Cicadas (and other stuff)

We have a large infestation of cicadas in our area of KY. I has been getting worse and worse over the last few weeks. Today, Chris and I noticed that our trees in the front yard are completely COVERED. Disgusting. Plus they are so flipping loud. I tried to take a nap this afternoon, and it was just too loud. Chris has a new trick. He will catch a cicada and put it in his mouth (alive) and wait for it to make its sound. It is SOOOO freaky. He also put about 5 of them in his mouth at once, and then did the whole Mummy thing where he opens his mouth and they all fly out. BLECH! He is even a little creeped out right now, since there are SOOO many of them.

We are both feeling better (pain wise). Chris has been a litte woozy lately, but I think it may just be something he ate or dehydration. It is so flipping hot/humid here. I know that it is probably hotter in other places, but I HATE hot weather. With a passion. I just feel miserable in hot weather.

I'm stalled on my books. I'm having a hard time getting into my current book. Partly because I have too much other stuff going on, and also because I read so much last week.

We went to look at furniture this weekend. I think we have it narrowed down to one or two choices. I'm excited. But we are determined to pay cash for it, so we will have to wait for a little while. But it won't be too much longer!

Prince Caspian

Chris and I went to see the Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian tonight. It was a very good movie, but it did depart from the book A LOT. Way more than I wanted. I understand some of it, because the way the book is written, it would be very hard to create a movie that followed the same path. So they would have had to change it some. But they added a few elements that didn't happen at all. They did some rearranging, so even though some of the storyline departed from the book, it still incorporated isolated events that DID happen in the movie (I would give you an example, but I don't want to ruin it for people who haven't see it yet). Definitely worth going to see, just keep more of an open mind. It is very well done, and the actors were phenomanal. I LOVE Georgie Henley (the girl who plays Lucy). It will be sad to not see Peter and Susan in the next movie. I hope that the studios do make the last book, and that they are able to use the same actors. I wonder if they will wait until the kids are older to make The Horse and His Boy. Or if they will just use other actors.

We went and looked at furniture today. I think we may have narrowed down our options to 2 different choices. We are looking for living room and office furniture right now. We would like to get leather furniture. I had a certain price in mind, but it looks like everything is a little more expensive than I anticipated. But I think that we will be able to get some good stuff if we are smart.

We didn't end up going to the Church Picnic. I had the stuff made, but we got caught up in furniture shopping, and lost track of time. :(

Plan for the Day

1. Study for the GRE (Chris)
2. Laundry (Sarah)
3. Get stuff to make dishes for picnic (sarah)
4. make stuff for picnic (sarah)
5. Go get some furniture ideas (both)
6. Go to Church Picnic (both)

The funny thing about the list above, is that I truly started out with only 3 things on my list. But as I was typing, I started thinking of all the other stuff that I should be doing today. See, that is why I make lists. . . because my thought process is expanded when I actually write stuff down. I have to admit I go a little crazy with my lists sometimes. I'm definitely one of those people that like to cross stuff off the list.

My next two books that I will be reading are by Meg Cabot. (Size 14 and Big Boned). We are currently listening to The Pillars of the Earth, and we are both really liking it. The nice thing about doing this challenge is that I am really expanding the books that I'm reading. I bought Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen last night, so that will probably get read after I finish the library books that I have.

An Additional Reading Challenge

So I'm really liking the idea of the reading challenges that are out there. I technically say that I am starting the 100+ Reading Challenge on April 1st. It comes out to be about 2 books per week. I'm almost caught up (I couldn't remember all of the books that I had read, so it looks like I'm behind).

So I found this other challenge, the Historical Reading Challenge, that I am planning on doing concurrently (I mean at the same time, is that the right word?) I have to read 6 historical fictions books in 6 months. I plan to read the following:

1. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
2. World without End by Ken Follett
3. Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen
4. Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati
5. Calico Palace by Gwen Bristow
6. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

And of course, those will count towards the 100+ Challenge as well . . . I'll probably mark them differently in the long list at the right, to indicate that they are part of the challenge.

