Some People

WTF? DH and I went to dinner with another couple friend of ours a few weeks ago. Her parents have a house on Cape Cod where she spends a lot of her time in the summer. Anyway, we asked her when she was leaving and she said she wasn't going until the 16th. We then agreed that DH and I would hose 4th of July at our house.

With this in mind, we talked to a bunch of our friends and started inviting people. Another friend invited us out to her place, but we said we couldn't because we were hosting at our house. Well last night I sent out e-mails to our friends with details for Saturday. Guess what? Original friend who set up plans for the BBQ? Yeah, she e-mailed me back today that she had never heard about getting together at our house and now in fact has other plans.

How freaking irritating! That is just so f-ing rude. We turned down several invitations because we thought we were hosting this thing. Don't get me wrong. I love having people over to the house and being the hostess, but with a whole bunch of other stuff going on, planning a party isn't the easiest thing in the world. Now it looks like it will be a very small gathering, which is fine, but I am still mad at this woman. This is not an isolated incident. She is regularly inconsiderate about stuff. Grrrr.

Good Monday so far

I woke up at 5:00 today. I know that sounds unpleasant, but the barn owner gave me permission to come ride today since I had to miss Sunday due to a commitment at church. (As a rule, show barns are closed on Mondays.) I got up at 5:00, got to the barn a couple minutes past 6:00, had the place to myself while I rode, left the property at 7:30 and was home again a few minutes after 8:00. DH was still asleep! It was cool, quiet, and I was able to be totally efficient since I had the run of the place.

I think I'll have some breakfast and go to the gym here in a few minutes. Hopefully the rest of the day is as fabulous as the morning has been.

Confession

I don't naturally like fruit. I am just not a sweets person, and this includes fruit. If given the choice, I will always pick salty type foods. However, I'm really trying to lose weight, and fruit is a reasonable snack in terms of calories. Why don't I like fruit? Here are a few reasons.

1. Fruit is sweet.
2. Most fruit is messy. I hate the feeling of apple juice on my hands, face, etc.
3. I am not good at picking good pieces of fruit.
4. What do you do with the extra bits (banana peels, apple cores, etc.)?

Buuuuut, in my effort to be healthy, I have been trying new stuff. So far I like nectarines, purple grapes, Fuji apples, bananas, and clementines, and DH says I would like white peaches. I tried mangos, but they weren't very good. I already know I don't like pears or regular peaches. Those both have textures that really bug me.

Is there any fruit that you particularly love? What do you do with your fruit trash? This is especially a problem for me because I often eat in the car. Yes, I know I'm bizarre for not eating fruit. I eat all kind of other crazy stuff, but fruit just has never interested me.

PS Ice cream is fabulous though. That is about my only sweets exception.

Sorry but....

I just don't consider MJ's death life changing. Yes, I liked his music. I learned the Moonwalk, and the Thriller movie/video terrified me as a kid. That being said though, what is happening in Iran? Has Obama made any progress with health care? Isn't Benenke testifying about the BoA and Merrill Lynch merger? Poor Farrah also lost her battle with cancer yesterday.

Yes it's sad. Yes he was younger than many who die. I think he should be on the cover of Rolling Stone and maybe Us or some magazines like that. But there has to be real news going on today. That is all.

Did she get a dog or shirts from Old Navy?

This is what I said when I saw my mom's name on my caller ID today. Needless to say the girls who were close to me looked at me pretty funny.

Back story:
Yesterday I called her to ask if she might do me a favor today. I had seen that Old Navy was going to have their basic ribbed tanks on sale for $2 each! I love these shirts for wearing to the gym, as layering pieces, etc. But I knew my Saturday was going to be crazy, so I was hoping that mom would be able to help me out. She said sure.

We proceeded to chat for a while, and she said there was a newspaper story that she couldn't get out of her head. The paper's adoptable pet of the week as a 10 year old Golden Retriever whose family had to give her up after losing their home due to the economy. I asked mom why she hadn't gone to get her yet, and she said she didn't know. My parents are currently petless, and mom has been wanting another dog for over a year. I told her that she needed to at least make sure the dog had been adopted and if not to bring her home. Mom agreed but said she was worried that she wouldn't have time to get a dog adopted and settled AND go to Old Navy. I told her that there was no question: see about the dog!

This afternoon my phone rang, and I was excited to hear what the result was. She said when she got to the Humane Society, the dog had already been adopted. Mom was sad, but we were both happy that she had found a family. So, my mom's search for her next dog continues, but I guess I will enjoy my shirts when she comes to visit in a couple weeks. :)

I'll be quick

I know this is my second post of the day, but I just realized that the sushi place by school does takeout! I can submit my order online and just run and pick it up.

What an awesome perk! This will be the first job I've ever had where going out for lunch is totally allowable. I can eat for free at school, but they don't care of I go out if I prefer.


Mmmmmmm.

Caving/ Advice Please

Like Angie, I have been wanting to seeing monograms on cars and wanting one. Here's the problem, I have a dark grey Ford Escape.

