Hakuna Matata

What I did last week:

(I know what you're thinking, and the answer in Yes. Yes the sink explosion did go through the wall and floor into the basement.)

What I did this weekend:


What the park did because of what we did our last two summers:

(Hey, sometimes you just need a little Slip-N-Slide action. And we'll just move it over five feet this year :])

And when we weren't floating on the lake tanning burning, we were staying for the first time in our brand new camper. Paradise! The whole weekend, just paradise! And yes, I really am burnt. And yes, the bra straps hurt a lot.

But let's, for a second, look at my puppy Chase--because, let's face it, he's just so darn cute.

And that is the dog seatbelt/harness from god. He doesn't need it for long, but he has like 15 minutes of excitement when we first get in the car that he requires a seatbelt for. After that I just unhook him and he goes to sleep. Chase is really a perfect travel dog.

Except after he eats 200 various bugs off the cement at the campground. Then he pukes, twice, in the car on the way home.

...I have to go buy a new pillow before my softball game tonight. I prefer not to sleep on puppy puke!

But, overall, FANTASTIC weekend. I forgot how much I love it! We only got to go once last summer with everything going on, and this summer...we are hitting it about every other week!! =D

I won 7 out of 256 Games of Solitaire

I've been writing this post for an hour now. Well, let's rephrase that, I've been staring at this screen for an hour now. I don't know what my deal it the last couple days. I want to write something, but I don't know what. So here you go.

First, do you remember when I wrote this post about how we want to be stationed in Georgia because I have family there and my other family visits often? And do you remember a couple posts ago when I nonchalantly mentioned that my uncle died? He was a Geogian, and since he's gone my family is moving, fourteen hours away to the coast. There goes that plan!

This weekend B and I went to my stepmom's family reunion near Cumberland Falls, KY. We drove down Saturday and came back Sunday. My niece and nephew are both very jealous of him because they don't want to share me (aww...sort of) and both called me to tell me different versions of "I don't like him" and "I'm going to beat him up" before we left. However, when we got there Saturday they were both calling him Uncle B without encouragement from anyone, and my niece spent the entire weekend on his lap. This scene was very prominent:


Monday we have a Memorial Day cookout at home with my entire family, which was very nice, and came with a fantastic photo of my eight month old cousin:


Today I got new smocks from work. They actually fit! No more babies getting stuck in the pockets of my 4XL crappy smock! Also discovered that "light" bologna and regular bologna taste exactly the same, and they both freak me out.

Suddenly itching to write something. I don't know what. Something real; personal, not fiction. Haven't written something heart-wrenching for over a year now. And it was a big one, one of those things that just has to come out. I don't think it did much justice, sometimes, and sometimes I feel like editing the piece even though it's my own life and the details can't be changed. Maybe I'll write about how I'm failing the live up to the promise made in that piece. Hmm. Dunno.

But I do know I am leaving with the weekend to a non-internet, non-phone service, fantastic place for the first time this summer and I am thoroughly excited!!

And I am getting my best friend back for the entire summer in two weeks!

A Special Memorial Day Tribute

In the past couple years, our tiny community has lost two young soldiers from the same high school. Memorial Day is certainly a day to remember all those lost, but of course we always remember those close to us with a little bit more emotion.

On April 7th 2004, my father called me to tell me that my friend's mother had called him that morning to let us know that her son, Matt, had been marked MIA in Iraq. I moved into the house next to the Maupins when I was 2 years old. I got my first pet, Goldie the cat, from them. We went swimming, played on the swingset, and did general neighborly kid things together. Matt became the official grass cutter at my house as he got a bit older, and caught Goldie two or three times when he had snuck out of the house. I lived there until I was 13. So it was quite the shock to hear that your 11 year playmate had suddenly vanished. I'm sure you know who I'm talking about, as it's not as if it were a quiet story. They found his remains last year, four years after he was originally MIA and then quickly switched to POW.

Matt's senior picture:


His funeral:




During those four years our county banded together like you've never seen. We became The Yellow Ribbon Capital of the world. Officially. So much yellow everywhere--it was really amazing.

But this year we were hit with another loss. Tony Wojciechowski (mostly known as Wojo around here) from the same high school.

We have had other losses in our city, but these were the only two from the east side of our metropolitan area and they were both ours.

So thank you, Matt and Tony. And thank you to all others who have sacrificed their lives, and who we remember today and all days.

