get on the walls or floor of the shower. my hair simply blended in or disappeared against our shower walls at home. in college, however, there were other people who used the showers besides me, and they weren't all blondes. i remember walking into the shower one of those first mornings and seeing long, dark hair on the walls of the shower. my gag reflexes kicked in as i quickly exited and searched for a safer shower. finding a hair-free shower eventually became a daily ritual for me, and i would try to wake up earlier than the other girls on my hall, just to get there right after our sweet cleaning lady left. i still can't seeing hair in a shower that isn't mine or LH's. something about it just really makes me gag.

something else i can't stand seeing in the shower is a spider. or any sort of bug, for that matter. when i was about 17, i was home alone and getting ready to shower when i noticed a really nasty, spiny looking bug in my shower. not one to let something like that survive and perhaps even escape the confines of the shower, i quickly found some bug spray with which to kill it. not only did it not kill it, that thing fought me and i thought it might climb out of the shower. i ran down to the garage and found a spray can of something that i wasn't really sure of, but it looked deadly enough to kill the monster lurking in my shower. back upstairs, i discovered that the mystery can did, in fact, deliver and kill the bug. it also spray painted the shower silver. oops!

just a few days ago, i discovered a better shower bug killer that washes away: my husband's shampoo =) i tell you what, this stuff really does the trick and kills the yuckiest of spiders:

so tell me, how do you kill the bugs in your shower?

having a baby the military way

2008-08-26T16:32:00.003-05:00

as soon as we found out that we were pregnant, we went to the military hospital to switch my health care from "standard" to "prime." basically, this means that instead of paying a co-pay and choosing my own doctors, i decided to see military doctors and let the military pay for everything. LH and i decided that this was the best choice for us at this time because we have heard nothing but good reviews of the hospital and doctors here and also because hey, why not take advantage and use the resources that are provided for us? how often do you get to have a baby and come out with a hospital bill of $5.00 which was only charged because your hubby ate a meal with you?

i was given the opportunity to request a female doctor and much to my relief, actually ended up with one. she is probably around the same age as LH and me and just had her first baby last year. luckily, we really hit it off and i'm already looking forward to my next visit. seeing my doctor in uniform wasn't nearly as weird as i expected it to be, and i've been treated just as well by the nurses and staff as i was at civilian doctor's offices that i've been to in the past. the more i hear and see, the more i like it.

i've also decided to take advantage of some free one-on-one parenting classes that the military provides. at first, i was a little skeptical when a friend recommended it. i mean, i am an avid reader and have friends that are moms and all, so why do i need the military to help me raise my child? are they going to try and brainwash me? well, after my first visit by the representative today, i'm hooked. the lady that will be working with me is so laid back and showed me all of the books and materials that they provide for us, as well as the classes that are offered on base. i especially like the new dad's class that lets the dads wear pregnant bellies filled with water while they try to climb a flight of stairs and get in and out of a bed. they also get to practice holding newborn babies. oh, and women are not allowed in the class. anyhow, i'm totally taking advantage of the free resources that are available. for all the quirkiness involved in being "married to the military," there are so many privileges and benefits and i'm making it my goal to use them as much as possible.

you are what you eat

2008-08-25T10:41:00.004-05:00

i meant to thank you all for your well wishes after i announced our pregnancy. it was exciting to see comments from new and anonymous readers; i love checking out new blogs and reading what you all have to say! i obviously have quite a few mommy readers out there, so please, tell me how on earth i am supposed to handle being so hungry during this pregnancy!

i've always been one of those "eat to live" type people and unfortunately, i'm notorious for forgetting to not only eat, but also to feed my adorable husband. pre-pregnancy, it would be about 7:00 at night before LH would turn to look at me with a somewhat bashful, "are we going to eat sometime soon?" then i would realize that not only had i not started making dinner, but i had not thawed any meat from the freezer or planned anything. those are the nights that we usually have pasta or grilled cheese sandwiches.

now that i'm pregant, however, LH is in heaven. there is no way that i'm missing any meals now, because this baby likes to eat! my problem seems to be that i just don't know what to eat. seriously, this whole problem of being hungry but not wanting anything in particular seems so weird to me. i'll be starving and just rummaging through the pantry and refrigerator trying to find something that is healthy and actually sounds good. yesterday, we had some yummy turkey burgers with toasted cheesy buns for lunch and then i was hungry 20 minutes later, so i had a nutri-grain bar. i also had some vanilla yogurt and some caramel ice cream as a snack after we went for a run at the local track. oh, and don't forget the chocolate chip pancakes that we had for dinner! i'm trying to drink tons of water with everything, just to make sure i'm not mistaking the hunger for thirst, but so far that hasn't seemed to be a problem. this is craziness, i tell you!

all this talking about food has my stomach growling again. please excuse me while i go stare into the depths of our refrigerator for the third time this morning.

mama always knows

2008-08-25T09:11:00.007-05:00

i happen to be very picky and cheap when it comes to style. it's my mom's fault, really. she taught me that it is better to spend more for quality now because it will last much longer than clothing that might be cheaper in the short run. same idea as my expensive haircut theory - the cost per wear is much less. my mom also taught me that you don't have to pay full price for the more expensive, quality clothes and shoes. she is better than anyone i know when it comes to finding a bargain, and she passed on some of her skills to me.

it's because of that drive to find the perfect bargain and our lack of "fun money" (thanks to two house payments and one income), that i've been making do with these shoes.

in all honesty, i could get by with the shoes in these pictures just fine throughout my entire pregnancy. the only problems with the shoes in the first picture are that they all have heels over 3 inches high. i love heels, but i'm pretty sure that it won't be in my best interest to wear them 100% of the time while my body is changing shape and weight.

the second picture features the flat shoes in my wardrobe. the first is an adorable pair of jeweled flip flops that always bring plenty of compliments every time i wear them. they also have no support and are super slick on the bottom, which always leads to at least one episode of me looking like i've stepped on a banana peel every time i wear them. my running shoes are just that. i don't want to wear them down by wearing them when i'm not running or working out because they are more expensive to replace than a pair of flip flops and it's extremely rare to find a good sale on the exact style and size of running shoes that i need. the last pair of flip flops in this picture are cute, black, foamy tevas that i bought last summer. they look great with shorts and with sundresses. the only problem with these shoes is that i've worn them so much that they look ragged, and bozeman also happens to love them as much as i do. he carries them around the house in his mouth and the foamy material just can't stand up to his teeth, so i have the world's first pair of bozeman-personalized-tevas.

okay, so back to the whole purpose of this post. i've been looking for a supportive pair of flat shoes that are versatile, good quality and cheap. so far, no luck. until thursday of last week, that is. my mom called me on thursday morning and asked if i was busy. since scrubbing the inside of my crock pot does not really qualify as busy, i said no, and she asked if i could do something for her. she asked me to check out dillard's online shoe sale and pick out two pairs of shoes that i wanted. let me just say that my mom had no idea that i happened to be on the hunt for shoes or that i even needed them. even though i am 28 years old, my mom still has that mother's intuition. it probably didn't hurt that i had prayed and asked God for help.*

after over an hour of searching on the website and narrowing down my choices, i emailed my mom with the links to two pairs of shoes that i wanted. the first pair was just a replacement of my black tevas and they were on sale for $7.00. the second was a cute pair of merrell flip flops that totally had the supportive and non-slippery soles that i had been looking for. after seeing my selection, my mom called me and said that those two pairs didn't add up to much and asked if there was another pair that i might want. wow... not one to turn down an offer like that, i found another pair of merrell sandals that, while they had a funky looking fabric on them, were also supportive and perfect for walking the dog in the rain. so, not only did my mom place an order for three new pairs of shoes for me, but they also arrived on saturday! who doesn't love a surprise like that? here are my new shoes on my gigantic, size 11 feet:

*and yes, i do pray for much less selfish things, too. i'm just not against asking God to fulfill all of my needs. i love these verses that remind us not to worry about this sort of thing: "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

still waiting on that explanation i promised?

2008-08-20T07:56:00.008-05:00

here is the picture of our new tractor. it doesn't look very new in this picture because it's all dusty, but believe me - it is new and it can mow really fast. LH is so good that he can actually mow our grass at 7mph. i need to get a video.

and are you the least bit curious about this picture that i shared with you earlier this week?

would you believe that both pictures have the SAME explanation? in case you are still wondering, maybe this picture will help you out a bit:

that's right... we're pregnant! woohoo! LH was a little worried about letting me mow the grass for three sweaty hours while also trying to grow a baby, so he took over the duties. less than a week later, the in-laws let us know that they wanted to help us out and they bought a riding lawnmower for our anniversary/baby present. do i have the greatest in-laws, or what?

as far as the mac & cheese goes, it sounded really good when i bought it and when i ate it, but i haven't wanted it since then. same story for the salt & vinegar chips and the shockers candy. i have really had a great pregnancy so far, without any morning sickness, but i have had some definite food aversions and the food cravings come on so suddenly it is ridiculous. i've also discovered that if i'm hungry, i have about 15 minutes to eat something before i get so hungry that i can't think about anything but food. we had a bit of a scare two weeks ago and i had to stop exercising, but as of this week's doctor's appointment, i have permission to start working out and running again, so hopefully i can continue to feed the baby's hunger without also getting flabby. i know the weight gain will happen eventually, and i'm not worried about that, but i would like to keep my muscles in shape for labor & delivery and then the recovery that follows.

whew, there is so much to talk about now that i've let the cat out of the bag. oh, and since my due date is march 16th, the day before st. patrick's day, i think we can all agree that this baby should be nicknamed lucky baby.

weekend food and what i need

2008-08-19T10:32:00.008-05:00

every saturday, with very few exceptions, i make buttermilk pancakes from scratch for LH. it's easy and is something that totally makes his day, so i'm more than happy to do it. when he was little, his friends actually used to call him "maples" because he liked maple syrup so much. i think they were on to something, because whenever LH eats pancakes and syrup, he smells like maple syrup for the entire day!

i think i've mentioned before that bozeman is quite a social butterfly. so much so, in fact, that he sometimes has problems eating when we aren't watching. saturday, LH and i were trying to get bozeman to eat his food while we were eating breakfast and it just wasn't happening. LH ended up putting bozeman's toy squirrel next to the food bowl and told bozeman that his squirrel was eating his food and he better get some before it was all gone. it turned out that bozeman doesn't mind sharing his food.

and this is what happens when it's 2:00pm and you haven't eaten lunch yet and then talk to a friend on the phone about the macaroni and cheese that she just ate. i had to run out to the store right away and buy not just one box, but three boxes of macaroni and cheese. i also threw in a bag of my favorite potato chips and my favorite candy for good measure.

and finally, i couldn't resist adding this part. amy and k did this on their blogs recently and i thought it was hilarious, so here we go. these are the top then things that "i need" according to google:
1. LW needs a kid (doesn't bozeman count?)
2. LW needs a bit of help to get up on the bed (maybe on our ginormous guest bed, but certainly not in our bed)
3. LW needs a housewife like me (i can't even count how many times i said this when i had a "real" full time job)
4. LW needs help with her baby, y'all (um...)
5. LW needs to come home (my mom must have put this one out there so i would come visit)
6. LW needs coffee show (some coffee does sound really good right now, especially with some milk in it)
7. LW needs facebook (i've already got it)
8. LW needs your help! (sure... anyone want to send some free money my way?)
9. LW needs kelly's backing (i don't have any friends named kelly, but i'll take her support, whoever she is)
10. LW needs a china destination (ooh! i'd really LOVE to go to china. anyone have some extra olympics tickets that they want to give me?)

if you try the google search on your own blog, link to it from my comments so everyone else can get a good laugh out of it =)

one of the many reasons i love my husband

2008-08-18T20:55:00.003-05:00

lucky hubby: "why don't you stay here and get ready for bed while i take bozeman out for his last walk of the night?"

lucky wifey: "okay!" {pause, then groan} "ugh, i forgot that i still have to make the bed. i washed the sheets today."

lucky hubby: "that's okay, we can just sleep in sleeping bags. we don't need sheets!"

**note: i did actually end up making the bed while he walked the dog**

there's a perfectly good explanation for this

2008-08-13T16:03:00.005-05:00

i'm not sure how to say this, but something new has taken up residence in our garage. it has replaced a certain toy about which i once bragged... and just like my title suggests, there is a good reason for the appearance of this riding lawn mower. if you happen to see my comment on the pioneer woman's home and garden page today, you'll know exactly what i'm talking about.

exactly two years ago today

2008-08-01T08:03:00.005-05:00

well, i can't tell you exactly what i was doing two years ago today, but i can tell you where i was. LH and i were on our honeymoon in big sky, montana. we were totally enjoying every minute, too. on the 29th, when we celebrated our 2nd anniversary, i tried to close my eyes and imagine that i was back in montana, smelling the crisp, fresh air and listening to the rushing waters of the gallatin river just outside our room. i felt the breeze blowing through my hair as we road mountain bikes around ousel falls and then tasted the peanut butter and honey sandwich that we ate later from the hungry moose market & deli. i also thought about the delicious elk tenderloin and amazing fresh bread and butter that came along with it.

last night, i tried to get LH to be imaginative with me and imagine himself back in montana. unfortunately, when he closed his eyes he only smelled our neighbors' burning trash and all he felt were the bugs getting him in the thick, humid air as we walked bozeman. welcome to reality. i'm so thankful that we were able to totally spoil ourselves on our honeymoon two years ago and start our marriage off with so many wonderful experiences together. i know that we'll make it back to montana one day and that we might even have future trips better than our honeymoon, but those first memories together will always be extra special to me. that was the week that i practiced calling LH my husband and i tried to introduce myself by my married name without slipping up and using my maiden name. we were giddy in love and starry-eyed over each other, not much unlike how we still are... but already i understand what older couples mean when they say how they love each other so much more than the day they were married. it's true. i can't imagine what it will be like when we reach our 50th anniversary. well, i can imagine the wrinkles and sagging body parts, but that's beyond the point =)

scuba steve

2008-07-28T13:42:00.006-05:00

bozeman is a camera hound. LH was trying on some old gear that we "found" while cleaning out one of the spare bedrooms and i thought it would be funny to take a few pictures. except bozeman thought i was taking pictures of him. i eventually got the dog out of the way to take these pictures to share with the world.

now you know that LH has a great sense of humor. and no, he isn't fat. those are roller hockey shorts that he is wearing. he asked if i thought that he should sell them on craiglist so we would have more room around here, but i actually said no, because he might need to use them one day when we have kids who want to play roller hockey with him. besides, if he got rid of those, he might have more leverage in trying to get me to get rid of all my old dance shoes and leotards and 30 pairs of tights. because i might need those one day, too, you never know. one day, i might miraculously be able to stand up in my point shoes again while wearing a teeny tiny leotard and tights that show off my ballerina figure. it's always good to have goals.

aha!

