My Last Day of Freedom

Hanalei Bay

Na Pali Coast

Today is my last day of fun time at work. It's the last road trip of the year...well hopefully not, but probably. Except for the conference tournament, but I'm going also, so I'm won't be able to enjoy the peacefulness of the quiet office. But I did get accomplished what I hoped to, and that was planning our Hawaii trip. I finished the Kauai book last night and typed up the itinerary today. I can't wait. Kauai sounds awesome and we're going to get to do some things that we'll probably never get to do again. Like ride horses on the beach (I've ridden a horse once, and I was about 11 so I'm sure I'll embarrass myself) and ride a catamaran off the Na Pali coast (which also involves snorkeling...my fear of sharks is telling me not to do that, so it is definitely going to push me out of my comfort zone). Also, I think I'll be nervous about the helicopter ride, but apparently it's the only way to see a lot of the island. And seriously, everybody has to die somehow. If God's plan is for me to die in Hawaii, that's actually kind of cool. I know I've posted pics before, but I'm really getting excited.

Nick wants to take me to see a movie tonight. He even looked it up himself. But he did try to talk me into going to see Rambo or Vantage Point. So we're going to see Definitely Maybe instead.

The Braves are on this afternoon. I'm going to miss not seeing them every day on TBS. They're playing the Dodgers, who it seems like to take our players (Andruw and Furcal). But if they want to pay millions of dollars for players who are past their prime, more power to them. Whatever. I got tickets today to see the Braves in St. Louis. It was frustrating. I had to wait in a virtual line, and then I had to keep trying over and over again. I love the Braves, but I'm so glad it's not that hard to get tickets to their home games. It was ridiculous. But I got them.

Being an Adult

Being an adult is no fun. Yesterday Nick and I signed our wills and Powers of Attorney and all that. I had been wanting to get them done for a while, so I'm relieved to have it out of the way. It's not a huge deal for us, since if I die, obviously he gets my stuff. And there's not much of it. But at least we've made things as easy as possible just in case something should happen. So many people don't have a will, and it's really pretty simple. I actually know people who have kids (young kids) and don't have a will. I'll be dragging Nick to the lawyer's office months before our kid is born to get that done. What if something happens and no one knows who you want your child's guardian to be? Or what if they know, but they don't necessarily agree, and it's not in writing? But I'm really anal about planning this sort of thing out. And also, my dad can do our's, so I don't have to pay for it.

Also, as a side note, I'm listening to Dave Ramsey, and this one guy owes almost $100,000 dollars. He makes $10.00 an hour at his job (but has never actually taken the time to figure out how much money he makes per year) and his wife doesn't work (they don't have kids...she just doesn't work). He wants to know what they should do?

Pictures of the Dogs

President Bush

I wanted to watch Regis and Kelly and they broke in with the stupid President! So now I have to listen to him stuttering through some speech about why it's ok for our phone calls to be monitored. Actually, no it's illegal dude. And the worst part is when they open it up to questions. At least his speeches are written by someone else. When he actually has to think for himself, it all goes downhill. Anyway, he seems angry that he hasn't been given complete freedom to tap everyone's phones because some phone companies are still wary of being sued. Well duh. We have these things called Amendments, and they give us certain rights. And you can't come back hundreds of years later and take them away. For what? We're not safer. We're not. Anyway, that was actually the whole point of this post. I am so sick of this man running my country. And John McCain is more of the same. Also, I heard today that McCain wasn't even born on US soil....possibly on a military base overseas? So is he allowed to be President? Also, President Bush doesn't think our country is headed for a recession. Do you think he knows what the word means? I mean, it sounds a lot like recess, so maybe he thinks it's a good thing. Yay, recess!

My Husband

What is his name? Nicholas Brent Addington

How long have you been married? 9 months on March 2nd (271 days)

How long did you date? Almost 2 years, plus we were engaged for a year and almost 3 months

How old is he? 25

Who eat's more? Nick

Who said I love you first? Nick

Who is taller? Nick

Who sings better? Nick

Who has a worse temper? it's a tie

Who does the laundry? We both do, but Nick does more

Who does the dishes? Lately me, but usually Nick does

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Nick. I'm the only wife ever who has to sleep by the door

Who mows the lawn? Nick

Who drives when you are together? Usually Nick. He always wants me to drive, but then he complains when I do.

Who cooks dinner? We share that duty a lot. Although he would probably say that he does it more.

Who pays the bills? Me

Who is more stubborn? Both

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? We're both really not good at that

Who has more friends? Nick does, but none of them are near us

Who has more siblings? Me, but I only have one

Who wears the pants in the family? Probably me, but I'm working on it

Snow

This is probably the most snow we'll get all winter. It's almost Marsh, so I guess winter's almost over really. But I didn't have to come into work until 10:00 this morning, so that was nice. But I didn't find out until I was already up so it didn't really do me much good. At least I have been able to get a few pictures of the dogs outside in the snow. If you can even call it snow.

