Love Letters

My heart skipped a beat yesterday when I began to sort through my daily stack of mail.
There was that familiar envelope.
The front was stamped "Message from you sponsored child".

I thought "I can't believe Iliana has written again so soon."
It wasn't from Iliana, it was from Love.

She had written the letter back at the end of October. It must have been sent out of Haiti before the earthquake (because no mail is going in or out of there right now) and been sitting in Denver (where the letters get processed) when the earthquake happened.
It was a mix of emotions, reading the letter.
I was happy to read her words, but I was also sad not knowing when/if I would get another letter. It is so weird, being so attached to someone I have never met.

Anyway, I thought I would share her sweet words:
(She does not write the letters herself, she is still too young. The first letter was actually written by her mom. I believe this letter was written by a Compassion staff member as Love told them what she wanted to say. Reminder: the letter is actually in French and another one of Compassions staff translates)

Lindsey,
Woodshaina feels very glad to write you in Jesus name. She greets you and she asks you how you and your family are doing. She and her family are very fine. This year, she got in primary school and she's learning social science and applied science. She tells she's glad to receive your letters, you often write her, that makes her happy. She tells she likes dogs so much and she has a red dog, white forehead. She usually draws, where she lives is very nice, there are lots of trees and good wind. She tells that her mom teaches her how to pray and she knows Pslam 23. Do you know Psalm? Her friends at school are name Bivlive and Wanchise. She is praying so God blesses you, help her to pray for her school.
Love,
Woodshaina Love Joseph

Just re-writing the letter makes me smile and get a lump in my throat all over again.
Please remember to keep praying for Love, her family, friends and everyone in Haiti.

If you asked me today...

What I wanted to be when I grow up (and don't tell me I'm already grown ;-) )...
I would say:
A professional organizer.

Laugh if you want, but at least it is a step up from the answer I gave when I was in preschool...I don't believe I could have made it as a Blue Carebear. Yes, while other small tots were making their mothers proud by saying "I want to be a doctor/lawer/teacher when I grow up!" I was telling everyone I wanted to be a blue carebear. At least I didn't want to be a trash truck driver, no, those were my brothers dreams! ha! We were creative little kids, if nothing else.

Anyways, today...I would like to be a professional organizer. I wonder how much they make? hmmm.

I have jumped on the organizational train people! It's crazy.
I watched the show "Hoarders" last night. Oh. My. Gosh.
Those people, well, they just need to be hit by the organizational train! Yikes!
I realize that it is actually a mental disorder and when you get down to the root of the problem, it is actually sad.
Then, the more I started thinking about it...I think I have mini hoarder syndrome. Really, I think there is a little bit of that in a lot of us!
Why is it so hard to throw THINGS away? or donate them? or recycle them? Why do lots of us feel so attached to things?
You would think I grew up in the depression era. I find myself keeping the most random items. Empty jars, butter dishes, pringles cans, shoe boxes....I see a jar for buttons and beads, a dish for future left overs, a pencil holder, a box to stuff things in. I end up with more of these containers than I'll ever use. Sure, you could turn these items into useful/practical items...but if you haven't turned it into the item you saw it to be, toss it! I'm giving myself a week and if I don't use the item, it's trash!
One of the biggest problems for hoarders is the sentimental value they put on things.
I do it too! I am horrible when it comes to tossing something that "means" something to me, and the biggest problem...lots of things "mean" something to me.
Like, for instance, I can not for the life of me toss out the clothes I wore the day I got married (no it wasn't your typical white wedding gown-remember, I don't do things the way others do them, ha!). I have the white capri pants and hot pink polo shirt still taking up room in my closet. I. Can't. let. them. go.
I also have a headboard in my GARAGE (no, it is not attached to a bed and no we do not make our guests sleep in the garage). My grandfather made it. It wasn't even mine! It was my brothers. My problem? My grandfather signed it and it was one of the last items he made. I. Can't. Let. It. Go.
I will never wear those clothes again. I will never use that headboard.
Why do I keep these things?
After thinking about this question for a bit, I realized that, the longer I keep an item, the more attached to it I become. Like the headboard, if I had gotten rid of it years ago, I probably wouldn't even remember it existed.
My solution, I am tossing things out before I can even get attached to the thing. I started this when I began to organize my hobby closet. I threw away hand fulls of cards and letters that I had received over the years. I kept the ones that really meant something to me. I tossed the cards that were just signed or had a short message of no real value.
My precious mother, recognizing my mini hoarding dilemma, even wrote "throw this card away" on the back of this years valentines card from her. ha! Go mom!

