Story Pyramid of ME

I was looking through various blogs the other day and saw one whose description mentioned that every life is a story waiting to be told.  Hmm...a story huh?

So the teacher in me came out in full force... I often used a Story Pyramid to help my older students remember a story we've read.

Here is the Story Pyramid of my life:

Nicole

caring, Christian

always near water

What's this life about?

Raised in very small town.

Married a friend from high school.

Masters Degree in Special Ed and Reading

Beautiful healthy baby girl, what more is needed?

That was kind of fun!  I think (if I ever teach older kids again that is) that I may have them do a story pyramid of their own life at some point in the year! :)

 **Putting this safely into my "teacher bag" to be pulled out if/when needed**

It was kind of hard to determine what to put in and what to leave out when you are limited on words and lines.  For instance...where do I put my running?  I decided that my running wasn't as important to me as the others so that's why I left it out...although it is important to me.  Decisions decisions!

What's your story about?  What would your pyramid look like?

We throw away things that people kill each other over...

A few days ago My husband and I watched "The Book of Eli."  In this movie, the world is a totally different place that where we live today.  The ozone layer is so thin that the sun will blind you if you are not wearing sunglasses, there is little to no water, people have very little, and education is not a priority.  The Bible and religion is lost. 

One of the quotes from the movie got me thinking.  Well, actually, many things made me think about my spiritual life, but this one in particular made me think about my physical life and the things I have or think I need.

A young girl was asking Eli what it was like before and he replied, "We threw away things that people kill each other over now."

It made me think about all the excess in my life.  What do I really need, what is just junk, wasting space, cluttering up my house/mind/soul?

One of the biggest recurring arguments that Hubby and I get into is over clutter and cleaning up.  I don't like clutter, he doesn't seem to see it.

After thinking about it for a while, I decided that we do have too much stuff.  Less stuff = less clutter = less arguing for Hubby and I = even happier Hubby and I.  Sounds logical, right?

So I am slowly going through the house and looking at everything we own and asking myself  "Do I really need it?  When is the last time I used it?  Do I have a plan to use it in the near future? Does it work? Do I have space for it"  All excess is being dealt with (donated/given away/recycled/ etc.). 

We've taken bags of clothes to the Salvation Army, a box of "decorative knick-knacks/junk" to a friend who was having a charity garage sale, and even emptied our pantry (are we REALLY ever going to eat this?  If not, it went to our church for the food pantry).

Ironically, one of the biggest excesses we have is...MOVIES!  We have an entire bookshelf filled with DVD's plus the two DVD cabinets that are on our entertainment center!  Now, most of these movies were bought, and watched, by the Hubster himself so I don't want to just go in and assume that he doesn't watch a movie enough to warrant keeping it...so I'm attempting to get Hubby to discern that for himself.  It's slow going! HAHA  I love him! :)

The movies that I have chosen to keep are: The Princess Bride (my all time favorite movie), Chronicles of Narnia, Chicago, all of the Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Twilight series, and of course my Audry Hepburn movies for a total of about 20 movies.  Yes, I know.... I don't NEED movies for my survival, but we aren't going that far (yet). 

So my question of the day is...What are your favorite movies that you couldn't part with?  If movies aren't your thing, then what TV shows, books, or whatever?

Clean up, clean up, everybody clean up...

As I sit here and look at my clutter, I wonder...what does everyone else do to control this?

In my defence...I'm not the messy one (hahahahaha).  But seriously, I have things that I do to control the clutter and mess that, believe it or not, will actually work - If you use them!

1. Do it right away!  If you've finished with the bowl, go ahead and rinse it out and put it in the dishwasher rather than just tossing it in the sink.  It only takes 2 seconds longer and keeps the sink clean.  Plus it's easier to do it in 2 seconds now than waste way more time later doing several dishes.  This works for everything.  Go ahead and put it where it belongs....now.
2. When you leave an area, take something with you! If you are walking to the kitchen to grab a drink of water, go ahead and hit the trash can or the dish washer on the way.  Again, a few minutes now is better than spending much longer later.

This is great in theory.  However, I haven't been able to convince my husband that this is a good idea yet.  I'm not trying to have a perfect house - I couldn't live in a "show home" anyway.  I just don't want to be COMPLETELY embarrassed if someone just stops by to say hello. 

Even more than not wanting to be embarrassed, I want my house to be safe for my Baby Girl.  Leaving things around that she can get into is very dangerous and I'd rather not have to constantly be hovering over her worrying that she is going to get too close to this, or get into that, or pick up...whatever that is over there!

So the questions for the day are:  What do you do to keep your house clutter under control...and how did/do you get the rest of your household on board with it?

Today I.....

...went for a run.  Week 3 of the C25K which was a 5 minute warm up, 90 second run, 90 second walk, 3 minute run, 3 minute walk, repeat the 90/90 and 3/3, then finally a 5 minute cool down.  Baby Girl went with me in the stroller.  She loves the wind in her face!

...finished a recipe project I started yesterday.  I decided to start a "blog" for all my recipes.  It's not really a blog so much as a place for me to keep all my recipes online so that I don't have to go searching for them all over the place (random cookbooks, food boxes, websites, etc).  I also figured that I couldn't lose them so easily this way! I'm not a great cook nor do I really enjoy cooking if truth be told so there isn't much and all the recipes are pretty simple.

....played with Baby Girl!  I love these summer days where I can just sit on the floor with my baby girl and just let her crawl all over me and giggle!  Oh how I love hearing her giggle!!

...got a headache and took a nap during Baby Girl's afternoon nap.  The house didn't get cleaned up (oh well!) but that nap was MUCH needed!

