Where did that piece go?

As you have noticed, life hasn't been the greatest lately. I hate to continue to write about, but in all honesty, it's what I think and feel most of the time--so that's what I write about. I try to just go without writing if I don't feel that I have anything "positive" to say, but I don't have to be positive all the time, right?

I've been searching for something that I think I lost....it's a piece of myself. When fiance and I broke up, a piece of me went with him. Now, sometimes I think that's okay, but other times, like now, I feel like I should have that piece back in order to be whole again. But are you ever whole again (in the same way you were before)? Do pieces come and go and eventually you will find someone who maybe has holes in places you don't and the puzzle just fits? Am I using too many analogies for anyone to understand?

Every morning I wake up and tell myself "you can do this." Most days....I accomplish that goal. However, there are some days when I go to bed thinking "what were you thinking?"

I can be self-sufficient. I have all the main things down...grocery shopping alone, paying bills, living alone. It's the emotional things that I now must deal with. I need to either realize that not all the pieces are going to be put back together or attempt to put them back.

I have a wonderful family who is more than supportive. I have parents who go above and beyond what parents should do. I have friends who would do anything for me, but sometimes all that doesn't matter. That isn't what's broken.

So I just want you to know that part of me is broken right now. I am still trying to figure out if that's okay or not.

So I continue looking at where the pieces went and whether I can put them back together. Has anyone seen my pieces?

Uh...what???

Seriously, what is going on? Is the world coming to an end? She checks into rehab (according to TMZ) and then checks out 24 hours later...comes back to LA and shaves her head?

Hmmmm

I'll admit it....

I'm a bit of a celebrity nerd. I love to look at People and see what's new on and what happened since the last magazine or entertainment show was on. I have no idea what made me get into this but maybe it's just because I can focus on other people's problems and not my own! Oh who knows!

So this week sucks. I'm sick and I've just had a rough week. I really just want it to be over. I am going to get my hair done on Saturday and I CAN.NOT.WAIT! What is it about getting your hair done that automatically makes you feel better? Who knows but I'll take it. So I leave you with this celebrity picture!

Today is the day....

Well, today is the day I was hoping to not have....I had to turn on the word verification. I had gotten about 25 anonymous comments yesterday that I had to go through and delete and I am sick of it. So I'm sorry about that because I know how annoying it can be. I'm hoping after a while I can turn it off again!

I hope you don't mind too much. I'm apologizing in advance.

Thanks for still commenting!!!

I was nominated?

So I've never been nominated for anything. Wait, I take that back. I was "randomly" drawn from a hat and picked for Prom Court (ugh!) I needless to say, um how do you say...lost? However, I do still have my sash that says "Prom Court" Is that tacky?

Anywhoooo....the point is SOMEONE nominated ME for the Share The Love Blog Awards? Who is this wonderful person? Please show yourself.

So now...I need YOUR help! If you like me (and if you are reading this, you better!) then give me some props on your page and get the word around to VOTE VOTE VOTE! Make up a VOTE or DIE campaign. Give your best you rah rah. Do it! Together we make me successful (er, or win an award!) Comon people :-)

Oh and this is the kicker...I was nominated for most inspiring! Am I inspiring you vote for me and get my name out there? Help me win everyone! Now I'm pumped...this just made 2007 start out AWESOME!

Go here: http://www.freesurveysonline.com/fso/AskSurvey.fso?Survey=10007&CheckID=6680

Go down to category 5 and I'm under Life After College-A Real Job

Let me know after you've voted. You can vote for a week I believe. Now move it (that was inspiring wasn't it????)

Oh and while you are over voting for me (cause I know you will!), please make sure to vote for Gone To Plaid for Best Design and Goofy Girl or Local Girl for Happiest Blog! Thanks!

Matt Wertz - 5:19

I have loved Matt Wertz for a long time and this is the best youtube one that I can find. You have to turn up the volume to be able to hear him. He's on myspace too if you do that and he has some songs on there that you can hear better. Give him a chance!

2008 will be my year...

I'm exhausted. Physically, mentally and any other "ly" that I can be, I am. I am working 32 hours a week, doing internship 20 hours a week, attending two classes, and then somehow supposed to study. And that doesn't include things like sleeping, eating, paying bills or cleaning (heaven forbid).

So yes, I am tired--all the time. I think that it may also be a little bit of depression (I wouldn't have any idea why!!!!!) and a lot of stress. I made the honor roll last semester. I was able to pull it off. I was very close to Dean's list and was a little disappointed, but I will take the honor roll, thankyouverymuch!

So I graduate in December and was talking to a friend who's also in my program and we agreed that NEXT year will be our year. We'll be done with school, and my schedule will (hopefully) calm down and then (maybe) I'll be able to enjoy some time. I don't want to get so caught up in all this work and school that I don't have time to enjoy life.

Life is short and I've learned that things happen you never expected. Just because life doesn't go the way you plan doesn't mean the world stops. It just keeps on going and expects that eventually you'll wake up and hop back on.

It's almost been two months since we've broken up and I've got to tell you, there were (many) days that I felt that the world had ended and I still have those days (although a lot less than in the beginning). I have realized that he's not coming home from work (at least not here) and that I only need to cook for one. I also don't think that it's him on the phone every time it rings. But those changes take time. And after 3 years, it takes quite a bit of time.

I'd like to think that I'm doing fairly well. I can now sleep in the bed at night by myself (I know it sounds odd to some, but this was a HUGE change for me--some one who had never lived alone before). I no longer wake up every hour because of some noise (read: NOTHING!)

Thank you to those who continue to stop by (those who stop by and don't leave a message too--I'm feeling nice today). I especially want to thank pink chihuahua princess as she leaves me the nicest messages!

So although I know this year will be rough and will have its up and downs, I'm in for the ride. The world hasn't ended (or stopped) and I'm thinking I just may hop back on soon.

Things you always wanted to know but never asked....

Dear Yahoo!:
How do competitive eaters fit all that food in their stomachs?
BrettMiami, Florida

Dear Brett:
Those old pie eating contests they used to hold at county fairs are nothing compared to modern eating competitions. Besides being able to stomach loads of food, professional eaters usually boast colorful nicknames, such as Jaws, Bonestripper, and Dumplings. But they take the sport seriously -- there's even an International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE).
HowStuffWorks explains that in order to get the grub down faster, eaters often dunk the food in water or break it into smaller pieces. They're used to ignoring the natural gag reflex, as well as the stomach's feeling of fullness. Some folks train by filling up with large meals or water to stretch the stomach. However the IFOCE frowns upon this method. Some "old school" competitive eaters prefer "picnic style rules," which ban dipping, mushing, dunking, and picking apart their chow.
Takeru Kobayashi, currently the top-ranked competitive eater, has a theory about success in the sport: "You have to gradually build up your gut by eating larger and larger amounts of food, and then be sure to work it all off so body fat doesn't put a squeeze on the expansion of your stomach in competition." It's time to start training. Hey, you gonna eat that?

Life....

Well at this moment it's not the most fun. My apartment is mostly rearranged and all the pictures have been taken down. It was hard to box up the pictures and the memories. Yes, I know, I will always have the memories, but to think that I took 3 years and put it into a box just is very hard for me. Three years into one box? It also seems very final to me. Not that I didn't know it was over, but this was kind of the last thing that I needed to do to make the apartment "mine." So needless to say this weekend has been tough on me. Luckily a friend I hadn't heard from in a while happened to call last night and it was exactly what I needed. I just love when that happens. She was able to get me to laugh and we ended up talking for 2 hours!!! By then it was time for bed and it seemed as though time flew by. I had a hard time sleeping last night and I had been able to sleep better lately so I was frustrated with that. It all comes in time though I guess.

