Im ready for winter to be over.
I sick of waking up everyday and having the sky be the same gray, nasty, drab color all day.
Its depressing and I hate having to cheer myself up because the weather brings me down.
Im ready for spring. Im ready to go running on the roads instead of a treadmill next to a woman who complains every.single.morning. about her divorce and how horrible her ex-husband is. I get it. He's an ass. I can't drown you out with loud music anymore because my friend is living in the loft above the gym because she finally left her abusive boyfriend and I don't want to wake her.
Im ready for blue skys. Warm sun. Green grass. Birds chirping when I walk outside to go to work. Dew instead of frost. My tulips, my tulips, my tulips.
Did I tell you I planted close to 300 bulbs this past fall? All colors of pinks and magentas and purples and lilacs and blues and whites. I can't wait to see all the tiny buds popping up from the soil...marking the arrival of spring.
Im going to Alabama in April. Im driving my grandparents down to see my Momo's mother....my great grandmother. She is one amazing woman. 93 this year and still kicking. Her mind is still sharp, she still cooks, still feeds her chickens every morning, and still tells great stories about her past.
Im excited to see her. It's been far too long. The last time I was down there was when I was in junior high. Lots of things have changed, but I know most of the things have stayed the same.
Im not excited about sleeping on a couch for a week...on my vacation. Why do I have to do this when it is a 4 bedroom home? Because her one son, David, lives with her and helps her take care of the house and takes care of Grandma. Momo and Papa will have one room, and I just found out this week, that my Uncle Joe moved back in. My alcoholic, drug addicted uncle. Is living in the same house as his mother, the wife of a baptist minister. Leaching off his mother. Im not happy about it. I catch him with drugs in my grandma's house and I will kick his ass myself. I hate when he drinks. He is inappropriate when he drinks. Says inappropriate things. Thinks he is funny when he is sick. I may be renting a hotel room all by myself if it gets too bad. I want to enjoy my vacation.
I will have to take pictures when I am down there. You will be suprised by how old-timey it is. I mean, grandma lives on a dirt road. A.Dirt.Road. Red clay to be exact. It gets all over your clothes and shoes down there. I need to get a pair of throw away style shoes to go running in.
There are lots of HUGE trees, ant hills, and poverty stricken homes in her area. Nobody has a lot. Everything is basic. BUT, they have nice porches. Front AND back porches. You spend a lot of time on the porch when you are there. That part is nice. You get a cold drink, plop down in one of the rocking chairs and sit back and watch the chickens run around until the sun goes down. I do love that part. I learned the art of sitting still on those porches. I learned to appreciate watching nature around you and being quiet and sitting in the company of those you love and NOT having to talk constantly.
That is one thing Alabama has that Ohio doesnt...the ability to be still and appreciate the things around you.

Things I want to do before I die...

I was thinking in the shower last night, because the shower is my thinking spot, about things that I would love to do/accomplish before I die.
This is what I have so far:

-Run a 5k in less than 25 min
-Run a half marathon
-Run a full marathon
-Compete in a triathalon
-Be skinny/confident enough to get professional nudie pics taken for my husband's birthday (tasteful of course-no full frontal!)
-Have a job that I love, love, love, love, love going to
-Own a boat
-Try Indian food (I know, not a big one, but I live in Bellevue Ohio...nuff said)
-See France, again
-Own a place in Cape Cod so I can go there anytime I want
-Sit in awe of the powerful Mississippi River
-Climb a mountain
-Go to Vegas
-Go on a missionary trip with my friend Faith from College
-Learn to start an IV
-Drive a car that costs more than my house (just on loan...not buy it)
-Fly an airplane
-Own a house free and clear
-Travel, travel, travel, travel, travel
-Go back to school for teaching and keep going til I get my doctorate
-Take a cheerleading squad to nationals
-Take my ENTIRE family on a nice vacation
-See my Aunt and Uncle's house in Australia...in person
-SCUBA dive in a tropical location...you can only look at muddy sunken boats in Lake Erie for so long
-Rescue more pit bulls
-Have a bedroom that looks like an adults bedroom...with matching furniture!
-Have a tin ceiling in my dining room
-Donate blood...I can't bring myself to do it for some reason!
-Become a vegetarian for at least a year
-make a difference in someones life


The list will continue, be added to, edited...
I will keep you posted...
Hoping to be able to check off at least 2 this year!

Drydocked

Ive been slacking on my blogging lately. But honestly, I haven't had much to blog about. My life is boring right now. Same schedule everyday. boring.
I have added one thing. I started running again. Like really running...not my walk with a hop for a mile or so...Im talking running....to get in shape and run a half marathon.
That is my goal for this year. To run a half marathon. Maybe in May if my training goes well, maybe not til september....it all depends. But I am making myself drag my ass onto that treadmill every morning to do it. And I feel great after my morning run. Today was my first rest day and I feel lethargic. I don't like that....I will just have to do some cross training on my rest days. I've already lost 4lbs this week. Lets keep that trend going...

