15/30 Things: Animal

15. What animal would you be and why?

I guess I would be a panda bear.  They are big...fuzzy...stylish in their black and white...cuddly...the list goes on and on...but instead of me waxing poetic about panda bears...just stare at these cuddly photos and wanna be a panda bear with me!



2 Cubs







14/30 Things: Strengths

14. Describe 5 strengths you have:

1.  I am a great listener.  Again...sometimes horrible advice, but I listen like a boss....(I can't believe I just used that term!)

2.  I am a great wife!  Sometimes I doubt that I please my husband and pray that he doesn't leave me, but deep down I know that I am a loving wife and take care of him the best I can.  Sometimes that means not cleaning the house for 3 weeks and then deep cleaning in the middle of the night while he's asleep and I'm awake.  Or planning a BBQ spur of the moment cause we both have the time off.

3.  I am great with the public.  Like everyone sometimes I get disenchanted with my job and the people that come with it, but for the most part I am really great working with the public.  

4.  I am compassionate.  There are times when I just want everyone and everything to go away, but for the most part I cannot go through a day when I am not helping people.  Whether it's finding them a hotel that better suits their needs than mine or easing some financial burdens or even just being a shoulder to cry on when someone is hurt.  

5.  .......

I guess whenever I figure out the last one...I'll post an edit. 

13/30 Things: Weak

13. Describe 5 weaknesses you have.
 

1. I worry about the most trivial things.

I don't know why I worry or why I can't stop worrying, but I know that it's unhealthy and not what God wanted for us.  It says several times in the bible that to be good children of God we shouldn't worry, but give it all to God.  Why I find that this struggle is one of my hard parts...I don't understand.

2. I fear the untimely demise of my husband.

Yes, my husband is considerably older than I am, but he is in fantastic health.  But that doesn't stop me from freaking out on him whenever he drives like a moron or when he does something with his friends that seems particularly dangerous.  I've had dreams where he's killed in a traffic accident when I am pregnant and since then I've been extremely distressed by the idea he could go before he's an old man.

3. I am obsessed with food.  
Food has always been my go to comfort.  I am currently in a battle to take the emotion out of eating and have been on a diet for six months now.  I am currently still struggling to break a barrier, but I am already healthier than I have been in a while and make better choices daily.

4. I give up too easily on things.
Sometimes when it comes to things like hobbies and changes in my life I quit too easily.  Things like if I start a reading plan in my bible I start out great and then slowly lose focus.  I've gone months without going to the gym.  I start life changes and it's like I get A.D.H.D. and the changes stop.

5. I turn into a hermit in cycles.
I tend to go through these cycles where I don't do anything but work and home or call any of my friends.  This inevitably leads to hurt feelings and people feeling like I'm pulling away, but it's just something that I've always done.  I can't explain it;  whether it's a depression thing or if its just some hormonal imbalance, but there you have it...only a small accounting of my many weaknesses.

 

12/30 Things: Day

12. Describe a day in your current life:

Okay so I'll start out with my schedule is right now and then show you how different it was up till about a month ago.

Get up around 9 am and have breakfast which normally consists of 2 medium eggs cooked some way...(hardboiled, scrambled, or fried, but not fried cause I'm on a diet really don't know how else to say it.) with either a slice of toast or some sort of fruit.  About this time it was normally 40 calorie slice of honey wheat with spray I can't believe it's not butter or manadrin oranges without sugar.

Around 10 am I was either going to gym or heading to weigh in appointment.

Back home about noonish to catch up on some DVR stuff and wait for Russ to get home.  During this time I would normally do laundry or try to pick up the house...more often than not though it really didn't make a huge difference cause it was like spot cleaning.

Russ got home around 1:30 pm and we would lay around a talk till I started getting ready for work.  Sometimes if life wasn't particularly interesting we would just do some chores around the house or he wouldn't even come home because he was washing a plane at work.  In which case we wouldn't even see each other.

2:00-2:15 I would start getting ready for work because I liked to get out of the house before 2:30-2:40.  I have to go through 2 school zones to get to the interstate to work and sometimes if I leave too late traffic is super bad.

Work from 3pm to 11pm which is very self explanitory...

Come home and normally hit the hay around 12:30 to 1 am.  During this time I would get groceries at walmart...bake a little...do some more chores...and watch DVR things again.


Here lately because of a shift in my schedule and I believe health reasons my current schedule goes as follows...

Bed around 1 am

Wake up around 1 pm

Work from 3-11...

or if I work Night Audit

work from 11 pm to 7 am

sleep around 8 am to most times 4 or 5 pm...

get up for food around 5:30-6ish...

take a nap from 8 to 10

back up to get ready for work by 10:15-10:30ish...


As you can tell...I really want my old schedule back...I was more productive during the day and right now I just feel like poop...plus...my husband gets mad at me because I'm sleeping all the time.  He says its because he knows it's not good for me...and I know that too...but when all your body wants to do is sleep...how do you fight that??

What's up Buttercup?

Ah...so we have to get caught up on the life of me...my husband reminded me today that he's still reading my blogs and he's catching up on my post.  So my goal today was to bang out several blog posts and then each day refine and proof-read then release...but I realized that I hadn't just blogged about everyday things for a couple of weeks and some interesting things have been happening.  So where to start???

