Puppy Update; Travis; Then and Now Pictures

I think that Bella is in the clear. Travis got her playing this morning and she coughed once, that's is so far today! That's good news. Whew!


I am very very proud to announce that Travis raced last night at the Mason County Fair and won second place in his class. Yay Travis!!!! Here's a pic...




Tomorrow is my Weight Watchers meeting. I'm hoping that I did well this week. Check this out though...

My Dad and Me taken in March 2007

Me today!

That is a huge difference in my face just from losing what I have! I couldn't believe it! Woo hoo! Horray for me! LOL.

Knitting Block; Puppy Update

Bella is still alittle sick, but not near as bad as she was over the weekend. I'm praying that she will continue to improve so we don't have to take her back to the vet.

I've had this block done for a couple weeks, but some of you haven't seen it so here's a picture of my latest knitting endeavour.

I had some trouble with this one. I actually did the whole thing two different times until I got it right. I have the other one too, I might include it in my afghan but I'm not sure yet. It was really cool because the lady from the store in Parkersburg sat down with me for awhile and helped me figure out what I was doing wrong and then had me do a few rows so that she was sure I was on the right track before I left.

In other crafting news I am excited to say that I was asked to do a scrapbook for my Eastern Star chapter. They are wanting to preserve the chapters history and have pictures of the members, which is great. I love history and scrapbooking anyways :-) Plus I can scrapbook for free basically because they are reimbursing me for all the costs.

Thanks to everyone for the welcome back on MySpace!

Could things get any worse?

Ok. Aside from Travis getting laid off, that's bad enough, right? Now we have a sick little puppy. We had to take her to the vet on Saturday. Luckily they were open until noon. She has a respiratory infection. She had been hacking and coughing like crazy, and I've never heard any dog do that before. She scared us to death! The vet gave her a shot and some antibiotics to take for a week. It's been two days now, and she has improved imensley! She is still coughing some, but mostly when she gets excited. Oh, I was so worried about her. And plus I feel really guilty. She is sick because we've had her in and out of the weather so much and where it is really hot outside and then cool in our house that is bad for her if she's in and out like that. I thought that having her outside would be good for her. Now I feel like a bad mommy.

Still no news on the job front.

I've lost 18.8 pounds, so that's alittle good news.

I don't like thinking of titles!!!

Well, well, well. Time flies from post to post. I'm still here. I really need to get on the ball and post some pictures. The front of our house is almost complete. We just need to paint the front facing part on the bottom of our porch. It looks really great though! It's a huge improvement! I have also been working the past two weeks part time on a very temporary basis for Meigs County EMA. I worked there for over a year while Travis was deployed also. It's a long story. But I am on the market for a new job. Trav and I decided that we want the extra cash. There are too many things we want to buy :-) His drag racing parts are expensive! And I would like to get a new motorcycle and a boat or jet ski. Not to mention pouring money into our house.

Speaking of drag racing. I have pictures, I just need to download them onto my computer and post them. Travis has been doing amazingly well. Every race we have been to so far he has won at least one race. I'm very proud of him! He's racing tomorrow in Fairplain, WV.

Weight Watchers, weight loss...hmmm. I'm doing ok, I should be doing alot better though. The past two weeks I gained :-( This week was only 0.2 lbs though. I've lost around 15 pounds still. My mom has lost 19.6 lbs! She's doing great! And you can really tell she's lost.

Well, that's all for now. Have a great weekend!

What I've Been Up To

I hope everyone's having a great summer so far. I haven't heard from anyone for awhile. Trav and I have been doing quite a few different things lately. He has started his drag racing season and is doing great. Last Thursday was his first race at the Kanawha Valley Dragway (www.kanrace.com). For the most part is just a chance for test and tune. He was the only four wheeler that showed up so he raced against crotch rockets. He actually beat one! I was really proud of him. I think he will race again there tomorrow night, and on Sunday he will be racing in Ripley.

We have also been in our pool alot and riding the motorcycle around town and on back roads in the evenings and weekends as a way to beat the heat. I'm loving having our own pool and being able to get in and relax and play around.

I have started walking also. I'm up to 3 miles in 1 hour now. That's good for me. I decided to do it as a way to lose some weight along with joining Weight Watchers about 8 weeks ago (www.weightwatchers.com). I have been doing really well on it. I've lost close to 15 pounds and the walking has helped me lose inches. My goal is to lose 30 pounds all together by Labor Day. I'm not sure if I'll make it or not, but it seemed like a good number to work towards.

I also joined a knitting club in Parkersburg at the store Market Street Yarn and Crafts. We are doing different blocks from a book called 200 knitted blocks. We are doing one block per month. Of course I messed mine up last month, but the ladies there are really great and helped me figure out my mistakes, so even though I'm behind now, I'm on the right track and still learning different techniques. I'm hoping to continue making blocks after the 12 we are doing in the club so I can make an afghan. I think that would be really pretty.

That's about all for now. I hope to hear from everyone!

A Month Already?

I can't believe it's been a month since I've posted anything! I guess that's what warmer weather has done to me. Trav and I have been outside almost every evening doing something. If we ever catch a break in the rain we plan on continuing to polyurethane our porch railing, then on to painting the porch and the rest of the house. I'm excited to see what it will look like when it's all done. I think it will look great, almost like a different house. We did catch a break last week. We had called the electric company to see if they would cut our tree down because it was in the power lines. They actually did too! So that saved us alot of hassle, but now we have a big stack of wood in our yard that hopefully we will be getting rid of quite soon.

In other news, we got one of those pools from Walmart last week. I'm hoping to be in it later ;-) I just thought I'd let you all know I'm still alive! Have a great week!

What's Going On

Alot has been going on around here. To start off a couple weeks ago my mom had to start walking with a cain and had to take 10 days off from work due to severe pain in her knee from arthritis. I had to take her up to St. Joseph's Hospital twice, once we got up there and the MRI machine was down, then we had to go back a few days later after it was fixed. But we are waiting to her the results of the test. She will either have to have surgery if there is something torn, or she will have to start getting shots into her knee to give extra fluid in the joint so the bone isn't rubbing together causing the pain. So either way, it's not good. I've been really busy trying to take care of her and dad the past couple weeks.

Yesterday we got some more bad news. The owner of King Kutter, the company Travis makes tillers for, has cut the pay on various pieces. Travis' tillers happens to be one of the pay cuts. So he's expected to do the same amount of work for less money. He's currently looking for another job. But we've been there. There are no good jobs here. Also, we'll be losing our medical insurance in any new job transition for at least a month if not more.

Over the weekend we got some home improvement supplies. We got new railing for our porch at Lowes and some of it at Home Depot. I also bought a new patio set.

The patio set was a great deal! We got four padded chairs and a table, and two matching fold up chairs and a small table for around $200. I really like it.

We decided that before we put up the new railing we should power wash the paint off the house in the front and off the porch itself. I actually did some too.

Here is a "before" picture of the house.

Here is what we've gotten done so far.

My Views

Be warned, this is probably going to end up being a rant post.

