46 days until the Bean arrives. Holy cow. We've been taking prenatal classes and at our last class this one guy came in right at the start of class and told us about how his wife had her baby! Apparently, her water broke right before our class the week before, but she didn't realize it. Then later that night she was in bad pain (her husband was on the road...he's a trucker) and had to call an ambulance. She was only 30 weeks pregnant and her baby was 3 lbs and a few ounces... 30 weeks, that's how far along Sara was when Taylor was born. Just crazy to think about. I am GLAD that it wasn't me. 6.5 weeks...I can wait that long! I think Bean is getting antsy, though. She has two favorite hobbies, hanging out in her womb, and tenderizing my internal organs. Mike and I joke that it's reverse child abuse. There are literally several times a day when I nearly double over in pain because she's kicking so hard. I can handle the outward kicking, but when she kicks IN, dang... it just hurts sometimes! BUT - I can live with it. I just love her a lot and can't wait to meet her (but really I can wait, I don't want a premie).
Also, it's true what they say, Captain Crunch really does cut up the roof of your mouth. Since I live off of cereal, I've eaten an entire box of Captain Crunch since Saturday night, and the roof of my mouth is showing the proof. I drank some orange juice today, and DANG did it burn! But, honestly, it's totally worth it. I love those crunch berries. I think I have a kid-cereal addiction, in general. Bird always comments that I have the best cereals at my house, regardless of what else I do or do not have in the house. There's always a hearty supply of cereal. I think that's because growing up when we got the sugary cereals they were always gone about 2.5 minutes after mom got home from the grocery store. I remember one time when one of my older brothers dumped out the entire box of Lucky Charms, picked out the marshmallows, and put the rest of the cereal back in the box. And he (I really don't remember which one it was) just sat there and ate a whole bowl of marshmallows. I was sooooo jealous. But now, I get all the marshmallows I want. Yum. I also love Honeycombs.
Honeycombs Big, yeah yeah yeah!
Honeycombs small, no no no!
I love cereal so much, that in one of my grad classes we had an assignment to read any book on any item of material culture, and I chose to read "Cerealizing America", which is pretty much the best book I've read on the history of cereal, ever. Seriously, though, it was good. My report (and samples) was good too.
Soooo, who's coming home for Christmas? I've kind of lost track, but I'm feeling very excited for the holidays. A) Bean will be outside the womb. B) I'll get to meet Sophie and Keaton (I think they'll both be coming). C) Mandy will be home from Texas (for Thanksgiving AND Christmas!).
So about my front steps. They're still not done yet. Wait, let me clarify. They still haven't STARTED yet. GRRRRRR. We got the call in August that they wanted to start our project Sept. 8. Obviously that didn't happen. There was some rain and whatnot that pushed things back. Then they came and spray painted the steps for the utilities people to make sure there were no electric, gas or water lines where they needed to dig. Then the utilities people came and cleared us. And that's where we are. No new steps yet. They better get their butts over here soon.
Ok, that's all I can think of right now. I'm on the laptop, so I can't put pics up right now. But I will add some more in the next week or so. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Sub Heads
Trends Du Jour
Ok, so for those of you who haven't quite caught on yet, we (meaning my sis's, SILs, and other blog-stalking friends) are currently on a blogging bender featuring various Trends Du Jour.
"Excuse me, FLO, what's the Soup Du Jour?"
"It's the soup of the day"
"Mmmm, that sounds good. I'll have that."
Sorry, that just popped into my head and I'm currently lol-ing.
So anyway, we had the numbered post trend, the counting like Bono in your numbered post trend, and now it's the sub head trend. If none of this is making sense to you, you fall into one of two categories.
1. We're not related, or quasi-related.
2. You're not a very dedicated blog-stalker
So if you don't get it, and you'd like to, check out some of the blog links I've provided on the right. Some good ones that will help make sense of this whole thing are, Anna, Chrysta, Deb, and Nicole. If you're a blog-stalker who favors funny, hilarious, random blogs, I've just given you a gold mine. If you are not a blog stalker, and are just among my dedicated readers who, despite my weird-ousity, like to read what I write, I apologize for my recent trendiness. We all know I am anything but trendy.
Spandex
So, I recently commented to my friend-not-technically-SIL-butmightaswellbemy-SIL Deb, that I was not fond of the itty bitty's that wear spandex-everything-outfits to the gym. My dear sister Chrysta was quick to point out, and rightly so, that I spent about...oh...let's see...ummm...8 years of my life decked out in head-to-toe spandex for the sake of sport. Yeah, I get it. But I would, however, like to point out that I did not get to CHOOSE my uniforms. The good people at Cedar Crest High School and then at Shippensburg University chose them for me. I must admit, spandex are comfortable. To this day, if I'm playing volleyball (unless it's outdoors) I'm playing in spandex shorts, at least. I don't need the spandex top, but that wasn't too bad either. Just this summer when Bird and I worked volleyball camp, I wore spandex every day. However, being 5 months pregnant, I decided to hide my spandexed JTT's under a nice pair of comfy boy shorts. The point that I was trying to make to Deb was this: BUYING spandex, and wearing 100% spandex outfits to a public fitness center is unnecessary and I'll never do it and I don't like people who do. Ok?