What it all boils down to, is this one simple fact, all of the above mentioned things are just that! Things!!
When I'm long gone, some one will find these things and never see the "value" I saw in these things. These things have no purpose in my actual purpose in life. I would like to quote Carrie Underwood "This is my temporary home It's not where I belong Windows and rooms that I'm passin' through This is just a stop, on the way to where I'm going..."
I can't take these things with me to the place I'm going, why keep them here in my temporary home?

If there is some thing or things that you have/had a hard time parting with, tell me about it/them? I would like to know what things others find valuable.

A Freezer Full of Deer Meat

I currently have a freezer full of deer meat.
No, my husband does not hunt.
No, I do not like deer meat.
No, I do not know anyone that lives near me that likes deer meat(besides the person that gave us the deer meat, and well...how do you "return" something, some proud hunter, gave you?).
No, I do not want to waste.


I have been cleaning like mad, lately.
So of course my cleaning craze has led me to the fridge...and ultimately to the deer meat.
As I stand there, scratching my head and struggling to think of a good place for this meat, it hits me! Eureka! Grandma!
Grandma...well, for one, she can't taste, so she'll eat anything. However, even when she could taste, she would eat anything, lol. So I decided the deer meat was going to grandma.
Oh happy day! The deer meat has a home!
Here is the thing, my grandma, because she can't taste, likes to cook for everyone she knows.
If you know my grandma and you do not like deer meat.
THIS IS YOUR WARNING!
Please do not come to me and complain that grandma fed you beef that did not taste exactly like beef. I have warned you.
I am making up for the time I didn't tell everyone that she was putting unmentionable chicken parts in her gravy ;-)


I have been obsessed with organizational products, information, ideas, blogs, and TV shows lately. It must be a sickness, but I was overjoyed when I found THIS blog yesterday...an entire blog about Rubbermaid. love it.

Haiti Update

Here is the latest email I've received:

Dear Lindsey,
As the heartbreaking crisis continues to unfold in Haiti, I want to express my deepest gratitude for the outpouring of love, prayers and donations we have received from sponsors and friends worldwide. We are so thankful. Here is a brief update of what we know so far:
Many thousands of Compassion children have been significantly affected by the earthquake.
Many have lost family members, homes and all possessions.
Sadly, we now know for certain that some of our children have been killed or injured.
Our Haiti staff members are working tirelessly to locate Compassion children and determine each child's personal situation and needs.About 75 of Compassion's Dominican Republic staff have joined the relief effort and are now bringing food, water and medical supplies across the border into Haiti.We know you care deeply about Love Woodshaina K Joseph. Be assured that we share that same love and concern, and we are committed to providing you with specific information as soon as it becomes available. This will be a long road, and we will be there every step of the way, providing Compassion children with everything from the most basic and immediate care to longer-term recovery, such as rebuilding homes. We are so thankful for the faithful support of sponsors and friends like you. May God bless you!

I'm very ready to hear about Love and her family, but it breaks my heart to know that regardless of how she is doing, other children have been killed and some orphaned.
I do believe that God is at work.

I Do My Best Work In My Pajamas

My mother called three or four times over the weekend.
She knew that I had set this weekend aside to do NOTHING but organize.
At one point, on Saturday evening, she called while Sev was home. I was in the middle of battle number 653 with the file cabinets and rubbermaid boxes, so Sev answered the phone. Now I can't hear my mother so I can only assume that the conversation went something like this (remember I CAN hear Sev):
Mom: "So, how is the cleaning and organizing coming along?"
Sev: "Uhm, well...(lowers his voice) I don't really know, it looks like it's getting worse!"
UGH!!!! Okay, so maybe it did look worse...to the untrained eye!!! but everyone knows that organizing gets worse before it gets better, hello!