Ok. The whole Don Imus thing? Come on people. He apologized a zillion times, the players accepted his apology, he got fired, move on! I am so tired of seeing it on the news every single night. Dateline NBC had a special about it last night where they interviewed a group who had taken a psychological test of what race they preferred. One of the panelists was a black man who was a civil rights activist. His test revealed that he preferred white people. He couldn't have that at all! In his comment he said that his results was because when he was growing up, white people was all that was on tv, etc. That is the dumbest excuse I've ever heard! I don't consider myself racist. I am just anti-stupidity! Another black male panelist said in the interview, "European-American" when referring to white people. That offends me. Why isn't a big deal being made about that, or old Snoop Dog saying "Ho", "Nigga", or "Cracker"? Why is it ok for black people to refer to each other with those kind of terms, but when a white person says it the whole country goes berserk? Why aren't white people standing up and making a big deal out of them calling us crackers or honkies? The whole thing just ticks me off. Slavery ended about 150 years ago. If anyone is to blame for that it is our great-great-great grandfathers, not us. People are making this into a black/white issue, and I think the point is getting missed all together. It's a stupid person/stupid person issue. I say forget Don Imus. I'm sure that Snoop and 50 cent have said worse and treated black people in more of a degrading manner than white people do. Check your back yard before you blame everyone else. Oprah is having a 2 day "Town Hall" show about the issue. It's all black people on her show. How is that an "open" converstation? I find that funny because they obviously do care about what white people have to say or there wouldn't be an issue to begin with! Just my opinion.

On another topic, since when did we need to hear how Barrack Obama, President Bush, or Angelina Jolie weigh in about every single issue that faces Americans? I frankly don't care what they think.

Blog Update

As you all now know, my blog is only viewable to people that I have invited to see it. So congratulations, I must like you! Travis and I have also deleted our Myspace accounts due to the problems it has created in our family. I am hoping that by doing this it will put an end to some issues.

And just a reminder....PLEASE DON'T VOTE FOR SANJAYA TONIGHT!!!!

News

I have some great news to share with everyone. Go here.

My New Blog Header

Yeah Travis! He made me an awesome blog header....THANK YOU!!! You are awesome!

All Finished!

I got the pattern from Rachel's Knitting Corner (her blog link is under my favorite blogs). It was actually pretty easy to do.

Update on the Scrapbooking March Scripture Challenge

The contest ended on Saturday at 11:59pm. I worked my butt off and was able to post a total of 37 scrapbook pages, which is more that alot of people do in 6 months. As of midnight, I had the most layouts posted, so therefore I am the winner. Ok, here's the thing. And yes, I am VERY mad. According to the forum time, at 2:44 am or something like that, the person doing the digital layouts posts 3 more layouts giving a total of 39. They shouldn't have been counted, but they were. That gave her 2 more than me but only in a cheating way. The person that hosted the challenge said that she was counting them because the woman lived in a different time zone and she did not specify what time zone the contest was (even though the forum was central time and the host lives in eastern time). She says that we both win. But I don't care about a stupid prize. It was about winning. And it was about me overcoming a cheater who did DIGITAL layouts which isn't even the same thing! I am really disappointed that a SCRIPTURE challenge would cheat. But what can I do? Just move on. I guess on the positive side I have a great scrapbook album out of it. The principle of it just ticks me off.

Here's A Good Story

Last night I was lucky enough to hear a lady read this story...

A young lady was in an airport waiting for her flight. Since she had some time to spare she brought along a book and a bag of cookies. She sat down opened the book and the bag of cookies. A man was seated right beside her. After sometime she picked up a cookie from the bag. The man did the same. This irritated her and she was thinking, "how dare this man." But because she did not want to cause a scene she let it pass. After awhile she again picked another cookie and the man did the same. She picked one and the man did the same. She was really getting mad now but again she had to control her temper. Finally there was one piece left and she was wondering what the man would do. She did not have to wait long. The man took the cookie, and broke it in half. He ate the other half leaving the other for her. She almost exploded but managed to curb her temper. Finally her flight was called. Still fuming from her experience she went into the plane and took her seat. She opened her bag to look for something when she noticed that she still had her bag of cookies. Untouched and unopened. Then she realized that she had forgotten that her cookies were in her bag. She was eating from the man's bag of cookies. And to think that she was mad and irritated. And to think that she wanted to get mad at the man for his lack of manners. And to think that the man shared the last cookie. He did not say anything, he just broke the last cookie in half and left. She realized that she would never be able to explain what she had done. And what she felt. She felt so stupid because she realized that he not she was sharing the cookies. She wanted to apologize but the man was no longer there with her.

How wrong our assumptions can be! Have you ever jumped to the wrong conclusion about someone? It can happen easily. All the evidence, as we see it, seems to point in a particular direction.At times, these situations, like the cookie story, are embarrassing, but do no harm. At other times, however, they drive wedges between people, cause pain, hurt feelings, and bitterness. Marriage breakups, family feuds, congregational in-fighting, and synodical discord are frequently the result of faulty understanding of "evidence."Individuals, church bodies, even nations have been ravaged because of misinformation or misunderstanding. Our sinful nature thrives on gossip, loves a juicy story, and willingly believes the worst.

I really hope everyone who reads this will be able to think about this story next time they get upset or angry with someone. It's not always the other person. Just something to think about.

Nothing New To Write About

I just thought I'd stop by and jibber jabber for a few before I go to bed. I just posted on my scrapbook blog about how bummed out I am. I don't think it's just about the scrapbooking subject though, but that's what I'm blaming lol. Ah, family sucks, life sucks, my scrapbook pages suck, but I rock! Yea, I had to spice that up, I couldn't depress everyone. Anywho...Sanjaya...need I say more??? He wasn't even in the bottom 3! Unbelievable. But Blake was so awesome! I think that was the best performance American Idol has ever seen! Loved it!

Monday night Travis and I are going to be iniatied into Eastern Star. I'm excited about that. I will probably spend my Saturday shopping with my Mom for a nice outfit to wear. Yippee! I hate shopping for clothes. It's not that I don't like buying them and having new clothes, I mostly hate trying them on. That is the time I realize how much weight I've gained. Then I get mad. Then I get upset. Then I get depressed. And so on. Blah. I'm having another blah day. Great.

Oh, I almost forgot...we had a cookout with my Mom and Dad...here's some pictures.

Me and my Momma

Me and my Dad

Me and Travis

Have a great Friday!

My Weekend

I had a pretty good weekend all in all. Friday night Travis and I went out with our friends, Angie and Joe. We all went to Outback in Parkersburg for dinner. I had a great time. It's nice to have friends to go out and do things with.

Saturday I had knitting class. Anna got to go with me this week which was great. And I'm happy to say I showed my teacher a ...FINISHED dishcloth!!! And she said she was proud of me...how bout that?! I told her that I'm not going to use that one...that baby's goin in a frame! Ha ha! I started on the dreaded scarf pattern. It's more difficult to do but only because I have to really concentrate counting the stitches. But I've seen how the pattern turns out and it's actually really pretty. I figure if I can get through making this thing, I'll be darned...I'm wearing it!!!

