Adventures in Budgeting

I remember my mom and dad telling me stories growing up of when Dad was in med school and they were newlyweds and so poor that they had to take a clicker counter with them to the grocery store. Once they had clicked their quota of dollars, either stuff had to start going back on the shelves or they had to just stop shopping. It made an impression on me, and even though Bill and I have a more substantial budget than they did back in 1970, I felt the call of the clicker. I just felt like every time I went to Wal-Mart, I was playing Russian roulette at the checkout line...how much would it be? Would I hear the "click" of $57 or the "bang" of $190. And I've gotta tell you, when you get to choose between 2 clicks for Green Giant corn and 1 click for Great Value, it makes you really stop and think, "Hmmm...how many places can corn come from? Iowa or Iowa?"

Bill and I have read several personal finance books lately, and (a) it makes me want to write my own personal finance book and (b) it truly makes you stop and think about that can of corn. That 1 click in the IRA could be worth 100's in 30 years.

On a completely separate note, I give you...

Top 5 Reasons Why Rachel Ray Annoys the Snot out of Me:
5. That laugh...that laugh

4. The fact that her show is called "30 Minute Meals" and I have yet to see one recipe that I could prepare in less than an hour

3. The way that she squeezes lemons and tells you how to squeeze them. every. single. time.

2. The fact that she assumes that people have things like roasted red peppers, porcini mushrooms, and capers sitting around in their pantry

1. The number of times in any given episode that she refers to extra virgin olive oil as "EVOO" and the sheer number of recipes that she puts it in (i.e. everything)

And yet for some masochistic reason, I still watch her show occasionally. Well, I know the reason--her recipes aren't all horrible. Some are quite delish.


OH, and Lil' Pea update: It's a boy! And he's kicking up a storm. I felt it on the outside the other day. It was a like a scene from Star Trek.

There and Back Again

Well, I was in Arizona last week visiting my parents, and it was the most beautiful weather I've experienced in a long time. Cool in the mornings, warm in the afternoons (okay, some days, it was HOT), 0 humidity, wispy white clouds in the sky. Very nice. I approve of the desert. My parents are having a great time there. They got a Harley, claim that they are acclimated to the heat, and a new Target opened up in their town. What more can you want?

But seriously, it is hard having them on the other side of the country. And it's hard having Bill's family on the other other side of the country. I know that we both experience that feeling at the end of trips to visit our families (when we travel without each other) where it's like hitting a brick wall...I miss my spouse, I miss my dog, I miss my friends, but I also know that in just a few days, I'll be missing my parents, my sister (although my little sister is on the other other other side of the country so her visits will be taking place here for awhile especially with Lil' Pea in me).

So that's just lots of rambling to say that I miss my side of the family and Bill's side of the family, yet the air travel to get to said families has put a big X on any trips for the next year or so. It's hard enough taking a baby on a plane when it's inside you. Forget about it when the other passengers can hear the cries, smell the poops, and germs don't get filtered through my immune system first.

On a completely unrelated note, have you been to my sister Ellen's Etsy shop? So far, she is selling these adorable portraits for parents adopting from China, but there's a rumor (okay, I'm starting it, but I've already discussed this with her) that she'll be selling other children's portraits soon as well as little ornaments, her cartoons, and other fun stuff. And, yes, I still have plans to start up my own Etsy shop (I even have username set up). However, I'm just now getting over the nausea phase of pregnancy, so I'm just now feeling back to my self and creative. I'll keep you updated and even add "Etsy" as a blog post label. :)

Welcome to the Shire

Yes, pregnancy has turned me into a Hobbit, at least for the first trimester (which I recently said au revoir to and, to be honest, will not miss).

So, yeah, pretty much, right after breakfast, I'm like, "But what about 2nd breakfast? Elevensies? Lunch? Snack? Supper? Dinner?"

I don't know if I've ever blogged about this before, but Bill and I have decided that during pregnancy, the Puppy Rule is more important than ever. Basically, we both realized after about a year of marriage, that the way to keep me happiest was to think of my needs as a puppy's.

Karen is happiest when:
1. Fed
2. Well-Rested
3. Feeling safe
4. Being snuggled
5. Dry
6. Feeling loved
7. Warm

Typically, all or almost all of these conditions are being met. Occasionally, several of them aren't. I can only think of one time that every single condition was being broken at once. That was in New York around this time last year, when Bill and I were there over St. Patrick's Day. I shall not speak of that trip anymore other than to say that, at one point, it felt like someone had come and stepped on my tail.

Fast forward to now, I just have to say that I have the best husband in the world. He doesn't complain about the pillow fortress of solitude that I have set up in the bed, leaving him about 6 inches to sleep on. He, at one point, stopped at 2 separate fast-food restaurants on the way to church for me to get breakfast biscuits. He scooped all of Sunny's poo out of the yard for the past 2 months. He went to stay at my parents' when he came down with a cold recently to try to keep me from getting sick. He's just wonderful.

And this Hobbit/Puppy is very thankful for him.

It's been awhile...

Sorry for the blog silence. I've been in one of those periods of my life where I didn't really want to get on my blog and say, "Not much is up" (a blatant lie), but I wasn't quite ready to get on my blog and say,

"I AM PREGNANT!!!!" (a beautiful truth)

Yep. I've got a plum-sized little person in me. It's been a long, long road, but somehow, I have this gut-feeling that when we meet Lil' Pea in person, I'm going to say, "OH! That's what the wait was for. Thank you, God." I'm already convinced that he or she is the smartest, most fabulous, best embryo (almost a fetus!) ever. I wish I could just hook up an ultrasound machine in my living room and take a peek at him/her whenever I felt like it. :)


This picture is of the first pregnancy test that I took. It's uber-darker now.

And the World's Ugliest Turkey Award goes to...

me.

So I had some dear friends over on Monday: Jason and Jaime, Shelli and Justin, Meg and Chris, Dave and Sarah. And I was in charge of the turkey. One thing.

I roasted it upside down.

It tasted okay, but imagine this scenario:

Justin (kindly carving the turkey)--Hey, heh heh, this turkey doesn't seem to have too much meat on it.

Bill--Hmm, maybe that spot, or that spot.

Justin (beginning to sound really worried looking at the 2 cups total of turkey meat on the platter)--Umm, no, it really doesn't seem to have much meat on it.

Bill--What on earth? Karen?

Me--I bought a 20 pound Butterball! Oh, no, I bought a dud turkey!

Justin--No, wait. It's just upside down.

That's right. My mom forgot to mention that very key step...Make sure that the turkey is right side up. (But she and my friend Sara did a shout-out job of teaching me how to season and prepare it!)

At Sara's Request

I have been formally asked, on this blog and in person, to update my blog.

Here's the problem...not much to talk about. Things are going pretty well here. I visited my new nephew in Atlanta. He's stinkin' adorable, but he's developed some bad acid reflux, and my sister-in-law is at the end of her rope. Thankfully, my mom-in-law and Nana (well, Bill's Nana, but I claim her with full Nana status) are headed over to watch baby Myles tonight so Julie can head over to a friend's house to get some sleep overnight. I'm hope-hope-hoping that she gets a good, full night's sleep and every thing is a little bit better in the morning.

I am instigating a new meal-planning system for Bill and myself, complete with charts and recipes set out in advance and paying attention to (but not obsessing over) nutrition. It's a brave new world, but (a) both of our eating habits are not great and need to improve, (b) our grocery budget is ridiculously high and then I end up not making half the meals I had planned out so that needs to change, and finally (c) I've gotta get a handle on this before we start a family and things go really haywire. I'll never have more spare time and energy than I do right now. [Sorry for the world's longest run-on sentence, my grammar police friends].

Let's see...what else? Oh, I'm going to start selling these little wall plaques and door hangers that I've been making on etsy.com. It may not happen until after Christmas, but I'm very excited about it nonetheless. I'll keep my readership posted on that!

leapin' lizards!!

So I was on a walk the other day, and suddenly, I felt a bug (or so I thought) fly onto the back of my neck when I walked past a grove of trees. I grabbed said bug (or so I thought) and threw it on the ground. It was a big-feeling bug, and my first thought was "dragonfly??" so I looked on the ground. There sat a tiny, tiny lizard.

I checked to make sure he was not injured. He was not. He went on his merry way, and I went on mine.

