Thursday, March 31, 2011

The ABC's of Brown Eyed Girl Jenn :)

Well, since I didn't participate in PBJ Dreamer's Gratituesday (and she called me out on that too!), I decided to follow her lead and do the ABC's of me.

BTW - do you know one of my favorite things about her blog???  The name...because I L-O-V-E peanut butter & jelly.  I believe that I ate one for lunch everyday during my school days.  To this day, if I have nothing in my cabinets but peanut butter, bread & jelly...I am one happy girl.  Of course, Dylan is not a sandwich kind of kid...so he requires more than PB&J...loser! Just kidding...although if the kid would eat a sandwich not purchased at Subway, that would make me happy.

Anyrandomkidrant...Miss PBJ Dreamer also wanted me to point out that she's not funny all the time...which is true.  Some of her posts are very serious and poignant.  But they are still good...and definitely worth a read.

How's that for a shout out??? ;)

OK...so, without further delay...here are MY ABC's of me!

A. Age: 34...I'll be 35 in June.  I know how old I am...but sometimes it's hard to believe I'm almost 35.

Especially, when I'm sitting on my couch watching Spongebob, Scooby Doo or Ned's Declassified.

By myself...

B. Bed size: Full size. I *heart* my bed...it has real box springs...not just a plywood box. I love it.

C. Chore you dislike: Dusting...it's so pointless.  You get rid of the dust for about 5 minutes...and then it comes back.

Of course, I hate seeing dusty furniture too...

Although right now, if you saw my house, you'd highly doubt that.

D. Dogs: I love basset hounds & beagles.  We had a basset hound for several years who had to be put to sleep last spring.  She was such a sweetheart.  Then my parents got another basset a couple of months ago.  I didn't think it was possible to find a dog sweeter than Rosie, but then my parents found Cookie.  And she's doubly sweet.

Although, I think I actually found her for them!

Go me! :)

E. Essential start to your day: Coffee, of course.  Followed by lots of water.  I must caf up...then hydrate! :)

BTW - did you know there's a Brown Eyed Girl Coffee on the internet??? I'm going to have to order some coffee from there...just once!

F. Favorite color: My favorite color is blue.  I love blue...and at one point had so much blue in my wardrobe that I had to force myself to look at other colors of clothing.  Now, very little of that blue clothing fits anymore...

*sigh*

Although, I do have to admit, I'm a fan of any bright, rainbow-y color!

G. Gold or silver: I mostly wear silver these days.

H. Height: 5'4"

I. Instruments you play(ed): recorder...I mean, didn't everyone have to learn recorder at one point in their life?

I also learned (very badly) to play the guitar.

And for a short time in my life, I took piano lessons...but I didn't have time or the $ to keep that up.

Nor did I actually own a piano...made practice tough.

J. Job title: Office Manager

Also known as, Chief Coffee Maker...

And the one who has to do all the "grunt" work...

And has even had to do babysitting as part of my job...

And some other "personal assistant" things - like booking my boss' personal trip to see a baseball game or buy his wife a birthday gift.

Who am I to complain?  His name appears at the bottom of my virtual check each week.

Virtual because I have direct deposit, of course...not because it's non-existent. I don't complain about my wages...I'm probably overpaid anyway! ;)

K. Kids: Dylan - age 14

He's alright...I'm not trading him in anytime soon...

:)

L. Live: In a very small town outside of Winston-Salem, NC...Winston-Salem being the home of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons...which I have never quite understood, seeing as the school began as a religiously owned school. 

My town is so small, there is no main street...it was just incorporated a few years ago...and they are building a town hall...which I've heard will double as a recreation center.

It's fab! :)

M. Mom’s name: Brenda

Although I mostly know her as "Mom"

Sometimes you will see her comment on my blog as "Mom"...but my favorite is "Your Mom"

:)

N. Nicknames: Jenny, Jenny B, Jay

Those are all previous nicknames...

None of which I like anymore...

Just call me Jenn.

For real - don't add the Y

or the Y & the B

O. Overseas travel: none, yet.  Although Dylan & I have decided we are going somewhere in Europe when he graduates high school.

