Because I haven't posted in forever...

I know it's been a while...Things have been crazy. But a good crazy. November was a really tough month for me, but I'm doing much better. It's been a learning time. I'm so thankful for those of you who have helped me through it...especially my VA friends that I got to see over Thanksgiving. You guys rock! Anyway, there's just way too much to post about. I promise I'll post for real soon, but for today I'm going to do Holly's Lists of 8's instead! :) And then it's back to cleaning, laundry, baking, packing, and wrapping Christmas gifts! :) I fly home in 2 days! :)

Eight Things About Me

8 t.v. shows I watch:
1. ER
2. Desperate Housewives
3. Grey's Anatomy
4. Biggest Loser
5. Privileged
6. Law & Order SVU
7. Ugly Betty
8. Army Wives

8 restaurants that I love:
1. Uno's (Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae)
2. TGIFriday's (Spinach Dip)
3. Outback (Chicken on the Barbie)
4. Texas Roadhouse (Bread!)
5. O'Charley's (Potatoe Soup & Rolls)
6. Panera Bread (Soup in a Bread Bowl)
7. Chick-Fil-A (Chicken Biscuit for Breakfast!)
8. Calhouns on the River (I just love sitting outside on the river in Knoxville!)

8 Things I did today:
1. Took the kitties to a friends to stay for the next 18 days! :(
2. Taught Reading to 8th Graders
3. Made Christmas Ornaments with 7th Graders
4. Analyzed a student's test results
5. Went to our staff luncheon (yum, I brought spinach dip and cookies!)
6. E-mailed a million times
7. Paid a ton of money to the cleaning lady and steam cleaner man (but atleast my friends' house is cat hair free for their Christmas visit)
8. Went running (but I have a bruised ankle, so it was short)

8 Things I Look Forward to:
1. Christmas at home with my grandma
2. Seeing Mary while I'm home
3. Reading books during break
4. New Year's with the fam in Disney
5. Walt Disney World Half and Cirque de Soleil! (Jan. 10th!)
6. Buying a house in the spring
7. Something I can't say yet! :)
8. Having a family one day

8 Things I am Wishing for:
1. to see SNOW for Christmas(haha...what, it's a wish!?)
2. to have a genuine love for my job
3. to find a church home
4. to be able to run the entire half and be proud of my time
5. to be able to keep me job and buy a house
6. to find "Mr. Right"
7. to be a mom one day
8. to go to Africa

8 People I'm tagging to do this:
1. Tiff (If she isn't in labor yet!) :)
2. Olivia
3. Sam
4. Erin
5. Kathie
6. Mary
7. Ashley
8. Emily

Breaking News in Northeast Florida

The following is tonight's weather report. I'm not making it up...


WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM TO 9 AM EST
WEDNESDAY.

THE NATL WEATHER SVC IN JAX HAS ISSUED A WIND
CHILL ADVISORY.WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM TO 9 AM EST
WEDNESDAY.

STRONG HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING INTO THE AREA IS BRINGING VERY COLD
AIR TO THE REGION. IN ADDITION NW WINDS WILL REMAIN AT 10
TO 15 MPH OVERNIGHT. THIS WILL RESULT IN WIND CHILL TEMPS
FALLING TO AROUND 25 DEGREES LATE TONIGHT.ESPECIALLY ALONG THE
BEACHES & ST. JOHNS RIVER WHERE WINDS WILL BE STRONGEST.

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY IS ISSUED FOR NE FL WHEN WIND
SPEEDS ARE AT OR ABOVE 10 MPH & WIND CHILLS ARE BELOW 25 DEGREES
FOR FOUR OR MORE HRS.

LOW WIND CHILLS WILL RESULT IN FROST BITE & LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA
IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN. IF YOU MUST VENTURE OUTDOORS.MAKE
SURE YOU WEAR A HAT & GLOVES.


Hypothermia in Florida. Isn't that statement a bit of an oxymoron? Joking aside, it is uncharacteristically cold today. I'm not looking forward to my run. But I might get to turn my heat on tonight! :)

(I'm frugile, so I have this deal with myself that I won't turn it on until it gets below 60 in the house. For the record, my thermostat loves to hover at 61.) :)

I hope you are all staying warm up in "the north"! :) (Sam feel free to read that last statement without quotation marks, since you are my only reader who truly lives in The North.) :)

Lose That Double Chin

Now that I am starting to get back in shape I really would like to start getting my muscles back. I was searching for arm toning exercizes, because that's the area I want to work on the most.

During my search, I found exercizes for your chin! Who knew these existed!? I have posted them below should anyone be interested in toning their chin or being entertained by the idea of doing so.

*Put your head on your chest and then slowly raise straight back until you can't tilt it anymore. You should have your mouth closed, and you should feel the muscles in your neck pulling. Hold this position for the count of ten, relax, and resume a more natural position. Do this exercise at least twice a day.

*Open your mouth as far as possible and stick your tongue out. Hold that position for a count of ten and then relax. Do this exercise up to ten times per day. While it may look silly, and you may feel silly, it really helps to strengthen your platysma muscle.