...remembered to log all my food!  I earned nearly 300 extra cals by running, and came in at 18 cals under my "lose 1.7 pounds a week" goal - but I didn't quite reach my water goal...unless you count the 12oz of gatoraide and the glass of chocolate milk after my run towards it ;)

Doesn't sound like too usy of a day...but I'm exhausted now so it's off to dreamland to refresh for another great day tomorrow!

32 life lessons

In honor of my 32nd birthday...here are 32 life lessons that I have learned:

1. Get over it... not everything is worth fighting over. Choose your battles carefully. Stressing over little things that aren't worth it only takes up time and energy in your life that are better spent on happier things.
2. Stand up and be heard... some things ARE worth fighting for! Never give up on those things you believe most in.
3. A child is God's way of trying to show us just how much He loves us; how much He sacrificed for us when he gave his only son.
4. Having a daughter that is a total Daddy's girl is paybacks for being a total Daddy's girl.
5. Choosing to make no decision is still making a decision to have others decide for you.
6. Only you have control over you and your actions. No one else controls you or can make your choices for you.
7. Traveling is the best way to learn/teach tolerance of others. The further from "home" the better!
8. Guardian angles DO exist... but that doesn't mean you have to take unnecessary risks. Help them out a little, their job is hard enough as it is!
9. No matter how big a mistake, family is still family. Love the person, hate the choices that have been made...but always love the person.
10. ALWAYS pack more in the diaper/race/overnight bag than you think you will ever need.
11. A good book and a bubble bath is the best way to relax after a long day.
12. Having blessings in your life is the biggest blessing of all.
13. Family is important, but sometimes having friends that are like family is even more important.
14. Always have a camera handy!
15. He who dies with the most stuff...is still dead. It isn't as important to leave 'things' behind for those you love, but instead leave memories behind that they will fondly remember and characteristics they will aspire to live up to. Kindness. Generosity. Love. Integrity.
16. Practice what you preach. "Do as I say, not as I do" just doesn't cut it. Be the example for others to live by.
17. The laundry will be there tomorrow, but you will never get this moment with your child back.
18. It's never to late to go back to church.
19. Laugh as often as you can...even if no one else is laughing with you!
20. Never lie to the doctor.
21. Tell your grandmother you love her every day.
22. Never let them see you get upset. Don't let them know where your buttons are!
23. Everyone has a strength, even if it is hard to find - Genghis Khan was an incredible horseman and Hitler was a great speaker.
24. Everyone also has weaknesses. Einstein failed 3rd grade math. No one is perfect no matter how much they may pretend to be.
25. Hit the save button often.
26. Experience is the best way to learn.
27. Learn to laugh at yourself.
28. Sounds are always louder when you are by yourself in the dark.
29. Finishing a marathong (or something you never thought you could) is an increadible rush.
30. Never pass up the chance to watch The Princess Bride (or your favorite movie).
31. Helping others is the greatest gift you could ever give to yourself.
32. 32 is not nearly as old as I used to think it was!

Not the best day I've ever had... and a list of things to be thankful for

Yesterday was one of the most trying days of my life. Yet, it started out so simply and great.

I woke up early and went to early church and Sunday school. One of the women in my Sunday School class brought a big bowl of fruit which I loved! After class was over, she offered to give me the rest of it which I gratefully accepted!

I came home, ate some more of the fruit and a sandwich for lunch and decided to take a nap.

I woke up a few hours later and decided that I REALLY wanted a chocolate milkshake from the McDonald's down the road. So I grabbed my wallet, my cell phone, and my sunglasses and walked out the door, locking it behind me as usual. about half a second after I shut my door, I realized my mistake. I had forgotten to grab my keys!!

So here I am in the middle of the day in the summer sun...the Florida summer sun... seven months pregnant and I can't get in my car or back in the house! I called AAA who gave me the number of 2 locksmiths. Neither of the numbers worked. I may have typed them in wrong since I was trying to listen to my cell phone and type on my cell phone at the same time.

So with no luck there, I call 411. This lady tells me that there are no locksmiths in my town (???) but gives me the number of 2 in a nearby town. I call both of them. The first doesn't serve my area and the second was out of order.

I call 411 again, get a different lady who gives me a credit for the last two but misunderstood the name of my town and gave me a listing for a similar-sounding town in the state...does me no good as they are several hours away!

I finally call 411 a THIRD time and this lady quickly puts me through to someone who does serve my area. I explain that I have been out in the sun for 30 minutes already trying to get someone to come,that I was very pregnant, and tat because of the heat I was staring to feel ill so to please ask the guy to hurry. She said she would do so and that it should be only about 20 minutes or so.

I waited 20 minutes....then a few more.... and a few more. Finally after waiting 45 minutes I call back, get someone different and explain again that I'm not feeling well and the guy still hasn't shown up. She puts me on hold and when she comes back she assures me that he is on his way and would call me shortly.

At this point it starts raining, which is good in that it cooled down everything but bad in that if forced me under my small front stoop which has nowhere to sit down. After waiting another 20 minutes with no phone call from anyone I call AGAIN. This time when they put me on hold, they can't find the guy who is supposed to be on his way. Te girl assures me that she would keep trying to call and would call me as soon as she got ahold of him. She repeated my phone number to me but had it incorrect so I correct the two reversed numbers. She wondered aloud if this wasn't part of the problem saying maybe the guy couldn't get ahold of me. I find this slightly ridiculous as the guy had my address, he could have come by and seen me standing there.

After another 15-20 minutes they STILL hadn't called me back! At this point I'm getting really mad but don't know who else to call in my area of no-where-ville. I call my friend Alexis who lives about 20 minutes away to if nothing else come keep me company, sane, and to please please please bring me something cold to drink. She came immediately and also brought snacks! :)

We sat in her car for a while when she decided to call the place for me. She got a bit more snippy than I did but really got no further than I did. At this point I had been locked out of my house for 3 hours!

