guess i'm from The Jetsons

The other day Matt and I received a Homeowner's Insurance packet in the mail. Like a responsible citizen, I promptly ignored it and placed it on the desk to be filed away with all other Boring Important Correspondence. Matt, however, being who he is, decided to take it out of the envelope and peruse it before filing it away. Silly, I know. But as it turns out, it was a good thing he did. Because you know what those *@&$*@s have decided to stop covering? In the event something happened to our home??

I'll let you see for yourself.

WHAT? Are you freaking KIDDING ME?! You're not covering my HOVERCRAFT? And you call this customer service...

Because apparently I live in the future, or the Capitol, or perhaps even on the Jetsons.

Let's take a vote: would you shop around and take your homeowning insurance business elsewhere if your company stopped covering something as crucial as hovercraft?

Sheesh.

In unrelated news, it is a very important weekend: so important it merits an OUTFIT OF THE DAY picture (or 2)!!!!!

It is GARDEN PLANTING WEEKEND!!!

 This is my official Summer Yardwork Uniform, as referenced the other day. If you drive by my house during the next 6 months, there is a really good chance you'll see me outside sporting something looking like this. In true OOTD form, let me enthrall you with the details:

Shorts- Nike Tempo, hand-me-downs from my neighbor 
Tank- Old Navy, hand-me-down from Kristina 
Shoes- Asics (I actually bought something on my own, what what!)
Hat- my sacred yellow Masters hat, Dirty Edition (I have 2 identical hats: one is "dirty" and suitable for getting sweaty and...dirty...and the other is in pristine condition and only acceptable for fashion use and/or attending golf tournaments)
Gloves- no clue. They've lived in my garage for as long as I can remember.

And this is my Gardening Game Face, which is the last thing weeds, ants, and stubborn rocks stuck in the clay see before they die.

Game ON! Happy Weekend!

MY heart will go on...

It's been awhile since I've participated in Way Back When-sday, but I think that shortly you will be agreeing with me: it was worth the wait.

No cutesy logo anymore, since Allison decided to stop hosting. Like her, I was finding it difficult to find inspiration/pictures/time to scan stuff every week. But then there are those times that inspiration just jumps out and bites you. Inspiration so strong that you deem it worth the trouble of crawling up into the attic, fighting through all of the Christmas decorations you haphazardly threw up there a few months ago, digging out the giant Tupperware tub of "old stuff from Mom & Dad's house," and rifling through 25 photo albums ALL so that you can find The Picture.

The other day, I mentioned my excitement about seeing the Titanic preview before Hunger Games started. I also mentioned that back in the day, I saw the movie a half dozen few times in the theater. Luckily, I was rewarded with several comments affirming that I am not the only one cherishing such fond memories of the Titanic phenomenon-- nor am I the only one excitedly anticipating the re-release next month. I was thinking all of this through, when suddenly it all came back to me.

The Obsession.

You know how sometimes your memory blocks things out because if you remembered them all the time, it could be really embarrassing or humiliating? But then sometimes your brain will let you remember them, just so that you can congratulate yourself on how far you've come as a human and how super not-lame you are now. Well thankfully, The Obsession normally lies dormant somewhere in my subconscious. Until now. When I'm going to share it with you. And then I'll need you all to forget it and never bring it up again, thanks.

When Titanic came out, I don't think I just liked it. I didn't just enjoy the soundtrack. I didn't just happen to find myself at the theater every weekend for over a month, watching the same movie. I'm pretty sure I was legitimately obsessed. Here's my evidence:

1) Back in early 1998, I had already reached Level Ten Black Belt Ninja Warrior Internet Stalker status. Meaning I could and would search out anything my little 15 year old heart desired: and what it was desiring, apparently, was Titanic. The script. The whole script. And so what did I do? I found that movie script. And then I printed it.

All couple hundred pages of it.

Oh yes, it took a long time. And STACKS of (my dad's) paper. I had to stand there at the printer for HOURS, feeding paper into that thing! But when it was done? I had the whole entire script to the blockbuster movie, stage directions and all. It was so awesome. I carried it to school in my backpack and was the envy of a few super lame people everyone. And then my dad found out. And he was not as impressed by my dedication to Rose and Jack as I was. Spoilsport.

