Today's 10

1) I woke up feeling tired. That's a bad feeling.

2) I'm trying to figure out the whole maternity leave thing. Our HR woman made the mistake of telling me I got 12 weeks b/c of FL law, but opps, she was wrong our company is shy a few employees to qualify. I only get 6 weeks. I don't do well with change like this. Ask anybody.

3) An "internet" friend of mine is going thru a storm and I wish I were closer so we could just hang out. I know the feeling all too well.

4) I have officially lost my mind and stocked us up with enough Pillisbury place and bake cookies to last us thru the summer. Nows the time go to get some, as they've pulled out the Easter decor ones and it's no where near close to Easter.

5) This past weekend was wonderful. Saturday night I ate dinner with apprx. 13 of the people I'm closest to in Bham, and it made me remember that the distance doesn't kill the blessings.

6) My work shower on Friday was really good. I work with some very generous people and in the back of my mind I thought, "Come on peeps, I don't work hard enough to deserve all of this". Besides sweating during the present opening like I had danced to 7 straight booty songs in a muggy club, I'd said the event went off perfectly. ( fyi- I don't know what it is about me opening presents in front of people, it's a given that my whole body will feel hot and I'll sweat like nobody's business. Happens every time... crazy but I think it's the pressure to let everyone know how much their gift is appreciated)


7) I am definitely whipping out the sewing machine this weekend as I've got baby bedding to create and I ripped the elastic off the back of my fav. pair of maternity jeans about 15 mins ago. Don't ask, I don't even think I could explain. :-)

8) I'm just about feed up with the tv show Lost. I don't know if I like this whole "only 6 people survived the crash" thing that they keep doing in the flash forwards.

9) I need to figure out some meals that I can cook now and freeze for later. Any suggestions?

10) I'm trying to figure out how to teach my church kids about respect (one in particular). I can't quite figure out how to do this one right now in a way that will really hit home, other than the whole putting my foot on one's neck to demonstrate how serious I am. hehehe I talked with Connie who's a elementary counselor and has the patience of 10 saints, she's all Hillary Swank in Freedom Writers with inspiration and encouragement and I'm feeling more like Samuel L. Jackson in 187. Her method is probably better as Samuel L died in 187 (after he took out a few of the bad apples mind you...) Both are good movies if you've never seen them, I suggest them as weekend renters.

It's Tuesday, hope it's Happy.

It's raining, it's pouring...

This is the scene out of my office window at the moment. So lovely. I opened the window so I could hear the rain, but then a large thunder clap startled the mess out of me, so I closed the window (and the blinds). ;-) Am I the only one who thinks that lightening can get you if the blinds are open? hehehe


Here are a few of my favs that Colleen shot. She's so good. She's got an awesome eye and was able to work with me (the most spastic model EVER) on taking my randome suggestions and making them look good. Plus she captured a bunch of "tender" moments that just blew me away.



The little mini and I are at 35 weeks today and KJ and I going to meet (interview) her potential pediatrician this afternoon. Makes me feel very "mom" like.

My little bad apple at church told everyone he was going to "boom-boom" me. I have no idea what this means (threat? something nasty?), but when I confronted him with his mother, he thought it was hilarious and she could have cared less. It made KJ furious, the lack of respect both showed, so he called and had a talk with the little boy. Yep, I'm working on making him a workbook about respect so that he can sit outside my class and when he starts to show me some, he can join the class again. If his momma doesn't like it, she can teach him.

Little Reagan is 2 months old and I have yet to get Tricey her birth announcements. They will be emailed TODAY girlie, I PROMISE.

My work baby shower is tomorrow, but this week several people have been out sick. I'm thinking it might just be me and a few other people, but I'm cool with that b/c it will be an "early" workday b/c we all get to leave the office at 2:00. That's enough Yay for me, opps, us!

My left contact split in half after I got to work. I started to leave it in and then remembered the horrible ulcer I got on my eye last time I played around with contacts. They won. So I'm now blind as I promptly threw them both in the trash. I should keep my glasses in my purse...

Headed to Bham this weekend for Connie's baby shower and I'm really excited to see everybody. It feels like it's been too long. (Oh and Colleen I'm going to drop Dash's mirror package off by OT's so that John can bring it home to you.)

This is my last road trip as KJ is officially putting me on house arrest and I'm okay with that b/c I need to slow down and get some things finished on this end.

Tericka's b-day is tomorrow (22nd) and Kendi's b-day is on Tuesday (26th). I've known both of these women thru several stages of life and I'm proud of the spot that we all ended up in. They are fantastic, each in her own way.

I was watching a civil rights documentary on APT and there was KJ's dad being interviewed. I've always known that he was a huge activist during that time, but boy did my heart swell up with pride. I married into good people. ;-)

Just a few random things going on this way.

Hope you all are doing well! Happy Thursday!

Ten

1) Colleen came this past weekend and took some of the most amazing pregnancy pics for me. Every time I look thru them I see more that she captured in the random shots and I love them even more. And no, there were no nudie pics, that's not my style. I'll try to post my favs later.

2) We watched the movie Gone Baby Gone last night and it will make you question which of the two evils you would decide: To do the right thing for the wrong reasons or to do the wrong thing for all the right reasons.

3) My search for a glider rocker is still going on. Apparently no one on Craigslist wants to sell theirs to me and I now refuse to pay over $50 for one which means every retailer is out.

4) Speaking of out, I was a little sad to see that Sweet P was the only one to be eliminated in the last episode of Project runway. I really like Remi's design style, but come on man, all you do is drape this and drape that. Atleast Sweet P ventured outside of her safe zone...

5) Speaking of tv, I'm so glad to have new episodes of Girlfriends and The Game that I savor them to watch 2 or 3 times... that's a bit obsessive i know...

6) Last tv thing, Just watched my recorded version of the Grammy's and I LOVED Alicia Keys' performance. Love that she can not dance, hehehe, and love that she gets so into her music. I think if I had to perform live, that's what I'd look like. Definitely not what I'd sound like. :-)

7) My belly sometimes looks like Gizmo's in gremlins when they pour water on her and she sprouts the evil ones. You know that whole misshapen bubbling effect. Guess the little mini is running out of space.

8) I eat 2 chicken tacos with sour cream atleast 2 - 3 times a week. I'd call it a craving, but ummm, my love for Mexican food has always been intense.

9) Kj's really into golfing more lately. I like the way he looks when he comes in the house after putting around in his polo shirt. Yum.

10) We're interviewing a pediatrician on Thursday. For some reason this kind of makes me feel like we're trying to be all upity, but it's apparently normal to interview your future kid's future doctor. We've got so much to learn...

Happy Tuesday! Where are you all??

