Christmas Time

It truly is the "most wonderful time of the year" in the Marchion household. But, I want to share a little bit of advice to those of you mailing out Christmas cards because I have had my feelings hurt this Christmas.

First, Joe and I have been together for 6 years, living away from home for our third Christmas this year, and married for 1.5 years... START SENDING US OUR OWN CARD! I love getting mail, and I love Christmas, so naturally I love Christmas cards... and we've gotten 4 this year! One from each of our moms, an aunt, and a friend (Thanks Mama Reg!) but other than that... NOTHING! Seriously?

Then I was at my MIL house and saw all of her Christmas cards, and people just have included Joe and I's name on their cards. People... I'm not sure how many times I can spell this out, but we no longer live with them and do wish to receive our own card!

Second, if you're sending a cute card with your children's picture on it... I would still like one even though I don't have children. Sometimes I feel like people with children have these weird circles that they share super secret information with and I'm not allowed to be a part of it because I'm not a mom yet. Send me a damn picture of your child... I love them too!

This rant stems from the fact that we had a family member giving Christmas cards out at Grandma's for those people she didn't have their address. I said... "Oh... I didn't get one!" and she proceeds to say "Oh, I didn't think you'd want one... let me go get one out of the car, I didn't even count on you guys!"

Again... They are our family...why the hell wouldn't we want a card.

And Third, stop using Xmas or X-mas as a form of shortening CHRISTmas. There is a meaning behind the word Christmas so stop trying to take that away. It peeves me off when people cannot take the time to write out the entire word!

Ok... enough with the ranting... I'm really not a bah-humbug! I just prefer to be remembered when the holidays come around. Christmas was so much fun as a child and the older I get I feel like the more of a hassle it is... and I refuse to let that ruin Christmas for me! It is a time in our family for family and friends spending time together, which is really all that matters!

Merry Christmas to everyone.... now send me a Christmas card ;-)

Friendsgiving 2009

First of all, I'm sorry to all my blogger friends. I've been bumming around the last few weeks and not feeling as though ANYTHING important is going on in my life right now. Therefore, it's been approximately a month and a half since I've updated this blog. I do apologize. I've still been reading up on people's lives (sounds creeperish) but I haven't really been leaving comments either. So again, I apologize.

Now... on to the good stuff! This past weekend we had Friendsgiving. We decided that every year, for as long as humanly possible, we are going to get together with our good friends and have our very own Thanksgiving. One that starts with fried turkey, and ends after a whole night of great time with great friends. This year was our first attempt at it. And by first attempt at it I mean... first attempt at every single part of having a Thanksgiving dinner. The most coordinating I do for dinner is pushing start on the microwave when the oven says 5 minutes left. I do say... I've gotten damn good at that! ;-) Anyway, everyone brought some sides and we cooked for about an hour while the bird was frying! It was so much fun!

We managed to get the turkey cooked all the way through on the first try! (Thank goodness because Joe dropped everything to lift the bird out into the bubbling oil so... he had one shot before we were going to have to do some seriously dangerous improvising!) I got all the food on the table while it was warm! And everyone liked everything!

It's been so long since we've had all our friends together for an ENTIRE evening and it was so refreshing to catch up with them. And guess what... 7 people ate an entire 20 pound turkey. I guess everyone thought it tasted good.

This is definitely a tradition we've decided we want to continue, even after our familes start growning. What better way to spend a second holiday than with great company. I love my friends :-) I'll have to post pictures tomorrow because I CANNOT get them to work tonight. you can check them out here if you so desire though :-)

The New "Do"

So... here's the beginning to my change. Let me know what you think!

Time for A Change

Joe and I have been talking a lot about making some changes in our lives. First, we are attempting to pay down all our debt right now. I haven't purchased a new pair of shoes in like a year... and it's terrible. But, it's SO worth it. Second, I am going to get a second job. I have already signed the paperwork. I feel like I need something else in my life right now. I feel like I need to do something that I thoroughly enjoy, and that I just do for some extra cash in the bank. Joe still drives my two door Honda Civic from high school. Eventually he would like to buy a truck, and I would love for him to be able to do that soon! Third... I'm getting my hair done tomorrow. I've lost almost 15 pounds, and people are starting to notice, so I want to make some more changes :-). And, I'm making a drastic change. I'm not going to tell you what I have planned, but I will show you a before picture, and then show you an "after" picture tomorrow.

Please pray for Joe and I in making these changes in our lives. We are focused and determined to get ourselves on the right feet before we take the next step in our lives (And I'm sure you can figure out what that is :-))

Good News

If you read my last blog, you would know how stressed I've been over my sister in the past few days. Well, we received some good news today.

My sister does have a cyst on her brain, and it's not in a very good place. It's right in the heart of her brain, where the blood vessels come in and where activity happens. I'm sure you're wondering how this is good news. Well, the cyst isn't touching anything. It's just there and not bothering anything. The reason for her episodes is what the doctor believes to be migraines. He said there are people who lose their speech, eyesight, and more when experiencing one of these headaches. He believes that this is what she is experiencing.

The good news is that there doesn't seem to be a need for surgery, at least not at the moment. The bad news is that she can still suffer these at ANY time. The doctor gave her a list of things she shouldn't eat or drink and wants to follow up with her to watch the cyst and monitor her migraines.

Thank you for all the prayers :-)

Bad News

Last night we got some bad news and I'm just beside myself.

About a month ago my sister was joking with my mom and told my mom that her entire left side had been going numb and she had even blacked out a few times on her way home from work. Obviously, my mom didn't think this was funny and immediately sent her to the doctor (by sent, I mean begged her to go... my sister is 21). She went to her regular doctor and had a normal blood workup done... fine. They sent her to an opthamologist... her eyes checked out just fine. They sent her for a more extensive blood workup... came back fine. Finally, her doctor decided that she needed to go for an MRI. One of those ones where you have the first MRI, then you drink some dye and you have the same MRI again. In the meantime of all these tests, she's had a few more episodes, but if you knew my sister, you would know she makes a joke out of everything and worries about nothing. (I obviously got the drama genes in our family!)

My sister got the tests back last night. A nurse called her and told her the news. At work. Without being able to answer any questions.

My sister has cysts on her brain. Unfortunately, we aren't sure what that entails because the freakin' nurse called, not the doctor. And... they told her over the phone. My sister is devastated and has to wait until next Friday to speak with a neurologist. That's a long time for this to be weighing on her. My sister has been through so much in her life, and I can't imagine how she is taking this news. I am in desperate need of some prayers here. I love my sister and I hope these are treatable cysts. Preferably the type that can shrink with medicine. (Wishful thinking, I know...)

