Wednesday, November 29, 2006

It's All About Your Presentation

Ok, so today's theme was "presentation"...and would you believe most people just don't have it. Actually, this theme started last night. Kyle and I had a discussion about the way he presents things to people. Then today, it was both of my bosses. The thing to keep in mind is that there are several ways to say the same message....but usually there's the best way to say it that would not only accomplish what you want, but also not leave a bad feeling between you and the other person. It's something I have been really trying to work on myself--it's not easy. And there are times that you just can't take what someone says personally....so, it really works both ways, ya know?
Ok, enough of that. I am trying to wrap up some Christmas shopping--I am having better luck online than in the stores, but it's just not as fun to not walk around and look at stuff. But it's definitely much easier--no long lines, no cranky people! And you know me--I am known to voice my opinion when someone gets me started!
I am feeling much better today--I broke down a took a headache pill and it worked (should've done it 4 days ago...) Tonight, we went to Wal-Mart and picked out a gift for our Angel Tree baby and also picked up a few things for the kids for "stocking stuffers". The kids can hardly stand it--I put presents under the tree and they are dying to get into them! I remember as a kid, Christmas seemed a long time away at this time. But as an adult, it's here and gone before you know it!
Well, I have to go watch the fall finale of Jericho--that show is SO addicting!!

Headache

Ok, have you ever had one of those headaches that lasts for days? (Now when I say headache, I am not referring to a husband, boss, kid, etc; I mean the real deal....) That's where I am at. I am going on 4 days now--it's not getting better. I think it's the weather, but who knows.
So, sorry for not updating this sooner, but as you can see, I haven't felt like doing much of anything. Hopefully it lets up soon. We are planning to go to the State Finals football game and I know it's going to be extremely cold, so I really need to feel better first. I begged Kyle to pull our new trailer down there--there is a lovely campground outside of town and I would love to stay there, but with the weather as well as his unfamiliarity with how everything works, he said that he is too scared to try it. I guess I can't blame him--my secret motive though was that the Hogs game comes on at 5 or so and we'll be on the road instead of watching it on TV! Actually, we'll be in a restaurant eating for part of the game....guess we'll have to hit somewhere that has TV's!!
Well, it's back to work--see ya!

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Have You Heard the News???


Well, if you get the Times Record, you probably know by now....but for those of you who don't read the newspaper, let me fill you in on the latest. We are opening a skating rink!! In Sunday's paper is an article and interview with my Dad (except they spelled his last name wrong!!) about a skating rink that my parents, Kyle, and I are opening in the spring! This is my first business venture and I am thrilled. I honestly didn't think the cat would be out of the bag until mid-December when zoning approval was completed by the city council, but the mayor thought the town should know about the exciting opportunity for its residents. My Dad and I have talked at length about a business venture; I have even proposed several, but they have never really been the right idea for all of us. Then, after they bought the one in Illinois, it just seemed logical to bring the same fun to our town. So, that is actually why I went to Illinois a couple of months ago--it was actually a "business" trip. My parents wanted me to see how the rink up there operated and get my input on how we could all bring the same fun home. So, there you have it! But, it's going to be much more than a skating rink--it will rival Chuck E. Cheese in the fun aspect because we are putting in an indoor 3 level playroom complete with balls, bounce arounds, and tons of tubes. There will also be a Mach-3 which is a simulation ride that does 360-degree loops. There is also plans for a laser tag room as well as an arcade room. So, there should be something for the whole family to do! We will also have birthday party rooms, so hopefully everyone can come celebrate their birthday with us. My kids are ecstatic! They have loved roller skating these past few months as we have introduced them to it. This means TONS of work for Kyle and I. I will still have my fulltime day job for now, so we will spend every moment around that helping to build the rink and then working it once its complete. So, come out and join us when it opens!!!
On another note--our Thanksgiving trip was such fun--I can't believe the weekend is over!! We had a ball. Kyle didn't know how much fun my family could be. My cousins that came in and their kids and all of us hung out playing poker and washers. Can you believe my 9 year old cousin won the poker game?? In fact, it was down to him and Keenan (my other older cousin who is a dentist) and Keenan lost--well, they bet on the last hand. Soooo....Keenan had to get up in front of a crowd at Dogwood Canyon and do the hula. It was hilarious! The bet was that the hula dance could be requested in the following 24 hours at anytime by the winner. Well, "little" Kyle (the 9 year old cousin) waited until the prime moment! Dogwood Canyon was tons of fun too. We all went out there and ate dinner, then visited the chapel where a couple sang several Christmas songs for all of the guests (this was where the hula took place). After that, we rode the tram back and made s'mores around a campfire. We had such a good time. It was a lot of fun to hang out with all of them. We don't see them much, so this holiday was very memorable!
Well, back to today--gotta get the tree down and starting getting ready for Christmas!

