Stay-At-Home Moms in Perspective

Browsing Biblical Womanhood during lunch, I came across the following article. I am not a mom, of course, but this excerpt spoke to the purpose of stay-at-home moms that I know and respect, and the reasons behind my wanting to be one someday.

If I identify myself as the culture does, as a "stay at home Mom", one who has no intellectual contribution, gross-national product contribution or status symbol contribution, I become just that: a woman who sees herself as one who has grunted and groaned out another human being and now stays behind her four walls, in self-inposed seclusion. Not much of a vision there--it actually sounds strangely psychotic.

If I deem myself as a woman employed by the Creator of everything ever created, as on work assignment in a sacred domain for the sculpting of souls that will exist forever and forever without end, I have a burning passion of purpose. And a paycheck that is said to be beyond what eye or ear can even comprehend!

Read the full article here!

A New Beginning

It’s been about a month since I last updated this thing! So much has happened and changed, but every time I think I need to post, I realize that I don’t have the time to update on everything, and put it off even more. Funny how that happens, I guess.

So here are the highlights!


~ Move to Fort Worth ~

Benjamin & I moved from Richardson to Fort Worth on July 27. Although it took us what felt like an eternity to pack up our 530 square foot apartment, the actual move only took a couple of hours. That’s probably due in large part to his parents, grandparents, and a family friend offering their assistance. The night before we moved, Benjamin didn’t get to sleep until around 4:00 am. I fought the urge to sleep, knowing that a couple of hours would leave me acting totally drugged the next day. Instead, I bought massive amounts of packing tape and bubble wrap, as I had underestimated how much we would use. It’s amazing how much stuff we fit into our first apartment!

I love the new apartment. It’s only about 250 square feet bigger than the one in Richardson, but it feels like twice the size. We have several large closets, and our unit doesn’t share any walls with the neighbors. That means that we have 3 huge windows in the living room and 2 in the bedroom.

While I started organizing the apartment, Benjamin jumped into making it a nicer place for us to be in general. It’s in a middle-quality area, right between the “bad part” and the “good part” of town. The complex is old, but it seems like it’s been taken care of and we got an outstanding deal on it. Still, it was nice to have my husband do a few things that really made a huge difference. Here are a few of the nice things he did:

• Replaced all of the light fixtures. The ones that came with it were old and dirty, and we couldn’t get them clean again. Changing the fixtures also sealed the ceiling better, so that the cigarette smoke from our upstairs neighbors would not seep in.
• Changed all of the doorknobs. We brought our own high-quality lock, and he got silver knobs to match on the interior. He put a lock on our big closet as well.
• Put shelves in the pantry. The “pantry” in the kitchen is tiny, and I was disappointed to again have an apartment without a real pantry. I find that the kitchen is so much easier to keep organized when everything has a place, which is not as feasible without a pantry. Very quickly, though, we decided to use the closet in the dining area as the pantry, and the “pantry” as a drink cabinet (liquor, coffee, tea, sodas, etc). So he built some extra shelves in the closet, and now it’s perfect for our food & the appliances that we don’t use constantly.
• Hung curtains. We picked out some double curtain rods, so we chose tan for the curtain next to the window in both rooms, and avocado green for the curtain that shows in the living room and black in the bedroom. (We started with burgundy, but it didn’t look right with the comforter.) He did lots of drilling, which resulted in lots of vacuuming for me, but now it looks so nice. He even ironed them! (I hate ironing, myself.)
• Printed & hung photos. We’ve had a photo printer for months, but we haven’t really used it. Benjamin has gone nuts printing all of our favorite pictures to display, now, though. Lots of them are in black & white, and he’s done a nice job making them look top notch. I’d really like to learn how to do that sometime. It’s like we really live there now!
• Changed the shower head. He came home one day with a giant thing that looks like my diffuser for my blow dryer! It’s really nice though…there are 2 settings on it, and it sits higher in the shower (the other one was crazy low), so we don’t knock ourselves out now =P

We did have some problems though. Rather than get all into the specifics (I'll go nuts, I’m sure), I'll just do bullet points again. Rest assured, though, we have ample documentation (including letters and photos) in case this turns into a bigger issue.

• Broken window. Before we moved in, they assured us that they would have the broken window in the living room fixed by our move-in date. It looked fixed, so we thought it was fine. The office staff had been really nice & seemed concerned about us being happy. Two weeks later, when Benjamin was measuring for curtains, he noticed that not only was the “window” not even glass, but it wasn’t installed! It had been cut, set in the frame, and held in place with a screen on the outside. Benjamin popped it right out! Needless to say, we were both furious. I took the window (yes, the window) to the leasing offices (both of them) to insist on it being fixed immediately. They were scheduled to be open, being a Sunday early afternoon, but they weren’t. I called the emergency number, which was “not in service.” I then left a message on their office voicemail expressing my irritation and telling them that it needed to be fixed before we went to bed. Benjamin boarded up the window for safety that night. The next day, Benjamin spoke to the office staff 3 times, and each time they promised him that it would be fixed by 4 pm. They even said that the glass man had just arrived at the complex and was on his way to our unit. They never came. So on Tuesday he spoke to the manager, who had never been alerted to the issue. It was fixed that afternoon. I usually don’t like to be demanding, especially when I feel like there’s no need to be a pain. But seriously, the window is 2”x2”, and either one of us (or a criminal) could have just climbed right in. And we’re on the first floor. Unbelievable.
• Deviants. There are 3 boys that live in our building that like to sit right outside our bedroom window and talk, laugh, fight, bounce their basketball, etc, anytime between 10:30 pm and 3:00 am. At first, I would go outside (because I’m a woman & less threatening) and ask them to keep it down. Once there were about 10-12 of them, and one guy started acting aggressive. So at that point, I went inside & called the police while Benjamin went outside & started asking for names. Long story short, to date we’ve had to call several times, and each time the officer that comes says that they have to give a warning before they can issue a ticket. We’ve also given letters to the apartment manager requesting her support. I know they probably get complaints all the time, but they sit on the air conditioner, and talk so loudly that it wakes us up. I don’t want to give too much information, because it’s kindof a legal thing, but the good news is that we haven’t had any problems in almost a week! We’re really hoping this continues, because we need more than 4-5 hours of sleep lol.
• Fleas. When we first moved in, Monte got covered in fleas, and he’s never had them before. I freaked out, and started giving him baths almost every day, vacuuming at least once a day, and washing everything in hot water. My mom even sent us some Capstar tablets for him, which kill all of the fleas that are on him. I know how hard it can be to get rid of fleas once there’s an infestation, and I did NOT want to deal with that. But, they seem to have subsided. We keep him out of the bushes and I’m still vacuuming & bathing him a lot. A flea comb is a great tool, too. Just sit there with a bowl of hot water with Dawn in it, and rinse the comb in the water after each stroke. It kills 'em!