Intervention

Last night I watched the show Intervention on A&E. I used to watch the show all the time, although I’m sure why. I can’t sympathize with any of the people on there. I don’t know what they are going through, nor do I know why they are going through it. I seriously sit through the whole hour long show and ask myself… WHY are these people like that? I know, I know… I shouldn’t be so quick to judge, but I don’t understand it.

Most of the people on the show have gone through something traumatizing in their lives that has led them to drugs/alcohol/eating disorders. Some of the things are terrible things that have happened, other things are not. I honestly do not understand how something gets so bad that they have to turn to drugs in order to deal with the day to day. I feel terrible for these people, and my heart literally breaks everytime I read at the end of the show that they failed in their recovery efforts, or worse, they lost the battle with their addiction completely.

While watching this show, my thoughts always travel to my sister. Not because of her, but because she lost one of her very best friends to addiction. He was on cocaine (I think, don’t quote me) and decided one night in the middle of the night that his life was too hard. He killed himself. My sister was the last person he tried to call before he did it and she didn’t answer because she was mad at him. Now my sister deals with that guilt on a daily basis. She believes that had she answered the phone and talked to him, she may have been able to “talk him off the cliff” so to speak. I struggle with understanding what my sister is going through, and hope that I NEVER have to go through something like that.

I guess the reason for this post is because I seriously struggle with the why in all these situations and everytime I watch the show, I conjure up these thoughts and struggle with understanding why people’s lives get so bad that they turn to drugs, or killing themselves. I seriously thank God everyday for the life I was given. Sometimes I wonder how I found my husband, and why things have worked out the way they have. I am very fortunate to have a wonderful family, great friends, and a seriously great life.

My mom once told me I was judging from a pedastool. I don’t want this post to sound like that at all. I just don’t understand! I don’t understand how one makes that decision and I just wanted to share my thoughts with you guys this morning and get it off my chest.

Thanks for reading and any responses.

AHHHH Fall...

Fall is in the air. No, not because it's 80 degrees out today again, but because fall starts on TV tonight. I should have prefaced this by saying that I do not watch much TV, but if you catch me on one of my TV nights during my show, you'll get the VM or the cold shoulder because I take my shows very seriously!

1. The Biggest Loser starts tonight. I just started watching this show last year around this time, and I am in love with it. Not because of all the drama, but because of the amazing journey's that these people go through both mentally and physically. This season they brought back Daniel from last season. He didnt' get a fair chance because his friend (it was the couple's edition) had no desire to be there and to lose weight. Unfortunately, he didn't get very far, but has changed his life already. He still has more weight to lose, and this season is about second chances. I am so excited to watch him lose the rest of his weight. He's only 19!

2. Grey's Anatomy starts on September 24. I am a total sucker for this show. I didn't start watching it right when it aired, but bought all the seasons and caught up that way. Now, I can't get enough. And this season is sure to be a nail-biter. I cannot wait to see the season premiere. I have been reading spoilers on my lunch break everyday! (I am terrible at surprises and can't keep them to save my life!)

So, while everyone else loves the trees changing colors, the smell of fall, hot chocolate, etc... I am more in love with the shows that start! :-)

My Husband Rocks! Friday

Why does my husband rock this week? Well... we've been working our butts off getting the house up to standards (which is pretty high if you ask me!) and through it all, we have become stronger as a couple. I know we are on each other's team, and we are in this for the long haul. I look at him everyday, and thank God that I was given the opportunity to marry my best friend.

Now, on to the nitty gritty of why he rocks... we have been the dynamic duo, hanging pictures, doing yardwork, watching football, etc... It doesn't matter what we are doing, we seem to make the best of it, and we both enjoy it because we are spending time together.

I love you Joe!

Drumroll please...

I know, you guys have all been waiting on the edge of your seats... below you will find before pictures of our new house :-)

You can see the very plain front of the house, without even landscaping to speak of!

And here's another shot, with our very nice tree in the front that puts the whole front yard in the shade. It's perfect for Riley to lay under.

Here's half of the kitchen, before we worked our magic on it. I can't wait to show you guys the after pictures, because they are totally different!


Here's the other half of the kitchen, obviously without appliances still, but very plain! It's a really nice size though!



And here's our nice huge living room with the huge picture window in the front. You can kind of see the white fireplace. Someone painted over the brick with white. It's so ugly!

Here's a better (still terrible) shot of the fireplace. Just you wait and see what we did with that

:-)

That's all the pictures I have for now, mostly because my camera is dying and because nothing is working right on my computer. I promise to post some "after" pictures here very shortly.

Thanks for reading!

Wonderful Weekend Pa

So… after everything went crazy on Saturday, things got a little better. Joe proceeded me home after the “accident” and told everyone to leave me alone and not to razz me about it so when I got home, not one person mentioned my stupid mistake. After everyone left (yes, I made EVERYONE leave except one friend who was already asleep inside and he didn’t have anyone to drive him home) and Joe and I were home alone, we talked for a little bit and he told me everything was going to be ok and to stop worrying about it (yeah right!). We went to bed that night with the hopes that things are going to look better.

Sunday morning Riley wakes me up as usual, at about 7:30 AM. That is about the longest she can hold it from the night before. I get myself up and get some clothes on to take her outside and notice something really weird out the front window. First I realize Joe’s friend is already gone and then I notice that the doors and trunk on Joe’s car are wide open. What the heck? I know that Joe wouldn’t have left it like that, especially not overnight. I immediately assume it was one of Joe’s friends that left the car doors open before they left the night before as a prank of some sort, although I can’t quite figure out what the reasoning behind it would be. I do a quick inventory of the car and head inside to wake Joe and tell him what the heck is going on. I also call Joe’s friend to see if he did it. I talk to him for a minute and find out that his car was also broken into and his GPS and digital camera are gone. Joe looks around his car and notices that NOTHING is gone. Not even the 20 he left in plain sight in his center console of his car. We lucked out, but we felt terrible for Joe’s friend. And… before you ask. No… we didn’t file a police report. I had had my fill of police officers for the weekend and nothing was missing from Joe’s car. The only things that were missing were from friend’s car, and he was already gone.

AWESOME. I’m looking forward to a much better weekend this coming weekend!

It’s Been Awhile…

Hello there not-so-avid blog readers (for no other reason than because I haven’t posted in like 10 weeks… or so it seems!) I do apologize for the time, and frankly, I miss blogging and reading the overwhelming comments I get… but I’m in a rut so this has taken a backseat.

As you may know, Joe and I moved into our house this past weekend. By moving in, I mean bringing an overwhelming amount of boxes full of what I have deemed sh**. I have thrown away more in the past few days than I probably have in my entire life. I’m starting fresh, and it feels great. Unfortunately, the fact that we are in is about the ONLY thing going right in my life right now. Let me just tell you about my terrible (possibly the worst I have ever had in many years!) weekend.