So what color(s) do I do?

This is the style most people have.

But I recently found this that I like a lot on Etsy.

I think it is cute and just different enough. (Still preppy.) I have also seen them with crazy Curlz font, but I do not like that.

So what do you think? Is the second one over-the-top? What colors do you think would be best? Maybe a baby blue frame and a light green monogram? Or maybe just pink and green like the picture? How would those colors go with my car? Any other ideas?

I'm such a dork.

I already learned stuff this morning

I'm attending several technology type seminars this summer. It is part of my Professional Development for my new teaching job. Anyway, today we were talking about the kids publishing their photos and work online without a copyright on it. It got me thinking about all the wonderful blogs I read with beautiful photos. I don't think that anything on my blog is worthy of theivery, but some of the people who read this do have wonderful work.

I went to Creative Commons and got a license for my blog. For any of you who post a lot of photos, I would recommend it. It doesn't prevent someone from stealing your stuff, but it at least gives you a little recourse should that happen.

Back to class I go!

Bar Louie

I went to Bar Louie in Kirkwood last night for a Happy Hour with some of my internet friends. It's a small national chain, but I do enjoy going there. I had no idea their happy hour was such a good deal though! Draft beer is $3, $4 wine, and $5 martinis! Plus they have half price apps. The biggest deal last night was the $1 burgers. That's right, ONE DOLLAR! I had a burger with wing sauce, blue cheese, and grilled onions. Yummy. :)

I arrived around 4:30 and didn't leave until after 9:00. I was super excited to meet Mia. She is just as cute in person as she is in her pictures. It was a great Tuesday night, and I can't wait to see most of these girls next weekend!

A Quiet Smile

I spent an alarming amount of time yesterday filling out employment paperwork for the new job. I kid you not, the pile of stuff to go through was like 8 inches tall! Anyway, we were able to choose between two health plans. The price difference is only $20 a month, and we figure we would make that up right away since DH is on two Tier 2 meds that cost $10 less per refill on the more expensive plan. Anyway, the information the school gave us didn't have anything about maternity or visits to the gyno. So I went to the website to get a little more info. Well, it looks like the more expensive plan covers 90% and the less expensive covers 80%. The more expensive one has a MUCH lower deductible too. So, that's what we're doing.

But that isn't the part that made me smile. DH and I have always said we want a kid. We've only been married 3 years (4 in September,) and the timing just wasn't ever right. Well, a few times in recent weeks I've mentioned a baby. He's like, we don't have that insurance yet! I always reassure him that I'm not pregnant now. Anyway, I keep saying but next year.... He's good with that. We have a plan! Now this is all assuming we can get pregnant. Who knows. It makes me smile though to know that we are totally on a plan.

So if you see me smiling, now you know why.

True Blood... no spoilers

I love this show. I got hooked almost immediately last season, but for some reason I only saw the first few episodes then missed the rest of the season. I think maybe it was on late and since I was doing camp, I left home by 6:00 every morning. I was totally in bed by 10 EVERY NIGHT.

In anticipation of the second season starting, I got caught up on the first season. Whew! That is some steamy television. DH and I actually had it on the calendar to watch it together. As I said, no spoilers, but let's just say it is still on my watch list for this coming season. Sunday nights are a good TV night for me: 60 Minutes, Next Food Network Star, Army Wives, True Blood. Everyone needs an evening on the couch, right?

On a related note, did anyone else realize that Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer were a couple?


We got a subscription to Us Weekly, and I just read this last night. How could I not know that? I guess they aren't the best actors ever after all. Ha!

DH needs to get a grip

I get it. The dog has woken up the past couple nights and had to be let out. Boohoo that this disturbs your perfect sleep pattern. You went to bed at 7:30 last night because you took a Benadryl for your allergies. Again, I know the dog woke up in the night, but come on! You were in bed for 14 hours! You do not have to be cranky and rude. Don't get snippy with me because I DO NOT deserve it.

Cranky pants really irritate me. Boo.

Random question:
Why do people put x's on their trash cans? It's trash day in my neighborhood, and I have always wondered this.

A Great Perk of the New Job

What am I looking forward to?
Being able to buy this


instead of this


and not feeling guilty about it. :)

30's

As of today, I am 31 years, 7 months, and 27 days old. In more reasonable terms, I'm 31 and a half. After over a year in my thirties, I have made some observations.

1. It is a LOT harder to lose weight. I know I bragged about my success last week, but I also know that a few years ago I would have seen twice as many results from my work. Oh well, at least I am making progress.

2. My skin requires more attention. I worked outside a lot this year, and I really began to notice how much older I was looking. I blamed the elements, but I am beginning to realize that my skin is just different! I never needed to be vigilant about washing twice a day, moisturizing, toning, blah blah blah. Well my friend works for Arbonne and gave me a sample of their skin care line. Wow! When I cleansed twice a day and toned and did the moisturizers my skin immediately started looking better! Now there is just NO way I'm spending $250 on a bunch of soap and lotion, so I hit up Whole Foods and stocked my cabinet with Jason and Alba products. I can already see an improvement over the past 10 days. Maybe I'll rethink that whole botox thing. I never saw myself as a botulism in the face kind of girl....

