Thanksgiving throughout November - Day 27

Today I'm really thankful for good teachers. Sometimes it seems they are hard to come across and truth be told, they probably are.

 

At the beginning of the semester I wasn't too sure about one of my teachers. But as the semester went on, my opinion completely changed. My teacher has shown to be supportive, responsive, insightful, and encouraging. I received two very kind emails from him today which totally made me feel reassured that I am a good student and that it doesn't go unnoticed. So today, I'm really thankful for the teachers like him that make going to school enjoyable.

Thanksgiving throughout November - Day 26

As we near the end of the month, you would think that it would become harder to find things to be thankful for. But I'm finding through this challenge that it's becoming easier. I'm thinking more often about the things I'm thankful for rather than the things I'm not thankful for. That's one thing I can definitely be thankful for. But that is not what today's key point is. Today's thought, I'm really thankful for my education and (for now) the path I have taken with it.

 

Right now I'm studying Sociology, and to narrow that down, I'm taking a Race and Ethnicity course. I wasn't really sure what to expect out of this class but now that it's almost over I can honestly say that I've gotten so much out of it. This class has really opened my eyes to the reality of racial issues and to different cultures. I thought I knew before what was really going on and really I was so ignorant and blind by what's really going on, it actually made me sad. But then I realized I should be thankful ... I am thankful that I am seeing more clearly now the history of the races in America and around the globe. There are feelings of disappointment and disgust in learning about it, but I'm also seeing real human courage and strength to get what is rightfully theirs because we each have the right to have a good, prosperous, fruitful life. The stories of the people who have stood up to the face of racism are encouraging and bring hope that change is possible.

 

One of the books I read for this class is called Race Matters, by Cornel West. In all honesty, this was not the book I wanted to read. I was kind of left scrambling for a book and this was the only one the bookstore had. So I bought it with a cringe. After reading it and being a little confused by some of it and reading my text book I feel almost enlightened. My opinions on racial issues are growing. I can't say they are changing because I don't think I really had any to begin with, at least not educated ones. The book is not that easy to read, I had to keep a dictionary up online so I could quickly look up words I didn't know, but when I understood the context, the thoughts of the issues and what needs to be done or what can be done rushed in.

 

Even though there are so many social issues in this country, we are so lucky here that we are trying to move forward to a position of mankind equality where we see each other on an equal playing field. I can only hope that in my lifetime we are closer to this dream than ever before.

 

I am genuinely thankful I have the opportunity to expand my mind in areas like this so I'm not just another ignorant person and that maybe one day I can be a part of the change.

 

Thanksgiving throughout November - Day 25

ONE MONTH UNTIL CHRISTMAS! WOO HOO! Okay, I'm really not that excited but I thought my readers my be. Today I want to say I am so utterly thankful for Barnes and Nobles having a "reserve your book" option online. This option allows you to search their store, see what store has the book, show the closest location, and then say "yes, please hold that for me." I was so happy about this because I had to get another book for school today and it was so nice to look it up online, see that it was at my local B&N, go down there, purchase it, and be home within a half an hour. This saved me so much time today and the headache of having to run around looking for it or even just calling some stores for it. Thank you B&N for being technologically savvy and having stuff like this for those of us who don't always have time to piddle paddle with the flow of life.

Thanksgiving throughout November - Day 24

Wow, only a few more days of November. I need like one more week added to this month to accomplish all the stuff I need to get done. But since that won't happen, I'll just have to spend every waking hour that I'm not at work, in class, or ... well just those two things, doing homework in order to get it all done. I did get my book report done today and I'm so happy about that. That was two full days of reading and writing that sucker and now it's submitted. Only a few more big projects and tests to do ... plus multiple assignments.

 

Anyway, back to what I'm thankful for. I slept in today. Yes, that's right ... I slept in very late today. I needed it. And you know who slept next to me the entire time? My pain in the ass, super beautiful, and loving Ava. I'm thankful for my cats. They definitely drive me crazy and some days I just want to be rid of them. But truthfully, days like today when I was in bed and she was cuddling makes me want to figure out what her problem is so I can just love her. And Taj too. They are so funny. Taj was following me around a little bit earlier today which made me laugh because he was almost acting like a small dog. And then Ava has been really affectionate all day. She even came to sit on my lap while I studied. She doesn't normally do that so to have her be loving really means a lot. She is so soft and getting so fat, and I love it. Yep, today I'm really thankful that I have two pain in the rear, absolutely adorable, semi-psychotic cats.

Thanksgiving throughout November - Day 23

Okay, so this week, as you can tell, I keep posting later than I should be. Sorry about that. But I'm still posting which is good. Sticking with the commitment.

 

Yesterday was seriously a very long day. From the moment I got up, I started studying. I studied for nearly 12 hours straight yesterday. My brain is definitely on overdrive right now. And you know, for yesterday being so boring, I can think of one thing I really love and that I'm thankful for. I love science! Without science, so much wouldn't be possible and so much wouldn't be understood. What got me to that thought, well I've had the thought hundreds of times, but for yesterday, it was when I was doing my Natural Disasters homework. I was reading about wildfires. I'm not really a pyromaniac but reading about how a wildfire starts to when it goes out and what it provides to this earth was pretty cool. Although wildfires seem horrible, and they totally put people in danger, they are part of the earth's cycle, the earth's way of creating nutrients and allowing other forms of life to thrive. Yeah, I love science and I will just say it...Science is COOL!

