Home

We're home and settled back into real life. This is a very short post, as we have a ton of things to do, but I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!!!!

Loving This Vacation!

Hello everyone!!

I am going to make this pretty brief because they charge $.55/minute and their computers are so slow! I heard through the grapevine that I managed to miss the icy weather! Crazy! I am in Roatan, Honduras today and the weather is wonderful!! We took the island tour and did a jungle tour and saw lots of native fruits and veggis as well as beautiful trees and even a few small animals. People in Roatan are wonderful, and when the ship pulled into port this morning the natives were in costume dancing for us on the pier...very cool! We were in Cozumel yesterday and swam with the dolphins. What an amazing experience! Tomorrow we will be in Costa Maya for some beach time and snorkeling. I can't wait! I've been good and haven't sunburned yet, so I am hoping that stays the case for me. I must say that the food here is wonderful! We ate lunch at a restaurant in Cozumel yesterday and I loved it! Lots of authentic food that was very tasty! Food on the ship is excellent! I thought I would gain a ton of weight, but so far I am doing well...I haven't been able to be sedentary...we've been up and running a lot! I sang karaoke Monday night and made the cut to perform on Saturday evening, so who knew that would happen? It's so much fun and there is always something to do on board.

When we got to Galveston Saturday, we drove over to Bolivar and the devastation from Ike is horrifying. It's still a mess in some places in Galveston, but nothing like across the ferry. I'll post pictures when I come home...it's heartbreaking, and as I saw it all I found that I didn't even know how to express what I was feeling. There's almost nothing recognizeable there.

Enough about the sad stuff. It's beautiful weather here! Oh, and funny thing...as we got on the elevators to go down and disembark in Roatan, there was a very familiar couple on the elevator. It was Kevin Alexander's parents!!! What a hoot! It was great to see them and I hope we bump into them again!

It's ben hard adjusting to the rocking of the boat. No seasickness, I'm just walking like a drunk everywhere I go! (Yes I have had my share of the "drinks of the day", but I've been sober!!) It's funny on land when you have these odd sensations like you're still at sea even on land. I think I will have to reacclimate when I get home. We've taken tons of pics and I will post them when I get home. There's a good one of me with a parrot on my head and David next to me holding a HUGE iguana! Yeah, we party like animals!!

I think that's it for now. I don't know if I will post again until after I get home, but I'll try. Seriously, if you've never cruised before, do it! It rocks!

Twas The Night Before Cruisemas...

Tomorrow we head down to Galveston!! It's been a rush the last two days just getting everything done. I am finally getting packed tonight, and it's exciting! It's hard to pack...I always have a habit of bringing a little more than I need, so I am trying to pare down but that's not easy.

We had a lovely lunch today with David's parents. It's his father's 75th birthday so we took them to Maggiano's for lunch. YUM! Then we made the mistake of stopping at Williams-Sonoma afterwards. $65 later we left with cookie cutters, a snowflake shapped spatula, a hot chocolate pot with a frother, and a $10 donation to St. Jude's (probably the most worthwhile way to spend any of that money!). But we will make hot chocolate tonight to try our new pot out...it's way cool! And we do love the hot chocolate when the weather is cold! :)

So 48 hours from now we'll be on our way to Cozumel! Warmer weather, here I come! Check back during the week, as there is an internet cafe on the ship and I will try to blog at least once or twice!

Dean's List

I am posting late, as I just took my final in Adolescent Psych and I have made an A in the class! Couple that with my B in Dynamics of Mental Health and that equals the Dean's List for me!!!! I am a VERY excited girl!!

Now I can finally focus on getting ready for the cruise! Oh, and this means I also have no school until January 19th!! Woot!

One Down, One To Go

So I got my Dynamics of Mental Health exam out of the way now, and I think it went pretty well. (yay!) Now I have to spend my evening getting prepared for my Adolescent Psych exam tomorrow night. This is the class I take online, so my exam is online and I have until 10pm tomorrow night to take it. I just want to make sure I am as prepared as possible. If I feel ready, I may take it tonight but I doubt it.

I am off work beginning Thursday, and I don't have to come back until the 29th...this is exciting to me! I started pulling clothes out of the closet to try and figure out what to wear on the cruise, but I felt like I needed to keep my focus on school. I'll start really getting ready to go on Thursday. :) I am taking my friend Wendy to lunch on Thursday as a belated birthday treat. She is kind enough to be watching the kitties while we are away, and I know they'll be in good hands. (But they're going to be mad at us for leaving, that's for sure!) Friday we are taking David's parents to lunch to celebrate my FIL's 75th birthday. We head on out to Galveston on Saturday morning. I am eager to see how things look down there after the hurricane wiped everything out. We got word from our travel agent (insert shameless plug for Memory Maker Travel here) that the Port of Galveston is open and we're leaving from there, so we're happy about that. We have reservations at a hotel that finally has it's phone service back and is ready for guests, so everything is going according to the original plan. Yay!