P. People you admire: Our Pastor's wife Rhonda - she is simply amazing.  She was diagnosed almost 8 years ago with breast cancer...she beat it, only to find out about 6 months later that a tumor had formed in her brain.  However, she completely gave it over to God and not only did He bring her through the surgery, He brought her through AMAZINGLY.  As in, most people who have brain surgery such as what she had spend at least one day in ICU...she went straight from recovery to a regular room.  The doctors & nurses were amazed.  I was amazed to see her at church only a few days later.

She has endured I don't know how many rounds of chemo and total brain radiation.  And she does have some long term effects.  But the best news of all is that as of today, she is cancer free.  And has been cancer free for several years.

She is amazing!

Q. Quote from a movie: I'm so bad at these...I don't even know which one I'd quote here!

You'd think with all of the movies I watch, I'd be able to pull out just one.

But I can't.

R. Righty or lefty: I'm a lefty! :)

S. Siblings: One - Missy.  She's 3 1/2 years younger.

T. Time you wake up: 6ish during the week...but I don't actually move until after 6:15...or closer to 6:30.  *See "B" regarding my bed! :)

U. Underwear: yeah right...like I'm talking about my underwear here...

V. Vegetables you don’t like: I don't think there are too many vegetables I don't like. I'm not a huge fan of squash.  I definitely don't like "greens".  And sometimes, I like a veggie prepared one way, but not another. i.e. cabbage - I love it raw...hate it cooked.

W. What makes you run late: see "T" and then "B"...

And I blame ironing often...because I only iron as I need to...because I always think that if I iron in advance, my clothes will just get wrinkly in my closet...and I will have to iron them again anyway.

Of course, I've never tried "pre" ironing to test my theory.

Hmm...a thought...

X. X-rays you’ve had: Teeth & both arms...and possibly my ankle

Only one broken bone - my right arm

Y. Yummy food you make: chicken pie, green beans, pound cake, box brownies...these are my favorites

Z. Zoo animal favorites: I love the polar bears...although I have to wonder how they survive the NC summers when sometimes I don't think I will survive the NC summers...and I am more prone to warmer climates than polar bears. 

And yes, they do live outside.  Supposedly their water tank is kept very cold, so they can go swimming and they have a refrigerated area that they can escape to when it's hot.  But you can't see them in their "cold" area.

I also like the seals.

NC has one of the best zoo's in Asheboro.  I love it because all of the exhibits are (loosely) based on the animal's natural habitat.  So the elephants and gazelles have large areas of land to roam.

Of course, this makes it sometimes difficult to see the animals.

And with everything so spread out, you do A LOT of walking when you go to the zoo.  Like miles of walking.

I hope you've enjoyed my ABC's! :) Have a great Thursday!

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Take a little advice from me...

A few months ago (please note the word MONTHS), one of the flaps covering my dryer vent fell off.  I had gone out for some reason to sweep the lint off of the outside of the vent and knocked one of the flaps off.  The vent is placed really high on the wall - especially outside - so I knew I would need a ladder or something to put the flap back on.  I ignored it and forgot about it...thinking it was really no big deal.

One Saturday morning a few weeks ago (note the word WEEKS here), I thought I heard something in my dryer vent...it sounded like a bird flapping around in there.  I went to check it out and of course, the noise no longer could be heard.  It was kind of windy that day, so I attributed the noise to the wind and went on with my life.

One day last week, I came home and heard the noise again.  I said to Dylan, "What is that noise?!?!?"...to which he replied, "That stupid bird in our dryer vent."  Gee thanks Dylan for letting me know you'd been hearing this bird in the dryer vent EVERY AFTERNOON!  I decided I needed to take action and between Dylan & myself (Dylan on the stepstool...me holding it down because wouldn't you know the ground slopes away from my house very abruptly right where the dryer vent is way up on the wall) we got the dryer flap back on.

No more bird noises! YAY!  At least I thought it was a YAY...

Last night I went to get some towels out of the dryer that I had washed & thought I dried on Saturday.  They were still damp.  I thought this was strange...and figured I had just forgotten to turn the dryer on.  Trust me, it's happened before.  I re-ran the towels...they were dry...and I put the freshly washed clothes in the dryer.  Later on, the washer stopped with the next load...the dryer buzzed off and I went to make the switch...and my clothes were not dry!  My first thought was that the dryer was dying...it's older and has been put through about four moves (including the move to my house).  This was not making me happy.

