Scary Cupcakes

I am trying to figure out what I want to do for Kylie's Halloween party on Friday. I signed up for cupcakes and now I am trying to figure out which design is the cutest--I have seen mummies, frankenstein, pumpkins, etc. It's hard to choose! I really like the mummy though--it's easy and cute, so stayed tune for pics once I make my choice and have the finished product in hand!
Richie is out hunting tonight...again. Here's the funny part--a friend of ours got an 8 point already. It was HER first deer!! Yes, that friend is a girl! Now, I am jealous--she got a deer before me! The funny part of the story is that she shot it in the butt. Hey, it worked, and now she's got a deer to mount on her wall. Maybe one day I'll get one.

Worry Wart

I am so stressed lately and this economy certainly isn't helping things. In my industry, over 7700 people have lost their jobs in the last 36 hours! My heart goes out to these people and their families. It's such a stressful time in America and I am scared that we won't see an end to this anytime soon. If you have a job right now, you are a blessed person! So, thank God every day for the many blessings you have-kids, great marriage, a roof over your head, a place to lay your head at night, and a good friend to lean on!
Weston has had a phenomenal week--he was voted Defensive Player of the Week this week on his football team and he definitely deserves it--he tackled the biggest kid on the team at practice the other night. He also brought his grades up and he's now on the Honor Roll! He is on cloud 9! Now, if he could just find a nickname that fits....I really like Squirrel though! :)
Tomorrow is the weekend--woo hoo!

3 Strikes!

Ok, the Love Dare got a little difficult today! I had to ask Richie 3 things that I do that irritate him or make him uncomfortable. HOWEVER, I have to do this and not offer any excuse or justification for my actions--basically you are not supposed to respond. OUCH. Ok, that's SO hard. It is just human nature to want to explain why you do certain things or even get upset when you hear someone tell you things that you do that irritate them. But, today's lesson is on Love is NOT Rude. So, the design is to create a safe atmosphere for them to share things with you that maybe that wouldn't normally feel comfortable doing so.
Tonight I got to sit in on Master's course that I am hopefully going to be teaching in a semester or so. In fact, I get to teach one night of the course (3 chapters of stuff)! It was so refreshing to be back in class--I miss it! I know, that's not what everybody wants to hear from me though! Maybe I'll start looking into a few doctorate programs..... :)

Manic Monday

I am so glad today is over--I hate wishing away a day of my life, but Mondays seem to just be tagged with this awful aura. No one likes Mondays. It's like hearing "Monday" is a laugh in the face of a whole long agonizing week ahead. It's a constant reminder of what you have to go through to make it to the weekend. It's not that today was that bad, I am just ready for weekend and it's only Monday!!
Anyway, I am still cranking along in the Love Dare book. I got a few days behind, but am now back on track. So, the first day was "Love is Patient" and it was all about keeping a lid on those negative comments. Well, the second day was Love is Kind. It describes kindness as "love in action" which is such a great analogy. The dares for that day and the next few have to do with buying your loved one something "just because" and calling "for no reason". It's little things that get us in the habit of thinking of our spouse and constantly putting them first!

I Dare Ya!

I have started my Love Dare Journal today--I meant to start on Sunday, but Kylie had a little accident--have to tell you about that first.
Ok, so I was sitting on my bed and I had just started reading the Love Dare Journal when I heard this loud boom followed by a scream, then a cry, then a shrill scream, then a yell, then more crying from my daughter's room. I jumped up and ran as fast as I could to her room. When I got there, she was laying over her bed with her hands over her face and Weston had a look of fear on his face. I asked him what happened and he said when he heard Kylie scream he ran in her room to find her on her knees holding up her huge 6 drawer dresser as it was falling on her. So, he pushed the dresser back up against the wall and when he did, her stereo system came crashing down and fell on her head/face! He was shaking and so scared--he said it was so frightening to find her under the dresser like that. I told him he was a hero and she could've been seriously hurt if he hadn't came in her room to rescue her when he did.....
Anyway, back to my Love Journal. So, today I finally had time to sit down and start the "dare". Today's dare centered around patience and controlling our anger with our spouses. I have come a long way in the "patience" section, but we can all stand to improve even more. As for anger, well I think whenever I get angry at Richie, I find it is because I wanted him to do something, but I didn't ask him to. It's like I expect him to read my mind. Which, as I realized today, isn't fair to him. I really liked how it talked about letting each other be human and realizing we all make mistakes. It also talked about letting each other talk and explain before immediately getting angry. I think sometimes we, as married couples, get angry and start yelling before we ever listen to our spouse. The journal really stressed listening as a vital piece of having patience and controlling our anger.
Today's dare was to find ways to be patient with our spouse and to not say anything negative. If we found ourselves wanting to say something negative, we were to not say anything at all. I did Ok on today's exercise, but I really didn't have anything challenging to face, so it is definitely something I need to keep in mind for the next time I find myself upset.
Well, tomorrow my boss is riding with me--I totally dread the day because we are going to my least favorite clinic and I didn't have any time to prepare tonight at all. Wish my luck!!

