Oh Wednesday

This week has been alarmingly quiet at work. I love to have a "slow" day every now and then, but this is getting scary. When people aren't reporting violations and there aren't issues being raised, it normally isn't because things are perfect. Normally, the silence is indicative of a problem. So, for now, we wait for the other shoe to drop. Yikes!

I imagine that today will be pretty quiet for me, therefore, I am ready to go home now and I've just been working an hour! I must say, I am ready to go "home" for Thanksgiving. Joe and Brinkley are going to swing through downtown to pick me up and go to my parents' house around 2:30. My parents pull off a fabulous Thanksgiving feast, and they make it look easy!
But, before I can even think about Turkey Day, I have to make it through today...I have a hair appointment tonight. I'm dying to do something totally different and new with my hair, but everytime I think about it, I remember how much I love a pony tail. I'm stuck between wanting to be daring and sticking with the familiar. I go through this every time I get my hair cut, one of these days I'll be daring, but I don't think today is the day...

In other news, today starts the one week countdown to Cleveland. Transparency moment: On the inside I want to pitch a fit, throw a tantrum, and loudly proclaim that I am not going. On the outside, I'm holding it together for my sweet husband's sake.

Date-a-versary

Several weeks ago, Joe and I made plans to celebrate the anniversary of our first date. We were both off work that day and planned to cram as much as we possibly could into one day! Since this weekend is Thanksgiving and we will be with my family, and then next week we are flying to Cleveland, we knew it would be much needed time together.
Friday morning I had an early doctor's appointment that ended up taking a lot longer than I thought. Long story short, I've been ordered to do an ultrasound and blood work because the Dr. thinks my liver is enlarged. Unfortunately, she didn't talk to me about it and when I asked questions they were cast aside and I was told to wait until the results were in. Um, thanks...next up, new doctor. So, like any tech savvy gal, I came home and Web Md'd "enlarged liver." I got a list of causes like, hepatitis A, B, or C, Leukemia, Mono, and Fatty Liver. None of those things sound great (I know there is no way that I have hep of ANY kind, so that is a no brainer), but if I had to pick one, I'd pick Fatty Liver. That seems the least of the evils. But, to diagnose that, they have to do a biopsy of the liver. Bottom line, if this lady is right, this is not going to be a fun adventure. I got my blood work done yesterday, but can't get the ultrasound until Dec. 7th. Lucky for me I have a LOT of time to worry and stress! Ha!

Needless to say, this put a damper on the whole stress free date day. But, we tried to have a good day anyway. Last year, we painted a Christmas plate and decided to make it a tradition. We went over to Painted Potter and painted our 2nd annual Christmas plate. I THINK this one will turn out much better than last year's plate. After the Painted Potter, we headed out and did some window shopping followed by dinner at Perry's Italian Grille. Dinner was amazingly good! I had the chopped salad, veal marsala, and we split a dessert. We ate dinner pretty early so we could get home and decorate the tree and watch Elf. I was passed out no later than 9:00! It was a good day, but we certainly didn't get everything done that we aspired to do~ funny how that happens!

This week Joe is working nights. We're pulling our things together to spend a couple of days with my parents. We'll get home Saturday morning to clean, do laundry, and start packing again for our trip to Cleveland next Wed. Originally snow was forecast for Wed and Thursday, now that has changed. There went my one shred of hope for this trip!

Coming to a Close

When I was in school, I remember adults making comments about how quickly time passed. Every time I heard that I thought, "yeah, right..whatever...I wish time would pass quickly for me." It seemed like time crawled at a snail's pace. I was always so anxious to get to that next holiday or school break, the next grade, out of high school, out of college...you get the picture. And, here I sit as a 20 something (closer to 30 than I would ever admit), in an office building in downtown Houston, looking at my calendar and wondering where 2009 went. Now, I know we still have several weeks left in the year, but I just keep having to remind myself that it is mid November and Thanksgiving is next week. Here is where all of this is coming from...
For the past two years, I have saved as much vacation time as I can for the Christmas season. Having a husband who has to work on holidays means that if I want to see him at all, I need to be able to take off work. So, I have 6 days left. 6 days isn't a huge amount, but nothing to frown at either. Take into consideration that I already get every other Friday off, so plugging in 6 additional days was tricky (if you have more than 2 days off in a week, you lose your flex day or have to take a vacation day, so I had to play with the calendar quite a bit so as not to lose those Fridays off)! It has been a GREAT problem to have! Last week was my last 5 day work week of the year. YAY! This week is my last 4 day work week of the year. From here on out, thanks to holidays, flex days, and vacation days, I have 3 day work weeks from now until January. Tomorrow morning we have a meeting across town from 9-11 (there goes half of my day) and Thursday I will be out on a ride along in one of our Roll-Off trucks (there goes another day out of the office). It is amazing to me as I look toward December that this year is coming to a close! I know I am going to LOVE LOVE LOVE my time out of the office, but I also know that the work doesn't stop just because I'm out. Things have been fairly quiet for me and I sure hope they stay that way!

