Answers. Even though there were never any Questions...

I guess my new job is kind of boring because I haven't had much to blog about lately, so here is a meme that I am tagging myself with:

How tall are you barefoot? 5 ft 7 in. I might be taller or shorter-I think the last time I was measured and paid attention was in high school...

Have you ever flown first-class? Nope. In fact, it has been so long since I've been on plane that I have forgotten that there IS a first class. I would LOVE to fly first class on Singapore Airlines. They rock. I felt like I was in first class when I flew economy with them.

One of your favorite books when you were a child? I used to love VC Andrews books. After she died, they kept writing under her name. I don't know if they were her characters or what the deal was, but I really didn't like reading the books that were written by her that weren't written by her. The characters were too predictable.

A good restaurant in your city? Jason's Deli is the restaurant of choice at the moment. Oh my god. Now I want to go there tomorrow.

What is your favorite small appliance? my digital camera

One person who never fails to make you laugh? My husband.

What was the first music that you ever bought? Tiffany. Okay, the first was a Psalty the Songbook record. I can't believe I just told ya'll that... It is all I can do to keep from deleting that from embarrasment.

Do you do push-ups? I wish. Josh just installed a pull-up bar in between our den and kitchen. I'm the only family member that can't use it. I can't even HANG off it.

What was one of your favorite games as a child? playing Rummy with my dad

When you were twelve years old, what did you want to be when you grew up? I think at that point I wanted to be a lawyer, just because I wanted to be rich and didn't want to be a doctor.

Your favorite Soup of the Day? my weekend restaurant has a yummy tomato florentine

Have you ever met someone famous? my first celebrity was Robert Young from Father Knows Best. We rode in an elevator together, and he patted me on my head. I've waited on Reece and Ryan. Keith Urban, Goober, um some others too-I'm practically a celebrity myself; I've seen so much "royalty."

Date of Birth? December 11, 1976. I turned 18 in Australia (legal drinking age) and was so excited to buy wine on November 12th because they write the date: day, month, year and we write it month, day, year. My driver's license let me drink early.

From what news source do you receive the bulk of your news? usually the internet

Current worry? um, I can't think of one right now-other than making sure we have enough money to pay for everything, but now that I have a job, I think we'll be okay.

Current hate? CHEAP rich people who come into my restaurants, cold weather

Favorite place to be? in the same locale as Josh

Least favorite place to be? in my house when my parents are visiting

Do you consider yourself well organized? I love organizing tools-containers, calendars, notebooks. I just never use them...

Do you believe in an afterlife? I don't think so... I don't know. I've never died.

Where do you think you will be in 10 years? I'll be a kept woman. Josh will be a rich director (and or lawyer, you pick), and I won't be doing a thing...

Do you burn or tan? what does the sun look like? i'm always at work when the sun is shining!

Are you more optimistic or pessimistic about the future? optimistic

What did you fear was going to get you at night as a kid? I was afraid that someone would break into the house and cut out my armpits. I still wonder sometimes. I NEVER sleep with my hands behind my head-if you want my armpits, you'll get a fight-I'm not just going to expose them for you.

What's in your pockets right now? I'm at home, so I'm wearing pjs.

Last thing that made you laugh? Last night, we watched a movie, and there was a joke said at the dinner table that made me laugh. I can't remember what the movie was called or what the joke was. I never remember details. I'll ask Josh and fill this part in later-I know you are dying to know.

Worst injury you've ever had? When I was about 4, my family was camping up in the mountains (the ONLY time I can remember camping with my family!) and I slid down the side of the mountain, exposing the bone in my left forearm and right knee. Unable to take me to the hospital, my mom packed FLOUR in the wounds. I've never been to the doctor for it.

How many TVs do you own? 3

Best compliment received? Um, I don't know. My husband loves me. I like that. He complements me and compliments me!

What leaves you speechless? When I'm REALLY mad about something

What is your favorite book? I don't have a favorite, I don't think. I like Gone with the Wind, but I haven't read that for a long long time.

Last meal you cooked for the opposite sex? Does a frozen lean cuisine count? Does my son count? I honestly can't remember the last time I actually cooked anything-other than heating something up. So sad.

What were you doing at 12 midnight last night? I was falling asleep reading in bed.

Uh oh.