Note of Explanation/Hooray, Bill!

First of all, I would like to say that it has been brought to my attention that my last post may have made it sound like I was being snarky about or even contemptuous of the big chicken of Marietta. I was certainly not attempting to do that. I have nothing but affection in my heart for the big chicken. Continued affection that I feel time and again as it is pointed out to me by my husband each and every time we drive past it on I-75.

Speaking of my husband, huzzah huzzah for him running a local 5K benefitting Habitat for Humanity. Yay, Bill!!!!

New York.


Paris.


London.


Marietta.

wanderin...

Well, I was gone for 10 days, then came back to a new job, so this is the first time I've had to just sit down and blog.

Okay...the trip. We went to Cape Cod, Nantucket, NYC, and Georgia.

Cape Cod--quaint, cranberry-licious, dang expensive.
Nantucket--even more quaint, even more dang expensive (just to get out there even).
NYC--treated me kinder than it did last time (read below).
Georgia--as Georgia-rific as ever. New Coke museum not worth your money, especially if you visited the old Coke museum. :)



Funny conversation from Nantucket:
Karen: Look at all these adorable shops!
Bill: Yeah, these are the types of shops that people in our area (AR) think that they can open but then they fail 6 months later...like a nautical dog wear shop.
K: Nautical dog wear!! Hahaha!

(Later in day, eating at a quaint Nantucket eatery, looking through a quaint Nantucket guidebook)
K: Oh, my goodness, there's an ad for a nautical dog wear shop.

I went to it. It was quaint.



So NYC. Here are my thoughts...first of all, I had a much better time than in March. I didn't lose my wallet. I didn't have to slush through snow and ice while we were there losing my wallet. I didn't have to dodge around the 4 million (I am not exaggerating) extra people in town for St. Patty's Day. No, the weather was delightful. We walked around Central Park, did every touristy thing imaginable...it was thoroughly pleasant.

However, I am still not ga-ga over the place. It just seems to be this place of amazing converses. You can walk down Madison Ave. and see some of the most amazingly pristine shops in the world. But on your way to that shop, you can easily walk through pools of dog (I hope it was dog) urine. You can receive some of the best service of your life in quaint restaurants. You can step off the curb and have a taxicab driver plow within 2 inches of you while flipping you off.

There seems to be one universal truth in the Big Apple. You can't afford it unless you're willing to sell a kidney.

Really Like!

Found this on candycritic.org. It is officially the weirdest candy wrapper I've ever seen, and yet I find it quite adorable.

Apparently, this is what the package says:

"Tare panda"
"Choco snack"
"soft capsules inside"
"strawberry flavour"
"Really Like!"
"Chocolate"

good hubby

I love my husband, yes, I do.
He gets me stuff that is very cool. Like the Mirror of Erised that I mentioned a few posts ago. (The above picture looks nothing like my new mirror, but it makes me happy nonetheless).

8 little facts about me.

I have been tagged by Jaimelo.
The Rules:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules. (**if you’re a non-blogger, you can email them!)
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

one.) When I was three, I had a pair of panties that said "I am 3" on them that I insisted on wearing everyday. My mom would wash them each night and I'd put them back on in the morning. During college, a "legacy" white elephant Christmas gift got started when my friend Katie made me a brand-spanking new pair of "I am 19" panties. I have no idea who has those panties now.

two.) One of my favorite smells in the whole world is a freshly opened spice cabinet.

three.) Even though I haven't been a student in many years, I still get very excited around this time of year about the first day of school approaching.

four.) After swearing that I would never go to NYC again after my bad experience in March, I just found out that Bill and I are going again next month. I will be wearing a money belt the whole time I'm there.

five.) Growing up, I had popcorn and fruit for dinner nearly every Sunday while we watched Murder She Wrote as a family.

six.) My middle school principal who I hadn't seen since 1990 is now my next door neighbor.

seven.) I'm bad about flossing, but I tend towards periodontal problems, so every night, I look at myself in the mirror and silently say as a little pep talk, "I am a flosser. I floss. That is what I do."

eight.) I am a notary public.


That was a bit harder than I thought it would be. Here is who I am tagging:
Amy, Ellen, Emily, Meg, Rebeckah, Stephanie, Tisha, and Sarah is double-tagged since she hasn't posted from Jaime's original tag.

Compliment of the Week

(from a teenage girl as I was leaving PetsMart with my freshly groomed doggy this afternoon):

"Wow!! That is the most beautiful dog I've ever seen!"

I was about to launch into my "you wouldn't believe how awful he looked when Bill got him from the pound" story when I checked my tongue and simply said:

"Thank you so much!"

(Above are some of my favorite pictures of Sunny, the first showing him smiling, albeit with creepy eyes, and the second taken by his Aunt Sara.)

Dang ticks.

That's right. My dog has both Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (how could a place so nice bring us a disease so nasty??) and Ehrlichia. And I would first like to say that, despite what it says on many internet info fact sheets about the diseases, a tick does not have to feed on your dog for 2-3 days in order for the illness to be transmitted. We keep Sonny pretty well "frontline"d, and the most time that a tick has spent on him would be under an hour, if that. Sunny's vet (the wonderful Dr. K) confirmed this. He's seen a lot of cases lately where the same tick seems to crawl around and bite several times, thus transmitting the disease.

But Sunny's enjoyed some perks to being ill, and so I give you...

The Top 7 Things Sonny Will Miss About Being Sick:
7. His mommy following him around checking on him and pampering him.
6. Napping all day without feeling guilty (oh, wait, he does that even when he's feeling fine.)
5. Morning yogurt probiotic drink with his mum.
4. Going out to go pee-pee 15 times a day.
3. Weekly visits with Dr. K who gives him kissies on the head.
2. That funny look dad and mom get on their faces when the vet bill comes.
1. Hot dogs filled with antibiotics and prednisone (he just doesn't realize they're in there.)

Vive el Santino!

lead of love

Looking back at the road so far
The journey's left its share of scars
Mostly from leaving the narrow and straight

Looking back it is clear to me
That a man is more than the sum of his deeds
And how You've made good of this mess I've made
Is a profound mystery

Looking back You know You had to bring me through
All that I was so afraid of
Though I questioned the sky, now I see why
Had to walk the rocks to see the mountain view
Looking back I see the lead of love

Looking back I can finally see (I'd rather have wisdom)
How failures bring humility (than be)
Brings me to my knees (a comfortable fool)
Helps me see my need for Thee


It's interesting how different songs speak to me at different times of my life. For awhile there, it was Johnny Cash's "It Ain't Me, Babe" when I was super-stressed with boundary-pushing areas of my life. There have been times when it's been "Sometimes by Step" by Rich Mullins. Right now, it's Caedmon Call's "Lead of Love".

I feel like I've spent a considerable amount of time walking the rocks of this infertility, and let me preface all this by saying, no, I am not pregnant. For a long time, I thought that pregnancy would be the mountain view or perhaps having a child through adoption. But no. The mountain view is just resting in the knowledge that God loves me and He's been walking on the rocks right beside me. He knows the desire in my heart for a child. He put it there. How and when and if He chooses to fulfill that desire is completely, utterly, and totally out of my hands. The knowledge of that fact is a gift. A difficult gift to receive, but a gift nonetheless.

Harry Potter

Well, I am finished with the final Harry Potter book. Don't worry...I'm not going to give away any spoilers.

I must say that it ended as it should have and the parts I cried in were not the parts I expected to cry in, but I must say, reading that final page, I was crying more for myself than anyone. Harry Potter reawakened my childhood imagination, and that is an amazing gift to be given. I started reading the books right before the first movie came out, right after Goblet of Fire (book 4 for you muggles out there). Even at the time, I remember that I was so very sad that the journey was already over halfway complete.

During college, one of my friends was reading Chamber of Secrets (book 2), and it was the first time I had seen an adult read the books. I asked her if it was a good children's book, and she looked at me with the most serious expression I had ever seen on her face and said, "These are my favorite books. Not children's books. Books." She's a surgeon now.

During grad school (before I started reading the books), I worked at Steinmart...or the Stein as I like to love/hatingly refer to it...in the children's, gifts, and linens sections (I know...those have so much in common with each other). Anyway, the Christmas of 2000, we got flooded with kitschy Harry Potter items. Stickers. Figurines. Owls. Wands. Glasses. Gringotts piggy banks. Well, one of the items was the Mirror of Erised, and without even having read the books, I just fell in love with this weird little item. It was just a mirror with a gawdy gold surround, but it was actually well-made, and for some reason, I just really liked it. I always regretted not purchasing that mirror.