2008-07-25T13:33:00.002-05:00

i love "aha" moments in life. you know how suddenly a bunch of details add up to finally make sense and you get this aha feeling? the night LH and i got engaged, i had flown in to visit him directly from work. he was getting ready to deploy for the first time and i was there to say my goodbyes. we had dinner plans for that evening and i changed into what i thought was the perfect outfit however, after i came out of the bathroom, LH asked if i could wear something different. LH had never had any objections about any of my clothes, so i was kind of surprised, but i changed into a somewhat nicer shirt. later, after he proposed, it all made sense. he knew that we were about to get engaged and that i would want a nicer shirt for the pictures that we were going to send to everyone with the news. aha!

and then there were those two crazy years where i decided that God wanted me to stay single. whew! what on earth was that about? once i met LH and realized that he was going to be deploying a few times during our lifetime, those two years all made sense. during that time, i learned how to be more independent and lost all fear of showing up at places where i knew no one and just jumping in to new situations. that definitely prepared me to survive 6+ months without the love of my life by my side.

sometimes, i have aha moments from God, too, and i totally love them. so many seemingly insignificant details will all suddenly make sense and i'll realize that he was preparing me for that exact moment in time and i'll be so grateful. i have some distinct memories where i've been sitting on the floor or walking the dog or talking to LH and suddenly it all makes sense. most of the moments are just too private to share on a blog with the world. others i may work up the courage to share later. but you know, it all makes me wonder about where LH and i are in life right now. for all i know, we're paying for two homes with one income in this weird little town because God is preparing us to live in africa one day on a teeny tiny salary. okay, i don't really think that's it at all, but that's exactly the gist of what i mean. i could keep on guessing forever about our situation right now, or i could just make the best of it and know that the aha moment is out there somewhere. one day, it will all make sense and i'll know it all had a purpose.

it's time to talk about the barbies

2008-07-23T10:09:00.005-05:00

i've procrastinated long enough. it's time to tell the barbie story. these were the original barbies:

i'm kind of in the center with the long-sleeved, white t-shirt. we eventually added more barbies to our group once we came back to the states, but these were the originals.

it all started on a missions trip to slovakia. we were running an english/sports camp for high school kids in the area and our dorm had two whole showers for 80+ girls. we also didn't have any hot water. having experienced similar living conditions on a trip to russia the year prior, i thought nothing of enduring a cold shower as long as the end result was that you were clean. i also didn't think twice about putting a little baby powder in my hair to soak up the oil if i didn't wash my hair every day. hey, blondes can do those sorts of tricks and get away with them. anyhow, coming down for breakfast one morning, M noticed that my hair looked pretty clean and teased me, asking if i was "missions barbie" or something. i let them all in on my hair secret, but the name stuck. i was missions barbie from there on out.

later that afternoon during craft time, M did something really embarrassing. i mean, so embarrassing that i won't risk telling her story on here unless she outs herself in the comments =) anyhow, after that little episode, we dubbed M as "cg barbie." i wish i could tell you what the cg stands for, because it is so funny. anyhow, she ended up with a more interesting name a few months later and it was "rv barbie." A was much taller and stronger than most of us, so we called her "xena barbie." K was teeny, tiny and she became "skipper."

it all sounds a little childish to be calling your friends barbie names, but we had all bonded during our trip and there seemed no better way to show it than to become the "barbies" and to later invite others to become barbies with us. here are some of the ways we bonded:

here, xena barbie and i are shaving our legs in the bathroom sink. we decided that it was better than shaving in the cold shower with goose bumps.

skipper barbie and i had just gone for a really long run through the city before this picture was taken. when we came back in to the cafe where everyone was hanging out, someone asked if we could help them out by washing dishes. we thought that they were just kidding around, so we agreed. we soon realized that they weren't kidding, and we just could not stop laughing at our situation. thus my red face...

and here are skipper, cg and xena barbies on an escalator back in the states. i think this was the time that we had just gone out for dinner at the cheesecake factory and then decided that we needed to go to lord & taylor to find and try on the most hideous evening gowns that we could possibly find. that was awesome. anyhow, here are the girls striking funny poses while i took the picture.

we also used to go running together quite a bit. i only wish someone had recorded us during those runs... we would make up the most insane songs to sing and keep ourselves going. now, the barbies live all over the world. we still share the barbie-bond, though, and if we ever run across each other it is like no time has passed at all. anyone else have any barbie friends or stories?

milestone

2008-07-20T12:27:00.002-05:00

this past monday was bozeman's 2nd birthday. he must have known it somehow and decided to give us a gift before we could give him anything. guess what he did for LH and i? he lifted his leg to pee like a big dog! you may laugh, but this is a big deal in our house. bozeman has lifted his leg about four more times since then, but nothing in the past couple of days. i'm sure he's just building up the confidence to do it once more. my neighbors probably think i'm crazy when they see me clapping and praising my dog for peeing.

fundraising can be fun!

2008-07-15T18:12:00.003-05:00

if you just read the title of this post and laughed sarcastically, then you probably went to school when you were a kid. or have a kid in school. or a neighbor kid who rings your doorbell once a week to sell yet another fundraising item. back in high school, i was actually our marching band's drum major. as the band nerd leader, i was supposed to set a good example for the rest of the group and do things like sell the most pies or pizzas or rolls of wrapping paper every time we did a fundraiser. which was pretty much every month. i hated it like i hate the squishiness of corn and peas when you bite down on them. i almost always sold the minimum amount and determined that i would just lead in other areas. like doing pushups and being the best musician.

anyhow, i digress. since becoming a military wifey, i've gotten involved in the spouse clubs at each base. usually, each spouse club has a group that they sponsor or donate money to every year. in order to get the money, we usually hold fun fundraisers like root beer float sales and silent auctions. much more painless than the kind they did back in school. and much better causes, if you ask me. i'd much rather work hard to raise money for military members in need or children of veterans killed in combat or for civilian employees on base who might need some financial support than for a band member to go to band camp or for the band to drive half way across the country to compete in some little competition. granted, those experiences are important when you are in school, but sometimes other needs in life take precedence.

today, the spouse club that i'm currently a part of held a lunch sale fundraiser on base. i don't think i'm stretching it a bit to say that we raised a couple thousand. one of the wives totally got on the ball and had businesses donating food and coupons and even take-out boxes for us to sell homemade lunches in. it was awesome to see how everyone came together to work for such a great cause. it also warmed my heart to see how so many members of our military were willing to give so much to help us. rather than set a price for lunch, we asked for donations only. once the guys and gals buying the lunches found out a little bit more about who we were raising money for, they gladly opened their wallets and gave much more than i could have ever imagined. we live in such a wonderful country where we are free to give and help others and i felt very blessed to be a part of an effort like today's lunch sale.

and speaking of high school... my ten year reunion is this summer and guess what? i'm totally not going. i just really have no desire to catch up on some people's lives and as hard as it is to believe if you read this blog, i really do like my privacy. did anyone else skip out on their reunion?

"take the wifey to work" day

2008-07-11T17:47:00.002-05:00

this morning, i willingly woke up at 4am. bozeman and i went for our morning walk while it was barely light outside and i ate breakfast much sooner than normal. i even skipped shaving my legs in the shower so i wouldn't be late. for what, you ask? for work with LH! today was his department's spouse appreciation day and they gave us the chance to walk a few steps in our spouses' shoes. i even got to wear one of LH's uniforms. of course, it might have been better if i had gotten the memo from a few of the other spouses that they were going to wear cute high heeled shoes with the uniforms, but i decided not to let the lack of a stylish pair of shoes ruin my day.

after a quick little talk about safety and such, we spouses were given a short tour. we got to see the men and women that work with our hubbies every day and see the spaces where our hubbies spend many of their waking hours. i've seen that sort of thing before, so while i was impressed, it wasn't earth shattering. what was, however, was seeing my hubby in action. i actually got to go through some of his daily routines by his side and see how difficult some of his work really is. i even got to try a few things on my own! not only was i impressed with the level of skill needed, but i was also impressed with the manner in which LH conducted his business. it was like seeing my hubby through a new pair of eyes and i liked it very much. i've always had oodles of respect for LH, but today, it multiplied exponentially. LH is a big stud. i just thought you all should know that =)

of course, while i would have tried my darndest to keep up with the pace all day long, i didn't have the option. instead, i headed over to the gym on base and waited for LH to finish up for the day. while i ran on the treadmill, i had happy thoughts of LH running through my head. i not only feel like i understand the job a little bit better, but also my hubby and his coworkers. today's fun day raised my respect and patience levels and i hope that they will continue to do this sort of thing in the future and hopefully spread it around for other departments and to other bases.

everyone loves a picture post

2008-07-08T04:44:00.009-05:00

we finally got LH's camera back from my parents and i downloaded the pictures from our tahoe vacation. enjoy!

this was my first trip ever to a cabela's store. i enjoyed the drive over there as much as the store itself. carson valley is a beautiful place and reno was nothing like i expected. as you can see in the pictures, you don't just shop in cabela's. i wish we had pictures of LH and me practicing in the toy shooting range =)

emerald bay is a beautiful place on lake tahoe with, surprise, emerald colored water. we took a boat ride out to it to get a closer look. there is an amazing castle on emerald bay that was built back in 1929. it definitely looks like it could have been built in the past decade.

after spending a couple of hours on the boat to emerald bay, LH, my FIL and i were ready for some fishing. we headed over to the gorgeous and very hidden echo lake. this is the same echo lake where i was uber-worried about mountain lions attacking me. the echo chalet is incredibly stocked. i would go so far as to call it a mini whole foods! i guess they have to keep it full of such yummy and organic foods because of all the desolation wilderness hikers and cabin owners that visit. oh, and please don't out me on my fashion faux-pas of wearing boots with shorts. sometimes you have to do that in the mountains.

we also fished at fallen leaf lake. here, a steller jay kept coming back to visit LH and me. probably because i fed him a peanut...

i wish i had more pictures to share, but i'm notorious for enjoying the moment and totally forgetting about pulling out the camera until it's too late. oh well! hope you enjoyed...

a special note from the lucky doggy

2008-07-03T11:01:00.002-05:00

bozeman here. i'm taking the computer away from the lucky wifey because she has made me listen to abba one too many times today.

does my fur look soft in this picture? that's because i've conditioned it with pear juice, fresh from the tree. then i rolled in some grass clippings. all of this led to my mom brushing me a whole lot, which i really liked. a lot. she's a good brusher.

speaking of the wifey... she's coming down the hall right now. quick! how do i publish this thing??

the good, the bad and the thursday

2008-07-03T07:31:00.004-05:00

if you've ever seen the movie game plan, you know that "stupid is a mean word." i agree. i also think that hate is a mean word. so rather than do the "love/hate" game that i like reading on other blogs, i've decided to create my own version. as you can see in the title, it is called "the good, the bad and the thursday." because thursdays aren't quite fridays they are kinda ugly. so there you have it. and here you have my good, bad and thursday list for the week:

good: nice, clean cut grass with straight lines

bad: women don't sweat, they glisten. however, if anyone happens to drive by while i'm mowing the grass, they'll realize what a lie that is... because i usually lose a couple pounds just from sweating while mowing the grass (don't worry, the pounds come back as soon as i rehydrate)

thursday: dirt and grass clippings stick to the sweat and create a nice, pasty mess that has to be sprayed off with the hose before entering my relatively clean house

good: realizing that you have a pear tree in your back yard that is producing mass quantities of pears. i'm pulling my paula dean cookbook off the shelf to find a good cobbler recipe

bad: LH doesn't eat pears

thursday: bozeman likes pears. he also likes to roll on top of them over and over again

good: we are dog sitting this weekend so bozeman won't be lonely

bad: my parents called to say that they are visiting with their dog as well (this isn't really bad, because i love it when they visit. it's just going to be a full house!)

thursday: i still haven't gone to the grocery store. maybe my parents will enjoy eating cereal three times a day?

anyone have any good, bad and thursdays of their own to share? happy early fourth of july!

a little stress will do you good

2008-07-02T10:27:00.003-05:00

yesterday afternoon, i about lost it. i had just spent hours picking up tree branches and pine cones in our yard from a recent storm and then mowing said yard. i had also been communicating with the property management company that we hired to rent out our condo. the second set of renters that they had found for us had fallen through. on top of that, the air conditioning company that had been out to the condo to figure out why our year old HVAC was not working had determined that our problem was actually electrical and told us to call an electrician. that meant another $100 fee for someone to go out to our condo and tell us how much more we need to spend to fix a hopefully small problem. i also had yet to hear back from our condo association's manager about some questions i had for him.

the stress of it all finally hit me when i was trying to finish up some laundry. the tears started flowing and i just sat down on the floor in my laundry room. i told God that he had to take over because i just couldn't handle this. was this really how life was supposed to be? paying for two houses with one salary? why can't i even get a real job here? are we even living where we are supposed to be living? did we come to the wrong city? ugh. then, after all the questions that i threw up to God, i told him that i wished he could just scoop me up in his arms and tell me everything is going to be okay. wouldn't you know it, bozeman walked right around the corner not thirty seconds after i said that? he just stood right in front of me and kissed my face and stayed there for a good five minutes or so. dogs really are man's (and woman's) best friend. i took that as God telling me that everything was going to be okay. maybe not easy, but okay.

so this morning, i took charge and started calling electricians to get advice. one company won my business because they advised that i call the power company and have them come out to the condo first since they are free of charge and the problem might be theirs anyhow. i called and they went out to look at the line and meter at our condo. it turns out that the problem is not theirs, but they were able to tell me that our problem is right on the other side of the meter, that it is frozen and should be an easy fix. i hope. i also got in touch with a lady at our condo association's office who was able to answer all of my questions and i was able check that off my list. whew. i had forgotten how much i love working under pressure. back at my favorite job, where i worked before i got married, i was constantly under pressure and did my best work with a deadline and stressed boss breathing down my neck. so today, when i was handling all of these issues over the phone, i slipped right back into my work-mode and took charge. it felt really good and yesterday's break down was just a memory.

in celebration of the turn of events (even if they aren't all resolved yet), bozeman and i just danced around our office for like fifteen minutes straight. bozeman absolutely loves dancing. and singing. probably because LH and i do a lot of both. bozeman and i just danced to quite a selection: all i want to do by sugarland, if i were a rich man from the fiddler on the roof, weapon of choice by fatboy slim (which included an imitation of christopher walken's dancing) and cinderella by steven curtis chapman. if you have little girls, download that last song and you'll cry.

do all dreams have hidden meanings?

2008-07-02T07:16:00.008-05:00

when we were on vacation over at lake tahoe earlier this month, we went fishing at a nearby lake called echo lake. the lake is absolutely gorgeous and also has quite a bit of snow around it as it sits at 7400 feet. i almost considered putting up a tent and claiming a little patch of ground as my very own. and then i considered the possibilities of not having a blow dryer for my hair and i willingly followed LH back to his parents' condo where all things luxury awaited me.

anyhow, the pacific crest trail and desolation wilderness are right there at the lake and LH was kind enough to remind me that it truly is wilderness out there. earlier, my FIL had mentioned that i shouldn't go running alone outside since mountain lions have been known to attack and kill runners. i certainly didn't argue with that. so while we were hiking and fishing around echo lake, all i could think about was the numerous mountain lions that were stalking me. when i found the perfect fishing spot under a fallen tree, i thought about how the trunk of the tree was the perfect spot for a mountain lion to perch and watch me before he or she pounced. shiver. suddenly, it all made sense why nearly every pair of hikers we had seen on the pacific crest trail had a dog or two with them. they were the bait to distract the mountain lions from attacking the humans!

i obviously survived the trip without any mountain lion attacks or sightings, but i was constantly looking over my shoulder. once we were back home, i had a dream about those silly felines. in my dream, LH and i were working at a ranch where we ran a camp for kids. we took the kids horseback riding, fishing, etc. the ranch was in mountain lion country, but we were able to keep a safe distance from them because someone from our ranch had tracked down all of the mountain lions, tranquilized them, and put bright greenish, yellow reflective vests on every single one of them. problem solved.

i kind of doubt that this dream has any hidden meaning other than:
*the fact that i don't want to be eaten by a mountain lion
*i wish there was a way to spot mountain lions way before they even got close enough to stalk or pounce
*i like kids
*i don't want kids to get eaten by mountain lions
*i spend too much on the pioneer woman's website
*i have a very active imagination

what do you think? anyone ever actually had a mountain lion encounter?

p.s. i love the advice in one of the articles i linked you to: convince the mountain lion that you are not prey and that you may be a danger to the lion. riiiiiiight. and you can do that by providing them with a convincing argument that they'd be better off chasing down a wild deer?

haird to believe

2008-07-01T10:38:00.003-05:00

i'll admit to being a hair snob. i willingly pay ridiculous amounts to have someone shampoo, condition, cut and blow dry my hair. maybe it comes from a bad experience in 4th grade when my mom accidentally chopped my bangs and i had to live with 1" bangs until they grew, but I think the most reasonable explanation for my desire to spend so much on a hairdo is probably best summed up this way: a hair style is something you wear every day. if you wore the same shirt or dress or pants every single day, you'd choose something that made a good impression, right? and even though the initial sticker price might be a little shocking, the cost-per-day would be relatively low. correct? so the same goes for a hair style. it may seem ridiculous, especially if you are like me and wear your hair pulled back in some way 75% of the time (i attribute that problem to my ridiculously low forehead), but when you look at it on a cost-per-day basis, it really isn't that expensive at all. that may or not make sense to you, but it has always made me feel better when i check out at the salon register.

that being said, last week, i made a completely uncharacteristic move and went to a little, hole-in-the-wall hair salon that is very close to our house. i'm not sure what came over me. i totally ignored the wonderful advice and obviously wonderful haircut of a close friend who found a great salon in the area and thought, hmm, i think i should check out this local hair place. so last week, i shelled out a whole $20 for a shampoo, condition, cut and blow dry, and i think i'm still kind of reeling from the shock of it all. what was i thinking? at least i have long hair and you can't really mess that up too bad.

when the stylist started making the first cuts before determining where my hair is parted, i just told myself that she would fix it before making the important cuts. but when she started cutting into a chunk of hair without actually making sure the hair was all straightened and evenly held between her fingers, i got nervous. it was at that point that i decided to just not even worry about it. sometimes people are more important than the hair snob that lurks inside. maybe i was supposed to sit in this stylists chair and talk with her that day. maybe God helped me momentarily forget my desire to have a good hair cut so i would turn the wheel into the little parking lot and go visit this lady. who knows? so rather than get uptight, i just started talking to her. i'm not even sure if anything worthwhile was said, but she sure had fun talking back to me, and by they time she had finished blow drying my hair with her fingers and no brush, i was satisfied and had convinced myself that going in there for a haircut was exactly what i was supposed to have done that day.

however, by the time my ends need another trim i will take mrs. d's advice and go to her salon.

where to start?

