good morrow!

Good morning...so for today's lame life update.
So far I have been to the gym...
bought a couch slip cover for the living room couch (please commence crossing your fingers that it will fit our unusually shaped couch!)
I have been to Hobby Lobby (I know. I can hear you saying it...what - your day off? I forgot zippers to make some pillow covers for the pillows on the couch...it is living room rehaul day!)
and I ate breakfast. Riveting. I know.

For the rest of the day...
-make pillow covers (mom....do I have a zipper foot here with your sewing machine??)
-try slip cover on couch
-pray slip cover fits couch (maybe move that one up in the list)
-go meet Chad for lunch before he has to drive up to the forest (this is the best part of my day...I am looking forward to it so much I can barely get anything else done!)
-Vaccum downstairs and in our bedroom
-clean off dining room table of everything but my craft stuff so I can finish a few projects
-put some stuff in our newly mildly cooler attic (but is it?)
-clean out car and vaccum it out (I mostly cleaned it out the other day but there is a weird smell now so I think I missed something.)
-doggie class tonight so I gotta go buy and cut up hotdogs...her favorite "good dog!" treat so we save them for class


I just turned around to watch Gwen licking the couch. She does this all the time. I know, it's gross. Wondering if I can convince her to NOT lick the new slip cover? But I guess that is the point. Take it off and wash the slobber out. Ah.
Please don't think I am messy and dirty and smelly...I just realized that pretty much everything has to do with grossness. Sorry! I am clean! I promise.
Cat walking on my laptop making it hard to type. Will update you later and see how far I've gotten on my projects.

esta noche

Tonight:
- Got off work at 5:30
- Came home.
- Watched an episode of NCIS.
- Talking to you.

and now...
- Folding and putting away four loads of laundry (that Chad did yesterday, admittedly!)
- Cleaning out my car (might wait till tomorrow morning though...)
- Waiting for the call to meet the dynamic duo for dinner after the swim meet

Tomorrow:
- No Hobby Lobby. ah yes.
- Working out at the Y.
- Going to Calhoun to the outlet mall with Meg in preparation for her trip to DC for the 4th. I might get something too!

up early

Ok, so 9am isn't all that early but I slept till about 8 and then stayed in bed until 9 just enjoying not having to get up but finally I did. Took the dog out, made some coffee and now I am watching CBS Sunday Morning. Our sunday morning tradition and I love it...it is always informative and interesting. Sitting here enjoying my coffee waiting for Chad to get up...
I haven't felt too good all weekend. I actually left work early on Friday because my stomach was really hurting...really it was my intestines. Really sharp pains but not constant...just sometimes. So we have stayed home most of the weekend...Friday night we went to the pool for the swim team movie night which was entertaining...swam a little bit. Saturday we worked in the attic installing a vent for the hot air to escape and then installed a solar fan that will turn on when it gets sunny and help pump out the hot air but not use any electricity. We are pretty excited about it...hopefully it will help with our air conditioning bill too, especially for the second floor. We ran some errands around town but then came back home and watching the first Transformers movie in preparation for going to see the second one, hopefully today, pending I feel a little better.
Plans for today...movie.
Maybe a trip to the pool for pleasure and not work (rare in this house!).
A little laundry. Clean sheets are wonderful.
A nice sunday!

blech.

Another morning at the gym...then the grocery store. We were running seriously low on...oh, everything. Lunch food. Breakfast food. Dinner food. The three of us somehow go through food a lot faster than the the two of us were so I feel like I make three times as many trips to the grocery store. I still didn't get as much dinner stuff as I wanted because I forgot my list but I got enough basics to get us through the weekend probably.

I got home last night, really frustrated about work, life, etc. I had a long day at work...nothing really specifically happened to make me feel that way but I am just still feeling overwhelmed by the fact that I know I am supposed to be where I am but I don't feel like I am working any where near my potential. There have also been some things going on at work that are pretty much putting everyone in a bad mood so it isn't the pleasant place to work that it traditionally has been. Please just say a prayer for me (and for Chad!) that things will look up and get a little better. I told him last night that I lived in a place for a while that I let negativity influence me way too much! I have been trying to consciously make positive choices...let my thoughts be positive and let love rule my mind and my heart but it is difficult some days!
Today is gonna be a good day...

P.S. I know someone who is in India right now, at the orphanage that I worked at...I have been reading her blog and she doesn't even know it...ah the beauty of the blog world. Either way, it makes me miss India so much....our babies, the people in general, the smell, the sights...I want to go back so bad. My heart yearns for something so much bigger than what I am doing right now...

hair-shmare.