I appreciate those of you who continue to stop by even though I haven't been good about posting. I often begin to write posts and then just don't have it in me and stop. So know that I think of you all often as well! I still read most of your blogs and sometimes, if you're lucky, you get a comment from me as well :-)

School starts again on the 22nd and I'm looking forward to that as it will give me something else to keep me busy. So I am keeping my fingers crossed that 2007 will only continue to get better. I hope you are all having a wonderful January.

TT

Thanks to goofy girl for the special banner!

Thirteen things that drive me crazy!

1. I hate it when slow drivers are in the left lane....seriously, just GET OVER and let me pass you! Those drivers really should not drive (no offense to you slow drivers, but I have places to go and yes I need to get there 2 min. before you!)

2. Restaurants that don't have free refills...do you really think I'm not going to drink more than one? Then if you don't have refills, I have to switch to water and I think we all know how I feel about that!

3. Men who break off relationships and already have another girlfriend...well I think we all know how I feel about that...let's just leave it at all....

4. Those anonymous people who put spam comments on my blog...I really don't want to have the word verification but comon...I don't need my p*n*s enlarged or a boob job so please don't post it on my site!

5. Having such a long hiatus for tv shows right now...do I really need to wait 5 weeks for a new Grey's? That is like TORTURE. It's not even new tonight, but Ugly Betty is :-)

6. People in the 10 items or less line with over 20 items....now some people may honestly not know how to count, but if I'm standing there with 1 item, that means I want out and quickly!!!!

7. The cost of school books...obviously I am not rich if I am trying to obtain another degree and the fact that each book is over $50 (and usually over $65) really irks me when there is ALWAYS more than 1 book per class....I am sure that goofy girl can relate!

8. People leaving mean comments on blogs...nobody said you had to read what I write or anyone else....if you don't like what I write, don't visit--it's really fairly simple.

9. People who repeat things over and over and over again....I got it the first time but thank you!

10. Parents yelling at their children in public...I know that sometimes the parents are embarrassed and don't know what to do, but some parents really yell and get into it in the middle of the grocery store aisle and the child just starts screaming...now I know why I grocery shop later.

11. People who will read through this entire post and then NOT leave a message....oh comon, let me at least feel the love here....

12. People who don't use their blinkers...are they optional on cars now? Does it cost extra to have them installed? I can not read your mind and know that you want to cut in front of me so please don't assume that I know I need to make room for your car when you are going to cut in front of me to slam on your breaks 4 seconds after you do!

13. And finally...it drives me crazy that I can't always think of 13 things for this list! Oh well, better luck next time.

What drives you crazy?

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Can you pass the 3rd grade?

I thought this was fun. My mom had sent it to me a while ago....but it's still fun to try!

http://www.pibmug.com/files/map_test.swf

You have to drag the names of the states to the correct place on the map! Enjoy!

Oh and let me know how well you did.

I got them all within the time frame :-)

I can't believe it's 2007

Well, a lot has changed since 2006. As many of you know, I am no longer getting married. Fiance is now ex-fiance and he moved out a few weeks before Christmas. My New Year's Eve was supposed to consist of being with fiance and shouting "I GET MARRIED THIS YEAR" at the stroke of midnight. Instead, I went to bed at 11:30 so that I could miss all that jazz. Besides the struggles of trying to get my life back in order and figuring out how to live alone, I am also optimistic.

2007 will bring a new year of surprises and excitement. I will receive my Masters in Social Work in December of '07. I will also finish internship and in June, it will be two years that I will be with my current employer. May 21st of this year will mark the 2nd year since I received my bachelors degree and it seems like time is just flying by. I look forward to what life has in store for me. I don't know what path I am going to be headed on or where I am going to end up, but I do know that it'll be an adventure that I am more and more ready every day to embark on.

I have found out who my true friends are and have realized how lucky I am in my life. Don't get me wrong, I have my bad days and the days that I have to fight with myself to get out of bed, but I try to remember all those I have rooting for me and I try to keep on going. I also have to give special thanks to Janet and Goofy Girl who took time out of their busy lives to listen to me complain when things were real bad. I also appreciate all those who have kept on checking back to see if I was back or not. I appreciate the kind words and the support!

I had a good friend email me this quote and I now have this on my bathroom mirror to remind me each day to keep going:

"Everything is okay in the end--if it's not okay, then it's not the end."

So here's to 2007 and all that it will bring. I am thankful for so much and although I am not going to make any "resolutions," I do want to resolve to learn from 2006 and to not forget the lessons that I learned.

Happy New Year, everyone....

I got tagged!

I got tagged from Island Life on December 14th and am just getting to it now. (Better late than never right?)

Here are the rules:

The Rules:
Each player of this game starts with the “6 weird things about you”. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says “you are tagged” in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

1. I hate vegetables; however, my favorite soup is split pea with ham. Yeah, I know, I'm strange.
2. I am deathly afraid of bees. I stepped on one when I was younger and it stung me and since then I run from them.
3. I changed my major three times and transferred schools three times before finding my "fit". Because of this, it took me 5 years to finish my undergraduate degree.
4. I don't like my food all mixed together like in casseroles. I have never made one and probably never will.
5. I don't know how to swim. I took swim lessons when I was younger but never really learned. I can do a mean doggy paddle though!
6. And finally I only started to wear make-up recently. I was one of those girls who didn't see the point and hated to take the time to put it on. Now I enjoy doing it for special occasions and to work for meetings. It's a big change for me!

Now, if you are reading this, consider yourself tagged. Let me know if you participate as I would love to see your answers!

Happy New Year.....

Happy Holidays

I know it's been quite a while since I have posted. Time has flown by but it's also been a stressful time. The holidays were hard for me and I do have to say it wasn't one of my favorite Christmas'. But I survived and made it through. I have a lot of stuff to put away. I spent a lot of time with my family and friends. That was definitely nice! Here are Peanut and Carmel after Christmas. Carmel got a new toy and LOVED it. We got Peanut a new toy and less than 24 hours, Carmel had one end chewed apart. She defintely makes me laugh.

How were your holidays? Any plans for New Year's Eve?

Thank you

I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has left such kind messages and have been willing to lend an ear to me. I appreciate the concern and genuine kindness that people have shared with me.

Here is a picture to share with you all:


This is one of my favorite little cousins who can always put a smile on my face. This was taken a while ago but you can still understand the cuteness!

We interrupt this blog....

....for some news.

Due to some personal stuff that is going on, I will be taking a break from blogging. I know that at some point, I will find writing my feelings out as therapeautic but at this point, I just need some time away. I will continue to visit all my favorite bloggers and please continue to check back to see if I've checked in.

Thank you everyone! Hopefully I will not be gone long....

Welcome, Snow! ***UPDATED***

Well, I got up this morning to go to internship and guess what? We had gotten 7.5 inches of snow since 3am--woah!!! It was snowing side ways and the news kept saying "DON'T GO OUT SIDE IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO"

So...I didn't. I climbed back into bed and slept until 9:15am. That was nice. So it is still snowing and I can't wait to see how much more we get (yes, that is sarcasm you may have noted). So today I am cleaning, wrapping presents and more cleaning. This place gets so out of shape when fiance and I are always working or gone. It's hard to keep it clean when I'm so tired by the time I get home and just want to go to bed. Anyway, I'll try to take a picture later and post it to show just how much snow we've gotten.

Have a super Friday--oh and we are going to a PACKER game this weekend so I'll post pictures from that too after the weekend is over.

What are your plans?

**UPDATE**
We now have 12.5 inches of snow as of noon!!!!

Thursday Thirteen!

Banner from Goofy girl

Okay, so here if your chance. You ask me what you want to know about me and next week I will answer those questions in the 13! If there are more than 13 then I will answer them in the following weeks. Ask whatever you want.

What have you been wanting to know or are curious about? Now is your chance!