Friday night I picked up a pizza on my way home from work. I tossed it onto the kitchen table, told Sev to come eat and then went to change into PJ bottoms, a hoodie and fuzzy socks. I did not change out of those articles of clothing until Saturday evening, and then it was only to shower and get back into a different pair of PJ bottoms and clean hoodie. I stayed in the second pair of PJ's until around 4pm on Sunday.
I stayed up until 11pm Friday evening organizing, cleaning, and filling up garbage bags. Saturday morning Sev left to meet my dad and brother, out on the dirt bike trails. It was difficult to watch him load his bike and leave, but I held my chin up and pressed onward into my war of organization! I had my trusty stead by my side (okay, all I had was Ali). I was armed with trash bags, organizational tools and the will to conquer the clutter!! I would be victorious!!!.....andddd okay, I'm getting carried away....
So Saturday, I got to work around 10am (hey! Even real, sword yielding, conquerors need a little beauty rest..geesh). I did not stop until Sev got home around 5pm'ish. I only paused then to tell him hello and then give out garage organizing orders (which he accomplished). We did not get into bed Saturday evening until after 11pm. Sunday morning we woke up and I felt like poo. I was drained, had a headache and my body was sore. I popped some tylenol and laid on the couch until 10am. I knew my war was not yet won, so I jumped up and prepared for another day of battle. This did not end until.....1am last night!!!
This is what I accomplished in my pajamas:
~ I went through every Army record, form, award, order of Sevs and reduced it to one 3-ring binder full of page protected (I'm borderline obsessed with page protectors) Army papers that I deemed important.
~I found and organized all of the printed photos into 2 photo boxes.
~I sorted through all of the letters, cards, notes, and newspaper clippings that my grandmother has sent me over the years (and if you know my grandmother...it. was. a. lot!) and fit them all into 1 photo box.
~I sorted through all of the letters and cards that Sev and I have written to each other over the years (two deployments=LOTS of letters) and fit them all into 1 photo box.
~I sorted through all of the cards/letters/notes that Sev received while deployed (People, he was LOVED I tell you!) and fit them into 1 photo box.
~I got together every little token, item, newspaper clipping, mementos, random articles of interest that I had ever wanted to keep for future scrapbooking (I had LARGE rubbermaid boxes FULL of this kind of stuff) and fit it all down to 2 photo box (1 for Hawaii related items and 1 for every other kind of item).
~I cleaned off my bookcase. I ended up with 2 bags of books to donate and the remaining books were organized and arranged neatly back on the shelf. I even had one shelf left to arrange all of my photo albums, which had previously been stacked in the junk office closet.
~I got all of my cake items organized and put away in snapware boxes (these little contraptions are an organizing junkies dream container!!).
~I got all of my cake pans organized and stacked in 1 rubbermaid box, that now fits nice and neatly in my hobby closet (I had 3 rubbermaid boxes full of cake stuff before and none of them fit in the closet).
~I got all of my fabric, batting and stuffing organized in another rubbermaid box (nice and neat in in the closet).
~I got all of my sewing odds and ends into a small snapware box.
~I got my sewing machine to fit nicely into a zippered bag, now it's easy to transport AND it has a spot in the closet.
~I put together a shelving unit in my hobby closet and on one of the shelves I managed to get 1 fabric basket to hold all of my cameras and camera accessories.
~I organized all of my scrapbooking/card making supplies down into 1 small three draw rubbermaid container and stackable plastic boxes.
~I fit all of my canvases, sketch books, drawing pads and portfolios down into 1 large flat rubbermaid container that fits nicely under the spare bed.
~I got all of my paints, brushes, pallets, art pencils, oils, and chalks in nice neat organized snapware!
~I got all of my office supplies (notebook paper, printer paper, page protectors, pens, pencils, 3-ring binders...etc. etc. etc.) into 1 large 3 drawer, rubbermaid container (I had it all in 2 when I started).
~The extra large, 3 drawer, container (that once housed the above mentioned items) went into our garage and now houses car cleaning supplies and odd tools.
~I got both desk drawers cleaned out.
~The kitchen junk drawer cleaned out.
~The hall closet (you know the one w/ the vacuum, flashlights, mini took kits...oh and board games, ha! Everyone has one of these closets, right?) organized and cleaned out.
~I got all of my hope-to-have-a-yard-sale-soon stuff together and organized in boxes.
~I got everything cleaned out from under the spare bedroom bed and now all that is left under there is the rubbermaid container with my large art items.
~I went through and tossed out all of the random cords, chargers, plugs and I-don't-even-know-what-the-heck-this-would-go-to items (MAJOR big feat!).