Thanksgiving throughout November - Day 22

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Today was really a good day. Rob was being silly almost the whole day which was awesome. We ate like we had never had good food before. And our dear Moose was feeling better today. He played with Babe (my inlaws new, beautiful puppy) for hours and was totally wore out on the way home. They seem to love each other now.

 

You know, there were a few years in there that I hated the holidays. They made me realize what I wanted in a family and what I was missing. This year has been different. This particular year there have been so many changes and I feel my life coming together quite nicely. I wasn't dreading Thanksgiving. I wasn't super excited either. But you know it was a good day. It was easy, everything flowed how it was supposed to.

 

I'm genuinely thankful that I've had the chance to start my family this year. I truly believe that Rob and I will come up with some wonderful traditions in our family that will be passed down for generations. Like him drinking a ton of cofee first thing, playing video games for an hour, and then just being happy the rest of the day. Okay, that's not a true tradition, he does that all the time, but I guess it could be. Our lives wouldn't be the same if he didn't do that stuff. I can say that getting married to him was probably the best thing to happen to me. Sure, there are times he drives me crazy and I'd like to do more than ring his neck (like drag him out back and knock him out), but when I look at the big picture I can't see anyone else being there. We have been through so much in the near five years of our relationship and nothing seems to tear us apart. At the end of the day we look at each other and say I love you and that feeling of true love, appreciation, happiness, wholeness, and family is there.

 

I'm thankful that he was and is so patient with me. That he knows my moods now and works through them. When I'm down, he tries to fix it. When I'm angry, depending what it's about, he either tries to talk to me or he knows to give me my space. When I'm happy, he wants to be happy with me. When I'm being lazy, he lets me be lazy and tells me to not feel guilty about it. It's nice to have someone there that lets me be me without resenting me or being disgusted with me. Not that I'm disgusting, but I can definitely be a very difficult person. Shoot, when I don't know what I want I can be the biggest asshole even though I'm not trying to be that way. And here comes this man who is like, that's fine, be an ass, I'll be here until you figure it out. And he has been.

 

I'm thankful for the silly things he does too. Like one time this summer he put the milk in closet instead of the fridge. I guess he was still half asleep when he filled up his bowl of cereal and thought that was where it went. I discovered the milk several hours later when I went to make lunch and laughed so hard. It's silly and wonderful. He laughed too. I love when he laughs so hard, he doesn't make a real laughing noise, he gets kind of quiet and then his eyes tear up. That kills me because it's like, if you're laughing that hard, then you gotta be feeling joy. I love how he talks about Moose. Anyone who knows us and knows Moose knows what I'm talking about. He says Moose is noble. Moose is all-knowing. Moose is not a dog. He cracks me up. But truth be told, Moose is probably the best dog on the planet. I've never met anyone who has been that way with their pet either. He treats him so good and Moose reciprocates the love.

 

I have so much to be thankful for today. And the one thing that I feel needed to be shared was that this start to my family has been wonderful. I'm so glad it's finally happening to me. This is exactly where I want to be in my life.  

Thanksgiving throughout November - Day 21

AWE Today I got off work super early. I was so happy about this because I came home and did tons of homework. I realized how much more I have to do before the semester ends and got a little stressed but getting a jump start on it was a good idea. Today will be a short post. I am thankful that I was allowed to leave work early, without losing pay, and was able to come home and get a lot of homework done. YAY! I love days like that.

Thanksgiving throughout November - Day 20

Tuesday, November 20th...It was so beautiful this morning. It was so pretty that I took a picture from work. I must say that it's nice to work up on the mountain where I get such a great view of the valley. I'm thankful that I live in such a beautiful place and I get to see the world as a painting. It is an incredible blessing to live and experience such eloquent beauty on a daily basis here.

 

Thanksgiving throughout November - Day 19

You know, today I really just want to say I really, really, really am thankful for a nice, cold alcoholic beverage. After a day that dragged and the tiredness that I feel, it's so nice to be able to sit down, crack a can open and relax. I'm still going to do a little homework, but geez this is really nice.

Short but sweet post. I am thankful for my adult beverages.

Thanksgiving throughout November - Day 18

Wow! It's November 18th! Can you believe that? I just can't accept that this month is nearly over. Thanksgiving is around the corner, within days, and I'm not prepared. I just keeping thinking about all the homework I need to get done and how far behind I feel. Geez. I know somehow and someway I'll get it all done. But not without stress.

 

Today I'm really thankful for quiet days. Today really was so quiet at home. I got quite a bit of homework done, got the dishes done, got the sheets washed, went grocery shopping, and was able to get a few other small things done. I think if today had been like some other days I wouldn't have gotten so much done. And it feels nice to have a sense of accomplishment. I feel like I can go into the new week with some stuff done and a good start to get a lot more done the rest of the week. Quiet days really need to happen more often.