And then, suddenly, I had a thought.  Even before I confirmed that a bird was in my dryer, I had noticed that I'd been hearing things moving around in my dryer vent when it was on - like little pieces of dirt.  I really thought it was just due to the absence of the dryer vent flap...knowing that a bird had been in there at least once or twice...and that wind had blown "stuff" into the dryer vent.

But I knew that if the bird had begun nesting in the vent and that if I didn't remove that, I could burn my dryer up. 

So, I stopped the dryer, removed the coil from the top, where it vents to the outside...and this is what I found:

My dryer vent was STUFFED with twigs, grass and all kinds of "nesting" supplies.  And when I say "stuffed", I mean "stuffed".  I thought I could just pull it out with the vacuum...but it was a no go.  So, I  had to get a glove and PULL this stuff out.  And I pulled stuff out...and I pulled stuff out...and I pulled stuff out.  Only to realize that it went ALL THE WAY DOWN the dryer vent...

Which meant, I needed to pull the dyer out...

Which is no easy task as my Dad or Dylan can tell you.  My laundry room (more like a closet) is just big enough to put the washer & dryer side by side.  There's no room for moving them around.  To move the dryer out, you have to take the doors off the closet and move the washer out...and I didn't want to unhook the washer, since I really don't know how to do that anyway.

At any rate, we finally got the washer out...Dylan got behind the dryer and pulled the vent coil off and I took it and shook the rest out outside.

This is only PART of what I pulled out of my dryer vent...


And just to get an idea of how much dryer vent coil this bird was working with...this is how my dryer is vented...


We believe the original inhabitants of this house had a stacked washer/dryer.  That's the only logical reason we can come up with for having the dryer vent so far up the wall.

So, here's my advice...if one of the dryer flaps falls off, put it back sooner than later.

And I'm happy to report that my dryer is working just fine, now, thank you very much!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Hmmm...

Yes...that about sums up what I have to say today.

Hmmm...

I've gone back & forth about what to post.

I thought about joining PB&J Dreamer for Gratituesday...

BTW - do you read PB&J Dreamer?  She's super awesome!  Pretty much always good for a laugh!

Then, I thought about just being random...but that only got me so far.

So, I'm back to hmmm...

My weekend was super busy...as predicted.  Saturday morning Dylan, my sister and another friend, Jamie, all ran in a 5K.  It was cold.  As in, my sister's legs were bright RED when she finished.  But they all did well.  Jamie is a runner and finished his 5K in 21:02.  Dylan finished in 27:02 and my sister finished around the 37 minute mark.  So, they all did well!

After lunch, we headed to Dylan's soccer game.  I believe it was colder at the game than it had been earlier at the 5K.  I froze to death.  I had put on a long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt, toboggan, gloves and was wrapped up in a heavy fleece blanket and my teeth were still chattering!  They tied the game - it was pretty good.  Of course, the players didn't notice the cold.

When we got home, I took the longest, hottest shower ever...then we headed to Seth's birthday party...which was a blast!

Sunday, thank goodness, Dylan's soccer game was rained out and I took Alyson to see Tangled. Such a good movie...she loved it!

I did get Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella finished!  So, the library is officially off my back until next week when they start bugging me about the other books that are now past due.

*sigh*

Monday was a strange day all around.  I overslept because I forgot to re-set my alarm on Sunday night.  When I woke up (45 minutes late), I realized it was sleeting.  So, I had to take Dylan to the bus stop.  By the time I left for work it was full on snowing.  Yes, folks...this is what happens in NC.  Last Tuesday, it was 84.  I wore flip flops or sandals to work all week.  Yesterday we had freezing rain, sleet & snow.  Fortunately, the ground was way to warm (thanks to the warm temps of the prior week) for us to have any accumulation.

Today is sunny...still a little chilly...but it's our nice break, since tomorrow and Thursday are to be cold & rainy.

Boo!

Hope your Tuesday is warmer than mine...and if so, please share with NC!  We are done with snow & cold weather! :)

Friday, March 25, 2011

Friday, Once Again! :)

Ahhh...Friday!  It's such a relief to know that another work week is behind me and we are on to the weekend!

Usually, you will see me linking up with Mama M for Five Question Friday...however, it appears that Five Question Friday was pre-empted by her daughter's appendectomy! I mean, can you imagine that she didn't have time to come up with five questions for us to answer??? ;) Please send some prayers up for her daughter...her last update was that she was doing well, beginning to eat and her fever was gone.  So things appear to be on track for her!