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

A Much-Needed Break!!

Yeah, tomorrow is the beginning of 5 days away!! Woo Hoo! I am ready to just chill out, relax, and enjoy the holidays....wait, I forgot, I am taking my work with me and now my grandparents decided they want the 2nd bedroom in my condo instead of the one with my cousin from Missouri! So, guess what that means...my kids will be bouncing off of the walls because my Grandpa will be antagonizing them the entire time....I can hear it now--screaming, running....GREAT. And the reason my grandparents want to stay with us is because my cousin has a couple of kids so they don't want to be bothered at night by them. So, I am the one who is forced to argue with my kids at night about going to bed and listening to the wildness. Plus, I have some much needed work that needs to be completed before I come back as well as a paper for class that is due next Tuesday. Here's to the holidays. I wonder if I can find a way to sneak some amaretto in my hot chocolate??? :)
Oh well....(here comes the cliche)...my grandparents won't always be around, my kids won't always be young, and school will be over soon.
Ok, I promise to work on the attitude on the way to Big Cedar.

Monday, November 20, 2006

Understudy

I am drowning in chapter after chapter of leadership! This study guide has every page of the book on it I think!! I don't feel very motivated this week--the holidays are occupying my free time. Between cooking for Weston's party, packing, planning our meals for our vacation (we have a kitchen in our condo), and trying to get client's pictures ready, I am stretched very thin. I shouldn't even be writing in my blog! But I really need a break from "charisma, Quadrant A, attitude, extroversion....." well, you get the point!!
I am ready for Wednesday morning! No work....well, I am taking it with me. I guess there never really is an escape from reality, ya know?

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Santa's Little Helper

On Friday night, when we went to the mall, we let the kids pick an angel off of the Angel Tree. Well, Weston got to pick the gender and Kylie picked the age range. We ended up with a 1 year old baby boy named James. He wants learning toys and ride-on toys as well as clothes. It was so sweet though when we were trying to determine which kid to pick....Weston says, "Daddy, I wish we could just buy presents for all of these kids!" It was the most precious thing in the world to see a 6 year old feel that type of compassion for others. I think he was amazed that there were that many kids who might not have Christmas presents without the help from others!
I haven't studied yet for my test! I really have to get going, but things have been so busy with the holiday weekend coming up. We are going to spend it at Big Cedar with my parents and brother, grandparents, my great-aunt and uncle, their two grown sons and families. Altogether, there will be around 21 of us with kids included! I think it will be a nice relaxing time away--much needed! :)

Sunday's Agenda--enough to cover a week!

Today is going to be busy! We are going to try and make it to Sunday School this morning since we haven't been in a few weeks. From there, Kobe's birthday party is today, so we are going straight to the party after church. Then, I have pictures to take for a client today, so I am actually leaving the party early to do that. Afterwards, the kids are dying to go back and see Santa Claus so we may have to swing by the mall. My Mom also called and said they got all of their stuff out of the 5th wheel that's ours, so we could start moving our stuff over to the new one now. We really need to get that done soon because I want to get our other one sold ASAP! Oh yeah, I have a test Tuesday which means I need to find time to study at some point! Did I mention the house is a wreck??? Like I said, this is enough to keep someone busy for at least a week. We also need to get started packing for our Thanksgiving vacation!
Well, I purchased my Guatemala ticket yesterday--so it's more than official now! I am so pumped about going. We are going to be there for 10 days--no phone, no way to contact my family! I will dearly miss the kids, but I hope when they look back on me being gone, they realize that their Mommy went to help others and they find admiration in that--enough that maybe they will want to help others....

