London.

Today would have been my late niece's (London Michele) 11th birthday. I can't believe that she's been gone TEN and a half years. I know she's celebrating with Sister Stephen (and my dog, Bridgette) in Heaven.

Happy Birthday, London! Enjoy, and I'll see you soon (but not too soon...)!

Love, Ani

Death.

Life is short. My hero is gone. She died on Monday night. I did get to see her when I visited Minnesota in June. She didn't look old. She didn't look sick. She looked wonderful. We looked at pictures, we listened to music, and we sat outside in the sun.

She loved my big, plastic, lavender sunglasses from Old Navy. I gave them to her, and it made her day. Still... at 91, she looked beautiful in them.

Nothing about her seemed 91.... except the wisdom and courage she had. Those things could only be gained with age. Sincerity, kindness, unconditional love, patience, a loving heart, a giving heart... she had all these things.

She served people and Jesus Christ her entire life. She spent 73 years in the church as a nun... and then retired. Her room in the hospice was never empty. Her smile, laughter and positive attitude radiated to all who knew her. She was a joy. She was popular with adults, children and even the birds down the hall.

Although it seems cliche... I'm privileged just to have met her. She was wonderful, and I thank God that I got to know her the way I did. She said she wanted to out-live her last living sister and brother (my grandfather), but she didn't. She's gone.

My chest hurts still... several days later. My whole body aches. I feel down and depressed... feelings I rarely feel. I know I should be happy... happy that she lived a good life. She served God every minute of every day, and she was the epitome of a good Christian woman. There will always be a hole where Stevie was. My breath still catches in my chest at the sight of her name.

Stevie, I love you... you will always be my human-inspiration. Thank you for being you. I'll never forget you. :)

Your niece, Reyanna Joy

Television.

Jeremy and I are seriously considering getting rid of our television and DVD player. Many reasons. The number one reason (and could possibly be the only one): we don't use it. I don't even remember the last time I turned it on.

We had Netflix all year, and now I'm just... bored of watching movies. We cancelled it. I hate TV shows so I'm not missing anything there. Well, I did watch three shows last year (Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives and The Ellen DeGeneres Show), but I figured I could just rent those on DVD and watch them on our computer or at my parents' house. I feel like it's a waste of space to just have a TV sitting there.

Maybe we'll regret it in a few months, but really... I haven't watched TV in about ten years (thanks, Mom and Dad!). And sure, we'd only get like $50 for both, but hey... a dollar is a dollar.

Even as a child, we didn't have cable or satellite. We had to make-do with CBS, ABC and NBC. No biggie. And now... a big part of me wants to be one of those people who others look at with their mouths gaping open saying, "You *don't* have a television?! How do you survive?! What do you DO?!" I do what people did fifty years ago BEFORE television. THINGS. And I feel like I'm neglecting those things.

I want to read more. I want to spend more time with Jeremy and the puppies. I want to scrapbook and hang out with friends. I want to run and bike and hike and do fun things. I don't want to come home and watch television.

And when I'm driving down the street at night, there's always a glow coming from EVERY living room. They're watching television. And I don't want to be one of those windows.

I think I'll just feel better about my life when I look in my living room, and there's just a place to sit. Maybe some art or some nice knick-knacks to look at. But no television. Sure, people will think we're nuts. But... we are. In more ways than one. We're just not TV people, and we no longer want to conform to the thought that it's novel to have one.

So long, television. You won't be missed.

Weddings.

*sigh* My friend's wedding was magnificent. Truly the best wedding I have ever been to. I cried all day long. Tee hee. She looked so beautiful and in love... so young and innocent (and she is...). I loved it. The songs were great. The ceremony was enchanting and calm. The reception was low-key and stressless for everybody involved (or appeared to be so). I had the best time, and I can't wait to see them again.

I'm glad I got this photo of she and her sisters too. I can't believe I used to *baby-sit* all these girls!! They look so OLD! LOL.

It made me think of my own wedding. Jeremy couldn't come to this wedding with me, but I brought a good friend with me (also a friend of the bride). She had fun lusting after the bride's older brother. Tee hee.

I hate to say it, and I usually look for the positive in situations, but... there were so many things I wished I would have had at my wedding that I didn't...
I wanted a friend of the family to marry us, but because of the date (Christmas Day), he couldn't make it. It was the only day out of the whole year that my parents had off work so none of my friends or other family members could make it either.

We planned it in three weeks (that falls into the elopement category, I think ;-) ), and no dress-shop had my size in stock. I did, though, wear a beautiful off-white and gold, glitter ballgown.
I felt like I looked like a princess. I loved my dress, but I deserved to wear white, and it makes me sad that I didn't get to.

I wanted to dance at my wedding. I wanted to hold Jeremy on the dance floor for the first time as husband and wife, while my family and friends looked on. I wanted to dance with my daddy while he gave me that smile that says, "I can't believe you're grown up now!"

I loved my wedding though.

How could I not? I finally got to marry the man of my dreams. I had a gluten-free cake...

