So it's been awhile....

....but I'm back!

So this been not only a crazy last couple of months, but a crazy year. I was just reading through some of my xanga posts (and unprotecting a few...), and it's amazing what I've made it through in the last year. It's amazing to me sometimes... God is so good. It's been an absolutely great year, but also a very frustrating and stressful one.
Here are a few pics that highlight my life of late:





















(the new job)

Movin' on uuppppp.... to the.... west? side...........

Tuesday is the big day!
Sooooooo much to do......
Hope to see some of you few dear readers soon?!
woot!

One of these days....

AH!!! I'm so excited!!



But so much to do before next week!

Like the Budget. So I'll get on that now.
Later....

Walk Like an Egyptian

Apparently I've become a Friday post-er. Or whatnot.
Crazy weekend to come...
I just found out Heidi is coming to visit tonight (Hi Heidi!). YAY! Girls' nights are fun :)
Tomorrow I will HOPEFULLY get the *other room* figured out and organized at some point.... although that may have to wait until Sunday or some such.
Tomorrow night... CHOIR PARTY!! WOOT! Partially for me, partly for the newest little Losch, who isn't very many weeks old. Good times :)
I need to go to WalMart at some point in the near future. I'm on my last roll of tp (I'm sure you wanted to know that), and thank you cards are a must at this point. And Ale8... LOTS of Ale8!!
Sunday is church, my last time to hear Pastor Steve preach :( At least for quite awhile. Sadness.
Hmm...... that's all I'm going to say now. Have a fabulous weekend!!!!!!
Loveness and all.

it's been a long, long day.....................
it's a good thing it's friday. i don't think i could make it through another day like this.

TOMORROW:
Wilmore City-wide Yard Sale! Woohoo! Maybe I can get rid of my table & chairs, once and for all?!
Nancy is a nice lady. She's giving me a lot of prospects. Which is a good thing, b/c I was about to lose it this morning.
Singing in church on Sunday with Orville, Bob, Charlie, and Kim. And my daddy on the piano :) YAY! Kim is already trying to find a way to get him on the piano bench permanently. hehe... my daddy is so cool sometimes.

Okay, that's all for today. Leaving work soon... with boxes! woot!

Tomatoes. And PJs. And Contracts. Oh my!

Today I learned: Me + Contracts = Not a good idea. At least not without help.

I did absolutely nothing of consequence over the 4th... I probably should've been more proactive and worked out plans to be with people, but... yeah, that didn't happen. I realized that yesterday was the first day in a very long time and mostly likely the last day for an even longer time that I could take the whole day to myself, and just relax and enjoy myself. So I did :) Rather than doing the bazillion things I should have been doing (and honestly felt quite guilty about), I had a me-day. I don't even think I changed out of my pajamas until around 6 or so? something like that. My leaving the house consisted of going out to check on my garden in the back yard. It was a good day :) I even took a short nap... So now it's back to double-time to get everything done. Woohoo.

So... we had a big storm last night. According to the news-guys, there were 60 mi/hr winds. Which I would believe, due to the trees I saw down on my way to work this morning and the fact that my power went out sometime in the middle of the night. When a storm is loud enough to wake ME up, you know it's bad... And I laid there in bed and watched my computer monitor blink off as everything went dark (I think I had left the bathroom light on, too). The poor little poochie was scared out of his mind :( He doesn't do well with thunder, especially thunder loud enough to reawaken John & Charlie.

I say all that to say... when I woke up this morning, and looked out the window after I stepped out of a not-so-quick shower, I saw the carnage that used to be my vegetable garden :( It was so sad-looking... I hurriedly dressed, and put on my nikes (even though they don't look so good with my black dress pants) and ran out to inspect. Now mind you, it was still raining at this point, so that was an adventure in and of itself. I was able to pick the tomato cages back up and stick them far enough back into the ground that they were upright again, but with as saturated as the ground was I'm not so sure they'll still be upright when I get home. My beans looked like they had been blown over by a hurricane, but I'm hoping they'll still be okay. I picked two this morning, my first real harvest from my garden. YAY!! :) There are several more which could probably be picked, but at that point I was sinking pretty far into the mud (still in my dress pants, still raining) so I decided to hold off until later. Hopefully everything will be okay with a little sun... I love my garden :)

Some exciting things are in the works... involving a 13-page fax I sent this morning. But if you want to know about that, you'll have to ask. I'm slightly scared out of my mind, but exhilerated at the same time.... So many changes, so fast, so little time. I realized this morning that this is my last monthly close here at work - bittersweet. But I'm moving on, hopefully to bigger and better things.

YAY!!

A little unwell...

Woohoo! It's Friday! :)

This has been one of the longest weeks I've endured in awhile. Possibly b/c last Friday I took off the whole day, and the week before that I took of half a day on Friday.

NAAAHHHHHH!! That can't be the reason :)

I feel like I have a bazillion things to do and places to be in the next little while, but I keep forgetting when I need to be places and what things I have to do. And then after thinking about it, I realized I don't really have anything I have to do this weekend, or any plans set in stone. (well, other than Wilmore Camp Meeting on Sunday night...) Kinda nice :)

But then the CRAZINESS hits... Monday night I have VBS at church, and Tuesday morning I fly out at an ungodly hour up to Chicago. Brian & I are going to be in McHenry going over some integration-type things for all of Tuesday, and Wednesday we have a Finance Conference-thingey for all of the Follett divisions. Yay for us. And then I come back on Thursday... Friday night is more VBS (I think), Saturday morning is practicing w/ Orville, Roberta & Tammy, and the madness continues from there....

I need a nap. Or perhaps an ice skating? Or chocolate. Or something.

About the deeper platitudes of life... I have no thoughts today. Maybe I should, but right now I don't. I watched a few minutes of the first Deuce Bigalow last night on USA or some crazy station like that... that was disturbing. I had chinese for lunch.. .YAY for Kung Pao! Or was it something else? I don't remember. But it was good.

My friend L from work just told me that I'm so creative, I'll be a tough zombie someday. Should that bother me?

Ramble

R a m b l e

R a m b l e

Want to know what creativeness inspired her insights into my future zombie-ness? She is leaving work an hour before me today, and she was commenting on how she only had 30 more minutes before she got to go home (while I still had an hour).

I leave you with my response:

my

To this I fervently aspire...

Urrrggghh....
I'm totally not wanting to do all the things I need to do to get myself ready to do what I need to do. I really need to get over this procrastinator thing. Yeah, I don't think it'll happen either. Oh well.
Company lunch today.... to thank us for all our hard work. I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow to jump-start the good eating habits again. Because tonight I'm totally going to have some more birthday cake.
Okay, I think that's all I wanna say. Not much going through my head right now... other than coldness. Lots of coldness. I feel like I've been standing in the big frigerator in the basement of the dining hall for about 15 minutes... yeah, it's THAT cold in my office. I'm just glad I remembered my jacket today :)
Bye now.

Will U. Waite, Mate?

I absolutely LOVE the new *Books* and *iRead* applications on facebook. I think I like the *Books* one better, mostly b/c you can rate it, put your comments and actually tell when you read it. Although at my level of mental stability, sometimes it's hard to remember such things as what months I've read what books. I'm having a hard time remembering what books I've read in the last 2 months, let alone ones older. I like the *iRead* app mostly b/c on it, I can just add and add and add books quite easily and not have to worry about typing anything. (Needless to say the list is already cumbersome) Between the two of them, I could spend hours looking up books and such.

Speaking of, I went into the library the other day to renew my overdue books (I think the library has made enough money off of me to open up another wing, if not a whole new branch). Although! quick note... I wasn't as overdue this month, b/c there is a wonderful thing called library elf that emails you BEFORE your books are due, rather than after they've already switched their status to *overdue* and you owe them lots of money, as the library websites do. It's a wonderful thing. But I digress... I went to renew a couple books (including dear old GMAT, whom I've had for several months now) and maybe pick out another one or two. Did I only get 1 or 2? NO. I now have 12. TWELVE. Although since then I found one book that I've been looking for the last month or so, which is a good thing. Now, this was on Saturday... I've already finished 2 books (granted, they were small - the 1st two Narnia books, which I am ashamed to say I'd never read before), and am almost through with the 3rd (yes, Coral, it was another Lori Wick). I'm also excited to read the 11th stephanie plum book... I've been waiting for awhile to read it. I know it's been out for a long time, but I hate reading a book when I know I can't read the one that comes after it b/c it hasn't been written yet, or at least published. So now that JE is onto the 13th, I think I'm ready for the 11th :-) Yes, I know I'm weird. I'm also excited to read Till We Have Faces. So it is happily sitting in the stack. I have another book which I finally checked out so I can FINALLY finish the series, even though I haven't really liked it that much. It's the kind of book I would have read and liked in high school, but its lack of literary beauty is just annoying now. I also have another Grisham and a book that I've never heard of before by an author I've never heard of before, Elif Shafak. We'll see how those go.

