Confidence Boost

I am feeling VERY good today. I was very leery about coming to work with my new do. I can't tell you how many compliments I've had today from professors, staff, and students. Literally every person I've talked to today has complimented me on both the color and cut. I know I need to post a pic so you all can compliment me, too! ha ha ha Seriously, I had a rough weekend and that was much needed. Of course my husband is always good about complimenting me, but he isn't likely to be brutally honest with me. And people at work, well, if they didn't like it, they just wouldn't say anything pretending not to notice... aaahhhh... Nice day!

Zombie Wedding Party

Yesterday, we made our third and final trip to C'ville to be part of Kitten's Zombie movie. Yes, the zombie part is kinda weird, but I think Kitten is doing a great job and I'm very proud of what she's trying to do. Anyway, they puts tons of make-up on us and even sprayed our hair black-ish w/ that halloween spray. Yes, my newly dyed golden blonde hair was black yesterday! Aah! Anyway, we drove way out in the boon-docks to this old cemetary to film the movie. Overall, it was very fun. I was impressed, I'll admit. Of course, we couldn't wait to get home and shower and wash all the make-up and crap off my body! I'll try to post a pic later, too of my zombie head!

Peg Saves the Day

As you can see I haven't posted a pic yet.... NEVER TRY TO DYE YOUR HAIR YOURSELF! I did not do that good of job. I missed spots behind my ears, some in the back and then worst of all, I had a dark spot front and center at my hairline & part. I called Peg (for anyone who doesn't know this is my step-mom who is a beautician) on the verge of tears. We made another trip to C'ville and she touched up the spots I'd missed. The haircut... Well, it was probably worse b/c I was so frustrated w/ the color, but she cut on it some more. My hair just does not like to flip out, so we decided to go layered, but curl under. It looks fine and I've got tons of compliments on it today (both color and cut). I'll try to post a pic sometime this week of it.

Weekend So Far

Friday during lunch we went to pick up Mel from getting repaired. They had to replace both the passenger rear door and the rear quarter panel, but it looks good. Unfortunately they didn't detail our car of even clean up their mess and it was covered in dust on the inside. They told us to come back after work to pick it up and they'd clean it up for us. Well, I got off at 4:30 and we went to pick it up and it was still dusty. They hadn't touched the inside. The guy started cleaning it with what looked like Windex and Eric told him to just forget it and we'd clean it ourselves or get it detailed on our own. When we got home my nanny & papaw were already at our house waiting on us. We talked to them for a bit then headed to get something to eat. We went to this little diner near our house. The food was ok, but it was a little more expensive then we thought it should be. After coming home we played a little cards with my grandparents (Eric winning the majority of the hands) then they headed home and I fell asleep on the couch.

Saturday morning I got up and decided to go to C'ville to get my hair cut. Yep, it's that time again. My hair was getting long, but it was boring, so I did it again. Peg ended up cutting it 3 times (2 hours) This is what I had in mind. It's close, but when I got home Eric said he thinks it would be better if my hair was lighter... I had to think this one over... We were supposed to go out to dinner w/ Ashlee and Jeremy last night (my sister). We gave up on them by 8:00 and headed to Don Pablo's. The called about 9, but we said we'd just try another day.

Now, it's Sunday morning and I sit here now w/ bleach in my hair, patiently waiting for the timer to ding. Yep, I decided to try dying it myself. Eric is out mowing, but he knows I'm doing it. I don't know how its going to turn out. I may have to have it professionally done later today or tomorrow. I'll try to post later this afternoon if it looks ok... Wish me luck!

What does your name mean?

Erica
Meaning:
Although the name Erica creates the urge to be reliable and responsible, we emphasize that it causes an emotional intensity that is hard to control. This name, when combined with the last name, can frustrate happiness, contentment, and success, as well as cause health weaknesses in the nervous system, worry, and mental tension. Your name of Erica makes you very idealistic and generous, with the strong desire to uplift humanity leading you into situations where you can express your desire to serve others. You want to assume responsibilities and to look after people; however, you can become too involved in other people's problems and tend to worry. Your name gives you a natural desire to express along artistic and musical lines. You desire a settled home and family life, and are expressive and attentive to your loved ones.

Translation:
Emotional intensity - That sums up a lot of me! ha I definitely am a people pleaser, too. Not so sure about the musical part, but I do like to sing in the car at the top of my lungs... Definitely desire a settled home and family life. Maybe not be as attentive as I should be, but am somewhat. Working on the expressive part!


Eric (My dear husband)
Meaning:
Although the name Eric causes an active mind and a restless urge to explore new ideas, we emphasize that it causes an unscrupulous, materialistic approach that frustrates higher humanitarian qualities. This name, when combined with the last name, can frustrate happiness, contentment, and success, as well as cause health weaknesses in the solar plexus and reproductive organs. The name of Eric creates a very aggressive and independent nature, one with big ambitions, giving you original, progressive, large-scale ideas, salesmanship and promotional ability as well as the excellent business judgment which enables you to gain the financial accumulation to which you feel entitled. You have a versatile, restless nature, and could do any job well, although you would not like to do menial tasks. You are seldom satisfied and are always seeking something new.

Translation:
Anyone who knows my husband at all will say this is dead on! Wow! Aggressive, independent, big ambitions. Awesome salesman! Definitely doesn't like to do menial tasks! Not sure about the seldom satisfied part though. Maybe w/in his job. yes.

Find out what your name means here!

Late Weekend Update

Saturday evening we headed to C'ville to go to a cookout for my brother. Several people showed up and several family members. It went really well. There was tons of good food, memories, and laughing. We really had a great time. We always talk about the good old days and what bad things we all did either to ourselves or each other. This time my cousin Jeremiah got picked on. It was great. I didn't get as much video as I could/should have, but I did get a little. He will be gone a total of 14 weeks; 8 weeks bootcamp and 6 weeks specialty training. He'll come home for 2 weeks after that (early December) then be shipped out to his station. I will definitely get more film then and make a movie. Shame on me, I know! Lindsay (youngest sister) came home w/ us and spent the night. Although she spent a lot of the time at our house on the phone w/ her boyfriend. (Oh the horror of them being w/out each other for 1/ONE NIGHT!)

We got up Sunday morning and headed to this place close to our house for breakfast. TERRIBLE. It did not sit well on any of our stomachs. Needless to say we won't be going back. We'll stick w/ our old fogey place w/ gay servers! After breakfast we went to the pet store and bought some stuff and checked out the animals then headed home. We just hung out around the house for a few hours then headed back to C'ville to take Lindsay home. After dropping her off we headed to my dad & Peg's to spend some time with them and have dinner. To our surprise, my grandparents who we don't see very often were there, so we got to see them! Yay! We visited with them for quite a while then headed home. I was really feeling bad, so we just laid on the couch and watched the closing ceremonies of the Olympics.

I ended up staying home Monday from work b/c I still wasn't feeling great. I think it was mostly stress and nerves of my brother leaving. I know it is a great thing for him to do. I'm just a little concerned with his timing more than anything. I guess I always knew deep down that he would eventually join the army. He has always been intrigued by it (his uncle is also in) and I think it will do him some good overall. He seems like he is really ready to go and do whatever he has to. He seems happy about it. Maybe it will sink in more when he actually starts, but honestly, I still think he'll love it! That's just the kind of person he is. I'm happy for him whatever his desicion. Today he has opened a whole new door to his life.

Back to Friday Fives...Lasts...

1. When was the last time you laughed?
Today laughing about this e-mail I received about "Athletes NOT going to Athens" (I'm still laughing.)

2. Who was the last person you had an argument with?
Hmmm.... Not sure on this one. Probably one of the profs about the copy machine...

3. Who was the last person you emailed?
Danialle (personal)
My boss (work)

4. When was the last time you bathed?
This morning before work

5. What was the last thing you ate?
I had a personal pan Pepperoni & Mushroom Pizza from the Hut

There's nothing hypothetical about ovulation.

Eric asked me last night, "Hypothetically speaking, if you were to ovulate this month, when would it be?"

How can anything about ovulation be "Hypothetical" when you've been trying to get pregnant for over a year now? And on occassion (last week) it really depresses you!

So I told him (looking at our calendar on the wall) "I started my period on 8/16, 14 days from that is 8/30, then give or take ~4 days on either side." His thinking "we better get busy!" I guess he forgot that we weren't trying this month...

So, now I've got it in my head the approximation of when I will be ovulating. Ugh. I was trying to not think about it this month... I do have to laugh at myself though b/c I know even though "I'm not trying this month" I know he still is at least secretly, but then I guess it's not really a secret is it? ha ha ha ha

Crash

For some reason I have not been sleeping well for about the last week or so. I knew it was starting to affect me yesterday afternoon. For instance, the whole "stinky situation" with Dave Matthews Band dropping 800 lbs of shit on a tour boat full of people was hilarious to me. Everytime I read something on-line about it or even heard anything on the news I just starting rolling with laughter. This probably isn't the most funny thing, but for some reason I thought it was. I get so giddy and laugh at things at people's expense. Of course sleep deprivation isn't the only thing that causes this, but yesterday it was a big factor. On the way home I could feel a headache coming on and knew I was getting close to crashing, so we just got Wendy's and went home. After dinner I took 2 benadryl and crashed before 7:00. I feel better today except now I'm sort of a medicine head. That's about as bad a feeling as being sleep deprived.

Weekend Update

As you can see from my last entry, I had a time of it last week. I'm still not sleeping great, but am feeling a little better.