Update on the Challenge. I just finished the Harry Potter Series . . . I'm pretty sure that I finished it in less than two weeks. I usually don't start reading it till Halloween Night (as I'm passing out candy, it has turned out to be part of a tradition), but I had run out of books to read, and that is the only thing that sounded appealing. The series is fantastic, and if you haven't had a chance to read the books, I highly, highly, reccomend it. Fantasically written, completely engaging, and totally heart warming.

rental car

So we dropped off the car at the body shop, and picked up our rental car. Chris is in absolute MOPAR heaven . . . it is a Steel-colored ' 07 Dodge Charger. I thought he was finally adjusted to the idea of keeping the corolla for awhile longer, but I have a feeling that this is going to send him over the edge. . . I will admit that it was really nice to drive something new and smooth.

Work is going okay (I'm training a new person), but it is a little difficult to sit upright and still all day. My back/neck seems to be extra tight. So I'm looking forward to this weekend so that I can relax. Chris and I may take an impromptu trip to Louisville . . . just because we can with the rental car (prepaid for a tank of gas - have to make sure and use it.

I am making progress on my 100 book list. I'm on the last book of the Harry Potter Series. I should be able to start going through the books a lot faster once I'm done with that.

It looks like our camping trip will be canceled. All of the sudden it is hotter than Hades here, and if we are both still sore from the accident, sleeping outside on the ground won't help much.

stayed home today

Chris and I were both feeling a little achy, so we stayed home today. We have talked to the insurance agents, and it is going a lot smoother than I anticipated. Thankfully, the other person's insurance will be picking up the tab for a rental car when our car is in the shop getting fixed.

Chris' new computer has been delivered, and it is very pretty. :) I'm a little jealous, but very happy for him. At least one of us has a laptop now. That will make things go a lot smoother when we are out and about (out of town) and need to look stuff up. Plus, it will make schooling so much easier.

Minor Car Accident

ugh. Chris & I got rear-ended on the way to work. The roads were wet, and there was bumper to bumper traffic. Thankfully, I was completely stopped, and far enough away from the car in front of me that I didn't hit them. Our little Corolla held up pretty well, just bent the back bumper. The Jeep that hit us completely lost their bumper, and had some structural damage. Both Chris and I are fine, just a little achy. The seat belt got me across the throat though, so I feel like I have to cough a lot. I'm so VERY thankful that it wasn't worse. I'm just a little shaky and stunned and gun shy (this will make my tendencies to back-seat drive even WORSE).

Books That I Plan on Reading

So, for my own sanity (and since I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who reads this blog), I thought I would post the next 25 books I'm planning on reading for the challenge. That way I have an easy reference later.

1. HP and the Goblet of Fire
2. HP and the Order of the Phoenix
3. HP and the Half-Blood Prince
4. HP and the Deathly Hallows
5. Size 14 is not fat either: a Heather Wells Mystery
6. Big Boned: a Heather Wells Mystery
7. The Pillars of the Earth (audio)
8. World without End (audio)
9. The Woods
10. The Last Jihad
11. The Last Days
12. The Ezekiel Option
13. The Copper Scroll
14. Dead Heat
15. Eleven on Top (audio)
16. Twelve Sharp (audio)
17. Lean Meant Thirteen (audio)
18. Fearless Fourteen (audio)
19. Good in Bed
20. Certain Girls
21. The Kite Runner
22. Ender's Game
23. Twilight
24. New Moon
25. Eclipse

100+ Reading Challenge

Found something on a blog that I would like to try. So I signed up. I'm going to try and figure out how many books I have read so far. I think I will say that I started in April. I should be able to remember all the books that I have read since then.

I'll post the list of books I have read, and plan to read a little bit later.

I will warn you, I love to read, but have only recently decided to start broadening my horizons when it comes to the kinds of books that I read. I mostly read for fun. So I do read a good bit of fluff. And I'm not ashamed of that. Suggestions are welcome, bashing is not.

Book Review - Queen Bee of Mimosa Branch

So I have decided that I'm going to start doing book reviews. Here's my first.