2) I couldn't NOT be surrounded with reminders of Jack and Rose's true love-- what if I forgot, even for a minute, and found myself whisked off to marry some rich jerk? Can't happen. So since this was before the days when I could just whip out my phone and see pictures of them, and since I apparently spent all of my money on movie tickets and had none left to invest in a Tiger Beat or something, I had to make do with what I did have: my dad's printer.

 Can you see it? It's my Titanic collage! There's Leo, right in the middle-- prime real estate. Across the top we have one of the movie banners, the "I'm flying, Jack!" scene, and our star-crossed lovers embracing. On the bottom are two more heart-wrenching close-ups. And this collage? I carried it with me everywhere. Where I went, it went. And I'm not gonna lie-- people were pretty jealous of it. I probably could have started a sweet collage-selling-side-business if my dad hadn't put his printer in a locked cabinet.*

The only thing that could make this story sweeter would be if I still HAD the collage, but sadly, I don't think I do. At some point, my brain tried to help me save a little face by destroying the evidence of The Obsession, including the collage and the script. Which is super sad, because HOW FUN would it be to still have that script and get some folks together to act out the movie??!!! I know. Dibs on being Rose.

 

*Just kidding, he didn't really lock up his printer. But I think we had to have a Serious Conversation regarding proper usage of paper and ink, leading me to believe he wouldn't want to be fronting the equipment for my new Titanic Collage Business.

SCORE!

Here's my typical after-work routine in the 'summer' (March through October, or however long my plants keep growing):

-Gym
-Dinner
-Yardwork til it gets dark
-TV/blogging/reading/QT with Matt
-Shower
-Bed

Riveting, I know. And to let you in on even a few more boring details, I'll have you know that I don't change clothes in between the gym and yardwork.

Which brings me to last night.

After dinner, I headed outside to wage war against weeds and caterpillars  tend to some flower beds. As soon as I stepped foot outside, my next-door-neighbor, A, called out to me. This is not unusual, since she seems to spend her evenings doing much the same thing as I do. We talk in our yards almost every evening, because we are ladies raised in the South and it's the right thing to do. And also because it's awesome. But that's beside the point. Tonight, A came over to my yard and she was still wearing cute work clothes. "Hey!" she called out. "Do you like your shorts?"

I looked down at my black running shorts and sweaty tank top (bonus: today we squeezed in a trip to the dog park between the gym and dinner. So I was EXTRA dirty already!). Do I like my shorts? Is she making fun of me? Why is she doing yard work in a dress? Is there a hole in my shorts?

"Ummm...yes?" I replied. This isn't usually how our conversations start. It's usually more like "what the heck is eating my Cleveland pear tree and how do I obliterate it?"

"Sorry, I know that's a weird question. I just asked because I was cleaning out my closet today and I have some running shorts like that that I need to get rid of. They're a medium and they're never going to fit me again. Do you want them?"

Oh!! Well, yes, of course I do! You may have noticed, but I rather LIVE in these shorts all summer long...

She ran back into her house and came out 2 seconds later with FOUR PAIR of Nike Tempo running shorts (in various colors)!  

source

PS Those legs are totally mine. Okay, so maybe they're not. But only because I'm tanner than that chick.

Okay but anyways, back to the point. I just got 4 pairs of awesome shorts in like-new condition for FREE FREE FREE! At current market value, they are worth ~$128! I call that a major score! A, the ladies of my Zumba class would like to thank you because they are tired of seeing me wear the same things over and over. And I would like to thank you-- not that you read this blog-- for being an awesome neighbor who not ONLY keeps a fantastic yard up, hangs out with me in the evenings, and makes me cookies, but also plays with my cat and gives me sweet hand-me-downs. You make living in the sticks a lot more fun!

feeling elderly

I realized a few things this weekend. Surprisingly, all of these realizations are related to Hunger Games-- not that I have a one-track mind or anything. These new realizations are not directly related to the book/movie, though, so that should put your mind at ease if you're tired of hearing me blab on about this thing already. Today's thoughts are actually regarding the new phenomenon I'm experiencing called Getting (or Feeling) Old.