It may have taken my whole weekend, I may have wanted nothing more than to wave that white flag, but dang it I won that war!!! and...I discovered that PJ's are the best suit of armour!!

This may not last long

but I'm going to give it my best shot.

Okay, really quickly...because the above sentence made me think about this...Severyn loves to watch CMT. There is a show on CMT called "The singing bee" and we watch it on occasion. It's okay, not something I have to rush home to watch, but it's got it's funny moments. Anyhow, I LOVE how people mess the lyrics up on a song! It cracks me up! I laugh, because I do it too! I'm sure most everyone does. You're sitting in your car, the sun is shining, your windows are down and you're lost in the moment...belting out the lyrics to whatever song is on the radio (don't act like you've never done this!). So last night on the singing bee, a contestant was singing "Hit me with your best shot" but her version was "Hit me with your pet shark!". Wow. (I'm laughing now just remembering it) and then, when I think I'm finally finished laughing at pet shark contestant, another lyric crushing contestant sings "poop scoopin' boogie" to what I'm positive was suppose to be "boot scootin' boogie". **sigh** It's the little things that make me laugh.

Okay! On with the post!
So after I bellyached about how much I hated grocery shopping, I decided I needed to woman up and try a new tactic! (yes, this is what I'm saying may not last long..but whatever).
So after I made my post on grocery shopping, I went online and read a few cooking blogs, and then....I made a menu and grocery list!!
Tonight, we are having sweet & tangy roast, it's slowly simmering away in my crock-pot as I type this. I really do believe that the inventor of the slow cooker should win an award (heck, with the noble peace prize being handed out to just about anybody these days...I vote the next one going to Mr. or Ms. SlowCooker!ha! and come on, you can't tell me the slow cooker has not helped create peace among some families).
I hope I can keep this up.

So last night I got my grocery shopping done (oh and ps. I did get eggs and pie shells and I actually needed them! Go me!), I prepared my slow cooker meal for today and I decided to turn a tornado loose in my office. I am in the process of slowly pulling everything out of my office closet and going through every paper, file, box, drawer, rubbermaid container that I have. Remember, I am getting organized in 2010! The good news is, the closet is looking great! The bad news is, everything that was in the closet is now in piles on my floor! However, once again, I've been reading blogs and getting inspired. I'm also taking pictures along the way. I. Hate. Clutter.

I'll post updates along the way, we'll see how well I do at giving it my "pet shark"!

Real Quick

I just wanted to post the link for the Compassion disaster relief fund, set up for Haiti.

Compassion has been very good at sending updates to all of the sponsors with children in Haiti.
This is the email I received today:

Haitian Children and Families Devastated by Massive Earthquake
Dear Lindsey,
The catastrophic earthquake that hit Haiti yesterday has resulted in unfathomable chaos and devastation for hundreds of thousands of children and families. Compassion sponsors and donors serve more than 65,000 children in Haiti. At least a third of them live in the areas that were hardest hit.We know that you sponsor Love Woodshaina K Joseph and that you must be very concerned. Be assured that we are working to locate your child and determine her specific situation as quickly as possible. We will share this personal update with you as soon as we have that information.
We are working rapidly to assess the situation and determine the full extent of damage:
Sadly, we anticipate there will be many deaths.
We anticipate thousands of children and families will have lost everything.
We anticipate many of our church-based child development centers will have been destroyed. Without a doubt, the children we serve in Haiti are in shock and face immediate needs for food, water, medical care, shelter, and counseling. We have teams prepared to respond, and we are deeply committed to helping each child. We need your donation today. Please reach out in the name of Jesus to bring relief, comfort, love and restoration to precious children and families whose lives have been devastated by this crisis. Thank you for caring, Dr. Wess StaffordPresident, USA

Oh and just in case you were curious, here is a map of Haiti with all of the Compassion Child Development Centers marked.

Just wanted to update, please keep praying.