Synopsis:

Southern housewife Linwood Breedlove Scott was happily content in her comfortable, complacent thirty-year marriage, but when her husband cleans out their bank accounts and runs off with a stripper, her life takes a hilarious, yet touching, right turn into reality. With no place to go but home, she's forced back to her insular hometown and the "eccentric" family she escaped by marrying at nineteen: her senile father, her loving-yet-controlling mother, her long-suffering aunt, her crazy uncle, and her good-for-nothing brother. But despite her newly dependent situation and her family's genteel insanity, Lin begins to stand on her own two feet and wake up to the joys-and perils-of life as a single woman. And she also learns surprising lessons about her family: that things aren't always what they seem, and that the power of love governs even the most dysfunctional of relationships. This joy-filled, moving, and wise-cracking novel delivers a portrait of Southern life, Southern families, and self-discovery that readers will never forget. (courtesy of http://www.haywoodsmith.net/queenbee.html)

I found this book courtesy of some random browsing at the library. I admit, I judged the book by the cover. I was pleasantly surprised. I wasn't able to relate to the main character's situation, but I was able to relate to her. She was a refreshingly honest character. I had thought this would be a 15 minute a night book. Instead, I read through the whole thing in 2 evenings. I'm a pretty avid popular fiction reader, and I can usually determine the direction of the story pretty early. I found myself anticipating a certain direction, and then being quite surprised when that didn't come true. Sometimes this annoys me (seems like the author is purposely being misleading), but I didn't mind it here. Because it made sense. She wasn't doing anything out of character or storyline. I will definitely be reading Haywood Smith's other books. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

i am having a bad day

well the stress has shown itself.

i was supposed to get my ingrown toenail removed today. i called and made an appointment and said that I wanted them to take care of it that day, so she made sure to schedule enough time. well apparently, my doctor missed the point, because she said that she couldn't do it today. couldn't really give me a reason. she said it is because it was infected, but it isn't infected right now. there is no swelling or puss today. there was a few days ago, but i cleaned it out. so now i have to deal with this stupid ingrown toenail until after we move. on top of that, my blood pressure is high. it has been under control for the last year primarily because i was losing weight. well i gained about 5ish pounds in the last few weeks, and i'm incredibly stressed right now, so no surprise, my blood pressure was up. so now i have to go get these stupid tests, and she wants to talk about getting back on medicine. when i tried to explain that it was stress related, she didn't really respond, and still wants me to get some blood work done. so now on top of every thing else, i need to lose a chunk of weight before june 7 (my next appointment), and get my blood pressure under control.

i have had a blinding headache since I woke up. i had a nasty customer on the phone who proceeded to rip me a new one, and i haven't been able to stop crying since. i am having a bad day.

I've Finally Lost My 10%

For all of you that have done Weight Watchers in the past, you know that it can be a big deal to get to a weight loss that is equal to 10% of your starting weight. The first time I did weight watchers (a few years ago), I ended up quitting right before I got to my 10%. I proceeded to gain all the weight back plus 3 pounds, and when I did weight watchers this last time, I quit WELL before I reached 10% (I had only lost about 10 lbs when I quit this last time). Chris and I have been really focusing on losing weight since we got back from our road trip. We did Atkins for about 5 weeks. We both lost about 16 lbs doing that. We took a weekend off in between (and both gained back a few pounds) and started South Beach on the 19th. SB has worked really well for me (actually for both of us) but Chris is having a rough time sticking to the rules. We have one more week on Phase 1 (in SB) and then we will switch to Phase 2, which is a lot more liberal on what you can eat, you just have to be a lot more aware of your body. We will probably give Phase 2 at least 2 weeks, and re-evaluate at that point. The plan all along was to kick start our weight loss, and eventually phase back into doing WW. WW is ultimately more manageable in our day-to-day lives, even though the weight loss is a bit slower.
Anyhow, I have officially lost . . . . .drum roll please . . . . . . 32 pounds (total)!!!! I can really see a difference, and I have dropped a size on both bottom and top. I still have almost 100 pounds to go (in total), but I'm really focusing on the little goals, so I won't get overwhelmed. Chris and I have indefinitely put off having kids until I've gotten by BP a little more under control and I've lost another 40 lbs. We both want to be healthly and give our kiddo the best shot possible. Don't worry . . . it shouldn't take me longer than a year if I can keep up my current pace and movitivation.