Anna and I also went to the scrapbook store. I love it there. I just wish they would get in some new stuff. I cranked out so many pages last week I was really running low on supplies though. I did get some pretty paper. Anna said that she got alot of new supplies on her trip so I'm really anxious to see what she comes up with.

On Sunday, Travis and I went to visit his dad again. Things seem to be going really well. I don't really want to get into all of it on here, so if you're curious, just ask. Steve, his dad, is painting our motorcycle's gas tank. He was working on it while we were there and I was really impressed with his skills and the process itself. I got to see the primer coat go on it, the the base coat of black. It was a flat black paint which means no shine, but that tank looked better with that on it than it did when we took it to him! I guess now he has to tape of the designs which will take alot of time. He is so good at mixing paint too! I am really impressed! He had this can of dark green paint he pulled out while looking for a blue color for the American flag part of the design and said, I can mix something with that to work. I'm thinking, "Nah! That'll never work right." I was wrong! He grabbed a dark purple and swirled the two together and it was perfect! I told Travis he must've done really good in Kindergarten! Angie could tell me..lol. Anyways, that's all I've got for now. Have a great Tuesday...American Idol's on tonight!!! And be sure to tell everyone to vote off this guy...Sanjaya you need to go home!!!

Contest Update

You all will be very happy to know that I finished 3rd place in the Scrapbook Layout Contest. Thanks for voting for me to those of you that did. Here are the results...

love my camera 2
unforgetable 14

heroes / cowboys 1
becuase of you 85
afternoon snake encounter 1
best friends 1
blue eyed beauty 1
cincinnatie reds 0
most memorable celebration 3
crazy 2
daddy's girl 1
everyday 1
spring (2 page layout) 2
princess needs a crown 0
6 - six 0
sweet heart 0
you're beautiful 90
doodle bug (2 page layout) 0
illusive perception 6
imagine 3

Maybe someday I'll figure out how those other two got 85 and 90 votes???????? Anyways, I'm really happy that I did so well, especially since there were 20 layouts.

Vote for Me!

I know I've sent out emails to everyone, but I wanted to remind everyone to please go to http://www.serendipityscrapbookdesigns.com/sLayoutContestEntries.html and vote for my scrapbook page called "Unforgettable". The contest ends on March 15th which is only a few days away and whoever has the most votes wins a prize. I'm already so excited just seeing a page I made on a scrapbook products website, it's awesome! Thanks to everyone who votes for me in advance.

I also wanted to share this with you.

Do you know how to catch a polar bear???

You just take a can of peas, cut a hole in the ice, and line the peas around the hole. When the polar bear comes to take a pea, just kick him in the ice hole.

Ha ha! I'm sure you can tell, for those of you who know my dad, it came from him.

Later!

Bedroom Remodeling

Anyone who has talked to me lately knows that Trav and I have been relentlessly working on remodeling our bedroom. It has been a big job taking off the wallpaper, and in some places 50 years worth of it! I am vowing now to never in my life put up wallpaper!!! It is the biggest pain in my backside! Anyways, we have finally said we're done! We had to come to a certain point where we had to say we aren't putting any more money into this room for now. But I just think it's absolutely beautiful now! Here's some pictures...

This is a view of our bedroom from the door. You can see the paint color really well in this picture. It's called Ancestral. It's a pink/light purple color. I love it!

This is the new light fixture that we bought. Above the light is the ceiling medallion that we got. It really adds to the room. It also matches our molding.

Here is a close up of our molding. It has a beautiful rose pattern that goes all the way around the room. So pretty!

And last but not least because it was the hardest project in the room is the shelves. These shelves started out with about 5 or 6 layers of old old wallpaper on them. Travis worked on this for over a week. I think he did an amazing job. And I like how the boards are in the shelf backing, it makes it look more "country" styled.

On a different subject, remember the picture of my knitting that I had posted? Yea, it's wrong lol! Ahhh! I went to knitting class Saturday and I couldn't figure out why I was accumulating stitches on my needle. Hmmm, because I was doing it wrong!!! The instructor showed me what the problem was, so now I'm back on track, but a week behind everyone else. That totally figures! Most of the ladies brought in their nice little dishcloths all completed looking like they were ready to jump in the sink and start scrubbing something. Mine got torn out. :-( I told Travis that it doesn't matter how long I have to sit there and work on it, it will be done before this Saturday's class! Everyone else started working on a harder pattern that makes a scarf. I would definitely like the practice, but a scarf? I don't wear a scarf, I'm lucky if you can get a coat on me in the dead of winter. Anyways, here's a picture of my dishcloth progress.

Well, it's back to laundry. Happy Monday!

Blah Blah Blah....

I couldn't really think of a good title other than that. Blah is just how I'm feeling. Blah. Blah! I'm convinced that when one area of my life starts going good, everything else falls apart. Do I just give up? Should I quit trying so hard?

I haven't really been doing much this week, other than the typical housework routine. I just haven't really felt like it. I feel blah! I think that depression is getting the best of me right now. I absolutely hate it. I hate feeling like crap all the time. And I hate it that other people make me feel so worthless, despicable, and rejected. I could just be a hateful b-word, but I'm not that way. I want to be able to let things go of things in several aspects of my life, but people keep throwing the issues back in my face. I don't really have anything else to say about that. Blah!

I watched Americal Idol tonight. I'm not sure who else has been watching, but the guys are terrible this year with the exception of a couple. I really like Chris Sligh. He's got a really unique voice. Whenever I see him perform I think of Blues Traveler.

The other guy contestant that I really like is Blake Lewis. I love his how he makes those sound effects in his songs. He's very unique in the competition. I think he'll be one of the top 5.

The girls sang tonight. I only have two words to say about their performances...Lakisha Jones! She absolutely blew me away with her song. She sang a Whitney Houston song of all things, like it was no big deal for her. She has amazing talent. In my opinion, she's the one to beat this year.

I Can't Believe I'm Knitting
On Saturday I went to the knitting class with Anna. Let's just say it was interesting. During the first half of the class the instructor went over handouts and was telling us about websites and books that she often uses for help or patterns, one was called "I Can't Believe I'm Knitting." Ha. Once we began to "try" to knit Anna says, "Oh, I can't believe I'm knitting!" I go on to say, "I know, this is great." Needless to say I had a "brunette" moment there. As many of you know I have those alot. :-) But that's why you love me.

Well, I finally got the hang of knitting. I think the instructor got alittle irritated with us because we weren't getting it at first, but by the end of the class Anna and I both had one row of a dishrag done! It is a miracle that I accomplished that lol. Since then I've found some online instructional videos to help me out so I've been able to make some progress.

Anna on the other hand, I think she is needing some help. Read what she had to say about her knitting here.

Over the weekend Travis and I got the movie "Nacho Libre" from Netflix. If you are in need of a great laugh, I highly suggest seeing this movie. I laughed from the beginning to the end! Jack Black cracks me up! And I promise you'll love his Mexican accent.