Enough of my Corella-inspired book talk. There are other things I'd like to discuss, but this isn't the venue. But exciting things are afoot...

Is it weird that I've had lots of people spending the night with me lately? Hsin and Chris; Jay and Amber + family, Mary.... And then there was the Memorial Day partay and the spontaneous movie night on Saturday.... Is there some reason for the sudden interest in my life and house, or do people really just like me? Or, morely likely yet, is it b/c it's summertime and I'm a stopping point in people's journeys to other places, like Italy and Taiwan and Wilmore? Hmm, things to ponder...

Anyway, I'm going to go now. I hope you all have a happy day.

MEMORIAL DAY! (yay)

I feel like I have been neglectful in my postings of late. Probably b/c these days I seem to be spending my breaks at work looking at other-type things that will be useful to me in the next 60 days. So close, and yet so far away....

Monday was fabulous. I LOVE DAYS OFF!!! Actually, the whole weekend was pretty cool. Friday I took the afternoon off and went to Wilmore. Helped my dad rearrange his office, talked to a few good people... then went back to lex and had dinner with my parents. But apparently I'm having a mental block as to where. Oh yeah! Joe Bologna's. Good food, WAY too many calories. And then I sat with Amanda and didn't do much else. But we talked. And looked at her herb garden. Coolness :-) Saturday... I don't remember that either. hmm... oh yeah! Spinning at 9am. Pretty much killed myself. Then Amanda & I went to Panera for breakfast to reward all our hard work. Then I took a long nap........................ And then babysat all night. I'll miss my kids :-( We had a good time. Sunday was craziness at church, and then the 'rents came over for dinner. MMMM!!!! Grilled bbq pork steak!! and other foodly goodnesses. They hung out for awhile. Did some massive grocery shopping... all to prepare for..... MONDAY!

Got up early, had breakfast with the parents (I did a lot with them this weekend...) at McDonald's :-) Then a bit more quick-shopping and then went home to prepare and cook... Ryan & Amanda come over around 10:30, and he started doing his awesome chef thing. And Amanda helped me do my dessert thing. JR & Bethany came over sometime around noon, which called for good times. For our little cook-out party, Ryan fixed: grilled hamburgers, grilled bratwurst, grilled corn on the cob with southwest butter, potato salad, cole slaw, homemade salsa (what am I saying?! it was ALL homemade), grilled spinach and portabella mushrooms... and I think something else, but I don't remember. It was SOOOO fabulously good. And then I made blueberry torte and homemade strawberry ice cream for dessert... We sat around and talked and ate all day long. We had a really good time :-) YAY!!

And then the boys ran off to go places, and we girls went shopping. I bought a quilt that will actually fit my bed (YAY!) but I have to see if I can find some sheets to go with it, or else I'm gonna have to take it back :( I like it, though. YAY!

Okay. Enough about my fun weekend. Gotta run... duties call....

Day... by Day... by Day... by Day...

So much to do, so little time.........

Recap of the last week:
Last Tuesday: Wisler family stayed the night at my house. Fun, good times, but tiring.
Wednesday: Church/Choir
Thursday: Praise Band Practice (sound things)
Friday: Uh, don't remember. Felt dead. Watched 2nd Pirates Movie :-)
Saturday: Slept in, took naps, stayed up till 1:30 baking and cooking and whatnot.
Sunday: Church, lunch at parents, stuff outside......
Monday: Ad Council meeting at church
Tuesday: TBD (but I voted! :) )
Wednesday: Church/Choir/Hsin & Chris come to stay the night
Thursday: Get up in order to leave for airport at 4:45. Yes, me. You'll be proud when I actually do it, huh?! Work, Praise Band Practice (if I don't bail to do something with amanda. or to take a nap...)
Friday: Work, take Bethany to the airport.
HOLIDAY WEEKEND!! WOOHOO!!!
Which will most likely be spent doing things I don't wanna do..... like cleaning and such. and getting ready....
The big question is, do I take off half a day on Friday? JUST BECAUSE I CAN!?

I know you probably don't care about my weekly itinerary. But I told you anyway. And if you read this far, you obviously cared enough to finish the post. So ha. Oh yeah, and I love you!
:-)

the Eclectic Beaver

THINGS I'VE LEARNED TODAY:

• Never run all the reports until you check to make sure the numbers work.
• How to tell if I'm having a heart attack. (Women's symptoms are different than men's... it's all about jaw pain)
• Snickers ice cream bars have 300 calories. And knowing that makes them taste that much better.
• There is always a but. Sometimes it's big. Sometimes it's felt. (I didn't really get that one)
• Edie the Lightening Bug throws well, but my aim isn't as good as it used to be.
• Warm Diet Dr. Pepper = yuck.
• Pact plans are necessary.
• Pop can + MP3 player with FM Stereo = good antenna
• Some days should have a fast forward button.

And now something interesting to leave you with:

I Wake to Sleep

So I took a little trip back home this weekend... I got to see lots of peoples :-) YAY for me! I had expected to see Hsinny and Chris, but I was ever so pleasantly surprised to see Leah & her hubby, too! And Freddy and Cassie's little guy is so adorable.... looks just like Freddy, bless his heart :) And Jay & Amber's kids are soooo cute... Good times, good talks, lots of memories. It was also great to see some of the *older folks*, like Neihofs and Cundiffs and Miss Leach and Aunt Ruby and all. I started thinking about how much each of these people have helped mold me into the person I am today... and then I started to get teary-eyed and stopped thinking :-) There would never be enough words to say how much these dear people mean to me, and how much they have been a part of making me who I am. I love each of them like family, and thank God for their presence in my life at an age where I needed that kind of support and love and even challenge.

Okay, that's enough sappyness for today.

It's such a tasty sight...

Sleepy today. I would like a nap. Or a week off from work. Or better yet, a lifetime. That's how I feel today.

Amanda & I have been very good at exercising and eating healthily and all. There have been only a few small setbacks, but overall we're both doing quite well. YAY for us! Since it's been so beautiful outside, we've been taking advantage of the Arboretum a lot. Once it starts to really get hot and summerish, I'm sure we'll start hitting the gym again, but until then, the weather has been just too wonderful to ignore :-) And besides, you see a lot more interesting people (and animals) at the Arboretum. Like, the albino great dane and the *fattest dog I've ever seen* (that's his new name).

Bethany came walking with us last night... I don't think she was quite prepared for our walkingness. By the second lap we had slowed down enough that she was okay again, and we could carry on normal conversations :-) I learned some things last night, about trees and such, but I won't go into that right now. Just be proud I learned something.

Anyway, I'm proud of myself and of Amanda for our success so far. Hopefully we can keep it up just a few more months.....

Watch out for those three-legged plants....

Not a lot to say.

Brain hurts.

Head hurts.

Poison ivy itches.

Need nap.

Or a frappuccino.

Mmm.... Coffee.........

which goes even better with

MMM.... Donuts!!!!

But I can't eat those today. :(

I have 10 weeks.

Do you think it'll happen?!?!?

Maybe.

I just need to be dedicated.

(fyi) Nothing in this post whatsoever is work-related.

Other than causes/effects/reasons why.

I still have no idea when.

I'm going away now.

Just seeing this makes me cringe:

It's just been a rough day.
Since the moment I walked inthe door this morning, things have gone wrong.
I'm sooo tired.
I've actually thought about skipping church tonight.....
but knowing me I won't.
I just need sleep... or something.
Even gum isn't helping.
(Maybe I should follow Donna's advice after all.)
Rough day.

Chip, I'm gonna come at you like a..... what was that again?

I got a crazy amount of sleep this weekend. Yesterday was the first day I've actually felt *rested* in I can't even remember how long. Like, the kind that even if I wanted to take a nap, I couldn't. Cause I was all sleeped out.

Then last night happened...

I received a text message from a certain marine-someone at 2am. Now, if this had been an important message, one that would be necessary for me to know at 2 o'clock in the morning, I wouldn't mind so much.