One of the previews before the movie was for Titanic.

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Apparently they're going to be re-releasing it to the big screen or something, which is a fantastic idea because admit it-- Titanic is one of the best movies ever. I know I saw it 6 or so times in the theaters back on its first run, and I wouldn't mind making it a nice baker's dozen or something this time around (haha kidding, not spending my entire future child's college education on movie-watching). Seeing the previews brought all the old memories rushing back over me, but right as the trailer ended, Mollyanne pointed out "isn't it strange, seeing previews for a movie you've already seen a million times, like it's something new or something?" And before "yes" could come out of my mouth, it hit me:


The 'target audience' for the film we were there to see was...ahem...not us. We were definitely the minority in the packed-out theater, surrounded by middle and high-school and college kids. Even though most of my adult friends have read the books, I do realize that they weren't written for us...they are geared towards this younger crowd. 


And this younger crowd? To them, Titanic may as well be a new release. Because back in 1998, while I was a rowdy high schooler (hahaha) spending every weekend watching Titanic, these folks were rockin out their Pampers and playing with their Tickle Me Elmos. Yikes. Scary. I suddenly felt extremely elderly. Extremely.


So I would almost be irritated by this whole thing (having to face the reality of growing old) if it weren't for the fact that Hunger Games has also let me feel young again, in a way. You know how excited your parents get whenever they figure out something 'young and cool,' like texting or 'the Facebook'? Like suddenly they know what's up, they're jiggy wit it, and they want to demonstrate their new skill/passion at every chance they get? I feel like that, too. Like suddenly I have something in common with teenagers-- those strange beings I have always been rather afraid of, since I stopped being one-- and if I happened to meet one, the first thing I'd want to do is be like it's cool, I know about Hunger Games. Me and you, we're equal. We could be BFF. And even knowing that that's what I'd do makes me feel even older and lamer.


So thanks, Hunger Games, for being totally awesome and making me feel totally lame and old. In order to not start feeling all sadsies about growing old, I will now make a list of reasons why being 29 is way cooler than being a teenager:


1. I can go to 10pm movies without anyone's permission, and I can get home whenever I want without sneaking in.
2. Nobody is the boss of me. Except my boss, but that's not what I'm talking about.
3. If I got pregnant, everyone would be really happy for me.


I guess that's about it. Time to go drink my Geritol! 

the Games

Unless you live under a rock, you are probably aware that the Hunger Games movie came out this weekend.

 

Source

 You are probably not going to be terribly surprised to hear that I was there with figurative bells on at 10:20 Friday night, if you've been anywhere near me or my blog or my Facebook news feed for the last 2 weeks. My level of obsession with those books has not waned. It might have even increased. If that's even possible.

Our friends the Moores came up to visit for the weekend. Even though Amanda hasn't read the books (yet), it didn't take much effort for Mollyanne and I to convince her that she should come with us to the movie. I think we had her at "hot underage boys" and "the husbands will stay home with the kids" and the rest was just gravy. So after we went to a (super Pinterest-y, super awesome) bridal shower, we headed over to the movie theater for a movie that started at well past my normal bedtime. I know. The things I'm willing to sacrifice for hot underage boys books/movies I'm passionate about. My sleep, and like a freakin week's pay-- DANG movies have gotten expensive since the last time I went (circa 2000, when I was in high school and had nothing better to spend money on)! 

I was going to do a little movie review, but as luck would have it, my friend Colleen over at The Ranunculus Adventures just beat me to it...and let's face it, hers is much better thought out and coherent than mine would be, and I agree with her on 99% of it, so you should just go read hers! 

