Friday Five

I seem to go through periods of neglecting this blog.  I'm still here.  I'm simply lacking motivation.  And/or inspiration.  Or whatever other excuse I feel like throwing in.  :)  There actually has been a lot going on for a change.  So, I decided to do a Friday Five today of things that have happened since my last post.  In APRIL.  Sheesh...  Get with it, Esther.

1.  On May 2nd, I interviewed for a job and received an offer on the spot (I'm either that good, or they were really desperate -- ha!).  After praying and thinking about it, I accepted the offer and have NOT regretted it for a moment.  It's been a long time since I've been this happy with a job.  I am working for a small bankruptcy law firm (both partners are Christians), and they are extremely patient, gracious and kind to me.  This type of work is new to me, but my days are busy and I'm enjoying it very much!

2.  Things are happening "behind the scenes" right now that may change our lives forever.  In a good way.  :)  My family and a number of friends already know, but I'm not ready to talk about it publicly quite yet.  You're welcome to email me if you feel like you're out of the loop and want more info, but the best thing you could do right now is keep us in your prayers, especially over the next 2 months.  God knows the details.

3.  I survived my first and second tropical storms.  The first wasn't any worse than a Midwest thunderstorm.  The second was quite a bit worse in that it rained off and on for more than a week...  but it was still just rain.  Our rental house has a new roof so we didn't have an leaks and the ditches are really deep on our street so flooding wasn't an issue for us, either.  We did lose power for about 16 hours, but we didn't lose any food and the weather was cool enough that we didn't get too hot.  I know a lot of people in Florida had major flooding issues and wind damage, so I'm very thankful we survived unscathed. 

4.  My mom bought me a ticket so I can go home to celebrate my grandma's 90th birthday this month.  I will be leaving in exactly one week and am very excited!  I'll be returning the following Tuesday, so it will be a bit of a whirlwind trying to squeeze in visits with as many people as possible.  I don't care if I'm exhausted as long as I get to see my family and friends, and eat at some of my favorite KC restaurants that I've been craving since November.  :D

5.  I've been dealing with ovarian pain for a few weeks now.  Because I've had my share of "female" problems, I pretty much knew what I was dealing with.  Last week I went to the doctor, and today I was finally able to get an ultrasound which confirmed my suspicions.  The good news is that my largest cysts looks "typical" and is only 3cm.  I have another cyst on my other ovary that looks like it is from my endometriosis, and although these can be pretty painful, this one doesn't seem to be bothering me. 

     So...  Last week I received a couple prescriptions and I'm to continue with the hormones for the next 8 weeks and the pain killers as necessary.  The pain isn't excruciating -- I've had excruciating pain -- but it's persistent and it's wearing on me especially since half the time it makes me nauseous.  The only thing that keeps it under control is Tylenol 3 (codeine), which I hate taking with any frequency since I don't want to develop a dependency.  Of course, as many narcotic prescriptions I've been given for my assorted surgeries and root canals, you'd think if I was likely to develop an addiction I'd have already succumbed...  Still, I don't like taking them and I certainly don't like needing them.  My biggest fear at this point is that I'll be miserable during my trip to KC.  So if you want to pray about that, I'd appreciate it.  And pray that these cysts shrink so I don't have to get a hysterectomy... yet.  (Yes, it's inevitable, but we'd like to delay as long as possible.)

So there you go.  Consider yourself caught up.  I could share more, but those are the main highlights of the past month or so.  Sorry if it's rambly and a bit all over the place, but I do have a good excuse since I'm on drugs.  ;)

Friday Five

1.  It's been a while since I've posted a Friday Five since there's not much to report on with my life these days.  I'm unemployed, so I only leave the house to go to church, get groceries, grab the mail, or go for a walk.  It's frustrating that I haven't had a single lead since I lost my job in November, but I keep applying...  I guess you could say my current job is looking for a job. At least I get paid for it (since I'm finally collecting unemployment)!  ;)

2.  On Tuesday night, Quincy got stuck in the space between our fence and our landlord's fence.  She placed her fence 5 feet inside her property line in order to create a buffer between her horses and the neighbors, so anyone with a fenced lot basically has a double fence along the back of their yard.  Scott saw the dogs chasing something that night (I assumed it was a cat), which is when Quincy got stuck.  We tried to get Quincy to climb back over the fence or go under it, but in the end Scott had to climb over the fence and pass him to me on the other side.  That was 75 pounds of fun, but it was nothing compared to what the next day was going to bring...