It was a sound byte from the Ballad of Ricky Bobby -

you know, the spider monkey one.

I do not consider that important enough to wake me up from a deep, dreamful sleep. So, then, I was at least a little awake (since the text message noise on my phone is similar to my alarm clock noise, and it nearly freaked the poopy out of me), and I had to pee (I'm sure you wanted to know that. I know, You're welcome). I finally climbed back in bed...

....And could not sleep.

At all.

Buffy was not a very happy camper at 2am.

Now, I am exhausted. Grrrrr. So much for being rested. Which is making me ever so slightly cranky.

That, and the Slim-Fast.

But on a happier note, Healthy Choice dinners are on sale 1/2 price at Meijer this week. So I actually went grocery shopping before my ever-long church meeting last night, and there is

ACTUALLY FOOD IN MY FRIDGE. (well, freezer)

YAY for me.

(bye now)

Aren't they ADORABLE?!?!

You should be proud of me. I was actually at work at 6:30 this morning. Okay, so maybe it was more like 6:38, but I still think that's good :-)

Going out with the girls (+JR) tonight. Watch a movie, eat ice cream :) I am sssooooooo incredibly happy it's Friday. I need a night to just relax and not think about things for awhile.

On another note, this is a link to a blog site for a couple who are in the process of adopting from the same orphanage that Matt & Amy are adopting from. This couple is over there right now. Anyway, it tells a little more about the orphanage, & there are even pictures :-) It's very strange (but so exciting!!) to think that maybe, just maybe one of these children is my little nephew, just waiting to come home.

Okay, before I start crying, I'm going to go. Everybody have a great weekend!

Whenever you call me... I'll be around. (maybe, hopefully, if I have a moment to breathe)

So seriously... What's up with all this posting of mine? I hardly know what to do with myself. Very odd.
How are y'all? I feel like I have been terribly bad at keeping up with my peeps. It's horrific, I know. Evan, if you ever read this (which I kinda doubt you do), I'm really not ignoring you. I'll try to call you back. Really I will. Oh yeah, and Hsin too.
Part of my trouble is that I'm always out doing stuff. I'm at church or exercising or at church or with Amanda or at church or at Bethany & JRs. Or maybe at church. Then by the time I get home and remember somebody called, I either a) realize it's too late to be calling any normal working human being or b) am so exhausted I'm not in the mood for having a decent conversation or being nice at all, really.
So if you are my friend, and you haven't heard from me in awhile, I still love you. I'm trying to keep up with the whirlwind that is my life right now and everybody else, too, but I've been slacking lately.
Please forgive me, I'll try to do better.
And if there is seriously something serious going on in your life, leave me an urgent-sounding voicemail. Because I still love you and want to be there for you if you need me.
And if you need to call me tonight to tell me something important... leave me a voicemail. I'll be at church. But I'll do my best to call you back.
I love you all.
Have a fabulous day.

Being drawn in further over my head...........

This has been the absolute longest week ever. Haven't I worked at least five days this week already?!? grrr.
Tried to talk Amanda into spinning tonight... don't think that's gonna happen. But walking will be good :) Maybe the arboretum again?! Just as long as I don't have to be seen in public in my bicycle shorts...... But studying MUST begin happening again. ABSOLUTELY MUST. Because even if I don't go back to school right away, I need to go ahead and get the GMAT done and over with. grrrrrrrrrrr. ¡No me gusta los exámenes!
I'm in the mood for some good fried mexican food. Which will NOT help the diet in any way, shape, or form... mmm, grease!
So Lynette and I have taken to counting down the minutes for the last hour of work. I'm not sure it helps, but I like to pretend it does.
Okay, I really should go now. It's taken me nearly an hour to type this with all the interruptions... (geez, you'd think I was at work or something!!!)
Later, y'all.

My new name is Slappy, Slappy the Squirrel

I feel overwhelmingly dead today.
To the point that I splurged for starbucks this morning, and even the extra shot DIDN'T HELP.
Nor did the fast food for lunch (as if it should).
I feel like 98% of my blood has been drained out of my body leaving me with nothing. Maybe a vampire visited me in my sleep. Although I didn't see any teeth marks this morning.... Hmmm. Oh well.
I have so many, many things to do this evening... I need to put my house back together, keep going through things in the *other room*, PAY BILLS, balance my checkbook, and work off the aforementioned lunch. oh yeah, and go to the store and buy food.
But at the rate I'm going, I think I'll take Amanda's way out and lie lifelessly on my sofa until 10pm, at which point I will go to bed (or not... maybe I'll just sleep on the sofa) and lie lifelessly until tomorrow. Doesn't that sound like a much better idea??
Oh yeah, and Easter was great. As was spending hours at Bethany & JR's on Saturday night learning *new games*. As was going out Friday night after the cantata and sitting at applebee's for too many hours. Yay for girl talk! (although at least a little bit of it was slightly disturbing.....)
Okay. Break's over now. I'm going away. I hope one of you out there is having a good day.

... easy like Sunday mornin'........

I really should post here more often. Oh well.

I totally missed out on the fact that choir practice was canceled last night. Newsflash: Standing in front of your church trying to get into 10 different locked doors can be embarassing. Okay, so it was more like 7. I'm just glad nobody was around. I think............

Yesterday was the longest day ever. I kept thinking it was time for work to be OVER, but then I'd look at the clock and realize I still had another hour and a half. ERRGHTK. I hate those days. And then I kept dropping things

HOWEVER, I greatly enjoyed the vegetarian sandwich-thingey at Jimmy John's last night. This was my first adventure into Jimmy John's world. I think I shall return.

Not much of consequence to say today... Still waiting to hear back from *the people*. Or rather, *the man*. My future hangs in the balance......

*Lenten* cantata is Friday night... if you're in the area, come. Should be a good time. Especially with the harp. Gotta love the harp.

Oh crap... I just got an email. I could find out sooner than I thought.

I'll keep you all posted.... I know I've said this a lot lately, but please keep praying.

then there's always tomorrow......

dang it. I just typed a post. and lost it. doh.

to borrow amanda's terminology, I'm having brain death today. at least it feels dead to me. lots of craziness... but I think I'll leave that for a protected xanga post. there are some things that some people just don't need to know. mostly because then they will bug me about it. and I don't really want to talk to them in the first place. if you're related to me and reading this, I don't mean you.

I feel like I'm finally getting back into the groove of life. after a couple weeks of sabbatical, it's pretty nice. I went to the gym last night for the first time in I don't care to remember how long. We were supposed to go spinning, but due to an accident involving the trunk of my car, we (meaning Jess & I) worked out on the elliptical instead. I'm hoping that's how you spell that. Since we were actually prepared for spinning, we didn't have any earphones or anything with us, so we went to the *cardio cinema*... I don't like the machines in there. they are entirely too needy. first of all, you can't see anything to enter your *info*, so it took me like 10 minutes to get everything in there. not to mention that it's DARK (that would be the cinema part), so I didn't even know at first that there was a guy in the floor next to me doing some kind of weird stretchy-things. so I got to see the last few minutes of some football movie with mark wahlburg. and then the first couple minutes. I was all about bad timing yesterday, apparently.

I've been in meetings all week. *insert appropriate word of consternation in here* maybe tomorrow things will look brighter? no, probably not until at least monday. grrr.

I'm going now. I'm sleepy. This no-caffeine-in-the-mornings thing is about to kill me. I guess I'll have to start drinking black coffee.

yelrckk.

Ya soshla s uma

****thoughts running around in my head****

should I? shouldn't I??
should I wait and see?
maybe.
but that might be too late.
can I afford it? probably not.
but maybe I should try it anyway.
(I can always get somebody to loan me the money, right?)
so many opportunities could be opened up...
and it ONLY TAKES 11 MONTHS.
I hate making major decisions in a hurry.
but sometimes it's easier that way...... less time to think about it.
hhhmmmmmm.......
I think I shall.
have I decided?
for sure?
no.
but I think so.
I wish they would email me back.
I think this must be what I'm supposed to do.
I'm glad Kelly agrees..... I think.....
maybe the timing will be perfect.
maybe not...
we can always hope.
oh yeah, and there's that prayer thing, too. :-)
I should keep on that.

pray for me? but I think I know.

(PS~~if you understand the title, you get a cookie. or maybe an ale8 or 6. but here's the original spelling: Я сошла с ума)

Aunt Sandy is da bomb!