The only point of hers that I wholeheartedly disagree with is the issue of Peeta's height in the movie. She liked that he is short. I do not. In fact, it stressed me out for nearly a whole week to know that our valiant hero is MY HEIGHT (5'7). I will admit that his height (or lack thereof) was hardly ever apparent in the movie (unlike all the red carpet shots, where he looks MINISCULE next to Katniss and Gale) and did not detract from his character at all. But it was always there, nagging me in the back of my mind-- he's itty bitty. He probably weighs less than you. I don't know, call me insecure or judgmental if you will...but it bothered me. However, the positive side is that since Josh Hutcherson (the actor) is only like 12 years old (ok, I kid-- he's actually 19 or so), I have high hopes that he will continue growing and be of an acceptable height by the time the next movie comes out. Alternately, maybe I will grow as a person and just stop being immature and stupid and judging fantastic actors for their heights by then. One of those things will surely come to pass, right?

Sigh. I can't wait to go see it again later this week or next weekend with Matt, who is barely concealing his bitterness over not being invited along to girls' movie night. 

The rest of the weekend was fantastic as well, and contained Games of a whole different variety. First of all, we had Backyard Games...

 ...which quickly turned into Camera Games:

 It was such a beautiful day on Saturday, I was very happy to have some time (and PEOPLE) to take pictures!

Later that night, as is our usual custom, we played Mexican Train dominoes. Over the years it's become our tradition to spend at least one night of a our-three-families-visiting-weekend playing dominoes and listening to 90s music and it is one of my favorite things we do. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy-- especially when, like last night, Matt and I were DOMINATING the game. This actually has never happened-- usually MATT is really good, and so is everyone else, and I am fairly terrible. But for some reason (probably because I am Katniss and I am awesome at life now) last night I was bringing my A-game and it was way more fun to be winning than losing. Just an observation.

Today was another beautiful day, and after church and lunch I enjoyed a nice long nap and then turned all of my energy and attention onto beating our yard and gardens into submission for the upcoming planting season. I am so happy it is flower season again! The hydrangeas, canna lilies, daylilies, sedum, azaleas...ok, and basically everything else that's a bush or perennial... have all started growing and looking life-like and it makes me SO happy! We bolstered up one of our raised beds today and have the materials to make a third...so the Farm should be pretty fantastic this summer. I also had a come-to-Jesus with my neighbor, who seems bound and determined to have the Best Yard on our street. I set her straight, letting her know that the title is MINE, and plant as she may-- I refuse to let her beat me! Actually I just love having neighbors that love flowers and gardens as much as I do (Michelle-- I MISS YOU!) and it's even better that she lives next door where I can enjoy all of her hard work through my windows!

Well, I need to go get ready for another work week (BOO). Goodnight-- and may the odds be ever in your favor.

the cure for the funk

I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I've been much happier and less in a funk today. And then about an hour ago, I got even more happy. Because I decided to download the app Draw Something.

I saw like 3 people on facebook today posting about it (PS- really annoying when people post to FB every play of every game they play. STOP DOING THAT!). Then my brother-in-law asked about it at dinner tonight. And then I decided I'd better download it to see what all the fuss was about.

 But you know how it is-- even though I logged in with my Facebook account and it tells me that 40 of my "friends" are playing...I don't really know any/many of them, and I'd feel weird just starting up a random game with someone I had a class with 7 years ago. So even though I hadn't yet figured out what the game even WAS, I texted Mollyanne and told her to download it so we could play together.


Like a good friend, she immediately complied and we were on our way to hours of making ourselves cry from laughing. She quickly got her husband in on the game as well, so then I was able to play twice as much.


GO DOWNLOAD IT NOW (conveniently available on both iPhones and Androids!). I promise, your life will be much more laughter-filled as soon as you do. Especially if you suck at drawing as much as I do. It's basically Pictionary-- you pick between 3 words (worth varying points) to try to draw. Then you use your big fat fingers on your tiny little screen and do the best you can, and then your friend tries to guess (the game will give your friend the letters of your word plus a few extra letters, all scrambled up, to help them guess). Then you get points or coins or some BS like that that I don't understand yet, but it doesn't matter because the hilarious part is seeing how AWFUL your drawings are.


So what I'm saying is: go download it and then start a game with me. Please. You will make me so happy.