Love is in the air...

literally. ;-)

Happy Day of Looovvveee! Last night I stopped by Walmart for a can of navy beans (to make more refried beans to finish off the leftover chicken), and it was jam pack full of people getting candy, flowers, large stuffed animals, balloons filled with goodies, etc. KJ and I don't do V-day that way, and I'm so thankful. We try to keep it small being that we just had an anniversary and the day of love is more about thoughtfulness to us. His gift: Turkey and dressing for dinner and some much needed pairs of jeans (which he still needs to order...) My gift: Yankee Candles! I'm a candle phen an go thru them like nobody's business. I seriously have a candle budget. So I've been down to 1 big candle and a few smaller ones, but KJ saw fit to surprise me and replenish my stash. Couldn't have picked a more perfect gift myself.

Oh and last night at church a little boy came up to me on our way into class (he's 6, so not in my class) and handed me a handmade valentine. Then he smiled his little gap tooth grin and said, "I spelled your name wrong..." hehehe He's too cute and for him, I'll be Sis Roe on the day of lovin.

So hope you're feeling the general kindness that's floating around today!

Happy Thursday!

Back in the kitchen again

This is what I made for dinner last night:

Scrumptious looking don't you think? Well let me give you my brief review.
The refried beans were EXCELLENT. So yum I can't even begin to describe their utter goodness. Liz, you'll love them as you love refried beans as much as I do and this is a healthy and delish take and almost as simple as just taking the ones out of the can and sprucing them up.

The chicken... I'm all about spices and flavor and I felt like the seasonings didn't go all the way thru the meat. Was kind of disappointed until I had the bright idea to cut the chicken into chunks and mix it into the beans. Oh wow. That did it. So the dish as a whole was really good. Not pretty in the least as mine looked like beans with chicken chunks, but both KJ and I were disappointed that we didn't have more left over for today. I'd call it a keeper.

Here's the link for the recipe.
And here's the recipe if you just want to glance at it before heading over to the link.


Happy Wednesday all!

Happy Tuesday!

1) My work spa day was great. Apparently a pregnancy massage is different than a regular massage b/c there are pressure points hit in a reg. massage on the inside of your ankle and in your hands that can send you into labor. Go figure. There was not a hole in the massage table as I was thinking...

2) I scored big time at the thrift store run after my spa treatments. 2 pairs of maternity jeans - $5 a piece, My favorite book (The Secret Life of Bees) and a book I've been wanting to read for a while (Lessons Before Dying) for $3 a piece and a pair of brand new sneakers for KJ's grandma for $5. YAY me!!!

3) My co-worker/other designer is not the best in keeping me in the loop. Yea, that stinks. I don't like being out of the loop. Maybe this is the root of why I'm not completely comfortable leaving everything in someone else's hand when I go out on maternity leave. I'm still waiting on a word of what when on in the meeting in NY concerning my packaging line. And yes, I admit that I may be thinking a little irrational as everyone just got back into the office this morning. ;-) So I'm patiently waiting. If the update never comes, I'll ask about it and adopt the same mentality that had kept me running in this place. If I need to know it, God always brings it to the forefront, if I don't know it, I'm not suppose to. Done.

4) I think we've decided not to have a 4-d sonogram. I didn't think I cared one way or the other, but I'm a little sad, but the financial part of my brain knows that the extra money can be put towards so many other things. And also the little mini will be here in 6 weeks and counting {hopefully}.

5) I may be the worst person ever to be in charge of getting the class reunion together. I've heard from a few classmates now and sometimes I feel like I've got a firm grasp on things and other times not so much. The class of 99 president has established committees and agendas, and venues and blah, blah, blah and I'm thinking I should just email her and tell her to toss out a great plan for our 98 class.

6) Colleen's coming this weekend!!!! Yay!!! Any ideas of what we can do for a really cute pregnancy pic? She's got some great ones and I've gotten a few suggestions, but I'm opening the floor for more.

7) There's a lot of great internet discussion going around about cloth diapering. I felt really knowledgeable last night as I relayed some of the info to my lamaze class. Hop over to Erin's blog at Princess Pigbear and follow some of her links and the comment section if interested. Also Colleen did a great post at her blog in regards to what she's been doing. I'm definitely on the band wagon and have looked into also using Seventh Generation for if/when I'm going to need disposables.

8) Sunday was a fabulous day with great church service, KJ washing the cars between morning and evening service, fantastic weather, me outside talking with neighbors, barefoot in the grass, while the kids ran to catch up with the ice cream truck. Seriously, I paused and evaluated how much of a storybook setting it was. It was a nice FL moment.

9) It's always the little bittiest things about people and what they do that carve a space in your heart isn't it? Like folding the laundry when you've both been avoiding the basket in the corner or stopping by Walmart on the way home when you're dead tired to battle the masses for a little cold medicine and some toothpaste that's not even for you. That's my KJ, he's constantly weaving himself into the fibers of my heart with the little things.

10) hehehe After reading #9 I must admit that I have the tendency to run on two extremes lately, either extremely mushy, or very irate. Unfortunately the later has been more frequent as I've had to do more counting down and slow breaths in the car than I'd like to admit. Atleast I'm aware and try to handle the situation internally, but I don't think there's anything wrong with pinching off a few heads (coworkers, other drivers, target store employees, etc) when people turn their backs.

11) Bonus: I'm completely blown away by women who cook every day. I'm always looking for a few new things to try out occasionally and this blog A Year In The Kitchen has given some outstanding recipes for consideration. Seriously, I wonder if I could talk her and her husband into moving into my neighbor's house that's for sale. I think she'd be a great neighbor... the kind that pops over and says "Hey I made wayyyy too much chicken parmesan and thought I'd bring you some..."

The Ten

1) Talked to an old friend this morn on the way to work. I don't really understand why keeping in touch is so hard for me, but I'm glad I listened to the little voice this morning that said to call and just say hi.

2) I still have a highschool reunion to put together. I'm thinking a Saturday event in late June with an afternoon picnic for families and an evening dinner for adults only. Is the adult only thing bad? One of my old classmates emailed me and said I should just tell everyone to meet at a downtown bar/hangout. Maybe I'm thinking to formal...

3) KJ is/was a huge Pimp C fan. He's constantly quoting something random. Pimp C died on the same day as his aunt. This morn on the radio they announced the cause of Pimp C's death. Sadly, it's somewhat ironic. Click here if interested.

4) Secret confession: if the opportunity to move back across the stateline presented itself today, I would hesitate b/c of a) my job: it's difficult for me to leave a good situation and b) I like that it's just KJ and I against the world down here. It builds a partnership like no other. Now, this is just saying I would hesitate, not that I wouldn't jump for joy once my delirium passed.

5) I'm wearing an ole' school side ponytail today. Just kind of happened and when I went to the bathroom for the first of my 10 mil bathroom trips, I thought, "humm, I look very early 90's chic" hehehe If only I had my baggy sweater, lace trimmed leggins and white keds...

6) Our lamaze class ends next week and I've decided to take all the ladies lollipops b/c our instructor has commented several times how it will be a nice variation to the ice chips that we're only allowed to have while in labor. Oddly, I just asked most of the other couples last night if they were having a boy or a girl. Shows how unsocial I've been. shame.

7) This month I make my first payment on the Jeep. We're officially a couple. ;-)

8) Work spa day is on Fri and I'm equally excited about my 8:00 massage as I am in having the rest of the day off to go to a thrift store I've been eyeing.