In other news, I was at the grocery store this afternoon in the checkout line glancing at the magazines and happed to see where McDreamy and his wife had twins...

Well, that's all for my celebrity gossip for today :-) Hope everyone has a super Monday!

"Chillaxing"

Not much has been going on this week. I've just been "chillaxing" as my friend, Angie would call it. I really like that word.

It's weird not going to work. It's starting to hit me that I don't really have anything set that I have to do. I'm trying my best not to let that get me into the whole "I'm not good enough because I don't work" kind of mindset. It has been sort of hard dealing with losing my job and how it came about. For those of you who know the story, I actually got an apology for what was said. That does make me feel better, regardless if the apology was sincere or not. Here's how I look at it, God forgives people of their sins when it is asked of Him, so why should I not do the same? God has forgiven alot worse. I have really gotten alot better at forgiveness in the past few months. For me though it's just easier to forgive someone when they ask for it, but we aren't always so fortunate.

I have been doing alot of scrapbooking this week. Check out my Scrapbook Blog to see what I've come up with. I have been trying to step it up and do more advanced pages. Other than scrapbooking, Trav and I have been working on remodeling our bedroom. We're almost finished! I figure we'll have it done this weekend. We had to tear off wallpaper, patch some holes and cracks, paint, install a new light fixture, and put up molding. It's really looking good. He also installed a new doorbell and put up our new house numbers. Now if the outside of our house was painted (Sighs). Any volunteers to scrape? LOL.

This coming Saturday my friend Anna (who I copied the idea of my slideshow from, hope she doesn't mind) and I are going to a beginner's knitting course. I'm really excited and hoping I can learn how to do it. I can crochet a few different patterns, but I think knitting would be fun also.

Well that's about it for my week update. I hope Angie had a good parent teacher conference. And Happy Birthday to my brother in law, Matt!

Sunday

Yesterday Travis and I met his real dad for the first time ever. I think that things went well. Travis said that he would probably go visit him from time to time. He is also going to paint our motorcycle's gas tank which I'm really excited about. He is an awesome painter! He paints and airbrushes cars and signs for a living. Here are a few pictures of our visit.

This is my neice, Hayleigh, holding one of Paw Paw's puppies.

Me and Amy

Allie and Aunt Trisha

Aunt Trisha, Hayleigh, and Puppy

Steve (Travis' Dad) and Travis

Steve and Travis in front of one of his paintings.

Steve, Amy, and Travis

I have to say that I am really surprised at how much they all resemble each other.

A lesson in etiquette

I believe that having good manners is the key in fellowship, be it with family or friends. Lately I'm feeling as though that some people have totally forgotten how to behave toward others with kindness and respect. I was always told that a person only knows what they are taught, so it might be helpful to give a lesson, or several, for those of you who know not. To start, here are a few helpful definitions.

Etiquette: The practices and forms prescribed by social convention or by authority. One aspect of decorum, is the code that governs the expectations of social behavior, the conventional norm. It is an unwritten code, but it may be codified in written form. Etiquette usually reflects formulas of conduct in which society or tradition have invested. An etiquette reflects the underlying ethical code itself. Like "culture", it is a word that has gradually grown plural, especially in a multi-ethnic society with many clashing expectations. Thus, it is now possible to refer to "an etiquette" or "a culture", realizing that these may not be universal.

For further reading on etiquette please go here.

Loyalty: faithfulness or a devotion to a person or cause. Steadfast in allegiance to one's homeland, government, or sovereign. Faithful to a person, and ideal, a custom, or a duty. Feelings of devoted attachment and affection. Fidelity, trustworthiness, constancy, integrity, sincerity, adherence, bond, tie, honor, reliability, good faith, conscientiousness,dependability, commitment, support, earnestness, obedience, duty, truthfulness, devotion.

When you look up the word loyalty on the Internet, Wikipedia says this, "Loyalty evolved as fellow-feeling for one's family, gene-group and friends. Loyalty comes most naturally amongst small groups or tribes where the prospect of the whole casting out the individual seems like the ultimate, unthinkable rejection." Hmmm.

Here is the way I look at it. Family always comes before friends. You are genetically linked to these people and therefore they should be the first to step up for you. Or if you are married into a family the same should be true. Family is a social "tribe" where you fight for each other and do not want anyone left behind or to do without or to be mistreated, etc. The same is true with families within the family. (Like Travis and I in the Gibson/McCoy family) Travis and I make sure each other come first in our social world. Next, would come his brothers and their families. Just like Jason and Kassie should make sure they each come first as well as their daughter, Emily. After that, then if the situation should arise it would be the loyal thing to help out or stick up for or whatever needs done for me or Travis or for Tony and Jodie (Travis' other brother and his wife), just like we would do for either of them. Is any of this making sense? Being loyal shows you care. Taking a friend over a family member is just wrong.

Here is an example of my so called loyalty chart:
Travis
My Parents
Travis' brother's and sister and their families
My best friend
A really good friend
A good friend
A friend
An acquaintance

This is the way I was taught.

Happy Birthday to my Mom today!

I can't sleep....urrgh! Why does my mind want to start working when it's bedtime?

Recipes

My sister in law, Amy has asked me for a few of my recipes, so I figured it would be easiest to post them here.

Apple Stuffed Pork Chops (Gooseberry Patch Best Ever Casseroles Cookbook)

6 thick pork chops
2 T. Raisins (I didn't use this)
salt and pepper to taste
2 T. butter, melted
1 1/2 c. toasted bread crumbs
2 T. orange juice
1/2 c. apple, cored and chopped
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/8 t. cinnamon

Cut a pocket into the side of each pork chop, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside. Toss bread crumbs, apple, cheese and raisins together. Set aside. Combine butter, orange juice, salt, and cinnamon; stir into apple mixture. Stuff pockets with mixture; place in an ungreased 13x9 baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 15 minutes; cover. Bake for an additional 15 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Simply Lasagna (Kraft Food & Family Magazine)

Prep: 20 minutes Total: 1 hour 35 minutes

1 lb. ground beef
2 1/2 c. shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1 container (15 oz.) Ricotta Cheese
1/2 c. Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
12 lasagna noodles, uncooked

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown meat in large skillet on medium-high heat. Meanwhile, mix 1 1/4 cups of the mozzarella cheese, the ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese, the parsley, and egg until well blended; set aside. Drain meat, return to skillet. Stir in spaghetti sauce. Pour water into skillet and stir until well blended. Adding water to the sauce helps cook traditional noodles during the baking, so you don't have to cook them beforehand. This saves you 15 to 20 minutes of prep time. Spread 1 cup of the meat sauce onto the bottom of 13x9 baking dish; top with a layer of 3 uncooked lasagna noodles. Noodles will expand to fit the dish during baking. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture and 1 cup of the meat sauce over the noodles. Repeat layers two more times. Top with remaining 3 noodles and the remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1 1/4 cups mozzarella cheese and remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Cover tightly with greased foil. Bake 45 minutes. Remove foil; continue baking 15 minutes or until heated through. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting to serve.

