Merry Yesterday

Happy belated Christmas!
I would have posted before now but of course, I don't have internet at home (it's killing me).
We had a really nice Christmas even though a lot of things were different. Like, we didn't have oysters or cream puffs at Mammaw's (but lunch was still yummy) and my maternal grandparents didn't come over Christmas morning because of some imaginary bad weather (don't ask). We had a good time and everyone liked their presents. I got some fun new stuff (two purple purses!) and I'm excited about going out to eat with the gift cards we got. I hope everyone had a fun, relaxing Christmas!

Hiatus

Our internet is out at home (well, the internet is there, I just can't do anything with it) so I won't be able to finish up the blog challenge thingie any time soon. I don't have time to do it on my breaks at work, and my mom's computer is too frustrating to do pretty much anything on. Hopefully I will get around to finishing up before Christmas, though! I don't think I can survive without internet access that long (with no tv and no internet, there is very little to do at home and it's awful not having access to the news or weather reports.)

Blog Challenge: Day 11

Today's theme is: New Year's Resolutions

I've never been super interested in New Year's resolutions. I'm also not very good at following through on things...I have thought about making some resolutions for next year, though. Here's what I've come up with so far:

1. Read at least one book a week

2. Be more diligent about reading my Bible

3. Cook more meals from scratch, instead of buying frozen stuff like chicken tenders and tacquitos

Blog Challenge: Day 10

Favorite Christmas Songs/Carols

I have lots of songs I like to listen to during the holidays. I will select a few of my favorites and post videos from youtube. They may just be slideshows, but the music is what's important.

The Peace Carol- John Denver and the Muppets

I have this weird love for both John Denver and Jim Henson. I miss them, even though I never met them. Anyway, John Denver made a Christmas album with the Muppets, and I have listened to it approximately six billion times since it was released when I was very small. I can't embed the video but the link will lead you to a video of one of my favorite songs from that Christmas special.

Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth- David Bowie and Bing Crosby

I promise I would probably like this song even if David Bowie didn't sing it. :)

Breath of Heaven- Amy Grant

This is a very pretty song. I don't care who covers it, the best version will be Amy Grant's.

Anything from that old Michael W. Smith Christmas Album

I just linked to one of the songs. Was there anyone cooler than him in the 90s? I think not.

It Feels Like Christmas- from A Muppet Christmas Carol

I could write a book about how much I love this movie, really.

Spirit of Christmas - Ray Charles

I don't know why, but I like it. It's great.

Do They Know It's Christmas? - Band Aid

Bono! George Michael! Um...Duran Duran! Good stuff, even though it's cheesy. Also, Sting still had hair.

Listen to them all!

Blog Challenge: Day 9

Today's theme is fun! I'm supposed to share my favorite holiday recipe(s), but I don't make any of the amazing food for Christmas, so I don't have the recipes. Instead I will just tell you about my favorite holiday foods, in no particular order.

Pumpkin Roll!

My dad makes pumpkin roll better than you will ever taste anywhere else. I sometimes get mad when people say "I made a pumpkin roll this weekend and it was so good". Bull. It couldn't have been that good because to my knowledge, my dad was not at your house making pumpkin roll.

Oysters!

I said in another post that my grandmother makes fried oysters on Christmas Day for lunch. I could go down the street to Moby Dick or Hungry Pelican and get fried oysters any time of the year, if I wanted. But I don't want to. Oysters on Christmas Day are magical and delicious. Magically delicious. Oysters are so stinkin' ugly (never look at one when you eat it!) but they're sooo good. Especially when served with homemade hush puppies.

Cream Puffs!
Imagine custard filled pastry drizzled with chocolate sauce. Then picture it as big as your face. I live for things like this.

Chik Fil A/ Naked Potato Salad!

At Dia's house, we have had Chik Fil A chicken nuggets the past several years. Chik Fil A is delicious. Christmas is a wonderful time. Christmas chicken nuggets are just wonderful. I look forward to them from the moment that I get past feeling so full from my delicious Christmas lunch. Also, Dia makes potato salad with no pickles or whatever (which dad and Mammaw always put pickles in there) and even though I thought it was crazy at first, it's actually really good. And it's even better when it sits on my plate next to my chicken nuggets.

Ham!

I'm not a big fan of meat that does not come from chickens, but sometimes my dad makes ham, and it's good. My brother, who for years and years would eat nothing but chicken, macaroni, and Vienna sausages, dreams about this ham all year long. I don't know why it's so good, but it is.

Sorry I don't have recipes for any of this stuff. Even if I did, I kind of doubt I'd share. It's less special that way. :)

Blog Challenge: Day 8

Today I have been instructed to tell you my least favorite thing about the holidays.

I guess there are two "least favorite things". One is that I don't have bajillions of dollars to get everybody what I really want to get them for Christmas. I think I do a pretty good job picking out gifts anyway.

The second least favorite thing about the holidays is the feeling I get near the end of every "event" on Christmas. For instance, it's very exciting to sit down and prepare to hand out gifts at my parents' house on Christmas morning. The opening of gifts is great, too, and so is breakfast and sitting down to watch a little bit of whatever DVDs we got. But then Pappaw starts to doze off (and dad, usually, too) and mom has to clean up the kitchen and Jonathan has retreated to his room to play video games, and all that's left to do is sit and wait to go over to Mammaw's house. Those moments after the excitement has passed are kind of downers. We move on to the next fun thing, and then there's another down moment. And of course the biggest down moment of all is the day after Christmas. I wish we really could do what the gang on Sesame Street says and keep Christmas with us all through the year, but life just doesn't work that way. It's a shame.

Blog Challege: Day 7

Today I'm supposed to describe crafts and DIY projects for the holidays. While some people think I'm creative, my artistic output for the holidays is pretty much limited to coloring books and arranging tissue paper in gift bags (I'm pretty good at that). I don't really have a desire to make my own Christmas cards because I don't think I'd ever make them as pretty as the ones I find at the store.

My dad, however, is pretty crafty, and he makes more stuff for the holidays than any other time of the year. He apparently used to make wreaths at a craft store or something, and sometimes he makes them now for friends and family or for the occasional craft show. The wreath we will be hanging on our door was custom made for us by dad. I said I wanted something sparkly and silver, and I got it. He also makes bows out of ribbon. He made all the pew bows for our wedding, and in the past he's made bows for decorations and tree toppers. He also likes to paint those little ceramic figurines you can get at craft stores. He painted a nativity set for my mom a little while ago.

So if you need somebody to make you a wreath or a bow, my dad is your guy. If you need some help with a coloring book, well, give me a call.

Blog Challege: Day 6

Today's theme is one that I don't particularly care for. I'm supposed to tell you, whoever you are, what I want for Christmas. Now, it's one thing if you ask "hey Jessi, what do you want for Christmas?" But to just come out and tell you (whoever you are) is just awkward. I've never been a big fan of publishing wish lists on the internet, or big lists of whatever you get for your birthday or Christmas. So today's post will be short.

One thing that I've kind of been wanting is some gift cards to go out to eat. Our anniversary is a week after Christmas, and it would be neat to go out to dinner for our anniversary someplace a little nicer than, say, Moe's. Or Taco Bell (where Brandon would want to go. )

Blog Challenge: Day 5

Today's theme is kind of a fun one!

Favorite Holiday Movie/TV Special

There are several great Christmas specials that are now out on DVD, like the classic Rudolph and Frosty specials. Another great one that I haven't seen in at least a decade is the Claymation Christmas Special. The DVD is like $20 so I haven't bought it yet, but portions of it are available on youtube, including the ice skating walruses!

