this morning's prayer.

DearLord,pleasemakemyspacebarworkagain.
Amen.

literally.

You know all those cute little texting/online things that stand for other things...brb, cul8tr,etc....and my favorite, LOL?
Laugh Out Loud.
Do most people actually laugh out loud when they use it?
Probably not. And in all honesty, I am probably the worst offender (texts only...I can usually maintain my dignity online but really, who can say everything they want in 180characters?!? I have been known to leave out spaces soallofmywordslooklikethis and are really annoying to whoever is lucky enough to get one of those texts!!)
Anyway, side notes put aside...NieNie (who we ALL love...come on!) said something today that literally made me Laugh Out Loud. On my couch. All by myself.
Apparently her children were misbehaving and her dear husband said, "Oh girls, guess what? The devil called and said you guys were doing awesome."
That - is - fabulous. Go Mr. Nielson!

On another side note, instead of my "H" button not working, now it is the space bar. So it is paying me back for my above thoughts about not putting spaces in my texts.
Stupidtechnology.

projects...updated.

I got a few projects done yesterday...mostly just running errands around town, bank, Lowe's, Bed Bath and Beyond, etc. Got all the errands done but very little done around the house. I did however, manage to spend over $20 on paint samples at Home Depot and tried the 6 of them on the wall in the office last night. And sadly, I don't love any of them. I am still torn between a pretty grey and a warm brown so I tried a few of both. I will take a picture and show you...if I remember. Of the three browns, one is far too dark (the tiny room will look like a prison instead of a warm inviting guest room), the middle one looks like poop (that's where the EW....comes in) and the last one is too orange (think more terra cotta than warm brown). I also tried 3 greys and I like those better than the browns so maybe grey is the way to go. Chad asked why I can't just use all three browns as accent colors to all three greys. I didn't bother explaining why 6 vastly different colors might give our guests a decor migraine....just not worth it.

It is freight day at the HobLob. Good thing I ordered on Monday and barely ordered enough to make it worth it...I mean, ordered correctly and we didn't need that much stuff! Hopefully it won't take me (I would say us...use it loosely) all day to unload and put out, like usual...

On a more serious note, I will be heading down to Columbus the first of next week. My dad is having a pace maker installed (sounds like he is a robot or something...is installed the right word here?) and I wouldn't miss being there. His surgery is Tuesday morning and I am coveting your prayers. Please, please pray for him. Pray that the doctors will have angelically guided hands, calm nerves, patience, and use their best skills (he deserves the best!). Pray that my dad will be calm, heal quickly, not rush going back to work and give himself time to get better. Pray for us as we sit and wait (the part that sucks). I know we will be surrounded by people who care about us but I am still concerned...

Update: I just got off the phone with my mom who said that dad's doctor moved his surgery up a day because he needs to go out of town later in the week. It is now Monday morning so I will be heading down to Columbus Sunday afternoon sometime...add safe traveling to your prayer list too please! My sister(s?) and I will be headed to Columbus to be together...

surprise...it's gonna rain.

Actually, it is no surprise.
Is it my day off? yes.
Do I have 1,001 things to do? yes.
Do half of them require me to leave the house and even work out in the yard some? yes.
Then it will rain.
No surprise there!

A trip to Lowe's in my future, some cleaning up of the dining room, finish my cleaning job in the closet (which is going really well! I got a big stack of clothes that I don't wear out of there! I figure that if I haven't worn it in the year that I have lived here, through every season, I probably am not going to wear it!).
There are two high points in my day...lunch with a friend
and yoga at the YMCA.
I went to swim last night after work (exactly what my sleepless nights needed...I slept solidly until about 5 AM this morning. It was AWESOME.) and got one of the class schedules. Discovering that there is a yoga class at 5:30 today that I am going to try - it is beginners and hopefully they will explain everything because I've never done a class before or know anything about it really! It does mean that I will miss out on some time with my Chad but being healthy is important too...I will be home in time to make dinner and watch some NCIS so it will all work out!
Well, make that 3 high points..I am looking forward to my trip to Lowe's. I am gonna buy a couple of stepping stones to put between the grassy part of the yard between the bushes to the wall of the house where the controls for the gas lamp and the sprinkler system are. Chad had said he wanted a couple so he didn't have to tread all over the mulch so I am going to surprise him with some. Hopefully I can find a few that match the ones we already have and I can do it without the homeowner's association knowing. I have visions of them telling me I have to get digging in the mulch approved before I can do it...I am also going to look at paint. Don't tell.