Then, later, after Ellen had talked me into reading the books and I finished kicking myself for not starting them sooner, I met this boy named Bill. He had seen the movies but not read the books, and I told him that, no, he must read those books. He went out that night and bought them. And now he lets me hog the covers and he even let me hog the final HP book (but I've been sworn to utter secrecy until he finishes it as well).

These are just a few of the many good Harry Potter memories along the way. Thanks, JK.

How much is that doggy in the window...

...the (extremely untrustworthy) one that chewed a hole in our (rented!) carpet??

And he also has a waggily tail.

Goodbye to my Dear Friend

God has called a beautiful soul home to be with Him. My friend Carrie fought a valiant, brave fight against pancreatic cancer for the last two years, and God is laying His healing hands on her in Heaven. I will miss her so very much.

Please pray for her family--Gary, Nathan, Andrew, and Amy.

Once upon a time, a girl got a haircut...

So this was going to be a blog post a few months ago, but first it was too painful and then I forgot...but now, I have a fairy-tale happy ending to go with it, so I'm read to share.

I had a love/hate relationship with getting my hair cut. I love, love, loved my stylist and the way she cut my hair (she's extremely sweet, kind and stylish without being pretentious, and she must have a pair of elvish scissors). I did not enjoy the salon experience. I blogged about this a couple years ago, and there was not much change. Until about 2 months ago. I had an appointment set with my precious Kelli, and 2 days before said appointment, I got a call from the snooty salon receptionist informing me that Kelli was no longer there, and she would schedule me with another stylist. "Oh, no, no, no," I replied and asked if they could tell me where she was. No. I told them that I would continue to use their other spa services (Ha! A total of 2 bikini waxes) if they would tell me where she was. To no avail. Kelli was lost to me. Forever, I thought.

Okay, backing up just a little bit, a couple weeks before the failed appointment, I had seen Kelli from across the room at a new church that Bill and I were visiting (and proceeded to really like and decided to start attending regularly). So I was all happy that my hair budget was going to a Christian to boot. And then, after the failed hair appointment, Bill and I had a busy few weeks (trip to China, move, surgery), and hadn't been to church every week. The weeks we were there, I kept my eye open for her but did not see her (and felt a bit guilty for spending more time looking around before the service started than preparing my heart for worship, but that's neither here nor there).

Well, I was starting to look a bit like a ragamuffin about 6 weeks ago, so I finally relented and called another salon. I first checked if they had any Kellis there. No. I got a so-so haircut, and I accepted my hair fate. Even if those around me couldn't tell a difference (I've got some mad Chi skills), I could. It was just harder to style when Kelli hadn't cut it.

Sooooooo...this morning, I walked into church and sat down. I pulled out my bulletin and started reading it. Then, Bill pokes me and says, "Isn't that your old hairstylist?" It was like a spotlight shot down from the ceiling and a chorus of pre-pubescent boys started singing as I saw Kelli sitting directly in front of me.

Well, long story short, Ellen and Jason met us there, and I poked Ellen (who I had introduced to Kelli's fabulous skill and who had been left in a similar despondent lurch as myself) and said, "Look! It's Kelli!" Well, needless to say, we practically pounced on her after the service--actually, I tapped her shoulder and said, "Kelli?" rather sheepishly, and she gave me a big hug and said that she had tried to call me before she left, but she couldn't get to her client records (which I understand why the salon owner did, but it still grieved my heart).

So the fabulous news is this: she's opened her own salon with a couple friends in a little house right around the corner, and she said it's completely laidback and pretty much the opposite of the frenetic, industrial atmosphere of the old salon. I have her cell number safely tucked into my wallet, and I hope to have an appointment in my planner by tomorrow.

And my hair lived happily ever after.

little life update

I apologize for it taking me so long to post anything new. Quite frankly, I've spent the past week laying on my couch like a big slug because I had surgery last week. It was laporascopic surgery to check out what was going on inside me, and while I haven't felt horrible afterwards (well, a little horrible for the first few days), I also haven't been up for much past the occasional short jaunt outside.

And here's what my surgeon found: nothing. Well, almost nothing. A little patch of endo on my appendix. But no evil gnomes living on my left ovary, which is sort of what I'd hoped they'd find. "Well, Mr. Karen, the surgery was a success. You're wife's doing fine. Just the one evil gnome, so looks like you should be able to get pregnant in the next month or two." Nope. Just a tiny patch of endo. So what's the next step? I don't know.

But our house sale went through just fine. And I'm enjoying my lazy summer in the apartment. And my awesome mom came and stayed with me the week of the surgery and took care of me and babied me (and Sunny), which was wonderful.

So I'm not complaining. Just still stumped.

shameless product promotion

And, no, I'm not getting paid for this. I just wanted to take a few moments to squeal like a girl about the makeup that I've been using for a few months. It's bareminerals from bare escentuals, and it's fabulous! I love how my skin feels with it on. I didn't even realize that I had sensitive skin until I started using it, and I stopped getting pimples. I. just. love. it.

I actually started using it after I realized that the first thing I wanted to do after putting on my previous (liquid but not really that heavy and from a good brand) makeup, was wash my hands. I thought about it, and I realized, if it feels so gross on my hands, why am I putting it on my face? So I switched to bareminerals, and love, love, love it.



And I'm creating converts. So come join us on the fabulous side of makeup. You won't regret it.

2 pradas and a gucci

BEST PRESENTS EVER!!!! EVER!!!!!!!!

So Bill brought me back a veritable parade of gifts...that is what he called it on the car drive home from the airport, and I doubted him, but I was so wrong to doubt him. It was a cornucopia of gifts!!!!!

So the Gucci is the more suspect of the two brands of bags. Completely fabulous jacquard Gucci logo with pink trim, but yes, it is probably a knockoff--but a really good knockoff! But the Prada bags, oh the Prada bags. They actually have a better shot of being real since Prada had a factory literally right down the street in Shen Zhen (one black and sporty...adorable; the other is the logo jacquard with red trim...much like this, only tan with red trim:)




So anyway, welcome back, best-husband-ever, and thank you for knowing one of my biggest weaknesses and indulging it. :)

Oh, and he got me a chick flick and Season 1 of 30 Rock (wait a minute, that's not out on DVD yet...or is it?)

time well spent

This morning, a box turtle spent the better part of half an hour crossing our backyard, and I spent the better part of half an hour watching him (rather than doing what I should have been doing...packing. Oh, how I wish I were a box turtle and could carry everything I needed around on my back.)

So anyway, he made it all the way across the yard, and I began to grow worried because he made it to the border of our yard, but there's a 4 foot drop-off to the woods. So I ran outside and picked him up (I had to find him...he went to hide under a pokeberry bush when he saw me coming), and I lowered him down the drop-off. Actually, when he saw me coming, he tried to throw himself over the edge before hiding under the pokeberry bush. Very sad. That turtle preferred certain injury over my help. Hmphh.


On a hippity, hoppity, hap-hap-happy note, my husband is coming back from China in a few hours. My goodness, I've missed that man. AND he's bringing me back presents.

Note of Explanation on Previous Post

After a very excited and happy e-mail from my friend Shelli (sorry for the confusion, Shelli), I feel I need to make a small note of explanation about my last post.

A phlebotomist is a person specially trained to draw blood. Not a doctor. The phlebotomist's opinion about my ability to get pregnant seems to be based sheerly on the facts that (a) he figured out that I was having the blood tests for infertility given what tests they were so he asked if they were for infertility, (b) he seems like a nice guy who wants good things for others, and (c) he had just jabbed me mercilessly with 6 needles, and I think he was willing to say anything to get me to smile at him rather than grimace.

No doctor in his right mind (especially a reproductive endocrinologist) would make a statement like, "I'm sure you can get pregnant" because that would be a lawsuit waiting to happen if someone were litigious.

It's actually a bit of a pet peeve of mine when people tell me that "they're sure we'll get pregnant" because they are not. They hope we get pregnant (a sentiment that I appreciate). Just say that.