Thanksgiving throughout November - Day 17

Today I just want to say I am so so so very thankful that Rob has the patience of someone with the wisdom of a thousand years that knows some things just aren't worth getting angry over.

 

Today we discovered yet again there was cat urine in our living room, on the carpet, in at least 2 different places. Now if I had been the one to discover this insanity and annoyance I would have flipped out. I'm already at my wits ends about this crap with the cat, but seriously we just shampooed the carpets! And honestly, when Rob told me what he found, I tried to remain calm but I was shaking I was so upset. Ugh, cats! Love them and hate them....they're like the true test of a person's character.

 

Anyway, my dear Rob was so calm about it. He just got the cleaning stuff and went to town. Now he did his best to clean it all, spent no less than an hour scrubbing the carpets and vacuuming and doing everything he could to get the urine out of the carpet. He was so nice about all of it. Today I really needed that calmness about everything.

 

I am so thankful he is able to keep his cool over the little things. Always has been this and probably always will. Thank heavens.

Thanksgiving throughout November - Day 16

Once a month I get together with some of my favorite girls to play bunco. I've been playing for nearly 4 years now and I still look forward to this night. It's such a great reason to get together with girls I don't talk to all the time and catch up. They have such great personalities and are really able to just be good friends.

Tonight is bunco and I'm so ready for it. I've been stressing a lot lately about little things and honestly, it's getting to me. I was bitching today about getting my oil changed and doing my registration renewal on my car. Pretty sure I got ripped off. I think I actually got too upset over this and after cooling off (which took about an hour), I realized I got to emotionally upset over something I couldn't change. Bunco is really needed tonight. This is a night where I can put all my frustrations aside and just chill out. Starting tomorrow, I'm back on the school / study hard horse and not looking forward to it. I need to really bust my butt to get everything done so I can pass my classes this semester.

In closing, this bunco group has been there for me for a really long time and while I've gone through so much. I'm so thankful that I know these women and that they are committed to playing no matter what comes up. We all need to let loose sometimes and who better to let loose with than with some fun damn girls. BUNCO!  

Thanksgiving throughout November - Day 15

Okay, so I'm a day late. Truthfully, after I got my math test back yesterday, I was so frustrated that I couldn't think to post anything. I did horrible on the test and I fear I may fail this class. This means, after bunco tonight I am not doing anything fun, no social activities until this god forsaken class is over. I have to pass, failing is not an option.

 

One thing I really was thankful for yesterday was the mahi mahi tuna fish I had for lunch. Oh My Gosh Becky...look at her...

Oh wait, back on track. Seriously though, my lunch was damn good.

 

I was also really thankful I was able to continue working on the financial project I have been working on yesterday and the fact that my managers are so flexible and willing to let me work on very important projects. They are awesome and I'm very lucky to work with them. I look forward to learning how to analyze financial statements more in depth with my manager next week. I think this is a big deal and I seriously think it will help me in the long run.

 

I know I've already been thankful for food and the people I work with, but I have to reiterate how much these two things really influence my day. I was also thankful for my warm pajamas...but who wants to hear about that?

 

 

 

Thanksgiving throughout November - Day 14

I can't believe this month is half way over. Can you? I can't believe that we are almost to the year 2013 either. Where does the time go? I have spent the last 2 1/2 years working hard at work and at school and time has really flown by.

Today I am really thankful that I have managers that are so willing to give me tasks that allow me to 1) work at my own pace, 2) use my abilities fully, 3) help me grow and learn new things. For the last few days I have been working on some financial data at work. I really enjoy this type of work because it clicks in my brain for some unknown reason. And today one of my managers gave me some additional work for this project. I don't think he expected me to keep working on it and try to figure it out. When he came over to see how I was doing he was so surprised and so happy that I had started one of the tougher parts of the project and I was getting it. I was happy to see his appreciation and excitement that I just took the reigns and went with it.

I feel I am very lucky to have managers that let me do this. They aren't standing over my shoulder constantly, nor are they preventing me from doing more because they simply want to keep all the tough projects to themselves. I really do work with some great people and I'm very thankful I'm apart of their team.

Thanksgiving throughout November - Day 13

Today was such a weird day. I was running a little late for work today and ended up being about 15 minutes late. Which is fine, but gosh I don't like being late for work. At work, I was very productive...I got tons of work done today actually. After work, I had my god-awful math test that I don't feel confident about at all. Rob's calculator died on me in the first 5 minutes. I was forced to do the best I could with the tools I had. Cringe...I really hope I pass this class.

Now that I'm home and I've eaten Panda Express and drank a Dr. Pepper, I'm starting to feel better. My headache is subsiding and I feel like I can relax. I hate days like today normally because they just take all of the energy I can muster up right out of me. What a drag.

You know though, I was craving broccoli and cheese soup for the last week. I wanted this soup so bad and the cafeteria at work didn't have it. Finally today when my manager came back from her ice break, she told me they had broccoli and cheddar soup in the cafeteria. You know what, this was such a delight for me. This is probably one of my most favorite soups and getting that today really was awesome. You know what else rocked...my Panda Express. It was so good and seriously, I usually have left overs, but this time I ate it all!!!!