After a while, she decides to check all the windows, sliding glass doors, and doors again just to be sure, and yep... all locked. 1/2 joking around, she pulls out a credit card this former Miami girl proceeds to break in my door! Because I didn't have my keys, I couldn't lock the deadbolt behind me so it was only the door lock. I would have never known how or even thought of trying to get in with a credit card in the door jam!!

Once we were in the house, she again calls the locksmith and cancels. They try to tell her that they are going to have to charge me but she flat out refuses saying we waited for 3 hours for someone who was "on the way" the whole time.

We then decided to go to dinner after all the "excitement" of the afternoon. While at the restaurant, my mom calls my cell and asks if I had gone somewhere for the day. I kind of laughed and asked her if I could call her back when I got home. She agreed and Alexis and I went back to our dinner.

Once I was home again, I called my mom back, but instead talked to my dad who told me that my grandmother had passed away earlier that afternoon and that they had been trying to call all afternoon (but obviously didn't think to call my cell phone until later).

My grandmother was an amazing woman, but had been very sick for a long time and was unfortunately no longer herself anymore. We often wondered how she had hung on as long as she had. It was a peaceful death at home with my uncle holding her hand and my cousin singing to her... she just slipped away.

Of course I am very sad and will miss her dearly, yet in a way, it is almost a relief that she is now free of her troubles here on Earth. Growing up, she lived just across the street so I was very close, both physically and emotionally, to her. When I was 5 or 6, my grandfather passed away and eventually my aunt, uncle, and cousin moved in with her to help her. This was the uncle and cousin that were there with her at the end.

In a book I recently read, a boy had been abandoned and raised on the streets by a kindly old man who took in many abandoned children (in this book, couples were only allowed 2 children so often 3rd children were abandoned at birth). This man had a profound faith in God and taught the children that whenever they were having a hard time, they should recite every good thing they can think of and end the list with, "And God loves us."

I started thinking of my list yesterday to keep my spirits up (and my anger down):

I had my cell phone with me so I could call for help.
The rain cooled everything down so I didn't get too hot and started to feel better.
I have a great friend in Alexis who dropped everything to come help me out.
As Alexis pointed out, I didn't have a small baby with me, or have my child locked in the house while I was locked out.
I was able to eventually get in my house and into the AC.
My grandmother is no longer suffering with her illnesses.
Grandma is in Heaven with her Lord.
Grandma was surrounded by those who love her.
...and God loves us.

For Today...

A friend of mine did this the other day so I followed the link to the Simple Woman's Daybook as well and decided to play along!

FOR TODAY JUNE 12, 2009

Outside my window... The sun is starting to set on another beautiful day.

I am thinking... that I can't wait for one of my best friends to come visit tomorrow! I haven't seen her in a few years and I've missed her!! She and her husband can probably only stay a little while but I'll take what I can get :)

I am thankful for... only being on a "modified" bedrest where I can still get up and do what I need to as long as it isn't for too long or too strenuous. I can't imagine being on full bedrest for a long period of time. I would go insane - and my house would fall apart haha! :)

From the learning rooms... I've put off my homework until the weekend, it's due Monday. I work best under pressure, or at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

From the kitchen... While Chris and I were in St Augustine, I bought 3 cookbooks from the Columbia Resturant gift shop. Orange Recipes, Key Lime Cookin', and Key Lime Deserts all by Joyce LaFray. I have a tree in my backyard that has both key limes and lemons on it (it must have been spliced). I've never really known what to do with the key limes other than key lime pie, which I love, but now I should have pleanty of new ideas! I should have plenty of ideas for all the oranges I pick from my parents grove as well (other than just peeling and eating - which is probably my favorite way to eat an orange!).

I am wearing... the most comfortable thing I can find. It's amazing howquickly this baby is growing! Things that fit me last week are getting snug this week.

I am creating... a beautiful baby (girl?).

I am going... to travel the world one day. Besides, I have lots of friends/family all over the world that I need to visit! At this very moment I have friends/family in Japan, Korea, South Africa, the UK, and Prauge. Chris can probably dig up some more old military buddies that are stationed overseas too.

I am reading... Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince...again. Every time a new HP book or movie comes out i feelthe compulsive need to read the entire series all over again from the begining. Because the movie of Half Blood Prince is coming out next month, I had to do the traditional re-reading!

I am hoping... like every expectant parent and family member, for a happy, healthy baby for both myself and my sister.

I am hearing... the clackity-clack of my keyboard, the air conditioner, oh and there goes the leaky toilet refilling that my husband is supposed to fix! lol!

Around the house... I just redid the small guest bathroom and, for the moment at least, it is my favorite place in the house! Light tan walls and white trim (this was already done, I didn't repaint) now with dark brown towels, light blue hand towels, a white/tan/brown/dark brown/light blue checkered rug, light tan soap dispencer and tissue box with light blue outline flowers and dark brown trim, and misc art of the same colors. I love it!

One of my favorite things... other than my newly redecorated guest bathroom, is my new iPhone 3G. I may be a bit iPhone dependant at this point as 1/2 my life is on this stinking thing - all my phone numbers and many addresses, a list of my daily blood pressures for my ob/gyn, grocery lists, other shopping lists, to-do lists, all my music, and of course my newest addiction...scrabble!


A few plans for the rest of the week: It's summer break and I'm on modified bedrest...so my plans include a lot of sitting with my feet up reading, watching movies or TV, and sleeping. Perhaps some light cleaning now and then in short bursts, and of course my homework for my online class!

Here is picture thought I am sharing... my newly re-decorated guest bathroom!