Also, I've so enjoyed reading Facebook statuses about those things everyone is thankful for. I need to start doing that today. I had a sweet moment this morning when I thought of something (maybe silly to some) that I am thankful for. Each morning when I get up at O God, O'Clock, I stumble in the darkness toward the bathroom and start the morning routine while Joe and Brinkley sleep away. When I emerge from the bathroom, showered and ready to dry my hair (which I do in the recliner in the living room! ha) I am greeted by a thumping sound...every morning like clock work. Thump, Thump, thump (slow) and as I walk toward the sound it gets faster. That thumping is one of my favorite parts to the day. It is the sound of the tail of my "happy to see me first thing in the morning" lazy hound dog. This starts our morning routine. In a span of 3 minutes he drinks 80 gallons of water, eats breakfast, takes a bio break and is curled up in his living room bed listening to the morning news. As I was drying my hair, checking emails, and watching the news this morning, I caught a glimpse of the beag snoozing away (a sight I see ALL THE TIME) and I was so thankful for him. I know it seems silly to feel that way about a dog (and to blog about it no less)! But, this little guy brings so much fun to our lives. And, talk about faithful...wow! He LOVES us. He WAITS for us, he CRIES for us and is so happy to see us when we get home you think his heart will explode. And then, after a sweet reunion he acts like he doesn't need us...aloof and independent. I have this morning routine with the dog that stole my heart and made me "that girl that blogs about her dog" and I am so thankful to have such a faithful friend greet me each morning when no one else wants to be up!

Off the Wagon

Well, I completely fell off of the NaBloPoMo wagon last week. I'm a bit disappointed, but I'll get over it. Last Monday I left work and called Joe with a "to-do" list a mile long- all the things I wanted to do when I got home that night. I got on the bus and was totally wired about decorating for Christmas and ended up completely wiped out by the time I got off the bus. Somewhere, in the midst of all the sickness going around, I contracted a virus. I had blisters in my throat and everything. I worked a full week last week, so I was EXHAUSTED each evening when I came home.
Friday night we had a Sunday School class party. Joe worked until 7:00, so I went to the party for a couple of hours and then picked up Wendy's on the way home. We sat and watched Grey's on TiVo and had dinner together. It was nice and quiet and totally needed!
A couple of months ago, I made plans to go to the Nutcracker Market. Every year something pops up and I can't go. Stuff popped up this year, but I made a commitment to other people to go, so I kept my plans. I had a blast. I will definitely go back next year! Hopefully Joe will be off work to go with me!
Sunday was pretty busy. I went to church, took lunch to Joe and his co-worker, went to HEB (with about a billion other people), and got ready to teach the Youth Bible Study last night. I really struggle with curriculum for teens. Everything I see seems sooo cheesy. The topics are good, but do I really think junior and seniors in high school are going to find it interesting to do a word search on neon paper with splatter paint on it? My first thought was that the curriculum must be from the 90s. Nope! 2007! CRAZY! I feel like someone (or several someones) are missing the point. High School (and Jr. High) is not what it used to be, and yet we can't seem to keep up with the things they are faced with.
In other news, Joe spoke with his parents last night. Two weeks ago, there was a huge blow up. Short version: Joe's mom lied to her oldest son Ben. To make her point, she threw me under the bus in the process. Then, we talked with Ben, tried to straighten out what did and did not happen then Joe talked to his mom. In order to cover herself she lied to Joe too. And, let me just be clear that these were not "small" lies--these are life impacting, pit son against son, family against family lies and manipulation. Of course, as luck would have it, we were scheduled to go see them the week after Thanksgiving. Initially, we decided we would not go. But, I decided to go. I hate seeing my husband torn over her horrible behavior toward me, him, and the rest of the family. So, I'm sucking it up and going. We spent almost 2 weeks seeking advice and counsel, and pretty much no one thought we should go on this trip. I'm pretty sure it will not be pleasant, but in the name of moving forward (regardless of what that looks like) we need to go. Please pray that I can exhude patience and have peace. I am walking into the lion's den, that much I know. I also know that her behavior won't change and that we can only take so much of her...its a good thing she lives far away! Also, I'm hoping for snow while we are there. If it snows, then I will be outside playing like a kid and won't have time to worry with her!

Feliz Navidad y el Biggest Loser

Tonight we are starting one of several nights of decorating for Christmas. I love this time of year, I just wish that it was the weekend and we had the entire day instead of spending a few hours several nights in a row on this. Normally I would be all over playing Christmas music for the festivities, but I have this small addiction to the Biggest Loser...so we will watch people work out and get skinny while we play with the twinkle lights. Merry Christmas!

ReRuns...

I had tons of energy when I left work today! I was totally pumped to get home and start decorating for Christmas with Joe. I've been looking forward to it all day. While I was on the bus, my throat starting hurting and my energy level just bottomed out. So, we have a change of plans...quiet night watching all our shows on TiVo. I have a hunch I'll be asleep no later than 8:00. I'm excited about that!