Rather than post yet another *announcement* (news story, etc... that seems to be my modus operandi lately) I thought I would make this one a little more personal.

I have been crazy-excited all day. Well, I guess not all day. Sleeping through my alarm clock this morning wasn't really the highlight of my week (although I still made it to work an hour early! I know, I know, be amazed). It really started around 9:30 when I got an email from my mom. This email (which greatly alluded to her excitement on the same subject) was the bearer of the incredibly happy and wonderful news that as of July 1st, 2007, Dr. Sandra Gray (aka Aunt Sandy) will be the President of Asbury College. I actually squealed at my desk. Which my coworkers appreciated, I'm sure... although they've rather gotten used to some of the strange sounds that come out of my mouth when I'm working/concentrating.

I cannot think of a better person, male or female, to take on this position than Dr. Gray. I'm not sure such a person exists. She is an absolutely fabulous person. She has all the charisma, poise, business skills, personality, COMMON SENSE, public speaking presence, intelligence, and leadership qualities that you could ever ask for (AND THEN SOME!). Her personal faith is humbling, something at this point I can only pray to be ever be able to reach. She is a true role model in every sense. I can only dream of aspiring to be either the businesswoman or woman of God that she demonstrates every day. Every person I have talked to/emailed with about this announcement has reiterated what I have already said-there is no one better for this job. (My favorite was, *It's about time*.

I thank God for her influence on my life, and for the blessings of being able to sit in her classroom and her home, and to spend an entire week in New York with her, to learn from her and to get to know her. I do have to say I learned more about her that week than from any of her classes, and it was a privilege. I even got to see some of the humorous side, which was fun :-)

Thank you, Dr. Gray, for all that you have given each of us students who have had the privilege to sit in your class and learn from you. Thank you for being true to the will of God for your life. Thank you for modeling in front of us what a true businessperson as well as a faithful Christian looks like. We are indebted to you. And we celebrate with you today, because we truly believe you are the best for this job and the person God has hand-selected to lead Asbury College ahead in the years to come. Asbury College will become a better place on July 1, 2007. We will be praying for you, for wisdom and His guidance.

We love you!

and summer faded into fall....

I've been slightly disappointed with myself for the lack of posting that's been going on lately. maybe I should be more disappointed with the lack of [interesting] things going on in my life. I'm mostly just keeping busy.... Mostly church. And working out. And stuff. They're not having Praise Band practice tonight at church, which means I get to go to spinning again tonight (I think that's a good thing?!)

Went to the LSU game Tuesday night with Heidi... that was fun :-) It was an exciting game to be a part of (even if it was the VERY TOP row.....) We had some good conversation, which is a good thing too. although getting to sleep at 1am probably wasn't the best thing I could do for myself this week. oh well.

I don't really feel like there's a lot else to say. life's still going on, my heart's still ticking, I'm not about to die from hypothermia (or already dead?! and seeing a blown-up guy?!?!) or anything, so I guess that's a good thing. although it's been so cold in our office this week that I feel like a little hypothermia isn't too far off... darn conference room.

bye.

I was walking with a ghost

I figured it's been awhile so I should find something to post about again.... but I really can't think of anything exciting. work is still somewhat slightly depressing, but it's gotten a lot more normal I think now that people are realizing work still has to be done, and for quite awhile yet. church was canceled yet again last night, which was nice :-) I don't often get to have normal, relaxing evenings where I don't have to be anywhere or do anything in particular. I rather enjoyed it. I even had time to watch my tape of tuesday night's gilmore girls (which I had missed due to the sadness that was the UK/UT game).

Like I said, not a lot to say. I just realized that my desk calendar still says wednesday, but that's not really noteworthy. the snow has been refreshing, although not being able to get the key to turn in my car-lock wasn't fun yesterday. I now carry a lock de-icer thingey in my purse. I wonder if that would could also double for mace? (a question for the chemistry-minded of you out there...)

Okay. That's all for today.

what do you say - it's up for grabs?

this past weekend was quite the busy experience. apparently this week is following suit, which explains why it's taken me until tuesday afternoon to type about the weekend. *sigh* (will I ever get a break? cuz I could really use one right about now. I feel like I'm at home about as much {or less!} than I was in my room my senior year of college. yeah. it's like that.)

let's see... Friday night was dinner with Bethany & JR and Ryan & Amanda at Logan's. hmmm.... brought back so many memories... of things like trying to convince Phillip not to steal the buckets of peanuts, throwing peanut shells down Coral's shirt, Coral tipping the table over on herself and making the cute waiter laugh... good times. Anyway, it was fun. JR can be about as ADD as Phillip, so sometimes we have to try to keep him calmed down too. After dinner I went mega-grocery shopping, which was a VERY good thing. I actually have food in my house. FO' REALZ! I have at least 2 cabinets that are COMPLETELY full. Which is a nice feeling. Being hungry is not all it's cracked up to be. So that was Friday.

Saturday started with Spinning Class at the gym @ 9ish (aren't you impressed?!?! me, at the gym, EARLY on saturday morning?!?!! seriously!). After the workout, Amanda and I went to breakfast (erm... brunch.......) at Panera :-) We were both procrastinating from going home for pretty much the same reason, so it was a nice, relaxing time. Yay for us.

I then went home and cleaned my house. (well, at least the downstairs. and the upstairs bathroom. we won't discuss the bedrooms.) I cleaned out Chico's living area, hand-mopped the floor in the downstairs bathroom, cleaned the sink/mirror/toilet/etc., mopped the kitchen/dining room floor, did all the dishes (even hand-washing some!!!), vaccuumed my living room floor, dusted, cleaned the upstairs bathroom, cleaned out/arranged the downstairs coat closet.... I'm telling you, this work-out stuff is good for my motivation. At least I'll pretend that's what it is.

Mary, Anna, Hsin, and Mary's 2 little girls came for a visit. We hung out at the house, then went to dinner at ChikFilA. mmmm! then we stopped by Amanda & Ryan's (w/ Bethany & JR) for a chat, and then they went back home to the hills. I stayed there and watched a chick flick with Amanda and Bethany while the boys watched some kind of boy movie in the other room. All I know is there was a bunch of loud yelling and gunshot sounds coming from in there. Found out some disturbing news, but don't yet feel at liberty to divulge at the moment. Just pray. Please. Pray.

Sunday morning was church, although the choir didn't sing at 8:30 again (w00t for sleeping in!!). Lunch at the 'rents, at which I received a check for $3,200. Don't worry, it's not mine to keep. But it was a nice feeling nonetheless :-).

Sunday afternoon, did a little more shopping for party foods and the like, then went home and made guacamole and got ready for the partay. YAY! Amanda, Ryan, & JR came over (I still can't call him Gary. too weird.....). The boys actually watched the game, while Amanda and I mostly ate food, talked, and ran in to watch the commercials. But we watched the end, so that should count for something, right?!?! Good times, WAY too much junk food, got to find a way to get the dog to stop humping the company. Rather embarrassing for all involved.

Dude, this has been a long post. So I guess I'll go now. And work. Since I'm supposed to be working. Since break's over now. Okay. Bye.

why you should never let your coworkers know when you're turning 40....

My coworker Yvette is 40 today. I shall explain pictorially why you should never let people like me or my boss know when such an event is about to occur. Vette leaves at 4:30 each afternoon, while most of us don't leave until 5. Here is what transpired after 4:30 last night:



















Then, after she got here this morning, some other *friends* within the company decided they wanted in on the decorating, so they helped out by doing this:







(that's yvette in the pictures... my favorite is the big *40* pin she has to wear all day. we couldn't get her to wear the crown, though)

good times. the bonus being my boss (vicky) also brought in doughnuts (YUM!), the other ladies brought in a birthday cake, and I've heard rumors that evelyn brought in her homemade enchiladas for lunch.

sweetness.

I really shouldn't complain, but...

apparently spinning makes my knee hurt. go figure. I'm actually less sore than I thought I would be.... I'm just proud of myself for making it through all 45 minutes. although amanda is the real hero, cuz she actually did the standing up part (erm... jogging) for as long as she was supposed to, all five times. I don't think I ever made it for more than a minute and a half at a time. but it was a great workout :-) YAY FOR ME!

there's a guy whose office is down the way who sneezes JUST like my dad. kinda freaks me out. it's not even so much of a sneeze as a combination cough-yell-whinny. gosh, I haven't typed that word in years. but anyway, yeah, it's weird.