Baskets, baskets, and more baskets

I love baskets!

This is a fairly new realization, as I didn't really know just how much I love baskets until I started reorganizing a few things and realized how many things I actually have in baskets. I have baskets of books, baskets of candles, baskets of towels, baskets of gizmos, baskets of cords, baskets of cleaning supplies, baskets of remote controls, baskets of purses and bags, baskets of running and other exercise equipment, baskets of bath soaps and salts, and even a basket full of soon-to-be-used Winnie the Pooh baby stuff. Then of course there are the required laundry baskets too.

(These are only SOME of my baskets!)

My husband, on the other hand, likes to store things in old ammo cans. There are ammo cans galore in the garage full of...well... some actually do have ammo in them although not the original ammo that came in them, and who knows what else is in there. But the funniest is when he decided to reorganize the pantry and thought it would be good to use an ammo can to store the packets of flavored rice and noodles...

Oh well, at least he tried to organize! :)

Locks of Love

A few years ago I cut my hair in front of a classroom full of students for Locks of Love. The class read a book (I can't remember the name of it now - sorry) about a young girl with a disease causing her to lose her hair and preventing her from regrowing it. Her best friend, at the end of the novel, chose to cut off her long beautiful hair to donate to Locks of Love for a wig for her friend. It was the first time I had actually donated my hair, in fact, it was the first time I had ever cut THAT MUCH hair off!

It was a great experiance and I'm glad I was able to share it with some of my students.

It was such a great experiance that I did it again, but this time I waited until after school was out to cut my hair. Last Friday, I walked into the local Hair Cuttery and chopped off about a foot of hair! I forgot to snap a "before" pic prior to having my hair washed so the best I have is my wet hair hanging down my back before the cut.

I have to say, I LOVE MY NEW SHORTER HAIR! I keep forgetting that it is short though. I go to hold it back while getting a drink from a fountain, I keep brushing my neck forgetting that my air doesn't extend down that long anymore, and I often get way to much shampoo or conditioner in my hand before washing (what's left of) my hair. I cant remember a time that my hair was this short before, but I think I really like it!

It is so much easier. It really is a wash and go style. My long hair was kind of wash and go,but it was more of a wash, fight the tangles, firght to dry, go, get annoyed with it, tie it back in a ponytail. This is literally wash, comb (easily) and go. It dries pretty quickly on its own so I don't even bother dragging out the hair dryer unless I really need to.

The only problem I have found so far is a minor one. I always knew I had two cowlicks in the front of my head making bangs difficult to say the least (which is why I don't have bangs), but Ihave now discovered yet another cowlick in the back of my head!! Luckily, this cowlick isn't too onery and will lay flat it I get it wet and either blowdry it or even if I let it dry natural, however, the next morning....POP... there it is... time to pull out my spraybottle! :)

Opinions?

Happy 5th Anniversary

Today is my 5th wedding anniversary, however, in an effort to preserve my husbands few personal days for when our child is born, we decided to take a small romantic get-away a few days early during his off-days. Since it is so close, and I went to college there, we decided that St Augustine would be the perfect place. We stayed at a little bed and breakfast right downtown called The Inn on Charlotte. It was a beautiful old house and I have to say, Lynne, the innkeeper, makes a FANTASTIC breakfast and is a wonderful host! The room was small but very cozy, private, and romantic with a beautiful (and very comfie) bed and an in-room jacuzzi tub for two!

Because we weren't staying long, just a couple of days, and because I'm pregnant and didn't want to walk all over creation, being right downtown was perfect for us. We didn't do too much, but we did visit the Castillo de San Marcos (the old fort), walk down St George Street and visit many of the shops, Walk through the Spanish Village (It was free with our military ID!), look through the Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse. We also walked around the old Mission Grounds (Mission of Nombre de Dios) and the shrine of Nuestra Senoria de la Leche y Bien Parto (Our Lady of the Milk and Happy Delivery - appropriate huh?).

I also took hubby to visit my old Alma Matter, Flagler College. It was amazing how many memories came flooding back just walking on campus. Good memories, funny memories, some I'd rather forget... I wouldn't have changed a thing about my college years though, it helped to make me who I am today. (I'm not real sure why the picture below turned sideways when I tried to add it but I couldn't get it to turn back around.)

It was a wonderful little anniversary vacation for us before the baby is born, just the two of us; my favorite person and I, in my favorite city.

I know I said I would have great news soon...and I do! To find out where I've been lately and what I've been doing...please check this out!

To give you a hint... I've been busy making a human! :)

My Love Story

Happy Valentine's Day! In honor of today, I thought I would tell my own love story; the story of how my husband and I went from being best friends to best friends that are madly in love with each other.

I graduated High School in 1996. My best friend, Chris, was on swim team with me and had recently wrecked his car (with our coach's son in the car - can you say "Extra Practice"?). Because all of his meager McDonald's wages were going to fix the car, he didn't have money to buy me a graduation present - He was two grades behind me so he wasn't graduating yet. Instead of getting me a gift, he (committed a felony because he) punched a hole in a quarter and put it on a chain for me :) The note attached to the coin necklace was really sweet and said things like "No matter where you are, you can always call me and I'll be here for you." He wanted me to always keep it to remind myself that he was only a phone call away - at the time, pay phone calls only cost a quarter. That quarter, on the exct same chain, is STILL hanging in my car today.

Fast forward a few years. I'm recently graduated from college and have just broken up with my long time boyfriend. Chris had joined the Navy right after his HS graduation and was stationed in Japan but had finally decided to come home and marry his long time girlfriend. Chris and I remained close with letters and a few long distance phone calls so of course I am invited to the wedding back in our hometown.