Jon & Kate

I'm really tired of hearing about this. So let's discuss it some more.



I feel really, really bad for Jon and Kate. They aren't Brangelina, they didn't ask for the publicity, and yet the stupid paparazzi think it's fun to invade their lives. Let's examine the current "stories".

First, I believe the claim was that Kate's brother said that she and Jon have a marriage contract that allows him to see other women. Obviously, the people who believe this have never seen the show, have any idea what Kate is like, and are blatantly unaware that she is not even slightly the kind of person who would ever, ever agree to this.

Second, we have the claim that Jon has been having an affair with some family friend (Hummel, I think her name was?). Um, let's think about this, dude has eight kids...when exactly would he have time to have a secret affair?

And Kate having an affair with the bodyguard? Again, I say, eight friggin' kids. If she can figure out how to do that, more power to her.

Yes, they do make money off their show. Yes, it has helped them make ends meet, get a house big enough for their family, eat organic, and be stay at home parents. This show follows them around their entire lives. Personally, I think a lot of compensation is entitled??

If it were me, which it's not, I'd pull out of the show at this point. I'm sure there a contract, I'm sure there's legalities, but it's interrupting their normal lives now--jon, kate, the kids...I'd have to quit. So the fact that they are currently still doing it is amazing to me and they are braver than I would be. If they split at all, it won't be because of affairs or because of photos or anything else, it will be because of allegations and stress that fame has put on their family. Yes, I do think they are complete opposites. No, I don't know how they do it. But it's not my place to know--I'm not them. Give them a friggin' break. Plus, do people who not love each other renew vowels? No, no they do not.



/sad rant for america's favorite family. Thank god ArmyWives and the Bachelorette are coming back...I'd have nothing else to focus on.

Homeaweirda

I was walking around my house today and walking through the yard with Chase, when I realized...at any given time you can find weird things here. So I grabbed my camera and did the same walk in five minutes and snapped a few of the weirdness.

We'll start inside. This is the railing in the hallway next to the stairs to our garage and basement. Notice anything odd?

If you are thinking to yourself "no" then you obviously missed this:

I don't know why there's a steak knife sitting in between the rails. I have no idea. It was just there. And right next to the door, where criminals who don't plan ahead could grab it on their way into my home. Good planning, I think.

Moving outside, we have this stump. This stump is from one of the trees we lost in the hurricane last year. Yes, we definitely still have the stumps 9 months later, but if you saw how many trees we lost you wouldn't be hurrying to get rid of them either. But, this stump seems to be growing it's own trees.

And if you didn't click on that and look at the bigger picture, then you are probably thinking "those are just weeds growing next to the stump". No no, they are growing out of the stump.


And last we go to my neighbors backyard. I just happened to glance over the fence and saw this:

Half a sheep. Or half a labrador. Interesting.

This has been Adventures in Via's Strange World, tune in next time when we explore a "no trespassing" property and I discuss the fines for trespassing. Tootles!

Would You Like a Little Cheese with Your Whine?

This is that week where everything bugs me. Sorry males, you'll have to deal with this post for today. Most women have painful breasts, cramps, etc. Me? I only get ridiculously emotional. Puppies? Dead and alive...I cry. Sad commercials? Happy endings? I cry. We watched The Ron Clark Story today in my summer class, a movie I have seen close to ten times, and I cried when Tayshawn cried as if I didn't know what happened. I am that lame during this week. And apparently last week, because between getting the phonecall that my uncle died while in the parking lot of my work and my boss yelling at me for doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing I almost bawled, and I never ever do that.

And each month, it's like a come up with something else in mine and B's relationship to focus on that I really hate. Of course, I never rarely say anything to him about it, I just come here and complain, because you people will read anything I write (of course, I love you for it).

This month, it's the new vs. familiar argument. I don't like to just stay around our tiny little suburban town and do the same thing every night. I want to go experience new things. A new restaurant downtown, somewhere we've never been on the other side of town, a night in the city at the festival on the square, or even a little cheap county festival--something different. If B had his way, we'd eat at the same damn Steak and Shake every night. Every time I mention something like "lets go to the cabaret" or "let's go to soandso restaurant", both of which are about 20-25 minutes away, he says "I just want to stay around here tonight." I told him that was getting old the other day, and he says "I only said that once!" ...selective memory, apparently, because I've heard that phrase a million times. Plus, even the restaurants we usually go to are 10-15 minutes away...it's not like they are walking distance.