Friday, November 17, 2006

Two in a Row

Well, guess what? Weston is Student of the Month again!!! Two months in a row! I honestly thought it was a mistake. He told me this evening that he had another form for us to fill out for his breakfast at school and that he was called to the office for his picture to be taken for Student of the Month. I assumed that maybe it was a retake on his picture or he was accidentally listed and they just messed up. But no! He actually got it again. I went through his backpack and found his certificate, breakfast reservations, and other information! We were so proud of him. He is such an awesome kid and if anyone deserve the award, he definitely does. So, we took him to Logan's for a celebration dinner and invited my parents to join us.
Tomorrow, Weston has basketball evaluations for basketball season. He is excited and I am glad he has finally getting into sports. After the evaluation, Kylie is going to ride one of Mom's little horses! She has been wanting to ride for awhile now, so I told her we would go down there and ride on one.
Oh, we tried to go see Santa at the mall tonight--and so did the rest of the city and surrounding areas! The interstate was at a complete stop about 1 1/2 miles from the exit. Then, the mall was so crowded, you couldn't even move. We were about 30 minutes late and found out that Santa isn't actually taking requests tonight, he is just performing a magic show. So, since we missed the magic show, we missed Santa completely. Poor kids, I had been pumping them up for this for 2 days. Oh well, we'll try again this weekend I guess.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Thanksgiving Feast

Tonight we went to Kylie's Thanksgiving feast at school. They sang 2 songs and performed a cute little skit in which Kylie was a pilgrim girl. I thought it was so nice of her preschool to feed all of us a turkey dinner!
Well, as you may notice, there are some changes on my blog! Blogger started a "Beta" version awhile back and I finally switched. It's a nicer, easier version. It's just funny though that all of the stuff I learned to do in HTML, now can be done with a click of a button!
I found out a made a 91% on my test from last week's class! Evidently though there were several low scores....he said he was even considering a curve! I am going to have to study a lot this weekend for the next test. I just don't feel prepared for it. I have to say that with this class, I don't feel I have had any downtime. I have spent each weekend either writing a paper or studying for a test. Plus, next Tuesday I am going to miss Weston's Thanksgiving program at school! :( I will be glad when I am finally finished. Only 4 1/2 more classes to go! I am almost there!! So far, still all A's too!
Well, it's official! I am going to Guatemala in March. However, due to the busy season, the trip dates have changed to the Friday before Spring Break all the way until the following Monday. I have to use 7 days of vacation all at once, but I really think it will be worth it. I talked with Joe (the team leader) for about 30 minutes and I think I am going to have a great experience. He said we might even take a day off and climb a volcano. I am going to have to buy more camera memory cards!!
That's a wrap for tonight.....

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Tomorrow, Tomorrow....

Well, tomorrow I am going to meet with Joe about the Guatemala trip for Spring Break. Kyle has given me his blessing to go! I am excited and hope to finalize some details about the trip and have some questions answered. My first professor that I had this year went and she had some powerful stories about the kids and the hunger issues. She told us about how the kids huff solvents to curb the pain of hunger. It's very sad to think that they have to resort to such measures, but there are so many orphans that just roam the streets. All of my friends told me I will probably try to adopt everyone of them. Knowing me, I will probably have a hard time with it (yes, I DO have emotions!!!) and want to bring one back. So, hopefully the meeting will go well. From there, it's fundraiser time! I need to raise about $1000 to fund my trip. Wish me luck!!
Well, it's late and rainy, so I am off to bed!

Monday, November 13, 2006

The Hunters are Back!