Friday I wasn't feeling well, so I planted myself on the couch and we watched the movie "Butterfly Effect". Weird movie. It was good, but definitely out there! I ended up going to bed around 9:00. On Saturday we went to Indy and had lunch at Mug n' Bun, which is sorta like a Dog n' Suds, but way better. Then headed to the park for my alum event. It was pretty much a waste of time, but the park was nice and the weather was great! We went to this good mexican place for dinner then headed home. We had another disaster when we got home. Apparently one of our dogs thought she was getting left and decided to chew on the carpet again. This one much bigger than the last. We just bought a huge rug to put over it and then once I get pregnant we'll recarpet it. We plan on putting a wood floor down in the office, too for when the dogs move in there.

Yesterday we ran a few errands then when we got home I went into "clean house" mode. I mopped the kitchen and dining room floors and also both bathroom floors. I even moved everything out of the kitchen before I cleaned. Of course I swept the house, too and Eric dusted. Then if that wasn't enough I thoroughly cleaned our bathtub out. After that I made dinner and we watched the movie Taking Lives" w/ Angelina Jolee (another weird one) and the olympics.

Thank you to everyone who had me in their thoughts last week when I was down. I'm feeling better now. We aren't going to be "trying" this month. If you haven't noticed I've taken my FF ticker and link to my chart off my blog and I'm not even going to go into FF this month. The only thing I have on my calendar is when my next period is supposed to start. I guess maybe I just need a break from trying. Maybe I just have too many things going on right now. Whatever the reason, I need a break!

We go Saturday for a cookout for my brother who will be leaving for bootcamp on the 31st of August, so just a week away. We are planning on taking the video camera, so I'll try to be like Danialle and post the movie we make. I'm sure it won't be as good as hers though since it will be our first one.

Life is Frustrating

My Job. My job consists of bullshit receptionist stuff, that I am over-qualified for. I went to school for what??? Not that! I seem to be stuck in a rut though. I've tried staying at the University b/c it is a good place to work. Unfortunately there are not many administrative jobs open. And when you do see an open one, they normally already have someone in mind to fill the position, so in essence I'm screwed before I even apply. The economy sucks, so obviously there aren't many jobs open outside of the university either. I proposed a new job for myself in my current job and now I'm just basically screwing myself. I offered to be the webmaster for the school, which they really need, but instead of making that it's own position, they want to make it part of my current job (which still includes all the bullshit receptionist stuff). Now I'm not always busy during the day, but taking over the school's web is a full time job in itself. They also did offer to get me a student worker, so that might help. I guess it will depend on how much they compensate me. I imagine only $0.50 and I don't know that I want to take on that much more work for that little compensation. That equates to only about a 3% raise... I know I can do so much more, but can't seem to find my niche or something.

Trying to Get Pregnant. Well, I could probably go on for hours about this. All I really need to say is WHY THE HELL CAN'T I GET PREGNANT??? You may have noticed I don't have the little cycle ticker at the top of my page anymore, nor is there a link to my chart. Right now I've trashed them both at least for the time being. I see babies or pregnant ladies everywhere! I even heard some students talking about pregnancy this morning in the hall. It really gets me down sometimes. The doctor has said there is nothing wrong with either of us, so what the hell is the problem? I never thought it'd take longer than a year, even when it started getting close. Now we've past the one year mark and it just really pisses me off. I want to be getting fatter from a baby not just from fat. I want to be shopping for baby clothes and furniture and painting the nursery. Oh, and getting new carpet in there. This probably frustrates me the most in life right now. I've tried not to think about it the last few months, but for some reason today it's really bothering me!

I'm just venting like nobody's business.

Finally

Finally AF has arrived. She brought with her some mild cramps and some bowl problems, but nothing too major. At least she arrived. I'm curious to see now if the same things happens at the end of next month.

Weekend Update

Friday night we went down to C'ville to see my grandparents. My cousin Chad was there, too. It was a nice evening. We went to Little Mexico for dinner and then came back to their house and chatted before heading home.

On Saturday we drove around campus and checked out all the new kiddies moving in. Had lunch at Fazoli's and then headed to the movies to see Alien vs. Predator. Unfortunately we went to the campus cinema and there was a group of students behind us that wouldn't stop talking. I turned around once and told them to "Shut up or Leave" and this was after some glares we gave them that they didn't seem to understand. Then finally Eric told turned around and said something to them. They still talked through the movie, but it wasn't as much as before, so we just let it go, but gave them dirty looks when we left. We had pizza and watched a movie to finish off the night.

Yesterday we did our usual running around town. We looked at a photo printer b/c our sucks, but didn't end up buying one. Decided that taking them to Payless was still cheaper. We did however buy some software for our new video camera so we can edit the movies and turn them into DVDs. Then the usual grocery shopping. When we got home I switched to housewife mode and cleaned house. Then I cut up a fresh salad for this week, cut up a musk melon (which is very good), cut up some celery, baked some cookies, and then made dinner. We also went on a 30 min. walk last night, which was really nice, too. We decided to start walking more last night alternating between 10 min (3x), 30 min (2x), and @ 60 min (2x) throughout the week. However, I checked the weather this morning and it's supposed to rain everyday this week, so hopefully we can still get it in.

CD 29, 14 DPO

Well, my temp went down even more today, but still no sign of AF. This is so weird. I sure wish she'd just arrive and get it over with. I really don't know what to think about these last 2 cycles now... Weird is all I can come up with.

Day 27, 12 DPO...Soon to be Day 1

Well, my temp took a nose dive this morning, so we all know what that means. I hope she arrives today and it isn't like last month. Better luck next month...

Friday the 13th

Well, normally I don't have superstitions about "Friday the 13th", but today I'm beginning to wonder. Eric just called and he was in an accident today. He was turning left and out in the intersection and the other cars coming towards him were stopping, so he started to turn, but this lady decided she was going to blow the light and hit him in the back side. It basically broke off the valve stem on our tire and did some damage to the back quarter panel and the back pass door. Now Eric gets to spend the rest of the afternoon driving around to the various places to get the tire fixed, talk to our insurance, talk to our dealer, etc. I'm glad I'm at work! ha ha Although, I did get in trouble because I was at lunch and didn't have my cell phone on. Oops!

That's about the only weird thing that has happened to us so far today. Better knock on wood, the day isn't over yet!

Day 26, 11 DPO

Nothing different. Still stuck at the 98.1 range.

TTC Update

OK, I'm getting anxious and started temping early... It might jinx us, but maybe not. As you can see from my chart my temp was 98.3 yesterday and 98.1 today. I have a feeling the next couple days will be the deciding point. My bbs aren't as sore as they were last week, but they are still a little sore. I had a couple breakouts on my face this week, which have been happening the last few months a few days before AF arrives, so that might be an indicator. Of course, it could just be an indicator that my hormones are changing, too. (I hope!) Maybe we'll see a major change tomorrow in my temp. I have noticed the last few days that it seems like after O-time my CM really picked up... Don't know what the deal is, but it was a LOT yesterday. I'll update again tomorrow.

Even if I'm not pregnant this month, I know that my body is making progress and it won't be long now!

Weekend Update

Friday night I got home and Eric had already cleaned the house, so we had a pretty relaxing evening. I rented Mystic River, but ended up falling asleep half way through it.

On Saturday Eric got up early and couldn't sleep and I slept in a little. We got ready and Eric's parents arrived around noon. We had planned on going to Japanese, but our normal place was closed, so we (unfortuantely) settled for the other place. The food was ok, but we won't ever go back. The service was horrible. We finally got our california rolls when he was part way through w/ cooking our meal and that was after she gave another table ours, which ordered after us. You get the point. After lunch we headed to some stores. Eric's parents ended up buy us an early x-mas present, a camcorder, which we've been wanting for months now. We got quite a deal on it though, so we would have bought it even if they didn't. After shopping a few more stores we headed out to play a game of putt-putt (Donna won) and then hit some balls in the batting cage. Oh how I miss softball! :( Before going home we made a stop for frozen custard. They left shortly after we got home. We got a little break then my parents came up to visit. We visited with them for a little while then headed to BW3s for dinner. It was nice. The left around 10 and we were exhausted so we headed to bed.

Yesterday we were supposed to go to the Brickyard, but we were tired from the day before and just really didn't feel like fighting the crowd. We ended up going to Bed, Bath & Beyond and getting a new trash can (a really nice one) and a new duvet cover. We had a 20% & 15% coupons, so it was nice. We also got a few more pieces to go in the kitchen with my decor. We were trying to come up with some color to add to the kitchen, but haven't decided completely on anything yet. Eric would like to got w/ yellow, so I'm trying to come up with some things and see how it goes. I'm going to Hobby Lobby tonight to see if I can come up with some yellow accents that still goes w/ out blue and white Mandarin theme. If you have any ideas let me know. I'm working on trying to come up with something. I could use some ideas. Yesterday afternoon we watched parts of the race and just hung out, then last night we went on a short walk to finish up the evening.

On the fertility side
Nothing much to report really.I wasn't sure if my bbs were still as sore over the weekend, but they are back to being sore today, so we'll see what happens. As you can see from my chart I took my temp today and it was 98.1. Nothing exciting, but I thought I'd just check and make sure it was still up and all that good stuff. I should have started by this time next week, so I'll probably start temping over the weekend.

Fertility Trivia

Here's some interesting fertility trivia for the day...

*A study at the University of California School of Medicine revealed that men who cycle more than 100 km (65 miles) per week put their fertility at risk. The repeated banging of the groin against the bicycle seat can damage critical arteries and nerves

*Here's a clear cause of use it or lose it. Studies have shown that abstaining from sex for more than seven days can decrease the male partner's fertility. Any gain in sperm counts from lack of use is more than offset by the increased number of aged sperm cells with lower fertilization potential.

*Over $206 million dollars worth of pregnancy tests are sold in the U.S each year. (I know J * I have contributed to this...)

*Back in the 17th century, it was believed that a woman could tell whether or not she was pregnant by looking at her boiled urine. If she could see her reflection, she was pregnant! (Note: Don't try this at home.)