Weekend trip to Gatlinburg? I'm game. Weekend trip to the coast? Count me in. Overnight trip to a campground/boating/rafting/canoeing? I'll drive. I HATE doing the same damn thing every damn night. I hate it. I mean, get this. My Air Force fiance, who wanted to go to jump school this summer where you jump out of an airplane seven times on your own won't go and tandem jump (where you are strapped to a professional) with me once an hour away from here.

I think his stubborness is really what's pissing me off this week. I was sick all weekend. He knew this. I didn't see him after Friday because I stayed in bed almost the entire day Saturday, and was still sick when I attempted to play softball last night. Nothing sounded good to eat most the weekend, and then Sunday I suddenly got a hankering for overeasy eggs. Bob Evans, of course, was the place. So I called him to see if he wanted to go eat at Bob Evans with me since I hadn't seen him since Friday and we wouldn't see each other again until Wednesday because of his classes. This is how the conversation went from there:

Me: "Eggs are really sounding good to me, want to go to Bob Evans before my game?"
Him: "That's what I had this afternoon, you want something else?"
It's at this point that I'm thinking um, no.
Me: "They have a dinner menu too, you don't have to eat breakfast?"
Him: "I don't know."
Me: "Don't know what? I really want eggs, it's the only thing that sounds good."
Him: "It's just that we go to bobs every sunday, I don't really want to go again."
How this next phrase comes across is basically: I've been really sick, you asshole, this is what I want. you can choose to suck it up and see me or sulk and don't.
Me: "You don't have to go, I can go with someone else."
Him: "Ok babe. I'll see you Wednesday."

...

Remember that phrase he told me, "I love you so much and I'm going to spend every day showing you just how much?"

...

If that's it, we're going to have a problem.

Devil Bird Departs With Babies

The thirteen day nest-life of a baby robin, photographic documentary.

















They are now hanging out on our telephone wire most of the day. And the nest is abandoned, of course!

Put My Left Hand In, Put My Left Hand Out..

This summer class is an Education Orientation class. I don't really need to be in this class, because I've been down this road already, but it's required so I'm in it--but, honestly, it's not that bad, and it got me thinking.

When I chose to go into education, I'm not really sure why I chose it. I think I just really liked English, and needed something to do with an English degree. However, Devil University has done a good job of killing my English love, and fostering an Education like. As I was growing up, what I wanted to be went like this: Teacher, Pediatrician, Teacher, Nurse, Teacher, Social Worker, Teacher. We can also tag "mom" onto each of those. But I didn't want to be in school long enough to be a doctor, and hated science too much to be a nurse, and was discouraged from doing social work by my mother, so teacher it is. I had originally planned on going Early Childhood Education, which here is Birth-PreK. However, even before entering college, I figured out that that was a bad idea. Why in the world would I waste 4 years of college to get the same job that I am currently doing now without a degree? So that was out. And Elementary just wasn't for me, and I knew it. And middle school? Um, no thanks. So 8-12...that's the hole. (Just for the record, I really do love my job...even though my boss is the jeans devil slighty completely psycho, evil, and blonde and some parents should really chill out).

At one point I had this dream mapped out that I was going to open an adoption and foster care center here, and then several others around the US, and then sister centers in the most-adopted international countries (Guatemala, China, Ethiopia, etc.) that would be run by staff from that country rather than US staff. But, I gave this up, because it's impossible to do when you could have to pick up and move at a moments notice. But you know that new commercial for some phone network that is about Tom's Shoes? How they give away a pair of shoes for every pair they sell? I'd immediately join this. I love helping needy kids. It's just awesome. And when I watch those medical shows or "destroyed in 60 seconds" or whatever kinds of shows I'm always fascinated by figuring out how things happened--or CSI, piecing things together. However, I'm NOT interested in CSI stuff, just the medical piecing together. And I hate science...so no scientific pathology for me. I'm pretty sure my ideal job would be a teacher in a hospital in a third world country. But, that doesn't exist for multiple reasons you can probably figure out on your own.

I'd love to open some kind of NPO that runs to many third world and undeveloped countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, 95% of Africa, Guatemala, India, etc. etc. that deals with helping children (with clothes, with shoes, with housing, with food, with toys and activities, with healthcare, anything and everything). But I don't want it to be one of those "sponsor a child" only organizations. I would want it to be something different. And I want to figure out a way to run an NPO that I can still make a living off of and make pretty frequent trips to the central operation zones within each country to check progress (and to get my husband and children there occasionally) and still make money enough to open a few operating buildings around the US that could be run by my second-in-command when B and I are forced to move somewhere else.

