Sizzlin

4th of July

2008-07-04T08:03:00.002-05:00

In Massachusetts, stinks! None of the towns around us are having parades or fireworks! What's the point of even calling it a holiday if you're not going to do those things? Old Sturbridge Village is having a celebration, but you have to pay to get in and you have to pretend you're back in 1834 or something. Another year we might have to give it a try....especially if these towns don't get back into the groove of things. Man! I haven't even seen any sparklers for sale. We're going to CT today anyway to go to a cookout. Next year, maybe we'll have one here. That would be a lot of fun, I bet. These past two years, the summer and our lives seem to run away with our plans. We were going to have an open house at some point this summer, but with most of July booked already, I'm not sure when we would do it. I guess people will just have to come over as they have time...

We saw the doctor again yesterday. Everything still looks good and the baby (hopefully we'll have a name sometime soon) has a strong heart beat and is squirming all around. I don't notice him kicking so much these days, but i can feel and see him sliding around in there. Next time I go, they'll test me for diabetes and anemia. (just routine) i won't be able to eat for three hours before I go! I'm gonna be hungry by the time i get out of that appointment!

As exciting as it is to be pregnant, I'll be glad to see October finally get here. Mostly so we can see the baby, but also, it's a bit of a pain in the neck sometimes to be pregnant. It's hard to move, and it keeps me from doing everything I want to do. It's frustrating. For instance, I would love to find some kind of a parade or festival to go to today, but honestly, after about 10 or 20 minutes I'd be ready to sit down somewhere and take a break. I"m a big ole lump. I'd like to feel like myself again. Some of that I know is just from me not sleeping. This week it seems to have gotten better in that department, but the rest of it is just that I'm pregnant I guess.

Better late than never!

2008-06-30T18:26:00.004-05:00

Wow, I guess it has been awhile since I blogged! Believe it or not, I found out about better news than even getting our house in February, and needless to say, it has been distracting me! :) Turns out I didn't have the flu! I've almost been afraid to talk about it, in case it was just a dream, but I"m pretty sure it's really happening :) Baby is due in October!! woohoo! He's turning into quite a kicker too:) This afternoon Brian could see my belly moving from across the room. I love to watch him kick!
I've been through several sets of maternity clothes already. I now pretty much only wear dresses and stretch pants, though I have to confess this weekend even my stretch pants felt a little uncomfortable. :) People keep telling me that i'm going to have a big baby. I think that is code for them telling me I'm turning into a blimp and maybe I should lay off the ice cream!
I never ever can sleep. Last night was the worst yet i think. I slept for maybe an hour. I think I just get too excited daydreaming about the baby, especially when he really decides to start kicking away. I also can't get comfortable, and we've been having way too many thunderstorms at night for my liking. I'm burnt out from them, much like I am after one or two snowstorms in the winter. One of them almost broke our computer last night, but thankfully Brian figured out how to fix it again. That's all for now I guess. Keep us in your prayers :) (and come visit us too!)

Our House!

2008-02-03T09:05:00.000-05:00

We bought a house! We bought a house! We bought a house! Oh my goodness, it's shocking still!...and we didn't buy just any house, we bought an awesome house :)! Now that we have a place for people to stay over, we hope to have a lot of company! Start making plans ! Of course, give us a month or two to get some furniture! We went for the inspection yesterday, and there were no major issues and hardly any small issues. It's in about as good condition as a house can be in :) Now I am no longer disappointed that we did not get that other house back in October. This one is sooo much better! It has everything we wanted and then some. It was built in 2006 by some local guy who was doing it for investment purposes. That's just about the time that the market started to slide, so he's been unable to sell it. We got a major bargain! The house is gorgeous! He's an artist and put in a lot of extra details in the meantime. It has 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a living room, a sitting room area, a dining room, a nice big kitchen, a deck, a nice yard, a two car garage....! You should see the master bathroom! It has one of the biggest tubs I've seen in it. I didn't know this until yesterday when the inspector guy turned it on, but it bubbles like a hot tub! We also found out yesterday that the lighting and heating systems can be hooked up to our computer so we can have the lights/heat turn on at specified times, even when we're not there. Big guns can probably explain that a little more. We can't wait to move!
We saw it last weekend with our realtor and decided instantly to put in an offer. Our realtor warned us that another couple had sent word that they were going to put in an offer, so she tried to dissuade us a bit and warned us several times not to get our hopes up. She really didn't think we would be able to get it, given our budget. Thankfully, that couple didn't have their ducks in a row and came back saying that they would need another week or two before they could make an offer. In the meantime, we've been going back and forth in negotiations with the seller, and by Wednesday evening we had a deal. Talk about fast! We knew we had to try for the house! In addition to getting the price down to something we could afford, the seller agreed to pay our closing costs and agreed to give us some of the furniture he had been using for staging as well as the window treatments and all the appliances! Also, the interest rates have dropped significantly since we began our search. It almost seems to good to be true! Needless to say, it's been a sleepless week for the two of us. In the beginning we couldn't sleep because of nerves, then because of excitement, and now we each keep daydreaming of how we'll decorate it! :)

ok, ok

2008-02-01T17:14:00.000-05:00

Here's the news my mom has been not-so-subtly hinting at. We found another house to buy! I'll blog more about it later! We're going to do the home inspection tomorrow. I can't wait to move in!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T18:17:00.000-05:00

Wow! It's been 2 and a half months since I last posted. That's pretty bad. I'll try to do better this year. Not necessarily as a part of new year's, but good timing nonetheless, Bigguns and I are starting our own biggest loser competition. We both realized in December that we needed to lose about 25-30 pounds each in order to be healthier and more fit. Bigguns is doing his strict south beach diet. I'm doing a modified south beach diet. (that means if i want to eat something that isn't too unhealthy, but just isn't allowed on that diet, that I'm going to eat it). I have found that the south beach diet works, but once you go off it, you put the weight back on. Plus, the whole time i'm on it, i dream about what I can't eat. No thank you! I"m going to do it my tried and true way of eating healthy, balanced meals with controlled portions and plenty of exercise. Our weigh-ins are going to be on Wednesday mornings. The person who loses the highest percentage of their weight by May wins. I'm quite confident I'll win. I'm very determined. :)
We got a Nintendo Wii for Christmas. (actually I got it for bigguns, but I use it quite a bit) That makes for a nice supplement to our workouts. It's really fun, though at the moment, I have bowling shoulder, so I guess I need to take it easy. I really work up a sweat when I box. I was undefeated until this afternoon. I just couldn't locate any anger to workout this afternoon when I was playing. Normally I shock myself at my ferociousness. I wouldn't want to meet myself in a boxing ring!
In other news, we're taking up cross-country skiing. We picked up skiis while we were in maine. We're planning on trying them out this weekend since we've had more snow this week. I always feel claustrophobic in the winter because I can't get outside and enjoy the fresh air. I finally reached my limit and decided that we either need to move to a warmer climate or we need to suck it up and find something enjoyable to do outside. Here's to skiiing!

Updates!

2007-10-22T06:16:00.000-05:00

Well, I guess this weekend's events are blog-worthy! We found a house!! woohoo! It's not officially a done deal yet, but we put in an offer and it was verbally accepted by the owner. The owner was literally on the brink of foreclosure (She had to have a deal by today!) so we have to have her bank sign off on the deal first. SHe had another buyer a few weeks back who was going to purchase it at our price, so they think the bank will accept our deal too and that it is just a formality. THe other buyers had to back out for some reason. Keep your fingers crossed for us! It is what they call a short-sale, so if everything works out, we'll be closing on it in 30 days!! That's crazy!
I felt a little guilty about getting such a good deal on a house because in order for that to happen someone else is in a really bad situation. But I do feel good that we might be saving the owner from foreclosure which would ruin her credit for quite a while. So now, it seems like a really good deal for everyone involved.
We didn't know when we made the offer that they were in such a time crunch. I'm glad we didn't decide to think about it for a week or so which is what we have been doing when we see something we like THen we would have lost out on this. Maybe it's meant to be!
THe house has the perfect combination of everything we've been looking for: a big kitchen, a master bathroom, atleast 3 bedrooms, a walkout basement that either can be or is finished off (this one is finished off), a big yard, a nice neighborhood, a garage, and a cheap price! It also has some extra decorative features that we like: a big bay window in the living room, some crown molding, some built in shelving....it's really exciting. I hope this works out:)
Last week I meant to blog about something shocking, but I never got to it. I agreed with George Bush on something! THere was some article, and I was going to pull a big guns and try to link to it, but I"m not feeling that ambitious right now.

Here it is!

2007-10-14T10:21:00.000-05:00

My new post! I know it's been a while. I've been procrastinating since we got back from our honeymoon :) This morning I took a yoga class at the gym Big Guns and I joined a few weeks ago. Man, it was soo what I needed! Just to take some time out for myself. It's so easy to get going on autopilot and only half pay attention to yourself. With my job, I spend a lot of time taking care of other people, but I am rarely 'selfish' enough to take the same care myself. It almost made me get tearful. I feel very refreshed now. I'm going to try to take the class twice a week.
In other news, Big Guns and I think we have found a house we're going to put an offer on. House-hunting is almost as fun as wedding dress shopping, but it definitely takes a lot of patience. I suppose it makes sense that it takes so long because we're going to have to live in it longer than a couple of hours. THe house we're considering now was built by an older couple. THey lived in the basement while they built the rest of the house, piece by piece. I love the story behind it, but also the house is also is great condition, like new, with a huge yard. Keep your fingers crossed for us. I'll try to post more often now.

quick post...

2007-06-21T05:47:00.000-05:00

to make my mom happy. i've been busy these days and just haven't gotten around to it. i'm thinking after the wedding i'll be able to get on a more regular posting schedule. i was sick earlier this week, but am feeling ok now. i've never had a job before where you get paid for being sick. that's pretty cool. i need to ask jen or somebody to help me get together some kind of center pieces for the reception. if anyone has ideas let me know. i have some funny stories, but no time to write them now. maybe over the weekend....gotta run!

On a mission

2007-05-17T17:28:00.000-05:00

Sorry i haven't blogged in a while. I've been busy settling the apartment and trying to settle into a new work schedule. I love my job. Finally I've found something that is a good fit for me, and I know I'm good at it.
I've been inspired to do many things. I never dreamed I would want to start a cause for this next one! Depends!! I'm on an all out mission to get Medicare to buy an old women depends that actually work. Sure, they're covering depends now, but they're sending her cheapo ones that don't hold anything. Consequently, she doesn't go anywhere and she has been in tears because she just doesn't know what to do, and she can't afford to buy the decent ones herself. What is this world coming to?! All to save a dollar...grrr! but then, as Big Guns likes to remind me, they use our tax dollars to build a museum for cauliflower or to start an anti-terrorist task force in nowhere-ville, Arkansas. Why can't their be a little common sense put into how these decision are made? To me, it is much more important for our citizens who are struggling to have their basic needs taken care of than to have a museum of anything. There is enough to go around, it's just a matter of getting them to put it in the right spots....so that's what i'm going to do. I declare i'm not going to rest until this woman has leak-proof depends!

