broke & bloated

This past weekend I knew I was about to start youknow. Aunt Flow was heading to town. This would explain my craving for white trash mix. This would also explain why I am so very bloated to the point that I feel like I need to pee every few minutes. This also explains why everything can and does piss me off. Like the Excel spreadsheet I was working on a minute ago. You know you're pms'ing when a Microsoft program makes you want to scream. When I get my youknow I am either really tired and soar or very alert and very edgy. Neither is desirable but one is definitely far better than the other, being the pissed-off-at-the-world-me.

Also this past weekend I knew I was about to start my youknow because all I wanted to do, next to eat white trash, was shop, shop, shop! We went to Target to look at, which right there is laugh-worthy because there is no "looking" at Target, there is only buying and a lot of it. We went to look at mattress topppers, you know those foam things that look like a hundred eggs could sit comfortably in? I dont know if you know this but they make some very fancy, and expensive, egg crates. The one we ended up getting is incredible. I think you could lay it on concrete and still sleep like a baby. It's about 4 inches thick and feels like you're laying on angel's wings. While in the bedding section, which is amazing at Target!!!, we glanced at duvets and bed spreads. Of course there is no "glancing" at Target, there is only getting. Which is what we did. It was half-off which was justification enough to grab it.

That's not all. Earlier that morning I woke up early like I always seem to do on the only day of the week I am allowed to turn off my ringer and sleep until I want to. I did what any other person on a Saturday morning at 8:30am should do - garage sales. I could not believe how many of them I found. It's seems that when you only take out $20 at the ATM are the garage selling days that you find every garage seller's dream sales. Which I did. I got two new Z Gallery vases for $8, a silverware set (missing a few pieces here-and-there but who cares!?) from an estate sell for $10, a Christmas tree for $5 (yes, I did think this through) and best of all the last one I stopped at for sheer hee-haw-sake I got a TV stand we've needed for a while now, for $40. It's actually a kitchen wine/cheese thingy that only fancy people actually use for that and its really nice.

All-in-all the weekend was awesome although today I have been feeling even more bloated and after checking our bank account online we are even more broke. Or is it broker. We're the brokest for sure.

Hernia and a love seat

So during my yoga class last night I was in extended side angle and instead of binding like I usually do I decided to take it easy on my back, shoulders and neck and instead intensified by putting my left arm on the outside of my left foot. Usually you put your left elbow on your left knee or you can put your arm all the way down to the floor or bind. Another alternate intensification is to put your hand on the outside of your left knee toward the floor, this keeps your spine aligned properly. Isn't yoga exciting!?!?!?! Anyways. After a few breaths in this pose the instructor calming instructed us "with your next inhale and using your core strength pull yourself back up to Warrior Two". Which I did and have done a million, ok maybe more like a thousand, times before. But this time on my way up and using my core strength something in my core strength went "pop". It hurt. I thought for a millisecond that I had just given myself a hernia. I put my hand on the bottom outside of my stomach searching for that "egg" bulging sign that would tell me I had indeed herniated myself, I found nothing. Shew. I then immediately went into child's pose and stayed there for the rest of the class and through my shevasana. When class was over I limped to the car and went straight home. Actually, I stopped at Target to get a Brita filter then Blockbuster to return "The Original Kings of Comedy". Both stops had been on my "to-do" list for far too long. After cooking dinner and watching a TV show with Eric I went to take a shower and inspect my abdominal area. Bulging? No, check. Egg-look? No, check. Tenderness? Yes, check. Close-call? YES, check. I'm sure you have to do a lot more to actually get a hernia but it still really worried me.

In other news, we're purchasing a love seat and ottoman this evening. I found it on craigslist and it's only 3-months old from IKEA. It matches our other couch perfectly. We've really needed something else to go in our living room. Now we'll be able to accommodate more than 2 people, which up to this point has made entertaining interesting. Here's a picture of the love seat and ottoman. I'm so excited. I feel like our home is really becoming a home. You know when you first start to purchase big items like a kitchen table, a nice bed, matching plates, more than 4 forks, etc, it sort of makes you feel legitimate like you are officially an adult and a married-person and therefore you look taller and talk smarter. That's a word, right? I feel that way. Especially after I talked to Missie today and was told that the pictures of our condo that I posted on myspace were "impressive" she used that or another flattering adult-like- word. With every furniture and housing purchase I feel a little more official. There's another part of me that misses that independence and the feeling that at any moment I could leave it all and move to Moscow or somewhere really far away where you can't bring more than one suitcase. That independence is not totally gone but there certainly is a lot more furniture in it's way now. I think we'll have a house party soon. Not the house party where people pass out on your patio and a keg is present but the kind where intellect, good wine and savvy conversation is had about politics, the Stock Market scares and who just had a baby.