being content.

My life's lesson at the moment is in being content. A contentedness that comes hand-in-hand with happiness - the two traveling together and completing each other. Being happy and being content with my circumstances. Usually I have no issue with where my life stands - we all have our days, our weeks, even months or years where we are wondering if we are in the right relationship, job, house, city, life. Most of us brush those thoughts aside, knowing that we should accept our circumstances and just keep plugging away. There is a certain satisfaction in knowing that you are where you are supposed to be, in the place (both emotionally and physically) that you are supposed to be. I do acknowledge that God created us to be ever changing, ever-learning, growing, and making ourselves and the world a bit better. But there is a place in our lives for contentment too. A place where we are happy with our situation, happy with how our lives are going, knowing that "all is well". That peace that comes with contentment is something that I yearn for...

Chad did not get the job with the city fire department that he was hoping to get. After narrowing the field of applicants from around 800 to about 50, the physical fitness test that was two weeks ago was to narrow the field to the fill the 26 spots in November's fire academy. I know that Chad did well on the physical fitness part - how could he not, the man is training for a marathon?!? - and I am sure he passed all the other parts of the application process with flying colors but as it stands, there were at least 26 other people that did it better. And that is a frustrating and demoralizing idea. This has been an 11 and a half month process, from beginning to end. Chad has taken about 6 days off work, using his sick leave up pretty much, in an attempt to get employment that he both enjoys more and one that he felt would provide for our family better. A lot of things in our lives pretty much hinged on him getting this job - the biggest one was deciding to buy a house. That one will be put on hold now for an unknown amount of time...I have really mixed emotions about him getting the job anyway. I fully supported him from beginning to end but I will admit to visions of sleepless nights and worry filled days when I knew he was working. In all of this, I have to remind myself that we are not living trying to make God's plan fit into our lives. Instead, we are living God's plan all along. There is obviously some reason why the two of us are still at the jobs we are at. There is some reason why we will still be living where we are living and doing what we are doing. The goal now is to find that peaceful contentment in our current lives, not the lives we thought we wanted.

I am a little sad and frustrated about the house situation. I had been dreaming big dreams and plotting and planning and imagining what it would look like. The porch with a swing, the paint colors, and garden planted out back - I have thought of it all! I have to remind myself to be content with my current life. I have to remind myself to love my current life, to be happy in my current life. We are so blessed - with good friends, a wonderful place to live, jobs that pay enough for us to have plenty, give plenty, and save plenty, and families that love us to pieces.
Isn't it OK that we are living our version of our dreams?
Why do people think it is OK to ask us when we will buy a house/have a baby/do all the things the "American dream" expects of us?

Why, then, is it so hard to find contentment in this wonderful life that I have?

oh the homebrew.

We are brewing beer...in our kitchen right now.
As per Stinky Sweet tradition, we start too late at night and stink up the whole house.
Megan - "Ewww...it smells like burning yams. Does it always smell like this?!?"
Yes, Megan, yes it does.
Will someone please tell me if my hair smells like burning yams at work tomorrow?
Thank you, that would be wonderful.

a dainy day off.