In general, we love our new apartment, and it feels so nice to have started again in a new place.

~ Wedding Anniversary ~

Benjamin & I celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary on Monday, August 4. The day started with me leaving at 6:00 am to go to Plano for my US History exam. Then, since I had taken the day off work, I went home and began my exciting day. I picked up sushi at Central Market on the way home, then took a shower, fixed my hair, put on a sundress, did some light cleaning, and then met Benjamin at his office for lunch. I wanted to have a picnic at the Botanic Gardens (where he proposed), but it was so hot, and he was wearing his business clothes. He gets hot so easily anyway – as sentimental as it would be, I thought subjecting him to the heat wouldn’t be very loving. So we went home for lunch, and I put a blanket down on the living room floor for our air conditioned picnic.

After lunch, I went to the mall to pick up his present. I knew I needed to be home by 5:00, because he said his plans started then. With paper being the traditional first anniversary gift, I really wanted to have our marriage certificate framed in an engraved frame. But our marriage certificate is a really odd size, and there was no way I was going to cut it. So, that was out of the question. Instead, I bought him some nice cuff-links as well as a French-cuff shirt from Express. Those are his favorite, but he doesn’t like to spend that much on himself for a shirt. I, however, justified it with it being our anniversary.

When he got home, we exchanged gifts. He got me a silver clock with 12 tiny black frames around it. (Last weekend he printed black & white pictures & put them in the frames.) He also gave me a burgundy scrapbook that will look nice in our bedroom or even our living room, some scrapbooking supplies, a big black storage for all of that, some black frames (which he put some photos in for the living room), and a photo chest with spaces for pictures on the top. I think I may use it as a jewelry box instead of a photo box, though it’s quite big and it doesn’t have a latch. Either way, it’ll be great to use.

After presents, I went to touch up my makeup, as I’d been running around all day. He told me I really didn’t need to do that, to “trust him,” but I did it anyway J I wanted to look nice for our anniversary! He had made a reservation for us to get a couples massage at a spa downtown. I had no idea where we were, and knowing that I am afraid of needles, he jokingly told me we were there for Botox. The massage was relaxing & very thoughtful, and I was ready to go to sleep after that. But he had made dinner reservations at a tiny Italian restaurant that I’d never heard of. He said it came highly recommended, and it was so nice. We were seated in a corner away from the other guests, and it provided a very romantic atmosphere. The food was delicious, though we ended up trading half-way through. They gave us complimentary champagne & dessert, too.

I had told Benjamin that our anniversary is very important to me, and I wanted to do something special. I said that either he could plan something, or we could plan something together. He took over, and did a wonderful job. I hope I can do something equally amazing next year for him.

~ College Graduation ~

This summer I took 15 hours (5 courses) so that I could go ahead & finish my degree. I took Criminal Justice, World Music and Advanced Composition at the university, and Statistics and US History at the community college. I finished my last final exam on August 14.

Unfortunately, I’ve had trouble getting my community college transcript to the university. Now they’re saying I might not be able to officially graduate until the fall. Of course, this is all simply because of a time difference in when grades are available at the 2 schools, and has little to do with me. But they’ve extended my deadline until Thursday at 5:00 pm, so hopefully it’ll all work. Otherwise, I'll be finished, but just won’t have my diploma until December.

Picture Links!

I realized that I don't have very many pictures on here! And since I just went through & copied all of my wedding blog posts into this one, I thought I'd update other stuffs too!

These are all of the pictures that I have on Facebook.