There are a few movies that we always watch during the holiday season, and have for as long as I can remember. I will list them here.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Forget A Christmas Story, this is the funniest holiday movie ever. There's nothing I don't like about it. It's HILARIOUS. Chevy Chase is awesome, and there are so many crazy things happening in this movie that could happen to any of us: squirrel in the Christmas tree; terrible relative that just won't leave; old people and the weird things they say; lame Christmas bonus; getting sap from the tree on your hands and not being able to look through a magazine without accidentally ripping the pages. Oh, how I love this movie. Sometimes I watch it in the middle of the summer, just for fun.

The Santa Clause

When this first came out, I think it was kind of a big deal. Tim Allen was still super popular and the premise was fun. I think it still is. The sequels were lame, but this is a classic and we will continue to watch it every year.

A Muppet Christmas Carol

I think this is my favorite. We saw this several times in the theater when it came out (my family has a deep appreciation for the Muppets). We bought the movie as soon as it was available. I even had the sheet music from the songs for my keyboard. The movie honors the original story while bringing in the expected Muppet zaniness. The music is really great- when Brandon and I were in Disney World for our honeymoon, they were still piping holiday music throughout the parks. I was thrilled when we heard the song that the ghost of Christmas present sings: "Wherever you find love, it feels like Christmas!" Such a great movie. I actually just watched it last week. :)

Those are some of my favorites. There are others that I enjoy, like Elf, and Santa vs. the Snowmen. But I think these are my top three and they are the ones that I will continue to love and appreciate in the years to come.

Blog Challenge: Day 4

Today's theme is:

Tips and Tricks for a Budget-Friendly Holiday

My middle name is "Budget". Actually it might be more accurate to say that my middle name is "poor". Haha. Being money-conscious during the holiday season is very important (because money doesn't grow on trees) but Christmas is my favorite holiday and it also involves my favorite hobby, which is buying presents for people.

For a budget-friendly holiday, I'd suggest making a list of how much you'd like to spend on each person, then trying your best to stick to it. Since I have been doing my shopping over the last several months, that's worked out pretty well. I was able to make a plan for my paychecks (since I get paid every other Friday, I know when that money will appear in my bank account) and say things like "ok, this week I will buy the presents I'm getting for my mom, then two weeks from now I'll get dad's presents" and so on and so forth. I also went through my address book early to see who we would need to send Christmas cards to, so I know how many stamps I need to get the first paycheck of December. My shopping list has morphed several times since I first wrote it down however many months ago, but the important thing is, once I purchased a certain amount for a person, I didn't keep buying for them just because I would see something they'd like. I think it's important to have a plan when shopping for anything- whether it's Christmas, wedding presents, birthdays, whatever. If you just go to the store and wander around until you see something you just have to get for that person, you'll probably end up spending too much. I'd love it if I could buy everything I thought my parents would like for Christmas, or everything that I think Brandon would enjoy, but my bank account doesn't work that way. Most people would agree with me, I think.

I have one more tip, if you can call it that. If you want to get gifts for your coworkers for the holidays, there's nothing wrong with being "budget conscious". Many people don't expect anything from their coworkers for Christmas. You can show your appreciation for them without spending a ton of money on personalized mugs filled with imported chocolates. Most grocery stores (and places like Target) have really cute cellophane bags on the shelves right after Halloween. They come in packs of a few dozen for less than two dollars. Fill them with Christmas candy when it's on sale or you have a coupon (like 2 for $5 with an extra $1 off coupon from the Sunday newspaper). I like to get those tiny ornaments made for miniature Christmas trees and loop them around the tops of the bags- one year I had snowmen, another year it was penguins. That way they have a tiny, cute gift that will last (in other words, it's not candy so they won't eat it and forget about it).

So there are my tips, as helpful as they may be.

With a thankful heart

Happy Thanksgiving! The blog challenge is on hiatus for today, but I would like to list some things that I am thankful for, in the spirit of the holiday.

I am thankful for my husband! He makes me laugh and is generally a nice person. I like to spend time with him. He works very hard to support us and I'm thankful for that, too.

I'm thankful for my family and the fact that they almost all of them live close by so we can spend time with them during the holidays.

I'm thankful for my job and the opportunities I have at the library to brighten someone's day.

I'm thankful that I have a church home (two, if you want to get technical) and I live in a country where it's not illegal to worship Jesus.

I'm thankful for my pets- though we have a lot fewer than we'd like, they are fun to spend time with and they keep me company during the day.

I'm thankful for my friends. Life would be rather dull and yucky without them.

I'm thankful for Tasya, the child I sponsor through Compassion International! Being her sponsor has brought such positive change to my life! I'm glad I have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of her and her family.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Blog Challenge: Day 3

Today's theme for the blog challenge is:

The most meaningful/best gift I've received.

I'm ashamed to say that I'm having a hard time thinking of the "best" gift that I've ever received. Most Christmases the bulk of my presents end up being movies and books, which are honestly two things I love. I have been blessed with family members that are (for the most part) really good shoppers. You know those relatives you might see on movies that just go to the mall and buy something random and put it in a bag without putting any thought into it? I don't think I have relatives like that. Everyone really tries hard to get something that will mean something to the other person, whether it's something they really want, or something that just completely fits their interests that it makes a wonderful surprise.

I don't mean to sound ungrateful or anything by not being able to think of one particularly awesome gift. I think that each year, the Christmas presents I receive (and the ones I give, I hope) are really appreciated because they're very thoughtful.

The most recent example I can think of is what my aunt gave me last year for Christmas. Most people who know me know that I love animals, and my favorite animal happens to be the walrus (weird, I know). Walruses are so hard to find in merchandise (toys, Christmas ornaments, etc.) that when one is found, it's a cause for great excitement. Like when I found little poorly constructed plush walruses in the "Dollar Spot" at Target a few weeks ago. I was thrilled and quite proud of myself and bought two, one for me and one for my best friend. Anyway, my aunt knows that I love walruses so she came up with a really cool gift. She "adopted" a walrus in my name from the World Wildlife Fund. It's cool enough that a donation was made in my honor that will go to helping and protecting my favorite animal, but I also got a stuffed walrus with it. She also got Brandon and myself a zoo membership so we can go see animals in person (we love the zoo!)

So there's an example of a thoughtful, meaningful gift that made my Christmas pretty cool. I'm blessed enough to be able to say that every year my friends and family put a lot of work into making my Christmases happy. :)

Blog Challenge: Day 2

The theme for today's post is Black Friday Tips and Tricks, or something along those lines. I am not very serious about Black Friday, so I'm afraid this post is going to be a bit more boring than the others.

Black Friday usually means a day for me to get some cheap DVDs. Seriously. That's about it. Last year we bought our mattress at Big Lots for a hundred dollars cheaper than regular price, but do I need a new mattress every year? No. And I start shopping early for Christmas so it's not like I'm out there looking for gifts. That would be too stressful for me. So if there's something I really need, I'll check the ads for it. I do like going out shopping because I think it's fun, but this year I won't be going because I have to work that day. Which is fine with me because I get the whole weekend off. :)

I think my biggest shopping tip (really my only one) is for people who have money management issues, like me. Every time I save money for something, another bill comes along and takes my money away from me. I think it's a curse. So I start shopping really early. This year I technically started in July because I found something somewhere that I just couldn't pass up for Brandon. I started seriously shopping for things in September, spending about thirty dollars per paycheck. It's worked out really well. All I have left to get is two gift cards and the charity stuff I'm purchasing (like for the giving tree at church, and the senior I "adopted" from the tree at Walmart). And stamps. I need stamps, since we are sending out so many Christmas cards this year (now that we are married and need to send them to our family members in addition to friends and coworkers.)

Well, that's about it for today, I think. Sorry that wasn't more exciting, but I'm just not that stoked for Black Friday this year.

One more tip- if you live in Louisville or will be shopping here the day after Thanksgiving, we have usually found more success with businesses in the Bashford Manor area. The Walmart and Target over there were not crowded at all the last few years. Last year they were a bit more crowded but still less so than other Targets and Walmarts in the area.