Happy Birthday Missie "boo bear" Eggert and Happy Friday everyone!!!!!!!

i like white trash

It's now a mandatory thing at my work to take a 30-minute break at some point in the 8-hour work day. Apparently its the law or whatever. So rather than eating at my desk like I used to do, mainly because I like to leave early but mostly because I'm too poor to take a lunch break and eat somewhere, now that this break is forced on me I sit outside and read 'Quick' or 'The Observer'. The only place where I can sit without having to buy something to sit there is outside in the "smokers pit". This is where all those addicts with that nasty habit conjugate for a total of about 3 hours of their day. Half of them work in my office so I know the quoted amount of time they spend smoking to be a fact. I work for one of them.

Today I sat in "the pit" and began to read the Quick. The pit being a somewhat narrow and low area means that your conversation is shared with all who are sitting within a few feet's distance. The conversation I overheard today was one that confirmed my suspicion that, not all, but most all smokers have a decent amount of white trash in them. They curse a lot. And I don't mean a sh*t here and a d*mn there. I mean mother f*cker here and g*dd*am there. And often. Like every-other-word has to be a curse word or else then don't know how to connect their thoughts. Another thing I have notice about most, but not all, smokers is that this amount of white trash in them is essential to their being. They are a smoker. Loud and proud. THEY SMOKE. They remind me of homosexuals who feel the need to be as flamboyant as they can be to declare who they are. I say that with all respect. The conversation between these two smokers was in regards to one smokers wild weekend full of guns, ammo, bar fights, not being able to keep a buzz, and hot chicks. These. Guys. Were. White. Trash.

I've always had this fear that if I don't watch myself I may end up being white trash. In this fear I would be living in old crappy trailer in a small ass town with 7 kids, no job, no money, no insurance, no heater in the winter, no food, no nothing. Then I remind myself that that probably won't happen. But still, you never know.

The only good thing about "white trash" is the kind of white trash that is covered in melted peanut butter, chocolate and powdered sugar. After I get done trying to not injure myself further in yoga tonight I'm going home to make some good ole white trash. Hot damn, I can't wait!

Nothing

I've come to this place about 10 times in the past few days and weeks and gently let my fingers glide over the keyboard as I stare blankly at the screen, thoughts empty and mind racing for something, anything, to blog about. A few things pop into my head however they disperse before materializing or are discarded as not good enough. Then I remind myself that really no one even reads this so why bother. Then I read someone else's blog and wish I had interesting stories to tell, wish I knew how to post a video, wish I could align my photos correctly on here.

Like this morning when I tried so hard to pimp my myspace page but only ended up making my font color white and invisible and the format all funky with fields overlapping. I am technologically, if that's a word, challenged. Knowing and accepting this though I still have moments where I surprise myself and am able to figure out what no one else was. Like a few weeks ago when I used my company's new logo in my email signature. That was impressive and a total accident.

Lately I've been searching for something to keep me occupied and interested. So I started selling on ebay. What a joy that has been. Now that I've literally sold pretty much everything I own and was worthy of a stranger bidding on, and now that I've searched and called every yoga store in Dallas in hopes of finding another awesome Lululemon sale, now that Eric refuses to admit he doesn't wear half the things in his closet so I can sale some of it, now that all my ebay avenues are exhausted I've turned to buying instead of selling. Buying on ebay is a very dangerous thing when you are as competitive as me. It's not a game, it's a direct withdrawl from your every diminishing bank account when you receive that invoice that "congrats, you won!" notice. I keep justifying my purchased because after all I've made how much money on ebay and sold how many of my own clothes and considering that each purchase is only about $10 or so I'm not spending a ton of money. I can tell its the beginning of an ugly addiciton.