With the shape of the the economy, we hadn't been planning for David to get his Christmas bonus this year, but they got word yesterday that they will be getting so we are VERY excited about that! We're going to chunk most of it into savings, but we'll be using some for fun! We've decided to issue a challenge to ourselves for 2009...we're going to try and live on just one income and sock the other away into savings. I think we can do it, we (translation: me) need to cool our spending as we've done our part to boost the economy lately. As long as gas prices stay down, I think we should do pretty well! It will be fun to see where we are at the end of next year!

That's it for today. Lots to do since tomorrow is my last day in the office until after Christmas. I hope everyone has a great Tuesday!

Final Exam #1

Tonight is my final in Dynamics of Mental Health. This class has been good, but a real challenge for me, so I am trying to make sure I get an A on the final. If I do, it will pretty much solidify a B for me, which I will be okay with. I am pretty sure I'll make an A in my Adolescent Psych class, so if I get an A and a B this semester, I will make the Dean's List which would make my day! Yeah, I'm a school nerd and I love it. :) I spent the day yesterday studying for my test tonight and I do feel ready. I just need a calm day at work and for nothing to distract me during my test.

I started trying to figure out what to take on the cruise last night. When I went to Paris, I way over packed and I am trying not to do that this time around. However, I think I am already on that track, so tonight I am going to sit down and actually put outfits together and see what really makes sense to take. I am getting excited, but I am having to stay grounded so I don't lose my focus on school. I can cut loose after Wednesday, though! I am off work beginning Thursday morning, and I am excited! I am taking Wendy for her birthday lunch, Shanna's girl's are coming over to make chocolate dipped marshmallows for her classmates, and I think Friday we may be taking David's father to lunch to celebrate his 75th birthday. We have a busy week this week! It should go quickly, but in a way I don't want it to...too much to get done!! But it's all good. :)

I think that's enough for today. I hope everyone has a wonderful Monday! (Is that possible?)

The Belated "What I Am Thankful For" Post

I try to do this and this year I just forgot! However, I still think it's important to list those things I am thankful for:

1. Family - Where would I be without you guys? I am a lucky girl to have the husband, parents, "cuz", grandfather, step-grandmother, aunts and unlces, etc. that I have. I love you all!

2. Friends - I am so grateful for you guys. It's been a trying year for me with school and stuff, and your patience is not only needed, but appreciated! I know I don't get out as much as I used to and I'm not available for ladies' nights these days, but I don't love you any less. You all mean the world to me.

3. Job - I am thankful to have a good job. There are days when I don't love it as much as other days, but I am happy to have a place to go and a good paycheck. :)

4. Cruisemas - Yes, this one is totally selfish. I am looking forward to our cruise in two weeks! Dave and I call it "Cruisemas" since it's the week before Christmas. Clever, right? Besides, it's coming the week that I finish my finals and I am going to need it!

5. School - Yes, as much work as it is, I am grateful to have the chance (and the desire!) to go back to school. I love it, even though I have no life anymore. :) But one day I will be done and I will be able to do something meaningful. I owe my chance to mom...thanks so much!! (I don't have to pay my tuition thanks to her!)

That's my top 5. I'm grateful for much more than that, but that's enough for now. I hope all of you had a chance to think about what you're grateful for!

The Christmas Season Begins

We spent our day yesterday putting up our tree and getting into the Christmas season. We had a great day, and we made beer-cheese fondue and drank yummy wine. David made chicken for dinner and Mom came over and hung out since Dad was at a football game. It was a great evening, and I am feeling so relaxed. However, that ends now as I am getting ready for one more test and then two final exams. When those are done I am going to be SOOOO ready for our cruise!! We set sail two weeks from today and I am going to be really ready for that. We're leaving the 13th to head down there and get the party started. It's going to be interesting to see what Galveston looks like these days. I'll take lots of pictures.

But that's it for now. I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving!

Yum!

Today was a great day! David and I have spent the two days cooking and cleaning and getting ready, and today we had my family over for dinner. David did the turkey, and the 36 hours of brining and then roasting to perfection most certainly paid off! Everything was delicious, and we had so much fun! We had a Wii Tennis tournament, we goofed around, ate, drank, and enjoyed some football. What an awesome day! I am so lucky to have the family that I do...no, not lucky, blessed. We missed Grampa, Ann, and Rob, but Grampa and Ann were off on their 15 day cruise to Hawaii (how lucky to be 89 and out on a cruise with your wife!) and Rob has moved to Vegas and couldn't make it home this year. But that aside, the day was wonderful.

