Buddy Boy.

I was going to give a recap of my weekend today, but instead will be writing a kind of tribute. I got a call from my best friend (we'll call her Flower) today. She was very upset and I kind of already knew what she was going to tell me before she could say the words. She and her boyfriend (Hubby's best man) had to put their dog, Bud, down this weekend. This upset me a lot- even though I was warned months ago that it might happen this year. I didn't think it wold happen so soon- I don't think Flower did either.

It may seem silly to be so upset about the passing of someone else's dog, but I have good reason:

One day about five years ago (or was it six?) Flower and her boy stopped by my Hubby's house (he was my boyfriend at the time) and I went down to talk to them by their truck. They had something to tell me, but I couldn't tell anyone else. I guess I was the first/one of the few to know and that made me feel special. The thing I couldn't tell was that they were going on a trip that day to pick up a puppy.

Hours later they came back to town with a fuzzy Rottweiler that was so small he almost fit in just one hand and barely spilled over into two hands. He was absolutely adorable and everyone quickly fell in love with him- well, especially me. Flower and I talked about the importance of him being socialized and we agreed that this wouldn't be difficult with our group of friends.

Quickly Bud began to grow and become a friend to all of our friends.

He was there when we went to visit Flower

and her boy's various apartments...He was there when we played card games

into the wee hours of the morning...He was there when the boys played darts...He was brought to outdoor

parties and indoor parties...He was even there the night

of my bachelorette party...

Bud was a part of our little family of friends and he will definitely be missed. I could not stop thinking about my Flower today and how she has to be alone this week because her boy is working out of town. I wish I could teleport up there to give her a hug, but I guess the best I can do is pray she remembers the good times and the happiness Bud brought her and so many others.

We'll all miss you bunches Buddy Boy and hope you are already enjoying your time in the sky with a big bone filled with peanut butter and a field to run and pounce about in like you love to do.

Lonely season, day 1...

Lonely season, aka tax season, began today. The Hubster is working late tonight and will work late every weeknight, and during the day on Saturdays, until April 15th. It made it even more lonely because I had the day off, which meant I've had to occupy myself for the entire day and will have to again tomorrow. I'm not meaning to complain about a four day weekend- I'm so glad to have one- but I am going to miss the boy over the next few months. I'm hoping we can set aside a night, probably Friday nights because he only works until five that night, to share dinner and a movie or whatever together. And I will definitely cherish every moment I do get to spend with him.

However, for those times when he's not around, I am very thankful for the little one shown below and her sister. They pretty much stay where they can see me all day long. Last night and today while I was reading in the living room, Lucy cuddled up under the blanket with me and Gracie slept on the back of the couch. This is a typical arrangement when I'm at home and sitting still- when I'm moving around, Gracie often follows me about and sometime Lucy tags along as well. It's nice to have their company when I'm the only human around.

I spent my first day off by sleeping in, getting up to read while eating breakfast, taking a nap, reading while eating lunch, reorganizing the kitchen cabinets, reading some more, taking another nap, walked to the grocery store to bring movies back, did a little project in the bedroom, and now posting. While making lunch I turned around to look out the window and look what was coming down! It flurried for a little while and the snow is still out there tonight.

I am going to wait to share the kitchen cabinet photos until tomorrow so this doesn't get too long, but below are photos of the bedroom project. The items used to be scattered along the back of the dresser and now are in and on shadow-box style shelves. For now I've just set the left and right frames onto the shelves, but I'll probably hang them eventually. I've been wanting to do this for awhile and used some Christmas money to buy the shelves. Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about it yet, but I think it will grow on me... it already is as I look at the pictures more and more.

Tomorrow's a big day, especially around where I live, and I'm glad to have the day off so I don't have to face the traffic. I pray that everyone who is making the trip into the city has a safe day and the big transition is smooth and uplifting.

Happy Monday!

Spring in my step...