Aside from spending more than I made on ebay, my other thing to keep me busy has been going to yoga 6-days a week. I used to do this back when I had nothing else to do and loved it. I felt great, lost some weight, my neck was doing better and not causing so much pain. I fell off that wagon about a year ago when my schedule got busier and there was another person's schedule to consider. In my yoga-like-haste I must have done a post wrong because there's been this pain in my right shoulder and neck for the past week. It was so bad I even left work early one day. Now that I've emptied my bank account and injured my neck I'm searching for something else to keep me occupied. I'm thinking about picking up knitting again or maybe finishing the 5 or so books I've started and never looked at again.

Now I have people calling me so I have to go. I guess its only fair. After all, I am at work.

Mural

Edge Designs is an all-women run company that designs interior office space. They had a recent opportunity to do an office project in NYC. The client allowed the women of this company a free hand in all design aspects. The client was a company that was also run by all women execs............. The result.........well.....we all know that men never talk, never look at each other.... and never laugh much in the restroom.... The men's room is a serious and quiet place...But now...with the addition of one mural on the wall......lets just say the men's restroom is a place of laughter and smiles.

this is concerning and REALLY FUNNY

So I'm blogger challenged and cannot figure out how to add a video to this blog. Here's the link: http://www.apostoliclive.com/play.php?vid=492 Seriously, you have to watch this video. It is too funny!!!

From the mouth of a babe...

Brandi Carlile - The Story

I am totally in love with this song and her voice LISTEN HERE. I can't remember what car commercial this song is featured in but everytime I hear it no matter what I'm doing I stop and listen. You know how someone can have such a captivating voice or a song has the right ingredients that something in you goes, "wow". I get a little bit of that with this song. Listen, you'll know what I mean. Speaking of this, anyone that has Sundance channel this month they're doing a special on Sigur Ros with tons of footage on how they made their recently released album and their latest tour and lots of cool interviews. Another perk to having far too many cable tv channels.

I heart Dart

I heart Dart - my new favorite tee shirt.

Today I did something I have been planning on and talking about doing since April, I rode the Dart to work. One of those really important belts in Eric’s car needs replaced so he took my car today to work and I took the Dart.

When I first showed up to the Park Lane station in the heat of the morning and with no sunglasses to block the glare of the sun off the screen of the machine that prints the pass, I realized Dart only takes cash. Who do they think they are? Even Coke machines and newspaper stands take credit cards! So I had to get back in the car, drive across the street, get cash out of the ATM, buy something so I could get change, U-turn in crazy traffic, re-park, go through the glaring screen pass process again and then run up 2 flights of stairs to catch the train about to depart.

The train was packed! There was absolutely nowhere to sit and hardly a 1 foot space for me to stand in the middle of an aisle. The Dart is popular these days. Now I know why. It’s greatness. In the time it usually takes me to get half way to work I was at work and I didn’t even have to check my rear-view mirrors to make sure the car behind saw I was stopping because of a wreck or deal with idiot drivers who don’t realize that cutting in front of you in rush hour does them no good.

From now on I am riding the Dart everywhere I go, or at least the stations it goes to. One of the best things about the Dart too is that my company will pay for my monthly pass which makes times like these with gas prices as they are even more beneficial. I would say that I’m being green but really, I’m being lazy and cheap and I’m not ashamed one bit.

ebay, my love

I too am addicted to ebay. I love it. I want to be on “my ebay” checking my selling items all day long. When I get to work in the morning the first thing I do is check my messages then my current bids and the anticipation of the drive to work makes 75 heading South all the more bearable knowing that when I click that green button on my computer and log-in a pleasant surprise is waiting. This morning that surprise was another item sold. A pair of Big Star jeans I bought from Buffalo Exchange for $19 sold for $38 plus shipping. It’s a beautiful thing.

The items I’m selling are clothes I never wear so every penny I make is all profit in my opinion. A few weeks ago I had made the mistake of bidding on a pair of Lululemon hot pink and green yoga pants and ended up winning them. I was so bummed when I tried them on to find they didn’t fit. Thinking I would be stuck with a pair of florescent pink pants of no use besides waving down aircrafts, I put them back on ebay. Four days and a couple of “watching” eyes later, they sold! $95!

Now every time I look in my closet I start to question whether I really want the things I look at. That black shirt, do I reeeeally want it? How much could I get for it? How would I advertise it? It’s like there’s an ebay voice inside my head all the time now. Eric’s side of the closet is next, although I don’t think as many guys shop on ebay as women.

So far I’ve made, not include the shipping charges, a whopping $216! And I still have 16 more items going. I think this feeling I have is what most gamblers and stock brokers have before they turn into maniacs.