Christmas Wreath 101

I saw this super cute idea for this wreath. I liked that it is so different from a traditional Christmas wreath. Overall, this was really easy, but I did figure out some things I will do differently on the next one. I think this same idea would be cute for an Easter decoration, or to put on the door to a baby/child's room.

With the white ribbon and white dots, the camera was having a hard time focusing. But, these give a general idea.

Eating, Shopping, Football and More Food...

That pretty much sums up my day! I woke up early this morning, got dressed and made the trek across town to spend some time with my Dad. Mom is out of town this weekend, and Joe is working nights (sleeping during the day). I figured Dad and I would both be pretty bored today, so we might as well get together and be less bored. We started the morning off with breakfast then hit the Woodlands for some Christmas shopping. About 2:30, we had done all the damage we needed to do, so we went home to watch some football. I have to admit that I "watched" football while horizontal on the couch with a pillow and a blanket and I'm pretty sure my eyes were closed most of the time. It is my favorite way to watch the games that I don't care an awful lot about. After some games, we went to get some dinner and ended the day with a trip to Target. It was a great day. I love those rare chances when I get to spend time with just my Dad.

Rant from an Army Brat

There are many things that go on in the news that really bother and concern me, but because of all the hype, I refrain from comment. This week, I don't think I can do that. In the last month, I have been crticized for being an "army brat" and for growing up in a home that ran strictly on military precision. Now, Army Brat is a term I will proudly use to describe myself because to me, that means one thing. However, when a woman who repeatedly belittles and criticizes me calls me an Army Brat, it doesn't set too well. So, the concept of being an "Army Brat" is something that I have been thinking about a lot lately. Yesterday, while on the bus home from work, I was checking out the news on my Blackberry and saw the news about the happenings at Ft. Hood. I was shocked and have not been able to stop watching the news about the shootings. You see, this "Army Brat" has a tremendous pride in growing up in a military household and the life I lived while my Dad served this country. I have nothing but respect for our troops and their families, and am deeply saddened by this whole episode. To me, part of being an "Army Brat" is standing by and supporting your military family. I can not even begin to fathom how these families are coping and dealing with this knowing that it was an inside job. My thoughts and prayers are with these families and the leaders of the Armed Forces. While I will not say that growing up in a military household is harder than growing up in a non-military household (I think there are aspects that are more difficult, but there are some things that I believe are easier in a military home as well) I firmly believe there is a difference. I will always be grateful for the childhood I had and for the positive impact the military had on my family. My heartfelt thanks to all of those who have sacrificed time with their parents or spouses, the chance to stay in one place, and live a life of constant change so that I may feel safe and secure in my home.

8 Years and Counting

Happy Birthday Brinkley!

I know I've said it before, but I NEVER imagined I would be a sucker for a dog. Then, I met Brinkley and I was toast. We love this (not so) little guy! I can't believe that time has passed so quickly and he is just shy of a decade. Brinkley, we adore you! You bring us great joy! Can you really already be 8?

Wordless Wednesday-Trick or Treat Edition

Dazed and Confused

The past 36 hours have been incredibly emotionally difficult in our house (and in my office). And, apparently, in the midst of the frustration of the behavior of my MIL I believed Monday was Tuesday. So, when I logged in to blog last night, I thought that I had blogged yesterday since the title of Monday's post was Tuesday Twosday. So, four days in, I've missed my goal for NaBloPoMo! Oh well.
In other news...we launch a huge project at work today that will keep us insanely busy for several months. And, we don't tend to need help being busy so it will be an interesting end of the year.
Last night after I got home, Joe and I decided that we just needed to get out of the house and be away from emails, phone calls, etc...We went out to dinner last night, ran some errands, and walked around the mall. I love when school is in session, it makes running errands and shopping so much easier when there aren't people everywhere.
Tonight we are starting a several week Bible Study that we are sure will cause very helpful discussions in our house. We're looking forward to that. Stay tuned for Wordless Wednesday...then I'll be back on track!

Tuesday Twosday

Day two...I'm struggling. Today has been the day from you know where. My mother in law has hit an all time low. We're dealing with that on the phone as we speak. I had a great blog post planned that got interrupted by some "Your Mama Drama." Oye, the family I married in to.

Second Post In A Day!

Not that I forgot, but I didn't think to blog about this earlier. This was us two years ago today...
We were at Niagra Falls (on the Canadian side). Joe had just proposed right before we left the NY side of the falls. Nothing has been the same since!

NaBloPoMo

Over the past several days, I decided that I would participate in NaBloPoMo this year. My hope was that this would get me motivated to keep up with my blog. Sadly, I almost didn't enter anything tonight, if I hadn't "facebooked" about it, I wouldn't have done it. Hopefully it will be something I can keep up with.

I love Sundays (except that they are promptly followed by Mondays). After church today we had lunch with some friends and then went to the park. The weather was amazing, I could have stayed out all day! We headed back to the church for Bible Study and are home watching Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters. I like lazy and laid back Sundays, they are such a welcome start to a new week.

We had a great Halloween. I like Halloween more and more each year. I'll post pictures later this week...maybe for Wordless Wednesday?