Thursday, April 30, 2009

because i have nothing else to write about today

Not much to blog about today, hence more questions & answers, borrowed from Dawn (again). E and I are off to playgroup today @ 12pm and then stopping @ my mom's house. So that's where we'll be.

1. What is in the back of your car?
a TON of stuff right now. I'm taking a bunch of stuff to my mom's house for the garage sale on Saturday.

2. What color is your toothbrush?
blue and white.

3. Name one person who made you smile today.
Ethan

4. What were you doing at 8:00 AM?
feeding E, changing his diaper or watching cartoons with him.

5. What were you doing 45 minutes ago?
Oh, crap, I pre-scheduled this post, but @ 7:15am I was hopefully still in bed.

6. What is your favorite candy?
Twizzler's Strawberry Licorice

7. What is the last thing your said aloud?
"are you supposed to be playing with the phone?" - I'll let you guess who I was talking to.

8. What is the best ice cream flavor?
there are many, but I mint chocolate chip is a long time favorite.

9. What is the last thing you had to drink?
diet dr. pepper

10. What are you wearing right now?
workout shorts & tshirt

11. What is the last thing you ate?
dinner - quesadilla & 2 small tacos...not great for the diet, but it was a minimal amount and I did good all day, so it shouldn't impact me negatively.

12. Have you bought any new clothes this week?
no.

13. When was the last time you ran?
2 weeks ago today!

14. What was the last sporting event you watched?
I have NO idea!

15. Ever go camping?
yes. once. hated it. 'nuff said.

16. Do you have a tan?
a minimal one. because I am so disgusted w/my body right now, I caved and went and got a spray tan last Sunday. It is awesome. I really do feel better about myself and I *so* needed that!

17. Do you take vitamins daily?
I just finished taking my pre-natal vitamins and since weaning begins Monday night, I am not buying any more.

18. Do you go to church?
used to go almost every Sunday 'til I started back to school and when we took E on Palm Sunday & Easter...well, let's just say I didn't get much out of it because O and I had to take turns taking E out of the church because he would not sit still. They only have child care @ the 10am mass and we went later. Also, he still has some separation anxiety and would not do well in the child care anyway. So all that to say that church is a challenge right now and I typically do not go.

19. Do you like Chinese food more than pizza?
no way!

20. Do you drink your soda with a straw?
yes, preferably!!

21. Are you someone's best friend?
honestly, I have NO idea.

22. Where is your dad?
i assume he is either @ home or working. that's about all he ever does.

23. Can you say the alphabet backwards?
not very well.

24. Do you have a maid service clean your home?
I sure wish I did, especially since I'll be single-momming it for the next 5 months.

25. Do you have a favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?
when it's warm out I prefer to wear my beat up old pair of beige flip flops.

26. What color is your car?
blue.

27. How do you like your popcorn?
definitely with butter, but overall, I'm not much of a popcorn fan.

28. How did you get your worst scar?
ran into my grandma's bedframe @ the age of 5 or 6, cut my eye.

29. Look to your left. What do you see?
bag of scrapbook stuff. laptop. phone.

30. What color is your watch?
the one I wore most this week is silver. i am a watch-junkie. I love them. especially Fossil watches.

31. What do you think of when you think of Australia?
kangaroos. and when in the heck will I ever get there.

32. Do you use chap stick?
yes, everyday typically.

33. Do you have a dog?
nope.

34. Last person you talked to on the phone?
my mom.

35. Have you met anyone famous?
YES! Mark Ruffalo!! Yum!!

36. How many states have you lived in?
four: Michigan, Texas, Arizona. Tennessee.

37. Do you dye your hair?
just highlights.

38. Do you like cats?
love them. especially the 2 that I have!

Now that I finished this, a lot of the questions are similar to a survey I did back in July 2008. You can see it here.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

~a few more than 20 questions~

The great "Blogging Dawn" has a vast resource of memes, questionnaires & surveys on her blog. I'm not sure where she finds them, but since I'm too lazy to peruse the internet, I often look @ her blog for new & fun ideas!

1) Could you go out in public looking like you do now?
one would hope, since i am at work.

2) What DVD is in your DVD player?
Bolt

3) What did you do last night?
Went for a 2.5 mile walk pushing E in the stroller through our hilly neighborhood. It is my desperate attempt at exercise.

4) Last person who got mad at you? Why?
Hands down, it was most likely O. God only knows what the reason was this time.

5) Do you like your music loud or at a reasonable level?
i used to play it quite loud all the time in the car, but now with little ears with me just about 24/7, well, I have it @ a more reasonable level. I will say though, that I enjoyed my trip all alone to Target recently and blasted the music all the way there and back.

6) Are you a beach person or a snowy mountain person?
definitely a beach person, although I'm not crazy about going in the ocean. It's more about being there, the air, crashing waves, the atmosphere etc. Hotels usually have a pool on the ocean and I prefer to sit there and smell the ocean air.

7) Who was the last person to text you?
Is Verizon a person? I *never* get text msgs. Boo!

8) What annoys you the most?
lies and liars.

9) When do you take a shower, morning or night?
the majority of the time, I take my shower in the morning. on the rare occasion that I would take one at night would be due to playing sports/working out and since that hasn't been happening much, well, it's just been a morning shower for me.

10) Do you play any sports?
i used to play crazy amounts of softball - like 3-4 nights per week. I haven't played since 2006 and am very sad about it. I sure hope I get back to it @ some point, although I'm not getting any younger.

11) Do you like scary movies?
nope. not at all.

12) Would you rather stay home all day, or be out and about?
depends on what I would be doing 'out and about', if it's running errands, I typically don't mind. I enjoy being at home too.

13) Look out the window what do you see?
I am so lucky to have a direct view of the ladies bathroom from my office door/window.

14) What are your nicknames?
don't have any.

15) Last time you went to the mall?
Sunday. E and I went to make a return and get outta the house for a few hours while O could clean. Yay!

16) Tell me about the pants your wearing:
A pair of khaki pants in a size bigger than I would like them to be. They are a bit big on me right now and feel sort of sloppy but the size smaller would be uber-uncomfortable. So, sloppy it is.