John Edwards

Freakin' Democrats. This is my really obnoxious and poignant Bill O'Reilly opinion that I'm about to state, is it me or do all Democratic presidents or presidential hopefuls have affairs or what!? They're great for our economy but damn they are sluts.

Introducing Super Target

I finally put my items on ebay and now the wait begins. I didn't realize it would take 2 hours to add only 10 items. I had thoughts of abandoning ship about 4 times. I think I put some good stuff up though so hopefully some fish will bite.

Not that anyone is eagerly anticipating or even remotely interested, but here are finally some pictures of our new kitty, Super Target. He looks very Japanese. This may explain his kung fu fighting techniques and his love for raw fish. Look at these pictures, isn't he cute!?

Recipes

Does anyone know of a website where you can enter the ingredients you have and it tells you different recipes? Surely I'm not the first person to think of doing this, right? If no ones created a website like this they need to! I'm getting good at cooking about 4-6 different entrees but I really want to branch out and try some new recipes. I usually buy the same ingredients when I go grocery shopping because I know how to make it all. My master piece is, aside from breakfast, lemon pesto chicken. And man it's good. But you can only eat that twice a week and then you get bored.

If you have some great recipes that are somewhat on a beginner to intermediate level PLEASE let me know.

Drinking on the Job

I'm sure I should feel guiltier about the fact that I am drinking a beer, listening to BRMC and writing a blog at work, but the truth is I don't. Gosh I hope no one I work with reads this. A new company "rule" is on Friday afternoons the fridge is stocked full of beer and we're encouraged to help ourselves. If you ride the train to work then you are really encouraged to heeeeelp yourseeeeelf. I need to change my yoga schedule so I can fully enjoy this new rule. I'm hoping my beer wears off for the 5pm class. Tipsy yoga is not fun. And I'm a light-weight so one beer will be enough for me.

Secret Machines are playing House of Blues tonight and before I was able to buy tickets for Eric and I it sold out. Then today at noon I got a call from Eric saying that BRMC is playing an unannounced acoustic show at Club Dada tonight. I scurried and got us two tickets right away. Last time they came through Dallas they did the exact same BS, only played an unannounced show. The few that were lucky enough to be in the know were the only ones who appreciated that. Fingers crossed that the show tonight is the same way and it's not packed.

Beer and BRMC equals a good Friday at work. Cheers.

The Skinny on Men

Has anyone else noticed that especially lately, because really this has been going on for a couple of years now, more and more men are wearing skinny jeans? It started with Kate Moss and then inevitably Sienna Miller because those chicks have style. Personally I think they are NOT flattering unless you are a size 2 and 6 ft tall. I've tried on many occasion to talk myself into liking them and event bought a pair that sat in my closet never worn. What concerns me is all these dudes wearing skinny jeans. It's just not right! Men should not wear skinny jeans because their packages bulge (or not), they get a wedgie and you can see their happy trail. Sorry but I don't want to see that on some 90 pound musician dude. Ever. And really its all these musicians that are doing it. And not just a certain musical genre either. It's most musicians, musical men or artists of some sort that are wearing these jeans. I just don't get it or see the fashion in them for men. I'm disturbed.

A couple of things...

First, Bowie had to go to the vet this morning because he's been running a very high temperature, not eating or drinking, unable to jump on high surfaces and literally sleeping all day long. It's been going on for about a week but I didn't really pay it too much attention. After all, Super Target, our new kitten, has totally thrown Bowie's schedule off. I thought he was just tired from playing all day with a 2 pound fur ball of a tornado. Then last night, to my horror, he couldn't jump on the bed, wouldn't eat Fancy Feast, and for anyone who has a cat you know they're sick when they turn that smelly sh#t down, and was burning up. We decided to wait until the vet opened this morning rather than spending the double-price at the ER vet. So at 7am Bowie and I sat in the waiting room for the vet to look at him. Turns out the kitten carried a virus that he was immune to, but Bowie wasn't. Bowie is now on antibiotics for the next 10-days and is currently hiding under the bed where inevitably the kitten is torturing him. Poor thing. I feel like I have a sick baby at home.

Second, if you'd like to listen to Eric's new music project, The Heart Eyes Open, you can by going to www.neverbnation.com/hearteyesopen. It's a very rough copy of the demo so pardon the fact that it needs mixed again then mastered. It'll give you an idea of what he's working on. It's really good. No, really!