The Olympics
So, I loved the Olympics. Didn't you? It left me feeling like I have the next four years to prepare for London...in what? I don't know. Javelin is out of the question since I pretty much destroyed my throwing elbow. Volleyball, too, is out of the question because...well...because I'm not that good (good...yes. Just not THAT good.) So I'm left to ask myself, "Self, what if you had taken up on that offer you got from the coach of the National Handball Team?" That's right. A little known fact, I was asked to try out for the National Handball Team right after I graduated from college. Weird, considering I've never played it, and still am not even sure HOW it's played. My college vb coach (who was a DI All-American vb player at Penn State) has athletic connections galore, and she knew the handball coach. He was apparently asking her if she knew any solid, well-rounded, overall athletic people, and out of EVERYONE she knew, she gave him MY NUMBER. Weird. I didn't think twice about it at the time, but as I watched the Olympics and saw "Handball" on the schedule, I couldn't help but think...could that have been me??
Weights
Ok, so all this talk of spandex has me in a sporty and reminiscent mood...so here's some more. One of my co-workers yesterday was asking me what kind of weightlifting I'd done in college as part of my athletic training. She's trying to establish her own workout regimen, and knew that I was in sports, so she hit me up for some tips. My favorite workout? The German Circuit. They should really call it the Nazi-German Circuit. Fo' shizzle. It goes like this...
Set up a circuit of power lifts, plyos, abs and other extras. Some of the power lifts: Hang Cleans, Squats, Push Press, Snatch, Dead Lift, Bench Press, Incline Press, Decline Press. Some plyos: Box Jumps, hurdle hops, lateral hops. Some abs: regular crunches, back hypers, flying eagles, roman chair. Some extras: Pull ups, push ups, lunges.
So, for any given circuit, coach would set up 12-13 of these exercises for us to do. One person would start at every station. Coach blows whistle. You start doing reps (at 75% of your max) and keep doing them for 30 seconds. Coach blows whistle to stop. You have 20 seconds to move to the next station. Coach blows whistle, do as many reps as you can in 30 seconds. Blows whistle to stop, and so on and so forth, continuously until you've done each station. Then you have two minutes to get a drink, go to the bathroom, or puke...you know, whatever you need to do. Then you repeat the circuit. Twice.
Boo-Yah. It was sick, and I loved it. I only ever threw up once, and that was my freshmen year.
I'm going to keep bragging about my athletic feats, because I am currently feeling huge and bloated and gross, and remembering them makes me feel less disgusting...
My senior year in college, I weighed 135 lbs and could bench press 125 lbs, squat 210 lbs, and Power clean 115 lbs. I don't remember any of my other maxes. But I was a beast. They called me Quadzilla. And yes, I looked good in my spandex. Moving on...
Nicole
Nicole recently stated, and I quote:
"Alyssa,
I agree with everything you have ever said. Ever. You are a genius. And skinny. But tough."
MWUAH HA HA HA HA!
Nicole, I'd like for you to meet my husband. And brainwash him. If that phrase had come out of his mouth, it would have sounded like this:
"Alyssa,
I disagree with everything you have ever said. Ever. Because it's funny to me. You are a genius. But not as genius as me. And skinny. Skinnier than me. But not tough. Wuss."
Obviously, he'd say it very lovingly, but the point is, the man likes to argue with me for the sake of arguing, usually over the stupidest things. He thinks it's funny to watch me get agitated by his asinine comments.
And for the record, I don't want to beat you up, Nicole. I was just saying that if I was in a fight, I'd kick trash. Actually, that's not true. I'm totally passive aggressive. And non-confrontational. I'd be the one to walk away, or let myself get pounded on. It's true...ask Bird. Growing up she used to beat the crap out of me. Not because she was stronger than me, but because I was so passive I wouldn't fight back more than enough to get out of her freakishly vice-like grip. No wonder she's a good masseuse. Anywhoo...many a time bird would just pound on me, or have me in a full-nelson and I'd just take it because I knew if I fought back she'd cry and mom would yell at me. I'd rather take a pounding from my lil sis than get yelled at by mom, or worse... DAD. There was only one time when I really retaliated, and I know for a fact that Bird remembers it well. I socked her in the stomach so hard she almost threw up. I remember Scott was babysitting, and she went crying to him. So I explained what she'd done to deserve it. And he was cool with it:)
It sounds weird to talk about how my lil sis and I used to fight. Isn't that something brothers do? I would just like to explain for those who might not know as much about the Kilgore clan as others, that I grew up with 4 older brothers who had a very strong influence on me. Was a tomboy? No. I was THE tomboy. But I digress...
Nicole, thanks for boosting my self-esteem. I hope I haven't written anything thus far to break my streak of saying only things that you agree with.
Side Pony Tails
So. I work with some 50+ year old lady who wears a side pony tail to work every day. Every day. I'm not kidding. Every day. ???
Freezing Cold Hands
I do not enjoy being touched by freezing cold hands. Yet, when my sister Bird stopped over last night, she delighted in touching me with them. She'd driven to my house last night (45 minute drive) with the windows down, thus leaving her hands morgue-cold. So. She came in and touched me on the belly, saying hello to Bean. And then decided to reach under my shirt (I wasn't wear my garment top, because I'd JUST gotten home from the gym, so it was just a t-shirt...darnit) and grab my belly with both hands. They were so cold that I literally jumped and almost fell backwards, and spit all over bird and the coffee table in the process. Not cool. You jerk.