17) Do people ever spell/say your name wrong?
Umm, yes. both. and it's very annoying. i should be used to it by now but my mom gave me a name that can be spelled in a variety of ways and to top it off, she picked the MOST unique way to spell it.

18) Are you watching tv?
um, no. I'm working, remember. Or maybe I'm reading blogs.

19) Where would you like to live?
Disney World. <----Dawn said that, but I TOTALLY agree!!

20) Last time you spent the night at someone's house?
Back in July 08, went to my (step) sisters house in VA. E, dad and I are going there for a visit May 15th too - yay!!

21) When was the last time you were extremely disappointed/really mad?
Probably when O found out he was leaving for bootcamp on 5/4 instead of late August. It screwed up my school schedule/child care...ha, so I fought back, changed my major and don't need those Summer classes after all. LOL!!

22) Is there anyone you regret ever meeting?
yes.

23) Plans for the upcoming weekend?
On Saturday O is throwing his own going away BBQ having a few co-workers/friends over. I'd much rather lay on the couch all weekend. Sunday no plans so far.

24) Have you got a certain somebody on your mind right now?
E- always!

25) What's the last thing you put in your mouth?
Strawberry Shortcake Flavor yogurt.

26) Who was the last person you drove with?
E

27) When was last time you walked further than a block?
Just now - I walked over to the Graduate Admissions office to submit the form to change my study program. It's nice and sunny out. The walk would have been more enjoyable if I were wearing shorts & flip flops though.

28) Name something that made you laugh today?
this blog post

29) Do you believe ex's can be 'just friends'?
well that's a touchy one and the last time I posted something even remotely related to this topic, I received more than 50 comments, well that is how many got 'published' anyway. there were plenty of nasty ones and I really don't feel up for reading those again, so I'll just say "to each, his own"

30) How do you feel about Diet Dr Pepper?
Yum. Preferably from ChickFila. It tastes the best there. Really it does!

31) When was the last time you cried really, really hard and why?
oh heck, who knows....probably a few months ago (really hard that is).

32) What were you doing at 9pm last night?
putting E to bed.

33) Do you think relationships are ever really worth it?
at this point in my life i am sad to report that I don't have a lot of evidence proving that they are.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

a giveaway

~I want to do a giveaway on my blog.

~Problem is, I don't have anything (that anyone would want) to giveaway.

~That makes it pretty difficult to do a giveaway, huh?

~So, I came up with the great idea of you telling me what you would like to see in a giveaway.

~Now, don't go all crazy on me with big ticket items, I only work 20 hrs/week and essentially that's in exchange for graduate tuition, so I virtually have NO money.

~I have a ton of scrapbooking things I could giveaway, but not all of my readers are scrapbookers, so that probably won't work too well.

~So, give me some ideas...

~Once I have a great giveaway product, I will post the giveaway rules & fine print.

the unimportant things

The Novelista Barista tagged me in a post and here's what I have to do:

Rules:

1. Mention the person who nominated you.
I mentioned her above, she lives in NYC (woo!) and she has a cool blog which I just recently discovered, I believe via Fidgeting Gidget, another great blog. Stop by, I'm sure you love both of them too!!

2. List six unimportant things that make you happy.

(1) getting fun stuff in the mailbox, such as cards, goodies etc., even more when it's a surprise! Text messages are a fun treat too.

(2) having just the right 'ingredients' to make the perfect scrapbook layout.

(3) getting out of work early.

(4) Diet Dr. Pepper @ ChickFila <--not sure if that qualifies as UNimportant though.

(5) having time @ night to read for fun (text books don't count)

(6) Being tan, I always feel better when I am tan. <---I'm keeping this one from Novelista Barista because I feel the EXACT same way!!! This is very relevant for me right now when I completely HATE my fat, blubbery body - a tan just makes it a little easier to handle.

3. Tag six blogs, state the rules & notify them with a teeny comment on their blog.


(1) Chele @ On the tip of My Fingers
(2) Dawn @ Thoughts Along the Broken Road
(3) ErinSlick (I'm guessing her name is Erin)
(4) K @ Interstitial Life - I hate to admit that I don't know what Interstitial means.
(5) KekeLynn - A Look Behind My Eyes
(6) Jacklyn @ Life as a Student, Mother & Wife

Monday, April 27, 2009

scale shock

~that's what I'm going to call it. that's how I felt this morning after weighing myself.

~I hadn't weighed myself for at least 3 wks because I had not been working out or eating too well, so what's the point, right? Not sure what came over me this morning but the result was enough to propel me into immediately changing my crap-habits.

~You see, I have embarked on workout routines & healthy eating many times post-baby in an effort to shed this 18ish-lbs, but with little to no results. I recently discovered that 30% of women don't actually lose all their babyweight until they stop nursing. I'm REALLY hoping that I'm in that 30%!!! Otherwise I don't know why I haven't had better results when I was consistently working out.

~Today was day 1 of my 'new & improved' habits.

~Thankfully the weather is gorgeous which inspires me to get out with the little man in the stroller and do our 2+ mile hilly walking route. An awesome workout. Takes about 45 minutes. I plan to do this EVERY day this week. Shouldn't have a problem with that.

~I also managed to drink 4 bottles of H2O today, which has been a challenge to do recently, but used to come so easily way back when (I was slimmer).

~Additionally, I ate much better today and even refrained from eating anything @ the 'student worker appreciation dinner' today @ 4:30pm in the office...wanting to leave @5pm sharp helped with the motivation to not eat anything!!

~So now I am exhausted from the walk and I am fighting the urge to consume a gazillion Oreo cookies with a glass of milk, so instead I think I'll go put E to bed and likely zonk out myself. I'm beat!

~Goodnight!

looking forward

Now that the semester is 'virtually' over, I'm looking forward to some upcoming travels that E and I will be embarking upon. (I said 'virtually' because my lovely SA prof has not posted our last test on-line yet. Umm, hello, I would like to take said test and be D.O.N.E. Thank you!)

First up on the agenda in just a week or so: Atlanta!! Woohoo!! We will be going to Zoo Atlanta, Centennial Park, Archivers (for me and mom) and of course a stop @ Ikea! I am SUPER excited about this one!!