Um, my nose hurts.

Just this afternoon, I was mentioning to Josh that nobody at my new restaurant mentioned my nose-ring. He said that it didn't look new because it wasn't red or anything. I commented that I just haven't been touching it, just like the guy said. He also told me to clean it out with saline if I did touch it. I haven't been doing that part.

Now it hurts. Why'd we have to talk about it? I bet it'd have been fine otherwise!!

The Descent, Finished

I finished the movie. My god, Michele is right! That movie is messed up. Don't get me wrong-I enjoyed myself-after the fact. I want to watch it again, but not for awhile!! I am trying to work up the courage to watch the extras.

I had a few hours before work started after I finished the movie. Normally, I would have stayed up and gotten stuff done, but when I finished the movie, I had to get back in bed and have Josh cuddle me. He got up to go to the bathroom, and I almost had a heart attack because I didn't want to be by myself!!

I recommend watching the movie, but not alone and not in the dark!

The Descent, Take 2

I'm 51 minutes into the movie. I'm in the dark again.

I don't know if I can go on. How in the hell did people watch this movie in the theater?! I had thought I would get claustrophobic, but it is so much more. I'm writing this now so I can have a break!!

I want to watch the movie-it has me reeled in, but it is so much!!

Okay. He I go again...

The Descent

Josh has been after me for about 2 weeks now to watch THE DESCENT. I started watching it this morning. If you haven't seen the movie yet, you might not want to read this...

I'm only about a half an hour into the movie so far. I wanted to watch it in the dark, but the darn sun came up too soon, so I'm going to put off the rest until either tonight or tomorrow morning. I also stopped it because I hate the beginning, and I needed some time to...digest it.

I HATE when little kids die in movies or tv shows. It is my biggest fear-that one of my children (or my husband) will die. I don't know how I would go on. I really don't. I kind of feel like I shouldn't voice my fear-what if the gods want to test me or something. I don't want to tempt fate. I guess my ultimate fear would be bats attacking my babies. Bats are scary. Bats are also in this movie.

Great movie, Josh.

My little heart is pitter-pattering just thinking about watching more of it. I guess that makes it a good movie! I'll let you know what I think after I watch it, though!

I did it!!

I did it!!
Originally uploaded by mari_ickes.

Well, first of all, I want to say congratulations to my wonderful friend Anna. For your wedding, I celebrated at the local tattoo shop! Since you missed my wedding, maybe you can spend my anniversary there. You've got a few months to work up the courage (July 1).
Happy marriage!! I miss you.

True Fan

You know you are a true Gilmore Girls fan when you dream (literally) up new plots for the show. Maybe I should submit it, they've been having some difficulties since Amy Sherman Palladino left...

Anyway, in my dream, Emily started selling furs-in her living room. She mostly liked buying the furs to sell.

There was a subplot outside in the lawn with Paris, Rory, and one of the maids, but I don't remember that one. Maybe I should go back to sleep to find out what happens. Anything to help my Girls.

Um, I think I'm Getting Sued...

Josh is going to school to be a paralegal then maybe a lawyer. I think Night has been reading Josh's law books.

Tonight after I got Night out of the tub, I carried him upside down and plopped him on my bed to get him dressed. His response? "That is definitely a lawsuit."

Whoa.

I'm Back!

Sorry I haven't been around. I've been sick :( and have been using every opportunity available to...SLEEP. Yep. The sickness came on the day after I started my biphasic sleeping, so that didn't work out too well.

Anyway, here's the deal:
I love my new job! Call me crazy, but I think being a server is fun. Don't get me wrong-it can be both hard and exhausting, but fir the most part, I really like it. I do miss my access to the internet while at work, but I don't have to spend as much time at work now, so that'll make up for it!!

And, yes, Daddy Forever, I think I'll be able to get my nose pierced! I just don't know what could make this job any better! I asked a manager today if it would be okay, and she said it should be okay but that I need to check with my direct manager first. I'll ask tomorrow.

I Got It, I'm Sure!!

Today when I was working at the restaurant, the OTHER restaurant called one of the people that I had listed as a reference. She told them that I was a very hard worker and very dependable. :) That's me!