PHS
Ah, dear PHS. I keep in touch with some former colleagues, and several former students, so I know what the dizzle at the palmizzle izzle. And here it is. There have been 3 fights so far this year! I think the kids are just acting out, because they want me to come back and LEGEND-ize them. Not gonna happen.
Made up words
I think if you've been reading this blog long enough, you probably realize that I like to make up words. It's just fun. I think this started when I spent the summer with 3-year old Taylor. She was fuuuuuuuuunny. That was the summer of everything being "loopy". And also the summer of me making her stand on her head, so she couldn't get away from me while I put sunblock on her. Mwuah ha ha. It was also the summer that I broke Sara and Jerry's lamp, and that Taylor immediately told on me when Sara walked in the door. "Aunt Lyssa broke the lamp." Thanks, ya little Narc! (I know you're reading this...jerkwadfacebutt!)
Adolescent Come backs
When I was younger I had some trouble expressing myself. So, I developed a few quick little retorts that worked well most of the time. They were:
"Shutup"
and
"I'll kill you"
Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice. I especially liked to use the second one on my brother Sam, who used to tell me I was really fat. Ah, brothers. Not as bad as my sis's friend Jamie Aerhart. I used to hide under the bed when she came over.
I'm not entirely dysfunctional
Perhaps some of you might be getting the impression that my childhood and family life were dysfunctional. Not at all...it was awesome growing up in my house. And by the time I got to high school, mom and dad were totally chill. Awwwwww yeah.
Goodbye, Subheads
This is the end of my subheads. It's been a good ride, SH. I'll never forget you!
Ok, so for those of you who haven't quite caught on yet, we (meaning my sis's, SILs, and other blog-stalking friends) are currently on a blogging bender featuring various Trends Du Jour.
"Excuse me, FLO, what's the Soup Du Jour?"
"It's the soup of the day"
"Mmmm, that sounds good. I'll have that."
Sorry, that just popped into my head and I'm currently lol-ing.
So anyway, we had the numbered post trend, the counting like Bono in your numbered post trend, and now it's the sub head trend. If none of this is making sense to you, you fall into one of two categories.
1. We're not related, or quasi-related.
2. You're not a very dedicated blog-stalker
So if you don't get it, and you'd like to, check out some of the blog links I've provided on the right. Some good ones that will help make sense of this whole thing are, Anna, Chrysta, Deb, and Nicole. If you're a blog-stalker who favors funny, hilarious, random blogs, I've just given you a gold mine. If you are not a blog stalker, and are just among my dedicated readers who, despite my weird-ousity, like to read what I write, I apologize for my recent trendiness. We all know I am anything but trendy.
Spandex
So, I recently commented to my friend-not-technically-SIL-butmightaswellbemy-SIL Deb, that I was not fond of the itty bitty's that wear spandex-everything-outfits to the gym. My dear sister Chrysta was quick to point out, and rightly so, that I spent about...oh...let's see...ummm...8 years of my life decked out in head-to-toe spandex for the sake of sport. Yeah, I get it. But I would, however, like to point out that I did not get to CHOOSE my uniforms. The good people at Cedar Crest High School and then at Shippensburg University chose them for me. I must admit, spandex are comfortable. To this day, if I'm playing volleyball (unless it's outdoors) I'm playing in spandex shorts, at least. I don't need the spandex top, but that wasn't too bad either. Just this summer when Bird and I worked volleyball camp, I wore spandex every day. However, being 5 months pregnant, I decided to hide my spandexed JTT's under a nice pair of comfy boy shorts. The point that I was trying to make to Deb was this: BUYING spandex, and wearing 100% spandex outfits to a public fitness center is unnecessary and I'll never do it and I don't like people who do. Ok?
The Olympics
So, I loved the Olympics. Didn't you? It left me feeling like I have the next four years to prepare for London...in what? I don't know. Javelin is out of the question since I pretty much destroyed my throwing elbow. Volleyball, too, is out of the question because...well...because I'm not that good (good...yes. Just not THAT good.) So I'm left to ask myself, "Self, what if you had taken up on that offer you got from the coach of the National Handball Team?" That's right. A little known fact, I was asked to try out for the National Handball Team right after I graduated from college. Weird, considering I've never played it, and still am not even sure HOW it's played. My college vb coach (who was a DI All-American vb player at Penn State) has athletic connections galore, and she knew the handball coach. He was apparently asking her if she knew any solid, well-rounded, overall athletic people, and out of EVERYONE she knew, she gave him MY NUMBER. Weird. I didn't think twice about it at the time, but as I watched the Olympics and saw "Handball" on the schedule, I couldn't help but think...could that have been me??
Weights
Ok, so all this talk of spandex has me in a sporty and reminiscent mood...so here's some more. One of my co-workers yesterday was asking me what kind of weightlifting I'd done in college as part of my athletic training. She's trying to establish her own workout regimen, and knew that I was in sports, so she hit me up for some tips. My favorite workout? The German Circuit. They should really call it the Nazi-German Circuit. Fo' shizzle. It goes like this...