Makes 12 servings, 1 piece each.


Easy Chicken Parmesan (Kraft Food & Family Magazine)

Prep time: 5 minutes Total: 40 minutes

1 jar (14 oz.) spaghetti sauce
6 tbsp. Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pour sauce into 13 x 9 baking dish. Carefully stir in 4 tbsp of the parmesan cheese. Add chicken; turn over evenly coat both sides with sauce. Cover with foil.

Bake 30 minutes. Uncover.

Top with mozzarella cheese and remaining 2 tbsp. parmesn cheese; continue baking 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (170 degrees) and cheese is melted. Serve over hot cooked pasta if desired. (I used rotini pasta)

Makes 6 servings.


Un-fried French Fries (Kraft Food and Family Magazine)

Prep time: 15 minutes Total: 39 minutes

1 1/2 baking potatoes (about 3 medium)
1/4 c. Kraft Light Done Right House Italian Dressing
1/4 c. parmesan style grated topping

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash potatoes; pat dry with paper towels. Cut into 1/4 inch thick strips; transfer to large bowl. Add dressing and grated topping; toss well.

Arrange potatoes in single layer on large baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Spray potatoes with cooking spray.

Bake 12 minutes. Turn potatoes over with large spatula. Continue baking 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.

Makes 6 servings, about 2/3 cup each.


Nilla Apple Crisp (Kraft Food and Family Magazine) I made this today. It looks and smells great!

Prep time: 20 minutes Total: 55 minutes

8 c. thinly slicked peeled Granny Smith apples (about 4 large)
1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar, divided
2 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided
1/3 c. old-fashioned or quick cooking oats
1/4 c. cold margarine
25 Nilla Wafers, crushed (about 1 cup crumbs)
1 1/2 c. thawed Cool Whip

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss apples with 1/4 c. of the brown sugar and 1 tsp. of teh cinnamon. Spoon into 8 or 9 inch square baking dish.

Combine oats, the remaining 1/4 c. brown sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon in medium bowl. Cut in margarine with pastry blender or two knives, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add wafer crums; mix well. Spread crumb mixture evenly over apples.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or unitl apples are tender. Serve warm or cooled. Top with whipped topping.

Makes 12 servings, 1/2 cup each.


Enjoy! Whew, that was a lot of typing!

Valentine's Day

Travis called me on his way home from work yesterday afternoon and said that he had to make a couple stops before he would be home, but he wouldn't say where he had to go. Ended up, he got me 6 red roses then he had me put hersey kisses that he got for me in the refrigerator and in there were 6 more roses. The white rose in the picture is a silk rose because the card says that he will love me until the last flower dies, which of course it won't. That was just the sweetest thing. I was telling him later that when I first read the card I didn't see the silk flower, so I was thinking, "Okay, he is going to love me for about a week?" Ha ha. I guess it was just one of my "brunette" moments. The flowers are just beautiful. He did such a good job for me. Thank you Travis honey. I love you! Later that evening, I made a new Lasagna recipe. It turned out really good, alittle rich with the cheese, but it was good. Today if I get time before Travis gets home I am going to make Nilla Apple Crisp made with Nilla Wafers. I love apple crisp so it should be really good.

Yesterday my new friend Angie came over in the afternoon. It was really good having someone to talk to and spend time with. She is a really nice person and someone I think I can be really good friends with. Saturday night we are all going to a murder-mystery dinner theatre, so I'm really exicted about that.

Happy Day of Love!

Trisha = Martha Stewart?

Since now I have more time on my hands, but it's not official yet, I have been working around the house cleaning like crazy and actually cooking! I was leafing through my new Gooseberry Patch Easy Casserole cookbook yesterday morning and picked out a few dishes to make, made my grocery list and headed out to the store. I seriously think people at the store thought I was a crazy woman. I was buying weird things (for me) like onion soup mix and had no clue where it was, so I was back and forth through the store's isles. I felt like such an idiot, but hey, I'm not a pro or anything. So, anyways, last night I made Apple Stuffed Pork Chops and Unfried French Fries (I know that doesn't really make sense, it's just what it's called). Here's a picture for you :-)

Since I'm not a big "pork chop person" I didn't really like them, but Travis did. The fries were awesome though. He loved them too. And I think that after last night the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. He was really impressed with dinner and I got lots of hugs and kisses :-) Yeah! Tonight I'm making Lasagna. Yummy!

Please Use Caution!

Hey everyone! I just wanted to let everyone know, if you didn't already, that a big snow is coming this afternoon into tomorrow morning. So if you have to be out and about be super careful! I would hate to have to see your name on a squad run sheet!

It has been super cold! Travis and I have completely decided that we are investing in a furnace and running duct work for next winter, especially since the temperature in our living room was a whopping 48 degrees this morning. Yes, that is with our wonderful baseboard heating that was recommended we purchase. To anybody that is thinking about getting this type of heat, don't bother. And according to AEP it is the most expensive form of heating. Well, you live and learn. It just sucks to be a naive homeowner, and too cold!

I'm Proud of Travis

Let me start off my saying how proud of Travis I am. He finally took the step and called his real dad for the first time. I think that overall he feels better now that the initial conversation has taken place. I heard Travis actually laughing alittle while he was talking to him. He is still really nervous about how things will work out. I know how much he wants to be able to have him in his life, so I'm hoping things work out the way Travis is wanting them to. I am really excited for him though. Steve (his dad) asked Travis to tell him all about me, and it was so sweet, Travis said, "She is just awesome." and proceeded to tell him that I'm a good cook and that I work, etc. It was just nice to hear him say that. Steve also was very anxious to answer all of Travis' questions, which I think was great. Travis said he couldn't think of what all he wanted to ask so Steve told him to just sit down and write him a letter and he would do his best to answer all of his questions. In my opinion, he didn't have to do that, he could've just been secretive about it and let it go, but I'm really glad that he wants to help Travis understand.

On a sadder note, Travis lost a grandmother over the weekend. It was his step-dad's mother. I had met her one time right after we got married. She seemed like a really nice lady. And from what I've heard she really liked football.

The weekend was the kind where we'd make plans then change them. I just decided it was too cold to venture out too much. Really, it was too cold to do much inside our house too. It was freezing cold in there. On Sunday, we went to the Parkersburg mall with plans on going to the bookstore. There is no bookstore there anymore! Just our luck. With the weekend being screwed up, I'm hoping that my week goes better. So far, it's not though. I should've just stayed in bed this morning :-)

TGIF

Finally...it's Friday! I think that this was the week for meeting new people. First on Sunday we met Travis' sister, Amy and her family. Then on Wednesday we met Joe and Angie. I have been talking to Angie for quite awhile on myspace and we read each other's blogs so it was good to finally put a face to my online friend. We met at Bob Evans and talked for almost two hours. I think that after the initial awkwardness that we really hit it off. They are both really nice people and so much fun to hang out with. So hopefully Travis and I have some new friends.