Here it is, my daily "To Do" list...and I have already marked things off.
Please be proud of me!
1. put new photography in frames (cool local photographer) that was truly inexpensive and will look perfect on our walls. they were just what i was looking for! - Check. done.
2. clean an entire batch of beer bottles for a bottling/brewing session later tonight (Megan helped/did most of the scrubbing. I scraped off labels and loaded downstairs...). - Check. done.
3. Trip to bank with Megan
4. Trip to Walmart to return Chad's Ipod. It doesn't work right. And now he has decided that he doesn't need it to run with because....
5. Trip to Dick's Sporting Goods to purchase the wristband for the Nike+ I got him for our anniversary. It doesn't need an Ipod to work (that doesn't work right anyway).
6. Fold another 2 loads of laundry. how do we make so many dirty clothes?
7. Clean off the dining room table for the 12th time. argh.
8. Clean up our bedroom (including putting away those newly folded clothes). This is a desperate situation. It has become one of those "every available space is covered" things.
9. Make appt. to see a house Saturday morning before I have to go to work. (I already talked to the real estate agent - just waiting to hear back if it will work out.)
10. Research mortgages (we aren't actually buying yet...still. Just doing our homework!)

Awesome.
Wish me luck.

dr. do little.

That's me...do little. I got up in plenty of time to fold the two loads of laundry this morning but I didn't do it. Instead I went to check and see if I had been accepted to the Chattanooga Freecycle and I am dying here...whoever is in charge of that thing needs to get on with it! I am aching to see all the cool stuff/junk that is available to crazies like me!
On another topic, I have been seeing people like my sister making the Pioneer Woman's Apple Dumplings and I decided that I just had to try them. They looked so easy and so good - and the instructions included a can of Mtn. Dew so how could they be bad?!?
And they were not.
After going to the grocery store specifically for the crecent rolls and Mtn. Dew and arriving home to discover that the butter I thought was in the freezer was in fact, not in the house at all. And a second trip to the grocery store yesterday (a well-needed, we spent $140 on NOTHING, trip), I finally got all of the ingredients, plus vanilla icecream to go on top (of course!).
They are divine. Try them.
Seriously.
SO incredibly easy and I guess the Mtn. Dew gives them a little more sugar and probably makes the dough fluffier (this is just a theory. Ask my other sister, the Chef.).
I get off work at 7 tonight - in time for dinner and two of our favorite shows on TV. An evening with my sweetie so don't expect to hear from me too much. I'm leaving in a few minutes (after a shower) to take Megan to meet her mom and pick up her new car. I guess she is pretty excited but if I was getting a new car today I would probably be out of bed by now...oh well.

can't wait!

So I joined Chattanooga Freecycle this morning...no, not riding a bike for free. It is recycling things for free! You have to join the Yahoo! group, tell them your location, and get "approved" to join (I guess they want to make sure you are a real person) and then you can check out free stuff that people are just aching to give away. I am sure that a lot of it is junk that people just want someone else to take off their hands but I have heard that you can get some pretty awesome stuff on there too, depending on who is giving what away at the moment. It might be a cool way to get some stuff for the house someday or cool art or something. I will let you know how it works out. I suppose it is a lot like craigslist but you can't charge money for anything on it...
please approve me so I can go look at the free stuff instead of cleaning up the bedroom or the kitchen or cleaning bathrooms or taking a shower and getting ready to go to work. Please!

an effort.

Here is my new effort...I am going to try to blog/check e-mail/read blogs, whatever online when I can't be spending time with my Chad. Either I need to stay up later, get up earlier, or do whatever it takes so that my sweet time with my husband isn't interrupted by the computer/phone/etc. So, my blogs might be fewer and farther in between but I will make a better effort to think of creative ideas, better topics, and more valuable things to say. Please keep checking - especially on my days off when I am home alone and can spend all the time I want doing frivolous things (in between all the work I have to do!). So...tonight I am going to bed to snuggle with my sweetie (we are refusing to turn on the heat yet even though I had to scrape frost off my windshield this morning before work!) after I make a couple of wool yarn dryer balls to try in my dryer.
Oh, and my friend Dani is starting to put pictures from the wedding up...they are fabulous. She has a lot more on Facebook so look for those too if you are friends with her. Lindsey did a wonderful, crazy good job that day (and at her bridal shoot too!)