3.  I let the dogs outside on Wednesday morning like I normally do, and before long I heard some very excited, frantic barking.  I went to the back door and was COMPLETELY shocked to see a WILD PIG in our yard (definitely not a cat)!  I wish I had an instant replay of the scene that unfolded in front of me.  It happened so fast, I can barely remember any of it.  All I know is my dogs were jumping and biting at the pig with excitement, and she was rearing up and striking out with her feet.  By the time I got outside, she had gotten back between the fences and disappeared from view.  I somehow managed to wrangle my dogs and get them in the house.  The whole experience was so surreal, I feel like it was a dream that never really happened.  Of all the things I'd prepared myself for possibly finding in my back yard in Florida, a wild pig was NOT one of them.

  The pig wasn't big enough to kill two dogs, but she definitely could have done some damage.

4.  I took Milo to the vet for his 6th laser treatment this week.  He injured his leg pretty badly his first full day in Jacksonville, and the vet we initially took him to diagnosed him with at least a partial tear to his ACL (called a CCL in dogs).  We'd been hitting him pretty hard with pain meds since we can't afford surgery right now, so we decided to check into laser therapy through a different vet.  A torn ligament will not heal without surgery, but the laser does seem to be helping with alleviating his pain (which means cutting back on the drugs - yay!), so we're hoping this treatment continues to help until we can afford to see a specialist. 

5.  We haven't had a pig sighting since Wednesday, but we continue to look for her every day.  We suspect she's still around due to the commotion we've heard from a couple neighbors who also have dogs, but hopefully she's learned her lesson and will stay away from OUR yard.  I don't think I will let my dogs outside anymore without doing a quick yard survey.  Who knows what else they might find!  I did hear Milo barking at something yesterday afternoon, but my investigation revealed a tiny green lizard (who turned brown when I relocated him with a stick).  :)  I'll definitely take a guest like him over a wild pig any day!

Friday Five

1 - Hi.  Remember me?  It's been 90 days since my last blog post.  Wow.  I can't believe so much time has gone by...  Not like I've been doing anything else the past couple months, like getting a house ready to go on the market, almost having a nervous breakdown, moving to Florida, looking for a job...  ;)

2 - Speaking of jobs...  I was offered one on Monday!  Even though the past 6 weeks has felt like a LONG time, that's nothing compared to the 6 years it took for my husband to find one.  I will be the office coordinator/assistant for a small construction company.  There is only a handful of people in the office, so in that respect it will be similar to my last job.  I'm sure that's where the similarities will end, though. 

3 - When Scott moved down here in July, we rented a small, one-bedroom apartment.  Neither of us are crazy about it, for a number of reasons, so we can't wait until November gets here and our lease is up.  We've been doing a little rental-house hunting since I arrived, but now that I don't have to look for a job, I've kicked the house hunting into overdrive.  Both processes have been frustrating and overwhelming.

4 - And speaking of house-hunting...  I went on a tour of Jacksonville with my awesome friend Melanie today.  She's lived here for a number of years and knows which parts of town to avoid.  I was really discouraged with "the hunt" earlier this week, but now I feel SO much more enlightened and prepared.  Thanks for ALL your help, Melanie!  And thanks for lunch, too!  ♥

5 - I had the most amazing cinnamon ice cream from Cold Stone tonight.  No mix-ins.  Just ice cream in a waffle cone.  SO.  AMAZING. 

Friday Five

1 - My husband left me again on Monday.  :( 
(Business trip, in case you missed my explanation last week.)

2 - We had some gorgeous weather this week, so I took my dogs for a walk one evening after work.  This was my first time going solo with both of them, and they behaved pretty well.  :)  I took my camera along so that I could snap some pics of the trees that are beginning to bloom, so I definitely had my hands full!

3 - Lately I have not been as careful about watching what I'm eating, and the 15 pounds I've gained over the past few months is evidence of that.   I'm not happy about the weight gain or the fact that some of my clothes no longer fit, so I'm back on the moderation wagon this week. 

4 - I got my hair chopped off yesterday.  I'd been contemplating doing an asymmetrical cut for a while, and finally got brave enough to try it!  I like it, but having it longer on one side is definitely going to take some getting used to...