*Question: Who said, "Death and taxes and childbirth. There's never any convenient time for any of them?" Answer: Scarlett O'Hara!

*Keep in mind that babymaking is a numbers game. Even if you do everything "right," you still have only a 25% to 30% chance of conceiving in any given cycle.

* Here's a bit of sex-related trivia, just in case you and your partner are looking for a little inspiration. There are over 114 million sex acts performed around the world, according to a recent article on the Thrive@passion web site.

Job Opportunities

Ok, so I've decided to start job searching now. I updated my resume here at work and for the time being and going to stay here on campus. I'm hoping to get an administrative job, which is more my cup of tea. Of course it'd be more pay and better benefits (vacation, sick, etc.), so we'll see what happens. I put in for 3 jobs and will hopefully be called for at least 1 interview of the three. We'll see. I know the person interviewing for 2 of the jobs and also another person in that area, who I think will put in a word for me. It was hard telling my current boss and dept. head. They totally understood though. The dept. head told me, he'd just bring my back down the road when they had an open admin job, to be prepard. That was nice of him. I know he will at least try to do it, too b/c he brought my boss back after a few years, too. I really like where I work now, but it's just not challenging and I know I have more potential. Fortunately my bosses know it, too. I can't thank them enough though b/c if it wasn't for them I wouldn't even by at the University anymore. I had quit my last job (on campus) before I found this job, so essentially they saved me from being jobless. So far I've applied for 2 jobs within Engineering, but in different departments and 1 job that is in a brand new program and building. Heck, they only have one person hired in that area and it's the head of the department. I think I have a better chance at the engineering jobs, but I'll take what I can get. Any of the three would be challenging and good jobs.

On a side note: As my daily update, yep, my bbs are still sore. Yay! This new "symptom" has sorta got my brain running though b/c as I said before this has never happened to me before...

My BBs & My Mom

Nothing new to report today really. My bbs are still sore and Eric thinks it's funny. That is until I told him two can play in that game and I could tap his nether things.

It stormed last night and my dog is very afraid of storms so she usually just gets on the bed and lays at my feet or at my side. This morning she decided to lay on me with her legs on my bbs. That HURT!

Talked to my mom last night. She doesn't know that we are and have been trying to get pregnant. Anway, there was a baby there and my asked when we were going to have a baby. Being the smart butt I am, I told her when she quit smoking, she just might get a surprise. Of course, she said she'd quit today. I informed her that I wasn't pregnant right now (thinking I could be though), but told her she had to start working on that. Since she brought up the topic, I decided to ask her a few questions. I knew she was young and not married when she got pregnant with me, but she didn't realize she was pregnant until she was about 2 months. She just thought she had the flew. Before she found out, her & my dad went to Kings Island and I guess she was sick all the way there and they even stopped to get Pepto, but of course it didn't help. Hmmm... Wonder why? Anyway, I guess she was sick throughout her whole pregnancy with me, but I attribute that to probably her not good eating habits and also smoking. I guess I assume she didn't stop smoking when she was pregnant with me, since she did with my brother and sisters. Another interesting tidbit is that my mom was really sick with children 1 and 3, which are the best kids, but not children 2 and 4, which are a little more trouble makers... Anyway, apparently my mom and her sister went to the doc and found out she was pregnant and she cried the rest of the day. This was the start of an also very emotional pregnancy. I'm sure a lot of it had to do with the fact that she was young, too. I wish I could ask her more questions, but I don't want her to know that we are trying b/c that would probably stress me out. I think I'll start making a list of things to ask her when I am finally pregnant. So far I have down to ask her about labor and if she carried my full term and about her weight gain and stretch marks. If any of you readers think of good questions, comment and I'll write them on my list.

Confirmation

I know I've officially ovulated now. I'd still say I ovulated either Sunday or Monday, so I'll put a manual ovulation in Monday just to be safe. I think I could officially test on 8/18 or 16 DPO... If these tender bb's continue, I don't know if I'll be able to wait that long.

Now the waiting game begins...

Ovulate.... Maybe/Maybe Not

Ok. So my temp was only 97.7 this morning. In the past (when I was temping every day) that just meant I was getting ready to ovulate. So, I doubt I've ovulated yet if you look at those stats. Although this tender breast thing has thrown me for a loop. They are definitely still tender today... I guess we'll see how tomorrow's temp is. If tender breasts after ovulation is an indicator, then I'd say I O'd on Day 14 (Sunday). If temp is an indicator, then I'd say not yet. I think I'll do some research today on FF and see what others have been saying. Sounds like tender breasts might indicate I have ovulated. Of course, I don't hold too much in my thermometer either. The battery may be going or it might just be screwed up! (Remember last month at the end?)

Hmmm.... The analyzing begins...

Fertility Update

I noticed today that my bbs are sore. This is a rare thing for me. I don't normally have much sensation in that area and as we discussed at last GWO that would not be a good indicator of ovulation... Now for some reason they are sore. Odd. Today is Day 15 and I'm going to try to remember to take my temp in the morning so we know for sure. Of course, we are going to get another BD session in tonight just in case. I'll update tomorrow assuming I remember to temp in the morning.

It's a girl

OK. 85% sure, but it is. My best friend Jennifer just found out that they were 85% sure they were having a girl. It looks like Ava Chu was correct in her preminition. If you remember she said Danialle would wait a long time before having kids, which is true and Jennifer would have a girl and it looks like that will be true. She said I would have a boy, but we can't find that out until I get pregnant. She was wrong on Heather, b/c she did not find love by Valentine's day. However, we decided that maybe it was b/c Heather didn't buy one of the moon necklaces like the rest of us did...

Congratulations Jennifer & Eric! We have baby "girl" matherly now...

Brother Issues

For some unknown reason my brother has decided to sign up for the Army. Now don't get me wrong I support our troops despite not totally agreeing with the war, but why on earth would someone sign up knowing they will most likely be going to war? To make matters worse he signed up for infantry... He will be leaving either August 7 or 18 and going to Fort Benning in Georgia. Now, my brother has some issues and I know being in the army will be very good for him and I'm not surprised in the least, but just concerned w/ his timing. One good point is that he has 8 weeks of boot camp and then 3-4 months of specialized training. Se he has any where from 5-6 months before he could be deployed (I think/hope!) My other issue is that he is an only son and his father is deceased. I always heard that he would not be put on the front line b/c of this, but my husband believes that since our troop strength is weak and spread thin, that he could. My brother isn't making it a point to share this fact w/ the army either... Does anyone know?

Alligator on the loose near my house! Aaahhh!

Officials from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources are trying to catch an alligator that was spotted in a retention pond at a subdivision in WL. The reptile is about two-feet-long.

An eight-year-old boy spotted it while he was fishing in the pond over the weekend.

D-N-R officials and the owner of a local exotic animal sanctuary went out in a boat to try to catch the gator using raw chicken as bait. The gator didn't bite.

D-N-R spokesman Matt Tholen says officials caught the gator at about 10:15 pm Monday and says the alligator likely could have survived until winter.

1st Anniversary GWO Re-cap

Yet another great, relaxing girls weekend out. Thursday evening I set out to drive to Chicago. I got into a little construction congestion, but arrived at Danialle's around 4:00. She was just finishing up some taco dip so we snacked on that for a bit. Jennifer called and said her plane was delayed b/c of the weather, so Danialle & I headed to Potbelly's for some dinner. Before heading on to the airport, Danialle spotted this shirt we thought we might pick up for Jennifer. It said "due in december", but unfortunately after we got in the store, it also said $58 and as much as we love Jennifer, the shirt was NOT worth that price. After circling the curbside pickup/dropoff & laughing hysterically, we finally figured out how to get to the parking area. We picked up Jennifer and headed back to Danialle's after a quick stop at McDonald's. We of course caught up on things and relaxed. We decided to walk down to Lincoln Park to get some dessert, but I was disappointed when they didn't have tiramisu, so the girls got something and we headed back to Danialle's. Before turning in for the night we listened to Jennifer's baby thru her doppler. Wow! That was so touching & amazing! Although it was a little warm at Danialle's we had a wind tunnel going and didn't sleep to bad.

We got up early Friday morning and took Chadd to work and then headed to Nookie's for breakfast. After getting back downtown we tried to scope out boat rides, but they were all too expensive, so we headed to H&M and Filene's Basement to do some shopping. We got some great deals of course! Heather called shortly thereafter, so we headed back to Danialle's to meet her. After catching her up we put our bathing suits on and went to BW3's for a quick lunch before heading to the beach. Unfortunately I talked Danialle into getting "Hot" wings and her mouth was on fire the rest of the day. (I'm sorry!) The beach was a little on the cool side, windy and a sandstorm, but despite that we still laid out for a while. Heather must have been exhausted from her drive as she took a nap. Jennifer dug a hole in the sand for her belly and we all concentrated on her feeling more baby movements. We then headed back to Danialle's, grabbed out luggage, and headed to the hotel to get ready. We had dinner at Leona's and then did a little shopping in that area. Leona's (or something) did NOT sit well with me, so we made a stop at Danialle's before returning to the hotel. Once we got to the hotel, sleepiness caught up so we didn't stay up much later.

On Saturday morning we slept in a little more then headed to Gurnee Mills for some MAJOR shopping! We spent 7 hours wandering around the mall! The best part was when Jennifer was trying on clothes at the Motherhood store and both Danialle and I joined her w/ the bellie pillows. We took a picture, so I'll try to post them later! I got a little sad at that, but I'm ok with it. After finally leaving there we decided not to got all the way back downtown and just got dinner at Outback near the hotel. We had this "different" waiter. His name was Ave, which was ironic b/c last October we met this lady named Ava Chu. Anyway, he proceeded to tell us all about how he found his spiritual love. It was nice hearing his point of view, but I don't necessarily agree with it. He was a little weird. We didn't stay up too late once we got to the hotel. We had planned on either swimming or sitting in the hot tub, but the pool was packed w/ kids and the hot tub was broke, so we just headed to the room and after some talking, fell asleep.