Blog Challenge: Day 1

So my friend Brooke posted a list of blog themes for the upcoming holiday season. Something about the 12 days of blogging of Christmas. I don't know. I messed that up. The point is, I like this kind of thing, so I'm going to post on those themes as well. Today is the first day of posting, and the theme is:

Christmas/Holiday Traditions

Since this is our first Thanksgiving and Christmas as a married couple, we have to try harder this year to go to all these different places for Christmas and Thanksgiving. I'm still not 100% sure how it will work out, but I think I'll post what I used to do for the first 22 years of my life, and how those traditions will change now that Brandon and I have to go everywhere together. :)

Thanksgiving

Normally for Thanksgiving we would only do lunch at my dad's parents' house. For the past few years, my parents have cooked something as well. One year some of mom's coworkers came over for dinner. I think we usually try to stop by and see my other set of grandparents, too. I don't know how I'm going to make Thanksgiving work, but so far we are planning to go to Mammaw's for lunch (as usual), then go by Brandon's mom's parents' house for a bit, maybe? Then off to wherever the other side of his family is gathering (I think it will be his aunt's house) for dinner. Mom is planning on making hot browns for Thanksgiving. Since there are only so many meals I can eat in a day, I think I'm going to miss out on them. Which isn't really fair because is there anything better than a hot brown? The answer is no. For the past few years I've gone out shopping with my dad on "Black Friday", but this year I'll have to work and I don't want to get up early to shop and then work. Plus I don't have any money and there's not really anything I'm dying to have that's on sale.

Christmas

My family has always been big on Christmas. I think we could fill a small house with all the Christmas decorations we've had over the years. Sometimes mom has made us advent baskets, and we usually have advent calendars with candy in them. We've always listened to lots of Christmas music and have several movies we watch every year (these include: A Muppet Christmas Carol, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, The Santa Clause, and Elf.) My mom, dad, brother and I would exchange some gifts Christmas Eve (like dad's presents for mom, my presents for them, etc.) and then Christmas morning, mom's parents would come over and we'd open the "Santa" gifts. Then it would be off to lunch at Mammaw's (my paternal grandparents') for lunch of fried oysters- the only time of year we get this treat! We'd open presents there, then everyone would stop by our house to see our presents before going to my aunt's to see my cousin's presents and eat dinner there. The past few years Brandon has picked me up from there to go see his family.

I think that this year we will be spending Christmas Eve with his family (after I go to church with mine) and Christmas morning with my family. I think. Then lunch at Mammaw's, and after that either we will visit the big Jones family gathering, then Dia's house, or the other way around. So far that's the best plan I've come up with. It will be hectic, but one thing I've noticed over the past few years is that Christmas is ALWAYS hectic. You don't really notice it when you're a little kid, but the planning and preparation can be stressful, it costs too much money sometimes, and then boom, it's all over, and you're depressed that the fun is gone but a little bit relieved at the same time.

So there's my first post for the blog challenge. I'm looking forward to having things to write about for the next few days!

Nifty

Starting the second week of December (I think) I will have a babysitting job! I will be watching the daughter of one of my mom's coworker every Wednesday, all day. I'm looking forward to it. We will be able to go to storytime at the library once it starts back up in January. This is pretty exciting news for me because I like babysitting, it will give me something to do, and I will be able to help pay more bills. That's the part Brandon will like the most.

Briefly

I am headed back to work this morning after 2.5 weeks off. I am a little nervous about it, honestly. I think that's partly because I don't feel so well this morning. My reflux is acting up. I didn't have any problems with it for almost a week after my surgery, but now it's back and it's mean.

Also tonight I am going to meet my possible future babysitting charge, a little girl named Jordyn. She is just a few weeks old. I would be watching her for ten hours on Wednesdays. That should be fun.

That's all I have to say for now.

Mind-numbingly bored.

Today is my first day by myself since I had my surgery (Friday and Saturday I was at Mom's, Sunday and Monday Brandon was here.)

I'm super bored and my side hurts.

I sliced open my finger and we don't have any decent band aids.

I am twitchy because I stopped taking my pain medication.

Whenever I think I've found something to do (watch a movie, play on the computer, etc.) I get super uncomfortable and don't want to do it any more.

Ugh.

One step forward

Today, I took a nap in my own bed. I am very happy about this fact. Wednesday I did not sleep in my own bed because my belly hurt so much. I don't remember anything about Thursday because I was drugged. Friday and Saturday I slept on the couch, sitting up, completely uncomfortable. I'm still uncomfortable- still have pain, still achy, whatever. But I think I will be able to sleep in my bed tonight, and I'm quite excited. I miss my bed. My sheets are very comfy and I like my mattress.

I hope Brandon doesn't elbow me in the stitches.

I'm missing an organ.

Well, my vacation week definitely took a turn for the unexpected.

On Wednesday, I figured out that we had reached our maximum outpatient procedure limit from our insurance when I had my esophagus scoped back in March. I cancelled the appointment I had for Thursday morning to go have my gall bladder scanned. I figured that I could deal with the discomfort until the new year- it really wasn't all that bad. Wednesday night around dinner time, my tummy started feeling a little upset. It felt like I had some air bubbles trapped in there. I ate a light dinner and went to bed several hours later with the same level of pain. I then woke up around 2:30 in the morning (on Thursday) feeling really bad- like my whole abdomen had been pumped full of air, and my side had started to hurt, too. I couldn't go back to sleep so I relocated to our guest room. I took medicine. I googled exercises to help with gas pains (which is what I thought it was) and did those for HOURS. I tried lying down in every position imaginable. Finally around 6:30 I went and told Brandon that either he needed to go down to Kroger and get me some different medicine, or he needed to take me to the emergency room. He chose the former. Then the nausea set in.

Two hours later, I decided I needed to go to the doctor. My side was hurting worse, and obviously no over the counter medicine was doing me any good. I got to the immediate care center by our home ten minutes before they opened, and I was the first one in the building. When a doctor finally saw me, I described my symptoms and he said he suspected it was my gall bladder acting up. Irony! He poked my side with his hand so many times (and so forcefully!) that it made me cry. He said I needed to go to the emergency room right then, and that they might want to take my gall bladder out that day. Fun times! I made it back home and my mom came and picked me up and took me to the ER. It took a long time for a doctor to see me but I started feeling better once they got me hooked up to some pain and nausea meds. This time when the doctor poked me in the side it almost made me throw up. They did an ultrasound and saw I had "several" gall stones, and got in touch with the surgeon on call. He came and talked to me eventually and said that he would have taken out my gall bladder that day, but he didn't have any openings, so they'd do it the next day- Friday morning. He sent me home with prescriptions for meds and I spent the rest of the day at mom and dad's house, until Brandon got off work.

Then on Friday morning we headed off to the hospital, they drugged me up, and took my gall bladder away. When the anesthesiologist came to tell me what they were going to do, he was kind of abrupt and didn't seem very friendly, but before he left he asked if we'd like him to pray with us. Um, duh. Of course we would! And he prayed to Jesus, which was nice because I was a little worried he might do one of those generic "lord of the universe" prayers that they sometimes do at college graduations. I was comforted that he knew the same God I did. The surgery went fine, I guess. I was asleep for it, you know. And when I got back home (to mom's) I was able to eat a bit of milkshake and take a few more naps. I slept on the couch last night because I couldn't really do the bed thing, and half the time I was upright. I had to change out my ice packs every few hours, but I did ok. I watched several episodes of the Golden Girls on DVD. It would have been fun if I wasn't in pain.

So yeah, that was my vacation week. I canceled a gall bladder test, only to end up in the hospital because of my gall bladder- and then I got it taken out. I was bummed because my vacation week was more than halfway over, and now I get at least two more weeks off to recover. By the time I'm back to work, November will be half over. Bananas!

