old skool

Christmas Confessions

Unless I want to get a lump of coal in my stocking, I figured I might ought to share something with you guys here. I've planned to do this at the end of 4 months anyway...and now is that time. Yes, I've been keeping something from you, my readers, for four months. But no, my eggo is not preggo.

My hubby and I have been living apart for the past four months :( But not for the reason you might think. We are not having problems. We were apart due to his new job. When he got out of the Navy, he took a job with a major defense contractor doing computers/network security/etc. He will be primarily working from home with occasional travel to military sites. He is a network engineer and as such works with a lot of other engineers, assistants, tech writers, etc. Because he will work so closely with these other individuals, his boss felt like it wasn't a good idea to start him off working from home. Otherwise, the tech writers and fellow engineers would be like, "Trevor? Trevor who? We don't know no Trevor!"

Sooo...given all that, hubby was living in a 400 square foot studio apartment outside of Boston since he started his job in mid-August. We closed on our house September 8th and our stuff was delivered on September 9th, and that is where I've been since. It has been lonely. He has been here some of the time of course (the whole week of our house closing, the whole week of Thanksgiving, plus some weekends), but primarily it has been just me. Hence the reason why I didn't want to post this all over the internet back in August, or anytime since then.

But as of last Friday--December 11th, our 5-year anniversary--he's back, baby! He's got his "home office" all set up and the house is a lot less quiet but more like normal :) 

This photo from my work Christmas party last Saturday...

This photo from my old roomie Deborah's Ugly Christmas Sweater party last night...

I've tried to be concientious and not make this totally obvious in my posts here, but needless to say, I'm glad he is back :)

Ten on Tuesday (v.3)

Ten on Tuesday is hosted weekly by Chelsea over at Roots and Rings. This week's Ten on Tuesday questions come from yours truly :) Visit Chelsea to read her answers to Ten on Tuesday and to visit other ToT participants!

I'd love it if you'd leave me your answers in the comments, or link to your blog :)

1. Cost aside, if you could go (back) to college for anything besides what you currently “do,” what would you study?

If I went back to college...which won't happen because I feel like I've been in school forever...I would probably study graphic design. It is something that has always interested me...but then again I might study something like nursing or dental hygeine. How awesome would it be to work 3 days a week and still make good money? It'd be pretty awesome, LOL. Not gonna happen though. My bachelor's is in Psychology and my Master's (spring 2010) will be in business.

2. What do you do for a living? Do you love it/hate it?

I work in marketing/public relations for a "quasi" government agency. I don't want to get too specific because...it would be way obvious. I've only been there a couple months, so I'm still feeling things out, but I like it fairly well thus far. Over the last few days my responsibilities and "to-dos" have increased...exponentially. Hopefully it will work out for the best :)

3. What is your favorite Christmas ornament? If you don’t celebrate Christmas, what is your favorite holiday tradition?

My favorite ornament is one my mom bought me when I was a senior in high school. I was actually in the hospital at the time and my mom bought it at the hospital gift shop. It is a little white dog with grey coloring on his head, sitting in front of a red gift. She bought it because the dog on the ornament resembled my real-life dog at the time. Because I'd been in the hospital for so long, I hadn't seen him and really missed him. This year when we (TJ and I) were putting up our tree...at first I couldn't find the ornament and got upset. Finally, I located it. That dog is still alive, and he is very old and in poor health. When I saw him at Thanksgiving, I cried :(

4. Name something you could literally do without for the rest of your life.

Neck pain. This is more of a whine, so I apologize. My neck is hurting right now and I could really do without it! I have too much on my plate right now to feel bad.

5. If you were going to have any kind of “cosmetic procedure,” what would it be?

I would totally have a nose job. I hear it is painful, but I have hated my nose for a really long time. I would deal with it. I think :) I will probably never do this, though, because I don't really have that kind of money to throw around on something that will cause me pain, put me out of work, and generally make me look bad for a little while.

6. Do you have any “collections”? (comic books, shoes, etc.)

To be honest, I don't really. You'd think I might have asked this question because I had some awesome collection to talk about, but just the opposite really. I am not a big "collector." When I was a child I collected silver spoons...you know, the kind you get from landmarks and such. I do have a big of Parisian/Eiffle Tower themed stuff, so you might say I collect that, but mainly I like it for decorating. I think it really bugs my mom and my grandmother that I don't collect anything...I'm a minimalist in their minds! I don't really think I am, my style is just different than theirs.