So, since I don't have any questions to answer, I'll treat you to my weekend to-do list! I know you are so excited.  These are some things I'd *like* to do this weekend:
  • finish painting my bathroom - this is mostly done; I just lack painting the door frame & a window frame
  • clean my stinking house - last night, it was quite literally stinky
  • dig up the cana from my flower bed...also remove all the white stones that some person thought would look so lovely in the flower bed...but now half of them are gone and what is there is covered in cana & weeds
  • finish reading Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella so the library will get off my back (the book is only three weeks late, I think...could be more)
Seems like there were so many other things that I had on my list of to-do's for the weekend.  Typical...when I commit fingers to keyboard, my mind goes blank.

Anyway, that really doesn't seem like a lot...but out of that list, the only thing I *expect* to get done is the reading.

Because this is what I will be doing this weekend...
  • Dylan is running a 5K tomorrow - he has to be there at 9am
  • Dylan has a soccer game at 1:30pm tomorrow - not sure how that's going to work after running 3.1 miles in the morning...we shall see
  • Dylan's best friend, Seth, turned 16 this week and we are attending his suprise party tomorrow night
  • Church, of course, Sunday morning
  • Dylan has ANOTHER soccer game on Sunday afternoon at 3:30pm
AND, it's supposed to rain.  Tuesday it was sunny & 81...Saturday & Sunday are rainy and in the 50's.  Why doesn't the weather cooperate with our work schedules?  Sunny & 81 is weekend weather...rainy & 50's is weekday weather! :)

Of course, rain may mean that the soccer game is cancelled.

It also may mean that I'm sitting in the cold rain trying to scrunch under my umbrella while watching the game.

*sigh*

Hope your Friday is happy & bright! See you Monday, if not before! :)

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Wordless Wednesday: Basketball

A couple of weekends ago, the boys played basketball at the house...





And this is one from the day that just made my heart melt...


Happy Wednesday! :)

Monday, March 21, 2011

Crazy Cat Lady

I am still trying to get over last week and decided that I needed a little "mood lightening" this morning! :)

I absolutely love Gilmore Girls - I own all seven seasons on DVD and usually watch an episode or two before I go to bed.  The show is also the soundtrack for any Sunday that I just need to lay in bed and doze all afternoon.

I have a lot of favorite lines & scenes from this show, but this has to be one of my favorites...maybe because I relate just a little too well...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZp1kYLE7Bw

*Youtube wouldn't allow me to embed the video...sorry*

Ironically, I already own a blue bathrobe...so I'm off to buy yarn...

Happy Monday! :)

Friday, March 18, 2011

Sunshine after the rain

Sunshine after the rain...that's how today feels to me.  It's been a most stressful week and I, for one, am glad to be on the other side of the "rain" that this week has thrown me. 

Deep thought, though...I guess we all need a little "rain" in our lives to make beautiful things grow.

That's free - I won't even charge you for that!

Thanks for the kind thoughts and words in regards to the death of my friend.  I didn't know Melissa that well...I only met her a year ago...but her death - especially the suddenness & unexpectedness of it - has really been tough.  My best friend is hurting so much...and that hurts me.  Ashley said the other night, "if this is hurting me so much, I can't even imagine what her family is going through".  I think, as I said in my Wednesday post, this has just made me realize how precious life is.  She was a sweet, fun loving girl and she will be greatly missed.

So...now for the sunshine of my day today...Five Question Friday with Mama M!  If you want to play along, head over to her blog, copy the questions & link up!





1. Have you ever testified in court? For what?

No - but I almost had to.  One day, I was sitting here at work, minding my own business...and I saw this truck come down our driveway and turn around.  I didn't think anything about it...but I thought it was odd that he stopped at the top of the driveway, let two kids who were running down the street jump in and took off.  I didn't think much more about it...until the sheriff's department showed up with their K-9 unit.  And then, one of the officers stopped in to ask if we had seen anything...and I told them what I saw.  So, they sent me a summons to appear as a witness.  Of course, the trial was scheduled during my vacation.  But, as it turned out, someone else had seen the same thing...and they ended up not needing my testimony...so I didn't have to leave my beach vacay to come back and testify.

2. Do you still have your wedding dress?

Well, I haven't bought my wedding dress yet...