i'd like to...

take a moment please to acknowledge something cool.
So I told you guys that I put up Google Analytics on my blog. Mostly out of curiosity - I don't need to know for any other reason really. Just thought it might be entertaining...
I would like to report that I had two different visitors from India yesterday and when I found out this morning, it completely made my day. I sorta figured when I first pulled it up that they were people I knew from my trip to India (a few - 2 - are back there now and I assumed got the link from Facebook) but it turns out that one was in Calcutta and one was in Bangalore. I don't think I know people there and that makes me super excited...I do read another blog (a super-awesome story about an amazing (and adorable!) little girl, Madeline, and her dad who is writing their story in Bangalore, India but they don't know me either (that is a little creepy - I know.)
So - Fun!
Ok, I am going to do craft projects, fold clothes, clean the kitchen, take a shower, and go to work.
Sounds like a riot huh?

only 3.

For some reason, I can load 3 pictures and then my computer starts to hate me again...

so you will get them in threes.

This was the really cool and yet simple table decorations and beautiful white chairs...

This was their movable chicken coop. They just put the chickens in different patches of plantings so they can eat all the bugs (pesticide free!) and then deposit fertilizer

This one is my favorite for obvious reasons...
he didn't know I was taking his picture.
perfect!

Edited on Monday to add: this is as far as I got before my computer crashed and I took the rest of the day off from technology.
It was nice.
We went to the Apple Festival - we bought two bags of apples and shared them with Uncle J and Chad's mom. I also got some photography by a local guy - I have been wanting some pictures of the bridges downtown but it is always so expensive. These were priced to sell and I bought 4 for $30! i got two 8x10's and two 5x7's so now I just need frames and an empty wall to put them on.
Then Chad and I went to the farm and strolled through the painful grass (oh-so-very-painful) and enjoyed the beautiful day that was yesterday.
Woke up this morning to frost on the ground and a lot to do before I need to go to work so I better get started.

seperation.

Is that how you spell that?
(o, and te "h" button is not working very well again. Just tougt I would add.)
Since the last post was so negative for the morning, I thought I would give you our daily update.
It is cold. I mean, like in the 40's, too cold for fall, cold. and w-i-n-d-y.
We are still planning on going to the Apple festival down in Cleveland and then hopefully we will make it to "Where the Wild Things Are" this afternoon sometime. I also have a ton of stuff around the house that I want to get down, in preparation for fall so if we didn't make it to either of those things and just hung out at home that would probably be OK too (even though I REALLY want to see that movie.)
I also made a big pot of chili yesterday - got toppings at the grocery store last night so today will be a good chili day. Top it with cheese, some onions, and cheese? A few Fritos underneath? It will be yummy...anyone want to come join? There is plenty!

i'm having technology issues.

Can I mumble and grumble for a moment this Sunday morning, while no one else is out of bed yet? I feel like none of the available technology in our house works like it should...I finally found the cable to connect my camera to the computer and now the battery in the camera is almost dead so I have to try to work quickly. But then, I can't work quickly because all the computers in this house hate me. I take it personally too.
My Dell computer runs so slow that it pretty much barely does anything.
But the hand-me-down Mac that I have been using won't even read my memory card or even try to install the software to do it.
So I am stuck.
I want to show you pictures and I want to be able to take more pictures today at the Apple Fesival and show you those too...
every time I move the computer, the cord shifts just enough that it thinks it needs to reload the Canon software.
Ugh. I am pretty sure I just used a bad word.
what is wrong with my technology?!?

round two.