... without somebody telling me it's impossible. (LOL... you wouldn't believe how many cake-shops told me that!) Pachebal's Canon played as I walked down the aisle. It snowed that day and was perfectly clear the next. We didn't get a real honeymoon (we stayed at Disneyland three months later, but we worked there! LOL), but the B&B was lovely.

I tell myself that we will renew our vows, and it will be like the wedding we never had. Maybe I'll even call it my wedding. It will be at the beach (or a hotel on the beach), I'll wear white, my friends and family will be there. Daniel will marry us, and there *will* be dancing. If you think about it... It's almost SO cool to renew vows that way. We have more time to plan and time to save money. I know it will be a blast. :)

Until then, I'm having a great time being married. I love Jeremy SO much, and I love waking up to him every single day. I feel truly blessed to have him, and I thank God every day.

I just hope my friend is as happy as we are. :)

Cereal Foes.

I have a craving for Cap'N Crunch. I'm allergic.

Cocoa Pebbles will have to do. They're kinda stale, but they still taste yummy.

Yummy. Cereal. Yummy.

*emmett* ~ who hasn't had cereal in quite a long time

Books.

I've been reading a lot lately. I missed reading. I felt like I was too busy to read. Well, that was sort of it... too busy with the wrong kinds of activities. Too much time online. So... less internet, more reading.

I'm really enjoying myself. And now, I'd like to start a novel. Maybe more of a collection of stories, but I'm excited. It will be great. I've already started working on it, and I can feel that it's lots of work, but I love it.

I've written many before, but only one did I actually do an outline beforehand. This time, I'm doing it right with the outline. My mom was right... if you write an outline for your book, it practically writes itself. At least my first one did... until I ran out of ideas and put it away. Anyway, this one... that won't happen because it's a true story. Though, I will pass it off as a work of fiction so people don't know how crazy my life really was a teen-ager/college student. Tee hee. I know it will be fun. I can't wait! :)

Back to the Future

I really love Back to the Future. I watched it today. I hadn't seen it in SO long so it was awesome to see it. I think I cry every time I see the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance part. LOL. I'm such a dork.

*emmett* ~ who loves movies that remind her of her childhood

Fireworks!

We saw the fireworks!

Last night we took the bus (WAY too much traffic on the island right now) to town, and we walked over to the water to see the fireworks. The Queen Mary 2 was friggin' RIGHT in front of us, so that was awesome. That is one big boat. Seriously!

At the end of the fireworks show, the QM2 blew its horn, and then ALL the boats in the marinas (TONS!) blew their horns too. It was one of the neatest things I've ever experienced.

Yesterday was tons of fun. I spent all day working on our new home-business, and I had a fun time designing and creating things. :) Jeremy did some filing and cleaning (SHOCK! ;-) ), and I made some pancakes for breakfast. Those are good. I think I'll make some today too. :)

Jeremy took a picture of me doing a handstand in front of the Newport Bridge in town last night...
My doctor said I really shouldn't be doing handstands, but it was only one, and I just couldn't pass it up. It looked neat with the sunset. I'll have to remember to post it in my Handstand Porfolio. I'll see if I can get around to it...

I bought a plane ticket yesterday to fly to another state for my friend's wedding. I'm VERY excited. I'm only going for four days because I don't want to miss much work, but it should be lots of fun. :) That's THREE plane trips this summer. WOW!

I feel bad about leaving work though. With two weeks vacation, one week given off because of a holiday, and then this 4-day weekend trip, I feel like I'm ditching them. I'm sure they don't feel that way though. I mean... everybody has taken 2-3 weeks off this year for vacation... except me. And I do deserve two weeks vacation!

*sigh* I just wish I didn't feel so guilty. But even though I know that practice was canceled this last week, I still felt guilty about that. SO weird. LOL. I just love working, and it's difficult to be away. I miss the kids.

Speaking of kids... there was this family of five children (2 boys, 1 girl and toddler twin boys) sitting next to us last night at the fireworks. They made me want kids. And not just one... like four or six. LOL. I'm strange. I go through stages.

Before I was married, I wanted eight children. That changed to four after some thinking. Then after I got married, it was zero. Jeremy talked me into having one, but I'm still not sure. Sometimes I think I can handle it (physically), but other times... I know I can't. I suppose I just have to wait until God tells me when and how many. I do feel like in ten years would be good.

It's smart to pay off the student loans and the car, buy a house, get a boat (tee hee) first. :) I feel like having those types of things out of the way before we start a family. Children are expensive. Did you know that raising a child to the age of 18 costs over $250,000! That's crazy. Not that I care more about money than I do children (quite the contrary), but it's just interesting to think about. You should actually *have* that kind of money before taking on such an endeavor.

I love children though. I love my nieces and nephew. They're so great. I don't know what I'd do without them. Any time I can see them, I'm thrilled. I just love them so much. And the amount that we love our puppy dogs? WOW! If I loved a child just half as much, it would be a ton. I'm not sure what my heart wants, so I know that I'll look to God to figure it out for me. I'm glad He does the worrying, and I don't have to. LOL.