On a completely separate note, I am a veritable whirlwind of packing right now. Sunny is extremely upset that some of his favorite spots on which to lie down are now covered with boxes. He'll get over it.

New Things I Have Learned Today

1. Moving to a one-bedroom apartment temporarily after living in a much-too-big-for-us house is very freeing.

2. Carrying our (too many) possessions up two flights of stairs is not so much freeing as horrid.

3. Play It Again Sports does not buy used roller blades back (no energy right now to share why I am getting rid of said roller blades, but it's a humorous story...actually I may have blogged about it already. I'll check my archives and link here if I did.)

4. San Francisco Bread Co. does not have as good iced mochas as Panera Bread Co.

5. Men's Warehouse requires more than an hour to press a man's suit (hence the trip for the iced mocha).

6. San Francisco Bread Co. does have free internet access (hence this blog post).

7. My little sister is moving to Washington state (Yay, Sara!!!!!!! She got the job she wanted.)

8. I have puny veins (I actually didn't learn this as a new fact today, but it was reinforced at the doctor's office).

9. The phlebotomist at my doctor's office thinks that I will definitely get pregnant (he gave no corroborating facts to support this opinion, but he seemed very positive about it).

10. Rich Mullins' music lifts my spirits no matter what (also not new information, but in case you are not familiar with his music, please do yourself a favor and check it out).

11. Nothing else. I just like the number 11 and wanted to end the post with this number.

First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage...

Then comes highly invasive infertility testing and painful medical procedures.

Well, I had my first appointment with a reproductive specialist (an RE or Reproductive Endocrinologist, for those of you who are still deluded into thinking that babies come from having sex...silly, silly you). There were no earth-shattering "AH-HA!!" moments. (D'oh! We should have taken the CONDOM OFF!) Next step: blood tests and surgery for me to poke around in there and figure out what the heck is going on. And, yes, I do want to stomp my feet like a 2 year-old and scream that it's not fair. But God has blessed me so much in so many other areas of my life (see Post Title). So I'm not stomping. I'm not screaming. I'm praying and looking forward to hopefully having some answers.

On a side note: The King of Queens had their series finale, and that is NOT how International Adoption from China works. At all. AT ALL. But I shouldn't be surprised. When they covered infertility testing on the show, Doug and Carrie (a) dropped by the doctor's office on their way to the airport and (b) the doctor said that everything was fine. Ahh, just like our appointment.

On an even further side note: Had a great garage sale last Saturday. I feel 10 pounds lighter, and that is a WHOLE LOT of stuff that we don't have to move. Yay!

Sunny's List #2

Things that Sunny Enjoys:

1.) Licking himself.
2.) Licking the carpet.
3.) Licking others.
4.) Having his ears scratched.
5.) His little blanket nest in the hallway.
6.) Going on runs.
7.) Barking at leaves.
8.) Following me around at a distance of 6 inches.
9.) Placing his paw on people he likes.
10.) Food.
11.) Sitting on Aunt Ellen and Uncle Jason's couch.
12.) Bill's arrival home from work.
13.) His binky and his hot dog toy.
14.) Food.

Sunny's List #1

Things That Upset Sunny:

1. caterpillars
2. going collarless
3. toads
4. going to new places
5. babies crying
6. rustling in the woods
7. thunderstorms (this one should actually be #1)
8. being left at Aunt Ellen and Uncle Jason's house (even though he is uber-spoiled over there)
9. not knowing where I am at any given moment during the day

Red Dots of Shame

Bill and I are in the process of selling our house, and the home inspection was last week. When I got home, there were red dots all over the place where things have gone slightly awry (windows that are stuck, closet doors that don't have knobs, etc.) I feel as if these people are judging us, and they've never even seen our faces. Sigh.

Not much else going on here. Bill and I are getting over the flu and getting ready to run (ha...or walk embarassingly slow in my case) the Race for the Cure.

For those of you who have been following my blog, still no baby. Not even so much as a hint of a second line. When I worked for an adoption agency, I had one client say to me (who had experienced unexplained infertility for several years) that the first year is the worst, and then it just kind of becomes a nagging, background, white-noise part of your life. Which is somewhat true for me. I think a lot less about it. I've stopped avoiding certain things in the "two week wait" after I've ovulated and before I can test (not that I was ever chasing raw oyster shots down with a dose of meth, but I do enjoy my occasional Coca-Cola). I've accepted that I will never have a surprise "oopsie". It doesn't even hurt as much anymore when I hear about other people's pregnancies. But I do think that every infertile/subfertile woman has to go through a little bout of grief each month. And for each woman, I think that there are one or two things that she is especially saddened to miss out on. For me, it's (a) how I would tell Bill that I'm pregnant and (b) shopping for the perfect diaper bag. (If you know me, you know about my slight obsession with purses, and what is a diaper bag if not the ultimate purse?) So anyway, no baby yet.

But through all the stressors in my life right now (house, flu, peeing on ovulation predictor sticks), the verse I'm clinging to remains Phil. 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Pics from All Over

The rare shot of Bill and me together, taken at the Golden Gate Bridge. The weather was amazing while we were in San Francisco!


Norm!




We were THIS close to getting on the Today show (before our lovingly-made sign melted), but here's a shout-out to Nana, Anna, and Owen right now!


Me taking in Times Square for the first time. It's incredible during the day and awe-inspiring at night.

I Left my Heart in San Francisco and my Wallet in a New York Cab

That's right. I've been a travelin'. Bill and I, in the past 3 weeks have been to Wisconsin, the Twin Cities, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, and New York. Call it our U.S. Tour 2007.

The tour ended badly.

The very last day of the last of our trips (to Boston and NYC), just after seeing the Statue of Liberty, I left my wallet in the cab. It was a little metal wallet, and I had on new jeans and didn't realize how shallow the pockets were. It must have just popped out. And I didn't feel it because I had a heavy winter coat on because it was so very, very cold.

So instead of getting to spend the day as planned (dinner at Tavern on the Green and seeing Celtic Woman at Radio City Music Hall...which we did catch the end of), Bill and I got to spend it in a genuine NYC Police Station. There were many tears and many fears of just how I was going to get back home without my license.

But I will say this, that time spent with the NYPD (did I mention it was St. Patrick's Day, with 2 million visitors in NYC for the parade?) almost felt like a tourist attraction in itself. It was almost funny how cliche everyone was acting. There were all the policemen with their Jersey accents yelling the F word as noun, verb, and adjective every 5 seconds. Example: (I will use the word "boing" in place of the expletive) "Whaddya mean Jimmy didn't bring in da boinging paperwork after lunch? I boinging told that boinger to bring the boinging papers (pronounced 'pay-puhs')! Well, fuh-get about it, you boing! I'll boinging do it myself now!"

And the dispatcher lady who "helped" me with the paperwork was EXACTLY like Roz the monster in Monsters Inc.

All that to say, it ended unfortunately, but we had a great time at all of our locations. I've never before been able to say that in less than 3 weeks I've ridden a roller-coaster in a Mall, gone skiing, gone to Disneyland, visited Bill's Alma Mater, seen the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and Ghirardelli Square, driven down crazy Lombard Street in a convertible, eaten at Fisherman's Wharf, visited Boston Common, the Freedom Trail, Cheers, and a church that Bill and I thought was the Old North Church ("two if by land, one if by sea") but wasn't, went to New Hampshire (ehh), tried to get on the Today Show in the middle of a winter storm, attended a Conan O'Brien taping, followed Jeff Goldblum out to his car, saw Bebe Neuwirth in "Chicago", toured the NBC Studios where Bill saw Finesse Mitchell, gazed upon the Statue of Liberty (where I realized my wallet was gone), made it to an hour of Celtic Woman, and rode a train from Grand Central Station.

And now, I'm back home with my doggy.

I'm still here...

Bill and I just got back from Nashville and Atlanta for a business trip that he had to go on and to see his family (in that order time-wise, not importance-wise). Alas, I did not get to see the baby panda at Zoo Atlanta because it was so, so very cold most of the trip. I did get to go to the High Museum with my sis-in-law Julie, and we saw pieces of art on loan from the Louvre. Very fun. Also got to hang out with my uber-cool nephew who thinks I am "so SO funny" and enjoyed our trip to BlockBUSTer. Of course, I am pretty much chopped-liver next to his Uncle Billy, but then again, so is everyone when Uncle Billy is in town. :)

Not much up here, which is the main reason I haven't been posting. One fun bit of news: Bill and I are going to NYC in a month, and we got tickets to see Conan O'Brien taped while we're there. He's my favorite late-night host, so, yeah, I'm a little psyched. I'm crossing my fingers that he'll have the Walker Texas Ranger lever up and running while we're there, but I'm not holding my breath.