2008-06-26T19:50:00.006-05:00

do you ever just have so much to say and no good place to start? thats me. not that there has been anything super exciting going on lately... although LH and i did just get back from two weeks of wonderful vacation! we spent some time with both of our families, went hiking and fishing, relaxed a bit and then came back home to go kayaking and do some much needed yard work. its always difficult to get back in gear after vacation. why is that? we have some great pictures that i'll post on here once i get to download them... the absent minded lucky wifey accidentally left the camera at my parents' house!

my brother has also been in town visiting us. this morning, he and i went kayaking for a whole twenty minutes. as we were putting the kayaks on top of the truck, we heard thunder and saw some serious clouds rolling in. rather than abandon our plans, we just decided to put the kayaks in further east and try to beat the storm. it kind of worked, in that we were able to at least get the 'yaks in the water and paddle a little ways out before seeing some lightning and paddling back to the boat ramp with incredible speed. we also weren't well prepared for the trip, so it was probably a good thing that we cut it short. whenever LH and i go kayaking, LH is very meticulous about strapping the kayaks to the truck and making sure we have all of our gear. during that time, i'm usually getting our water bottles, sunscreen, towels and hats all ready to go. this morning, however, my brother and i knew that we were in a time crunch because he had to head back home. so, we went for a quick - and when i say quick, i mean quick... i had forgotten how fast he runs - run around the neighborhood, then came back, strapped the kayaks to the truck and took off for our adventure. never mind the fact that i forgot sunscreen or water; we were feeling tough =)

oh, and thank you all for your concern a couple of weeks ago. i did finally get out of my predicament with the dress, although i had to use scissors. i didn't have to cut the dress itself, but the little strappy thing that is supposed to keep it on the hangar suffered a little. once i cut the strap from both sides of the zipper, i was able to work really hard to pull it through the zipper teeth and then free myself before LH came home from work. whew! who knew trying on clothes could be so difficult? one of the commenters, amanda, reminded me of the barbies. that is a whole week's worth of posting all in itself. i'll have to expound later.

and one last thought: i love the USO. we visited them in the airport during our travels and were served free pizza, soda, ice cream and water, all while watching the movie, ironman, in reclining theater seating. they are a wonderful organization. thank you!

it's not easy being blonde

2008-06-06T12:18:00.004-05:00

so, as a blonde, i'm able to attribute all of the silly and stupid things that i do to the color of my hair. not that i truly believe the color of my hair affects the function of my brain, but i use the stereotype to my advantage. recently, however, i've been having more and more "blonde" moments and i'm starting to get a little worried. at least i have plenty of opportunities to laugh at myself, right?

just last week, i decided to roast a whole chicken. believe it or not, i've never actually roasted a whole anything. not turkey or chicken or a pig or anything. shocking, i know. i thoroughly read the instructions and studied the pictures in my test kitchen cookbook all prior to even preheating the oven. i was determined to do it right. when i started trying to stuff the herbed butter compound between the skin and the chicken breasts, i decided that i was having so much trouble because my chicken was different. no worries, i just used a knife to help me along a little bit and was able to get the butter in there just like the picture. i expertly basted the top of the chicken with melted butter and even remembered to take out the packets of all that disgusting stuff inside. once it was all cooked and looked really tasty, i let it cool before carving it, just like the cookbook said to do. once i set the bird on my carving board and started carving just like the pictures in the cookbook, i realized something was really different about my bird. there were bones where there should have been thick, meaty chicken meat! bones! i was really concerned for a moment, but then the realization hit me. i had roasted my chicken upside down. quick to remedy the situation before LH noticed, i just flipped the bird over and carved like nothing had happened. of course, i had to tell him the truth because i thought it was so darn funny.

and then there was today. well, more like fifteen minutes ago. for some reason, i was going through the closet in our office and found the dress that i wore to LH's homecoming last year. i thought it might be a good dress to wear to a friend's upcoming engagement party, so i pulled it out and decided to try it on. never mind the fact that i had just finished a nice, sweaty run about thirty minutes ago and was desperately in need of a shower. i was just going to try it on real quick, look in the mirror and then hang it back up in the closet. i zipped up the side zipper, but realized that it wouldn't go up all the way. not because it doesn't fit, but because one of the little tabs that helps it stay on the hangar had gotten zipped up into the zipper in my haste. no problem, i figured i would just pull the zipper back down and get it unstuck. well, it didn't work. i'm stuck in this dress right now and have no idea how to get it off. LH is at work and i can't exactly go marching over to my sweet next door neighbor and ask her to unzip me out of this dress. i don't know what to do and i really don't want to keep wearing this dress all day until LH gets home from work. that will be fun to explain. "uh, yeah, well, i wanted to look nice for you, honey! don't mind the fact that i haven't showered yet and my hair has dried sweat all in it. at least i look cute, right?" yeah...

anyone have any advice? i am so stuck and feeling very blonde right now.

not so little brother

2008-06-04T13:25:00.004-05:00

when i was about two or three years old, my mom asked what i wanted for christmas that year. without a doubt, i told her that i wanted a little brother or sister, and i continued to ask for one in the years that followed. by the time that i was nine years old, i had stopped asking but still wanted a younger sibling, so i was thrilled when i found out that my mom was pregnant. and the whole deal with not telling anyone until she was far enough along in the pregnancy? that was torture because i was so excited and wanted everyone to know about it!

when my brother arrived, i was almost ten years old and more than ready to help my parents with him in any way possible. he became my best buddy and i never had any of those "i really hate my annoying brother" moments. when i was a rebellious teenager, i'd like to think that he learned from my mistakes. in college, i would even call my brother for advice with guys (although he is ten years younger than me, he has always been very wise). when i met LH, i was most concerned about what my brother thought of him. thankfully, they really get along great.

a couple of weeks ago, my brother graduated from high school and will soon be heading off to college. i'm so proud of the man that he has become and can't wait to see what is in store for him in the future. i know god has big plans for this kid. congratulations, little brother!

it's the little things

2008-05-28T08:19:00.005-05:00

two weekends ago, i ran in a 4 mile trail race. i had been training for it for awhile and was planning to get a new pair of running shoes after the race. since i wear a size 11 in regular women's shoes and need to go up a size in running shoes, i always end up buying men's running shoes. as long as my husband wears bigger shoes than i do, i can deal with it. i don't know why i set that as my standard, but it works in my head. anyhow, this time, i decided to take a friend's advice and look online for some asics that were on sale. not only were they on sale, but they went up to a size 13 in women's! i quickly placed my order for a size 12, and impatiently waited. last week, my shoes arrived and boy do they feel amazing. i don't know if it's because i'm so excited to be wearing women's running shoes, or because they're actually really good shoes, or both. i don't care which one it is, because they make me feel great when i run.

the other night, LH and i had to run over to lowe's to get a new toilet seat for the master bathroom. after several minutes debating the attributes of various lids, we settled on one with chrome fasteners (to match the sink faucet. not because i love chrome). as we were exiting the bathroom fixtures section of the store, LH dreamily said, "one day, we're going to live in a house longer than three years and then we're going to have a monster-sized toilet in our bathroom." i just laughed and thought to myself, "whatever makes you happy, baby. whatever makes you happy."

i guess there is merit to finding happiness in the little things in life.

mrs. green

2008-05-20T08:35:00.006-05:00

do you think it is possible to skip the green thumb altogether and go straight for the green hand? i'd like to think so.

i have always visualized myself as someone who would one day have a big garden in her backyard with lush landscaping around the house, but visualization is quite different than actualization! when i was younger, i constantly avoided helping my parents in the yard by using the old homework or piano practice excuse. unfortunately, that meant that i also missed out on learning any valuable gardening skills that they could have passed on to me. maybe i'll get lucky and learn that those skills are actually genetic?

since this is the first year that i've had my own yard, i started small. even though i like to buy and eat as much organic as possible, i went all out and used miracle grow and some other sort of special fertilized soil just to make sure these puppies didn't die on me (and because i decided to plant a garden on a whim). here's what we have so far:

the owner of this house had a fondness for red mulch and applied layer after layer over the past decade or so. this mulch is the bane of my existence. well, that's stretching it a bit, but i really don't like it. every week, i rake up bags of the stuff and smush it into our trash bin for the trash guys to pick up. once i think i've cleared an area, it rains and more floats to the surface.

as you can see, the cucumber plants were already starting to wilt from the morning sun when i took this picture. don't worry, i quickly put down the camera and picked up the watering can. i missed getting the feverfew and chamomile in this shot. i have no idea what feverfew is, but i planted it. i also realize that i planted the tomatoes way too close together.

my plan is to experiment with the gardening this year and then if i am successful, i'm going to actually plant a much bigger, organic garden next year. after some much needed research, of course.

anyone else gardening this year? want to pass any tips or secrets on to me?

because birthdays should be fun

2008-05-15T08:08:00.005-05:00

this year, i jokingly told LH that i was going to throw a transformers themed birthday party for him. he thought it was a sweet idea and so i began thinking of a non-cheesy way to include some transformers in his birthday celebration. since i happen to work with the mother of an amazing cake decorator, i enlisted her for help. rather than tell her exactly what i wanted, i said that my first preference would be to have optimus prime on a cake, with bumblebee as my second choice. she took it from there and went way beyond my expectations. this was the result:

we had several friends over to celebrate LH's birthday and i made quite a few of LH's favorite foods:
tri-tip, garlic mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, sockeye salmon, couscous, salt and pepper potato chips (i didn't actually make those. they came right out of the bag), coronas with lime, black cherry soda, peanut butter pie and of course, the birthday cake (which was made of chocolate cake and rice krispy treats!).

i just wish i had pictures of LH and i after all the guests left. we were playing with the leftover cake and realized that the dye on the fondant will come right off on your skin. needless to say, our faces and hands just about matched optimus prime.

remember this place?

2008-05-13T10:51:00.003-05:00

well, our condo still has not sold. our listing with our realtor expired last week and LH and i made the decision to go ahead and try to rent it out. we've also been dealing with the fun issues of finding new insurance for a "vacant/for sale" unit. anyhow, at church on sunday, we asked our small group to pray about our condo either selling or renting; we'd be happy with either one! today, LH got a phone call from a guy who saw one of our fliers that we put up nearly 5 months ago around his old office. LH wasn't able to talk to the guy at the time, so i called him back and answered all kinds of questions. he said that it sounds like exactly what he and his wife are looking for and he will be driving past it tonight to get a feel for the area. please say a prayer that he calls us back and wants to buy or rent it from us. this would be such a blessing right now.

our gender-challenged dog

2008-05-08T07:59:00.008-05:00

i admit that i may have girlified bozeman a bit while LH was deployed.

he understands the occasional need to bat his eyelashes in order to get his way.

but obviously, he isn't afraid to be a boy and get a little dirty.

however, i'm beginning to worry about whether or not he is secure in his dog-manhood. for some reason (and i might have to blame it on the red collar and leash), our neighbors all think that bozeman is a girl. so, when we come across one of them while out on a walk, they say things like, "she is such a good girl!" or, "we met a dog just like her while we were camping this weekend, but it was a boy." rather than correct our super friendly neighbors, i try to slip in a "he" or "him" during our conversation. if they don't seem to be catching on, i resort to using gender-neutral words while talking about the dog. "oh yes, golden retrievers are great family dogs!" it wasn't until this morning that i started to wonder what bozeman must think when he hears me talking this way. certainly he understands what is going on. before i know it, he's going to start asking for a pink leash or something. i shudder to think what LH will say.

i think i'm going to have to give in and get a blue collar and leash for bozeman, just to emphasize his manly-dogginess.

***LH wanted me to add that bozeman still doesn't pee like a man-dog. he hasn't figured out how to lift his leg, even though we've even tried to lift his leg for him.***

starting anew

2008-05-06T17:41:00.003-05:00

the main lodge, restaurant, wine cellar, lounge, laundry room and offices of the ranch where LH and i stayed on our honeymoon burned a couple of weeks ago. you can see the ranch here and the story here.

why is it okay for girls?