Welcome Back 1987!!!

Ok, in the last year, I have gotten younger by 20 years! Can you say 80's throwback year? I LOVE it! It all kicked off with my absolute favorite trio as a kid--The Chipmunks! When I saw they had a movie coming out last winter, I went nuts. Nuts to the point my then fiance wondered if he was making a wise choice in the "woman" he had chosen. But, let me just say it has only gotten better since then--so good I can't imagine what could be next! This summer, when NKOTB (better known to us pre-teen girls in the 80's as New Kids on the Block) decided to get back together AND tour, I honestly thought I was going to have to start teasing my bangs and wearing capri leggings--wait, I am wearing capri leggings again! OH NO! The 5 guys were on Rachael Ray the other day and I just want to know how they haven't aged (but I have!)....Then, there is my new DVR must-see show--let's all say it together now 90210! Yes, Kelly and Brenda are back! I just hope the producers KEEP them on the show. I need them on there to be able to relate, because I am old now and not in high school, so I don't quite relate to the girls on the show. But, when Brenda announced the Kelly's little boy was fathered by Dylan, I just felt like a teenager all over again!
So, let me just say that 2007-2008 has felt like 1987-1988! So, what's left to bring back? I don't know, but I can't wait to see!
So, for now, check the "In The I-Pod" section on the right for some of my favorite 1980's...most specifically '87-88 hit songs!

Wanna Salsa?

I have been so frustrated--I have went to Wal-Mart and other places trying to find a good salsa. Awhile back, there was one that I really loved, but then it was suddenly unavailable. Since then, it's been frustrating trying to find one I like. They all seem so tomato-paste based! So, when you can't buy it, what's the next best thing? Make it yourself! So, I have been perfecting my "recipe" and last night I got it! I have to say though, it's the secret ingredient I use that makes it the best! Richie loves it so much he thinks I need to sell it! I wish I knew how to go about "marketing" and "selling" my salsa. You would think someone with marketing and sales experience would know, but I have been pushing everyone else's products and I have no clue how to do it for myself. I need to just open a restaurant/bakery. Then, I could make my cakes, pork tenderloin, and salsa! Ha!

A Great Movie and a Great Weekend!

Richie and I saw the best movie today! Fireproof is such an awesome story about the real meaning of love and the importance of continually working at your marriage. Anyone that is married will say that it isn't always easy--but I think we sometimes make it harder than it has to be. Time can be your best friend or worst enemy in marriage. You can either wake up one day completely out of love or more in love than you can ever imagine. We can either spend each day investing in our marriage or each day slowly chiseling away at the love that brought two people together. This movie really taps into how marriage fails before either person really knows what happened. The central tool in the book is a Love Dare Journal which challenges the person to 40 days of putting your partner first. I think that marriages fail because of lack of respect and a selfish desire. Marriage isn't two people living under one roof, but one couple working together. Divorce is so easy these days and when both people aren't willing to put forth an effort to save the marriage, it will inevitably fail. One person can't do it alone. It takes two people to make it work. It takes two people working everyday. If you get a free evening or afternoon, go see the movie!
I have to say this has been one of the best weekends because Adelina has my house all cleaned up and I have had time to really enjoy the weekend. It has flown by like usual, but I have some great memories from the weekend instead of a frustration over trying to continually get things done only to find that it's Sunday and nothing is done!