And just in case any of the people in charge of creating/updating the app are reading my blog (as I suspect they are), here are some tips for your next update:
1) The Android app needs a notification thing! I don't know if it's my turn unless I open the game! Fix that.
2) There needs to be a way to replay/browse through your previous pictures/guesses. Trust me. I did the funniest thing ever tonight (which resulted in at least 3 people (me, Matt, Mollyanne) laughing until we cried) and now it is lost forever.
3) Green. Just give me a green color choice. Please.

Thank you and goodnight.

escape

 I'm sorry for being the lamest blogger ever lately. I'm back from Spring Break, so there are no more fantastic beach scenes to be making you jealous with...just regular old me. With a bad case of writer's block. Still. Look at these March stats-- I've blogged like three times?? Sheesh. That's just disgraceful.

To tell you the truth, we had a nice portion of adoption-related drama this past weekend. I've thought about going into it, or at least going into the emotional side of it, but I just can't. Not yet. I'm over it, but I'm not. It was really sad, but then again, I'm used to being sad. I just haven't totally processed it yet, so instead of working on that, I'm focusing on escaping. Because that's the healthy thing to do.

Losing myself in The Hunger Games again (both by re-reading the trilogy, getting Matt to read it, and then convincing him to play made-up games-based-on-the-hunger-games in the park with me, including but not limited to practicing throwing spears (sticks) and throwing imaginary nests of tracker jackers at each other). Spending a good deal of time watching/thinking about/reading commentary on/discussing last night's Walking Dead finale. Obviously, having a long discussion about whether I'd rather actually be stuck in a real Hunger Game or in a post-apocolyptic world overrun with zombies a la Walking Dead (answer: Hunger Games, a million times over). Discussing whether a zombie or a muttation would win in a fight. ARE YOU AMAZED AT HOW RIDICULOUSLY LAME MY LIFE IS RIGHT NOW? But I'm losing myself in these silly pretend worlds because it's easier than facing my own right now.


I do have something exciting coming up on Wednesday, but I'm also not at liberty to talk about that. But at least it's something with the potential to bring excitement to life. Or it could be nothing. Which would be sad. But at least the Hunger Games movie comes out this weekend, which will make me happy times infinity.


 This is a pathetic attempt at writing. Therefore I shall commence with the ultimate cop-out: filling out an A-Z survey. My valiant effort at doing something other than thinking about zombies and dystopian societies.

A is for age: 29
B is for breakfast today: coffee, a bagel thin with cream cheese, and a green smoothie
C is for currently craving: another Hunger Games re-read?
D is for dinner tonight: lasagna (it was Stouffer's, don't get too impressed) and grilled asparagus
E is for favorite type of exercise: ZUMBA!!!!!!!
F is for an irrational fear: I'm pretty sure my most widely-agreed-upon-as-'irrational' fears are birds and hotels
G is for gross food: mushrooms
H is for hometown: Martinez, Ga
I is for something important: taking your allergy medicine. Which I forgot to do today.
J is for current favorite jam: I'm unsure whether 'jam' is referring to a song or a type of jelly. And I don't really have a good answer for either.
K is for kids: right.
L is for current location: on my couch in my living room
M is for the most recent way you spent money: at the grocery store last night
N is for something you need: a baby and to win the lottery
O is for occupation: don't really want to share my exact job title, but I work with at-risk pre-k students on early literacy skills
P is for pet peeve: life

Q is for a quote:"Better not give in to it. It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart." Mockingjay

R is for random fact about you: I can only set my alarm for times that end in the numbers 1, 3, 7, or 9 (with 3 and 7 being highly preferable, but 1 and 9 acceptable). As in, 6:07 or 8:31. Never an even number or a 5. I've been like this for as long as I can remember and I have no idea why. But it would definitely stress me out if I tried to do it the 'wrong' way.
S is for favorite healthy snack: raw veggies in hummus
T is for favorite treat: something with chocolate and peanut butter
U is for something that makes you unique: my extremely excessively long fingers?
V is for favorite vegetable: tomatoes, squash, avocado, asparagus, peppers...most of them, really.
W is for today’s workout: Zumba Toning
X is for X-rays you’ve had: knee, spine, chest, elbow, uterus
Y is for yesterday’s highlight: playing Hunger Games in the park, then watching the Walking Dead season finale
Z is for your time zone:Eastern

While this did fulfill the objective of passing time, it did NOT effectively keep me from thinking about HG, since I spent a good 30 minutes trying to find a good quote. Not to imply that it took that long to find ANY good quote-- I just have difficulties narrowing things down. And making choices. In general.