Lastly, I ordered a digital camera online and it should arrive any day now. Once I get it I too will be addicted to ebay. I can't wait. I have a closet full of clothes that I'm certain can make me some money, plus all the random household stuff we don't want/need/or use. I can't wait to start. Once I get some capital I'm going to start yard selling and get some more business going that way. Now, if I could only limit myself to selling and not buying...

Randy Pausch

Did anyone watch the TV special on Randy Pausch that aired about 2 months ago? I think Dateline carried it. Eric an I watched it and by the end of the show we were both near tears at this man's story. He was diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer and given 3-6 months to live. Before he was diagnosed the University he teaches at asked each Professor to do a "last lecture" series which considering the news he would find out is ironic.

One thing that really struck me about his story is that he and his wife decided not to tell their 3 young children of his illness. This morning he died at his home. I can only imagine how shocked and confused they now must be and even more so when they are old enough to realize they never knew what he was going through.

If you're in the mood for a tear jerker read on...

Pork, the other MH

Right before I got married last year I decided to see who would carry on the "Michelle Harbst" name to ensure it would be survived by someone worthy of sharing a name with me. To my horror and alarm there is another MH (see pic below) however she and I are quit different, to say the least.

For me, the Harbst last name is more than just the end of me being single. I am the last of my family line. As my Father tells me, "you were supposed to be a boy". Oops. Sorry about that. I had promised my Father at my sister's wedding that I would hyphenate my last name when I married however I no longer plan on doing that. I could come up with some logical reasons but for practical sake I don't want to have to spell out two last names every time I leave a phone message or have to write a check. Plus that only does any good if my kids, boys-in-particular, continue to keep the Harbst in their last name. Sooner or later we'll be an Indian tribe with 16 last names. That's just too much work and there's not enough room on the family tree for all that writing.

I do feel bad though because I did promise my dad. But then I consider both my older sisters and their surnames and really, they should have done this rather than leave it to a last-resort. In my temporary defense, legally, I still am a Harbst because I haven't changed my social security, drivers license or any of my financial obligations to Martin. And besides all of that, Martin isn't even the real family last name. It was changed when Eric's Grandfather moved here from Romania and couldn't get a job without a more "American" sounding surname so they changed it. It was Maladene, which in my opinion, is better. But I've only been in this family for 8 months so I don't think it's my place to change over 60 years of family heritage just yet.

Introducing the other MH... and no her hair is not pulled back in a pony tail, it's shaved.

Get Fuzzy

The one comic I don't think I could ever out-grow.

I heart The Fish

Last night Eric and I ventured out of our sushi-routine and tried a new place. The one bad thing about trying a new sushi place is if it sucks then you end up paying $50+ for a crappy meal. We discovered a gem of a place only a few blocks from our house and have been frequenting it so much now that all the servers know our names.

That was a sign to try a new place.

Plus, with so many sushi bars opening in Dallas there is so much competition going on to get business that everyone does some sort of cheap-night or happy hour. We're making the sushi work for us rather than the other way around and last night it really paid off.

I did a search on Pegasus, which if you live in a big city and have never looked at happy hours on HERE stop reading this right now and go look.

I found a new place, The Fish, that just opened in the cluster-F that is Uptown and decided to give it a shot. After circling the one-way labyrinth of McKinney Ave and Lemmon a couple of times, and swear words later, we found it and it was worth it. 4 decent-size rolls, 1 appetizer (yummy Lobster egg rolls) and 1 drink later our bill was only $27!

Amazing and delicious.

GUN SHOT SURVIVOR

Linda Burnett ,23, a resident of San Diego, was visiting her in-laws and while there went to a nearby supermarket to pick up some groceries. Several people noticed her sitting in her car with the windows rolled up and with her eyes closed, with both hands behind the back of her head. One customer who had been at the store for a while became concerned and walked over to the car. He noticed that Linda's eyes were now open, and she looked very strange. He asked her if she was okay, and Linda replied that she had been shot in the back of the head, and had been holding her brains in for over an hour. The man called the paramedics, who broke into the car because the doors were locked and Linda refused to remove her hands from her head. When they finally got in, they found that Linda had a wad of bread dough on the back of her head. A Pillsbury biscuit canister had exploded from the heat, making a loud noise that sounded like a gunshot, and the wad of dough hit her in the back of her head. When she reached back to find out what it was, she felt the dough and thought it was her brains. She initially passed out, but quickly recovered.

