STW is a new acronym my friend, Michelle, has coined for us and it stands for "Stupid Texas Weather." Let me tell you why it is appropriate. Yesterday at 6:00, Joe sends me a text message that says, "Leave now or stay for a while" (meaning work because I was still at work). So, I leave, of course, because who wants to be stuck at work? I arrive home at 6:30ish, just in time to hear that I'm on the edge of the path of a storm that is rotating and I should take cover. Good Lord. But I was starving. Surely I had time to make a sandwich before I scurried to the closet. As I'm slapping the 2nd piece of bread down, the electricity flickers. I find a flashlight and run to the closet fearing that if a tornado hits and I die it will be because I just had to have a sandwich and how embarrassing would that be? The headlines would read "Overweight Grapevine woman perishes in storm while having a sandwich." (At least it wasn't ice cream.)
I know better than to make claims of any kind. Just 2 weeks ago in a discussion over television service, I stupidly make the comment, "The one thing I really like about FiOS TV is that is never goes out. Even in the worst storms. Of course, I guess that wouldn't matter if you lost electricity, but we never lose electricity." Zing! What in the hell was I thinking???? No sooner did I reach the closet then the lights went out and this time for quite a while. For the next 45 minutes I sat in the closet with my sandwich, flashlight, and portable radio. Even after the "worst of" the storm passed, it was POURING down rain and still thundering and lightening.
The electricity was out for 2 hours and 15 minutes. I don't know how the colonials read by candlelight. 1) it's hard on the eyes and 2) it makes me sleepy. I had just dozed off on the couch when the lights came back on. What a relief. I trudged around the house, resetting all the clocks, got a glass of water, and logged on to blog. 20 minutes later, blip. Out again. This time for another hour and 10 minutes. Sigh.
It would be about 18 hours before the storm was actually out of here. It was the weirdest thing - it just kept going - wave after wave after wave. Our lights went out 3 more times during the night, but came back on.
Another weekend trip is hosed up because of the weather. This makes 3: the wedding in Destin, the weekend in Little Rock (that technically you don't know about because I haven't blogged it yet) and now we've had to postpone our visit to the Zadra's. STW.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
NSD
I've been waiting to catch-up on May because I wanted to display the accomplishments of that very first weekend, which included National Scrapbook Day! With my favorite scrapbook store long closed, I didn't think much about NSD this year. But, then I heard that there was going to be an all-day crop at a church in Richland Hills. $10, included lunch and dinner. What a deal!!! It wasn't even hard to convince Inka and Crafty Michele to go with me. I wish I would have had someone take our picture, but we were all being so productive, I didn't think about it until it was too late.
I am a slow scrapper and I hardly ever have everything I need with me. I have been incredibly unproductive this year, too. I'm so beat down by the lack of LSS around me and as much as I think I want to work at home, I haven't. But on NSD, I was clicking!!! Check out my progress (I touched each and every one of these layouts at NSD - although some of them were finished at home). Sorry about the glare on the Hawaii layouts - I was so excited about my progress that I couldn't wait to get those page protectors on!!
I started with this layout because it was the next in chronological order. This is from our 2006 trip to The Big Island for Joe's 40th:
From here, we went to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, so I did these layouts:
At this point, I decided to change trips and work on our trip to Africa, which was in 2007:
After that, I worked on this layout to match a layout I previously did on our day at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago:
And finally, a return to the Big Island:
Holy Cow!!!! 9 layouts!!!! That's 3 more than my "normal" 12-hour productivity goal. I am so excited to have made this progress even though now it seems so long ago. The bad news of that day was that Joe opted for weekend duty since I wasn't going to be home and we had our worst thunderstorms of the season. Wave after wave after wave. Poor Joey!!
Here's a couple more layouts I've done this year from our Africa trip. I'm hoping this post will inspire me to finish that Big Island trip soon!!!
I am a slow scrapper and I hardly ever have everything I need with me. I have been incredibly unproductive this year, too. I'm so beat down by the lack of LSS around me and as much as I think I want to work at home, I haven't. But on NSD, I was clicking!!! Check out my progress (I touched each and every one of these layouts at NSD - although some of them were finished at home). Sorry about the glare on the Hawaii layouts - I was so excited about my progress that I couldn't wait to get those page protectors on!!
I started with this layout because it was the next in chronological order. This is from our 2006 trip to The Big Island for Joe's 40th:
From here, we went to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, so I did these layouts:
At this point, I decided to change trips and work on our trip to Africa, which was in 2007:
After that, I worked on this layout to match a layout I previously did on our day at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago:
And finally, a return to the Big Island:
Holy Cow!!!! 9 layouts!!!! That's 3 more than my "normal" 12-hour productivity goal. I am so excited to have made this progress even though now it seems so long ago. The bad news of that day was that Joe opted for weekend duty since I wasn't going to be home and we had our worst thunderstorms of the season. Wave after wave after wave. Poor Joey!!
Here's a couple more layouts I've done this year from our Africa trip. I'm hoping this post will inspire me to finish that Big Island trip soon!!!