I got a haircut this morning. Its been a while and I needed one. When I called and tried to schedule one for this morning I was reminded that my stylist was getting married this weekend and would be unavailable after today. So this morning it was! Went to the gym, put away clean dishes, got a haircut and now I am going to work. The hair is the same as last time...I just neede a trim. I am thinking about going a little shorter now that I am unattached to the really long hair I had when I got married (though I miss it...not when I have to blowdry it!) but I wanted to wait until after Dani and Ryan's wedding in August. I want to be able to fix it and it will be easier if it is a little longer....
now THAT was a roaring good blog update huh?
Sorry I have to go. There is a cat climbing up my leg.

finished!

I have had this project in the works for a while now but have been lazy about finishing it. It is so incredibly simple and quick that I don't know why I haven't finished it before now! There is this really cool vase in our house (another of the few cool things that came with the place) that I really love and if I could afford to, I would put fresh flowers in it every other day (not too much is blooming right now but the day lillies and they don't last too long...thus DAY lillies). So I have been wanting to finish making these tissue paper flowers that my bff Jess showed me how to make forever ago and fill the vase with yellow flowers.

A close up of los flores:

One with the cool blue vase...

please ignore the wireless router and take note of the large keyed phone.

It too came with the house.

And this one is someone I love taking a nap on someone I love.

Can you guess who they are?

saturday night surprise

Our new thing is this...
we are eating at home every possible night (me, more than others because I am home alone most nights while the dynamic duo is at swim practice...or I am closing and they are home, etc.).
So we are eating at home and then on Saturday nights we are trying a new place. We are trying to pick a place that none of us have eaten at before but sometimes that might be hard. We have a short list of places at the moment that we have passed by and are interested in trying out but if you have Chattanooga eatery suggestions, let us know! We are open to just about anything, within reason. If you have a good idea or a favorite little joint that you wanna share with us, leave me a message or comment here.

Tonight was the Red Rock Grill in Red Bank. It is a pretty small little place and we were some of the few customers they had tonight but the food was pretty decent, although a little pricier than we had anticiapted for a "mom and pop". I had grilled chicken, veggies, and sweet potatoes...pretty good. My review...probably a 5 out of 10. Good, normal food but the price brought them down in my book. It isn't a place we could afford to go on a regular basis...
suggestions for next week?

the evening

Tonight I convinced my boss to let me leave a big 7 minutes early from work and I rushed home, changed clothes, and drove up Lookout Mountain to watch the last 30 minutes of Chad and Megan's swim meet. They didn't win but it looked like everyone was having fun so I guess it all works out. After the meet, everyone met down at Mr. T's Pizza and Icecream (no, not THAT Mr. T - the one with the chains?) Ate some good pizza, the three of us split an icecream sundae, and then the fun starts...
Chad and I were walking down the sidewalk outside, hand-in-hand (woohoo! a rare public display of affection!), and these kids drove by and yelled out the window (at us, obviously, because we were the only people on the sidewalk at the time) "I hate- insert a specific color- people" (I am not going to justify it any more by repeating the specific phrase because I am so offended by it.)

Let me be clear...they did not say "white people" (which, if you had to pick a color for my husband and I, we would be that color).

Let me be also clear. I don't believe in skin color at all or determining things about people because of their particular shade.
So they yelled something offensive at us.
But not about us.
Immaturity speaks.
Unbelievable immaturity. and hatred. and rudeness.
All of the above being very intolerant and unnecessary.
Ew. Double ew.
How about...I dislike stupid, ignorant, hateful, rude people.


It makes me wanna quote the old faithful DC Talk...

"Pardon me, your epidermis is showing, sir
I couldn't help but note your shade of melanin
I tip my hat to the colorful arrangement
Cause I see the beauty in the tones of our skin
We've gotta come together
And thank the Maker of us all(chorus)
We're colored people, and we live in a tainted place
We're colored people, and they call us the human race
We've got a history so full of mistakes
And we are colored people who depend on a Holy Grace..."

you asked for it

So my sister just told me that I need to get on it...

she says I don't blog enough.

I need to update every day.

This is what you get, Sis.

A blog devoted entirely to you.

More pictures tomorrow.

You asked for it.

quiet time

Ode to a coach's wife.

"It's quiet.
Oh so quiet.
Dinner, oh my dinner.
It is so very quiet.

My shows.
Oh my tv shows.
They are so very lonely.

This cat.
This dog.
They are so very crazy.

My night.
My beautiful night.
It is so very dark."