I just got up to try to eat a little something (oatmeal- blech) and check the news, so I think I'm going to head back to my couch now and try to nap some more. Mom will be picking me up in a few hours and taking me back to her house to babysit me. I think I will sleep better in their recliner than I have on our couch.

Vacation, day one

My first day of vacation has gone pretty well, actually. I have tidied up the apartment some (just a bit), folded three loads of laundry, and watched a movie with my husband. He is off work today so we will watch another movie with dinner. I made chocolate chip muffins for breakfast and I fixed him ramen noodles for lunch. I'm sure I'll have to do another load of dishes later on, but that's ok. This morning Brandon said he wanted to go to PetSmart so we drove over there and saw the animals and looked for a new cage for the ratties. We also stopped by Hobby Lobby to get a wedding present for someone. They have almost all their Christmas stuff on sale for 40-50% off, by the way. I didn't get to look at much of it because shopping bothers Brandon, but what I saw was pretty cute.

Now I'm just hanging out at home, waiting for dinner time. Not much is going on. I don't really feel like reading a book or playing a video game right now. Speaking of books, though, I just read the best book I've read in a long time- definitely the best piece of adult fiction I've read in a year or two. It's called "Room", and it was really good. It's about a boy named Jack who's spent his whole life in, well, a room. It's all he knows. It's just him and his mom. It's fascinating and I seriously couldn't put it down, except for when I fell asleep Saturday night. I really, really recommend it.

Vacation-themed song lyric goes here

Today is my last day of work before my vacation. See, originally I took this week off because we were going to go to Disney World. Obviously that's not happening (it's ok, I'll live). I decided to keep my vacation week, though. My family usually takes a vacation during the summer of every year, but last year we didn't, I guess because of all the wedding stuff, and Brandon and I didn't this year, either. So I'm taking my week off, and I've been calling it my Mental Health Week. I'm thinking it's going to be pretty busy, though.

Originally I was planning on taking the whole week to completely clean out, organize, and scrub the apartment. It looks like I will be doing most of that Monday and Tuesday, though. Monday Brandon is off work, so I will spend time with him, but he will want to watch movies and stuff, so I don't know how much cleaning I will get done. Tuesday I will be home by myself, but we are having a bible study/book club meeting at 5, and then I'm going to watch Glee at my parents' house (it's the Rocky Horror tribute episode! Finally!) So I have to accomplish everything by 4 something. Wednesday morning might not have anything going on, but my friend Lauren is going to come by sometime in the afternoon. She hasn't seen the apartment yet, and it needs to be clean enough for people to come over.

Thursday will be the least fun day of my Mental Health Week. I'm supposed to go to the hospital to have an ultrasound (no big deal) and get my gallbladder scanned. The second test is pretty horrible. I had it done four years ago and still remember how horrible it made me feel. You have to lie down flat and they put your belly in one of those scanning donut things while they inject you with something that makes you feel like you're dying. And we're going to do the test at 7 in the morning, meaning we have to be at the hospital at 6:30, meaning I have to get up really early. Fun times.

Hopefully I will recover quickly, though. Friday will be a fun day. I'm going to the zoo with my friend Jackie and her fat baby Owen, and then later that evening Kelli is supposed to come over. I guess after that I can spend the weekend re-cleaning the apartment.

Even if I will be busy (and feel really bad one day), I am looking forward to my week off. I need a little break. My job isn't particularly special, but it's more like I need a break from that day in, day out thing I was talking about in my last post. And I'm very thankful that I have a job where I can take vacation time instead of just unpaid time off work, like some people I know (my poor husband.)

Time, time, time

In August, I couldn't wait for September. August is boring. I mean, my best friend's birthday is in August, which is nice. But other than that, August serves no purpose. Some people went back to school (I didn't.) Some people went on vacation (I didn't.) It was hot outside. All throughout August, I thought "I wish September were here." The weather would be nicer. It would seem more like autumn. Things would be better.

In September, I couldn't wait for October. I figured out that nothing happens in September. The weather did not get cooler. There were a few family birthdays, which was nice. But other than that, September was boring. All throughout the month, I thought "If only October would hurry up and get here." Surely the weather would improve by October. My parents' birthdays are in October, in the middle of the month. So after we celebrate those, it's all downhill til Halloween. I've always thought Halloween was a fun holiday. I like looking at the costumes and decorations, even though I haven't dressed up or gone to a party since 10th grade, I think. And then of course during Halloween week, stores will start to put out the Christmas stuff. I love the Christmas stuff.

The weather didn't change, and now October is here, and mostly over, and I'm more than ready for November. But I think I've already decided I want December to be here. Really. November is boring. More family birthdays (which is nice!) but all of November is basically a countdown to Thanksgiving, which no one really cares about (other than time off work) because they're all waiting for Black Friday, to buy things for Christmas. Forget the 12 days of Christmas, or advent calendars- the Christmas countdown really starts on the last Friday of November.

I have no idea why I want the year to be over in such a hurry. Before I know it, it'll be January, and Brandon and I will have been married for a whole year (which is just surreal) and then I'll start daydreaming about the months to come. "I wish it were February- January is cold and dreary." "I wish it were March- then things will be more exciting." "I wish it were April- then it will feel like spring." "I wish it were May- I'm ready for my birthday!" "I wish it were June- after my birthday, pretty much nothing happens in May." "I wish it were July- June is so boring."

You get the idea.

I guess when life is as steady and, well, dull as mine is (stay home all day til time to go to work, repeat), I want things to move a little bit faster.

To Brown, or not to Brown?

Still no word from the Revenue Office about Brandon's potential new job. Knowing that it's a Metro government job makes me think they would call at the last possible moment, if they were going to call (seriously, it was more than two months after I submitted an application til my interview at the library, and another few months after that til I started the job.) We are still hopeful.

Speaking of jobs, the annual library staff appreciation event is coming up, and I have to RSVP by this weekend. Did I mention that we just got the invitations on Monday? Despite the fact that I've been working at the 'brary since June 2005, I have never ever been to one of these things. In the past I'd heard that they were pretty lame, and I just wasn't interested in going. Last year it was held at the Louisville Science Center, and party-goers were allowed to tour the museum at their leisure. I kind of regret not going to that one, because I haven't been there in forever, and it would have been fun to visit without a bunch of little kids milling around. This year, it'll be held at the Brown Hotel. Fancy, right? I'm impressed that we were able to book such a nice place- with such yummy food! I am tempted to go this year. I just don't know if I will. And I need to be deciding, apparently. Some of my friends will be there, there will be good food, and a photo booth. On the other hand, I really don't like going out- especially to unfamiliar places. I have a feeling I will end up saying I will go.

A job.

You know how most weeks I don't have anything really worthwhile to say? I think this week is different.

On Monday I was just wandering around the internet and found this random job for Brandon to apply for. It's actually a job with our city government, pays more than he earns now (he would have union dues, though) and is sort of related to his field of study. It has something to do with taxes. I don't know. Anyway, I told him about it, and he applied for it on Monday. The next afternoon, he got a call asking him to come in the next day for an interview. Well, unfortunately he couldn't do that, because he already had to work and couldn't reschedule on that short notice. So they found another spot to interview him and he has an interview Friday at 4 p.m.! I guess this is one time where my wasting time on the internet has come in handy. This job would be a great opportunity for him. We're not sure that it would be a better thing financially, but I do think he would enjoy the work more, would have better hours, and working at a desk and computer all day isn't as physically wearing as hauling auto parts around all day. Also, I think having this job would give Brandon more time to study for his actuarial exam, so this would be a good thing all around. Please keep him in your prayers on Friday. I hope this all works out!

I'm going to learn Indonesian.