I got tickets today to the Braves game we're going to in June. I think we're also going to try to see themn play in St. Louis, but I have no idea how hard it is to get tickets there. Those go on sale Friday, so we'll see. I went with my dad once to Busch Stadium when the Braves were there, but I haven't been to the new stadium.

Patience

Making Allowance For Each Other’s Faults
by Jon Walker


“Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” (Ephesians 4:2b NLT)

The more we understand, the more patient we become.

When we see the hurt beneath the anger, or the reason behind the behavior, we’re more likely to “make allowance for each other’s faults.”

The ability to understand is a sign of patience. (Proverbs 14:29) The Bible teaches, “A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.” (Proverbs 19:11 NIV) God’s wisdom teaches us that love is patient (1 Corinthians 13:4), and that impatience is not love.

When facing a challenge to our patience, it helps to remember God is not asking us to give more patience to others than the patience he gives to us. The apostle Paul uses his own life as an example of this, saying God showed him mercy, despite his many sins, so that “Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience.” (1Timothy1:16 NIV)

We need patience with one another because God created each of us with different shapes, assigning each of us a different mission in life. We all have different backgrounds, and we’re each at a different place in our journey with Jesus. Practicing patience keeps our view on the things above, allowing us to see how God works even in the most difficult of circumstances. It is in patience we often learn that diversity is a strength, instead of a weakness.

The apostle Paul wrote, “Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with – even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.” (Romans 14:1 MSG)

What does this mean?

· Work at being consistently patient – Anybody can be patient when it’s convenient, but it’s much harder to remain patient when the day is slipping away or when you’re faced with the same mistake for the third time in one week. Patience often comes at significant cost; it requires you set aside your agenda and yield your rights in order to “welcome each other with open arms.”

· Learn to listen – Listening means more than just hearing someone talk; it means carefully considering what the other person is saying and actively trying to understand his or her point of view. The Bible says, “Listen before you answer. If you don’t, you are being stupid and insulting.” (Proverbs 18:13 TEV) That’s pretty clear! It means we shouldn’t evaluate what someone has done or said until we’ve heard the full story. God gave us two ears and one mouth, perhaps to tell us we should listen twice as much as we talk. Ha!

· Ask yourself these questions:

§ What makes me impatient?

§ What does my impatience say about my priorities?

§ How can I better understand the people who bring out my impatience?

§ Have I taken time to listen to their full stories?

§ In what ways do people have to be patient with me?

§ Do I give the same amount of grace to others as I expect them to give me?

§ “Love is patient.” (1 Corinthians 13:4 NIV) – that means love puts up with a lot for a long time. The next time your patience reaches its limit, remember how patient and understanding Jesus is with you.

Lots of Reasons to Feel Chipper

Lake Buena Vista, Fla. — At a time when much of the baseball-watching world believed Chipper Jones had nothing left to show us, he showed us he’s still Chipper Jones. At 35 he had one of his greatest years, hitting .337 with 29 homers, driving in 102 runs and scoring 108. And where, he is asked, would he rank 2007 among his 14 big-league seasons on the scale of purely personal satisfaction?

“Fourteenth,” he says.

He’s kidding. Spring training 2008 has dawned with Chipper Jones feeling … well, chipper. Apart from the bruised thumbs suffered when he tripped over the opposing third baseman (more about that later), last season was free of the injuries that limited him to 109 games in 2005 and 110 in 2006.

A year ago we all were wondering if this demonstrably great player was near an end. Today, Jones says, “I want to play until I’m 40.”

About last season: “It was awfully gratifying for me to prove I could still play the game at a high level when a lot of people were writing me off and saying they should get rid of my salary.”

Some athletes pretend they don’t read and hear criticism. Jones admits he sees and hears everything. “I read y’all’s paper and go online and check out the rumor mill,” he says. (Indeed, he even participated, without being solicited, in David O’Brien’s AJC Braves blog two weeks ago. He logged in as “U Kno Who.”)

Does U Kno Who get mad when he sees someone post something less than positive?

“No,” Jones says. “I use it as positive motivation sometimes.”

The creeping consensus in spring 2007 was that Jones’ body was beginning to fail. Something was always going wrong — a hamstring, an oblique, a foot. What prevented him from believing he’d become decrepit was that it wasn’t always the same injury.

“Those last two years were really fluky [injuries]. It hasn’t been my body breaking down.”

Here he smiles in that wry Chipper way. “If Frenchy [Jeff Francoeur] takes a pitch and lets me steal third base [instead Francoeur grounded to third and Jones, running on the play, flipped over Pittsburgh’s Jose Bautista], I probably would’ve played 150 games last year.”

He played 134, his most since 2004, and he finished sixth in the Most Valuable Player voting, his best showing since he won the award in 1999. “Last year could have been my best all-around year. I was in the running for a Gold Glove — my errors were way down, and my fielding percentage was up — and I challenged for a batting title. And I hit .300 and drove in 100 and scored 100 just like I did when I was a younger cat.”