First, Saturday morning I have to go pick up the moving truck. The lady behind the counter, while very nice, was way too nice for 8:00 on a Saturday. Long story short I get there and she tells me I’m not old enough to drive the truck. The cut-off is 25 and guess what… I’m only 24. Thankfully I tell the lady I have 3 people at least 25 with me. She proceeds to give me the keys anyway and brush off the fact that I was “underage.” Twenty minutes later we are on our way to the storage shed that has all of our CRAP! In a matter of an hour we had everything loaded up and ready to be unpacked “at home!”
Anyway, after a few hours of moving everything from the storage unit into my house, we were taking a break and some of my husbands incredibly idiotic friends show up with no intention of helping at all. They proceed to set up cornhole and bring a keg and hang out in our backyard. No… I’m not kidding. My husband gets home from work to the craziness and tells his friends he needs help moving some couches, I mean after all, they are drinking themselves stupid in our new backyard. They are pissed that we needed help because they just came to drink and figured all the moving would be done. That would have been enough to set anyone over the edge, right. Oh no, that is just the freakin’ tip of the iceberg people!

After a few more hours of moving, I decide to take the moving truck back. One of my friends is going to follow me and we are going shopping afterwards. What I thought would be a nice way to unwind a crazy hectic day. Well, we get all the way to the truck rental place when I remember that I have to put gas in my truck before returning it. So I take off towards a gas station that I thought would be easier to pull a huge truck out of, into traffic. I find this little (and I mean really little) gas station on the side of the road and don’t see any reason why I can’t get in there. I mean I’ve been driving all day and I haven’t had a problem. Boy was I wrong!

I proceed to pull into the gas station and I knicked the corner of the gas pump. I truly knicked it, I’m not trying to make what I did seem littler than it really was. So, me being the nice and honest person that I am (oh, and did I mention if I would have just left, they would have seen my enormous box truck!) I go inside and tell the foreign attendant that I bumped the gas pump. He comes out to look at it and says that it doesn’t look like anything to him, go ahead and pump my gas. So that is exactly what I do. Until I look over and see that the gas pump I hit (not the one I’m pumping gas from) starts uncontrollably spewing gas out of the bottom of it (not even where I hit it!) I go inside immediately, pretty much sick to my stomach by this time and tell the attendant to shut the thing off because there is gasoline EVERYWHERE! The manager (also foreign) comes out and starts yelling profanity at me and telling me what an f’ing idiot I am for trying to bring the truck into his gas station. Now he is going to sue me… yada yada yada. Now I’m pissed. I’m done with being upset. This guy is yelling and screaming at me over an accident. Not to mention the fact that there is now gasoline all over the place and pooling in the road. All I keep thinking is someone is going to throw their cigarette and I am not even going to get to enjoy my brand new house. The police finally show up and we file a police report and the very nice police officer pumps the rest of my gas for me and takes me inside to pay just to make sure someone doesn’t get hostile again. I don’t get a ticket or anything because it’s on private property. So when I get the rental truck returned and I get home like 5 hours later (no shopping) I call my insurance. They are so nice and tell me to expect a call before noon on Monday.

Yesterday I got the call telling me that they DON’T cover any vehicles that the cargo is separate from the passenger area. So basically, I’m up a crick without a paddle. I’m waiting on the next step and hoping that the man who owns the gas station has an ounce of human in him and just lets his insurance pay for it and lets me pay his deductible or something along those lines.

Moral of the story… check with your insurance BEFORE renting a moving truck. Oh… and don’t hit the gas pump!

I’ll continue with my **wonderful** weekend in my next post.

Coming Along...

So, there isn't a word to describe the exhaustion that I'm feeling. But it's all going to be worth it. Every last second of hard work. The long days at work followed by long nights at our new house (I still like saying it!) are coming to an end, and soon we are going to be living there. Just the two of us, in our very own house. I'm so excited that we can see a light at the end of the tunnel. I know that this is a day early, but my husband deserves every bit of praise so I'm saying my husband rocks... Thursday!

Joe has absolutely worked his butt off. He has been getting up early (let me tell you, he is NOT a morning person) and trying to get some things done before going into work, and working after work until I basically have to drag him to bed. He stripped, restained, and refinished the cabinets in my kitchen... just because I didn't like the way they looked! He is replacing most of the light fixtures because they are horrendous! He is such a great husband, and such a hard worker. I'm not sure what he is going to do when we have everything done. He's going to get bored!

Anyway, I promise pictures are coming soon, from both our vacation and before pictures of our house.

Ten Things Tuesday

In light of recent purchases in our family, my ten things are… ten things we have to purchase before we can move into our new house :-)

1. Refrigerator. Although most houses leave their large appliances, we didn’t purchase one of “those” homes. Oh, and did I mention that the hole left for the refrigerator is smaller than standard refrigerators today. This should be fun. Thanks to my husband, who has searched far and wide, we have been able to find a few that will fit in there that are to our liking.

2. Range. Again, not left by previous owner. And to boot, we are very serious when we say we have to have a gas stove/oven. We have rented two different apartments with electric appliances, and I can’t cook anything on electric. Mind you, they were probably the worst quality appliances ever, but I couldn’t even get a chicken breast to cook in less than 5 hours without butterflying it or cutting it into little pieces, and who really wants to do that? Anyway, there is no gas line run to the kitchen, so guess what… we get to spend more money on that! Lucky us!

3. Microwave. Not a huge purchase, and actually the only reason we are buying one is because the owner left a spot above the range for a microwave, and it would look extremely stupid if we just put a hood there. Joe and I never even use the microwave. Joe is convinced it kills all the nutrients in your food, so… if you ever come visit, please use our microwave so it doesn’t feel like we spent a couple hundred bucks on NOTHING.

4. Dishwasher. This was left by the previous owner, but it’s white. Joe and I decided, if we have to buy our own appliances, we are going to go with stainless steel so the white won’t match. If you know anyone who needs a brand-spankin new dishwasher, let me know!

5. Paint. I refuse to live in an all white house. Not only does it get dirty extremely fast, but it’s boring (at least to us) so before we even move in, we are going to paint every room. Yep, you heard right, we are going to paint every room, including the basement. And… I HATE PAINTING. But it’s so worth it in the end!

6. Furniture. We have enough furniture to fill the living room, dining room, kitchen, and 2 of 3 bedrooms, however, we have a finished basement which I am making my husband put the 50” plasma down there because it will look way too big in my living room. So, we are going to put the big TV down stairs, which means we are going to need some couches and stuff to put down there for the guys. (For some reason, the boys are drawn to the TV and we end up hosting all big sporting events at our place!)

7. Electric Fence. The house we bought has a half-acre lot. Enough room for Riley to do all her running. Unfortunately, it isn’t fenced in, and we don’t really want to have to chase a black dog all around Tallmadge, so we are going to buy an underground fence to keep her in our yard.

