Monday, Monday, Monday . . . .

This weekend went pretty well. We went to church Saturday morning; I paid my tithe, stayed for potluck with Mom and Pops, and then chilled at my house for a few hours working on my cross-stitch, before returning to the church for the spaghetti dinner/talent show put on by the Mesa Wildcats Pathfinder Club. It was really cute. They put together a series of their own skits and performed them in front of everyone during the dinner, all relating stories from the Bible. They were so cute! They did a really good job and I am proud of them. I wish more people from the church had come out to support them, but we had a pretty good sized crowd overall. I left before they could tally the rest of the donations, but last I heard they were over $100. My mom sweet-talked me into playing the piano at the end of the program, so that was fun. After the dinner, everyone came back to my place. I went with my friend Allison and my sister Stace to Michaels to go pick up some yarn for a baby blanket I am working on for my brother and sister-in-law. Then we watched The Couch Trip when the rest of my family showed up. Hilarious! I love Dan Akroyd and Walter Matthau! Molly had a good time playing with Abby who came over to visit too. Abby was being so cute on the stairs. She would go down a few steps at a time and then poke her head over the side, before disappearing again to go down a little further, and poking her head back over the wall. She eventually went upstairs to lay down next to my little brother who was playing computer games in our office.

Yesterday, Evan and I had a good time being lazy. We watched the Blues Brothers and Parenthood while he worked on his production blog and me on my baby blanket and cross-stitch projects. Then we got ready and went out for a date night to Olive Garden. There weren't any movies in the theater that we were hip on seein' so we decided to go rent the worst movie of 2008 (aka Twilight) so we could put on the Rifftrax and listen to the stars of Mystery Science Theater 3000 rip into it. So we set off to Blockbuster to rent a copy, and they inform us that they never got a movie back and we now owe 21 bucks. I told them that we had taken it back because I remember. But he stated once more, "Nope, never got it!" Evan went ahead and paid it before I could say otherwise, and I was livid to say the least. I just paid over 20 bucks for a movie that I do not have in my hot little hands. I DON'T THINK SO! So I made Evan take me to the other Blockbuster (they said we dropped it off there instead of the right store) and once we got there, I politely asked for MY movie. The man looks and looks and looks. It's not there. "We already sent it to the other store." Oh, really? I told him that the other guy said they didn't have it and to please call that store for me. So he did. And guess what? They DID have it. Oh boy! Another roadtrip! We drive ALLLL the way back and the guy tries to give it to me, and I said, "I want my money back." He waited until he was done with his customer so he could "explain to me why he couldn't." I told him he could try. He gave me some BS about it being waaaaay late and that it was protocol to charge me for the movie. I told him that I am not paying for a movie that I did not like, much less, TWENTY ONE DOLLARS! I have NEVER paid that much for a DVD. So I quietly told him that I had driven all the way to the other store to get it, and then came ALL the way back, and I would like a FULL refund. He obliged and I thanked him profusely. I don't mind paying a "restocking fee" or whatever they call their late charges, but don't you dare try to charge me THAT much. We happily exited the store free of any charges and our money back and went home.

We bought the Rifftrax for Twilight and put it on our ipod to listen to while we watched the movie. It was pretty easy to sync up to the movie and we laughed our butts off for the next 2 hours. GOOD stuff. Evan and I decided that we need to get a Rifftrax for every movie we hate. Lol. I am thinking the next one we get should be for the new Star Wars or Kingdom of the Crystal Suck. We'll see!

New Crafts!! :)

I finally found a cross stitch project and it's going to take FOREVER cuz it's huge, but I am excited. Not to mention, I wanna try my hand at making the little crochet animals in my sister's book.

Walmart has a bunch of FREAKIN' adorable plant pots so I am already planning my backyard. It's all rocks so there's not a lot I can do with it, but the pots will be cute back there and I wanna get my hands on some rose bushes, the old fashioned ones that have the strongest smelling flowers and plant them along the wall in the backyard and get one of those wooden, not lattice, but close, structures to put over my patio since I don't have a porch and trail some ivy and jacob's ladder roses up on top for shade. It's going to be fun! Now if I can get a break.... Lol.