Any suggestions?

True Confessions of a....Confessing Person

I find it disturbing that I don't find Britney Spears' new music that bad. In fact, I really quite like it.

I feel lame when I say "I really don't watch TV" when people ask me "did you see blahblahblah last night?!" because it's true. I am old.

With that in mind, I had a dream the other night with the Izzy scenario (Grey's Anatomy) within my own family with my sister and her planning mine and B's wedding and us having to move the wedding up so she could come. And have decided that I actually watch too much television.

It seriously bugs me when music videos don't make any sense with the lyrics. (See: Rascal Flatts, Here Comes Goodbye)

As much as I hate it and complain, I will probably stay at Devil University because I'm too lazy to deal with all the antics of switching again...at least now that I have an advisor with a brain.

Co-workers who answer the "what's your name again? julie?" with "Jules, or Julia, or Mystic...whatever" scare me, especially when it's followed with "It's my nickname. I'm a gamer with world of warcraft and that's my screen name." ...it would also be nice if she'd stop calling me baby. My dad said, "Your brother used to play that all the time" well, Dad, he was 15...not 50.

I try, but I cannot get into Desperate Housewives. It just seems like a bunch of rich snobs who can get away with anything and in all actuality it really kind of annoys and infuriates me.

The Twilight series is horrible. Sorry, I said it. I don't understand why millions of people are in love with it. I also, however, don't care if you like it as long as you like it with the knowledge that it's an absolutely horrid work of literature (just ask Stephen King).

Books on tape bore the crap out of me. Stop being lazy and just read the damn book.

Me and MTV are not meant to be. Unless it's "M.A.D.E.", music videos, or any of those stupid johnny knoxville/travis pastrana trytokillmyselfwhiledoingstupidstunts shows.

I gag at the thought of a salami and ketchup sandwich, but ketchup on just about everything else is perfectly normal for me.

This is the last week of class/finals week. I have a summer class that starts on Monday and only lasts 2 weeks. I'm considering taking another at the main university of our city, a side branch 15 minutes from my house, on M-W at 630 starting June 22nd. I would really like to graduate in two years. But I also really like my summer. And I can be selfish about that kind of stuff. It's sad, yet true.

=]

Writer's Workshop: Do You Want a Baby?

I've decided to do Writer's Workshop (Hosted by Mama Kat) for the first time ever today, because this is kind of a fun topic that actually came up last night. And I swear I will eventually tell you how the night went, but you have to understand that when 928394109 people ask "how did he do it?" in five days I get very tired of telling it, especially when it's really not all that glamorous. So keep your britches on, it's coming!

But onto Writer's Workshop: Babies.

I thought this was kind of funny because babies are actually a really big topic with me and B. We both love kids--especially little kids--and Baby B (although she spends wayy more time with just me) likes B almost more than she likes me. But, because I'm working in a room with 10-18 month olds five days a week, and work is a big topic for small talk, babies are always flying around in the air (not because I'm throwing them, just to make that real clear here).

In fact, last night, I was talking about how I actually missed the kids in my room when I wasn't there on Tuesday. When I go back after a day or weekend not with them, I immediately have five kids under my feet wanting to be held. And unless I plan on staying there for a while, I can't sit on the ground in the classroom because five other kids will be on my lap within seconds. And as relieved as I am to have just sent the two biters of the classroom to the next room up this week, I already miss their little tails. This age is just the best: learning to stand and walk, learning to talk some, developing their own personalities--it's just awesome. So I said to B, "You know, sometimes they drive me nuts, but I always miss them." And he said, "I guess you're ready to be a mom, then."

Normal men don't say things like this because they are afraid that it will spark the "yea, hey, let's have one right now" conversation, but it doesn't with us. The really funny thing is that we were at Target later on last night and B sat down in the nursery rocking chair and goes "I love these chairs." And I mean it's set up on the endcap with a changing table and crib, so it's not like it wasn't obvious, so I comment on how much I like the furniture and we get talking about bassinets and fun baby things and yaddayadda and it's just what we do. Seriously, though...have you seen these 4-in-1 converter cribs? How AWESOME are they?? Crib, toddler bed, daybed, AND fullsize bed? Talk about lifetime furniture for $250!