I think a bath in alcohol (the RUBBING kind, duh!) is in order for this evening. work out some of this knee soreness.

I'm thinking about having some kind of wannabe superbowl party this weekend. funny how nobody who reads this is in my area code (or very few, anyway) but I think it would be fun. the girls who don't care about football (um, that would be all of us) can hang out in the kitchen after the first 5 minutes and talk and eat food. while the boysnesses can watch the game, undisturbed by us chicas and our incessant questions and talking.

we'll see.

:( & :)

sadness.

on a happy note: NEW CAR!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!! I'll post a picture later. I think I'm going to name this car. any suggestions? I've never really named a car before.... at least, I don't think *the gay-mobile* counts. I think my last car should've been named *the crapmobile*. or *paul miller sucks*. either one would have been appropriate. but everything is done and taken care of, no more worries for me!! (at least on that end of things....)

amanda & I went to a *spinning* orientation class at the gym yesterday. I now have what I believed the lady (aka crazy work-out biotch) called *saddle-soreness*. all I know is that things (people, animals, what have you) with pelvic bones should not attempt what we attempted without a cushioned seat.

and yet I'm going back tomorrow to do it all over again. glutton for punishment, you say? hopefully someday it will all be worth it. in the mean time I'll just be popping ibuprofen, thank you very much.

that's about it. had our joint service w/ the korean congregation at church yesterday (read: lots of interpreting I didn't understand, good food, and kimchi. notice I do not classify kimchi as good food). Yoonie was there... YAY!!! made me think of the good old days.

I tend to forget to title my posts.

So the car is officially dead, the back officially will not let me fix it, farm bureau and central bank are officially tied for #1 on my blacklist. followed quickly by ms. alexis herself. grrrrrrrrrrrr.

anybody wanna go to a midnight hockey game tonight?!?!?!?! :-D it's been awhile. sounds like fun. YAY! who needs milk and bread?! I'll spend my $5 watching guys beat each other up!!!

in other news, check out kraz's xanga. or not. but it's got interesting info on Macky-G himself, and a link to a guy whose head was in a mountain lion's mouth. with teeth marks and everything. cool.

I've learned that it can be difficult to simultaneously work out (either treadmill or elliptical) and watch grey's anatomy. cuz when big bombshells drop out of people's mouths, it's difficult not to fall off the machine. but apparently not as difficult as when trying to show jessica how to turn on the little fan-thingey. but hey, I made the older guy on the other side of me laugh, so what's a sore knee? MORAL OF THE STORY: don't fall off the treadmill.

later, peoples. good times, good food tonight. YAY!!

woman weak and woman mortal....

tired...

legs UBER-sore.....

so much to do

so little time

but I'm working out tonight. YAY!

can't figure out an outline for tomorrow night's class at church?

aaarrgghh!

(i wish it would snow)

let's talk.

wow.... two posts in one week. you should be proud. not to be confused with the TWO different posts on my xanga! wow. I'm becoming such a blogger. although those of you who post every day make me feel like a slacker. mostly I post when nobody else has written anything exciting and I still have time left on my break and I'm bored. (my secret's out......)

I feel like there aren't any good discussions on blogger anymore. hence, I am going to type up a few items that may (or may not) be of interest.... feel free to comment as you wish. and no, this isn't really a plea for people to leave comments on my blog to make me feel better about myself... I've finally been able to separate my self-worth from blog comments. this is just to make something interesting to read. because we all need a little mental stimulation every once in awhile. (bad coral - I know where thine thoughts leadest thou) these are a little random, some tvish, some politicsish, some just plain weird. pick one.

discussion topics:

if you were to become a millionaire, what would be the very first thing you would do?

will preston and christina ever talk to each other again?

should we go to a national sales tax rather than federal income tax?

which is better: mountain dew or ale81?

was simon wrong to say that guy with the big eyes looked like a lemur? (aka bush baby)

do you think lindsay lohan should go to jail for documented cases of underage drinking and drug use?

if you could choose a famous person to be president, who would it be and why?

what of lorelai and luke?

should I shave my head?

okay. that's enough for today. bye.

as the elevator music plays softly in my head....

I'm sitting on hold. waiting for ups. because they're slow. yay for me.

interesting weekend, I guess you could say.... Friday night was dinner & a movie at JR & Bethany's. good times, *the illusionist* is a great movie, great talks.... it's amazing how much we could have to talk about. it seems like we've been sitting around talking for 15, maybe 30 minutes, and then I'll look at the clock and realize it's been more like 3 hours. it's amazing what growing up does to you.

I was talking to amanda last night, and I really don't remember much of what happened on saturday. but she didn't remember what she did either, so that makes me feel better. I know I slept in, and I did a few things around the house, but not a heck of a lot. that's really all I remember. oh wait......... now that I think about it, dinner and a movie might have been saturday night instead of friday night. yeah, that's it. gosh, my memory is bad. I'm so used to us getting together on Friday that I forgot... oh well.

ANYHEW... on Sunday was church, as always... although I must say that our choir rocked this week. when the 8:30 traditional service actually gives applause for the choral anthem, you know it must have been good. dinner with the fam, including the elusive matt & amy back from their trek to northern ireland. I think it's so cool to say my brother went to the UK to make an actual record. If all goes well, he should have some copies available for distribution sometime in march. YAY!

I'm such a sucker... it really is sad. I am now officially a member of gold's gym (at a discounted rate, mind you... I'm not a complete i-dot). so now I'm going to be working out quite a bit, if only to make myself not feel so guilty for joining. but amanda & ryan are members, so she & I have already started setting up a schedule to work out together. and

these heels weren't made for walkin'

I'm such a bad poster. As in, person who posts, not thing that hangs on the wall.

speaking of, got a real, hand-painted picture on Sunday. cool as ever. will post later.

not much to say.

just a little note to say...

it's nice to get a quick email from the other side of the world, even if the reason for the email wasn't exactly *positive*... it's nice to know that some friendships will last forever, no matter how far away they are or how long time may pass since you have seen said friend. According to the internet, my email traveled 6920.2 miles to get to me this morning... a great way to start a Friday.

Daisuki, Miyachin.

first thing in the morning, on my way to the cooooolllldddd north. be back in the land of dan'l boone late saturday... if I don't get back to ya'll by then~

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

update...

apryl doesn't have a brain tumor... it's either an inner ear infection or MS. so prayers would still be appreciated.

grandpa is out of the hospital and doing fine :-) apparently it was a one-time thing that should be over with now. YAY!

I'm counting down the hours until wednesday.... not because I want to go to michigan, but because I'm ready for a break from work. YAY for me!

I spent all day saturday babysitting. tiffany pulled out a bunch of pictures from when she was a baby. makes me feel sooooo incredibly old.... seriously, I've been babysitting her (and her siblings) since she was a couple weeks old. she was telling me this weekend about her BOYFRIEND. all about how she went to the 5th grade dance last year with a boy named eric, who isn't exactly hott but is kinda cute in an 11-year-old way, and how they're dating now, and her mom thinks he's a nice boy so she's okay with them dating, and all kinds of other stuff. wtf?!?!! we won't mention how old I was when I started dating, but let me tell you, it wasn't anywhere near 11. I was 13 when this child was born... and I remember it like yesterday. so unreal. it was good to spend some time with the youngest (he's 2), since I haven't had as much opportunity to take care of him. he's so adorable and sweet... and in love with Cars (*trucks!*)

I ate mexican food yesterday. at jalapeños. it's been a really long time. SOOOOO good. church was busy as always, but I must say, the praise band ROCKED yesterday. so awesome. I was impressed.

and now for a story to tell you a little about my morning:


So… they’re working on replacing the roof right now… directly over our heads. we’ve been hearing really loud bangs all day long, sounding like they’re about to fall through the roof on top of us. A couple minutes ago, there was a really loud bang right over top of me, and the cover for the fluorescent light directly over my head (the big ones with 3 long bulb in them) came off three of the 4 hinges holding it up. It was dangling about 1-2 feet over my head by one little hook-thingey. Scared me to DEATH!! I think I jumped about a foot out of my chair, and flung my arms up in the air (like that would have really helped… apparently my reflexes are a little slow) If that hook hadn’t held, I would now be on the way to the hospital with a concussion and huge gash running down the middle of my head. Yay for worker’s comp!