Linda is a blonde, and a Democrat, and an Obama supporter, but that could be irrelevant.

Introducing Target

Friday night on our way to return our new bedding at Target we pulled into the parking lot and noticed on the grassy area outside about 20 cats lounging. We stopped immediately to investigate, thinking that maybe we were being punked. The cats, mostly all full-size besides the 4 or 5 that were kittens, were just lounging in the grass. It was so bizarre. As we stood there bewildered a few other cars stopped and we all chatted about how strange what we were seeing was. After a couple of minutes a SUV pulled up and all the cats went running to the driver side of the car when a grey-haired women stepped out holding cans of cat food. This lady, Jacqui I think her name was, has been feeding these cats, who are totally feral, for about 10 years now. She's even paid for all of them to be spade and neutered so they stop pro-creating. She's a big Bob Barker fan.

We had a nice chat with Jacqui and asked her about one of the kittens, who couldn't have been more than 7 weeks old. Apparently this little one must have been recently abandoned by one of the near-by apartment residents. As the kitten was eating I walked up to it and picked it up. That little kitty is now our little kitty. How could we just leave it there to that sort of life!? I know, I know, I know. We appear to be turning into "those cat people" but there was just no way to leave that tiny little baby out there in the wild.

So Target, the newest addition to our family, is happily at home right now playing boisterously with David Bowie. They get along so well. Target is timid around Eric and I but LOVES Bowie and Bowie is enjoying the 24-hour entertainment. I'll post pictures as soon as I can. Gender to be confirmed after his/her vet appointment.

I love Target, now in more ways than one. Next time I go at dusk though I'll be sure to just park the car instead of taking another kitten home.

FREE Slurpee!

Tomorrow, July 11th, in honor of the national "7-11 Day" you can get a free slurpee from participating stores. You know what this means, slurpee for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Awe. Yeah. I may have an addiction problem here.

So I have to write about a book I just started reading last weekend that has really made me question a lot of things I do with money and how I view it. The book is "Total Money Makeover" and it's equally awesome and enlightening and also cruel and depressing. His whole idea, which doesn't seem like it should even be considered an idea but more of a norm is to only spend what you have. Duh. But in a time of credit card offers left and right and the "spend now, pay later" mentality it's so darn easy to fall into the trap and find yourself 6 feet under covered in past due bills.

I'll be honest, I've always had a problem with shopping. I love getting something new whether it be a new notebooks, eye shadow or clothes; I just love shopping. When I was single it was no problem to lavish myself at department stores because in the end I was the one who would suffer the consequences, which was usually not enough money to buy groceries. Now that my finances are "our" finances though I can't justify buying something without first consulting my other-half. And, since we're living on a tight budget, asking if I can spend $100 at Target on stuff I don't need just doesn't fly. Don't get me wrong when I say "ask" because trust me, I hate the idea of having to ask someone else to spend my money. But again, it's "our" money. It's a vicious cycle.

Back to the book... Dave's money-game-plan is to pay off one bill at a time until you are, however many months and cute-less clothes later, debt-free. Eric and I don't have a ton of debt considering how much the average American owes, but we still want to be debt-free and with money in a savings account so we can plan and take trips instead of crossing our fingers that we can eventually afford to leave the state of Texas like we have been. So this is our first official month on this plan. The first card to be paid off will be the Discover card. Then WaMu. Then British Airways, which will take a wwwhhhiiilllleeee. Then the medical bills, again this is going to take some time. Then then then then. However many months down the road when we are completely free from credit card dependency and receiving 18 paper bills each month, we can smile and know we did a good thing so early into our marriage.

If you have any debt, read this book. It's really good. Plus, Dave, the guy that wrote it is a Christian so there's lots of good scriptures mentioned throughout the book that will make you want to get on your face and repent. I tore my clothes and put ashes on my head after the first chapter.

Free slurpee and a great book. Good times.

2 years

Tomorrow I celebrate my two-year workaversary (yes it is a word!) with the International Speakers Bureau. I have to say that I am suprised I have been here this long, not that 2 years is a very long time in the grand picture but it was never my plan to still be at this company or even in this city.

My plan was to move to Portland January 2008 and start saving the world with a non-profit or something really selfless like that. God always has a bigger picture though and not that I think Dallas is a very big picture because to me its more dirty and old and get's smaller and smaller everyday but I know God has plans for me, us, Eric and I, and Bowie. I count the cat as part of the family these days.