~ WEDDING PICTURES ~
Engagement Pictures
Rehearsal
Getting Ready
Ceremony
Reception
Honeymoon

~ COLLEGE PICTURES ~
Fall 2005
Spring 2006
Dallas Formal 2006
Zahra's Birthday
Summer 2006
Fall 2006 (1)
Fall 2006 (2)
Snow Day 2006
Spring 2007

~ SPECIAL ALBUMS ~
Mommy
Monte
Feast 2006
High School

Long Time, No Post

It's been a while since I've posted, mostly because of the end-of-semester madness that comes a couple of times each year. Here are some of the things that I remember:

My violin recital went quite well. I got to wear a pretty dress, and there were no major mess-ups! Somehow, I think the fact that the hall was full actually made me less nervous. Strange how that works... But Benjamin & my dad gave me some really pretty flowers, that I've been able to arrange nicely in a vase. It's a pretty mix of dark & light pink gerber daisies (duh), pink calla lilies, and pink gladiolas. Benjamin's family, grandparents, and cousin came, along with my parents & Juliane, Julie & Derek, and Zahra & Neil. I feel I was well supported :)

I was not, however, well supported by my teacher from last semester. I got a B+ in one of my literature classes in the fall, and decided to contest the grade and request an A-. I have gone all semester under the impression that I had until finals to start the process, but really I only had 8 weeks. I met with the professor anyway, and she didn't want to change the grade. I understand that teachers have the final authority on these issues, but I feel like I should not have made an "A/B" (whatever that is) on my paper and a B- on my exam. Especially when her only complaints were things like "don't phrase it that way" and crossing out "their native country" and scribbling in "Czechoslovakia." And really especially when I speak English fluently, and...well...

I have 1 more exam tomorrow, and then I'll be finished!

This summer I'm taking 5 classes:
> Statistics (CCCC)
> Advanced Composition
> World Music
> Intro to Criminal Justice
> US History

And then I'll be finished-finished! I don't know if I'm relieved-excited or scared-excited. Luckily I don't have to decide right now...I just need to get to the point where I do.

Last night Benjamin let Chloe sleep in the bedroom instead of in her kennel in the living room. I didn't notice until I got up to get some water at 4am. So I guess she behaved herself rather well, or maybe I was just tired & didn't notice her walking on me.

It's only 4:40 and I'm ready for a nap.

I'd like to find out what I need to do to get teacher-certified without having to take classes here.

I had a yummy margarita last night, and it was yummy. I want another one today :)

List of the Goings On

I was reading Zahra's blog this morning, and she made a list because she was lazy. I am equally lazy right now, so I shall copy her.

1. My sister was supposed to go to Corpus Christi for orchestra. But it's the weekend of my recital. And she would miss a holy day, which no one knew until now. So she said she is coming to my recital instead, which makes me happy :) Plus, she has 2 doctors & a physical therapist saying she can't play because she hurt her shoulder. That doesn't make me happy :(

2. I'm still really upset about Perfume Girl making me ill. Just in case someone was wondering. I'm feeling somewhat better, but I'm staying home from church today because smelling exhaust or anything will make me relapse.

3. Benjamin took his acoustic guitar & an amp & some other music stuff to church today. The living room looks empty now.

4. Yesterday, Benjamin stole my laptop & took it to the store. He insisted that I needed more memory, and I insisted that I didn't. I now have more memory.

5. I learned last night that I can open files on my laptop that are really on the external hard drive plugged into the desktop. I'm told I can only do this at home, though.

6. Benjamin & I are reading "The 5 Love Languages" each night before we go to sleep. First, we read the first 3 chapters, which were annoying. The author seemed to be saying this:
"You got married because you thought you loved each other. But you didn't. You were really just 'in love' and after you've been married for a couple of years, you'll no longer be 'in love'. And you won't love each other either, cause you never really did. You just thought you did. Oh, and by the way, I know this sounds harsh, but I know you better than you do, cause I write books with the cool raised-letter covers."
We also read the 1st "love language" which is "Words of Affirmation." That chapter was less pessimistic.

7. We have a Victoria's Secret bag sitting on the coffee table that's been there for about a month. Benjamin needs to send it back. I wonder how long until one of us realizes it's there & send it back.

8. Chloe has been nicer lately. Yesterday Benjamin clipped her front claws with fingernail clippers. They're no longer sharp. When he was putting her in her kennel for bed, I heard cat-crying. He came in and said that he thinks she's mad that she can't scratch him anymore.

9. I packed Benjamin a lunch this morning for him to have between Men's Club and church. So the sandwich wouldn't get soggy, I put the bread in 1 bag and the lettuce, turkey & cheese in another bag. Then I put the mustard in a tupperware and the pickles & tomato in another container, with salt & pepper on the tomato. I also gave him a banana & some doritos (which I opened from the bottom of the bag right in front of him, muah-ha-ha!) and coke. And a napkin & a plastic knife. I packed all of this in my super-cute pink ice chest. He looks very manly.

10. Last night we went to Wal-Mart for dinner stuffs. I wanted straws and popsicle molder things. We looked everywhere & couldn't find either. Then a lady told Benjamin where to find straws, and they were out. She was shelving, so she & Benjamin started going through the boxes to find straws, but they were bendy straws so I said I'd just wait. I don't like bendy straws cause they get air in them in make you burp.

Countdowns
Recital: 20 days
Anniversary: 121 days
Graduation: 131 days

Ft Worth Teen Weekend

This weekend was the annual Teen Weekend in DFW. Juliane went to the teen prom in her pretty yellow dress, but didn't play basketball because of her shoulder problems. Cameron, though, did play, and quite well. I think he got 17 points in the "all-star game" at the end of the tournament. Cammy & Ryan played against each other...that was fun :)

We took Monte with us to the gym yesterday, and he ran around outside for a long time. He must have been exhausted by the time we left, as he'd been the center of attention all afternoon. He basically stayed glued to Mom's lap the whole time, except when Dad was holding him. There was a 3 month old long haired chihuahua there too. Some dumb friends of the owner-kid were pretending to throw it to each other. Poor baby. I should call Child Control.