Sunday morning we were woke up early to Danialle moaning and sorta yelling. Apparently she was having a nightmare that she was barking at someone who stole her car. It was hilarious! After getting everything ready, we said our goodbyes and headed home. Over halfway home I realized that I forgot my nice, expensive pillow at the hotel, so I freaked out and called Danialle and had her pick it up for me and mail it to me. I sure wished we lived closer (all of us). After I got home, I showed Eric everything I got and talked to him for a while then took a nap.

I love having girls weekend. They are so relaxing and refreshing and I just love being with my girls. I'm always glad to be home though, too.

GWO - Chicago

I will be leaving today around 1 to head to Chicago for our "Girls Weekend", which I can't wait for! I'm sure we'll have an absolute blast. I'll be sure to give a recap on Sunday or Monday.

Blazin'

Eric tried the blazin' sauce at BW3's!!! Actually we both tried it. They first brought out a little thing of the sauce and we both tried it and it wasn't all that hot. She couldn't believe we didn't think it was that hot, so she went back & told the guys in the kitchen. Come to find out it was the bottom of the bucket and the spices float, so they opened a new bucket and brought us some of that. Wow! Eric's mouth was on fire. He just tried a little bite and I stuck my fork in it and tried it.

BTW - This is coming from the same guy who just recently moved up to the Medium wing sauce level...

Today in History

On July 20, 2969 Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin touched down in the moon's Sea of Tranquility.

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind"

I also must tell ya that Neil Armstrong graduated from Purdue. :)

AF - Update

AF just arrived, so obviously the low temps were calling her in. The odd thing is that I usually have horrendous cramps right when I start and so far I'm not having any. Maybe that means my body is getting back to normal since BC. I sure hope so.

We've officially been trying for 1 full year now.

Weekend Update

Friday after work we headed to C'ville to a cookout at my aunt's house. It was nice. Most of the family was there and we got to see my cousins from Godville & Chicago. We ate and visited for quite a while and we left around 10 to head home.

Saturday morning we got up and cleaned house as we were having guests later in the day. We met my cousins and their dad at Red Lobster and had some good food. After eating we headed to the mall for a little shopping. When we got home we got ready and headed out for the wedding. On our way there it started pouring rain, which would have been fine had this been an indoor wedding. Fortunately it stopped raining for them to get through the ceremony which was also nice. However, it did sprinkle a little during the wedding. The reception was also outside except they had rented a tent, so at least we were protected from the weather. It rained one more time then let up for the rest of the evening. We danced and celebrated and had an all-round good time. After the fireworks, we headed home. Once home we ordered a pizza and chatted a bit before heading to bed.

My aunt and grams picked up J around 7:30 am and D & C left shortly after them. I fell back asleep on the couch until late morning. Eric mowed the lawn then we got ready and headed to the movies to see I, Robot. It was a pretty good movie. Will Smith is pretty funny. I'm sure we'll buy it when it comes out.

On a side note, Eric hasn't heard anything from his interview yet. We had hoped to hear something last week, but didn't. He did hear that he was in the final two, but that was no surprise. I was also supposed to have an interview this Wednesday, but I withdrew myself b/c it was the same level as I am currently w/ most likely no room for advancement. Another downfall was that it was not w/in my current employer, which I originally thought it was and if I took it I'd lose my "years of service" and have to start all over w/ vacation, and all that jazz. I'll just keep looking here until I find something higher or at least with more room for advancement. I am hoping my current job will soon bump my job up to a higher level at least to keep my around for a while longer. That will mean a raise for the re-classification and then another 90-day raise. They had already planned on doing it, so I'm really going to encourage them to do so soon. The good thing is that my boss is great and totally understands. I'm sure she'll help me find something even. I would stay where I'm at if I could advance to at least an administrative level, but unfortunately our school is so small that it's just not possible.

I have a big weekend coming this weekend. I will be heading to Chicago for a girls weekend out. I can't wait for it either! It's always nice to have some girl time.

Still no AF

My temp went down again today (97.2) and still no sign of AF. I can only assume she will show today. I don't think there is any way I could be prego. If that was the case these low temps are NOT good. What else could it mean? My longest cycle was 31 days, so I'm not in that "late" stage yet, although that one long cycle was not a usual occurrence for me. I'm usually between 28-29 days.
 
P.S.
Sorry it took so long to post yesterday. We got up early to see the family off and then I fell asleep on the couch.

Outlook not good

My temp this morning was 97.6 and I took it twice just to make sure. Looks like AF will be surely coming today. No sign of her yet, but I'm sure this month is over be it today or tomorrow. Bummer. We'll just keep trying next month. We have now completed one full year of trying to get pregnant. Wow! Eric was pretty dissappointed this morning when I told him my temp. I know it bothers him just as much as me. One day, I know our dream will come try. I guess it will happen when the time is right for us.

So far, so good

As you can see in my chart, my temp was still at 98.1. There's still a chance that I'll start tomorrow. Last month was a 28 day cycle, the month before that was 29 days, and the month before that was 31 (which is also long for me). I'm not getting my hopes up too high, but right now I'm getting a good vibe. I think if my temp is up tomorrow its going to be all I can do to not test tomorrow, but I know I need to hold out until Monday.

Hmmm.....

Ok, so yesterday I took my temp as I'm supposed to start sometime between Thur-Sat this week. It was 97.7. I took it that I would start yesterday. Nope. When I woke up this morning I took my temp again...98.1  Now, looking back at previous months when I've temped that is still not a good temp, but this time is just weird. I guess we'll either see if today brings AF or check out tomorrow's temp...

"Fertility is a Gift, not a Given"

I came across this quote last night while reading an article in Good Housekeeping about stars who had IVF. I think one of the Dixie Chics said it. Anyway, it hit home with me. I always assumed that as soon as I started trying, I would get pregnant. In fact, I figured it'd happen when I wasn't even trying. Seems like that is what happened to everyyone else in my family. It never even occurred to me that I'd actually have to "Try to Conceive". I guess I sorta took that for granted. Now that I have been trying for some time, it has brought me to a whole new level. I truly agree that fertility is a gift now. We have only been trying for one year and there are so many people that have been trying much longer. My doc did say that it could take up to a year to get "regular" again b/c of BC and being on it for many years.

I've been thinking on the "next steps" to take if I'm not pregnant this month as it will be 1 full year (12 cycles) of trying. Honestly, right now I think we'll give it a few more months (maybe 6). Depending on what happens with Eric's job, too. Right now his insurance doesn't cover IVF. If I'm still not pregnant by the end of the year then I'll switch insurance to my company, which I know pays for that sort of thing. I'm mixed on clomid b/c I know I'm ovulating.

Anyway, just thought I'd give you an update on how I'm feeling right now. I talked to my friend J yesterday and realized that I really hadn't expressed my feelings lately, so now you know...

Weekend

We got to start our weekend early on Friday (sorta). Eric picked me up at 1:00 and we headed to C'ville to our dentist appt. I didn't have any cavities. Eric had 8 cavities, but on his defense, he hadn't been to the dentist in about 10 years, so even the doc told him that was pretty good. Unfortunately he had to schedule two more appointments. It stormed Friday night and I didn't sleep well for some reason. I apparently decided that b/c of the lack of sleep I got to plant my rear on the couch all day Saturday and not move too much. Needless to say, I finished #4 & #5 of the LB series. 4 was almost done and I started 5 on Friday night... Yesterday we had a lazy morning for the most part. I found an enemy out in my landscaping, in the front none the less. What kind of enemy you ask? A SNAKE! Anyone who knows me, knows that I am an outside person and don't mind bugs and such. HOWEVER, I'm not fond of snakes at all. It was a baby snake, but you know what that means. There is at least a mother around if not other babies... I tried to take some pics of him to post, but he kept hiding from me and then peeking his head out and sticking his tongue out at me. Anyway, yesterday afternoon Eric and I sorta had a date. We went to our favorite DP's for late lunch then went to play Putt-putt. I was not having a very good day. He beat me to say the least.

Today after I got up and showered I encountered a big problem. I apparently pulled something in my neck and now it is very sore. I had a heck of a time blow-drying my hair let me tell ya. Eric is supposed to be bringing me one of those therma-care heating things, so hopefully that will help. I can move my head around, but it definitely gets my attention when I turn my head the wrong way...

We have a busy next couple of weeks ahead of us. Eric should hear something about the RB job by the middle to end of this week. My cousin is coming in on Thursday night, but we actually won't see her until a cookout on Friday night. Then we all have a wedding to go to on Saturday. The following weekend I will head to Chicago for a Girls' Weekend. I'm so excited about that. We all have so much to talk about and all! I just need girl time more than anything and I know the girls are with me on that!

On the TTC Note
I am expecting AF late this week (Thurs-Sat) if she shows. I obviously hope she doesn't show. I think we hit the timeframe as well as any of the other "good" months. Keep your fingers crossed as always!

Holiday Weekend

We had a nice holiday weekend. We were pretty lazy for the most part. I definately feel like I've recooped from Mexico now. We had intended to play some tennis, but it was just way to humid and we didn't want a replay of Cancun. Saturday night we had a cookout on my dad's side. It was nice. Sunday we went and saw Spiderman 2 and of course, watched fireworks at Purdue. They were good. Yesterday we barely did anything. Eric was a little more motivated than me and mowed the lawn & trimmed. It's always nice to have a lazy, relaxing weekend!