My other cause that I'm focusing on is to get a sweet, 96 year old woman a new pair of wheels for her walker. It seems that she has warn them out and the don't spin anymore and she can't do anything without her walker. I asked her if she wanted me to try to find a new walker for her and she objected saying hers was just fine, if I could please just find her some new wheels. How sweet is she!! The things we take for granted....
During our meeting today she pointed out to me how soft her hair was and asked me to feel it, so I did and remarked on how shiny and beautiful it was. I then asked her if it was her natural color (it was bright red), and she nodded and said it was. When I looked up, you should have seen the smile on her face! She was so tickled! I wish I could have taken her home;)
Well, this is all i have time for now. i need to run off and meet Big Guns for some appetizers at Applebee's

Alfie's big day!

2007-04-19T15:50:00.000-05:00

Well, Alfie has been dying to go outside since we moved in here. The squirells and birds going by the windows all day is altogether too much temptation for him. Today was the first day I had some free time, so I decided to go to PETCO and get him a harness and leash so he could go outside. He absolutely loves it. I think his time outside this morning, awakened the animal instinct in him, because when I came in from the grocery store, he was in the process of killing a mouse!!! I have mixed feelings about this. I'm very happy I have a mouse killer on my hands because I am afraid of mice. I'm a little disturbed by the mouse in the kitchen right now. I came in and put a bowl over it because i didn't want it to hide under something and I didn't want to watch alfie eat it. So now i don't know what to do. There is a half-dead mouse under a bowl in my kitchen with a chair on top of it to help anchor it. i called brian, and he is on his way home, so i'll leave it for him to handle. I don't want to touch it. eeewww! quite a big day for alfie. I can tell he's proud of himself;)

woohoooooo!

2007-04-19T10:40:00.000-05:00

The sun is out!! It's super official now. I just got a phone call from the job place, and they got my background check info back, and i'm starting on monday morning. That took them a long time. It turns out that while the woman who is my supervisor was out on vacation, no one actually turned in my background check form. Needless to say, once they realized that, it was only a matter of days before they got the info they needed. woohoo!
I'm going to run errands this afternoon. I am going to look into a cat-leash for alfie. He is just dying to get outside. I think if i don't take him out, he'll try to sneak out on his own.
I'm very tired today. i'm finally over my stomach bug, but last night Big guns and I both had major cases of insomnia. who knows why. i hope we sleep good tonight and i'm glad i got sick this week instead of next.

we're here!

2007-04-18T08:49:00.000-05:00

well, we're all moved in at the lake. it is beautiful here. unfortunately, for the past few days, i have been a little on the sick side. some kind of stomach bug, so i haven't been enjoying it as much as i'd like. i'm feeling better today though. this morning we went for a light jog-walk. on our way through the trail, we saw a mother fox with two babies. how cool is that?! big guns and i were careful to run around them so they didn't feel threatened. throughout the jog though, we kept running into them. i started singing so they would be warned that we were in the area and wouldn't be caught off guard by us.

wohoo!!!

2007-04-05T15:20:00.000-05:00

I got the offer to day! THey're still waiting on my background check for some mysterious reason, but they called me today and made me the offer. They'll just take it back if they find anything shady in my past. I'm due to start there on April 23rd. That'll give me and Big Guns a week to settle in to our new pad before I get going there. wooooohooooo!!

i'm bored!

2007-04-05T09:01:00.000-05:00

This week, I've been pretty bored. I think mostly, it is my impatience to hear back from the job. That is making the time pass much more slowly. Today, for entertainment, I'm going to meet Big Guns for lunch and then take his truck to have the oil changed. woohooo!! i'm living it up down here. ;) Last night we tried to come up with a hobby i could take up. I"m still undecided on that one. The most likely one seems to be painting furniture:) Next week i'm planning on heading up to maine to drop off some furniture. i should also take care of some wedding things while i'm there, but before i do that, i need to make decisions on things like flowers and decorations....right now, i'm pretty clueless, so we'll see. hmmm...what else do i have for news??...i guess nothing much. next week the lady i interviewed with and who will be hiring me is going on vacation, so if i don't hear from her today or tomorrow, i won't hear from her until after we've moved. but next week, i'll be thinking about moving and stuff, so it won't be that bad if i have to wait....

checkin' in

2007-04-03T14:32:00.000-05:00

So, here's the update on the job. They like me. my references check out. They're STILL waiting for my background check to come back. Once they verify that I'm not a criminal, they told me that they will offer me the job. Essentially, i have a job now, but the worry wart in me doesn't feel like i can celebrate it just yet. I'm very excited about it. It's a normal 9-5 job working with old people. Helping them do things like filling out applications for benefits, finding housing, medical care...whatever they need. I think i'll be good at this one too. I like to advocate for people and help them get what they need. Old people rock! I'm gonna bust though from all of this waiting!! It's so frustrating! I just want to know that i have the job and have an actual start date lined up. I know it's coming, so i just need to chill. Honestly, I've gotten this job (if i indeed actually have it) in record time. I've only been out of work for 2.5 weeks so far. that's pretty good. keep me in your prayers though.

new things i've tried in the last 2.5 weeks:
making stew (yummy!)
making real pie (french silk): it tasted like brownie mix in pie crust (Pretty good!)
cooking a whole chicken and stuffing it!!: that's on deck for tonight. i think it might be a little gross. Big guns says i have to rub it with butter. eeew!!!

Woohoo!!!

2007-03-27T14:22:00.000-05:00

We're moving!!! yippeee!! to a lake!!! it's beautiful! I can't believe how lucky we are!! April 15 is the big day!
Double yippee!!: I had an interview today, and they told me that as long as my references check out, they'll be making me an offer!! yippee!! it looks like i have a job on top of a beautiful place to live!!! :)!!

tuesday update

2007-03-20T09:34:00.000-05:00

On friday we got the biggest storm of the season with almost a foot of snow. I left work early that day because people were calling up and telling me how bad the commute was getting. For a trip that would have normally take 30 minutes or so, it was taking 2 hours! That's insane. Luckily, the roads were a little better once I got out there a few hours after they left, and I made it home in about 45-50 minutes. Saturday morning, Big Guns and I had to shovel out the cars. Mine wasn't too bad because it was in our parking lot, but Big Guns has to park on the street. Consequently his truck had been buried by the snow plows! Then we went to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with Jen and Joe. It was fun. We had lunch in Haverhill at a pub that had live Irish music all day. THen we went back to their house and played games for the remainder of the evening. As much as I am looking forward to moving, I'll miss having them around to play with.
THen on Sunday, I had to get up at 5 am! so I could be in for my last day of work at 6:30!!!! It was crazy! They don't have enough staff at the program, so now the clinical staff is having to come in and cover some hours for the lack of direct care staff. I'm very pleased that that was the last time they can call and ask me to do that. It made for a very long, last day. well, that's my weekend update. I'll post more on this week later on.

update!

2007-03-14T15:45:00.000-05:00

Well, here's where things stand:
Yesterday I put in my notice at my job, and I decided with my supervisor that my last day will be this Sunday. It was hard to do, but I'm feeling surprisingly good about it so far. I almost chickened out, but it was pretty clear that my time there was coming to an end one way or another anyway. The good news from all of this is that my supervisor still said she'd be happy to serve as a reference for me. She even called the HR department and recommened that they consider me for employment in other programs within the agency. She thinks I have good clinical skills and over all I did the job well, she just believes that working with adolescent boys is not where I belong. Honestly, I couldn't agree with her more. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like there are any jobs open right now that I would be interested in at this agency. This won't surprise any of you, but she said if she could pick a population for me to work with it would be with younger children. I only wish there were more jobs in my field that worked with that age group. I'm keeping my eyes open though. I am just happy that after all of the fuss and stress things have ended there very amicably.
Today I had an interview out near Worcester. It was advertised as a secured program for adolescent girls who are "court-involved". I would enjoy working with a group of young girls, so I was looking forward to the interview. Little did I know that I was applying for a job at a youth-prison, complete with barbed wire and locked cells. Needless to say, I had an uneasy feeling about this one. The interview went well, and at the end of it, the lady asked me if this seemed like something I'd be interested. I had to say "no, I don't think so"! I don't think she gets that response very often, but if there is one thing I've learned from my current employment experience it's that I need to listen to my gut when I get a bad feeling about working somewhere. I was also picturing my current supervisor's reaction when she got a reference check phone call from a youth prison. I don't think that is the kind of place she would recommend me for. In fact, I think it would have been a worse match for me than where I'm at now, if that is possible. I'm glad I'm learning something though. I atleast am getting an idea of what i do not want to do, and i'm having the guts to say it.
Thankfully, Big Guns is being very patient and supportive while I try to figure out and find what I'm supposed to be doing. I just hope that something happens soon.

what a week!

2007-03-09T09:59:00.000-05:00

it's been a tough one, but I think things are going to be looking up. When I go through days like these, it forces me to really look at myself, and I wind up learning more about myself and about life. So, in the end, I know I'll get through this, and I know I'll be better off because of it. It just stinks right now. I saw this coming, but this week, it actually happened. They're giving me two weeks to get the boys under control or they will be letting me go. In two weeks, my probationary period will be up. THis is the first job I've ever been told that I stink at. I know I stink at it too, which is even more frustrating. I told them before they hired me that I had no relevant experience and would need training, but now when push comes to shove, they'd rather let me go. I could see letting me go if I wasn't improving at all, or if I wasn't doing what was asked of me or if I had an attitude problem, but I am improving steadily and I have been very flexible. grrrr! I am starting to think that they were just using me while they were in a staffing crunch, but now that that is easing up they're done with me. Needless to say, I'm very frustrated at the state of my career since grad school. I've been having some tough luck. I guess maybe this one just wasn't meant to be. I'll let you know how my meeting went over the weekend.
On the brighter side, Big Guns and I have decided that if I lose this job, we will move ASAP. A piece of me is definitely looking forward to moving on from here, so i won't be overly crushed if I'm not able to salvage my current job. Neither one of us likes where we live. It's very isolating and not particularly safe feeling. We want to be a part of a community and have neighbors and be able to go for walks and things. With all of this said, please keep us in your prayers!