2008-05-06T06:53:00.004-05:00

after LH and i got married, i got rid of something especially icky in his wardrobe: his jorts (jean shorts). i had never witnessed LH wearing the jorts, but i didn't want to risk it. i even got rid of my favorite pair of american eagle jean shorts left over from high school. if LH couldn't have his, then i couldn't either. one of LH's previous bosses once showed up at a party wearing jorts with a hawaiian shirt. LH was quick to point them out to me and i just smiled, thinking how i had converted LH to a non-jort man. success.

this past sunday, i wore a denim pencil skirt with a khaki jacket to church. i had no question in my mind that it was okay to wear, because people wear jeans to our church all the time. however, on the way to church, LH said, "how come it's okay for girls to wear those?" wear what? oh!!! you mean denim? because a denim skirt is way dressier than denim shorts and not even close to becoming red neck attire (unless you wear one of those super short denim skirts that should not even be called a skirt. maybe "belt" is the better terminology). i was quick to point out the difference in the weight and color of the denim of my skirt as compared to jorts. then LH asked me what type of denim would be okay for men to wear, if i was to design "approved" jorts. i decided that if i actually had to design jorts for men, i would use a very soft, lightweight denim and follow the cut of bahama or golf shorts. kind of like these.

but really. are jorts ever going to be acceptable? not in this decade, if you ask me.

my new toy

2008-05-02T09:17:00.003-05:00

LH has allergies and it just isn't fun for him to cut the grass. luckily, i have always loved cutting the grass. except for the time when i was 12 and took my 2 year old brother for a ride on our riding lawn mower. i drove down the road to my friend's house, where i proceeded to do donuts in the gravel cul-de-sac to show off my mad lawn mower driving skills. and then my brother flew off the lawn mower and landed in the street. thankfully, i had enough sense to turn off the lawn mower before jumping down to rescue him and there wasn't even any blood involved. so, while my brother has never been able to understand his strong aversion to all things lawn mower, i have continued to enjoy cutting the grass.

our yard is pretty big here by "city" standards: one whole acre, and we debated for a long time on whether or not to hire a lawn service like most of our neighbors do. finally, after borrowing mr. and mrs. d's lawn mower twice, i was able to convince LH that i was not only capable of cutting the lawn, but that i enjoyed it. so a few weeks ago, he totally gave me the go ahead to go to lowes and buy a lawn mower. i researched it and then walked right into lowes and bought the lawn mower all by myself, all while LH was at work. i don't think he really believed that i would go through with it. i even brought the mower home all by myself, took it out of the box (who knew that lawn mowers came in boxes?), put in the oil and gas and proceeded to mow the lawn all by myself with my brand new lawn mower. never mind the fact that LH came home that night and discovered the fact that i had mowed the entire lawn at an angle because the front right tire was higher than the left one. i thought you just had to adjust the level of the back tires. but now i know. and now, i am headed out to mow the lawn this morning and i am totally excited.

things that go bump in the dryer

2008-05-02T08:47:00.004-05:00

wednesday afternoon, i was doing some laundry and bozeman stopped by the laundry room before going on his way to squirrel-watch. he doesn't usually pay too much attention to laundry, except when he thinks he can snag a dirty sock to drag around the house. this time, however, he stood right in front of the dryer and tilted his head as he watched the clothes go round and round. i stopped my ironing for a minute and looked in there with him. realizing that something was making a thumping noise, i opened the door and shuffled around to see what it could be. i determined that it was just LH's heavy cargo shorts with lots of pockets and buttons. bozeman went back to watching squirrels and i went back to ironing and whatever else i had planned that day.

fast forward to wednesday evening, after dinner, when i'm finally taking that load of laundry out of the dryer. there, right on top of all of the clothes, was LH's cell phone. the one that we had been searching for since we went out of town this past weekend. yup. here i was, worried that i had lost my touch at finding anything that LH had misplaced and all along, the cell phone was in the pocket of his shorts. too bad i didn't find it before it went through the super fast spin cycle in my spiffy washing machine or before it was blasted with high heat in the dryer. because then, maybe, it would still work. and then i wouldn't have to call our lovely phone company and ask them to send us a new one. but then, life wouldn't be so exciting without mishaps like this, right? =)

double standards

2008-04-30T11:54:00.004-05:00

so, we have this friend who is single and in the market for a husband. she's a great gal, seriously talented in interior design, loves to entertain and cook for friends, and absolutely adores children. the only problem? she is an officer in the military and hopes to continue to advance in her career until retirement. mrs. d and i were working out with her (i'll call her the designer) a few weeks ago and half-jokingly said that maybe she would find a male nurse. that way, the guy would have no problem finding a job wherever she is stationed. it is totally reasonable for a man to ask his wife to move around for his job every 3-4 years, but it's not the norm if the woman is the one doing the relocating. the corporate world doesn't exactly reward people who move around that often. i guess it is possible to find a company, with several locations, who allows you to transfer to a different office. but really, would a guy willingly agree to a lifestyle like that? i think the designer will have to find a free-thinking kind of person. or maybe an author or someone in the same branch of the military so they can be stationed together. really, though, i think our first idea of the male nurse is the best bet. anyone know any male nurses looking for a wife?

dream wedding

2008-04-29T10:09:00.003-05:00

so... as you probably guessed, the show totally changed everything about sara's wedding this past weekend. it was all a huge surprise to her, up until the moment that she walked down the aisle. there was a slight rain delay... as in a three hour delay, but most of the guests ended up waiting. while we were waiting at the original wedding location, they told us about how sara had met badgley and mischka while choosing her dress (which i can't find anywhere on b&m's website. it looked a lot like her original dress, but with a ton of bling on it). we also found out that the location had changed (which explained the lack of decor at the original location) and that it was going to be at this cool, old house down the road. some family friends were also waiting with us and told me about all the work that they had been doing all week to get the wedding location ready... painting park benches, etc. the ceremony location looked amazing and the flowers were to die for! the driveway was lined with white street lamps, white park benches and white pedestals holding gorgeous pink topiaries surrounded by candles. the reception was held behind the house in a gigantic white tent. you had to walk through a tented hallway to get there and you would never know that you were in a tent. there was a "waterfall" of pink umbrellas in the center of the tent that fell into a pool of pink rose petals. there were several different floral centerpieces on the tables and i tried my best to figure out how to take one home, but they were all to big to hide under my dress =) the food was delish and i wish i could do a better job remembering and describing it. crab cakes, shrimp and grits, corn bisque with truffles, etc. hmm... after we all started eating, they announced that emily west was going to sing the song for sara & bryan's first dance. she has an amazing voice, by the way. there was all kinds of stuff going on for filming that i'm sure sara will fill everyone in on. she will definitely do a better job describing everything as well. i wish i had pictures to share, but i kid you not, LH and i are both missing our battery chargers for our cameras. i ended up borrowing my mom's camera and then gave it back before downloading the pictures because they all turned out pretty fuzzy anyhow. so that's it for now... you'll just have to wait for sara to return from her honeymoon to get the rest of the story!

i take thee, lucky hubby

2008-04-25T07:07:00.007-05:00

so, in honor of sara's wedding this weekend, i thought i'd take a minute to remember my wedding a couple of years ago. we got married in a small mountain lodge and it was perfect for us. that's the thing that i love about weddings: every one is so unique and the location and decor usually match the personalities of the bride and groom so well. one of my very good friends from college is going to have quite the opposite wedding from mine this fall. she is actually going to have a gospel choir singing at hers; i had a dj. she also has twelve bridesmaids; i had three. but you know what? no one was at all surprised about any of her plans, and i am so excited to be a part of her wedding. it is going to be a blast. know who else's wedding is going to be fun? sara's =) anyone else dying to get a look at the dress she picked out in NYC?

this was our cake. it was made by one of my mom's very good friends who still lives in the midwest. i remember sneaking bites of leftover cake pieces at her house when i was little... in fact, i wish i had some right now! i have yet to find anyone who can make a wedding cake as tasty as she can.

here is a picture of me with a few of the women in my family. we were having a blast dancing to "we are family." isn't it funny how the bride usually does more dancing than anyone else at her wedding? i guess it's because she is just so incredibly happy and wants everyone to know it =)

now how cute is this? our flower girl was just plain bored with our wedding. isn't she so adorable?

well, those are probably the very few photos that don't have LH in them, and you know how protective i am about sharing his picture with the entire world. so what did you guys have special in your weddings that made it different from anyone else's? or, if you aren't married yet, what would you include in your wedding to make it unique?

WARNING YOU MUST HAVE A STRONG STOMACH TO READ THIS POST. IF YOU GET QUEASY EASY, JUST SKIP IT!

2008-04-23T13:52:00.003-05:00

this house uses a septic tank and is not connected to the sewer system. that means that we have to be careful about what we flush. that includes tampons. during that time of the month, i am careful to dispose of that sort of waste very discreetly in a small trash can in our master bathroom. i empty that trash can about every other day and have never had a problem with that system. until today.

as i was putting some freshly ironed clothes away this morning (sorry, had to throw that in there), i noticed that there was some torn toilet paper on bozeman's doggy bed. upon further investigation, i realized that this was toilet paper from our trash can and that there was a tampon wrapper lying next to it. great. a thorough search revealed no surprises lying around the house, but i kept my eyes open, just in case. having made it through most of the day without any such surprises, i convinced myself that he hadn't dug far enough into the trash can to get anything worse than the tampon wrapper. wrong.

just a few minutes ago, i got back from walking bozeman and had to give him a bath when we got home because he had poo all over his behind. want to know why? because when he squatted to go, it didn't all end up in the pile and some of the poo was still attached (i thought) to the hair around his tail. being the doggy mommy that i am, i took the poo bag that i was using to bag the poo and lifted up his tail, prepared to pull the rest of the poo off of his hair and into the bag. well, i pulled a little and then had to keep on pulling because it wasn't attached to the hair, but still coming out of his behind. my gag reflex started to kick in about the time that i noticed that what i was pulling out was really something white and covered in poo. you've probably already guessed what it was: a tampon covered in poo. eeeeewwwwwwww!!!!! the girlie side of me was gagging all the way home. the dog-mommy side of me was mad at myself for leaving something out where bozeman could get into it and eat something as disgusting as this. and then, the wifey side of me was thinking, "wait until i tell LH about this one!"

two whole years

2008-04-23T12:10:00.005-05:00

sometime during the second semester of my sophomore year in college, i heard about a group of people going to russia on a mission trip who were looking for a few more people to be on their team. this excited me for two reasons: 1) i had been interested in missions work ever since going to a church summer camp in 7th grade and 2) i had studied the russian language for three years in high school. so, of course, i applied to go with them and they accepted me.

before leaving to go to russia that summer, i sort of started dating a friend from high school who was an all around good guy. nothing serious and definitely safe. he ended up emailing me during my five weeks in russia, saying that we probably weren't meant to be together and he "didn't want to hold me back." he was right, and i knew it, but i was still broke up about it. since we were living and working in such close quarters, everyone on our team knew about the "break up" and a few gave me some good advice. one was one of the team leaders and another was one of my roommates who was a few years older and much more mature. they both told me, totally independent of each other, that they thought i should stay single for two years and try to concentrate on what god had to do in my life. funny enough, my dad also said the same thing, but also emphasized that i should concentrate on graduating from college. and no, i hadn't told him what these people had advised and he didn't even know them so they couldn't have told him for me. to top it off, i found out that a guy i had had a crush on since my freshman year in high school was moving across the country for a job for the next two years. i considered that my sign from god that i should follow these people's crazy advice, because obviously that guy was going to move back in two years and marry me!

i'll just tell you right now that that guy was not lucky hubby and is insignificant to rest of the story. not one week after getting home from russia, one of the guys from the trip called me to basically say that he wanted to date me. he had been like a big brother to me on the trip and i had never thought of him that way, and i figured the easiest way to let him down would be to tell him the truth: i wasn't dating anyone for the next two years! ha ha! this was going to be the best line ever. i never could have guessed that god would also have a one-liner for me.

there were three guys i had a hard time not dating during those two years. in fact, i just decided not to give them my line and try to forget about the whole two year commitment thing. wouldn't you know it, every single one of them would get no further than the second date before telling me that they "didn't want to hold me back." when the second one gave me that line, i just gave this sarcastic laugh and then had to explain that i wasn't laughing at him, but at how i knew god put those words in his mouth just to show me that he knew what i was up to and that it wasn't going to work (duh). sometimes it's nice to know that god has a sense of humor, you know?

anyhow, i ended up surviving through those terrible two years. i kid, i kid... it wasn't terrible and i'm so glad that i did follow through with the whole two year thing. i really figured out who i was, who i wanted to be and what kind of man i wanted. i think being single for that long taught me to turn to god in my loneliness and rely on him for so much more. it also really prepared me for having a hubby who deploys and has to work a lot. and it makes me feel better when i don't understand something that i'm going through at the time, because i can remember my two years and think about how it was all part of a greater plan.

oops!

2008-04-17T19:59:00.010-05:00

i'm here! and LH is with me! and we're doing great! i apologize to anyone out there who was worried, distraught or just plain sad. i kind of took an unplanned, unannounced sabbatical from blogging. part of it is LH's fault. if he didn't have such a great schedule right now and wasn't home so much, i would be spending way more time on the computer. instead, i get to have fun with him in the middle of the day... taking walks, going running or to the gym (little-man still checks my ID every time i go in there), running errands, and lately, watching star wars 4, 5, and 6. do you know that i've never seen any of them? LH realized this when we were playing lego star wars over the weekend and he is determined to right that wrong. last night, i fell asleep through the middle of 5 and will have to finish it tonight. so far, though, i really like it and can't believe i missed out for so long.

anyhow, LH has been about 60% of my distraction from blogging. the other 40% goes something like this:

"hmmm, i think i'll sit down and write a blog post" ... "oooh! but first, i want to see what sara has written about her wedding reality show lately" ... "oh, and the pioneer woman has a new website. maybe i should check it out" ... "did felicia's son say anything funny today?" ... "how is k adjusting to her new surroundings?" (you get the idea. i can't link to all of your blogs, sorry!) ...

and then, i would soon get to this: "oops! according to the schedule i wrote for myself this morning, i was supposed to be pulling weeds in the front yard for the past hour that i was reading everyone's blogs. next, i'm supposed to be organizing LH's "everything" room. i guess i better get off the internet quick and get something done around here before LH gets home." ... "oh man, that's his truck pulling up right now. bozeman, let's go say hi to LH!" and that's just about how it happened.

and soon, i just plain grounded myself. i decided that i couldn't blog or read blogs until i had finished my list. well, LH could tell you that i am kind of overly ambitious with my lists. obviously, i always had too much on my list (including running 7 miles in the rain with mrs. d) and never got around to blogging. i should probably just be honest with myself and include "blogging" on my to-do list and we'll all be happy here. right?

this whole situation kind of reminds me about the time i stopped dating for two entire years... which i'll write about next time =) and i promise that i won't take another sabbatical before i write it. i'll leave you with a picture that we took while horseback riding on our honeymoon.

picture post

2008-02-13T12:19:00.004-05:00

baby, it's cold outside! these are my favorite socks... in college, i played intramural field hockey and these were our team socks. notice how bozeman is trying to remove them for me. one of his favorite things to "help" us with is removing socks, although he doesn't differentiate between clean or dirty and sometimes you have to tell him, "no, thank you!"

this is bozeman sitting in LH's chair in our reading room. notice the splash of color on the wall? that's the color we are going to be painting that room. there are some really cool, built-in bookshelves on the other wall.

we obviously don't have any qualms about letting bozeman on the furniture. aside from the glowing eyes in this picture, this is exactly what he looks like when he thinks we are going somewhere without him. bozeman tries his best to look sad and cute and cuddly all at once.

and here is bozeman on the couch, covered up with his blanket. he was a little worried when we moved all of the living room furniture around and started painting. i guess it reminded him of when we painted the condo and then moved, so i tried to reassure him that we were staying in this house (for three years...) and helped him get cozy with his blankie.

100% ID CHECK IN PROGRESS!!!

