Day 16: September 12th, 2009

Quote of the Day: "Man is so made that he can only find relaxation from one kind of labor by taking up another. ~Anatole France, The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard"


I told you, Ron... I had a quote tailor-made for you! Using your only day to build things for your room... I can't believe it! Do you even know the meaning of the word "rest" ? I mean, really, you only get one day off. Right?


Today's been a pretty good day. I've been studying pretty much non-stop all day long, and it's been interesting trying to cram all the knowledge into my small brain. LOL I think I'm on overload, actually... I'm having a hard time concentrating on ANYTHING. And I can't even go ride my brand-new bike because it's raining out. I was going to do it today anyways, even with the rain, but now it's dark outside which makes it REALLY dangerous. So I just have to sit here and ride my exercise bike, and look at it sitting there all shiny and pretty and ready to take me out on the road for some adventure. Maybe tomorrow. It's going to be raining the next three or four days, according to the Weather Channel, so I guess I'll have to dig out my raingear to ride in. Which is no big deal, because it's comfortable enough. And very... bright.

Have you seen what miss Mocha is wearing today?

It looks like she has surrendered to the rain and being outside, and decided that it was too cool for her tastes. So she felt it prudent to wear a very fashionable pink fluffy coat with sheepskin lining. I tried to talk her out of it, telling her that 75 degrees is too warm for her to wear such a nice, heavy coat. But you know how "kids" are, they don't listen worth snot. She kindly reminded me that her daddy had not seen her in the coat yet and it would be a good idea after all. What do I know? I'm just the one that fills the dog bowl. :)

Oh, and by the way, Ron... your dog is a spoiled little princess! (But she's growing on me..) I think she is finally starting to settle into her new home, too. She doesn't seem nearly as afraid as she used to. But she still cowers quite a bit. We're getting there! She sure does love to sit perfectly still to get her picture taken.

Day 15: September 11th, 2009

Quote of the Day: "Your key to freedom lies in your power to control your thoughts. –author unknown"

Today has been a pretty good day. I managed to spend all morning planning ways to exercise to get healthy and lose weight. There are so many things that I used to do but now don't have the time for (or equipment for). I used to be able to go for bike rides as often as I wanted, miles per day! I can't tell you how enjoyable it was! I was literally everywhere. But then again, I lived in a town that had sidewalks everywhere. Those are pretty hard to come by here. And I don't have a bike, which I am about to go and remedy. I have an elliptical/exercise bike combo which I ride in front of the tv, but it's not the same as feeling the wind in your hair. And more importantly, it's kind of hard to get lazy and say "You know, I'm tired, I think I'll be done now," when you're actually out and about on a bike. Better incentive to get things done. So I'm making the ultimate choice: I'm going to go and buy a bike! It hasn't solved the sidewalks part of it, but as long as I'm careful it should be fine, right?

We went and got a replacement pair of frames for Damien's glasses today, since he broke his other frames. It's a temporary solution, but it's only until the 30th when he has his eye appointment. And since we had to go to the mall anyways I killed three birds with one stone.... I bought more nursing books to study at Books A Million, and I got replacement hand soaps at Bath & Body works for the bathrooms. (I won't tell you about the four-pack of miniature Cinnabon I got while I was there. Oh, wait, I just did.)

I may be making a huge mistake, but I am also getting Cody a starter set of electronic drums for his birthday, which is coming up fast. I have run out of other possible ideas for him, and am left with that choice. I figure, it won't mess up his room too badly, and it's a really big house so I probably won't hear him a lot of the time. PLUS I got a really cheap pack of earplugs on clearance at WalMart for $2, which I'm sure will be the best investment I'll have made in a long while.

Also, incidentally.... I have GOT to start getting more sleep, I can feel myself getting more and more run down by the minute. And my neck constantly feels tight and stiff all the time now. At first I thought it was because Ron had left and I now have the big giant bed all to myself, and was probably sleeping in all sorts of off-the-wall positions, but now I'm not so sure. Well, that and the nightmares, like the one I had last night about tornadoes. I only have those when I am really stressed out, like I guess I am right now.

So anyways, have a great day, and I'll post more later on!

-Carmen

Day 14: September 10th, 2009

Quote of the day: "One kind kiss before we part, Drop a tear, and bid adieu; Though we sever, my fond heart Till we meet shall pant for you.~Robert Dodsley"

It has now been two weeks since I've had my baby here with me. I can't sleep with nobody elbowing me in the head in the middle of the night! Or without the random knee to the lower back or sides, depending on how I'm sleeping. And of course, life just plain stinks without him around! There's nobody to pick fake fights with!!! UGH!!! I miss having someone around to pick on that would pick back without getting all moody. The kids are great to pick on but then they start with that "surly teenager" thing and it's just no fun. And what a great lesson in life this is, the experience to see just how much I have depended on him throughout our life together. Really puts a lot of things into perspective!

I bought Crank 2 yesterday at WalMart, and am considering watching it tonight while I am waiting for Ron to wake up. (It's about 1:30 in the morning for him right now.) When I bought it I thought I wanted to watch it with him, but once I got home and thought about it I realized just how long a six-month tour could be. I think I've changed my mind: maybe I'll go ahead and watch it. Alone. Sigh. I hate this alone crap! It's non-productive!