What's happened in the last two years... well...
-I've received 5 raises
-I've worked directly with over half the people in my company
-Job title has changed twice
-I've moved buildings once
-I've moved desks 4 times
-I've grown my hair out by about 5 inches
-I gained 10 pounds then lost 22 pounds
-I got married
-I've moved houses 5 times

Dog

I've heard two opposing opinions on when to get dogs. One says to get a dog before you have kids and the other says to wait until you have kids and they are at least a couple of years old. I am of the opinion to get one today. A neighbor has been out of town and we've been walking her two dogs since Wednesday and with her coming back today I need to fill the void and just bite the bullet and get a dog. Eric & I have been talking about it since November so my rash dicision isn't overly hasty.

Here are pictures of the two we are looking at, or should I say, two that I am look at. Eric needs some convincing.

Australian Shepherd / Blue Heeler mix









Lab / Collie mix

Getting Inked

I have two wedding rings. One is my mother-in-law's former wedding ring, a gold band with 41 little diamonds nestled in it. The other ring is one that matches Eric's. Doing what James Avery does best, the ring is very descriptive and well, Jewish. It says in Hebrew Ruth 1:16-17... “Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me.” Of course that all is very condensed so to fit on a one-inch band.

Eric and I have been talking about getting something similar tattooed on us, maybe on our ring finger that would hidden under the ring. We talked about doing this on our one-year anniversary but it looks like we'll do this on his birthday in July instead. It would be his first tat and my second. Granted my first tattoo, a bell that resembles the Taco Bell symbol or a condom, is regrettable I think this will be much more meaningful. So I've decided to get it written on my foot in French, because anything in French looks pretty.

Here's how it will look: où vous allez je vais aller

Comments? Concerns? Suggestions?

Austin's awesome snowcones

A few weekends ago Eric and I took a road trip to Austin to be with some friends, have a little fun and most of all: relax. I knew before leaving Dallas that by the end of the weekend, if not by Saturday, we would both want to pack our bags and relocate there.

If I could create a city that is perfect for me, Austin would have most of what I'd put in it - sunshine, hills/landscape, activities, community, water, culture, music, food, family-friendly places, dogs everywhere, kyaking, hiking, camping, good Mexican food and by far what Austin does the best of that I've ever had - SNOWCONES!

I seriously think they put crack in the styrofoam cups. The way I described the snowcones in Austin to the man working in the little white trailer parked off Barton Springs near Lamar: "It's like what every skier wants to sky on, but in a cup, with syrup."

I’m baaaaack!

A combination of so many friends blogging these days, like days of old, and a feeling of needing to write again, I have reclaimed a blog. Well sort of. My old blog is formatted, well in an old format, so I thought it might just be easier to start fresh and new. Now, where to start?

Will you forgive me if I start with a somewhat sad entry? It’s sad but it’s also such a powerful and amazing example of what love means and what perseverance is.

When I first moved to London for Soul Time, a 6-month church discipleship program, I was both excited and scared. Excited because I was going to get to live in London and learn under Soul Survivor how to “do church” but scared because really I didn’t know anyone and this was my first time far away from home, family and familiarity. This fear was greatly eased the first day I arrived. That evening at dinner I overheard a fellow Soul Timer ask another where she was from. Her reply was Dallas. Her name is Lauren, well it was Elizabeth back then. After Soul Time and moving back to Dallas Lauren and I stayed in touch and hung out from time-to-time. Then years went by.

I heard she had gotten married. Then I heard she had a baby and no sooner after that I heard her husband had tragically passed.

When I got married I invited Lauren to the wedding and was ecstatic to see her there. Unfortunately that weekend marked the one-year anniversary since his accident. It hit me a few days after the wedding that her being there was a big step and she must be pretty strong to be able to do that.

Then I started to read her blog and the extent of her loss and the struggles and journey she has since faced really showed me what a testimony of faith and trust in the Lord this young lady has.

I don’t think I have a point to sharing any of this besides saying that she has reminded me to be thankful for what I have today. She’s reminded me to not take anything I have, especially the ones I love, for granted. She’s reminded me that God is always in control. She’s reminded me that strength is not a muscle but an act of faith.

Thank you, Elizabeth.

In case you're wondering, the scotch tape man had enough faith to pull down a street sign. Yes, it's quit true and very well documented.