Set up a circuit of power lifts, plyos, abs and other extras. Some of the power lifts: Hang Cleans, Squats, Push Press, Snatch, Dead Lift, Bench Press, Incline Press, Decline Press. Some plyos: Box Jumps, hurdle hops, lateral hops. Some abs: regular crunches, back hypers, flying eagles, roman chair. Some extras: Pull ups, push ups, lunges.
So, for any given circuit, coach would set up 12-13 of these exercises for us to do. One person would start at every station. Coach blows whistle. You start doing reps (at 75% of your max) and keep doing them for 30 seconds. Coach blows whistle to stop. You have 20 seconds to move to the next station. Coach blows whistle, do as many reps as you can in 30 seconds. Blows whistle to stop, and so on and so forth, continuously until you've done each station. Then you have two minutes to get a drink, go to the bathroom, or puke...you know, whatever you need to do. Then you repeat the circuit. Twice.
Boo-Yah. It was sick, and I loved it. I only ever threw up once, and that was my freshmen year.
I'm going to keep bragging about my athletic feats, because I am currently feeling huge and bloated and gross, and remembering them makes me feel less disgusting...
My senior year in college, I weighed 135 lbs and could bench press 125 lbs, squat 210 lbs, and Power clean 115 lbs. I don't remember any of my other maxes. But I was a beast. They called me Quadzilla. And yes, I looked good in my spandex. Moving on...
Nicole
Nicole recently stated, and I quote:
"Alyssa,
I agree with everything you have ever said. Ever. You are a genius. And skinny. But tough."
MWUAH HA HA HA HA!
Nicole, I'd like for you to meet my husband. And brainwash him. If that phrase had come out of his mouth, it would have sounded like this:
"Alyssa,
I disagree with everything you have ever said. Ever. Because it's funny to me. You are a genius. But not as genius as me. And skinny. Skinnier than me. But not tough. Wuss."
Obviously, he'd say it very lovingly, but the point is, the man likes to argue with me for the sake of arguing, usually over the stupidest things. He thinks it's funny to watch me get agitated by his asinine comments.
And for the record, I don't want to beat you up, Nicole. I was just saying that if I was in a fight, I'd kick trash. Actually, that's not true. I'm totally passive aggressive. And non-confrontational. I'd be the one to walk away, or let myself get pounded on. It's true...ask Bird. Growing up she used to beat the crap out of me. Not because she was stronger than me, but because I was so passive I wouldn't fight back more than enough to get out of her freakishly vice-like grip. No wonder she's a good masseuse. Anywhoo...many a time bird would just pound on me, or have me in a full-nelson and I'd just take it because I knew if I fought back she'd cry and mom would yell at me. I'd rather take a pounding from my lil sis than get yelled at by mom, or worse... DAD. There was only one time when I really retaliated, and I know for a fact that Bird remembers it well. I socked her in the stomach so hard she almost threw up. I remember Scott was babysitting, and she went crying to him. So I explained what she'd done to deserve it. And he was cool with it:)
It sounds weird to talk about how my lil sis and I used to fight. Isn't that something brothers do? I would just like to explain for those who might not know as much about the Kilgore clan as others, that I grew up with 4 older brothers who had a very strong influence on me. Was a tomboy? No. I was THE tomboy. But I digress...
Nicole, thanks for boosting my self-esteem. I hope I haven't written anything thus far to break my streak of saying only things that you agree with.
Side Pony Tails
So. I work with some 50+ year old lady who wears a side pony tail to work every day. Every day. I'm not kidding. Every day. ???
Freezing Cold Hands
I do not enjoy being touched by freezing cold hands. Yet, when my sister Bird stopped over last night, she delighted in touching me with them. She'd driven to my house last night (45 minute drive) with the windows down, thus leaving her hands morgue-cold. So. She came in and touched me on the belly, saying hello to Bean. And then decided to reach under my shirt (I wasn't wear my garment top, because I'd JUST gotten home from the gym, so it was just a t-shirt...darnit) and grab my belly with both hands. They were so cold that I literally jumped and almost fell backwards, and spit all over bird and the coffee table in the process. Not cool. You jerk.
PHS
Ah, dear PHS. I keep in touch with some former colleagues, and several former students, so I know what the dizzle at the palmizzle izzle. And here it is. There have been 3 fights so far this year! I think the kids are just acting out, because they want me to come back and LEGEND-ize them. Not gonna happen.
Made up words
I think if you've been reading this blog long enough, you probably realize that I like to make up words. It's just fun. I think this started when I spent the summer with 3-year old Taylor. She was fuuuuuuuuunny. That was the summer of everything being "loopy". And also the summer of me making her stand on her head, so she couldn't get away from me while I put sunblock on her. Mwuah ha ha. It was also the summer that I broke Sara and Jerry's lamp, and that Taylor immediately told on me when Sara walked in the door. "Aunt Lyssa broke the lamp." Thanks, ya little Narc! (I know you're reading this...jerkwadfacebutt!)
Adolescent Come backs
When I was younger I had some trouble expressing myself. So, I developed a few quick little retorts that worked well most of the time. They were:
"Shutup"
and
"I'll kill you"
Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice. I especially liked to use the second one on my brother Sam, who used to tell me I was really fat. Ah, brothers. Not as bad as my sis's friend Jamie Aerhart. I used to hide under the bed when she came over.