We drove through/past/around/near a few more houses last night after I got off work...same neighborhood as the night before, just houses we couldn't find in the dark or were a little more off the beaten path. We liked a few and were able to mark a few off the list completely. I know that the inside is completely different than the outside and we could be willing to give them a chance but I also feel like if you don't connect with a house at first glance then it probably won't work out anyway. Sorta like a good friendship sometimes is - it is just a feeling and you know. So there are a few that we would like to look at with an agent but still don't really know what real estate company to even attempt to try. We haven't told Chad's parents we are looking and unless they are reading my blog (hello? are you?), they won't know unless someone else's tells them. We are so very far from making a decision that it isn't really all that big of a deal yet and we don't want anyone making a huge deal out of nothing.
I have to open at Hobby Lobby today and I suppose that if I have to work on Saturday that I would rather open so I get of at 5 and can enjoy the rest of my weekend uninterrupted. I think we are planning on bundling up and going to the Apple Festival down in Cleveland tomorrow...it is pretty chilly here. I keep complaining that we skipped fall completely and went straight to winter but Chad promises that fall will be back next week. It better! - It is my favorite time of the year. Chilly but not cold, crisp leaves, colors - love every bit of it! I hope that the weather will be good tomorrow for us to venture outside but if it is rainy and gross we will probably go to the movies (I am aching to see Where the Wild Things Are somethin' serious.)
Gotta go dry my hair before work - not going out with wet hair in 40 degree weather! Other than the 42 craft projects I would like to do this weekend (painting pumpkins!), anyone have any suggestions of things for us to do together? Chad and I need some date time and I am short on ideas...

one day.

We don't have a house of our own yet but one day, we will.
And I will put this on the way in the entryway/hallway.
I can't remember where I got it from - I just rediscovered it on the computer. I promise I would give credit where it is due if I could remember who's blog it came from. Any ideas?
Anyway, I want it on my wall. Even an orange wall. But probably not orange.

We looked at houses tonight. It was both discouraging and enlightening. We have a few that we need to actually look at a)in the daylight and b)for real, with a realtor. Anyone know a good real estate agent here in Chattanooga? One that won't be pushy, will let me ask a thousand questions about the process, and understands we don't need or want to buy a house tomorrow so they let us take our time? HELP!

our evening.

Megan is working this evening and we are going to spent a nice night together eating dinner with Chad's mom and looking at houses.
Yeah, romantic.
Please say a prayer for me as I try not to strangle anyone involved.

she did it!

Mom's first blog post was successful...per my instructions, she wrote and posted her own post. Please check her out...she's cute, witty, awesome, and my mom (which makes her worth reading on her own.)
Her next tutorial will be on how to link to other things.
It will be cool...

guess what?!?

I set up a blog for my mom!
Stone Soup
I have only just finished the layout (a happy little bluebird...she wanted clean and simple, and I love the vintage feel with the little bird!) and I am the only one who has posted but keep checking back to see how it goes. I have to give her a little tutorial and it will probably need to be in person so it might be a while before she gets to posting but please, don't give up on it! Keep checking back - I'm sure she will becoming a regular!

success.

So far, this rainy morning has been pretty successful. After my sleeping in...
-clean up kitchen? check.
-put away clean dishes and reload/start dishwasher? check.
-pack up Dani and Ryan's wedding present to mail on the way to work? check. (yes, that would be my friend that got married two months ago tomorrow. you can make fun of me if you want.) I really am excited about them getting it so I can tell you about it...
-take a shower? check.
-put away suitcase full of clean clothes? check.
-put away camping gear/backpack? check.

And I am wearing one of my new $3 shirts from my Target trip with mom. She actually bought them for me...two shirts and a dress for like $25 bucks. It was a good trip...
and last night, I went to the grocery store for some basics to get us to a real/planned out trip and everything I bought I either had a coupon for or was on sale with the BonusCard thing...I was so proud of myself! I know people who can do crazy sale stuff at the grocery store and I am always super jealous (things like $150 of groceries for like $50 dollars...I want to learn! Teach me how to do that!).