*Tilt your head backwards as far as possible. Now hold that position and open and close your mouth. You should feel the muscles in your neck stretching. Do this twice per day.

*Stand with your head in a comfortable position. Now try and bring your lower lip upwards as far as you can. Do this exercise twice daily.

(Do people really do these?)

The Real Me

Natalie Grant is without a doubt one of my favorite singers. She has a beautiful voice and writes many of her own songs, including this one. This song is like a page out of my journal (not that I have been writing in a journal lately...but I should be). I love how transparent she is in sharing her song (and struggles) with the world. It helps me know I'm not the "only one".

I've been really struggling this week and I came to this song once again. I have this tendency to be a perfectionist. Not that I am perfect, I just try to pretend that everything is wonderful and I have it all together. It's like when someone asks "How are you?" and we automatically say "I'm good, how are you?" But we aren't always good. Well, people keep asking me, "How's FL, How's your job?" And I keep saying, "It's good...I'm slowly settling in."

Well I guess this week I came to the realization that it's not good and I'm not settling in. I'm lonely in my big house. Most days, I don't like my job. I don't have friends or family in FL. I'm not really connecting with the church I've been going to. I just feel like I don't have a purpose in life right now. I got through the last 2 years by telling myself it would all be worth it when I was teaching again. And now, all I want to do is go back to my days teaching at Central Elementary in VA. But I have to stop spending my days living in the future or the past. I have to accept the present. And I know God has me in FL for a reason...I just don't know what that is yet.

I'm not spilling my guts for your sympathies. I've just decided that it's ok for it not to be great. I'm struggling right now, but God already knows. I have to be honest about that with myself (and my friends) or it won't change. Hiding behind a smile won't make it all magically better. But being truthful to myself and learning to rely on God and not my circumstances will help me start in the right direction.

So here it is: The Real Me.

10 Years Later

Ten years ago someone very close to me went to be with the Lord. Joe was a young man who loved God, people, and life. He was so vibrant, joyful, and kind. He was the kind of person everyone wanted to be and be around. In the short time that he was a part of my life, he made a huge impact. When he died it ripped my world apart. Why would God let a 19 year old die in a car accident? How could he have fallen asleep so close to home? Suddenly nothing made sense.

Ten years later, I (almost) understand. I look around and see the people whose lives he changed, and I begin to see reason. His impact on my life is obvious. As a deaf person himself, he was the first to introduce me to sign language and deaf culture. Now I spend my days working with deaf children. It's something I never could have imagined ten years ago. But his influence on my life doesn't end there. His life (and death) have truly made me who I am today.

I've stopped asking why it had to happen, because I look around and know. I've stopped wondering how things would be different if he were alive, and I know I wouldn't be the person I am today.

I often say that my goal in life is to impact one person. I don't know if that was Joe's goal, but if it was he was successful.

Though a few weeks ago marked 10 years since his death, there is never a time when he is far from my thoughts. I wrote this poem in rememberance of his life and the impact it had on mine.

10 Years Later:
I remember... ...And you live on

I remember
A Saturday
Homework on a bus
Someone asks me for paper
It was you
And you live on

I remember
A new friend
Writing me notes
And teaching me sign language
It was you
And you live on

I remember
Sunday afternoons
Picnics in my backyard
Riding in your truck
Your friendship
And you live on

I remember
A youth trip
Rollercoaster rides
Enjoying a lazer show
Your laughter
And you live on

I remember
A parking lot
Walking to my car
Someone calls my name
It was you
And you live on

I remember
A Wednesday night
A revival service
A seemingly ordinary goodbye
Your (long) hug
And you live on

I remember
A Thursday night
News that changes my life
Praying I have misunderstood
My tears flow
And you live on

I remember
Many Years
Aware that you are gone
Knowing someone in heaven is watching
It is you
And you live on

I remember
My journey
A path with twists and turns
Someone who touched my life
It was you
And you live on

I am who I am
Because of you
And you live on

I thank you
For changing my life
And you live on

I don't ask why
I don't say goodbye

I remember
And you live on

I remember
And you live on

Can I get a Napkin, Please?

I love this, it makes me laugh every time. I needed to smile today, and I thought I'd post this in case anyone else needed laugh therapy.

Hilarious Regardless of Affiliation

WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD?

BARACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a CHANGE! The chicken wanted CHANGE!

JOHN MC CAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

SARAH PALIN: This chicken question will have to be reconfigured into a caribou or a moose

HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure, right from Day One, that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me...

DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on 'THIS' side of the road before it goes after the problem on the 'OTHER' side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his 'CURRENT' problems before adding 'NEW' problems.

OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so badly. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road or not. The chicken is either with us or against us. There is no middle ground here.

COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.

ANDERSON COOPER (CNN): We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.

JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's GUILTY! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.

DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain. Alone.

GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its life long dream of crossing the road.

ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.

BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken2008, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your check book. Internet Explorer is an integral part of the Chicken. This new platform is much more stable and will never reboot.

ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with THAT chicken. What is your definition of chicken?

AL GORE: I invented the chicken!

COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?

DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?

Pray for my Baby (Please)

Max is sick again (I think). I don't have the time to go into the details, but if you are reading this please pray. He's my baby and something isn't right.

He's going to the vet in the morning. Please pray that he's okay and that it's not too expensive.

Tuesday Night Update: They gave him an IV and his fever came down. They tested him for FIV (like HIV only in cats). But praise God it was negative. So for now we don't know why he's sick. He's been laying on the couch since we got home, but atleast he's not hiding. I have to take him back tomorrow. Hopefully his fever will have stayed down. If not, we'll go from there. They are suspecting some of the symptoms could be a latent reaction to a drug he was on, but that wouldn't explain the fever. So hopefully it's just a freak thing and he'll be back to normal soon. Poor little (seriously he only weighed 7.5 lbs today...that's a little cat) guy.

Wednesday Night Update: No more throwing up, his eyes look better, and his fever is staying down. Hopefully that means we're in the clear. He's still being somewhat cranky, but he's eating and moving around. So hopefully he was just fighting something off and he'll be back to new by tomorrow. I am so overprotective, it's going to be crazy when I have human children. :)

Thanks for the prayers. Max and I truly appreciate them.

A Milestone in My Running Journey

I've never been a good runner. I joined the track team once in high school. I ran the 1600 (the mile) in meets, and I'm pretty sure I came in last at every race. Okay that's not true, because I do distinctly remember a race where I passed a girl. Of course, I probably remember this because she puked on my shoes shortly thereafter. Anyway, I finished the season and stuck to cheerleading and dance after that.

It's not like I'm absolutely terrible at running. In fact, I was often the first to finish in PE classes, I'm just not competition material. Anyway, I always jogged off and on to try to stay "in shape" through high school and occasionally in college. It was never that difficult for me, because I was a dancer so I was never really "out of shape". But the most I ever ran was 3 miles and that was a rare occurrence.

When I started teaching I decided to do a triathlon with some friends. Not sure what possessed me to embark on the this adventure, but I trained hard core for several months. I lost most of the college weight I had gained and got back some of my muscle that I hadn't seen since my tumbling and dancing days. I was ridiculously dedicated. I worked out every day. Often twice a day. I did yoga, cardio and spin classes, swam, ran, and biked. Oh and did I mention I was also teaching dance classes 4 days a week at this time. After 3 months I did the race and absolutely loved it. I remember how excited I was afterwards and how I was already setting goals for the next year.

But the next year never came. I stopped teaching dance and started coaching cheerleading. And coaching sort of took over my life for the next 2 years. I did run off and on and did some (short) races. And I took a dance class. After I finished coaching cheerleading I decided to try to get back "in shape" again. So in 2006 I did a 10K, 10 miler, and a half marathon. It was awesome.but then I had a hip injury. As soon as it healed, I was in a car accident and hurt my neck/back. Between the back pain and the business of grad school, exercise dropped to the bottom of my list of priorities.

Now that I'm done with grad school I have made a newfound commitment to getting "in shape" again. I couldn't find any dance classes here, but I've started running. There have been many times in my life that I have claimed to be "out of shape". People always freak out when I make this claim. I find myself defending this statement and explaining that being thin and being "in shape" are two very different things. What can I say I'm blessed with good genes and I'm not a food person (minus ice cream...i love ice cream).

But this is truly the first time in my life that I have been "out of shape". I didn't know that before; I always thought I was at different times, but when you can go out and run 2 miles after not exercising for a few months you are not "out of shape". I guess I just took it all for granted. Being a dancer I never understood how "in shape" I was. I was so fit cardiovascularly and I was flexible. So it was nothing for me to go out and run, but now it's so different.

Seven weeks ago, I tried to start running and "out of shape" quickly had a new meaning. Running was kicking my butt! I got winded quickly and my whole body hurt. But I've signed up for the Walt Disney World Half Marathon in January and I wasn't going to give up. So I kept it up. The first several weeks I hated every moment. I kept asking myself "When and why did I ever enjoy this?". But then I started having good runs between the bad ones. Slowly the good runs became more of the norm. And today I finally hit a milestone.

I ran 5 miles (actually a little more, I think)! Let me clarify that when I say run I mean jog. In high school I ran 7 minute miles. In college I ran 8 minute miles. Before grad school I ran 9 minute miles. I now run 10-11 minute miles. I've decided that's not really running. It's jogging. But whatever.

I jammed out with the Beatles on my Ipod and ran in the misty rain for nearly an hour. A perfect Sunday evening; I feel so accomplished. And although I questioned why I was pushing myself to do something I was hating, the past 7 weeks suddenly feel worth it. I have 10 weeks until I run 13.1 miles in the most magical place on earth, but I think I'll be ready. :)

Halloween Celebration of Sorts

Now that I am not working as a "mom", Halloween is quite different. No trick or treating, costumes, pumpkin carving, or fall festivals with kids. So today seemed much like any other. I wore a teacheresque large pumpkin necklace with a black shirt in efforts to "celebrate Halloween"and went about my day like a normal Friday school day.