8. Lawn Products. By lawn products, I mean absolutely anything you need for a yard. We don’t have a lawn mower, weed whacker, garden hose, and whatever else you may need outside. That isn’t my area, so I’m not even sure what Joe has planned for outside, but we are going to have to buy something immediately, as it’s been raining here for the past few days and I’m sure our grass will be nice and long when we get the keys Thursday!

9. Patio Furniture. We have a little concrete patio outside, which will be there only this summer and will be replaced with something next summer (Joe doesn’t know that yet, but I’m already making a list for next year’s projects HAHA!) We have a patio heater, because in Ohio it goes from 90 to 50 at night really quick. We also have a little fire pit. I would ultimately like to get something from Lowe’s that’s on sale, but I don’t think it’s in the budget until next year.

10. Window Coverings. I thought these were pretty cheap, however, I have found some really nice ones and guess what, they aren’t cheap! We also have a HUGE picture window in our living room (which I love) but to put blinds on that is going to cost us an arm and a leg!

Now, with all the stuff that we have to buy, I have to tell you that we got an awesome deal on this house. The gentleman who owns the house (for two more days) bought it as a flip a few years ago, and re-did everything. He even added another bathroom in the basement! The kitchen is brand new, as are the tubs, toilets, and showers in all bathrooms. So while I’m whining about all the expenses we are going to be facing in the next few months/years, we also have a lot of stuff we aren’t going to have to spend any money on, which is fantastic.

On another note, while we are both very excited, we are also very well aware that we are going to be broke for awhile, so if you’re going to ask us to do something, the answer is probably no… followed by an invitation to put on your paintin’ clothes and come over. Oh, and if you happen to have any spare change lying around your house, you can go ahead and put that in an envelope and mail it to us, as we are going to need any and all extra money! HAHA!

As always, thanks so much for reading, and I can’t wait to get some pictures posted. Look for those this coming weekend :-P

EXCITEMENT

So, if you read any of my previous posts, you know that Joe and I bought a house a while ago (it actually seems like an eternity ago!). Well, this week it becomes REAL! This week, we sign our lives away and actually become homeowners. I feel like this is just the next step in our lives together. Our lives are beginning to feel real. Don't get me wrong, I totally have felt married, and happy for the past year of my life, but we lived together before we were married (I know, I know, don't judge me!) and so when we got back from our honeymoon and back to reality, things didn't necessarily change. That was a good thing! Now, we are having serious conversations such as... children, where we want our kids to go to school, etc.

I recently got together with a friend from high school and we were talking. I told her that Joe brought up the "having children" conversation (it wasn't a total surprise, we have talked about it before) and I freaked out. Like I said before, it's becoming real. Within the next year we are thinking about trying to start a family. This means... no more sleeping in (or sleeping at all for that matter), no more running errands together just to spend time together, no more having extra money to spend on US, etc. Those of you who have your own children know the drill... LOL.

Anyway, I could use some help talking me down off the ledge right now because I am totally nervous and scared. We aren't even trying to have a child yet, but it is truly all I think about lately. I NEED SOME HELPFUL WORDS HERE! LOL

My Husband Rocks!

Joe rocks this week (and always) because he is my best friend. By this time next week, we will be HOMEOWNERS! We sign the papers for our house next week and I couldn't be more excited to take this step with him. I promise to post pictures, especially before and after pictures as soon as I can get my flippin' camera cord.

Zip Line Adventures

To start things off, when we were planning this trip (and by we, I mean Joe’s wonderful parents) Joe’s sister couldn’t decide if she wanted to go. She ended up taking one of Joe’s very best friends as her “date” for the week. It made the vacation so nice because it was fun to hang out with them, and they were just friends!

Joe’s friend has never been out of the country, and was the ultimate tourist in Mexico. We laughed because he bought stuff from vendors on the beach, bought Mexican tequila, and wanted to book every single tour available. After explaining to him that money doesn’t grow on trees (HAHA), we decided to pick one tour. He chose zip-lining through the jungle.

Now for those of you who know me, you know that I am not the type of person to take risks like that. I was nervous and very anxious. Thankfully, it ended up being a new experience. I don’t think I would ever pay to do it again (it was freakin’ expensive) but it is something I am happy to say that I have done before.

Now… on to the story. When you arrive at this place in the middle of the jungle, they immediately suit you up in a harness, leather gloves, and a helmet. This was what I like to call a cluster **** because people were hurrying to the front of the line as if there are only so many sets and everyone who doesn’t get a harness has to zipline without one. Seriously PEOPLE! So after waiting for all the ignorant people to run to the front, we finally got suited up. After all four of us were ready, we looked around and realized that we were the very last people through everything in our particular tour. No biggie!

We proceed to an “ampitheather” for lack of a better word. It had wooden bleachers and there was a zipline set up between two trees so that they could fully explain to all of us how to properly zipline. After a, no joke, 15 minute speech on where to put your hands so you don’t cut your fingers, how never to let go of the line no matter what!, the tour guide says “Preguntas?” (Questions for those of you who don’t remember your Spanish days.)

This dumb ass (I’m sorry, I don’t usually call people that but this lady whole-heartedly deserved the title!) raises her hand and says “If I want to go fast then I just let go right?” Every person, including her husband (we concluded they were on their honeymoon) looked at her in shock. Did she not just sit through the same exact speech that all of us sat through? We were the last ones to speech and we still gathered the concept of NEVER LET GO OF THE LINE!

Anyway, drunk Ryan (Joe’s friend who had way too much tequila the night before) proceeds to yell “WHERE WERE YOU?” Everyone looked at him and started laughing. It was hilarious. I almost fell off the bleachers because everyone was laughing.

Long story short (Ok, So it’s not really SHORT… but…) after the entire zip-line adventure was over, they served us lunch. During lunch, all you could hear was people taking about how the high-light of the tour was the drunk in the back putting the dumb-ass in her place. HAHA…

I almost wish the tour guide would have told her to let go, it would have taught her a lesson! And in case you were wondering…. THERE ARE STUPID QUESTIONS!

Hope I made you smile!

Here's the website, if you want to see some crazy pictures (they aren't us... we weren't about to pay $15 for a picture!)

Vacation

Well, we are home. We had a great time and beautiful weather but I was ready to come home. Unfortunately, I won't be able to upload pictures for awhile because when I was packing to move out, I packed my camera cord too. Couldn't even tell you where it was if I tried, but I promise as soon as things settle down, I will post some pictures.

I'm looking forward to going through and reading up on everyone's lives while I was away and catching you up on the vacation, but frankly, I'm exhausted today!

T-Minus 3 Days

And I will be on the beach in Mexico for a much needed vacation. Last night, Joe and I went to Walmart and bought a bunch of stuff that we are going to need (and what Riley is going to need while we are gone!) I do wish we could take her with us. She is going to be staying with some friends of ours for most of our trip, and then she is going to the kennel for a few days because our friends are leaving on their vacation!