Saturday night I came home while Benjamin went to the teen dance for a while & then to his parents' house to play games. Julie came over after her banquet (she looked so pretty in her "cocktail dress") and we watched a movie. I had rented No Reservations because it had been recommended to me. Julie said some old ladies suggested it to her as well, so we eagerly watched it. About 30 minutes into it, Julie asked when the girl was going to start dating the guy. I said she probably wouldn't Julie didn't know it, but I was secretly hoping that she would not start dating the guy, because that would mean that the plot was just beginning, and I wanted to movie to end! As it turned out, we both thought the movie was lame, so we turned it down & talked. And ate Sour Patch Kids.

Today I registered for my UTD summer classes:
- Intro to Criminal Justice (online & pass/fail...oh yeah)
- 19th Century British Literature
- History of American Religion
- Hitler & National Socialism (my back-up)

In a few weeks, I'll register for my CCCC summer classes:
- Statistics
- US History (online)

After 15 hours this summer, I will be finished with my bachelor's degree, and ready to take on the world! Really, I'll be ready to take on a serious vacation or something. August 14th is my day of freedom.

I have this countdown application thing on Facebook, but this makes more sense than that. Wow, I love my slipping antecedents and their implication on my slipping scholarly-ness.

Countdowns
Recital: 25 days
Anniversary: 126 days
Graduation: 136 days

I am slowly...

(Original post at www.abforever.blogspot.com)

I just remembered this annoying song that I used to know:

I am slowly going crazy - 1 2 3 4 5 6 switch
Crazy going slowly am I - 6 5 4 3 2 1 switch

And then you repeat. I'm not sure why I remembered that.

Mom had hip surgery again on November 14. It was supposed to be the last one to remove more bone, and then she'd have her first hip replacement in December and the second next year. However, she developed a staph infection in her bone while at her rehab hospital. After running a fever, she was taken to the emergency room at another hospital, and had to have an unplanned surgery. The infection is still there, though, and she's on really strong antibiotics for several weeks, administered through a catheter in her arm and chest (so as not to destroy her blood vessels with a normal IV).

I finished my finals, and I must say I'm unhappy with how the semester went. I'm going to slap the "experience" label on it though, and remind myself that I was working a lot and trying to focus on my marriage this semester. I've had a good GPA all along, so one sorta-bad semester shouldn't hurt me too badly.

Actually, today I was off work. Now that school is done, I'll have 2 days a week where I can relax & run errands. Hopefully I can get stuff straightened up around here, too. We really need to do that =/

So now I'm just waiting for Benjamin to get home, so we can go spend another crapload on new tires, and then get my car inspected. I hate maintenance stuff.

Home Sweet Home

(Original post at www.abforever.blogspot.com)

Well, sort of =P

It's been forever since I've written on this thing, so I don't really even know where to start! Benjamin and I had a beautiful wedding, made complete by our family and friends who shared it with us. I can't believe that I wanted an outdoor reception, though. It was hot! Mom & I checked the forecast the day before the wedding, and all was supposed to be sunny and dry. On Saturday, though, we realized that Benjamin didn't have the vest to his tuxedo, so we made an emergency trip out. It was nice though...we were so busy that neither of us had an opportunity to really get nervous!

Ok, well I'm getting ahead of myself lol. Julie & I went to Houston on Tuesday, and Tuesday night Megan, Jill and Veronica threw my bachelorette party. It was lots of fun...they even had a Disney princess tablecloth! (though there were some "inappropriate" paraphernalia drawn on it hehe). I got a little loopy and ended up falling asleep. I was partially awake again when they had a slightly-dressed guy burst through the front door and run through the living room.

Benjamin was supposed to work all day on Thursday and then drive to Houston on Thursday night. However, the little sucker (ok, sweet and sexy babe) left work without telling me and showed up at my parents' house in the very early evening!

On Friday night we had the official rehearsal. However, it didn't really count, because Julie was in Georgia for a convention, Amanda was on her way to Houston, Jason was at training for his new job, the flower girl was en route, and the minister was at church camp in Ohio. Benjamin & I went to get manicures & pedicures, and were a little late. The "wedding coordinator" (aka meany-poopy-head) was a total snot, and started treating me like a little kid. She was telling Benjamin's parents to do the wrong things, and trying to completely take over myyyyyy wedding!

Wedding Coordinator: come on!
Benjamin's mom: I think we weren't supposed to walk in during this song.
Wedding Coordinator: It doesn't matter, it's fine.
Me: *nicely* Hey, could we try that again, with the other song?
Wedding Coordinator: You want to do it again?!
Me: *slightly less nice* Well, they weren't supposed to come in to this song.
Wedding Coordinator: *huff*

Later...
Wedding Coordinator: You need to do the unity candle now.
Me: *listening to the minister/Benjamin/etc* *notice she's yapping, so I look at her*
Wedding Coordinator: *really snotty look* Can we take this seriously please?
Me: Sure. *hand on hip, 4th grade girl rebellious look*...(hey, it was my wedding)
Wedding Coordinator: Fine! I'll just let you do it your way.
(keep in mind, we didn't want her there in the first place...she wasn't "coordinating" anything)
Me: *sweet tone* Thank you!
Wedding Coordinator: Uh! *snatches our candles & walks off to get her purse*
Wedding Coordinator: *to my dad* It doesn't look like you'll be needing my services here any more this evening.
Dad: Oh, ok! Bye!

I asked Ethan if he had gotten it all on tape, and he said yes. I can't wait to see it. She was sooo mad hehe.