9) Did you all know that the home store Kirklands is closing?!?!?! Or is that just here in FL? I have a gift certificate that I need to use, if only I could find one.

10) Just for the record, I want it to be known that I TOLD KJ the Giants were going to win the Superbowl. I had several reasons for this assumption other than the fact that I mostly pull for the underdog. One of which was that I liked how Peyton was in the skybox behind a pillar cheering for his little bro, but at the same time trying not to jinx him.

Happy Tuesday all. By the way, if it's Fat Tuesday in Mobile, AL is it Fat Tuesday in New Orleans too? I'm wondering where our company king cake might be...

I've been hit...

with a wave of exhaustion around 1:30ish for the past couple of days. I'm so looking forward to the weekend, even though it's shaping up to be semi-busy, I like the thought of just stopping everything and curling up on the couch with my soft blanket. ahhhh. The things that keep us going. ;-) oh, and this song.


I love me some old school Michael Jackson. Not so sure about this whoopla about him making a come-back...but old school... pass me a glittery glove. {side bar: what in the world is "Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa"???)

So, we've got a little girl's b-day part to go to. Her mom said she's into horses right now (she's 3) so I'm sooo buying her a couple of My Little Ponies. I love that my childhood favs have come back full force. She's having a skate party and although KJ refuses to let me strap on the wheels, I think it will be fun to see a bunch of little kids doing their thing on the slick floor.

KJ asked me if I wanted to play golf with him and a coworker tomorrow. Translation - do you want to drive my cart and read a book. His coworker's wife is going but she plays, I on the other hand just can't get into the game if there's not a spinning windmill trying to stop my ball. ;-)

I'm feeling a lot better. Definitely on the last leg of this horrid cold. KJ's been my man nurse and I give him complete kudos for waking up with me at 6am just to drug me (dr. told me I could take Robitussin products so I've been drinking Cold and Cough straight...).

I discovered craigslist today and I think I like it. I found a glider chair w/ ottoman for $40 there and have emailed the seller. It's local so maybe it will work out. Have any of you ever used Craigslist? I'm so done with ebay (never heard back from them)!

I hate when I go somewhere for lunch (ran into a little deli for some chicken salad) and come out smelling like food. That's the main reason I keep Febreeze in my desk drawer. That and the occasional accidental slip of effervescence. hehehe

Has anyone ever heard of a baked grapefruit recipe? I'm all about pink grapefruits and I seem to remember someone once telling me that they sprinkled a little brown sugar on theirs and put it in the over for a few minutes. They claimed it was scrumptious. I like mine straight out of the fridge, no sugar, but I'm up for trying new things.

This weekends "no superbowl plans" have turned into us hosting a few folks over for a celebration of KJ's basketball team championship and the superbowl. He's doing the main stuff (wings, brats, etc) and I'm doing the sides. Any suggestions?

I'm creating a dandelion stencil to use in the nursery. Wanna guess what I'm stenciling??

I think that's about it. All of my randomness. I hope your weekend is full of comfy goodness!!

My Career

So yesterday my supervisor comes in and says that there's a meeting at Fisher Price (in New York) and where as FP is my line of packaging to handle, b/c I'm past the flying point of traveling in this pregnancy, she's going to have the other designer go in my place. She's right and I can name a million reasons why this is the decision that should have been made (here's a few 1) I'm pregnant 2) My coworker is technically the manager and I'm the asst manager of graphic services and he's been here for 10 years 3) The things they plan on discussing, b/c he's been here longer he will probably have more insight into), but I'm just going to put it out there... I'm a little envious.

This career path has been a rocky one for me. My last year of college I had a professor tell me that I needed to decide if I was going to be a student or a worker ( I worked my way thru, sometimes holding 3 jobs, b/c pride wouldn't let me accept the help my parents offered), this stemmed from a missed meeting where I took an early break from my job to meet with him and was there at the scheduled time and HE was not in place, so thus we did not meet. He was a butt. I got a C- on my senior design project. I could have done tons better, but I just wanted to graduate at that point. It's a little hindsight of mine that I'm not so proud of, it kind of hindered my design soul. I'm in a subjective field and I embarked upon this journey with the thought that I was just barely squeaking by in creativity. My first job was at a newspaper creating advertising. Not rousing. Not something you really brag about on the alumni page. It was a job and I considered it my stepping stone. Next I worked at a stationery company in which I did a lot of typesetting and observed beautiful design done by the owner and his wife. When they finally opened a spot for me to test my designing wings, they decided to streamline the business which would eliminate my new position or put me back in typesetting. I instead opted to take over his old clients and began freelancing. Mostly form work, so not the most creative, but occasionally there were jobs where it was no holds bar, what I said went and besides the schedule and the money, it was this job that gave me solid footing in design and let me know that I could do it and do it well. Now, here I am at the juvenille product company here in FL. Having survived the WORST supervisor ever (and I've had some dosies), I am in a place where my design is respected, I'm challenged, and my opinion and voice are heard. There's still a lot that I'm learning, but this company is providing the leeway for me to do just that. I've aspired to be the designer who travels to meet with clients and can see my work displayed across the country, I feel like this job is taking me there. Now here's the catch. My career has NEVER been my priority. Half the reason I was so into design in the beginning is that it would allow me to work from home when I started a family.

Now I'm starting a family. And I feel like my career opportunities keep coming, but I'm having to pass up (there's a photoshoot in March that I was to go to NY and help direct, but duh, I'll be in labor so again, we pass). It kind of makes me sad and I think that in turn makes me wonder what my problem is. I've never been "that woman" who was only set on heading to the top of the design ladder (nothing wrong with that, just not me), so why do these little opportunities missed bother me so? Who knows. I have my priorities and I'm pretty set in them. God first, family second, there's no rocking that. It's the career thing that's all helter-skelter jumping around in the numbers. Deep down I know that if one door closes, or is missed, then God has a better door (maybe a French door with windows) just waiting. So although I'm a little gripey about this now, I know that whatever designer I'm suppose to be, God's got me on the path. All I have to do is walk. Oh and stop glancing around to see if my co-worker is trying to hike with the map, canteen, and bookbag I laid to the side while on a water break. I've got my own path. Yep, sounds like a mantra to me... I've got my own path.

Happy Wednesday!

Feeling like poo

Okay, I'm sick. It's just a cold, but man. Why is it that the first day of a cold feels like you've thrown your body under a truck, poked at your esphagus with an x-acto knife, and poored battery acid into your ears... or is that just me. SO, I'm not going to complain b/c we all know that as a woman I have that inate "keep on truckin" mentality, but being sick and preg at the same time is not where the party's at. Apparently the high dosage of grapefruit juice makes the little mini think the party's in my uterus... if only I could fold myself up and join her.

Anywho, enough weezing and sniveling.