For now, we're just going to enjoy each other (which is great for us!). Enjoy loving. Enjoy living. Enjoy caring. Enjoy the fireworks...

My Costume!

I finally finished my Harry Potter costume! Woohoo!

And with my robe tied up...

And me, playing with my wand. "Swish and Flick!"

I'm a little bummed about the fabric of the robe, but it was the cheapest one I found, so I bought it. I'll probably end up selling it on eBay so I can make a custom one. The fabric is a little see-through, but I think that's so more air will get through. The seamstress said this would be the "coolest" fabric for the summer, so that's why I chose it. I hope she was right. :)

Nonetheless... it's a robe, and I love it. :)

Hooray! It's coming so soon. I'm excited.

Anthropology is so fun!

I can't write much today as I have an appointment with a woman in the anthropology department at school. Yes, I think I've decided to double major. I just love anthro too much to *not* get a degree in it. It's been a passion since I was a child, and I can't let the opportunity pass by. It may take me an extra semester, but who cares?! LOL.

I went to the doctor yesterday for this strange pain in my back, between my shoulder blades. The doctor said it could either be a compression fracture (I hope not!), a pinched nerve, or a herniated disc.. I think it's the latter. I hope it is anyway. That's the easiest thing to cure. :)

She said I can't do any gymnastics or lifting, spotting or anything with my hands/arms until next week when I find out. That's kind of a pain. Last night I went to gym, and the only thing I could do was splits. Not that it's a bad thing... I need to work on my over-splits anyway. At least I'll get good and flexible this week. :D

Another thing... Jeremy's leaving again. I'm going to miss him SO much. At least it's only two weeks without him this time. AND I get to join him the last week. Woohoo! We get to visit his parents, which is pretty cool.

OH! And, AND, AND... I might get to go to the Fort Worth Zoo! It's like five hours away from his parents' house so we'd have to spend the night. Jeremy said if that's the case, then we're not going. HUMPH! No! How often do you get a chance to see bonobos (my favorite animal)! There are only about eight or so zoos in the world that have bonobos, and Fort Worth is one of them! I NEED to see them. It's not just "want" now, it's a NEED! It's for... research! Yeah, that's it! I'm an anthro major... I NEED to witness their behavior! ;) Hopefully, I'll be able to convince him...

So... it's almost eleven now. I probably should get in the shower and start getting ready. I'm very excited. :) (Not about my shower, but about my appointment... ) AND I get ice cream today! I hope Baskin Robbins because I haven't had that in a long time. If not Baskin Robbins, then I'll get this super-tasty, soft-serve stuff. We'll see how it goes.

Okay, oh! I wanted to say one more thing. I really would like to be a better wife. I'm not sure how exactly because Jeremy said I can't be better (how sweet!), but I really do feel like I can better myself in many ways. I'm going to think about it a whole lot and track it all in here. :)

Leaving?

I told myself I wouldn't leave Diaryland. I've been there since 2002. I didn't want to leave.

But... but... then I found LiveJournal. I know, I'm a sell out! A big, fat sell out! I don't know what to do.

I also found MySpace... and I have tons of friend there, and that is cool. I suppose I can have three online journals, right?! Maybe?! *sigh* Well, maybe I'll see ya? I still love you, Diaryland. Don't worry. I won't forget about you... the one who introduced me to online journals/blogs. :)

*emmett* ~ who thinks maybe she can keep up three online journals...

Home Sweet Home!

Well, I'm back. I actually got back last Tuesday, but I've been super busy. I had school orientation and registration on Wednesday. That was fun and crazy. I couldn't get ANY of the classes I needed because I'm an incoming junior. UGH. That sucked. So... I talked to the Dean, and she got me in to all of them. Woohoo. :)

I really, really, really would like to double major in Nutrition/Dietetics and Anthropology. That would just be awesome. I'd have to stay another semester or two, but I think it's worth it. I want both so badly. It would be great if I could pull it off. We'll see...

So I was able to register for Primate Behavior, and I'm stoked! I should have probably registered for one of the preceding classes, but I wasn't thinking of the double major at the time. I was just thinking I really wanted to be in that class. I'm going to see what classes are still open. I'm also going to try to get a hold of the dept. chair. I gave her/him a call, but I haven't heard back. I need to drop an email. That seems to work better these days.

Being back home is good, Jeremy and I are "spring cleaning" and moving things around, which is always fun to have a nice change. We turned the "cupboard under the stairs" (tee hee) into the computer room. And it's awesome! Jeremy calls it the "Micro-Room," because he has a sign that says so (that may or may not have been taken from his school in CA...). LOL.

He's so cute. He told me he wants him to make him breakfast and lunch every day, not to mention, dinner by 6 pm. All I have to say is... it's about time! Gosh! I was wondering when he was going to let me do that. Sheesh. It only took 2 1/2 years! I LOVE making him lunch and breakfast. I'm so weird. Last night we had pizza. Yummm...