Needless to say, I’m a little jumpy now. especially since they’re still making really loud bangs. right over my head. hopefully the actual bulbs don’t fall out… that could really be fun.

I can’t ever say my life has no excitement.

like last night when I burned my lip with a match. but that was my fault.


please don't ask how I burned myself on the lip with a match. just know that it hurt.

I've been having a lot of bad luck lately, it seems. last week I was baking *hello dolly* (the special hindman/kinnell 7-layer bars) and my pyrex dish collapsed in the oven. I'll be cleaning out glass for a very long time. and burned sweetened condensed milk. about ruined the pumpkin bread, too.

this has been a long post. so I'll go now. if I don't post again before then, HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!

hey y'all...

just dropping in to say hey. cuz that's about all that's going on. the kids had their christmas program last night at church... so cute. lots of good food at the potluck :-D

so I'm helping *teach* a class at church on wednesday nights starting in january... that should be interesting. well, actually I'm co-teaching with jennifer walz. I'm hoping she'll take all the harder ones.... although I think I've been *stuck* with the week on sanctification. that should be fun. good methodists for ya ;-P

okay. back to work now. lata.

good times, bad news....

interesting weekend. friday night, dinner with the parentals at cheddars (mm!). don't really remember what I did after that. hm.

saturday, cantata dress rehearsal in the morning. got my hair cut in the afternoon (YAY!!!!!). Saturday night, over to Bethany & JR's to play balderdash with them, ryan & amanda... CRAZY times. sometimes I forget how weird my friends are. and then we make up random definitions about hatchet axes, tree sloths, hockey-esque, and african tribal dances. great times, LOTS of laughing (and bad spelling, too...) it's nice having so many friends around again. now if we can just talk the midget into moving back up...................

sunday, church in the morning, lunch at mom & dad's. oh yeah, and there was the waffle house for breakfast. it's also nice having good friends at church to go out and eat breakfast with between services :-) (even if I am the youngest.....)

cantata last night... if I do say so myself, it was excellent. the cantata itself was beautiful, we didn't screw up all the hard parts, and the other instruments were fabulous. we had a harp, flutes, clarinets, oboe, and bassoon to add to our wonderful pianist, Maria. afterwards, our awesome hispanic congregation fixed us dinner (and no, they aren't awesome simply because they're good cooks) I haven't eaten that good of mexican food in... well, maybe ever. SOOOOO good. the salsa was to die for.

but then there was the bad news... I found out (friday night? or saturday) that the mom of the kids I've babysat for pretty much all their lives (she babysat me when I was little, too... their family is really close to ours) has abnormal spots on her brain. this is especially scary since her dad died of a brain tumor while I was in high school. they're all pretty much scared to death (for good reason!!!) I can't imagine what she's going through.... if you think about it, please pray for her. for her whole family. her kids are 11, 9 & I think 3. I don't think they've said anything to them yet, though... not until they know something definitive. she's waiting to see a neurologist to find out what's actually for sure wrong.

other bad news, my grandpa was admitted to the hospital last night. they think he's bleeding internally (his intestines, maybe?) last I knew they were waiting for the doctor to come in to find out the test results. my grandma doesn't do well on her own, so I would appreciate prayers for them as well. my uncle should have just gotten there from kansas city to help out, so at least someone will be there for them.

anyway, that was my weekend. crazy times.

good morning.

my weekend was filled with sickness and choir practice. and church. that's pretty much it. although getting the new phone was pretty much awesome. it's always fun to have a new toy :-) although I learned that it is a lot more time-consuming to IM that way. but still totally cool. and the fact that it was free makes my world an infinitely happier place.

my coworker Charles keeps *informing* me every time Terry's phone rings. like I'm deaf and can't hear it? like I'm supposed to answer it? I don't know the answers to all the crazy customer questions about prebills and prepays and all that jazz.

coworker L. quit last week. it's much calmer now. new sub-department already forming - yay.

we're having a *practice-run* for our cantata tonight at the Kentucky Methodist Children's Home (I almost typed *menthodist* - is that like mentholated methodists?) It should be fun. we're not having the fancy orchestra there, though, but it will still be good. I'm sure the kids will enjoy it.

I heard someone on the radio yesterday morning say that when you have a cold, it feels like there is a fuzzy sock wrapped around your brain that you have to try to fight through to think about anything or figure out what's going on. That's how I feel today.

My fuzzy sock and I will go back to work now. Adieu.

me no like feel sick. yuk.

off we go.....

goin' away to see the fam. my mom & I driving tonight to herrin... YAY for us! good times. good food. good family.

love ya'll.

laterz peepz!

went to friday night basketball game, we won (YAY!)

went to saturday football game, we won (double YAY!)

basketball was with heidi, good times.

football was with heidi, dr. spann's wife, and amanda.... gooood times. although cold times. as in freezing cold, butt frozen to the bleachers, walked 2 miles in the freezing cold.

mall & abuelo's afterwards w/ amanda.... too much good food. ama talked me into buying a book. good book. good times. I shall learn a lot. already have.

sunday, dinner at church. yum for turkey! hopefully won't have to come back early from illinois. anybody in lex wanna learn how to use powerpoint?! (erm... actually, mediashout. same diff, almost) here's hoping ashley will be around... g'ma would be disappointed. quite.

meeting at church tonight. then packing for trip tomorrow... YAY! except laundry. that's not so yay.

byes now.

sleepy sleepy sleepy

huge company lunch. the turkey and the bourbon (the sauce! for the bread pudding. yes, I said that just for shock value. not that any of you are necessarily shocked. end) have done me in. I can hardly hold my head up. I wanna go home. but I'll be here for a long while yet... yay for me. you know, when code red doesn't even start to help, I think it's a lost cause. maybe I should go all out for the ale81.

ramble ramble ramble.

Read this book.

I'm still mulling over in my head the possibility of getting a second job for a few months next spring (after the holidays...) I'm just not sure I can come up with something that will allow for my schedule. Namely, the time spent at church. I would love to have a job that's just, oh, one night a week and Saturdays. Highly unlikely. But we shall see. Debt sucks, and I'd like to get rid of some of it. That would be fantabulous. If I could just have some kind of jump-start for awhile before I start school again, I think my life would be much better. On the flip side, I'm trying to ingrain in my head that if I keep waiting for life to get just a little better, before I know it my life will be over and done with. Trying to learn to enjoy the moment for what it is.... I've never really been a jealous person, mostly because I never had much and that was that. I didn't worry about it. Who needs stuff, right? I had my friends, and half of them were in the same boat I was. I'm doing my best not to fall into that trap. It would be so easy... but so wrong. And so BAD for me. I'm trying. And hey... thanks to a little fairy (erm... more like Jesus. but Jesus isn't a fairy. Just because I'm a Wesleyan doesn't mean I think Jesus is a fairy.) I don't have to worry about not having enough gas or not having anything to eat until my next payday (which should be a good one. yay) which is ALWAYS cool. life sucks, but it's good too. Too bad the roses already froze.

so has anyone tried the new version of blogger? I'm always leary of things when they tell you that you can never go back......

just another manic monday....

however, the weekend was sweet.

Friday, movie at my house. (mary, :-( we missed you) bethany, amanda, ryan, & dave came over... good times. lots of wonderfully over-sweet foods. (YAY for cookies from new oven!) dave had to leave after about an hour, something about driving to ohio to watch his brother's last track meet. whatever :-) ryan left probably 45 min-1 hour after that, since he had to work early in the morning and he kept falling asleep on my couch. bethany & amanda & I ended up turning off the movie before it was over and talking.... and talking.... and talking.... and looking at pictures and yearbooks and whatnot... and talking.... and talking.... before we knew it it was 6am and almost time for JR to come home from work and Ryan to leave for work. I drove amanda home, and I'm sure you can imagine what the rest of the day looked like for me. I think I woke up around 11ish for maybe a half hour or so, and the next thing I knew it was about 6:30pm. nice way to spend a saturday. but the talking was good. (only an hour or so was terribly disturbing) bethany kept trying to get me to tell what JR & I used to talk about in Psychology, freshman year of college. and amanda kept laughing at her purely because bethany actually believed I'd spill. I would hope I'm more trustworthy than that... I realize they're married now and all, but if she needs to know what he told me about himself, she's gonna have to pry it from him. I gave my word. but anyway, it was a great night. I consumed enough chocolate cookies to gain 15 pounds. and that's not counting the mini cupcakes or the popcorn. (JUST KIDDING! I didn't eat popcorn. nasty stuff.) we'll have to do that again sometime. I forgot how much I miss real, serious *girl talk*. it was fun :-)

as for the rest of the weekend..... not much happened. watched random movie(s), went to church (where they're trying to con me into teaching one of the small group classes on wednesday night. we shall see.), went to see the 'rents for lunch (MMMMM!! CHILI!), that's about it. did laundry, watched the housewitches.