5 - My husband is coming home again today. :)

Friday Five

1. Did you know that you can now subscribe to my blog via email?  Just type your address in that little box in the upper left hand corner and you'll never have to remember to check my blog again!  You're welcome.  :)
2. I went on my first bachelorette grocery store run this week and spent a lot more money on just ONE person than I feel like I should have.  Apparently not only do I not know how to cook for one, I also don't know how to shop for one.  
3. On Monday night our car decided it wasn't going to start.  My brother-in-law came to my rescue and got it running again, but then he had to come back the next morning when it decided not to start again.  Long story short, he figured out it needed a new starter and was able to install a new one that day.  He's my hero!
4. A sure sign that spring is here is when our Basset Hound/bird dog mix starts digging up our yard to catch moles.  He's surprisingly good at catching them, but his soft bird dog mouth won't do the killing part.  Which means one of us has to do it.  *shudder*  
5. MY HUSBAND COMES HOME TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Scott is being sent on a business trip to southern Missouri next week, so his boss suggested he fly in early and spend the weekend with me.  :)  He also said that Scott could work at home for a couple days after the meetings were done and spend the following weekend with me, too.  We like his new boss.  :)

Friday Five

1. I was sandwiched/wedged/pinned between a very large man and a window during my return flight home on Sunday.  I was also sitting by an engine, so I couldn't see anything outside my window, nor could I hear anything other than engine noise.  There was also a wall in front of the row in front of me.  Have I mentioned that I'm slightly claustrophobic??  Fortunately it was only an hour-long flight.
2. My back hurt all day on Monday.  I wonder why?  
3. I almost ripped my arm off this week.  I've been driving our car since Scott took the Jeep to Florida, so I'm not used to the location of the hazard lights.  I always use them when I drop off the mail at the boxes down the street from my office, and then I turn them off as I'm pulling away from the curb.  Note to self:  DON'T reach through the steering wheel to turn off the hazards while turning the wheel.  Ouch.  
4. I do not know how to cook for one person.  I don't even know how to cook for 2 people, really.  I did a lot of cooking when I was growing up, so I learned to cook for multiple people.  I understand the concept of making a half recipe, but I've never been good at the implementation of that concept.  ;)
5. I cannot get enough of this Matt Maher song this week:

Friday Five

1. This week started off with some good news that has given me renewed hope.  Once again, I won't be posting any details, but suffice it to say my heart feels happier than it has in a very long time.  
2. I would like to state for the record that I have the most amazing friends in the world.  You may think that yours are better, but I very seriously doubt that.  
3. I love seasonal candy...  Conversation hearts, Peeps, candy corn, pumpkin mellowcremes, Peppermint Christmas Tree Nougats...  Mmmmmm!  I may or may not have stopped at Walgreen's last night on my way home from work for the express purpose of buying more Peeps.  
4. The in-laws will be arriving in town tonight to spend the weekend with us.  Not sure yet what we'll be doing while they are here, but I'm looking forward to their visit! 
5. So far I'm really liking the month of March.  :) 

Friday Five {The Return}

I've been pretty down lately, which I know has been reflected in my blog postings...  The two series I try to do on a weekly basis have completely fallen off my radar, as I simply haven't felt like putting forth the effort.  I'm not promising I'll be consistent from this point forward, but I am planning to pick them back up on a somewhat regular basis.  :)

 

1. This past Sunday the pastor preached on the importance of being a good parent.  I was really hoping he'd draw a correlation to make the message applicable to those of us who aren't parents, but alas, that did not happen.  I wish it was possible for pastors to avoid all topics that pour salt into the wounds of those who are hurting, but I know that is totally unavoidable.  I do understand the need to address this topic; I just wish I'd known in advance so I could have skipped that particular service.  
2. My favorite thrift store was having a 50%-off sale on Monday.  I've found a number of amazing deals there, so I was excited to see what treasures I'd find this time.  I was not disappointed!  I spent just over $20 and came home with 3 pairs of sweatpants and 3 very nice dress sweaters -- one of which was a like-new Tommy Hilfiger.  :D  I'm not a clothes snob, but there is something very satisfying about buying a name-brand piece of clothing for a tiny fraction of the original price!
3. Don't you love it when the light at the end of the tunnel starts to look like actual daylight rather than the headlight of a train??  I'm not ready to share the details on my blog quite yet, but we received some exciting-yet-somewhat-scary news this week that has left us with our heads spinning.** 
   
4. We decided to celebrate our exciting-yet-somewhat-scary news by splurging on cupcakes from the newest Smallcakes location.  If you think that a cupcake is a cupcake is a cupcake, you have obviously never tried these melt-in-your-mouth creations.  If you live anywhere near Kansas City, you must try them.  Did I mention they've competed on Cupcake Wars and were featured on The View?
5. We got around 3 inches of snow last night.  Puxatony Phil is a liar. 