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

Fun from FondofSnape

So much to my surprise (and happiness) I received an email from Janet the other day with this attached. So I decided "hey why not put it on my blog!" If anyone wants to play along then consider yourself "tagged" but let me know you are doing it so I can see your answers! Or email me your answers so that I can at least see the fun! Enjoy!

Here's a fun game...
Things you may not have known about me................

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. treatment foster care social worker
2. student (I am telling you it IS a job!!!!)
3. cashier at a craft store
4. fast foodish worker

Four movies I have watched over and over:
1. The American President
2. Forrest Gump
3. Sweet Home Alabama
4. Pretty Woman

Four Places I have lived:
1. Appleton
2. Eau Claire
3. Waukesha
4. ??????

Four TV shows I enjoy Watching:
1. Prison Break
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. Desperate Housewives
4. FRIENDS

Four places I have visited:
1. CO
2. Amsterdam
3. Germany
4. FL

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Kraft Mac & Cheese--Spiral (yes I'm specific!)
2. lasagna
3. COOKIES
4. fettacine alfredo

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. in bed
2. on my honeymoon
3. on vacation with fiance
4. with my family

Four people who MIGHT respond:
1. ?
2. ?
3. ?
4. ?

Now, here's what you're supposed to do...copy the questions, delete my answers & type in your answers, then send this to a whole bunch of people you know INCLUDING the person who sent it to you. The theory is that you will learn a lot of little known facts about those who know you. [duh]
Remember to send it back to the person who sent it to you.

CHRIS DAUGHTRY!

Okay, so I'm a HUGE Prison Break fan and I see that the theme song tonight is a Chris Daughtry song so in honor of this lovely man, I am posting something from his American Idol days. What do you think?

Gobble Gobble

Hi everyone!

Just a quick note to say I'll be out of town at my parent's until Saturday or Sunday so I won't be around the blogging world.

BUT...just wanted to wish everyone a SUPER THANKSGIVING! Enjoy the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and everything else involved. I will be braving Black Friday for like the 5th year in a row. For some reason, that is the only day of the year that I can handle crabby people with attitudes.

Enjoy your holiday weekend!

Photograph - Nickelback

I thought I'd use the one that put the lyrics in there so you knew what he was saying. I really do like this song and have liked Nickelback for a while. What do you think?

This would raise me up!

I just have always had an admiration for Josh Groban (he's only a year older than me!) and the AMAZING voice that he has. I hope you enjoy it. Do you like this type of music?

An article....

I was checking my gmail account and came across this article...what do you think?

Bloggers: A Portrait of the Internet's New Storytellers July 2006
A telephone survey of a nationally-representative sample of bloggers, conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, has found that blogging is inspiring a new group of writers and creators to share their voices with the world. Some 54 percent of bloggers say that they have never published their writing or media creations anywhere else; 44 percent say they have published elsewhere. While generally youthful, these writers otherwise represent a broad demographic spectrum of people who cite a variety of topics and motives for their blogging.
Eight percent of internet users, or about 12 million American adults, keep a blog. Thirty-nine percent of internet users, or about 57 million American adults, read blogs – a significant increase since the fall of 2005.
Capturing a current snapshot of an ever-changing blog universe
The Pew Internet & American Life Project deployed two strategies to interview bloggers.
First, as part of our standard random-digit dial tracking surveys about internet use among a nationally-representative sample of American adults, we asked respondents if they maintain a blog. Then, we called back these self-identified bloggers between July 2005 and February 2006. Seventy-one percent of those called back completed this second telephone survey, which focused exclusively on blogging. The remaining 29 percent said they were no longer keeping a blog or were not willing to take another survey, and we eliminated them from the callback interviews. This strategy yielded a relatively small number of respondents (n=233) but allowed us to ask in-depth questions of a nationally-representative sample of bloggers. Numbers cited in this report are based on the callback survey unless specifically noted.
Our second strategy for preparing this report involved fielding additional random-digit surveys between November 2005 and April 2006 to capture an up-to-date estimate of the percentage of internet users who are currently blogging. These large-scale telephone surveys yielded a sample of 7,012 adults, which included 4,753 internet users, 8 percent of whom are bloggers. Bloggers cover a variety of topics
While many well-publicized blogs focus on politics, the most popular topic among bloggers is their life and experiences. The Pew Internet Project blogger survey finds that the American blogosphere is dominated by those who use their blogs as personal journals. Most bloggers do not think of what they do as journalism.
Most bloggers say they cover a lot of different topics, but when asked to choose one main topic, 37 percent of bloggers cite “my life and experiences” as a primary topic of their blog. Politics and government ran a very distant second with 11 percent of bloggers citing those issues of public life as the main subject of their blog. Entertainment-related topics were the next most popular blog-type, with 7 percent of bloggers, followed by sports (6 percent), general news and current events (5 percent), business (5 percent), technology (4 percent), religion, spirituality or faith (2 percent), a specific hobby or a health problem or illness (each comprising 1 percent of bloggers). Other topics mentioned include opinions, volunteering, education, photography, causes and passions, and organizations.
View the full report -- Bloggers: A Portrait of the Internet's New Storytellers.

What? No 13?

I know it's Thursday and that means it's time for a 13, but I'm exhausted and just don't have the energy to come up with one. Have a super Thursday and hopefully I'll be able to visit some this week unlike past weeks.

Thanks for bearing with me!

Social work is draining....

So yes, I do social work. It's tough, it's emotionally draining, it's stressful, and it's hectic. But I still enjoy what I do. Yes, I come home some nights and want to fall into bed not to wake up until the morning. Yes, I can be crabby due to bad interactions during the day. Yes, I can be emotional over things that I read/hear/see over the course of a day. But, on those days, I can say that most of the time I come home and hope/pray/believe that I can or have made a difference. Even if it was a small difference, I can at least see the light at the end of the tunnel. I've been told more than once that I'm crazy for doing what I do or that "no wonder social workers have a high burnout" but you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way.

People have said to me "you get used to hearing the bad things" but I'm not so sure I want to "get used to it" Would that make me a bad social worker? Would that desenitise myself to the real issues at hand? Would that make me less effective in dealing with issues?

These things have been going through my mind lately and although I know that most people don't blog about their "real" jobs, I just had to get it out. Another question I've been thinking about lately is how much do we really share about ourselves on our blog? Do we hold back a lot of things because we don't know how people will react or because we want to keep them to ourselves? It makes me wonder how the blogging world really works. I never meant for my blog to be read by anyone. But now I can't imagine not seeing comments from my very regular readers, like goofy girl, Janet, Carmen, and even kailani!

What do you all think?

Monday, Monday

I'll say it...sometimes being a girl is hard! I don't have much to report. I'm tired and worn out. I had a mini breakdown on Friday and fiance ended up storming out to meet people for a birthday celebration (his). I was so tired and crabby and stressed out that I pretty much shut down! Well he left and I did the dishes and cleaned up the bedroom. I think cuddled up on the couch and flicked between "The American President" and "Apollo 13" It was great! I probably fell asleep around 9ish and woke up on the couch and fiance was home from his dinner. We were both better on Saturday and spent the weekend up by his family. That went fine and it's back to another long week of work, school and internship. I can't wait until Christmas!

How was your weekend?

Another Thursday?

Thanks to goofygirl for the WONDERFUL banner she made for me!

Thirteen of my favorite quotes!

1. You must be the change you wish to see in the world. --Mahatma Ghandi

2. It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.--Chinese Proverb

3. When one door closes another opens. But often we look so long so regretfully upon the closed door that we fail to see the one that has opened for us.--Helen Keller

4. Imagination is more important than knowledge.--Albert Einstein

5. Happiness is where we find it, but rarely where we seek it.--J. Petit Senn

6. The art of being wise is knowing what to overlook.--William James

7. The best way to prepare for life is to begin to live.--Elbert Hubbard

8. To live is like to love--all reason is against it, and all healthy instinct for it.--Samuel Butler

9. As I grow to understand life less and less,I learn to love it more and more.--Jules Renard

10. Every artist was first an amateur.--Ralph Waldo Emerson

11. Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is.--Vince Lombardi

12. It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.--Theodore Roosevelt

And the last one for fun.....