I saw the most interesting thing this morning, that was one of those moments where you're taken aback by something another person does. I was driving to MSU to meet up with my study group early this morning and driving on an overpass. Down below there was a train going by on the tracks, and a car was stopped and waiting for the train to pass by. It was the only other car around, but the reason it caught my attention was that the older man who was driving jumped out of the car and ran around the front of it, camera in hand, and starting taking pictures of the train as it passed. And it made me laugh a little at first to see this little old man jump out of his car and run to get just the "perfect" picture of a train before it got too far.

Until I realized that he was merely a male version of me, and that I have been known to do that sort of thing, and will most likely do it again. My foremost thought, however, was not that it was hilarious to see. What was going through my mind was how wonderful it is that there are people out there who can live for so long and see so many bad things in the world, yet still marvel at the uncommon beauty (which is arguable) in things that are held to be normal, everyday items to other people.

RON'S PICTURES FOR HOME

Okay, everyone, I know it's not my usual post, but Ron sent me some more pictures and I thought you would all enjoy seeing this side of him. They turned out really great, and I know you will appreciate them.-Carmen

Day 13: September 9th, 2009

Quote of the Day: “Missing someone gets easier every day because even though it's one day further from the last time you saw each other, it's one day closer to the next time you will. ~Author Unknown"

Okay, this is it... the long awaited day... the day which I promised Ron would come. I have officially lost my mind! Okay, maybe not, but I did come up with this really fun idea for the blog so that Ron has something interesting to look at everyday. And here it is... the 2009 Fashion Extravaganza of Doggie Style! (No, not that one. The other one. Yes, THAT one.)

Chloe doing her "sad dog" impression, with her

SNAZZY NEW GOLD COLLAR

Mocha's big smile

This is Chloe as few people ever see her,

with her ears at attention. I'm not sure what

she heard, but it must have been interesting.

Here's Mocha, waiting for a treat.

Tired little Chloe!

I thought the dress said it all, until this look!

Chloe thinks she is just so cute!

The glamour girl posing for her picture.

Chloe with her eyes on the prize... a treat

Little Mocha

I know, I always said that I would never be one of those people who would dress up their dogs in clothes and parade them around. But desperate times call for desperate measures! It's something that I figure at least has a LITTLE bit of entertainnent value. And it's a way to keep everybody talking, that's for sure! LOL

Today has been a good day otherwise. I got a little more "learn-ed" at school today. The drive was really quiet, and there was even less to look at than usual. I guess because we make it so many times. But Laurie and I had a good time anyways, and we planned our next few study sessions. Or, hopefully planned them. We'll see how it all works out. And then after class we attended a 2-hour tutoring session that will hopefully give us at least a 10% chance of getting a better grade on our upcoming test. But we capped off the day with some shopping, so that's always a plus! :)

Day 12: September 8th, 2009

Quote of the Day: “The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win.-Roger Bannister”

NOTICE: BLOGGER IS ERRORING OUT WHEN I TRY TO UPLOAD PHOTOS, SO WILL DO THAT LATER. SORRY.

I am SO ANGRY with my dog!!!!! I have to be the only person in the world who has a dog that loves hot peppers! We had a really cute, tiny little one-inch pepper growing on my pepper plant yesterday, and I was going to go out and take a picture of it today. But of course, when I went out there to do it, it and half the plant were gone! STUPID DOG!!! She did it about five years ago, too, when I was growing peppers, only that time she ripped the whole darn plant out of the ground. I haven’t tried to grow any more since then, because I wanted her to forget them. WELL, SHE DIDN’T. She found them today, and now all I have left is one remaining pepper that was growing. In case you’re wondering, it’s the little tiny yellow ball that’s on the part of the plant she ripped out and is now lying there on the ground dying. I’ll say it again…. STUPID DOG!!!!

So, as you can tell, my day started out lovely. And it gets better!!! Is there any worse day for walking than on trash day? Everyone had their trash bins out today since yesterday was a holiday and they don’t pick up trash on holidays. Talk about offensive to the nose! The stench never really went away, because just as soon as you pass one trash can another one is right there, and everyone’s garbage reeks! Or maybe my nose is just super-sensitive. Either way it made for a very smelly walk. I did pretty good today, though, 3.05 miles in 45 minutes. Not bad! It’s the furthest I’ve walked so far, and I could really feel my feet getting heavy toward the end. It could also be that all the roads here are raised in the middle, so you’re constantly walking off-balance, with one foot landing lower than the other. It makes it interesting, that’s for sure! I don’t know whether I should be concentrating on walking for longer distances for losing weight, or on walking a faster speed. I’ll have to do some more research on it to find out. Sigh. Always more to learn!