The day of the wedding went smoothly for the most part. I was a little worried that something major would be forgotten, but it was all great. I remember making Julie go out & take pictures from the balcony so I could make sure enough people were there to start. (I didn't want everyone having to be in the balcony!) When Dad & I came in, I hardly noticed anyone in the audience. I didn't realize beforehand that I wouldn't see the audience at all until we were presented Mr. and Mrs. The main things about the ceremony that were "funny" I suppose, were that I couldn't blow out my candle after lighting the unity candle because my veil blocked it, so Benjamin had to blow it out. Then, when Benjamin was allowed to "kiss the bride," we kissed for what I guess was a long time. People started laughing, and the minister kind of cleared his throat a little. At the reception, Jill, Veronica & Matthew commented that it was quite passionate. Jill said she accidentally pinched Matthew, and Veronica said, "I'm told that if you begin a marriage with a lot of passion, it'll continue that way. So, I think you'll have a passionate marriage!"

When I tossed the bouquet, Julie & Amanda had a little tustle. I have a picture of them both going for it, and another one where Amanda has a "ha!" look on her face, and Julie has her fists clinched and seems to be charging. It's awesome =P

Juliane & Ryan gave their speeches, and both were so heartfelt. I know that Benjamin and I love our siblings dearly, and were so glad to be able to share the first wedding for both families with them.

I rode all the way to Galveston in my wedding dress. This was not the best idea, for 2 reasons. One, it can feel somewhat comfy while you're standing up, but when it's late and you're tired, and the bra is digging into your boobies and bruising your sternum, it's not quite so comfortable. Two, we didn't really think ahead about how we were going to fit my giant dress in our luggage for the cruise. But, I wanted Benny to be able to take it off of me, so I suppose it was worth it. And since he doesn't pack much stuff, there was room in his suitcase :)

We spent Saturday night and Sunday night in Galveston. Sunday we walked around a little bit, went to the grocery store, and got a pizza from Dominos. Or Pizza Hut. One of those places lol. Monday we took a taxi to the port. Benjamin wanted to make sure we were there "on time," so we ended up getting there before anyone else. We were wearing our "Bride" and "Groom" shirts, so everyone we talked to thought we were part of a wedding party. Of course, that meant that they sent us up to the waiting room with the actual wedding party, which was apparently preparing of an on-board wedding. Other than them we were the first ones on the boat! We had opted to carry most of our luggage on, a decision that we remedied getting off the boat. (If you take a cruise, don't carry your stuff. It's a long walk.) Going through security, one of my bags set off the alarm, and when we saw which one, I freaked. (You don't need to know the details.) To make a long story short, we had crashed Benjamin's bachelor party the week before, and his mom had gotten some handcuffs for me to put on him during our raid. I had stuck them in my bag and forgotten about them, and, well...apparently they don't allow handcuffs on cruise ships. Oops!

On the boat, we lugged all of our luggage (is that why they call it luggage?) to go eat lunch before the rooms were ready. Benjamin called our parents to tell them we had made it, and his mom told him a funny story. It totally made our day. Everyone, including Mrs. Wedding Coordinator, had been asked not to wear perfume to the wedding, because of allergies. She showed up about 10 minutes before the wedding:
Ryan: Do you have the candles for lighting the unity candle?
Wedding Coordinator: I don't know! I thought you didn't need me!
Ryan: *really nice voice* We don't...we just need the candles.
Wedding Coordinator: Well, I may have some in my car. I'll check.
Later...
Aaron (usher): *doesn't know who she is* Are you friend or family?
Wedding Coordinator: Well, I'm not family!
Aaron: *smells perfume on her* Ok, well I'm going to need you to sit up here.
Wedding Coordinator: *epitome of ticked off*

My parents and Benjamin's parents had gone to lunch on Monday, so they got to hear the story before we did. The cruise was awesome! I wasn't scared at all, and I didn't get seasick! More about that later, perhaps. Our room steward learned our names, and would always come in our room while we were gone & make cool towel animals to put on the bed. He even arranged my pink pillow on the bed with the others =P

We stopped in Progresso and Cozumel. In Progresso, I got sick from the cigarette smoke and the heat, so we just bought some tequila and got back on the boat. In Cozumel, we did some shopping. Benjamin wanted to rent a motorcycle thing, but I forgot about the fact that we could go all over the island. Instead, we bought more tequila (he brought back a ton of tequila), and took lots of pictures. It sprinked a bit, and we were ready to go in, so we got back on the boat and drank a margarita. On the last day, we needed 4 more cups to complete our "4 yellow, 4 pink" collection, so we had to get started early. We split our first pina colada around 10 am. And I don't hold liquor very well, so needless to say I was a little wobbly for the rest of the day.

Now we're back (duh, Adriane), and getting into the swing of things. The apartment still isn't organized, but at least we've opened all the presents, and the ones we need to take back are filling up the back seat of my car. I still have a ton of thank you notes to write, but I'm dreading that. I think it's the sheer volume of notes that is stressing, not the act itself. If I do like 20 a day, it shouldn't take too long.

What's that?!? An update?!? Why, yes, I believe it is!

(Original post at www.abforever.blogspot.com)

Though I've been terribly busy, my laziness in regard to blogging was recently brought to my attention by dear 'ole Zahra. Indeed, this page is in desperate need of an update :)

As previously mentioned, the wedding date is Saturday, August 4. That's right at 7 1/2 weeks from now! Obviously, I'm quite excited, and I'm continuously counting the days.

We're still working on finishing up the invitations. They have been something of a project, and I'm thankful to have had a lot of help. I hope to have them mailed out early next week, but as with everything, I need to be flexible.