Next it will be on to Really Small Town, Virginia. We will be visiting my step sister and her family. We haven't seen them since July 08 which is crazy because pre-baby we used to see each other every couple months. I miss her! It's usually very chaotic, but always lots of fun!

After VA will likely be a trip to SC for O's graduation from boot camp. This is provided that scheduling works out. I will probably have to "make it work" if I don't want to suffer from life long complaints about not making it. Sorry, but sitting out in the hot sun with a toddler watching a bunch of people march around is NOT my idea of a good time.

Last trip currently on the agenda is another to SC, specifically Myrtle Beach, if it hasn't burned to the ground by then. That reminds me, I need to check the news and see if those fires have been contained yet. This is our true beach vacation, thanks to dad and his time share membership. Yay dad!!

10 Things You Love Talking About

Another idea that I swiped from Dawn's blog, she has a plethora of these fun 'lists' or 'memes'...or whatever you want to call them.

I've been working on this one for about a month now. Oddly enough, I just cannot come up with 10 things I love talking about.

1) E

2) Blogging

3) Scrapbooking, but I'd rather actually scrapbook than talk about it.

4) Travel, but again, I'd rather actually travel, than talk about it.

5) Mickey, Pluto & anything Disneyworld, especially right now when I'm itching to go there.

6) Books. I love book recommendations, so fire away.

7) Techie Gadgets. (still aching for a Blackberry, but don't think the pocketbook is going to allow for it, also exploring (ed) the iPhone. My mom can get a 19% discount @ AT&T as a Retiree...but I'm still not sure that would be enough to 'justify' paying through the nose for an iPhone & the monthly service. But I sure DO want one. :) I can't make any changes 'til July though, when my Verizon contract is up. Mom wants an iPhone too, so maybe there's a bit of hope here...not sure).

8)

9)

10)

Maybe you can help me fill in 8, 9 & 10...I can't think of ANYTHING!!

Friday, April 24, 2009

music recommendations

I like most music (not rap though, blech! barf! puke!) but I primarily listen to country.

It seems to go in phases with a lot of great new music released and then nothing for a (long) while.

I'm happy to report 2 new releases that I just can't get enough of.

Keith Urban - Defying Gravity. I absolutely love "Sweet Thing" and have been listening to it over and over. I even blared it loudly in my car like an abnoxious 18 year old on my way to Target (by myself) tonight. It was fun too!

Rascal Flatts - Unstoppable. My favorite is "Love Who You Love". If you don't buy the album, @ LEAST BUY THAT SONG. Absolutely awesome.

Neither have any personal signficance for me in terms of lyrics, but they are just simply awesome songs.

Now, go directly to itunes or other music download site and get these songs. So good!! Had to share!

Friday 5

Friday 5

1) What’s the most annoying sound in the world?
I'm going to probably have to say a train horn. Two years ago this would not have been my answer, but living too close to the train tracks has made me HATE trains!!

2) Which of other people’s mannerisms do you find very annoying?
When people talk to me in a condescending tone. Infuriates me!

3) What do you do that really annoys others?
I guess I complain alot or so I've been told.

4) In what way has your own behavior recently caused you annoyance?
Well, I am typically quite organized & efficient and like to get things accomplished as quickly as possible. Last night I went to drop off some items for a consignment sale so I wouldn't have to do it in the morning. Part of the plan was to take E with me so he would fall asleep in the car. Well, E never fell asleep and it was so crowded that I ended up frustrated and left. Had to go back this morning. Ugh!!

5) Who’s the most annoying person you know?
Usually my husband. He just is.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

~let's be honest~


Fidgeting Gidget passed the Honest Scrap Award on to me today!!!

The rule is to list 10 honest things about yourself, so here goes:

1) I sucked my thumb until a completely embarrassing age.

2) I miss being Single just about everyday.

3) I never liked running, but started training for 5k races back in 2004, which helped me lost about 25 lbs and gave me TONS of energy. Now up 18lbs post baby and I wish I could get back the motivation to start running again.

4) During Fall & Winter I have to wear socks 24/7, my feet are ALWAYS cold. In the Spring/Summer, total opposite, I never wear socks and usually wear only flip flops.

5) I have never broken a bone in my body, but I've had 3 knee surgeries.

6) My son is 14 months old, I'm still nursing him because the weaning process involves crying and my husband gets really sad frustrated when E cries like that. I somewhat resent husband for not being 'tough enough' to support me in this. The weaning process will begin on May 4, when O leaves for bootcamp.

7) I really miss playing softball and hope that I am able to get back to it someday.

8) I often get stuck thinking about my past and the gazillion things I would do differently.

9) I really dislike being in Graduate School at my age. Wish I would have done it years ago.

10) I could eat ChickFila every day.

I'm supposed to pass this on to 7 people, but honestly, I've chosen so many blogs in the past week for other awards/tags that I really don't know who to pick. How about if you want to do this, go right ahead. Leave me a link so I can check out your list.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

~zombie chickens?!?!~

I received another blog award today and this one cracks me up - it's the Zombie Chicken Award. Too funny!!

I say it's perfect timing too as I've been sort of zombie-like the past two days thanks to E's waking up a bazillion times for the past two nights.

Anyway, this award states: The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken - excellence, grace and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all..."

With the looming threat of zombie chickens, I must quickly choose 5 other bloggers to receive this award and they are:



Gaston Studio - I think I should return the love. She is a faithful and respectful commenter. I always appreciate & enjoy reading her comments.

On The Tip of My Fingers - my friend, Chele, who I someday hope to actually meet in person.

Living & Loving in Tampa - Brandi, I recently discovered her blog and I like it. Simple as that. Maybe I'll even visit her when we head to Disney next June...ya' never know.

Life & My Place In It - Anonymous Blogette, another recent discovery that I enjoy reading. A great Twitter-er too!!!

Heidi Renee - A native Michigander. Nothing more needs to be said!!! :)

Now it's your turn to pass this coveted awared on to 5 awesome bloggers of your choice!

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

~SO worth it!!!!~

~So, if you are somewhat 'immersed' in the blogosphere, you likely know about some recent VERY SAD scenarios involving children leaving this world WAY too soon. I can only imagine the grief and heartache these parents are experiencing and know that itis something I would never wish upon anyone nor would I ever want to experience - parents should NOT be burying their children.