You want to check out a really cool blog? One that will always lift your spirits? I found this amazing woman's blog while linking from someone else's (don't even know how now) but she inspires me to be more peaceful, loving, and in touch with my God. Great photography, beautiful home and children, and at peace with her life. It is beautiful to see...

ah rain.

Because it is raining again here in The Nooga, I didn't want to get out of bed this morning...mostly because it stayed super dark in our room so I just kept sleeping! I finallllly got up because those lovely animals I live with where making lots of crazy noise (outside the door, where my Chad had so lovingly placed them when he left for work.) On that subject, he feels like his fitness test yesterday for the fire dept. went well. Only about half of the people who made it to this point will be able to be part of the class for the academy but he won't know for about a week probably. If he gets an invite, he has a lot of decisions to make. And I can begin my lifelong worrying about him, nights sleeping without him, freaking out when I can't get him on the phone...fabulous. I mean, I am supportive, completely. I just worry. A lot. So, we will see and I will keep you updated.
As for this morning, I have a lot to do before I have to be at work at 1. We left the kitchen a hot mess when we went to bed last night so I need to clean up from dinner, empty and reload the dishwasher, put away a ton of stuff from my trip and take a shower...all before 1.
In other words, I better go get started...

another dollar.

Being back at Hobby Lobby wasn't fun.
Sorry HL...it just wasn't. Playing in the woods, hiking, being outside = much more fun that real work.
And my boss said when I got back yesterday "You had some personal time and I figured you would want to get some kind of a paycheck for last week so I went ahead and used your time up."
Ugh. That sucks.
I told him "thank you" but what I really meant was "I made more last week playing in the woods than I do in over two weeks working in this place so I would have rather kept my paid time off in case I need it for some reason because the money isn't an issue." I am pretty sure I would have told him if I wanted to use it...
But instead....I said thank you.
Bummer.
I was actually going to use some in November to go back to Columbus for a few days.
Hope I can still work that out.

Say a prayer for Chad this morning if he crosses your mind please...he is going back for yet another part of the city fire fighter's application process. He has passed every part so far (application, interview, physical evaluations, polygraph test...and now they have to "weed out" some more people so they are having another physical test. He isn't worried about the running part but he only got a few days notice to get ready for all the strength stuff so I think he is a little nervous (don't tell him I told you!). I think he is mostly just ready for the process to be over too so hopefully this will help make some decisions for us. We feel like we are in a place/position where every big decision hinges on another big decision so we can't really make a move of any kind. Looking at houses but we aren't sure where we will work, don't know where we will work so we don't want to commit to buying a house just yet, want to move but can't, want a different job but can't...it is a little frustrating.
We are believing that God does know what is best, what is going on, and is totally in control but sometimes it is hard to see the ultimate plan.

i will!

Oh, and seriously, as soon as I find the cord for the camera I will post pictures from this weekend. ...our dinner at the farm and funny scarecrows.

And this my friends is my 350th post.
I wish I was popular enough for one of those fancy giveaways...
or maybe not.

rainy monday.

We woke up to rain again this morning...left the windows open all night so it was nice and cool upstairs.
I spent the morning pampering myself with last week's missed episodes of NCIS and Fringe, now I just need to watch Bones to be caught up for this week but I have until Thursday so I should be fine.
The two animals that live with us caused all kinds of trouble while I was trying to sleep...Gwendolen sleeping between my legs, weighing down the blanket and making me h-o-t. Apparently Wooby slept between Chad's legs but she decided it was my attention she wanted at 5:30 this morning when she started nibbling on my hands to get me to scratch her. I try to hide my hands under me or the pillow but she digs them out. Literally. With her claws. So I put her on the floor about 10 times before 6:30 when Chad got up and (thank you Jesus) took the two of them with him when he went downstairs.
I have to go clean bathrooms and take a shower before work...closing tonight, don't know the schedule for the rest of the week yet, until I get to work and look it up.

oh sunday.