Then, about an hour later, Josh called me (I had left my cell phone at home, so he called the restaurant phone) and told me that the OTHER restaurant had called and told him that they really liked me and wanted to know if I could call them back. If you're gonna put it that way, of course I'll call you back!!

She offered me the serving position, and I am starting THIS Tuesday instead of next Tuesday as she had alluded to during the interview.

Needless to say, I am looking forward to the job, and I am excited about the hours.

Yay!

Now, I'm off to bed because I feel sick. What a great way to start a new job. :)

I Got the Job, I Think...

Ever since I can remember, I have had this habit of hoping/dreaming for something, and in my head believing it will come true, then being devastated when it falls through. I think everyone does this to an extent, but I seem to count my chickens before they are hatched a little too often...

That being said, hey, I think I got the waitressing job that I interviewed for yesterday! It really seems too good to be true, so I need to hold off on my excitement until I'm sure. The manager was going to check my references. The server manager said that I could start a week from Tuesday, but I was never told. "See you then" or anything-she just said that she'd call me at the end of next week. Now, those of you who have had any exposure to the restaurant business should know that it doesn't usually work that way. Usually, you walk in, fill out the application, and get put to work. At one restaurant, I even started training less than an hour after filling out the paperwork.

Most restaurants are desperate for workers, but this one isn't. They have practically no turn-over (also unheard of in a restaurant), so it is usually difficult to get a job there; someone is going on maternity leave and someone else an LOA. The manager has worked at this restaurant for 14 years; the server manager has been serving there for 15! Wow.

They pay higher than the usual $2.15/hr. I would make $3.25/hr. That is quite a jump. Since it is a breakfast/lunch place, I should be home by 3:00-4:00 every day. Perfect! I should be able to make as much money as I was making when I was working with the dentist, maybe more.

So, wish me luck. I'll find out next week!

Anyone?

Does anyone know why our new dog Charlie (thank you, LOST) won't leave our den? It is the first room that we brought him in, and he has been out of it once. Don't get me wrong-he goes outside (see pics here and here!), but he won't come into the rest of the house.

The one time he did come over to the dark side (actually, the rest of the house is a lot cleaner than the den because we are always in the den...), it took me about 5 minutes of my cajoling and his whimpering the whole time. He was over for about 5 minutes, and he seemed to enjoy it.

Right now, everyone is asleep, and I am in the library. Actually, it is the dining room, but we have no table and a lot (A LOT) of books, so we made it into our library instead. Reading is so much more important than sustenance anyway. OH. Back to the subject... I'm in the library. Charlie is lying in the doorway between the den and the kitchen, whining. The kitchen is about 5 feet wide, and I am just on the other side. Why won't he come? He obviously wants to.

Tomorrow's the Day

Well, maybe tomorrow is the day...

I need to get a job. We've been living off our tax-refund for long enough. I've been slacking for long enough.

The problem is finding a job that I like. I know this sounds bad, but I'm still considering that nose ring, and I need to find a job that would allow me to have it. Now that is having my priorities straight, right?! I guess I could get a job in a call-center or as a waitress.

I guess I feel kind of guilty. I have my bachelors degree in education, and I went back to school to get certified to be a dental assistant; I don't really want to do either of those jobs. Sometimes I do, but most of the time I don't. In all honesty, the only job (as pointed out by Josh) that I've truly enjoyed (besides this past dental experience until Dr. went psycho) is being a waitress. Even though I enjoy the job and make fairly good money at it, I feel like I should do something more, like waitressing is for kids trying to work their way through school or something-it is supposed to be a means to an end. I shouldn't be a 30 year old waitress, or should I?

On that note, I have an interview for a posh breakfast/lunch restaurant tomorrow. I would love the hours. I think I'd make enough money to make up for my dental assisting job, depending on when they want me to work. The interview isn't until 4:30, though, which means I probably should spend the morning looking for other jobs as well, but I don't want to look for other jobs. I want to just be given the waitressing job and have everything work out perfectly!

We'll see.

Valentine's Day Wrap Up

Yes, I am writing this wrap up at 5:30pm. I guess that is enough-you don't even have to read the post, you get the message right there!!

Actually, my Valentine's Day has been quite nice. I have so been enjoying my time at home.