Today, I stopped by the post office and stopped our mail (Which is currently still going to the apartment that we evacuated at the beginning of July... oops!) and then I went to the library and checked out like 10 books. I have been wanting to read all of James Patterson's books for a long time now, but just never got around to picking up a bunch of them. Well, every book I got for this vacation is his. I can't wait to start them. (Yeah, I'm that nerd who sits on the beach with a book and an alcoholic beverage for my entire vacation! I don't get in the ocean so it suits me.) Last year, on our honeymoon, I only took 2 books because I didn't want to bore my new husband while I read all day... haha... Turns out he loves to read too, so I was very upset when I got through my two books within two days! So this time, I think I have plenty!

Anyway, probably won't get a chance to write before we leave. Please pray for safe travels and I will have lots of pictures for when we return!

VIVA LA MEXICO!!!

Oh yeah... we got our bank appraisal back for our house. It appraised for 12K more than we purchased it for. We are so excited. We really got a great deal! More on the house when we get back from vacation!

I'm Still Here

Sorry blogging friends. I haven't had the best week this week, and frankly, I didn't think publishing my work/friend woes would make things much better. And, I knew that if I did blog, they would inevitably come out... so I opted not to write for a LONG time.

About my week, without going into details, last weekend we went on a mini vacation again. We had fun, but we drank too much, things were said, and I got myself utterly upset over nothing. I wish so much that women could take care of their problems with each other like men. Seriously, they say EVERYTHING they want, and the other one just takes it. THere is no catty fighting, or hating. I envy my husband and his relationship with his friends. He is so lucky!

Then came work. I had the WORST week that I have ever had at work. I cried over work. And I've never done that before. With the details of the weekend, work, and starting my period... I have been a bubbling idiot for the last couple days.

I woke up yesterday and decided there wasn't anything I could do to change what has happened over the last week, so I just decided to DROP IT! Best idea ever because I'm feeling much better already. Oh... knowing that I'm leaving for Mexico in 6 days helps with the "feeling better" as well.

Anyway, I just wanted to touch base with everyone. Thanks for your continued support!

One Heck of a Weekend

Well, to start things off, I am EXHAUSTED! Starting Friday night, Joe and I decided that we were going to move out of our apartment. We have to break our lease since it’s not up until January, which isn’t a big deal… except that we need them to get it rented…QUICKLY! As soon as they get it rented again, we are no longer responsible for the rent. So we figured, the quicker we’re out, the quicker they can get moving!

Friday night wasn’t bad for me! I packed up lots of boxes while Joe and a friend moved the washer and dryer, a couch, grill, and our elliptical from the basement. It didn’t look like fun, but there was no way I would be able to help Joe with those, especially with my knee! After those few heavy items, Joe’s friend bailed (smart man!) so Joe and I went out for dinner then came home and finished packing up boxes.

Saturday was a different story for me! I started my day off, playing with the crazy people at the cable company. Have I ever mentioned that I refuse to ever use that company, and will sit without cable before I will ever go back to them! Anyway, after that I stopped off at Home Depot for some nice big boxes. Then, home to continue packing. While Joe was at work, I packed, and made 7/8 trips to our storage unit. Joe got home and I was pooped. He was pleasantly surprised at how hard I worked while he was gone. After two more trips with Joe, we decided enough is enough. I went upstairs to take a nice little nap and was woken up by like 10 people calling (of course, always when I’m trying to sleep!) so I just got up, got a shower and we went out for the night. We went to a local German festival. It was lots of fun! We sat in the beer garden (which wasn’t good for my waistline, but very much needed, for my sanity!). We got home early Saturday night and turned in for the night.

Sunday was also crazy. Joe and I got up pretty early for a Sunday, went to breakfast and returned to finish up all the little packing! Joe’s sister stopped by and we filled her car with stuff that needed to come back to Joe’s parents house for our temporary living space. By four yesterday, we had everything moved out (even beds, mattresses, couches) I really mean everything! We went to dinner at Outback and I had a nice big cheeseburger! I didn’t care that Weight Watchers wouldn’t like that… I don’t know if I’ve been that hungry in a while! I only unpacked enough clothes to get us to work today and then I fell asleep on the couch.

I was a tired girl.

So to let you know, we are temporarily residing in Hartville, and my internet connection to my laptop is terrible. I don’t know how much I will be on in the next month, with vacation and everything too!

Keep us in your thoughts as we get unpacked, just to pack it up and move again!

My Husband Rocks Friday

I love my husband because.... drum roll please....

WE JUST BOUGHT A HOUSE! Yep, you heard right. We signed our lives away today when our offer was accepted. We should be in the house by August. It had to pushed back a bit, because we have a little, and much needed vacation to Mexico planned here in our very near future! But I am super excited. And even more excited that we are taking the next step in our lives. There is no one else in this world that I would want to take this step with.

Love you hun!


**Pics to come later!!**

75 Things About Me

I decided to do a post like this after I read Strawberry Ruckus’ post. I decided to introduce you all to me, and to challenge myself to 75 interesting facts.