7. At what age did you get your first cell phone?

I think I was 15. I started paying for it myself when I was 19. There was actually a reason why I had it though, it wasn't "just because," and I wasn't allowed to use it much. I think I only had like 60 minutes a month or something.

8. What is currently in your purse (or pocket or backpack if you’re a guy)?

Oh geez. Wallet, keys, hand sanitizer, chapstick, 2 kinds of lipgloss, lipstick, compact, mirror, tweezers, pencils, pens, USB flash drive, business cards, the usual...oh and receipts. Somehow I always have receipts in there.

9. Are you a neat-freak or a slob ? *this applies to house, office, car, etc.

I'd say I'm pretty middle-of-the-road when it comes to this. I'm definitely not a slob, but am not as much of a neat freak as I sorta wish! I wish everything were always put away...never out of place...but as it stands right now, I have three textbooks and a novel on the coffee table, as well as two coasters, a can of Sprite, and a camera. Jacket is on the back of a kitchen chair. My bible and random pieces of mail are on the kitchen counter closest to the garage door. Just stuff like that...but all my dishes are in the dishwasher, so that's one thing, right? :)

10. What kind of parent do you think you will be? If you’re already a parent, what is your style?

I must admit, this really makes me nervous. I am really scared that I won't be a good mother. That I'll smother my child or be a helicopter parent, or that I'll be one of "those" parents--ya know, that teachers dread and other parents despise. I'm afraid I'll be inconsistent...or be too lenient and nice in an effort to not have my child(ren) dislike me. I want to teach my child to do the right thing, to be polite, to respect others, and to generally be someone others look up to. I do NOT want my child to be spoiled, but that is also something I worry about. I don't spend a ton of time thsomething inking about it or dwelling upon it since it isn't something "on the forefront" or anything like that, but it is something that crosses my mind from time to time.

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Oh and in other news, I did decide to color my hair this weekend! It is quite tough to color your own hair (or perhaps I'm just inexperienced). For comparison...some "before" pics. In this first one, you can't tell too much because it is pulled back, but here is my hair on Friday night, when I went out to dinner with my friend Ann...

This picture is from Thanksgiving and you can get a better idea...with my little buddy Laurel :)

Here is the "after"...I took this spur of the moment last night to show my friend Megan, who provided me with guidance through the process :) It is much, much closer to my natural color.

  

What do you think? I won't be offended, I promise (as long as you're polite haha)...I'm still deciding on it myself. Part of me thinks it looks better lighter (but that could be because I haven't seen this color in so long), but another part of me thinks it looks better and more natural. Still deciding!

Because everyone needs a great start to their day...

Last night I was up way, way, way too late. It is my own fault. You see, I had a paper due at midnight. I have been a really poor planner and major procrastinator these past few weeks, so I was up late. The paper was submitted around 12:30. I can only hope she doesn't penalize me TOO much for that.

After staying up so late, I was worried I wouldn't wake up on time this morning. I had a training class at 8am so being on time was pretty important today. Not that it isn't important most days, but you get my drift. So I got up on time, got ready at a reasonable pace, etc. One of my dogs had been downstairs getting a {LARGE} drink of water. When I went into the closet to get dressed, she followed me.

She also proceeded to gak all over the floor.

Awesome.

If that weren't awesome enough...when I finally got that taken care of and came downstairs, my other dog had pooped in the floor.

I know you wish your life were so glamorous. Be jealous.

Happy Tanksgiving Back!

I just wanted to wish all my bloggies out there a Happy Thanksgiving! I hope each of you has a wonderful day with your family, friends, or whomever you're spending this day with.

Later today we are going down to have Thanksgiving with my family...well actually my dad's extended side of the family. They've only started doing this in recent years, and I've never been since I've lived away, so it will be my first time experiencing the hoopla. I have had a bad headache since yesterday so I hope I can at least have a good time. Anywho--I was all pumped to sleep in today, but that didn't happen. For whatever reason, I woke up around 5:45 (actually I had to use the restroom). When I got back in bed, I couldn't go back to sleep. Instead of laying there tossing, turning and eventually waking my husband, I just decided to get up. Now I'll probably crash around 2pm, haha.

How many of you are going shopping on Black Friday? I am not about to get out in that mess! I know lots of people do it for the "thrill" but I just get really agitated and irritable. I don't feel like there is anything I need THAT bad. I'll save my energy for when I have kids who want a "must have hot item" that is nowhere to be found except a 2am Toys-R-Us mob scene! By that time kids won't want toys though...as my 7-year-old cousin has requested an iPhone for Christmas! (which he isn't getting)

Have a fabulous Thanksgiving everyone!