~And so at times when I find myself feeling frustrated with the duties of motherhood, I just remember how fortunate I am to have my little man. I cannot imagine my life w/o him, nor do I want to.

~I'll take the nasty, stinky, super-dooper poopy diapers.
~I'll even take getting pooped on.
~I'll take the runny nose.
~I'll take the constant sleepless nights & waking 5-6 times.
~I'll take the days with short or no naps, and the ensuing fussyness.
~I'll take the fighting to get into the carseat.
~Just as long as I still have my little man...because he makes it all WORTH IT.

~post by numbers~

1 - last presentation to do before the semester is officially declared "over"

3 - days off this week to hang out and enjoy my time with E.

4 - ChickFila Minis consumed for today's scrumptious breakfast. (yes, I go there WAY too often)

7 - long hours in what appears to be another boring work day.

9 - days until next payday. (hurry up!)

10 - minutes in my morning walk from parking lot to building.

15 - minutes in my morning commute.

18 - lbs of baby weight that I am still carrying (and frustrated with).

40 - days of rest & relaxation before Summer semester begins.

56 - contacts in my cell phone.

90-people/places/things I'm following on Twitter.

137 - blogs I'm following

1,795 - tweets, to date.

Monday, April 20, 2009

~more randomness!~

More randomness today, because that's all I'm able to muster up...you know, I'm suffering from "brain-fry" here @ the end of the semester...

~I want to go to Florida!

~I have an appt tomorrow @ 2pm with the School Counseling Dept Head.

~I want to go to Disney World!

~Tonight I will be sitting in my Cross Cultural class 'watching' presentations (reading blogs & Twittering actually)

~I want to go to Florida!

~I'm tired of the rainy weather here!

~I want to go to Disney World!

~Where the hell is Spring?

~I currently have NO student appointments tomorrow. I will be uber-bored. I don't handle boredom well. What in the world am I going to do for 8 hours? Besides read blogs and Twitter?

~I am looking forward to being done with tomorrow night's presentation.

~Looks like E and I will be going to Atlanta. Mom and her husband will also go. Mom and I threw out the "Mother's Day" card to justify the trip. We won!

~Did I mention that I really want to go to Florida & WDW & see Dawn!!

~I love quotes!~

Sarah posted this on her blog and I loved it so much that I had to post it here. Plus, it can't hurt for more people to see it.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

~Sunday Randomness~

~Today was my last Sunday Study Day - at least for the next 5 weeks! Hooray! I met up with 2 classmates to prepare our Tuesday night presentation for the Death & Dying class. We were done in 1 hour. Awesome!!

~We had our first semi-major baby accident today. I don't really know what happened because I had turned my back but we were both in the office and he somehow managed to hit his mouth/nose on the hard edge of the sofa (?) causing a bloody nose AND mouth. It was NOT pretty. Poor baby! Thankfully he is fine now!!

~O had Nat'l Guard this weekend. He came home and seems to be somewhat indecisive about his pending departure for BCT and Training (in 16 days). The cause of said indecision is the recent knee surgery he had and all the drama that surrounds it. I still think he'll be leaving on 5/4 but we need to REALLY hope his knee doesn't wig out on him while he's gone. That could be really ugly & cause ALOT of issues.

~I'm hoping to meet up with my Advisor this week to hash out the differences btw the Mental Health Counseling Program and the School Counseling Program. I really want to make the change. I hope it works out for me.

~I am SUPER EXCITED about my upcoming 2 DAY work week. Gotta love that!! I have accrued some extra hours and so I decided I would use some of them and take Wednesday off as a treat to myself for the end of the semester.

~Sold both of my textbooks on Amazon this week. Yay for a little (desperately needed) extra income.

~I have a meeting with my lawyer on Thursday to answer a bunch of questions from the guilty opposing side. Maybe all of this will be completed by the time I am 50. I dunno. Probably not.

~Totally envious of some of the moms in my play group who have parents/relatives who take their kid(s) overnight (for numerous nights in a row) giving them a reprieve as well as some much needed FREE time. I could use this. Unfortunately, I don't have the parents/relatives willing/able to do this. Oh and these women are 100% stay at home moms. Yeah, 'nuff said.

~Over the years I have always felt that I am the one who puts forth more effort to stay in touch with friends and well, I have finally made the decision to give up on that. If I'm not worth staying in touch with, nor are they. And I'm BUSY TOO!!! This has always annoyed me but I am choosing now to just let it go. I don't have time to care.

~That's all for now. That's probably enough.

Friday, April 17, 2009

~Friday 5~

Friday 5

1) When did you last sleep in a tent?
I have never slept in a tent and NO, I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything either.

2) What comes to mind when you think about relieving yourself in the great outdoors?
Gross! I've had to do it a couple times and as a girl, it's just not an easy thing to do.

3) Where’s the best place you ever went camping?
Um, only went 1 time. Was in the Girl Scouts. Slept in cabins. Got put in a cabin with 3 girls who came together. We were supposed to pair up in twos for the length of the camping trip. I'll let you guess how well that went for me. Hated it.

4) What’s your favorite camp food?
If I have to camp, then I want Smores!!

5) What’s your sleeping bag like?
I do not have one, but there was nothing special about the one I used to have.

~what to be when I grow up~

~So here I am , almost 38 years old and still don't know what I want to be 'when I grow up'...except for rich and well-traveled. :)

~Anyway, for the past month or so I've been sort of unsure of my graduate program choice but since I'm pretty close to having completed all the coursework, I just figured that I'm stuck and I'll finish the degree and then see what comes my way.

~Lately, I've been considering maybe switching to the School Counseling program instead of the Mental Health Counseling program that I am currently enrolled in. There are numerous benefits, but still the decision is not an easy one for me to make.

~Benefits include summers OFF (of course) once I'm in the workplace. Also, the internship for the School Counseling program is 300 hours shorter. Hooray! That basically means finishing one semester sooner. Double Hooray!! I did notice however, that there are 2 School Counseling specific courses that I would need to take. From what I've seen on-line, that looks like the only difference between the programs.