But anyway, back to babies. I love babies, I want babies. I want to have 2, and I want to adopt one. I would really like to have either 1 boy and 1 girl or 2 boys and adopt a girl from China, because their orphanages are always overflowing with little girls that need homes. And B wants three too, so that's pretty much settled. However, this will not happen for awhile...even after we're married. In my family, it's the fun thing to do to have a kid/be pregnant and THEN get married. Even my mom was pregnant when she married my father (erm, we see how well that worked out three years later at the court hearing haha), and no one in my generation in my family has done the marriage then baby order. I want to, and will. B has officially requested that we get a puppy immediately, which is fine, because I love dogs. He's also requested that we wait until he's made Captain to have kids so that he can be around more. Which I think I'm okay with (we'll see around year two/three how bad I'm itching for it).

So anyway, that's the plan. Of course, this is not to say that I don't already have exactly how I'm going to paint the nursery planned out in my head. And this is not to say that my children don't already have names. It's just to say that you shouldn't expect a "hey I'm pregnant!" post from me in a looong time :)

Late with Eight

Thanks for the congratulations, all! Info on the night coming soon...

=] Bandwagon jumper!

8 Things...

8 Things I Look Forward To...
#1.) Weekends
#2.) The first lake trip of the year next weekend!
#3.) Finishing school...at some point...when I'm elderly.
#4.) Finding out where we will be stationed.
#5.) Getting a puppy (immediately after being stationed, I'm assuming, says B)
#6.) Summer temperatures :)
#7.) A new car one of these days where the air conditioning and the heating actually both work at the same time
#8.) The day they release the entire series of Boy Meets World to DVD

8 Things I Did Yesterday
#1.) Took a Speech exam
#2.) Went to krogers to buy a card for my dad's birthday, came out with 3 movies.
#3.) Wendy's for lunch
#4.) Turned in 9page Shakespeare paper
#5.) Went to work
#6.) Cleaned out my desk
#7.) Organized all the paperwork from this year
#8.) Had beef stew. And disliked it.

8 Things I Love
#1.) Puppies
#2.) B
#3.) Flip-flops
#4.) Photography
#5.) Marisa de los Santos novel's
#6.) County/City festivals
#7.) Yard sales
#8.) Sunshine

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:
#1.) Afford a nice camera.
#2.) Have self-control when it comes to fatty food.
#3.) Look great in leggings
#4.) Take a trip to SanFran
#5.) Magically be done with school
#6.) Get paid for doing nothing
#7.) Have an orange creamsicle
#8.) Think of something else to say here.

8 Shows I watch:
#1.) Grey's Anatomy
#2.) One Tree Hill
#3.) Will & Grace
#4.) Ellen
#5.) Gilmore Girls
#6.) Army Wives
#7.) A Baby Story
#8.) Jon & Kate Plus 8 (you know this had to go in the 8th spot)

Humour me and do it!

Why is there not a smiley face excited enough for this post??

=DDDDDD

HOME of the Good Burger

90's Kenan and Kel. Oo I miss the 90's. And it's music. And weird shows. Nuff said.



Anyway, new things!

First, look over there ----->
Did you notice the counter passed 10,000 a few days ago? In three months? Sweet.

Second, if you look over there and scroll down a little bit you'll notice that I am twittering now. Well...sort of...every few days-ish. It's there, if you want to follow me.

Third, the devil bird's eggs hatched last night! I'm thinking I'm going to document them with daily photos. Something for when they are older that they can show their kids (..haha). Also, someone found my blog by googling "devil bird" and then clicked on the link to a post 9 times. ...it's not going to change if you keep clicking it. Just saying.

Also someone found me googling "jeans devil 2009." I think they've just provided me with a new nickname for my boss. Do you think that would get me fired??

Dining Out is tomorrow night

Getting "temporary tips" on my nails tomorrow morning. I just can't deal with real fake nails, they get in the way of diaper tabs.

I now work Sundays at the bookstore again.

I have not made a decision about the other job yet.

I just got over my 2.5 week cold three days ago. So I woke up with a sore throat this morning, and have been steadily loosing my voice all day.

Had a meeting with an advisor who actually knows what they are doing today. She made me feel much better. Even though I'm currently in two classes I did not need to take. Looking into more summer classes at yet a third Uni that would transfer ($485 per credit hour for Devil U. summer classes? Um, no thanks).

'Tis all for this boring update post.