Cancun Update (LONG)

Thursday
We got out of bed at 2:45 AM and got ready. Left our house by 3:30 to head to the airport. Didn't have any problems at the airport although we almost had someone miss the plane b/c apparently right after we went though the line to go through security got huge and it took them about an hour to get through it. We had some turbulents coming in to land, but overall it wasn't a bad flight. Once we got to Mexico it was definitely a whole different world. The humidity was horrendous. When you go outside you instantly are sweating. I thought my husband was a crazy driver, these people are worse. There maybe be only 2 lanes, but they drive fast and pass on the shoulder if they have to. Wow! On the way to our resort we stopped at the liquor store to get some beer. Our driver talked to us, too and told us some places to go, etc. The resort was awesome!!! When we got there, we checked in and they gave us wrist bands that we had to wear the entire time. We headed to our room, unpacked fast and got our suits on and headed to the pool. We spent the afternoon in the pool drinking frozen drinks, relaxing and chatting with the others. Around 6:00 we headed to the room to get ready for dinner. We had dinner at this Japanese place. It was good. We had sushi rolls, chicken kabobs, bananas on a stick coated w/ cheese and fried & egg rolls for appetizer. After dinner we sat and talked for a while then headed back to our room as we were exhausted.

Friday
We got up early, since our alarm went off at 6:00 am. (We didn't set it either) We had breakfast and walked along the beach past the other side of the hotel. The "other side" is actually the topless side although they did linger onto our side a little. Anyway, we went to the tennis court and played around a little. We played for a little bit, but we were dripping with sweat and I think the heat was getting the best of me, so I sat down and Eric played a few games with the guy running the courts. After that we headed back to the pool and couldn't wait to get in. At 1:00 I headed back for my spa treatments. I started out with this hydrotherapy thing that was free to anyone. Basically, it went like this... First you go in a talk a shower, then put a robe on over your swimsuit. You sit in the steam room w/ eucalyptus for 5-10 minutes, get out and take a COLD shower, then sit in the sauna for 5-10 minutes. Get out, walk through the cold whirlpool, then sit in the hot whirlpool for a bit, then sit in the foot spa for a bit. Then they come to get you and talk you to a different level where your spa is. My first treatment was the cool mud therapy. I had gotten some sun that morning, so she was leery of me doing it. I said go ahead and it was great except the first thing they do is put these gloves on that are like hard sponge and rub all over your body. Then they put the mud on, you shower, then she puts some oils or lotion on you or something. Next was my 80 min theraputic massage. She was a little rough and really got some of my tension out. I had a headache when I got out of there b/c I was clenching my teeth. I did feel very relaxed though, so that's a plus. Finally I had a deluxe pedicure. Why didn't anyone ever tell me what I was missing? It was great. I definitely think I'll keep that up monthly now. After I finished we headed up to our room to shower and get ready for dinner. That night we ate at an italian place and it was pretty good. After dinner we headed back to the bar and hung out there for a while. Everyone was exhausted though so we went to our room and went to bed.

Saturday
We slept in a little although we were both sunburnt from the day before so we were a little sore. We met up with some others and headed to Playa de Carma for some market shopping. We didn't buy much and since we were with other people we didn't get to see as much as we would have if we were alone. Eric was also disappointed b/c he wanted to eat at Senor Frogs and none of the others would b/c they were scared of getting sick. All-in-all, we probably should have went to the market by ourself, but o'well. When we got back we headed up to our room and ordered room service and enjoyed the whirlpool. Later, we did some souvenir shopping and took pics. We met up with some people and Eric played some pool volleyball. I didn't have my suit on, nor did I want any more sun, so I just soaked my feet on the side of the pool and chatted with the ladies. We had dinner at Japanese again, which was fine b/c it was good.

Sunday
We got up early and had breakfast with another couple then had to check out at 8:00 am and meet our van at 8:30 for a ride to the airport. Everyone in our group got their bags gone through except us, which was good b/c we were also the only ones who were smuggling anything in. Nothing bad though. We landed in Atlanta and as soon as we landed it started storming. We had a 2 hour delay b/c we had to go through customs and stuff, but our flight ended up getting delayed another 2 1/2 hours. We didn't get home until a little after 9. We got home to find that our normally good dog had apparently freaked out and chewed a large whole in our carpet and started on another 3-4 holes. For now, we just moved her bed over the big hole, but soon we will have to get new carpet.

Monday
Eric took the whole week off and I just took Monday off. We just relaxed an caught up on laundry and went grocery shopping.

Today
Today I am pretty sick. I probably should go home, but my boss isn't here and one of us should be. I'll just make several trips to the bathroom today. ha ha Eric called me a while ago and I think he has sun poisoning. His sinuses have been bothering him the whole trip, yesterday he started getting a sore throat and his lips were starting to blister. Today he notices that his back/shoulders are blistered. Poor guy. Good thing he took the whole week off. I hope his lips at least clear up some b/c he has his interview on Friday.

Off to Mexico

We will be off to Cancun tomorrow (Thursday), so I will not be updating again until Sunday or more likely Monday. I'll be sure to take loads of pics though for everyone to see. Stay tuned for our vacation re-cap!

Weekend Update

We had a great weekend. Friday we had to drop off some stuff at Don Pablo's, so we just had dinner there. After dinner we went to Target and got a few things, then headed home to relax for the rest of the evening.

Saturday I got up and swept the house, then laid out in the sun for a while. We started getting ready that afternoon and headed to the mall to get a few things for Cancun. You'd think we were going to much longer than 4 days... After that we headed to Taste of Tippecanoe, which was fun. It's sorta like Taste of Chicago. They have a bunch of differnt restaurants where you could taste different types of things they served. It was a little on the cool side and I wore shorts, so I froze.

Yesterday was a LONG DAY. We got up bright and early and headed to the F-1 Race in Indy. We got there by 10. The race was okay and we had pretty good seats. We left a little early and headed back home to shower and change clothes only to head back to Indy again. We went to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, where I had a chocolate martini, which really got to me b/c I didn't eat much of my lunch. Eric kept saying I was drunk, but I was just tipsy. After dinner we headed to the Vizion Lounge where they were having a Red Bull After Party (the reason for going back to Indy). It was fun. I didn't have another martini even though I would have liked one. They had some motorcross guys doing jumps on ramps and stuff. We got home at 11:00 last night and if you know me, way past my bedtime!

Today hasn't started very well. I didn't sleep well b/c both my arms are fried and I couldn't sleep on my back b/c apparently I'm allergic to the fabric softener I use, so I have these welts where my underwear were. Needless to say I will be wearing thongs for a little bit... So, I'm burnt, sore and tired... What a way to start a Monday...

The good thing is I only work 2 1/2 days this week then head to Cancun for 4 days!

Soon to be Cycle 12, Day 1

Decided to take my temp this morning. It was 97.7, so clearly AF will be arriving today. There is a positive... AF will be gone for Cancun!

Still not sure what we are going to do this month in the way of trying. I was thinking every other day from Day 10-?. Basically from the end of Cancun on. We can do that! Anyway, I'm updating my stats on the side. Notice thatI put my ENP looks like around July 15, which would be close to this month and last. I guess I could test around July 18, so I could still "BE PREGNANT" and know it for our next GWO! That makes me feel better. Maybe someone wants me to learn patience that's why we've had to try for 1 full year... I said I would be pregnant for next GWO, so I don't want to go back on my word do I??? NO! :) This is our month!

On another note, we have a busy weekend in store for us! Tonight we have to go to Don Pablo's for dinner. Eric has to take them some stuff for tomorrow, which is Taste of Tippecanoe. We always enjoy going to that. This is our 4th year going. It's sorta like Taste of Chicago. Several restaurants get together and serve samples of their food and there are bands, fireworks, etc. Then Sunday we are supposed to go to the F-1 race. This is always fun b/c we went to it on our first date. Of course they've moved the time of year it is now (used to be September), but it still brings back memories. Poor Eric, or should I say Lucky, lost at Putt-putt and had to take me on as many dates as strokes he lost by. Aaawww, how sweet!! It's been wonderful ever since!

Major Breakout

I hope it's either the humidity or the change of pregnancy, but I'm seriously breaking out like crazy! I also saw this morning that I'm developing a fever blister on my lower lip. Not this again! Ugh! This will be just lovely for Cancun next week, too.

Mistress was asking me this morning about things, so I thought I'd post some stuff here to keep anyone interested updated.

- AF Due - Truly I expect her anytime between now and Monday. Monday would be the very latest I'd expect her. I figure she'll arrive sometime Friday or Saturday. (If she comes)

- Test - I could test either Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. I don't want to wait until Thursday though like I originally planned with our flight leaving at 6:30 am, thus us being up at like 4:00 am or earlier! Doesn't sounds like a good idea to me.

- Temping - I haven't temped once this month and am very proud of myself. I haven't decided what day I'll start temping yet. Maybe Friday so I know when I can expect AF.

- Next Month - We probably will do a lot like this month only BD more (of course). I doubt I will temp again. It is a hassle.

- Options - I haven't really thought about what the next step will be either. I guess I'll give it a few more months since we've already done the "one year" tests. We also still owe on my HSG, so gotta wait until we pay that. ha ha Seriously though, what are your thoughts? I really don't know what to do from here.

One more month and we'll have completed 1 full year of trying. That sucks! I never thought it would take this long. NO one else has in my family has had any trouble, but maybe that is b/c none of their pregnancies were planned. And they were much younger than I am... Who knows!?

Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to comment or send me an e-mail...

Long Lost Friend

My friend Deana e-mailed me this week. I haven't talked to her in years! She seems to be doing really good and it was nice hearing from her. Maybe we'll stay in contact a little more now even if it's through e-mail.

Cancun Info

Just got our flight information today for the trip to Cancun. On Thursday we depart Indy at 6:30 am (early thirty) through Atlanta, arriving in Cancun at 11:35 am. The good thing is that we have the afternoon to get settled and a scheduled dinner that evening. Other than that there isn't really a schedule. Everyone can just mostly do what they want. On Sunday we leave Cancun at 11:20 am (better) through Atlanta again and arrive back in Indy at 5:00 pm. We did find out that we are flying economy (last year they flew 1st Class), but the good thing is that we can always bribe them to bump us to first class; WE HOPE! But we can't complain, we aren't paying anything!