This morning as I finished getting ready for work, I heard my phone ring. It was Hubby calling to say it was a "winter wonderland" outside (he had just left for work). Well, he was being just a touch sarcastic as there was only about an eighth of an inch of snow and it really was only on the pavement, not covering the grass. However, it was nice to see a little bit of winter rather than just feeling it in the air. Of course it was all gone by the time I came back home from work, but here's a pic I took outside the condo this morning:

I've got some exercise plans. The execution of those plans has begun with a new work-out schedule. It's more intense than any schedule I've ever had and I'm pretty excited about it. However, my sneakers were not so excited. The treads were beginning to fall off and they were all of a sudden starting to stink... no seriously, they didn't stink and then they did. It was sudden. And with the fitness goals I have in mind, tired shoes just weren't going to cut it. So Tuesday night I went and bought some new sneaks (seen below). They are a style that is being replaced by the updated version, so I got them for a good price (which I always appreciate). They are much lighter than their predecessor (hence the sensation of springs in my steps!) and are great so far. I'm thankful to be able to replace old shoes and can't wait to bust my butt in the gym and wear these out too!

Speaking of being thankful, I know I said I wasn't going to be long-winded anymore (or did I just think that in my head?), but I have a story: This morning, before lunch, a man came in to get his fingerprints done. At first I was a bit frustrated with him because I wasn't sure he should be getting them done by us because his work address and license (home) addresses weren't within the city- a "requirement" for using our fingerprint services. He finally explained to me that his license address was not up to date and that he was currently living out of the homeless shelter- he had recently lost his job and subsequently was evicted from his home.

With that settled, we moved on to the fact he wanted to pay with a money order, but it was for too much and I am not able to give change from a money order. I explained this to him, and he nicely said that was fine and he would just go cash it and come back.

He came back and he was telling me a bit of his life story, which I don't mind because I like providing kindness through listening. This man had been taking care of his mother and step-father. The step-father died of cancer and the guy then had to put his mother, who had Alzheimer's, into a nursing home. After this he loses his job and then his home. They (him and his wife) move to the homeless shelter and then his wife has to quit her job because they can't afford the commute.

Now he is getting his fingerprints done for a job. This job is working with elderly people and he says, it all just came together. He basically said, "I took care of my mother and step-father, then I lost the life I was living, only to gain a job I really wanted that involves working with elderly people." He's like, "it all just happens for a reason." And he was upbeat the whole time. He was happy for the losses he suffered because the outcome is looking bright.

This guy wasn't giving me a sob-story, he was giving me inspiration. We should all be as thankful for what we have as he is, no matter what struggle we go through, because God is good and He provides. We just have to stick out and have faith, the rest will come together.

Dinner at the table.

I love dinner at the table. It's so nice to sit down to a healthy meal with the one you love and chat about the day gone by, about what's to come, or even about nothing at all.

It is nice by candlelight or just the light overhead. The ambiance is already set by the act of being together.

And I must say that it's especially nice when you have a beautiful vintage tablecloth from your lovely Mum, with coordinating placemats, and even chargers.

Honestly, the chargers are a bit decorative for everyday use in my opinion, but they are currently serving the purpose of keeping my pain-in-the-butt cat from flipping the tablecloth and placemat all over the place. She still succeeds in shifting things around, but at least it's improved with the weight of the charger.

Today I am incredibly cheerful- especially for a hump day. Eating dinner at the table adds to my joy. I am thankful for time with my husband, a home-cooked meal, and a pretty table at which to eat our dinner.

I hope you all are joyful each day and thankful for the moments and small "stuff" that bless your day.

Happy Wednesday!

Lookin' good.

It took me long enough after getting home from my holiday vacation in beautiful Vermont, but the condo is finally looking much better. It's tidy and really feeling cozy, which is great as the temperature gets colder outside.

The cleaning and reorganization in some of the underbellies of the home were simple today, but definitely have things looking much better. No one else probably even cares about these spaces, but for me life is much less stressful when they are organized and as uncluttered as possible.

Guest bathroom vanity:

Linen closet (in guest bathroom):

I also did the master bath vanity, but did not have the desire to share photos... I guess I draw the line at sharing photos of my lotions and lady's items and such with the whole www.

Ha! The "whole www"- that's a bit (a gigantic bit) of a stretch to say the "whole www" reads this page of random musings and digressions.

But I digress...

Since the return home after the holidays in VT, the TV stand behind the couch that was supposed to be discarded months ago has found a purpose as a short sofa table. I'm not sure the boy appreciates that it continues to live behind the couch, but I don't appreciate the giant, ugly TV that I practically trip over ever time I walk into the guest bedroom. So we're even... actually, I'm ahead because the "short sofa table" looks waaaaaayyy better than the TV.