By now you are well aware of the "palm tree story", but I really hadn't told many people at work. My eye was only slightly purple and with makeup it may have passed as a sleep deprived circle for yesterday and much of today. I'm assuming it wasn't too noticable, because no one had really inquired about it, but suddenly at the end of the day today several teachers asked, "What happened to your eye!?" At first I thought it was a blunt deaf thing and that maybe other teachers hadn't asked because they were trying to be polite. But after several inquiries, I thought it must be more noticable now. As soon as I got back from walking the kids to the bus I took a pit stop at the mirror and saw this:

Uh, apparently it's more noticeable! So I stole my friend Emily's idea for a Halloween costume.

Any guesses? I should hold a contest, but only like 5 of you read this. So I'll just tell you. I'm a black-eyed pea! Get it? :) (Yeh, I know I'm a nerd.) I figured if makeup isn't going to cover it I'll embrace it before I come face to face with all of my neighbors and their children! :)

Anyway, after work I picked up some candy and headed home to carve my pumpkins and greet trick or treaters. I know it's a little late for pumpkins, but I just hadn't gotten around to it! Steph and I bought them last week, but never carved them. So I figured "better late than never." I think they turned out pretty good considering I didn't use a pattern. I didn't even draw on them first; I just started cutting! :) And I was carving in between answering the door.

What do you think? The pictures aren't great, but you get the idea. One little boy told me he liked the crosses. Aww... :)

So my favorite costume of the night...Thing 1 and 2. They were sooo cute! These little blonde twin girls had on red footed pajamas. Their mom cut out Thing 1 and 2 circles and taped them on their bellies. They were maybe 2 years old. They kept turning around and telling me "Byyyeee". So cute! :)

Now it's raining and the kids have gone to seek shelter, and I'm blogging 'cause there's nothing else for a single girl to do on Halloween. Hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating Halloween in your own way.

Keys and Palm Trees

Today started out like any other. My alarm went off at 5:40 and I hit snooze and snuggled back under my comforter. Okay so maybe that is a little abnormal, but it was in the 30s last night. That's really cold when you live in FL and don't use heat! Anyway....got up at 6, got ready, walked out the door.

Then my heart skipped a beat, I looked down at my keychain and confirmed my fears. My key (to the house) was not on the ring. (I only have one and though I've told myself to make a copy a hundred times, I never got around to it. And last night after my run, my key apparently did not find it's way back to my keyring.) Crap!

So during the day I called a few locksmiths and met one at the house at 4:30. So yeh, apparently I live in Ft. Knox! It took him an hour to get in the flippin' house! So down an hour and 120 bucks I finally got in the house. After a few phone calls, I headed out for the next adventure: palm trees.

Sure they look beautiful and tropical. But they're not all they're cracked up to be. The ones in my yard have needed a makeover for quite some time. Problema: Jen knows nothing about palm trees or how to prune them. I researched on the internet and bought a pair of special pruning shears. So today I set out on a mission to revamp these trees.


Maybe it was the fall weather inspiring me? Without leaves to rake, I opted for the next best choice: palm tree pruning. So uhm...who knew this chore could be so dangerous? After cutting down about 10 branches a branch fell and hit me square in the face. It hurt, but I was trying to be all tough. (Come on, I was doing yard work, right?) So I moved on to the next branch. Then I felt wetness on my face. Assuming, my eye was watering, I reached up to wipe away tears. Instead a quick glance at my hand revealed lots of blood. Crap! (again)


So I start towards the house when suddenly Nosy Neighbor says, "Whatcha doing over there?" I sorta blew him off and went inside for a rag. I went out and apologized and met his wife, whom I've seen before but never formally met. What a nice introduction. "Hi my name is Jen and I'm a serious klutz." They invited me over for dinner. (Poor girl she has no family and obviously can't take care of herself.) I politely declined, finished my chore, and headed inside.


Now I'm hanging around, watching TV, and icing my eye. The swelling is going down, but it's turning purple. This is going to be so fun to explain tomorrow. Ay de mi. Just one of those days.

Iggy Has a New Home

I've had my turtle since 2004. I got him during my first year teaching. Mar and I were roomates in this dump of an apartment. Across the hall was this "interesting" guy who had lots of turtles and fish. Mary let it slip one day that her roommate "just loved turtles"...and it was all downhill from there! I was invited over to meet all of his exotic wonders. He had both a salt and fresh water tank. Very cool. Anyway...long story short he got me a red eared slider from North Carolina and helped me set up an aquarium with rocks he got at the park and everything. I named him Iggy and Mary and I had fun with our new creature. He was about the size of a quarter and absolutely adorable.

Since then he's lived in 3 apartments and grown to like 15 times his size. I still love Iggy but he was getting increasingly more difficult to care for. Let's just say that when I got him, I had no idea that one day he would require a 100 gallon tank! My mom has been taking care of him since June. She was just supposed to be keeping him for the summer, but whith my fast move to FL there was really no good way to get him down here. I started looking for a home for him, but I wasn't having any luck. So the plan was to pick him up when I went home for Thanksgiving. But my mom called on Friday.