Things with Amy and her family are going really well. Travis is still working up the courage to call his real dad though. I understand, the best I can, why he's having a hard time just dialing his number. I have been trying to give him suggestions of things to talk about, but it's hard when we know nothing about him or his personality. I will just be glad when it's over with so then we can move on. I just hope that Travis finds the answers he needs to understand. I couldn't imagine not knowing my father. I have to keep reminding myself that I am very lucky to have my dad and to know who he is. It seems like such a given point to have your mom and dad, but not all people have that. So I am thankful for mine.

Hope everyone enjoys the snow!

It's been a crazy weekend...in a good way.

I put in a hard work week with my recovery and all. But now I'm doing just fine. I'm pretty much back to normal, if there is such a thing. Friday night Travis and I met up with his friend Joseph and his wife Mikka at Bob Evans in Gallipolis for dinner. I decided to try their chicken tenders with honey mustard sauce. It was really good! After we ate we went bowling. It was so much fun! I love bowling. And I even beat Travis one game with a score of 139! I think that's my all time highest score. I am proud of myself for that ha ha.

Saturday we went with Jason and Kassie to eat at Chili's by the mall in Huntington. I have never ate there before, but I'm glad I let Kassie talk me into going there. The food was awesome! For the appetizer Kassie ordered Queso dip and chips, and I ordered Fried Chesse, which is just cheese sticks. I had never tried Queso before but I love it! Travis of course wouldn't try it. But I recommend that anyone try it. It's something that would be good to serve at a party also. Kassie gave me a copy of her recipe, I'm going to try it. But we had a great time there with them. Emily cracked me up. Kassie was feeding her different things from her plate, some of which Emily didn't like. I loved the "eww gross mom" look on her face as she was spitting it out. And she was very entertaining showing us her new dance moves to the music playing. I love her, she is great!

Sunday was a big day for us. We met Amy, Travis' sister for the first time. It's a long story. But she is just great. Her and Travis definately resemble each other. Travis also got to see pictures of his dad for the first time. All he can say is "it's just weird." Which it is really. He looks so much like a man he has never met. It's amazing. It's also really weird for me because now I can sort of see what Travis will look like when he's older. I really treasure the pictures that Amy brought with her though. She let us copy some of their grandparents and great-grandparents. And that's something that we can pass on to our future children. Amy and her family is really great. Her girls are precious. They are 4 and 5 years old, and really funny. I'm hoping to be able to spend alot of time with them. I think we are planning on going down to visit them the weekend after this one. Here is a picture of all of us...

Here is Travis and Amy together...they are sitting the same exact way even! It's so cute!

I shouldn't expect anything

Today, being my first day back to work, I was thinking that maybe someone, anyone, would say, "Hey, how are you feeling?" or just simply, "Hi, Trish." for that matter. But I shouldn't have expected anyone to be so gracious. Sometimes I have to laugh at how rude people are, but it really is a sad thing that they were not taught any manners. I guess in a way I am just as much to blame though because I tend to keep to myself. I know this is going to sound so simple, but come to find out it causes me so many problems. I get nervous around people, that comes across to them that I am not very friendly, so therefore they don't like me. Hmmm. I guess that makes sense. But that's not me. I'm not the hateful type, or the unfriendly type. This may be someone's first impression of me, but it should never be a lasting one. And I guess it's my fault that I let people perceive me in that way. I think I missed the class on people skills when I was little or something. At least now I know what it is. Now that it's out in the open maybe I can't go back and fix people's opinion (some I don't care to) but I can start off better with new people.

My mom sent me an email last night of a web page that she wanted me to read an article on about keeping friends close. Well, she didn't say which article to click on so I clicked on the main one and I'm really glad that I did. It was about forgiving people, something that I have a really hard time doing. I don't know about everyone, but I have always had this preconceived notion that forgiving people meant that everything had to go back to the way it was before or that it was telling that person that what they did was ok. They talk about it so much in church, how you have to forgive to be forgiven by God. But the difference is that people tell God they are sorry and ask for forgiveness. I don't always have my phone ringing off the hook with people saying they are sorry. In fact, in most cases I have, the person won't even admit they have done anything wrong. I am probably guilty of that too. But when I am wrong I do my best to admit it and apologize. It's really hard to admit your own mistakes to others. Anyways, my back to the article. It helped me out alot to understand that isn't what forgiving someone has to be. Forgiveness is about letting go of the problem for yourself, not necessarily for them. And it's about not letting it rule your life anymore. I just thought I'd share that, maybe it will help someone else.

It Finally Happened

We actually got about 2 1/2 inches of snow here yesterday. Travis wanted to go out and make a snowman, but I just wasn't feeling like it. But I'm really excited that we finally got some this winter. I have been wondering if it was ever going to snow!

I have been feeling better and better everyday. Today I haven't really been in any pain, thank goodness. I still have menacing swelling on that side of my face but I'm hoping that goes away soon. This past weekend I mostly just lounged around to take it easy. Friday night Jason, Kassie, and Emily came to visit us. Then the rest of the weekend we both spent on the computer talking to Travis' sister Amy.

I was lucky enough to get today off work. I guess it's the perks of getting to work only 3 days a week. They are really good about letting me come in when I want, just so I'm there my 3 days. So this week I am going to work Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. Thursday I have to go back to the dentist to have my stitches taken out. So I guess that today is my last "recovery" day before I go back to my usual life. Other than having to have surgery to get it so easy, I did enjoy being taken care of. Travis cooked for me all weekend, it was so great.

Happy Monday!

Update

I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm doing ok. I am so glad to have my surgery over with! Even in the face of fear I crack myself up. As I was laying in the dentist's chair with an EKG hooked up to me and an oxygen mask over my face the doctor starts to do the IV to sedate me. Then out of nowhere I ask, with the doctor and four nurses in the room, "Do you think I'll be ok?" They all laughed and said, "Yeah, we've done this before." And I said, "Ok, I trust you." I am such a dork, but hey, I was scared. So there's a good laugh for you all today.

Things so far are going alot better than the last time I had this surgery. I am in some pain, but nothing unmanageable. Hopefully I'll be able to go back to work next week and be back to normal. Thank you to everyone who has kept me in their thoughts the past few days. It really means more than you know.

It's Freezing Outside!

I am so cold! I didn't want to get out of bed at all this morning because I had 2 heaters going and I was under 2 covers and I knew as soon as I got up I would freeze. And I was right. It was only 14 friggin degrees this morning!!! I think this has been the coldest day so far this winter. Burrr! I can't wait to get home from work and cuddle with Travis and Bella tonight.

Trav and I have been talking to his sister Amy. She is really nice. We both like her alot. Hopefully we can meet her and her family in person soon. It's weird how much she resembles Travis and his brothers. I told Travis that I was jealous, he got a new sister and already has 2 brothers and I don't have any! That just isn't right!

So tomorrow is my "big day" and I'm starting to get really nervous about it. I keep remembering when I had the other side done how when they started putting me under I started to panic because I felt like I couldn't breathe. Ewww I don't want to panic and be nervous! I just wish it was over with already! And thanks to Angie and Anna for wishing me the best tomorrow.