Josh did go to the store to get some sugar for me; meanwhile, I cleaned the kitchen. I mean CLEANED. It took all of his trip to the store and back, plus another hour or so to get the kitchen counter completely wiped down, and the floor swept and mopped. The cat was so amused at my mopping skills. I think he was confused because he's never seen me do it. I am so not kidding...

Then, Night and I set to baking our heart cookies for Valentine's Day. Josh had already left for school when I realized I didn't even own a heart shaped cookie-cutter. Oh well. We made circle ones, with red sprinkles. I know how to roll with the punches.

The cookies are delicious, and at 86 calories for each (and they aren't huge!), they really should be. I only had three cooked ones, and everyone knows that raw cookie dough is not only healthy for you but calorie free, so that half of the batter I ate while we waited for the cookies to bake doesn't even count. It should be just about settled now, so I guess it is time for more! (Yes, I saved some batter, doesn't everyone?)

Josh is at school. He has his first mid-term tonight. I'm so proud of him for going to school. He says he's one of the smart ones-the nerdy one that always answers all the questions. I must say I'm not surprised. He is very smart.

Um, Night just puked in the bathtub. Talk about a romantic Valentine's day! Gotta go. The fun never ends!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Even though Valentine's Day is special to me and Josh, we don't usually do anything too spectacular. We love each other lots and lots and don't need a special day to tell each other so.

I do like celebrating, though! I want to make it special for the kids, too. Here's how we celebrated:

• We hung up some decorations. Originally, we were going to have Valentines Tree since we had a little one from Christmas, but Night decided against it.
  
• I signed up on AN ISLAND LIFE for the Valentine's Day Goody Swap. It has been great to get to know some other bloggers a little better. I sent some goodies to an Australian named Ray. I sent them last week, but I put them on the slow boat, so they won't be there for awhile... Mert sent me some goodies that I received yesterday. She is awesome! Thank you so much! I didn't want to, but I shared with the kids too!
  
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• I made Valentine's cards for the family and set them on the coffee table last night. This morning, Night came in to my bedroom and told me Happy Valentine's Day. I thought he'd already seen his card, but he hadn't; he just remembered! Then a couple minutes later, he came back and asked me where his goods were. (They are trained so early, aren't they?) I directed him to the coffee table, where he got my card and Mert's stickers. He was very excited. He then distributed the cards to Josh and Keira. Night and I then made another card for Josh. Keira made herself into a Valentine's card:
  

• Tonight, the plan is to make some heart shaped cookies. We're out of sugar, so we'll see how that goes!

It isn't much, but with the kids being so young, we had to start off slow; otherwise, they'd be expecting CARS for Valentine's Day by the time they turn 10, and I'm not talking about the movie!!

What'd you do?

Confessions

In honor of Chris' post, I have a confession to make.

The kids just spilled Tang, and I cleaned it up with my husband's dirty sock. Personally, I am proud that it got cleaned up, not that you can tell. Our den floor is beyond repair. You can't tell where one stain ends and another begins. As for the sock? It shouldn't be in the den anyway, right?

Two days ago, it was me who spilled the drink (coffee, of course) and a blanket was the victim that had to clean up the carpet. I did put the blanket in the washing machine, though (it was last night, but timing isn't important). I'm sure it needs re-washed though, since it has been in there for awhile now...

Um, Keira is currently using Josh's other sock to "clean" the floor. At least she is developing good habits... (the cleaning part, that is)

I'm Scared

So, two days ago, Night, Keira, and I were perusing Target for clearance items, and we found this Spiderman hermit crab cage. Since it was only $3.50 and the other option was a $9.50 Spiderman hamster cage, we decided to get the hermit crab cage. I then proceeded to spend $20 getting 2 crabs and food and stuff for them. So much for a deal!

You can see a picture of them at Franklin Foto, my photoblog. Night named his Elmo (pronounced Melmo) and Keira's Coochi Coochi Coochi.

Yesterday, I went to the restaurant and told one of my friends about our new pets. She then told me a story that scared the shit out of me. Now I'm scared of our new hermit crabs.

My friend is in her fifties, and she said when her children were young, about 20 years ago, she got hermit crabs for them. She said that one day, one of the crabs pushed the other crab right out of its shell, stealing the shell and leaving the homeless crab for dead. She was so traumatized by them that she threw a towel over the cage, screaming the whole time. She said she will never get the image of the dead crab out of her head. She made her husband take the crabs (one alive, one dead) out of her house forever.