I got a letter from my sponsor child this week! It was very exciting. Tasya's aunt wrote the letter because Tasya is still not very good at writing (she's only 8- I guess they want the letters to be very legible and clear), which is fine with me. The letter was very sweet. In it, her Tante (aunt) said that her family rejoiced when they learned I was to sponsor Tasya. She told me that Tasya's parents get up very early to do work as farmers. It's hard work, but they know that Jesus has blessed them with their work. She also said that Jesus is a "good father" because he let Tasya and I meet through letters. It was so sweet. I'm so happy that I made the decision to sponsor a child through compassion. I only wish I had the resources to sponsor more kids!

I was on Compassion's website the other day, browsing through the kids that need a sponsor. I searched "girl", and apparently there are more than 200 girls waiting to be sponsored. When I searched "boy", however, I was shocked and saddened to see that more than 1,100 boys are without a sponsor right now. I feel like sending letters to my friends, begging "can you come up with $38 a month to help a child in need?" So what if it means you have to cut back on buying dumb things at the grocery, or aren't able to go to the movies as often as you'd like. I don't have extra money to throw around. But I make it work. I just feel so bad that there's so many kids who need help. Maybe in another year or so Brandon and I will be able to take on another sponsorship. Until then, is there anything you can do?

Brr.

In the words of my friend Lindsay, fall has flaked out on us.

I hate summer. I really do. It's hot and sticky and gross. I hate it so much. Summer is so much worse than winter, in my opinion, because you can always add more layers to stay warm in winter- but there's only so much you can take off in summer! And even if you were standing in your refrigerator in your skivvies, you'd still probably be hot. I'm telling you, summer is terrible. This summer has been especially lame. Here in the Ohio Valley, plant spores and pollens regularly try to murder us. We are notorious for our allergens. It's terrible. During the summer, I usually get a bit of a break from the allergy nastiness, but not this year. It has been constantly annoying and sickening since March, I think. I have been desperately awaiting the fall. Fall is nice because that means it's almost Christmas. The weather is definitely cooler, but not freezing yet. It's pretty much the only time of year that I'm willing to go outside (ha). And yet, I think we have skipped over autumn this year. Really. The leaves started changing a week or two ago, but it was still freakishly hot outside. Sometimes it's sort of cool in the mornings, but then by the afternoon, it would be gross again. No opportunity to wear longer sleeved shirts. Then we come to two days ago- Saturday. It was COLD in the morning. Not cold enough to snow, or whatever, but still. There is no middle ground. It was freezing compared to the past several months. My dear husband, bless him, wore gloves on his way to work. No jacket, mind you. Just gloves. And an undershirt (he refuses to put on his uniform shirt until he gets to work. He hates collars. Mmhmm.) He looked silly. I kept my hoodie on all day. It was cold! And I didn't go outside yesterday, but I can tell you it's freezing in my apartment this morning. I won't go anywhere without a blanket. I'm wearing my fuzzy socks. Brr.

So where did you go, fall? You fickle thing. We were waiting for you, and you decided not to show up. Just skip right into winter, apparently. Thanks so much. : P

Crazy Lady!

Crazy Lady! by Jane Conly is on the ALA's list of most frequently challenged books, though I honestly have no idea why. It's about a kid named Vernon whose mom died. His dad's doing his best to keep the family together. Vern is failing several subjects in school, and really needs help with English, in particular. Tutoring is out of the question, really, because it costs $2 an hour (did I mention it's set in 1981?) That's money the Dibbs family doesn't have. Vern happens to live one street over from a slum, basically, and there's a drunk "crazy lady" and her mentally challenged son that walk up and down the streets and get made fun of. It's pretty weird. Anyway, one day Vern helps the lady, Maxine, out, and she asks what she can do for him. Vern mentions he needs help in English, and Maxine gets him set up with their neighbor, Miss Annie, who used to be an English teacher. Miss Annie doesn't ask for money to help Vern, but she does have him do things to help Maxine and her son Ronald. Vern is not thrilled about this at first, but eventually becomes friends with the small, somewhat dysfunctional family. Vern ends up holding a fundraiser to earn money for a new pair of tennis shoes for Ronald, so he can join the Special Olympics. And then all of a sudden, Maxine decides that life is too much for her alcoholic self to handle and sends Ronald off to live with relatives in North Carolina. Vern is upset. The end.

I really don't know why this book is on the "Banned Books" list, other than the fact that there are a few swear words (I counted less than 10, and nothing too serious). And then there's Maxine's alcoholism. But this isn't the only middle school-level book that features those two elements. The book was rather tame, in my opinion. The worst side of alcoholism we see is just some silly things Maxine shouts in the streets. There's no abuse or anything. The book doesn't tell kids how to get drunk. I don't understand it. The best I can figure is that the book is on the list because in 1993, when it was written, maybe parents were a little more uptight about that kind of thing. In our library, the book is classified as a "J"- a juvenile novel. It's shelved in the children's section and is intended for readers up to middle school. I think that simply relabeling the book as a "YT", a book for younger teens, would solve any problems parents might have with this book. Make it clear it's meant for middle schoolers.
To be completely honest, though, I think the book could probably be weeded from our shelves. It contains dated language and has virtually nothing to appeal to young audiences today. It was kind of lame. I'm fairly sure the only reason we've kept it around is because of its notoriety.

Bumps in the Night

I started my journey of reading all the most commonly banned books with Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard.

Bumps in the Night is classified as a "je" book in our library, which means it's an "easy reader". These books are intended for children just starting to read on their own- between kindergarten and second grade. They are little chapter books. Bumps in the Night is about a stork (whose name I've already forgotten) who wakes up in the middle of the night. There are some creepy noises going on in his house. He gets up and sees a ghost. He calls his pal, who is a pig, and the pig says "well I know a way we can talk to the ghost and find out what it wants". He goes on to explain to his storky friend that a medium is a person who talks to ghosts, and a medium can come and hold a seance with them. So the stork has his piggie pal and some other animal friends come over, and they are joined by a creepy alligator lady. I bet she's from Louisiana or something. They all hold hands (because they're scared, explains the pig) and summon the ghost of a dead horse who's living in the house. Gross. The horse's name was George, I think, and he just wanted to say hi. The animals all become friends with the horse ghost and they make taffy and stuff. And they all live happily ever after.

Several pages into the book, I could sort of understand why this book is frequently challenged by parents. It's one thing to have a cute little Halloween themed book for little kids (adorable ghosties and black kitty cats and the like), but I think it's kind of an inappropriate topic for an early childhood book. What six year old really needs to know what a seance is? What first grader is interested in communicating with the dead?
I really hate the idea of banning books, but I honestly am not quite sure why this book was written. It seems like an out-of-place topic for the intended audience. Maybe the author should have practiced better judgment, I don't know. If the seance wasn't in there (it honestly was kind of creepy, and I love paranormal shows), perhaps it would have been ok. In theory, I don't think there's anything wrong with kids' books about ghosts. We owned several when I was a kid, and then there's Casper, and the Halloween books I mentioned. It was the communication with the dead that was off-putting and a tad inappropriate.

Happy Early New Year!

I was at work today and was asked to make a sign for our "Banned Books" display (because Banned Books week is coming up.) I decided that it would be fun and challenging to read through the entire list of most frequently challenged/banned books in the United States. I've been thinking about New Years resolutions lately, too (don't ask me why, because I'm not quite sure) and thought "that would make a great resolution!" I decided to start on it early, though, because I'm kind of bored and I'm looking for some stuff to read.
So here's the dealio, kids. I am going to read all the books on this list, except for American Psycho because I had to read that for a class two or three years ago and it was truly disturbing. I will still review it though. And...there's a spoiler. I'll write a brief review of everything I read. Fun times! I think it's a pretty cool idea, personally. I already ordered a few books and I'll get started on them as soon as they come in.

What it do?

