Thanks, guys, for the supportive comments.  Be back soon!!

Drama

I have been dealing with some pretty serious family drama - will be back when I have time to sit down and write about it. Take care, all. 

P.S. Brent and I are okay - this one is concerning my sister.

It's Fall!

Well it looks like fall is finally here.  It is 50 degrees with a brisk wind and the leaves are turning and falling.  After the stifling heat and humidity of a Georgia summer, it is a much welcomed change.  I love fall, because it reminds me that Christmas is coming soon, and Christmas is my favorite time of year!  But,oh, once again, how I hated to get out of  bed this morning.  Brent got up at about 5 a.m. and turned the heat on, and we were snuggled under a chenille blanket when the alarm went of at 7:30 - UGH!!!!!!!

Brent went hunting this weekend, which gave me the opportunity to get my house immaculate and catch up on laundry - it was nice to have a weekend to myself, but I found myself missing him more than I ever did when we were dating.  It is funny, I lived alone for several years and have only lived with Brent since April, but  now I miss him SO when he is gone!  He is leaving Tuesday night for the Soil Science Convention at NC State University in Raleigh.  He'll be back home about midnight Thursday night.  I'm not ready for him to leave again so soon!

Last night, we went to see a couple of friends that just had a new baby - precious baby Caroline.  I can honestly say that was the most beautiful baby I have EVER seen - perfectly round head, clear pink skin, big baby blue eyes, and a full head of blonde hair.  She was all wrapped in pink and had a Georgia Bulldogs passy.  It seems like new babies are all around us lately, and it is REALLY giving me baby fever!

Needless to say, with Brent and I having some issues lately, it has not really been the most ideal time for me to get pregnant.  But with the counseling and my Paxil and his Wellbutrin, things are finally starting to calm down and look up around our house.  This makes me very happy!  I think we are starting to get to a point where we are feeling more and more ready to start our own family.  Oh how happy that would make me!

The neighborhood we live in is about 90% couples our age with small children.  I am SO looking forward to seeing all of the little trick-or-treaters this year.  We went to Kroger and spent about $60.00 on Halloween candy and a nice big pumpkin.  Tonight we plan to build the first fire of the season and carve our pumpkin to put on the front porch.

Well, back to work for now.  Take care everybody!

Help!

Writer's block - be back soon :)

Calgon, Take me Away....

My husband is an avid fisherman, our dog Raven loves to swim, and my family's lake house in the North Georgia mountains is my little piece of heaven on Earth. So when we were able to take a little getaway this past weekend, my lil family was very happy.  With the problems Brent and I have been going through lately, it was a much needed escape.  Sometimes just a change of scenery (especially when it is one with a screened in porch with a view of the lake and the changing fall leaves) is a good way to start over.  Brent and a friend took his boat up early and fished all day Saturday (catching about 10 striped bass).  I arrived at about 4:00 Saturday, and was able to sit on the porch and enjoy a new magazine and a glass of wine alone - HEAVEN!!!!  They returned shortly, and another couple of friends came around 6:00.  They had been shrimping the day before, so we had several pounds of fresh shrimp. We had boiled shrimp and grilled baby back ribs while watching the Georgia game.  Sunday we got up and all went out on the boat.  We found a marina called Aqualand that had the best hamburgers.  They had a little beach-like area with sand and umbrella covered tables where we enjoyed lunch.  We went back out on the lake, and my friend Kayce and I relaxed and read on the boat while the guys fished.  Around 6:00 Sunday night, we all packed up and headed home.  Brent and I were not in the mood to cook, so we found a new little Italian bistro-like restaurant near our house to have dinner.  All in all, a very relaxing and peaceful time - wish I could do it every weekend.  Now, however, it is back to the real world (with a week that includes working, taking my car back into the shop, marriage counseling, Brent going to get checked out for upcoming sinus surgery, grocery shopping, laundry, and taking Raven to have her stitches removed).  UUUGHHHHHHH!  I WANNA GO BACK TO THE LAKE!!

I Mean, Seriously...