The wedding was small and simple yet nice. Afterwards, a big group of us was going to go out together and catch up since we hadn't seen each other in years in many cases. Chris's dad came up to me and put his arm around me.

"You have enough money for tonight hun?" he asked.

Laughing, I reply, "Yeah Dad, I'm good." He was always looking out for everyone (and I had always called him dad).

He squeezed me a little closer into a hug, slipped a $50 bill in my pocket and whispered "It should have been you up there, ya know," and walked off leving me stunned. I had NO idea what to make of it, and I wasn't about to ask Chris. As long as his new wife made him happy I was OK, I wasn't going to get in the middle of anything.

Fast forward a few more years. Chris and I were still close friends even from around the world. More phone calls now than letters, but the phone calls came in the middle of the night (more on THAT later). One night in particular, Chris called me to tell me he and his wife were getting a divorce for reasons I won't get into here and now. I told him I was always here to talk and almost said "I love you." I caught myself before I said it, wondering why I would say something like that to him, even if was just trying to confort him. He was my best friend after all! It wasn't until the next middle of the night phone call when I hung up and still thought "I love you" that I started to catch on that maybe I really did feel this way about him. I couldn't say anything though, what if he didn't feel the same way? Then I would lose my best friend. No matter what the TV shows say, a friendship can't recover from something like that. Best to keep it to myself.

Fast forward a bit again. Chris is coming home! I was SO excited! He was going to drive the hour from our hometown to come see me for the weekend. My friend's band was playing at a local bar/club/restaurant and I was going to take him there to see them then he was going to crash at my house rather than driving back to his parents in the middle of the night. I told all of friends that "my best friend" is coming! A few of them laughed at me and claimed that I insisted all to much that we were "just" friends for us to really be just friends.

My first clue that Chris thought of me as more than just a friend, came as I was out on the dance floor. He walked up to me with a shot of tequila in each hand, handing one to me. I laughed and said, "Oh no, tequila makes me want to rape and plunder!" at which time, he raises an eyebrow and proceeds to hand me BOTH shots! ;) Another clue was when the band started playing "Faithfully" by Journey and I said "Ohhh I love this song!" Chris grabbed my hand, led me out on the dance floor, and danced with me...CLOSE. Much closer than the "just friends" way I was thinking!

At some point later in the night (or was it EARLY the next morning?) we were kissing on my couch and have been together ever since.

A few months later Chris and I went on a month long road trip through the Southwest. Apparently most of my family and friends thought we would come back married or at least engaged, but we hadn't even thought of that yet.

A few more months later I still wasn't thinking about it, but apparently Chris was. My school's Christmas party happened to be the night before my 26th birthday and was being held at the same bar/club/restaurant that Chris and I had gone to on his first night back home and the same friend's band was playing again. Just before midnight, Marcia, my friend and the lead singer of the band, announced to EVERYONE that it was my birthday and drug me (kicking and pouting) up on stage to have everyone sing "Happy Birthday" to me. Chris came up too because he was helping to drag me up.

After the singing, Marcia handed the microphone to Chris. Confused, I looked around to all of my friends smiling excitedly up at me like they knew something I didn't. Chris began talking about how we had been such close friends for so long, then held up the quarter on the chain he had given me back in HS. After explaining to everyone the significance of the quarter and that it had been in my car since the day he gave it to me, he moved his fingers and a diamond engagement ring fell and clinked against the quarter. As I stared to figure out what this was all about, he said, "Since you've held on to this for so long, I thought maybe you would like to hold on to this for even longer." Then he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.

With tears in my eyes I couldn't even speak so I just nodded "YES" as loudly as I could! Everyone cheared and the band immediately began playing "Faithfully," the first song Chris and I ever danced to.

Seven months later we were married, back home, in the church I grew up in, in the town we both grew up in. Of course, our first dance song was "Faithfully" and Marcia was my maid of honor! This June will be our 5th anniversary and I love him more and more every day.

As for the middle of the night phone calls, Chris now admits that he called at that hour only to see if I had anyone over - and if I did have an "overnight visitor," would I still talk to him. Apparently he felt the same way about me the entire time.

Friday the 13th

When I was younger, I read every Stephen King book I could get my hands on and watched every horror flick my parents would let me see. However, in my old age (ha), I've decided there is no need to freak myself out unnessiceraly. In honor of the spooky Friday the 13th, though, here are 13 things that creep me out even when I'm not trying to freak myself out!


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13. Ghosts. Not all ghosts creep me out. In fact, I've never "met" a really scary ghost. I have had what I believe are ghostly encounters, and even stayed in a haunted hotel room in Savanah, GA once with my (ex) boyfriend. I worked at the St. Augustine Lighthouse which is suppsedly one of the most haunted places in the USA, and often eat at a local resturant which is supposed to be haunted as well. The thought of someone not moving on does creap me out a little though!

12. My sister. OK so my sister herself doesn't really freak me out, but some of the things that she (we) does (do) kinda freak me out. We are the ones that call each other at the exact same time from 1000 miles away, think the same thought at the same time, send each other the exact same Christmas gift and ramdomly burst into song - the same song at the same time. No, we aren't twins, we are 11 years apart and in fact, we are 1/2 sisters so it must be on our mother's side! Sometimes Mom even joins in on the freakiness! Get out of my head!

11. Being/Getting lost. I have ZERO since of direction so I easily get lost and turned around. I hate not knowing where I am, where I'm going, or how to get out. I would love to shake the hand of whoever made the first GPS for commercial use. I love my Garmin! :) It has saved my life, my sanity, and my husband from having to come find me!

10. Kenyans. Not the whole person, just their legs. Have you really watched these guys (and girls) run a marathon? WOW..How do their legs move so fast for so long?!? Is that movement even natural? Ok, so this is actually more of a jealousy thing than a creeped out thing...