And... I'm finished with my Harry Potter Ravenclaw costume! Yahoo! (please don't mind the no make-up or hair being done... LOL)

Okay, technically, I don't have the robe yet. It's on its way, but it should be here in a few days. Then, I'll just have to sew the patches on. YES! I'm so excited. And Hanna will be here in about two weeks, and that will be so awesome. No Jamie (her ex-husband), no Leif, no Jeremy. I get her all to myself! I'm so silly.

Well, I think that's about it. I can't think of anything else going on. :)

Stress.

Gosh, yesterday I was SO stressed. I leave for vacation tomorrow, so I had TONS of stuff to do yesterday. I had to drive SIX places. UGH! At least Chris went with me for some of it. That was cool. Jeremy would have gone, but he had to work. :-( Anyway, shopping with Chris is so fun because he actually *likes* shopping. LOL. I just had to return a hundred things yesterday. I am *so* the queen of returning things. But at least I'm saving money. LOL.

I cried twice yesterday. I guess I'm just nervous about my trip. And I'm upset because I've been so tired lately, and I can't work more hours (which I want). I feel like if I don't work more at my job, I'm left out. That's a bummer. Anyway, I need to get over that. Being tired because of my disease is not THAT big of a deal... really.

In other news... Harry Potter is like 31 days away. Yay! I'm almost done with my costume too. Hanna and I are dressing up as Ravenclaw students, and I'm trying to find all the pieces to our costumes. I have everything now except the robes. But I think I found them for like $25 each on eBay, which would be SO sweet-@$$.

That's probably how much it would cost to make them so that would be cool if we could minus the 20+ hours it would take to make two of them. :) This *is* costing me lots of money though. I'm going to have to sell stuff on eBay like MAD when I get back. I was thinking of buying a button-making machine and making HP buttons for the release. I actually have tons of ideas for HP buttons so that would be sweet.

Anyway, I have to go to work in a few hours so I need to finish cleaning and packing. Tomorrow at this time, I will be one hour from vacation! Yahoo!

Craziness.

Things have been too crazy for me to write. I was sick for a while after my wisdom teeth were pulled, but I'm feeling much better. My sister visited last week with her three girls. That was super fun. They were here for SIX days! It actually went by really quickly. Jeremy was stressed though and lost patience after a few days. LOL. Her girls are so cute though, and I didn't get sick of them. :)

So anyway, she just left Tuesday, but she's in the hospital as I write this. She thinks she has something wrong with her gallbladder, so they're running a million-zillion tests right now. Poor thing. I hope she's better soon. My brother's wife had to have her gallbladder removed after she had one of her kids. Many women have that problem after they have a baby. Weird.

Well, I think that's about it going in my life. I need to stop buying clothes. I promised Jeremy I would stop, but then I find super-cute skirts on sale, and I have a hard time saying no. Anyway... I'm sure I'll be fine. :)

Catching Up.

Gosh, I haven't written in a long time. I got my wisdom teeth pulled. Did I say that already? I'm too lazy to go look at my last entry. Anyway, yeah... that sucked, and I'm SO glad it's over.

I haven't been doing much lately. Jeremy has been an absolute angel since he's gotten back from his trip. I'm the luckiest wife alive. :)

I've started reading Harry Potter again recently. I need to finish Book 4. I'm such a dork for only reading 1, 3 and 5. Yes, I know... not truly a Harry Potter fan. Though I'm at the book releases at midnight, and I see the movies the day they come out... after standing in line for hours and hours. So fun.

This year, Hanna and I are dressing up as Ravenclaw students. I even got us some Prefect badges! We will also be wearing our glasses (we have the same exact Rx glasses!) Our hair is almost the same cut and color now too. We'll look like twins. :) LOL. Though Hanna is about 3-4 inches shorter than I am. Tee hee. My dad thinks I'm too old to be dressing up and waiting in line for the release of a children's book, but what can I say?! I *am* a child at heart. :)

Hanna is doing okay. She's moving next week, which is crazy. She's finally leaving her jerk-husband (thank God!), and things with Leif are... well, complicated to say the least! He doesn't know what he wants. He is having a hard time choosing between Hanna and this other girl, Alexis. Pick Hanna! Pick Hanna! But only if you're going to treat her right! Hanna deserves so much... I know she'll get it though. She's so great. :)

I'm leaving for vacation in two weeks, and I'm stoked! My mom and I are going by ourselves, and it will be great. Our relationship has really blossomed in the last year, and that is too cool. (I just used the word "blossomed"? Weird.)

I can't wait to spend a whole week with her. I'm very possessive of my mother; I've come to realize. And I'm kind of selfish about the time I have with her. When I'm with her, I want her all to myself. LOL. I'm like a child still in that aspect, but I think it's because I never get to see her. I deserve alone time with my mother, right?! It's not like it happens that often...

Well, Ruby and Amber are crying at me to... well, I'm not exactly sure *what* they want, but they need something! They look very impatient. And I need some food. :) All is good in my life at the moment.

No Teeth.

