Archive for February, 2009
Jeff and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage on June 17, 2010. (It’s so very easy to remember how many years we’ve been married, considering that we got married in the year 2000!) And I’m having lots of fun daydreaming about how we might celebrate our 10-year milestone. Here’s one idea ~ booking a weekend at a New York City hotel, just the two of us, and enjoying everything that the “Big Apple” has to offer. We’re only two and a half hours north of the city via train. It would be nice to go someplace where we’ve never been, though. Or, we could go back to Quebec City, which is where we honeymooned. We could always plan a trip to New York’s Finger Lakes Region, which we’ve never seen before (lots of romantic bed and breakfast places up there, in addition to wine tastings!). There’s the Poconos, where our friends Drew and Carol just went for vacation (we could make it a family affair). If we decide to do something as a couple, just the two of us, then it might be difficult to find a babysitter for a weekend (or however long we’re gone). I’m sure that we’ll figure out something, though. It’s fun to plan vacations!
My husband says that his allergies aren’t nearly as bad now that we live in a home that has wood floors ~ as opposed to our apartment, where everything was carpeted. He says that carpet traps so much stuff, and a vacuum cleaner isn’t good at removing all of it. But with wood floors, you can sweep with a broom ~ and it doesn’t trap anything. I just feel like I’m constantly sweeping our wood floors, though! Cat hair, Cheerios debris, you name it … our floors are constantly dirty. :( And now we seem to be having a problem with our vacuum cleaner ~ it’s not picking up as much as it should. It’s probably stopped up because every time we vacuum, it clicks (thanks to our kiddos, LOL!). Anyway, we have an air purifier in our bonus room, and that really helps cut down on yucky stuff in the air.
The toilet in our downstairs bathroom sounds like a jet engine when it flushes. Ugh. We absolutely hate that toilet. I think that it’s one of those water-conserving ones, which is good … but we’ve had so many problems with it. :( Most people who come over to our house prefer to go upstairs and use the guest bathroom (also because the downstairs bathroom tends to echo a lot, LOL!). I do love the Kohler sinks that we have, though. The one in our downstairs bathroom matches the toilet ~ it’s a “bone” color with brushed nickel faucets. We’re trying to do a patriotic/Americana theme in there. Jeff wants to hang up the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence on one wall (just haven’t done that yet). I’d also like to take some of my Flickr photos and make a collage (I have a cool antiques shop one that would work, as well as an old Ford tractor on the Fourth of July). I’ve been into hanging things on our walls and decorating lately!
My husband’s 15th high school reunion (good grief … 15th?!?) may be taking place this July, so we’re going to try to coordinate our summer trip to Indiana so that we can attend that. I’m really looking forward to planning our vacation. There’s an awesome hotel near Toledo, OH, with an indoor water park ~ how much fun would the kids have there? We would, too! And that’s a good place to stop for the night on our way to the Hoosier state. (Too bad we can’t get free hotel rooms, LOL!) I hate being in the car for so long (it takes about 12 hours to get to Jeff’s parents’ house), but that’s what you get when you move all the way to New York! Anway, hopefully I can also attend one of the teas that my mom goes to monthly … it’s at the place where Jeff and I got married. I think that Meredith could maybe go, too, but we’ll see about that. We have a lot of friends and family who we’d like to see while we’re out there. Something fun to look forward to … warm weather, good company, being back in Indiana … we’ll enjoy daydreaming while the snow is still flying here!
I have to admit … I get totally sucked in by makeover TV shows. You know ~ the ones where they transform someone into a beautiful bombshell who looks 10 years younger? It’s amazing to see the transformation. Hair cuts, Lasik surgery, microdermabrasion, a new wardrobe … I always can’t wait for the big reveal. But you know what? Right now I’m pretty happy with the way that I look. Sure, I weigh too much ~ and I plan to correct that. Hopefully by the end of this summer when I have my doctor’s physical, I’ll have lost weight. But otherwise, I think that I look pretty decent. Is there some part of yourself that you’d like to have a makeover on? I would say my weight right now ~ specifically, my tummy and thighs. Several friends have recommended the South Beach Diet to me, and I kind of want to check that out. But really, I’ve been eating too much and not exercising enough. Plain and simple!
Have you ever thought about what type of job you might have pursued if you hadn’t gone down your current career path? Is there another field that also interests you? For example, someone who has had a lot of programming jobs may secretly dream of becoming a Broadway singer. Or, someone who has been a teacher for years and years might daydream about what it would be like to work as a construction worker. I actually think that I could have been a good cook. The idea of going to cooking school really excites me. I’ve taken a few classes at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. I’m extremely happy with what I studied in college, though: journalism and French. Journalism has given me such a broad base for a variety of different fields. My high school algebra teacher was right ~ he said that we would have a variety of careers when we grew up, not just one job for the rest of our lives. I’ve been a newspaper reporter, book editor, and graphic designer. So anyway ~ what are some careers that you think you would have also been good at?
I’ve been in a home decorating mood lately. The other day, I rearranged some furniture in our bonus room, hung up some wall hangings downstairs, and framed two winter photos in our living room. I’ve also been making a list of little things that I’d like to purchase ~ some houseplants, mainly, for various corners of our home (although maybe I can inquire about that on Freecycle), and more collage photo frames to display some of my photography (in our upstairs hallway as well as downstairs when you first walk through our front door). As far as buying new furniture, though, we’re really doing OK in that department ~ but I’d love to have a bean bag chair for Meredith (in the kids’ “story corner” in our bonus room), new computer desks (ours are getting very old), bench seating for underneath some windows in our bonus room (could double as storage) … well, OK, so I guess that I can think of a few things that I’d like to have. :) I’m only shopping for discount furniture, though. Furniture can be expensive, and with trying to save some money, I think that shopping for sales is the only way to go! Have you made any new furniture purchases lately? Find any bargains?
Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching. Do you have romantic plans with a special someone? If so ~ and this is quite a “delicate” blog topic, I guess you’d say ~ you may want to consider an herbal solution for vaginal dryness. I know ~ those two words will probably make some people out there laugh. But it’s a real condition that can sometimes cause intimate difficulties for a couple. And yes, it’s a subject that not many people want to talk about. Menopause, chemotherapy, some prescription drugs, and fatigue or stress are just some elements that may contribute to this condition. “Crème de la Femme” is an herbal treatment that doesn’t burn because it doesn’t contain chemicals, dyes, etc. It’s also safe for diabetics because it doesn’t contain any sugars that could be absorbed by the body. It costs $14.95 for a tube, but a little probably goes a long way. They accept PayPal, too, which is awesome. So … have fun this Valentine’s Day! :)
Our high school had a fantastic vocational program. It prepared students so well for vocational technical colleges and for future professional careers. There was computer-aided drafting, early childhood development, and much more. With being a member of the newspaper staff, I worked quite closely with the high school’s printing department ~ they would help us with lots of our ads and also printing the actual newspaper pages. I learned what “PMT” stands for! :) For part of the school day, the students enrolled in the vocational program could actually work in their chosen fields of study. What a great way to gain practical knowledge! You sure can’t beat actual experience in the workforce like that.
… to everyone who has been wishing me well. I think that I’m about over this nasty cold, but my cough keeps lingering. When I cough, I can feel and hear it *so* deeply within my chest. I’m a bit congested still, too. Yesterday I felt achy all over, but that seems to be going away a little bit. A regular cold/cough I can deal with ~ just glad that it wasn’t anything worse. Lucas has it, too. He fell asleep last night very early, actually, and missed the entire Super Bowl. I’m glad that he got some good rest.