thursday

2007-03-01T13:08:00.000-05:00

I've slacked off lately on reporting my dieting and exercise. I think i got tired of it. Overall though, I'm still doing pretty good with my diet and I'm exercising regularly. Lisa, I did pick up the strip tease aerobics videos, Part 1 and 2. Part 1 is quite funny. Part 2 kicks my butt. THe next day I was sore from head to toe. It makes for a good change of pace though.
Today I had an interview at a program that works with younger children who have autism or autism like symptoms. I'm really excited about it. It sounds promising. It would be full time too. It sounds very much like the work I did in grad school, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I sooo want it to work out, and it's sooooo hard to wait to get an answer. The lady I interviewed with is leaving for vacation tomorrow of course, so if i don't hear from her later today (which she said might be a possibility) i'll have to wait until the week after next! Most likely I'll be sitting by the phone all afternoon. I'll keep you posted on the news!

back to blogging

2007-02-23T10:15:00.000-05:00

I know I've been slacking on the blogging. Work was a bit tough this week. When I get in a bad or down mood, I tend to skip blogging. I figure no one wants to listen to me whine. My job is tough. It isn't a perfect match for my skills or personality, but I'm giving it my best shot. Hopefully something else will come along soon. I'm really having trouble finding my groove. I got a call the other day from what sounded like a great job for me, but the only trouble is it is down near boston, and as soon as we can, we want to move out by Sturbridge, to the country. The lady said she would hand my resume off to the manager that is in charge of that area, so we'll see if anything comes of it.
What else do I have for news? Not that much. For the past two days, I've been working on cleaning up the apartment. When we go for stretches of time where neither one of us has much time off, it gets pretty bad. I'm just about done now. Just a little laundry to go.
I think I'll get my hair trimmed this afternoon and maybe run to walmart. I think Big Guns is going to do Tae Bo with me this evening. I'm not sure what we'll do for dinner. Over all, I've been doing pretty good with my diet, though valentine's day had me veering off course a bit. By next week I should be back to where I should be. I have been emotional eating this week for sure. oh well, what can you do? Last night we made chicken fingers crusted with Cheez-it crumbs. I've been tired of chicken lately, but that was pretty good. that's my update for now. Maybe if i get a chance, and have something to say, i'll write more later on.

Friday

2007-02-16T09:35:00.000-05:00

what did i eat yesterday?...hmm
Breakfast
blueberry smoothie
whole wheat toast w/ cheese
2 cups of coffee

lunch
left over pasta from V-day (yum!!)

snack
sugar free pudding
handful of cereal

dinner
left over piece of pizza
left over steak and cheese in a wrap

snack
hot chocolate

exercise
tae bo and step aerobics

Yesterday I proved to myself that carbs make you hungrier. After lunch I had the munchies all day! I had a Valentine's day hangover yesterday. Wednesday was fun with big guns being home, and having the snow storm, and then our special valentines day dinner. Yesterday was just the day after valentines day with nothing really special to look forward to. I was a little on the bored side, which is why i wound up exercising twice! I also did a little bit of job hunting....i'm pretty happy where i am, but i'm still keeping my eyes open for that perfect spot that is full time but has normal hours.
i'm thinking today i will run my group on anger. i don't think they'll love it, but it's what popped into my head this morning. we'll have to see how many kids i'll have though.

Post- Valentines Day Report

2007-02-15T09:24:00.000-05:00

I haven't gotten around to blogging for the past few days. i figure I better get myself back in the habit, or I will stray on my diet. I've been doing pretty well, and have been exercising regularly. Yesterday was an exception because we were snowed in and because of the holiday. It was fun to have big guns home all day. We ordered in pizza for lunch. We have a little pizza shop next door, so we ventured out in the storm to pick it up. double dough with meatballs, green peppers, and onions. yum, yum! Then for dinner, Big Guns treated me to a romantic candle light dinner.
He made rigatoni with vodka-cream sauce and bruschetta. it was oooh sooo good! He only makes it on special occasions, and I almost always cry afterwards because it reminds me of how lucky we are to have each other. I have to start looking for a special recipe for his birthday in May! Let me know if you have any good ones;) Last year we moved in to the apartment on his birthday, so we didn't get to really celebrate. We were cold, wet, and tired. It was also the weekend of all the flooding down here. If i remember right, we played Burgertime, ate cake, and then went to sleep! That's all i have to say for now. I'll try to post again later.

tired thursday

2007-02-08T14:56:00.000-05:00

I'm sleepy today. I'm not sure why. I've been sleeping good at night. maybe i'm just catching up from stress or something...I think for dinner tonight we're having shrimp pasta. yum! I've been doing much better on my exercise this week. I have found that that is really the only way i can lose weight-by adding in more exercise. i feel thinner even if i'm haven't lost any lbs. this weekend we're meeting mom and ma in portland for lunch. i'm looking forward to seeing them.
today i've been working on getting our next round of invitations out. right now, we have about 100 people coming, and we're sending out invites to 20-30 more. We really don't want to have more than 120-130 because it'll be cramped i think....especially/mostly if it is rainy. we've got most of the big details out of the way, now it is getting time for the little things like menus, seating arrangements, ceremony, flowers, transportation, decorations, and those sorts of things. We've got just about 5 months to go. woohoo!
let's see...what was my diet from yesterday?
breakfast:
cereal
2 cups of coffee

lunch
chicken noodle soup
1 sugar free fudgsicle
1 piece of cheese

dinner
shake n bake pork chops (really salty...not at all like a remembered them)
green beans
cauliflower

1 sugar free fudgsicle
sugar free/fat free white chocolate pudding with a cherry on top

tuesday

2007-02-06T10:08:00.000-05:00

Well, yesterday i went in to work, and found out that my one and only client for the outpatient program had withdrawn. It turns out, even she realized that 10 hours of individual therapy in one week was too much. I talked to my supervisor about my concerns about the program or lack thereof, gave her my recommendtions for changing it, and then told her that I did not feel like I had the time to devote to it. She said that she really had no work for me to do, so if i wanted, my resignation could be effective immediately. I said ok, and that was the end of it. I was not expecting such a rapid end to my work there, but i am relieved that it is off my shoulders now.
In other news, I just booked a wedding photographer! We are making progress all the time. Who knew how expensive photographers could be though?! I suppose in the long run it will be worth having the pictures though!
I am doing much better on keeping up with my exercising lately. In the last few days, I have been digging out my Tae Bo DVDs. They are invigorating. I love to imagine that I am kicking butt! It feels good, especially after having to control my emotions so tightly all day while I am at work. woohoo!

Diet from yesterday:
Breakfast:
cereal?
coffee

lunch:
whole wheat turkey taco

snack:
sugar free fudgsicle

dinner:
pork tenderloin
salad
glass of wine

snack
ricotta cheese with almond extract

midnight snack:
toast with cheese

monday morning!

2007-02-05T10:00:00.000-05:00

It's sooo cold here today! They said on the news that it is going to WARM UP today so that it feels like -5. I can't wait for that to happen! I"m hungry this morning. I need to go find myself a snack (maybe a fudgsicle, although it is a bit on the cold side today!)
I've been a little frustrated and stressed over my job lately. I think it started to heat up when I took on the second position over at the outpatient clinic. I think i've bitten off a little more than I can chew right now, so today, I 'm planning on telling them that I want to go back to part time. I'm definitely challenged by working with the population I am, and am having to learn new skills to even begin to be effective with them (I'm not tough/intimidating enough) Trying to learn two different jobs right now, while I'm dealing with them day to day is too much. It would have been smarter for me to get one job down pat before I started the second one. Sometimes, I need to learn to listen to my gut. It usually turns out that my gut is smarter than I am. oh, well! maybe one of these days i'll start listening.
As far as my diet goes from yesterday,
Breakfast:
2 whole wheat blueberry muffins
2 cups of coffee

Lunch:
1/2 of a fiesta chicken wrap from pub 99

Dinner:
2 whole wheat tacos
1 sugar free fudgsicle
1 bowl of cereal

Sue's MI-5

2007-02-02T09:39:00.000-05:00

I liked the questions for MI-5 this week, so I thought I'd post my answers:

1) 2 stores you frequent most often
-Walmart is pretty much the only store we go to on a regular basis. It's a super walmart so we buy our incidentals as well as our groceries there. I also like to go to Kohl's when I'm shopping for clothes. I try to stay away from it though until i really need something because i tend to spend more money than i plan on there.

2) 2 things you want to do before you die
-have a family
-travel

3) 2 foods you could eat every day
-ice cream
-pizza

4) 2 things you can't live without
-heat
-the love of my family and friends

5) 2 things that scare you
-crime-based tv shows
-loud arguing/fights/violence

Finally Friday!

2007-02-02T09:29:00.000-05:00

I haven't been able to get to my blog for the last few days. Some kind of error message kept popping up, but they seem to have fixed it for today. Overall, i've been doing pretty good on my diet, and if we go to the gym tomorrow, we'll have gotten in 5 days of exercise. That's much better than we have been doing lately. I've been spending my free time daydreaming of where to go on our honeymoon. I think we're going to finalize our plans over the weekend. Then we have to get back to the actual wedding planning.
Work has been crazy lately. The residential program is always crazy from what i can tell. There is a major staff turnover and the kids are resistant to changing and are always trying to see what they can sneak into the program and/or get away with doing.
The outpatient program is frustrating in a different way. This week I have had one girl in my group. That means that she has had about ten hours of individual therapy this week. I don't know anyone who has that many problems. I think they should have waited to start up the program until we had atleast four or five kids signed up...oh well. I imagine if other people don't show up next week, she'll drop out. They've tried to start up this program in the past, but they always have trouble with it. We'll see how it goes.
Let's see if i can remember what I ate yesterday:
Breakfast:
cereal
2 cups of coffee

Lunch
Salad
mixed veggies
sugar free fudgsicle

Dinner:
shrimp/pasta dish
glass of wine

snack
1 sugar free fudgsicle

in a better mood

2007-01-31T11:04:00.000-05:00

ok. i got my morning whining in. thanks everyone for listening. I went and took a nap for a while, and now i'm feeling more positive, if a little tired. i do like the work i do. i just wish i could have a regular schedule. maybe that will come with time.

Wednesday

2007-01-31T08:27:00.000-05:00

I think i have been doing pretty well on my diet, though i have lost little, if any weight thus far. Big Guns and I have been better about getting to the gym in the mornings though, so that should help us out some. (3 days so far this week) Actually Big guns has been better about getting up in the morning. I've been sleeping right through the alarm. I haven't been hearing it at all. Before i would hear it, but ignore it. Big Guns says i was even snoring last night!!
I've been in a bad mood this week about my job. I need to get myself out of the negative mood i'm in. I think it is related to hormones, or at least that's why i'm letting things bother me so much. I'm frustrated with my job. When I took it, I agreed to work occasional sundays, like once every 2-3 weeks in the evenings. now i'm working every sunday, all day. I also agreed to work until 6-7 at night. I'm now working until 8 pm most nights, which means i don't get home until close to nine. i"m working 6 days a week, and i never get to see anyone. I'm so frustrated that I haven't been able to find my groove yet down here employment wise.

my diet from yesterday:
all bran cereal
2 cups of coffee

lunch:
small salad
whole wheat wrap w/ peanut butter

snack
string cheese

dinner:
cauliflower
salmon

snack
sugar free fudgsicle
lowfat chocolate ice cream!!!

morning!