So today, I'm really thankful for food and comfort food. It is amazing what food does for us and how much better a person can feel after eating something they love. I can't imagine a life of eating bugs and dirt, we are blessed to have such wonderful things to eat.

Thanksgiving throughout November - Day 12

Howdy everyone! Today was just a normal get up and go day. Work until it's done, then come home and study my buns off for my test. It's hard to think of something I'm thankful for today simply because the day seemed so ordinary. Nothing really stood out to me. But since I have committed to this challenge I'll choose....Trax. I'm thankful that we have a great public transportation system in this city.

I take Trax a few times a week to work and I must say, although it takes longer (total commute time to work: 1.5 hours, to home: 1.5 hours, total commute time 3 hours), it really is nice to not have to deal with the traffic. Yes, you heard me correctly, I travel 3 hours a day to go to work and come home. This totally sucks because by Friday, that is 15 hours spent traveling that path if I take the Train every day of the work week. The upside, my moods are more relaxed because I wasn't dealing with jack holes on the road and I do get some studying done on the train too. I definitely appreciate this, in my opinion, it's somewhat of a gift to me in my life.

 

Addition to my thankful for today post

I just want to add...I LOVE MY SOREL SNOW BOOTS!!! Today when I was walking through the snow they were fantastic! My feet never got cold and stayed so dry. Seriously the best snow boots ever!

Okay...just wanted to add that.

Thanksgiving throughout November - Day 11

Today was a great day. I was busy the whole day and didn't get as much done as I wanted to, but overall I can't complain. I spent the majority of my day taking pictures for friends and family...and let me tell you what, I'm thinking that my true passion and desire to do this as a career is coming back. I had so much fun. I think I had more fun spending the time with everyone than taking the pictures. But the pictures looked great too.

 

When I got home, I copied all the pictures onto the computer and flipped through them. I'm pleased. I think my photography is improving, which makes me very happy.

 

So today I am genuinely thankful that these folks trusted me enough to help create memories with them and that I was able to capture them forever so they have something to cherish. It was such an honor to be asked and I had so much fun being a part of it.

Thanksgiving throughout November - Day 10

Okay, so yes, I am posting this a day later than I should be, but hey I am posting it.

 

Yesterday I was really thankful that some girls in my math class wanted to get together to study for our math test. We met at the college for 2 hours and went through the review. I learned more in this 2 hour session than I have in class all semester. This was seriously helpful and I'm so thankful these ladies were willing to take time from their busy schedules to study for an upcoming test.

 

I look forward to studying with them for the final.

Thanksgiving throughout November - Day 9

26 years ago today my little brother was born. It's hard to believe that just 2 short months later he would be taken from this world faster than he was welcomed into it. I remember this day every single year and a sad, empty feeling comes over me. I feel this loss that I never had the opportunity to grow up with a little brother, another sibling, another person who was raised in the same household as me that could relate to me and share stories about our memories as a family.

 

I tried my very best today to remain positive and be happy. And it seems that no matter how hard I try, there are certain influences that make me really struggle with my feelings. Sometimes I just want to break down and cry and well, break things.

 

There was one thing about today that really made me happy though. Today it snowed like crazy and I was so sure that when I got home from work I was going to have to shovel. I hate shoveling; shoot, I don't really like snow. And the thought of me shoveling made me cringe with annoyance. For once it would be nice to come home and be surprised.

 

Well, to my ignorance, when I arrived home after a long commute, I found that the driveway and the sidewalks were shoveled. My husband shoveled for us and didn't tell me; I think he knew how happy it would make me for it to just be done. And all I could think was that I have the best husband in the world. It was something so simple that meant the world to me. It totally helped me feel better and I feel so blessed to have him. I'm so thankful he shoveled today on his own accord. It was so small but to me it was huge. What a great thing to get home too.

Thanksgiving throughout November - Day 8

Howdy y'all! I hope you're Thursday is going honky-tonk wonderful! I am so looking forward to the weekend!

 

Today I am thankful for mindless comedy TV shows. I got home from school tonight and did not feel like doing anything. I cooked me up some left over food and grabbed a cold beer. I turned on Gossip Girl and then watched The New Girl. Although I'm exhausted, I feel happy and relax. Without senselss humor like this, I might be a little stress ball ready to snap. Okay, not that bad, but life wouldn't be what it is.

 

Yay for entertaining television!

 

 

Thanksgiving throughout November - Day 7

Getting up for work today at 4 AM just sucked. I don't ever wake up that early unless I'm going to the airport. I'm glad to be home. Today it's a little bit harder to be thankful for something. I'm tired, I'm a bit moody, I'm disappointed in the election results. But I guess I should scrounge one thing up. So here it goes.

 

I'm thankful for missingmoney.com where I found out I had unclaimed property with the state of Utah. I submitted my claim about a week ago and received my check today for $90. I don't know what it's from but getting that extra cash is awesome. I'm putting all of it towards Rob's Christmas present. It's always nice getting money that you weren't expecting.