So I have been home alone since I got off work.
Made dinner.
Drank a glass of wine with my pasta and pesto bread.
Read all my blogs.
Wrote this.
Watched some TLC.
Did the dishes.
Now I am going to put up all the clothes that Jay folded this weekend (ah. wonderful!).
All this I did alone.
and lonely.
Sad face.
Tonight is the first swim meet of the season and it was a little too far away for me to make it after work so I just came home and started doing stuff.
Its cool...swim team only last through July.
I think.
I hope.

the british are coming!

Except they are not british...
and not coming until tomorrow.
But that's ok.
My mom and sister are coming up to see me tomorrow. I am pretty darn excited.
I am going to make them the "heavenly salad" with the oil and vinegar for lunch and maybe the famous chicken fingers with honey mustard and pecans. Ooo...they are so good. I feel the need to feed them either lunch or dinner since my sister is a chef and always feeds me when I go see her!
I can't even decide what we should do. They might spend the night but I have to go to work Wednesday anyway so we only have Tuesday to hang to hang out and do stuff.
Stroll through the shops on Frazier?
Aquarium?
Oooo...incline railroad? I've never been!
Suggestions?

quickly posting

So I haven't been as great with the posting/blogging recently for a very good reason.
Atleast I personally think it is a great reason.
Chad and I rarely get to hang out - just the two of us, doing something we want to do, not something we have to get done like laundry, dishes, general cleaning, working on the house, etc.
And with him coaching the swim team four nights a week it is even slimmer timing now.
I decided that I was not going to blog or play on the internet while Chad and I are home at the same time and could be hanging out.
Our time is precious and scarce as it is and I want my priorities to be evident in my actions.
That only leaves me time before I go to work, between the gym, showering, making lunch/dinner to take with me...etc, etc.
I am doing my best because I have really enjoyed blogging - the outlet that it allows me to express myself, the connection with other people (known and unknown), and the feeling of having something that is all my own.

So today...I close at the HobLob again. I am off tomorrow and Sunday and I couldn't be more thrilled. Chad and I have plans to install a vent in our attic to let some of the hot air out so the air conditioner doesn't have to work so hard to cool the second floor....just one of those eco-projects we have been trying to get around to for a while. I know that time together, even working on a project like that, is still time together, but it isn't the same when we can't focus on each other and building a stronger relationship.
Cutting a hole in the side of the house is thrilling but just not the same...
I also think that we are going to try to hook up for a double date tomorrow night and get some dinner and catch those late night fireworks with my friend A and her boyfriend, A-squared. (what else was I going to call him? His name starts with an A too!)
Hopefully we have a fun weekend in store!

big dreams

Gotta close at the HobLob tonight and tomorrow night...ugh.
Means I won't be home with Chad really at all until Saturday. Double ugh.
But I am off Saturday and Sunday so I have big dreams that we will get to do some hanging out and doing nothing but also get some stuff done around the house. The mess is really starting to pile up and bother me. Again.
Made spaghetti with Italian sausage last night...it was good.
Now the sink is full of dirty dishes...I thought the rule was that the person who cooked dinner didn't have to do the dishes? I guess I'm wrong. I will have to do them before I go to work today.
Friday night is the fireworks at Riverbend so we are hoping to make it downtown in time for that. Maybe HobLob will be dead quiet and we can get out of there at a decent hour. We will probably park across the river and walk to the pedestrian bridge. Yes, I am taking the camera. We will see how it does...hopefully I will be able to show you pictures!

Typing with a cat in my lap. Ah...warm lap. Atleast she isn't walking across the keyboard.

at my house

Sometimes you need a good snuggle. Sometimes you need a little space.
And sometimes you just need to sleep with your face in a blanket.

This is my house right now.

sometimes

Last night was eventful...
I thought Chad and Megan would be home by 8 for dinner so I got off work, went to the grocery store, came home, put up groceries, went for a walk, and then got dinner ready.
As it turns out, Chad stayed at the pool and Megan came home.
The pump is messed up and apparently Chad is one of the few people who is qualified to fix it.
So he finally got home after 9.
Fail #1.
We ate dinner.
He went up to take a shower.
I finished the show I was watching with Megan and helped clean up the kitchen (hey, I cooked, it was a trade off!) and then headed upstairs for my shower.
What I found when I got upstairs made me so furious I cried.
Gwendolen - eating packets of hot chocolate mix.
Yep.
I hear chocolate is bad for dogs.
Apparently she didn't eat enough to hurt her (two packets don't really have that much chocolate in them do they?)...did I hear a collective sigh of relief?
Probably not.
More than her eating the chocolate (which at that point I didn't really care anything about)...our bedroom carpet was covered in chocolate powder.
Oh yes.
So I vaccumed up what I could after being basically attacked when I tried to stop her from eating anymore (oh yes...like snarling, growling, lunging for my hands and legs attacked...BAD DOG) and then sprayed and scrubbed the carpet.
Fail #2 (dog eating chocolate)
and #3 (Paula cleaning carpet).
Guess what tonight is?
Night #1 of doggie classes.
I could not be more excited.
Or nervous.
Have you ever heard of anyone getting kicked out of doggie classes?
You might after tonight.

just a couple

I only have like three minutes before I need to go to work so here are a couple of pictures from the concert...I will post more later.