2007-01-29T08:52:00.000-05:00

Well, here we are at Monday morning again. Yesterday I had to work. I really don't like working on Sundays. I miss going to church, I miss being able to visit with family and friends, and I miss having the extra day with big guns. I understand that they really need someone to work on Sundays, and I'm willing to do it for now, but I hope it can change soon. Why can't i find a job with a regular schedule?
Today I'm working at the outpatient program. I'm not sure that anyone has signed up for it or not. I spent last week just doing out reach. I'll let you all know how it goes.
As for my diet, I'm much more motivated now. ON Saturday Big GUns and I were browsing on line for honeymoons. I think we've pretty much decided that we're going to go to one of the Sandals resorts. I'm really excited about it. We might even get a room with a private or semi-private pool. That's waay cool! Plus all of our food, drinks, and activities are included. Now we just have to decide which one we want to go to. I'm going to take a look at them again probably later today, and tomorrow, and the next day...ooh! it's soo fun to daydream about. I can't wait. There's so much to look forward to this year: getting married, going on a honeymoon, looking for a house...woohoo! But anyway, I'm super motivated now because at Sandals its pretty much a bathing suit vacation. I don't want to be feeling all self-concious while we're there. This morning we did good. We got up at 5:30 and went to the gym to jog. I'll let you know how my diet is going later today. Sad news though. Big Guns realized this weekend that the fudgsicles have 40 calories in them. I thought they had 20, so I had figured I could eat 3 or 4 of them without worry to much. It looks like I'm going to have to cut back to two a day !

it's friday! woohoo!

2007-01-26T08:30:00.000-05:00

I'm tired and cold today. They say it's only 1 degree outside and that it feels like 10 below zero. I'm not looking forward to leaving the apartment. It would be nice if I had the kind of job big guns does so i could work from home. i should get out of work early today because i worked late on tuesday. they're very careful about making sure we don't go over on hours. that will be nice. i should be out by 5:30 or so instead of 7. i've done pretty good on dieting this week, though i probably could have been stricter. I've also exercised most days this week, but i do need to step that up a notch in intensity. I don't think i'm losing any weight. grr! I've probably eaten more carbs than I should have. Big guns has been in charge of the alarm clock, but he has a habit of falling back to sleep after it goes off, which means that we miss the gym in the morning. Next week I'm going to try to be in charge of the clock to see if we are any better about it. this morning was just too cold for us to dig out and go.

here's my diet from yesterday:
breakfast:
oatmeal
2 cups of coffee
1 sugar free fudgsicle

lunch:
half a sandwich from panera
a bowl of cheerios

snack
a few bites of a whole wheat wrap w/ Peanut butter
1 sugar free frudgsicle

dinner:
(splurge)
2 helpings of shrimp over pasta

snack
1 sugar free fudgsicle

Wednesday

2007-01-24T10:04:00.000-05:00

Yesterday i did pretty good with my diet.
Breakfast:
1 blueberry smoothee
1 piece of whole wheat toast with cheese on top
1 sugar free fudgsicle (i love 'em)

lunch:
salad
whole wheat wrap with peanut butter

dinner:
a little steak
cauliflower

snack:
hot chocolate
1 sugar free fudgiscle

midnight snack when i woke up b/c i was hungry:
1 piece of whole wheat toast with cheese

second midnight snack because I was STILL hungry:
1 bowl of cheerios

Yesterday we started the morning off at the gym to do a little weight lifting. Yesterday was a crazy, crazy day at work. I swear, my typical client is a cross section between a convicted felon and a three year old. I spend most of my day trying to enforce rules and discipline while listening to temper tantrums. It's really fun! Yesterday one of my clients got mad when I made him turn the tv off, so he went and locked himself in the bathroom for an hour. As we all know, that is the most logical thing to do when you don't get your way. Let's just say I have my work cut out for me:) I got home late last night because I had to put out some fires (not literally this time) at the program. When I walked in Big Guns had a dinner ready and waiting for me, and then he sat up with me until almost 11pm while I tried to unwind and listened to me rant and rave. He's the sweetest. Tonight is another late night for me, but it should be tamer. I'll be at the outpatient program, doing some researching, networking, and observing. I wish I'd be home earlier so I could snuggle in with Big Guns, but I guess I can't have everything.

Week #2

2007-01-22T20:57:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend Big Guns and I decided that we'd had enough of the no carbs part of the south beach diet, so for this week, we're still trying to be healthy, but we are having some carbs. Here's how I did today:

Breakfast:
Cheerios
2 cups of coffee
1 sugar free fudgsicle

Lunch:
salad
whole wheat wrap with Peanut Butter on it

Dinner:
soy sauce-ginger-sesame cod
mixed veggies

snack
2 sugar free fudgsicles

Big guns and I stayed up late last night watching the Patriots play-off game. Unfortunately they lost:( and my favorite player had a stinky game to boot. Anyhow, we were too tired this morning to go to the gym. Big guns went this evening while I was at work. Our plan is to go tomorrow morning. Today I started working full time. The only problem is that they don't have any kids signed up for the new program I'm working at. For this week, I'm trying to drum up some business by sending out fliers....we'll see what happens with all that...honestly i'm glad to have some down time in the beginning so i can figure out what it is i'm supposed to be doing..wish me luck:)....oh..tomorrow maybe i'll blog some more about wedding stuff....

Thursday's report

2007-01-19T08:05:00.001-05:00

Yesterday Big Guns and I just couldn't push ourselves out of bed in the morning in time to hit the gym. He's still fighting off a cold, and I'm still getting rid of the remnants of mine.
What did we eat for breakfast? oh yeah. He had egg whites and cheese.

My breakfast:
cottage cheese mixed w/ a bit of yogurt
2 cups of coffee

lunch:
1 slice of pizza (again, I cheated, but it was free at the orientation, so I couldn't resist)

Honestly, i am feeling in better shape already, so i would have preferred to continue being healthy by having a salad or something for lunch...but I didn't have time in the morning to prepare it....

snack:
string cheese
handful of peanuts
cottage cheese

dinner:
shrimp on top of salad (delicious!)

snack:
3 sugar free fudgsicles
lemon flavored ricotta w/ equal
glass of wine

...a rough wednesday...

2007-01-18T18:12:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was TOUGH diet wise. Overall I was successful, but it took a lot of will power and reinforcement from big guns:). I had orientation at the agency yesterday, and I had a seat right next to a pile of brownies. They smelled soooo good. All morning/afternoon, I was innundated with the smell of chocolate. They also had dunkin donuts....ooooh! the temptation!! I love donuts, and frosting, and sprinkles! Naturally, when I came home last night, I wanted to eat eveything in sight! and I really wanted to be off my diet. Let me give you the report of how I did though:

Breakfast:
2 eggs
4 pieces of turkey bacon
2 cups of coffee

snack
string cheese

lunch
tuna fish in a whole wheat wrap

snack
ricotta cheese sweetened with equal and flavored with almond extract
couple pieces of cheese

dinner
turkeyburger patty
mixed veggies

snacks
my sugar free jello concoction
a couple of hot balls (i admit, I cheated, but considering what I was up against with the brownies, I think i fared pretty darn well)
a glass of red wine

yesterday morning we went to the gym and I walked/ran for 30 minutes. Last night I dreamed about shrimp. I kept salivating over it in my head. Tonight we're going to have some for dinner. It won't be fried though, and it won't be in any kind of nice sauces, so we'll see how it goes. I'm skeptical of it's ability to live up to the shrimp in my dreams, but I'm really hungry tonight, so who knows, maybe it will....

Yesterday

2007-01-17T13:25:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I did pretty good on my diet. I'm feeling healthier already:)

I'm still shocked by what I ate for breakfast:
2 poached eggs w/ a side of sauteed spinach!!!
(that'll put hair on your chest:) )
2 cups of coffee

Snack
1 sugar free popsicle
1 handful of peanuts

Lunch
1 cheese stick
1 handful of peanuts
A few bites of salad (things were crazy at work yesterday, so I ran out of time to eat)

Dinner:
pistachio-crusted chicken
mixed veggies

snack:
1 sugar free popsicle
a double helping of ricotta cheese sweetened with equal and flavored w/ almond extract

Yesterday morning we got up at 5:15 and went to the gym. Yesterday was a weights day, so it wasn't too bad. I wish I was like Lisa and mom and could lose 7 lbs in a week! Sue, when are you starting your blog?

Diet report

2007-01-15T20:01:00.000-05:00

Here's my daily report:

breakfast:
eggwhite omelet w/ red peppers, scallions, and cheese
2 cups of coffee

snack:
string cheese

lunch:
2 servings of salad with tuna on top

snack:
2 handfuls of peanuts

Dinner:
steak
salad
broiled tomato

Snack:
ricotta cheese sweetened with equal and flavored with lemon zest (sounds fancy, eh?)

other snacks during the day:
4 sugar free popsicles

Cravings :
ice cream
chocolate bar
potato chips
coconut white chocolate bar
hot chocolate
candy
pizza

Cravings I indulged:

Zero :)

not too bad today, considering it was a day off

Big guns and I also made it to the gym in the afternoon. My headache had subsided, and he was feeling a little better. We took it easy though and walked for 30 minutes. Tomorrow we're up at 5:15 to go to the gym. Go us! Wish us luck:)

morning

2007-01-15T11:21:00.000-05:00

I have a headache this morning. it stinks because big guns is home today too, but he is sick, and I have a headache, so we can't really enjoy our time. I didn't sleep well last night at all. I was too wound up from work. Hopefully tonight will be better. I need to implement a relaxation routine for when I get home at night, so i switch gears and can forget about work. This morning I'm working on the curriculum for the outpatient program. I have a meeting tomorrow, and they were hoping I'd come with some ideas. I'll post more later on how my diet/exercise went today. I'm going to try to get to the gym and atleast do some walking, or if i stay in, do my step bench.

My Diet:)

2007-01-14T20:49:00.000-05:00

So here's my report for my first day of my diet:

breakfast:
2 eggs
4 pieces of turkey bacon
2 cupsof coffee

lunch:
handful of peanuts
string cheese
turkey on a whole wheat wrap

dinner:
salad w/ salad dressing and feta cheese
cauliflower
salmon

evening snack:
ricotta cheese sweetened with equal and flavored w/ almond extract

Not too bad, eh? tomorrow I'll start up again with the workouts. Today was crazy at work...I swear some people should not be parents. I just want to shake them. that's all for tonight..i gotta get back to the patriots game!

Wedding Dress!