3. I cannot drink like I used to. This clearly relates to #1 as well. Before Friday, I hadn't had a drink in over two weeks. I had one beer Friday, one beer Monday, and then came yesterday. I worked out with my trainer early in the morning, but I really cut back in my food to try and counter act those beers. I then went to graduation at my old school. I ate a small plate of the buffet dinner then faculty grad party started. I had three gin and tonics. I am ridiculously hung over. The combination of little food and not drinking is amazing. I called in sick to the barn today. Damn I feel old.

It is just amazing to me how all of a sudden it has really hit me that my 20's are gone.

Swag

I went to vball camp at the new school today. I got my first spirit type shirt, and I love it! Purple with flamingo pink writing. Check it out! I can't wait to wear it.

Front


The back has the school name and mascot. It's cool!

Bargain Shopper

I have been wanting to go to Old Navy all week. They were advertising all skirts and dresses as $15. Unfortunately, I just never had time to make it to the store though, so I went ahead and shopped online. They offer flat rate shipping for only $7, and when I combined that with 3% cash back from Fat Wallet, I decided to go ahead and see what I could get on the website.

So without further ado, I present my shopping spree.

I bought two sundresses.




Two camis with a built in shelf bra.





And one v-neck cami


I'll wear the camis under the dresses or other little shrugs or sweatshirts I have. I can't tell how deep the v will be on those dresses, so I reserve the right to wear an extra little shirt under them. I hate shorts, so I needed more lightweight skirts to wear over the summer. Yay for fun colors! I look forward to losing even more weight so everything looks even cuter. I think I did pretty well for $50!

If only it felt like summer. Where's the warm weather already?

I can finally share

Within the last year I took a break from teaching so that I could start my own business. It has been hard. Some parts have been amazing. I've enjoyed having time with my husband, spending lots of time with the horses, etc. I've been working hard, but let's be real, the economy sucks, and my business "partner" has not kept up her end of the bargain. DH and I want to start a family, and at this rate, we wouldn't be able to until we were 50! Where does all this lead? Well, I'm going back to the classroom. Yup, Mrs. Kingdom (not my real name) is back.

I'm excited. I want to get the debt in control, and within a year, we will start trying for a baby. I am going to be teaching at an amazing school where there are big plans for the science department. My salary is 20% higher than at my last school, and I am feeling positive about how things will play out. After getting through that stressful day earlier this week, I can finally focus on being positive about this new experience.

I got my new computer today. It is fun playing with it and learning some of the software. I have professional development scheduled over several days through June and July. Volleyball practices start the first week of August. Clearly I have some very busy weeks ahead of me. I am planning to keep the business open on the side. My wonderful husband is going to help me with it. The fact that I can finally share the news is the most exciting thing for me. I look at it as another life experience that I am looking forward to living!


PS I weighed in and took measurements with my trainer today. I lost 2 inches off my waist, half an inch from my thighs, and 1.3 inches from my calves! Pretty cool in my world. Now I have to keep it up.

Thanks

I really appreciate everyone's good thoughts. While yesterday was long and exhausting, everything turned out better than I could have hoped. I truly believe it is because I had your good thoughts coming my way. Today is looking bright and happy.

Can't Give Details

But today might be a very rough day. Any spare thoughts of my fellow bloggers would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Wish List

Do you ever think about what your realistic dream house/car/job would be? I do. I mean, realistic stuff, not the uber-star power things. I really don't want a $4.6 million estate or anything like that.

In terms of cars, I would most like to have a truck. Nothing huge, just a real truck. I like the Ford F-150, leather interior, with the extended cab. A sweet stereo system is a must. I will never get one now that I live in this ridiculous place that has so much winter (read ice and snow,) but I LOVE driving trucks!


In terms of a house, everyone thinks I would want a farm with land and all that jazz. Actually, I have no real interest in having my own farm. I am just fine with keeping my pony at a boarding facility so I can do things like go on vacation. In terms of a house, I would adore having a renovated historic home. You know, all the bells and whistles, but still with all the old character. Historic isn't a requirement though. In my dreams, my next house would have 4 bedrooms, walk in closets, at least 2.5 baths, attached two car garage, and be on a residential street in a reasonably nice neighborhood. Closets though. Yeah. I totally miss having decent closets.

I like looking at listings, and this one caught my eye.

Silly Dog

So our dog likes to nest whenever possible. He takes the covers from us at night to make nests out of the blankets. He will even use the bath mats! On Saturday, DH took a shower and had to run to work. He left his shirt, the magazine he was reading (boys!,) and of course, the bath mat on the floor of his bathroom. Look at what he found when he came home.



It looks like he was totally checking out the centerfold! Though Lisa Renna isn't what I would necessarily smokin'.

PS, that is US magazine not Playboy or anything.