I'm ready to crash. . .

Today was a busy day but I got a lot accomlished. My mom, Beth, and I met up this morning and went and ordered our wedding cake and grooms cake. They are both going to look so nice! After that we ran to Kohls and Davids Bridal, then over to my reception location so my mom and Beth could see it. It helps so much that I am no longer trying to visualize what I want it to look like by myself. While there, I actually ended up booking it for the day before the wedding also. It is just going to make everything so, so, so much easier. We will be able to decorate the day before which means on the wedding day, less stress. That is definitely a good thing! I was already starting to worry about getting it all decorated and set up because I would not have been able to stay very long before having to go and start hair and makeup. After going there we went and ate at Steak n' Shake, and went to the quilt store. We were talking about going to a rental place to talk about tent/tables/chairs, but I decided I wanted to wait another week on that stuff. We also talked about heading to a party store, but we were all tired already so we all headed home.

Beth and I were home for about an hour and a half before we headed out to Rogersville for Cole's 2nd birthday party. Those kids are so crazy!! Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures to show.

Since we got home I have just been trying to get my house all cleaned up and ready for another week. Between church, choir practice, and a superbowl party tomorrow; I am not going to be home at all.

The following are what I spent Friday evening and the hour and a half today working on. . . more pages for our wedding guest book.
This one the heart is made out of microbeads. Cutting the double sided tape into the heart shape was kindof a pain in the butt. . . but I think it looks nice.

Beth actually started this one with the big heart painted around it. . .meaning she painted the heart, but I touched it up and got it finished yesterday.

I don't really have anything else new going on. The snow is starting to melt and the roads are all slushy and yucky. Hopefully it will all be gone soon. This coming week I work all 5 days which stinks, but I do get off at 5pm everyday. I haven't gotten off that early M-Th since I started working there. It will be interesting having some sort of evening again.

I am thinking about starting to tan next week. Not for sure though. Beth and I talked about going together on the nights that Michael has quartet practice or barbershop.

Well I am fairly certain that I am just rambling now. I think that it is time for me to go jump in the shower and head for bed.

Hope to be back soon.

Lisa

These are no ordinary days

So the last few days have been out of the ordinary. . .considering I went home 2 hours early on Monday, only worked about 5 hours on Tuesday, and I did not go into work at all today! The reason. . .snow and ice. This was really our first actual winter storm of the season. It started Monday afternoon and didn't really let up until late on Tuesday/early Wednesday. It has been nice though because I have gotten quite a bit accomplished. Michael hasn't been home since Monday morning either. He just stayed the last two nights out in Pleasant Hope instead of driving home and then driving back to work. It has been nice to have the bed all to myself for a couple days!

When I left this morning to attempt to go to work, I got the Nox stuck. So I went out later this afternoon and worked on getting it unstuck. Before I came back in I made a beautiful snow angel! I know. . .not really very beautiful and, oh my gosh, was it cold! I haven't made one in a really long time though, so it was fun. I finally finished the Harry Potter series, which was really good! I am glad that they tied up all the loose ends with Snape, because I was just so curious the whole time what was going to happen there. I think I am done with any series of books for awhile though, I am just so horrible about becoming obsessed and that is all I want to do. I have too much other stuff to do right now. . . . . . like wedding stuff! I have managed to get a little bit more planning done for the wedding and I actually got some more craft stuff done for it. I had decorated my unity candle once before, but it was just blah! so I redid it and I *love* it now. It is so cute!

I also decorated the two H's that I have had for awhile. One of them is going to be my wedding cake topper. Probably the red one with the crystals and the little black/white gingham bow. Isn't it fun! Beth said the bow looks like it is wearing its own little garter. :) I am not sure yet what I am doing with the black one with red polka-dots. Probably just displaying it somewhere around the reception site. I am glad I finally got these painted though. . . it has been on my mind to get done for quite some time.

(I just need to figure out what for sure to put on the bottom of this one in order to stand it up on my cake. . .any ideas?)