More Rambling...

I had a Eureka! moment yesterday. I feel so empowered by my discovery that I want to share it with the world...buttttt (ha, I know you hate me for it) I want to see if it works as well as I think it will. Stay tuned.

I'm not sure my heart can take looking at one more devastating picture from the earthquake that hit Haiti. This...will break any humans heart (yes, I'm saying if this does not break your heart...you have no heart....which would make you a freak!)

Like THESE people!!! Who need to obviously get a grip on LIFE! I can't believe what I was reading when I clicked on this news coverage link. I mean, I knew the world was going crazy...but not THAT crazy. Hello people!! I think they need to read the Bible and realize that putting stock in "Heaven" is far more "real" than that crazy "Pandora" land they are all engrossed with.
Oh and PS. Come on! that movie was lame!!.........really? depression? You're killing me here people.

I hate grocery shopping, I don't know why. I should be thankful that I don't have to spend a day in the woods, hunting down prey, cleaning the kill and then preserving the meat...just to eat. So while I'm thankful for grocery stores, I just don't like going to them. Maybe it's because they overwhelm me. Maybe it's because I'm the worlds worst at making a grocery list. It could also be that, on the rare occasion when I actually do make a list, I have a hard time following the list. I have to pick some groceries up today. Thanks to my cousin, Stephanie, I now know that I MUST HAVE pie shells and eggs because I'm craving quiche! However, for all I know I already have a box of frozen pie shells and more than a dozen eggs at home. All I really know is that I need milk. However, I'll end up kicking myself if I don't purchase pie shells and eggs and then find out I, in fact, DID need them! So, I'll get eggs and pie shells today and come home to find out that I, in fact, DID have some at home already!!**sigh** I wear myself out, lol.

There. That ends my random ramblings for today. Happy Wednesday!

Prayers, Love and Haiti

If you can remember those three words...please keep Love Woodshaina in your Prayers as she is my compassion child from Haiti.

Love lives on the plains of La Biche, the nearest major city is Cayes. She is west of Port-au-Prince, the capitol, where the earthquake caused the most damage.

You can read the latest news on the earthquake here.

Just yesterday I was in my account on the Compassion website, I was paying my monthly sponsorship money and writing letters to both of my girls. I realized that there was an updated picture of Love. I will share it with blogland when I receive my copy in the mail. She has grown so much. The first picture (the one with her in the red dress) was taken back in the beginning of 2008 and this new one was taken in the beginning of this year, so she is two years older in the latest picture. I almost did not recognize her in the new picture, I even contacted Compassion to make sure there wasn't a mistake. They were able to pull up all of the information and determine that it was in fact the same child and after I reviewed the pictures side by side I realized that it was in fact Love. I realized why she looked so different, not only was she taller but she was beaming and standing with her head held high. I love the new picture of her. I can not wait to hear that she and her family are okay. I still pray I get the chance to meet her one day.
Her 6th birthday will be March the 3rd.

If you feel called to sponsor a child go here, maybe one in Haiti needs you right now.

Cleaning out the Clutter

It always happens, at the beginning of the year I get hit with some kind of "must clean everything and organize all closets" syndrome. It's really annoying. However, it has happened again this year. The problem with it, is not that my house gets a good scrub down, its that my house looks like a tornado hit it during the process. I have to drag everything out of the closets, sort through it all and then return it in an organized manner. I began to sort through my shoes last night. I pulled out all of the shoes that I either A) Have no clue why I bought them to begin with...kind of like a "WHAT was I thinking??" moment. or B) Loved, but now it's time to say good-bye...probably because they went out of style back in high school....or they have a huge hole in the sole, ha.
I'm a huge book lover! I have more books than one should have, it's almost unhealthy. They are no longer able to fit on my (one) book shelf. They are stacked all over the house...and I just need to let them go. My problem is that my local library...well...it stinks! Really. They have barely any books and the books they do have, I have no interest in reading. Therefore, if I want to read the latest "bestseller" book, I have to buy it. Which in return adds to my stack of books. I've sorted through my books and have divided them into piles, one stack of books I may read again and another stack of books that need a new home. Does anyone know if libraries will take donated books? I know mine sure could use them! Because of my, horrible library and only one book shelf, situation...I'm really starting to consider the Kindle. If you have any thoughts on this, please share :)
I also have bags of clothes that need to find a new body to love them.
I know I could always take this stuff to Goodwill, but does anyone have other suggestions?
and what about old cell phones and blankets? Any suggestions of places that would need these type of items?