9. Sonic Booms. Living so close to a place where the space shuttles come in, I KNOW what a sonic boom sonds like. Growing up I THOUGHT I knew what they sounded like... I WAS WRONG! The booms of my memory were loud, but not earth shattering. The booms now though...are literally earth shattering - and house shaking, window ratteling, and double. Yes, double. Growing up several hours away from where I live now, the booms kind of blended into one boom, here there are two distinct booms - when the shuttle first enters the atmosphere and when the tail end of it clears it as well- BOOM BOOM! Friends that don't live here laugh that I know not only when shuttles are going up, but when they are coming DOWN again. I want to be prepaired fo that BOOM BOOM!

8. Dreams that come true. I don't remember my dreams very often but every now and then I'll remember one and a part of it will later come true. Last night I dreamt I had to fill out a DCF survey on one of my students... lets see if it come true. I really hope not.


7. Spiderwebs. Not cobwebs nessiceraly, but spiderwebs. Where there are webs there is usually a spider (see #1), and the feeling of a spiderweb on your face...UGH >>shudder<<

6. Birds flapping their wings. I don't know why but I have always been afraid of birds fling towards me. It's their wings. I don't know if there is some kind of traumatic event in my past that had to do with bird flying at me but I don't even like going into the aviary at parks!

5. Things that go bump in the night. With a military hubby that is often away from home or is working nights, I am home alone quite a bit. Sometimes the house will creak, the cat will knock something over, or something "strange" will go on that freaks me out. I am in a house that has many guns, including my own pistol, and having a hubby that is a weapons instructor I know what I'm doing with them, but that doesn't mean my heart doesn't skip a beat when something goes bump.

4. Unexpected bumps in the road. I love being sporatic and spontanious when it's fun, but I HATE haveing all of my hard work fly out the window because someone else changes their mind. I saw a quote once, "An oversight on your part does not make an emergency on my part." Sounds great, but unfortunately in the real world, it DOES mean it's an emergency for be (if I want to keep my job that is!). Jut the fear of doing a ton of paperwork only to have to start over from square one, and learn something new, at the drop of a hat freaks me out!

3. Hurricanes. I have lived in Florida my whole life and been through many storms but it wasn't until 2004 did I really go through a Cat4 hurricane dead on. Hurricane Charley slammed into the SW Coast of Florida right on top of my house and it totally changed the way I prepare for hurricanes and treat Tropical Storms! Watching your screen porch being ripped off of your house and your shed blow away tends to change your mind on some things!

2. Being trapped in a small space. I don't mind elevators or small rooms as long as I know I can get out. However, if I feel like I can't get out when I want/need to... I turn into a not nice person!

1. SPIDERS! - Yes, I am arachniphobic. Sitting still they just look icky but when they start moving those unnatural 8 legs....>shiver<... I'm GONE! Yes, I know I'm bigger than they are, that they are probably more scared of me than I am of them, and most won't hurt me...but when faced with one of those 8 legged demons, all rationality goes out the window!

25 things about me

Do you know these things about me??

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

I'M TAGGING ANYONE WHO WANTS TO DO IT! :)

1. After teaching Special Ed for 3 years, I taught regular ed for a year and decided where I waNted/needed to be was back with my special ed kiddos and have been teaching it since.

2. I married my high school best friend (not my high school sweetheart) 8 years after graduation.

3. Three people have asked me to marry them (for real). I said yes to two, but only followed through with one! :)

4. My friend Janet and I got completely trashed on screwdrivers once (when we were young and dumb right Janet? haha) and had to stop on the way home (her boyfriend, now hubby, was driving) to pee on the side of the road in some stranger's lawn. My cell phone fell out of my pocket so after they dropped me off at home, Mike had to go back to find it!

5. I HATED running in high school but now I've done 3 full marathons, about to do my 4th 1/2 marathon, and numerous 5 and 10K's.

6. I'm not a fast runner, I just haven't figured out when to stop yet.

7. I'm about to be in my 4th wedding other than my own, but it is the first time I've had to buy a real bridesmaid dress - the other's were more casual.

8. I am completely, irrationally, terrified of spiders. Even the little bitty ones freak me out if they move. It's the legs...It's isn't natural!

9. My husband and I are exactly the same hight - 5"8' so if I wear heels, I'm taller than him.

10. I wear heels anyway.

11. Except at our wedding. I wore ballerina flats so I wouldn't be taller in the pictures.

12. I also was afraid I'd fall on my face, less chance of that in flats.

13. My dress was so long you couldn't see my feet anyway!

14. I love reading book/novels written for teenage girls.

15. I love sappy old black and white movies, but Princess Bride is unequivically the best movie ever!

16. I haven't done a single thing on my homework this week.

17. It's due Sunday, I'll do it Saturday.

18. Even though we have a lawnmower, when my hubby deploys, I hire someone to mow. It's the one chore that I can not stand to do.

19. I want to live in another country for a while, just to experiance it.

20. The top thing on my "bucket list" is to go to Pompeii.

21. I was a guest at my husband's first wedding. Sat right up front... Had an interesting conversation with his dad afterwards that we still laugh about to this day.

22. I've lived in 5 places in Florida, but have never moved out of Florida.

23. However, I have friends all over the world!

24. I have 2 tattoos, a fairy on my foot and a sun/moon on my back. I drew the one on my back. I'm the only one who knows what all it means.

25. My nickname in HS was Squirrel - because in 6th grade I drew a skunk and before I had it colored in, the guy I had a crush on said it looked more like a squirrel, and somehow it stuck as a nickname. Guys are mean! lol

2008 in Review

I started typing my fist paper for my first master's class of 2009. It was weird putting "2009" on the cover page! I had to pause and double check to make sure that, yep, it really is 2009.