I got my wisdom teeth pulled today. They bled for hours. Then I took a nap, and when I woke up, I was spitting blood.

And I don't think I've ever been this irritable... EVER. In all my life... irritable. Yuck. My lower lip and jaw are still numb. That sucks. Drugs are starting to wear off. The pain is starting to kick in. It hurts... bad. And I don't have any drugs to make it go away.

Jeremy had to go to his stupid job, and he's been there for four hours now. And just because of that, I don't get my drugs! I need drugs, damn it!

I don't know what to do. I'm so frustrated and irritated with everything. I'm hungry. Thirsy. Hot. I can't talk. I hurt. And I want the dogs to be quiet and stop rough-housing.

*sigh* I hate being miserable. And I'm not miserable very often. That's probably why I hate it so much.

And I'm SO glad I have this journal because I HATE complaining, and I'd never say any of this to a human. LOL. (Okay, not really laughing out loud, but you know... hardee har har in the inside.) Anyway, dogs are needing me at the moment. Maybe I'll continue this later... Grrr... God, please make it stop!

Britney Who?!

Priceless interview of the day:

Mike Lauer of Today: So now that you've interviewed Britney and Kevin, do you understand what all the hype is about?

Ellen DeGeneres: No, I really don't.

LOL. That is so funny. And I saw that interview with the Federlines, and yeah, what the heck is the fascination? Just... ew.

*emmett* ~ who has never been a Britney fan...

Wisdom Teeth

I'm getting my wisdom teeth out on Friday. I'm really happy because they hurt a lot. They're also bothering me when I eat cold stuff, and I would like to eat my Fruity Pebbles in peace. :)

On the other hand, I'm scared to get them out because they have to put me to sleep, and that's freaky and weird. I was beginning to feel "okay" about it until last night's season finale of Raymond. Those of you who saw it, you know what I'm talking about...

Okay, but for those of you who didn't... Raymond got put under to have a small surgery, and they couldn't wake him up. Freaky. Thanks, CBS, I feel SO much better now. :) Psh.

*emmett* ~ who will most likely be okay on Friday... I'll keep you posted... maybe

p.s. Whoa! I just noticed something freaky! My last entry was about Ray Romano! Holy Cow I'm going to die under those drugs!

Puppy Accident.

I'm the most terrible mother! Okay, I'm not that bad and really, I shouldn't bee *too* hard on myself. It was an accident...

Today when I was trimming Ruby (I groom our dogs myself), she got her tongue in the way! Yes, it's true. The scissors cut her tongue. I felt SO bad... I started crying. Poor little thing. She's such a small little doggie. It's a very small cut.

She didn't cry or anything, but she bled a lot, and I felt awful! The doctor said I need to watch her for twelve hours so I didn't go to work tonight. I wanted to give her my full attention. I can't let her eat, drink or lick anybody. LOL. Easy for the doctor to say... he hasn't met my dogs! They're lickers!

Anyway, the bleeding has stopped, and she seems to be doing much better. I'm glad I could stay home with her. I tried to get the pet sitter, but she was already busy. :-( And I did let her drink *a little* water. I'm sure she just wanted that taste of blood out of her mouth. She's been sleeping a lot, and I've been letting her bask in the sun with Amber (her sister).

Oh, and today is their birthday! Yay! My babies are two-years-old today. I can't believe it. :)

Jeremy comes home day after tomorrow. Finally! It feels like it's been a long time, but it's only been three weeks. I really shouldn't complain. At least it's not two years like *some* military wives have to endure. He's leaving again in July for the whole month. :( I think I will have company though. Hanna may come and visit. Brittany might come too (not at the same time). And Britt is bringing her new boyfriend. That should be fun.

Okay, well, I have TONS to do with cleaning and getting ready for Jeremy, so I better go. AND I have to check on Ruby again. :)

Money.

I'm spending too much money. There was a point a few weeks ago where I decided that I was finished with spending money.

Then I realized something. We put lots of money away each month for retirement. I mean, this money could buy us cool things now like tents and other cool camping/backpacking/climbing gear. But no... we want to be responsible about our money and taking care of ourselves because we know the government won't when we decide to retire.

So anyway, because we put money away, I figured, I can spend the rest of the money (well, not all of it!) because my good friend Ali always used to say, "Money is for spending!" LOL. He is a child of a wealthy oil man in Saudi Arabia so granted, not the same thing as this situation, but still... helpful. :)

So I've been buying pretty much everything I want lately. *sigh* Now... I wish I wouldn't have spent so much money. But I like all my stuff. And it's not like I just buy "stuff." There are only three things I buy... clothes/shoes, cooking stuff, outdoorsy stuff. None of that is wasted.

NONE of my clothes fit so I basically needed a whole new wardrobe. Everything was too big... for crying out loud, even my panties were falling off me! So... yeah, this week, I will sell stuff on eBay. All week long. I have tons of stuff I don't need so it's all going. :) None of my new stuff though. That will stay. Making money on eBay will be fun too.

Ray Romano?