I picked up some things for Ron at WalMart today, and on the spur of the moment I decided that Ron might like to have some pictures of our babies with new bling, so here goes…. Kitties only today, but tomorrow I’ll be putting the dogs on here. I was going to put them on here today, but I over-estimated one dog’s size, and under-estimated the other. How’s that for efficient? Here’s the kitty pics:

Tiny and his Blue Collar


Mika and her Yellow Collar


Tiger and his Red Collar


Tomorrow, I have school again. We’re currently learning cardiac, which is difficult enough without adding the fact that I can’t seem to sleep and feel just awful today. I think I’m coming down with something, and I am NOT looking forward to sitting through 4 hours of class and trying to understand what is being said. Much less the fact that it’s a 45 minute drive one way, we have to be there 15 minutes early tomorrow, and I have to leave the house at 6:15 AM! I know: complain, complain! In all seriousness, though, I am going to have to do some serious studying to get ready for my test next week. The teacher doesn’t really give us a lot to go on for testing purposes, and her teaching style does not mesh with my learning style. Or my carpal tunnel… trying to take notes to her lectures is like trying to speed-write the entire Bible in an hour. But that’s okay, I have more than enough incentive to study… it’s called I want to PASS the class and RAISE my GPA!

Anyways, it’s time to bake the lasagna and then get myself off to bed. ‘Night, all!

Day 11: September 7th, 2009

Quote of the Day: “Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop. ~Ovid”

HAPPY LABOR DAY, Y’ALL! ! ! !

It’s that day again, the day when we’re all SUPPOSED to relax and have fun. It’s a FEDERAL HOLIDAY! The end of the summer. The last hoo-rah before the cold weather comes along to keep us locked inside with nothing but television and *gasp!* each other to keep us busy. I have always enjoyed Labor Day as a great three-day weekend to be outdoors, whether camping, fishing, boating, gardening, whatever. It makes me happy. I can’t do any of those things this year, but I am already planning next year’s wonderful, spectacular campout. We may even have an RV by then, who knows? Sure would be nice to be able to have things at the ready to go out on spur-of-the-moment without packing everything up for hours, setting up when we get there, tearing down when we’re done, and then having to unload and unpack everything once you get home. I am in LOVE with the park-and-go concept! Still, we’ll have the tent in the RV… just for those nights when it would be too nice to pass up sleeping somewhat in the open. The tent’s perfect for that, because the whole top is mesh, so you can see the entire night sky, but yet the skeeters can’t get you!

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One of the few things I love about living in Burkburnett is the pride in being American. The Burkburnett Rotary has a service that comes around on all the federal holidays to place flags in a resident’s yard first thing in the morning, and comes to pick them up before sunset.

I know, I was thinking it too… not very patriotic. But a lot of people here fly their own personal flags year-round, in addition to the “holiday flags”, so I don’t mind too much that it’s a “passive-American” thing to do.
Here is a picture of what our street looks like this morning as I’m getting up and going out to drink my coffee and check on my plants.

Makes you feel just a little bit patriotic, doesn’t it? These “flag days” are the only days of the year where you can feel like you’re living on a movie set, where everything is perfect. The only other time you can do that here is during Christmastime. But that’s another blog altogether!

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Want to know what's wrong with teenage boys?

Teenage Boy Bedrooms!!!! (Couldn't let Ron get away with NOT having to see this!) hehehe

Day 10: September 6th, 2009

Quote of the day: "Some things in life are so special they are indescribable – that’s how I feel about us. –Gayle Lapekas"

What a long day of studying! Laurie and Amy and I had study group today at my place, and I'd swear we ate about 10lbs of food each while we were studying. Oh, and thank you to Ron for getting me my beautiful handmade wooden bowls on his trip to South America. They make excellent snack bowls for studying! We got a lot accomplished, and I think we're just about well on our way to getting a decent grade on the test that's coming up. At least, I think I'm getting a hang of reading the cardiac strips. I'm making flash cards, so if anything I'll have lots to study. I'll be so tired of dysrhythmias, cardiac, CHF, and MIs by the time we're done with this module that I'll probably end up HAVING an MI! LOL

I was supposed to clean the pool today, but alas... it did not get accomplished. Again. This is day two, I was technically supposed to do it on Saturday, but didn't get it done. Oh, well, third time's the charm, right? There's been enough other things going on to use up all my time, energy, and even my brain. Speaking of the pool, though, you should see this HUGE SPIDER that is currently lying on the bottom of the shallow end!

You can't really tell from pictures, but when you count its legs, it is as big as one of the pop-ups in the bottom of the pool. YIKES!!!! With my fear of spiders ever since being bitten last August, you can imagine how well THAT goes over with me! I definitely would not get in the pool with that in there, even if it IS dead. I'll take my chances with overheating, thank you very much!

Damien had to work today, and I believe he is coming home tonight, but since he turned 18 you can never be sure what he is planning to do. And Cody is out at his friend Nathan’s, in the country, doing who knows what. So I’ve pretty much had the house to myself all day long which makes it great for studying. I can get so much more done when I don’t have to yell for kids to keep it down, or give rides to places, or try to get them to do chores. Damien did all of his today without me pushing him, which I am grateful for. Maybe he’s getting the flu? He did say he’s been feeling a little run down…..

And as for Ron.... here is where I want to spend our evenings when you come home.....

Or, at least, once the weather warms up a bit :)