But my mom & sister both still have theirs

3. Is there a special place you like to go when you're happy, sad, stressed, etc.?

Not necessarily...I just like to be home...around the people I love when I'm happy or sad...stressed is a whole other story and I usually just want to be alone.

4. If you have kids, do they sleep with you? If you don't have kids...will you let your kids sleep with you when/if you have them?

When Dylan was younger, he would sleep with me from time to time...especially if he was sick.  But now, I don't think he would even entertain the thought.  One night recently, I was in my room watching TV or reading and he was in the living room watching whatever he wanted to...when his show was over, he came & laid down on my bed with me.  That was the first time he's done that in a long time...

5. Do you watch late night TV?

I watch TV late at night...but I don't watch what is considered "late night TV".  From time to time, I may stop on David Letterman or Jay Leno, especially if they have someone on that I really like.  But, it's not a regular habit.

I hope everyone has a great Friday and a great weekend!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Putting things in perspective

This has been a week of seriously putting things in perspective for me.

Last Friday, I woke up happy, thankful for the sunshine, thankful for Dylan being better.  I was ready to Tweet it up and post a light, happy status on my Facebook.

And then I began to get reports of the horrendous earthquake in Japan. 

And suddenly, all of my little problems seemed non-existent.  It even seemed wrong for me to be so happy and excited that it was a bright, sunshiney Friday.

Sometimes, it just seems so wrong that in the light of a tragedy such as the Japan Earthquake that life just keeps on going.  It seems like everything should just stop.

I remember right after 9-11 when air travel was ceased...I was outside with Dylan while he was playing...it was a beautiful day.  It was so much quieter...which I knew was due to the fact that there were no planes flying over our house.  We don't live in a high-traffic air pattern, but we are between the two airports in our area and so we get some air traffic throughout the day.  It's just part of the normal sound track. 

But, to me, I remember thinking that it just seemed so strange that thousands of people had just lost their lives only days before and our little world had changed so much in such a short amount of time, but my life still appeared so normal.  It was just another day in my life with my Kindergarten son who was enjoying the bright, sunshiney, fall day.

Slowly, the shock of what had happened in Japan began to wear off and I did celebrate the day...the sunshine...my kid's wellness.

The weekend went on...my life returned to normal.

Monday & Tuesday came in rough...stressful...tiring.

Yesterday evening was such a fun time...I was at my sister's for a Scentsy/Thirty-One party.  We laughed...a lot.  I was a little annoyed when I left because it was raining...and I had to back out of her LONG driveway...and I don't back well.  I got home...was sitting in bed playing Sudoku, when I received a text from my best friend that a friend of hers, that I also knew...just not as well, had died yesterday evening in a car accident.

I stared at my phone for about 5 minutes trying to process if this could possibly be the same girl that I knew...that I had just seen only a few weeks ago...that we had just talked about at my sister's party. 

And suddenly, all of the little annoyances in my life seemed so small & insignificant.  At the same time, I just wanted, at that moment, to have all of the people that I loved around me. 

I began to also think about this girl's family...her mother, father, brother & sister...her husband...her almost 3 year old little boy.  I wondered where she was going...or coming from.  I wondered what her little boy would remember about his mom...who, no question about it, loved her son so much.

I don't fear dying itself...I know that I am promised eternal life in Heaven because I gave my life to Jesus when I was 13.  My fear is for the people that I would leave behind...and not being able to be there with them.

The events of this week have just put things in perspective for me.  Please love on your kids...stop whining about all the "bad" things they do.  Hug them...make sure they know you love them.  Do the same for your parents, siblings and friends.  Be kind to people.  Don't put things off until tomorrow...we aren't promised tomorrow, after all.  Keep in mind the legacy that you are leaving behind...whether it be in the minds of your family, friends, or the people you deal with on a daily basis.  You never know what kind of impression you are leaving behind.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Catching up...again...

Hey! *waving brightly*

Do you remember me??

Honestly, I had to check to see what I blogged last.

My crazy life is getting in the way of my blogging. 

And I don't appreciate it AT ALL!

What has happened since last Wednesday...hmmm???

Well, Dylan did NOT have strep throat.  He spent Thursday at home again, but was feeling well enough to go to school on Friday! YAY!  And now he's got the sneezies & running nose that is oh so common here in the allergy belt. :( All of the spring trees are so pretty...but not nice to allergy sufferers.