 

If you want to check it out to see if you have any money hanging in the hands of the state, go to missingmoney.com and enter your information. If you think that site is B.S., then go to the State's website and look for unclaimed property. You can search for yourself there. It's totally legit and not a scam, I promise.

 

With that, I'm out! I have a ton of homework to do tonight and need to get started on it now. :( Boo!

Thanksgiving throughout November - Day 6

Well, today was a good day for me but at the same time it was stressful. I have been dealing with traffic and anxious people for most the day and it's been wearing on me. But seeing how I'm committed to being thankful for something every day throughout this month I will have to suck up the exhaustion and just do it.

 

Today I want to say I am so thankful we have the option to vote. Very fitting for this Election day. Think about it, in other countries throughout the world they don't have the same opportunity as we do to select some of their public leaders. Even if my vote doesn't make a difference for the president, it makes it difference for the local representatives in our area. I get to say yay or nay to people I think will best represent my beliefs and values. This sense of voice means so much. I don't have to be a victim of opinion prison like so many people in other parts of the world do. With that, these votes do make a difference because these people will guide our society in directions necessary to go in order to progress, or regress. Either way, it's important and we are very lucky to have this right in our country.

 

Even though I don't always agree with politics and a lot of the time I'm disappointed, I'm glad that I get to have a say. I can't imagine how suffocating it must feel to not be able to do anything, absolutely nothing about who represents me. I can confidently say that I will support the people who are up for the job, that will display integrity and determination to do the right thing. Who knows, maybe one day I could be asking for your votes for me to represent you. I think I could potentially be a great candidate for this society. Time will tell....

 

 

Thanksgiving throughout November - Day 5

Good evening!

 

Today I really want to say that I am so thankful that I'm healthy and I have the physical capabilities to do so much. I saw a man this morning crossing a very wide row  (7 lanes) with arm braces, I don't know what they're called, but they're like crutches attached to your lower arms. You know what I'm talking about I hope. I've seen him before and he tries to get across the road as fast as he can before the light turns and it breaks my heart. Kudos to him for making do with what he has but at the same time, I can't imagine what life is truly like for him. Many people have disabilities that we just don't think about on a normal basis. And yet, I think sometimes I take for granted all the things I can do.

 

I feel so fortunate today that I can walk, I can run, I can swim, I can dance, I can do so many things to keep myself in good health. Being capable is truly a blessing in this life.

 

Thanksgiving throughout November - Day 4

Good morning fine people of the Internet world! I cannot believe I am up this early on a Sunday. But I'm not complaining. This morning I prepared a pot roast and now it's in the slow cooker. I'm hoping that it will taste YUUUUUMMMMY! We will see in a few hours.

 

I am thankful for having a home, a roof over my head and having the ability to sleep in or get up early. I get to wake up at my leisure on the weekends and do as I wish, like this morning, getting up early and making a pot roast.

 

I am sitting here watching "Once Upon a Time" drinking coffee and reflecting on how fortunate I am to have so much. There are many people out there who don't have what I have. They go without, they get up daily to work, to fight for life, and here I am...I don't go without. A lot of that is because I have the world's best husband, but a lot of it is because I work hard too. I am lucky. Home is the best place to relax, rejuvenate, reflect, and to realize all the blessings you have...all while making memories too. I am so thankful I have a place to call home with my best friend.

 

Today's thanks go to having a home. I find my comfort, my rest, my happiness, my life at home. Now let's hope my pot roast looks and tastes this good today!

 

Thanksgiving throughout November - Day 3 (Skipping Day 1 and 2)

Oh I cannot believe this year is nearly over! It's hard to believe it. This has been such a wonderful year for me. So many changes have happened from getting married to switching jobs and so much in between. I am happy and it's not just a facade, I am genuinely happy about life.

 

This first post is being thankful to be alive. The last few years of my life have been hard. I've gone through so much and have struggled to stay on a good path. There have been times I wanted to take the dark road and give up, but I didn't. Some of my friends haven't faltered in giving me the support that I needed and they believed in me that I could make it through. And now I feel I have made it through the shadows and I'm looking up and see nothing but sunshine.

 

I can say now that as I look back over the last few years and see where I came from, I am proud of myself. I overcome so much and tried to remain true to myself by working on positivity, being a good person, a good friend, and trying to constantly grow into an amazing adult. There have been times it was difficult but I feel I've made huge leaps towards the person I know I can be.

 

This year I am so thankful that I am still alive. I am thankful that I didn't give up (thanks to many of my friends and some family) and that I'm here standing on top of the old pile of shit and looking at nothing but an exciting and wonderful future ahead of me. I am married now to someone who knows me and can tolerate my moods and lazy behavior. I lucked out there. I have a new job that I can see the endless possibilities of opportunity. I am almost done with school at the community college which is a huge goal for me. I am working towards having my very own family. I see in myself a truly good person, not someone who pretends things are okay and lets people walk all over me. I stand up for myself now. I am constantly thinking about my energy and if I'm staying positive.

 

Things in life are better than they've ever been and I see them getting better. I can't wait to look back at this moment in 5 years and see how much more joy I feel. I've learned that life is totally what we make of it. Life is good.