KJ's team won their championship game last night. I thought that there was a series of games, but last night was the end all. They played the national anthem and called out the starting 5 like they do in the NBA. Only thing that would have made it better would have been strobe lights. ;-) I met one of his teammate's wife and daughter and the little girl was just precious (the wife was really nice too). Once I showed her who KJ was she keep shouting, "there goes your husssbbandd!" And then she'd ask a string of questions, "Why's he running? Why's he jumping? Can he give the ball to my Daddy? Why is he sitting down?" hehehe I was a little sad that I had to leave in the first half to go to lamaze b/c she was quite the conversationalist.

Lamaze was interesting last night. We talked about the medical reasons and pros and cons of induction. Yep, pretty much went with what my common sense kept telling me - sometimes it's not good to rush your body to do something that it's not entirely ready to do. I also learned that 42 weeks is the absolute limit b/c after that the womb is finished being hospitable. Pretty much your body will start saying, "you don't have to go home, but you've got to get out of here!" ;-) The video was the vag. delivery. The only bad thing about it was that it was shot in 1990 and it made me realize how far us ladies have come in style since then. Sheesh. Oh, and the episiotomy made me cross my legs...tight... KJ had made it to class by the time we started watching the video and that part made him squirm a bit, but I kindly reminded him that it's my crotch that's got to do the work. Crotch is a tough word, huh. Let's just blame my lack of finesse today on me feeling like poo.

That's about the heads and tails since yesterday. I've got some research to do because I was informed that today is voting day for the primaries. Liz's Jon is so good about being knowledgeable about politics and current events (he reads the paper everyday... he's not 62 and retired, and I'm just thoroughly impressed b/c I don't even watch the news...) so we had great conversation about the elections when they came to visit. He also sent me this site:Who to Vote for He said the survey is long, but it fills you in on what canidate stands for what and who's most in line with your views. So go vote!

Happy Tuesday!

Ahhh, it's Monday...

Since Tasha said I only post every 4 weeks, ha, it's on! hehehe it sounded like a challenge to me.

So over the weekend we:

• went to see Untraceable and I almost decided then and there never to touch the internet again. It's psycho crazy and it bothers me that there are people out there who are really that "evil-smart".

• worked on the nursery a little. It rained on Saturday so where as the boys were going to play golf and Liz and I were going to run around and do as we pleased, it turned into a leisurely day of random little man/woman projects. The guys cleared the room and put together baby furniture and barbequed, we visualized what needed to happen, got a game plan together, and got stomped in spades. I've decided that I might be the worst spade player ever. I don't cheat well and I don't strategize like I need to. I'm pretty sure Liz is going to kick me to the curb and decided to take on the guys by herself next time we're all together. ;-) I still claim to be the Queen of Tunk.

• went to Walmart and had a surprisingly good visit. I found material to make baby bedding and Ms. Carol (the older woman in the fabric section) just so happened to be putting up a pattern for nursery bedding when I approached her. She pretty much pumped me up and helped me get all of the pieces together. If things start looking kooky, I'm going to take my sewing machine up to Walmart and sit with her until her shift is over. I figured she helped me dive face first into this, she should be the one to see me out if I start to drown. ;-) Here's the fabric. Nice eh (yes, I realize if you stare directly at it for a while your eyes start to cross, but I plan on warning the little mini before we put her in there)?


• started watching season 1 of Smallville with KJ. I vowed that this was going to be the most ridiculous show ever and that I wouldn't make it thru the first episode (common on, it's superman in highschool!!!!), well...it's not that bad. Kind of interesting as I try to piece together the movie version of Superman with this one. I keep confusing his background with Super Girl... sidebar KJ had never even heard of Super Girl, so that's going on our movie list. My poor husband...

• finally got the UA corner of the nursery finished. See:
Makes the Auburn side of me twitch a little, but as Liz kept reminding me, it's just a corner. ;-)

• started coughing yesterday and I've convinced myself that whooping cough is right around the corner. Whooping cough always makes me think of a boy I rode the bus with when I was in 1st grade living with my grandparents in NC while my parents prepped to take us over to Germany. Tony Boone. He always had whooping cough. Or maybe he'd been smoking since kindergarten... Anywho, I've been loading myself up with grapefruit juice and lozenges. This should be gone by Wednesday.

Tonight:
KJ's championship basketball games start. I'm running over after work to get there in time for the national anthem. I plan on cheering so hard that they may just ask me where's my uniform, or to leave the gym.

We also have lamaze tonight and we watch one of two videos tonight. C-section or Vag, that's the question. I'm oddly excited about both.

So take that Tasha!
Happy Monday all!!!

Some exciting things going on the is way...

not really, but I thought it would lure you in. ;-) Now please enjoy this little medley as I tick off 10 things (this song has been stuck in my head for 2 days straight and I only know the first 2 lines of the chorus).

1)
Please follow: 1) This is me. 2) This is my growing daughter who has been making me feel like 3) This lately. Wow. And to know that I've got 9 more weeks to go.

2) I'm really in need of some new music, but nothing I've heard has struck me enough to want to buy someone's entire cd. I might just need to iTune mix some of my ole favs.

3) Our anniversary was lovely. The weather was a windy and rainy 38 degrees, but it was perfect for ducking in and out of movies and restaurants. The best part by both our accounts was dessert in bed at a really nice hotel. We're such homebodies! On to year 3!

4) Liz is seriously in route to help me alleviate my nursery woes. I have the best friends ever as they are all about bringing me back from the ledge of insanity. My Colein stepped right up and offered to do my maternity pics even though I'm hours away all I have to do is give her a good weekend (I'm thinking the weekend of the 16th??).

5) I want to start reading a new book soooo badly, but I unfortunately keeping pushing it to the side trying to tackle the little things that are piled up. I guess I consider reading my reward. That's crazy.

6) The writer's strike is about to drive me bonkers. I miss having new episodes of my shows. I've resorted to watching this. It's actually not that bad, but by my own admission, not that good either.

7) Every morning I come into work with a plan and by 9:10, I've dumped that plan and I am aimlessly completing little projects between checking on you all via blogs. You all are good about updating, what's your secret?

8) Do you ever back track in your blog to see what you were talking about last year around this time. hehehe Is that narcissistic?

9) Something strange is going on with my ebay acct and unfortunately I can't get anyone to email me back (why can we not contact them by phone?!?!?). I found the perfect glider/ottoman set for $50 but my account had been suspended because I haven't paid my seller fee??? Helloooo ebay, I'm a buyer and have never tried to sell anything... please tell me what's up and remove the block (just incase they should read this...)!!!

10) It really has taken me all day to write these 10 things. I've got to get more active or else I'm going to lose you 4 readers that I still have. shame.

So much to do

and so little time... I get in these modes where I'm in "knock-it out" warp-speed. If you put a task before me, I don't want it to linger, so I'll handle it quickly. Unfortunately, those modes are not the norm and generally only occur when I've let the little stuff pile up so much that I can't think straight. I'm pushing myself closer and closer to that mode. ;-)

On the list that is forever floating around in my head are:

1) Anniversary plans - last year KJ surprised me, this year I'm running the show. Now to pull that show together... our anniversary is Mon the 21st and I've got a few pieces in place, but by no means the entire shabang.