Someone to talk to....

Interesting to note my complete and utter lack of excitement for the weekend, being Friday and all, but these last couple of days have left me in a kind of funk. It's a strange feeling, blank and apathetic. I'd like to think that the real cause is my exhaustion from work and school, but I don't have it that bad. I'm just tired of people lying to me for months and excusing themselves with, "I have my reasons." I'm tired of being screwed out of my money. I'm tired of having no friends. I'm tired of my job. I'm tired of the loneliness that threatens to rise up and choke me whenever I go onto FB and see everyone else making plans with their friends for the weekend, while I have to sit home alone for two days.

I mostly feel like kicking myself when these thoughts pass through my head. I have a wonderful husband, my best friend, who takes care of me, but I miss hanging out with girl friends. It'd be so much easier to make friends if I drank, not that I wanna change now. Alcohol smells awful and tastes worse, and one sip gives me a massive headache, so no thanks, but because I don't drink, I'm immediately treated like I cannot handle some people I know who enjoy drinking. They clam up around me when talking about their parties as if I were going to condemn them for drinking. My favorite is when they try and badger me about my choice not to. Why is it so important that I drink? It's like asking, "Why do you like vanilla more than chocolate?" It was so easy to make friends in school. One just needed to ask, "Wanna be friends?" and that was that. Inseparable ever after. It's interesting how fast everyone disappeared as soon as I got married. Apparently NOW I have cooties. Pfft.

Some guy is coming to take the cats tonight and I'm trying not to think to hard about it. I love Sesmu and Bagheera and I'm going to miss the brats. But not the cat boxes. I got to come home last night to the contents of the downstairs cat box strewn over my landing and covering the bathroom floor, but the idiots still went to the bathroom in the now empty-of-litter catbox, so that smell was pleasant. With so many things goin' to crap right now, being a prisoner in my own home is obnoxious. I want to be able to leave doors open and not worry about the cats getting into the rooms and tearing things up or pooping/peeing/puking all over the place. I want the smell out of my house. Ug, but I'm sad that the boys are leaving.

Tomorrow I will read this and laugh, since I'm probably suffering from "pre-woman woes" or something. Blogs are funny. It's like running around and shoving your journal under people's noses and begging them to read it. I don't care that no one reads my blogs. It's purpose is for me to ramble and feel better, so thank you blog. My only friend. :)

2010 thus far . . . .

Today heralds the second week of forced-carpooling with Evan since the oil pump in our Passat blew last week. My dad researched how to do it, so all set with mailed-in car parts, dad and Evan set off yesterday to get the car fixed. Unfortunately, turns out that to get to the oil pump and replace everything, you have to take a lot of stuff out, including lifting the engine which my dad lacks the tools (or should I say, LIFT thingamabob) to do. Talk about hopes dashed on not having to take it into a shop. We are hoping my sister's VW repair man can help us out for a few pennies instead of a pretty one. Thank goodness my truck is running perfectly (*knock on wood).

I started my second(?) to last semester this past week. I am taking World Religions (UGH) and a political science class online and COM100 and Choir on Monday and Tuesday nights. After this semester I should maybe have an elective left to do this summer and I will be set. I wish I could take another class this semester, but HOLY EXPENSIVE, BATMAN! For my four classes, I am paying eight hundred bucks, and with tax time and Evan's school payments looming ever nearer, I did not think it would be a good idea to break the budget. Oy.

Evan and I decided that it was time to attempt to find a new home for the cats. They chew up EVERYTHING, poop EVERYWHERE, and tear up my new carpet. I don't have a lot of say in the matter since Evan is the one in charge of cleaning the terror-inspiring catboxes and the messes EVERY night since I have to stay away from it due to my asthma and allergies, not to mention my newly developed gag reflex (and I always thought I was pretty hard stomach-ed). We're so busy and short of time every night that it is putting a lot of stress on Evan. I love them so much though! They are so cute and sweet, but I am going along with Evan in this. We already specified that we want the cats to go together in the ad on craigslist since it will help them adapt better to a different house, but I still feel pretty badly. Hopefully we can find a good home for them soon.