The Family Stone

Chris and I watched "The Family Stone" last night. I really didn't expect him to watch it with me . . . . he isn't a big fan of "romantic comedies". But we started watching it during dinner, and he had a meeting afterwords, so I figured I would finish it while he was gone. But before he left, he asked me to pause it cause he wanted to see how it resolves. After it was over, he said he actually really liked it.
Sarah Jessica Parker does a fantastic job playing an uncomfortable uptight girlfriend who is meeting her boyfriend's loud exuberant family at Christmastime. She does a good job at making you feel sorry for her, even though she makes a mess of things. There are a number of touching moments, and quite a bit of hilarity. I think one of the reasons that Chris liked it, is that it doesn't follow the "romantic comedy formula". At least, it adds a new twist.

Battlestar Galactica

Chris and I have watched Season 1 & 2 of Battlestar Galactica. My dad had talked about it a lot, and friends of ours really loved it. Chris and I have to work hard to find tv series that both of us like (Lost, The Office, Scrubs, 4400) so we decided to give it a shot. My dad had bought season 1 and 2 on dvd, so we borrowed them. We made it through the ENTIRE set in less than 2 weeks (it may have even been just over a week). They are SO well done. It is a series that runs on the scifi channel. Season 3 should be coming out on DVD in august, and we just can't wait. Season 4 starts in mid January (I think). Unfortunately, we started watching a program that is getting ready to start its last season. Go figure. We find something we love, and it is ending. It has a little of everything in it. Action, sex, drama, comedy, etc. It's all there.
Plus, they don't use the "f" word. They say "frack" instead. You know you are a battlestar galactica fan, when you start saying "frack".

back to blogging

i kind of gave up for awhile, but now i'm back. :)
The final Harry Potter book comes out on Friday. I only started reading the books after the sixth book came out, so this is my first official "release day" book. Granted, I read through the books very very quickly. And have read them through a few times already. I even got Chris to read the whole series. He isn't as excited as I am about the final book, but I know that he will be reading it shortly after I finish. :)
My predictions. Harry doesn't die. Harry kills Voldemort. Ginny joins Ron and Hermione to help track down the horcruxes. Arthur Weasly dies. Snape dies. Neville dies. Most of the death eaters die. I think a mystery will be revealed that centers around a relationship between Lily and Snape. I think they will find a horcrux in Godric's Hollow. I'm guessing he will have to be at Hogwarts for something during the year . . . just because it would be like writing a complete different book to leave Hogwarts off. I think that Harry becomes the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
DO NOT even joke about giving away the book. I DO NOT want to read any spoilers, and I will seriously be pissed off if someone ruins this for me. Like actually upset, won't talk to you for awhile if you are that malicious.
I hope to blog more regularly. I have a bunch of stuff to write about, including:
1. applied for a new job at the hospital
2. our road trip to new england
3. weight loss success
4. pictures of my soon to be newly organized office/scrapbook room
5. ideas for a new website (not personal website)
6. and much much more.

Eye exercise

I found the following article about eye exercises . . . thought it looked very interesting. Enjoy!
Eyesight FitnessThese exercises, designed and used for patients at the Tao of Wellness Center, are helpful for maintaining and improving your vision.
Try to do these exercises first thing in the morning and just before bed. Another good time is when your eyes feel tired, such as right after computer use. Make sure that your hands are clean and that you are relaxed in body and mind. The key to progress is practicing regularly, preferably every single day.
1. Warming the Eyes: Rub your palms together to create heat, and then place them against your eyes for five seconds. Repeat this three times.
2. Pressing the Rim of the Valley: Use both thumbs and press slowly from the inside outward along the upper rim of the eye sockets. Then switch to both index fingers and press along the lower rim of the eye sockets from the inside outward. Repeat three times.
3. Rolling the Marble: Press the back of your thumbs gently against the eyeballs; slowly roll up and down 12 times. Then slowly roll from side to side 12 times.
4. Turning the Wheels of Fortune: Place the thumb knuckles at both temple areas and massage in circular motion three times. Repeat the same actions above the mid-point of the eyebrows at the forehead, then below the eyes on both sides of the bridge of the nose.
5. Staring at the Light: hold an object out in front of you as far as possible. Focus your eyes on the object while slowly moving the object closer until it is six inches from your nose. Then focus on the object as you move it slowly away from you. Repeat this three times and relax briefly in between.
6. Spinning the Basketball: With your eyes open, roll eyes clockwise, then counter-clockwise three times each. Try to look into the sockets of your eyes as much as possible.
7. Taking a Nap on the Job: Put your head back, close your eyes, and relax for three minutes.