2007-01-14T08:22:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I met Julia, Sue, and my mom to do some more dress shopping. We found the perfect dress for Julia! She looks gorgeous in it:) and it matches the style of the other bridesmaid dresses. My friend Eli came along too and picked up her dress. Now for the older girls, we're focusing on shoes and accessories. This is actually turning into a bit of debate. Now I understand why bridesmaids are always a little disappointed with their outfits. It's impossible to please everyone in the wedding party.
Yesterday, I also had a final fitting for my dress. Everything was fine, the only problem is now I can't wear it until July:( Bummer! I love my dress! It's too bad I'll only be able to wear it once! It is probably a good thing that the wedding isn't until July though. The dress was noticeably snug this time around. I guess I put on a few holiday pounds!! It took both Sue and my mom tugging to get me into it! Sue got quite a kick out of it:)
After the dress fiasco, the four of us went out to lunch for a last meal. I had popcorn shrimp and french fries. As of today, I am on the South Beach Diet again. That means this morning I need to have eggs and turkey bacon for breakfast. For the first two weeks it's no cereal, no breads, no dairy (except for some lowfat cheese). I'll keep you posted on my progress. I have to get ready for work now, but I'll write tonight to let you know how I made out with the rest of my day!

morning!

2007-01-09T08:44:00.000-05:00

Today I'm feeling tired and chubby:) I have a cold I've been fighting off for what seems like forever now. grrr! I have so much to do, but if given the choice, I'd just want to sit on the couch today and watch tv or read a book. Oh well...i have tomorrow and the next day off, so hopefully I can rest up and kick this bug then. I also need to take alfie to get his nails clipped. He hates that, but they get so long we can't stand to have him on our laps.
As for the chubbiness problem, Big Guns and I have decided to go back on the South Beach Diet starting on sunday. We both are feeling like we put on some holiday pounds, despite our best intentions. So, Lisa and Sue, you guys won't be alone in your efforts to get in shape:) Next week I'm going to get serious about my work outs again too. By July we should be the hottest group of people in Maine:)
ok..gotta finish getting ready for work:)

Woohoo!

2007-01-04T18:03:00.000-05:00

Well, I have started my new job. It's definitely different from anything I've done before. I'm trying to therapize a bunch of teenaged boys who don't think they need help. Needless to say they're a rowdy, inattentive crowd. My feeling is, if I can conquer them, I can do any job the future holds. They're good kids, and I definitely have a soft spot for them. I think they like to try to take advantage of that. The other night while they were under my supervision a food fight broke out. There was pork hanging from the ceiling. I made them clean it all up. I was surprised when they actually listened to me. I couldn't think of a consequence they should have for it after they were done cleaning, so i had to call in reinforcements. I'm not good at being the mean/strict guy. It's a skill I had better get working on though. I had today off, but I'm in tomorrow, so we'll see what the fall out was and what I should make them do next time.
This afternoon I had an interview at the same agency for another position, that, when combined with my current job, would put me up to full time. The good (AWESOME!) news is that I got the job. woohoo!!! I'm now at 40 hours a week, or will be by the end of january and will have benefits along with all of the other luxuries of being a full time employee. The worse but still AWESOME news is that I will be in charge of developing an outpatient group program for teenaged drug users. It's an amazing opportunity for me, so I'm really excited about it, but it is also a little scary/intimidating since most of my exprience to date has been working with kids and families on parenting type issues. I know next to nothing about drugs. I'll be spending a lot of time reading up on the subject ove the next weeks and months. If anyone has any good resources let me know:) Change is good! So is a good challenge. I'm up for it. I do well when I'm under this kind of pressure, so i'm not too worried about how it will turn out, just a little nervous. Keep praying for me:) Big guns is here, so I have to finish blogging now and go smooch. I'll keep you guys updated

It's super official now!

2006-12-19T15:16:00.000-05:00

I'm employed for real! I even have a start date of December 27! It's such a relief. Big Guns and I were suffering from a brief episode of anxiety yesterday and this morning waiting to hear something official. I'm looking forward to having a real job i can sink my teeth into:)
Speaking of sinking my teeth into something, I've been hard at work making christmas cookies, and I have to say I've impressed myself. They're really good. I made frosted sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies made a secret way, and spritz cookies using my cookie gun...They just melt in your mouth. If you see me over the holidays, you just might be lucky enough to have some:)
I'm still christmas shopping. I figure I'm about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way done. I' m running behind this year. oh well, what can i do?

Employed!

2006-12-15T11:17:00.000-05:00

Finally! woohooo!! I got the job at the drug treatment place. I have kind of had the offer in the works for the last few weeks, but they were trying to figure out the details. To start with it will be part time, but even then, I will be making almost the same salary I was making at my last full time job, and I get to have clinical supervision which will bring me closer to my license. It is 15 minutes away from the apartment, so the commute will be easy. In the next few weeks, it should be moving up to full time. it has taken so long to get it to be official because they were trying to figure out how to make it full time. they have a slot lined up for me, but it is a matter of getting people together over the holiday season to have meetings to discuss the particulars and the red-tape of sharing me with other departments. finally the woman who will be my supervisor emailed me today and gave me the option of starting out part time and moving up to full time in a few weeks. i jumped at it. i am so happy to finally have a job!! thanks to everyone for their prayers and encouragment. it is two months to the day that i left my last job. it was beginning to feel like it had been years. i could not have better news to get me in the celebrating mood!

one cat for sale

2006-12-13T14:58:00.000-05:00

whoever wants him can have him! Big Guns and I went on on Friday night and bought a new Christmas tree. We had fun decorating it and getting ourselves and the apartment into the christmas spirit. Ever since we put it up alfie will not leave it alone. No matter how much water we throw on him, he always goes back for more. Just a few minutes ago he knocked the whole thing over! It went crashing down onto our table, breaking the ornaments and the tree itself on the way down. grrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2006-12-04T09:23:00.000-05:00

It snowing today! I get excited the first couple of time it snows. After a few months though I get tired of it. It would be nice to have a white Christmas. I'm supposed to meet my mom in Portland this week to pick up my Christmas decorations. Not exactly convenient I know, but she and ma store things for me that we don't have room for in our apartment. I suppose, someday when we get a house, I'll have to take it all back, or maybe I can hold a giant lawn sale!! I need to go Christmas shopping soon and start thinking up Christmas goodies I can make.
I had another interview over the weekend for a community health center in boston. It was a strange interview, but I think it went well. It was another one where they woman didn't really ask me a lot of questions...we swapped stories about grad school, previous jobs, and she wanted to know where some scenic places in maine were that would be good to visit...no questions about my approach to working with kids, no questions to see if i knew what i was talking about....i think she just read my resume and took for granted that i was being honest. I was, but still, you'd think they'd want to make sure....I would love to get the job...at this point, i would love to get any job, but i enjoy working with kids, and it sounds like i'd have a chance to really do some good work, and it has a good salary....we'll have to see....in fairness to her and her interview style, she is leaving the position because she just had a baby. She thought she would go back to work afterwards, but has decided that she would rather spend the time with the little one. I think her head just isn't in the working game at this point.
They said it will be 2 weeks before I hear back from them. Everyone seems to be taking their time with making hiring decisions. I think they assume that nobody will want to start working during the holidays and that it will be a pain to train someone too when everyone's going on vacations and stuff. Most of them are saying they want someone to start in January. I would love to start tomorrow, but as long as i get a chance to do something soon, i wont complain.
I'm trying to be a little more chill about getting a job... I needed to hear the sermon at church this week. It was very helpful. It was saying that sometimes we think God doesn't know what he's doing because from our perspective our lives can look all messed up, but really, he does know what he's doing. We just can't see the big picture. He has a purpose and we just have to trust him. I'm trusting and praying that the Lord will put me where I need to be.

Still Waiting!

2006-11-29T14:34:00.000-05:00

I'm still waiting to hear something about a job! Talk about time moving at a snail's pace. One place called me today. The program manager I first interviewed with was let go. I think that was probably a good thing, but at any rate, I met with the overall director and got past that interview last week. I got the feeling from that interview that things were in my favor. I guess in the mean time they have hired a new program manager. She finally called me today to see if i was still interested and to get to know me a little bit. Then she said she needed to talk to the senior managers (i think the 2nd person i interviewed with) and would get back to me. I think an offer may be in the works, but i'm having to wait so long that it's hard to say. I sooo can't wait to get a job...I have a couple of other interviews tomorrow. One's at a hospital in boston. I'm not too psyched about that one, but i need a job, so i'll go to the interview. The next one tomorrow is a second interview at an agency that does elder protection work. That one is a bit of a commute, but I think i would really like the job, so hopefully that goes well too. It would be really nice if i could have an offer before tomorrow afternoon, but who knows if that will happen.
Big Guns made me a wonderful birthday dinner this past weekend. It was so sweet it made me cry! He's just the best!! He also got me a new cell phone. He used to make fun of my other one because it was so old. This one is cool. I can even take pictures with it! Wait till you see the shot of Big Guns I have on it;)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-22T13:21:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I love you! This is my first thanksgiving spent outside of maine. I wonder what the Maine crowd will do without my jello pie!! I am going to try to wow the Connecticut crowd with it this year!

down in the dumps:(

2006-11-21T11:02:00.000-05:00

I think i have a stuck hormone today or something. I just feel like moping around the apartment. I am really frustrated by my job search. It seems like it is taking me a long time to get one. I do have some promising leads, but the stress of all this waiting, and hoping, is getting to me. Yesterday I went back to the school where I've had two interviews and hung out with the little kiddos. Of course I fell in love with them. They're wonderful. I can't imagine they'd have me go meet the kids if they weren't planning on making me an offer, but this waiting to find out is going to be the end of me. Tomorrow I have a second interview at the drug treament place. It will be such a relief to just get an offer of some kind...i know i need to stop worrying, but i think it is in my genes:)

another good interview:)

2006-11-10T13:45:00.000-05:00

The director of the program all but gave me the job today. Next week, as a part of some kind of formality, i'll have to go in for an interview with the director of the entire agency. But today, the person i interviewed told me she looks forward to working with me and would like for me to bring in pictures from my wedding dress shopping:) She also took the time to introduce me to the entire staff and she told them that I was coming aboard. I'd say I'm pretty much in. This job was working at a drug treatment facility for teenaged boys. Definitely a rowdy crowd, but I think it could be fun. Assuming I get an offer from the one from yesterday, I'm not sure which one I would take. THis one is closer, but it would be only 32 hours a week to start out with, with full benefits, and clinical supervision. She said that she would try to work it up to 40 hours a week for me, but couldn't promise anything yet. (I assume that would mean more money) I think the salary is comparable to the other one. My experience is more in line with the other position, I have the potential to make a little more money, but it is a longer commute 45+ minutes. It's nice to be in this position though, where I may soon be trying to choose between two to three different jobs, instead of scrambling to find one. Keep praying for me though. I don't actually have official offers yet, and it is an important choice I need to make. I have another interview at a school this afternoon. Wish me luck!

what a difference a day makes!!