Sometimes it takes an outside observer to bring a familiar sight into sharper relief. Steve Phillips, once the Mets’ general manager and now an ESPN commentator, called Jones “the Derek Jeter of the National League” a couple of years ago, and Jeter is the most respected player in the sport. To be likened to him is the ultimate compliment. Jones took it as such.

“Jeter and I are good buddies,” he says. “We’ve squared off in a couple of World Series, and I think he’ll challenge 4,000 hits before he’s through. He’s a winner. I dare say I don’t think he’ll have any problem going into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.”

And his own Hall prospects? “I’m one of the guys who, if I quit right now, I wouldn’t make it. I’m on the cusp. The next five or six years will tell the tale.”

Until July 2007, Mark Teixeira was one of those outside observers. Today he hits behind Jones and says, “He’s the most underappreciated player in the game … No doubt Alex [Rodriguez] is the most talented player I’ve played with, but Chipper is right behind him.”

And then: “Chipper could get a lot more attention in New York or L.A., but he’s a country boy who likes to hunt and fish.”

If Jones indeed plays until he’s 40, he wants it to be in the only place he has ever played. “I’ve always wanted to finish here,” he says. “Atlanta is a laid-back town, and I’m not a big-city guy. I know I could probably garner more attention and accumulate more accolades in New York, but that’s not me.”

There was a time when the young Chipper was as beloved by Braves fans as Francouer is now, but the inevitable familiarity (and a messy divorce) took some luster off the golden boy. Still, Jones says, “I think I have a really good rapport with fans. They certainly make me feel that way when I’m out in public. You can’t go to dinner or to a movie without people showering you with praise. You’re never going to please everybody, and I’m not going to try. But I think I’m good enough for the majority.”

So here he stands: Larry Wayne Jones Jr., age 35, about to go to work on another February morning, feeling rather better this February than he did a year ago. “Last year I was putting a little pressure on myself after what had happened. This year I’m a little more relaxed.”

But not fully content. If he has learned nothing else, Chipper Jones has learned that baseball is about today and tomorrow, not yesterday. “At the end of the day,” he says, “I’ve still got to keep putting up numbers to hold everybody at bay. At my age, if you have one bad year everybody thinks you’re washed up. And I don’t want to hear it.”

Bad Day (already)

So far, work has been bad! I figured it would be after last night. I'm trying to see how far I have come with this patience thing, but it doesn't seem like very far. Which is frustrating. Fortunately it's Friday. Tomorrow is senior night for the guys and the girls, so I'll be glad to have that over with. We have 5 players and 2 managers graduating, so it's been a lot more work than last year, when we just had one player. Anyway I'm tired of talking about work and basketball, because it's depressing! Although my favorite girl's player from back in the day (from their last final four appearance....national runners-up in 1991-92), Kim Pehlke, just called. So that kind of made my day. But I couldn't really tell her that I loved her and was kind of obsessed with her. I was 9. I used to go outside and tried to imitate her shot for hours. She's one of the reasons I still support this team now, even though they disappoint me year after year. See, depressing.

Spring training for baseball starts soon. But that will probably end in disappointment as well.

Also, this submitting to my husband stuff is hard. I am feeling like I have no say in major decisions, and I know that's not fair, because Nick is not like that at all. But what if both pray about something and we feel like we are getting different answers? Why is he right?

Ice Storm!

So this morning we had freezing rain and sleet. I had watched the weather last night, but Shane Hollinde on WBKO said BG shouldn't get much of anything. In fact, he said the roads would be dry all day today. They miss the mark a lot. So anyway, I got up this morning and there were about 25 schools closed. But since Warren County wasn't, I kind of thought it couldn't be too bad. They usually close for EVERYTHING. So anyway, long story short, I tried to drive to work, made it maybe 1/4 of a mile, and slid off the road into a small ditch. It wasn't a big deal, but I kind of freak out driving when it's icy (I'm one of those drivers everyone complains about). So I pulled off in a parking lot, called Nick, and went back home so he could take me to work. Anyway, I finally made it in at almost 9:00am. But I don't have a car, so I can't go home to walk or feed the poor dogs. I'm sure Sydney doesn't mind (as in, she's just fine using the bathroom in the house, and also finding things in the house to eat), but poor Izzy doesn't eat breakfast so I know she is starving. And also she needs to use the bathroom. And if one more person calls the office to ask if the game tonight is cancelled I will scream! But how will the other team get there? Uh, people, they actually get here a day ahead of time. It's college basketball, not junior high. Seriously.

I've been watching CNN, and this whole Serbia deal. I don't keep up with foreign affairs as much as I should (and I know that makes me like most Americans that are too self-centered and who think the world revolves around us). But I don't understand why we (by which I mean out govt.) is so quick to get involved in other country's affairs. Why did we need to recognize someone else's independence? Especially if it was so controversial, as it obviously was. No wonder so many people and nations around the world hate us so much. I don't really have much faith in George W's ability or knowledge when it comes to foreign relations. Like Cuba...I get that we don't like Castro, we obviously have tried on several occassions to get rid of him, and are glad he's gone. But isn't Cuba an independent nation? So what the heck? That's like France saying they don't George W. Bush and our style of govt., and they plan to do something to change it. And then actually doing it. We would attack them. Iraq, Iran, Cuba, Kosovo / Serbia, and lots of other countries...I kind of wish we could just worry about the US. We have a lot of issues ourselves.