The dinner on the farm last night was good...the food was a little odd and I think that they will have to work on their organization techniques but it was fun. We toured the farm a little, learned about their organic techniques, met some chickens, saw a composting toilet (did not use it...successfully held it until we got home), listened to some good music, and ate some good food. We almost had made our minds up to stop by Wendy's on the way home until dessert came. Apparently all the pies were made by friends and neighbors of the farm so it was the luck of the draw. I had a piece of chess pie and pecan pie. Chad had a piece of the chess and a piece of chocolate pie. They were delish-ious. I took a bunch of pictures but won't post them till we get home later...two reasons:I don't have the cord (which I still haven't found at home and I hope to find when we get back) and my parents computer it a bit slow. Ok, really, really slow.

Headed to church, then lunch with Columbus friends, then packing up the stuff I have in pretty much every room of my parents house. We are gonna take the scenic route back home today and maybe go look at a house we saw in the paper tonight some time...

It's gonna be good.

I have a feeling...it is gonna be a good day.
You wanna know why?
Good! I will tell you.

I slept in until 7am. I know, it doesn't sound like much but considering I have been getting up anywhere between 4am and 6am the past week, 7 sounds great to me! And I went to bed about 10:30 last night so I got plenty of sleep.

Mom and I are delivering a giant scarecrow Gumby to the Botanical Gardens this morning. I will take pictures. You will laugh. It is a scarecrow competition...I think the theme is silver screen or something but this scarecrow is hilarious.
And huge. So it will hang out of the back of the little hybrid car all the way across town. Please picture...and enjoy.

We are going to Target next to peruse the sale rack. I have heard they have a couple racks of clothes that are really marked down so we will go see what we can find. I was looking for a fun dress yesterday and was unsuccessful so we will see what today might bring.

And for the best part of my day...drumroll please...I get to see my Chad for the first time in a week. A literal week. I am so excited I could pee in my pants (but I won't, thank you.) He and Uncle Jay (and a few others) are coming down here to join my parents and I at an organic farm up in Pine Mountain. Jenny Jack Sun Farm does this sort of dinner on the grounds once a month and there are limited spots available (mom finds out because of her master gardener connections) and we got ourselves a spot for a tour of the farm, a little info about organic foods/gardening, and a nice farm grown dinner. I am pretty excited!

Oh, and make that about 60 chigger bites. I found a few more on my arms this morning that hadn't started itching until now so I didn't know they were there.
Awesome.

ok, wow.

My evening update...
-I have had a nap.
-I have had a shower. Both of which were key to my suvival today.

-Shopping with Jess (three shirts for $10 at Old Navy...I am trying to learn from my talented friend Dani, who somehow finds the best stuff on sale!). I also am ashamed to admit that I bought 4 really cool metal and colored glass lanterns at Ross and I promise to post pictures when I get them in the house. Don't tell Chad and maybe he won't notice - maybe I can sneak them in my suitcase when he isn't looking. They are super cool and I justified it by telling myself they were already on sale (and one was had a broken pane of glass which I can replace and I asked for a discount and got it! Go me for being brave!)and yes, my sister will want to steal them from me because they are so awesome.
-Dinner at Olive Garden (happy birthday to me! + berry sangria = a good night!)

57 chigger bites. I counted.
and yes, they all itch and burn like fire.
Thank you for asking.

out of the woods.