I was down at Jax Beach and the music was loud so I could hardly hear her when she said, "Would it be okay if Iggy went to a new home tomorrow?" Apparently they found a lady who has a protected pond for her 6 turtles. She was willing to adopt him so they took him to his new home in Chesapeake, Virginia on Saturday. I'm sad that I didn't get to say a real goodbye and I'll miss him. But I'm very glad that he has a better home. I know he'll really be taken care of.

This is when he was about 2 years old and still relatively easy to care for. Isn't he cute!

Bye Iggy, I'll miss you! Mommy loves you! Enjoy your new home. I know you'll love it!

Because I now know how to embed videos...

Thanks, Liv! :)

My other favorite Nickelback song.



Now if I only had the video of me signing this song. I do believe it's been my favorite song I've ever signed. (And well I do interpret, so that's alot of songs!) :) One of my students told me she cried when I performed it. I was touched, but I didn't really understand why she was moved to tears.

When I asked her why, she said, "Because I just think it's so awesome, your work...that you care enough to work with deaf kids. They are so lucky to have you. You could be doing so many other things with your life, but it's obvious your passion is for your kids. I know you are great with them." That struck me in a strange way.

Before I had thought of "caring" more in terms of the video. I loved the lyrics, but they made me think of these huge global efforts. I guess I thought teaching wasn't grand enough to make a difference or something? I don't know. But her words really made me think. It is the small stuff that makes a difference too. So kudos to all of you out there making a difference no matter how big or small your sacrifice may be. Thank you for caring.

My New Favorite Song

My friend Steph visited me this week and we had a ton of fun. I got to be a tourist and enjoy FL! We went to the beaches, restaurants, shops, and lighthouse here during the week and took a trip to Daytona today. Pictures and details to come.

But for now...here's one of my new favorite songs. Steph introduced me to it...and I love it. :) Don't think I'm getting all "sad to be single". Cause let me tell you I appreciate it wholeheartedly about 90% of the time. Plus I firmly believe that "everything is in God's timing" and "everything happens for a reason". I just like the lyrics and melody. And what can I say...I'm a girl. I'm a sucker for a love song, story, poem, book... :) And well, Nickelback is such a great band. :) (Love, love, love "If Everyone Cared")

This time I wonder what it feels like

To find the one in this life

The one we all dream of

But dreams just aren’t enough

So I’ll be waiting for the real thing

I’ll know it by the feeling

The moment when we’re meeting

We’ll play out like a scene straight off the silver screen

So I’ll be holdin’ my own breath

Right up to the end

Until that moment when

I find the one that I’ll spend forever with

‘Cause nobody wants to be the last one there

‘Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares

Someone to love with my life in their handsT

here’s gotta be somebody for me like that

‘Cause nobody wants to go it on their own

And everyone wants to know they’re not alone

Is there somebody else that feels the same somewhere

There’s gotta be somebody for me out there

Tonight out on the street out in the moonlight

And damn it this feels too right

It’s just like Déjà VuMe standin’ here with you

So I’ll be holdin’ my breath

Could this be the end?

Is it that moment when

I find the one that I’ll spend forever with?

‘Cause nobody wants to be the last one there

‘Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares

Someone to love with my life in their hands

There´s gotta be somebody for me like that

‘Cause nobody wants to go it on their own

And everyone wants to know they’re not alone

Is there somebody else that feels the same somewhere?

There’s gotta be somebody for me out there

You can’t give up!

When you’re lookin’ for that diamond in the rough

Because you never know but when it shows up

Make sure you’re holdin’ on

‘Cause it could be the one, the one you’re waiting on
‘Cause nobody wants to be the last one there

And everyone wants to feel like someone cares

Someone to love with my life in their hands

There has gotta be somebody for me

Ohhhh…

Nobody wants to go it on their own

And everyone wants to know they’re not alone

Is there somebody else that feels the same somewhere?

There’s gotta be somebody for me out there

Nobody wants to be the last one there

‘Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares

Is there somebody else that feels the same somewhere?

There has gotta be somebody for me out there.

Lucy's Favorite Activities

1) Climbing.

So last Saturday Max and I were watching TV on the couch. Meanwhile, Lucy, in search for her daily adventure, was climbing the stairs (on the outside of the railing). She made it all the way to the top, then couldn't figure out how to go back down. She tried backing up, but it wasn't working. She she tried to turn around. Of course she slipped. But she held on for dear life with her front paws. (She looked like a little rock climber!) She successfully pulled herself back up and began her descent. At this point I snapped the picture above. A few minutes later she attempted her climb again. She again she reached the top and slipped as she tried to turn around. Only this time she wasn't quite so lucky. She couldn't hold on...and fell 10 feet to the ground! Max, the perfect gentleman, jumped up and ran to her side to make sure she was okay. She is, but she hasn't made a third attempt! :) However, she continues to run up the stairs on the inside of the railing for her daily exercize.