It made me wonder where 2008 went, so I thought that a "Year in Review" might be a good idea.

January: My husband was deployed for the second Christmas season in a row. I wasn't blogging regularly at this point so I don't have any blogs around this time but I do remember being a bit depressed. I also remember having like 20 people in my house for Christmas! I had my biological father, his wife, their son (my 1/2 brother), his wife, and their three children. I also had my biological mother, her husband, their 3 kids (my 1/2 brother and sister and my step-brother), my other brother, his wife, their son. Then there was my sister's best friend Paul, his parents and younger brother. Oh... and me, making 20. I had NEVER had that many people in my house - expecting me to feed them! Luckily, My biological mom and my Bio-dad's wife did chip in a make a few things to bring but I made the ham, and a few sides. Somehow, we made it though the day!

Another huge thing that happened in January was that my father got a life saving bone marrow transplant from a wonderful anonymous donor! 1 year later and Daddy is doing AWESOME!

February: Deployments SUCK! No other way to put it. Being alone often gets to you.

March: Deployments still suck, but you have to suck it up and think about all the wonderful things that you do have, even when you are missing the one you love.

April: Daddy is recovering well and is staying in an apartment near the hospital for regular checkups and blood work. Going to visit him and taking him back and forth to his appointments really makes you think.

May: My husband is finally home, and my little brother graduated from HS and prepared to follow my husband into the US Navy. Both Hubby and I gave him some advice that I hope he listens to. Months later and I can report, some he did listen to, and some...well... hopefully he'll learn from his mistakes :)

June: Summer Break is finally here! YAY More time to get bored, and think about who you really are.

July: Because my dad and my little brother both have Lymphoma, in 2005, I got involved with Team in Training, a group that trains for and run/completes marathons/triathlons/century bike rides while raising money for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I had previously felt that training and raising money would be too much for me this year because I'm also working on completing my Master's Degree but after receiving a very upsetting e-mail from a friend of mine telling me that her fiance had been diagnosed with Lymphoma as well, I couldn't keep it on the back burner and I was literally off and running again.

August: One of the hazards of living in Florida is the hurricanes...and this year, the tropical storms got us too!

September: September 11th was very emotional this year.

October: My brother got married! <--Pictures there, but there are even more HERE! I also started my serious attempt to learn how to cook and cooking more often this month.

November: I decided to participate in National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo) in honor of my birthday on the last day of November and posted a blog every single day of November! One of the most memorable, and saddest, events was the passing of my Uncle David in early November.

December: December was busy! I decorated the house, Ran 20 Miles, went camping with the in-laws, Thought about my Christmas Wishes, remembered why I can't give up, and thought about the Angles Among Us.

Resolutions

I've never been big on resolutions, mainly because I've never been able to keep them (and let's be honest, most people don't.) Usually I try to make resolutions throughout the year whenever I feel they need to be made. So, rather than my NEW YEAR'S resplutions, here is what I am working on now:

1. Orginazation of my life. I've started on this already. I recently got an iPhone and on it is a handy dandy calendar and a place for notes, lists, and everything I need right with me. Now lets see if I will actually use it! But this also includes keeping the spaces around me organized - my house and my desk/classroom at work. Hubby and I tackled the computer room and the guest rooms recently which had both turned into "junk rooms."
2. Learning to cook. This has been ongoing for a while, but I took a hiatus for a while when life got busy around the holidays and well, I got lazy :) Hopping back on the bandwagon this week!
3. Look FANTASTIC at my sister's wedding at the end of February! This means hitting the gym and watching what I eat! Everyone always thinks I should lose weigh with my marathon training but I rarely do except in the begining. I'm burning more cals, yes, but I'm also replenishing them because I need them for my next run! There is no room for deficit there so little room for weight loss. Since my marathon is in early January, soon after I should be able to adjust and drop a few pounds before the wedding.

Angels among us

I heard an older song today, Angels Among Us, and it reminded me not only of the story I posted yesterday, but also of a day many years ago (probably about 8 or so), when I flipped my car and two angels came to my rescue.

I was driving home from my parents house, about an hour drive down back roads and lonely highways, after dark. I was tired, and probably more than ready to get back home. I was about 23, and believe it or not, I don't think I was speeding. I say I don't think I was because if I'm honest with myself I'm not real sure, although the cop later said that based on skid marks he believed I was not speeding.

This particular patch of road was being repaired (No... A road in Florida that is under construction?? It's unheard of! LMAO) and was in the middle of nowhere. There were no streetlights and not even any houselights to be seen. There was also no lines painted on the black road yet making the side of the road more difficult to see.

My tire hit the edge of the road, which due to being repaved, was probably a full 3 inches above the old road which was about 4 inches wider than the new road forming a wonderful lip for my tire to hit.

Without thinking (obviously), I yanked the wheel and over corrected. Bad bad bad idea. The next thing I know, my car is flipping into the ditch finally landing with the driver's side down.

I had a cell phone, but I had no idea where it had gone to. I usually drove with it in my lap so I wouldn't have to search for it if I needed it, but in all the flipping, it had flown who knows where. I was in shock and not real sure where I was other than somewhere between my parent's house and mine. I knew that wherever I was there was very few people out this far and I couldn't get out of my car. I had unbuckled my seat belt (Thank God I was wearing it!), but because my mind was spinning, I couldn't think how to physically get out of my car. I managed to open the passenger side door but I couldn't pull myself out.