*If you have no idea what the title of this post means, you need to watch one of the best movies ever, You've Got Mail! The scene happens in a grocery store and if you'll notice...the person who says it is now on Grey's Anatomy :)

Seven Quick Takes (v.4)

Seven Quick Takes is hosted by ConversionDiary. Visit to link up with other "quick-takers!" :)

1. I have had a long week--I've already worked 38 hours and still have a full day to go! On Tuesday, my day started at 8am, and I did not get home until 10pm. No lie. You want to hear the cherry on top of that story? My boss called in sick that day. I normally would not even mention this if it weren't becoming such a pattern...ayy. Anyway, I probably shouldn't complain about my long week, because I'd say my husband has easily worked 50 hours this week, AND I'm thankful just to have a job.

2. Remember I mentioned like a month ago that my Blackberry was official a junk paperweight? We JUST NOW got a refund. Seriously! The good thing, though, is that we did get the refund, so all's well that ends well I suppose!

3. I am 26 years old, but for the past 2 weeks I have been taking my blood pressure daily and keeping a "diary." It is not good, people, not good at all. When I went to the doctor a couple weeks ago (about my allergies), they said my BP was high and to ask the doctor about it. So I did. He goes "oh yeah...and it was a little high last time too." High BP runs in my family, so this sucks. I should be more proactive about it and exercising more, but I haven't. It isn't that I don't want to--I just need to MAKE time.

4. When I had such a long day on Tuesday, my mom came up to "babysit" her granddogs. I didn't want them to be alone for such an extended period of time with no potty break, so I asked her, and she was like "YEAH!" I think all parties involved enjoyed themselves, haha. I felt bad for her though...because she got home even later than I. I told her to just stay the night, but she had to go home. I'm sure the dogs got NO treats or anything while she was here...ha!

5. Earlier in the week, I registered for my final two MBA classes. They start in early January. It will be (another) tough semester, I'm sure, but I'm just trying to keep in mind that it will be my last! I debated on just taking one class (the required one), walking in May graduation, and finishing up with an elective in summer. On the one hand, I just want to get done, but on the other hand it would be nice to have a little less pressure. I'll probably just stick with my plan for now, unless something changes.

6. I found out today that I'll be going to St. Louis for work in early December. I've actually never been to Missouri so that will be another state to cross off my list! I purchased my plane ticket for just $165 AND I have a nonstop return flight. Hooray for Southwest! 

7. I think I need a personal assistant. The problem is I am not that cool, nor can I afford one. Right now I need the oil changed in my car, my dogs taken to the vet, my house cleaned, my groceries purchased, dry cleaning dropped off, and several other things that keep getting pushed back. I'm not a total diva, I promise. I just have homework...which I should be doing now...

On that note, peace out bloggies! Have a great weekend!

Friday: Seven Quick Takes (v.1)

This week, I'm taking a page from Chelsea's book and doing something called "Seven Quick Takes." You can visit www.conversiondiary.com to visit other Quick Takers. Yes Chelsea I copied and pasted that line from you blog. Hope ya don't mind! ;) Ok, here goes...

1. My Blackberry is DONE. KAPUT. Well, sort of. What I really mean is that it is currently (and forevermore) serving no other purpose than a regular cell phone. Why? Well my husband purchased this "unlocked device" for me from newegg.com instead of getting it from AT&T. Apparently they lied. Research in Motion, the manufacturer of Blackberries, says my phone is an illegally modified device which is in violation of Blackberry policy. There is nothing I can do to get it unblocked. It worked for about 3 months and then Blackberry "caught it." Dang them. Perhaps I shall say hello to an iPhone soon...but I'd like to get some $$$ back from New Egg first (unlikely).

2. I start my new job on Monday. I will be the Community Outreach Coordinator for a local company. The good news is that this is a new position. The bad news is that this is a new position, so I'm not entirely sure what I will do. I'm sure I'll figure it out. I meant to wake up early enough this morning to drive there, and test out how long the drive will take me, but as you can see I did not do that and am instead here blogging. This probably means I will need to set many alarms on Monday to ensure that I wake up on time. At any rate, I'm nervous about the job. I hope I like it and can do well.