~I've just sent an email to my advisor to get further clarification on whether this is even a possibility. There are also School Counselor students in my courses right now, so I will be drilling them with questions come Monday & Tuesday.

~My main motivation right now for this change is the work schedule. With having a little one, it's really important to me to spend as much time as possible with him as I can and having Summers off, is HUGE!! That would be awesome. Also, I'd get out early enough in the day to go to his sports events when he gets bigger...or whatever activities he becomes involved in. My mom worked the typical 8am-5pm job back before there was flextime and I was always so bummed out that she could rarely make it to any of my softball games. I don't want to be in that situation when E is bigger. I want to be @ his games to cheer him on and support him!!

~As for compensation, they would both pay approximately in the same (crappy) salary range, so that's pretty much a moot point.

~What would you do?

Thursday, April 16, 2009

~I got an award!!~


I got an Award!!!

The award is for:
1) Dedication for those who love blogging and love to encourage friendships through blogging and
2) To seek the reasons why we all love blogging.

Thank you to Keke Lynn for the award!

Here are my award winners:




The goals of this award:

1)As a dedication for those who love blogging and love to encourage friendships through blogging.

2)To seek the reasons why we all love blogging.

3)Put the award in one post as soon as you receive it.

4)Don't forget to mention the person who gives you the award.

5)Answer the award's question by writing the reason why you love blogging.

6)Tag and distribute the award to as many people as you like.

7)Don't forget to notify the award receivers and put their links in your post.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

~amazing video~

This video was shared in my staff meeting this morning. Some VERY interesting stats presented here...shocking too!!

~email cleanup!~

About a year or almost two ago I made the official move to Gmail for my primary email account. I was previously using Yahoo and my account was getting spammed to death and I just could not take it any longer. I now check my Yahoo account about once per month just to see if there is a straggler email message in there anywhere. Today I decided to clean up my Yahoo Inbox and here is what accumulated in the past month...

~258 total messages

~22 from Kohl's...Whoa! That's almost 1 per day. Unsubscribe!!!!

~16 from Expedia...depressing since I have NO money to travel ANYWHERE!

~14 from Barnes & Noble - Overkill IMO.

~14 from American Airlines...again, depressing. Unsubscribe!!!

~13 from Eddie Bauer

~8 from Broadway.com - I subscribed to this one back in 2006 when I was free and fortunate enough to travel to NYC 3 times and see 8 shows. Today: Unsubscribe!!

So clearly, that does not total 258, but there were an abundance of other junk messages to which I quickly unsubscribed. I'm VERY interested to see in one month from now just how many of those junk messages still show up. I have very little faith in the whole 'unsubscribe' function.

On the bright side, I discovered that my banking institution had my old phone number and email address so I quickly updated my profile with them. Yay!

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

~Atlanta~

~So I clearly have been bitten by the travel bug. I'm aching to go SOMEWHERE, but since money is tight and I have to work 3 days a week and finish this torturous semester, well, it's been difficult to get away.

~On Easter Sunday, after church and an egg hunt, we decided to go to the zoo. We became members. That membership also gets me free or discounted admission to other zoos in the country. It gets me 50% off admission to the Atlanta zoo, which is only 3 hours away. Guess where I want to go now?

~Atlanta also boasts an Ikea store (yum) and Archivers (yum again). Both would be very necessary destinations. And if there are other touristy things that a 14 month old would enjoy, please DO let me know!

~I'm thinking that me and the little man may be taking a road trip down there next month. Now I just need to find an affordable hotel, as I don't think 6 hours in the car in one day would make him very happy.

~my bucket list~

My list of things to do before I kick the bucket...

1) Visit all 50 states.
2) See a baseball game in all MLB parks.
3) See a World Series.
4) Go to the Olympics. (as a spectator of course)
5) Get published for scrapbooking (again)
6) Go to Greece.
7) Go white water rafting.
8) Spend a full day at a spa
9) Travel to Australia.
10) Live in NYC.
11) Coach Little League (preferably my son's team)
12) Join the PTA
13) Swim with dolphins.
14) Visit Cedar Point @ least one more time, preferably more!
15) Get another Jeep Wrangler
16) See Canada, especially Vancouver
17) Go on an African Safari
18) Have a job that I truly enjoy & fulfills me.
19) See Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.
20) Win a contest
21) Extensively travel through California.
22) Take E to a cider mill (hello Michigan!)
23) Go on the Disney cruise
24) Scuba dive
25) Have a photograph published

Monday, April 13, 2009

~hello Canada!~

~I just want to give a shout out to all my Canadian or Canada-resident blog readers. There seem to be a lot of you and I love it. I love Canada.

~My grandmother was from Canada. Winnipeg actually.

~I used to travel to Toronto fairly often, preferably to watch the Red Wings beat the Maple Leafs, but I love Toronto. I love Don Cherry too!

~I have family in Vancouver. I've (sadly) never been there. I (desperately) want to go visit.

~Have a great day Canada, eh?

~what a girl wants~

If I ever have money again or win the lottery, these are a few things I will be purchasing...

The FLIP Video Camcorder. Super compact and holds 60 minutes of video. Plugs right into your computer for easy transfer. And it's just super cute!!!
The Radio Flyer Pathfinder Wagon. So Awesome!!! Can't wait to put the little guy in there and pull him around!!!Portable DVD Player for my car. Obviously this would be for E and not really for me, at least directly. It is in my best interests to keep him happy and calm while we travel, so I really need this. It may not hold his attention for an entire road trip, but it will certainly help. So far this year, well be taking a 4 hr trip to VA, a 5 hr trip to SC and a 8 hr trip to SC. I really need this!!The iHome Under Kitchen Counter Ipod Dock. I have wanted this for a super duper long time. It's currently out of stock/unavailable and has been for a while. Why aren't other companies manufacturing something similar. This is the only one I've ever found?!?!?
The Quickutz Revolution-it's a die cut machine for scrapbookers. My mom just got one and I'm thinking that I really "need" to have one too, especially since I'm finding time to squeeze in creating 2-3 layouts every now and then.Ahhhh - yes, the coveted Canon Rebel 12mp SLR. This has been on the 'want list' for quite some time as well. Hoping that this year I will actually have one in my possession, especially after seeing so many great pics that people take with this beast. I'm sad I didn't have it right when E was born.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

~random thoughts~

Just some random thoughts...