2008-02-13T10:12:00.002-05:00

there are many unavoidable truths about being a military wife. like the fact that the military likes to call us "dependents." i had a real problem with that term when LH and i first got married. i wasn't dependent on him for anything; i made enough money to live on my own if i had to, so why did the military have to call me a dependent? even after LH explained to me that the military phrases it that way because i am dependent on him for my military status and benefits, i still wasn't happy with the term. i am very proud of my husband for what he does in the military, and i am thankful for many of the benefits that we get through the military, but sometimes, i start feeling a teeny bit rebellious and start looking for ways to prove that the military does not own me.

it's all about knowing where the consequences lie. everyone is expected to comply when the guard at the gate asks to see your ID. i'm okay with that, because i don't want to have them pull out their guns and make a big scene if i refuse. and speeding on base? that's a definite no-no, because those military police are good at giving out tickets. i can handle that one, too. showing my ID card to the cashier at the commissary? that's understandable. however, when the nerd behind the counter at the gym on base asks to see my ID, which i've already had to show to actually get on base, and which i haven't had to produce for any of the other gym staff the dozen other times that i've been in the gym, i have a little bit of a problem.

a couple of weeks ago, i walked into the gym like normal with my gym bag and car keys in hand and went to sign in at the front desk. as usual, the sign in sheet had three spaces to be filled out: your name, your rank/status, and a box to check if you are getting a towel. i wrote down my last name only and then in the "rank/status" space, i wrote "civilian," like i had been doing every other time that i signed in. i knew that what they really wanted me to write was "dependent," but it's the little things that count. then, as i was checking the box for a towel, the little guy with the short-man complex behind the counter asked to see my ID card. sensing his insecurity, i told him that it was in my car and that no one else had ever asked to see it before. i then grabbed my towel and headed towards the locker room, half expecting him to yell at me to come back to the desk. having successfully escaped into the locker room, i gave myself an imaginary high-five, then went out into the gym for my workout.

well, it seems that the little man couldn't be out done, because the next time that i went into the gym there were hand written signs on both sets of doors going into the gym, on the desk next to the sign-in sheet, and on the white board behind the desk that say, "100% ID CHECK IN PROGRESS!!" and!!! and, the sign-in sheet is now different. rather than a space to write in your rank/status, you instead have to check a box that labels you as either active duty, a dependent, retired, etc. so now, when i go into the gym, i submissively show my ID card, check the "dependent" box, give the little man behind the counter a sweet smile, and then go out into the gym, looking for other ways to assert my independence. =)

delinquent wifey

2008-02-11T22:26:00.000-05:00

i've been way lackadaisical about posting lately, but it has been on purpose. tonight, i was showing LH a picture of bozeman sitting in LH's chair and he asked if i was going to post it on my blog, and i told him that i haven't been blogging lately because i've been trying to get the house all put together. he said that i shouldn't give up blogging just for that since i enjoy it. LH is right, but i need to be disciplined about it so i don't waste hours on end sitting in front of the computer typing and reading and typing some more.
so, in a very teeny, tiny nutshell, here is what we've been up to lately:
*paint, paint and more paint! the yellow paint is now completely gone, but we aren't finished yet. i promise to post before and after pictures.
*i kind of got a very random, yet fun part time job. i guess i didn't "kind of" get it, i have it, but it was kinda funny how i got the job. another story for another time... want to know what i do two days a week? i am a seamstress. laugh all you want, it is fun. i've been looking for a "real" job in this city and haven't found much yet. considering selling clothes through trunk shows because i love clothing so much. maybe, maybe not. anyone ever been to a trunk show and bought anything?
*because of my very flexible schedule, LH and i meet up on base for lunch and a workout quite often. it's really a lot of fun to get to see him so much.
*i'm brainstorming on a valentines day present for LH. maybe i'll post my ideas on here if i think of something good. must think faster, must think faster!
*my parents are giving us their guest bed, which means we will now have a very nice, king size guest bed for visitors.
*LH's parents are giving us some of their furniture as well... we are actually going to have a very nicely furnished house soon.
*i'm tired, so i'm going to bed now! i'll download some fun pictures to share tomorrow

feeling OCD today? read on...

2008-01-18T10:05:00.000-05:00

at mr. and mrs. d's new year's eve party, someone said something about ironing and i couldn't have been more excited. at the time, i was stuffing my face from the box of peppermint bark that was sitting on the table, but i quickly swallowed what i was chewing to add my two cents, "you should really try ironing your sheets!" the girls sitting around the table just stared at me. mrs. d knew about my penchant for ironing and managed to get the conversation going again. i was so taken aback by the obvious lack of ironing love at the table that i just let it slide and didn't bring it up again.

looking back, i realize that maybe i should have explained this whole "ironing your sheets" thing to the girls a little better. i have no doubt that as they were driving home with their husbands that night, that i was the topic of conversation. "did you notice that strange blonde girl that kept trying to convince us that we should iron our sheets? who does she think she is? a martha stewart wanna-be?" maybe if i had been open enough to sharing my ironing secrets, everything would have been peachy. just maybe.

and since i missed my opportunity at the new year's party, i've decided that i must give in and share my secrets with the blogging world. because if i don't, who else will convince you that ironed sheets are the best thing ever?!

so here it is, pictures and all:

first, you start with fresh-out-of-the-dryer-sheets. they don't actually have to be removed right when the buzzer dings. in fact, this picture was taken an entire day before i actually did the ironing that you'll see below. see? i'm not completely OCD.

and yes, the laundry room is still flamingo pink.

next. make sure that your iron is properly warmed up. i like to set it on the absolute hottest setting possible and then walk away for a few minutes while it really gets hot. oh, and make sure it is full of water and that the steam button is ready to go. **note: do not, i repeat, do not starch your sheets! although i seriously love this bottle of starch, i always abstain from using it on sheets. otherwise, LH might try to completely halt all future ironing efforts.**

alright, now here comes my biggest secret: you don't actually iron the entire sheet! that's right... you just fold everything a few times, then let the steam pass through all of the layers to do the dirty work for you. for whatever reason, i like to start with the pillowcases.

see how little there is to actually iron here? this is easy, folks! now, unleash the secret weapon: steam!

moving on to the sheets. see how much i've already folded this giant, king-sized sheet?

and look at this! the sheets aren't even folded perfectly. they still turn out just as scrumptious.

wanna know another secret? wrinkles are fully acceptable. as long as they are wrinkles created by a steaming iron, that is.

don't forget to STEAM!!!!

now you get to peak inside and decide if you want to flip the sheet over and iron from the other side. i usually do. you can never iron too much, you know.

and here, is the final product. sort of. don't pay any attention to that spot on the wall. i think it was from a bedside reading lamp that the owner had on the wall. see how there are creases and a few wrinkles in the sheets still? it doesn't matter. your skin will be thanking you when you fall asleep between the ironed sheets. they feel 100 times better than straight-from-the-dryer sheets do.

and, if you are still reading after all of this ironing nonsense:
A Cowboy’s Wife is having a contest on her food blog! You can win a Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer and she’ll ship anywhere so everyone is eligible!

fort wifey

2008-01-15T09:39:00.001-05:00

last week, we had to drive back to our previous home for a memorial service. it was a sad occasion and unfortunately, for a friend of LH's that he had deployed with last year. i'm grateful that we were able to go back for the service to remember LH's friend, talk with everyone and receive some semblance of closure. life is fragile...

while we were in town, we decided to stay in our empty (and still unsold) condo, so that bozeman could come along with us. we had plenty of offers from friends to stay in their guest bedrooms with nice, cozy beds, but we thought that we might wear out our welcome very quickly once said friends realized that we were also bringing along our very friendly and very furry 80 pound golden retriever. instead, we prepared for another adventure in suburban camping.

on friday morning, bozeman and i came back from our walk to discover that LH was still sleeping soundly, but that didn't stop the two of us from being rowdy. while chasing bozeman around the living room and laughing at him for slipping and sliding on the pergo floors, i noticed that LH had pulled my inflatable mattress pad over the top of his head to block out the sunshine and our noise. it looked like the perfect spot to pounce on, but i resisted the temptation as i thought about how his little fortress that he had created to block out our noise reminded me a lot of the forts that my cousins and i used to make at my grandma's house.

at least once a year, my family and i would fly down to florida to visit my grandma and the white, sandy beaches that surrounded her. one of the best parts of those trips was that two of my favorite cousins lived just down the street. the fact that i was a girl didn't stop them from including me in their fun, and we would ride bikes, chase lizards and climb trees until the sun went down. once the sun was down, we went back to my grandmas and upstairs to her guest bedrooms, because that was where the world's best fort making materials resided. in one room, she had two bahama beds with mattresses that could easily be turned on their sides and topped with blankets. once we rolled in a few chairs and sofa cushions, we transformed the room into a serious fort-maze. we would actually take turns creating the forts and then blindfolding one person and timing how long it took them to get from the door to the end of the maze. we had a blast creating dead ends and road blocks to climb, and i think i was a teenager by the time we stopped building the forts (which we built for my younger brother, of course).

after remembering just how much fun i had in those forts, i'm already planning for our next trip out to visit LH's family... we have two nieces out there who are the perfect age for climbing through forts. they also have a ginormous sectional sofa in the family room and a whole other sofa in the living room that we can combine to make one super sweet fort. i'm sure my sister-in-law will thank us for introducing such a fun past time =)

if the dog accidentally stabs you with a stick, it's best not to wipe away the blood with the hand that bagged the dog poo five minutes earlier

2008-01-03T11:23:00.000-05:00

yep, bozeman got me pretty good with a stick yesterday morning. i did bleed, but i managed to successfully wipe away the blood with a clean hand. had i not decided to wear shorts in 22 degree weather for our morning run, i probably would have avoided the whole situation.

on another note, there is a spider in my 4runner. i repeat: there is a spider in my 4runner. it has been there since saturday, and i have made LH drive me around in the truck since then. today, however, LH is at work and i am supposed to meet him on base to workout in the gym this afternoon. that means that i have to drive myself there in the spider car. i really don't like spiders. at all.

last year, while LH was deployed, i encountered a really nasty spider in our condo. i had just taken out my contacts and was reaching up to turn off the light on the fan before crawling into bed when i saw a big spot on the ceiling that hadn't been there earlier. i squinted my eyes really tight, and even with my horrible vision, i could see that it was a rather large spider. and it was hanging out on the ceiling directly over the bed where i was about to go to sleep. i put on my glasses and woke up bozeman, insisting that he kill the spider for me. unfortunately, he was only about 7 months old at the time, and hadn't quite perfected his doggy-walking-on-the-ceiling skills, so i resorted to plan b: i dashed to the kitchen, hoping that the spider wouldn't change his position while i was out of the room, pulled on my rubber cleaning gloves, got the vacuum, and attached all of the extensions to the vacuum's hose. i also decided that it was important to wear shoes in case the spider dropped down onto the bed and i had to stomp him. tennis shoes and rubber gloves make quite a statement when worn with pajamas. now that i was properly outfitted (my glasses provided the eye protection that i required), i switched on the power to the vacuum and reached as far as i could reach, but still couldn't get the spider into the hose. i realized that i had to actually stand on the bed to reach him, so i stood as far out on the corner as was possible, then reached and squinted my eyes, just in case the spider jumped onto me to avoid the vacuum's suction. thankfully, the vacuum-spider-removal process was a success and i left the vacuum running for a full minute more, just to make sure the spider was deep inside the dusty vacuum bag. not leaving anything to chance, i unplugged the vacuum and ran at full speed to the front door, which i opened just long enough so i could drop the entire vacuum outside. it stayed there until the next evening, when i got home from work and donned the rubber gloves again while transferring the vacuum bag to a trash bag and then to the dumpster outside.
i really hate spiders.

christmas recap

2007-12-28T09:47:00.000-05:00

well, it's been a busy week at the LW/LH house. in the past week,

-we purchased a new washer and dryer. i am in love with this set and plan to devote an entire blog post to how cool these things really are. did you know that i can sanitize my clothes without using any hot water whatsoever? cool, huh? anyone want to know what the name of the paint color in our laundry room is so you can copy it? sorry, i don't have a clue what the technical name is, but i like to call it the flamenco room. it's flashy and it won't last long. since we got the white washer and dryer instead of the cool red pair, we are going to paint the laundry room red and spice things up a bit. as if flamingo pink wasn't spicy enough...

-we received our furniture and things. because we thought it would be fun to camp out in our condo and new house for as long as possible, just to see how well we could survive on so little, we had them pack up all of our stuff and keep it in storage for a few weeks. it's a good thing that the company that packed us up did such a great job packing and protecting everything, because this is the truck that brought everything out of storage. it's probably a good thing that i didn't visit our things in storage to see what the facility was like.

-my friend, i'll call her "mrs. d," brought over some amazing homemade fudge and peppermint bark. she reads my blog and knows how much i love peppermint bark... it's a good thing that mrs. d agrees to go running with me every once and awhile, because i gobbled down the fudge and peppermint bark faster than you can say "weight watchers."

-my brother did fly out to help us paint after he finished his finals. unfortunately, i was waffling on the paint color decisions and halted all painting efforts until i could learn to be more decisive. after all, i'm a military wife and am supposed to make decisions quickly, right? not quite.. i think i've finally decided what to do and am going to lowe's this morning to make everything right. thank you, LH for being so patient and enduring the existing paint colors for so long.

-i graciously offered to fly us all back to my parents for christmas. unfortunately, my brother wasn't so sure of my piloting skills, as you can see in this picture (LH risked his life to take this picture from the runway).

my brother finally loosened up a bit once he saw that i knew what i was doing (notice that LH took the picture from outside the plane. he is a very, very brave man).

-seriously, though... we drove back to my parents and bozeman was more than happy to have a friend in the back seat. in this picture, he is leaning on my brother so they could both watch a movie together. he stayed that way for a long time, even though i initially thought that he was just posing so i could take a picture of them together.

-on sunday, my brother, LH and i rode to church together and then we all had to do some last minute shopping. since some of the shopping was for LH, my brother and i dropped him off at barnes & noble while we drove around in the crazy christmas traffic. we almost ran out of gas, had some rather interesting experiences trying to park the big truck in crowded parking lots, and eventually went back to get LH, who was waiting for us with hot chocolate for everyone.

-we had a ton of fun spending time with family at christmas. unfortunately, i didn't take a picture of the dinner that LH and i made for everyone. we were a little non-traditional this year: i made a mustard-dill salmon and LH cooked his famous steaks on the grill. i did manage to get a picture of bozeman on christmas morning, although i refuse to share the picture of me in my glasses with some major flyaway hair.

-we also met our mailman. you laugh, but that is a big deal in these parts. he has been on the same route for 21 years, so he knows everyone. our neighbors are incredibly friendly and LH and i quiz each other on their names all the time. neither one of us has done very well at remembering their names, and rather than ask them for the third time what their names are, i'm going to resort to searching through the GIS tax maps and creating a chart that lists our neighbors names. most of them have lived here for the past 20+ years and their kids have all grown up together. it's kind of nice to live in a place where everyone is so established when we know that we'll be moving again in three years or so. gives us a sense of stability. i know more about our neighbors here than i ever knew about our previous neighbors. this is the kind of place where people stop and talk to you when you are checking the mail, walking the dog or taking out your trash.

-and the best one yet: we are going to watch some bull riding on new year's eve. at least, that's the plan. mr. and mrs. d are also having a party that we are looking forward to on the same night.

i hope you all had a very merry christmas and aren't kicking yourself too hard for indulging in all of the yummy foods. i hope you spent time with the people most important in your lives and also remembered why we even have a christmas to celebrate: that god sent his son here to save us.

the horse and his dog

2007-12-18T11:45:00.001-05:00

bozeman has several stuffed animals: a duck, a goose, a pheasant, a horse and he used to have a cow that squeaked. a few weeks ago, we decided that the cow was just too stinky and dirty and beyond help and that he needed to be replaced. this was a tough decision for me, because bozeman had picked out the cow all on his own during LH's last deployment, but it had to be done. LH and i went to the pet store and perused the selection of dog toys, trying to find just the right toy to replace the stinky cow. finally, we both agreed on a horse with a squeaker in it. it seemed a little weird to let the dog chew on a horse, but we didn't get too worked up about it.

it turns out that bozeman has bonded very well with the horse. they do just about everything together. at first, i thought it was just cute and a coincidence that he was treating the horse like his little friend. that was, until LH and i caught him giving his toy duck a drink from his water bowl last night. now we have to rethink these pictures and wonder how smart bozeman really is.

this was at our condo before we moved. i snuck up behind bozeman and caught him sharing the view with his horse. i think they were secretly plotting how to catch some of the feral cats together.

uh oh, i've been found out! notice the innocent look on bozeman's face. the horse doesn't look so innocent, though. he looks rather mischievous, like he has been teaching bozeman the ways of catching wild cats. naughty horse.

here they are together last night in our new house. both were exhausted from a long day of exploring and playing. i covered them with the blanket, but bozeman did the posing. i think he knew i wanted to take his picture and put his arm around the horse for me.

bundle shmundle

2007-12-13T15:40:00.001-05:00

i'm on the phone with our phone company right now, trying to bundle our home phone, long distance, internet and wireless plans. the customer service rep is checking to see if our existing wireless plan qualifies for a bundle discount and then she has to check to see if our home bundle qualifies to bundle with a wireless plan. who knew it could be this complicated? i have been researching the plans and talking to these people for 3 hours already today. i find it pretty amusing that it took me a total of 15 minutes online with the dmv to update both LH's and my drivers' licenses and vehicle registrations. i'm going to call the dmv and see if they want to be my cell phone and internet provider.

christmas cards

2007-12-13T14:21:00.000-05:00

it's amazing how much you can get done in an empty house! life seems so much more simple and surprisingly, neither LH or i have gotten bored yet. bozeman may have a differing opinion if you happen to ask him. last week, we sent out our christmas cards. this seems to be quite a feat for our household. last year, we took the christmas picture, wrote the cards, and then never mailed any of them. we were determined to do it differently this year, and we succeeded! it feels so good to have that out of the way. the picture at the top is of all the cards that i attached to my clipboard to make addressing the envelopes easier.