**Don't ask me if I'm pregnant unless you want a lengthy explanation -- containing way more detail than you ever wanted to know -- as to why that's a physical impossibility. 

Friday Five

I almost didn't post a Friday Five today, but then saw that my friend Rachel did, so I decided to join her. 

1. On Sunday I went to a movie with my husband!  Scott doesn't particularly enjoy the whole movie theater experience, so I was very surprised that he's the one who suggested it.  We saw the new Narnia movie and both enjoyed it very much.  Scott even said he'd be willing to go to another movie sometime soon.  We're actually going to see the new True Grit movie tonight with his family, which makes me very happy!

2. This was a shortened work week for me.  At first I didn't realize that most people wouldn't be getting off both Thursday and Friday for Christmas.  Definitely a nice perk!

3. Wednesday was our office Christmas lunch/party at the Hereford House (a local steak house).  I had only been at this job a couple months when we had the luncheon last year, so I didn't really know very many people -- nor was I prepared for it to last 2.5 hours.  This year was more enjoyable, although I had forgotten about it lasting so long!

4. Scott & I drove to his parents' house yesterday afternoon, which is about a 2.5 hour drive.  About halfway there, we realized we were seeing tons of hawks sitting on fence posts, trees, signs, etc., watching and waiting for their prey.  It was actually a bit comical how many we saw!  We're estimating we saw at least 30, and probably would have counted twice that if we'd started watching for them sooner.

5. I can't believe tomorrow is Christmas.  For the past several years, we've hosted the Christmas gathering with my side of the family, but I needed to take a break this year.  I'm looking forward to spending actual Christmas day with Scott's family for a change. 

Friday Five

1. I saw a car with a license plate that made me smile as I was driving to work one day.  It read, "BER HUG."  :o)

2. My employer gives Russell Stover's chocolates to all of their customers and staff at Christmas each year, and I am in charge of shipping it out.  Over the course of 2 days, I boxed up and shipped almost 100 pounds of chocolate.

3. I scanned 2,261 pages in one day, beating my previous record of 2,089.

4. After 16 days of living without, I am happy to report that our clothes dryer is working again!  No more crunchy clothes!!!  My dad came over on Saturday and helped Scott figure out what was wrong.  The part we ordered (for only $13!!!!!) arrived yesterday, and Scott successfully installed it.  I'm SO very thankful for the smart men in my life!  ♥

5. Last night as I was driving home from work, I pulled up behind a lineup of cars waiting for someone to make a left turn.  As I was sitting there, I glanced in my rear-view mirror and saw a car barreling up behind me.  My heart was immediately in my throat, and I started tapping my brakes and easing forward, getting as close to the center line as I could.  I'm not sure why pulling to the left was my instinct rather than pulling over on the shoulder... perhaps because I was already close to the car in front of me?  There was music playing on the radio, but all I could hear was the sound of squealing tires, and I braced myself for what I was sure would be a forceful impact. Fortunately, he was able to stop, but I'm confident he came within inches of slamming into me.  The crazy thing is, he pulled to the right after he got stopped, and then zoomed down the shoulder and passed all of the cars in front of me!  My first thought was that he probably would have done that even if he HAD hit me.  My second thought was that I was glad he was now in front of me rather than behind me.  Talk about a nerve-wracking, heart-pumping experience!

Friday Five

1.  This morning when I washed my hands it felt like I was using razor blades.  Forgot about those paper cuts I got yesterday...

2.  I found out this week that my 20-year-old niece is pregnant.  Any pregnancy announcement has the potential to upset someone who is infertile.  This one feels like a sucker punch to the gut.  I will never understand, this side of heaven, why it's so easy for some people to become parents, while others wait with aching, empty arms... 