Friday night I BOUGHT PAINT for my bathroom - a whole gallon...not just a sample! :)  My plan was to tape off everything & paint on Saturday. However, Dylan had a semi-surprise visit from his dad.  His dad, step-mom, half brothers & half sister had all made the trek to come see Dylan's soccer game...which I found out was cancelled...as I showed up at the field for the game!  Oops!  The one problem I was having with my phone was not checking my mail often or at all (it was set to manual).  If I had checked my e-mail, I would've known.  Well, since they were already close, we decided to meet them for lunch and then we went to a park.  So...that actually took more of my day than I planned!

Then Saturday night we took pizza to my sister's house since my brother-in-law had knee surgery last Thursday.  We played Just Dance for Wii...and it only proved how uncoordinated I really am.  But watching Aly & Dylan play was too much fun...and Zach even got into the action...very carefully! :)

Sunday the time change hit me hard...so I spent a good bit of the afternoon on the couch before deciding to get my bathroom trim ready for paint...and since it was ready, I went ahead and painted the trim.  That alone has made such a difference!  It so clean & fresh!

So yesterday I had jury duty.  They do jury duty weird in my county...I had to show up, watch the video about my responsibilities as a juror and then they dismissed us until this morning.  I made the 45 minute drive to work...only to find that our computers were down and had been down all morning.  Finally, around 1:30ish the computers were back online...except for mine.  Because my network cable was bad...and had to be replaced.  Which meant pulling a new cord from the network hub to my office...it was more work for my boss than me...but this all meant that I didn't get on my computer until close to 3!!! 

Yeah...it was a Monday.

I'm headed back to jury duty this morning...I'm just praying that they don't like me!  The one time I definitely don't want to get picked for the team! :)

Hope you all have a great Tuesday...and hopefully I'll be back again before a week goes by! :)

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Wordless Wednesday


Words can't even express how much these children love this dog...

:)

I'm taking that big kid in the last pic to the doctor...he's pitiful and not feeling well.  Trying to decide if I want him to have strep or not...at least they would give him meds.  We shall see...

Happy Wednesday!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

I Did It Again...

Oops!  I did it again...

And I'm not talking about the Britney Spears song...

I forgot to blog.

You see, with my fancy new phone, I check Twitter & Facebook constantly often.

I even get my e-mail, with all of your lovely comments from my blog...when I DO blog.

But I really can't blog from the phone.  Trust me...typing on the thing is the one part of the phone that is annoying.  And the autocorrect will get me every time.

Like the other day, I was texting my Dad and was attempting to tell him that "I wouldn't even attempt it on a Friday night"...it referring to shopping at Wal-Mart.  Well, I'm not sure what happened, but the text my Dad received was "I wouldn't even attempt Orion Friday night"...to which he replied, "I'm uninformed. What's Orion?"  I had no clue what he was talking about until I scrolled up to see what I had actually texted him.

I guess I'm going to have to be careful! :)

Anyway, I had a good, non-productive weekend.  Heavy on the "non-productive".  I swear the NC weather did not cooperate with productivity.  Saturday was gray and looked like it was going to rain all day...and finally sometime Saturday night the rain did come...and it rained all.day.Sunday.  The kind of rain that causes you to curl up under a blanket and watch TV and play with your iPhone all day long.

So, I didn't get my post written regarding my truth vs lies in my Awards post...so, it didn't post yesterday morning...and I didn't get around to writing it yesterday because I have been slammed at work.  But, for your reading pleasure...I will now reveal the lie within my list of facts about me.

*It should also be noted that I do not read directions very well...this has always been an issue for me...I tend to skim, glean what I *think* are the directions and then move on.  Yes, this caused problems in my school work...but evidently I never learned my lesson...because later I went back to Katie's award post and realized I was supposed to list 4 things that were untrue and 1 thing that was true.  Oh, well...too late now! :)*

1. I sleep with a teddy bear named Joshua every night that my uncle gave me when we went to Iowa when I was four.

This is true.  We went to Iowa to see my uncle when I was four...I don't really remember much of the trip, other than that my mom said it was the longest drive and my sister cried pretty much the whole way (I'm sure she will correct me on this if I'm exxagerating at all).  My cousin, Joshua, is about the same age as my sister - so he was a baby too.  And I don't know if I felt left out, neglected or if my uncle just wanted to give me something special, but I ended up with a teddy bear.  I had a habit of naming things after people I knew (I also had a bear named Jason after another cousin)...so Joshua he was.  Joshua is now 30ish years old.  He's had surgery from time to time to mend his seams...he's lost his mouth...and he's not quite as fluffy as I'm sure he was at one time, but he still gives me a great deal of comfort...especially when I'm away from home!