Winter Storm Watch

I really shouldn't do this. My inbox is piled so high it's falling over, but I've been busy for over a week now so I'm taking a break!

1. What is your occupation? Administrative Assistant. I'm a little bitter about that.
2. What color are your socks right now? black and blue
3. What are you listening to right now? the heater
4. What was the last thing you ate? rice krispy treats
5. Can you drive a stick shift? No
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? blue...not sure what shade though, it changes often
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? my dad
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? nobody sent it to me, i stole it from people's blogs
9. How old are you today? 25
10. Favorite drink? sprite
11. What is your favorite sport to watch? college basketball
12. Have you ever dyed your hair? yes, several times
13. Pets? 2 dogs, Isabelle and Sydney
14. Favorite food? Can't decide...I have lots. I love food
15. What was the last movie you watched? 27 Dresses
16. What was the last book you read? I'm reading "Hawaii: The Big Island Revealed." I already finished the Maui version. Next is Kauai.
17. What do you do to vent anger? take deep breaths and count to ten...it doesn't work
18. What was your favorite toy as a child? I had this doll that I carried around everywhere. I called her Old Baby, which is weird, because only now is she actually old. I still have her, and she's 24 years old, which is really old in doll years I'm sure.
19. What is your favorite season? There's certain things I like about all of them. Summer is when we go on vacation, but it's also when the bugs come out!
20. Do you want your friends to email you back? I'm not sending it on e-mail
21. Who is most likely to respond? no one
22. Who is least likely to respond? every one!
23. Living arrangements? I live in a house, with my husband and two dogs. Occasionally the neighbor's dog will come in our yard and use the bathroom. Our dog has taken to barking at him, but she weighs 11 pounds and he's a lab. Our other neighbors' dog barks occassionally in the middle of the night (last night it was 3:15am) and wakes us up. That was a really long answer to that question, but there are lots of dogs. And bad neighbors.
24. When was the last time you cried? Probably about a day or two ago. I cry a lot. Anything can make me cry.
25. What is on the floor of your closet? Not much...I have a couple comforters folded up in the corner of it, and an organizer with some shoes and my jeans on top.
26 Who is the *friend* you have known the longest you are sending this to? I'm not sending it, but out of the people who read my blog (and really only maybe 1 or 2 people do), Andrea is the friend I have known the longest.
27. What did you do last night? Went home, then to the post office, to the UPS store, to Walmart, home again, to Toot's, then home again. Watched UK barely beat Georgia (boo), watched the election results, some other stuff, went to bed.
28. Favorite smells? Food!
29. What or who inspires you? Little kids. I love watching little kids...at ball games, these people dress their kids up in all this Western stuff, and it's so cute. Also my dogs, because they're never mad at me, and they also forgive me, and who else can say that? Nature is inspiring also. I don't get how people can look around at the world and not know that God created it. It's awesome.
30. What are you afraid of? The election (but my daily devotional for today was from Psalms 131:1-3, and it was talking about not worrying about what you can't control and what is too great for you, so that was awesome and totally what I needed!). Bugs.
31. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? cheese
32. Favorite breed? of dog? Sure. Shih-tzu and cavalier king charles spaniel. The cavalier is prettier I think (that is sydney), but from my experience, the shih-tzu is WAY smarter! But my parents have one, and their's...not so much. But that's not the dog's fault.
33. What is on your key ring? Keys
34. How many years at your current job? 4...2 full time
35 Favorite day of the week? Saturday
36. How many states have you lived in? 1
37 Favorite holiday? Christmas
38. Ever driven a Motorcycle or heavy machinery? No

Miss the Weekend

I miss the weekend. Brad Paisley was awesome. Rodney Atkins was actually really good too. Chuck Wicks opened for them...he's the guy who has the Stealing Cinderella single out right now. But I love Brad Paisley, even if he didn't do my favorite song off his new album, It Did. But there were so many drunk people there. The three people next to Nick apparently didn't think about how they were going to get home until they were leaving, and the girl said, well I can't drive, but I'll try. Awesome. Saturday we helped with Love101 at church. We were guides on the 3rd floor, which is where all the fun sessions were (How Far is Too Far?). I tried to listen, so I'll know what to tell my kids, but I couldn't hear much. But after hearing some of the questions the kids asked (and some of them were middle schoolers!), I'm a little worried.

Last night we had our marriage class at church. The topic was the husband's role. The husband is to be the leader and the lover. We finish up the section next week. I think it's so cool that we're doing all this stuff so early in our marriage. Nick is awesome for going to all these classes with me. Also, Jason said yesterday that he's starting a new series on marriage in our 20:20 services on Wednesday nights! It's pretty awesome how all of these opportunities to learn about how God intended for marriage to be have opened up for us just in the first few months of our marriage. Or maybe He just really thought we needed it.