2006-11-09T14:10:00.000-05:00

I had an excellent interview this morning. I really think i might get an offer out of this one, though there will still be another round of interviews before they decide. Definitely keep praying for me on this front. I don't want to go into too many details about it, in case it doesn't happen, but I just might be employed soon!!! I have two more interviews tomorrow, so it seems like something outta be working out before too long;)

Today's Interview:)

2006-11-08T11:03:00.000-05:00

Well, it didn't leave me with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. They said they'd let me know by early next week if they're interested in a second interview. Honestly, I don't expect a call, but who knows. It is a therapeutic school for children, or supposed to be. I feel like they try to treat children with their brains rather than their hearts. It felt more like a dog training school. I've learned that it doesn't matter what type, or approach, to therapy you use (and there is research to back this up). The most important thing is the relationship between the counselor and the client/child in this case. You need to have a good rapport, and in order to do that, all of your interactions need to be based on honesty, mutuality, and genuine respect for all the other person is and has the potential to become. The bottom line is you need to be real, and you need to be invested in the person's life, and they need to be able to feel that from you on an intuitive level. With people who have been abused, and haven't had much of a life, that can take time, but that's what I believe we are there for. When the person gets it...that's why I do this work. Life is too short and precious to give up on. It brings tears to my eyes to think about the amount of strength it takes for them to reach out and to believe in themselves again. It is nothing short of a miracle.
In contrast, this school touts it's devotion to the principles of its "biotechnology". To me and to Webster's dictionary, biotechnology is more related to medical technology than human relationships. When i think of working with children and trying to make a difference in their lives, I don't think 'biotechnology'. " For some reason, I find those terms uninspiring. The lady showed me artwork around the school intended to display the school's 50 principles of human diversity. The pictures were beautful, but something about the terminology they use doesn't sit well with me. It seems like they think they have the world of human relationships down to a science. I don't think it's a science, and to try to make it sound like some kind of technology is bologna. It robs the human experience of it's beauty and meaning. It's much to sterile, and that was my general impression of the facility as I toured the school.
Maybe I'm being overly harsh and judgemental here, so in the off chance that I get called back for a second interview I'll go (as I mentioned before, I'm very tired of being unemployed!), but I won't be too disappointed if I don't.

Update!

2006-11-07T15:56:00.000-05:00

I have another interview on Friday at a therapeutic school in Haverhill. That makes three interviews this week! woohoo! Wish me luck!

The invitations are settled:)

2006-11-07T09:23:00.000-05:00

Well, thank you to all who responded to my poll with their suggestions. I think about 50% of my readership responded, so I would say that is a good voter turn-out:)! As romantic as the suggestion for the Top Ten Countdown seemed, we decided to go with Cherished Roses.
Next on our to do list is to arrange for rooms to be reserved for our out of town guests. We're already reserving the whitehall inn, but we think we'll need a few more additional rooms somewhere. We also need to decide on a menu, get a photographer, get a dj, design the ceremony, arrange for ceremony music, pick dresses, gather addresses, write up directions, pick colors, and then take care of all of the little details..and don't forget about the honeymoon:). It's exciting, though now i understand why it takes people so long to plan a wedding. I'm not sure how much we'll get done in December because of the holidays and all, so we're tryingt o get a head start this month.
In other news, I have two interviews this week. One is at a therapeutic school for children with emotional/behavioral problems and one is at an agency that investigates reports of elder abuse. I'm not sure which one I would prefer, I just hope I get a job offer soon. I'm very tired of being unemployed. Keep me in your prayers!

Wedding plans!

2006-11-05T09:06:00.000-05:00

Big Guns and I are hard at work making wedding plans. This week we are trying to nail down our invitations. We both have our favorites, but I thought it would be neat to see what ones you guys picked. Check out this link and then let me know which ones you would choose.
Big Guns is much less concerned about wedding colors than I am. I have a bunch of colors that I think would be pretty, but I can't choose yet. I'm thinking pink, light green, light purple, yellow, sky blue, turqoise, peachy-orange....and there's probably a few others that I've lost track of. I thought maybe I'd go bridesmaid dress shopping first, and see which dresses we liked best. There are some dresses down here near where I live that I just love, but i need to shop around for a while first and get some second opinions and have people try things on. So much to do!!

Happy Halloween!

2006-10-31T20:43:00.000-05:00

How do you like our pumpkin? Not bad, eh?

Learning how to post pictures:)

2006-10-21T08:30:00.000-05:00

This picture is me, Mom, and Ma, from graduation. Aren't we cute? Someone needs to show Ma that she's on the internet now!!

Learning how to link:)

2006-10-21T08:26:00.000-05:00

In order to get everyone into the holiday spirit I thought I would link on this page of animals in costumes.

Good news, good news, good news!

2006-10-13T12:12:00.000-05:00

I have an interview next week at what I think will turn out to be my dream job. It will be at a residential school for adolescent girls. Way more of the kind of work I want to do and way less of the stress of my last job, which I'm finishing up today by the way. Perfect timing! Keep me in your prayers!

sometimes i amaze myself:)

2006-10-06T10:03:00.000-05:00

last night's dinner came out perfectly! i'm so proud of myself. i made peach salsa chicken, salad, and some kind of green bean casserole with bacon, tomatoes, onions, and garlic mixed in. it was really good, and i think big guns was tickled with it.

this morning we slept in a little. i haven't been sleeping well the past couple of nights, but this morning i talked myself into going to the gym. i'm glad i went. whenever i work out, i seem to push myself a bit harder when big guns isn't around. i haven't figured out why that is...probably when he's running next to me, i get lost in daydreams, thinking how cute he is and i forget to run! Anyway, today i went without him. I had a good hard run, but now i've pulled a muscle in my upper thigh! ouch! i have ice on it right now. pretty soon i need to jump in the shower and get a crack on my errands.

Woohoo!

2006-10-05T09:57:00.000-05:00

We got tickets to see the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular in Boston in December! I can't wait for it. I've been jumping around the apartment today practicing my kicks. Maybe they'll want me to join them:) I need a lot of practice. yesterday I accidentally knocked down the towel rack in the bathroom!
I haven't been blogging much lately. A few weeks ago, I finally caved in and left my notice at my job. It was a tough decision to make, but I think it was the right one for me and for my career. I found a job posting yesterday at a DV program down near where BigGuns works. I would love to work there, so we'll see how it works out. I've also posted my resume on Monster.com and have a list of other places to check out. wish me luck!
Tonight I'm cooking a special dinner for Big Guns. He's been working a lot of long hours this week, so I'm treating him. I can't tell you what I'm making yet because it would spoil the surprise if he checks my blog before coming home. I can't wait to see how it comes out!
This might seem kind of random, but i'm realizing more and more how perfect God's timing is. It makes my life so much easier to know that he's got everything under control.

good news!..sort of:)

2006-09-14T11:43:00.000-05:00

It's not official yet, but I talked to one of the girls in the billing department this morning, and she told me I had more charges than she originally thought, so even with my held charge waiting for a signature, I made the 40 charges for the last two weeks, so i will get insurance. This means I will be hanging on to my job. I don't know yet if i'll hang onto it for one month, six months, or one year, but i'm not leaving my notice any time real soon. As annoying as it is to deal with the company's whacked out policies, I didn't really want to quit yet. It is fun to daydream about it from time to time though...I really would like to stay there for a year. That doesn't sound long, but for this company's employees, it would be pretty close to a record, and I think it would put future employers at ease knowing that I'm not a job jumper. we'll see what the future holds.

morning!

2006-09-13T07:16:00.000-05:00

I just need to whine for a minute. Yesterday I worked for 11 hours. I only got paid for 4.5 of those. My job stinks!!! I hate to be so negative about it, but honestly! I don't know how anyone can make this kind of a position work for them. ok, I need to get ready to go now. I have a nine am appointment to get ready for. I don't think they're going to show up, but I need to be there just in case. She didn't show up yesterday and she didn't call me, so I don't know what would make her want to show up today, but we'll see.

long day ahead!

2006-09-12T06:51:00.000-05:00

I have a few minutes to post before I go to work, so i figured I'd go ahead and do it so I don't get any more complaints. Today I have a long day. I'm going to start around 8:30, and I won't be done till almost 8 tonight! It's kind of a bummer. I have three days like that this week, and then on Friday I get done at 5:15. I really can't wait for Friday. I can't wait until I can have a normal job. I'm going to try to hang in there at this one until next summer. I know I can do it. I just wish I could get home a bit earlier. On a happier note, the weather outside has been beautiful. I love the air in the fall. It's almost time for apple picking! woohoo!

weekend fun

2006-09-11T08:11:00.000-05:00

This weekend, Big Guns and I took it easy. We were both feeling pretty worn out from our crazy schedule. Friday night I worked till seven, so we ordered a pizza when i came home and went to bed not too long after. On Saturday morning we got up and took care of some errands we had to do, including food shopping for the 'big game' on Sunday. We settled on ribs and twice baked potatoes. We decided to go out to dinner on Saturday night. Big Guns and I changed our clothes and made sure we looked all nice. A few weeks ago we had gotten some coupons in the mail for a nearby restaurant, so we decided to branch out on our options and give it a try. It reminded me of a cross between Bonanza and Wendy's. You stood in line with your tray and could choose either a hamburger dinner or a chicken sandwich dinner. I went for the chicken dinner because it came with dessert, and Big Guns got the burger-milkshake combo. Our total came to 23 dollars, and we had two ten dollar coupons. They let us use both of them, probably because they felt bad that we had spiffed ourselves up to go there, so we each had dinner for abouit $1.50. The food was pretty good. I was surprised that I liked it, and I really had fun. We had to put a big cutout of a milkshake on our table so the waitress would know where to bring it. As it happened, next door, there was a free wine tasting going on, so we decided to check it out. Big Guns has spurred my taste for wine on. My favorites so far are lindeman's and coastal estates. I was more excited though because it was FREE!! I get my love for all things cheap or free from my grandmother. You just can't beat a night out on the town that costs $1.50 per person. Go us!! After that excitement, we were worn out (it was like 7:30!), so we went home, watched a movie, and went to bed. Then Sunday was church and the big game. I'm sure Big Guns will fill you all in on that part of our weekend. Next weekend we are going to North Conway to celebrate our anniversary. Our first date was up there, so we're going to go back to reminisce and smooch. I can't wait! :)

Save the Date!

2006-09-07T07:49:00.000-05:00

It's official! The big day is going to be July 14th, 2007. We have the ceremony and reception sites reserved. There's soo much to think about now! I can't wait. This morning I'm getting ready to go to work. I'm working late all this week in the hopes of making up for taking part of Monday off. It's going to be tight, but I think i'll just barely make it. I have to run, but hopefully I'll write more later. Love you guys! See you later Big Guns!