Ray Romano invaded my dreams last night. It was very strange. I ran out of an auditorium filled with bugs. When I got out, I realized I forgot my jacket, keys and organizer (though, I don't carry one...).

I had to go back in and face the bugs. Then I got out, and Ray Romano was out there giving me a hard time about me *not* wanting to have children. It was strange.

There were also handsome, young guys (high school/college) playing football. Weird, weird dream. No more chocolate before bed. Tee hee.

*emmett* ~ who can't wait for Jeremy to come back home... in 8 days! Woohoo!

*Photo credit unknown.

More Gymnastics.

Dude, my stomach muscles are burning! I did a million press-handstands... that must have done it.

On Tues, I also worked out my calves a lot, and this morning I got the worse charlie-horse! UGH! It sucked so hard. I hate those. Worse pain ever. And now it's aching because of it. Oh well... good thing about muscle pain... it goes away. :)

I can't wait till next week after my body has recovered. :) At least my arms don't ache anymore. It's nice to feel myself getting stronger. Gosh, gymnastics is so awesome. I'm stoked I was able to get back into it. Yay!

Gymnastics.

Gymnastics last night was awesome. I worked out so hard. :) I did lots of kips (of course), but I also worked on cast handstands. I've never worked on those before, and I'm not sure why. I'm pretty close. I'm about 3/4 up.

I did some straddle press ones on the tall floor bar. That was fun. I can feel myself getting stronger since I've been back. That's always a good feeling.

Dr. Dave is helping me a lot too. He's so nice. He calls me Sunshine. :) I really like that. LOL. Chris's girlfriend stopped by too, and it was so great to see her. I hadn't seen her since I met her at the Christmas party. She's so cute and fun. I'm so happy for Chris. He's so great. :) Well, all in all, good night. :)

Kissa, My My Kitty.

How ironic. I haven't updated in three weeks, and this entry is about Kissa. *sigh* Or as her new owner likes to call her... Kalea (ka-LEE-uh) Kahuna-Mocha. Not as cool as Kissa, but to each his own, I suppose.

It was as I suspected. My asthma acted up. Yes, getting a kitten was stupid. She was very sweet. But my friend Beth loves her to death. Kissa... err... Kalea is very happy at her new home with her new cat-brother.

Ruby and Amber (the puppies) missed her the first two days, but now they're back to normal. They kind of were freaking out while she was here. It's calmer now, and Jeremy and I are less stressed. For the best. And I still get to visit her. :)

*emmett* ~ who will never get a cat again...

Kissa, My Kitty!

Today...
... we got a kitten. I still can't believe it. It took us hours to decide whether or not to get her. She was so cute and sweet. She likes the dogs...
... and the dogs like her! ;-)

She doesn't cry, and she's a cutie. I was so happy.

It then took us another few hours to decide on a name for her. Jeremy chose Kissa. It means "cat" in Finnish. I think it's perfect for her.

But now... I'm so nervous. What if my allergies and asthma are bad because of her? What if she's difficult to train? What if I can't get somebody to stop by and feed her while we're away? What if? What if? So many questions.

Jeremy says I worry way too much. He's wanted a cat for so long. He loves kitties. I love kitties too though. :) I'm just... nervous, I suppose. Three pets is kind of a lot of work. Was this the right thing to do? Grrr... so many questions.

*emmett* ~ who is confused...

No Voice.

I lost my voice. I sure hope I find it soon. Work will be very difficult with no voice, and that will be poopy. Besides, I LOVE to talk... how will I survive? Well, maybe I'll write more later...

You Want My What?!

I got this phone call today... some telemarketer, I guess. He was from India. Well, he *sounded* like he was from India. He could have very possibly been in New York.

Anyway, he said Jeremy had $10,000 coming to him from the government, and all he needed was our bank account number.

Pshyeah, I'm going to give my bank account number out over the phone. Do I have stupid written on my forehead?

I asked him to prove he was a real company. He replied, "Just give me your account number, and then I'll prove it." Mmhmm... yeah... sure.

*emmett* ~ who, just for your information, does NOT give out bank account info over the phone...

Jaywalking and Laziness.

I think something's wrong with me. My house is a little messy, and I don't care that much. This is probably a good thing.

I'm feeling very lazy lately. All I want to do is surf the internet and eat frozen cookie dough balls. Mmmm... those are so tasty.

Speaking of being lazy... You know something that bothers me? Jaywalkers. I mean, I know they bother a lot of people, but they've been bothering me *more* lately. They stand there and wait, looking for the perfect time to cross, but they *still* make traffic stop for them.

Why did they wait then? And why do they always cross about twenty feet away from a crosswalk? Wouldn't it save more time to just *walk* to the crosswalk?! I mean, you'd think it would since they're standing there anyway looking for the *perfect* time to cross, and there isn't a perfect time because it's not a crosswalk and therefore, cars are continuously moving. Bah! Stupid jaywalkers.

That is all.

*emmett* ~ who will probably end up cleaning like a crazy person here soon... while eating frozen cookie dough balls...