I'm not entirely dysfunctional
Perhaps some of you might be getting the impression that my childhood and family life were dysfunctional. Not at all...it was awesome growing up in my house. And by the time I got to high school, mom and dad were totally chill. Awwwwww yeah.
Goodbye, Subheads
This is the end of my subheads. It's been a good ride, SH. I'll never forget you!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
1. I am 30 weeks pregnant. Wahoo!
2. I've recently discovered peppermint patty klondike bars, and they rock. They so, totally rock.
3. My contribution to the political discussion of late: During the primaries I had the following discussion with my 9th grade students:
Me: So, what happened to Eight Belles is a little bit ironic. Hilary Clinton compared herself to Eight Belles, saying she may be an underdog, but she's a fighter, etc. etc. And now Eight Belles had to be put down, just as Hilary lost some very key primaries...
random kid I didn't know was paying attention: Yeah. Isn't it also ironic that Big Brown won?
Me: Yes. Yes it is.
4. I've recently discovered that pants, and the wearing of them, are overrated. Highly overrated. Also, I've discovered that XXL t-shirts are comfortable. Highly comfortable.
5. There are groundhogs who live under my deck. We tried to poison them. It didn't work. My husband is currently contemplating whether anyone would report him if he broke out his .22 to "take care of the problem". I think they're kind of cute. But not as cute as Arnold.
6. Listing things with numbers appears to be the new trend. As you can see, I'm trendy.
7. I've encountered some more funny names at work. George Michael. Issel Immel. Sunshine O'Callahan. And many, many more that I can't remember right now. I will have to start writing them down.
8. I've become obsessed with my favorite movie quotes since Sara posted that blog... some that continuously run through my head:
"T-t-t-today, Jr.!"
"If peeing your pants is cool, you can call me Miles Davis!"
"HEY YOU GU-UYS!"
"Ow man, that really hurt! I mean honestly, who throws a shoe!?"
"Your mom goes to college!"
"Do you think anyone wants a roundhouse kick to the face while I'm wearing these bad boys?"
"There's no crying in baseball!"
"Excuse me! You are BITING my BUTT!"
"The greater good? I am the GREATEST good you will EVER have!" (they way Chrysta says it)
"Oh my gosh! Nemo's schwimming out to schea!"
"Just keep swimming, just swimming..."
"INCONCEIVABLE!" "I don't think that word means what you think it means."
"Again, something that could have been brought to my attention YESTERDAY!"
"Every party has a pooper, that's why we invited you, George Banks!"
"It is une 'amboooogarrrrrrre" (the way Taylor says it).
9. I went to State College this weekend with Mike, Rick, and Bird, and out of all the stuff we did, this is the only picture I took.
It's the very aggressive squirrel, who was eating the piece of pita I threw at it. My bad.
10. Bird and I watched PSU Women's volleyball whoop up on a bunch of teams, while Mike and his dad went to the football game.
11. Bird and I made lots of random threats to the Oregon State fans we saw on campus and in Rec Hall. Those Dam Beavers.
12. I'm good at speedwalking. I can really get my hips going. And my arms just pump like the wind.
13. I iron my jeans.
14. I heard that Sarah Palin hunted down a moose and killed it. How would she like it if a moose hunted her down at her house and killed her with it's big antlers? I don't think she'd like it very much at all.
15. I am slightly obsessive compulsive when it comes to doing dishes and sweeping. It must be done.
16. I refuse to walk into the kitchen in my barefeet, because Mike and his dad pounce on every opportunity (or opportune nortey) to make the "barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen" joke. Mike gets a beating when he adds, "now make me a pie".
17. I've recently started blog-stalking Nicole, after hearing Bird talk about how hilarious she is. Amen, sista-friend-sista.
18. Deb will always be a hero of mine. Not in small-part because she can walk for hours and hours on end with nothing but an ipod and vocal chords to entertain her. That lasts me about 20 minutes, then I get so bored I could cry.
19. Chrysta finally removed the blog post with her workout tape question, like a week after she said it would self-destruct.
20. I miss teaching, sometimes.
21. I miss my Palmyra friends, but they tell me that some of my former students have agreed to babysit for me if I pay them in hot chocolate. Booyah. Muggy Monday makes a comeback!
22. I've come to understand the meaning of "stress incontinence". Not cool. Not cool at all. I fear the sneeze.
23. I've been reading about what will happen to my body after the baby is born. WHAT THE HECK?!?!?!
24. Mom and Dad are heading up Maine way, soon. I hope Sarah Palin doesn't accidentally shoot them while she's looking for Meese.
25. I'm done with this list, now.
2. I've recently discovered peppermint patty klondike bars, and they rock. They so, totally rock.
3. My contribution to the political discussion of late: During the primaries I had the following discussion with my 9th grade students:
Me: So, what happened to Eight Belles is a little bit ironic. Hilary Clinton compared herself to Eight Belles, saying she may be an underdog, but she's a fighter, etc. etc. And now Eight Belles had to be put down, just as Hilary lost some very key primaries...
random kid I didn't know was paying attention: Yeah. Isn't it also ironic that Big Brown won?
Me: Yes. Yes it is.
4. I've recently discovered that pants, and the wearing of them, are overrated. Highly overrated. Also, I've discovered that XXL t-shirts are comfortable. Highly comfortable.