2. I have never seen the Star Wars movies. I tried to watch them with Dylan once...and fell asleep.

Sadly enough, this is true as well.  I really tried to watch these movies - Dylan loves Star Wars...but I just couldn't do it.

3. When I was in high school, I worked at Action Video - a movie rental place. It was my favorite job. What could be better than getting paid to watch movies at work?

This is true...and truly, this was one of my favorite jobs.  Seriously, get paid to sit on a stool and watch movies while you work???  Of course, there were times that it wasn't so laid back and I didn't actually get to watch the movies because we were busy...but still it was a great job.

4. I went to California when I was about 9. It was my first "real" plane trip. My first actual plane ride was between Greensboro & Winston-Salem...which are probably no more than 30 miles apart...so the plane ride was about 10 minutes! :)

This is true as well.  My mom has an Aunt & Uncle (he passed away several years ago) that live in Torrence, right outside of LosAngeles.  The strangest thing for me, at 9, was leaving NC at 7:30ish in the morning and when we got to LAX it was only 11:00am.  We had all eaten lunch on the plane...and they were ready to eat when we got there!

I'm not 100% sure, but I think we also celebrated my birthday while were there.  I know we went to Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm and Rodondo Beach (??)...which was VERY cold.  I would love to go back...to visit...but not to live.

5. My only broken bone was a toe...which I broke last Christmas when we were putting up our Christmas tree.

This is the lie!!!  I did break my toe last Christmas when we were putting up our Christmas tree...I couldn't wear real shoes for like two weeks.  However, that wasn't my ONLY or FIRST broken bone!

Nope - I broke my arm on Easter weekend - March of 2008.  I was walking into a local pizza place to pick up pizza (duh!) on my way to Ash & Zac's house.  Dylan had been working with them all day and the pizza place was on my way to their house.  As I was walking up to the curb, I didn't step up on the curb and fell.  I took most of the impact on the palms of my hands.  The doctor said I probably pushed one of my lower arm bones up into my elbow...which caused the end of the bone to fracture.  The up side: it was my right arm and it didn't take too terribly long to heal.  I only had to be in a soft cast for about 4 days and a sling for about a week.  The down side: even though I'm left handed, I do an awful lot with my right hand.  Now, I look back and laugh about it and every time I come up to a curb when I'm with Ashley & Zac, they warn me to "step up".  This could also be because before I broke my arm, I had tripped over another curb and fallen one night.  This fall caused no significant damage! :)

6. I was on the Safety Patrol in elementary school.

This is true...and I'm proud of it! :)

7. I got written up my Senior year of high school for skipping a class...I was with my friend Jamie in the school office. We still had to do after school detention.

This is also true...Jamie & I were in this bobo typing class.  By the beginning of the second quarter (we had block classes, so we did four classes in one semester and then switched to four new classes the next semester), we had pretty much finished the curriculum for the typing class...as well as the curriculum for the NEXT typing class.  We were in this class with a bunch of slacker losers...truly.  Since we were so far ahead, our teacher would often let us go to the library during class.  This day, however, we didn't realize that the library was closed due to testing.  She evidently had forgotten as well.  So, instead of going back to class we went and sat in the school office.  Not one person questioned WHY we were there...we spoke to several teachers & administrators and we were basically just hanging out...until, one of our classmates appeared and told us that our teacher was VERY mad at us.  We went back to class and she wrote us up for skipping the class.  Ironically, one of the administrators that we talked to while in the office was our Assistant Principal...and she basically said he had to give us detention since the teacher wrote us up.  So, I had two days of staying after school and watching cartoons as punishment.  Wow.

That was the ONLY time I EVER got written up in high school...and my ONLY after school detention...and furthermore, I almost got thrown out of the National Honor Society. 

Stupid typing teacher.

OK - so you now know a little bit more about me! :)  Hope you have a happy Tuesday!  Looks like I'll be playing PlayStation tonight...since Dylan's PlayStation was delivered to Wal-Mart this morning!  Hopefully I'll see you again soon!