now, i am just trying to finish up some christmas shopping. LH took awhile to give me his "list" and so i am just getting started on his presents. i can't buy everything on his list, so i need to narrow it down. will you suggest which things you think i should get for LH?
*chaco flip flops
*easton baseball bat
*baseball glove
*grill
*framed antique maps of the states where we have each lived
*a new baseball hat (bozeman ate about three of his favorite hats)
*tools (the tools that we have around the house now are so cheap, it's like the equivalent of me using an easy bake oven to cook a turkey)
*a manly tool belt
*casio pathfinder watch
i think that is just about covers it all. okay, i'm off to go finish changing our address and all the fun that goes along with that.

moving isn't so bad after all

2007-12-12T11:48:00.000-05:00

as you can see, bozeman travels well. in fact, he does some of his best sleeping in the car. so do i... good thing LH is such a wonderful husband and doesn't mind doing most of the driving. it's also a good thing that he is such a good driver so i don't get car sick when he drives. i could tell you some stories about me getting car sick... but you might be eating lunch while reading this and i don't want to spoil your appetite.

we just got back from spending a few days with wonderful friends in our new city. i call them wonderful because this is the second time that they have welcomed us into their house, dog and all, so we could go house hunting. this time, they even had a brand new german short-haired pointer puppy who became bozeman's best friend. hopefully, they will have some play-dates once we get settled so they can wear each other out! i know LH is hoping that they will have some play-dates just so he can play lego star wars on our friends' xbox 360. have you ever played that game? so. much. fun. i can't understand why LH would get upset when my character shot and killed him, though. whoever decided to create a video game with lego characters was a genius! no blood and guts and it's actually funny when c3po's arms get ripped off. and no, i'm not promoting violence.

so here is the good news: we signed a lease for the house and will be moving in as soon as the movers can get our things out of storage and into the house. i am thrilled. we looked at several other houses just to make sure we were getting the "right one," and i even told LH that i could live without stainless steel appliances (our realtor told me to think about what i was saying) but in the end, we ended up with my favorite house. of course, now that we have signed a lease, i'm expecting our condo to sell right away. well, expecting might be too strong of a word, maybe i should say hoping? praying? begging and pleading? at any rate, we have a place to live and i'm very excited about it. now, we just have to convince my brother to come visit after he finishes his finals so he can help us paint, paint, paint!

what's red and white and sometimes dark?

2007-12-09T13:55:00.000-05:00

if you guessed peppermint bark, you are a woman or man after my own heart. the christmas season without peppermint bark is like a swimming pool without water: it just isn't right. while visiting my parents for thanksgiving, LH and i were relaxing (i was sleeping, he was watching a movie) on the couch after a long drive, when my mom handed me a box the size of a candy bar. it was, in fact, a candy bar, but not just any candy bar. it was a peppermint bark candy bar from trader joe's! oh man, even though i had been asleep and still was pretty out of it, i took a big bite of it and chewed very slowly. mmmm.... the dark chocolate mixed with the white chocolate to create a heavenly, chocolately flavor that was just crunchy enough from the pieces of peppermint bark. i didn't finish the bar right then, and set it down on the counter top to "save for later." later, funny enough, ended up being when LH woke me up to go to bed. i grabbed the candy bar as we started walking up the stairs and took another big bite. this time, i didn't mess around and i chewed much quicker. in fact, by the time LH had brushed his teeth and was all ready for bed, the candy bar was all gone and i had a big smile on my face. nothing like peppermint bark for a midnight snack during the holidays. or any other time of year. only, it's so hard to find it any other time of year. and why does peppermint bark have to be so expensive? i think i'm going to learn how to make it myself so i can eat it year round. anyone have any good peppermint bark recipes to share?

oh, christmas tree

2007-12-05T07:59:00.000-05:00

moving woes

2007-12-04T15:05:00.000-05:00

well, the movers emailed us today to say that all of our furniture and belongings have arrived in our next city and could be delivered today. the only problem is that we don't have a place for everything to be delivered to. you see, when we wrote the contract on the house, my husband wisely put in a contingency that we would not close until our condo sold. in a different housing market from today's, we would more than likely go ahead and close on the house and expect that our condo would sell soon. in this housing market, however, we are not taking any chances. the last thing we want is to be stuck trying to sell both the condo and the house a few years down the road when the military transfers us again. this has been especially difficult for me because i became so emotionally attached to the house. for awhile, i refused to accept any other options and only half-jokingly told my hubby that he could live in base housing and i would live with my parents until our condo sold and we could buy that house. unfortunately, either he talked to my parents, or my mom read my mind (which is more likely), because my mom told me that i couldn't move back in with them. darn. of course, i wouldn't really want to live separately from the hubby for any reason other than a deployment (and i've even considered stowing away for those occasions. did you know that they have signs at military airports telling you that it is a crime to stowaway or harbor a stowaway?).

i've taken solace in these verses right here: Matthew 6:25-34. these words tell me not to worry about tomorrow, because our heavenly father will provide for us. if he takes care of the little sparrows, how can i think that he would forget about us and our needs? he has it all under control, and even though things may not go according to my plans, God knows exactly what is planned for the hubby and me. i also trust my hubby in his decision making and his ability to find a replacement house for us if need be. when we got married, i agreed that he would be the head of the household and i'm doing my best to be supportive of him.

for now, the hubby, bozeman and i are living in our empty condo with a few outfits each, our mac computer and printer, one pot, one pan, a baking sheet, four dinner plates, four salad plates, four cereal bowls (which is not nearly enough when you eat as much cereal as we do), four spoons, four forks, four knives, one paring knife, one chef's knife, tongs, a basting brush (why did i feel it was necessary to keep this?), a pizza stone, several dish towels, no oven mitts (oops), and a pantry and refrigerator full of food. oh, i almost forgot our miniature, pre-lit christmas tree that is taking up residence in our empty living room (picture coming soon). if anyone wants to send us any care packages, we will gladly accept them!

p.s. we obviously still haven't decided on a nickname for my hubby. a few are in the works and i'll share as soon as there is a consensus.

life is like a bowl of...

2007-11-30T19:37:00.000-05:00

pomegranate seeds? yup. my world is, anyhow. this was my dinner a few weeks ago. i had a huge craving for them and i couldn't eat them fast enough. i did, however, manage to stop myself in time to take a quick picture. i guess it's the color, and maybe the flavor, but pomegranate seeds make me feel very christmas-y. enjoy.

p.s. no husbands were injured in the taking of this picture or in the eating of this dinner. i provided a much more normal dinner for the hubby. i can't remember now, but i think i cooked hotdogs with toasted, cheesy buns for him.

hubby no more

2007-11-30T12:37:00.000-05:00

my hubby needs a name. an alias, if you will. while browsing my blog and the other blogs that i like to read, my hubby asked why all the other husbands were called "hubby" as well. apparently, he doesn't like to be like everyone else. when we were engaged, i called him my fianceman (pronounced fee-AHNC-men) because fiance just sounded too girly for him.

so please, even if you've never commented on here, suggest some names that i can use for my hubby on this blog. i will give him total veto power on the suggestions and will announce a winner on monday. maybe we'll send you some packing tape and bubble wrap if you win. =)

here are a couple of pictures to help.

he's a good fisherman, even if i did catch more trout than he did on our honeymoon (this picture is not from our honeymoon).

he claims that he can't cook, but whenever he helps, dinner somehow turns out much better. here he is helping me cook fried rice in our very small and crowded kitchen. notice the time on the clock... late dinner + salty food = wifey in need of a workout

and here he is playing soccer with some kids. he has a big heart and even though he denies it, kids flock to him like he's the pied piper.

alright, guys, go to work: name my husband (and please, be nice)!

optional salt

2007-11-28T12:05:00.000-05:00

i'm getting side-tracked from ironing and folding and stacking and boxing things for the movers that are coming tomorrow. unfortunately, it's really easy for me to get distracted. bozeman and i just went for a run because it is nice and cool outside and now i'm listening to drink up me hearties yo ho while trying to cool down and consider what to pack next. honestly, i can't use that excuse, because i made this nice, neat spreadsheet that lists everything that we are moving ourselves. my spreadsheet categorizes the item by room, whose responsibility it is to make sure the movers don't get it, and the tupperware box or suitcase in which it will be stored. so, no, i don't need to consider what to pack next, but i do need to tell you a funny story.

growing up in the midwest, you can't just eat cold cereal for breakfast in the winter. you have to eat something warm... like cream of wheat! at least, that's what i was brain washed to think, and to this day, i love eating a big bowl of cream of wheat. when i was little, my dad would normally make a pot of the cereal on the stove and we would share it early in the morning (we are both early birds). one morning, however, i beat him to the kitchen and decided to help get the cereal started. finding the box of cream of wheat was a cinch, and i was able to get the pot on the stove and measure the right amount of water. what i couldn't find, however was the "salt (optional)" as listed on the back of the box. stumped, i climbed up on the countertop and looked through all of my mom's spices until my dad entered the kitchen. when i told him that i was looking for the optional salt, it took him a few moments to compose himself and explain the definition of optional.

i have never made that mistake again, thank you very much. have any of you misunderstood directions like i have?

where do you buy YOUR toilet paper?

2007-11-27T15:10:00.000-05:00

i just noticed this article in the ny times and i loved every single word. i am an admitted costco-a-holic. long before we were married and long before we even lived in the same city, the hubby and i took a big step in our relationship and joined costco together. that was three whole years ago, and now here we are as executive members, getting rewards back for the money that we spend at costco. it’s a good thing that we get those rewards, because whenever i go into costco for a bag of doggy bones or a three-pack of organic milk, i also end up getting a pack of apples, some sushi, a new paperback book, some snappy tupperware containers, and whatever other cool items costco has decided to put on display with the sole purpose of tempting me.

my most recent favorite purchase that i will talk about to anyone who will listen is this ecos brand laundry detergent. at first, i was hesitant to buy it because the scent was magnolia and lily. eww. nothing like a bunch of floral scented laundry detergent to ruin the hubby’s uniforms. i bought the detergent anyhow because i was curious and because it was environmentally friendly, and now i can’t stop smelling my laundry, no matter if it is in the form of fresh-from-the-dryer or worn-on-the-hubby.

when my hubby got his orders to the next duty station, my first order of business was to see if our new city had a costco. sadly, it does not. there is, however, a costco within a five and a half hour drive and we have decided to keep our membership so that we can stock up whenever we are within an hour drive time from the store. i actually got the idea when i was in the check-out line a few weeks ago and saw a woman with two full shopping carts. she spent over $700 on that trip! at first, it seemed crazy, but then, the idea seemed to make more sense to me as i realized that there are just some products at costco that i don’t want to live without. are we crazy?

now, i would be golden if i could just figure out how to transport a steady supply of costco’s yummy churros home for my hubby to eat on a regular basis.

another giveaway

2007-11-20T21:31:00.000-05:00

but this time, i'm not the one doing the giving! check out amy's site for a new kind of giveaway. her idea has motivated me to think of some creative ways that i can give to those in need. patriot is also having a giveaway this week. check it out!

my hot date

2007-11-20T09:08:00.000-05:00

saturday, in the midst of reading our books, the hubby took me out on a date. we went to a local putt-putt course and had a little competition. i don't know what i was thinking, but i brought my giant, red purse with me and it just doesn't help your aim when you have a bulging purse banging against your right arm. i finally resorted to setting the purse on the very dirty ground before i putted each time, and ended up getting a hole in one!! the hubby couldn't believe i actually got a hole in one with such a horrible putt (the ball was actually starting to roll back towards me, but then magically rolled the other way and into the hole). after that, i felt sorry for my dear hubby and started hitting the golf ball 4 or 5 times before i let it go in the hole. well, maybe i should be honest: i didn't do it on purpose and my game did get that bad, so the hubby won the game.

trying to recuperate from my losses, i mischievously led the hubby inside towards the air hockey tables. my mom had taught me well when i was little, and i knew that i could beat him at air hockey. the first game was a complete shut out in my favor, but the second was a huge win for the hubby. we decided to call it a day and went to the mall to do some christmas shopping.

we have two nieces and a brand new nephew that we bought pajamas for from gap kids and we also bought a santa sack for the hubby from pottery barn kids. we were hoping that we wouldn't run into anyone that we knew who might start a rumor if they saw us with a bunch of baby and kid store bags, so we decided to hide inside pottery barn. they had some really cool picture frames on sale and we bought a giant one, just so we could have a giant bag to hide our other purchases in.

all that shopping left us tired and starving, and we barely managed to make it to the sushi house before i fell asleep. there is nothing like a little wasabi to bring the wifey back to life, though. we shared hot tea, some soup, a california roll, and a shrimp tempura roll. all in all, i’d say it was a pretty good date night, wouldn’t you?

drum roll, please...

2007-11-20T08:39:00.000-05:00

the winner is, "K" over at one crazy adventure! i wish i could give a copy of the book to everyone who submitted a comment, but maybe "K" will pass it on after she reads it. you could also pick it up at your library.
oh, two sites that i forgot to mention yesterday were the made by survivors store and nightlight designs. both offer some beautiful jewelry, clothing, purses and stationery. i think i'm going to try and buy at least two christmas presents this year from these sites since they are made by survivors of the sex trade and help support them in legitimate jobs.

books... and a giveaway

2007-11-19T10:46:00.000-05:00

the hubby and i had our noses stuck in the books over the weekend. when we were visiting my family a couple of weekends ago, i borrowed their copy of the lion, the witch and the wardrobe. my dad had read the chronicles of narnia to me when i was little and i have such good memories of the books. little did i know, the hubby had not read any of the books. i was able to explain parts of the movie to him because i knew more about the characters from reading the books, and this sort of frustrated him. i casually mentioned that i actually had the entire series in our office and it didn't take long for him start reading the magician's nephew. i begged the hubby to read it out loud to me, and he amused me until i fell asleep =)

seeing as how it had been so long since i read the series (or rather, since my dad read it to me), i decided to start reading the books, too. i just finished the horse and his boy and it was so good! they are definitely children's books, but i would recommend the entire series to anyone.

i also just finished a very serious book, not for sale. it took me awhile to read through the entire book because it is pretty heavy. it follows the stories of several children and adults caught up in modern day slavery. did you know that children and women in america are actually sold on craig's list? i could go on and on about what i learned in this book, but instead, i'll point you to a few websites with plenty of information. also, i'm going to give away a brand new copy of the not for sale book. it had such an impact on me, that i want to pass it on for others to read. just leave a comment on this post and i'll have a drawing tomorrow morning.

bozeman... as in bozeman, montana

2007-11-15T15:24:00.001-05:00

our dog doesn't have a very common name. in fact, i don't think i have ever heard of any animals that share his name. the hubby and i have a great love for all things montana, and that's why we named our dog after a city in the big sky state.

bozeman is sort of my baby. okay, he is really my baby. the hubby got him for me so i would have a companion while he was deployed, and boy was he a good investment. i've been told that i have "girlified" our dog, but i'm pretty sure bozeman is secure enough in his doggy-masculinity to handle the teasing. how has he been girlified? one example is what he does after we come back inside from walking in the rain or after he has had a bath: he follows me around the house until i get out the blow dryer and blow him dry. cute, huh?

on the way to meet our puppy, i talked to the breeder on the phone about the personalities of the puppies that she had available. as soon as she mentioned the one who was a little bit ornery, i was sold. it didn't hurt that when i met him, he came straight over to me and rested his head on my leg. everyone together now: "awwwww!"

here he is in all of his ornery glory:

here he is showing his athletic side:

and here he is trying to catch a lizard for me. once he catches one, he usually carries into a grassy spot where he can roll around on top of him. my favorite is when he army crawls across the lizard. i'll have to get a video of that and share it.