2. Playing with "Toys"

Pretty much everything is a toy to Lucy. Cups, papers, jewelery....anything she can get her hands on. She even dragged a shirt all the way from my closet to the living room. It was on a hanger, but had strings hanging down...so of course, she couldn't resist. So today's toy: Mommy pulled the blinds up. So naturally, the blind pull became a toy that occupied her for atleast an hour. Notice Max totally ignores her and looks out the window the entire time!

3. Watching TV

Seriously, she loves television. It's really weird. She just sits there and watches it. So of course I snapped a picture.

4. Playing with Max

She loves to wrestle, play tag, and chase with Max; it's really cute. And equally annoying when I'm trying to sleep!

5. Cuddling with Max

She loves her big brother. She hardly ever leaves his side. I'm not kidding, when Max goes in the litter box, Lucy sits outside of it waiting. She doesn't really understand the whole privacy idea. They are totally cute together. I love when they cuddle and lick each other. It makes me happy that I got Max a friend.

Mary, are you happy? I didn't write about politics for once. Only 2 more weeks and then I promise I'm done anyway! :)

And Katherine Ann, you should be happy...more Max and Lucy stories. 'Cause really they are the only interesting part of my Florida life...I gotta meet people...or I'm gonna turn into an old cat lady....maybe I'll join eHarmony and attempt to meet a guy! :P But really I'd just settle for a few Christian friends. Do they have a place to meet those? Oh wait, I think that's called church. Gotta find one of those too. :)

Really, Madeleine? You're not a Palin supporter? I'm Shocked!

http://www.americablog.com/2008/10/palin-misquotes-her-starbucks-cup.html

Uh, no. Not really. But I do think this event and prompt response contain several important lessons for us, the voters of America.

What we learn from this:

1) Sarah Palin frequents Starbucks.
(Or maybe not...what exactly is a "mocha"?)
2) Sarah Palin has trouble reading her "mocha" cup.
(Maybe she was nervous...or maybe not.)
3) Madeleine Albright doesn't like jokes.
(Or maybe she doesn't know what one is.)
4) Madeleine Albright is in fact not a supporter of Palin. In fact, she wasn't really talking about Governor Palin on cup jacket.
(Shocking! I'm so glad she cleared this up.)
5) Madeleine Albright takes herself too seriously.
(Cause really I was gonna vote McCain/Palin based on her quote.)

It's almost October...

...and I went tubing today!

Seriously! I love Florida! What a perfect day!

80 degree weather, friends, the intracoastal, and dolphins...what more could a girl wish for on a Saturday. :)

Pictures can't do it justice. We saw several pods...it was so cool!

I don't think the novelty will ever wear off.

A Mother Knows...

So on Sunday night, I had this dream that Max, my beautiful 4 year old cat, died! My memory is fuzzy on "how", but I vividly recall holding his (soft, furry,) dead body. I woke up at 4AM and called for him so I could ensure this event had in fact only occurred in my slumbering visions. He came, we cuddled, all was well.

Then on Monday night I start wrapping up my evening around 10:30. As usual, I call for Max to inform him that it's time for bed. Only he doesn't come. I assume he's been accidentally shut in a closet so I start to search for him. I open all the doors I remembered opening, then I open every cabinet and door in the house. No signs of Max. I occasionally hear a jingle (of a collar)and my heart skips a beat until I realize that it's only Lucy. I start to think about when I saw him last...I remembered him cuddling with me and Lucy on the couch after supper, I recalled petting him after cleaning the pool filter thingee, but I didn't remember seeing him after I took out the trash. Oh no! He must be outside. So I send out the search party. (Okay, so really I just went out alone with a flashlight.) I am shining the light in the bushes looking for an signs of movement, when I start to feel raindrops. The drops quickly turn to rain and I start to panic. I walk back inside to perform yet another walk through. Nothing. I call his name and whistle-nothing. So I do the only thing I can think to do....I get in my car and slowly scour the neighborhood, looking for a black cat. I've lost my mind and my neighbors are wondering what I am doing at this point. Aware of Max's disappearance for an hour now, I return home dejected. I enter the house in tears, unsure of what I can do. Logic tells me everything is fine: he has a collar, he is microchipped, lots of cats live outside, there are no wild animals here, rain is just water, someone will find him, someone will call, I can go to bed. My heart tells me something is wrong: Max doesn't go outside, Max comes when he is called, Max is not vaccinated, Max is not a normal cat, Max has anaphalactic allergies, I HAD A DREAM. (I know you think I'm crazy, but lots of my dreams are prophetic.) Anyway...feeling helpless, I walk into my kitchen and see the most beautiful sight in the world. Max is on my kitchen counter. Normally, I would clap my hands loudly and yell at him to get down, instead I picked him up and held him for a few minutes telling him, "Never do that again; Mommy was so scared. Why didn't you come?"

Tuesday he hid from me most of the evening. He got up on a shelf in a corner behind one of my framed pictures. When he got up he knocked over my photograph and I yelled at him. He got down and hid for the rest of the evening. I was feeling frustrated because his personality seemed to be changing. He has always been a momma's boy. He rarely leaves my side and has always been very obedient. Assuming he was mad about Lucy, I just hoped that he would get used to the idea and start cuddling again soon.