Well, the hunters are back from the woods...here's a group photo of them. Poor Weston has battle wounds though! Evidently he rode his four-wheel through a briar patch! He has a cut on his face and hands...but I am proud--he didn't cry! I think he had a great time though. He seemed to really enjoy the deer woods, so I am sure that Kyle has a lifelong hunting partner in him. I'll post the rest of the photos at the link on the right.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Splurge!

Ok, so I had a "shopping" party this evening and we had a blast...there were about 8 of us girls and we spent some serious money! I won't reveal my total since Kyle reads this and I have a feeling I would not be alive tomorrow (although I have to admit I would look good in my casket!!). But, all in all it was a fun time.
Weston called today and said he is really enjoying his time in the woods. He saw a doe the first time they went out! Even though it's not legal, I am glad he saw something! I think he has spent most of his time on his 4-wheeler. Kyle said he took tons of pics, so I will get them posted soon.
Well, I am worn out--shopping is tough on a girl!

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Saturday, November 11, 2006

Luxury of Two!

Well, you get the luxury of two blogs in the same day! But I have to vent....So, I am curled up on the couch thoroughly engrossed in the game--we're up by 21 points. It's going great--it's 3rd quarter, we catch an interception and he takes off to run, then suddenly the satellite goes out. What? I am thinking that this is weird--there is no wind, it's calm, what could it be?? HORSES! But, I decide to wait a few minutes to see if the satellite came back up--I mean, why blame the four-legged pests if it is really just a fluke? SO--30 minutes later and NOTHING. I am fuming. But I am too scared to go check it for myself. So, I call a buddy of mine and he and his wife head over here. Sure, enough, I open the door and head out and there's all 6 of the girls running next to my car! So, we chase them back down the driveway and head back for the house to see if we can possibly figure out the satellite. We walk back there and it's just laying on the ground--they have completely knocked it off of the pole. AAAHHHH!!!!! I was livid. I mean-come on! The Razorbacks were playing! Why couldn't they have done this at say 2 a.m. when I am fast asleep and could care less about watching TV. No, they wait until the prime moment!
So, needless to say we tried to fix it, but to no avail. It wouldn't even stay on the pole. I can't get a hold of Kyle obviously to ask what to do, so I am without TV. This is just downright crappy. Thank goodness for internet.

Weekend Update....

Well, I am worn out--shopping is so exhausting. Ok, give me credit, with a 4 year old in tow, it can wear you out. However, we had a fun time! Kylie was very well-behaved for 8 hours of shopping!
So, Bunco last night was hilarious! I was crowned queen last night...no, not Bunco. They crowned me Queen of Willing to Try Anything! Not sure how I got that tag?? I think the Altoids and ice knowledge must have helped that one along! But we had a great time--I am bummed though because it looks like I will have to miss next month's since our company party is that night. Hopefully they can work something out!
Well, the hogs play in about 15 minutes, so I have to wrap this up so I can switch out the laundry that's washing and warm up some snacks. GO HOGS GO!!

Friday, November 10, 2006

My Home Away From Home

Well, our new camper is FINALLY home!! I promise to post some pictures soon. It's been dark at the times I have been home, so I haven't had an opportunity to take any good shots. But Kylie and I went inside it and looked around last night--she was stoked! It's 38 feet long, so it's massive. When all 3 slides are out, it's about 14 foot wide. I am so ready to camp! So, once we get the guys back from the woods, we are going to have to head out. Now we just need to sell our old camper--so if you know of anyone in the market for a 1997 30 foot bumper pull camper in great shape, let me know.
Anyway, Kylie and I are doing the girl thing tomorrow. We are heading to Holiday Market. She is so excited! We are getting up early and getting ready so that we can beat the crowd. It may not be that bad though w/the game going on. I wish I was going to the Hogs game!! ESPN is coming! But I am sure it will be so crazy up there. Oh well, Kylie and I will just watch it on TV at home or one of our friend's houses.
Well, I have yet ANOTHER friend that is pregnant! Plus, her husband will be gone for the next couple of months for work. So, I think Kylie and I are going to try and go visit her as much as possible so that she doesn't get lonely. I remember how incredibly sick I was during my 1st trimester--it was horrible. She has a little girl Kylie's age, so we are going to plan a "slumber party" one evening and hang out. It should be a blast.
Well, I need to get some sleep-I have a big day tomorrow with Miss Kylie-bug. Then tomorrow evening (after the game of course), I have a paper and some discussion questions for my class to get finished.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Broken Promise