2 posts in 2 days! not bad:)!

2006-08-28T14:21:00.000-05:00

I have a little bit of time to kill before i have to get to my next appointment, so i decided to blog a little...mostly to appease my grandmother! It's kind of a rainy day down here today. it would have been a prime day for snuggling into the apartment. I read something today that said we're supposed to have a long, snowy winter...I imagine i'll get my snuggle time in then. I have good news today though. i've been trying to schedule people for monday, which is labor day...and most people are telling me upfront that they are not going to be around. that means a day off for me! i just have to squeeze as many people as i can in this week and in the rest of next week. that will be fun though. i'm glad. it's a real bummer to have to go to work on holidays. and i'm at the half way mark for getting my health insurance. as long as i hit my quota this week and next i'll get it. i don't think i'll have much of a problem getting there. ok. i have to run off to work now!

i'm posting!

2006-08-27T20:00:00.000-05:00

HI Everyone, especially Ma and Lisa! Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but big things have been happening around here lately seems as two weeks ago today Big Guns and I got engaged!! I guess I've been off on the posting lately because I've been spending my time daydreaming with Big Guns about our wedding and about our life together. It's really wonderful, and really hard to believe at the same time...THis weekend I finally got my ring back from the jeweler. It had to be resized. I always thought girls were shallow and silly with all their talk of rings and weddings and other frilly stuff because the important part is finding another person you can love so much and want to wake up next to every day, but I was shocked at myself for how quickly I became attached to THE ring. :) It has been a long two weeks waiting for it to come back! I was nervous driving with Big Guns to pick it up on Saturday morning. It's all sparkley and shiney. I feel like a movie star, but it isn't the ring so much, as it is the meaning behind it. How lucky I am to find someone who makes me feel so happy. I really can't wait for every minute we share together. We still don't have a date, or a location decided on yet...Maine for sure, but we're undecided about whether it will be the rockland area or portland...both have pros and cons...so we'll have to do some real exploring here in the next couple of months...in any case, we're shooting for summertime in the hopes that the weather will be more cooperative and attractive:)
yesterday we went to jen's for a birthday cookout in honor of jen's, aunt jo's and ronnie's birthdays. it was really fun and we wound up staying until 8pm. i love being able to drop by her place again..it's just like it always used to be...only we're grown up now! (or atleast we're supposed to be!) We filled today up with errands. Alfie had to get his nails clipped again so we took him up to PETCO in NH. Life is so much easier with a place like that around. Alfie does not like to have his nails done. He acts like a rabid coyote from the moment they start until they stop. The lady had to place him in a harness that looked big enough to restrain a German Shepard in order to get down to business. My heart broke for both of them. I bought him some catcandy afterwards. I'm hoping to train him to associate getting his nails done with getting catcandy so he is less resistant. I'll keep you posted on how it goes. That's all the news I have for tonight. It's just about bedtime!

I'm bad:(!

2006-08-03T12:35:00.000-05:00

HI guys
I haven't blogged in awhile b/c I've been busy. things have been going pretty well, but today i've kind of dropped the ball. I wound up calling in sick. technically i don't get sick days, so what i really did was cancel all of my appointments for today and rescheduled for next week. i woke up in middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep. then i cried for several hours. poor big guns got stuck trying to cheer me up. he really is the best. i'm in no condition today to help other people with their problems...i think i'm just stressed out...and the client who is 'obsessed' with me is really scaring the crap out of me, so i'm putting my foot down and i'm not going to work with him anymore...i think he is where the majority of my problems are coming from...i'm probably just overtired, so it is getting to me more...and making things seem more difficult than they really are. i'll be fine tomorrow but i may be on the hunt soon for a different job where i don't have to go to people's homes. it seems to me i would feel much safer and less stressed if i found something like that.

sunny day!

2006-07-24T12:30:00.000-05:00

hi everyone! it's such a pretty day today. i managed to squeeze in a little lunch break today, so i'm home with a few minutes to kill. i miss alfie running to greet me. yesterday we caught a sea dogs game up in portland. it was fun. i just wish it had been a day like today....it kept raining...and the sea dogs lost:(! maybe next time they'll get 'em! i feel very good today...i was a little slow moving this morning, but now that i'm moving around i'm enjoying myself...yes!, even in lawrence and on a day when i have a lot of work to do...go figure...oh well..i need to get going now.

evening, ma!

2006-07-18T20:31:00.000-05:00

Hi Ma! I know you probably won't get mom to read this to you until sometime tomorrow, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm still alive, so you don't have to worry so much. It was really hot here today...I swear it felt like it was 100. Big Guns is sick again, so send him some get well soon vibes. he is still the sweetest though. even though he wasn't feeling well, he went with me to the garage this morning to get my car inspected. what a guy! i'm looking forward to seeing everyone this weekend! i'm going to bed now because i'm tired.

Hi, Ma!

2006-07-16T19:27:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone!
I don't post as much as I should these days, but tonight i just had to because I know my grandmother has been waiting to here from me! It is good to be loved that much! Today Big Guns and I have just been doing errands around the apartment. Now our apartment is glistening, our clothes are cleaned and ironed, and food has been thought out for the week. After our hardwork we decided we deserved an evening of pampering. We soaked, moisturized, and exfoliated our feet, so they'd look nice in our sandals. Big Guns didn't think I was exfoliating with enough gusto, so he helped me finish up my feet. Don't I have the sweetest boyfriend on the planet:) Now my feet are nice and soft and callous free...so are his:) Well, that is all my news for tonight. I still have a little bit of a cold, and tomorrow I have a long day of work. I can't wait to see everyone next weekend. Goodnight!

evening:)

2006-07-09T19:19:00.000-05:00

Evening, Ma! I'm still alive:) It was fun to see you all this weekend. I'm glad you came. Today Big Guns and I have just been doing errands and getting ready for the week. Tomorrow I have to work until 8pm! Part of me is complaining, but part of me is just hoping my clients show up so I can get paid! On friday all of my appointments cancelled, so I made $0! They say that I should expect days like that, but that I'll have enough busy days so that it will all average out. I hope they're right! I took alfie to PETCO this afternoon to get his nails cut. It went much more smoothly this time around than it did when I took him to the vet. He whined just a little. Afterwards we went and browsed around the store, and I bought him a treat. I'm hoping he'll remember the treat after getting his nails done more than the actual procedure, so that eventually, he'll like the clippers. I'll keep you posted. Today he chose a small furry mouse. I think it was catnip free. He and Big Guns have been throwing it around the apartment all evening. We started watching a movie tonight, but i got bored, so i decided to come in and blog a bit. I know i've been slacking off lately...the first few weeks at work have been a bit crazy, though it feels like things are starting to settle down a little....Ma, don't forget to tell everyone about the fried dough party on the 22nd!

where's my post?!

2006-06-26T07:29:00.000-05:00

i just posted a new post, but it didn't post!!! where'd it go? oh well. i wish i had more time to write more. HOpefully later this week i will. i'm sure i have some funny stories tucked away for you to read. i'm too anxious about starting my second week of work to focus on anything now. have a nice day everyone! i miss you all:)

morning!

2006-06-26T07:19:00.000-05:00

Morning everyone! i haven't been able to post much lately. i've been so busy! I don't have to start work this morning until 9 or so, so I have a little extra time. I'll get home around seven or so. I was hoping to get set up with auto insurance this morning, but it seems that no one opens until 9 am. I found one agency a few towns away that stays open until 9pm, so i may have to go with them....we'll see. i'll be glad when all this practical stuff is taken care of. this weekend big guns and i took it easy. on saturday we were both too tired to do too much. then on sunday we did all of our errands. I couldn't sleep last night because i was a little anxious about my 2nd week on the job. i'm sure it will be fine, but i'm a real person now, and that brings with it quite a bit of responsibility. hopefully i don't mess up anyone too bad:) next weekend big guns and i are going down to NY for a Reed family reunion. Grandma will be there, so it will be good to see her again. We're going to be staying with big guns' old college roommate. It turns out he lives just ten minutes away from my aunt flo, so that works out perfectly. gotta run. i'll try to post more often this week! i'm sure i have a few funny stories tucked away in my head somewhere...

New Job:0

2006-06-20T19:17:00.000-05:00

Well, I haven't been able to post much lately seems as I'm a workin' woman now and all. I'm quite busy already. It's really exciting to finally be doing the work I have been training to do for so long now. How did I get so lucky? This weekend we went down to CT to visit Big Gun's father for Father's Day. Brian's friends, Jaimie and Kelly let us stay with them on Saturday night. They're a couple of cool people:). Thanks, guys! Yesterday was orientation at my job, and today I dove in. So exciting! I love it, but I don't have much to say right now b/c my brain's a little full. Maybe I"ll get a minute in the morning to post again. Love you guys!

My first MI-5

2006-06-16T08:43:00.000-05:00

These questions were created by my cousin Lisa.

1) If you could only have one type of cereal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I love Cheerios. I could eat them every morning I think. I don't care for the sweet stuff.

2) If you could only have one type of ice cream for the rest of your life, what would it be?
This is a hard one. I love ice cream of any kind. Most recently, in Key West I enjoyed coconut and chocolate ice cream on a waffle cone from the Flamingo Crossing. They make it themselves, and it was delightful. Usually, I go for chocolate chip or mint chocolate chip. I also like M&M McFlurries from McDonalds, and a highlight of any trip to Bonanza was the ice cream at the end of the meal. I would choose the chocolate and vanilla mixture and then put caramel and chocolate sauce on top. I also remember going to Carvel's in New York with my dad. He swears it's the best ice cream on the planet. I'm not so sure about that, but I won't take that argument up with him:) I would always get softserve vanillla or chocolate with rainbow sprinkles. I also remember having a thing for toffee bar crunch ice cream at Miss Plum's in Camden after a trip to swim at Megunicook Lake. Did I mention I love ice cream?

3) If you could cook pototatoes only one way for the rest of your life, how would you cook them?
Honestly, I would microwave them. My grandmother is proud of anything and everything I do, but, she hasn't been able to hide her concern at the state of my culinary skills or possible lack thereof. I'm not much of a hand for cooking. Though my grandmother has tried to reassure Big Guns that I can do it if I try. I imagine she's right. I'm just impatient with it sometimes. Lucky for me, Big Guns is a wonderful cook. He's always fixing up some new delicious dish for our dinner. Back to the question though. I don't have strong feelings about potato. I liked it mashed, baked or boiled, or even fried, but I can take it or leave it. I don't usually crave it.

4) If you could have only one type of pizza for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I love the Margherita Pizza from Bertucci's. It is a thin crust with tomato sauce, basil, and slices of mozzerella on the top. Jen introduced me to it when we were apartment hunting down here. I'm forever in her debt:) I would be disowned by my father and brother if I didn't mention Sal's pizza from New York. Truthfully I'm a fan of it too, but since it is so far away, I am rarely able to indulge. That's probably a good thing though. I love the ciscillian cheese pizza there. It comes in thick cheesy rectangles with little plastic things on the top that look like Barbie tables to keep the cheese from sticking to the box.