13. If at first you don't succeed, then quit. There's no use being a damn fool about it.

--W.C. Fields

Happy Thursday Everyone! What is your favorite quote?

Carmel says....

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!

Would you be willing to make nice?

Give them a chance

Now, I know that Janet is rolling her eyes at a country post, BUT, I think this song is very powerful and worth a look. What symbolism do you see throughout the video? Let me know what you think!

Pumpkins!

Fiance and I carved pumpkins tonight. I just thought I would share them with you! Enjoy!

Do you carve pumpkins?

P.S. Mine is on the right....fiance's is the goofy one on the left :-0

It's THURSDAY!!!!!

Well, the picture doesn't want to upload so you don't get one this week!!!!

13 Things that are on my desk (remember, I work from home!)

1. My laptop--which you can barely see under all the paperwork....
2. Paperwork--which I can't find most of what I'm looking for....
3. Printer...which has a lot of stuff I've printed and now I don't know where to go with....
4. Faxer, Copier, Scanner, Printer...for all your personal and professional needs...
5. Telephone...which is usually hanging up but on the off chance I can't find it, it has a "find" button....
6. My DEGREE....it looks so pretty and professional.....
7. A bottle of aspirin...do I really need to say more?
8. My engagement pictures....yeah not really sure how they ended up here.....
9. Pictures...lots and lots of pictures....me and fiance, my favorite kids, my maid of honor....
10. Vanilla Carmel candle...unfortunately it doesn't get lit a lot cause I'm scared it'll catch the paperwork on fire!
11. Paperclips....I swear I'm addicted to them....
12. Elephant piggy bank...it was my Grandma's and although I don't keep change in it, it makes me feel comforted.....
13. And finally.....a lamp! What desk wouldn't be complete without a lamp?

Now if you check back this weekend I will be posting a picture of my MESSY desk...we'll see if we can make some sort of contest out of this. How many things people can pick out? How many days you think it'll take me to clean it up (completely)? Most creative ideas for my desk? I'll think of something!

Have a super Thursday!

Anxiety

Has anyone else realized that the ticker on the side keeps getting smaller?

I'm having anxiety about everything I have to do yet for the wedding AND what I do on a daily basis. Yesterday was a 13 hour day as is today. Yesterday I went from up at 7am, leave house at 8:30am, not home until 9:20pm. Today was up at 5am, out the door at 6:25am, home for a quick lunch (now), gone again not to return until 8ish. UGH!

Anyone else having these weeks or is it just me?

Tim McGraw

GOOD SPORT
Tim McGraw throws a fashion curveball, ditching his country threads – and iconic cowboy hat – for a preppy look recently during a signing session outside Live with Regis and Kelly in New York City. And McGraw's Mets hat was no coincidence: His late father, Tug, was a pitcher for the team. (From People magazine online... www.people.com)

What's Left of You?

Besides the fact that this guy is hot, I honestly think he can sing. Give him a chance okay? I promise you won't be totally disappointed. Read below the video!
I decided that every Monday I will post a video of a song and explain why I chose it. I chose this video because I really appreciate Nick's raw emotion in this song. If you have heard the song before, watch it with the video. If you haven't seen it, just take it all in and let me know what you think.

What do you guys think of doing this every Monday? Will you come back next Monday to see what I pick next week?

Instead of a TT....

Dove - Evolution Commercial (higher quality)
Please watch this video instead of reading a 13. I think this is very important for everyone to see!

No wonder our society has such a distorted view of ourselves.

Peanut feels left out....

Peanut expressed her disapproval that this blog was "all about Carmel." She wanted me to remind you that, she too is cute. Although she is already 5 and is quite a spoiled princess, she is a part of the family as well. Well, Peanut, here is a post for you, all 4 pounds of you! :-)

Another day, another picture

Fiance took this picture while out on a 52 mile bike ride two weekends ago. I thought it was neat enough to share :) I hope you all enjoy it as well. Happy Tuesday!

Carmel

Carmel just wanted to say hello!

Another Thursday!

Thanks to someone for this banner...I can't remember where it's from. It's either Kelly or Goofy girl!

Thanks to Janet for coming up with this week's topic!

Thirteen Awesome Things that Fiance has done for me!

1. I got flowers EVERY month on our anniversary for the 1st year!
2. On our first year anniversary, he had bronchitis so I was thinking it was going to be low-key but....
3. Instead he took me to the "castle" where we had our first official date and he proposed!
4. He has taken care of me when I've had kidney stones and although he preaches about "drinking more water" after each one, he is more than helpful when it comes time to go to the ER.
5. The little things add up....leaving little notes, cleaning up my car, watching movies I know he secretly hates!
6. He has opened his heart to my parents when he wasn't too keen on "family" at all and they love him like a son and he adores them!
7. He is honestly the funniest guy I know and whenever I'm down or upset, he will try his hardest until I smile or laugh at his jokes.
8. Fiance always wanted to live on the West coast and I've always wanted to stay here so we live here because I have the best fiance!!!!
9. My program for school is shorter so I am going to school first and he is waiting to start his program until after we get married!
10. He is the supporter until I get done with school and then I will return the favor :-)
11. He is an all-around amazing man who I can't believe loves me as much as he does.
12. Fiance will bring random flowers just to "brighten the house"
13. The two things fiance hated the most: the phone and cuddles....guess what? Not only do we talk on the phone quite a bit (on my way home from work, when I'm away for work, when he's on a break from work), but I also get cuddles

Who wouldn't love this guy?

Happy Thursday!

My first 13 in a while

Thirteen Things I have done for the Wedding or hope to have done SOON!

1. Engagement pictures! --check
2. Reception Hall--check
3. Ceremony location (same as reception hall--we're getting married outside!)--check
4. Cake--check
5. Budget--check
6. DJ--check
7. Person to marry us--not yet
8. Guest list--sooooo close
9. Dress---umm haven't even gone yet
10. Bridesmaids and groomsmen--check
11. Photographer--check (my wonderfully talented Aunt!)
12. Invitations--I have a rough draft (I'm making them myself!)
13. Everything else that I can't think of off the top of my head....give me some more time!!! :-)

A Mental Health Day

So today I am taking a Mental Health Day (aka Sick Day) from work. I woke up and have just been so tired and crabby that I decided I needed a day to be ME and just relax. So in about an hour I am going to meet fiance at a coffee house (on his break) to do some studying, eating, relaxing and talking. I just love it.

On to other news...what's the big deal with gmail? How do you get it? Everyone and their grandma has gmail now and I have no idea what the big deal is? You can't just sign up for it I guess. Someone has to ask you? Well apparently I'm not nice enough because nobody has ever asked me!

Oh well! Happy Wednesday :-)

PS Has anyone switched their blogger to this blogger beta or whatever it is? Just curious if anyone has it and likes it? Let me know!

Monday....

Well, the engagement pictures were in on Friday so fiance and I packed up and headed up to my home-town to see them and.......we LOVE them! They turned out SO good that we had to decide between 12 favorites! It was a tough decision but we got it all figured out and my mom is going to order them today. I'll let you know when we get them back in. I might post one but I've never posted myself before so I'll have to think about that.

What's new with everyone? I'm getting into the groove of my schedule and hoping to start posting more!

Happy Monday!

Long Time Gone

Wow, it's been quite a while since I posted. Well, a lot has happened. More work bullsh*t has been happening and well I almost quit last week but I've calmed down and realized that whatever happens, happens.

Fiance and I have been talking about moving back to my home town. He enjoys it there and it has a nice "homey" feel to it. We would like to move there asap but obviously we have a lease, and other obligations at this point. Our lease is up in May and we may consider it then.