I am safely out of the woods with only about 40 chigger bites and a little sleep depravation to show for it. No ticks this time, unlike last time, as far as I have seen but I will let you knw after the real shower when I can actually see much better. It was a great trip - I had a great group, I think they really got something from the trip. I am back at my parent's house in Columbus - doing a lot of laundry, cleaning out the car, taking a nap and a shower, and painting clear fingernail polish on all my bites. Good times.
more updates when my brain can think more clearly after a nap...

almost

I am - almost - on the road again. Woke up at my parents house this morning after taking about 7 hours to get back to Columbus yesterday. The trip to Atlanta was uneventful and I got to eat lunch with my Sis and Frannie (yummy Mexican food...El Torero!) but the second half of the trip was a big "ugh!". I got stuck in bumper to bumper traffic before I even made it to 285 south of Atlanta...they funnelled us down to one lane to go through a construction zone where absolutely no construction was taking place. I even took a picture of men standing around doing nothing, probably enjoying the 4 miles of traffic I just sat through. It only really added about 20 or 30 minutes to my trip but enough to be frustrating when you just want to get somewhere! I stopped at my bff's house and picked her up (surprise!) and then we ran to Walmart for some last minute supplies, got a movie from RedBox, and picked up Ok Sun's (even more yummy!). I guess I am preparing myself for a week in the woods by eating my favorite foods now!
Just got out of the shower, headed to church with my parents, and then up to camp after lunch. Say a prayer for us please as we prepare today for the kid's arrival tomorrow. There is a lot that has to be done and a lot that has to be talked about before they come so it will be a busy day (and the weather man is calling for rain for the next 3 days atleast. Less fun.)
Hopefully I can get Chad to update you guys...if he can figure out the blogger thing again. It's been a while since he used it...

guess what...

Yes, oh yes. It is 8:15 in the morning and I have still not packed. I've made my list but I haven't touched my stuff yet. My plan of getting away from the house by 9 doesn't look like it is going to happen.
I need to stop by REI in Atlanta (Kennesaw location probably) and get a couple of things (I can write gear for this trip off my taxes because I am considered an independent contractor...crazy, I know. But gear, food on the road, gas, etc can all be a taz write off so I save all my receipts!)...I need gas in CHAD'S CAR that I am driving down (nervous!), hopefully will get to see my sister, and then finish the trip to Columbus. My bff Jess and I plan to make an Ok Sun's run tonight (come on Columbus folks, you know you are excited for me!) and just get some time to hang out.
You will probably hear from me again before I disappear for a week...say a prayer for good weather please! Rainy camping is no fun, in my opinion. Wet everything makes for a pretty mesrible experience, for everyone involved.
Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go get gear locating and packing. It is all in the closet but it is a matter of getting it all together and in the car as soon as possible!

a little stressed.

Ok, time to admit it...I am a little stressed about all the stuff I have to do/get done today. (in so much of a hurry I think I had to use the backspace button like 16 times in that last sentence.) Work today from 9 to 5. Go by the grocery store when I get off to get stuff for dinner tonight (they are on their own for next week. And will probably eat out every night even though there is plenty of food in the house). Head by Walgreens to pick up medicine. Come home and cook dinner. Entertain J and his friend E that are coming for dinner. Clean up kitchen (because somehow the cook cleans around here, not sure how that happens and I don't like it!) And then there is that little thing called packing for a week away from home. Oh dear, I haven't even touched that stuff yet.

oh dear.

Thanks for asking...I am still sore today but not nearly as sore as yesterday. Some people say that the third day is the worst but so far, I feel pretty decent even after spending a few hours unpacking freight yesterday. I am working by myself this morning until 1pm and we have a TON of stuff that still has to be finished that is due today so hopefully I can work with few interruptions and get stuff done.
On a sad note, my favorite (and only) pair of blue jeans got put in the dryer yesterday by a do-gooder in my family who will remain nameless. I realize they were trying to help but please, for all things good and holy, do not put ANY of my pants in the dryer. I am already struggling to find pants long enough and when they go in the dryer, they are not long enough any more! The shrinkage makes me look like a muffin-top Urkel with my ankles showing. Not ok. But seriously, thank you for washing that load of clothes and folding them so nicely! I am most appreciative.
Lastly, I haven't begun packing. Seriously. Also not good. I haven't touched my camping gear, located my hiking boots, or even started making a list (which I ALWAYS do before I pack... for days.) Who wants to come over and help me tonight?