I'm starting this year off with the mindset that minimal really is more!...that goes for my house, not the amount of words I use in my posts, ha.

I've got a feeling

That 2010 is going to be a crazy year!!

I am already loading my 2010 calendar up with events, I'm not sure I've ever had a year when my calendar filled up so quickly. I don't mind it. I like knowing, in advance, what I'm about to get in to.
Severyn and I spent last weekend in Rock Hill. One of my best friends, Kennedi, is getting married in October. We went wedding dress shopping on Saturday and had the best time. Kennedi's mother and I had lots of fun watching Kennedi try on different dresses. She is one of those girls that...well everything just looks good on her, so it was kind of like having a life sized doll to dress up, ha. Her mom and I picked out dress after dress and got to watch her model all of them. I took over 150 pictures (sorry I can't share any). We also picked out bridesmaid dresses and we found one of the prettiest dresses! I love it!
Sev and I also got some VERY EXCITING NEWS on Saturday, sadly I can not share it with the world just yet...but we are both soooo excited! It's an event that is also going to take up a few of our weekends this year.
We have a ski trip planned for February.
There is Valentines weekend, which is the weekend Sev and I like to set aside for us to celebrate the day he arrived home from Iraq and we started our life together as Mr. and Mrs.
I've got a weekend set aside for a trip to Charleston, I have yet to see Kelly and celebrate her engagement!! It's so hard, living apart from your friends. I guess, in a way, the military gave me the best experience with that, but it never makes it easy when your friends don't live in the same town.
I also, already, have two cakes scheduled for February.
I have a Church retreat planned for April. I'm very excited about this event.
A cake scheduled for April too!
In May Sev will finally get to attend his very first concert. We will be going to see, Carrie Underwood. ha. Sev kept mentioning that he wanted to see her in concert, so for Christmas I got him tickets. I was able to get Steph and Jon to agree to attend the event with us, I know it will make it that much more of an experience :)
We also have a Houston, TX trip planned for May. It's high time we got out there and saw Jessie and Don.
June, July and August will be "shower" months, cake months and maybe a little beach thrown in for good measure....oh and I'll be 27 (oh my gosh I just had to add up the years to see how old I was...I was certain I was turning 26...this is bad, I'm not even out of my 20's yet and I can't keep up with my age!!!) in August.
Sev's family will be gathering in CA for a family reunion during this time too, though Sev and I don't have plans to go...we will be on stand by that week. His mom will be riding in the 55th annual Tevis Cup race that week. She will trailer her horse, all the way across country, to participate in this race. It is the United States' most competitive endurance race. It's a huge event and our entire family is so proud and excited for Sue. She is an amazing endurance rider and this race is going to be her biggest ride yet.
Sev and I will celebrate our 6 year wedding anniversary in September.
We have another trip planned to Houston that month as well.
I got the sweetest phone call this past Friday. It was for a September cake order, probably the earliest I've been contacted to schedule a birthday cake. Alexa called to inform me that she wanted a Dora birthday cake. She just wanted to book it in advance ;) She was beyond precious when she called and it still amazes me that she has such a great memory, I mean, how does a 3 year remember who made her birthday cake? crazy.
Sevy turns 28 in September.
I will also be attending a weekend away with Kennedi and her bridal party in September.
I have a tentative wedding cake scheduled for October, my fingers are crossed that I get the chance to make this cake, the bride has a very fun wedding reception planned and I'm dying to get the chance to design her cake. As long as her reception doesn't fall on the same weekend as Kennedi's wedding, this cake is on my schedule.
Which brings me to...Kennedi's wedding in October. I'm so excited to be a part of her big day, I know October will hold trips to Rock Hill and lots of exciting things that lead up to the day.
....Oh gosh...I'm stopping here. I realize I haven't even gotten to November, but this post is wearing me out, ha. I didn't even mention that every weekend that we don't have things planned, we'll for sure be out on the dirt bike trails!!!!