My goals for this month are: 1) Keep A's in all my classes (which should be easy), 2) Lose 20 pounds (I've already lost ten! *happy dance*), and 3) have a car to drive to Disneyland in a couple weeks for my birthday.

Christmas 2009

I had to fix the tree because the cats like to play Jungle Kitty and knock it all down.

Molly looked so cute by the tree that I just had to hug her!

Evan loves his new leather jacket I got him. :D

Molly liked the Christmas kitty treats. Lol.

Molly was helping me open my presents

They are piggies!

Family photo!

Evan is so cutey in his jacket. :)

Mom and Dad's tree

Pettin Abby while we wait for the others to wake up.

Abby likes to lick Mom's feet. Lol.

Dad opening the first present.

Mom is so cute.

Stacey and Mark arrive just in time to open their presents.


And since Evan's camera likes to be evil, this is basically it for Christmas pictures. Next year I am going to get a camera that works. :)

January Madness

New year, new changes. For the better methinks. My mother recently found that she has a high chance of heart attack/stroke and has to redo her entire diet. I was pretty freaked out (of course) and decided that I needed to help her stick with her new restrictions and so I became her weight-loss buddy. I am her diet nazi and she is mine. Now is the time that my metabolism is the highest it will ever be and once I reach the point where I want to start a family, I want to be a healthy incubator for my kid-lets. I hesitate to say New Year's Resolution since I started the diet a week before Christmas, but my goal for this year is to get healthy. I weighed in the first day at 211 a couple weeks ago, and this week I reached the robust weight of 205 GO ME. So hopefully the numbers keep falling for both Mommy and me. If there is something to blog about, I figure keeping a record on here will keep me motivated. My first weight goal is 180, at which time I will do a HIP HIP HOORAY posting on here (aren't you all so excited??). There's a "magic" mirror at the weigh-in place that shows you how you will look twenty pounds lighter, and lets just say I'm going to look pretty damn sexy. ;) Lol. JK. My doc says that 150lb should be where I stop unless I feel I should lose a little more. Since I am big-boned and tall, I doubt I will be able to get below that number and stay healthy. Lol.

Hopefully in all this I achieve my most important goal of reversing my asthma. It kicks my butt in the winter time, let me tell you, and I miss being able to run around like I used to. Ever since I changed from Flovent to Advair (maintenance drugs) my asthma attacks are fewer, yes, but more severe. I don't know if any of you have ever tried to breathe through a straw? It's very uncomfortable to say the least. This past month I have had to use my nebulizer more than once since my emergency inhalers have failed to stop the attacks, so that's a little scary.

Here's to motivation and everything this new year brings. Happy New Year's!

December Musings

I am getting to the point where I do not like Christmas. I hate the WAAAAAY overplayed music, everyone getting sick, trying to go grocery shopping and getting elbowed and kicked every which way cuz too many people are at the store, and don't get me started on shopping for gifts. Obnoxious! Because you gotta figure out what to get people and then you remember, "Oh well if I spend 20 bucks on everyone, I will be out a thousand bucks." Oops! Everything I want to get for people is like $300+ and it's like, they'll just have to settle for a crappy gift this year.... Secular Christmas as an adult sucks. You don't get to just count the days til THE day, you gotta figure out what to buy, how to afford it, how to hide the presents, wrap the suckers, buy a tree to put 'em under, and then feel bad that you couldn't afford to get everyone a little something. Christmas's value has basically de-evolved to being completely based off of the fact that a full-time employee can have a day off from work, so thank goodness I get to celebrate the best Gift of all or I would go a bit nuts. I guess what I really want this year is for Obama to be impeached from office, lower taxes, the good health of my family and friends, and a car with under 90,000 miles on it as opposed to almost 150,000. Oh, and to not get flipped off every morning on the way to work for only going 72mph on the freeway.

Merry Christmas everyone. ;)