Also, we got word on Friday that we are no longer staying at Moon Palace b/c of room availability. Why they didn't make reservations or block rooms months ago we have no clue, but they didn't. We are now staying at the Aventura Spa Palace. Still a good place... Again, I'm not complaining, It's Free! The only bad thing is that it's 50 minutes from the airport and 90 minutes from downtown. I really wanted to check out the market and stuff, but don't know if we'll do that now. We'll see how it goes. I think I can suffice just laying on the beach relaxing...

Weekend Update

We left around 11:30 am on Saturday for the wedding. Eric thought it started at 1:30, but we left early. Thankfully b/c it actually started at 1:00. We got there just before the bride came down the aisle. The church ended up being air-conditioned (just since last year), so that was nice. The ceremony (being catholic) lasted a little over an hour. After that we headed to a local bar where several others went to wait until the reception which wasn't until 5. We didn't stay at the reception too long. It seems more like a gathering for everyone to just get hammered. Anyone who went to our wedding knows that crowd. On our way back we stopped and had dinner then on to Eric's parents for our final night there.

We got up fairly early on Saturday and went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast before heading home. Pretty boring drive. Except we took back roads from Covington. Along one of the roads we saw a doe and a fawn. When they saw us the doe took off, but the fawn just freaked out and didn't know what to do. It ran along side the road for a little bit until the guardrail ended where it could get down into the woods. That was neat b/c we just drove slowly along with it until it went into the woods. Once we got home we relaxed for a bit then ran to Target to get a few things and grabbed Pizza for dinner. I'm back on my diet today.

This morning hasn't been the best so far. Right after I got out of the shower, Eric went into the kitchen and realized there were little ants all over out counter. I had cut up a watermelon last night. Not sure what happened, but I KNOW I cleaned up the mess b/c I remember thinking that we had to make sure the trash got taken out quickly or we'd have ants and I cleaned the entire counter even where the juice couldn't have gotten. Eric sprayed some stuff and I cleaned down the counter again, so hopefully that will take care of it. Then after I got done blowdrying my hair I realized that my curling iron wasn't working. GRRR!!! Gotta go buy a new one of those tonight now. That about sums up the excitement of our weekend and morning.

Quick update

We didn't end up going to Ashlee's ballgame last night b/c it rained all day and we had the dogs with us and didn't want them getting muddy then getting back into the car for the ride to IL. So we left right at 5:00 when he picked me up from work. On the way there we kept hearing about tornado warnings, but we didn't see any rain. There were a few dark clouds, but overall a nice ride. I saw 2 deer just outside of covington, so a little nature, too. Oh, speaking of nature... Did I say we didn't see rain? Well, that is true until we got w/in 30 minutes of his parents house? Have you ever seen a shelf cloud? Well, boy did we! It was huge. The weather was very calm and in the sky we saw what looked exactly like a shelf. We we just waiting for a funnel cloud to come down out of it. We even saw a car that had pulled over along an overpass and was taping the shelf cloud apparently waiting to see a funnel come down out of it. We never did see a funnel cloud, but it seems like it was getting larger, so I called Donna. Just in the 2 minutes I talked to her she said the radar didn't show anything but rain where we were. Eric sped up and then the rain hit! Boy did it ever! I got off the phone and we just kept looking around just sure we'd see a twister. Again, we didn't see it, but we had to drive slower and with our hazards on so people could see us (a downfall of having a silver car). Anyway, we finaly made it and thought that was the end of our excitement.

We decided to sleep downstairs in the basement w/ the dogs especially w/ it storming. BAD IDEA! Little did we know that Dave would be up until around midnight watching TV, which seemed to be really loud to us downstairs, then everytime someone got up to use the bathroom, we would hear the dogs run around (thinking they were going out), then either water running or the toilet flushing, let alone them walking around. His mom has to be up early for work. How early you ask? She gets up at 3:30 AM, YES AM! So, we basically didn't sleep until she left around 5:30. Oh, she also decided to take the dogs for a walk at 4:00 am. Goodness! We slept til about 8:30 am. Needless to say we are sleeping upstairs tonight.

After getting up we went to the outlet mall and then on to the regular mall. Of course, I had to buy some stuff from VS and Eric ended up buying a whole new outfit for the wedding. All except for shoes. We are going to dinner this evening with his parents and then we are going to the movies to see Vin Diesel, oh I mean, Chronicles of Riddick. Tomorrow is the wedding, of course, and we won't be home until late, so I'll finish up a weekend update Sunday or Monday morning.

New Assignment at Work

I am really excited about a new assignment that I'm working on at work right now. I get to learn Adobe PageMaker, or some of you might be familiar with MS Publisher. Anyway, I get to create a newsletter that will go out to several of our alumni, sponsors, higher people here at work, etc. My creative juices are really pumping and I'm loving this! I can't wait to see the final product. This will really look good on my resume, too!

Anyway, just had to share.

Long Weekend

We will be leaving tonight for my in-laws for a long weekend. We are going to do a little outlet shopping tomorrow (Friday) and then we have a wedding to go to on Saturday. The wedding should be interesting with this heat. Not only is it a catholic wedding, but it is also in a non-air-conditioned building. Hopefully they have fans or the heat breaks off a little. Should be fun otherwise. I don't think I'll have access to the internet, but will give a weekend update (as always) when we return on Sunday.

Weekend Update

Friday we had to run some errands and grab a few things before our mulch arrived on Saturday. We didn't do much that evening.

On Saturday our mulch arrived early (8:45), so thankfully we got to work on that before it got too hot, or so we thought. It was really hot out and muggy and there wasn't even a breeze. We finished mulching everything around noon, then headed to Wal-Mart to get a few bags of river rock to put where our downspouts are. After that we rested for a while in the house. Eric wanted to go to Battleground to mess around and take the dogs to play in the creek, but I was exhausted from the morning, so we got pizza and watched a movie instead. We watched Master in Commander w/ Russell Crowe. It was okay. I almost fell asleep during it, but made it to the end.

Yesterday we went to lunch and a movie. We had lunch at Don Pablo's and had the worst waiter in history. Apparently he thought this other table w/ three guys was the president or something b/c he kept checking on them and stuff. The manager finally brought us our chips and salsa and drinks. Finally our waiter came and took our order. We always get 2 extra dips. Well, the came out about 2 minutes before our lunch, so we were not happy about that. We even had to ask him to get them. To top it off, Eric ordered a fried chicken salad and made sure (as always) to tell them he wants "shredded iceberg lettuce" not the mixed greens. Yep, it came out w/ mixed greens. When Eric told him it was wrong, he said "That isn't iceberg lettuce?" I didn't realize it took a degree to know the difference. Well, apparently he still couldn't figure it out so he went back and literally cut up fresh lettuce only. After that catastrophe we went to the theatre and saw Day After Tomorrow. It was good, although a little far fetched. The special effects were really good. We made a quick trip to Target and headed home. I apparently got in a cooking spree. I cooked blueberry muffins and brownies. Cooked a squash, which I love. Finished cutting up the other half of the watermelon which is yummy! While everything was baking I swept the house. Finally I made dinner and we relaxed for the rest of the evening.

I am taking Friday off and we are going to Illinois on Thursday. We have a wedding to go to on Saturday, so we tought we'd spend a little time with Eric's parents and maybe do a little outlet shopping on Friday, too. Hopefully this visit doesn't go like the last visit...

On the Fertility Side
Nothing too much to report. I had some cramps on Saturday, Day 15, which I think might have been O cramps. If you remember last month I had cramps around day 14-15, too. It's definitely a possibility.

Seasonal Shedding

I feel like a reptile shedding my skin for a new season. Ugh! Yep, my sunburn has started peeling. I hate this stage. We've been really laying on the "After Sun" Lotion and of course it isn't helping any. I'm going to make my poor husband peel me tonight (among other things). His job needs to be shifting into high gear if he is going to keep his job this month. (hint)

Nothing too exciting happening this week. We finally finished up getting all the rock up from around the house last night. Right now it's a muddy mess. This weekend they are supposed to be delivering our mulch, so we have a chore for Saturday. I'd also like to actually lay out in the sun for a while. I bought some suntan lotion to try.

Speaking of tanning, I got in touch w/ the tanning place and they filled out the paperwork to get us a reimbursement for our tanning package. I didn't want to take any chances. Unfortunately they have to send it to their corporate headquarters, so we should receive a check in 2-4 weeks. I made a note to call them after 4 weeks, just in case something slipped through the cracks.

Memorial Weekend Update

Friday
Obviously we found out about the trip to Cancun, so we were VERY excited about that. Pretty lazy evening. I finished the first book of the "Left Behind" series. I loved it!

Saturday
We had to take my car in first thing in the morning to get new tires on, then we started some major landscaping. We started taking up the white rock around our house that we are not fond of. We got about half-way done before quitting. Dad was picking up the rock and we knew he wouldn't be able to take all of it in one load. I got my first major sunburn of the summer. Ouch! After dad & Peg stopped by we went to dinner and Olive Garden and went to the mall to get a few things. I got two pair of shorts and a pair of shoes to go w/ my wedding outfit. Eric got a new pair of sandals, sunglasses, and an outfit for the weddings. That evening we were both pretty tired, so we just relaxed.

Sunday
I actually realized how bad my sunburn was today. I couldn't wear a shirt, let alone a bra. I sat around in my tube top from VS (which I love) all day, so it wasn't too bad. We ran a few errands, but again an overall lazy day. I bought the second book of the Left Behind Series, Tribulation Force, which was supposed to last my until our trip to Cancun, but I'm already half-way through it. I just really get involved and can't hardly put it down.