A lot Going On

There has been alot going on in our household lately. Some good and some we're not so sure about, but we're going with it. Yesterday we went down and visited Jason, Travis's brother, his wife Kassie, and my neice Emily. She is so awesome. I love spending time with her. She is talking now, and dancing lol. When a song comes on tv she dances to it. It's adorable. She seems to like being around me and Travis which is a plus. I've never really been good around kids, but I'm good with her. She makes it easy. Here is a picture of us from yesterday.

I also got a surprise phone call yesterday from an old friend who I didn't figure I'd be talking to again. Her name is Christy. We were neighbors when we lived in Apple Grove and became best friends immediately. We had a disagreement and had stopped talking for a few months. I was really surprised when she called me last night and wanted to work things out. We talked on the phone for over an hour and I think we came to an understanding, so I'm just going to see how things play out. Let's just say I'm giving it a chance. I am glad she called me though. I really miss her and her girls.

Friday night Travis took me to Applebee's in Athens. The food was amazing! I had the chicken fingers platter and bread pudding for dessert. I have never tried the bread pudding before, but it was sooo good! It tasted just like a funnel cake. Yummy! I had him take me out to a good resturant because this Thursday I'm having surgery to get my wisdom teeth out, so I won't be eating so good for a week or so.

It's a complicated story, but a few months ago Travis found out that he has a sister. We haven't met her yet but we have a picture of her and have started talking to her. It's kinda cool getting another sister in law. But I'm hoping that everything goes ok.

Tuesday when I got in my car to go to work, it wouldn't start. I'm thinking, "Great, just what I need." Then I look down and I had left my satellite radio on all night. That'll do it. So after hitching a ride with my mom to work, I tell Travis about what happened and he jumps it that evening. When Wednesday rolls around, still won't start. Crap! So I spent my evening last night mostly with my mom while dad and Travis hooked up my battery to a charger. So the good news is that my car started today. But, I have no place to go. That's kinda funny.

I'm working today. I've been really busy. This time of the year we have to close and reopen our financial books, a redundant, useless waste of time. So I've been sorting through bills that need paid and doing archive searches for attorney's requesting medical records. Great fun! Well, the only good part is that I just got my notary and I get to use my handy dandy crimper to validate our copies.

I have been doing really well with my depression the past few days. I'm trying a new mindset. Once I get a bad thought in my head, I try to think of all the good things I have going in my life. This year I want to be a great one. I want to make new friends, work on the friendships I already have to make them better, work on fixing my house up how I want it, and I want to work on my family history more so that I can joing the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), and I will be joining Eastern Star (the women's version of being a Mason) this March, oh, and I want to do a bunch of scrapbooking too. See, I have alot going for myself. Travis has been a huge help to me during my bad times too. He is really understanding, more so than I probably would be in his situation.

My Aunt Dorothy keeps sending me e-mails about joining Netflix. So I finally took the plunge. For signing up I got a two week free trial, then I chose the plan that is $9.99/month where you get unlimited rentals that month, but you only get one movie at a time, which is good enough for me. There are some plans where you can get up to 4 movies at a time for those who watch a ton of movies. I don't have that much time. It's really cool because I can go on their website and add the movies I want to my queue and they send me movies in the order I pick. And they have new releases as well as the old titles and the new tv series', etc. I've only gotten one movie so far, Superman Returns. It was a really good movie. Alot like the old Superman movies, but updated in a way.

That's about all for now. Have a great day!

I have actually been feeling alittle better the past few days. Thanks to Angie and Anna for being encouraging. Believe it or not but not everybody has been. My FIL says "I'm more sensitive than most people." and treats me like I'm a mental case. And my MIL says "You shouldn't take any medicine for that, those doctors will prescribe anything." As you know we aren't getting along right now with them. But I have been doing so much better with that. And this is helping me deal with those bad feelings too. It's just that every time I get a thought about them in my head, everything bad comes back up. And now the latest thought is how they couldn't even call us at Christmas or New Years. Not even a Christmas card! Nothing! But I'm trying not to let them rule my life anymore. Trying. I feel like I would be ok with it if I just knew why they dislike me so much. But like Travis says, I'll never know. I'm really not a bad person, but they make me feel like I'm not good enough for their son. And I hate it because at my worst, I question if I'm good enough for him too. I don't know why they are complaining about me though. I am really good to him, I love him so much, he is warm, has clean clothes, he doesn't go hungry, and he has a nice place to live. I just don't get it. Travis and I have been talking about having a baby, and all I can think about is how his mom will wish the happiest time for us never happened.

Anyways...Travis played guitar all day yesterday with his brother, Jason, and his cousin, Josh. I think they recorded a few songs, but I haven't heard them yet. It was so sweet, he brought me food from Taco Bell when he got home. After that we stayed up and watched a few episodes of Grey's Anatomy season 1. We have 2 or 3 more episodes to watch for this season. I love that show. Ugly Betty is another one of my favorites. Well, I hope everyone has a great day!

I decided to clean my house today. I have been so busy with the holidays and work that my house took last place on my agenda. Travis got me Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook (I know it's alittle cheesy) that I had asked for for Christmas so I decided to try out some of her suggestions. Let me just say it's amazing! Where Travis works in manufacturing, he comes home filthy and it all comes out in the bathtub. So after consulting with Martha lol it is now white as can be. I just used inexpensive white vinegar mixed with water and the grunge came right off! Next I did the job I dread doing most, cleaned the toilet. I used plain bleach and it looks like new and smells not so public anymore lol. Believe it or not, I have not completely unpacked boxes from our move here, I know, I'm embarrassed. So now I have everything unpacked for the bathroom. And I also put all my books on shelves, straighted out the front room closet, got our coats hung up that had been collecting on our couch, and also got our bedroom straighted up.

Since I have been so busy so far today I decided to relax and watch a movie, but here I am. I was only going to get online to look on Ebay, but I ended up here instead. Anyways, have a great day!

Hopefully this year will mean a new start. As most of you don't know, I've struggled with depression for a long time, more so lately. Not that it matters so much telling people about it, I just keep it to myself for some reason. As I've said lately I've had a harder time than normal, that's why I haven't been posting much...I don't want people to have to read depressing crap. I am just figuring maybe getting my feelings out will help me deal. A couple of my friends have done a 2006 year in review and as I was thinking what my review would look like it wasn't very pretty.
January-Started a new job at St. Mary's ER doing patient registration...it freaked me out being in Huntington, a big town to me and also seeing people come in that had overdosed, got stabbed or shot, trauma patients that were missing body parts, and people who died really got to me.
February- Moved away from home for the first time to Apple Grove, WV, Travis' hometown, so that I could be closer to work, and be closer to his family.
March- Left my job at St. Mary's because I couldn't handle all of what I said before. And moving closer to Trav's family proved to be a big mistake.
April-May-June- were all pretty much the same. I did the housewife routine, cooked and cleaned. And I feel deeper into depression because of a problem between Travis' parents and us.
July-We bought our first house and moved back home to Syracuse. This was the high point of my year, but I still couldn't shake the bad feelings that I was having.
August-Tried to stay busy working on the house.
September- Lost a really good friendship because I found out she was abusing prescription medicine and after trying to help her quit she did it anyways. Also started a new part time job at EMS.
October-November- Once again had a difficult time. My mom was having a hard time at work and it was really hard to see the way she was being treated. Also started talking to my friend Anna again.
December- Tried to let things go as much as possible for the sake of the holidays without success. It just seems that everything is still here nagging at me.
Sorry for the nature of this post. I just never have anything good to post so usually I don't say anything at all.