Cake is Good.

Last night I had three pieces of cake after dinner. Three. And I had one right before work so that means I had four pieces of yummy, super-tasty, chocolatey cake in six hours. Wow. I love cake. That is all.

*emmett* ~ who really loves cake and is very glad she made one

I'm Not a Child Molestor! SHEESH!

I got my job back! Woohoo! Yeah... I'm stoked. My boss called me the other day and said, "We've decided that you're *not* a child molestor." Well, ya think?! Pfff...

I missed my girls so much. That is all. Thanks for the well-wishes.

*emmett* ~ who has really been craving cookie dough... not cookies, but cookie dough :)

p.s. I made some cookie dough. It tastes best frozen. Screw the thought of raw eggs being bad for you.

Happy 101st!

Okay, so I know I just wrote an entry like twenty minutes ago, but I just realized that it was my 100th entry, and I promised myself that it would be special and neat. But it wasn't. LOL. It was my first REAL entry about my life... not just another funny story. Well I guess, in a way, that does make it special. It was something new and different for me, even if it was depressing. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you something else. :)

I hate television. I mean, I hate *watching* television. There are only three shows I watch, and I don't even turn on the TV to pass the time. It doesn't even cross my mind. I love The Ellen DeGeneres Show though, and I NEVER miss it. I record it if I can't see it that day. Ellen never fails to make me laugh, and she dances every day on her show, which is just sweet-ass. Oprah does NOT do that. ;)

The other shows I watch are Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Desperate Housewives (aka DH, not to be confused with DH "Darling/Dear Husband", but I never refer to my husband as such. I will just come out and say "Jeremy"). Yeah... so... both of which are probably in the rest of America's top two. Tee hee.

Anywho, I didn't get to see DH this last week because we were vacationing in Vermont so I recorded it and got to watch it tonight. And I seriously don't think I've ever been this excited over watching a television show. Maybe it had just been so long since I had last seen it. I'm not sure, but it really is a guilty pleasure when I'm squirming with delight during the opening credits. LOL. I was just sitting there laughing at myself... all giddy and goofy that I could lose myself for an hour... forget about my job (or lack thereof) and get wrapped into the lives of the women on Wisteria Lane. Thank you, ABC. Thank you for giving me time off from my sorrow. I appreciate that... now and for every Sunday evening with those ladies left to come. :)

Happy 101st diaryland entry to me!

*emmett* ~ who loves those Desperate Housewives, and isn't afraid to admit it...

A Silly Misunderstanding.

This is embarrassing, but it's happening in my life, so I'm sharing it. *sigh*

Okay, so yeah, I'm a gymnastics coach, right? Well, okay, a few months ago, a 14-year-old gymnast/summer-staff-member needed a ride home because her dad was working. It was late (9 pm). The gym was closing. We called her dad and got permission for me to take her home since it's against policy for a staff member to take home a child. BUT, she's also a staff member so then, that should be okay. I still got permission though, because I am a responsible adult.

Then today, I was fired for it. They just made a mistake... a misunderstanding. But I'm paying for it, and it sucks. I'm fighting for my job though, don't get me wrong. But really, can I go back if they apologize? Eh... I guess I'll have to see what happens. I love my job. I'm good at what I do. And this just sucks. Sorry this is a bummer of an entry, but I thought I should let you all know that I'm severely bummed out right now. *humph*

I'm even losing sleep over this, which I hate. I slept a total of three hours last night, and now it's one in the morning, and I don't feel like I can sleep. Bah.

*emmett* ~ who is rarely 'down in the dumps', but really is today...

p.s. I started another diary for the funny things that the Twinkies say. It's quite cute. Please take a look if you get a chance. :)

Best Husband Ever!

Umm... yeah... I have the best husband EVER!

Who needs chocolate, flowers or jewelry? *My* talented husband wrote me a SONG! That's right... a song. He sang it and played the guitar. All words and music written by him. For me. All mine. About me. And it was so lovely and sweet. I cried.

I'm trying to get him to record it so you all can hear it. He's working on it, but he's a perfectionist so it's taking a bit. He's so sweet, and I'm so blessed. He's the best husband ever. That is all.

*emmett* ~ who has the best husband ever

p.s. Did I mention I have the best husband ever?

Happy Valentine's Day... Want Some Bling?

I was talking to my mom today, and she actually used the word "bling" in the right context. Yeah, that was weird. I laughed at her.

So anyway... about the bling... I'm a simple girl. I don't wear jewelry. When I was in college, I wore earrings (only studs) EVERY day. I also wore a necklace EVERY day, but mostly just because I had a boyfriend, who gave me a very nice heart necklace, and I loved it.

When I *do* wear jewelry, I'm VERY picky. It took me seven months *after* we were married to even find a wedding ring set I liked. :) Now, I don't even wear the set (except when I go out to restaurants or to visit family); I only wear the engagement one, which is a small gold band with five small diamonds. :) And technically, I wouldn't even call it an engagement ring because, like I said, I got it seven months after we were married. So... it's more like just half my wedding set... the half that doesn't catch on things or scratch people. :)

Anyway... I keep getting off track here, but I needed to provide you with some background for my bling story...