2) Nursery pull together - my Liz is coming to help me with the nursery at the end of this month and I really just need to have all the pieces so that she can help me get it together (she's phenomenal with interiors... should have been her major, but she kicks bootie in sales too....). Getting all the pieces proves to be more difficult than I originally thought. Apparently hippos and dandelions are not a popular nursery theme. go figure. I'm thinking that I'm going to burst out the sewing machine and make a crib bumper and skirt. When I told KJ this, he kind of laughed. hehehe Apparently he doubts the sewing skill that I have yet to discover...

3) Getting things situated at work - not sure when I'm going to start maternity leave, but right now we're in a lull, so my goal is to organize and organize so that all of my files and work and be easily accessed by the other designer in the office. Have I mentioned to you how much I stink at organizing?? I'll start on one file and before I know it I'm googling something random just to keep from screaming at my computer screen. ;-)

4) Mail - I've got past due b-day gifts to get in the mail and about 50 thank you cards to write and give to the postal system.

5) Design - Yes, I've retired from freelance, but I've got a few favors floating out there that I need to handle. A birth announcement, an inventory sheet, a resume... all for different people. Super easy and I'm just dragging my feet.

Here's what else has been going on.

I went home this past week and the little mini and I were showered with so much good loving that I just tear up thinking about it. My friends and family are so good to me, it makes me wonder sometimes what in the world I've done for them to love me so much. hehehe Here are a few pics from the festivities.







Needless to say, the Compass was loaded coming home. I told KJ, as the parents, we have yet to buy anything! We are so very very blessed!

I'm off to try and tackle at least one of the things on my mental list. Happy Thursday!

Somehow, I missed Tuesday...

I've started several posts, but none of them have made it further than the blank email page I generally use to compose them (I blog while at work and I figure this way, if someone's tracking my internet usage then the 2 seconds it takes to copy, paste, and post should not raise any flags. hehehe

So I know it's not Tuesday, but how bout 10 on Thursday?

1) I've been trying to switch over to this purse for about a month. Trouble is I love the color, but it's not funky enough (like my teal purse) to be an obvious "it matches everything b/c it's never going to match anything". So I'm taking the plunge today, shoot, it's cute and that's enough.

2) Every morning driving to work I smell a skunk and oddly it makes me smile and think of trips home to NC. My family's from the country part of NC and there will always be a skunk smell somewhere. KJ finds it odd that I kind of like the smell, but hey you can't determine what makes a childhood memory.

3) Watched the movie I Am Legend (instead of The Great Debaters it wasn't showing at that theatre) and it was wonderful. I was apprehensive b/c I've heard some not so satisfied reviews, but I liked it a lot. And yes mom, I even liked the ending, but when I come home I'll tell you what I know you think the ending should have been and I could see that too. Oh and Colein, I watched it thru my fingers with a hand over my eyes too. It keep "startling" the mess out of me! I will say that Will Smith has proven himself to be an astounding actor, and to think I knew (and liked) him when he was just the Fresh Prince. hehehe

4) Got my annual review at work recently and it was really good. Last year idiot supervisor who is no longer with the company, gave me a crappy review based off of crap (he had been with the company 2 months and had established that I was to go thru my coworker instead of coming to him, duh, then my coworker {who he tried to make my 2nd supervisor} should have done my review, b/c idiot supervisor had not worked with me). Anywho, this year's review went leaps and bounds better and my new supervisor even enlightened me that idiot supervisor had even come to her a few times suggesting that the company "let me go so he could bring in someone he knew" and that idiot supervisor "put way more on your plate than we advised him to and I don't believe he thought you would be able to handle it, but the company is impressed with not only how well you handled it, but your attitude in dealing with the past year." Whooo-hooo! That's nothing but God being awesome cause all I did was pray my way thru that and vent to you all. ;-) So score is idiot supervisor -50 and no longer with the company and Roz +100 and a nice little raise to boot. Do you think God will mind me poking my chest out?

5) Started Lamaze on this past Monday. So far so good. Small class of 5 couples and all are really nice. There's a really young couple in the class where the husband asks a million random questions (ie- the baby seems to be real active at night now, is there anything we can do now before he gets here to reverse that?), but we like that and some of it's stuff that the other men may have been thinking but wouldn't say. KJ did awesome (giving him major props b/c the Ohio vs LSU game was on and he only mentioned it once) and I think he even got enlightened on a few things, like heartburn for example. I can drink juice and lay down and have a some heartburn, it's nothing I've eaten thru the day that causes it, it's just pregnancy. When the lady showed the chart of how all of my digestive organs are now in my esophagus to make room for the baby, I just looked at KJ and he nodded. Our universal sign for "Yes, I see you were right, and you told me so." ;-)

6) Going home this weekend and it will be the last trip home for a little bit. Next time we make that journey, we'll be toting the little mini in a carseat and not my womb.

7) There's a new Grey's Anatomy on tonight (FINALLY), but I'm thinking of shaking up my routine and going to watch Juno at the theater with 2 of my co-workers. I'm normally at home and sleep on the couch by 8:30, so going to a night movie during the week is me, shaking things up.

8) Our company spa day is on Feb. 8 and I'm uber excited b/c I'm long over due for a good pedicure (and massage). (I also need to pluck my eyebrows, push back my cuticles, and get my hair done, I'm one scruffy pregnant woman trying to keep up a chic facade. hehehe)

9) KJ's really stepped up the whole "fantastic husband helping out with household chores" role and I felt horrible the other night when after yet another night of deciding I wasn't too hungry and I really didn't need to cook, I walked in and caught him having cereal and a bag of chips for dinner. SHAME. So last night I made jerk chicken, with mashed potatoes and green beans. I need some new chicken recipes as I'm trying to clean out the freezer and noticed that at some point over the course of the last month, I've managed to acquire 3 bags of frozen chicken breasts...

10) I'm quitting my local library. My relationship with them is completely nonfunctional and ridiculous (they're waaaayyy across town, you can only have the books for... 10 secs... before they're due back, and they don't have that good of a selection). I'm thinking of trying this Online Library that I found. Love the concept, like a Blockbuster for books. I'll let you know if I do it and how it works out. Something's got to give I feel like I'm progressing towards illiteracy.

Pray all is well on your ends! Happy Thursday!

If you're checking...

on mine and the Compass's relationship, well, I must honestly admit that it's slow going right now. Yep, viva la Compass my foot. It can live long, but I'm giving it a couple of years... or months. :-) Told you that I'm a spaz.