I guess I'll start recently and go backwards:  This past weekend I took a three day weekend...YAY FOR MY AWESOME BOSS AND HER AWESOME MANUEVERING OF A REALLY SKETCHY SCHEDULE SO I COULD HAVE THOSE THREE DAYS OFF!!!!  Sorry...had to give mad props where they were seriously over due!!!   Anyways...we went camping at Camp Taloha outside of Pine Bluff, AR.  But its wasn't just any camping...we were SCA camping.  For those that don't know...my husband and I are part of a group called the Society for Creative Anachronisms.  Basically, the SCA is a group of people who get together and recreate the Medieval Ages...it's all the fun stuff, dancing, singing, fighting in armor, without the icky stuff like bubonic plague!!!  Most get really into it by creating and registering persona's which have been documented.  They take names that appeared around the same dates and make them historically accurate down to the age, place, and spelling.  Some even create their garb and go so far as to stitching it like they would have back in the day.  The boys did a lot of fighting.  My Russy pretty much got his butt handed to him, but he's seriously out of practice.  (They haven't fought in three years!!)  But his best friend Daniel did really well!!!  (But he's also been working out fanatically for a couple of months before hand.)  But I am so proud of my Russy because we all went to see a friend get Knighted and they had a competion anyone could fight him and if they won they got a coin from him in court.  Now this is pretty big cause most a never recognized in court.  Anyway...the weekend was fun and semi-relaxing.  Now if I can get a new air mattress before we go camping a Ouchita I think I'll be okay.  (Our current air mattress has the life span of 3 hours.  From firm to flat where your butt and lower back are on the ground and your sleeping jack knifed. Very unpleasant!)

My husband persona: Early Germanic- Alaric Hildebrant

Russ & Daniel or Alaric & Tristan suiting up for a day of fighting in the Lists.

Russy/Alaric receiving his coin from Sir Marvin (in red in the background.) Wanted to include this because you can see the how court is and the Royal Pavilion.  Russ/Alaric is on the right in the reddish tunic and John the Bellringer to his left.  They were the only ones out of 13 people who were able to beat Sir Marvin in a fight.

Before that nothing super duper has happened.  I went out to dinner with my Grandfather and cousin which we will be doing once a month now.  Had a lot of fun...and laughed like crazy.  Other than that I have been working my hiney off.  Going between two shifts isn't too easy.  I guess since I have gotten older sleep is more important to me.  I actually for the last three weeks been sleeping 12-14+ hours a day and waking up just in time to go to work and I still feel wrecked.  I'm thinking I need to see the Doctor about my thyroid cause all the signs point to it, plus with all the thyroid issues in my family..it never hurts just to have it checked out. 

This weekend is a hope I don't sleep too much cause I have some cakes to make weekend.  My co-worker/wonder twin Chris' little butterball Cullen turned one last week so he commissioned me to make him some cakes.  He's the cuddley bear for work so of course I am making him bear cakes.  I have a 3D bear pan that I am making tonight...hopefully I'll have it decorated by Saturday.  Then I have miniture 2D bear pans that will be the personal cakes for Cullen and for the out of this world WOW factor...I am making a 3D gummy bear...it'll be my first time trying it so I am hoping that it turns out...so wish me luck and also pray that I can stay awake tonight to bake them and get up early enough on Saturday to decorate them or else I will have to miss church to finish by Sunday and I really don't want to do that!!!  I will now leave you with a photo from a movie coming out that I am completely excited for!!!  And it doesn't hurt that the main character is right in line with my persona for the SCA!

Princess Merida

11/30 Things: Pet Peeves

11. Describe 10 Pet Peeves you have:

1. Text Speech

There is absolutely no reason to text R U Comin, or C U l8tr, God made words so....USE THEM!!!  If you are too lazy to text me a complete sentence then have the decency to pick up the blasted phone and call me to have the short conversation we would have had texting.

2. Fur

It is for...pronounced four...not fur or fir...yes, this is the south, but unless we all want to start speaking Spanish because we can't remember proper English anymore...I suggest you go back to school and learn English...and this time...pay attention.

3. Getting Peeved at me for Channel Surfing.

I HATE COMMERCIALS...I will turn the channel faster than you can blink or fast forward the DVR...you don't like it...we have two other TVs with which you can ignore my channel surfing.

4. Calling in for stupid reasons.

Really..if you've worked anywhere for a certain period of time you get to know people.  And people that call in saying..."I can't put my contacts in, or I've had this headache for days and I just can't shake it."  We all know it's code for "I'm still drunk, or I'm hung over,' or the ever faithful..."I just don't want to work today."  First...if you have contacts, you have glasses. Put those puppies on and get your tush to work.  Second, I get blinding migraines that go for days...I take some meds, wear some sunglasses, and if its really bad I get a shot in the hiney!  Take some ibuprofen and go to work.  

5.  Judgement.

I am a good person.  Just because I am a larger person and clothing is a bit revealing on me does not mean I am not a good Christian woman.  Just because I can be a bit wild and crazy does not mean I again am not a good Christian woman.  I don't judge you...please don't look down on me and judge me.