I'll stop rambling now. have a great day, peoples.

my neck hurts today. not sure why. must've slept weird. (I know, me?!? for real, yo.)

just got out of long, boring meeting. but the fun thing about teleconferencing is making faces at your boss (sitting across the table from you) about the people in far-off lands.

I thought I had something profound to say today, but I guess I forgot. hm.

reading a great book. it just keeps getting better and better, pulling me in more and more. one nice thing about hour-long lunch breaks... sitting in your car, eating a burrito from taco bell, reading... and reading... and reading......

Bible study was great last night. we didn't even get to the lesson jim had prepared... we just talked, about all kinds of things we're faced with every day. it was so awesome.... sometimes it just helps to know other people are out there facing the same things you are, with the same doubts and fears and confusions and stuff. although I think in all the good times we were having I may have unwittingly volunteered myself to co-teach a theology-type class-thingey. could be VERY interesting. we'll see where that goes (hopefully nowhere................)

that was profound enough for one day.

congratulations, charles.

beautiful wedding, beautiful bride....

These are from my cousin's wedding on October 14. Isn't she absolutely beautiful?!?

*yawn*

anybody have an ideas for excitingness for me to do this weekend? hmm? hmmmm? yeah, I couldn't think of much.

I am so incredibly sleepy right now. can.... baaarrreeelly..... staaaaaaaayyyyy....... awwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaakkkkkkkkkeeeeeeeeeeee.................

have a good one.

"I need to go put on my bonnet."

So halloween was kinda fun... I spent the evening (after my little jaunt around the east end of town... trying to find new, creative ways to get home from work isn't always such a good idea. especially when you end up in *da hood* on halloween night during almost dark time) handing out candy to the most adorable little kids in the most adorable little costumes. During this time I learned something: my doorbell isn't very loud. especially when I'm in the kitchen frying up onions and peppers and chicken for my fajitas. 2nd thing I learned: my sour cream is moldy. I could have SWORN that I just bought a new container last week. 3rd thing: eating fajitas with ranch dressing designed for buffalo wings isn't as nasty as it could sound, but nothing compares to sour cream (it's the best!)

around 7:30ish Bethany & JR came over with wings from hooters. (hence the ranch dressing) I finished frying things, and we had a good time eating food and handing out candy and watching last week's gilmore girls (this week was a rerun. BOO!!!!!!) Good times. I think they were going to leave soon after that, but JR & I ended up getting in an hour-long *conversation* (debate, argument, what have you) over... let's see. taxes, the economy in general, china, vietnam, the war in iraq, military strategy, and the value of one human life over another. among other things. Bethany mostly stood there and made sure *we still loved each other* and didn't raise our voices. I think we scared her a little. hence the bonnet theory. which actually probably isn't a bad idea.

overslept this morning. actually, instead of hitting the snooze at 6:30, I turned the alarm clock off. which made for happy times when I managed to wake back up at 7:20. poor chico.

church tonight... busyness with stuff in general as well as cantata preparation.

still crazy times at work. no earthly how I'll actually get all this done in the next week or so.

I could really use a venti caramel macchiato with at least ONE extra shot. mmmm... it's free to dream, right?

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHh

TOO MUCH TO DO!!!

crazy work at work...

work homework....

coming to work early.....

leaving work late.....

AHHHHH!!!

(and the close hasn't even started yet)

yep, it was frozen.

crazy, short, incredibly random weekend... the wedding was interesting, to say the least. nothing like a groom being 15 minutes late for his own wedding ;-)

note to all: I'm done with weddings for awhile. this weekend made 5 since may. if you want to get married, and you want me to be there, please wait until after the first of the year. and more than 2 weeks' notice would be nice, too.

the best part of the weekend.... CORELLA!!! (or insert other random nickname here) ooo... that could be a fun post... try to see how many nicknames for the reefer we could come up with (ones that already exist, not new ones). I betcha there would be several to choose from. ANYHOO.... it was really great to see ya, chica. I apologize (again!) for the terrible timing, but hopefully the kentucky ale (no, not the alcoholic kind.....) made up for it. applebee's was great.... and if I had had enough energy and non-sleepiness, we could've probably come up with some more songs to evilitate. next time? good talks. I'm excited!!!! YAY!!! I love you, babe.

another note: no more travelling for me for awhile. too many states, too little time. and the tolls suck. but it's been fun, anyway. I just need some calmness for awhile.

okay, back to work. wish me luck.

randomnesses and such.

anybody wanna adopt a puppy for the weekend?

it is raining VERY hard right now. pounding against the roof directly above my head....

I work with idiots. well, only some are idiots. the rest are my friends :-)

secret trip to the wastelands... mwahahaha!!

what will I do once I have to work an entire week again? I could so do these 4- & 3-day work weeks. bring on the holidays!

and now for the quote which sitteth at the top of my keyboard:

«¡Según mi madre, no hay ayuda para mí!»

so sad.....

November second isn't that far away. YAY for us!!

are they frozen yet?

I'm still here.....


(but I'll post for real later. too much to do.......)

Is that even a word?

I feel very typative today. Probably because I have been very diligent at work all day (ALL DAY!! SERIOUSLY!) and now would like to type out random thoughts and such. Not really in a talkative mood, per se, therefore the conception of my new word: Typative. I was contemplating whether or not there should be an *e* between the *p* and the *a*, but I came to the conclusion that *typeative* was too log and looked more like a type of moss than a word having to do with typing. That and *typing* doesn't have an *e*. I was not intending to spend this entire post talking about my new creation, but, well.... refer to first sentence. Typativeness does not care about subject matter; it only cares about typing. I've used a lot of *s in this post. Kinda like my parenthetical problem.

I really should get back to work now. But I have been entirely too diligent and motivated for only one day. Which means that tonight, when I should be packing and doing laundry and going to church and choir practice and preparing my house for company and giving chico a bath and all that jazz, I will be totally unmotivated and undiligent (my coworker Charles said that isn't a real word either. Poop on him.)

Okay bye now.

reminiscing......

oh, to be back up on the mountain, walking down invisible trails and taking pictures on the rocks amidst the beautiful fall wildflowers.

speaking of wildflowers, I could use some wildflower honey. I'd even settle for some good clover honey right now. so shoulda gone to the honey festival.

*sigh*

1 1/2 hours and I can go home...... to rush around for otherness.

spring water right out of the side of the mountain..... beautiful views of the entire city (and then some)....... halibut and soup beans :-) walks along the promenade....... makes me want to move.

I'm baaaaaaccckkkkk.......

that's all. more later.

ps~~absolutely lovely weekend. in more ways than one.

:-)

probably won't be checking in here for a few days....

need anything, call the cell.

happy days are here again....

my house needs a complete overhaul. especially since there may be company this weekend. at least then poor little chico won't be lonely. it makes it so much more interesting to have a dog with separation anxiety disorder. even more disturbing that they have names for those things. so this is a totally rambley post.

Have a happy day!!!

I NEED TO KNOW!!!

and yet I know nothing. feel nothing. calm, no peace.

I hate decisions with absolutely every fiber that exists in my being. I have to know. Today. and yet I don't. This is the most frustrating thing I have ever encountered in my entire life.

2 hours alone in the arboretum... after dark, waiting for the security guards to come get me. and still absolutely nothing.

I am at the end of my knowing what to do. I've done everything I could possibly know to do.



nothing..............................................

Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

the waiting game. it sucks.

interviews at least seemed to go well... now we wait. and hope I can be a good decision-maker for at least a day or two.

wish me luck...

interview at 5pm eastern... (and another at 8am tomorrow) prayers would be appreciated.

decisions, decisions....

so yeah. we're back to the whole *I-don't-know-what-to-do-about-my-job-I-really-like-my-job-but-could-get-a-lot-more-money-elsewhere-and-elsewhere-is-calling-right-now-and-it-really-wants-a-second-interview-but-is-it-what-I-want-or-what's-best-for-me-I-hate-making-these-decisions* times of my life. so please pray. pray that I don't go insane trying to MAKE a decision, and that I'll make the right one, and that both where I am and where I'm potentially going will be all the better for it.

in my ideal world, every other job wouldn't want to hire me (yes, I'm weird like that sometimes) and my current job would give me a big raise so I could pay for everything I need to and not have to worry about the electric or internet being cut off and we'd all live happily ever after.

but apparently my ideal world is galaxies away from this one.

suckiness.

could use some encouragement?

the sun'll come out for another day...