This morn was the first morn that I drove it in to work and for 45 min all I could really think was that I missed my Sorento (and how in the world do you program this dog-gone radio...) So I'm pulling myself up by the boot straps and going to look at the positives and not focus on the negatives. Because you may be curious, here are the few little negatives that have popped up:
1) Surprisingly, this model did not come with floor mats. Didn't notice til KJ got home with it last night, and even then just thought the cleaning pep had forgot to put them in. Ummm, no. So my sales guy sensed the "disappointment" in my voice and rounded me up some floor mats that "may not fit exactly, but match the floor color and are free." Gee. thanks. (Buying a car makes me feel so naive, there's always something that I feel like I forgot to ask and should have or forgot to check and should have...)
2) There are NO radio controls in the steering wheel. Apparently the one we test drove was the limited one and it came in there, but my little model, not so much.
3) I feel like everything is too close in this suv. The steering well is in my bosom (yes I know I can scoot the seat back, but my legs are only so long), the visor is right at my forehead, and the door is literally kissing my elbow. Maybe it's not the car, maybe I'm just too big for the vehicle...

So, focusing on the positive (and thank you all so much for your comments, that really helps to put things in a more positive light):
1) It drives great. Handles really well on the highway.
2) I am sitting up higher than I would be in a car and I missed that.
3) The limited space difference between it and the Sorento will allow me to focus on keeping my car clean and not cluttering it up with work bags, totes, coats and umbrellas.
4) Because I said the positive had to out-do the negatives... I really like the color. It's a bit darker than I had hoped, so I'll have to report back on how it "hides" dirt. Oh and the gas mileage thing is still out for debate, I'm conducting my own tests on that. Hopefully I'll see a drop in my $400 a month ($100 a week) gas bill.

So the Compass and I are doing okay. I think we had a rocky first date, but that's only because it was dark when we met and I actually had it a little confused with its friend (the limited edition version). ;-) There are many more dates to come so I'll keep you posted on the relationship. In keeping with honesty, I must say that my dear sweet could-do-no-wrong Kia Sorento has left some mighty big tire tracks to fill, but alas, it's deceased and I must move on.

Ending on a definite bright note: We're going to go check out a new movie theater in a nearby city tomorrow afternoon. I'm hoping to catch The Great Debaters with Denzel and Forrest Whittaker on the big screen. Has anyone seen this yet?

Happy Friday!

********edited after drive home to add******
Okay, I know that this post may make me come off as a spoiled-spoiled brat. I know what a blessing it is to be able to get a new car after having killed my other. It takes me a while to process such a change, and when I look at it in an unbiased, I'm just blessed to have a vehicle fashion, I know that me and the Compass are going to be just fine. The car is fine. Is does drive fabulously, and when I took my big ole coat off and drove home (and adjusted my seat some more), I had more room. Now I'm done. Enough car talk. You all have a great weekend!!! Lots of love!

Just a little FYI

Pregnancy can cause a severe and abrupt case of buyer's remorse. Or who am I kidding, it's unfair to blame it on pregnancy, I'm just a spaz, plain and simple. Here's the scenario...

Yesterday after my dr. appt (everything looks great and is progressing fine, yay!), KJ called and asked if I wanted to stop by the car dealership on my way home. Yes. I need a car. So he had been researching and his requirements were safety, good gas mileage, and reliability. Mine were: radio controls in steering wheel, back windshield wiper, and sitting up high. hehehe I'm concerned about safety too, but that's just a given, ya know?

So he tells me that he thinks the Jeep Patriot meets both of our needs. I don't know much about Jeep, but low and behold there's a magazine in the dr's office talking about the Jeep Patriot, so I feel up to speed and can agree with his assessment as I head over to the dealership. I didn't really care for the boxy shape, but hey, if it has radio controls in the steering wheel, I'm game. Well, long story short, when we get to the dealership, there's another suv sitting by the Patriot and the man says that the Compass is pretty much the exact same with a more rounded body style. Right up my alley. So we test drive it, and it's good, except it's got leather interior (I love cloth, don't care for leather) and it's a limited edition (just a pure price hike). We start to say thank you and be on our merry little way when the man tells us that he's checked inventory and they do in fact have a reg. 07 cloth interior Compass on the lot. It's slate blue and I like it. After some paperwork and a little time, we walk out of there with some keys and I'm the proud owner of a 2007 Jeep Compass. Wait, scratch the proud part, that feeling didn't come immediately.

As we're driving home, I start to think and freak out. Did I really just spend my hard earned money and promise more on a car that I'd only learned about that afternoon?!?!?!? What!?!?! Panic sets in and I spaz. We were driving separate cars, so when we get home, KJ jumps out and says something about, "Are you happy that you have a car?!" and I say, "I don't know, I don't know, I think I made a mistake!!" I leave him in total confusion, go take a shower and proceed to jump on the internet all the while determined that we could have gotten a better deal, that I should have never betrayed my beloved KIA (I'm a brand loyal shopper. If I like it I stick with it. New York and Company jeans since high school. Neutregena face wash since middle school. Kia brand car since soph year of college... you get the picture), and that I've just made the biggest mistake EVER. Oddly I had this very same feeling after we purchased our home. I don't do well with putting out large lump sums of money at one time. I'm a bargain shopper and that's best done on a smaller scale. That's my style. Don't want "the man" to get over on me. So I cried. I calmed down and watched a show about lions attacking water buffalo and I cried some more, determining that I was the water buffalo in my car situation. Now, here's how excellent KJ is. In my mass hysteria, he let me voice my concerns, cry, and then he talked me off the ledge. We made a good choice, we got a good deal and if I absolutely decided I didn't want the Compass, then he'd call the man in the morn and tell them to cancel the whole deal (we scheduled to pick the car up after work the next day so they could clean it up and all). I went to sleep last night thinking that I had bought a car that I hadn't even prayed about specifically and then it occurred to me that I have been praying that God would just guide us in the decisions we made (in regards to the car and other life things) and bless us with what he saw fit for us to have. Duh Roz, I told my mom I kind of reminded myself of the man in the middle of the flood praying for help who won't get on the lifeboat b/c he's waiting on God to help him. Soooo, I am now the proud owner of a Jeep Compass. It's the first American car I've ever owned (started off with a Mazda Protege, had a Mitsubishi Eclipse for a second, and then got a Kia Sportage and then Sorento) and I think I should blast Proud to be an American or Born in the USA from my speakers for the first couple of days to break it in. Viva la Compass!!!

Happy Thursday all!

Back at it....

So I'm back at work today (and yes, I made it in by 8:15, hehehe). Things are progressing as expected, it took me about 2.5 hours to go thru my email and figure out what had transpired in the time that I was gone. Well, funny thing, it's lunch time and I'm working thru lunch to leave early for a dr. appt, so I go to my stash (I have just about as much food here at work as I have at home) and notice that in the company fridge, somebody has eaten up all of my cheese sticks. I mean a whole bag of cheesesticks... the good kind (Serangetti, or something, but not just Great Value). Out of the bag of 10, I ate one before vacation and then I dug in the fridge and found another one today. Yep, they got me. Shame! I should have put a note on them, or even my name, but we are all notorious at work for "borrowing" items in the fridge. I've been using someone's mustard on the sly for about a week... So, I can't say anything, I can just smile and know that somehow I probably wasn't suppose to have those cheesesticks anyway. Which, truthfully, is why they were at work. At home KJ fusses so bad b/c I'm lactose intolerant and if I eat 2 of those sticks in a row, then I'm in a ball moaning a couple of hours later... but ohhh, they taste sooo good. Yeah, dirty secret #2: I have NO will power or self control when it comes to food. If I have a taste for something, I'll satisfy it. shame.