5. There are groundhogs who live under my deck. We tried to poison them. It didn't work. My husband is currently contemplating whether anyone would report him if he broke out his .22 to "take care of the problem". I think they're kind of cute. But not as cute as Arnold.
6. Listing things with numbers appears to be the new trend. As you can see, I'm trendy.
7. I've encountered some more funny names at work. George Michael. Issel Immel. Sunshine O'Callahan. And many, many more that I can't remember right now. I will have to start writing them down.
8. I've become obsessed with my favorite movie quotes since Sara posted that blog... some that continuously run through my head:
"T-t-t-today, Jr.!"
"If peeing your pants is cool, you can call me Miles Davis!"
"HEY YOU GU-UYS!"
"Ow man, that really hurt! I mean honestly, who throws a shoe!?"
"Your mom goes to college!"
"Do you think anyone wants a roundhouse kick to the face while I'm wearing these bad boys?"
"There's no crying in baseball!"
"Excuse me! You are BITING my BUTT!"
"The greater good? I am the GREATEST good you will EVER have!" (they way Chrysta says it)
"Oh my gosh! Nemo's schwimming out to schea!"
"Just keep swimming, just swimming..."
"INCONCEIVABLE!" "I don't think that word means what you think it means."
"Again, something that could have been brought to my attention YESTERDAY!"
"Every party has a pooper, that's why we invited you, George Banks!"
"It is une 'amboooogarrrrrrre" (the way Taylor says it).
9. I went to State College this weekend with Mike, Rick, and Bird, and out of all the stuff we did, this is the only picture I took.
It's the very aggressive squirrel, who was eating the piece of pita I threw at it. My bad.
10. Bird and I watched PSU Women's volleyball whoop up on a bunch of teams, while Mike and his dad went to the football game.
11. Bird and I made lots of random threats to the Oregon State fans we saw on campus and in Rec Hall. Those Dam Beavers.
12. I'm good at speedwalking. I can really get my hips going. And my arms just pump like the wind.
13. I iron my jeans.
14. I heard that Sarah Palin hunted down a moose and killed it. How would she like it if a moose hunted her down at her house and killed her with it's big antlers? I don't think she'd like it very much at all.
15. I am slightly obsessive compulsive when it comes to doing dishes and sweeping. It must be done.
16. I refuse to walk into the kitchen in my barefeet, because Mike and his dad pounce on every opportunity (or opportune nortey) to make the "barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen" joke. Mike gets a beating when he adds, "now make me a pie".
17. I've recently started blog-stalking Nicole, after hearing Bird talk about how hilarious she is. Amen, sista-friend-sista.
18. Deb will always be a hero of mine. Not in small-part because she can walk for hours and hours on end with nothing but an ipod and vocal chords to entertain her. That lasts me about 20 minutes, then I get so bored I could cry.
19. Chrysta finally removed the blog post with her workout tape question, like a week after she said it would self-destruct.
20. I miss teaching, sometimes.
21. I miss my Palmyra friends, but they tell me that some of my former students have agreed to babysit for me if I pay them in hot chocolate. Booyah. Muggy Monday makes a comeback!
22. I've come to understand the meaning of "stress incontinence". Not cool. Not cool at all. I fear the sneeze.
23. I've been reading about what will happen to my body after the baby is born. WHAT THE HECK?!?!?!
24. Mom and Dad are heading up Maine way, soon. I hope Sarah Palin doesn't accidentally shoot them while she's looking for Meese.
25. I'm done with this list, now.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Hey Arnold!
So, I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our family, Arnold.
Mike and I spent our Labor Day doing some much needed yard work around the house. We've been putting it off, because we anticipated having our next project done (more detail below) in June, and thought it kind of pointless to do much work before then. So the flower beds in our yard have just become incredibly unruly. Because of the pending project, it was time to finally clear out some of the growth. So, I started hacking out these terrible, horrible overgrown bushes that filled in the area to the left of our front stairs. After I was about half way through, I spotted this cute little Praying Mantis, hanging out on the stairs. So I said, "Hey, Mr. Praying Mantis!" And it looked at me. And stared me down. I thought it was just so cute, so I called Mike over to take a look. He thought Mr. Praying Mantis was equally cute. So I went and grabbed my camera and hoped he'd still be there when I got back. And he was! Perfect photo op! I snapped away...
After a few minutes of standing perfectly still, Mr. Praying Mantis began to make his way to the bushes I hadn't yet cut down. That's when I realized that I'd probably just killed off Mr. Praying Mantis' habitat, and I felt guilty. BUT - I didn't want Mr. Praying Mantis to go make a home in the bushes I was about to cut down, and then get evicted again. So at this point, several thoughts ran through my head. 1) I very quickly started hacking away at the remaining bushes, so that Mr. Praying Mantis would get the picture that this was not a safe destination for him. 2) I thought that calling him Mr. Praying Mantis was kind of formal, so I named him Arnold. Now we're on a first name basis. 3) I realized that in all likelihood, Arnold was probably a girl. 4) I decided that henceforth for all intents and purposes relating to Praying Mantii (??), Arnold shall be considered a unisex name, therefore preventing any personal offense to my new friend.