Married!!!

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End of March updates

Good morning, good afternoon, good day! Wherever you are, I hope you make the best day of today.

It is time to share some pictures! Woo hoo!

Of course, I'm starting with a picture of Taj. It's what I do. But seriously, this cat is awesome! I mean look it how he sleeps. He even looks like he is smiling!

I bought these shoes for my wedding. I must be crazy I think. The shoes are super hot and super high. I think I have some heel mastering to do before we get hitched.

Poor Moose! He got an ear infection or something. Rob held him down, cleaned his ear out, tried to get the gunk off the flap of his ear and then...he taped his head. Rob's intentions were to cover the ear so that Moose couldn't scratch his ear. Yeah, the plan didn't work. Moose had the tape off within 10 minutes and besides that, he just looked goofy. The good news...the ear infection is gone!

Ferren planned a surprise wedding shower for me at work. I had no idea! Look at this cake one of the ladies made for me. Isn't that just amazing?! And just below the cake are all the tasty treats everyone brought. If I had known that everyone was going to be this excited, I would've asked Rob to marry me a long time ago.

So I got this app on my phone called Nostalgio and this picture is what it does. It takes a few of my pictures and turns them into collages. Everyone else has pictures of kids or family and then there is me. I have an overload of pictures of my animals. These rowdy pets are like my kids and I can't express enough how much I love them.

So we decided to take on painting the kitchen recently. And instead, we ended up with a bigger job. We got the kitchen done but now we have to do the shower. This picture is our pitiful shower. It's all torn apart now and will have to be re-done. Sad!

One of my favorite days at work is craft day. Usually once a month our team does a craft together as a team unity project. This month we made coasters. I made the 2 green ones to match the kitchen.

And then I made this one. Obamacoaster. It was more of a joke. I don't really care for Obama but seriously, this picture is one to share and see all the time. It's like he has this mischievous grin. Ferren is the one that found the picture and suggested that I do this. At the end of the craft session I asked if I could do one more. And with that....I did.

When I was looking for curtains, I stopped in at Pier One to see what they had. I found this hanging chair. I don't think my photo does it justice. I want this thing though. It looks like the perfect chair to read in.

Last weekend when we were painting, we had the door open. I looked over and there were these two. They probably are dreaming that they live outside. Or maybe they're watching their kingdom. I don't know. I love it though when these two hang out. Most the time Taj is tormenting Ava.

 And ta-da!!! The kitchen is done. We just need a few decorations but that will have to wait. Check it out. I love it. It's so bright and cheerful in the kitchen. I actually want to spend all my time in here now.

 Rob's War Station. Yes, you are seeing that correctly. He bought himself 2 more monitors for his computer. He said that this is one of those things that he would always want but never do and decided he would just do it. He's actually added surround sound speakers to it now. I gotta admit, it is pretty cool when you're sitting right in front of it.

 And more of Taj. Damn, I think I have a problem. I'm sorry! But seriously, you would've taken a picture of him too if you had walked in on him sleeping like this. Look how big he is! And he lays like a little person. He's just too funny!

 And last is a very random picture. We went to see Monarch's last show last night. It was a sad but happy night. When I went in the girl's room, this drawing was on the wall of the stall. I was sitting there and thought this is too cool for me to not share it. So I took a picture of it. Whoever the artist is, sorry I can't give recognition to you on the Internet because I don't know you, but your drawing is awesome!

And that's it ladies and gents. Have a great week!

Birdy - Skinny Love [Official Music Video]

Survey for School - Please answer my survey by March 31st

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March 11 - Wow it's March 2012 ... weird

Good morning!!! It is so beautiful outside. It honestly feels like spring. I can't wait to get into day clothes, get my make up on and go play outside. First, I wanted to update my blog. Nutella better update her blog today or else. MOOWAHAHAHAHAAHA!

Well to begin. I had a test on Monday in my biology class. I studied so hard for it last weekend because I was determined to destroy the test. I got a 67% on the first test, and that was my motivation to not do that bad again. I want an A in this class. I may not get an A, I might get a B, but I'm happy with that. You know why? Because it's biology! The average grade is a C. I'm to smart to settle with a C. So the picture below is my test score. I first show on top the pitiful 67% and then you see my second test score from Monday.

Yes you read the test right! I got a 93%! I was SO happy. I even got a high five from my teacher. The students in the class asked how I did that and I simply said, "I studied my ass off." And it paid off. Only 2 people in the class got above 90, me and super smart kid that gets 100% for everything. Don't say, "wow, he's smart." He's the kid that takes one class at a time so he actually has time to focus his energy on the class he is taking. I'm just bitter that he's super smart. You can't tell, right? He is a smart kid...I'll give him the credit. But the moral of the story, if you study for the grade you want, you will get the grade you want. I'll be bragging about this for awhile.

The next picture are my new purple shoes. I shouldn't be buying anything but for some reason, I keep buying shoes. I bought these for my wedding, but I found a blue pair that I'm going to wear instead of these. But these are super duper cute!