~sometimes I don't feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be. You know like that phrase goes "May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be" I'm having a hard time with that whole trust part because I just don't feel right.

~I got a pedicure last Thursday for the first time in many, many months. I was pretty excited. I wasn't in the car 1 minute and ruined the polish on one of my toes. Yep, because that's the kind of shit luck I have.

~I don't think my self confidence has ever been as low as it is right now, this year. Sucks feelin' like this.



~Sometimes reading blogs depresses me because other peoples lives seem to be a whole lot more fun than mine, or they at least make me wish mine was different somehow.



~I love how E can pick out his bedtime stories already. He has favorites and picks out which book(s) we will read every night. Awesome!

~Why did Graco put cupholders on the front of the strollers? None of the freakin' sippy cups we have FIT in there AND they are 'standard' sippy cups...nothing fancy. I should have bought a Chicco stroller instead!! If you KNOW of a particular type of cup that does indeed fit a Graco cupholder, please let me know, although I am not keen on having to buy ANOTHER sippy cup.

~I used to go tanning alot when I was (much) younger. Haven't gone in years now. Because I'm still carrying 15-20lbs of baby weight and ultimately don't feel so great about my appearance, I am convinced that I would feel better with some color - I always have in the past. I looked into a tanning package, knowing full well that I wouldn't be able to afford it, but anyway I would love to get the spray tan package. It's $48.88/month for 4 sprays, they last about 7 days and you can also utilize two of the different tanning beds they have there as well. Like I said, I can't afford it, so I won't be tan and I'll still feel like crap about myself and my (fat) appearance.

~Speaking of appearance and being fat. I SO BADLY want to do Operation Boot Camp. One month of intensive work outs & training - how awesome! Two reasons I can't do it (at least right now). (1) It's $325.00 for one month, (2) It's @ 6am everyday and I don't have anyone to watch E @ that time in the morning since the hubs leaves for work around 6:30am. So bummed!



~And if you need some more blogs to read, here are some great ones that I HIGHLY recommend: Chele, Dawn, KekeLynn, and Mrs Newlywed.

~Enjoy!!

Friday, April 10, 2009

~Friday 5~

Friday 5

1. What's something you can draw?
A stick figure. That's about it.

2. Who's someone you could get away with impersonating?
I'll have to say my mom, as I have done it once before when I was in high school and the assistant principal called to tell her I was suspended for a day. Years later I told her. It was hilarious!!

3. Where's the stapler?
On my desk.

4. Why will this be a great weekend?
Because I will have finished one of two remaining papers as well as the DVD project. I will only have one paper left to do. Hooray!! And we are going to do another Easter Egg hunt.

5. When are you going to make that phone call you've been putting off?
Sorry, not sure what phone call you are referring to. I don't need to call anyone. :)

Thursday, April 09, 2009

~Disney Withdrawal~

I love Disneyworld!! I was fortunate to visit many times as a young child. I love it there!

I love Mickey Mouse and especially Pluto, he is my favorite.

I miss them. I haven't seen them since 2000.

Over the past couple weeks I've been conspiring about how I could swing a trip down there, even if it was only a long weekend. I don't know if it will happen, but you better believe if there is even a glimmer of hope that I can make it a reality, E and I will be in the car on our way. I think E would really enjoy it too, even at his young age. There is SO much to see!!

Oh and I said only E and I would go because most of you don't know that my husband is leaving for National Guard boot camp and individual training on May 4 and will be gone for 19 weeks.

Also during the month of May, I will be free from grad school classes, but will still have to work my Grad Asst position 20 hours per week. I work Mon, Tues & Wed and I am off on Thur & Fri, so technically a long weekend is certainly do-able, it's just the financial piece that would need to work itself out.

It would be about a 10 hour drive, which I realize is a (whole) lot with a 14 month old, by myself. Again, hard to say whether this little trip can even become a reality this year, but it sure would be fun if it did.

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

~almost over~

A run through of what my Monday's (& Tuesdays) have been like since January and why I cannot wait 'til this semester is over with:

6:15am Wake up & Shower
6:30am E is up, Change his diaper
6:45am Sitter arrives, E wants to be with mommy 'til she leaves though
7:00am Keep getting ready while tending to E
7:15am Make my lunch while tending to E
7:30am Leave for work, wave bye to E watching me from the window
7:50am Arrive @ work, make long trek from parking lot to building
8:00am-5:00pm Work
5:10pm Trek back to parking lot, move car to different parking lot closer to building where night class is held
5:45pm Cross Cultural (Monday)/Death & Dying (Tuesday) Class
7:00pm Bathroom break. Maybe get bag of chips or (unhealthy) snack of some kind for dinner.
8:35pm Class over. Drive Home.
9:00pm Arrive home
9:05pm Put on pajamas
9:10pm Put E to bed if he isn't already asleep
9:15pm Pick up the bazillion items on the floor, wash the pile of dishes so kindly left for me by non-multi-tasking household member
10:00pm Sit down, if I'm lucky. Realize I need to study & there is no time for fun or relaxation.
10:30pm Bedtime, if I don't have pressing homework to do.
11:30pm Bedtime, if I stayed up to study.

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

~really?!?!~

~So I've been in this job for about 11 weeks now. It is a part time job, only 20 hours per week. For those of you who are new here, the main component of my job is to meet with undergraduate students to review their resumes, help with job/internship searches and conduct mock interviews to help them prep for the work world.

~While I'm new to working with the university population, I have worked as a corporate recruiter for about 10 years and have seen my fair share of resumes. Long story as to why I am not a recruiter any longer, but if you are interested, just click on the "job woes" label to the left and eventually you'll figure out why. Anyway, every month we send out surveys to our students to evaluate our services as well as to ask how they found out about our services etc. Standard customer service type survey I suppose.

~Today I received one where someone marked that I was "not knowledgable at all" in the subject matter that which we were discussing during their appointment. I can't help but be slightly hurt by this. Typically though, people who complete these types of surveys are usually the VERY satisfied or the NOT AT ALL satisfied. They are the ones who are typically motivated for such a survey.