i think bozeman is much smarter than all other dogs. he even has a sense of humor, as you can see here:

one day, the hubby and i will have kids. until then, this little puppy is getting spoiled rotten...

i love the usps

2007-11-13T16:55:00.000-05:00

someone quoted tom hanks on their blog this month, “i would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if i knew your name and address.” i love that quote, because who wouldn’t love a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils? or colored gel pens? or a fun stack of paper? or for that matter, a new book of stamps?
this afternoon, i had to go to the post office to send a package. i don’t go to the post office very often because, well, i typically just use email (although i did visit quite a bit while the hubby was deployed). as soon as i walked through the door, the familiar smell of the post office, which i can’t quite put my finger on, washed over me and a dozen memories from my childhood went running through my mind. once upon a time, people used to visit the post office all the time. now you can do it all online in the comfort of your own home. i think more people should visit the post office in person, though. those postal workers are very friendly and willing to help. you don’t get customer service like that just anywhere, you know.
since i was sending the package by way of registered mail, the postal worker behind the counter informed me that i would have to wrap all of the edges and corners in a special brown tape. she handed me the roll of tape, a water bottle with a sponge at the top and some scissors. why the water bottle? because the tape wasn’t actually sticky until you wet it down. she even carved out a little space on her countertop just for me. i felt almost as excited to be working at her counter as i do whenever i go to kinkos to make copies. i could honestly spend hours in there, playing with the colored paper, paperclips and giant paper cutters. after i had sufficiently taped up the box, the lady asked if i needed anything else. absolutely, yes! i needed christmas stamps for our christmas cards. those “holiday knit stamps” were so cute and fuzzy that rather than split up a book of 20, i told her to go ahead and give me three whole books of stamps, because i would use them this season. will i? we are sending out 50 christmas cards, so that leaves me with 10 extra christmas stamps. my challenge for the christmas season is to use up those extra 10 stamps that i bought. surely it can’t be that difficult to sit down and write an actual letter on genuine paper. can it? as much as i love paper and pens and pencils and crafts, i should be able to meet my self-imposed challenge with gusto. look out friends and family: mail is coming your way and it isn’t the electronic kind!
do any of you share my love of paper, pens, pencils and stamps? and what exactly does a post office smell like anyhow?

steaks, spikes and birthday cake

2007-11-12T09:30:00.000-05:00

this weekend, the hubby, bozeman and i traveled to my parents’ house to see my brother compete in the state cross country meet. let me just say that i am SO proud of my brother. he ran a 5k on an extremely hilly course in 16:57. that boy can run. he isn’t even built for cross country, since he towers over everyone else and is very muscular, but he has overcome his physical disadvantages and runs with the best of them.
on the way back from the cross country meet, the hubby and i stopped by sara’s house to help celebrate anna’s third birthday. it’s amazing how fast kids grow up! anna shared some of her yummy little mermaid cupcake-birthday cake with us and it was pretty darn yummy. i have to say that sara was looking very bride-y this weekend!
saturday night, while the parentals and my brother were at various parties, the hubby and i decided to get a sushi appetizer and grill some steak. if i never make steak again, i will the happiest woman alive. we didn’t get to the grocery store until about 7:30 and as we hungrily browsed the meat selection, we decided to go all out and get a pound of filet. we also picked up some old-fashioned bottled coke and a pack of miso sushi rolls. once we were back at my parents’ house, i put our blockbuster movie in the dvd player and sunk down into the comfy couch with a down blanket on top of me. oh man, was it cozy and boy, did i get drowsy fast. observing my sleepy circumstances, my wonderful hubby took over and started the grill. about 15-20 minutes later, the hubby walked past me with the plate of steak and told me to come sit down at the table to eat. i was pretty sleepy, but i was more than curious about the steak, so i abandoned the warm couch and down blanket for my hubby at the table. fork and steak knife in hand, the hubby explained that this piece over here was medium-rare and that one over there was medium. i asked for the medium-rare piece, which he put on my plate, and quickly cut into it. i took a bite and suddenly forgot that i was sleepy and no longer nice and warm. this had to be the best steak i had eaten in my entire life. seriously. at first, the hubby thought that i was just saying that to make him feel good, but the speed at which i was eating the hunk of meat confirmed that i was telling the truth. honestly, i hope that i never have to cook a steak again, because my husband is by far the best steak griller in the world, and it would just be silly to waste his talents. maybe he’ll grill some steak again this week. i’m hoping that he does, because my mouth is watering right now just thinking about it.

man of my dreams

2007-11-09T10:21:00.000-05:00

on the night that i learned i would not be graduating on time, i crawled into my tiny, twin bed with a puffy face and sore throat from all of the crying that i had done that day. my mom came in to talk to me before i drifted off to sleep, and while she was in there, my aunt (her oldest sister) called me on my cell phone. i was not in the mood to talk, even though i knew that she was calling to try and console me, and i let her go to voice mail.
later on that night, i had a dream that i was at some sort of family celebration and was holding a baby that belonged to a friend. while talking to the baby and watching the family members around me, a man came up to me and put his arm around me. i couldn’t see his face (don’t you hate how that happens in dreams?), but the feeling that i had when he was standing next to me was very distinct. i felt peaceful, complete, beautiful and very happy. this man then turned to whisper these very words into my ear, “this is us three years from now.” when i woke up, i remembered every detail of the dream, but didn’t give it much thought other than to think that it gave me a nice feeling.
after church, i remembered my aunt’s voice mail that was awaiting me. listening to her animated voice made me smile, but then her parting words just about made me choke on the atlanta bread company sandwich that i was eating. her words were, “and i have a feeling, [wifey], that we are going to be just as proud of you three years from now as we are today.” what? my dream from the night before was still fresh in my mind and i wondered about the significance of it all. little did i know that 3 years, 2 months and 12 days later, i would be marrying the man of my dreams who made me feel exactly like that man did in my dream the night of my non-graduation. i have no doubt that God gave me that dream and put those words in my aunt’s mouth to provide a flicker of hope for my future as i worked hard to graduate college.

seven random things about the wifey

2007-11-08T09:54:00.000-05:00

yesterday, i was tagged by the caffienated cowgirl over at just this side of normal for a meme. i have to state 7 random things about me and then tag 3 people to do the same. here they are in no particular order:
1) i hate eating out at restaurants. the servings are always too big, yet i have a hard time stopping when full, and i know that i could cook a healthier, cheaper version that would taste just as good at home.
2) my feet are huge. i wear a size 11 shoe and my mom always taught me to buy two pairs of the same shoe when i find one that i like, because my size sells out so quickly.
3) my brother was born when i was 9 1/2 years old, which means that i was an only child for that long. i'm not sure what that says about my personality. we have a very close relationship, even though we are so far apart in age.
4) when my mom used to make my lunches, she would put a frozen juice box on top of my peanut butter and jelly sandwich. by the time i got around to eating my lunch, the sandwich was cold and squished, but it tasted SO good. now, i can't eat a PBJ sandwich without squishing it first. it just doesn't taste right with fluffy bread.
5) i studied the russian language for three years in high school and one year in college. after spending 5 weeks in russia, i got really good at speaking the language. it's been a few years since i've had a chance to really practice it, so i'm rusty, but i want to get better. anyone want to practice with me?
6) i'm addicted to playing solitaire on my cell phone before i go to bed. somehow, i think that i have to win a game before i can fall asleep. this started while my hubby was deployed and i couldn't fall asleep at night... now i'm trying to break the habit =)
7) hamburgers are disgusting. i don't eat them and haven't eaten one since i was about 5 years old when my baby sitter would take me to mcdonald's for lunch and get hamburgers for me while she ate taco bell.

so that's about it. there are many more random things about me, but you'll have to stick around to discover them. now, i am tagging felicia, sara and chas. if you don't do the meme on your blog, then you'll have seven years of bad comments. just kidding =) do the meme if you want or don't do the meme if you don't feel like it. let me know if you do this meme on your blog so that i can read it!

giving thanks

2007-11-07T09:19:00.000-05:00

this morning, as i was peeling and slicing apples for my husband’s lunch, it suddenly hit me that thanksgiving is just around the corner. that realization hit a switch somewhere in the back of my blonde brain and it finally started to feel like fall. i’m not sure what season i was stuck in before now, but somehow the nearness of turkey and stuffing and pumpkin and pecan pies made me feel like getting all of my warm and wooly sweaters down from the top shelf of our closet. soon, we’ll be hitting the road to go visit my family and my mom will be brining a turkey PW style while the hubby, my dad, my brother and i all play frisbee in the back yard. thinking about all of these things makes me thankful for the blessed life that i have. my mom has this tradition at thanksgiving that I used to consider very silly, but now i look forward to it. she has everyone go around the table and tell one thing that they are thankful for before we can begin to eat. i think i’ll get a head start on her tradition via the blog world today.
i’m thankful that my wonderfully brave hubby made it back safely from his second deployment and that he will be here for all of the holidays this year.
i’m thankful that i have a great job and a nice home, husband and dog to come home to.
i’m thankful for all of the soldiers, sailors and other military men and women who make sacrifices every day to protect our country and our country’s interests.
i’m thankful that we are free to worship and express our beliefs in this country.
i’m thankful that both my parents and the hubby’s parents are alive and happily married.
i’m thankful that three years ago today, i was able to be there with sara when anna was born.
i’m thankful for wonderful in-laws.
i’m thankful that the hubby didn’t laugh at me last night when i wanted to make smores with the oven broiler and that he roasted my marshmallows for me so i wouldn’t burn my hands.
i’m thankful that i am healthy enough to go running and burn some of the calories gained from eating those smores.
i’m thankful that you are still reading this long list. i could go on and on, but i will stop here for now. what are some things that you are especially thankful for this year?

the road to the last day of college... part 2

2007-11-06T11:19:00.000-05:00

after transferring to a state school for my junior year and then returning to the women’s college so i could finish where i had started, i entered my fifth year of college as a senior.
days before graduation, my senior seminar professor invited our class over to her house to celebrate the end of our time together. she was as nice to me as everyone else and not once during the entire night did she pull me aside to tell my of my impending doom. you see, she had given me a failing grade for her class (which i definitely deserved).
on the day of graduation, i was woken up by my mom with the phone in her hand. it was the dean of the college and she wanted to speak to me! i cleared my throat, expecting her to ask me to do something special for her at graduation because i was just an exceptional person. instead, she quietly informed me that i would not be getting my degree that day. I had failed my senior seminar class and that grade had been enough to pull the gpa of my major below a 2.0. she said that i could still walk at graduation if i wanted to, but i would not be able to go on stage to shake the president’s hand or get my diploma. i didn’t know what to think, but i did know that there was no way that i was going to that graduation ceremony. i quickly thanked her and hung up the phone.
i was mad. i was mad at my senior seminar professor for not pulling me aside at her house that day, i was mad at myself for letting my grades get so bad that one class could ruin it all for me. i was humiliated that i would have to tell anyone what had happened. then the floodgates opened and i couldn’t stop crying. my parents came into my room and i somehow managed to tell them what the dean had said. i think they were honestly shocked. they let me cry for a few hours and then asked what i wanted to do about the party that they were having that night. i was too prideful to let them tell anyone the truth, so we actually had the party and just danced around the subject when any of the guests (other than family) asked how the graduation ceremony had been that morning. it was painful and i ended up going up to my room early and crying some more.
that weekend, my parents and i discussed my options. i could just give up, leave the college without a degree and become a real estate agent; i could go to another college and finish there; or i could go back to the women’s college and do what needed to be done to graduate. i decided on the latter choice and that monday, my mom and i met with one of the deans of the college to strategize. the dean told me that i had demonstrated great character in coming back to finish and she knew that i had what it took to graduate. she suggested two classes to take during fall semester and told me that i needed to make an A and a B in order to graduate. that dean was the first person in college who had ever taken any academic interest in me and i revered her for it.
it was excruciating for me to show back up that fall semester and have everyone ask why i was there. i told a few the truth, but others i just jokingly told that i couldn’t get enough of the place. terrified that i would wind up without a college degree, i worked very hard in both classes. i read the homework ahead of time, contributed in class and worked on my papers and essays in advance so that i could turn in real, finished products. classmates asked me questions when they didn’t understand our readings and i wondered why i hadn’t taken the time to care before now. rather than just hope that my grades were okay, i would follow up with my professors and talk to them about my papers while i was writing them. i discovered that i truly enjoyed school. i made two A’s that semester and ended up with two professors who were genuinely proud of me! i was proud of myself, too, and that semester will forever be a memory that i turn to for inspiration and motivation. it was an awfully painful semester for my pride, but i will be forever thankful that God let me get to that failing point so i would have to work hard at achieving something. he didn’t just let me glide through school, because he loved (loves) me and didn’t want me making the same mistakes in more important areas of my life later on down the road.

oh, caulk!

2007-11-05T11:36:00.000-05:00

one of the final details that we have been doing in our remodeling project is caulking. the hubby and i scraped and removed the old caulk around the crown molding before we painted and then removed the old caulk from both bathtubs over the weekend. the hubby had a pretty frustrating time trying to caulk below the crown molding in the dining room, but he ended up doing a great job. after seeing how annoyed he was with the caulk gun, i decided that i would do him a favor and do the rest of the caulking myself. besides, he had more important projects that needed his attention (like installing cool, new toilet paper holders and hanging a few pictures). do you know how maddening it is when you finish up a caulk line and the caulk doesn’t stop coming out of the tube? it just keep squirting out, even if you put a cap on it!
i was crouched inside the guest bathtub caulking, and the hubby was using the level to measure for the toilet paper holder right next to me when this conversation took place:
wifey: “you know, caulk could be a bad word in our family's vocabulary after this experience. you could say the word and no one would know that you were sort of cussing.”
hubby: “except that it already sounds like a bad word.”
wifey, not quite grasping what the hubby meant: “wouldn’t it be great? you could say something like, ‘oh, caulk!’” pause… “um, yeah, i see what you mean. scratch that idea.”

to football or not to football

2007-11-04T18:10:00.000-05:00

that is the question. i work with some serious football fans. before now, i've never paid much attention to bcs ratings or who needs to beat who this weekend or who is the best quarterback for this week's fantasy game. but now, i don't have much of a choice because i hear about it all day long at work. i even managed to be the high school drum major for three whole years without understanding what a first, second, third or fourth down had to do with winning a football game. i barely knew when a touchdown was happening. usually, i would watch the fans or the band director for a cue when to tell the band to play a fight song. sad, i know. yesterday, the hubby was particularly interested in a certain navy/notre dame football game. i actually watched it with him and enjoyed it. he even explained what all the downs were and why they had to happen, etc. sara has tried to explain these things to me before, but i guess it didn't stick with me. now, however, i think i might understand. maybe. i still don't see what all the hype is about and can't quite understand why someone would spend their entire weekend on the couch watching football games, but maybe i'll try a little bit harder now to enjoy a game every now and then. what harm can it do?

it's a jacket! it's a coat! it's a blazer! it's a cardigan! it's a trench coat!

2007-11-02T07:37:00.000-05:00

when i bought this coat, i didn't fully realize just how versatile it would be. you see, one of the perks to working in an all-male office (except for me, of course) is that the guys don't pay attention to your wardrobe. i can wear the same outfit two or three times a week (i try to limit it to two times, don't worry) and they'll have no clue! this jacket has been added to so many outfits, you wouldn't believe it. i've already worn it twice this week as part of two separate ensembles. it's great and i'm totally getting my moneys worth out of it. when i was in high school, i didn't really have the luxury of wearing outfits twice in one week. my mom would notice that i liked a shirt or pair of pants a little too much and then would hide them from me. perhaps she was trying to save me from a social disaster, but it just plain frustrated me. my husband on the other hand, would never think of hiding clothes from me just to prevent my wearing them multiple times. in fact, i think he would encourage it because that would mean less shopping on my part. or not. =)

location. location. location.