So here goes…


1. When I turn 25 I am going to freak out, the same as when I turned 20. There is so much that goes on in this decade of your life, it just overwhelms me sometimes.
2. I had a blast at my wedding and would do it every year if my husband would let me.
3. I grew up with a sister who was my shadow. I thought it wasn’t cool back then, but now I love having a sister.
4. My parents made my husband and I wait until after we were done with college to get married. I wouldn’t have changed it for anything!
5. I played college softball for three years at a division 1 college. I can officially say I am of the few who got the opportunity to play in the NCAA.
6. My best friend played the same positions as me and no one could understand why we weren’t competitive towards each other.
7. My husband is my high school sweetheart.
8. We have never been “broken up” since we started dating at 18, and I plan to keep it that way.
9. I can’t wait to have children, but the actual thought of it makes me sick to my stomach.
10. I am deathly afraid of snakes. I hyperventilate and eventually cry every time I see a picture of one. If I saw a real one I would no doubt faint, possibly have a heart attack.
11. I am convinced that I will be brutally mauled and killed by a shark if I go into the ocean past my knees.
12. I hate steak. Never liked it when I was a kid and I won’t even try it now.
13. To be completely honest, I rarely eat anything besides chicken.
14. My husband truly is my opposite. He keeps me sane and thinking logically most of the time.
15. I’ve never come across a fruit I don’t like, although I am allergic to pomegranate so I don’t really like that one anymore.
16. When we built our house I was in third grade. We got to pick our carpet color and I picked hunter green. I hate the color, but my best friend picked that color for her room.
17. My room at my parent’s house is still hunter green, and I have hated since the day they laid the carpet.
18. My husband has never spent the night at my parent’s house. He feels that he is disrespecting them by sleeping with their daughter. Good thing we live relatively close.
19. We went to Jamaica on our honeymoon, and will never go back. We hated it!
20. I went away to college, but for my whole freshman year I either snuck Joe into the dorms or drove home to stay with him. My parents never found out!
21. I am going to make a terrible “Santa Claus” when we have children.
22. I tell Joe what I get him for Christmas every year as soon as I get home with it.
23. I have opened my Christmas presents under the tree before and wrapped them back up so no one knows.
24. Which is why my parents couldn’t put any gifts under the tree before Christmas morning when we were little. (Ok, until the day I moved out!)
25. I wish all our friends were at the same point in their lives as Joe and I. It would make decisions a lot easier sometimes.
26. Joe and I are very fortunate that we share the same group of friends.
27. Joe’s friends treat me like one of the guys, I didn’t like it at first, but now it’s great!
28. I can’t figure out what the heck I was thinking when I chose accounting as my major.
29. I am a full blown accountant but do not plan on doing this for the rest of my life.
30. I am envious of those people who get to be stay-at-home moms. That is my ultimate goal when we have children.
31. We live very comfortably right now so the chance of us being able to change our ways, pay a mortgage, bills, etc. and me stay at home are basically slim to none.
32. I hate driving and snow and I usually beg Joe to drop me off.
33. He constantly is telling me to put my big girl panties on and do it myself.
34. After all, I have lived in Ohio my entire life.
35. I try to be very independent. I can do tons of stuff on my own.
36. I cannot however, hang curtains with the power drill. It is too freakin heavy to hold over my head for that long. (I learned the hard way, with about 10 holes in the wall!)
37. I will refer to my dog as my “child” for now.
38. Putting down my other dog was the hardest thing I have ever had to do!
39. I hold my husband’s pinky finger. Apparently I did it as a child with my mom. She thinks it’s the cutest thing.
40. I am ok with not having many friends from high school.
41. I HATE wearing a seatbelt even though it saved my life when I was 16.
42. I am convinced it was a man who invented seatbelts, because a woman would never put something so close to the “girls”.
43. I am naturally blonde, but I’m not dumb. Those jokes get old!
44. I absolutely love flying, but damn near have a heart attack every time we take off.
45. I will correct you if you are speaking incorrectly.
46. I also cannot stand misspelled words!
47. I give you 24 hours to call me back, if you don’t return my call, I get really pissed.
48. I am obsessed with blogger and the internet community.
49. I don’t get very many comments, but I love them and I always return the favor.
50. I also spend way too much time on Facebook.
51. My husband has affectionately named me “his little stalker”
52. I was taller than all the boys in elementary school.
53. When I used to have to stand in the back row during class pictures, I used to cry.
54. Now I am 5’6’’ and my husband is 6’1”. Now I wish I were a little taller.
55. I wore braces for 4 years in middle school, and you cannot even tell I had them.
56. I wore my retainers long past when I was supposed but my teeth still moved right back as soon as I took them out.
57. I love Mountain Dew, but I get a stomach ache every time I drink it.
58. I joined Weight Watchers a couple weeks ago, and I love it.
59. I want to, one day, have a job where I help people, and the size of my paycheck doesn’t matter.
60. I call my husband Jose.
61. He calls me Jorge.
62. We aren’t even close to being Mexican/Spanish.
63. I married into an Italian family and I stick out like a sore thumb in family pictures. Find the blonde hair, blue eyed girl!
64. My husband is a better housewife than I am.
65. My husband does the laundry and he cooks AND he cleans.
66. I love spontaneous trips, but we haven’t taken one of those in a while.
67. We are currently in the process of buying a new house, and I’m really nervous!
68. I love painted walls, but don’t have the attention span to paint an entire room.
69. I never wanted a big dog until my husband brought home a black lab, I love her.
70. I’ve never been sled-riding, mostly because I HATE the cold and refuse to go out in it any more than I need to.
71. I have never seen, nor do I desire to see The Goonies.
72. I will put a pool in at my house, I love the water.
73. I love gossiping with girls. My husband won’t let me tell him useless information so I have to talk to my mom/girlfriends at least once a day!
74. I love reading but always have something else to do.
75. I love sleeping in, but seem to be up by 6 every morning and cannot go back to sleep.

So now, you tell me some interesting things about you...

TEN THINGS TUESDAY

In conjunction with my earlier post today about the heart association, and more specifically, my aunt… I’m doing reasons why my family means the world to me!

1. My grandpa is by-far my biggest fan. He traveled all over with my mom and I. We had so much fun with him and I never realized how lucky I was to have such a great guy as a grandpa.

2. My mom’s sisters are like my own sometimes. They all care so much about my sister and I. They threw me a great shower for my wedding, and I call them if I need something. I love being in a close-knit family.

3. My grandma is the most generous woman I have ever met. She raised 4 children to all be successful, as well as worked full time. And to boot, she still holds hands with my grandpa. It seriously makes my heart melt.

4. My aunt Tracy trusted me for a whole summer with her infant child’s life. I watched him everyday from 8-5 through my summers in high school. I never knew what a compliment that was, but I was really young. I got good money, had fun, and got to see my family all the time.

5. My cousin Brittany is like a little sister to me. She lives in our old house and we used to see each other on a regular basis, like daily. Now that I’ve moved away, I still make it a point to make a day of it when she does my hair.

6. My dad’s mom always remembers to send us cards for all those little occasions in our lives. She is so good and always finds the perfect card for the occasion. Sometimes I think she spends the entire day in Hallmark looking for the card, but it always puts a smile on my face.

7. I am the third oldest child on my mom’s side of the family. The first two are boys. When we were younger, my boy cousins played “Pretty Pretty Princess” with me. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of that game, but you put on jewelry and whoever had the crown won. We have several pictures of the three of us playing it, dressed up and everything.

8. Until a few years ago, my family got together every weekend just because. We enjoyed going to see Grandma and Grandpa and loved seeing the whole family at once.

9. I still look forward to holidays at my grandparents. Not because of the gifts or the food, but because we all are in one place, and we are all there to spend quality time together.

10. And most of all, I am thankful that my family loves and accepted Joe into our family immediately. He has been coming around now for 6 years, and my youngest cousins ask where he is if I’m by myself. We truly are a package deal and my family has never made him feel anything but welcome and a part of the craziness that we call “family.”

Please check my prior post, I would really appreciate any donations for the American Heart Association. Also, the money goes directly to the AHA so you don't have to worry about your money getting to the association. And, if you are around the Akron area, October 17th at 10:00 AM is the heart walk. It is a great event, only a two mile walk, and it's for a wonderful cause!

Here's the link to Near and Dear to My Heart where you can find instructions on donating.

Thanks again!

One Year Ago...

One year ago today I:

I got up really really early to get my nails redone because my first nail person screwed them up!