Now I am full and sleepy, and I am going to go put on my pajamas and chill. I hope everyone has had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Happy Birthday Dad!!

It's my Dad's birthday today! We're waiting for them to get here and then we're taking them out for dinner. It's been a nice day...David and I have relaxed and watched the Cowboys win (yay!) and just hung out. :)

Tonight there is a bit of cake and ice cream...a nice finish to a great weekend! :)

And now it's time to get ready for Thanksgiving! I'm hosting and I am really looking forward to it! I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend!

Treading Water

Well, I have been slow to post but I have been swamped with homework. I am excited to report that I got my major homework stuff completed and off my plate, so I am actually getting to enjoy myself just a bit. We had a our weekly dinner with Grampa last night, and had a great time. He and his wife are leaving next Wednesday for a 15-day Hawaiian cruise. Let's think on that for a moment...he is 89 and cruising! I love it! I hope to be 89 and active enough to be going on cruises one day! They are so cute about it...I will miss them on Thanksgiving, but I am so happy they are enjoying their lives. :)

David and I will be hosting Thanksgiving since it will be a small group. I'm looking forward to doing the cooking and then kicking back to watch the Cowboys play...I thought they were starting to look better last week, so I am hopeful. We'll see!

I have three and a half weeks of school left in this semester...and I am ready for the break!!! We leave on OUR cruise on the 14th, but we're heading down on the 13th so we don't have to rush. Our hotel in Galveston is open and we hear that the cruise ports will be ready by then, so I think we're leaving out of G-Town. I hope so...I want to see that area rebuilt. It's not a super luxurious tropical island, but it's a neat place and I hope they can have a full recovery after Ike.

That's all I have for now. I hope everyone has a great day!

Words From My Mother

I got this in an email from my mom this morning. It doesn't matter how you voted, it's a great day in history for everyone! Here's my mom's email:

"Well, it's quite a day and as I was thinking about everything, I felt pretty emotional. And here's why….

In my lifetime I have seen a lot happen. I remember:

White and colored drinking fountains and bathrooms.

Mother being in trouble with the neighbors because she would let our maid in the front door.
Neighbors said she was ruining it for all of them because they would all want to be let in through the front door.

Our yard man, Mr. Johnson, who would knock on the back door and ask for a drink of water and then stepping back down the steps to wait in the yard for his drink. He would tell me that, "I knows my place." I was about 10-11 and I just couldn't understand exactly what that meant.

I rode the bus to work in downtown Fort Worth in my early twenties and, if the bus was full and more White people got on, the bus driver got up and told the Blacks to move to the back of the bus where they had to stand. Even pregnant Black ladies were made to move to the back and often had to stand while riding the bus.

I remember Martin Luther King and the awful, but brave and courageous struggle he and others waged for a better life for all people.

I remember the march through Selma, Alabama, and the other marches that he and others led. Do you suppose that God would let Dr. King know this part of the dream?

Four young men went into Woolworth's to try to get served at the lunch counter.

Miss Parks did NOT move to the back of the bus and she went to jail.

A little Black girl walked through an angry, hate-filled crowd to go to school in Alabama.

Whites and Blacks lost their lives in the struggle to sign Blacks up for better housing.

Poll taxes were put in place to keep Black people from voting because they could not afford to pay it.

I was moved to see the tears of Jessie Jackson and others who know the struggle from the inside out.

But what really moved me is that Shanna was able to take her girls with her while she voted and she was there to answer their questions about the vote for President. Someday, they will vote and they won't have to walk through an angry crowd or pay a Poll Tax -- it's their right to vote. A lot of people paid the price and I am so proud she is instilling in them about the importance of their vote and that it will count!

I wish I were more eloquent, but it's a proud moment in our history.

Love, Mom"

Amen to that, Mom. How neat to be a witness to history!

Vote!

Today is the day...I hope you will all get out there and vote! I refuse to open the blog up for a debate on candidates, I am just here reminding you to get on out there and exercise your hard-earned right to vote. (Especially us gals...in the grand scheme of things, we' haven't had this right for very long so lets do it!)

And if you vote, be sure to stop by Krispy Kreme, Starbucks, or Ben and Jerrys to get your freebies!!

Happy Election Day, America!

Sick...and Tired!