Tomorrow the kitchen cabinet overhaul begins. I'm kind of excited about it and keep thinking about what I'm going to do. I've opened up all the cabinets and stared in them to get the ball rolling in my brain about what's going to move where. Actually, I may wait until Monday for this project because I have Monday and Tuesday off and Hubby doesn't. That would allow me to just take everything out and then put it back in a better, more organized way... hmm, maybe that's what I'll do.

Does anyone else enjoy such tasks as much as I do?

If not, I'm okay with being unique in that way.

Happy Tuesday!

p.s. Read this post from This Is Reverb. I am so thankful to be able read Ryan's posts and have him not only help to guide me in my faith with his awesome and inspiring words, but also confirm my faith by putting into words thoughts I've already had- it's definitely a lot easier to get online than it would be to move to Cincinnati and join his church!

Closets, cabinets and vanities, oh my!

My goal this week is to re-organize our closets, cabinets, and vanities. I know this seems crazy and random, but most of them haven't been functioning or looking the way I'd like, so this is the week to take care of it.

I came home after work and got right to it. I started with the porch closet and kind of worked between that one and the guest room closet. I forgot to take before and after photos, but it's not like you're missing much.

The entry closet (seen at left) is one I've been frustrated with for a long time... particularly the lack of room for the kitty litter, which has been sitting outside the door in the entryway since we moved here. It's just not an attractive thing to see when you first walk in.

After some moving of some items and rearranging of others, now there is room for the kitty litter and I can shut the door on it until I need it. I know it's a small thing, but it's a great small thing!

As you can see, Gracie checked it out, and she seemed to approve.

Tomorrow I will work on the bathroom vanities, particularly the one in the master bathroom- it's currently quite a disaster. I'm also hoping to fix up the linen closet in the guest bathroom a bit. It looks pretty good, but I've got some more items to fit in there and so I'm going to have to rearrange.

Finally, the biggest project of all will be to reorganize the kitchen cabinets. I work pretty well in there right now, but I really would like to have an area that functions as a pantry and a way of storing some of my baking dishes that makes them more easily accessible and less awkwardly accessible.

Stay tuned if you're into the organization thing/seeing transformations of someone else's spaces or just call me crazy and leave now and never come back... I mean, it could be really boring or it could be an amazing transformation/organizational learning experience.

I'll shut up now because another goal is to be less long-winded when I post.

I wonder if that will ever happen.

Apparently not today.

Happy Monday!

F-R-I-D-A-Y

Yay Friday! Work has been kind of slow and although I've been doing my best to keep myself busy (even though it might not be work related), I am so glad it's Friday and I can sleep in tomorrow! Yay sleep!

Another thing to "yay!" about is that I got a new mobile today. Ha, mobile. It's fun to call it that.

I'm not really into material things- at least I try really hard not to be- but it's fun to get a new material item that you are going to get good use out of. The phone I replaced with the new one is one I've had for over two years and have kept though I've had many chances to upgrade. I'm not sure how it lasted this long, but I loved that phone. It seems kind of silly that I replaced it because I liked it so much, but I suppose it was time- especially because the boy really wanted to buy me a new one. He's being giving and wants to provide me with something, how can I say "no"?

Here's the beaut', all pretty in blue:

Hubs said this phone has gotten great reviews as a texting phone. This is good because that's pretty much all I do with my cell phone. Sure I speak into it every now and then, but I'm much more of a written word girl than a talker. And with a full keyboard, I won't have to scream "DIE T9!" when that stupid business randomly gets turned on. I'm certainly not the one who turned it on, I despise that function... except when I want to do a smiley face. :)

So I'll be spending part of my weekend familiarizing myself with the new mobile. Hopefully I'll be able to transfer some music onto it for ring tones. Man, the ring tones that come on phones are a real bummer!

Tomorrow I'm going to try to finish tidying up the condo so that I can focus on a kitchen project next week. Tomorrow night I am going to my aunt&uncle's (and currently my sister's) for my uncle's birthday dinner and then we are going to have a Wii tournament. It's always a great time when I visit and even though I'll probably spend the evening getting my butt whupped in various Wii sports games by my 9 years young and younger cousins, I'm looking forward to it.

Happy Friday and have a fantabulous weekend!

Book Blog

"...sometimes you have to add different things to your plate so that you don’t get tired of what you’re eating."