~Now I'm 99% sure I know which student this was and immediately after meeting with him I did mention to my supervisor that it was probably the most challenging appointment I have had so far. This student was a Senior, graduating next month and came in for job search help (late in the game, yes!). Now, I will change his major information for the sake of privacy (although I doubt there would be an issue there, but anyway)...let's say he is majoring in Mathematics. He has recently decided that he no longer wants to work in the field of Mathematics but instead wants to become a writer, a field which could be considered a polar opposite to the one he has spent 4 years studying and also one in which he has NO EXPERIENCE. Oh wait, he did mention he took 2 related classes, like maybe English 101 and 102 so those should help him get a job as a writer, right?

~So, while I tried to provide him with some resources for gaining experience so that he might have a snowball's chance in hell in actually landing a job as a writer, he did not seem like I was doing quite enough. How am I supposed to fix his mistake of four years of studying something that he no longer wants to do? Um, yeah, I don't think I can do that.

~Anyway, I think I'll just end there. Reading the survey results struck a nerve with me, but my supervisor was quick to say that she also received a negative comment from this past month's appointments and that while they can initially be hard to swallow, to try to let it roll off my back, which I am doing. And blogging about it helps!!!

~Ultimately, the student is the one who in not knowledgeable, I mean, heck, he wants to be a writer, yet he spent four years studying math. I changed my major late in the undergraduate game too, but not *that* late. And I didn't give anyone nasty survey comments either.

~ethnicity presentation~

I've had a couple requests/comments about how my presentation went last night. So I thought I'd tell you a little bit more about it.

First of all, my ethnicity is not a 'cut & dry' one, I am a mix of many nationalities, but mainly I am, Czechoslovakian, German, Scottish and Lebanese. Of these, the only one for which I had any sort of cultural experiences in my lifetime is the Lebanese ethnicity. These experiences primarily involved food and family gatherings. My maternal grandfather was Lebanese, although born in the US, his parents came over from Beirut.

The presentation was pretty low-key, only having to be 10 minutes and in a pretty casual forum. I started by bringing a box of Baklava to share with the class. This baklava came straight from Dearborn, Michigan which is the most heavily populated Arab (& Lebanese) community in the United States. I used to live about 20 minutes from Dearborn. Awesome city. Awesome food.

I gave a little history about my family's migration, which took place in the early 1900s. Followed that with some basic stats on Lebanon. Did you know they have not conducted a Census there since 1932 for political reasons? According to the UN though, there is approximately 4.1 million people living there and Lebanon is 2/3 the size of Connecticut!!! Seems like that might be crowded but I don't know how many people live in CT and I'm too lazy to look it up right now. Also, which may be common sense for some, there are no exact figures on what religious groups Lebanese residents belong to because people remain fearful to disclose such information.

My last slide including some things to be aware of when counseling individuals of Lebanese (or middle eastern too) descent. Sadly, because of all the war and upheaval that has gone on in that country, people have an overall sense of fear and distrust of others. Learning to trust a therapist will not be easy. Lebanese typically do not seek out therapeutic help but instead turn to religious or community leaders for support. Lastly, due to their cultural component of having great respect for authority, they may expect the therapist to 'solve' their problems for them. Unfortunately, that's not what therapists do.

That's about it in a nutshell. I received positive feedback on the presentation from the instructor so that's a good thing. I turned in my paper to her and will get it back next week. It's much more in depth than the presentation, so I'm expecting a pretty good grade on that as well. Yay!

Only one more paper to do for this class...have to explain what I learned in the class....sounds easier than it is.

~now available!~

****The onesies are finally available for purchase****

You can find them HERE!

~morning routine~

I did this survey way back on 10.23.07 (pre-baby & with a work-from-home job), you can see my answers here. I thought it would be fun to do again and see how things have changed.

What's your morning routine?
Mon-Wed I wake up @ 6:30am to shower and get ready for work/school. Make my lunch and run out the door by 7:30am. Thurs-Sun, I stay in bed as long as E allows me to, which is usually only 7:30am, 8am if I'm lucky.

What's your bedtime routine?
Changing E's diaper, put on his PJs, read 1-2 books, give him a ton of kisses and put him to bed. Oh wait, this is MY bedtime routine...visit the restroom, wash face, brush teeth, put on my PJs and then I typically check my email one more time and then go to bed too.

What's missing from your daily routine?
Alone time. And being an only child, I honestly believe that I require a bit more of this than most. I am "starving" in this area right now. My only 'alone time' is spent studying and frankly, I don't think that counts.

What is a habit you're working hard to develop?
Exercising more.

What is a habit you're working hard to break?
Eating too much.

At your favorite restaurant, do you always order the same thing or do you try the special?
I'm not sure I really have a favorite restaurant.

What things do you buy at the grocery store every single time you go?
Dannon Light N Fit Mixed Berry Yogurt, Weight Watchers Blueberry Muffins, Fruit Cups, Milk, Eggs, Cheese & coffee creamer for O.

What would someone close to you say is your most annoying habit?
People have [occasionally] told me that I'm pessimistic.

Which outside forces have the biggest impact on your routines?
Is E considered an outside force, because he pretty much impacts controls my entire daily routine. I schedule everything around him and his naps typically, although he has had his fair share of naps in the car.

Describe the person you know who is most driven by habit.
I guess that would be O. He is sort of a creature of habit with his daily routine, coffee in the morning, work, on the couch by 5pm usually and falls asleep watching TV normally by 9pm.

Monday, April 06, 2009

Love the Lyrics

I think some lyrics by Carrie are appropriate today, considering that she won big on CMT!! And I wish I was better at implementing these lyrics into my life!!!

"While you're sitting around thinking 'bout what you can't change
And worrying about all the wrong things
Time's flying by, moving so fast
You better make it count 'cause you can't get it back

Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing
Is just a grain of sand
And what you've been out there searching for forever
Is in your hands"

"So Small" by Carrie Underwood

~school update~

~Woohoo! I finished that crazy paper on Alcohol & Cravings, way more scientific than I would have liked for it to be. Amazing I finished it without hitting the bottle myself.