Le sigh. Goodnight. 

last day

 It's my last day vacationing in sunny, warm, perfect south Florida. Sadsies. Only I will be happy to get back to my home in north Georgia (which has reportedly warmed up nicely in the last few days, so that should make the transition easier) because I miss my Mattie very much. 


Anyway, here's a mini-photo dump from the last few days. Some of these are from my phone, some from the Big Girl Camera (which has only really had one big day out, yesterday, when we went to a park in another town and spent some time taking lots of pictures).

 I painted my nails mint green. The polish was one of the presents Matt sent along with me. Every time I see my nails, they surprise me.

 Before going to dinner Sunday night. The girls.

 Sweet Adoration in the park.

 Definitely my favorite picture that I took of Kristina and Adoration. Am I a photographing genius or what??!

Catherine and I. You can barely tell in this picture, but everything metal/iron in this park was painted the most beautiful shade of turquoise/teal. Lampposts, fences (like we're leaning against), etc. It was so awesome and photo-worthy!

Catherine and Kristina and a really pretty orchid (over Stine's head).

And then I ate a lobster quesadilla.

Not photographed: me with my nose stuck in the Kindle for 2 solid days, polishing off the Hunger Games trilogy. The pace with which I read those books can only be described as frantic. I'm afraid I missed like half of the details because I was SO ANXIOUS to see if things ended well. I don't know if anything has ever stressed me out as much as those books did. To be honest, I STILL feel stressed! I do think they ended well, but I seriously cannot stop thinking about them, replaying scenes in my mind, deciding if I'm really okay with the end...ugh. It is emotional. But I want to re-read them immediately, because now I can read with more peace and attention to detail, since I'm not going to have to be worried the whole time about them killing off my favorite people. I cried so much at the end.

And yes, I am dying to see the movie. ASAP.

So we have one more day of fun in the sun and sand. Today is Catherine's 28th birthday, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, SPEARSLEY! and we are going to downtown West Palm Beach tonight to eat some seafood at an apparently incredible restaurant on the water. I can tell you this: I have not starved this trip. There is no shortage of awesome food here. There is also no shortage of holistic animal centers, as I have noted from driving by them. Really? So if you were looking for a place to get Fido a little acupuncture or some herbal remedies, you should try south Florida.

You're welcome.

i win

 Not to brag or anything, but if you and I were having a competition about who has the better view today, I'm pretty sure I'd win.

 Yup, that's my in-need-of-a-pedi feet stuck in the sand right next to the ocean. Yup! Winning!

The two lovely ladies you can barely see in this pic are my beach-and-vacation-mates, Catherine and Kristina.

Catherine and I survived the forever-long drive yesterday and made it to lovely south Florida by 7pm (so, an 11 hour drive). This is my first trip to south Florida (I guess the furthest south I've been before this trip is Cocoa Beach or so), and so far I can say it is definitely different (BETTER) than north Florida or the Panhandle. For one, the water is crystal clear blue and there are actual HUGE WAVES. For another, this area (West Palm) is really nice and ritzy and not cheesy-touristy. Therefore I am planning on moving here immediately. Just FYI. 

Today's beach trip was wonderful and lazy and I read this book

source

and finished off about 25%, according to the Kindle. And it is absolutely as good as I'd been anticipating. I got a good start on a base tan and got no burn, so I don't know if you can have a more successful first beach day than that!

Besides tanning and reading and judging the various regions of Florida, there has been lots of good conversation, good food, and quality time with besties. The perfect start to my vacation (except for Matt not being here, of course). 

And now, if you'll excuse me, I believe there is a book that needs my attention...and a ritzy mall full of stores I can't afford to shop in...and friends...and a porch with a warm breeze.