Suddenly these two guys were there helping to pull me out of my car and asking me if I was OK. They had called the cops and allowed me to use their phone to call my parents. They offered to stay with me and told me I could give my parents their cell phone number so that we could keep in touch until the cop got there. In talking with them while we were waiting, I found out that they are from my hometown too but were several years behind me in school. They know my younger brother though and even told me some things about him that he had done in school. That night, my mom called the phone number the boys gave several times having no problem getting through.

Luckily, I was OK (Due in large part no doubt to the fact that I was in fact wearing my seat belt) and the cop deemed the accident as no fault. He could see the tire marks and actually could tell me better than I could what had happened. It all happened so fast that I wasn't even sure other than that I had gone off the road and ended up on the other side, upside down, in a ditch.

A few days later, after things had calmed down, my mother tried to call the boys on the cell phone to thank them for stopping to help and staying with me. The phone number didn't work. My brother didn't recognize the names of the boys, yet the stories they told me were true. We couldn't find them in any of his yearbooks either.

My only explanation is that these to guys were angels send by God to protect me and help me that night. I don't know how long it might have been before someone else drove by on that deserted stretch of road if it hadn't have been for them nor what I might have done if a less than courteous person stopped instead.

Although I believe that God uses ordinary people to do His work here on earth, I know for a fact that He does send His angles, disguised as ordinary people, to mingle with us and help us out in our times of need. He is watching out for us, so make sure you don't forget to thank Him for it!

My Christmas Wish List

When I was little, I loved Christmas for all of the gifts that we got as well as all the cousins that came over that I could play with. Christmas was about getting gifts and being with family to a little girl's eyes. But as I have grown older (and hopefully wiser), I've realized that Christmas really isn't about giving either. It's about wishing. Unfortunately, I as a person, am unable to give most people what I want them to have. Not because I can't afford it, but because there is no price tag on the items I wish them to have. So here is my revised Christmas Wish List:

To all my friends in the armed forces: My wish for you is peace. Peace of mind, peace and quiet, and a peaceful holiday. Not everyone understands your sacrifice or what it is you must do. You sacrifice not only your physical life, but your emotional life and family life as well. You have my respect, my love, and all my hopes for the future. Keep your head down and always come home safe.

To other military spouses: I also wish peace upon you. A peace of mind that only comes when you know your loved one is safe. It is a difficult life we have chosen and those we love couldn't do what they have to do without the love and support from the home front. Raise your chins high and know that you hold a very special position in the military and that you are admired for your sacrifices as well.

To my friends in other service jobs; Cops, firefighters, EMS, security, etc... You also risk your lives on a daily basis for those you don't know and those who may not be appreciative of your sacrifice. I wish for you safety and much deserved appreciation. You have my respect and admiration for your job well done.

To my fellow educators: I wish patience. We have a stressful, yet highly rewarding job that often requires more patience than we actually have to keep our sanity in tack! Have a restful, relaxing, and rejuvenating holiday break and come back fresh in January ready to take on the world... or at least a classroom full of very important lives!

To my friends/family in other countries: Most of you are away from home doing the Lord's work while others are serving our country in one way or another. I wish for you success in whatever your endeavors and that you touch and affect many lives for the better. Know that you are missed but loved and everyone "back home" is proud of the amazing work you do.

To my "online" friends: Some of you I only know through your blogs or other means of computer communication such as a chat room or forum. I've hooked up with you for various reasons. Some perhaps on my journey to learn how to cook, while others are military wives who have helped support me when Hubby is gone. Other are there for me on my weight and running journeys. You've helped me tremendously and I thank you for that. My wish for you is that I or someone else out there in cyber world be as helpful to you as you have been to me...oh and may your modem always be fast!

To my "real life" friends: You have been there for me when I was lower than low and helped me to stay grounded when I was high on life. You've picked me up and encouraged me to go out be it with a girls night out, a girls night in, or just a long in depth phone call at odd hours of the day or night. No one could make it in this world without friends and I have the best of the best. I wish for you the energy to continue to do the things you love, the light of God to help you along your path, and of course, a few rounds of Chocolate Martini's!!

To my family: Thank you so much for all of the love and support you have given me in my life's journey. It hasn't been an easy one and I have fallen many times. I praise God that you have been there to pick me back up again. I wish for you love, happiness, grace, and peace as well as the patience to continue to put up with me! :)

To my husband: I love you more than I could ever express in words. You have helped me in more ways than you can imagine, both physically and emotionally. You are my best friend, my love, and my hero. I wish you happiness, love, plenty of time to go camping, lots of ammo, and of course... bananas and grapes :) I love you!

I asked my family not to worry so much about gifts for me this year, but instead t donate to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society via my donation page. Several of them did and I am so grateful to them for that. he greatest gift in the world that I would wish for myself, my family, and anyone else who has suffered due to cancer is to find new treatments and hopefully a cure for cancers like my father's, my brother's, my friend Dominic's, Alex's, and little Gracie's. As of this morning, I am only $121.10 short of my Christmas goal of raising $3000 for LLS. Not too shabby if I do say so myself! If you'd like to help make my Christmas wish come true, check out My Reason to Run and donate a few bucks if you are able.

My wish for everyone is to have a Blessed Christmas season. Live, Laugh, Love!

Christmas decorations

I thought it was about time I made a new post! I took a little break after my 31 posts in a row, then I got sick and didn't feel like even looking at a computer screen. I finally got around to putting up a few decorations so I thouht I would share what I have done so far!

(The magic key that lets Santa inside on Christmas night since there is no chimney!)

(Over the bar)

Carded

2nd anniversary of my 29th birthday (plus a day) or not, yesterday I ordered a martini at dinner and was carded!! haha! YAY!! What a way to make you feel good about yourself again. "This total stranger thinks there may be a CHANCE that I'm under 21"

Ahhh... :) Happy feelings!