Ok, so it's Day 3 (yesterday doesn't count because of class) with my elliptical and I am going to skip exercising tonight. I am just exhausted! Last night I didn't get to bed until 11:45 or so and then was back up at 5:30. Then, we have been down at my parents' house tonight visiting with them because they have been out of town. Now that I am home, I am working on some pictures for a client, so it's after 9 and I am technically still busy! So, in about 2 minutes when the CD has finished burning, I am plopping down on the couch!
But I have to tell one quick funny story--So, Kyle always conveniently can't hear me and I decided last week that I had had enough of his selective hearing. It was time to put this so-called hearing problem to the test. So, being the loving wife that I am and wanting to show my deep concern for any physical ailment, I scheduled a him a hearing test for today. Well, he received good news and bad news! The good news was that he was able to tell me I was right--he doesn't have selective hearing. The bad news--he really can't hear! Supposedly (I am going to try and confirm this somewhere) he has trouble hearing "high frequencies". These are typically women's voices, etc. HHHMMM!!! Convenient. Plus, he supposedly can't hear out of his right ear as well as his left (my place in bed and on the couch is to his right). So, he was referred to a specialist! So, honey, I want you to know I will support you entirely. We will do whatever is necessary to help you hear me again one day. I will make sure you have the most technologically advanced hearing aid out there!!! :)

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

A little testy today....

So, I took my test in class today. I guess it wasn't that bad. A few tricky questions. I hate that because you study, study, study and know the material, but you have no way of proving it if you get stumped by semantics. So, Harper and I discussed this--guess what, he's cool w/proving your knowledge! I was pleased by that. To me, a test is not supposed to be impossible--it's supposed to be a checks-n-balance for material retention, application, etc. As long as I know he's willing to be open-minded in allowing us to demonstrate our knowledge, I am fine.

Well, I am a "deer widow" this weekend! Kylie is stoked though. She's ready to go shopping. Kyle and Weston are heading to the deer woods. Weston has asked about a trillion questions...Will there be bears? Will the bear tear down our tent? Where will we sleep? Where do we go to the bathroom? Can we shoot our BB guns? Will my BB gun kill a deer? Overall though--he is thoroughly ecstatic! Kylie is stoked b/c she gets to sleep in Daddy's place. She is read to go do "girl stuff". Also, this weekend is Bunco weekend! Maybe I can win a little $$ for shopping! HA! I won't hold my breath!

Monday, November 06, 2006

A-men!

Well, I finally got my grade in my last class.....an A! Yeah! So far--all A's! I hope I can keep up this trend. I'm over halfway there. However, tomorrow we have a test in our class. This is my first test in the entire grad program. I'm about to study my booty off in hopes of passing this thing.
There's also an opportunity to go to Honduras, Guatemala, or Nicaragua for Spring Break--it's like a Mission Trip. I REALLY want to go. I wasn't able to go on Mission Trips growing up because I was always working, so it won't be so awesome to go now. This will be my last chance to do something like this. So, hopefully it'll work out--and that Kyle will let me go! :)
Well, we finally got the elliptical machine put together last night. It took over 2 hours! But, it's done. Although, I must say it kicked my rear!! It's definitely better than the one at the gym in terms of keeping me going....so hopefully we'll see some results! I have a reward for myself at the end of the week if I can keep it up all week--cookies and ice cream!! :)

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Happy Anniversary!!

