Spring Break 2010

Day 1: Aaron and I drove down to Mooresville. Aaron met his brother for some bowling and had dinner at Bubba's Bar and Grill. The topic of conversation? The usual: Sports, money, and marriage. I stayed with my parents for dinner. Mom made chicken with polenta and olives. I caught up with them. Both Mom and Dad and a rough day at work. I was content to sit an listen. Aaron stayed over at Nate's.

Day 2: I slept in. Everyone else had to work. I couldn't sleep in much later than 8:30. I was worried about Aries out in the barn with Cash and Emma. He usually gets pissed in the middle of the night and chews something up. It had been freezing over night as well and I wanted to make sure the fire was still going in the stove. Aaron came over late in the morning. We had brunch at Bob Evans in Camby. Very classy. We wasted some time around Mooresville before we had to pick up G.C (my grandmother)and drive to the airport. Going to the airport is always fun. I love to watch people.

Day 3: Beautiful day. It was sunny and warm. I played with Aries, Emma, and Cash for the most part of the day. Eric worked on his free-lance and Aaron practiced playing a few songs. When my parents came home, we went to Zydeco's, a local Cajun restaurant.The beer was good. I now know where to go if I want to drink something besides Budweiser in Mooresville.

Day 4: Rain. I helped Aaron spread some gravel early in the morning. We drove to Shapiros and ate a delicious, kosher lunch. Aaron and I rented Grey Gardens. I really enjoyed it.

Thats it for now. Exciting, eh? I miss my Muncie friends but its good to be spending some quality time with my family. We're having a party tomorrow night. The Dapper will be playing and I think a Monrovia friend of mine might be coming.

I need you Freud.

I had a terrifying dream last night. In it, I was standing in the kitchen at my parents' house. Above the sink, there is a window that looks out on to the back porch. When guests or family members come in the house, they usually pass this window to get to the back door. I was just standing there, as I usually do, probably looking through the fridge or washing some dishes. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone pass the window and it looked like my grandma Patsy. Her back was to me so all I could see was that she was and old lady, tall, fairly thin, and had short gray hair.

Still believing that it was Grandma, I walked to the door to greet her. I could hear her fumbling with the door. It was odd that she was struggling with the door because she usually just lets herself in. I was laughing to myself as I opened the door for her, intending to give her a hard time for taking so long to get inside. When the door opened, I saw the old woman's face and I realized that I had never seen this woman before in my life. She looked possessed. Her eyes were huge and looked angry. As I started to ask her if I could help her, she reached for my throat and started strangling me. She was so strong! I tried to push her and pull her hands away from my neck but she just stared at me with her crazy eyes and squeezed tighter. I couldn't scream or breath. I thought, "This is it. I'm going to die like this." Then she screamed suddenly and so loud that I jumped and woke up. I was so desperate for air when I finally woke up that I must have stopped breathing in my sleep.

This was the first time that I actually thought that I was going to die in my sleep. I've had some crazy dreams before but nothing as realistic as last night. Can someone explain this? Where's Freud when you need him?

Want to vs. Will do

Spring break is next week. Unfortunately for me, it will be spent wallowing in disappointment. A few months ago, I had pretty amazing plans. The hubs and I wanted to take a road trip down South, hitting all of the cool restaurants on the way as a sort-of tribute to "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives". I was told recently that it was never going to happen, which inspired me to make a list of the things I want to do and things that will actually happen instead. Here it goes.

I want to...

1. Leave my dog with my sister-in-law and take a road trip with my husband
2. Drive to Savannah, GA
3. Eat at a cool restaurant and discuss the different dishes
4. Take the haunted house tour in historical Savannah, holding hands.
5. Do a little shopping
6. Drive back, hitting some more cool restaurants.

I will...

1. Stay at my house with my husband.
2. Cook, clean, and maybe do some yard work.
3. Visit my parents for a few days
4. Do some homework
5. Watch TV
6. Get mad at my husband for something small and unimportant

A Very Perry Christmas

Christmas is awesome. I love seeing my family members because seeing them always make for good stories later. Some stories are better left for private conversations with close friends because only then can I express my opinions without stepping on any toes. I will say that putting every one of my family members together is like putting a bunch of feral cats in a shoe box and taping it shut. It's only a matter of time before someone gets scratched. I try, with all of my might, to be a silent bystander, but I often find myself in the middle of the cat fights. What ever happened to respecting your elders? Common courtesy? Tact?

Despite the inevitable drama, I had a wonderful Christmas.I got many wondeful gifts and I hope that everyone enjoyed the gifts that Aaron and I gave. Among other things, I got a wool coat, dress shoes, a pendant light for my dining room, jewelry, and kitchen stuff.

I miss all of my friends, especially my husband.I stayed behind in Monrovia while Aaron went back to Muncie for work. I'll see him on New Years Eve. Speaking of New Years, I have a few resoultions in mind. Here is my list:

1. Be nicer to Aaron
2. Finish the kitchen
3. Limit selfish decisions
4. Tone up arms

Check ya later.

New Friends are SUPER-COOL!

Sam comes home today from his glorious trip around the world. Aaron and drove down to Monrovia last night so that we could surprise Sam at the airport. It's been a strange year being the only one of my siblings at home. Once suffering from middle-child syndrome, I experienced being the only child for a little while except now that I'm married, my parents feel like Aaron is another one of their children. Last night, my Mom hugged us both and said, "I love it when my kids are home" (cue AAWWs). Anyways, I'm excited that Sam is coming back. I missed the little bugger.