3.  I went on a major sugar binge as a result of point 2.  I have a feeling I'm going to regret that when I get on the scale tomorrow. 

4.  My DVR is over 90% full.  This may or may not have to do with how much time I spend online these days.  I either need to do some serious catch-up this weekend, or permanently cut back on some shows.  Cutting back on my online time is not an option.  :D

5.  I'm excited that my friend Jenn is blogging again!  She's a brilliant writer, so you should check it out.  I haven't been able to figure out how to get her feed to show up on my Blogger feed/dashboard, though...  Any tips?  She's using WordPress. 

Friday Five

1. I went to a movie with a friend on Sunday night.  This is blogworthy because I very rarely go to movies.  Also because it's my blog, and I determine what is blogworthy.  ;o)  I love going to movies, but Scott doesn't particularly enjoy the whole theater experience, so we usually watch them after they're released on DVD.  The last time I'd been to a movie before this week was this past summer when my friend Suzann was here for a visit. 

2.  Are you listening to Christmas music yet?  Because it's time.  ♥  My favorite discovery of the season is Air1.com's Christmas-only station.  They play a pretty wide variety of both modern and classic tunes.  The only thing I don't like is that they don't tell you what artist/group is currently playing like they do when you're listening to their regular online station.  Which is really sad if I find a new song I love and want to buy it.  If my iPhone worked correctly, I could just "Shazam" the songs I like.  *sigh*

3.  I'm having a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit this year.  The music is helping, but it's still a struggle -- especially when it comes to decorating our home.  I love Christmas, and I love our decorations, but it's bittersweet to have the house all decked out and festive when our house and arms are empty, and our hearts are broken.  We were very hopeful that this Christmas would be different.  If it had turned out the way we planned, I'd be pregnant right now.  Of course, I know that celebrating Jesus' birth is the true meaning of Christmas, but it's extremely difficult to keep this focus when the commercialism that surrounds us says otherwise.  But I am trying.

4.  My gas tank overflowed yesterday when I was filling it up.  Again.  The auto shut-off hasn't worked for a while, so I know to watch it closely.  But I failed.  Again.  Consequently, I smelled like gas all day.  Again.  

5.  On Saturday I'm going to see CYT's production of Singin' In The Rain.  That's Christian Youth Theater, for those of you who don't know.  My best friend's daughter is in the show and her husband is directing the music.  I'm not a huge musical fan, but I do enjoy them occasionally.  Especially when someone I know is involved.  :o)

Friday Five

I realize I have been neglectful of my blog this week.  I hope you can forgive me.  You know, since I typically blog consistently and frequently.  And now that my apology is out of the way...  ;o)

1. I went shopping with some of my awesome HP girls on Sunday.  I wasn't going for the retail therapy, but simply to enjoy being with friends.  And apparently to eat a giant, chocolate cream horn. 

Later on Leesha and I went to Ted's Montana Grill for dinner.  The next day they closed down all the Ted's locations in the KC area.  That may or may not have been our fault.

2. My MIL always gives me money for my birthday, with which I often purchase clothing.  Somewhere along the line while I was in the process of losing weight, my mindset changed when it came to spending money on clothes.  Since what I was buying would only fit me temporarily, I refused to get anything that wasn't dirt cheap.  Even now, when I am somewhat content with my size, I can't imagine ever being okay with buying clothes the way I used to.  Case in point, this girl who hated thrift stores when she was growing up spent almost 3 hours in one on Monday night, and spent all her birthday money on used clothes.  And she's unbelievably happy with her purchases!  I may post more about that excursion at another time.  :o)

3. On Tuesday night, I decided to stop by the grocery store on my way home from work to pick up a few items.  I didn't feel like making dinner by the time I was done, so I went through the Arby's drive-thru.  And of course, the guy forgot to give me our curly fries.  I had already pulled forward, and there was a car behind me, so I turned off the car to go inside.  Apparently, turning off the car was a big mistake, because once I got back it wouldn't start.  Fortunately, I was only minutes from home, so Scott came to my rescue.  We couldn't get it jump started, so the manager and Mr. I-Forgot-Your-Curly-Fries (grrrr!) came out and helped us push it out of the way.  After transferring our groceries to the Jeep, we went home, ate our cold food, and then came back to try again.  This time it started and we were able to get the car home.  Yay!  Long story a smidge shorter, we got a new battery the next day, and all is well with the car again.  It was really inconvenient for the car battery to die when it did because we were planning to take the Jeep in that night for some minor repairs while it was still under warranty. Thankfully, the car fiasco only delayed us by one day, and my Jeep is back to normal.  ♥