We were up in Appleton this weekend and had engagement pictures taken (in the rain!) We wanted them outside and it was raining so we improvised. We should get them back this weekend and I can't wait!!!! I can't wait to see them. I have a feeling it's going to be hard to pick out our favorites...our photographer took over 100 shots!!!!

Other than that, I have been very busy. The apartment is not as clean as I would like and obviously fiance is feeling left out seeing as I am gone constantly! I am hoping to make it to Thanksgiving break just to have a few days off. It will be nice to just relax.

Sorry I have neglected the blogging world, but I appreciate you guys sticking in there with me and still checking for updates. I am trying to be better, but there aren't enough hours in the day.

Have a great Monday everyone!

I am still alive...

Thirteen reasons I don't have time to blog anymore....

1. Grad school--I don't know who thought doing grad school and working was a good idea.
2. Wedding planning--It's fun stuff but wow is it time consuming!
3. Homework--I think this one goes along with #1
4. Commutes--the commute time really kills me especially since it's 45 min. one way to school (that's without traffic!!!!)
5. Late night working--since I go to school during the day and night and I have internship, I am working later hours which take away from blogging!
6. Internship--I'm at the hospital three times a week by 7 am (with a 30 min commute) so that's not too fun
7. Trying to see fiance--the times I'm not doing the above 6, I'm attempting #7
8. Sleep--although I haven't gotten a lot lately
9. Being sick--Fiance and I are both sick right now too!
10. Boring--you guys are just boring me (just seeing if you are actually reading this or not!!!!)
11. Complaining--I feel like all I would write would be complaining about all the stuff I have to do
12. Maintaining the apartment--when I'm gone about 10-12 hours a day and fiance is working full-time, it's hard to find time for dishes
13. I do--miss the blogging world and I still try to make time to read everyone's posts to keep up on your lives! I hope you miss me too!!!!!

Thanks for reading :-)

Picture updates

Here is Carmel: She has gotten SO big since the last time I saw her. Don't be fooled by the fur, she is CHUBBY!!!!! But so cute huh?

And here is the pirate ship:

Long time gone...

Well, it was definitely a while since I've last blogged. Things have been hectic around here and because of that, I haven't been in the mood to really write. I'm trying to get some things done for the wedding (we have a ceremony site) and other random things before school starts next Tuesday.

I am very nervous about school. Fiance went with me yesterday to get my student ID and my books. My stomach hurt the entire time. It's just very stressful knowing all the things I need to accomplish while in school. I am excited for my classes because I think I will enjoy them, but scared at the same time that I won't have time to get everything done that's needed.

Fiance's dad and gf were down here for the weekend and on Sunday we went over to Lake Michigan to play for a while. We played bocce ball and watched the sailboats and little tour boats. Then out of nowhere came a.....PIRATE ship. I took two pictures and I'll have to post them later. I couldn't believe it. It honestly looked like a pirate ship. So strange.

Anyway, how has your week been going? I'm trying to look at all positive things so help me out if you can!

Just for Janet

This is just for you, Janet!

Monday already?

Well, this weekend we had a fairly successful party at Life After College. It was a small gathering of close friends and besides fiance, all girls! We had a wonderful slumber party and Goofy Girl even got her hair done. I will be selecting the winner of my favorite present later on today.

I can't believe it's already Monday though. It was a busy weekend. We went to the Zoo on Saturday and then a baseball game yesterday and a TON of things in between. It's not so bad on Monday when you've had a full weekend. I have a busy week with work and I'm even out of town for two days.

Well back to work. How is your Monday going?

Party up in Here!

Thanks to Goofy girl for the banner...isn't she talented? She designed my blog too!!!!!!

Yes, there's a party! Carmen was nice enough to host a party this weekend and I thought I would do the same. This party is officially started. I have plenty of food, but surprise me with your "dishes" to pass! If you bring gifts, they can be left on the table right inside the door. Food can be put in the kitchen and the bathroom is down the hall to the left. We do have room to people to stay overnight, but it will be slumberpartyish (I made up that word)! Fiance will welcome some company as well so don't forget to say hi to him!

Music is started and fiance is in charge of tunes. You have a request, give them to him. Am I missing anything? Make yourself at home. Invite your friends and have them come on over!!!!

(I will pick a favorite gift at the end and will continue to update this post throughout the party!)

Ants are not good roommates

Well, I haven't written in a couple days and for good reason. The room that houses the computer (spare bedroom/office) was infested with ants. We even had the flying ones (which means they made a nest). Well I freaked out and was calling the landlady to get someone in here. In the mean time, I felt creepy crawly all day and did not enjoy being in that room.

The "ant killer" came yesterday and found the nest and sprayed some good poison all over. We had to keep the door closed because of the smell, but went in there last night and WOW! I have never seen that many dead ants in my entire life. They were everywhere. I should have taken a picture. The "ant killer" said they got in through a hole in the window and then went into the vent thingy and stayed. Thankfully, he understood us not wanting them to make a permanent residence there and got rid of them. We put up 5 ant hotels (aka traps of poison) and we are finding more dead ones today. The room doesn't smell any more but I'm still paranoid of finding more live ants. I have been on an ant mission the past two days and it has distracted me from my blog :-)

Cross your fingers that the "ant killer" did the job or I may have a nervous breakdown trying to control all these ants!

Monday is a horrible way to spend 1/7 of your week!

Well, as you can tell, I'm not too fond of Mondays. As fiance says "Rainy days and Mondays always get me down." Work hasn't been going well and I got some bad news last week which put a damper on a lot of things. I'm not going to go into details but I'm disappointed and not as happy to work for this agency any more. Like everyone says though "shit happens."

Carmen had a wonderful party this weekend and yes, I am going to be hosting one this weekend. Anyone want to make a banner for me to share? I'm not talented enough to do that! Well, that's about all I have today...boring huh? How are your Monday's starting out?

PARTY AT CARMEN'S PLACE!

Hey everyone, head on over to Carmen's blog because she's having a party! Leave her some love and let her know what you're bringing to the party. Leave me a message so that I know you were here!!!!

Thursday again?

So you think you already know everything? Here are 13 things you may not have known (I got this in an email and thought some of these were good!) I don't know if the banner is from KellyNello or goofy girl but say hello to both of them any way!

1. No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple. (You know you just tried to think of one...didn't you!)
2. A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.
3. Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer.
4. Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite!
5. The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.
6. The winter of 1932 was so cold that Niagara Falls froze completely solid. (I would have loved to see that!)
7. Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance.
8. There's no Betty Rubble in the Flintstones Chewables Vitamins. (You know you're curious....really, no love for Betty!)
9. If you are an average American, in your whole life, you will spend an average of 6 months waiting at red lights. (So then that also means that you'll spend an average of 6 months of your life bitching about being stopped at red lights :-) )
10. Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds. Dogs only have about 10. (I still like dogs more, vocal sounds or not!)
11. A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.
12. A crocodile cannot stick out its tongue. (Well that makes me feel better....after eating me, he can't stick out his tongue and make fun of me for going near him....whew!)
13. Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing. (What a frightening thought!)

Well, now you know everything! It's rude to not leave a message....so leave me some love here people! Also say hello to Carmen because she has a GREAT new design by Goofy girl. And as long as you're saying hello, make sure to stop by Janet and tell her Amy sent you so she knows that Michelle isn't the only one who sends people over to her.

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Where to even start

Today has just been crazy. I was sick from work yesterday but this morning I decided to get back in the swing of things. Well, you would think I was gone for a month with the amount of emails and voicemails I had! Whew...I got through them all and stayed sane! YAY!

I called my mom on Sunday night and asked her to run out to the place I used to always have pictures taken and see how much engagement pictures would be. Well she went there today and got me a quote...and took Carmel. Well, the photographer FELL IN LOVE with the dog and took her back into the studio and started snapping away. Well, Carmel, loving the attention, posed on a love seat type thing and let her just take her picture. My mom said she had to have taken at least 30-40 pictures! I told her just wait...coming soon...Carmel in the studio! So apparently she is loved by all!