I woke up this morning to a thin blanket of snow on our driveway and house, and can I just say how ready I am for spring?? No, really, I am very, very ready for spring. I'm sick of being cold. I want the spring to come. Soon.

Anyhoo, that's it for me.

just to brighten your day

Baby pandas...is there anything cuter?? After seeing a couple news stories about them (there's a new baby panda at Zoo Atlanta and apparently China has had a large number born recently), I have decided, no, I don't know that there is a cuter baby animal.

And so I give you....

BABY PANDAS!

Q: for those of you who know my dog...

...what is wrong with this picture?




A: He is doped up for his car-ride to Oma and Opa's for Christmas. Isn't he adorable???


Typical picture of the Santino (hint...look in the lower right hand corner):

lampapalooza

I'm in love with a lamp.

I was walking through Hobby Lobby, and it was like in a movie where the skies open up, angelic music plays, and a stream of light filters down through the clouds to the most wonderful lamp I'd ever seen in my life.

And it was 50% off.

And it was the last one.

I walked up and down the aisle trying to decide if I should get the lamp.

Pros to getting the lamp:
-it would be mine.
-it would not be someone else's.
-it was beautiful and adorable at the same time.
-it would be mine.

Cons to procuring the lamp:
-even at 50% off, it was a big chunk of money.
-no place to put the lamp with current "interior design" (ha!) arrangement.


And then, it was all decided for me when a woman walked down the aisle and I practically body-tackled the lamp to make sure she wasn't going for it (she wasn't...but if she'd seen it, she would have). And I knew that I wouldn't be leaving Hobby Lobby without the lamp. And it was a good thing that I did get it when I did because when I was walking to the front of the store to purchase it, I received several compliments on the lamp, but they were more like, "Ooooh, if only I'd seen it first..." compliments.

So it's in my newly formed "reading nook" now. That's right. Bill and I rearranged all the furniture in our house to make a spot for the lamp. It was time for the change anyway. Now we have a proper dining room...and a reading nook. And my lamp.

Seriously, if I weren't already married to Bill, I would call the justice of the peace and marry this lamp.

NO Phone Home

To my real world friends, FYI, right before I left on the cruise, my cell phone pretty much disintegrated in my hands, so if you've called me in the last week or were expecting a call from me and haven't received one, that's why.

But don't despair. My cute new pink phone arrived today, and it is being charged as we speak.

More Cruise Pics

Because there's nothing more fun than looking at pictures of other people's vacations:

The Flying Dutchman from Dead Man's Chest on Disney's Island


There were roosters all over the ports of call. This one was in Key West. Like pigeons but louder.


The Disney "Hooray for Everything" Dancers kicking off the cruise. There was this one particularly infectious song from "High School Musical" that they played constantly. The shot is actually of the big screen TV on the top deck that they would show movies on during the day and sports games at night


Bill and I getting ready to go to the fancy restaurant on board. The waiter actually refused to bring Bill what he originally ordered because it didn't taste good enough in his opinion. (The waiter ended up bringing Bill some of the original order on the side...and he was right, his recommendation was better)


All of us gussied up:

Ahoy, Matey!

Well, I am back from the Disney Cruise with Bill's family. Very, very fun. Here are the details:

The ship did a really good job of corralling the Disney cheesiness to certain pre-set times and places, but everybody was there with kids in one form or another (child, grandchild, nephew/niece), so it was fun to be able to go to the character breakfast and dancing with Snow White (who was c-r-e-e-p-y, let me tell you) and stuff like that with Owen, our nephew. But at the same time, at any point, Bill and I could go to the section of the ship that's designated a kid-free zone. They had an adults-only pool, coffee shop, bar, piano bar, cabaret nightclub...all of that was kid-free. Plus, on their out island, they had an adults-only beach, but we didn't bother going there because we found a secluded spot for the family. There was just so much to do at any point that it was impossible to be bored, but I spent most of my time hanging out in lounge chairs napping or reading.

The shows were amazing...apparently, they were voted the best of any cruise line, although they were all Disney characters, so if characters really annoy you, not a good idea. Bill and I were both "show"ed out by the end of the week. There's only so many times you can cheer for the "Hooray for Everything" dancers dressed as Cinderella and Prince Charming and ooh and ahh when Mickey and Minnie hit the stage. But they were all very well done. If there's one thing Disney does well, it's entertainment.

We didn't do any excursions at the ports where we stopped, so they were kind of "ehh" compared to the ship. We went to a hotel beach in Grand Cayman where Bill's parents stayed earlier this year, which was fun, but a bit stressful trying to get the whole family organized and to & from the beach. Key West was neat. We ate a slice of key lime pie at Sloppy Joe's, that bar where Ernest Hemingway hung out. Really, whenever I got off the ship (with the exception of Disney's island which was really just an extension of the ship to a tropical paradise), I just wanted to get back on the ship and find a good chair and relax.

The food and the service were incredible. I had one day that I literally got sick because I ate so much, but it was just so hard to say "no" to the food when it was in front of you and oh-so-very-yummy. All the crew were from different countries, so it was interesting getting to talk to people about where they were from and their experiences on the cruise ship.

We had good weather until the last night, and the boat started really rocking and going over big waves, and the whole bed would shake. I didn't realize how much I got used to the sea movement until I got home, and it felt like the whole house was rocking back and forth for 2 full days.

And that was our cruise in a nutshell.

Blessings and Random Thoughts

Well, after emotionally vomitting on my readership, I decided to let you know about some of the huge blessings in my life right now:

1. After my car was smashed up, I got a new car which I like very much. It is silver and pretty, and we got an amazing deal on it. Even the guy in the revenue office who issued me my tags made a comment on what a good deal we got.

2. I've been going to physical therapy for my back issues as a result of the wreck, and it's been working. I really do feel better than I did, and the PT has taught me a lot of good stretches, etc. that I can do at home.

3. No baby = more time with my husband. I've really had to struggle not to be sour grapes about the whole lack of pregnancy thing (and this probably sounds like sour grapes), but this is really true. Every weekend that we just laze around in bed doing nothing all day but watch movies and eat pizza, I consciously think, "I will not be able to do this once/if a squirtlet arrives." Also, as my wonderful hubby has pointed out, we've been given this time to really know that we want to be parents and prepare for it.

4. Roof leak--gotta be honest with you, I don't see any positives or blessings coming out of this other than that we have good homeowners' insurance and much of it will be covered (oh, and it wasn't wind or hail damage, so hopefully we'll have a smaller deductible.)

5. Everyone in our families is in good health.

6. Sunny has not peed on the carpet in several months.

7. I've been feeling creatively inspired lately, which hasn't been the case in a long time.

8. Also, with all of these, I feel very, very blessed that I've been able to take some time off from working and just get everything done and focus some attention on my marriage and our home.

So that's my life in a nutshell right now.

The Answer to "Where Have You Been?"

Sorry for the absence. I give you:

Why Karen Has Not Posted in a Long Time

1. I was in an accident at the end of October and my car was totaled.

2. I have been in Physical Therapy for back pain as a result of said accident (don't worry...I'm okay--just annoying and frustrating more than anything).

3. About a week after accident, a roof leak was discovered in our house with resulting ruined wall and mold forming.

4. I have been dealing with myriad people regarding the above two incidences: insurance agents, auto adjustors, health adjustors (hisss), doctors, physical therapists, roofers (oh the roofers), auto salespeople, auto finance people, more insurance agents, gutter contractors, general contractors, mold remediation specialists, health insurance providers, more insurance agents, assessor's office, collector's office, revenue office, and yet more insurance agents.

5. Hubby and I hit the one year mark of unsuccessfully trying to get pregnant. It's depressing to me.

6. We're going on a cruise in a week and a half, and while that has nothing to do with why I haven't kept up my posts, it is a bright spot that I would like to share.