My parents have done a ton of work on the guest list, and making arrangements with the church at which the ceremony will be held. They've made calls and ordered my dress, and been more than supportive of mine and Benjamin's goals. Benjamin's mom and sister worked with us on the invitations well into the night a couple of weekends ago, helping us to put a huge dent in the amount of work. Nana is addressing envelopes this week, and I'm glad she's being patient with my ever-changing list of addresses. Megan has volunteered her expertise to design the jewelry for the wedding. Julie and Amanda have worked their schedules around mine, and taken time out to search for the perfect bridesmaid dresses. I can't wait to see how they look on all of the girls!

My fiance (whee!) has been nothing but helpful over the past couple of weeks. Along with putting in overtime at work, he has been making frequent trips to Houston on the weekends (we've gone 3 times in a month!), making plans for our honeymoon, gathering addresses, and cooperating with my sometimes-emotional nature. He's even been spending his evenings gluing bows and paper cakes onto invitations. He has had such a willing attitude, that I feel much more at ease and less worried that I'm going to forget something or run out of time to get things done. Benjamin has made it clear that he does not want to view the planning from the sidelines, and I can't thank him enough for all of his involvement.

Well, last night we (hopefully) finished our Target registry! We have a few more things to add at Macy's, but I think that's going to wait until the weekend. We have some pieces of furniture picked out, and I think we'll be very happy with our decisions. We're still excited about our ducky-themed bathroom!

Haha, I just realized that I keep typing "we"...I can't wait to be "Mr. and Mrs." <3

Yesterday I got a call from the bridal store saying that my dress & veil & petticoat and all that fun stuff have come in! I need to go in to get everything finalized, and then I'll get to bring my wedding dress home & hang it in the closet where I can look at it every day. I can just see myself walking around in athletic pants eating ice cream & staring at my dress. That reminds me of a conversation I had right after I moved to college in August 2005...

Zahra was reading me excerpts from "The Complete Handbook for College Women" & came across a section on eating disorders.
Me: *eats a peanut M&M*
Zahra: Accept & appreciate your body in its natural state
Me: *sits & thinks*
Me: *eats another M&M"
Zahra: Reward yourself for accomplishing tasks...
Zahra: ...For example, treat yourself to a night at the movies, a call to a friend, or a couple of your favorite jelly donuts
Zahra: "So then you can get fat & love your body in its natural state"

Tonight, Benjamin came over and I bought my first alcohol. Of course, given the hobbies of my company, it was beer =P I tried to drink it with a straw, but Benjamin put a stop to that. Apparently "you don't drink beer with a straw." Who knew? =P

I should probably get to bed...I'm blinking to stay awake lol. It's been a tough couple of weeks, and I think it's time for a pre-midnight bedtime :)

Good News & Bad News

(Original post at www.abforever.blogspot.com)

We got the Forum! On the right date! Yay! *is excited*

On the other hand, I made another appointment to try on that dress again at 7:00 at David's Bridal. I fought through traffic for just under an hour (it's right at 10 miles), only to find that the store was closed due to power outages. Thanks for calling me to tell me my appoinment was cancelled! Eh, I guess everything was electronic or something :(

So I went to the Verizon store, and got a headset for my phone. My hope is that my parents will no longer threaten me with bodily harm (maybe it was just hanging up on me...) when I call them.

Today was the longest day everrrrrrrrr! I went in to work 1/2 an hour early, so that I could take an extra 1/2 hour for lunch, to go to Arapaho Classical Magnet & take a cake to my tutoring class. It's their last day of 3rd grade! I left work at noon, got the cake, took it to the class (where only 4 students were since it's apparently the teacher's birthday, and they kicked her out to decorate). I waited until the last minute before I needed to leave, then wrote a note to the class on the board, and said goodbye. Rikki gave me a hurt look, and said, "But Miss Bounds! We need you to hang streamers!"

...So I hung streamers. And was late getting back to work.

Then there was a crap load of rain, which I did not expect. I went to David's Bridal anyway, and, well, now I'm home in my comfy pjs that for some reason have this spot in the leg that has been poking me for several weeks, even though there's nothing sharp in there! I think it's time for some sleep...

I'm Engaged!

(Original post at www.abforever.blogspot.com)

I'm starting this blog because I'm entering what promises to be a very exciting time in my life. I know that one day, when all the planning is finished, all the hoping and waiting over, I will want to go back and remember everything that's happened, everything that I may not have experienced fully. Heh, now I'm crying lol.

Plus, if you ask Julie or Zahra or Mom, they'll tell you I've been a Blog Bum for the past 5 or 6 months, and that I "need to update!" And I like typing 'cause it gives me a nice view of my ring ;-)

I will start posting our engagement story and day-to-day happenings shortly. In the meantime, please visit our wedding website at www.mywedding.com/benjaminandadriane. Thanks!

Happy Mother's Day!

(Don't) Let it Snow

I've counted it up, and I believe it's snowed about 5 times this winter. Last year, it snowed once. WE LIVE IN TEXAS! I used to get excited about the snow, but now I'm over it. All I can say is that when it's cold, I'd rather have snow than rain or sleet :-p

I'm starting to really look forward to this weekend. Friday night there is a little Young Adults social, but Saturday is what I'm reeeeeally excited about...Benjamin & I will finally go to our first "real" dance. I have a dress that I LOVE (and we found Benjamin a matching turquoise tie!)...so even though the dress code is supposedly "dressy casual" we're going in a floor-length dress & a tux <3 I really hope they play our song at some point, but I'm not really counting on it.

Then on Sunday there is another social, and then we're heading down to Houston to visit my parents. They are looking forward to seeing the grandpuppy again :-p I shall have interviews with my 3rd grade teacher & my 6th grade science teacher! Mom, Benjamin & I have a sushi date planned too :)

We're just hoping that Benjamin will be over his flu/cold/bronchitis, from which he has been suffering since Sunday night, by Saturday.