I have to run some errands and figure out what's for dinner. I'm leaning towards Chicken tacos...hmmmmm.

Happy Tuesday everyone. Is it Friday yet?

I'm Back!

This is how Carmel likes to sleep--on her back!!!


This is Carmel being nice enough to pose for the picture (I'm sure she's saying...."I know I'm cute")

More about the weekend later. How was your weekend?

Out Of Town

I will be out of town from Wednesday afternoon until Sunday some time. So I will not be participating in the TT. If you are here looking for one, please look at the 100 things about me and comment on there or just comment on this post so I at least know you stopped by to visit me! I get lonely with no comment. So have a great rest of your week and I'll have pictures from the weekend!

Happy week!

So here is Carmel. I promised another picture way sooner than I posted but eh, sue me! She is absolutely adorable and I get to see her again on Wednesday so you can see how much the little girl has grown. I was out of town from Thursday-Sunday which is why you did not see any updates (did you miss me?--the correct answer is YES!)

I went to a wedding on Friday and a baptism on Sunday so I was quite busy. Fiance is the Godfather for the baptism and the little girl is ADORABLE! I don't think I have any pictures of just her, but next time I'll get one.

Well, I accepted an internship at a hospital near Milwaukee and I'm quite excited about it, but nervous. I don't know how ready I am to start school again, but ready for not huh? It's coming much faster than I anticipated.

I have another wedding this Saturday and I am maid of honor in it. I am very excited and honored about it, but I have to write the speech! I'm nervous about that let me tell you. I don't mind public speaking, but this is talking about marriage and all that jazz and I'm not married yet so who I am to give advice? I'm going to try to be serious (hahahah) but we'll see how that goes. Any suggestions?

So where have all my followers been? Apparently nobody cared I wasn't around since the TT! Well I'm hurt people!

It's that time again!

Well, I was going to skip this week, but hell, I'll join in. I think that Janet took the easy way out and Carmen has some wacky stuff going on, I'm going to be normal this week. Yay!

Thirteen Things about Me (I know you just can't get enough!!!!)

1. I cry easily...just try me...leave a nasty message and see what I do
2. I am very close to my family and love to visit and hang out.
3. I love noodles...just plain love them.
4. I have the two final weddings of the summer this Friday and the next Saturday
5. Fiance's goddaughter gets baptized this weekend so we're going to his home-town.
6. I don't like his home town.
7. I really do like country music (Janet, will you still be my friend?)
8. I haven't really felt like blogging lately.
9. I read at least 10 blogs every day.
10. My parents' new dog is HILARIOUS! She has short stubby legs and is soooo chubby!
11. Fiance makes me laugh at least once a day...it's part of what keeps us sane.
12. He wanted me to do a post of "13 songs we're going to have at our wedding"
13. He usually comes up with my ideas for 13's because I swear he's way more creative then I am.

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Blah

So I know I've been horrible at blogging lately. For that I apologize. However, I haven't really been in the blogging mood. I haven't been in the mood for much lately actually! I do have pictures of the new puppy and I'll try to update this post later and post a new picture of Ms. Carmel (Carmen, it's pronounced Car-mel).

How is everyone's week going?

New Puppy

Today is the day...my parents are getting a new puppy. Although I am still sad over the loss of my dog, Cashew, I am excited that my parents are getting another dog. Peanut is very lonely without her friend I think this may help. They get her today at 4:30 and we are naming her Carmel! Here is a preview, but I'm sure I'll have more after this weekend (we're going to visit of course!!!)

Thanks to Nello for the banner!







13 recent junk mail I have received!

1. "Wanna hook up tonight?"
--Gee I would love too, but I have other plans!
2. "Confimation Needed: Riding Lawn Mower Available"
--Just what I have *always* wanted!!! Especially living in an apartment, that riding mower will come in handy mowing the lawn I don't have!
3. "Final Notice for Home Depot Gift Card"
--hmmm I don't believe I would have gotten a Home Depot gift card for my non-existent home.
4. "321 Henley Dr."
--huh what?
5. "If you're over 30 and single, read this ad"
--well, I'm not over 30 and I'm not really single so gee, I think you sent this to the wrong person!
6. "Do you want a free laptop?"
--Sure but do I look stupid to click on the link in your email? Nope!
7. "What would you do to get out of debt?"
--probably nothing you have to say
8. "Costa Rica Land--find out more!"
--and if you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you too!
9. "Earn your college degree online"
--I already have one, but gee thanks for thinking of me!
10. "Complimentary $1000 Victoria's Secret Card"
--so that's what Victoria's Secret is huh? They give away all that money in order for people to go there!
11. "Attemping to contact you--urgent"
--well if you say it's urgent, then I really won't answer you
12. "Lose 20 pounds in two days"
--after 20,000 this email MUST have the cure to lose all this darn weight I want to get rid of!
13. "Work from home and earn money"
--too late guys, I already do!!!!

I could go on forever, but I won't. I'll post tomorrow who won from last week's license plate challenge, but not many of you answered. So feel free to post a guess if you want. I haven't been up on posting this week, sorry about that. It's rude to not leave a comment so take a second and do it!
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Honestly nothing ***UPDATED***

Well, for once in my life I don't really have much to say but I felt obligated to give my wonderful "fans" (hahahahaha) a post today! I have to add up all my plates from the game and see who was closest although I think only 3 of you guys guessed. I honestly don't think people read my entire 13's sometimes because the majority of the people don't do what I say in the end! *ahem* Anyway, just saying hi. Anyone have huge weekend plans? Mine includes cleaning, grocery shopping and cleaning some more....what a fun weekend for me!

Happy Friday!

***UPDATE*** So I was just looking around at other blogs and was reading Carmen's blog and saw on her "Favorite Peep's" list was me!!!! Not only was my blog listed but my link is "The Very Funny Amy" WOW! Who knew I was funny? Now this is something I am definitely going to have to share with fiance. Next time he doesn't laugh at one of my jokes, I'm going to have to refer him to Carmen! Thanks, Carmen for making my week with that!

Thirteen Thursday!

I was going to do a picture 13, however, the pictures will take up way too much room. I need to figure out how to do a slide show or something so that you can look at all the pictures without having to waste so much space (or I need to learn how to make them smaller!)

So here is a 13 of where we all went and what we did!

1. Sioux Falls, SD--we went to Falls Park which has beautiful waterfalls and had hiking and biking trails. There is also an observation tower that we climbed to the top of to look at the park from above.
2. Deadwood, SD--we went to Mt. Moriah Cemetary where we climbed all over to find the gravestones that Fiance wanted to see. We also camped in Deadwood for 1 night at a place called Wild Bill's. We also saw the exact location where Wild Bill was shot.
3. Rapid City, SD--we went to Chapel in the Hills which was AWESOME. It's a little church that was assembled in Norway and then taken apart and shipped to South Dakota to be put back together. It's very small, but very cute and is an awesome structure.
4. Outside of Rapid City, SD--We also went to Sitting Bull Crystal Cavern which is right outside of Rapid City. Some of the most beautiful crystals. We had to walk down 10 stories to get to them though!
5. Needles Highway--this was WAY cool and we were able to make it through all the caves and saw the "Needle's Eye" which was really cool as well!
6. Custer, SD--we went to see Crazy Horse and WOW will that thing be amazing when it's finished! The Mount Rushmore heads will fit into Crazy Horse's head when it's done. We saw a lazer show there that was great!
7. Keystone, SD--Mount Rushmore for fireworks on the 3rd. I do have to say that I will probably never see anything that cool EVER AGAIN!
8. Estes Park, CO--We walked around Estes Park and ate dinner and had homemade ice cream. We camped right outside of Estes Park so that we would be close to Rocky Mountain National Park.
9. Rocky Mountain National Park--We hiked around the park and saw a wonderful waterfall. That is also where the signed that I posted on my last post was from!
10. Denver, CO--we saw the United States Mint building but weren't able to go in because tours are booked through August! We also went to a botanical garden that redeemed us for not being able to see the Mint building.
11. Colorado Springs, CO--we rode the Cog Railway to the top of Pike's Peak and hung out there for about 45 minutes. We got hailed on as we were re-boarding the Railway.
12. Colorado Springs, CO--the next day we went to the Garden of the Gods and I'm telling you, if you go to CO Springs, go to the Garden of the Gods. It was the 2nd time I had been there and I loved it just as much. Fiance had a wonderful time. We hiked all over and got some of the most amazing pictures there!
13. CO Springs, CO--we went then went to 7 falls and just like the name, it has 1 continuous waterfall that has 7 falls within it. Very very neat, however, it was over 250 steps to get to the top. That may not seem like a lot, but combine it with high elevation and VERY STEEP stairs! It makes me tired Amy with an asthma attack. Ooops!