6. The need of others to freak out on me because I refuse to own a credit card.

Let's put it this way.  If I need to rent a car...I have a debit card.   Yes, I have to have a huge chunk of money in my account that will be held up the entire time I have that car, but its the same way with your credit card you just don't take that hit right off the bat.   If I need to make a large purchase...I can pay in cash.  My cash is just as good, if not better than your credit for the simple fact...when you can't pay that credit bill...they don't have to track me down and stay on my butt for a payment.  I will have paid in full, most times cheaper than you will have paid with the card.  

7. Don't tell me I am not sick.

Please don't tell me I am not sick, when I clearly am.  Just because my illness scares you doesn't mean I am not sick.   

8.  Being stuck in the middle.
I am a fantastic listener.  This is a not a self critique but one given to me by friends.  So being a great listener gets me in trouble alot because I get stuck in between friends who have some form of disagreement going on.  I used to think..I would make an awesome therapist.  Now I just think hey I'm a good listener, but I can give bad advice!!!  I don't think I should be a therapist.

9. Drivers playing with other vehicles on the road.
My husband is the worlds worst at playing on the highway.  Someone ticks him off by following too close and I'll have whip lash by the time we get home.  Someone cuts him off...he get on their bumper or try to get around them.  Then if he is successful he finds the first slow moving car and paces with them.  The list goes on and on and I have these horrible nightmares about him being killed by road rage.  So husband's...word of warning.  It may be fun for you to mess with other drivers, but it's not fun for us.

10. Being told I read too much.
Really?  Is there any such thing as reading too much?  Am I going to go stupid or lose brain cells because I read too much?  Its the exact opposite.  I may bankrupt us in my pursuit of good reading material but how bad can reading too much really be?

10/30 Things: Embarrasing

10. Describe your most embarrassing moment.

 Since nothing really comes to mind about an embarrassing moment...I guess I'll tell you about an embarrassing day.  Now for most people this day is supposed to be the highlight of their life, the day they are the center of attention and every thing is perfect.   ::Cue buzzer::  Contestant number one I'm sorry but that's the wrong answer!!!!


My wedding day was an exercise in how my micromanagement can be destroyed by just a couple of people not following my directions.  It was also an exercise in patience...

Aw...look at the happy couple!!

I really think looking back now I can laugh at all of this, but if I could go back...I would have told myself just to stay in bed.  It really started off with just running behind pretty much all day long...but then the hair salon I had booked to do my hair and my bridesmaids hair decided they weren't going to honor my appointment and they were going to do the hair for two other weddings.  Now normally I am not prissy or pretentious and I am good about...okay I'll wait my turn no big deal.  But that day...was already stressful...I just wasn't having that.  


So we found a new salon...my stylist...was okay...kinda knew what I wanted, but really did what she wanted.  The end result was okay...it was basically what I wanted, but there are some things that I wish I could have changed.  Anyway...back to the embarrassing.


Like I said...running behind all day long...all of my family decides to show up to get dressed in my hotel room.  Now this shouldn't have been a problem...but they all wanted to change in the restroom, which was small, and they wanted to go one at a time.  

Helping a flower girl get ready behind my under skirt.

It was during this time I found out one of my bride's men wasn't going to be there.  He had decided to drive to the ceremony from Texas and had gotten caught in a really bad storm in Dallas.  All of this can and was dealt with...with minimal bridezilla moments.


It was when I realized I was 45 minutes late for my own wedding...and the fact no one would call anyone at the chapel to tell them I was coming that I started to freak out!!!

Just had to share this one...absolutely love it!!!

We finally get to the wedding...people are milling around outside...my bridesmaids have their  bouquets but they also have the flowers for the parents on.  My in-laws and my parents all had not been told how to walk in...It was a complete mess and I was falling apart...really...I was inches from hysterical.

I actually look okay!

Now look at the sides of the arch...see the candelabras sitting on the floor...here is where my embarrassing moment comes.  I think I'm in the home stretch...nothing is going to go bad from here and my Grandfather and I are walking down the aisle.  As my long train passes by the candelabra in the right of the picture...the lace work on the side becomes entangled in part of the scroll work on the candelabra and I feel a tug and hear.....rrriiiiiiippppp!!!!  It was an immediate stop...I bent over sobbing...hysterically...and was moments away from sitting down in the middle of the aisle and not going any further.  They were just all going to have to come to me!!  My friends come to my rescue and get me untangled and put back together, but in the process of it...my friends granddaughter who was a baby at the time sticks her hand in the candle flame and starts screaming bloody murder.  I still feel bad to this day about it.

In the end...we were married...people still thought it was a beautiful ceremony and no one really knew all of the big mistakes that had happened.  By the time we made it to our reception after taking photo's...half our guests had left.  By the time dinner was done we had about 20 of our closest friends and family left so we cut the cake and did toasts and danced a little.  Not much cause we just all looked funky....So I'll leave you with the last little embarrassment for the night...

Do you know how hard it is to go to the bathroom is a huge skirt?