Wednesday morning I wake up sad, because it was the 2nd night Max hadn't slept with me. I found him in the closet up on a shelf. He was smacking his mouth a little and I noticed his fur was a bit sticky, but he purred when I pet him, so I shrugged it off assuming he had gotten into something sticky. I told a few friends at work that I just felt like something was wrong. I told them he wasn't being himself. That and the dream were still really worrying me, but you can't take a cat to the vet with these complaints. So I thought "I must be neurotic".

Wednesday afternoon he's being his what has become normal self and hiding. But before I go running at 7:30 I decide to search for him. I find him under my bed COVERED in drool. I put him in the sink to look in his mouth. He won't let me, and he stays there for several hours. I know realize he is not eating, drinking, or using his litter box. After my run, I goggle "cats drooling". This search further supports my speculation that he has an infection in his mouth. I spend the evening petting him and trying to get him to drink water (to no avail). Then fall into a restless sleep.

Thursday morning I get up and get ready very early and wait around until the vet opens. I call them at exactly 7:01 and they say I can bring him at 8. He doesn't even fight me as I put him in the carrier! I get there at 7:45 and leave him in there care while I go to work. The phone calls confirm the diagnosis of oral infection. They start him on an IV and antibiotics and do blood work to search for a cause to this aggressive illness. They put him under to perform surgery. They extracted 4 teeth and found ulcers in his mouth. Poor baby! The veterinarian thinks that he caught calcinivirus from Lucy, and became sick very quickly because of his compromised immune system. I picked him up at the end of the day and he looked pitiful!

He's doing better now, but definitely still getting his strength back. He still has a runny nose and eyes. And he's losing fur above his eyes. And his mouth is oozing. Poor guy. But he is purring...so I know he's feeling better. Plus he's not hiding from me (only Lucy!). :)

But seriously a mother knows. While I'm definitely sad that he is/was sick, I'm very glad that:
1) I'm not crazy (there was something wrong!)
2) His personality isn't changing. He is still my sweet, obedient Maxwell Milton.

Pray for him to get better. Max is my best friend. He's the only ones who has made it through 3 states with me and always been there for me. I know it sounds crazy, but he really is my closest confident. I tell him everything and he always listens. :) I don't know what I'd do if I lost him. So pray. Pray that he can fight this infection and pray that he doesn't get another one. My dream cannot come true.

If you were me....?

This story starts in June when I went to Jacksonville and ended up interviewing with FSDB. It was the end of several weeks of traveling and my back was killing me. When mom and I got to the airport we found a spa. We had 30 minutes so we both got chair massages. (I have to tell you that I was never a massage person until a french canadian man decided to plow his delivery truck into my car, leaving me with incessant neck and back pain).

Anyway, when we got to our terminal we discovered that our flight was delayed. What else is there to do in a small airport? So we went back for more! When we returned we were informed they had rooms in the back where we could get real massages. Mom was paying, so of course I indulged. And I got one of the best massages I've ever had! The girl's name was Nicole and she was great.

When mom and Doug helped me move down here they flew home and made a visit to the spa on their way out. Mom got Nicole's number because she does in home massages. This was great news for me, because if I'm going to train for this 1/2 marathon I'm going to need to have massage therapy.

So a few weeks ago, I was flying home for the weekend and stopped by the spa. I was happy to see Nicole was there and decided to get a 20 minute chair massage. So I'm sitting there, trying to relax and enjoy this moment. Suddenly, I start to feel like I'm going to puke...I think "this is not going to be a comfortable massage, but I'll be okay"....I'm trying to convince myself this is true, because of course I don't want to tell the lady I suddenly feel as though I will vomit. And I don't even understand why this is happening.

Then I start feeling really hot and realize that I'm not going to be able to make it through the massage...so I sit up and say, "You're not hurting me, but I feel really nauseous all of a sudden." As she's saying, "Are you okay...should I get a trash can?", I realize I can't see. So I say, "I don't know I feel like I might pass out, maybe I should drink some water."

And then without any further warning. I just completely pass out. When I "wake up" she helps me walk to a back room (because let's face it...this is really bad for business). As I'm walking my vision is still tunneled and very fuzzy, but I know I'm walking past several workers and customers so I'm trying to get it together. My memory of this part isn't quite as vivid, but I'm positive that I was gagging and making "I'm gonna puke" faces as I tried not to actually vomit. She leaves me on a massage table in a back room and I drink some water while she goes to (I assume) talk with her co-workers about the crazy passing out redhead.

She rejoins me in the room as I lay in the dark, attempting to fully return to reality. After a while I feel fine and we re-enter the front of the spa. Everyone is staring at me asking, "Are you ok?", "Do you have low blood pressure?" "Have you eaten today?"I quickly pay (leaving a generous tip) and repeatedly apologize explaining, "I have no idea...this doesn't normally happen." And seriously this is very true. I was not sick, I had eaten, I am clueless as to the cause of this embarrassing moment.