Friday, March 4, 2011

Bits & Pieces

OK...so, I didn't mean to go all week neglecting my blog.

It just sort of happened.

I intended to blog on Monday during my lunch...but I had to reconcile my check book...then I was too depressed to blog.

Then on Tuesday, the clouds parted, the sun shone down on me and I heard a choir of angels singing...because my Federal Tax Return was deposited! :) YAY for God's provision!!!

Of course, that meant I went out directly on Tuesday night and bought myself this..

Can I just say, I am in love with this phone?  It's so cool!  And I love not having to wait impatiently for Dylan to vacate the computer so that I can check e-mail/Facebook/Twitter. 

Although, I may be just a teeny, tiny bit addicted! ;)

Last weekend, I did make a monumental decision.  I FINALLY picked a color for my bathroom!  I know you are all relieved! :)  Actually, I took the blue shower curtain ring (the rings are different colors from the shower curtain itself) to Lowes and they color matched it...perfectly, I might add!  I'm so excited...I want to paint this weekend!  However, the reality of that is not looking good since I've not spackled & sanded anything yet and I still need to figure out why my crown molding is sagging.  I'm hoping it will just need a bit of caulk and I'll be good to go!  So, I'm looking at next weekend for painting.  I'll let you know how it turns out.  I've also decided to get rid of the disgusting mini blinds in there...I'm going to put some contact paper "frosting" on the window and hang a chocolate sheer or curtain.  I'm super excited to have the bathroom looking fresh!

BTW - the bathroom will only be the second of my windows to receive a window treatment other than blinds! :)  I need to replace all of the blinds in the house and buy curtains...but curtains can be expensive...so I just put it off.  Maybe this is the year that all of that will happen.

So, anyway...my week has been good, but busy.  One thing I had wanted to do was to reveal my "lie" from my Awards post that I did last week.  I plan to write that up this weekend & have it post on Monday! :)  Hopefully, I will be more attentive to my blog next week!

My favorite Friday event, though is Five Question Friday!  Mama M & her friends always come up with the best questions! :) So, without further adieu...here we go!





1. Have you ever forgotten your child in a store or at school?

I can't say that I have.  I was always so paranoid about losing him that I had to have him in my sight at all times.  I didn't even like for him to "hide" in the clothing racks or walk to another aisle.  Even now, at 14 yrs old, I really would prefer he stay with me...but mostly that's because I have to wander all over the store to find him when I'm ready to go! :)

2. Where did you go on your very first date? (Like...first first, not first with your spouse or current significant other!)

I think I was in college when I went on my very first date...and it was so unmonumental that it's not even worth mentioning.  I think we went to Subway and then rented a movie.

I guess it should've been a sign as to how that relationship would go.

We live & learn...

3. What's your "silly" fear? (We're not talking water and heights.)

This may not actually be so "silly" but I've always been terrified that I will come home and someone will be hiding in my shower.  I don't know why I even think that.  Even when I lived at my parents, if I had to come home late in the evening, I would have to check the shower to make sure no one was in there.  I have no idea what I would've done if someone had been there...but I just needed to make sure.

4. Confrontation: do you cause it, deal with is as it comes, or run far far away?

Avoidance is my best friend.  I don't like confrontation...I avoid it at all costs.  When I have to call someone that I think may be confrontational, I pray that I will get voicemail...and that they will listen to the voicemail and NOT call me back.  If possible, I will hide behind an e-mail all day long.  I think one of the reasons I avoid it so readily is because I tend to not be able to think clearly and I get flustered.  Also, in my company, I have to make some of the "confrontational" phone calls (not so much anymore, but at one time it was a daily event), but I have no power within our company structure to make negotiations.  I was simply the deliverer of information...mostly negative information...and trust me, these people were all about killing the messenger. 

5. Wood floors or carpet?

I like both.  I love wood floors and if my house came with all wood floors, I would take advantage of that.  However, I do think I prefer bedrooms to be carpeted.  But I'm not swayed completely one way or the other.

Hope you all have a great weekend.  It looks like it will be a little gray here in NC over the weekend.  We've had some beautiful sunshiney days this week...and some wicked storms on Monday.  I guess we are due for a little gray weather.  Hopefully it will be a productive weekend for me of spackling and getting ready to paint...although the gray weather may cause a case of the "lazies".  We shall see! :)