Happy Wednesday!

Happy 2008!

Whoo-hooo! A whole new year! I'm not a resolution maker, but I like the thought of a fresh start at something. So this year I'm going to try and do better with keeping in touch. Via blog, email and even phone. hehehe get ready, there's going to be no shaking me!

So in honor of it being the first Tuesday in 08, let's get the ball rolling!

1) I've been off work since the Friday before C-mas and I'll admit that it will be quite miraculous if I'm able to get out of the bed and into the office by even 8:15 tomorrow morning...but I'm going to try.

2) Brought in the New Year with just my KJ, sitting on the couch and it was perfect.

3) Two doors down, I'm pretty sure that they tried to blow-up their house. I'm all for fireworks (loooovee them...the professional ones that is), but I've decided that in our little neighborhood, the houses are too close together for the "big guns". Give your kid a sparkler and call it a day. ;-)

4) TODAY I will finish (as much as I can call it finished, with no bedding and the huge work-out thingy still in place) the little mini's nursery. Colors are crimson, khaki, and white and I don't have a theme, but will use variations of hippos and dandelions to pull it all together. Atleast, that's the plan...

5) Still no new car. Definitely by this weekend though. It took me a little bit to figure out the features that I wanted to put my foot down on. The only car I like is the Jetta, but that's my last pick as I feel safest sitting up high. So in the front running are the Kia Sorento (I don't do sudden change well), the Suzuki Grand Vitara, and maybe the Kia Rondo, but I'm going to have to check that one out. The gas mileage on all of those stink, but hey, something had to give. (Candi, I'm going to go back and read your comment about cars too, b/c I think you made some excellent suggestions.)

6) My sister-in-law threw me a surprise shower over the holidays with KJ's family. She's the best, already trying to spoil this child rotten. Funny, the best present I got was that MY sister drove all the way down to be there with me. Didn't realize how much I miss my family and our non-traditional holidays until I saw her. Love you my Britney!


7) Going to start of a separate blog link for the little mini before she's born. For those who want to keep up with her. I'm very determined not to lose myself in Momminess though, which is why I want to keep this one focused on my randomness. May sound selfish, but I want to always remember that I'm more than a mom, I'm a multi-faceted woman if I do say so myself. ;-)

8) KJ's grilling today to ring in the New Year. Brats, burgers, and ribs. Nothing says Florida like that (forget the stews and chilis, it's 70 degrees outside). hehehe

9) After I post this, I'm going to get out of the bed. Yep, it's 12:56 and I'm still in my pajamas. Isn't that what you do on New Year's Day?

10) Here's what we're looking like lately (28 weeks/7months on this Thursday). Took this on Sunday. We start Lamaze on next Monday... 6:30 -9:00pm and the lady told us to bring 2 pillows and a blanket. I'm going to try hard not to fall into the sleep trap that she's setting. :-)



Happy 2008 all!

Got a sec?

Hi all. No excuses. It's been a while. This post will not be for the
quick and hurried, I've got a lot of filling in to do.

First thing: Happy Holidays!
I've been in the least holiday mood (however I should word that...) I think I've ever had in my whole 27 years. The shopping, the C-mas cards, the decorating... I must admit that it's made me cringe instead of giggle with glee. I wouldn't go so far as to call myself a scrooge b/c I have had Josh Groban's version of little drummer boy on repeat for about a month now, but admittedly, we're the only very dark little house in our kid-run subdivision and just yesterday I switched out my Halloween/Thanksgiving wreath for my C-mas one and called it a day. Yep, big beautiful prelit tree in the closet that won't make its debut until 2008 and I'm okay with that. ;-)
I had presents that I needed to wrap (especially the ones for children) and I seriously considered just sticking a bow on them... wouldn't need a name tag b/c the "mystery" will be staring us all in the face. Gift giver and gift receiver... but I didn't think the kiddos would understand and I am above robbing them of their C-mas joy, so I wrapped a few and then had my niece and youngest nephew do the rest (for the adults, and I made them promise not to tell what was inside, although my nephew did manage to write "love, and then his name" on a few, but hey, he's 6 and I'm so impressed with his writing that I'll let the fact that he big-boyed our gifts as though they were from him, slide).
Dirty secret #1: I hate wrapping presents. Birthday, Christmas,
random... I'm very thankful for the gift bag. And honestly, I'm not all doom and gloom although I think that's how that intro might read. We officially started our C-mas tour of Alabama on Friday afternoon(we've done/will do lot of traveling between then and the 26th) and I'm excited about seeing friends and family.

KJ's family does dirty Santa with the big extended group (Aunts, uncles, cousins) and I wanted to take a bunch of Auburn stuff, especially one of those 6-0 t-shirts,
but I'm the ONLY Auburn fan and when I mentioned my idea to KJ, his mom and his sister, I was told that I'd be banned from the festivities. shame. So I let KJ just pick out 2 gifts, and we're going to roll with those, even though the thought of seeing his family pass around an AU t-shirt that's destined to come back to me, still makes me smile (a wicked smile, but a smile non the less).
Lastly on the subject of Holidays: Looky looky what ole St. Nick
brought to my house a little early. hehehe


It's the wall paint! Mom, Daddy and KJ all went in on a collective gift/effort to get my living room/dining room/ kitchen painted for me and really it's a better gift then I could have even thought to ask for. I love it! I feel like I've made progress in my home and I didn't do a single thing. The painters came and did a fantastic job and KJ and my nephew put everything back in it's place before I came home from work. It didn't even smell like paint. The people who love me, love hard and the find the best ways to express it! (disclaimer: for those of you who check out the backgrounds in pictures... I know I do, I'm so curious... please disregard the shoes laying by the barstool and the lack of wall decor, everything hasn't found it's home just yet)

The little mini:
She's doing great! We hit the 26 week mark last Thursday which translates to about 6.5 months. She a strong kicker and tends to really get going early in the morning (I think she gets that from me) or while I'm driving. She generally kicks in the same area and earlier this week the sonagram tech showed me that our little mini likes to push her head up against my womb down toward my hips so that her feet are angled upwards. I'm scared she's going to have the worst crook ever in her
neck. Here's her latest pic (sorry the second one is just a foot, but the tech wanted to show my oldest nephew the 4-D technology {he spent the week with us}and since her face was all squished in my side, the best thing she could get were her toes). I've been told she has long legs (no doubt from KJ's side) and I think her feet look like KJ's. I'm a little concerned about her having man feet, they look pretty large... hehehe



Me:
Pregnancy has made me a little weepy lately. The other morning I had to take a moment and remind myself that misplacing my black camisole was not causing me physical pain and that the amount of tears I felt the need to shed was ridiculous. Really. Over all I'm very conscious of trying not to be an overly emotional pregnant lunatic, and I think I hold up pretty good, realizing that sometimes I just need a moment to myself so that I can be all sad and whiney without anyone having to see that. I've also become quite the klutz, breaking the lower level of glass in our coffee table and spilling my juice being my two most recent episodes. Both were pretty minor and undramatic so no harm was incurred (the coffee table glass broke when I lifted the top level to clean underneath and it titled and broke the glass underneath. KJ
cleaned it up while I sat crying and shaking my head in disbelief and neither of us got cut so no biggie), but still, little things that I think push me to the weepy edge.