3. We have two friends coming to stay the night tonight. I am very excited. Actually, it is my hubby's cousin and his wife. Tomorrow morning we are going to try to get tickets for Big Blue Madness. If you're not a UK Basketball fan, you probably don't know what that is. It is the first official practice of the season for our b-ball team, a BIG DEAL and open to the public. We have a new coach this year, so naturally the entire state is going to try to go. I really hope we can get tickets! During my sophomore year in college, I won a hundred bucks at Madness by eating a pint of ice cream (in 2 bites, no lie) and making a basket. Worst bball shot EVER. It hit the front of the rim and SOMEHOW made it in. The guy who's ball went in right after mine was TICKED. Me on the other hand, I was a hundred dollars richer :)

4. I went to the doctor earlier this week because I thought I had given myself a hernia, which I already told you. He gave me some medicine and luckily, my cough and side pain are getting better. Unfortunately, I now have a really bad headache/neck-ache (I don't think the two [dr. visit and headache] are related). It has been hurting since yesterday. This happens pretty regularly, which sucks. I'm sure my liver appreciates all the Advil I take. I once read somewhere that you shouldn't be taking OTC pain meds more than 2-3 times a month. I was then convinced I was a total pill-popper, because what the crap, sometimes I take them 2-3 times in one day. Here's hoping the my headache/neck-ache gets better really soon.

5. I need to go get my driver's license and car registration changed today. Why today? Well, because I start work on Monday and because I will likely have to drive a company car at some point, they probably want me to have a license from this state. I have been putting this off all week. Naturally it is pouring rain today. I guess that is my punishment for being a procrastinator.

6. I got a postcard earlier in the week, addressed to my husband and I, inviting us to church services at a nearby Methodist church. I am not really familiar with the Methodist church, as my husband and I were both raised in Baptist churches. So guess what I did? I got on The Google and searched "baptist vs. methodist." I didn't learn much about the differences, other than robe-wearing, female ministers, and the differences in the methods of Baptism. I'm not opposed to trying out a non-Baptist church, I just wanted to get a little background info.

7. The company where I had my 403(b) invested/managed sent me a check for $500-ish dollars. Obviously my first instinct is, "Woohoo! MONEY!" The issue is that I don't know WHY they sent me this check. I recently received something stating I would receive a check if I had less than $1,000 in my account. According to my paystubs, I should have had A LOT more than $1,000 in the account. So now I'm wondering if perhaps I didn't fully understand the letter, or if my employer did not pay in the monies that were deducted. Of course, this will require me calling this company and getting an explanation. I hate those types of phone calls. Isn't that what adults do? Oh, wait...nevermind. UGH.

Okay bloggies, that's it for today. Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! :)

This Was My Day

Morning. Wake up early, and I am freezing. The good news? I could breathe and wasn't hoarse, thanks to the humidifier I purchased at 10:00 pm last night (from Wallyworld)! Proceed to call several doctor's offices {DOES NO DOCTOR IN THIS TOWN TAKE NEW PATIENTS?!} I decided it was time to do something about the persistent hacking cough...but I did not arrive at this decision on my own. No, I only decided to go to the doctor because last night, I got on The Google. Shortly thereafter I was 99.9% convinced I had given myself a hernia from coughing so profusely.

Fortunately, I do not have a hernia, just some really bad pulled muscles. I feel kind of dumb for going to the doctor for pulled muscles, but as I explained my symptoms, the doctor also thought I could potentially have a hernia. So see? The Google wasn't ALL wrong/mis-informative/bad. The bad news however is that if I continue to cough so much, I will need Depends in the near future. Hopefully this medicine will kick in before I pee my pants...

After the doctor visit, I stop at home because I need my prescription card. I come in through the garage and very quickly become scared. There was a light on that I'm pretty sure I've only turned on like...3 times since living in this house. In fact, I'm still a bit scared. I looked in the linen closet, shower, closets, etc. for a boogeyman. I'm *hoping* that I leaned against that light switch by accident as I carried a box in the house and just didn't realize what I had done. I don't know how I would have totally BLOCKED that from my mind, but I'm hoping that is what happened, okay? Okay.

Once I've picked up my prescription card, I go to The Walmarts which is just a short drive away. After dropping off my prescription, I peruse the "Health & Beauty" aisles, also known as "Make-Up and Nail Polish" here in the Bluegrass State. Of course, I find $15 worth of beauty products I desperately need. Then I decided to use the restroom.

Now we're all well aware that The Walmarts offer the finest facilities in town. I walk in, fully prepared to find The Stinky Stall, which seems to be a refined talent I possess. Instead, though, I find a stall with the door WIDE OPEN and a lady sitting on the throne to be seen by God and Everybody. She had something in her hands...what I do not know, as I only caught her from my peripherals. Was she reading? Texting? Searching her handbag? WHY did she leave the door open?! As I was washing my hands, I see her exit the stall. She is holding a large envelope of photographs, so I assume that is what she was looking at so intently...and then SHE washes her hands. I lost all hope that she was just using the toilet as a seat, and can only assume that she used it for it's intended purpose. GA-ROSS, PEOPLE!