Monday
My sunburn was still pretty bad. We were pretty lazy again. Eric cut the grass and I cleaned house. We went to Blockbuster and rented "Love Actually" and got pizza for dinner.

CANCUN - Here we come!

Eric won the Jack trip and we are going to Cancun, Mexico! The trip is from June 24-27, but we are going to try to stay an extra day and leave on the 28th. This is so awesome!!

If you are interested in checking it out, we are staying at The Moon Palace Resort. It is an all inclusive resort right on the beach. Apparently there is a jacuzzi in every room. We aren't sure on the agenda that they've set, but Eric seems to think it's pretty open. There will probably be a couple rounds of golf in there. That should be interesting. I'm sure we'll do a lot of research this weekend and see what all we can do down there!

Friday Five - Lasts

1. What was the last TV show you watched?
Law & Order SVU (last night)

2. What was the last thing you complained about?
A certain person I work with gets away w/ anything yet, if I was to do something I would probably get in trouble

3. Who was the last person you complimented and what did you say?
Eric, he is a great husband! (I tell him that all the time though)

4. What was the last thing you threw away?
My blueberry muffin wrapper, plate, and napkin from breakfast

5. What was the last website (besides this one) that you visited?
Jennifer's blog.

Interesting Evening

Yesterday Eric found out that there is a potential liquor license open in WL. So, last night we went to DP's for dinner and got to talking to an asst manager who is a good friend of Eric's and is interested in changing jobs. Eric has been thinking for quite a while now that we would like to open a bar/restaurant in the area, so needless to say his wheels are spinning. We drove around WL last night checking out some potential sites, but didn't have much luck. I'm sure he'll do some more scouting of the area this week.

We had an overall lazy night besides that or should I say I had a lazy night. I fell asleep on the couch a little after 8 and Eric woke me up around 11 to go to bed. I had a bad night of sleep 2 nights ago and I can't seem to get caught back up. Ugh. I do feel better today though. We are going on a long walk this evening, so hopefully that will help my energy level. I was disappointed this morning b/c I got on the scale and have officially gained back all the weight I lost since January. Although a pound or two might be b/c of AF, but still. It still said that even number. I know a lot of it is we've been eating out more again and eating bad things. Heck, we went grocery shopping and we each ended up buying two things of ice cream last night.

Goal (Note to self)
I'm officially going to start eating better and do more exercises next week. I MUST get back down to where I was a while back at the very least. Approximately 9 pounds less than where I am now... Summer is here and I need to have that swimsuit figure (or close to it)!!

Eric's new "Full-time" Job

After many months of trying my way or any way that my friends and I read about on-line, I have decided to let my wonderful husband take the reins...

I will let Eric take the lead this month. It worked for Jennifer, so maybe it will work for us, too. So, honey, if you read this before I get home to explain, enjoy this month. I'm in your hands (or other bodily part) this month! ;) Remember that comment you made this weekend (jokingly) about "If I'd just get pregnant!" and my PMS-y response, "If you'd just get me pregnant!" Well, now's your chance! I'm going to put away the thermometer this time (not just keep it by my bed in case I got the urge one morning) and let him do his magic! (So to speak!!) The only thing I'm going to keep track of is BD times...

Here's what I've come up with for AF. I will (not) expect her around Day 29-31, which is June 21-23. I have it down to test on Day 32 or June 24. I figure if I haven't started by then, it would almost HAVE to be a positive.

Another good thing is that we are going to Detroit that weekend, so I could share the news w/ Jamie who supposedly has been putting my name in the prayer basket and that would be good for her to hear, too. Maintain her faith if you will! ha ha

Extended Weekend Update (long)

As you know I got off early on Thursday for Purdue's Employee Appreciation Spring Fling. I met Eric at home, then we went to Mt. Fuji for lunch. We ran a few errands then stopped at Blockbuster and got some movies. I took a nap when we got home and we spent Thursday evening watching a movie.

We got up early Friday morning to head to Indianapolis. Eric had a quick meeting that turned into a long one, so I read my book while waiting for him in the car. We then went to Costco, which is like Sam's Club, didn't spend much time in there b/c they were cycling BO through their ventilation system and it was yucky. We had lunch (mexican) then headed to the Fashion Mall to shop for clothes for weddings this summer. I HATE SHOPPING!
1) Shopping makes you feel very FAT
2) Whenever I did find something I liked it was WAY to expensive. I refuse to pay $275 for a skirt that I probably could have made for $20...
Needless to say I didn't find a single item at this mall.

On to Round 2 Castleton Square Mall
Eric was getting pretty burnt out on shopping by this point, so he sent me in to Von Maur and made some lady cater to me (sorta). I found a nice summer dress to wear to both weddings and it fit me really good. I also got a pair of pants and two shirts. Yay! That is done. Now we just have to find something for Eric, but that shouldn't be too difficult. He already knows what he wants.

We also went to Tire Barn on Friday morning and ordered tires that were supposed to be in between 3-4 on Friday. So after our shopping, we headed back to Tire Barn, where they told us that they probably wouldn't be in until 5-6. We decided it wasn't worth the wait so we headed home.

Saturday Eric got up and filled his pool up. It's about the size of a very large whirlpool. I can probably fit 4 adults in it sitting down. We got it cheap at Target and I'm sure it will be nice when it gots hot out. I got a nice sunburn and we did some landscaping. I'm starting to get it to where I want it.

Sunday, yesterday, we went down to Dad & Peg's for a little bit and gave them the scrubs we pulled out of our landscape. They had an open-house to go to so we didn't stay long. On our way back through town (after stopping at Dari-licious) we saw Nanny & Papaw so we followed them back to their house and stopped and talked to them. When we got home I planted the few plants I got from Peg's house then relaxed for the rest of the evening.

I also finished a book that I borrowed from Mistress, "It's my F---ing Birthday" It was okay, but a lot like Bridgett Jones Diary in that it was mostly just a diary and not an actual story type book. I guess I like those better... Now, I'm starting the "Left Behind" Series #1.

Month 11, CD 1

Yep, another month bites the dust. I'm not surprised. I can't believe we are on our 11th month of trying! Thankfully last month was sort of a break, so I feel better about this month. I don't want to go over 1 year of trying.

CD 29, 11 DPO

Well, my temp was 98.1 today. Not as high as I would have liked, but then again, I wasnt' expecting it to be either. I guess there's always that little bit of hope we hold way down. We'll see what tomorrow brings...

On another note, I won't be at work today as I took a personal day. Eric & I are going to Indy today to do some shopping for some clothes to wear to the couple of wedding we have to attend this summer. I'll try to get on later today. Something is wrong with my checking my work e-mail at home, so if it's anything important send it to my yahoo account.

End of Cycle Temping

Just a reminder (not that it's needed) that tomorrow, Friday, starts my end of the cycle temping... I'm kinda anxious now that I know it's tomorrow...

Keep you fingers crossed!!!

1/2 Day Thursday

Yay! I get a 1/2 day off on Thursday (tomorrow) paid. Purdue has their annual Faculty/Staff Appreciation day tomorrow and, as I did last year, I let me appreciate me from the comfort of my couch at home. I'm ready to take a sick day, too... At least I won't have to take sick time for a while now.

Another For Sale Sign

Yep, that's right, now there three houses next to the molester's house are up for sale and one across the street. One of which is already empty. This really gives me an eery feeling. Next time I see one of them outside I'm going to nonchalantly ask them why everyone is moving.

Could be some freak thing OR.......

Could be that they found out about the molester.

He (Molester) and his "significant other" walked their dog down around our cul-de-sac last night too, where all the kids play. I watched him very close, needless to say.

Update

Friday
We went straight to C'ville after work and headed to my parents. We visited with them for a bit, got a redbud tree and some flowers and then headed toward my cousin Reasley's college graduation openhouse. It was nice there although it was raining and cool. We stayed for a little while then made our way back home.

Saturday
I had to get up early and pick up a cake and be at work my 9:30 for our graduation reception. I stayed there until 11:00. Eric's parents arrived shortly after I got home from work and we spent a few hours with them having lunch at Don Pablo's and shopping. After they left we worked around the house and then settled in for the evening watching "Cheaper by the Dozen". It was a pretty funny movie.

Sunday
This was our date day. We slept in a little and got up and got ready for our date. We went to the movie and watch "Van Helsing". I was not into it as much as Eric. It was okay though. After the movie we headed to the mall to try to find outfits for a wedding we have in June and July. NO LUCK. We decided we are going to Indy next Saturday. After a quick late lunch/early dinner at Fazoli's we headed home to relax. We went for a long walk and played some street hockey finishing up the evening.

Friday Five - Hair

1. Is your hair naturally curly, wavy, or straight? Long or short?
My hair has a little wave to it. I blow dry it to get it completely straight.

2. How has your hair changed over your lifetime?
Gosh, in many ways. I've had a mullet, spike, curly, really long, really short, in between. Guess that's what happens when you have a beautician for a step-mom.

3. How do your normally wear your hair?
My current hair style is all one length at shoulder level w/ the ends curled out.

4. If you could change your hair this minute, what would it look like?
I wouldn't mind changing the color, but I'm always leery about that. I actually like my hair right now, for once!

5. Ever had a hair disaster? What happened?
Several disasters.... To name a few...
1) Accidentally cut about 6 inches off my hair when it was REALLY long.
2) Perm that turned out horribly. We straightened it w/in a week's time.

Do I Look Like a People Person?

Yes, some of you know that I'm not a people person on occasion. In fact Eric bought me a shirt that even says that on it and I wear on certain days. Yesterday was one of them. I guess more than anything I have "No Empathy for Stupidity." Let me tell you about the 2 I encountered yesterday.