So I wore these shoes last night to break them in. They are very high, I think they're 5 inches. They're really "hot" as some might say. I have to practice wearing them though so I don't stumble when we get married. They're like stilts, if I spelled that right. They are comfortable. The only part that hurt my foot is where I'm getting a bunion. I know that's gross but it's true. Many people get them, so don't make the EWWW face at me.

It's Fred! She's at 24 weeks now. Look at the baby grow. I seriously cannot wait to meet the little bambino developing inside there. I bet he's gonna be sweet, and cute, and chubby, and friendly, and...and...and.

She's more than half way done now too!

Okay, the next 4 pictures I'm sure you can't appreciate, but I can. Yesterday I detailed my car. I seriously went to town and washed everything on the inside and outside of Vanna. It took me 4 hours to get to a point where I was okay with being finished. My little Vanna white looks beautiful, like the first day I bought her.

Is it weird that I actually enjoyed detailing my car? Am I like a man? There is something about being focused on a task that has a finish line in close view, listening to music, taking my time, being alone, that just made me feel good. It was really relaxing. But today, I'm paying the price. I'm pretty sore. Hmmm, maybe I can get some muscles from doing this every weekend?

That's it folks. I don't have any pictures for the rest of the week. Have a great coming up week and I'll see ya later!

CIAO!

Wedding Count Down

So last week, I totally failed at taking any pictures. That's okay. I was focused on my upcoming nuptials. With that, I have many thoughts and feelings about it. I figured I would share with all of you seeing how I want to be a better writer and hope to one day be a published writer. Not just in the school paper but have my own novel or something. Anyway, here are some reflections on all these great things coming my way.

First, we decided where we are going. SHHH can't tell you just yet, but it's awesome. We have to budget everything in before we get everything set in stone. Honestly, what we have planned is everything I have ever wanted. It's going to be the perfect way to officially start this journey together. We started a long time ago, but now there will be this binding contract, called a marriage license, that will remind us that we promised to be together through everything. Ya know though, it will be easy with Rob. No one compares to him. It's me that I worry about, I'm a pain in the ass. Thank god he is patient with me. I'm excited as a kid getting an icecream cone from the icecream truck about getting married and having little RobLissa's running around. Yeah, I just went all paparazzi on ya with the name. We could even be called MelBert. HAHA! Okay, that's just funny.

Oh, I fell down the stairs on Friday. Yes, complete dorky thing to do, I know. It was how Rob reacted that reminds me why he is special. He came out of the room to check on me. And before I laughed, he got me water and tylenol for the pain. Then we laughed together. I know it sounded funny when I fell. It was like thump, thump, thump, MEOWWWWWW,thump, thump. I fell about 4 or 5 stairs and when I said OW it sounded like a crying kitten. It wasn't super loud but more sad sounding. Anyway, it hurt like hell, and Rob tried his best to make me feel better.

So four years ago I accidently drove through his closed garage. I thought I hit the break but really I hit the gas. Yep, destroyed the garage door. And if it had been anyone else, they probably would've yelled at me. Not Rob. He came out of the house with a look of fear first and then started laughing. He wasn't mad at all. He was worried about me and then took the attitude of, "It's okay, let's fix it." I need to learn this. I struggle with that mindset and hope that I can figure out how to be calm and collective like him.

It's things like that that reinforce his true character. It's those qualities that prove he will not only be the perfect husband for me, but the best dad for our children. I know wherever I lack, he can pick up the slack. And I know that when he needs my advice and opinion, he will ask and honestly consider it. Some people are not that way.

I was doing some homework today and had this great epiphany. I knew this stuff before, but didn't accept that I knew it until today. But in a marriage, teamwork is vital to making the relationship work. I know, that's so lame I'm saying it because it's so obvious. But seriously, how often do we think about the importance of teamwork? We all know the value but do we actually make it a conscious thought? I know that sometimes I put it at the back of my brain and only later wish I had actually followed through on it.

So with this wonderful news of getting married, the fact that I know I love Rob, and the sudden epiphany...does anyone know how they make their relationships work? Do you think about how it works? Or does it just work? What works for you?

I'm more than thrilled to get married and start a family. I want to be the best wife ever to Rob, the one that he deserves. I don't want my downfalls to get in the way of what we can do together. How does a person accomplish all of this for the next 80 years? Okay, we may not live 80 years together, but we will be trying for that long. In this day and age, it's not often we hear about long-lasting, loving relationships. We're surrounded by people who are divorced or either unhappily married. I don't want that. I want to remember for the rest of my life why I married Rob, why I wanted to be with him forever, and what makes me so happy about being with him. What's the key to that?

Well, I'll stop writing for now. I just wanted to share my thoughts and reflections about where I'm at.

Just the Way You Are - Bruno Mars (Cover by @KarminMusic)

Update for February

February was a rough month. Okay, so it wasn't literally. February was a great month. I was just so lazy that I haven't updated my blog. So I'm updating today for the last few weeks. There are lots of pictures. I hope you like!

Oh Moose, he is a sweety pie. I know I don't look good but I had to take a picture of Moose cuddling with me. He really is the sweetest dog. I wish he would live forever.