4.  I had a birthday this week.  I have never been a fan of birthdays.  I don't enjoy being the center of attention, especially when I haven't done anything to deserve it.  I mean, really... all I did was survive another year, right?  And not by my own doing.  ;o)  On top of that, birthdays are just incredibly hard when you're infertile.  Every year that passes by is a reminder that you've gone ANOTHER year with empty arms.  Last year I turned 35, and that was particularly difficult.  I was anticipating this one being awful as well, but oddly enough...  it wasn't.  I had a great birthday, thanks in part to all the friends who made me feel special.  Three in particular (you know who you are!).  ♥  Honestly, I don't remember feeling sad at all that day.  And that alone was enough to make it awesome.  :o)

5.  My friend Dawn got a kitten.  Isn't he precious??  Don't you want one?? 

Meet Fuego!

She got him on my birthday, so I decided to post the following as my status that day: 

"My friend Dawn is getting a kitten for my birthday! Just think how many homeless kitties would be saved if all of my Facebook friends followed her lead! ;o) That would make me a very happy birthday-girl! ♥"

As far as I know, she's the only one of my friends who got a kitten for my birthday.  :o(

Oh well.  At least I tried.  

Have I mentioned how cute he is???

Friday Five

1.  This hasn't been a very exciting week.  Not that any of my weeks are.  :o) 

2.  Apparently, my unexciting week is still stressful, as evidenced by the fact that I've been clenching my teeth at night.  I don't know that I'm doing it until I wake up with an aching jaw.  Fortunately, after I wear my mouth guard a couple nights, all is well again.  

3.  We visited the in-laws last weekend and they sent us home with some fabulous leftovers, including 2 kinds of pie.  Once those were gone, Scott & I were going through pie withdrawal (proof that pie is better than cake), and since I had pre-made crust in the freezer, I decided to try out a new recipe.  Let me just say...  sooooooooooooooo yummy, and really easy, too.  This recipe is a keeper.  We think we'll try it with peaches next.  MmmmMmmmMmmm.

Creamy Blueberry Pie

4.  I got my hair cut last night.  

5.  Even though we were just down to see Scott's family last weekend, his parents are coming up this weekend to bring us some furniture they don't need anymore.  We'll soon be the owners of a new-to-us TV armoire and an enclosed bookcase.  They also recently gave us a very nice daybed (with a trundle), and a new recliner!  Are we spoiled, or what!?

This chair is Luna-approved!

Friday Five

1.  Fortunately, my job was back to normal this week.  This is in no way exciting or news-worthy, except for the fact that I don't have to do my manager's job this week.  Which is a very good thing.  :o)  I do quite a bit of scanning on a daily basis with my normal job.  On Monday I did an insane amount.  Over 2600 pages, to be approximate. 

2.  Apparently you can't make enchiladas in the crock pot -- at least I can't.  I'm not exactly sure what happened, but am guessing I used too much sauce, which caused the tortillas to fall apart, and I ended with a crockpot of mush.  Fortunately, after adding 2 cans of chicken broth, my enchilada disaster turned into a delicious soup.

3.

I voted on Tuesday.  Did you?

4.  I laughed until I cried the other night while chatting with some friends online.  I haven't done that in forever.  It felt really good.  Friends are good for my soul.  ♥  I thank God for them.  ♥

5.  I'm looking forward to visiting with the in-laws this weekend.  I have a great relationship with them, so it's always relaxing and enjoyable. And I'm not just saying that because my mother-in-law reads my blog.  (Hi, Paula!  See you soon!!)

Friday Five

1.  I've only been posting on Mondays & Fridays lately, so I wasn't going to do a Friday Five today.  Besides that, this week has been really busy...  But I figured I'd see what I can come up within a few minutes and just call it good.  And there's my number one.  :D

2.  Speaking of being busy...  My office manager has been out most of the week, and I do the bulk of her job when she's gone.  Which is a nice change of pace since my regular job is far from exciting or challenging.  The bad part is that it takes me at least an hour longer (usually more) to get everything done that she does in a normal day.  And I don't get overtime. 