7. Sunny the diabolical fiend has kept me tied up in a chair for the past month and only lets me loose to go the bathroom and give him food...ha ha, this is especially funny if you know how un-bright my dog is.

h.s. reunion

I had my 10 year H.S. Reunion last week. It was good. Nothing earth-shattering. I was a little surprised by who came up to talk to me and who didn't seem to give a hoot whether I was there or not, but it was nice to see the people that there was no question as to how we'd greet each other--much jumping up and down and squealing.

It struck me today that there's a whole lot in high school that you learn and never wish you had to...like what it's like to a lose a friend--to death, to a bitter heart.

And there's a whole lot that you need to learn in high school and don't. For me, this was discovered sitting as a freshman in Cell Biology, praying that the professor would not call my name and wishing that my stupid 10th grade biology teacher had taught us something more than Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, & Species of the common butterfly (lepidoptera) and how to serve a mean ping-pong ball.

the big change

All right, I'm going to do it. I'm going to start eating better.

For those of you who know me well (or remember me sharing this around this time last year), I've always loved juicing and the ***concept*** of eating in a healthy manner, and yet I'm still strongly addicted to Coke and candy and the typical American diet of Doritos, frozen meals, white sugar, white flour, red meat...and so on and so forth, yech, yech, yech.

Well, it's a new day, and while I'm never going to be a vegan or a raw foodist, I do have to wake up and smell the coffee (which thankfully, I am NOT addicted to), and start eating healthier. It's not going to be easy...I actually dreamed about cookie cake last night.

But something's got to give.

So what will this mean? Eating the recommended number of fruits and vegetables a day. Drinking 8 glasses of water a day (which I actually usually already do). Cutting out Cokes (eek...I said it). Cutting down on sweets. Drinking freshly juiced stuff (which I actually look forward to...mmmm...love my juices). Eating more whole grains (I have hope on this one...last night, Bill loved the whole grain rolls I got). Eating less meat, more fish, more beans.

It's all stuff I've known forever. I just need to bite the bullet and do it.

cabbage patch-alooza

Well, I am officially jealous. My sister-in-law (with my then 8 year-old whining and cranky husband in tow) got to actually GO to Babyland General Hospital to have "surgery" on her Cabbage Patch Kid. Apparently, the original dolls did not have heiny cracks, so kids could take them there to have them added. Hee hee.

I just asked Bill to PLEASE PLEASE take me to Babyland General Hospital, but he said, "no". It would make me sad. Much like he banned me riding the Figment ride at Epcot two years ago. Some things are better left in your memory/imagination.

I am also including a picture of the Cabbage Patch Kid pony. I never knew anyone who actually had the CPK pony. Probably just for the little girls who wanted a doll pony to match their REAL pony.

being vs. doing

I have 7 days of work remaining with the organization I work for. It's a bizarre, bizarre feeling, as I have absolutely NO clue what I will do after that. My dad calls it "short-timer's syndrome". I call it "clueless about what I want to do with my life." My mother-in-law was telling me about the happiest time she had working at the dance studio where my sister-in-law took dance lessons growing up, and I have to say I think that sounds like so much fun. That's the kind of job I want. However, I have no idea how to acquire one like that.

And I think I pinned my finger on it this afternoon. I've spent so many years now with the mindset of "this is what I do" (i.e. a college student, a grad student, a counselor, an adoption worker), and now, I'm confronted with the need to switch my mindset to "this is who I am." A definite change, but I think it's needed whether I get a new job in 2 weeks or 2 months or 2 years or never (ha ha...fat chance.)

Sorry for all the deep thoughts. I promise a fun nostalgia post soon. To get you going: Did ANYONE actually have the Cabbage Patch Kid playpen, quilted baby carrier, or pony? Anyone? Anyone? Who WERE those girls that had the big accessories?

goodbye, ellaroo

My sister has decided to stop blogging. You should go and wish her well.

Perhaps now she and Anna will have time to come and play with me. Hint hint.

informal poll

I have been watching the DVD of the (unfortunately entire) series of Freaks & Geeks. I find myself identifying strongly with both Sam (one of the geeks) and Lindsay (one of the freaks) during high school. Probably more so with Lindsay. Her entire plotline is focused on her trying to figure out where she belongs in the world of high school. She starts hanging out with the "freaks"--I believe they were called "stoners" in my high school--after her grandmother dies. Before that, she was a "Mathlete" and ran with the goody 2shoes crowd.

The "Mathlete" bit hit hard as that REALLY was me. I was in MathCounts, and I placed 2nd in the state Trig competition. Then, after I lost a dear guy friend (who I was not-so-secretly head-over-heels for) my junior year, I pretty much went a tad over the deep end without actually doing anything really bad. I was the drummer for an extremely short-lived grunge band with a bonified pothead on bass guitar. I rode around town with my friends until dawn while they smoked and I kept my window cracked open so I didn't have an allergy attack. I wrote depressing journal entries about how nobody understood me or my pain.

But I still kept straight-A's and was friends with my old friends as well. I still watched Star Trek and had afterschool snacks and was nominated and elected Beta Club treasurer without anyone remembering to tell me as I'd missed the meeting. That one was actually really funny as the Beta sponsor teacher called me into her room after the next year's elections to ask me about receipts and to get the checkbook back, and I had no idea what she was talking about. She found the checkbook in her stuff and was just like, "Well, okay, then, sorry I didn't give that to you." And of course, I wasn't too offended as I had no idea what she was talking about. Then, when I got my yearbook the next year, there I was with the Beta Club with "Treasurer" written next to my name. (My husband is probably laughing especially hard right now as he knows how horrible I am with finances.)

All that to say, I was both a freak and a geek, but after reviewing, I'm going to have to put myself in the "Geek" column with an asterik next to it stating **In times of grief, may turn to freakish behavior.

How about you?

Goodbye, mate.

I can't believe that Steve Irwin has died. I've always really liked him, crazy and dangerous as he was. Above all, he really seemed to love and respect the animals that he was working with. It's pretty amazing that of all the possible animals that he's handled, he was killed by a stingray, a fish that's usually considered to be safe and docile.

Bill and I are going on a cruise in December with his family and were planning on swimming with stingrays. Now, I'm not so sure...

Procrastination

Yeah, it really is a problem with me. I procrastinate at almost everything. One of my friends from college gave me my mantra: "If you wait until the last minute, it only takes a minute."

And that's the thing. I always seem to scrape by and get it done. The 11th hour may be awful, but it passes, and all is well. Even in procrastinating in school, I never had to pull an all-nighter. In grad school, once, I had to stay up until 3 writing a paper, but it was my last one, and by that point, I was so burnt-out on school, I could barely string 3 words together anyway.

Hmmm....maybe that would be my super-power. Look...in her bed napping...on the couch watching television...it's...Procrastination Girl! Able to accumulate large piles of papers (and yet finish them at the last minute) in a single bound. There's nothing that woman can't avoid!!

random thoughts

To add an even funnier ending to the "Gentleman's Razor" story, Michele is apparently in her late 50's. Yes, that would be both Bill's and my parents' age.

I really don't have much to share. I had an insanely lazy weekend. Pretty much laid around in bed and on the couch all day Saturday and Sunday. Went on a date Saturday night to a good restaurant and to see Talladega Nights, which was rather funny. My favorite character was Karen the cougar. I've been going around "mrowring" at Bill for 2 days.

I'm in the process of transitioning out of my position at work, and I have to say that it feels like I'm losing a big chunk of my identity. Like it or not, even when I've been stressed out, tired, or sick of the commute, my job has been a really huge part of who I am for the last 3 years. I'm kind of feeling like "Now what?" now.

(hair) club for men

I thought my readership (hi, all of you--shelli, sarah, kat, sara, mel, and ellen!)would enjoy this business card that I found in Bill's car cupholder. Normally, he goes to a place called "The Clipper", and it's precisely what you would imagine. Two middle-aged guys, a semi-nautical theme (basically, their wives came and hung up some pictures of ships and mermaids). But apparently, Bill didn't like that they would never cut his hair close enough. My conspiracy theorist husband claims that they would intentionally leave his hair a little long so he'd have to come back every 2 weeks rather than every 3 weeks. (Apparently, Sports Clips is the absolute worst about this) So he decided to try some different places.