2007-11-01T08:41:00.000-05:00

well, after countless hours spent painting, cleaning and rearranging, i'm ready to show you a few pictures of our condo that we hoping to sell very quickly. we showed it to a couple last night and are going to list it with our realtor this weekend if that couple doesn't make an offer by then. the bathrooms were totally redone and the pergo floors throughout the condo are all new as well. what do you think?

under contract!!

2007-10-29T07:46:00.001-05:00

help!

2007-10-26T10:16:00.000-05:00

i keep a notebook in my purse at all times so i can be ready to write an idea down whenever it strikes me. the notebook that i'm using right now has a list of the duty stations that we were considering before my husband got his orders, a list of things to do with my hubby when he came home from deployment, topics to write about on this blog, and most recently, a list of ideas for Christmas presents. i wrote everything down for everyone except for my hubby. the list that i created for him was in a code that i hoped he wouldn't break if he happened to see it. the problem is, now i can't figure it out either... what i did was write the first and last letter of each word and put a dot between those letters. this is the present that i'm having trouble deciphering: c.o p.r w.h so this one item has three words and who knows how many letters between those first and last letters. anyone want to help me out and take a guess at what it means? here it is again:
c.o p.r w.h

the road to the last day of college... part 1

2007-10-25T15:51:00.000-05:00

five and a half years of college. and that was just for a bachelor’s degree. simultaneously getting rid of the ex-boyfriend and moving out of my parents’ house for the first time gave me a huge burst of freedom and i lived it up to the umpteenth degree. i suddenly realized that guys actually liked me, contrary to what the ex had drilled into my head, and my friends and i would go wild four nights a week at local fraternity and house parties. our busy weekends concluded with sunday night swing dancing and then it was back to classes for the week. i was asked to join our school’s social council and had a hand in planning every social event that year. what more could i want?
my story probably sounds very similar to most college students’ experiences, except for the whole studying part. graduating high school with honors had been a breeze for me, but this college thing was a whole new ballgame. most of my friends spent their non-partying hours in the library, buried in the books, but i was busy working 20-30 hours a week for an engineering firm and then taking five dance classes a week. when was i supposed to fit in library time? unfortunately, i didn’t try and didn’t think that i needed to. i would occasionally meet a friend at the library to study for a class together, but my study skills were extremely underdeveloped.
at the end of the first semester of my sophomore year, i completely stopped partying. i had started going to this church thing on tuesday nights and one night, it totally changed my life. in an instant, i knew that the partying and drinking had to stop and that i had to make some changes or else my life was going to take some really bad turns. those changes were astonishingly easy for me to make, but sadly, i had already created some horrible study habits (rather, non-study habits) and i didn’t know how to fix them. i continued working 30+ hours a week for the engineering firm and taking numerous dance classes. those were my priorities, and i figured that since the people around me loved me and i was very good at my job, i would quickly and successfully finish college and get on with my career. riiiight. i was obviously very ignorant and reality was coming at me like a freight train.

the last day of college

2007-10-25T08:24:00.000-05:00

i've already told you about my first day of college, so maybe i should fill you in on my last day of college. it was equally as interesting and didn't take place until 1739 days after that first day. that's right, for those of you that are looking at that number in disbelief, it took me five and a half years to graduate college (i finished in december, but we didn't have the graduation ceremony until may). college was just so much fun and so much money ($40,000+ a year) that i didn't want to leave until i was absolutely ready. seriously though, i just got my priorities a little mixed up and had to learn a difficult lesson the hard way. curious? i'm sure you are... more details coming soon =)

bad samaritan?

2007-10-24T12:31:00.000-05:00

i just passed a man on the side of the road with jumper cables in his hand as he stood helplessly next to his broken-down conversion van. maybe i've heard one too many abduction stories, because i drove right past the guy without even thinking about stopping to help. in a college self defense course, we read the gift of fear and learned to listen to our sense of fear (great book, by the way). had i stopped to help this man, i'm sure i could have used some of my karate moves on him if he had tried to harm me, but what if he had a gun? am i just paranoid?
the good samaritan story always comes to mind in instances like these. we are supposed to love our neighbors as ourselves, but how do we do that in today's world? the world was a dangerous place in the samaritan's day, but he still stopped and put his life on the line to help someone.
there has to be a balance. i want to help, but i don't want to end up on the evening news. maybe that is my problem and i'm just like the levite and the priest from the good samaritan story. does anyone else struggle with this or have some advice?

*update*
if you read the comments, you'll see a very amazing response to my post. also, i just got back from a run with bozeman and while we were out there, it started pouring rain. i didn't mind it, and the dog loved it, but someone apparently thought that we were in need. a lady pulled off of the very busy road that we were running next to, rolled her window down in the pouring rain, and tried to give me her umbrella. what a sweetheart. i thanked her for her kindness and told her that we were enjoying ourselves.

pictures of the house

2007-10-23T08:57:00.001-05:00

has a house ever made you cry?

2007-10-22T13:36:00.000-05:00

before this past weekend, i would have answered “no” to that question. but now, my friend, i have cried because of a house. the hubby and i went house hunting this weekend, hoping to find our next home in just one day with our realtor. it sounds like a lofty goal, but we had both prayed about it ahead of time and asked God to give us wisdom in choosing the right part of town and the right house.
after endless hours of research on the internet, there was one house in particular that the hubby and i were looking forward to seeing. it was older, 27 years old to be exact, but looked solid. our realtor showed us some rather interesting houses, some really nice ones, and some houses that belonged to families that we felt sorry for because we knew that they needed to sell. finally, we visited the house that we had both talked about ahead of time. as we pulled into the driveway, we saw the homeowner walking out the back door with a basket of something, heading to her next door neighbor’s house to wait while we perused her home. i liked her immediately, although i’m still not sure why. i fell in love with the house as soon as we peeked in through the front door. there were plenty of windows and there was so much sunshine streaming in through them. the hardwood floors ran throughout the entire house and they were beautifully polished; this was a big selling point for both the hubby and me. as we walked through the house, i could envision us living and entertaining in it.
it wasn’t until we walked around the exterior of the house, though, that i started to get teary eyed. when we rounded the corner into the backyard, my eyes started to sting and water. i didn’t know what was wrong with me! the hubby and i were looking at the roof and then at the bushes along the property line that i hoped were blackberry bushes and it hit me that this was the house for us. i’m not an emotional girl, but something just made me tear up, something told me that we had to buy this house. i even thought that the homeowner was sitting in her next door neighbor’s kitchen, watching us walk around the house, and praying for us. i felt it. at the end of the tour, i told my hubby that this was the house; none of the others were even contenders in my mind. i also told him that i couldn’t be analytical about it and he had to be the one to make sure that this was the right choice. we talked about it with each other on the drive home and then we talked to both sets of parents and now we are getting ready to make an offer! woo hoo!

an angel in the darkness

2007-10-19T10:45:00.001-05:00

in high school, i had a great boyfriend. no really, he was awesome. he liked to put me down, yell at me, threaten me, drop me off on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere if we got into a fight, and sometimes he would even hit me. yeah, he was so great that i stayed in that relationship for four whole years. don’t ask me what i was thinking, lord knows my entire family and nearly all of my friends (and some of his friends) did everything they could to show me that i would be so much better without the dude. it wasn’t until i went away to a women’s college that i finally got the guts to break up with him for good.
the day my parents helped me move into my dorm was life changing. i met my roommate and all the girls on the hall and we went to dinner as one group. i had never had so many girl friends before. the upper classwomen were so independent and brilliant and out to save the world and were there to encourage the new “first-years” on campus.. in just that first day at the school, i regained so much confidence in myself that my boyfriend had worked hard to destroy over the past four years. that night, well past the time that all good girls should be in bed, my boyfriend called to say that he was sitting outside in the parking lot. lovely. i went outside to meet him and we walked around the campus together. we quickly got into a useless argument and stopped to talk it out on the steps of our school’s old, outdoor amphitheater. i was quickly falling back into the submissive role of the stupid girlfriend, and all i wanted to do was walk away from him and go back to my safe dorm with all of my new friends. tears started welling up in my eyes as i listened to him rant and rave about what an idiot i was. he got mad at me for being quiet and crying and he pushed me. i fell down a couple of the concrete steps of the amphitheater and scraped up my arm and side pretty good. i got up and looked at him in disbelief, and he started apologizing, trying to comfort me for the pain that he had just caused me. at this point, i knew that he had to go, but i had no idea how to get him to leave. we were alone, in the dark, in the middle of a very empty field and most everyone else on campus was in their dorm rooms. i did the only thing that i could think of: i prayed. it wasn’t even a good prayer; i pretty much just said “help” to God. i looked at the soon-to-be ex-boyfriend, not sure how God was going to help, only sure that He would. my eyes wandered past the boyfriend to a tree about 50 yards away and i saw a form. a very tall, dark figure was leaning against a tree near the student center and seeing that figure gave me one of the most peaceful feelings that i have ever felt in my entire life. i knew that that had to be an angel that God had sent to help me get through the next few minutes, because without seeing that figure against the tree, i couldn’t have pushed past my boyfriend and walked confidently to my dorm, ignoring his requests for me to stop and just talk. i walked right to my dorm building, with him on my heels, unlocked the door with the key that i had and he didn’t, and closed the door in his face. my heart was racing as i watched him through the glass, yelling and pleading for me not to call the cops. of course i wasn’t going to call the cops. i was going to get on my knees and thank God that he had rescued me.

stowaway

2007-10-19T09:33:00.000-05:00

i have a stowaway with me in the office today... bozeman! the contractor is still working on our condo and i think bozeman was bitten by a spider, so i couldn't send him to doggy day care to play today. he's a good dog, laying on the other side of my desk with his head near my feet. too bad i can't bring him every day!

bookworm

2007-10-17T14:00:00.000-05:00

i love, love, love to read. there is a picture of me from when i was 8 years old where i am sitting at the kitchen counter with a book in one hand, bowl of cereal in front of me and my deaf, white cat leaning over my shoulder. not much has changed in 19 years. you can still find me (standing, not sitting) at the kitchen counter with a bowl of cereal, a good book and the dog at my feet.
i recently finished a really good book, the will of wisteria. although it seemed a little predictable at times, i found it impossible to put the book down until i finished it. i read the savannah series that this author wrote with the same fervor. next, i’m working on reading through not for sale. it’s a sad, but a necessary eye-opener. i’ll have to blog about that one after i finish it… i can’t believe i had no idea how prevalent slavery was in the world today.

it sounded like a good idea...

2007-10-17T13:40:00.000-05:00

sometimes, i have some really great ideas that turn out to be not so great ideas. my plan to mega-multi-task while at work and get in some exercises in our warehouse has turned into a major pain. i love doing lunges and squats and regularly do them around our condo in the midst of doing laundry or cooking dinner. so of course, when i came up with the brilliant idea of doing lunges between my desk and the bathroom in the back of our office warehouse, it sounded like the perfect plan (don't worry, no one could see me!). i could feel the burn at the end of the day and felt a little less guilty if i didn't make it to the gym... until my knee started to hurt. and it hurt a lot. remember that little backpacking trip where sara thought that the bear was attacking her? during that same trip, i managed to slip and slide on the icey trails enough that all the little knee injuries from years of ballet combined to form one big knee injury. that same knee just started acting up again thanks to my brilliant idea to do lunges at work. oh, did i mention that those lunges were performed while wearing black pumps? that's probably the reason my idea went so awry. a few ice packs and some husband-enforced time off from running have left me walking without much pain, so it thankfully wasn’t a serious injury this time.
oh, another brilliant idea of mine has left my hubby a tad frustrated. while planning out our remodeling with the contractor, he asked if he could throw the remodeling trash in our condo dumpster. knowing that this was a serious offense with our property manager, i told our contractor not to worry about it and that the hubby and i would take care of the disposal of those old toilets, tile, carpet and vanity. oops. what was i thinking? that stuff is heavy! and we live on the third floor! and the dump is very far away from our neighborhood! so what do i do now? should i ask the contractor to haul it all away and just have him charge us? do i call one of those places like 1_8OO_g0t_junk? any suggestions would be appreciated =)

r-e-s-p-e-c-t

2007-10-11T08:02:00.000-05:00

i just have to brag about my husband for a minute. this past month has been incredibly stressful for us. we've been working on the condo to get it ready to put on the market, looking for a house to buy in a city that we haven't seen for 3 years (we're going house-hunting in person soon), and just dealing with daily life. although i work really well under stress in the office, i don't think i deal with it so well at home. sometimes, the hubby will find me cleaning the toilets at 11:00 at night just because i suddenly find it more important than going to bed at a decent hour. or, in the midst of trying to de-clutter and move things to storage, i'll start baking cookies because cookies are safe and make me feel like the home is in order even when it is not (ever seen disney's "the kid" with bruce willis? i love his line, "safety in sandwich... safety in sandwich"). thankfully, i have a husband who can sort through all of the stress and create some sort of order for us both. he wrote out a detailed plan and schedule for getting everything completed on time and has even given me tasks to do every day. that might sound pretty old school to you guys, the husband giving his wife "chores," but i asked him for it because i knew that we needed to be on the same page and i really needed him to be in charge and take the lead. i am a very driven, type-a person and the last thing we need right now is for me to take over and start giving my husband orders. and that's just what i would do if he hadn't done it himself. i have a renewed respect for my husband after these past couple of weeks and i just get so excited about it and want him to realize how amazing he is.
here's a more direct example of how amazing he is: the living and dining room have been in disarray because we had to pile all of the furniture in the middle of the rooms and cover them with drop cloths while painting the walls around them. yesterday, the hubby didn't have to go into work until late in the afternoon. do you know what he did all day long? he cleared the kitchen countertop, cleaned up all of the paint supplies, put all of the furniture back in place and even rearranged it in a better layout than before that makes our living room look so much bigger and emphasizes our really cool screened in porch. i got home from work and it was such a relief to have everything back in its place and in order. whew. he even waited for me to get home from work before he left, just so we could sit down and relax together for a few minutes. what a guy...

the talking donkey

2007-10-10T12:50:00.000-05:00

bozeman and i take long walks together every morning. it is still dark outside when we walk, but i feel pretty safe in our neighborhood (having a big dog by my side doesn't hurt). sometimes, i just let bozeman sniff every spot on the grass or the trunk of someone's car. other times, he is in a hunting mood and we have to chase every cat or bug that crosses our path. still other times, i just want to go for a nice run with my dog. there have been two early mornings in the past month that i've tried to go for a run with bozeman and he has simply resisted me at the very beginning of our run. he actually stops running, turns in the opposite direction, and either sits down or tries to run back home. rather than yank the leash and force him to keep running with me, i usually turn around with him and we just run around the condo or chase cats together (am i losing my mind admitting that i chase cats with my dog?) and the reason is because i keep thinking of the talking donkey from the bible. anyone know the talking donkey story? all i can think of when my dog decides that he doesn't want to run with me is what he can see ahead of us on the path that i can't see. it may sound silly, but when it is dark and there aren't many people around, i'm going to trust my dog's instincts over my own... and i will continue to chase those cats.

flip this condo!

2007-10-10T09:47:00.000-05:00

a few posts back, i very briefly mentioned that the hubby and i were trying to paint every single interior wall in our condo. that was only part of the story. no, we couldn't stop at just painting! we are also getting new toilets and shower/tub faucets for the bathrooms, getting a whole new sink cabinet for the guest bath, new lighting fixtures in the bathrooms, new tile in the guest bathroom and new pergo flooring in the foyer, hallway, dining room and living room. don't worry, we have a contractor helping us. lowe's really loves us right now. a few hundred bucks here, a few hundred there... poor hubby. we are doing all of this work in hopes that it will make our condo stand out from all of the other condos on the market and that it will sell quickly. as soon as all of the work is complete, i'll post some pictures... maybe even some before and after pictures!
and completely off the topic, sara and i may be getting together soon in atlanta. the hubby and i have a wedding to go to and sara just happens to have some plans in the same part of town at the same time.