Stupid Person #1
Blonde Waitress at Pub
As you read yesterday Eric took me to lunch, which is out of the ordinary for a Wednesday. We of course went to one of his accounts, which is a bar, but serves lunch. The service there is normally slow, but I love their taco salads. Anyway, when we sit down we immediately get carded. So, we knew right off the bat we had a "stupid person". Eric asked her if she knew who he was. She replied, "Yeah, you are like in here every other day." My thought: then why would you card him? Anyway, we ordered our drinks and after she waited on 3 other tables that came in after us she took our order. We had moz sticks as an appetizer. Note we already had silverware. When she came out carrying just a basket of moz sticks she made it very clear that they were very hot. This was a small basket, so it wasn't like we could cut them up in it or anything. Here's my obvious reply w/ quite a tone, "could you bring us some plates so we could eat them on then?" According to Eric, I had a tone. I imagine I did! ;)

Stupid Person #2
Subway Sandwich Artist
As you may remember I spent about a year working at Subway in High School. Now we have some really winners that work at our Subway on the west side. Yesterday happened to be Grumpy, Dopey & Deaf. What really makes me mad is when they put all your veggies on and then when they fold it over all the veggies squish out and I have to end up re-making the sandwich when I get home. Needless to say, I told Eric about this stupidity and I'm sure Miss Grumpy Sandwich Artist heard me.

Poor Eric, I'm sure he gets a little embarrassed, when I voice my opinion about these things....

If you have any recent encounters w/ stupidity that you'd like to share, please tell me all about it in the comment section.

New Template

As you can see, I've changed my template several times. I like this current one (green), but green is not one of my favorite colors. I have a test one that I am working on changing the colors and stuff, so one day I might change it again. Please bare with me. I'm still learning html and all that other stuff...

Lunch

Today Eric called me and asked me to go to lunch w/ him. This is out of the ordinary b/c we normally have lunch on Thursdays. And as far as I knew/know we are still having lunch tomorrow. Anway, when he showed up he had a bouquet of flowers. So sweet. Unfortunately I don't have a vase at work, so he improvised for the time being and cut the top off my water bottle. Then while at lunch we stopped at University Bookstore and bought a neat Purdue pilsner glass, which I might add works great as a vase!

I love my husband!

I've Ovulated!

I temped this morning and got a high 98.1, which confirms that I have ovulated. I overrode FF and said I O'd on Monday, but I have a feeling it could have even been Sunday. We tried every other day this time and I feel pretty confident we hit the window. Now to see if we actual get fertilization. We have not been obsessing this month by all means. We've had so much going on that are minds haven't always been on that. They still are on "babies" pretty regularaly, but you get the point! According to FF, I should be expecting AF around 5/22-5/24 and it suggests testing on 5/23. I haven't decided yet when I'm going to test. I definately have to buy tests before I can do that.

I Hate Breakouts

I am so sick of breaking out everywhere. Every since I got off BC I have been breaking out all over horribly. My chest has little (or big) pimples on them constantly. I've tried a few rememdies and will probably try some more next time I go shopping. I get a boil on my chin about once or twice a month and now that I think about it, it's always around O time and sometimes around the time I get my period. They just make me feel so gross. I know it also has to do with the weather changing, too. It's been sorta muggy lately and that makes my skin oily, too. I seem to have a few small ones on my back, too. Of course I can't really reach them to pick at them, so they aren't nearly as gross & sore as the other ones. ha ha ha

Does anyone else have any rememdies they'd like to share? If so, e-mail me and let me know or comment here!

Life in General.

Decided to wait on the fence for a while. Eric promised me that we'd get it first thing next spring (March) if not before and I'm holding him to it. We need to do a few things around the house first and get a few bills squared away. We are going to do a few things to the landscaping, so I'm excited about that and I get to paint another room in the house (assuming I'm not pregnant when I figure out what we are painting). However, since we aren't getting the fence right now, we did order our new dishwasher last night and it will be installed this morning. I'm REALLY excited about that. Ours is just the standard builder one and it's a POS. To give you an example... Our glasses, which we normally drink water or pop out of, come out dirtier then when they went in. We usually have to run the cycles 2-3 (or more) times just to get stuff clean. Obviously our current one isn't as heavy duty as the one at our old house, but I expect it to work the first time and not make things dirtier.

Nothing too exciting happening on that end by the way (TTC). I did temp on Sunday and my temp was still down. I assume I'll have a spike in the next couple of days. I might temp again Wednesday or Thursday. I really haven't been too concerned with trying this month as I have in the previous months. I guess that's a good thing, right? Or I suppose it could be a bad thing. I guess we'll find out.

Friday Five (on Monday)

Ok, so the site that used to give Friday Five questions is gone. So, I've been scrambling to find another site, so far with no luck. I did find a site w/ some old archives, so for the time being I will use those. So, here you go.

1. Would you consider yourself an organized person? Why or why not?
Yes, I'm definitely an organized person. I hate clutter, so much I'm anal about it.

2. Do you keep some type of planner, organizer, calendar, etc. with you, and do you use it regularly?
I keep a calendar on my desk and write everything down in it!

3. Would you say that your desk is organized right now?
My desk is pretty organized right now. I will be cleaned up by the end of the day as it is every day before I go home.

4. Do you alphabetize CDs, books, and DVDs, or does it not matter?
Oh, it matters! I alphabetize everything!

5. What's the hardest thing you've ever had to organize?
Probably our CD collection, but honestly Eric did the majority of it.

Weekend

Friday
After work a guy from Blue's Fence came by to give us an estimate for fencing in our back yard. It is going to be pricey, but at least we won't have to deal w/ the neighbors as much. It's worth it in my book. And it's not like we won't get it back when we sell the house. At least some of it. Anway, after that my grandparents stopped by. The had initially came to help Eric fix our garbage disposal, but it miraculously it started working again.

Saturday
We were lazy most of the morning. We ran some errands in C'ville and then headed to the Beef House for Mother's day & grandpa's birthday. We had such a good time and the food was pretty good, too. I was STUFFED though.

Sunday
We lounged around for most of the morning. We had to run a few errands and head to the grocery store. When we got home, I repotted 2 of my pond plants and then we went for a walk w/ the dogs. After cleaning up, we relaxed and watch Survivor All-Stars finale.

Monday/Today
I didn't sleep well last night for some reason and didn't even go to bed until 11:00, so I'm a bit tired today. Eric & I are starting our "Healthy Lifestyle" today, so maybe that will help me feel a little better. We are going to start eating better and walking/rollerblading so we can get into shape. At least feel better about our selves.

Not too much going on this week. Busy weekend ahead of us, but it's that time. Seems like our summer weekends get filled up pretty fast. Better get used to it now!

Bridget Jone's Diary

Finished this book last night. Good thing b/c M & I are trading books this weekend and she is taking that one. Anyway, it was a good book except for it was like reading a diary, thus the title. That was the only thing I found hard to read about it. Anyway, pick it up sometime for a short read. I will be reading the second volume of her's soon and will give a review on that, too.

Started reading "Unmade Bed" last night, which I got off the clearance shelf at Half-Price Books. It's supposed to be on the "Erotica" side, but I haven't got to that part yet...

TTC

Just realized that today is Day 13 of my cycle. I knew it was getting close, but I guess we are starting tonight. I've just had so many other things going on that I hadn't thought about trying very much. Don't really have much more of anything to update on.

Thinking about looking for a new job. I am going to wait a little while to see what comes about for Eric since he is actively looking right now. It's better that way in case we do have to move. I don't want to start a new job then have to move right away. We are not trying to move, but we aren't tied to Lafayette, either.

Long, bad weekend update

Saturday
Well, well, well... I got up that morning and got ready to head to my parents. On the way there I thought I'd be nice and call Kisha to see if she wanted me to pick her up to go to her shower b/c she didn't know how to get to the place. She said fine. I'd pick her up later. I got to Dad & Peg's and hung out with them for a while. She made spaghetti w/ meat sauce for lunch which was delicious. After lunch Peg and I were talking and she said she wished Kisha & I could have a relationship. I told her that honestly I do, too, but I can only tolerate her for a short time b/c she always has to compete and tell stories. Peg understood or said she did. I just can't stand this competition. Ugh. Anway, I was trying to be the good person and though yeah, maybe I can make that step. Ended up being a HUGE mistake. I picked her up and we headed to my aunt's for her shower. It was fine. Kisha was actually tolerable for a while. At the shower someone (our cousin) won the gift prize of the game we were playing AND KEPT IT. I had to laugh under my breathe b/c of the huge deal she made at my shower. Anway on the way home she informed me that my cousin Nicole, who is miss hoytie toytie herself told her mom (my aunt) that she would go kicking and screaming to my wedding and if Chery made her go she would stand up and object. She hasn't even been around Eric, but a few times and we supplied quite a few bottles of alcohol for her graduation party, which she didn't OBJECT to. Then Kisha informed me that she herself was going to stand up an object, but Peg threatened her, so she didn't. This coming from the person who was SO DEVASTED that she wasn't in my wedding, but objected to the whole thing... I'm furious and haven't decided what I'm going to do totally, but I am planning on talking to Peg about it. Eric isn't very happy either. Any suggestions???

Sunday
We went to see my uncle John in the hospital. He had a stroke on Tuesday. He seems to be doing much better now. He was cracking jokes so that is a good sign. After that we headed to TJ Maxx and the mall. Eric got a new pair of shoes and we found another picture by the same person as the one we already had in our living room. When we got home I sprayed some roundup in various areas while Eric trimmed. He was going to mow, but it was still a little wet out, so he's doing that tonight. Oh, our neighbors mowed their yard, so now Eric knows where to mow tonight. We also saw their son out picking up a pile or two of dog doo, so I'm sure we'll hear about that. I'm spending today calling places to get estimates on getting a fence put in...

That about sums up my weekend. Not the best in the world.... I guess it could have been worse though. I could have decked Kisha...