Forgot to mention...

I heard on the news that the woman in the wreck was treated and released from the Medical Center. So that's good. But the two kids (they were both teenagers, not really kids) were flown to Vandy.

Anyway, in my sleep-deprived, and kind of weird mood this morning, I completely forgot to post that my parents are closing on their new house this morning. They're supposed to be moved out by tonight, but I don't know if that will happen or not. They still had a LOT of stuff there when we were there Tuesday. And they went to the game Wednesday and were home last night. So I guess they're not too concerned about it. My parents. Crazy. Anyway, I forgot to take a picture of my old house. Oops.

The Day After

So my Valentine's Day started out nice, and ended up kind of somber. Nick surprised me at work, and then after work by taking me to Olive Garden. Which I love. But the closest one to us is at Rivergate. We had to wait for an hour, our waiter was really rude and on the way back, we got stuck in traffic between Franklin and BG. And my husband, great as he is, is not the most patient person. Also, he doesn't like to stop for gas. I asked him to stop before we left town...no. I asked him to stop in Franklin...no. On the way back, I asked...no. So I thought we'd run out in Franklin. But when we finally passed the construction, you'd think he would stop. No, he thought we could make it home. But right after we passed the Scottsville Road exit at about 9:00pm, we came to a complete stop. And we didn't get home until 12:30am. So we had to sit on the interstate with our car turned off, planning how someone could get gas to us, just in case. That's my husband. But actually, by then, we knew that there had been a really bad wreck, so I wasn't that worried about the gas. But seriously, it kind of bothers me sometimes that my husband is so impatient and gets in such a hurry that he would neglect something like stopping for gas. We ended up having to stop at a Shell station 1/4 of a mile from our house just to make it home (and also because I HAD to use the bathroom!). And then he sped home without his seat belt on. And someone had just died in front of us. So that was awesome. But this morning, he called me and told me that the guy that died worked with him, and he had just talked to him yesterday.

So anyway, life is crazy. If we hadn't gotten stuck in that traffic in Franklin for 30 minutes (we got to the wreck at 9:00, WBKO said the wreck happened at 8:30), we could have been in it. All those stupid things that we get mad about, you never think that sometimes maybe they're blessings. I know God has a plan for everything and everyone, and I know that His plan is good, but that's easy for me to say. I can't even imagine waking up in a hopsital and having to find out that my husband is dead. And then telling my kids that? Assuming that the wife and kids live. We saw the helicopters leave. It took them until after 11:00 just to get them out of the car. Of course, it took an hour for the emergency people to get there. That's quick response. Anyway, it made me realize how much I take my life for granted (and I'm sure most of us do), and also how dangerous interstate travel is! No, mostly just that none of us have any control over our lives, so we really can't do anything except trust God. So, pray for the family and their loved ones. I haven't heard anything else about how they're doing, just that the father didn't survive. WBKO has a really short unupdated story about it on their website.

Valentine's Day

Today is everyone's favorite day. Ha just kidding. It's actually a really stupid day. Like the other 364 days you're not supposed to show your significant other that you love him or her? But fortunately Nick is awesome and does a nice thing for me every week (I mean, he's nice more than once a week, but he surprises me with a card or letter or candy or the cookies I like from Riley's and stuff like that). That's what we do. But at least Valentine's Day is an excuse for me to buy him something. I'm excited to give him his gift, because it's something that I think he's wanted for a while but he just hasn't bought himself. And it's for his truck. So yay, points for me! And I even had to go in the Chevy dealership all by myself and order parts. He better like it. He came to work today and brought me a card (with a poem! that he wrote!) and candy and a monkey, and he has something planned for tonight. And also, we're going to see Brad Paisley tomorrow night. So maybe this dumb holiday won't be so bad this year.

Work is stressing me. We have a lot of seniors this year, and senior night is really soon. And there's a lot to do. Quickly.

Survey

So here's the deal. I don't really feel very well, so I'm going to try to distract myself for a little while with this survey.

1. Has anyone seen you in your underwear lately?
Probably.

2. Is it awkward when you run into your exes?
I don't have many exes and I don't see the ones I do have too often, but I would say it is awkward, yes

3. Have you kissed someone this past week?
Yes, but not very often, because he's been sick. And now we both have sore throats.

4. When did you last talk to your brother or sister?
I talked to Mikaela on Sunday.

5. What did you do the last time you were home alone?
Read

6. Do you ever wanna know who you are going to marry?
I'm already married

7. Have you ever watched the Real World?
yeah. It's a stupid show

8. How much cash do you have on you?
I have my gas cash, but we have already used up all our entertainment and grocery money

9. Who are the 3rd and 7th texts in your phone?
I don't know, I delete them as soon as I reaad them. But all my texts are either from work, or basketball scores

10. Are you tanned?
No, but hopefully I will get a tan in Hawaii

11. Are you upset with anyone?
No, but I feel pretty certain that Sydney did something she wasn't supposed to do at home this morning. But I couldn't find it, whatever it was. And now when I do find it, it will be too late to punish her. She's getting pretty clever about her hiding places, but she hasn't quite mastered not looking guilty. But I'm upset, because her little guilty face is adorable.