Enter the Gentleman's Razor (and trust me, the picture does not do the card justice. It's like textured gold lamee! With her name handwritten on the back to boot.) When I found the card in his cupholder, I was like, "Ahem...is there something you need to tell me? Just what are they shining?" And then we both burst out laughing. I'm thankful that card's not something I have to worry about for real. But seriously, G's Razor folks, get a better business card! To their defense, he got a good close cut. But that was only after lying about the length of time that it's been since his last haircut. So now, when he goes back, they'll know that his hair doesn't grow that quickly, and they'll not cut it as close. This, according to my conspiracy theorist husband.

my name is andy, and i like candy

And I eat it whenever I can
If it's handy
Gimme some candy
It's so good and sweet
The perfect treat
It's such a thrill
To eat my fill
And gobble till there's nothing on the plate
Candy is great, but wait!

It's very bad for me. And seriously, I think I'm addicted. I downed a M & M's "to share" bag this afternoon. I can't look at the "baby bottle pops" in line at Wal-Mart without wincing. It's like I have this constant craving for refined sugar even though it makes me feel HORRIBLE afterwards. I wish that I craved carrots and celery. Eating crunchy vegetables IS good for me. And it's good for you, so eat them, too.

On a completely different (but equally self-disturbing) side note, I like Paris Hilton's song "Stars Are Blind". What is wrong with me?

i resemble that!

I have been unjustly accused of with-holding posts as emotional punishment doled out to my readership (what am I up to now, 4?) for not posting enough comments.

No, I'm just lazy.

And I've been travelling. To beautiful Colorado. Home of the Rockies and John Elway and a homeless guy that I gave 50 cents to. The top headline in the Denver Post this morning was about Israel, but the largest headline and biggest front page cover story (about 3/4 of the page) was (and I am not kidding): "Like 7 Like Son" about John Elway's kid. You can say a lot about those Coloradans, but you can't question their devotion to sports.

It was a bit difficult leaving the sunny skies in the mid 70's with 0 humidity to come back here to the sweltering heat and "air soup". Although it does look like we got a little rain. Our lawn has perked up.

I just have to keep telling myself that it's always something, no matter where you live. The house costs may have spiked a little here in my neck of the woods over the last year or so, but it really is out of control in Colorado. We drove past one neighborhood (literally 50 yards off the interstate) that was going from the "800's & up". Those same houses looked to be in the 450-500 range here. You just can't get the land there that you can here. Which is ironic as most of the area around Fort Collins is just big amber waves of grain. Sigh. With purple mountains majesty in the background (which was actually referring to Pikes Peak in CO Springs, a bit further south).

Oh, and Bill got altitude sickness. He kept describing all the symptoms, and I kept saying, "You have altitude sickness. Take a Tylenol. Drink lots of water. Lay down for a while." But then, 15 minutes later, he'd say, "I just really don't feel good. My stomach kind of hurts. My head aches..." K: "Honey, you have altitude sickness. Take a Tylenol. Drink lots of water. Lay down for a while." B: "Y'know...I got sick the last time I was here, too! I wonder what the matter is."

I think you can see where that all headed. Miracle of all miracles, he stepped off the plain this afternoon and felt just fine.

I've had altitude sickness before though, and I can totally sympathize with him. It really is awful. I usually get a mild case the first day I'm there (although I was fine this trip), but one ski trip, I felt so awful, I was convinced I had the flu. My mom was very sweet. She brought me water and Tylenol and let me whine on the sofa for the morning until, lo and behold, I was well enough to ski the next day.

Oh, I want to go skiing.

dead bird

Enough said. Bill and I got home from church on Sunday, and he looked up and said, "Oh, the birds are back." Then he stopped and quickly said, "Why don't you go ahead and go inside?"

Dead bird hanging over the edge of the nest. So I went inside and cried (not so much about the bird as it was just a tough day, hormonally). He came in and assured me that it had been "taken care of" and that it was not one of the baby birds. They were all gone. They must have successfully mastered flying. It must have been the mama bird.

That or he was lying through his front teeth to make me feel better.

So I comforted myself by mumbling something about the circle of life. Then went back to the hormonal tear-fest.

a little birdhouse in my soul

It's amazing the things that I miss when I'm moving too fast in life. Such as? The nest of baby birds underneath our deck. I kept noticing this ever-increasing pile of bird poop under our deck (which is right outside our garage). Then, all of a sudden, it was increasing double-time (or rather triple time) because lo and behold, up I look and there are three baby birds. Not cheeping but looking kind of creepy and still. So I cheeped at them, and apparently, I'm more fluent in baby bird than I ever realized because it set them off. They stuck their little beaks open and started cheep-cheep-cheeping waiting for food. Then I felt guilty and ran inside. They must have gotten fed eventually because the next day they were still all there.

Well, tonight, I only saw one little bird and he was on the edge of the nest. They seem to be too young to fly, but he certainly was sitting precariously close to the edge. To be honest, I'm a little confused about how the bird poop gets outside the nest. Do the little baby birds stick their little bird heinies over the edge to poop? Does the mother bird flick it out? Is that all her poop on the ground and inside the nest is disgusting? Things I will never know.

bizarro world

I officially feel as if I've landed on another planet...the bizarre and uncharted world of free time and relaxation. What is this strange place in which I don't have to wake up at 5:15 in the morning or stay at work until 7:00 at night? What shall I do with my time? Actually keep up with the laundry and cleaning? Exercise (okay, not really)? Get a good night's sleep? Gasp....read a book I enjoy???

Yes, I am officially part-time at my work, very part-time. Despite the shell shock to our expendable income, I have greatly enjoyed my week (so far) of almost-freedom. There is, of course, this little voice in the back of my head saying, "Whaddya going to do next, Karen, huh? Whaddya going to do? You need to start planning for your next step, your next job, your next...whatever."

Well, the first thing I'm going to do is relax and enjoy my slothfulness a little bit longer, but in the meantime, I'm open to suggestions from those of you who know me in the real world...or feel like you know me...or just enjoy giving advice.

If you could do anything for say, oh, 2 months or so, what would you do? And what do you think I should do when I return to work (think "part-time" and "low-stress")?

There and Back Again

Bill and I drove to Atlanta for the 4th of July to see his family (actually, we weren't there for the actual 4th--we were driving back in a tired stupor).

While there, we went to White Water, where a good time was had by all. Both Bill and his sister had worked there as teenagers (and when I say teenagers, I mean barely teenagers--Bill had just turned 14, and apparently White Water got busted for child labor practices back in the 90's). He flipped hamburgers at Smokey's Lunch Box where we ate for lunch. Apparently, he had to go in for an official interview and everything. When he left, he sent in a very courteous resignation letter thanking them for "a wonderful first job for someone to begin with in the working world."

This is why I love my husband.

Our nephew is cool. He's cute and funny and obedient, but still all boy. He's on my list. And he knows my name now (along with every single vehicle friend from Thomas the Tank Engine--he can even tell the twin engines "Ben" and "Bill" apart. Apparently, they have slightly different facial expressions.)

Bambi 2000

Well, it's happened again. The deer are attacking. Sunny is in full-on panic mode. And this time, the situation is even more dire.

Two baby deer.

They were so cute! Frolicking and whatnot. I can only hope that if there were ever situation in which there was an ACTUAL threat (not the kind that has four spindly little legs and that you could knock over with a flick of the finger) that Sunny would be even more protective. Bear...cause for barking and growling. Prowler...snarl away. Baby deer...chill out.

I was a little upset that the deer's mommy (I can only assume they were twins) seemed to be nowhere to be found, but she was down the hill a little bit. Still giving them their space but at least letting them think that they were tough and independent.

movie help

Bill and I went to go see 2 movies this week. As we normally go several months without seeing one, this was a pretty big deal. Plus, Superman is coming out this week, and we'll go see that as well, so 3 movies in 2 weeks is just huge.

Both of the movies that we saw featured an architect as one of the main characters: The Lake House and Click. We started to watch Cars, but it was much more "Nascar-y" than I was prepared for, so we switched over to Click. Fluffy but sweet with a good message. But Adam Sandler was at his Sandleriest. I don't think I could have taken one more fart joke.

Even though it got horrible reviews, I really liked the Lake House. Granted, I had been forewarned to go in expecting it to make absolutely no sense on the whole space-time continuum thing. But it was romantic. As we were leaving, Bill said, "Boy, I really took one for the team there." And it's true. Normally, I would never drag him to a movie like that, but I needed some TLC this week.