My friend/cousin Jennifer and I have always shared a bit of obsession with Hollywood,celebrity gossip, etc.  We were talking the other day about how (maybe because we are older and wiser - hehe) lately we have gotten a bit jaded by the whole Hollywood scene - mostly because they seem to make a BIG joke out of marriage.  I mean, get married one day, get a divorce two weeks later.  To me they have (as a whole) given no respect to the institution of marriage.  And to someone who has a great respect for marriage (and knows how tough it is to stick it out and make it work because you love the person and that is what you vowed to do) it REALLY pisses me off!  I mean, why do these people have to get married?  Why don't they just have their little flings and when they are done they are done?  Why do they have to make a joke out of the sanctity of marriage that so many other people are working so hard to preserve (like ME)?  I mean, look at the list of people who have gotten married only to be annulled, divorced, estranged days, weeks, and months later: Britney Spears and her Vegas wedding, Nikki Hilton and her Vegas wedding, Renee Zellwegger and Kenny Chesney, Jennifer Lopez and her two marriages, and, of course, Liz Taylor and her how many marriages?  What really got us talking about this is how RIDICULOUS the whole Tom Cruise -Katie Holmes "relationship" is.  I mean, Hollywood has stooped to fabricating relationships in order to further the popularity of the stars?  Does anyone REALLY believe that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are in an honest, genuine, and loving relationship?  Does anyone even believe that it is Tom Cruise's baby she is carrying?  Which brings me to another topic we LOVE to make fun of ;  Scientology.  Okay, I am all for people practicing whatever religion they choose for whatever reasons they choose (spirtual fullfillment or whatever).  But Scientology?  This is like some kind of religion that Hollywood has "made up."  What kind of church makes you PAY MONEY to get to the next level? What kind of religion says you cannot "scream or make any other kind of noise during childbirth?"  And why is it that the majority of the people who are big in this church are Hollywood celebrities?  Is it because they have more money than they have moral backbone, and it is easier to pay to make up your own religion than to make an effort to live a moral and ethical life?  This brings me to my point.  Jenn was in Target the other day and saw a young girl that was wearing a t-shirt that said "What is Scientology?  I Mean, Seriously"  Love it!!!! Gotta go to Abercrombie and get me one of those!!

Monday Morning Blues

It is a dreary, rainy Monday here.  Brent was at home working on the computer and drinking coffee when I left, and, as usual, I SO wanted to stay home and curl up on the couch in front of a Lifetime movie - but, instead, here I sit at work -  YUCK!!

We had about fifteen people over for the Georgia-Tennessee game, and thankfully, Georgia won (hence the good mood Brent was in all day Sunday).  Although I am not big on the game of football, I do enjoy college football season and having these get togethers and seeing my husband get SO excited - he is like a kid at Christmas!  He and a friend of his went to Costco Friday afternoon and bought beer, coke, an 8 pound filet mignon tenderloin, and (being thoughtful of me not having to wash TOO many dishes) paper plates and cups.  They grilled the tenderloin, my sister in law made a HUGE Caesar salad, I made roasted potaotes, another friend brought a pizza dip, another friend made homemade salsa, and we had PLENTY of beer and wine.  It was great food and great company.  The game started at 3:30, everyone came over around 2:00, so by about 10:00 p.m., everyone was partied out and Brent and I crawled into bed and watched TV. My sister in law called Sunday morning and said she had gotten some free Falcons tickets for the 1:00 game (she works for Coca Cola).  I turned it down, but happily sent Brent and enjoyed the opportunity to have some time alone to clean house, watch Lifetime, and catch up on laundry.  I cooked tacos for dinner last night, and we were in bed again at 10:00 - ahhhh, my exciting married life - but I love it!!

Blah Blah Blah

It has been raining all day long here.  I shouldn't complain, because I know we need it, but it is just so dreary.  Plus, I know the traffic will be horrible.  It cost me $65.00 to fill my 4runner up with gas today, $3.13 a gallon here.  That is SO ridiculous! 

My mother and grandmother left today for Austin, Texas, where my grandmother is originally from.  Her sister is coming down with alzheimer's, and they are going out there to try and figure out how they are going to handle it. I really wanted to go, but just didn't need to take the time off work.  We used to go quite a bit when I was growing up, and I LOVE Texas.  The little town my grandmother is from (and where we still have family) is literally like Mayberry.  It is like stepping back in time.  It is just so slow-paced and everyone is so friendly (and everyone knows everyone AND their business LOL).  It has a main street where all of the high-school kids "cruise" on Friday night, and a little old-fashioned square that still has a drugstore with a soda fountain in it. 

Well, I am going to go home and cook spaghetti and meatballs tonight, Brent's favorite. We are trying very hard to work on our marriage.  Although I don't think it is generally good to "leave" when things are bad, it did help us both to see how unhappy we were without each other (which made us both see we need to work hard on this marriage).  We love each other too much to be apart, although at times we can get quite nasty with each other- GOTTA stop that!

Nothing big planned for this weekend.  The usual grocery shopping and laundry and housecleaning.  The UGA- Tennessee game is on Saturday, and we may have some people over for that.  Ahhh, our exciting lives being married -hahaha. 

Raven

Well, Raven is home.  She has staples in her head and is very groggy from the anesthesia and pain meds, but she is going to be okay - I think Brent feels worse than she does!  Yes, we are going to have to give her lots of kisses and doggie treats to make up for this one!  Poor Ravey.

Will We EVER Get A Break

Brent and I have a baby.  She is 110 pounds with black hair, and the sweetest, smartest Labrador you will ever find.  Brent has had her since she was six weeks old, and she is going on nine years.She is our great protector, letting nobody near the house unless she knows them, greeting me at my door as soon as my 4Runner pulls in the driveway (she escorts me to the door), and keeping guard in the back of Brent's truck.  She loves children and loves to play.