She said she had extra shells setting in the cage, but the big mean guy wanted the occupied one, so he took it.

I'm afraid to look in the cage now. Before the story, I was afraid the hermit crabs would pinch me. Now I'm afraid they'll pinch each other.

I think Target led me astray with their little clearance, and now I'm paying the price for being a bargain shopper-I can't go into my living room.

Doesn't She have the Cutest Laugh?

About My Paycheck

Daddy Forever also asked about my paycheck. There was some confusion (to say the least) as to whether or not I would get it. The story started here. The last update was here.

Well, I went to pick up my check on Friday, like he said. There were TWO girls in the front office TRYING to figure out how to run the front desk. I'm not saying they are dumb or anything. They had ABSOLUTELY NO TRAINING. Can you imagine trying to take over an office without having anyone there to show you where anything was?!

As I walk up to the front window, my eyes meet with the youngest of the two, just barely out of dental assisting school. I had met both girls during an interview about 2 months ago. Dr. had disapproved of both of them at that time, but I guess they would work now. Before I could even get the words to ask for my check out of my mouth, they were BEGGING me to help them. SIGH. Why do I have to be so nice? I don't work there anymore...

I spent about 10 minutes showing them some basics and correcting them-Dr. had told them a few things that were incorrect about the front office. He was never up there-he wouldn't know... I then look in the envelope with my name on it-NO PAYCHECK. Instead, it was a copy of some 401k information that I already had-no note, no explanation. Nothing.

I asked one of the girls to go back to the operatory where Dr was doing fillings and tell him I needed my paycheck. She hesitated, but I insisted. She returned to tell me that it was in the mail.

OH! THE SWEAR WORDS THAT WERE RUNNING THROUGH MY HEAD! I didn't take it out on the girls, but they did know that I wasn't happy with their new boss! I didn't bring it up, but when the older of the two asked me why I had quit, I told them that he had become very difficult to work with the past month or two.

When I got home, my paycheck was in the mailbox, meaning he had mailed it WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, right after I stood outside his locked door, telling him over the phone (IN THE FREEZING COLD) that he needed to give me the paycheck.

It was the exact paycheck that the delivery man had brought to him on Wednesday, meaning he was just being as asshole when he didn't give it to me. He was also being an asshole when he didn't call me and tell me that he was mailing it.

He owes me for one day, so maybe the drama is over, maybe it isn't. I'm just glad I'm not there anymore!!

5 Things About Me

Daddy Forever has tagged me for the "5 Things" Meme. I'm having a hard time thinking of 5 things that ya'll don't know, but here goes:

1. I like watching reality drama/surgery shows like the ones shown on TLC or Discovery. My favorite is probably Untold Stories of the ER(warning-if you follow the link, there is an annoying beeping sound from the EKG. It is an interesting site, though!) When I watch it with Josh, he cringes at the surgery/blood/pain part. I don't. Oddly enough, when I watch fake movies, I can't watch the gory parts.
2. I have lost 11 pounds since January 18th. I have been watching my calories. Check out the article that inspired me! Josh has lost 15. It is amazing-we aren't really dieting or anything. We've just become more aware.
   
3. I absolutely LOVE coffee. I have already drank a pot today. It is noon. When my daughter, who is 16 months old, wants something to drink, she says, "Coffee?" She speaks my language.
4. I can't dance. I have absolutely no rhythm. I can't clap to the beat. I can't tell if someone sings well or not (unless it is really really bad). I sang a solo at my high school graduation. My mom played the piano for me and played the melody notes extra loud for me so that I would be able to sing it.
5. I'm trying to make money off the internet. I would like to be able to stay home with my family and not have to go to a "real" job. It isn't looking promising!! The only job that I have truly enjoyed is my waitressing job. Currently, I can only work there on the weekends, though, since there aren't any server openings.
   

Well, that's that. Kind of boring. I'm feeling uninspired today...
I can't think of anyone to tag. Who wants it, baby??

TV for the Snooze Button?

Josh has this excellent system set up. Night comes in to the bedroom in the morning to wake us up. Josh tells our son to go turn on the tv and come back to get us when it is on.

Great!