Happy Spring Break to me!!

mid week confessions

Sorry for the lack of blogging of late. I wish it were for a good reason, or because I had some exciting news, but it's not. Here, I'll catch you up: work, commute, Zumba, mindless TV/internet entertainment, sleep. Repeat daily. Yawn. Now, aren't you glad we're all caught up?


Anyway. Today I thought I'd link up with E and bring you some sordid confessions. Or actually probably not sordid at all. But maybe you're more likely to keep reading if you think sordid-ness is ahead? Have you ever personally used sordid as many times in one paragraph as I just did? I thought not.


1. I get SERIOUSLY pissed at the new and improved  AWFULER THAN AWFUL "prove you're not a robot by interpreting this indecipherable mess of letters" blog comment 'captcha' thingy. You MUST know what I'm talking about. Back in the good old days (until a few weeks ago, I guess) all you had to do was type in some mixed up letters. And now it's so hard that I seriously believe I might be a robot because I fail them more often than not. I want to take off the word verification thing from my blog (so as not to hinder commenting) and I want everyone else to do the same on their blogs...but I don't want loads of spam. Anyone done this already and NOT gotten loads of spam?


2. I didn't vote yesterday. And I don't feel guilty in the least (although I feel like I SHOULD feel guilty). I actually didn't even know there WAS any sort of voting until the day before, when they started setting up the machines and stuff in our school. Then I had to inquire to find out what we were even voting about. And then I had a big yawn and decided that I'd sit this one out, which isn't terribly surprising given my track record. The two primary reasons I didn't vote are: 1) My voting 'precinct' is 30-40 minutes away from my work, and I didn't get home from work/babysitting until 9:30pm...so I don't see how I could have voted even if I wanted to (although I suppose I could have early-voted or something). I swear. How stupid is it, though, that there is a precinct INSIDE MY SCHOOL...but no, I couldn't just vote there. I would need to drive two counties away and go to one specific spot...even though this whole precinct here saw like 200 people all day...it's not like they couldn't have handled the traffic of me walking through. I think the idea of precincts are really stupid. Anyways. Reason #2) I couldn't care less about politics or who wins a primary or whatever. I hear the people who say "if you don't vote, you don't get to complain!" and so I thoughtfully reflected on the last 11 years or so of my adult voting life, and have concluded that whether I voted or not, I have never once cared enough about politics to bother complaining, so not-voting shouldn't be cramping my complaining style. I have plenty of other things I prefer thinking and complaining about. I'm willing to forfeit my right to complain about politics, primarily because I avoid being around conversations about politics anyway. SO! The end.


3. I am going to be away from Mattie for FIVE NIGHTS next week when I go to the beach. This is humongous. In our entire marriage, we've only spent 2 nights apart-- last April, Matt went to his brother's bachelor weekend thing. So we made it nearly to our 4th anniversary without ever spending a night apart! And then it was 2 nights. And now it'll be 5. Next I suppose we'll be living in separate cities, who knows. What is this world coming to? Surprisingly, I'm not feeling THAT sad and anxious about it...probably because I'm the one going to the beach, while he'll be the one sleeping alone in our bed, going to work and doing boring things like that.

4. I am mad at myself that I didn't take more "before" measurements of myself in January. See, I didn't know that I was actually going to stick with this counting-calories-working-out gig for this long, or that it would be wildly successful. If I had, I would have been more intentional about getting before stats and pictures. Naturally, I assumed that nothing would happen and I would quit thinking about it in a few weeks, thus it would be better to have less evidence that I had ever attempted anything-- so, no pics or stats. As it is, a few weeks in I recorded my waist and hips measurements, because that's all that MyFitnessPal has spaces for.  Now that I know that (as of last week) I've lost an inch on my waist and 2 on my hips, I really wish I had more measurements so that my "inches lost" could be inflated. Vain, I know.


I think that's about as many confessions as I (or you) can handle. And also I need to go pack! And work on Matt's surprises for the week! He will have a card and a present to open each day so that he will not be so sad. I guess you could count that as my 5th confession: I am the best wife EVER!