Pastor Ryan (thisisreverb.com) wrote this in a post a couple months ago, but it still hits home for me. I'm never really tired of the life I have, but I definitely enjoy adding something new to make it different and add new perspective.

Even though my mind races all the time with new things I'd like to be and do, sometimes I can distract myself with a project. Today that project was creating a book blog. I've got some participants in my top 100 book endeavor and they liked my idea of using discussion questions and really getting the most out of the reading. I was going to try to include the discussions on this blog, but it seemed like it would be too much in addition to my regular postings.

The title of the blog is "Family of Reading Nuts," which is derived from the fact that all of my participants (so far) are family members and we all love to read- even members who are not participating are still avid readers. Even though the title is based on family, we are open to any member- family or not.

So if you happened to wonder why the book list disappeared from my sidebar and I'm not posting daily about random vocabulary, it's because I've moved that stuff to the book blog. Come on over to check it out (you can use the photo link on the sidebar) and if it looks interesting, become a follower and join us!

My photo of the day is not that exciting... unless you live at my condo and think Christmas is over and therefore the decorations should be put away. I've finally got them boxed up, except of course for the few items that wouldn't fit. But I've got an extra bin to put that stuff in, which rest-of-the-year items are currently in. I also made dinner and got the kitchen cleaned and the dishes done. Small accomplishments are still accomplishments and I'll be back on track in no time.

Yes, that's a vacuum cleaner sitting out in the middle of the floor and yes the bed in the guest room is unmade. I'm all about reality here at Life as I Know It. But just so you know, I made the bed before posting, so woo to that.

Happy Thursday!

Umm, yeah...

I still haven't gotten my act together the way I want to. But I'm not letting it bother me... at least not too much. I went to the gym again today. It feels good and I've got a goal with this whole exercise thing, but I'm not going to share it quite yet. I got the kitchen cleaned up a bit this afternoon, I made a good meal for dinner, and our sheets are currently in the dryer so we'll have a lovely warm, fresh bed to get into tonight. I got a start on getting the Christmas decorations put away (finally)- I am hoping to get them nicely organized in the new green and red bins and that's why it's taking so long. I'm getting into bed as soon as the sheets are dry to read book #100. Speaking of book #100, I've got something going with this whole reading thing too, but I'm not sharing until it's ready. Ooo, so many secrets!

I guess I'm a bit overwhelmed by the opportunity each day brings and I've got so much I want to be and do. My Mom told me to slow down and she's right. I wrote a list today of things I would like to accomplish in 2009. I would like to do a "life-list" as well. I was thinking about it the other day and was inspired further by Pastor Ryan at This is Reverb with his 100 item list. I'm a list person and putting things on paper tends to make me feel better. If I can get organized about my goals and desires, get them out of my head and into a touchable/readable medium, maybe they won't drive me crazy by popping into my mind and causing me to think about each one randomly on a daily basis.

Here are some of my 2009 items:
* Worship somehow every Sunday
* Read at least half of the top 100 books
* Make dinner every week night
* Complete Aerosmith Guitar Hero, levels Easy and Medium
* Take at least one picture a day
* Taste a new food
* Visit a state I've never been to
* Play with and pet kitties daily
* Journal (handwritten) at least three times a week
* Do something special for Hubby (at least) once a week

My list could be practically endless for just one year, nevermind a "life list." But it feels good to see written down the things I desire. The things you hope to do definitely express in a way the person that you are and/or want to be. My list shows that I desire a stronger faith and relationship with God, I desire to provide for my husband, I desire creativity, I want to express myself, I like and desire to travel, I wish to be daring and to try new things, I like to enjoy life and spend time doing relaxing, fun activities.

It's kind of strange to be struggling with getting back "into the swing of things," but I'm glad to be relaxed about it without totally letting things go. Life is good and I'm glad to have opportunity and ability.

In honor of one of my list items, below is my photo of the day. Lucy is a silly kitty and almost looks like she likes being held upside down. Hubby says he doesn't love these kitties, but the way he picks her up and holds her and pets her says otherwise. I find it quite adorable, which you can barf about if you want to.

Happy Wednesday! Cheers to accomplishing more tomorrow!

Mmm,caramel...