12. who are you not talking to?
No one, although sometimes it might be easier with my parents. I get to go to the tournament in Mobile, and Nick doesn't have anymore vacation days, so he can't go. I called my dad to invite him to go with me, but now my mom's going. 8 hours in a car (my car, and she's a terrible driver) each way, stuck in one small hotel room with someone I have nothing in common with. It will be a test.

13. Have you ever seen your best friend cry?
Yeah, but not too often. Nothing too awful has happened to most of my friends or loved ones so far. We have all been pretty fortunate up to this point.

14. Did you get any compliments today?
No

15. Have you ever gone to court?
I've been to the courthouse a lot, but not for my own personal reasons

16. Are you friends with your neighbors?
No, but that's bad.

17. Have you ever punched a guy?
No

18. Do you get jealous easily?
Used to, but I think it usually tends to have the opposite effect intended. And I'm married now, so if he cheats, I get all the money!

19. Have you ever played Spin the Bottle?
No

20. Bricked someones house?
No

21. Have you ever had a crush on your brother or sisters friends?
No, but my sister is 12, so that would be weird

22. Have you ever gone to the beach?
Yes, several times. I'm so excited about Hawaii in 3 1/2 months!

23. What are you listening to?
nothing.

25. How good is your eyesight?
Not too bad...25/20 I think? It's gotten a lot better over the years. I used to have to wear glasses that were about 5 inches thick.

26. Would you ever want to swim with the sharks?
No, but swimming with the dolphins was awesome and I can't wait to do it again

27. Have you ever been out of your country?
I've walked across the border to Mexico a couple of times. I've also been to a few countries in Europe.

28. Would your parents be mad if you got arrested for fighting?
I think it would just be a weird situation all around if I got arrested for fighting. Could I even stay in a fight long enough for the cops to show?

29. Do you have a Honda, Toyota or Nissan?
No, but close (to the first two anyway). It's a Mazda.

30. What time did you wake up this morning?
7:10am

31. What are you doing saturday?
Oh, that reminded me. I am going to email a friend and see if she needs help at church with Love101

32. What is in your back pocket?
No back pocket with these pants

33. What were you doing at 3am this morning?
Sleeping

34. What do you usually do first in the morning?
I snooze for 10 minutes and then I get up and get dressed

35. Ever went in a car with people you just met?
No

36. Made out for more than 3 minutes?
I'm married now

37. Slept in a different bed?
No. I love my bed. And the husband has to sleep in the other bed, right?

38. Made out in a cinema?
If I'm going to pay the rip off prices to go to a movie, I actually watch the movie. I have a house I could stay at for free

39. drove in a car with people you just met?
I think this is a repeat

40. Thought your cousin was hot?
No, but also ew

Weekend of other Excitement

So this weekend was actually kind of boring. And nice! Target FINALLY got some new clothes in so I bought quite a few things there. They had a lot of things in this really pretty blue color, so I was excited about it. It seems like they've had the same clothes for the past 2 years, and also it seems that their clothing prices have been getting more and more expensive. But the stuff I got was pretty cheap. I also ordered my swim suit and a couple of other things from J. Crew...also blue. So I should be all set for Hawaii. And also I've spent all my blow money, which is unfortunate. I did so well with the saving for so long. Nick and I also had time finally to put some stuff on eBay, like my Nintendo and his Sega. Their rates are going up (well, they say they're going down, but the % they charge if you sell something goes way up) on Feb. 20th so we wanted to get it listed and ended before then. We got out the stuff and played it (just to make sure it still worked). I used to love my Nintendo. Mostly just the Super Mario Bros. But I can only play for about 10 minutes and then I get bored. I can't sit still that long. And someone has already bid on it.

Church yesterday was thought-provoking for me. There are a lot of times when I go to church, and the message really grabs my attention and then the next day I forget about it. But yesterday Jason talked about using our time, talent and abilities to do more for God, and creating margin so we are able to do this. And sometimes I feel so guilty that I don't do enough. I feel like I am trying to do so much to grow in my personal relationship with Christ, through reading the Bible, attending worship services, ABF, small group, marriage classes, reading other books, devotionals, alone time with God, prayer, tithing, etc. And that's awesome, because my relationship with God has come so far in the past year and a half or so. I feel like I am a much better wife (although nowhere near what I need to be) because of it, and hopefully will be a better mother also. But I know that it will be a never-ending process. But just focusing on MY relationship with God is not enough. And really, it just goes to show how selfish I am. Jason said during his message that if God only wanted us to be saved so that we could go to Heaven, as soon as we were saved, he would kill us and take us right then. But he doesn't. He has a greater purpose for us...he wants us to do good. And I have so many excuses...I don't know what I can do (I can't sing, I can't build anything, I'm not good with people, etc), I don't have tons of money, I don't have the time...you probably know how it is. But the truth is, God has blessed me with so much. Everything that I have I have because of him, and it all belongs to him. So how can I be so selfish with it all? But yet, God loves me anyway, and I don't have to depend on my actions and my works to earn his love or to get into heaven. Because of his grace, and his Son, I just have to believe. But, I still need to strive to do more. Whether it's giving money or donating time to some cause or activity, or whatever, I need to do more. Most days, I get a devotional emailed to me (the Purpose Filled Life devotional), and ironically, today's was about this.