Why is this so wonderful? We bought an old tv at a garage sale for twenty bucks. It was already turned on when we bought it; I thought it was on to show us that it worked, but in reality it was probably on because it takes about 5 minutes for it to warm up. The sound comes on first, which is about 2 minutes after the ON button is pushed. About 2-3 minutes later, the screen lights up. The older the tv gets, the longer we get to snooze!!

And the Winner is...

We named the dog Charlie. We've been watching LOST on DVD (I'm on Season 1 and Josh is on Season 2), and we decided we liked listening to the accent when the Aussies say Charlie, so Charlie it is...

SuperBowl Sunday

For me, SuperBowl Sunday isn't about the football. It is about the memories.

7 years ago today, (well about 7 years ago-It was Superbowl Sunday, but it was in January) I met the most wonderful man in the world, the one who would become my husband. I had lived in Nashville for about 6 months. I moved down right after college and got a teaching job. I didn't know anyone when I moved except a girl that I kind of knew from college. We weren't great friends in college, but we had each moved down to Nashville around the same time, so we became very good friends.

On Superbowl Sunday, my friend had one of her friends (Josh) visiting from home (Indiana) as well as a guy she was kind of dating and me over for the game. This was the first time I met Josh. We had a great time playing RISK and watching the game. The Tennessee Titans were playing and won.

Josh and I flirted a bit, but we didn't really talk about too much. We never said, "I like you. Do you like me?" or anything like that.

A few weeks later, the day before Valentines Day, Josh moved down to Nashville. We had had no communication with each other between the first meeting and his moving down. He temporarily moved in with our friend until he could get his own place. I went to our friend's house to help him move in his stuff.

Josh ended up coming back to my apartment that night to watch Grease (what else?). We fell asleep on the couch. I woke up with him rubbing my feet then giving me the most wonderful kiss of my life. Happy Valentines Day!

At first, I tried to convince Josh that we should be "kissing friends," and that I didn't want to be committed to him. Little did I know that Josh had moved down to Nashville because he wanted to be with me. Talk about commitment! It took him less than a week to show me that I wanted to be more than just his friend. Despite our "friend's" best efforts, Josh practically moved in with me a week later.

We got married that July, and he has provided me with the best life I could ever dream of having. He is my best friend, and I can not imagine life without him.

Today one of my friends from work asked me if I like Josh the same, less, or more than when we met. Without a doubt, I love him more. I wouldn't have thought it was possible, and I have a feeling if I look back in ten years I will say I love him even more.

So, to me, SuperBowl Sunday doesn't really have anything to do with football. I would like to challenge Josh to another game of Risk, though. I always kick his ass and he never wants to play...

It Snowed!

Wednesday night, it was all over the news that it was supposed to snow overnight into yesterday. We got nuthin. I didn't even watch the news last night, but I woke up with Keira at 4:00 to the snow outside!

Its not much, but for here it is a big deal. I think all of the schools in Tennessee are closed, and it is only 4:45am. We get kind of scared of travelling in the snow around here. I'm sure my parents in Ohio would be amused.

Here are some shots. I took some with my lomography camera too, so I will post them when they get developed.

I don't really like snow, but I'm ready for Night to wake up because I know he'll be excited!

30?

Am I too old for a nose ring? I had one when I was in my early twenties, and I think I can pull it off. It is kind of frowned upon for teachers... but since I'm not one right now, I've been thinking about it...

To Bathe or Not to Bathe...That is the Question...

Not having a job is fun. Here's my dilemma of the day:

I'm already dressed in my nice warm SOFT socks, velour sweatpants (also quite warm), and long sleeve shirt. I'm very comfy on this nice snowy cold day.

Keira is napping. The boys are each playing video games-Josh (that's the adult) is playing "We Love Katamari" in the den and Night (that's the 3 year old) is playing Star Wars in the living room. I had taken the laptop into the living room to "watch" Night, but now I feel like either reading or watching LOST on DVD (I'm on the 3rd disk of season one and it is such a good show). If I read, I'd like to be in the nice warm bath-candles lit, smelly girly bath stuff floating in the tub. I'm leaning toward this decision, but I don't want to get out of the tub. I'll be cold and wet.

THIS is what ones life decisions should be all about. Screw getting a job!