Weekend Fly-by
Why is it that weekends fly by so quickly? We were busy, yes, but it seems like it was just Friday and now it's Monday. What happened to Saturday and Sunday? Sigh.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Helloooooooo!!!
I have some catching up to do again. It's been an eventful month. We've taken a couple of weekend trips, we've worked on the house (sort of), and we both have new jobs. Joe even got a promotion with his new job. He is now the Ramp Manager for Eagle at DFW, which means he has to make sure his people get the bags on the planes, park the planes, etc. This is his first new job in 12 years!!! Joe went from 30 employees to 600.
I went back to a hybrid of my last two jobs. The best thing about it is that my sleeping problems seemed to have eased and there's a short learning curve because I've already been there. I am so much happier - at least for now. It's my 4th job in 5 years. hahaha!!! Or perhaps, since it's a combination of my 2 former jobs, it's my 3rd job again.
I went back to a hybrid of my last two jobs. The best thing about it is that my sleeping problems seemed to have eased and there's a short learning curve because I've already been there. I am so much happier - at least for now. It's my 4th job in 5 years. hahaha!!! Or perhaps, since it's a combination of my 2 former jobs, it's my 3rd job again.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
I just wanted to report...
...I had a little bit more productive weekend last weekend. Now, I can honestly say that I did not accomplish everything I had hoped to, but then, I never do.
Unfortunately, I continue to suffer from insomnia. Last weekend was not the first time I have had trouble sleeping. For the past few weeks, I have found it hard to fall asleep - sometimes 3-4 nights a week. Once I actually get to sleep, I'm okay, but it's getting to sleep. And I have never, ever in my life had this issue more than two or three nights in an entire year.
That being said, Friday night was another night of troubled sleep. And, I woke up early on Saturday morning, too. But, I decided that the best thing to do would be to get moving and get something accomplished. I had 2 "to do" lists from weeks ago that were not completed, so I started with those. Out came the ironing board and I finally ironed the shower curtain in the front bathroom. I had so hoped that the wrinkles would fall out on their own, but after 6 months I decided it was time to give up that hope. Then I cleaned out the drawers in our bathroom. (I must take this opportunity to make fun of my husband. I threw away a can of foot deodorant that expired in 1994. 1994!!!! HELLO!!!! 15 years ago. And the funniest thing about it? He moved to Texas in 1996. He must have packed and moved a can of foot spray that had already been expired for TWO YEARS. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! My husband is such a pack rat. For the record, he doesn't need the foot deodorant - his feet honestly, truly do not stink. :-) )
The last 2 "to-do's" were digging out negatives to have reprints made for the picture wall. I decided to do collages of 3 of our trips - the PCH, Costa del Sol, Spain and our Hawaiian Cruise because there were so many different destinations on each of those. PCH is done and ready to hang, but I got the other two trips ready and reprinted (although the store reprinted 2 incorrectly and I've yet to pick up the corrections).
It felt darn good to throw those 2 lists away. It doesn't sound like much, but it still felt good.
Another accomplishment - Joe and I also started cleaning out the scrapbook room. We have some major work to do there - it's turned in to such a junk room!! I will post some before and after pictures for sure.
To top it off, I finished my book club book, Friday Night Knitting Club and Joe and I went to see Earth so that Disney would plant 2 trees in our honor. We also watched a movie at home, The Dark Knight which we thought was okay, but mostly we thought that Heath Ledger was a very good, although very dark, Joker.
So...I got back to my New Year's Resolution last weekend. The one where I get off the couch and get some stuff done!
Unfortunately, I continue to suffer from insomnia. Last weekend was not the first time I have had trouble sleeping. For the past few weeks, I have found it hard to fall asleep - sometimes 3-4 nights a week. Once I actually get to sleep, I'm okay, but it's getting to sleep. And I have never, ever in my life had this issue more than two or three nights in an entire year.
That being said, Friday night was another night of troubled sleep. And, I woke up early on Saturday morning, too. But, I decided that the best thing to do would be to get moving and get something accomplished. I had 2 "to do" lists from weeks ago that were not completed, so I started with those. Out came the ironing board and I finally ironed the shower curtain in the front bathroom. I had so hoped that the wrinkles would fall out on their own, but after 6 months I decided it was time to give up that hope. Then I cleaned out the drawers in our bathroom. (I must take this opportunity to make fun of my husband. I threw away a can of foot deodorant that expired in 1994. 1994!!!! HELLO!!!! 15 years ago. And the funniest thing about it? He moved to Texas in 1996. He must have packed and moved a can of foot spray that had already been expired for TWO YEARS. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! My husband is such a pack rat. For the record, he doesn't need the foot deodorant - his feet honestly, truly do not stink. :-) )
The last 2 "to-do's" were digging out negatives to have reprints made for the picture wall. I decided to do collages of 3 of our trips - the PCH, Costa del Sol, Spain and our Hawaiian Cruise because there were so many different destinations on each of those. PCH is done and ready to hang, but I got the other two trips ready and reprinted (although the store reprinted 2 incorrectly and I've yet to pick up the corrections).