So... my mom was telling me how her first Valentine's Day with my dad, they both got each other cross necklaces without knowing what the other was getting (aww... how sweet... yada yada yada). And I announced, "I want jewelry now, Mom!" To which she replied, "You finally want some bling, huh?! Well, it's about time!" See why I laughed at her? Tee hee.

Bummer thing is... Jeremy isn't really into the Valentine's Day present thing. He likes to make my gifts, which is sweet, but once... one time while we're married... I'd like jewelry or flowers. :)

Not A LOT of jewelry. Actually, while I'm married to him for the rest of our lives, I will only ask for two jewelry things: a set of 1/4 carat, princess cut diamond earrings (from... wherever) and the sterling silver starfish necklace from Tiffany&Co. :) That's all I ask. Nothing more, really. And he knows these things. I figure we've only been married for (a little over) two years. He has time... plenty of time. :) Just thought I'd let you all know.

*emmett* ~ who is excited for her present this year because he stayed home from my high school girls' state championship gymnastics meet to work on it :)

Samara Has Nothing on Matthew...

Last night on American Idol, there was this dude named Matthew. His voice sounded EXACTLY like a woman. And as I was sitting there watching this very womanly voice come out of this tall man, I cried. I cried because that was the creepiest thing I think I've ever witnessed.

I'M.DEAD.SERIOUS. I was, honest to God, scared. I liked his voice though. Really, I did. It was just... you know... scary.

*emmett* ~ who wasn't even scared during "Hide and Seek"

Watch Out For That... uhhh... Deer.

Well, at least one deer (yes, deer) wasn't happy about George W's continuation as President...

Last night while in the bus coming home from our high school gymnastics meet (yeah, we're 8 and 1 now... we rock!), a huge deer thought he'd (or she'd) attempt suicide by jumping eight feet high (no, I'm *not* exaggerating) in front of the bus.

In the process, the whole right-side of the bus's windshied shattered. The silly deer also bent the 12-inch mirror around the side of the bus and broke all the glass (no more glass now). Also... another mirror completely got torn from the bus. The bus driver lost control for a second, and we ran over all kinds of crap (who knows what, really), and yeah, it was just scary. But it's okay, children! I'm okay. I was a little shaken up, but no biggie.

Oh, yeah, and the deer? Yeah, he got up and hobbled back into the forest. I'm only guessing though because when we looked back, there was not a deer (or deer head) in sight. Weird stuff happens on Inauguration Day, I tell ya.

*emmett* ~ who hopes the little deer is safe... and a little wiser...

p.s. Edited to say: The bus driver *said* it was a deer. (There was NO way a deer could have survived that!) We think she did this to save herself the embarrassment. She actually ran into a stop sign. She must have been tired. That was SCARY!

Happy Birthday, Mairen!

Happy Birthday today to my new niece, Mairen Elizabeth Rinaldi. :)

And kudos to my sister, Shaina. She went to the hospital at 11:00 last night. And then at 1:34 a.m., she had this 20-inch, almost-nine-pound-chub (8 lbs. 13.5 oz actually) *naturally*... no drugs! Go, Shaina! You're the woman!

Mairen joins her two older twin sisters, Alaura Dawn and Brenna Rey (aka "The Twinkies"). And I get to see her this weekend! AND my best friend, Hanna, is flying 3,000 miles to see *me* on Saturday. Woohoo! A new niece *and* my best friend... all in the same week. Yay me!

*emmett* ~ who is *very* excited

Awww... Memories.

I love the super-good feeling I get inside me when I see things from my childhood. This is happening more and more recently now that the old 1980s toys are coming back. Like when I see My Little Ponies or Holly Hobbie or Full House. *sigh* I love the feeling. It's like deep in my soul... a warm, feel-good feeling. I love it. Memories are nice. :)

*emmett* ~ who now wants to collect Holly Hobbie stuff...

Christmas and Stuff.

Happy New Year... and stuff.

I hate New Year's resolutions. I never make them. Okay, that's not true. I made one once... several years ago. And I became very obsessive-compulsive about it because everybody knows that people never keep resolutions.

So yeah, I kept that one. It was to wash my hands more. And I do... obsessively... like I said. I even wash my hands after I go pee, and I'm about to get in the shower and be all soapy. So yeah, obsessed. But on the other hand (as I'm just this second realizing), I've been sick a lot less. :-) I did have one hell of a case of bronchitis (complete with a fever) all through the holidays though. Yeah, that sucked.

So Christmas was good. I got almost everything I asked for... but then again, I only had about six things on my list. :) So I now just need to get myself a soup cookbook (Book of Soups) and some cloth grocery bags with the Christmas money I got. :)

I have more to say, but I don't feel like making this a long entry. I'll try to talk about "why I think New Year's Day as a holiday is stupid" another day. :)

*emmett* ~ who thinks that New Year's Day as a holiday is stupid