Then, going to bed last night, Bill asks, "How many T.V. shows or movies can you name with an architect as one of the main characters?"

My list thus far:
1. Lake House
2. Click
3. Brady Bunch
4. 3 Men & a Baby
5. Poseidon
6. the Towering Inferno
7. Return to Me
8. Sleepless in Seattle
9. Singles
10. Star Wars (sigh...I guess technically that got me to 10)

Any more?

You be the Judge

Funny or not Funny?

Bill wanted me to post this joke that he told in Canada (more than once) because he is still laughing about it. I'm still like, "ehhh."

Bill: "Boy, we haven't seen too many policemen here on PEI."

Me: "No, I don't think I've seen one."

Bill: "Well, I wouldn't be worried about getting pulled over even if there were tons of them."

Karen: "????"

Bill: "Those Canadian Mounties couldn't catch me on their horses anyway!"

I vote not funny.


Bill is again looking at PEI real estate. In Summerside. One can dream.



On a completely unrelated note:
I saw a preview for a T.V. show that made me want to upgrade to extended cable to get Animal Planet. Meerkat Manor--I hope that it comes out on DVD soon. First of all, I've been in love with meerkats ever since visiting the Minnesota State Zoo. Second, just in the 5 minute preview, I found myself getting all worked up over the meerkat pups whose evil and stupid uncle pulled them out of their safe hole while their grandmother was gone, and when the grandmother got back, she was SO MAD. It was just like Peyton's Place. But with meerkats.

O, Canada!

Well, I just got back from Canada. Here are some of the pictures.

Prince Edward Island was just BEAUTIFUL! It was calm and quiet and GREEN (oh, the green). All the island is covered in this thick perfectly green grass and red dirt. Not like ugly construction clay that we have here. It's a deep red. The pictures don't do it justice. Although, I do like the one with me starting down the path into the scary Haunted Wood behind Green Gables....oooh!

Here is a list of differences in Canada (or at least PEI) that I noticed during our short stay:

In Canada, they don't give you much ice in your drink, unless you ask for "extra ice" and even then, it's about half of what I'd normally get in a restaurant here.

In Canada, the movies are really expensive ($10, but Canadian, so about $9 American).

In Canada, there are coins for $1 and $2. I understand the $1 "loony" (as they call it), but why $2?

In Canada, the speed limit is posted in kilometers. My husband had some occasional problems with obeying said speed limits, but as we'd often go 10 miles without seeing another car, it wasn't that big of a deal, ehh?

In Canada (or perhaps just PEI) , almost every restaurant serves Pepsi. Blehh. But all the soft drinks came in glass bottles in the store.

In Canada, most of the sinks were stainless steel.

In Canada, "Smarties" (the candy) are chocolate (kind of like M & M's), and there are no M & M's to be found. Also, the Kit-Kat's are different. Don't ask me how. They're just different.

In Canada, on some of the local TV stations, people will just switch back and forth between English and French (and ALL the signs were in both English and French). Very fun.



And funny moment of the trip: Pulling into a gas station to fill up the rental car, I saw the sign that said $1.10, and I said, "DANG, gas is cheap here!" Then, after filling up the car and realizing it was $1.10/liter and not $1.10/gallon, I had to change my comment to, "DANG gas is expensive here."



Interesting things that happened/that I learned on my visit to PEI:
-My husband is able to fly a kite higher than anyone I've ever met before. He must have had that kite up almost 1,000 feet over the ocean.

-The Japanese LOVE Anne of Green Gables. Prince Edward Island is a bit of a pilgrimage to "Anne's home" for many Japanese people. Anne of Green Gables became required reading in their schools after WWII to improve Canadian/Japanese relations.

-That beautiful purple wildflower in the picture at the top is called lupin, and they grow everywhere.

-People on PEI used to use ground up lobster as fertilizer. Not anymore, but Bill and I still ate it every night we were there. Most restaurants have their own lobster traps and harvest their own blue mussels (80% of which worldwide come from little PEI--the mussels, not the lobster).

farewell, sweet goats

Well, apparently, the owner of the fields behind my office got rid of the goats. Every last one of them. They are going to be improving the fence then getting buffalos. That's right. Buffalos.

The conversation went a little like this:

Setting (my office, Karen looking perplexedly out her window looking for goats)

Co-worker: Hey, did you know that they got rid of the goats?

Karen: Really?

Co-worker: Yep.

Karen: All of them?

Co-worker: Yeah.

Karen: Even Kicky?

Co-worker: You NAMED them?

Karen: (little nod)

Co-worker: Well, they're getting buffalos instead. Those should be cool to look at.

Karen: Not the same.

My Husband the Squirrel

Just when I thought that I was getting a lot better with the hypnogogic hallucinations, I had a doozy. Last night, I very vividly felt a squirrel run onto my pillow, and I (rather ferociously) pushed it away from me. I then turned on the light, realized I was not even on the side of the bed that I thought I was on, had a rare moment of lucidity where I told myself it was a HH, and rolled right over and went to sleep.

I called my husband at work this morning to apologize for the squirrel bludgeoning. Thankfully, he rarely remembers anything the first few minutes after waking, especially in the middle of the night.

my favorite way to wake up in the morning...

...is with a little kiss from my husband.

kicky 'n' the gang

I just moved office spaces a few weeks ago, and now, my office has a huge window in the back (as huge as the window can be in a teeny little office) that overlooks a sheep & goat pasture. The sheep are all right, kind of ratty and stick to themselves, but I love the goats--especially the babies. I have named them (the above picture is not one of the actual goats, but is a good likeness):

Kicky--the ringleader; the others tend to mimic and follow him; seems to be a bit on the serious side for a goat.

Mr. Adventure--favorite activity is climbing to the top of the little barn and jumping off, usually followed closely by...

Runty--tiny brown goat that likes to run. and run. and run. He seems to be the most random in his likes and dislikes. Likes: little runty-sized oak tree to eat and running. Dislikes: being alone.

Little Jack Black--very laidback; spends much of day gazing off into distance wistfully (much like me).

Hornsby--so-named because he already has little nubs of horns sticking out; he is the outsider...I think the others are jealous and/or scared of him.


Runty is my favorite.

high on LIFE!

So I never thought about the implications that the name of my blog could have regarding meth until my sister pointed it out on in her blog a few weeks ago. Sudafed is indeed a way of life for me, but it's because of allergies, not a sordid drug addiction. Just to clear that up.

So I'm going to Prince Edward Island. Yahoo!!!! I've always dreamed of going there since I was a little girl reading "Anne of Green Gables", but in doing research, the whole island should prove to be just beautiful! We'll be staying in an Inn on the ocean and I am just counting down the seconds! And yes, I realize that it's probably cheesy, but I DON'T CARE!! I'm going to say things like, "I don't want diamond sunbursts or marble halls...I just want you!" And people will stare at me as if I'm crazy, and again, I DON'T CARE! It's too bad the bridge isn't actually there on PEI, or I'd make Bill re-enact the whole scene with me.

Hello, goodbye.

Well, I left for a few days for a conference and came back to a Joaquin firestorm...instigated entirely by my sister and one of my partners in crime...but a firestorm nonetheless.

Joaquin is a good actor, an attractive man, possibly a decrepit person (who knows?), and we're all in desperate need of God's grace. There.

I'm happy to be home, but I've been in a grand funk (as my best friend's mom always used to say) lately...if you couldn't already tell. And dang it if this grand funk isn't keeping me from enjoying friends, normal activities, etc. Now, I'm not oblivious, and I know what my readership (all 5 of you) is probably thinking right now. Hmmm, could that grand funk's name be "depression"?? And yes, that's part of it, but it all seems to be tied to one small part of my life that has turned HUGE, so I've decided that that one small/HUGE part must be removed, and right now, that removal makes me sad, thus feeding that greedy little funk for the present. But it must be done to bring the parts that have a rightful spot in the "enormous" category back to their rightful spots.

In so doing, I bid the following adieu:
-waking & worrying
-crying over things that are not sad, just overwhelming
-saying "no" to activities that I want to say "yes" to because I can't be counted on

And welcome the following:
-waking up and cuddling with my husband
-laughing with my friends over a good dinner
-saying "no" to activities that I do want to say "no" to