I don't know how, but my weeks fly by. Zoom, there they go. Saturday is already most of the way over. I'm sure tomorrow will feel way shorter than it actually is.
I'm not really sure how I wound up here on blogger this afternoon, because nothing has changed since my last update- except that it's about a week later. I don't really think that's such a bad thing. Today has been very mellow...I'm feeling too worn out to do much of anything. I literally cannot find the energy to do the two specific things I was supposed to do today- load the dishwasher and fold the laundry. As I sit here at my desk typing this, I am tempted to just slide out of my chair and nap on the floor. Not that I should need another nap- I just woke up from one. I don't know what's up with me but it's super annoying and I feel bad because I haven't been very productive today, and Brandon has been working his tail off all week. :(
Speaking of B, tomorrow he has to man the cameras at church, which means it's my Sunday off (at least until I finally get my nursery work application filled out and sent in...) I think I'm going to mom's. Hopefully she will make some pancakes for me. And dye my hair. It needs it.
I guess that's all I have to say for now. I hope all 1.3 human beings that read this are doing ok. Does time move as quickly for you as it does for me?

New job! Sort of.

Yesterday, I was in A Mood. I woke up sore and grumpy, and considering what would be going on at work that day, I was sure my Saturday was going to be painfully lame. The day did start out pretty dumb. I didn't have much help on the things I was working on, we had some particularly ripe patrons come in (one was so bad I had to step away from the desk for a while...ugh), and I was still in A Mood. I went home for lunch and cheered up a little when I saw a package waiting for me in front of our door (I'd ordered some new shoes a few days ago and was a bit excited about them.) When I went back to work, I started emailing a few of my friends who work at other branches. One of them is my friend Jackie, who worked at our branch a little while back and abandoned us when a better job opened up. She has a 6 month old baby who is basically my littlest best friend. I love him. Anyway, I had told her earlier this week that I would babysit for Owen any time she needed me to- I don't exactly have anything going on during the daytime before I go to work. I had actually been wanting her to ask me to babysit since the kid was born. It turns out in October Owen's current sitter will have a baby of her own, and she won't watch him anymore. And it just so happens that my schedule pretty much perfectly coincides with Jackie's, in that when she needs a sitter, I'm just sitting at home hanging out. So...it looks like I will be my pudgy buddy's new sitter starting some time next month! I am ridiculously excited about this. I love that kid. He's awesome.
So during the course of the day my mood was transformed from extremely grumpy and difficult to pretty elated. I couldn't wait to get home and tell Brandon that I had gone out and got myself a second job (haha). When I got home, there was a letter waiting on the coffee table for me from our sponsor child in Indonesia! Really it was more of a worksheet, but it's still the coolest thing. She asks us questions, tells us about her family, her favorite Bible study, how tall she is compared to her friends- she even put her fingerprint on there! At about 5:10 pm yesterday, I was the happiest I've been in a long time. ^_^

Labor Day Weekend

This past weekend was pretty busy!

Friday night after work we went out to eat at Tumbleweed for my father-in-law's birthday (which was actually Thursday- "the family" went out that night to Golden Corral but some of us were working...). That dinner was my first real meal since I got sick with the stomach bug on Wednesday, and it went fine. I had a chimichanga. I hadn't had Tumbleweed in FOREVER, and it was soooo good. I'm glad we got to go!

Saturday we went to a wedding at 11 a.m. I've never been to a morning wedding before. We were supposed to have a "brunch reception" but we weren't able to eat until after 1 p.m.! When the bridal party finally arrived, they had a few dances before we were released to the buffet. The food was delicious, though. There were all kinds of breakfast foods- hash browns, biscuits and gravy, etc. There was also a waffle bar and a few omelet stations. It was all very yummy. By the time we got home it was almost time for the big football game to start, so we changed out of our fancy clothes and headed over to the in-laws to watch the game. My mother-in-law and I left during the first half to make a trip to the library and to Kroger. We had pizza for dinner (it made my tummy upset) and then everyone played badminton while I stayed inside and felt bad.

Sunday we went to the farm (Brandon's grandparents' place in Breckinridge County). I was kind of afraid to go at first because I hadn't felt well, but I went and had fun. I did not get much sun, unfortunately. Brandon had fun playing games with everyone. We didn't get back until about 10 at night!

And then there was Monday. I spent some time cleaning up the apartment before we went to dinner at my Mammaw's. I started feeling a little yucky before we went, but I felt better and ate a little bit while I was there. Apparently I ate too much because when I got home I felt really, really bad for about two hours. When I eat too much that hernia in my esophagus bothers me and makes me feel like I'm gonna puke even though I'm not. It was quite distressing. But I had a good night's sleep and I don't plan on eating much today. I work 4.5 hours this morning. The bookdrop will be atrocious because we were closed today and everybody still brings their stuff back even if we aren't there. We are supposed to have our last Bible study meeting tonight, too. You know, the 8-week study we started back in January. A lot of stuff has happened this year that has prevented us from meeting- bad weather, illness, injury, etc. Hopefully the next time we do something we will be able to finish it in a more timely manner. :)

Show me "potato salad!"

We have a busy weekend ahead of us! I'm not sure how I feel about that.
Yesterday was Brandon's dad's birthday, and everyone went out to dinner, I think- except Brandon and I couldn't go because we were at work. So we are supposed to go out to eat tonight, at Cheddar's. I've never been there but they recently built one a bit closer to us than the other one in Louisville, so we're going to try it out. I'm a little nervous about going out to eat because I had a stomach bug earlier this week. Hopefully everything will be ok.
Tomorrow we are going to a wedding at 11:30. I've never been to a morning wedding before! There's going to be a brunch reception afterwards. That should be fun. And after that, Brandon and I are both off for the rest of the day.
Then Sunday everyone is going to "the farm", aka Brandon's grandparents' house. I'm not so sure I will go because they will be there for a long time and I know that if I needed to go home, Brandon would not want to take me. So I may just stay here. I don't know yet.
And finally there's Monday, which is Labor Day (I think. I always get Labor Day and Memorial Day mixed up.) Mammaw is planning on having a cookout, which is good. I like the fact that I won't have to cook very much this weekend. :) Hopefully with three days off in a row I will be able to catch up on the things I haven't been doing since I've been sick. Some parts of the apartment are a bit messy, I'm afraid. There are always dishes to wash, and the bathrooms need to be cleaned, and the dining room table is covered with stuff, and everything needs to be vacuumed and dusted. Yuck.

Other than the things coming up this weekend, not much has been going on in our lives...as usual. Brandon never heard back about the job he applied for like, three months ago. We don't know if he's going to be ready to take his actuarial exam in November...I hope he does because after that it'll be January before he can take it again. And he hasn't been studying very much (shh...don't tell him I said that.) I hope that we can get this out of the way soon so he can move on to bigger and better things and make a little more money so we won't feel so swamped all the time.

I hope everyone has a happy and relaxing Labor Day weekend!

And again.

Wow, I can't believe it is already August! The year is half over. That is bananas.
Remember about a month ago, when I posted that nothing has changed in our lives, and that all is basically well? Well, that's where we are. Still. I mean, some things have changed. The final student loan payments for my loans kicked in, but things are working out. The rats are full grown, for the most part. And...yeah that's all that's changed. It's kind of boring, honestly. But boring can be good.
In a way, I am looking forward to the next few months passing by. I don't like how time is flying, but I am hoping that in the fall and winter, our lives will be changing for the better. I have set a goal for Brandon to take his actuarial exam in October. That way when (if) he passes, he can use the rest of the year to get a job, and then we can sign another year lease on the apartment and work on paying off loans and saving up some money. After that we can start looking for a house. And I can get a puppy. Brandon agrees with this plan, I think, but he has not been studying for his exam. He has been out of school for more than a year and I am afraid the stuff he learned will fall out of his head. He is ready to move on to a new job, but has so far been unmotivated to study for this test (which is a doozy). That and he's tired. He works a lot, I know. And I feel bad about that.
Anyway, that's what's going on with us. We are having movie night tonight again- any night that we're home is movie night, or afternoon, or morning. Maybe tomorrow I can get some stuff done around the apartment and Brandon can get some studying done.