Julie just walked in...we're trying to decide which movie to watch:
Julie: Why don't you have The American President?
Me: Because my mom jacked it.
Julie: She jacked it?
Me: She jacked it.
Julie: *gangster style* You should pop a cap!
Me: *confuzzled look*
Julie: It's new slang.

Snow Day!

Yesterday was a SNOW DAY!!! I've never had one of those :) Last semester it snowed on the day of my Shakespeare final, but that doesn't exactly count. Julie, Jessica & I did play in the snow that day, though :)

Aaaand, today I started Circuit Training! Whee! I'm sore :(

Tonight, Benjamin & I will leave after Ed Psych to go to Houston. If all goes as planned, we should get there between 2 & 3 am. Mom's first hip surgery is tomorrow, so I'm glad I'll get to be with her.

Yay, Richardson!

This weekend was busy but wonderful. I had exactly zero incidents of running over things (count them, zero), though I nearly died about 2 miles from church. Not to worry, I was brave and survived. Benjamin & I watched tons of "Lost" and he cooked Saturday night, and Sunday we made the pilgrimage to Richardson so I could move in. Yes, I moved in all of my stuff single-handedly. Everyone else just watched. Why did they just watch, you ask, instead of helping? Well, they were totally amazed by my sheer strength, of course.

Mom came up too!!! I was terribly happy that she made the trip, seeing as how the day before was her first time back to church in Houston. Two long days in a row has gotta be tough.

Yesterday, Megan & I tried to run "errands" on campus. We got my wireless set up, I sold back the Government book for which they only wanted to give me $17 in April, etc. I realized I can't buy my parking permit because I don't have my stinking registration or whatever it is they want. Argggggggh!

I did some cleaning & organizing, then went grocery shopping. Frankford was backed up, sadly, and it nearly ruined my faith in the "backroad" system. Midnight Madness at OCB wasn't terribly crowded. There are a couple of books I couldn't find, but I got all the rest for $254. Yay! Actually, it'll be $304 because I'm buying my College Algebra book from another girl. Yay again!

Then I decided I wanted pie. So I went to Tom Thumb (aka Randall's) who had virtually none of individual slices, and I certainly did not want to get an entire pie, as there's no one else here. So I got a cheesecake (a little one). I was then disappointed to find that it was frozen so unbelievably solid that I could not cut it. So I let it thaw on the counter, so I could cut it. It was still frozen though, so I put it in the microwave. Good idea, right? Ha! You wanna know what I got? Half-frozen-half-hot cheesecake.

Julie's coming today!!! She'll be here in about an hour :D And then Zahra is coming later on...I can't wait guys!!! I'm off to jimmy Julie's lock (don't ask).

Aaaaaaaah so long!!!!!!!!!

So, Zahra says it's time for an update...and I must say I agree. Much has happened since my last update, and though I shant elaborate on everything (it's been like 3 weeks!) I will give some highlights. In addition, I promise to relapse into my previous blog-aholic ways once I move & school commences.

~ July 22-25 --> went back to Dallas, stayed in the apartment with Jessica, hung out with Benjamin mucho, went to Studio Movie Grill with Zahra & Julie for Julie's birthday, had tons of fun
~ I'm dating darling Benjamin, and he makes me smile :D I can't wait until Saturday when I get to see him again after 3 weeks of being in Houston!
~ Quit my job at Ben & Jerry's quite impulsively. While being impulsive is not in my nature, neither is being verbally attacked by my coworkers. Nuff said.
~ I registered for another class! Something's gotta give...
~ I got permission from Julie to buy the frivolous pink chair for my room. She says it might cost me a fuzzy poster though.
~ Attended my cousin's bridal shower & rehearsal dinner & wedding. I've decided that unless my mommy will do "yardguard" throughout the area, I will be unable to have the outdoor wedding reception of my dreams because mosquitos have an evil plan to eat me at every opportunity. I could ask them to be nice since it's my wedding and everything, but I'm not sure they'd cooperate, being that they're mosquitos and all.
~ Met my cousin's boyfriend, whom I have never met but everyone else has.

Ok, another update is promised soon! Should be before I move...less than 3 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

" time for an updateeee. <33 "

Zahra says it's time for an update. Actually, Zahra said it's time for an update 4 days ago. So here 'tis. :)

~ Mom came home Friday! It was a day later than originally planned, but we're very pleased. Thanks to everyone for all of your continued prayers. She still has a long way to go in resuming normal life, but she's well on her way!

~ I'm quitting Barnes & Noble, effective tomorrow at midnight. That's right...if we're late closing, I'm walking out at midnight. Just kidding.

~ I'll be going back to Ben & Jerry's full-time starting Monday until I go back to school.

~ Moving in exactly 5 weeks! (Actually 4 weeks & 6 days, cause I guess it's past midnight on Tuesday already :-/)

~ I don't like working with people who are hung over. If you're hung over, don't come to work. And if you do come to work, don't tell me that you're hung over. And whether you're hung over or not, do not touch me. Do not poke my back. Do not grab my shoulder. Do not slap my hand in an oh-so-playful manner. I don't know you. I don't want to randomly flirt with you. Especially when you tell me about your theories on living with someone instead of getting married, just so you can switch partners when you tire of today's project. Do not tell me I can't judge actions. I'm going to judge actions. In fact, I'm going to be so bold as to judge your actions. I shall, however, not judge you. There's a difference. Judging actions is what the entire legal system is based upon, not to mention ethics. Get some. Find yours or borrow some from a willing donor. I'm sure that if you explain to them the urgency of your situation, they will understand. That's all I have to say about that.