Your good works will be powered by God’s grace – “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV)

Also, last night in our Strenthenging Your Marriage class, we finished up our section on the Wife's Role (Being Submissive). Obviously, if you know me very well, you might know that I am not by nature a submissive person. But knowing that God commands me to do it kind of means that I have to do it whether I feel like it or not. And luckily I don't have a husband who would ever try to make any big decision without my input. Not that we've really had to make any big decisions yet. Although when to get married, buy a house, and also the discussions on when to start having kids I would say are big decisions. But anyway, it was a lot of information, and I think it's good that we're doing this at the beginning of our marriage. And next week is the role of the husband, so Nick has to learn how to lead. And I still get to have a say in everything and also correct him (lovingly, of course).

So, this weeks looks like it will be a busy one. I get to have my cavity filled this afternoon (yay me!) and get some stuff for Nick's Valentine's Day gifts. My parents have to be out of their house by Friday night, so they're moving, and I have to get the last of my stuff sometime this week. Also, it sounds like theit moving has been completely chaotic, so I am going to go over and label some stuff. Because chaos and lack of organization drives me nuts. And I don't want to hear about the things they've lost 8 years from now in this move. Wednesday night the guys play Troy, Thursday night is Valentine's Day (Nick says he has it all planned), and Friday night we're going to see Brad Paisley! Plus, work is very busy. This is the only break I've had all day, which might explain why I'm writing so much!

Weird Comment

I was going to delete the comment on yesterday's post, but actually it kind of perfectly describes why I would never support Mike Huckabee. The way I look at it is, I would gladly pay more taxes if I could see that it's going to provide more programs (welfare, medicaid, healthcare, etc) for people who genuinely need it. And I know, conservatives are complaining, but that is sooo exspensive, but hello, what is our current national debt? Yeah, that's what I thought. The way the Republicans do it, they raise my taxes, just so the rich people don't have to pay any. And McCain is so old, it's not unlikely that if Huckabee was the VP he might end up becoming the Prez. But anyway, I'm watching the View, and I'm not sure why because it always makes me mad. Elisabeth is crazy. And conservatives drives me nuts. At least the stimulus bill was passed (that John McCain thought too unimportant to vote on) so I get some money in a few months!

Also, I got an email about a diamond settlement from DeBeers, so maybe I'll be getting some money from that too. How awesome would it be to get some money from my engagement ring and not even have to sell it (b/c I'm not selling it, for sure).

What?

I am tired of the politics. I listened to Mitt Romney quit today, and afterwards, I was very glad he did. But now I'm listening to John McCain, and honestly, I don't understandhow people living in the same country can have such different ideas. I guess that's what makes it great, but ack! My head wants tp explode. Republicans are nuts. And it's my blog so I can say that if I want to. And I do...a hundred million times. James Dobson is nuts and I know he's on WayFm and I'm all for raising your children in a Christian home, but he's nuts. And why do they all think Democrats are the ones who want to influence every part of our lives (big government) when Republicans are the ones who want to legislate everything (who we can marry, that we shouldn't be able to get abortions, that our phones can be tapped and our emails read, etc). I want to be able to make my own decisions! I am so ashamed to live in America sometimes and that makes me mad b/c I love my country. I'm very sorry that my blog has become mostly my political rantings lately, but Nick is not too much into politics, so it has to come out somewhere.

Also, for Valentine's Day Nick is taking me to see Brad Paisley next week! He even looked up Duke tickets for me, but the cheapest ones start at $300 each. So maybe another time. Now I just have to figure out what to get him.

Lots of Things

First off, I love Robin Roberts. If I ever have cancer (hopefully not) I hope I can handle it like her. I just turned on GMA, and she's on there in some red glittery dress with roses (I missed most of that segment so I have no idea what's up with the dress and flowers) and no wig. And I'm sure she feels pressure to deal with it in a positive way because she's in the public eye, and I'm also sure that privately she's had her hard times with it, but she just seems like a really cool and caring person. Who also knows a lot about sports. And current events and politics. And her and Diane Sawyer are really good together on GMA. But I did also like Charlie. Anyway I really admire how she has dealt with everything.