So, in response to being featured on Tyler Gobble's blog (please hold your applause until I'm finished), I was thrilled when I read it. Tyler and I have become close friends over the past month and I hope that it continues. It's hard to find another married person my age who I enjoy being around. Most young, married couples are either freakishly religious or wealthy, spoiled brats. Don't get me wrong, Tyler and I became friends for different reasons as well. Among many other things, he has great taste in music, he's extremely creative, and it is easy to talk to him I feel like I've known him for years. It's sad that we will not see each other in the hallways as much next semester but I'm sure we'll make up for that with double dates and dinner nights. Thanks Tyler for your super-cool blog! It feels good to have a new friend. I can't wait to get to know Sara better. She is also super-cool. I foresee us sharing money-saving meal recipes in the future. I just realized that I say super-cool a lot which brings me to my next topic...

Please, Tyler, don't edit my blogs. I know that I am supposed to be an English teacher but we are all humans, and we make mistakes. Do not think I'm a failed English major because my blogs fail to be grammatically correct.

The zombies are getting closer...

It didn't used to be this hard to keep up with my blog. I guess life just gets the better of you sometimes and you feel guilty about spending valuable time sitting at a computer. I feel like I should be working on homework or cleaning my house but I know that Sam will appreciate reading about life at home.

Life here definitely isn't as exciting as Sam's semester at sea. I take time almost everyday to check his blog and check to see if the new slideshow has been posted. I guess you could say I'm participating in my own "vicarious voyage". I loved watching the "Literature and Lions" slideshow. It was a combination of two of my favorite things: literature and animals. I really hope that Sam was able to feed the baby lions or at least had the chance to be near a lion. Do you remember that video of Christian the lion? I wonder if they talked about that during the excursion.

Anyways, tomorrow is the start of my fall break and I plan to visit the 'rents. I don't know what we will do but I could use a break from "adulthood" and Aries could use the exercise. I guess Cash has been terrorizing everything and I believe it is the result of boredom so I think my visiting will help. Aaron has a second interview next week for a much better job. He will get a $20,000 pay raise, a company car, and travel expenses paid (including car insurance). If he gets this job, a lot could change for us. I'm trying not to get my hopes up but after my unemployment and the sacrifices we have had to make, its hard not to be excited. I am tutoring now but it doesn't pay much. I'm just happy that I'm getting some teaching experience in before I student teach in the spring.

Two Mondays from now, I'm going to Monrovia High School to observe Mrs. James' class all day. I had to call Mr. Hagist for his official permission but he seemed excited to hear from me. I was surprised that he remembered me at all. Mrs. James is pretty much thrilled that I'm coming to see her. I'm excited that I'll be sitting in on Lydia's class. I'm starting to get to know her so much better lately and really enjoy talking to her.

Well, that's about it except that everyone around me is getting sick. It reminds me of some low-budget zombie movie where everyone is dragging their feet and groaning all over the place and when you touch them, you turn in to a zombie as well. I feel like the last living human surrounded by the living dead. I don't know why I haven't gotten sick yet. I guess I have an extra-strong immune system.

Meanwhile, back in the states...

The latest news is all about the VMAs. I watched them the night before last like I do every year. I know, its not very high-brow, but I like watching the performances and listening to the speeches. Not surprisingly, it was dedicated to Michael Jackson and all of the speeches mentioned him in some way or another. The best part of the show was when Kanye West walked on to the stage when Taylor Swift was accepting an award and basically said she didn't deserve it and that Beyonce should have won. Poor little Taylor looked like someone had dumped Pig's blood all over her. Later on, Beyonce gave Taylor a chance to say her Thank-yous when she was receiving an award. Oh, Beyonce, you're so noble. Blah, blah, blah.

In other news, it was Aaron's 24th birthday on Sunday. He had a good weekend. We drove down to Mooresville on Friday to spend time with our families. On Friday, we met Mom and Dad at "The Rodeo" and enjoyed some "authentic" Mexican food and afterwards, Aaron and I stayed the night at his brother's. Saturday, I went to Greenwood with Mom for the day while Aaron played a round of golf with his brother, Nathan, Dad, and Uncle Tony. I guess they tied. Saturday night, we went to Aaron's parents' and cooked weenies over the fire pit, drank some beers, and made some s'mores. We did venture in to Monrovia and had a funnel cake but quickly left for fear that we might see someone we knew. On Sunday, Mom made Aaron cheesy, mini-meatloaves (his favorite) and Aaron opened his presents while we watched the LOTR marathon on TV. Overall, I think it was his ideal birthday.

Yesterday, I went in for a job interview at a tutoring center called "Compass" and I start today! I'm really excited about it. I get to tutor an 8th grade student on Tuesdays and Thursdays. A girl in my education class told me about the job. I owe her a hug when I see her tomorrow. This job will be the perfect resume builder and I don't need any training because teaching is what I do and what I love to do. I can also keep this job while I student teach which is a HUGE bonus. Needless to say, I'm loving life right now.

I'm loving love all except for the friggin' vandals who are terrorizing my neighborhood. While we were away this weekend, all of our cars were egg-ed. I called the cops last night and they sent a cop to drive around the neighborhood. I wonder what it takes to get a neighborhood crime watch? I'm sick of these bored little teens destroying our perfect little addition.