3.  Scott & I cleaned out our garage on Sunday.  It took us 3 hours, which we thought was a LOT.  I posted this fact on Facebook and several of my friends indicated it would have taken them days, rather than hours.  Our garage was pretty bad, so apparently I have a lot of dirty, filthy friends.

4.  I'm sure you'll be relieved to hear that my DVR decided to record NCIS this week.  You're welcome.

5.  This week was a much better week for me, emotionally.  Keeping busy during the day doesn't allow for much time to fret about things that are out of your control.  Like infertility.  I did have one particularly blue day this week, but some wonderful friends lifted me out of the doldrums, and the day ended on a much happier note.  ♥ ♥ ♥

Friday Five

1.  This week I went to Sunday School for the first time in...  I can't remember when.  I enjoyed it and plan to go back!

2. My DVR hates me.  What other explanation could there be for it randomly choosing not to record NCIS when it's clearly programed to do so?

3. In perhaps the most bizarre news story of the year, there was a chimpanzee on the loose in Kansas City on Wednesday.  It was apparently someone's pet.  In the middle of the city!  To quote one of the witnesses, it "jumped on top of the [police] car, did a Donkey Kong smash on the cop's window and got crazy."  You can't make stuff like this up.

4. Last night we finished watching Season 5 of Criminal Minds, which is pretty impressive considering we started with the first season on DVD at the beginning of the year.  Five seasons of one show in less than 10 months?  That's dedication!  ;o)  Now we just have to catch up with the current season, and all of those episodes are on the DVR that hates me.  Hopefully it doesn't start randomly deleting them now that I said that.

5. It's been a tough week for me emotionally, so I'm extremely relieved that Friday is finally here.  I'm hoping to go for a drive at some point this weekend to take some pictures of the fall foliage.  And if I'm lucky...  maybe I'll get another gem like this one:

Friday Five

1. We went for a walk with the dogs on Sunday.  Well, Scott walked.  I rode my new-to-me bike.  At one point I decided to try riding with Quincy jogging beside me.  It worked really well at first, and he seemed to be enjoying himself (I swear he was smiling!).  But then I turned onto a street and started going faster as I coasted downhill.  Before I knew what was happening, Quincy had crossed behind me, and I found myself desperately trying not to crash into someone's yard or hang my dog.  After that, I handed off the leash to Scott and decided that this item is probably worth its price tag. 

2. Scott did the grocery shopping again this week and did a great job.  I see no reason for me to ever do this task again.  Okay with you, honey?  :o)

3. Instead of grocery shopping, I did some major cleaning to get ready for our company who would be arriving on Wednesday.  I also clipped Casper's nails.  Which task do you think was easier?

4.  Our guests this week were "HP Mom & Dad," who were headed home to NV after being in Ft. Leonard Wood for several months.  We met up with some HP girls for dinner and we all had a fabulous time getting to know them!  For those of you non-HP-ers, HP Mom (Betty) is the mother of Jennifer Saake, who is the co-founder of Hannah's Prayer Ministries, and the author of the book Hannah's Hope.  Ralph is a chaplain in the Civil Air Patrol (Air Force Auxiliary).  He and Betty have been missionaries to the military for 35 years.

Ralph, Betty, and me

Four HP Ladies:  Me, Betty, Leesha, and Kelly

5.  I love Minsky's pizza, especially their Cheeseburger Gourmet.  This week I tried a slice of the Prime Cut for the first time and was really impressed.  I may never eat it again since the ingredients are meat, meat, meat, meat, and more meat, so I am hoping the taste will linger in my memory forever!

Mmmmm!  Prime Cut!

Friday Five

Not much excitement in my world this week, so this Friday Five was a bit challenging.  I already blogged about my anniversary... and The Pickled Green Tomatoes Experience...  So I felt like I needed to come up with five fresh things:

1. Remember how I listed "technology" on both lists in my "Likes/Dislikes" post last week?  Most of the time I love technology, but this week it has failed me.  Twice. 
   