So, after I started hacking at the remaining bush, Arnold got the point and stopped dead in its little tracks. I just didn't know what to do! So, I consulted Mike, and in his great love for nature, he broke off a little branch from the trees he was trimming, coaxed little Arnold onto the branch, and then relocated our little friend to another tree/bushy area in the front yard that will NOT be hacked down in the near future. I've checked back several times today, and Arnold is still there, so hopefully Arnold will stick around for a while and be our new friend! How cute.
Now for the project...our front stairs are horrendous. Horrible. Awful. Grotesque. And worst of all, dangerous. They are cracked, crookedy, and crumbling. And the front step into our house is so large, and lopsided, that both my mom and Mike's mom both at times need help getting into the house. And the stairs are SO bad, that my 80 year old grandma, when she was here, opted to walk through the garage and up an entire flight of stairs in the basement, than go up those scary front steps, and try to manage that HUGE step in the front. Not good at all.
It was on our list of things to do before we even BOUGHT the house, but for those of you who know me, you know that most of our plans for the house were put off due to the immediate need to completely re-side the house that we discovered weeks after moving in. But we've realized that with winter coming and Bean on the way, we just NEED to get the stairs fixed, mostly for safety reasons. But it's a bonus that it will just make things oh so much prettier, as well. Once they're done digging everything out and putting all the new stuff in, we'll finally tackle the flower beds in the front and side of the house (likely next spring, since it's late in the season as it is). So we're hoping that by early next year the landscaping part of our curb appeal will match the curb appeal of the new siding job. Here are some before pictures, and I will post some after pictures when...well when it's after.
Mike and I spent our Labor Day doing some much needed yard work around the house. We've been putting it off, because we anticipated having our next project done (more detail below) in June, and thought it kind of pointless to do much work before then. So the flower beds in our yard have just become incredibly unruly. Because of the pending project, it was time to finally clear out some of the growth. So, I started hacking out these terrible, horrible overgrown bushes that filled in the area to the left of our front stairs. After I was about half way through, I spotted this cute little Praying Mantis, hanging out on the stairs. So I said, "Hey, Mr. Praying Mantis!" And it looked at me. And stared me down. I thought it was just so cute, so I called Mike over to take a look. He thought Mr. Praying Mantis was equally cute. So I went and grabbed my camera and hoped he'd still be there when I got back. And he was! Perfect photo op! I snapped away...
After a few minutes of standing perfectly still, Mr. Praying Mantis began to make his way to the bushes I hadn't yet cut down. That's when I realized that I'd probably just killed off Mr. Praying Mantis' habitat, and I felt guilty. BUT - I didn't want Mr. Praying Mantis to go make a home in the bushes I was about to cut down, and then get evicted again. So at this point, several thoughts ran through my head. 1) I very quickly started hacking away at the remaining bushes, so that Mr. Praying Mantis would get the picture that this was not a safe destination for him. 2) I thought that calling him Mr. Praying Mantis was kind of formal, so I named him Arnold. Now we're on a first name basis. 3) I realized that in all likelihood, Arnold was probably a girl. 4) I decided that henceforth for all intents and purposes relating to Praying Mantii (??), Arnold shall be considered a unisex name, therefore preventing any personal offense to my new friend.
So, after I started hacking at the remaining bush, Arnold got the point and stopped dead in its little tracks. I just didn't know what to do! So, I consulted Mike, and in his great love for nature, he broke off a little branch from the trees he was trimming, coaxed little Arnold onto the branch, and then relocated our little friend to another tree/bushy area in the front yard that will NOT be hacked down in the near future. I've checked back several times today, and Arnold is still there, so hopefully Arnold will stick around for a while and be our new friend! How cute.
Now for the project...our front stairs are horrendous. Horrible. Awful. Grotesque. And worst of all, dangerous. They are cracked, crookedy, and crumbling. And the front step into our house is so large, and lopsided, that both my mom and Mike's mom both at times need help getting into the house. And the stairs are SO bad, that my 80 year old grandma, when she was here, opted to walk through the garage and up an entire flight of stairs in the basement, than go up those scary front steps, and try to manage that HUGE step in the front. Not good at all.
It was on our list of things to do before we even BOUGHT the house, but for those of you who know me, you know that most of our plans for the house were put off due to the immediate need to completely re-side the house that we discovered weeks after moving in. But we've realized that with winter coming and Bean on the way, we just NEED to get the stairs fixed, mostly for safety reasons. But it's a bonus that it will just make things oh so much prettier, as well. Once they're done digging everything out and putting all the new stuff in, we'll finally tackle the flower beds in the front and side of the house (likely next spring, since it's late in the season as it is). So we're hoping that by early next year the landscaping part of our curb appeal will match the curb appeal of the new siding job. Here are some before pictures, and I will post some after pictures when...well when it's after.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Funny stuff...
So just a few things from my new job. I'm working for the State Board of Nursing doing clerical work, and while the pace is very, very slow, I've had quite a few funny moments. One of them is mostly internal, but I can't help but laugh on the inside when I'm doing my
T.P.S. reports
If you've seen Office Space, you know why this is funny. And when I'm working on them, I sometimes picture myself coming into work with my power screwdriver and taking apart the walls of my cubicle, and then gutting fish on top of my T.P.S. reports. Ummmmm yeah.