Just a quick note...I hope that everyone had a great Christmas. I did! I recieved such wonderful gifts and was able to spend the holiday with my family. I couldn't have asked for more!

Ok, nothing against my fellow bloggers on my list, but I really wish that someone else would make a friggin blog so I could have something else interesting to read! It really isn't hard to do. It's actually fun. So just do it already!

That is my thought for the day. :-)

Christmas Time

Christmas time is my very favorite time of the year. I love the tree, the smell of cookies baking in the oven, and the look on a surprised face Christmas morning. This is mine and Travis' first Christmas in our house so I'm trying to make it a memorable one. The other night we made Christmas cookies together and took pictures. (I'll post some later, they are on my computer at home.) And our tree is decorated perfectly with presents underneath wrapped just so with homemade bows. We have both been busy buying gifts for everyone on our list. And busy watching Christmas movies like Elf and A Christmas Story. Ralphie and Randy really crack me up. Now, I'm hoping to see National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, then it will really seem like Christmas. Isn't it funny how certain things can make or break the Holiday Spirit?

I hope that Travis will like what I got him this year. Don't worry Trav, I'm not saying what I got you because...Oh, I didn't tell you? I must not have wanted you to know! So there!

A Hard Week

It's been a hard week! I worked extra hours to make up for being off next week for Thanksgiving. I'm sooo glad it's Friday. And as a bonus, a new episode of Grey's Anatomy is on tonight. I love that show. Trav and I bought the Season 2 DVD set a couple weeks ago and watched it pretty much every spare minute we had. And that's saying alot that he even watched it. He doesn't like "that kinda show" that often, but now he's hooked.

I have been on a spending spree lately. I'm addicted to buying scrapbooking supplies. I keep getting a bunch of ideas, so I go buy the materials, but so far have been pretty much unsuccesful in actually making anything. Figures.

Travis hurt his ankle yesterday chasing Abagail outside. I feel so bad for him. It is swollen pretty bad but he refuses to go to the hospital. So I am going to be spending my weekend taking care of him and trying to keep him off his foot as much as possible. And maybe sneak in some scrapbooking too Mawwhahahaha!

Have a great weekend! And...

Happy Birthday to Anna tomorrow!!!

I just need to vent...

People. They really, really suck. A lot. Yea, I've had a really bad last couple of days. To start my rant, I think that most businesses that I deal with think that I got a big Christmas Club check or some kind of a bonus because I keep getting these stupid bills all at once. So, just to set the record straight, I don't have money to throw away!

Next, are people's attitudes and manners. I read on some one's avitar, "I don't need your attitude. I have my own." That should be my new motto. Like, I said before, people suck. Here lately it seems that some people have a big problem with me. I get rude attitudes, nice little messes of shredded paper that look like a freakin bird's nest in front of my desk at work, old friends that when I see act like they are better than I am and cannot even find it within themselves to speak to me, family members who are always right and I am always wrong, family members who only talk to start trouble with other people's marriages, when eating breakfast it is interrupted by someone needing something trivial that absolutely cannot wait, people who watch me do things only to try to get me in trouble, people who watch the clock to see if I'm late, people who threaten my family(this person is the epitome of worthless, lazy, self-serving, disgusting to the point that I want to throw up every time I see them, manipulative troublemaker). As of right now, I do not care about people like that anymore. I am not going to let it bother me because these people are too stupid to let it bother them. Really, it is sad. I hope that people like this will at some point in their lives be able to learn what it is to be a considerate, well mannered, decent human being.

So, to all those people that have a problem with me. It is exactly that. YOUR PROBLEM. Have a great time with it. Maybe take it out to dinner or something.

Until next time. To all my friends that read this, thanks for being a friend.

A Salute To My Veteran

Happy Veteran's Day everyone. Today is all about remembering and saying thank you to all veterans who made the sacrifice to serve and protect our country. I want to say thank you to my husband, Travis. Even though it was the hardest thing to do having to leave everyone and everything you love behind for a year I respect you for going. Even though I hated every second away from you since you are my husband and my best friend, I'm glad you answered the call bravely. Thank you for defending my freedom in Iraq, Travis. I love you more than you'll ever know.

Who's Standards?

When my friend Anna was over on Sunday we were talking about someone's blog who wrote about how we set our own standards to match everyone else's or only to make other people happy. I never really thought that much about it, but it is so true. I want to lose weight. Why? Cause everyone's standard is skinny? The right reason would be for myself, for health reasons. But that's not why, and I doubt it's that way for most people who want to lose weight. The reason is probably more like being able to fit in our society, to be attractive for someone, or to be like someone else who you want to be like.

One problem that I personally have really struggled with is, do I work, or do I stay at home and take care of my family? There is definitely a double standard for this one. When you work, you are looked at by stay at home wife's and mothers like you are horrible for leaving your husband and children to work. Or when they are at your house, you are a bad wife/mother because you have dirty laundry that hasn't been washed yet, or dirty dishes in the sink, or your carpet needs vacuumed. There is always something that makes me feel like I don't measure up to that standard when I work. On the other hand, when I don't have a job, I feel like a lazy loser. I can't even have a job and help support my family. I'm just at home doing nothing (even though I am doing the cleaning/cooking routine) watching tv, having someone else support me. Then I start feeling bad because my husband has to get up early and work so hard everyday, and here I am. Then, there's always that person you haven't seen for a long time who inevitably asks, "What are you doing for a living now?" and I have to say, nothing. And I get a look of pity and they just say, "Oh." like its a bad thing. Once again, there is always something that makes me feel like I don't measure up to that standard when I'm at home.

My point is, this is a really good thing to think about. Who's standards are you trying to live up to? It really puts things into perspective.

A Boring Thursday

Well, really it was a boring Wednesday too. I had the day off and ended up sleeping most of the day. I hate feeling tired all the time. But today was really boring too. I had to go into work for half a day for a safety training class to listen to people go on and on about infectious diseases, and emergency preparedness. It was great (sarcasm).

In my off time I have been working on scrapbooking. I have another page to post on here if I can ever get a picture of it taken. Also my mom and I are making scrapbooks of my childhood pictures. It's really nice to be able to spend quality time like that with her. I'm really close with both my parents. Most people don't understand it, and I feel like they make fun of me for being a momma's or daddy's girl, but I don't look at it that way. I'm glad that I am able to be close with them while they are still here with me. I would hate to regret not having a good relationship with them. I have too many other regrets to want another one, but that's a whole other subject that no one has time for lol.

Hope everyone has a Happy Friday!