I got my hair done with all my bridesmaids.

I went to eat at Chik-fil-A.

I put on beautiful shoes.

I got all dressed up.

I saw my dad for the first time, and I teared up because I knew things would never be the same.

I waited patiently while Joe and his best friends got pictures taken.

I finally got pictures with all of my best friends.

I got my veil put on. It freakin' hurt.

I sat in the back room while Joe walked his mother down the aisle.


I walked down the aisle, so excited!

I got a big kiss.

I walked back down the aisle, this time with my best friend.

One year ago today, I married my best friend.

Happy Anniversary Joe!

**Sorry about the photos, I had to take pictures of the hardcopies because my printer/scanner is out of commission right now!**

My Husband Rocks Friday

Joe rocks this week because even though he had the stomach flu for two days, he made dinner the majority of the nights this week. It's so nice when he takes over a few days in the kitchen for many reasons...


1. We actually get good food, as opposed to my mediocre cooking skills


2. Dinner is usually done/almost done when I walk in the door from work


3. He helps clean up after





He's such a great hubby, and feeling much better too!

PS... Check out some of "family photos" here!

Success

I've had another great week at Weight Watchers! I am so proud and excited to tell you all that I lost another 1.8 pounds. That is with 2 cookouts, one night eating out, AND... a HUGE strawberry margarita. I was so nervous that I was going to regret that margarita all week, but nope, I still lost quite a bit. This is such a great feeling!

Thanks for all your support and comments!

Ten Things Tuesday

Good Morning All! This brilliant thought came to my head this morning while listening to the very much unintelligent people on the radio...


1. I am so thankful that I only have a two minute commute to work... yep you read it right, two minutes... and why I'm so thankful for that is so I don't have to listen to the stupid radio shows in the morning. Why don't they just play some freakin music. I know I know, Tricia, you could listen to a CD and not arrive every morning to work pissed. But, my dad always told me to listen to the radio on the way to and from work, to hear if there was an accident or something, now it's just habit.

2. I am thankful for the fact that I can move today. Last night I took my first yoga class and I moved in ways I didn't know my body moved. So thank you, for letting me be able to move today!

3. I am thankful that I don’t hear the radio at my work real well. Whoever set it up must love Jessica Simpson because every other song is one of hers. And, while I do like some of her songs, they haven’t been popular in a few years now. PICK A NEW STATION!

4. I am thankful that I am back in the corner, yet right by the door that everyone wants to hold impromptu meetings outside of. It makes it extremely difficult to get my work done when I am constantly trying to tune other people out while they are talking. GET A ROOM!

5. I am thankful that I get to deal with idiots regularly at my job. They make my day just a little more interesting. I really am thankful for that!

6. I am thankful that I have a day-to-day tear away calendar so I can go through and countdown to every important thing going on this year. For example, I only have 31 days until vacation and 4 days until my one year anniversary.

7. I am thankful for five fiscal week months. I get to listen to all the radio stations on internet radio and pick new songs to update my Ipod with the latest and greatest. Without these ridiculously slow months, I would have the same stuff on my Ipod as when I first loaded it, because lord knows they don’t play music on the radio in the car!

8. I am thankful for these nifty new phones we got recently at work. Now I can tell who is calling to harass me.

9. I am thankful for thumb tacks, because without them I would have an uncluttered cubicle. I would actually be able to see what color the walls of my cube are, but instead, I have all these pieces of paper EVERYWHERE telling me dates, stores, reports, writing techniques, etc. And the best part is, most of these very informative pieces of junk (oops, did I call them that?) were left for me by the previous cube occupant. AWESOME!

10. I really am thankful for my job, especially in an economy like this. However, I was feeling just a little rambunctious today and thought I would add just a bit of a smart a** spin to it!

Once again, thanks for reading. Comments are greatly appreciated, and I always return the favor!

When do “CUTE CLOTHES” become “INAPPROPRIATE CLOTHES”?

I have been personally struggling with this issue for awhile now. I feel that, now that I am a married woman, there is no need for the wild clothing really anywhere. Not at a bar and especially not at work. Getting hit on by guys at bars is not my idea of a fun night. Especially with my husband sitting next to me! So I am asking what I feel is a very appropriate question. When do you think it becomes necessary to throw out those little girl “hoe-clothes” and start dressing more sophisticated?

Now, on to the reason I am asking the question… I have been employed at two companies over the past year, and at both places I have come across some interesting people. At my first job, I worked directly with a lady who is the same age as my parents (pushing 50), never been married, and dressed so inappropriately for work and her age. She was constantly wearing clothes that were too tight, and I think she found them in the juniors section at the local department store. And to boot, she was constantly wearing these CRAZY shoes. Way too high for her, and expensive and crazy. Now don’t get me wrong… I LOVE SHOES. I actually have an unhealthy obsession with shoes, but I don’t wear my high heeled hot pink stilettos to work with my conservative outfits.

At my current job, I work with a lady who I think is divorced, has a daughter my age (meaning she’s probably pushing the same age as my parents as well) and dresses out of control. I mean she wears see-through shirts, 6 inch heels and pants that are way too tight. What is the deal here? Why are these women trying to dress like they are 18 and on their way to “the club?”

I don’t know why this bothers me so much? Maybe because I have given up my love of crazy clothes (not only because of my age and status, but also because I don’t feel that I feel HOT in them so much anymore.) and I cannot figure out why these women who are older can’t give it up as well? I just stare in awe everyday at what these women are going to be wearing.

I have my own opinion as to why this goes on, but I would like to hear from you guys too! Maybe with some of your ideas, I can let this go!

Thanks for reading :-)

I mean, seriously, is there anything wrong with an outfit like this...

My Husband Rocks Friday!

My husband rocks this week (and always) for being my biggest fan! We are truly made for each other. Although he jokes, and we laugh a lot, I know there isn't anything in this world he wouldn't do for me. He keeps me level-headed when I am ready to "kill someone". He keeps me calm when I get all worked up over something little. He is the reason I am who I am today.

Thanks Joe for being my biggest fan! (Please disregard the fact that we are 18 year old nerds! Oh, and he really didn't want to be my biggest softball fan, but he was there, none the less)

Thankful Thursday (Thanks Kara!)

Well, if anyone read my blog from yesterday, you saw that after all my hard work last week, it paid off. I lost three pounds. I almost hugged the lady at Weight Watchers. I worked really hard, watched EVERYTHING I ate, and took Riley on a walk every single day. I can't believe what a difference three pounds make.

I am making my goal to lose 30 pounds. That is my first goal, not my last. My goal weight is less than that, but I need to work in small doses! Anyway, enough gloating, I'm not even close to where I want to be yet!!