I am both. Sick, and tired. My allergies are just really driving me nuts, and I am just worn out. We went to the funeral of a close friend's father yesterday, and I think that emotionally drained me as well. It's a tough thing to realize that we are getting to be that age where this is happening more often. One of David's close friends lost his father on Sunday, and then a close friend of mine lost his on Wednesday. It's just heartbreaking. I suppose the bright spot in this is that we've seen friends we haven't seen since the wedding, and that's nice. We agreed that it would be good to get together for something besides a wedding or a funeral. Now if only everyone had some spare time!

That's it for today. I am going to go rest on the couch. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

I Got Tagged

My friend Jessica tagged me on this one.....Rules: Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people & posts their names, then goes to their blog & leaves them a comment letting them know that they have been tagged & asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you've answered the questions on your blog.

10 YEARS AGO I...
1. Was in a relationship that wasn't so good for me
2. Was 26 years old
3. Was working for CIGNA
4. Was driving a Honda Civic
5. Was just learning the joys of MAC Cosmetics!

5 THINGS ON TODAY'S TO-DO LIST
1. buy cat litter
2. scoop out the old cat litter in the kitty box - not something I want to do!
3. study for a test on Monday
4. take my Adolescent psych quiz online (I made 100!)
5. Read blogs!

5 THINGS I WOULD DO IF I WERE A MILLIONAIRE
1. Buy a house
2. quit my job and go to school full time
3. give to the food bank
4. take my parents to the Isle of Man - where my family is originally from!
5. Take a very special trip with my hubby

5 PLACES I HAVE LIVED
1. Bedford, TX
2. Irving, TX
3. Hurst, TX
4. Seattle, WA
5. Back to Bedford again!

5 JOBS I'VE HAD
1. Sales associate at Claire's Boutique
2. Shoe salesperson
3. Customer Service/Tech support
4. Waitress
5. Account Manager

I don't know who to tag specifically to do this, so everyone just do this and post it! ;)

Put Your Fork Down And Help Someone

I participated in my company's annual Community Day event yesterday by working at the North Texas Food Bank. What they do there is amazing, and I am always glad that I chose to work there. Yesterday I worked on a project called Food For Kids. It's a program that encourages teachers to identify children who come to school on Mondays exhibiting signs of starvation. (These kiddos aren't getting any meals on the weekends.) So each Friday, the Food Bank brings bags of food tucked into backpacks for these kids. These bags have juice boxes, fruit roll-ups, fruit, peanuts, cereal, etc, in them. It's all stuff these kids can eat without help or utensils or cooking. The real tearful moment for me was when the woman from NTFB told us one teacher recently identified a student for this program who was so hungry he was eating the paper off of his crayon. This, needless to say, brought me to tears. And I can hardly retell the story without crying. How is it that, even in these economic times, we have children going without food? We have so many people who have the resources to help and just don't. Maybe because they don't know about stories like this one. I didn't until yesterday. But David and I have vowed to start doing more. What I don't have is lots of extra time, but I do have some extra money to donate. The NTFB says that for every $1 donated, 5 meals are able to be provided. That's a lot of meals for a little money. And it's not just the Food For Kids program...some food goes to the Houston Food Bank to help hurricane victims. Some will go to the Salvation Army, church food pantries, and various other places where food and meals are needed.

I am achy and sore today from all the work I did yesterday, but each ache and pain reminds me that because of what 79 of my coworkers and I did, 40,000 meals are going to be delivered to people who need them. I can feel good about that!

Argh!

Today it seems that the Blogrolling people have had major issues, so if you know I link to your blog and you don't see it here, hang in there. I didn't start deleting things. I reposted the ones I know by heart, but I'll have to wait for the rest to come back.

Oh, and I can't seem to get Blogger to update my layout. Lovely. Anyhow, the blogosphere is not my friend today. Yay.

Thankfully, it is Friday and I have some scheduled down time. Does it count that my down time includes doing my Adolescent Psych homework? Maybe not, but I'll be doing it while I eat my Chinese Chicken Salad from Cheesecake Factory that I am picking up for myself tonight. Somehow, it does ease the pain of doing homework on a Friday night. (I have a study partner coming tomorrow so I have to be prepared.)

Hopefully other people will do far more fun things than I will. But at least I am winning in my fantasy football league. (Ha ha, Greg and David!)

Caving In

Sometimes things feel like that...like life is caving in. I think I am learning to work with that...that caving in feeling. There has been a lot going on that's far too private to share, but it's been rather stressful behind the scenes. I spent a long time talking to my Mom last night on the way home from dinner with Grampa last night. My mother is most certainly biased - she IS my mother, but she gives me very good advice and provides very good feedback when I need honesty. It was good to get some clarity, and she helped me feel good about a lot of things.