I got some exciting news from my brother on Wed. night. He and his wife are expecting their second child! Oh, so exciting! I couldn't be happier. I love hearing the pride and excitement in my brother's voice. I can't wait to meet the new addition to our family...and I am soooo excited for Turner to have a sibling!
It seems everyone I know is pregnant or just had a baby. I got to see some friends last night that I hadn't seen in forever and got to meet their little girl, Ali. She is so beautiful. I guess we are at that stage in our life....my friends and I....where bridal showers are replaced by baby showers, bouquets for diapers. Im not feeling that pull, or want for a child though when I see all my friends with their baby. I think that says something....it could mean nothing though too. It could just mean that Kevin and I aren't meant to have a child. I'm ok with that. Our baby is our relationship...Lord knows it takes as much work as a newborn baby does...always working something out, even when we are doing good.
He has vowed to quit drinking...completely. Not even the occasional beer. This makes me happy. A lot of his problems stem from when he drinks. I think he uses drinking to cover his insecurities because he feels more ok with himself when he has a slight buzz...who doesn't love themselves more when they are buzzing...problem is, that buzz goes away and you have to deal with regular old you and sometimes, you don't like that person. After saying something hurtful to one of his best friends this weekend, and hurting another friend, plus me...I think he realized its time that that little brown bottle be thrown in the garbage for good. I hope he sticks with it. He has already distanced himself from his daily drinking buddy...this makes me happy. I wasn't a huge fan of the guy...he was nice enough, but I like being married to one guy...not two. I will keep you all updated on his progress. Im totally ok with not drinking...I could go forever without another drop of alcohol. It is not a necessary evil in my world. It is an easy sacrifice for me.
Work has been crazy busy. I should get started on my pile o' crap.
Bonus-Im going in April for an advanced mastectomy fitter class....Im super excited.

Sometimes I think I married the most ignorant man on the planet...other times he amazes me because he is so wonderful, but now, not so much.

"Fuck Haiti"

That is Kevin's stance on th whole earthquake/disaster issue.
I get it. It's far away. It doesn't affect you. But come on..."Fuck Haiti?"
That's a little harsh.
Mind you, he doesn't just state this to me...he says this infront of our best friend, Jason, and another coworker at Fontana's.
We were all shocked. I asked him how he could say this...

"If they can't figure out how to survive for themselves, I say it's natural selection."

I don't think Kevin realizes what a poverty stricken area this is, even before the earthquake. That people had maybe one pot or pan, barely any money, and they were already scraping by to survive.

"If they can't figure out how to make clean water when they are surrounded by an Ocean, then they SHOULD die."

You've got to be kidding me, right?! He then goes on to explain how to render clean water from ocean water...you simply need a pot or pan, fire, a piece of plastic, and a clean container to put it in. Apparently Kevin was born with this information in him, because I would be dying to thirst as well. I don't think he realizes they don't have cable shows like Survivorman to teach you these things. But whatever.

Sometimes, it is best to just walk away. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion right? I guess that is just his. But I was embarrassed that he said this and meant it.
I may not agree with the beliefs of Haitians, but I don't wish anyone to have to go through what they are going through right now.

I guess sometimes ignorance is bliss.

and I guess I should be thankful that Kevin would be able to provide for us if we were to ever have to deal with a natural disaster...

Spring Cleaning?

Kevin and I throw two parties per year. The reasons are dual purpose...in the winter, we have our Ugly Sweater Party...where you find the ugliest sweater you can and wear it with pride. We have different themes each year. This year...animals. Think crazy cat lady...yeah, you got it. Our summer party is out doors and we mainly BBQ and hang out by a HUGE bonfire. It is nice.
The second reason for the parties is so that we clean our house from top to bottom.
I spent my weekend shampooing carpets. I didn't realize how dirty our carpets were until I was emptying the water...blech! I feel much better now. Kevin and I went nuts! I went through 3 of our rooms and pulled out a bunch of stuff for goodwill and salvation army. We took a whole truckload to goodwill! I think washed the walls and made sure there were no cobwebs on the ceilings or on the fans or anything. Kevin patches some of our drywall/plaster and finished mudding our mud room. He also built us a nifty little shoe shelf on an unused and wasted space in our basement stairwell. Our house feels so much cleaner and fresh. And I feel decluttered.

I wish we had more things done at our house, but money is required for this. Slowly but surely.
Our friends Jill and Rob host the New Years party with the sole purpose of it driving them to get projects done on their home. Funny-huh. Funny, but true. We are only motivated by others sometimes.

Our animals were running around like mad, trying to figure out why the living room furniture was in the dining room and kitchen. And why there were so many loud noises. My dog HATED the shampoo-er, was petrified of it. It was hilarious chasing him around our linoleumed kitchen with it.....scamper-scratch-slip-slide-stumble to the left, then back to the right, trying so hard to get away from it. Poor thing. But it's free entertainment and I am easily entertained. I call it payback for scaring the be-jesus out of me when he decided to bark at a deer outside at 2am ...I understand, the deer was looking in the window at him, but seriously...its not going to murder us in our sleep, so shush it!