~Next up: Personal Development paper for my Cross Cultural Counseling class..basically reporting what I learned in the class. Ugh! We were supposed to keep a journal all semester for this course to help write this paper. Guess who did a whole 2 journal entries? Great! I will put my "bs-ing" skills to work on this one.

~Tonight I present on "My Ethnicity" in the Cross Cultural class. Should be fun. Will be glad when it is over, although I'm not terribly nervous about it.

~3 things I want to learn in 2009~

Just a quick list of 3 things I'd really like to learn this year...

1. How to create a PDF file. I think it's easy, but I've never done it, so we'll see. It's best to have your resume in a PDF so when you send it electronically, the formatting doesn't get all wonky.

2. Some basic --> advanced graphic design-like skills. You know, like putting frames around pictures, decorative frames preferably, not just a black border. Well, to be entirely honestly, I'd like to be an expert in graphic design, but I'm not sure that's a realistic goal (for this year anyway). I wish I knew how to create neat digital elements for use in scrapbooking. That would be an ultimate work-from-home job.

3. Some basic Microsoft Access & Publisher skills, as well as Dreamweaver. I think these could come in quite handy over time. My workplace offers free on-line classes for these and I've signed up for them. I can do them anytime, but I'm thinking July will be the best time, as I'll only have graduate class to worry about then.

Sunday, April 05, 2009

~the good, the bad & the ugly~

Good: Only 3 more to study Sundays to go this semester.
Bad: Today is another study Sunday.
Ugly: I still have to finish that dreaded Alcohol & Cravings paper.

Good: During May, I will have all Sundays to myself!
Bad: May is 3 weeks away.
Ugly: I still have 2 papers to write and a DVD to make.

Good: I will stop complaining about school now and just get all this crap done so I can enjoy my days.

Saturday, April 04, 2009

~sense of accomplishment~

I really need to feel a sense of acccomplishment this weekend with regards to school work.

On Thursday I finished my Power Point presentation which goes along with the Ethnicity paper that I finished last week. I will present on Monday night.

I am still plugging along on that #$%^& Alcohol & Craving paper. It's been a struggle, to say the least. I usually don't have such trouble writing papers. Definitely picked the wrong topic on this one.

I still have a paper to write for my Death & Dying class as well as another paper for my Cross Cultural class (4 papers total for this class this semester, blech!!)

Lastly, I have to make a DVD demonstrating my (non-existent) motivational interviewing skills for the dreaded substance abuse class.

I have 17 days to get all of this done!! Crap!!

I'm hoping that I can get some of the Alcohol paper done today and not have to leave it all for Sunday, because I need more than just Sunday to finish it.

I will be taking time out from schoolwork to take E to an Easter egg hunt today @ 2pm. Apparently, there are 6,000 eggs to be found!!! I bet it took a while to hide them all. Should be fun!!!

And I think I lacked to mention the great finds we scored @ the consignment sale this week. I took a bunch of his itty bitty clothes there to sell and then also went to get some bigger clothes for him. They sell anything & everything to do with kids and pregnancy, including toys and since E already had a good collection of the Fisher Price Little People going, well, we had to contribute to it. Now we have a full fledged farm/petting zoo in the middle of the floor of his room. All with sound effects!! Awesome!!

Friday, April 03, 2009

~Friday 5~

To makes things a bit easier on myself, I am going to begin the Friday 5 Meme. Sometimes I just can't come up with enough (not-too-personal) fodder to post everyday, so this will be a nice prompt for blogging.

This edition turns out to have a couple of questions that are VERY similar to my post yesterday...oh well.

1. What is your favorite fizzy, bubbly drink?
As in bubbly, I guess that would be carbonated, so again, that would be Diet Big K Orange or Diet Dr. Pepper.

2. What is your favorite deep-fried food?
Ewww, not much a fan of deep-fried food, but I guess french fries count here and I *DO* love those!

3. What is your favorite hot beverage?
Hot Chocolate. It's basically the *only* hot beverage I enjoy. I do not drink coffee and I only drink tea if I'm feeling 'under the weather'.

4. What is your favorite really messy food?
Homemade Huevos Rancheros...basically an egg cooked over easy put on top of a tostado and topped with salsa. The yolk is runny so it ends up ALL OVER the place along with a bit of salsa. I use at least 2-3 napkins when I eat these. They are delicious and are usually my Sunday morning breakfast.

5. What is your favorite recipe for a blended or mixed beverage?
Have to go with the Nutty Irishman again here. I don't drink them often, but they sure are good!

Thursday, April 02, 2009

~My Top 10 Favorite Things~

After yesterdays post, I thought I'd go for a much lighter (and meaningless) topic today...my top 10 favorite things (totally random, by the way).

1. Favorite Alcoholic Drink: Nutty Irishman (I typically don't drink, but when I do, I indulge in one or three of these)

2. Favorite Non-Alcoholic Drink: A tie between Diet Orange Big K Soda (from Kroger) and Starbucks Iced Chai.

3. Favorite Place to Visit: NYC

4. Favorite Breakfast Food: Sun Dried Tomato Bagel w/Light Plain Cream Cheese from Bruegger's or Einstein Brothers.

5. Favorite Vehicle: Jeep Wrangler (full doors, soft top). I still miss mine! :(

6. Favorite Fast Food Spot: Chick Fila (the Diet Dr. Pepper is soooo good there and their mints are awesome too)

7. Favorite Shoes: I prefer to wear athletic shoes, but rarely have the opportunity, unless I'm working out. Apart from athletic shoes, I love Merrells and flip flops the best.

8. Favorite Sport: baseball. I love everything about it and I hate when people tell me it's too "slow" to watch. Then they follow up with the fact that they think football is MORE fun to watch....um, last time I checked, football was really SLOW!!

9. Favorite Thing to do in my Free Time: This is a difficult one, but I guess I'll go with scrapbooking. I get a feeling of accomplishment from it when I finish a layout. I enjoy reading, but can never finish a book in one sitting, hence no feeling of accomplishment. Apparently, I'm a fan of instant gratification.

10. Favorite Snack/Junk Food: Salty snack fave is Sunchips, I love every flavor. As for something sweet, chocolate is my poison!