I am now going to create a post made entirely up of my part of emails to a certain someone I've taken to emailing while at work. It will be completely and totally random. be prepared. (as I hum the lion king song in my head.....)

[commence the copy/pasting]


okay, so how sucky is it that house and Gilmore girls are on at the same time now?!?!


I think I need to start drinking more caffeine in the morning. it may be bad for me, but it keeps me ready for my job. which is a good thing. [edit-removal of personalness] I think I’m going to go back for my master’s next fall, which will also take me FOREVER. so I hear ya. I’m going to have to buy some tapes and reprogram my VCR. now comes the decision of, should I tape House and watch Gilmore Girls, or tape Gilmore Girls and watch House?! it’s the big decisions in life that are the toughest.


I would really like to go to UK. I would most likely get my MBA (Master’s of Business Administration) hopefully with some sort of emphasis in accounting/finance. It would take me either 2 or 3 years, depending on how much I hate myself and I am willing to give up any semblance of a social life. They suggest taking only 2 classes a semester and therefore making it be a 3-year program. I would like to get it done and over with and take 3 a semester, but I don’t know if I’m up for that anymore or not. *sigh*

Coffee is my friend. As long as it’s good coffee, I could drink it all day long. Hot, iced, IV, whatever form you got it in. I am like Lorelai in this way. If I was a rich woman I would invest half my money in starbucks and build one attached to my house and drink it every morning. and every night (decaf, of course……)


School was okay while it lasted, but I was expecting to be done with it. I can see myself having some kind of a nervous breakdown for trying to do too much, too. which would result in more of the caffeine/sugar/chocolate habit. and a sharp increase in the purchase of ale8. we’ll see….


[when asked how I am doing today:]
well, seeing as how I was quite the industrialist this morning and actually made coffee for myself, and then drank a whole bunch of kool-aid at lunch, I now have to pee like a russian racehorse. now, I know you were waiting ALL DAY to hear that about me. and I’m just glad I could be the fulfillment of your dreams.

on another note, I think I have paper-cut myself about 80 times in the last 2 days. I’m usually pretty good at hurting myself like that, but these seem to be the days for the marathon accidental self-mutilation. I was disheartened today when a friend of mine told me they met someone who reminded them of me when that person kept dropping things and falling out of her chair. oh, the legacy I leave.

it seems that caffeine and sugar make me slightly more irrational than usual. oooo-that was profound. I should put it on my blog.


end.

I know that this post was probably confusing and something you didn't really wish to know about me, but since you've made it this far, you get the gold star for the day. mostly because I'm impressed that you would actually take the time to read something as disjointed as my mind's ramblings for the day. (actually, the last 2 days) I was originally only going to put my profound moment in this entry, but I figured, what the heck? why should only one person get to read my random wonderfulness? and now that you have vowed to yourself that you will never read another of my blogs again, I leave you. mostly cuz I know that I'm too addictive to ignore. (um... don't take that at more than face value) like I said, more irrational......


ps~~the weather is freakin awesome. why can't it be fall all year round?!

HAPPY TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY!!!

arrrrrrrr.......

brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

my coworkers insist on keeping it so chilly in our office that my fingers will hardly type because they're so numb. MUST find jacket in box craziness at home!!

A gloriously beautiful wedding took place this weekend. YAY for little bertha & RV!! it will be nice to have yet another couple of my back-home homeys living within 5 minutes of my place. Good times, lots of embarrassment with the presentation of the *honeymoon basket* at applebee's (almost as much as taking sonya to purchase components of said basket. I'm so evil) but seriously, she was absolutely gorgeous. perfect dress, perfect hair, perfect veil, perfect skin, perfect makeup... she was by far one of the most beautiful brides I've seen yet. (as ama would concur) if and when I get ahold of some pictures (my camera is still AWOL) I'll post some somewhere. good luck guessing which blog.

I think I've officially decided to go back to school next fall. yay for me (sarcastic drippingness) now if I can just figure out what to do about the job situation, I'll be doing okay.

poor doggy has eye issue. like it's swollen and he squints most of the time and it waters all the time. poor puppy. if I could just afford to take him to the vet my world would be better.

:-(

an astronaut? or perhaps an elephant herder?

YAY YAY YAY!!!!

my happy friend from pretty much all my life, the Midget :-), is coming in today. (actually, she came in last night... but I get to see her today.) YAY!! We're having lunch. at the mall. and then we're going to go buy naughty gifts for ex-nurse-roomie. oh wait... that sounds wrong. she's still a nurse. just no longer my roomie :-( I'm back to the singleness again. my bachelorette pad could use some serious work. but I regress.

YAY for Midget-ex-roomie! It's been so long... what, since february/march?! crazy... I remember the days when we never went more than a day not seeing each other. of course, those were also the days that my greatest hobbies were splashing in the creek and climbing the tree in front of her house. yes, at one point in my life I was a little tomboyish. but not so much as she. but that's a different story. speaking of, when I visited their house last winter or whenever that was, I found that the snake we skinned in 7th grade is still proudly hanging in their office/spare bedroom. or maybe it was in that bathroom. don't remember. but cool. oh, the memories.

it's nice to remember fun childhood memories. talking for hours about what we thought we would be when we grew up.... where we thought we would go and all the things we wanted to do. good times.

I'll stop now before the teary-eyedness gets overwhelming. Have a happy day, ya'll. and know that I'm having an awesome one! (erm... at least for lunch. who knows about the rest)

gave the dog a bath... messy.

cleaned up his mess by his cage... gross.

made REAL mac&cheese... yum.

planned fun wedding surprises... YAY!! funness!

slept more than 8 hours... a miracle straight from God!

to do:

mail dress. money.

return overdue library books. more money.

execute fun wedding surprises. congrats!

churchness. good times and singing.

purchase more wedding stuffs. fun; more money.


I can make it until friday, right?!

do you like my sweater?

CORAL ROCKS! SHE'S AWESOME! SHE'S THE BESTEST EVER!!!

(I have music again :-) )

where did the weekend go?!

again, I feel like I need to say something on here, but I don't know what to say. this was a crazy, crazy weekend......

painted on the habitat house (result: happy lady and really sore muscles)

re-bought present for roomie, bought mom's birthday presents (aren't I wonderful?!)

CRAZINESS at church on Sunday. and I do mean craziness. poor drew... he'll never fill in for me again. which is bad, cuz I need fill-ins next month. *sigh*

lunch with fam... good times. mom's birthday. dad bought a cake from dairy queen (which was a much more surprising feat than it first seems)

procrastinated dog-washing and laundry-doing and general cleaning and unpacking.

no grey's anatomy. boo.

lots of naps. me like the sleepness!

oopsy daisy's bad bad day

most of you know that I tend at times to be a forgetful-type person. sometimes I just don't think about things, I don't think to remember them.

last night I learned something.

it is not a good idea to forget to roll up your car window all the way.

it is a bad, bad thing. especially overnight.

last night the above-mentioned forgetfulness happened. and someone decided to relieve me of the burden of all of my cds, my $50 gift for bethany from vs, and seriously only God knows what else. all of my stuff was dumped out of every crevice into the floor of the passenger side. they left my shoes and my lamp and my Bible, so I guess I should be thankful for that.

sometimes I really can't believe I'm as stupid as I am.

it's been a bad, bad morning.

I think I might maybe may

it's a new month! which, of course, means crazy-busy times at work. yay for me.

I haven't been feeling too well today. SO not cool. my guess would be some sort of food poisoning, but who knows. the only thing I can think of would be that our milk has gone bad and the 1/4 of a gallon I drank last night didn't sit well. since my allergies have created this whole I-can't-taste-anything monster, I really don't think I would have noticed the difference. drat.

maybe, just might maybe, I will take the roomie out this weekend for a night of excitement and fun in lexington. if she's not working or tired, and while I still have a little cash from today's paycheck. maybe a little beach volleyball at marikka's? urm... maybe not so much. but the jamaican band at atomic cafe is kinda fun... we'll see.