Anyways, Im excited for our Ugly Sweater Party this weekend. And I know that my cleaning job will be lost 5min after people start to arrive, but for the time being...I will enjoy my lovely, clean house!

So I forgot to mention that Kevin went back to work at the machine shop he used to work at last week. He got the call new years eve when we were headed to Stow. It was great news. He is back there with his vacation time back and seniority. They are training him on the laser cutter, so it is something that he can add to his resume...always a plus.
Downside-he can't take the classes he signed up for. I am trying to convince him to change his classes to a couple of night classes....for several reasons.
One. I really think the school thing would boost his confidence. Two. School never hurts. It can only add to his employment appeal. Three. It will keep him busy and out of trouble...which leads me to my next story...
So Kevin has a buddy from the landscape supplier that we worked for after the machine shop laid him off...His name is Jake and he is 19. He graduated with my youngest brother. He is an ok kid, but he is 19. He is young. He is dumb. He has a lot of learning to do and he thinks he is way more mature than he is. He needs to learn when to shut his mouth.
Jake is at our house all the time...I mean almost every day from the time he gets off work til 9 at night. Its frustrating. I want to come home to MY HOME and relax...not have to put up with an infantile kid running around making my husband wish he were 19 again. Case in point...I got stuck going to a KEGGER in a BARN this weekend.
Im talking underage drinking, kids making out, stupid fights, and kids thinking their cool because they are drinking and smoking. L.A.M.E.
I didn't drink til 4 years ago...Im 28.
I felt so out of place at this party. It was pathetic. Nothing like walking in and being judged by a bunch on 18 year olds. There was no way in hell I was drinking at this party...I had my bottle of water in my coat pocket, trying to find a clean place to lean against to watch the horrible antics going on.
First off...almost every girl there was wearing a tank top and jeans that were so tight you could see what type of underwear they were wearing...in a barn that is MAYBE 65*. I had on a t-shirt, sweatshirt, and arctic lined carhart jacket and was freezing. Every guy was just plain lame...thinking they were the shit as they attempted to do keg stands. I laughed as each one got done and ran outside to puke...the tap on the keg was done wrong so more foam than beer was coming out. Smart guys. I finally got fed up with all the immaturity and headed home at 12:45 with an angry husband in tow. He didn't realize that I was miserable and so was his other friend that came with us...he is also 28 and thought it was a horrible idea to be there. So I drop John off to get his truck and he heads out as Kevin is getting all pissy because I was being a catty bitch for not wanting to stay at the party.
So what do I do. Tell him to get back in the car and I drop HIS lame ass back off at the party and tell him to stay with Jake. He does.
Jake drops him back off in the morning and asks why I didn't stay. Really? Well, I gave it to him just as I saw it.
It was lame. All the kids that were there had no business drinking, the girls needed to put some damn clothes on and quit having sex in the corner with random guys, and that I thought they were all losers and didn't want to be there. I asked if any of these kids were going to college...No. Of course not. I had that pegged as soon as we walked in. I told Jake that he needed to distance himself from this crowd if he wanted to be anything. That they would end up at the local bars with all the lame assholes from my class that are a waste of life: drinking every night, having one night stands with anyone that will touch them, wearing their letterman's jackets when they are 30, and working dead-end jobs. I saw their futures already.
Then I laid into Kevin. Asking him if he felt like a big cool man drinking with a bunch of 19 year olds, letting his wife sleep alone because he wanted to relive his high school days, If he realized that if the cops showed up HE would be liable for all the alcohol there since he was the only one over 21?
Dumbass.
Jake apologized. Kevin just looked embarrassed as I stormed away.
It is one thing to have a few drinks with your little brother on a holiday or at a graduation party...it is a complete other issue to go to a "high school" party where you know one person and act like the idiots that are there.
I certainly hope that Kevin got the point. I will be gone if it happens again. He has responsibilities and a wife and he needs to remember this.

Hello 2010!

Ah, New Years. One of my favorite holidays...why? Because I get to spend the evening with friends, drinking, eating, and dancing.

It was a fun evening.

We started by going to dinner at Pufferbellies in Kent. Yummy.

Then, it was back to Jill and Rob's for a festive evening full of laughter, dancing, and Michael Jackson music.

They had a keg so the rule was, if you wanted booze or champagne, you had to bring it. Well, I think everyone was worried that we wouldn't have enough champagne because we had so many bottles, everyone had their own personal bottle when the ball dropped. Amazing. (note-this leads to drunken dancing)

I made my rounds in the living room giving everyone a kiss for luck after kissing Kevin. It's what I do.

Then, back to dancing.

I think I lost 5lbs dancing that night.

I woke up (after going to bed at 5am) feeling like I had done power squats all night and fallen down the stairs at least 50 times. I hadn't, but that is what my body was saying.

Thank God Emily brought the compazine, cause my belly needed it.

To say the least, it was a long drive home and my couch was well loved that following day.

Oh, I love new years!