Physically I'm doing really well. Can still wear my wedding/engagement rings, can
still shave my legs, can still see my toes...need to paint them, but hey it's winter time, and even in FL you can wear closed toe shoes in the winter. I've experienced a few "growing pains" where little miss mini is getting larger and my body's stretching to accommodate, but no worries said the doc, so no worries it is.

I get tired a little quicker and am having to remember not to push myself to get things done. This became a funny thought to me as I was in the mall on last Wed for about 2 hours trying to finish up some C-mas shopping and almost suddenly while shopping for KJ's dad a sweater in Sears, I thought, "Okay, sit down, you're over doing it" and I proceeded to sit in the store floor hidden by the clothing racks for
about 15 minutes. It made me remember how we used to get in trouble playing in those racks when we were kids and how thankful I am to be 27 and old enough that someone would think twice about reprimanding me for just sitting there. They may think I'm crazy, but they wouldn't dare fuss.

I did have an ulcer on my eye that drove me bonkers for about 2 days until the eye doc gave me some "magic" drops, but it was my own fault from wearing a crappy contact for too long. Seriously, squinting one eye with the other completely closed driving 45 min to work at 50mph with the morning sun burning my sensitive retina as my eyes watered profusely on the very highway that killed my beloved Kia Sorento 2 short months ago...I've been wearing my glasses since then. Lesson learned. ;-)

Okay, I think that's about it for now.

I hope to blog again soon. Regardless, I'm counting on you all to be consistent b/c I can only comment on the same post so many times. hehehe I'm one to talk!

Merry Christmas all! Hope you have a wonderfully blessed one!

To lure you back...

I've been MIA for a minute, a lot has gone on but I feel like the update I started was way too melancholy for how I actually feel. Let just say that there's be some highs (Thanksgiving) and some lows (passing of a classmate/friend) and that thru it all I'm fully aware that I'm blessed. Thru the frustrations and the elations, God is always better than good.

My dear Colleen (and Candi, Lauren and Monica...) did this on her blog and I thought what a wonderful way for me to come back to blogging since it's been so long... let's get reacquainted, shall we?

1) My face "peach fuzz" are actual strands of hair, not just a glow of down that is seen when the light hits me a certain way, actual hair that if you stand really close and I stand very still, you can count the strands. More than likely, none of you will ever be this close to my face, and KJ and I have discussed this in depth already. What can I say, I have rich blood.

2) I have a random freckle/mole on my right hand (2nd knuckle) that looks like an ink mark. I love it! It appeared sometime in college I believe and I think it gives my weathered hands some youthful appeal. Plus it's a great identification mark should someone have to identify me from my hands only...

3) I HATE marshmallows. In every form, every existence. I don't do smores, rice crispy treats, or even cereal with the little dried up nasties scattered throughout. My daughter will never eat a marshmallow in my presence, I would have said ever, but KJ and Liz have both vowed to feed them to her at some point.

4) I love cold rainy weather. Love it. Nothing better than being under an umbrella, bundled up in a coat blowing your breath into the air to see if you can make those "smoke" rings.

5) When I was little I always said that I wanted to be an artist and I was only going to draw in the color purple.

6) My sister and I used to play Chinese acrobats when we were little (blame Romper Room) and from time to time I catch myself wondering if it would still be fun to lay on my back and balance her on my hands and feet.

7) I can't stand for my natural nails to grow too long. If I can see 1/8 of a nail when looking at my palms, I cut them back.

8) My little toes curve inward to form a "c". KJ didn't notice this until the other day at a baby appt, when he said (a little too loudly), "What in the world is wrong with your feet?!?!?!" Apparently when they're flat on the ground it's more noticable then, I don't know the 50 million other times he's seen my bare feet. ;-)

9) I have an eminent fear of my teeth being knocked out. I've always been this way. HATED having teeth pulled when I was little...

10) My core circle of friends are all girls I've known since high school (and most followed me to Auburn. hehehe). Even though I get lonely as all get out here in FL, I'm not "really" trying to make new friends. A girl at the gym gave me her number twice and I never called and eventually quit going to the gym.

11) I've been working with different church youth groups since I was 16, but the thought being a mom still freaks me out from time to time. I occasionally have the thought that I have no idea what I'm doing. Poor little mini, she's our tester baby and we're banking on learning a lot from trial and error.

12) I'm scared of frogs. Don't like that they jump. I've been known to stand outside of work and call a coworker from my cell to ask them to remove the tree frog from the front door so I could come in. sheesh, Florida...

13) KJ proposed to me when we weren't even dating. I think this increased my love for him by 110%. That man has ganas and I'm so attracted to that.

14) I'm not grossed out by things like blood or vomit. I was the go-to person for quite a few 911 situations in college. It makes me feel good that I can be counted on to wait in the emergency room with 1) someone who has a roofing tack shoved in the bottom of their foot (ahem, Colleen, ahem) 2) someone who has locked their jaw while kissing a guy (apparently alcohol can cause the muscles to relax...my little pixie April...)

15) The only time I've ever been in the hospital was when I was 10 and my mom thought my appendix was bursting. After giving blood, they determined it was just gas, and we left after 45 mins with a prescription for prune juice.

16) I've had over 7 accidents since I started driving at 16. Thankfully I've walked away from every one unscathed. Most have been when other people hit me, but there are a few like: 1) backing into a parked truck when I picked Colleen up at her dorm and we glued my tail-light back together after we got back from the party, 2) backing into my sister's car in the driveway that I remember glancing back and seeing an then proceeded to reverse anyway, and 3) hitting a curb and totaling my little eclipse on the sign that said avoid the curb, that I have to take credit for...

17) The best first date I've ever had in my life was my first date with KJ. He took me to Red Lobster (fancy fancy in those college days) and we laughed the entire night. I always quiz him on the little details like what I had on and what I ordered and he remembers, but I can't begin to think what he had on...

18) The only time I've ever seen a gun up close is when I was snuggling with a guy on the couch at his house and he pulled it from his pocket and set it on the coffee table. SERIOUSLY. Freaked me out! I started screaming that he could have shot me in my thigh. Needless to say, that ended that.

19) I've never been in a fight. My baby sister was threatening people for me when I was in 14 and she was 9. hehehe She's always been the tough one.

20) When I get really mad at KJ or my sister, I try to poke them in the belly button (gently, just to let them know that I mean business). Don't know where this came from. I once heard you can kill someone if you poke them in the navel too hard...

(Your turn Tricey...)

Happy Wednesday all. I've missed you!