Maybe. Sorry about the moving hand...

it was one of the best pictures I have of his crazy old guitar.

Black t-shirt, black pants, and tennis shoes.

And loving what he does.

Can it get any better?

continuing

I am in Columbus, continuing the previously mentioned to-do list...
mark everything off down to the sleep in part...start there. And skip that one.
I got up early to go meet my bff Jess for breakfast before she has to be at the summer day camp she is working at so mark sleeping in off the list completely!
Car is already packed so I can hit the road after breakfast.
I am going to pick up some peaches after we eat for my boss at work who put in a request for GA peaches...and then I am going to take the long way home, past camp to see some folks. I only know about three people up there this summer (returning staff is a rare blessing at the Girl Scout camp!) but my mom is one of them so I am gonna stop by, say hello, and wish I was there for a bit before heading towards Atlanta. Hopefully it will put me at the right time to miss morning traffic.
The concert last night was a-m-a-z-i-n-g. Our second row tickets were awesome (thank you nice man at the Civic Center!!) and I took a ton of picture so I will post those as soon as I get back to my computer. The one here at my parents house is a little aged and won't even read my memory cards!
Mom and I giggled at the intoxicated (high?) Willie fans and sang every song we knew.
I told her I must have been raised right to be able to sing 90% of the songs word-for-word.
Headed home to see my sweetie and hang out since he is off today...
more driving in the rain it looks like so say a little prayer for safety please.

on second thought

I just finished making a pan of lasagna.
For Friday probably.
Yummy.
And we made home made strawberry ice cream with the strawberries I bought at the Market last Sunday.
I froze some last week so I thawed them and thought of my Papa.
oooo...he would have loved it.

on the road again

Title intentional.
nkfdclbvvvvlj.
Kitty typing.
I am leaving tomorrow to go to Columbus yet again...and another trip without Chad which always bums me out. I don't like leaving him, sleeping alone, driving alone, etc. No fun.
But, I am going down to go to the Willie Nelson concert with my mom. Funny story about that one. He (meaning Willie...and yes, we are on a first name basis now) is coming to Chattanooga Friday night to open RiverBend (a huge, week-long, super-cheap music thing downtown) and I invited my mom to come up and see him. I can remember singing Willie songs in the car with her in my childhood...she agreed then my dad informed me that he got her tickets to see Willie in Columbus the night before (Thursday night) and they are super-duper-amazing seats. Like second row, on the floor, in front of Willie, good seats. So I am going down there to the concert to hang out with my mom, be a little rowdy, and enjoy ourselves.
On a bummer note, I think "Wooby" has an infection in her left eye. It was a little pussy this afternoon when I came home from work and looks red now so I am going to call first thing in the morning and make an appointment to take her to the vet at the shelter and let them look at it. I will feel really bad if she does have an infection because Chad will have to do the meds until I come back Friday afternoon. Since she is technically still a foster cat, she goes to their vet if she needs anything so that is actually a good thing. I will let you know what they say...poor Wooby.
The plan for tomorrow and Friday:
Gym with A at 8am.
Cat to the vet.
Packing.
Driving.
Eat lunch with Sis in Atlanta.
Driving.
Hang out with mom and dad.
Wille Nelson.
Take too many pictures of Willie Nelson.
Sleep.
Sleep in.
Stop by Girl Scout camp on the way home to say hello to friends and mom (again).
Wish I was working at Girl Scout camp.
Think about quitting my job to finish next three weeks at Girl Scout camp.
Realize I would be unemployed and that is a bad idea.
Driving.
Get home.
Find Chad.
Hug him until he can't breathe.
Enjoy a Friday night off.

the request

I got a request from my only reader (kidding!) - my sister - for more pictures of our new baby. She and I are both suckers for little kitties so here are a few pictures from the past few days.

I feel bad leaving her in the bathroom while I am at work but I do not trust the dog. Period.

A rare moment of peace.

Snuggling with mom..yes, that is my chin.

Looking at dad...

A moment...it was fleeting.