News!

Well. I actually have something new to report! Tonight, I filled out the online form thingie to sponsor a child through Compassion International. They are a great organization and sponsoring a child on my own (or with Brandon, anyway) has been something I've been thinking about for months. My mom sponsors two girls through the program, and I've been writing them letters, but I felt that maybe it was time Brandon and I sponsored a child ourselves. So I did some online searching and found an 8 year old girl who lives in Indonesia. She is very cute, and...she loves to read! That is one of the things that drew me to her. I can't wait to receive our packet of information in the mail sometime in the next two weeks, so we can start sending her letters!
Sponsoring a child is a great way to "give back". There are so many kids who need help, encouragement, and prayers. Some of them don't have parents. Some of them have been waiting for a long time without a sponsor (ours is one of those kids). It costs less than $40 a month, which honestly is less than what I spend on junk food at the grocery store. I hate to sound like a TV commercial, but it really is like, a dollar a day, practically. My budget is EXTREMELY tight. But I can make this happen. I bet you probably can too. I encourage you to check out their website and see if God speaks to your heart.

Bleh.

Today has not been the greatest day.

I got up this morning and made muffins. They were good. I had two for breakfast. Brandon had three. Shortly after I ate, I got pretty sick. Brandon did not. He went to work.

All day long I have felt poorly. My stomach has been upset since this morning, I have felt slightly feverish and I have had no energy. I have a headache that comes and goes. I have taken medicine, and would check my temperature except the batteries in my thermometer are dead (I've only used it like, twice!) and I keep forgetting to get it replaced. It has just been a yucky day. I have accomplished absolutely nothing- except for making muffins, of course. I've been in bed for the past three and a half hours. I was supposed to dust, and vacuum, and make cookies, and all sorts of other stuff before work. But I have been resting because a.) I need to make sure I'm actually able to go to work, and b.) I don't think I've been physically capable of doing anything else.

So that's what I'm dealing with right now. I feel yucky. I don't want to go anywhere, or eat anything, or drink anything, or...anything. But I do have to go to work in a little bit (the day has flown by...) and I have to go back to work in the morning. I am not too happy about either of these things. I had asked off for tomorrow because of mom's surgery, but I was told that I would need to work four hours in the morning, to help out and cover lunches, since for some reason we didn't want to have someone work Friday for me. And now...someone is working Friday. So I shouldn't have to go in, you'd think. But that's not the way things are looking...oh well.

If you read this any time in the six hours or so after it is posted, I would appreciate your prayers. I am not anticipating an easy night ahead of me. All I'm doing right now is sitting and typing and that's making me feel sick. This is basically my job description, so....yeah.

Same old, same old

We are not moving. No new pets. No new jobs. Nothing exciting going on at all.

It's hard to keep friends and family updated on your life when nothing- and I mean NOTHING- is going on.

Ok, if you must know, I start a new schedule at work sometime in the next few weeks. So instead of working three nights, I will work two nights and one midday shift. That's kind of cool. Granted, the midday shift is on a day that I used to have off, but that means I have a different day off, meaning I might actually get to see Brandon once in a while.

We haven't done anything fun and exciting this summer. We are not going on vacation- can't afford it. We have not gone to the zoo or a park or a museum or anything. For one thing, it's too hot outside (yuck). For another, the only day that we consistently able to see each other (meaning Brandon and myself) is Sunday, when everyone and their mom is out doing the things we would be doing. So we stay home. It's getting kind of boring here. We have been watching lots of movies, though, which is kind of fun. We love watching them. We will watch almost anything. We check them out from the library, borrow them from family, and we have a Netflix subscription. Sometimes we watch four movies in a week, if Brandon gets off work early enough to start one before I have to go to work.

That's all for now. I feel bad neglecting my blog. I wish we had more exciting things to post- friends of mine are posting about getting married, moving out of apartments and into houses (I'm jealous), and adopting children. The only thing I have to talk about is the fact that I made cookies on Tuesday and they're almost gone and I'm sad about that. Someday we will have something happy and exciting to talk about, I'm sure. Someday.

Day in, day out

What has been going on with us lately? I'm not exactly sure. We are doing fine. The pets are fine. Quincy and Monster are growing up, and Guinea Pig is still her usual weirdo self.
Brandon is still waiting to hear back on two possible jobs- it's been a month and a half since one interview, where they told him "we'll call you next week", but his cousin works for the same company and apparently it took them a few months to call him. We also have a lead on an actuarial job, too, but haven't heard anything back yet. Please continue to pray for our family and Brandon's job situation, as we are both ready for him to move on from his current job into something a little better.
The library has been absolutely bananas so far this summer. We are getting ready to go into an even more stressful situation- we are currently down one clerk, who left a few months ago and whose job hasn't been filled. Another clerk is quitting, and our full-time clerk will be at least taking the summer off to deal with her daughter's health issues. Meaning we will be going from 100 hours of clerkage a week to 40- just Jess and myself. And so far we have heard we won't be getting much outside help. This is a pretty scary concept, because the library is extremely busy during the summer, and morale already seems a little strained. Then there's the fact that some budget cuts are getting ready to take place- we will start charging for printing in two weeks, and I have heard reports from other branches that patrons have some pretty nasty things to say about that. If only they knew how much worse things could be, you know? I mean, some people have lost their jobs, but heaven forbid they should have to pay a dime if they want to print out directions to a restaurant. Why can't they just write it down? I don't know. We haven't had any real complaints about it at our branch, and I'm hoping that continues...but I kind of don't think it will.
I can't believe June is almost over! By the time July rolls around Brandon and I will have been married 6 months! It doesn't seem like half a year could have passed so quickly, but it has. Although it kind of bothers me that time is flying by, and each week is a blur like the last, I am kind of looking forward to autumn and the cooler weather. We had a mild summer last year and we are really paying for it this year. It is nasty outside- a stifling 90-95 degrees every day, it seems. We are keeping the air conditioning dangerously low at work, but the giant windows along the front of the library make it impossible to stay cool. Monday it was 86 degrees in the building. When I came in to work yesterday, half the lights were off and we had box fans sitting in the door to the meeting room. That helped a bit, but it was kind of dark. Oh well. At least the apartment is cool. I've gotten to the point where I don't even like leaving home, it's so icky outside.
I guess that's all the updates we have for now. Things have remained pretty much unchanged. Our lives are kind of predictable right now- and except for the fact that Brandon hasn't heard about a new job, I think we both kind of like that.

Too much food!

It has been a busy weekend! Yesterday, we went to the wedding of Brandon's cousin Evelyn. The wedding was really nice and we had a pretty good time at the reception. I was pleasantly surprised to see that a friend of mine was their wedding photographer! It was nice seeing him again. We left the reception and went straight to Red Robin to celebrate my aunt's birthday (which is actually today). That was our first time at that restaurant. I had chicken tenders (usually my first choice) and Brandon had a ginormous burger with a friend egg on it. We were both unable to finish our meals, but took leftovers home. Then last night we went to Mammaw's for cake and ice cream (I was still too full to eat any!)
Then today, we had church this morning, and met Brandon's family for lunch at Red Lobster, to celebrate his brother Anthony's birthday (which was actually Friday.) I'm still really full from that! We also had a fun time visiting the pet store, and we cut Guinea Pig's nails for the first time (not so fun.) Now Brandon has gone to his family's house to play video games and I am at home being sleepy and finding ways to avoid cleaning house. It's not dirty, per se, but Brandon dragged a bunch of stuff out of the storage closets to go through it, and left it for me to deal with. How nice of him, right? Oh well. It will get done eventually. I have actually accomplished stuff in the last week, but there's so much junk around here from when we moved in- Legos and awards and stuff from high school, craft supplies...too much stuff, not enough fancy Rubbermaid containers.
Anyway, this weekend has been a pretty good one, filled with happy occasions and lots of good food! I don't think I'm looking forward to going back to work tomorrow (especially since I still don't have my car)!