....if you got to the end of this post, well then bless your heart ;) I think I really just wrote it to get everything sorted and out of my head! It's going to be a busy, fun, exciting, fast year!

Randomness

Just some rambling, feel free to skip this post.

It has been COLD this week! My office is always freezing in the winter, but this week has just about been unbearable. I've had to keep my fuzzy, mountain hardware jacket on all week PLUS a space heater, turned on full blast, under my desk. It's cold! I don't mind cold weather, if it comes along with stuff to play in....you know "snow"(okayyyy so I was really just hoping for a day off work). **sigh**

Sev and I actually went and saw the movie Avatar. Blah. I don't know what all the hype was/is about, that movie was WEIRD! I'm not much into sci-fi stuff, but I really wanted to see a movie in 3-D and Avatar was offering a 3-D version. Something about 12 foot tall, blue aliens falling in love just didn't do it for me. I was very glad that we were in a dark theatre after I turned and looked at Sev with his 3-D glasses on, it's def. a style that will never become fashionable. The 3-D wasn't even as cool as I had hoped it would be. Though, that might have been due to the fact that before the movie started, I used my index finger to push my glasses farther up on my nose...but instead of pushing on the plastic bridge of the glasses, I pushed on the actual lens...and left a lovely little finger print that refused to wipe off. So for most of the movie I had an annoying, blurry blob, that covered lots of the main actors faces. **sigh**

Sev and I rang in the new year at a friends house in St. Matthews, SC. I usually find myself falling asleep before the ball drops. I made it this year. Turns out I wasn't missing much all these years. One of my favorite New Years memories is actually from when I was younger and had decided to spend the night with my grandma that new years eve. I begged grandma to stay up with me until the ball dropped, I heard it was something spectacular, not to be missed! We managed to stay up, eyes glued to the TV, until midnight.....and then....nothing. No ball. Nothing. Turns out grandma had had the TV on the wrong channel. I missed the ball drop...for another year. **sigh**

I got a new pair of Dansko shoes for Christmas, this pair. I LOVE them! Though, I've never been one to really follow the fashion crowd. When I came back to work, after Christmas vacation, I was so excited to wear my new shoes. I walked into our warehouse and the first thing I hear is "girl, them shoes be lookin' like some sorta' bowling ball!" **sigh** Whatever. lol. Sadly, I'm afraid I'm going to have to retire my brown Danskos. I've had them since the 11th grade. They were probably my favorite shoe and probably still would be...if there wasn't a huge hole in the sole of them. Actually, the hole has gotten so bad that when I walk, the shoe sinks in at the heel and therefore they make me look like I'm trying to walk to the tune of "Lean back, Lean back". haha. **sigh**

It's friday!! Yipeeeee!!

HAPPY 2010!!!!

That just sounds weird. 2010. huh, well I guess I better get used to it.



I wish I could say I was prepared for the new year. That I had all of my goals and resolutions all lined up. That 2009's check list was checked off and 2010 was sitting on "Go!". However, it would all be a lie.

Obviously...because as you can see, I'm just now getting around to posting this and its uhmm....5 days into the new year. It's just that 2010 has started off in a whirlwind!



However...moving forward...I would like to make a quick rundown list of all that happened, in my life, in 2009! Let's see...well for starters, I actually made it to and then past my 1 year mark at my current job!! It's a big accomplishment for me, ha, not exciting...but big.

An exciting accomplishment would be that my goal of having my car paid off...was accomplished!!!

I am now the proud owner of one entire (I say "entire" because if you recall I was doing the whole "color in the car" chart for each payment I made and last time I spoke of this I had only colored in, and therefore "owned", the hood of my car), 2007 Toyota Corolla...HA! Take that interest happy finance company!

Sevy and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary.

I started decorating cakes!! and then more cakes and more cakes and more cakes...lol.

I became the proud sponsor of two beautiful little girls, through Compassion International.

I picked up on the sport of dirt bike riding.

I got to celebrate the news of two very close friends getting engaged and then got asked to be a bridesmaid for both and I could not be more excited!!



Farewell 2009!



I might not have been ready for you...but Bring it on 2010!!! Each and every day is a blessing and I can't wait to see what God has in store for me this year.