Well, today is mine and Kyle's 1 year "re-marriage" wedding anniversary!!! For those of you that are clueless as to what I am talking about--here's a little explanation. Kyle and I divorced in September of 2004. However, we remarried November 5, 2005. We had a few hiccups that needed attention. The struggles weren't easy, but we decided that WE would confront them. We realized that a family functions as a unit, not single entities. It's not easy to remember sometimes that you lose your identity when you marry. I think that learning to "leave and cleave" was vital to our marriage. So, it was fitting when Bro. Will remarried us and spoke on that. So, we get to celebrate two anniversaries now. We have decided that we will keep our January 17th anniversary as the main one, but hey it's always fun to celebrate milestones and that is what today is. A milestone.
Yesterday, we went to our nephew's birthday party and had a great time. The kids love to bowl, so they really enjoyed themselves!
Well, my anniversary present was my very own elliptical machine--I get to cancel my gym membership and workout at home! So, that's a wrap here--I've got to get my new machine put together.

Friday, November 03, 2006

Red means no blue!


Sometimes being a parent stinks. Because when you punish your kids, evitably you end up punished as well. I told the kids they both have to get "green" notes today to be able to go to the Bulldog game tonight. Well, Weston does it. No big surprise there. However, Kylie, who is on a "red" note roll this week, brings home another red note. So, I am trying to stick to my guns and told them we aren't going to the game (I told Kyle and Weston they could go if they wanted to). But it just stinks. I cannot understand why she can't be good for ONE day!!! However, my Cross Canadian Ragweed "Live at Cain's Ballroom" (which I attended IN PERSON) CD/DVD package came in the mail today, so at least I have some sort of entertainment! On that note, let me just say--the CD and DVD are awesome! Poor Kyle, he's still moping because I ordered a concert T-shirt for me and not him. In my defense, they didn't have his size, so I couldn't help it. But, that won't stop me from wearing mine!!! :)
Oh yeah, here's another picture from the recent photo shoot. Just thought I would share. Well, back to the DVD!

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Earthly Possessions

First, we had family pictures made last weekend for my Christmas cards that I plan to make. Here's my favorite picture of the family. The kids are growing up and changing so much.
Ok, now to the storage building story....So, Kyle went to get something out of our storage that is down at my parents' barn about a week or so ago and evidently an animal has gotten in there somehow and pooped everywhere. Well, he comes home and informs me which sends me into a fit. You see, my formal dining table and china cabinet are in there as well as about 50-75 boxes of stuff, a small couch, Kylie's bedroom furniture and various other pieces of my house. So, the last thing I want to hear is that my "free" storage building is going to cost me more than renting one would have. So, I went and rented a huge storage unit at our local facility and told Kyle that we would spend the weekend consolidating all of our stuff (we have items in 3 different locations--2 storage buildings and a loft here in the building) into one huge storage unit. Well, Saturday morning we head down there to clean up the mess and load up the truck with some stuff. We open the door and sure enough there was a pile of poop right in the door. Gross. Kyle swept out as much as possible (it stunk so bad in there!) and then we started trying to clean off items and load them up. Then, we pull the plastic cover off of my small "snuggler" couch and a mouse has eaten a huge hole right smack dab in the middle of it! I was just sick! It will definitely have to be recovered based on where it chose to chew. It gets worse. So, we load the couch and several boxes up. Then, we spot another huge pile of poop. Right about this moment, my mood was rather ugly--this is all of my earthly possessions being ruined by a bunch of varmits! So, I step in the building to look for a particular box and we move some items and find a snake skin right on top of the other pile of poop. Ok, at this point, I am mad, horrified, and freaked out all in one! I am absolutely petrified of snakes (and yes, I live out in the country!) and the thought of one slithering around all of my stuff (and possibly still in there) sends me into hysteria. It was like throwing salt into the wound. Hey, isn't it bad enough that I STILL live in the metal building?? I don't need any help here.
We take that one load over to the storage building and I make Kyle beat the snuggler couch with a broom to make sure something hasn't decided to move in. So, when you look around your house and think, man, this house stinks, give me a call. Trust me, I've got you beat. I still live in a barn and my other stuff now smells like animal crap.
Tomorrow night we play Alma--Go Dogs! The kids want to go to see the Bulldogs play, so we are going to the football game. I sure hope it's not as cold as it is tonight!

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's....Weston!


Here's a picture of Weston in his Halloween costume! See below for the rest of the Halloween blog.