Cleaned out my closet

I have been a little out of sorts lately. I feel like I'm in some weird kind of waiting stage, and I'm not really doing anything. We are still waiting to hear about Chris' job. This is taking FOREVER. But I'm learning patience. And trust. Just because I'm learning them, doesn't mean that I'm enjoying them. Anyway, I decided to work on some stuff that I CAN control while we are waiting for something that we can't.
So I'm starting at the corner of the house (the master closet). It had gotten pretty cluttered. So last night I dragged out all the stuff that was on the floor. I rearranged some of the storage, and sorted the clothes according to type. We put out the summer clothers, and put away the winter clothes. I vaccumed the flour and ran the rainbow on air filter for the whole night in there. It looks FANTABULOUS if I do say so myself. I will be creating a project plan for each room, that will list all the projects that I would like to do in each room with all the necessary details. For example, in the closet, I would like to get some more shelving so that we can have an area for our towels and such (oddly enough, our house doesn't have a linen closet or a coat closet). So I will write down at the measurements, and do a rough sketch, so I can get some prices together.
Tonight, it is the master bathroom. It shouldn't take too long, because we just got the toilet fixed in the master bathroom last friday, and hadn't been using the bathroom for about a month before that.
The best part about this plan, is that it is only about organizing, and not about cleaning. Chris and I have devised a new housekeeping plan. I do everything that has to do with organzing, arranging, and/or putting away. Chris does all of the actual "cleaning". If it involves a chemical or a tool, its his job. It really plays to our strengths. Chris doesn't like trying to figure something out, or doing a job that he considers to be "vague". However, I'm really good at that stuff. And I HATE the actual physical cleaning stuff. He doesn't mind it so much, and when he puts his mind to it, does a really good job (he has shown some perfectionist tendancies in that area). Plus, I feel like a burden is lifted off of my shoulders. I always felt so guilty because I very rarely got to the "cleaning" stuff unless company was coming, because the "putting away" took so long. And overall, this gives us a very clean deliniation of tasks.
So, after I'm done organizing the bathroom, Chris will come behind me and do the actual cleaning. Here is the order of the rooms:
Master Closet
Master Bathroom
Master Bedroom
Living Room
Kitchen
Entryway/Laundry room
Guest Bathroom
SMT Office
CMT Office
Garage
We may be getting a digital camera soon, so hopefully I will be able to take some pictures of the newly organized house and add them to the site.

taxes

Finally did our taxes. I LOVE owning a house. Before we itemized we were going to owe 1600. Once we itemized, it was on 400. And that is only with half a year worth of interest. Next year we are going to be golden! FINALLY! It all works out in the end cause we are getting more back from the state taxes than we owe on the federal. Now that was unexpected . . . if I had known that I would have filed back in February. I was just so tired of owing.
Next year you can guarantee that I will file early. :)

Pray for my husband

Hey everyone, if you could take a second and pray for Chris, I know it will make a difference. He is going through a very tough situation at work, and it has really affected him. He just needs wisdom and strength to get through this. This should be a happy time for him (hope to have an announcement about his job in the next few days (week), and it is definitely being overshadowed with some major drama.
Thanks a bunch!

I'm back

Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm back. I swear to you, last week felt like it was a month long. Between the grief, the driving, being away from home, planning, remembering, not sleeping, and regret, I feel like it lasted forever.
I wasn't sure that I was ready to come back to work, but I didn't think staying home would help me get more ready. Thankfully, knock-on-wood, today isn't crazy busy. Busy enough so that I'm distracted, but not so busy that I'm overwhelmed.
I think I'm still a little shocky, because I can't quite seem to get into anything. I had a number of projects that I was getting ready to start and/or complete before I left last week, and I looked at them last night . . . . and just felt nothing.