That was my day. I can only hope tomorrow is not so gross. I'm going to try NOT to go to Walmart, so surely that will help?!

Woes of Moving

If you've ever moved, which I'm sure you probably have, you don't need me to tell you that there are some "growing pains" that go along with it! I'm not even talking about things like unpacking, finding "homes" for things, etc. No, the things I'm talking about are a little more on the...shall we say...superficial side? (some of em)

Fact #1--A good hairdresser is hard to find. During my time in CT, I had two hairdressers. I only switched because my "original" girl got so expensive...her work I was never displeased with, just the price. Anyway, I was fortunate--both gals I went to were very good. Now that I'm here...I need a new hairdresser. My hair was getting a little out of control--and by out of control, I mean my roots were looking a little trashy. I asked my friend's friend where she got her hair done, because it looked really good. She actually recommended a hair school! So I went. The girl did a nice job, but I was there FOUR HOURS. I didn't even get a hair cut or flat iron! On the upside, it looks good, but TJ said he doesn't think I saved enough $$ for it to have been worth 4 hours. Men...can't please em!

Fact #2--I hate finding a new doctor! My last doctor was the bomb dot com. He might have been a "military doc" but in all seriousness, he was the best doctor I've ever had. Ever. He would remember things I told him 2 years ago. My previous doctor? Couldn't remember things I told him 2 months ago! That said, my new doctor has big shoes to fill. I've received four recommendations of doctors and fortunately they are all covered by my new insurance. How do I know which doctor to choose? I wish I could set them all up for speed-dates. I'm glad I just wrote all this out...because it reminded me I do not currently know for sure where copies of my medical records are located...dang. One more thing to look for!

Fact #3--Getting a new driver's license, registering your car, setting up utilities, changing the address on alllll your stuff...yeah,  basically all that sucks. Some of those items are still on my list. There is still so much to be done around here,it really isn't funny. I should not be so lazy. I said it folks...L-A-Z-Y. And speaking of--I'm tired *yawn*

Welcome to Kentucky

Wow. I cannot believe it has been SO LONG since I last blogged. I've thought about it many times, but felt as though I had "nothing" to write about. Well my friends, that is not entirely true. There is actually a lot I could tell you, but much of it is random...

When I last wrote, I was a resident of Connecticut. No more, my friends! (what's w/me saying "my friends" ?!) Anyway. I now live in Kentucky. As many of you know and some of you may not...Kentucky is both mine and my husband's home state. We moved at the end of 2004 to my husband's first duty station with the Navy, but now we are again in the "civilian" world. My husband has been working at his new job for about a month. 

Since we moved back, we obviously needed a place to live, right? Well, we made the leap and we are now homeowners! We closed on our house September 8th, and all our stuff was delivered the next day. It had been in storage for about a month. I cannot tell you how GOOD it felt to sleep on my own bed! It was glorious! When we went to bed for the evening, TJ said "This bed feels so good, I almost don't want to go to sleep." This is a picture of our house, that I took the first time we saw it. I need to get an updated pic because the yard looks better :)

I had forgotten about my allergies, to a degree. I took allergy shots for many many years, but when I moved in 2004, I stopped taking them. My allergies weren't too bad in South Carolina or Connecticut...but nowww I'm back. I'm sure being around a lot of construction doesn't help, but I have experienced a lot of nasal congestion plus an awful cough. It has gone from sounding like "40-year-chain-smoker" to "barking/howling dog." I am probably going to have to go to the doctor. Problem is...I just moved and I don't have one!

Let's see...what else. I am currently in the process of looking for a job. Can I just say, I kind of hate this process? I am also in my second-to-last semester of the MBA program...which is a really good feeling even though the classes aren't my favorites.

That's about it for the "good material" at the moment. I figure I can't use it all up in one sitting, right? :) If you're still reading or visiting, thank you. I'm sorry I suck at blogging!

I'm 4 for 4!

Good afternoon my bloggies! This here is just an accountability post, to let you know that I did what I said I would! I not only did the Shred today, but I went for another walk! AND I went to the pool, where I mostly just did some splashing around and such, but surely I burned some calories, right?!

In other news, I'm convinced my scale is a word I cannot type here, and that it is out to get me. I stepped on last night just before bed. The #$&!@*! thing said "132." WTF you a-hole POS scale!

Wanna know what my husband said?

"Maybe you just need to take a dump."

I can't make this stuff up people.