It felt darn good to throw those 2 lists away. It doesn't sound like much, but it still felt good.
Another accomplishment - Joe and I also started cleaning out the scrapbook room. We have some major work to do there - it's turned in to such a junk room!! I will post some before and after pictures for sure.
To top it off, I finished my book club book, Friday Night Knitting Club and Joe and I went to see Earth so that Disney would plant 2 trees in our honor. We also watched a movie at home, The Dark Knight which we thought was okay, but mostly we thought that Heath Ledger was a very good, although very dark, Joker.
So...I got back to my New Year's Resolution last weekend. The one where I get off the couch and get some stuff done!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Get a Life!!!
I was thinking I may have mentioned this before, but I couldn't find the post. Anyway...it irritates the crap out of me that people think I have no life just because I don't have kids. Of course, I do realize that this could partially be attributed to my over-sensitivity to not having kids.
But then I reflect back over my weekend and I wonder if all those people have a point:
Friday Night
5:00 - Leave work (yeah!!!! on TIME!)
6:30 - Talk to Joe while he's getting ready to go to the Relay for Life event (I was going to go, but they moved it inside a gymnasium due to weather and I lost interest)
6:45 - Heat up take out food Joe brought me last night
8:00 - Fall asleep on the couch (to my credit, I haven't been sleeping well)
10:30 - Joe comes home and tries to wake me up, but I still can't keep my eyes open
11:00 - Go to bed
11:01 - Stare at the ceiling - wide awake
11:30 - Still staring at the ceiling - wide awake
12:00 - Still staring at the ceiling - wide awake
12:29 - ARE YOU KIDDING ME???
12:30 - Get out of bed and go to the living room to watch a rerun of Reba on Lifetime (there's seriously not much on TV in the middle of the night)
1:00 - Watch movie with Joanna Kerns about an abused woman fighting for custody of her kids
3:00 - Go back to bed. Sigh
Saturday
9:00 - Awake again
9:30 - Breakfast - cereal and banana
10:00 - Watch 4 episodes of Frasier, Season 6 while avoiding taking a shower
12:00 - Phone call from parents - they are coming by
12:10 - Take a shower
1:30 - Lunch with parents
3:00 - Spend all afternoon catching up on TV that was TiVO'd from last week and laying on the couch
6:00 - Go to the deli up the street for soup
7:00 - Watch the rest of Frasier episodes
8:00 - Watch Slumdog Millionaire (VERY good, but very sad)
11:00 - Bed
Sunday
9:00 - Awake
9:30 - Breakfast of cereal and banana
11:30 - Realize I have no idea what I did the last 2 hours
11:35 - Go on a 6-mile walk
2:30 - After a shower, we go to lunch at Cheesecake Factory and go to see State of Play because we refuse to believe we are a) old or b) have no life
And then after The Amazing Race the weekend is over. Sigh.
But then I reflect back over my weekend and I wonder if all those people have a point:
Friday Night
5:00 - Leave work (yeah!!!! on TIME!)
6:30 - Talk to Joe while he's getting ready to go to the Relay for Life event (I was going to go, but they moved it inside a gymnasium due to weather and I lost interest)
6:45 - Heat up take out food Joe brought me last night
8:00 - Fall asleep on the couch (to my credit, I haven't been sleeping well)
10:30 - Joe comes home and tries to wake me up, but I still can't keep my eyes open
11:00 - Go to bed
11:01 - Stare at the ceiling - wide awake
11:30 - Still staring at the ceiling - wide awake
12:00 - Still staring at the ceiling - wide awake
12:29 - ARE YOU KIDDING ME???
12:30 - Get out of bed and go to the living room to watch a rerun of Reba on Lifetime (there's seriously not much on TV in the middle of the night)
1:00 - Watch movie with Joanna Kerns about an abused woman fighting for custody of her kids
3:00 - Go back to bed. Sigh
Saturday
9:00 - Awake again
9:30 - Breakfast - cereal and banana
10:00 - Watch 4 episodes of Frasier, Season 6 while avoiding taking a shower
12:00 - Phone call from parents - they are coming by
12:10 - Take a shower
1:30 - Lunch with parents
3:00 - Spend all afternoon catching up on TV that was TiVO'd from last week and laying on the couch
6:00 - Go to the deli up the street for soup
7:00 - Watch the rest of Frasier episodes
8:00 - Watch Slumdog Millionaire (VERY good, but very sad)
11:00 - Bed
Sunday
9:00 - Awake
9:30 - Breakfast of cereal and banana
11:30 - Realize I have no idea what I did the last 2 hours
11:35 - Go on a 6-mile walk
2:30 - After a shower, we go to lunch at Cheesecake Factory and go to see State of Play because we refuse to believe we are a) old or b) have no life
And then after The Amazing Race the weekend is over. Sigh.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Happy Easter!!!
I've been on another hiatus - no good reason, just haven't managed to be online much lately. But, today my husband is watching the Master's and so I am playing around on the computer and thought I would say - Happy Easter.
And that's all I can think of to say for now. Ha!! :-)
And that's all I can think of to say for now. Ha!! :-)
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