Well, that's the trip in a nut shell. It was so much fun. We also played the license plate game. Anyone ever played that on a trip? Where you try to find all the US States while driving. Take a guess at how many states we saw. The closet one will get......ummm.....you'll get a post dedicated to your page giving you advertising (sorry that's as good as I've got!)

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Caution!

We saw more than one of these signs while in Rocky Mountain National Park. Fiance and I were laughing slightly because the poor child in the picture looks like he has no chance. We were careful to stay away from the riverbanks, but there were still people climbing through the river on to rocks and such.

Fiance's reaction when he saw this sign, "So Amy pretty much if either of us falls in, we're dead." Hmmm, thanks for that comforting thought!

"Oh to live on Sugar Mountain"

Fiance plays that song quite a bit and I thought it was fitting seeing as this picture was taken on the top of Pike's Peak. Yes, I said TOP! We were 14,110 feet above sea level. Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating so it is not as clear of a picture as I would like. You can tell we are above some clouds though. It started hailing (on July 6th mind you) on us right when we were boarding the cog railway to go back down. It was beautiful though. We only got to stay for 45 min because the air is very thin that high up and people can become dehydrated and become ill because of the elevation. Fiance and I both felt fine, just a little dizzy near the end. It was so worth it though!

Pike's Peak
Colorado Springs, CO
14,110 feet above sea level

Although it is not the highest peak in CO, it is one of the most well known throughout the US and one of the most climbed, and visited peaks!

Back home...and tired

We made it home! It took two days and about 17 hours to make it back from CO, but the trip was worth it. I can't even name all the things we did during the 10 days we were gone, but I thought I would post a few pictures. As you can probably guess, I'll be doing my Thursday 13 from the things we did. Here's just a few to keep you wanting more....

This is from Sioux Falls, SD and it is at a place called "Falls Park"! It is just beautiful!

This is the Badlands. So beautiful!

Here is one that needs no introduction! It's taken in black and white, and it had just rained so it looks as though they are sweating (it was really hot and sticky that day too!)

So thank you to Janet and goofy girl for being WONDERFUL guest bloggers. I appreciate the time you guys took to do that. Janet, what a wonderful idea for a 13. Too bad that more people didn't participate! Check back this week as I'll post more about our adventures and more pictures. Ahhh...I can't believe tomorrow is Monday and it's back to work.

Thursday Thirteen Ed. #48

Graphic courtesy of Novelist in Training

Thirteen Things we like about this Amy chick ;-)
(I'll start off, you tell me in the comments what you like about Amy and/or her blog and I'll add it to the list!)


1. I like that she trusts me enough to let me guest post!

2. Heather says: I like that she seems very kind, sweet, and upbeat!

3. Carmen says: I think she has excellent taste in Favorite Blogs! :) AAAAND She's cool like 'dat!

4. Tess says: I love that she is letting her readers do her T13 - how original and *la-zee! but hey, vacation deserves a little laziness

5. Pink Chihuahua Princess says: I like that she and I seem to be in similar stages in our lives. I just got out of grad school (law), and am a newly wed.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.



Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

1. (leave your link in comments, I'll add you here!)


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Live from the ROCKIES!!!

Hey there! I am sitting here in Denver and I can see the Rockies from this computer. This is the 1st access to a computer that I've had. Unfortunately, their Wi-Fi didn't work so I can't post any pictures yet. However, I think I have taken over 300 pictures so far. We have had SO much fun and we aren't looking forward to coming home. Thanks to goofy girl and Janet (fondofsnape) for doing some guests posts. It looks like Janet may be doing one more so check back for that and I'll be home on Sunday and I will DEFINITELY post some pictures then.

Happy Thursday! (Sorry no 13 unless one of my guest posters gets ambitious!)

fond of snape guest post #1

Hi all! I'm Janet, aka fondofsnape! Amy asked me to be a guest poster while she's on vacation and so here I am! I'll follow goofygirl's lead and tell you a bit about myself: I'm OLD, I live with my dogs, Wolf and Max, and my Dad!


Max and Wolf
I am in LOVE with photography and nothing makes me more happy than spending a day taking pictures :-)

Friday and Sunday I had two shoots scheduled, both of children. After Sunday's shoot, I'm considering starting a business in which I'll travel to people's homes to photograph their children (or pets, or themselves) in a relaxed setting, versus dressing up the baby, taking him/her to the mall or photography studio, waitingwaitingwaiting, possibly giving the baby time to get cranky, etc. What do you think?

That's all for now, I hope you all have a safe and happy 4th of July!

Goofy Guest Post #2

I missed guest posting yesterday since I was away most of the day so I'd really like to say something but I really don't know what exactly to say. I made pancakes (strawberry & choco chip, yummy) with my friends today and then went to the pool - it was a very relaxing day. I'm meeting a high school friend for dinner and probably playing some tennis with my boyfriend and dog afterwards. The courts are lit up at night so we can play much later and when it's cooler!!

What did you do today?

Goofy Guest Post #1

Hello! I'm Goofy Girl for those who aren't familiar with me. I'm 25 and currently I'm in medical school. I live with my dog and my boyfriend. That's pretty much the basic info on me.

Yesterday I went to the outlets in Lancaster, PA with my mom. For those who don't know Lancaster is the home of some of the Amish. Since my mom and I took the backroads to the outlets we say many, many buggies out there. I really wonder what it would be like to be Amish. I wouldn't be blogging, I wouldn't be in medical school - I would probably be married and have several children, I would work long and hard on a farm all day. It just seems very different from my life now!!

I WON!

So, I never win things and today I am mapquesting my directions and blingoing places for their address and low-and-behold I WON A PRIZE! I almost couldn't believe it. Thanks to Janet I signed up for blingo and now thanks to me, we both won a movie ticket. WOOHOO!!!!

Just finished printing out directions from mapquest for our ENTIRE trip and that took some time. I'm so excited! I can't wait to leave. Have a great 4th everyone!

Introducing.......Guest Bloggers!

Hello everyone,

As you all know, I am leaving tomorrow for a vacation (insert cheers!!!!!) So Goofy girl & Janet have been nice enough to volunteer to guest blog for me! Treat them well and make sure to check them out during the week too. It'll be a surprise when they blog so check back often AND I may try to make a surprise visit with some early pictures during the vacation (cross your fingers that somebody's Wi-Fi works).

Happy 4th of July to you all and blog with you in about 10 days!!!!

P.S. For those of you who have been watching for the answers to the questions, I will finish doing those when I return!

Thursday Thirteen

Thanks to KellyNello for the banner!

Thirteen Places/Things We Are Doing on Vacation!