Also, one of my T.P.S. reports was for
LAST NAME: NORTEY
FIRST NAME: OPPORTUNE
Say it with me, people. Opportune Nortey. How cruel were those parents? Seriously? I laughed out loud, and then after I said the name to my co-workers, we all laughed out loud. At this woman's misfortune. But I mean seriously, Opportune Nortey?
T.P.S. reports
If you've seen Office Space, you know why this is funny. And when I'm working on them, I sometimes picture myself coming into work with my power screwdriver and taking apart the walls of my cubicle, and then gutting fish on top of my T.P.S. reports. Ummmmm yeah.
Also, one of my T.P.S. reports was for
LAST NAME: NORTEY
FIRST NAME: OPPORTUNE
Say it with me, people. Opportune Nortey. How cruel were those parents? Seriously? I laughed out loud, and then after I said the name to my co-workers, we all laughed out loud. At this woman's misfortune. But I mean seriously, Opportune Nortey?
Saturday, August 23, 2008
An Olympic Moment...
As many of you know, I spent many a year playing volleyball... and so today as I was watching the American women earn a silver medal against Brazil in indoor volleyball, I took a moment to reflect. To reflect on the fact that I, yes I, once stuff blocked this girl
You can read all about her impressive stats and see her volleyball resume if you click on this link:
http://www.usavolleyball.org/National/profiles/women/KimGlassProfile.asp
You see, Kim grew up in Lancaster, PA and I grew up in Lebanon, PA. She played for Conestoga Valley High School, and I played for Cedar Crest High School. She played Junior Olympics for Synergy, and I played for NorLanco. And so we met one fateful day at a tournament at Penn State University. I remember it like it was yesterday. Her team crushed mine. BUT - I really did get to stuff block her in the second game of the match. In HS she used to play middle, and she was just destroying us with her quick sets. The girl can hit a 1' ball inside the ten-foot line. So, by the second game coach had me just camp out in the middle of the net next to our middle hitter, so we could put a double block on her. I had several touches on her hits, but she was strong enough to hit through me, and tall enough to hit over me when her sets were higher. So I can't even describe to you how awesome it was when the pass came to the setter who was standing just to my left, which meant that her set for Kim was lined up directly over my head. I just reached up my hands, hit my pike position, and WHAM-O, Kim got rejected, ball went straight back down to the floor, and I started screaming my head off. It was awesome, and given the hype surrounding this girl (she was considered in the top 10 volleyball recruits for D-I colleges that year, and ended up with a full ride to U. Arizona where she dominated...) any time anybody blocked, dug, or aced Kim, it was a major reason to celebrate. And so I did. And that is something I will brag about until I die.
Although BLOCKING Kim was a major accomplishment for me, I also had the privilege of playing WITH her, on the Blue Mountain Region Team at the Keystone State Games. Let me just say that watching her pound the crap out of the ball is a lot more fun when you're on the same side of the net as her. Watching from the other side of the net as she pounds the ball into your face is not so fun.
And so that's my Olympic moment. I felt for her when they were targeting her on the serve today, but honestly she's come a long way. She never played back row in high school, and was a middle hitter. Then she was moved to an outside hitter, and worked her butt of to become a better defensive player in the back row. Gotta give a girl some props. Watching the volleyball these past few weeks has literally made me ACHE to be on the court. Given my current "condition", as Sara would call it, that just ain't happening. But just you wait, I'll be back on the court in a few months, and maybe, just maybe, you'll see me in the Red, White and Blue in London, 2012, baby.
Nah, just kidding. That won't happen. But I still like to play:)
Saturday, August 16, 2008
So, this is me at 27 weeks when I don't know that my husband has the camera out. It could have been worse...I spend most of my time in gym clothes, so at least he caught me in presentable clothing. Anywhoo... I go back to work on Monday at the State Board of Nursing, in downtown Harrisburg. Woot! I'll be doing some clerical work. My father-in-law, also a state worker, has warned me that this job might not be the break-neck pace of work that I'm used to. Hey...nothing wrong with that:)
I got a new cell phone. I sent messages to the people I could find contact info for, but if you didn't get the new number send me an email and I'll get it to you. I switched onto my hubby's family plan. I decided to opt for a new number altogether because there's this really old hispanic lady who calls me at all hours of the day and night looking for her son. Apparently his number is basically the same as mine, with 2 numbers transposed. So it confuses her when she dials. Sometimes she dials my number 3 or 4 times in a row, before (I assume...) she gets it right and dials her son. I've tried to tell her on more than one occasion to stop calling me (not so politely when she makes those 2 and 3 am phone calls...I always check to make sure she's ok and doesn't need an ambulance or anything. When I found out she's fine, I get angry). In her broken English she just doesn't understand what I'm trying to explain to her, and I can't under what she's trying to explain to me half the time. So, when the time came to switch phones and plans, I figured I might as well switch numbers and get rid of that problem once and for all. Good riddance, old lady.
My nephews Zach and Ty (under the guidance of their hilarious parents Scott and Christy) left me the most fan-crap-tastical voice mails tonight. HI-LARIOUS! Ty called me Dorkius Maximus, the nickname his loving father gave me as a young one. Zach asked how his cousin BEAN was doin'. And they both ended with a lovely CIAO! Awesome. It made my day!
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