Along the same lines as Kara, I wanted to be thankful (kinda) today:

I want to thank the ass clowns who don't pick up their dog shit ON THE SIDEWALK. Seriously, I have a puppy, who wants in eveything. She saw the shit, and proceeded to roll in it! I was seriously ready to kill her, but really is it her fault, or is it the idiot who just moseys on by after their dog does his business on the freaking sidewalk.

So to end the story, we had to hurry home, in the rain might I add, and I had to pick Riley up and run her to the bathroom. Man, what is up with poop today? Chick out this blog, I had to laugh when I read it, THEN... my dog proceeds to play in the poop as well.... WHat is going on?


Thanks for reading...

PS... If anyone could explain to me how to properly do the links, back to others' blogs, I would be very grateful! **UPDATE: Thanks for showing me how to work the links! I really do appreciate it!

You want me to WHAT??? Updated

Really, I have to step on that scale in front of everyone? Seriously? Today is my “weigh-in” day with Weight Watchers. My first weigh in day. I am freaking nervous. I don’t know why, I have a good idea that the scale is going to go down from last week, but I’ve worked so hard, and to see it actually quantified is absolutely horrifying. What if I didn’t lose? What if I regret putting that beautiful little, Weight Watchers, ridiculously small, mint chocolate chip, 3 point sundae in my mouth last night? (Seriously, these are all the crazy things going through my head right now!!)

I’ve tried to lose weight before with websites such as e-diets or sparkpeople, but I’ve been the one holding myself accountable, no one else. And frankly, I suck at holding myself accountable, at least for long periods of time! I just have to face it!

So I decided that if I pay for it, and have to check in with someone weekly, I would do better. And, I know some of the people at the meetings with me, as I work with some of them! That has always been my case. I work with deadlines, and bosses, and get nothing accomplished on my own!

I have totally found that I’m OBSESSED with what I eat and what I take into my body (you probably already know that if you started reading at the top of this post lol). Last Wednesday, I just decided to join Weight Watchers that day, and I haven’t looked back. I haven’t had a regular pop in a week, I have thought about how many “points” every single thing I take in is going to “cost me”. So anyway, I just needed to get a few things off my chest before I weigh in at noon today. I promise I will keep you posted, I just hope I lost as much as the work that I put forth! AHHH… darn nerves!


I kicked the scale's butt. That's right I lost 3 pounds, 3 freaking pounds seriously just watching what I eat. I love Weight Watchers!

Ten Things Tuesday

Today my top ten things are... my top ten favorite TV shows... of all time!



1. Friends

2. Grey's Anatomy

3. Biggest Loser

4. Saved By The Bell (original, not the college years)

5. Full House

6. CSI

7. Clean House

8. Looney Tunes (I said of all time!)

9. Boy Meets World

10. Step by Step (Good Ol' TGIF)



Let me know what your favorite shows are!



Thank you all for reading!

HELP...

In 12 days, Joe and I will have been married a year. Crazy, I know. But I need help with a gift. We are trying to save money so I don't want to spend too much money, but I want something special and fun. I really wanted to take a trip, but with him in a new job, and not having much vacation time, that seems to be shot.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks guys!

Success

Well, for those of you who aren't familiar with Weight Watchers, they assign each food a "point" number. Based on your current weight/daily activity, they recommend a number of points per day. Well for the past two days, I have hit my points, gotten in all my crucial nutrition, and I feel full.

So I totally consider these last two days a success, AND I can see myself following through with this diet. AND... I got back on the elliptical the other day and I have NO pain. I am so excited to get back to being active!

Thanks for the support!

Weight Watchers

Well, I broke down and joined today. I had to do something, and I figure that if I pay for it, Im more apt to use it. I got on the eliptical again yesterday for a few minutes to see if it hurt my knee. Sure didn't, which is really exciting because that means I can totally start doing that every night! And Riley is getting bigger, so it's only a matter of time before she can go running with me. I can't wait for that! Anyway, wish me luck, I am bound and determined to get into a reasonable weight for the next step in our lives ;-)

Wish me luck... I'll keep you updated on my progress (not because you care, but because I have to write it down and hold myself accountable, so if you could please act like you care, I would appreciate it :-))!!!

Ten Things Tuesday

So I found this fun blog on here. It is Xbox wife's idea, you should head over to her blog sometime and check it out. Anyway, you are supposed to post a list of ten things on Tuesdays. Sounds easy enough, huh?

Today's Ten Things I'm Thankful For

1. My family is so important to me. Not only do I love my husband, but my parents and my siblings are great. I also love my in-laws. They are in support of our choices and a pleasure to be with all the time!

2. My friends are such great people. Joe and I have the fortune of sharing a lot of our friends, which makes spending time with friends even more enjoyable. We love each and every one of them and are so thankful that they are such a huge part of our lives.

3. My job. Even though sometimes I complain about my job, or my pay, or my hours... I truly am thankful that I have a job, especially in these trying times. I am able to do something I am good at, and kind of most of the time enjoy.

4. My puppy. I know, it sounds tacky. But she is our child right now. She is such a sweet puppy and I am looking forward to her growing up, much like anyone looks forward to their children growing up!

5. Where I'm from. I am thankful to be an American. Again, might sound a bit cliche', but I am so serious. I also greatly appreciate the men and women who risk their lives to keep this country the greatest on Earth.

6. Love. I am so thankful to have the experience of loving your best friend. Sounds stupid, but I wake up every morning excited to see Joe. I also can't wait to get home and tell him about my day. It truly is the best! 7. Financial Stability. In this economy, being able to pay all our bills and still have some left over money is pretty awesome. I am so thankful that we are both able to work and "bring home the bacon" for each other!

8. My grandparents. I know I already talked about being thankful for my family, but this is a different kind of thankful. I had the pleasure of getting to know all four of my grandparents. Not many people get to know them all. Although I lost a grandparent in high school, I still feel as though I got a chance to know him as well. They are all such great people!

9. Eat. Going along with the theme, I am also very thankful that we are able to eat what we want, when we want. There are so many people these days who aren't even sure where their next meal is going to come from, or even if they are going to eat. I am so thankful that I can provide for my family.

10. Joe. Joe also gets his own! Last, but definately not last (more along the lines of saving the best for last) is my wonderful husband. I have been with Joe for over six years now. It's so hard to believe that we started dating in those awkward high school days and here we are, stronger than ever. I love him with all my heart, and I am thankful everyday to be in love with my very best friend. He truly is my other half and my soul mate. I am who I am today, because of him.

Well, that wraps up my top ten for this week. Do me a favor, leave comments if you're reading it, and do one for yourself. Make it a habit for Tuesdays! And, (if I could figure out how to link her page to mine I would) make sure to visit Xbox wife's page (you can just google it!) to find out the official rules. I think I am going to just make top ten lists each week, not necessarily what I am thankful for during the week. I hope to hear from all of you! This was a fun post!