1. Pike's Peak Cog Railway
2. Estes Park
3. Mount Rushmore
4. Sioux Falls
5. Garden of the Gods
6. Crazy Horse Memorial
7. Crystal Cave Park
8. Custer State Park
9. Deadwood
10. Sturgis
11. Scenic Byways
12. Needles Highway
13. Stanley Hotel

I'm looking for volunteers to guest post while I am gone. Any takers? Goofy girl said she would take a day (Thanks!) so if I get enough other people, I would be able to have one for every day I'm gone! Or maybe just a few. Leave it in a comment if you would be willing. Happy Thursday!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Who's reading? Chris, PatentPrincess, FRIDAY'S CHILD, dawn, Kailani, Francesca Gray, Carmen, Lauren, Reverberate58, Lisa, Goofy Girl, Tricia, Janet, Stacy, EmilyRoseJewel, Lil Duck Duck, ~Krystyn~, Megan, Kelly, Maribeth

Answers Day Whatever :-)

So I believe this is the one that Janet has been waiting for!

Question: Is There Such Thing As A Werewolf?
Answer: (taken from the book--shortened!)
Lyncanthropy refers to the delusion that one is a wolf. This can definitely be seen in psychiatric illness, but it may be that in some cases this is not a delusion at all. The werewolf legend may have originated out of two medical conditions.
Porphyria is a rare hereditary blood disease. There are two types of porphyria. In one type, cutaneous porphyria, the symptoms can resemble the characteristics of a werewolf. These patients become extremely sensitive to sunlight, grow excessive amounts of hair, and develop sores, scars, and discolored skin. Porphyria also leads to tightening of the skin around the lips and gums, and can make the incisors stand out (think fangs!)
Another disease that may have contributed to the werewolf myth is congenital hypertrichosis universalis, sometimes known as the human werewolf syndrome. This is another rare genetic disorder characterized by excessive hair growth over the whole body, including the face.

Question: Why Do You See Stars When You Are Hit In The Head?
Answer: (you know the drill)
It always happened to Wile E. Coyote. The Road Runner drops an anvil on his head and then the poo coyote sees stars circling his head. Not only does this happen in cartoons but it is actually a sign of a concussion. A concussion is simply when an injury to the head causes your brain to move around inside your skull! As for the stars, what probably happens is that the portion of your brain that is responsible for visual information, the occipital lob, bangs up against the side of your skull.

So there, now that that is settled :-) Is anyone enjoying these? I've gotten some good feedback, but I'm just curious. We leave Friday afternoon for our vacation. Is there any way on blogspot to have posts that will post themselves when I'm gone? I was thinking about having "Guest" Bloggers, but I didn't know if anyone would be willing to do that. These are things I'm going to have to think about. Any suggestions?

Holy Hill

So Holy Hill is a Shrine I believe. It's only about 1/2 hour north of us, so we decided to go visit yesterday. It's a beautiful church and is just huge. It sits up on a hill about 1400 feet. It's just beautiful. Just thought I would share a picture. This doesn't do it justice, but I'm not the best photographer so this all you get! haha!

Answers Day 3

Well, Carmen wants to know why men have nipples! Well, here you go....
(Taken directly from the book!)
We are mammals and blessed with body hair, three middle ear bones, and the ability to nourish our young with milk that females produce in modified sweat glands called mammary glands. Although females have the mammary glands, we all start out in a similar way in the embryo. During development, the embryo follows a female template until about six weeks, when the male sex chromosome kicks in for a male embryo. The embryo then begins to develop all of its male characteristics. Men are thus left with nipples and also with some breast tissue. Men can even get breast cancer and there are some medical conditions that can cause male breasts to enlarge. Abnormal enlargement of the breasts in a male is known as gynecomastia. Gynecomastia can be caused by using anabolic steroids. So, if Barry Bonds ends up coming to the old-timers game with a pair of sagging 44DD man boobs, then I think we will finally have our answer to the steroid controversy.

Does that answer the nipple question? My blog is going to be getting some creepy hits with THC in the last entry and now nipples and steroids.

The answer to the question: Should You Put A Steak On A Black Eye?
(directly from book)
Ice is hardly as dramatic as a carefully placed porterhouse, but it does the same job. There is no magic in the beef, just cold and a little pressure. Keeping your head elevated and avoiding aspirin or ibuprofen, which can affect the ability of your blood to clot, also helps. The best idea is to avoid getting punched in the first place!

And....can you get Scared to Death?
(and yes...it's right from the book!)
**This is a long answer, so I am shortening it**
There is significant evidence that psychological and emotional stress can increase the likelihood of a heart attack. So it makes perfect sense that the stress of fear could lead to sudden death.

There, short and sweet. Happy Monday, everyone!

Answers Day 2

Well, nobody seemed real interested in the answer from Friday, but ah, heck, I'll post some more anyway....

Question 2: Does Coffee Stunt Your Growth? (again, the answer is taken directly from the book!)
I, Billy Goldberg, would like to dedicate this answer to my good friend caffeine. He has been with me through good and bad times. Without him I would not have survived the long nights of my hospital residency (like goofy girl soon!!!) nor the deadline of this book. To my friend I proclaim, "I do not hold you responsible that I am only five foot nine!"
Actually there has been considerable research on whether caffeine consumption is linked to osteoporosis. Overall, it can be concluded that moderate caffeine consumption is not an important risk factor for osteoporosis, particularly where women consume a healthy balanced diet. Some research suggests that regular caffeine consumption may lead to loss of calcium in urine, but this does not have a measurable effect on bone density either. So as long as you have a balanced diet with adequate calcium intake, you can enjoy your espresso with no cause for concern!

Question 3: Why Do You Get The Munchies When You Are Stoned? (taken right from the book!)
Answer: To keep Domino's and Frito-Lay in business.
Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. The main active chemical in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), or The High Causer. THC falls in the category of chemicals called cannabinoids.
A study in the April 2001 issue of NATURE helps us to better understand how marijuana causes users to have an increased appetite, the famous "munchies." Molecules called endocannabinoids, marijuanalike chemicals present in our own brain, bind with receptors in the brain and activate hunger. These endocannabinoids in the hypothalamus of the brain then activate cannabinoid receptors that are responsible for maintaining food intake. The chemicals from marijuana bind to these cannabinoid receptors and cause the munchies. Sound complicated? Maybe you're too stoned to understand! Go eat some cookie dough.

Hmmm...clear as mud right?

Well, I never said the answers would be easy to understand. I can't wait to see what searches bring up my blog with marijuana and THC in my entry!

The countdown is on to our week vacation in South Dakota and Colorado. We want to do so many things, but we only have so many days. We are thinking about taking the Cog railway up to Pike's Peak. It's a little pricey, but looks like it would be worth the trip. I've been to CO before, but haven't been to South Dakota. I can't wait!!!!

Who wants answers?

Well, I got quite a response that people want to know RIGHT NOW the answers to the questions. Well, I'm sorry...you only get 1 per day. It seems everyone only wants to read on Thursdays, and c'mon people, I'm not boring Friday-Wednesday, am I?

Here's the answer to the first question (The answer comes directly from the book!):
What causes an ice cream headache?
"Ah, the joy of a popsicle on a hot summer day. One theory places the source for the brain freeze in the sinuses, where the pain may be caused by the rapid cooling of air in the frontal sinuses. This triggers local pain receptors. Another theory postulates that the constriction of blood vessels in the roof and rear of the mouth causes pain receptors to overload and refer the pain to your head. There is a nerve center there, in the back of your mouth, called the sphenopalatine ganglion, and this is the most likely source of the dreaded ice cream headache. A friend of ours suggested a quick cure of rapidly rubbing your tongue on the roof of your mouth to warm it up. Her demonstration included a bizarre clucking sound. Leyner tried this and found himself followed by a large goose of whom he seems to have become inordinately fond."

So there you go everyone! The answer to the age old question. Click back tomorrow for another rousing answer to another question (and who said I wasn't educational?)