There was little time (and inspiration) for a real post today, so here's the day (or really just the afternoon) in review:

Gym: check.
Grocery shopping so we can eat healthy and stop snacking on random food: check.
Healthy meal for dinner: check.
Ice cream with Made In Vermont caramel for dessert: check.
Movie watching/time spent with the boy: check.

The movie we watched was Pineapple Express. It was pretty much a pointless story line, but very entertaining anyways... it probably would have been more so if I had been a stoner at some point in my life or had at least smoked marijuana once. But I have not. However, it was still pretty funny and definitely confirmed that I love Seth Rogen and think he is absolutely adorable.

And James Franco is hot... even as a long-haired, kinda dirty, pothead, drug dealer. (that should be good for the Google search engine hit list)

Book #100 factoids of the day:
* Mercurochrome (chapter 2 title) is a trademark name for merbromin, which is a mercurial compound applied as an antiseptic
* Awesome description: "his voice crackling like an old radio because decades were rubbing up against each other around his vocal chords" (pg. 38)

Thanks for enduring the randomness yet again.

Happy Tuesday!

Fusty

Back to work for a full five day work week. Uggggggh, can't I just stay on vacation forever instead? Oh, if I did that we'd lose our home, our cars, our ability to drive to Vermont to visit our loved ones? Oh, well, I'll suck it up then...

EDIT: Back to work for a full five day work week. Thank you Lord, I have a full-time job with a salary that includes benefits and lets me live a comfortable life. Please bless those who go without and who have it worse than I do each day and when I have a little extra, please don't let me forget them.

It has been a bit of a struggle to get back to the "real"/holidays-are-over life. I haven't been completely worthless, but I certainly haven't accomplished as much as I would have liked in the first five days of January. The condo is still in limbo between decorated for Christmas and undecorated. There are still gifts and items from travel to be put in their proper places. I did laundry and folded, but have not put away. I'm only on page 27 of book #100.

I am frustrated by the fact that these things haven't been done yet, but am also am thankful for the things I've been doing instead. Hubby and I spent time together on New Years day, just hanging out and enjoying each other's company. My sister came to visit this weekend and we enjoyed some time playing Guitar Hero, went to a baby shower, and did some shopping. I had dinner at my aunt and uncle's last night and played some Wii with my three cousins and sister. I at least got a start on the cleaning/undecorating. Hubby and I went to a basketball game that our team won 101-60. The reading I have done of book #100 has been really enjoyable- the story has been very entertaining to me so far, not to mention the things I've learned by looking up words I didn't recognize.

As I had hoped, I am learning each day to be grateful for the small things. I am not completely overlooking the daily things that need to be done, but I am not freaking out when they don't get done- especially if it's because I'm spending time with loved ones or creating or just relaxing and taking in this life God has blessed me with.

And I am thankful that my house isn't fusty. Ha! That's a word I learned from book #100. I'd never heard/seen it used before and greatly enjoy saying it in my head. It means stale and unclean smelling or old fashioned and out of date. I also learned that "absurd" does not just mean that something does not make sense, but that it can also refer to a state of meaninglessness.

I hope you've enjoyed the lesson for today. Please return tomorrow for yet-to-be-learned-randomness.

Happy Monday!

Autodidacticism

I love to learn. I loved school and wish I could be back in college taking more classes. However, our budget doesn't allow for that- especially with a husband who actually needs a masters degree to achieve his career goals. I honestly don't have career goals- at least not the kind that require a masters degree.

Before I even graduated with my bachelors, I became interested in self-education. The act of learning things on my own, without a teacher or a curriculum. I started a list of topics that I'd like to learn more about, from notorious court cases (related to my education) to types of horses to parts of a car engine. I just crave knowledge about all types of things.

Today I decided that I'm going to look up discussion questions for the books I'll be reading this year. Reading is a great way to cultivate the mind and adding thoughtful questions to the mix just increases the learning experience.

With this discussion question idea, I was reminded of my desire for self-education. Being bored at work, I typed "self-education" into Google and found out that there is actually a name I can't pronounce for this concept. That word is "autodidacticism."

Using my topic list and the book list combined with discussion questions, I'll be haphazardly researching and learning all sorts of things on my own. It will be a great way to pass the time this late winter and spring when Hubby is working long tax-season hours.

So in addition to being a bookworm, I'll be an autodidact.

You can add "nerd" to that name list too; I wont' be offended.

Happy Friday!