I often struggle with the worry that maybe I don't have my priorities in the right place, or maybe my choices aren't right, am I being the best person I can be, how can I tighten up my shortcomings? I don't know if other people share these struggles, but I feel like I'm hanging halfway out of a tornado. It's a tough place to be, for sure. I've had to watch a couple of people deal with things that have been life-threatening lately, and it sure puts some things into perspective, although somehow it doesn't really help me answer all my own questions just yet. But that's ok. (My marriage is solid, so that's not my stressor at all, don't fret.) I've been pulled in so many directions lately that I can't tell if I am coming or going. Every one of my obligations are my choice, but these choices are important and have demanded a considerable amount of attention. So my friends, if you are feeling neglected or distanced from me, I just ask that you bear with me. I am still organizing my life and figuring out how it all fits together. I'm learning how to be a wife and a student and have study time and carry a full time job and be a good Aunt to seven really great kids, not to mention the children of my friends, and balance relationships with family and friends. And oh yeah...my constant struggle with my weight and finding time at the gym - no small task in itself. I love all of these things, but it is a bit of a juggling act at times, and I've never been one to have a great deal of balance. Somewhere among all of these things is a need to have some time for myself. That seems to be in very short supply, and I am definitely depleted.

Here's the thing: Sometimes a girl just needs to put things into the universe and not have things solved for her. For me, this is today. Just needing to take these things off my shoulders and put them into the universe. You don't have to worry about me, because I am okay. I'm just in a different phase of my life and I have found out that I am becoming a student in my own life and not just in the classroom.

Although it is hardly a solution, I have scheduled myself a day at my favorite spa. It's time for a facial, a massage, a manicure, and most likely after that, a big nap. :) See? I still have my sense of humor! This isn't a gloom and doom post...just a real need to take the weight off my shoulders for a bit. I've decided that one lesson I have learned is that it's important to be kind to people, because we don't know what burdens they carry on their own. And we don't always need others to carry our burdens, but it's just good to have someone you care about to walk beside so that when you think it's too heavy to bear you can look over and see that you aren't walking alone. I am lucky...I'm not walking alone. That realization alone means it's a good day. :)

600th Post

600 posts...lots of posts about nothing and about everything. I guess this blog has seen me through some rather large life moments, most of which are documented here in some way. It's kinda cool, actually. :)

So as a very random thing this morning, I got a bottle of Vitamin Water. I don't usually drink stuff like that, but I am having a slow start today, and the "Revive" flavor seems like a good idea. Here's what the side of my bottle says:

"If you woke up tired, you probably need more sleep. If you woke up drooling at your desk, you probably need a new job. If you woke up with a headache, on a ferris wheel at the Idaho State Fair, wearing a toga, you probably need answers, not to mention this product."

Does this actually happen to anyone?

I just work up a little grumpy and wishing I could just stay home. Hopefully Vitamin Water has the cure for that.

Tonight is dinner with Grampa, and I am looking forward to his martini that he always has waiting for me. It's a good day for one, for sure.

Fall Weather, No Time, and Just Plain Tired.

First, I am totally digging this wonderful weather! If it stays in the 70s for a while, I am all good. It's cool enough to break out the fall clothes and those are always my favorites!

I feel like time is at such a premium these days! David and I have had little time lately, and it's been spent with others, which is always nice, but since he's about to start his six weeks of being gone Tuesday through Saturday nights, I'm kind of feeling selfish with our time together. We had a friend over for dinner Friday night, which was so much fun, and Saturday afternoon/evening was spent with his parents (which was really a good time!), but I was happy to have him all to myself on Sunday. We made a yummy dinner (Turkey Osso Buco and mushroom risotto - WOW! Thanks Food Network!) and spent the day just hanging out. Loved it! He's getting ready to leave again tomorrow, and I will miss him. But I have plenty to fill my time. School is keeping me really busy, and I have a friend getting married in November/December (her fiancee is going to come home from Iraq long enough to get married and then head back) so we're spending time getting that put together. We're planning a very small ceremony and reception for when he comes home on R&R, but when he finishes his tour next year they will do the big shindig. That's going to be BIG fun! So see? I have a full plate and won't have time to be bored. Is that good?


Anyhow...on a lighter note, here's what David made for our anniversary dinner:

It's grilled salmon, sea scallops and shrimp. And yes, it was too much food and we had to save some for leftovers. But it was VERY good! And here's dessert:

Yum! It's a replica of our wedding cake (we got some fresh cake instead of year old cake...yay!) and champagne in our toasting flutes. It was a fun meal, and VERY special.

So that's about it for now. I haven't been home long from school and I am going to heat up some dinner and watch some TV. Have a good evening!