Brent is a soil scientist (I know, nobody has ever hear of such a profession).  Basically, he collects soil samples on land that is being developed and tests them to see what type of septic system, drainage system, etc. is needed.  His job entails that he spends alot of time on large tracts of land in the woods.  Most of the time, he takes Raven with him because he encounters quite a few snakes and she will warn him and chase them off.  This morning, he had a machete with him (he has to use this to cut through thick brush and briars in order to collect the soil samples).  At about 9:00 this morning, he called me sounding more frantic than I have heard him in a long time.  He said Raven was behind him and he reached up to machete through some brush.  As he did, she ran right up under him and the machete hit her right on top of the head.  He said she never whimpered, never howled, but was bleeding profusely.  He carried her all the way back to the truck, wrapped a towel around her head, and raced to the vet's office (he was working in a town nearby ours, and had to call 411 to even FIND a vet).  They rushed her into surgery, not knowing if it damaged her skull.  He called me back a little while later, and said the vet said she was okay, just needed stitches.Poor, poor Raven. Can ANYTHING else bad happen to us???????

Complicated Me

Recently, people have been "tagged" to add entries in their journals telling various things about themselves (7 things you are good at, 7 things you can't do, 7 things you want to do before you die, etc.)  Between this and the recent struggles I am having in my marriage, I have taken some time to "evaluate" myself.  I have put some serious thought into recognizing some things that I need to work on/change about myself. To balance this out (and to keep myself from being suicidal after realizing all of my bad traits LOL), I also tried to recognize some of the good qualities I possess.  After much soul-searching, I realized that many parts of my personality are very contradictory.    

For instance, I am very conscientious - I always take care of my neccesary obligations at home, at work, with family, etc.  However, at the same time, I can be the world's worst procrastinator when it comes to doing something I don't want to do.  I also try to always see the good in other people - when I hear something negative about someone, I try to see the positive.  However, when I can REALLY find no positive in someone, ALL I can do is see the worst in them.  Does that make any sense?  In one sense, I am very open and outgoing - I LOVE to talk.  However, at other times, I am a very private person, choosing not to share everything with others, but to hold it all inside.  For the most part, I am a very forgiving person -I get over things easy and forget about them, especially when it is something little.  However at some times (usually over the bigger issues), I hold onto things for a long time and have a very difficult time forgiving someone who has wronged me.

There are alot of things about myself that I have realized I need to work on, and I guess this is a lifelong process.  I can be angered easily and say things I don't mean and later regret (quick temepered).I have a very hard time trusting people, and can be very suspicious of people and their motives (some baggage from my parents' divorce that I am still trying to overcome). I can be moody and bitchy.  I wear my heart on my sleeve.  My mother has always told me this - when I am upset, angry, etc., EVERYONE around me knows it.  I am very impatient and high-strung.  I cannot sit still, and I know this annoys other people at times.  I am not very disciplined when it comes to doing things I do not want to do (i.e exercise).  Many times I interrupt other people when they are talking (to say what I want to say), even though I know this is rude.  I am also EXTREMELY stubborn.

However, amongst all of these bad traits, I have a few things about my personality that I am proud of.  I am very compassionate and I care deeply for other people (the hurt, the sick, the underpriveleged, children, animals).  I am very loving and affectionate, as my parents always have been to me.  My family is very important to me and I would do anything for them, as I am fiercely loyal.  I am very independent.  I have always been told I have a good sense of humor and make other people laugh easily.  I am very organized; in my home, my job, and my life in general.

I have made mistakes in my past and done MANY things that I am not proud of.  However, rather than struggle with the guilt of that, I try to know that all is forgiven and remind myself that my past mistakes have made me the person I am today, and try not to make the same mistakes twice.  I strive to continually keep check of myself and what I need to work on - if I do that, I can live each day knowing I am doing the best I can.

I don't THINK so

Over the weekend, some idiots have been trying to spam my journal.  After reading some other people's comments, it is going on quite a bit OH HELL NO! from Our Silly little lives is in agreement with me - if I wanted my journal to be a sex advertisement, I would advertise it myself.  I mean, seriously, these people need to GET A FREAKING LIFE.  Oh, and please know, I have reported it to AOL.  A couple of the lowlifes that are CONSTANTLY adding sex websites into my comment section are "Shadowhawk3680 and "Txrebalgirl26," among others.  I mean, are you really SO desperate to advertise your ridiculous sites (i.e. "find a local sex buddy") that you go into people's journals??? What LOSERS!  (I'm a little pissed, can ya tell?)

Computer Dummy

Okay, I think the only way you can put pictures up here is with a digital camera (which mine was stolen).  However, can you scan them and put them up here, and can anyone tell me how to?  As you can see, I am NOT the most computer savvy person in the world. LOL Any input would be appreciated.