   • On Tuesday, our DVR randomly decided not to record a new episode of NCIS, which it was programmed to do.  We very rarely watch our shows live anymore, so I didn't think to check until it had been on for 12 minutes.  Fortunately, thanks to modern technology, we were able to watch the first 12 minutes online last night, and then we switched over to the DVR to watch the rest. I'm glad we have that option, but I'm still annoyed at our DVR.
   • The second "failure" this week was my iPhone.  It's been acting up for a couple weeks now, and I finally had enough when I received a voicemail and the iPhone wouldn't let me access it.  More than an hour and 4 customer service reps later, I lost all my voicemails (3 - if you called me, please call again!), but successfully switched back to my old Razr phone.  So, at least I have a phone that I can use as a phone again.  Even though it's not "smart."  :o(  Fortunately I can still use my iPhone as an iPod, and access the internet from wi-fi hotspots, without having to pay for a data plan.  Hopefully it will continue to work well enough for me to enjoy those features a bit longer.   
2. I finally got my new glasses!  They're actually identical to my "old" ones, so I won't be posting any pics.  I really just needed new lenses, as the other lenses got scratched after someone dropped them in the parking lot at work...  You'd think it would be a simple fix to order new lenses and pop them in, but apparently not with these frames.  After going back TWICE to get the new lenses "popped in,"  they gave up and ordered new frames and had the factory install the lenses.  This was a 4-week ordeal!
3. With the arrival of cooler weather this week, I've discovered I need to go shopping for long-sleeved shirts.  A few of my sweaters from last year fit okay, but for the most part my fall and winter wardrobe hangs on me like a sack.  Which is a good problem to have.  :o)
4. Last night I dripped salsa on my sock.  True story.
5. I'm planning to make an incredible-sounding pumpkin butter recipe tomorrow.  Do you sense another food post coming?  I promise to share!  And take pictures, of course.

Happy Friday, everyone!

-E

Friday Five

My friend Rachel was inspired by another blogger to start posting a "Friday Five" each week, and I have decided to join her.  I've been doing this copycat thing a lot lately, huh?  Anyway, it just consists of posting five things about your week.  Even though my life isn't very exciting, surely I can come up with five things I did each week...  Maybe... 
 

1. Scott & I went for a walk with the dogs at a nearby lake on Sunday.  We live less than 5 minutes from this 930-acre reservoir, yet we only seem to go a handful of times each year.  There are fabulous walking/biking trails around the lake and through the surrounding woods, so it's truly ridiculous that we don't go more often.  Perhaps this will change now that I've lost weight and feel more like being active... 
   
2. This was a good TV week.  Lots of new shows starting up, plus old favorites returning.  I love fall TV.  :o) 
   
3. I really hate my neighbor's barky Schnauzer.  I noticed he had gotten out of the yard earlier this week, so I did the neighborly thing and went over to tell them.  Naturally, he stood at my feet barking until they opened their front door, and then quickly dashed inside.  This dog is always barking at us when we're in our backyard.  You know, when we're on our own property.  Apparently the 8-foot privacy fence doesn't differentiate for him where his property ends and ours begins.  Or maybe it just drives him crazy that he can hear but not see us.  Regardless, I seriously came close to dumping a bucket of water on him a couple nights ago when I was picking tomatoes in the garden.  Incidentally, he was out of his yard during this interation, and guess who didn't notify his owners this time?   
   
4. Scott went to the grocery store yesterday afternoon.  Can I just say he did a fabulous job??  We often go together, so he's pretty well-trained.  ;o)  I was particularly impressed at how well he did, especially since I hadn't finished our shopping list.  But he did that part, and thought to include items that I would have wanted, but didn't think to ask for.  As an added bonus, the grocery bill was a LOT lower than it would have been if I'd done the shopping.  What a great guy!  I think I'll keep him.  ♥
   
5. Tomorrow we're planning on heading out to Louisburg Cider Mill for Ciderfest.  It's outside, so we're taking the dogs.  We may regret that decision, since they're not used to socializing...  Quincy is pretty well-behaved on leash, but Milo...  Suffice it to say, he'll be a handful.  Louisburg makes a cool design in their corn maze each year, and this time it's a werewolf.  We've always wanted to go through one, so that part should definitely be fun!  Although, it's supposed to take 45-60 minutes to get through, depending on how many wrong turns you take.  And how unruly your dogs are.  ;o)

So, that's my first Friday Five.  And because I couldn't get Blogger to let me put these I wanted them in this post, here are some pics from our lake walk this week:

-E