5) If you could have only one type of tv dinner for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Having lived the student life for quite a while, I have sampled many. My favorite was Michelina's Fettucini Alfredo. It was only 99 cents and it tasted good, especially on a cold day.

Lisa, you are making me very hungry with these questions!

I'm back! :)

2006-06-16T08:12:00.000-05:00

I'm back to blogging. We got back from our trip on Saturday. Then on Monday I had to go up to Spruce Head to pick up Alfie. I stayed longer than I expected because I had so much visiting to do. I still didn't get everything done that i wanted to, but I had to come back because I was missing big guns:) I got back here Wednesday evening. Then all day yesterday I had a headache because I was trying to give up coffee again. I decided that it wasn't worth it. Big Guns says he likes my coffee breath anyway:) so this morning I enjoyed a lovely cup of coffee and am happy to report that I'm feeling much better. Coffee is wonderful:)
I know there has been much speculation as to how I got the name Sizzlin. You guys have so little faith in me! I know you think it is a juicy story, but the truth will reveal how unimaginitve Big Guns and I are. When i was thinking about starting up a blog, Big Guns offered to help me think up a good name for myself as I have had trouble in that department in the past. My best name to date had been redorangelettuce. I came up with that name because my favorite color is red, orange comes next in the rainbow, and I was finishing up my salad which had lettuce in it. Anyway, I don't know how much help Big Guns was. We were eating dinner at the Outback restaurant in Portland and as we were perusing the menu we saw Sizzlin' Steak or something like that. From that moment on I became Sizzlin. I like the name, but I wish we had a better story to tell about it. Big Guns got his name because his arms are big and strong:)
We had a wonderful time in Key West. It was beautiful. Hopefully we'll be able to show you our pictures soon. I'm going to drop off our underwater camera to be developed today. It turns out we were swimming with peranas! (I'm not sure if that's the right spelling) I had know idea there were such thing in the water down there. While we were snorkeling I saw these long skinny fish. I swear they were 3-4 feet long. Big Guns volunteered to try to get closer to take a picture of them. I'm glad he didn't make it down that deep because they probably would have attacked him!! That's crazy. Some other people in our snorkel group saw a shark too! I'm not a very fast swimmer, but boy did I hightail it out of that area! In retrospect it would have been cool to see it, but I didn't want to risk having it take a bite out of me.
I start my new job on Monday. I'm looking forward to getting going with it. I'm sure it will be an amazing experience for me. I'm really lucky to do the kind of work I do. I am repeatedly awed by the strength of the human spirit:) It's very exciting and moving to witness. I hope you all have a good day:)

vacation time!

2006-06-03T04:12:00.000-05:00

ok! we're on our way to florida in just a few minutes. Pray for a safe trip for us!

Caffeine withdrawal :(

2006-06-01T09:50:00.000-05:00

I decided that it was time for me to give up coffee...AGAIN! I don't want to have to hunt down a cup of coffee every morning while we are on vacation, though I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to find. Hot weather and coffee just don't mix for me. I gave it up earlier this spring, but fell off the wagon during the last push of the semester when I was running low on steam. I"m also thinking cutting coffee out of my diet will cut down on the amount of time it takes me to get ready for work in the mornings. As a soon-to-be working woman, it's a luxury I just can't afford:) I can just wash and go:) Yesterday was my first day without it, and it went surprisingly well. Then this morning it hit me. At about 3 am, i woke up with a headache, and when we got up at 5am to go to the gym, I had NO energy. I couldn't even make myself run, so i just did the elliptical trainer for a little while and that took some effort. Then this morning, I already had to take a little nap. I think I slept from 8:45-9:45. I still have a nagging little headache too:( poor me:( It'll teach me to fool around with addictive substances:) I'm waiting until after lunch to begin my errands because yesterday I was out all day and got so engrossed in my shopping trip that I forgot to eat lunch. By dinner time I was starving, and I was still starving this morning! I can't believe we're going on vacation the day after tomorrow! woohoo! It looks like we're staying at a really cool place right on the beach. I can't wait:) Tonight we're meeting Jen and Joe for dinner. We're going to Bugaboo Creek.

Now I can enjoy myself:)

2006-05-31T17:45:00.000-05:00

Today I went shopping for clothes. I don't really have much for "work" clothes, and what I have is winter oriented or too formal for my new social work career. I am pretty good about saving my pennies, but I have no problem spending money at Kohl's. I love that store. I always finds tons of clothes and good bargains there. Today was no exception. I swear, almost everything in the store was 50% of. I bought several summery skirts and some pretty tops. I'm still having trouble in the shoe department. It's so hard to find pretty, comfortable shoes. I'm going to try the mall tomorrow I think. As we all know, it is essential that a new social worker to be 'pretty'. :) I know I'd make Julia so proud :). When I got back I did my step aerobic tape. I still use the step bench that Uncle Ashley built for me 15 years ago or so. It has stood the test of time, and I think it could still hold up a Mac truck:). Then I topped off my afternoon by making lemon jello before Brian got back from work. See guys! I do cook:)! He's making steak and yummy veggies. We're trying to do the South Beach Diet. So far it is quite successful. We're both looking slim and trim:)

It's official!

2006-05-30T16:20:00.000-05:00

THE JOB IS MINE!! :)

Afternoon!

2006-05-30T13:30:00.000-05:00

Good news! I'm going to be 'officially' offered the job at 5 pm. There was a minor snafu with the background check stuff while the director was out on vacation. (i.e., he didn't get the references i emailed to him before he left, so nobody knew to check them). I spoke to him this afternoon, and he assured me that the interview went well and that he does want to hire me! YAY!! It's soo exciting! I can't wait to get started! I am still tired this afternoon, but I'm not nearly as neurotic. That tends to happen when I get stressed. Now I can just enjoy my time off. I'll start in a few weeks. We're leaving for a trip to Key West on Saturday morning. We decided to schedule a quick vacation when we realized that I wouldn't be able to get any time off for a year. I'm nervous about flying, but I'm sure we'll have tons of fun when we get there. We can celebrate all the good news:) I'll let you all know how the official job offer conversation goes later:)

Sleepy Morning :)

2006-05-30T07:48:00.000-05:00

I am sleepy this morning. I haven't been sleeping so well this past week. I have come up with several theories that might explain why. I might be homesick. I might be hungry. I might be hot. Alfie likes to dive-bomb off the windowsill onto me during the night, which might be disrupting my sleep from time to time. I am worried about finding a job. I am worried that the job I think I found is really just an elaborate ploy to steal my identity. I might be too rested. I might not be rested enough. I might have a 'stuck hormone'. I obviously have too much time on my hands. I'm hoping to get to the bottom of the job situation today. Here's the thing. THey asked me when I could start, so I told them. THen they said they would just check my references and call me when they heard back from everyone. I took that to mean that I have the job, but every since that afternoon, I have been worrying that I misunderstood something. Honestly, there wasn't much to misunderstand. It seemed pretty straight forward, but in case you haven't noticed, I'm a worry wart, and I don't like to count my chickens before they hatch, so the past week has been an endless stream of stressing while i wait to here the 'official, offical' word. Keep your fingers crossed for me. I'll let you know what i find out later today.

Happy Memorial Day!

2006-05-29T08:03:00.000-05:00

I don't think you wish people happy memorial day, but I want to recognize it in some way today, so "Happy Memorial Day". Usually on Memorial day weekend I go with my mom and grandmother to deliver flowers to the graves of our family members. This year they had to do it without me because I'm down here in Mass. I'm sure this year would have been hard. It's still hard to admit that Uncle Bill isn't here anymore. I start crying just thinking about it. We also always go the the Tenants Harbor Memorial Day Parade and then have a cook out at my cousin Lisa's. It's always a good time:) I'm planning on dropping in on my cousin jen today to see if I can convince her to have a cookout or some kind of celebration. SHe lives about 10 minutes away from my new place. I doubt she's in the mood for celebrations though. THis weekend they've been trying to repair the damage the floods did to their new home.

My adventures

2006-05-26T15:36:00.000-05:00

Well, so far live in Massachusetts is pretty good. We moved down here the day after I graduated in the middle of a week-long driving rain storm. The entire area flooded. It was crazy! Thankfully my mom and brother came along to help speed up the move-in process. Needless to say, everyone got drenched. Our exploring of the area has been limited because of numerous blocked off highways and submerged roads. Maybe this weekend...
Yesterday I had to drive back to my old apartment to clean it out and turn in the keys. I will not miss the linoleum on the kitchen walls, the window in the shower that opens into the neighbors living room window, or the wall to ceiling wood paneling in the living room. The heating system will not be hard to give up either. It would be freezing cold all day, then all of a sudden, at 2am, it would kick into high gear, making it almost unbearable to stay indoors. Steam would emanate from the unit and I'm positive the loud banging noises it made could be heard from miles away. Needless to say, I felt like celebrating when I turned the keys in and was told I'd get my full deposit back.
I stopped in to have lunch with a friend before heading back to Mass. I have been out of graduate school for less than two weeks, and I am already a fugitive from justice. I pulled up to a toll booth, and the sign indicated that I needed to fork over $1. I was poking around my change purse and discovered that I had collected several Susan B. Anthony dollars. I said to my self, "these are really cool, but I probably don't need to save all of them. I know, I'll give one to the toll booth lady". I handed it to her, said thank you, and proceeded to drive off. All of a sudden an alarm started ringing. For a second, my heart stopped beating. I looked in my rear-view mirror and saw another car heading through the booth. I didn't know what to do. I waited for a few seconds, but nothing seemed to be happening, so I drove off, with alarms eventually fading in the distance. I then said to myself "she must have thought I gave her a quarter. I can't believe it! I gave her a dollar!". I had visions of patrol cars surrounding my vehicle demanding that I hand over 75 more cents. I also thought of a Dateline type show I had seen that showed where different places in the country were using cameras to catch people's license plates when they went through red lights to hunt them down and give them tickets. I am still wondering if the toll booth operators have such technology. I have decided that if I get a ticket, I'm going to court to fight it and to clear my good name! I'm not a toll evador! Then last night, we were sitting here in the living room watching tv. The phone rang, and who was it but that Massachusetts State Police! I nearly fainted! The authorities in the other state had not only figured out who I was but had figured out where I was living now and what my phone number is. I haven't even figured out my phone number yet. That was impressive and disconcernting at the same time. All this for 75 cents that I had actually paid at the toll booth! argh! Why wasn't that toll booth lady more observant?! It turns out that the police were doing a fund raising drive, and they weren't coming to arrest me. I told them they had the wrong number and hung up. What an ordeal!