~ Josh & I are going to practice the Vivaldi once more, and then play in Huntsville for special music on August 5th. Whee! It's coming along quite nicely :)

~ Going back to DFW on the 22nd...probably staying until the 25th. I don't know...now that I'm not going to be working Thursday thru at least Sunday, I could just take off a couple of days after that & make the trip this weekend. That would allow me to go to my cousin's baby shower :) However, I'm gonna want a break in a week, so maybe I should wait. Argh...decisions decisions...

~ Tonight I worked 4-close (midnight). I hate that shift. I feel like I'm being really taken advantage of because I'm closing so stinking much. That's a big reason I'm quitting so soon. Tonight I had a caramel frapp but I added 2 shots of espresso :) It was the grossest thing ever (because the espresso separated from the frapp, so I was drinking melted java juice) but it did the trick lol. I even skipped my last break, because I was on such a roll.

~ Tomorrow I'm working 4-close. Thursday I was scheduled to close. And twice next week. Anyone seeing how much this stinks? So yeah. I'm closing tomorrow. Then byebye. When I first started considering not giving 2 weeks notice, I felt really bad & irresponsible. Then I realized that on the day I got hired, my schedule was the following:
9-9:30 interview & hired
9:30-10 rush to Target to get collared shirts
10-4 work at Ben & Jerry's
4-12am training/work at Barnes & Noble
In short, I was working on the day I was interviewed. This means replacements are relatively easy to find.

Goodnight to all! Zahra, please let me know whether your phone has stopped being racist, as we need to discuss Julie's birthday. Let me know, por favor, if you're available this coming Sunday/Monday evenings (16 & 17) and whether you're available the following Sunday/Monday evenings (23 & 24). I'll be calling Julie too. We need to plan our JAZ Date!!! Since I now won't be working this weekend, I'm a little more flexible on which weekend to come up (provided Jessica is ok with it, as I've worked out to stay with her on the 22nd weekend). Wow...I need to shut up. It's 1:14 in the morning...I should not be this awake.

The Grass is Always Greener...

I have noticed that once swelling has gone down, feeling returns to the previously blimpish part of your face. That basically equates to taking pain medication again after 4 hours, rather than 8 hours like yesterday.

Today was a day of sleeping. And mashed potatoes. And more of Everwood Season 1.

Dad is painting the office tonight. Oh! And Mom is coming home on a day-pass on Sunday, and then moving back home on Thursday, July 6. That's actually the date they originally set for her move-home date, though it was merely a hopeful guess at that point, which they much expected to change as it drew near. Yay!

Relax!

Ah, I'm looking forward to my night of reading, putting away laundry, and eating my much deserved pint of fat-free lemonade sorbet. I've needed this all week :)

At work Bryan taught me the art of finding the perfect places to sit behind the counter so that the customers can't see you when they walk in. But, of course, you can see them, and smoothly walk to the register. Also, the menu is apparently magnetic, allowing an opportunity for much fun sometime when I'm reeeeeeeally bored. Can anyone say $3.95 sheet cake or $42.78 double scoop?

I bought Dad's Father's Day present today. And a new planner, as mine ends this month. It was a toss up between the pink one that starts in July and the SparkNotes one that starts in August but has spiffy literature quotes each week and an obscure word definition every day. I ended up picking the pink one, because, well, it's pink, and because I don't think I can go a month without a planner. Plus, I already get a Quote of the Day and a Word of the Day in my email. Just thought I'd share that mini pro/con list with everyone! Alright, time for my night of relaxing!!!

Whee Improvement!

Mom's halo was taken off last night! The orthopedic doctor just waltzed in and started unscrewing the screws from her head...with a dime (cause they couldnt find a screwdriver)! We're very excited, as this is a major step :)

Whee Barnes & Noble!

Last night was my first official shift at B&N. I worked 4-close (midnight) but got out around 11:45 :)

I had a lot of fun, and I think I shall enjoy the job. I love that whenever you're on a break, you go to the back room which has big reading chairs & everyone is reading. It doesn't seem abnormal to ask someone randomly "what are you reading?" because they're going to be reading something.

I actually discussed Russian novels with someone, and though I'm certainly not well read when it comes to Russian novels, I have read a few and discussed "The Master & Margarita" and "Lolita."

Once I was called over to see a girl on the book floor who had "been dancing for several minutes." With 3 people in the Cafe looking, I bet she had an idea.

For those that aren't aware, I hate Saran Wrap. An encounter always implies a battle, and I ALWAYS lose. How sad.

I'm going to the hospital and taking Jill with me! Jill will be the first of my friends to see my Mommy :)

We made reservations for Kerrville on Saturday night...early because we'll need handicap access. However, the hotel at which church services will take place has:
1. no elevator. at all.
2. no more first-floor rooms. at all.
Not good. So right now we're booked on the second floor.

Today the oral surgeon gets to tell me about how they're gonna poke my arm with an IV and do lots of cutting in my mouth, and how I'm going to have to look at blood, and how all I can eat for 3 days after my surgery is mashed potatoes and pudding (both of which I love, the former though not from a box). I'm very serious...if they tell me they want to do an IV before I'm unconscious (or at least doped up) I'm going to leave & find another surgeon. Yes, I recognize that this is what we can call a "Growth Opportunity"...I, however, would rather grow at a later date, and leave the next few weeks to me being a big baby.

Thank you, Julie & Zahra, for your beautiful comments and you're witty exchange :) You are loved as well.