On my return trip I practically ran past the store! But I definitely saw her, and I'm pretty sure she saw me. My plan was to call her and have her come to my house, but now....? So my question is..."If you were me...would you ever face Nicole again?" ('Cause her massages are quite helpful to my french canadian man induced pain.)

I went for cat litter....

...I came home with Lucy.

Meet Lucilia Louise. She is Maxwell Milton's new baby sister. They aren't friends yet, but hopefully if I introduce them correctly they will be best buds very soon! :) Max still slept with me last night, so he must not be too upset. :)

I played with names like Madelyn, Anastasia, Maggie, Molly, Catarina, and Lila...but I settled on Lucy. Lucy is my favorite character in the Chronicles of Narnia, but my kitty needed a more sophisticated name. She is a proper lady and her brother has a very proper name. So I eventually decided on the name Lucilia (a name I read once in the Canterbury Tales) Louise (for Louisa May Alcott).

Isn't she beautiful! It's hard to photograph her blue eyes and she won't sit still....but you get the idea. Her tail is my favorite part!

Have I mentioned I love the beach?

Yeh, probably a few times. :)

Well, I live in Florida now, but I haven't been enjoying the fact that I live by the ocean! In fact the last time I went to the beach was over a month ago...when I took my mom and her husband the first weekend I moved here. Since then I've been to Md and Va and the hurricanes came here...so I just haven't made it back. But finally today I decided to stop at the beach on my way home from work.

I didn't have a swimsuit so I just set out on a barefoot stroll down the beach. I was enjoying my caramel frapaccino (shoutout to Starbucks), the soft sand between my toes, and the foamy water that occasionally leapt up to my knees. I smiled at little boys trying to emulate their fathers as they attempted to catch more than a wave with their fishing poles. I shook my head as a few runners passed by thinking..."I really should be doing that". And I watched the surfers wishing I was fearless enough to try something that looks so freeing. Basically, I was just enjoying a relaxing afternoon marveling at God's creation and the people enjoying it.

Sidenote: I have a lamp that is glass that was bought 5 years ago with lofty intentions to do something crafty; however, the extent of my creativeness thus far has been the ribbon tied around the shade. I've thought about putting flower petals or potpourri in it before, but I guess I've never been too inspired. Anyway, I recently decided that I should fill it with seashells. Back to current story...

As I meandered farther down the beach I began to head up towards the dunes to do some "shelling". Armed with my (now empty) Starbucks cup, I was planning to search the sand for small shells for my project. But, what I found quickly changed my plans. Because of the recent Atlantic storms, I found myself collecting a myriad of very large shells. I quickly realized this cup was just not going to do. I took off one of my tanks and tied the straps to create a bag. Now more properly equipped, I began to scour the beach for unique shells. Soon my feet were raw from broken shells, my shoulders were turning pink, and my "bag" was becoming very heavy.

I had to tear myself away from the search to head back down to the softer sand and foamy water. I walked back, once again enjoying the ocean, satisfied by my unexpected afternoon adventure and finds. They shells are amazing, but much to large for my original idea. The lamp project will have to wait for another day.

Now I have to come up with a new idea for these beauties. I have a few thoughts, but if you have any seashell crafts let me know!

Check out my finds! It's hard to tell, but the shells are the size of my fist or larger.

Journey To Where

I decided to start a blog for my meandering thoughts. I don't know if I'll be faithful, but here's my first shot.

I was thinking today about "my journey" and I thought of a camp I went to 16 years ago! The summer after 4th grade I went to Crosspoint, a Christian sports camp. Our theme for the week was "Journey to Where". Everyday we sang this song...complete with camp hand motions, of course! (Luckily you are spared the church sign language and offkey singing, since you are reading the finished product instead of watching me attempt to remember the lyrics in my living room.)

I'm on a journey, a journey, a journey...
to anywhere the Lord wants me to be.
And he'll take me by the hand, and he'll walk with me,
never let me go. Oh, can't you see?

That I'll be walking, walking in his ways
And I'll love him and I'll serve him every day.
Oh, Oh. Yeh, Yeh. Love him and I'll serve him every day.

When the road is long and the journey is tough,
I know that I'll be safe in the arms of his love.

I'm sure the song continues for another verse or something, but that is all my mind can retain after a decade and a half.

Anway, I share this cheesy song to say that during that week at camp I began to understand. Not only was it the first time I began to comprehend Christianity and have faith in the Lord, but I also began to understand that my life was a journey. I started to see that I wasn't the author of the story, but that God was and He was the only one who knew how the book would end and what turns it would take along the way. I began to realize that my circumstances were not permanent. And I found comfort that though I was in a tough part of the journey, I was safe in God's arms.

Since then the road had been long and the journey has been tough, but I have slowly learned how to take God's hand and follow Him. I'm still learning and I'm still on the journey, but I know I'm where he wants me to be.

I know that is all super cheesy...but I thought I'd give you a little insight on my blog's title and address. Welcome to my journey. :)