My car, she is deceased. Sort of.

Today has been a NOT good day. And yet, at the same time, it has been an extremely lucky day.

I had lots of trouble waking up this morning and had a late start on my gigantic list of errands to run, partly because I forgot to put the clothes in the dryer when I finally did get up. I decided to pay my car taxes over the phone to save time, but I couldn't because all my info has changed, so I had to go in anyway. This normally would have saved me a two dollar processing fee, but since I forgot to bring my registration in to the clerk's office thingie, I had a two dollar charge anyway. Whatevs.
So then I kept running my errands, and originally I had planned on treating myself to lunch, since I finally cashed a birthday check today. I was going to go to my mom's and pick some up some stuff, then stop at McAlister's on the way home. Oh, do I love McAlister's. But I was getting hungry and didn't want to do the extra driving, so I called in an order to Applebee's. They said it would be ten or fifteen minutes, so I headed down there after like, fourteen minutes. My apartment complex is basically a parking lot over from this restaurant. On the way down there, my engine died FOUR TIMES. I finally made it to a parking spot, and the engine stayed on the whole time I was waiting.I ended up waiting for a total of 30 minutes for a simple order of chicken. When I went to back out of my spot, the car died again. And it would not come back. I had to go inside and ask for help pushing my car into a parking spot. Did I mention it was really hot outside today? Because it was.
After getting my car safely out of the way, I walked home. When I got home, I was sweaty and winded (sorry, gross, but it's true.) Then I opened up my food, and the order was all wrong. I asked for honey mustard, because I cannot eat their salty, over-seasoned fries with anything else, and there was no honey mustard. They didn't put any sauce or cheese on my chicken, so basically I paid $10.39 for a dry piece of chicken. I couldn't eat the side- I tried, though. But still. And yet, I didn't feel comfortable calling to complain because of the help I'd received with my car.
Being out in the heat for a while made me feel a little sick, and then for some reason my blood sugar like, skyrocketed, so for a few minutes there I kind of felt like I was dying a little. I am so dramatic. But it got to be ok.
Pappaw and Brian went to look at my car, and they did get it home (Pappaw said it died several times on the way.) Brian thinks he knows what's wrong with it but it may be out of commission for a few days. That should be ok, because Brandon can take me to work and pick me up tomorrow, and Mom can take me to work Thursday, and if it's not fixed by Friday, Brandon's off so he can take me to work again. It'll be fine.
When I told Brandon what happened, he said "the moral of the story is, don't go to Applebee's" (he wasn't that happy I was buying myself lunch.) But I said the moral of the story is, ALWAYS go to Applebee's. It would have been really bad if I had gone somewhere else and my car had died out on Bardstown Road- where I couldn't have walked home without dying from heat exhaustion. Like I said, today was pretty bad, and yet at the same time, it worked out. Hopefully my car will be working again soon and it won't be too difficult or expensive to fix.

ACHOO.

I am sickly.
Some kind of creeping crud has been making its way around the library lately, and this morning I woke up with it. Fever (ish), headache, earache, sore throat...it's gross. You're not supposed to get colds when it's almost June. And I feel like it's particularly unfair since I have been having major problems with my stomach this week- I had to come home for a little bit on Wednesday.

So after much drama this morning trying to call out from work, I have spent the last six hours or so slipping in and out of consciousness and reading a book. And drinking two and a half Capri Suns. I am like, obsessed with them right now.

I needed to get online and check some stuff (on my way to get another Capri Sun) and I decided to get Quincy and Monster out while I was at it. Just for a minute. So Monster is hanging out on my shoulder eating a bite of a mini Hershey bar (at least she is not asleep in my shirt this time) and Quincy is running a circuit, from my hands on the keyboard to the mouse to behind the monitor and back to the keyboard. She really enjoys running around on the desk. She's kind of weird, I guess. Very hyper and all.

And now I am going to head back to bed, I think. The girls will just have to cope with about five minutes of playtime today...maybe Brandon will get them out later. I don't think he'll admit it, but he really likes playing with the rats.

Congratulations, Jess and Erik!

Everyone has some complaint about their job, but hopefully everyone also has something that makes their job more bearable. For me, that "thing" is my friend Jess. She started working at my branch not long after I did, and I actually look forward to going to work when we work together. She is one of the nicest people I've ever met, and she's lots of fun. Yesterday she got married! I only took about three pictures, and none of them turned out so well, but she looked beautiful. The wedding was at Nunnlea House, which is a historic home in Louisville. Thankfully the rain held off until well after the wedding was over. There was a reception with yummy food (little sandwiches!) and I got to see some library people that I hadn't seen in a while. Many of the guests were library employees. Jess started working at the J-Town branch, where she met her new husband Erik. They started dating a little bit before she moved to Fern Creek. Erik used to work at Middletown, and now he works at Newburg. Coincidentally, our manager was the one who hired him into the system, and he and our new children's librarian went to library school together. So there were all kinds of library people there. That was pretty neat.
Jess will be gone for almost two weeks on her honeymoon, and I will miss her while she's gone. I told her if she decided to come back to work early, I wouldn't mind so much.

Scotty's gone.

We have a pretty amazing zoo here in Louisville, and one of its most popular residents was Scotty the elephant. Scotty was born three years ago, and was not only the first elephant born in the Louisville Zoo, but was also the first elephant born in our state. He was even featured in an issue of People magazine a while back! Since his birth, the community has celebrated Scotty's birthday with a party at the zoo, where hundreds of families would make a trip to see him enjoy his birthday cake.

Last night we got some sad news. Scotty had to be put down last night after a very brief illness. Apparently he was having some tummy troubles, then got colic, and the zoo staff determined he wouldn't make it and they put him to sleep. The whole city is in mourning today as we remember possibly the cutest elephant ever to exist on the planet, who brought smiles to the faces of everyone who ever saw him.

The girls are home!

Quincy and Monster are home! And they are awesome. They are very small still- so small that when I put them in their cage, they crawled right back out through the bars. They spent a large part of yesterday in a Rubbermaid tote (with bedding, water, food, and a baby hat to snuggle in) so they could not escape while we figured out what to do with their tiny selves. My wonderful grandfather and equally amazing uncle spent "like, three hours" attaching some mesh wire to the girls' cage, and covering up the parts where they ran out of wire, making their cage completely escape free- though it does look a bit like a tiny maximum security prison now. Quincy and Monster do not seem to mind, though, because it makes it easier for their tiny feet to climb around the cage (Quincy is the climber- Monster pretty much just runs around looking at everything with her face twitching, like she's some kind of addict.)

They are both very cute and sweet. Monster is mostly hairless right now, though- apparently because of some genetics, all her hair fell out. It should grow back in, and it will either stay forever, like her sister's, or it will fall out every once in a while throughout her life. Amanda asked if I still wanted to take her home because she is baldy. I said of course, I would not reject her just because she's a bit of a weirdo. She now fits her name in a different way, though. I mean, there's a mostly hairless, twitchy, red eyed baby rat running around in that cage. She kind of looks like a little baby monster. Quincy, on the other hand, has a lovely coat and is not a freak at all. She is more cuddly than her sister- completely content to sit on your lap and snuggle. Monster would rather explore. She's not unfriendly, just different. And they are both in a puppy-like nibbling stage, constantly biting fingers, trying to figure out if they're food. It doesn't hurt, though- I can barely feel it. Anyway, here are some pictures!