When Rob got his smoker, I knew he was excited. I didn't know he was this excited. He smokes food almost every weekend. It is some of the best food I've ever had. Rob is a good cook anyway, but the smoker has taken it to a whole new level. So this picture is him taking notes while he smokes. He writes down everything from the rub he used, the times he checked it to when it's finished and it's temperature. Now that is someone who wants to perfect his cooking skills! I wish I was more like Rob in this sense.

This fancy picture of food is shredded pork. Rob made this for the Superbowl party. It was fantastic. There was so much that he wanted to give it away but I didn't want to. I wanted to keep it all for myself.

Here are some ribs he smoked the following weekend. They were good. His first set of ribs were better. They fell off the bone. These were good too. I hope he makes some of these soon!

My dear friend got some flowers from her mom for her birthday. They showed up after she left work already on a Friday. She said that it would be okay for me to take them home for the weekend and babysit them which made me happy. I love flowers. I wish someone would send me flowers too.

So Monday when I took her flowers to work and we were looking at them because they were so pretty, we noticed a petal and the leaf were combined. Weird. Have you ever seen this?

On one of the days I was driving to school I passed the trax station. Now you wouldn't notice it at first but this picture is really of the bag sitting on the bench. Someone forgot their bag of groceries after getting on the train. I felt kind of bad for this person imagining the frustration and annoyance of realizing you left something behind. I hope that someone who needed the food found this.

On another night at school, when I was walking to Sociology, the moon was rising. It was so full and so pretty. In this moment I wish that I had a better camera so I could take a picture of it more close up. This picture doesn't do the scene justice.

Since joining craft websites, I feel like a junky. I can't get enough crafts. I saw this awesome heart pillow pattern and decided I would try it. Sadly, when I tried to crochet it, it was very difficult with the yarn it called for. So rather than giving up, I decided to make a little pillow still using my loom knitting stuff. This is it. I absolutely love cuddling with this.

And of course I have to have a picture of one of my cats. Isn't she stinkin' cute!

This is just to funny! He drags this bone around everywhere.

Ferren! I believe she is 20 weeks along in this picture. Almost time for another picture! It's pretty exciting going along with her pregnancy. Counting the weeks, wondering how big the baby is. I can't wait to meet the little boy growing. Ferren and Ken will be great parents. But I'm gonna be the most awesome, special auntie Melissa!

What is this?, you ask. Yes, that is my engagement ring. I am engaged. Sorry everyone, off the market forever! Actually, I've been off the market for a long time but now it's official. There is no special story about how he proposed, not yet at least, but I can tell you we are both excited. It's weird, I was starting to wonder if I would ever get married again. I was okay either way but this is exciting. It's almost like I don't know what to think about it, is this real type of thing. But it is real. And we're really ready to start a family. That's my main goal in life, to have my own family. And now it's all happening. Ahhh now this is what makes me giggle and feel joy. Anyway, I'm thinking (actually I'm pretty sure) that we are eloping to the Virgin Islands. Doesn't that sound awesome! So if you want to meet us there when we decide to go, you're more than welcome. But the cost is on you.

I decided to go try on dresses. I want to look pretty when I get married. The only part about dress shopping that I really didn't like is being the center of attention. Not that I don't like making people smile and stuff but this was awkward. I also didn't like feeling bad for the sales girl because she wanted me to buy a dress and I had no intentions of buying a dress.

I really like the tea length dresses but I was worried that they would make me look shorter than I already am. But when I tried this fun dress on my mind was changed. The dress is fun and it totally fits my personality. So with that said, I will probably get a tea length dress.

I love lace. This dress was beautiful. It was classic, simple, elegant. And I didn't realize it made me look wide in the hip area until seeing the picture. I was really sad that this dress didn't complement me that well. I am wondering though, if the lace was a different pattern, would it look better. I think I'll be trying more dresses on. Maybe I can get a pretty lace dress in a tea length style.

Here is another lace dress. I really like lace. I was if-y about this one. It is really pretty but I don't think it is my personality.

I think this flower hair clip is awesome! My neighbor showed me how easy it would be to make my own, so I probably will. It's just so neat and different. So now the question is, what color should I make mine?

Alright folks, that's it for now. I can't believe we are about to start March. Which means, I've had this blog for nearly a year. I've had active times, down times, completely stagnant times with this blog. I hope to keep going with all the pictures and updates. As time goes on, I may not post pictures every week, but I may be posting updates about the exciting new adventures I'm about to embark on -- wedding details, TTC details, my friend's pregnancy adventures, school drama. I can honestly say that I am the most happy right now than I think I've ever been. I feel like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be in my life and it feels good. Goals are being accomplished, new joys are coming my way, I feel crafty again, and making new goals seems to be easy. The rocky road I was on has come to an end. That's not to say I'll never be on another rocky path but next time I'll be prepared to OWN IT!

BTW, does anyone know any bloggers who get paid for blogging? I would honestly love to start blogging more and getting paid for it. If I could blog about fitness, family planning, depression, obstacles in life, crafts, or anything (even fiction) and get paid to do it, I would really love that. If  you have any suggestions about how I can get started for this, let me know.

Love y'all!