On CNN this morning, they had a couple of reporters in Lafayette, TN, talking about the tornadoes. Nick works with this guy from there (apparently he drives it every day). He works third shift, so he was working when the tornado hit. His wife called him (and this is very smart) and he told her to take their son and go to her parents' house, which is right down the street. Then she looked outside and saw their barns, which were blown down, and so she was like, no, not going to outside. So he left work and decided to drive down there. And to get there, he drives through Allen County, which also had a tornado. So of course he couldn't get through, and he borrowed some guy's truck, and it still took them all night to get there. Anyway, the point of that story was that it was really bad (and also, not smart to try to drive through tornadoes...or to leave your wife and small child at home in one). I saw on CNN this vet's office that was destroyed, and they couldn't find two dogs. It was sad:-( I can't handle the animal stories. I can't imagine my dogs in a tornado.

Nick is sick. He actually missed work today, which is possibly the first time he's ever missed work due to illness. But he doesn't get sick days, which is stupid. His doctor told him he either has bronchitis or walking pneumonia. But all he gave him was a Z-Pack. Not even anything for his cough. The doctor is paranoid because his blood pressure is a little high, but if he doesn't prescribe him something, he's just going to take OTC stuff, which is worse. So we went out and got him some Mucinex for his cough, but he still has a fever, so I need to get some more Motrin. I feel like somebody's mother.

Also, I went to the Dentist yesterday. I do have a cavity. But not in the tooth that's been hurting. He couldn't actually tell me why it's been hurting. So that's just awesome. I have to get the other tooth filled on Monday. It was expensive though. I have dental insurance, but a couple of the things they do aren't covered. I'm not all about the out of pocket expenses. Maybe that's why more people don't go to the dentist. And it took forever. And of course I got the lecture about not flossing often enough. And also apparently I brush my teeth too hard...so hard in fact, that I'm actually wearing away at my gums. So that's awesome.

Anyway, this post has been super long. But I have the office all to myself today. Duke beat North Carolina last night, although I fell asleep. Our new comforter and duvet is so comfortable...you can't lie in the bed and not get sleepy. It's awesome.

Relief (sort of)

I googled toothache and read about Clove Oil, which is supposed to help. So I went to GNC last night and bought some. It tastes really nasty and burns my mouth, but it actually did help my tooth. That and popping Motrin. So hopefully that will get me by until I see the dentist tomorrow.

We got our comforter yesterday, and I slept so well last night. The only thing that I can't decide on is the duvet. The color matches our room, but I'm thinking it might be too much blue. Although I could always exchange the pillow shams for white ones. Such hard decisions.

Today is Super Tuesday and I'm very excited. I'm ready to see who the nominees are going to be for President (even though as a Kentuckian my vote really will have no meaning by May). I think it's funny that Perez Hilton is supporting Hillary. But also cool, because I really would have thought he was a big Obama guy. But anyway, I get excited about politics, especially during the elections years. And I probably annoy some people, so sorry. But not really, because it's our country! And I'm annoyed with people that try to run their ideas and opinions down my throat. Like at church. I've been reading their prayer journal (which is supposed to go along with this prayer devotional we're doing). But one was about abortion (it's murder!) and yesterday's was turned into this political thing about abortion (again) and how you have to involve God in everything (which I agree with), including politics. Anyway, I dislike my church telling me who to vote for and how to feel about issues. I have a brain, thanks.

No Fair

So I finally made an appt. with the dentist, like I posted last week. My gum had been kind of hurting in the back, but mostly I just really need to go b/c it had been a while. So I thought I was being very proactive (and I actually do brush twice a day and believe it or not, I started flossing, because my floss tastes minty and it's fun!). So Friday I got a toothache. Usually when I get sinus problems, my teeth with kind of hurt, because the whole side of my face will hurt. But no, it's my actual tooth. Hopefully I just have a cavity, because I've scared myself into thinking I need a root canal (I don't really even know what a root canal is, but from everything I've heard, it hurts so it's obviously scary and painful and bad) or I have gum disease. But for the first time ever, I will be relieved to go to the dentist, because my tooth is killing me. The Anbesol numbed everything but the tooth. Anyway, it's just ironic that I finally get up the nerve to go to the dentist and then my tooth starts hurting.

I wasn't too impressed with the commercials last night. I hate Fox. They used half the commercial slots to plug their own stupid shows, and really, I just hate Fox anyway. But at least the game was good. I'm not a big Tom Brady fan (something about him leaving his pregnant girlfriend for a supermodel, and could he act like he cares any less about winning?). We had church until 7:00, so we DVR'd it, and by the 3rd quarter, I was really tired and also impatient since there was no offense! So I went in the other room and turned on Sports Center to see who won. I kept trying to tell Nick the Giants would win. . And mostly I just don't like the Patriots. Or any team that has to spy to win. Seriously.

This week is Rivalry Week in basketball. Which means Duke/North Carolina on Wednesday! Louisville and Marquette play tonight. I'm very excited about good basketball. Also our guys play at North Texas on Thursday, which will be a tough game. But we're getting closer to the end of the season, so hopefully we can keep winning. If there's going to be a year to do it, it's this year. Like, as in, it's this year or never. Like....we might go 5-30 next year.

Anyway, it's time for lunch.