While I was working on the candle and painting, Beth was working on another page for my guest book. Don't you just LOVE the heart made out of buttons!

Michael just got home so just a couple more things real quick. Beth and I did manage to make it out today and go to Wal-Mart for groceries. While there I picked up these pretty slippers because I threw my old ones out a few months ago and I am tired of not having any. I think they are a really pretty blue and extremely soft.

When we got home and I was bringing groceries in I noticed a few things out of whack. Some of the pictures on the top shelf of my bookcase were knocked over, my mirror hanging on the wall was crooked, and the ivy I have hanging over my kitchen sink was halfway pulled down. I was afraid I knew what the reason was so I started looking for more proof and sure enough. . . bird crap. I yelled at Beth and told her I thought there was a bird in the house which she was really not happy about ( you know why if you have been reading her blog). She said she would watch out for it down stairs and after walking through the house clapping my hands (trying to scare it out of its hiding place) I just started to put my groceries away. Well. . . I bumped the stove and chaos ensued. [I just had to look up the word ensue to make sure I was spelling it right and the example that the dictionary has for using the word is "the birds escaped and chaos ensued". How funny is that!]

Anyway, the stupid bird was hiding underneath my stove and came flying out and dive-bombed me. Well, I ran around the house closing all of the doors but propped the front door and screen door open. Beth came back upstairs about that time and we rushed the bird holding up a board. The bird flew past us and then thankfully flew right out the door!

Hmmmm. . . Michael is outside scraping the snow off of the front steps. Maybe I should have done that today. Beth's reaction, " What a good little man you have, cleaning off the steps so you don't fall".

Beth and I are making breakfast for dinner tonight. . .eggs, bacon, and pancakes. . .so I guess I should go help her. I will definitely have to make it into work tomorrow and then I also work Friday for the next month, so I imagine I will be back some time this weekend.

Hope everyone in this area enjoyed our display of winter precipitation!

Later, Lisa

Time flies

oh my goodness. . . how time flies. . . I had not realized it had already been a week since I was on here until Beth told me last night that I needed to put something new on my blog. Oh well. . . so the wedding show last Sunday was fun. . . but extremely exhausting! I ended up staying too late out at my parents the night before, and Friday night I ended up staying up too late going through all of the wedding info I had and chucking the stuff from old ideas and places that I have since decided against. When I sat down to do that it was about 9pm and I thought I'd be done in about an hour. . . holy crap was I wrong. When I was done going through everything and organizing it better I looked at the clock at it was 1am! I was very happy I got it done though.

At the wedding expo, Theresa and I tried different cakes from different places and then all we wanted was something to drink because it was too much sugar. I registered for some prize drawings, but no one called me over this last week so I am pretty sure I did not win anything. Oh well. . . One of the things I had been thinking would be fun to have at the reception would be a photobooth, but I figured it was too expensive so I didn't really check into it. Well, they had a photo booth at the expo so Theresa and I jumped in for some quick pics. It was so loud in there though you could not hear the click when it was going to take the picture, so they are not the best pics. After doing it and talking to the guy it would be lots of fun to have at the reception, but alas just as I figured, the cost is more than I wanted. After we left the expo my mind was absolutely racing with ideas so I have some decorating ideas that I am thinking about. Well, since I was last one here I have finished the 5th and 6th books in the Harry Potter series. I am so horrible about putting a good book down. I will stay up way too late and ignore everything else to keep reading. I think this is one of the reasons I really don't read so much anymore, because I become obsessed with it until I am done. Michael thinks I am crazy because he's not really much of a reader.

I have actually already started the 7th and final book also in the series. I think I am getting ready to start Chapter 8. I read some last night but forced myself to put it down and put it back on the shelf for the weekend. When Michael left for work today, he asked me what I was doing and I said, "Not reading!" because I eeded to catch up a mountain of dirty dishes, and a mountain of dirty laundry. Along with just some general house cleaning and then wedding planning.

Well, I slept in a little this morning, but since then I have been fairly productive. I got my mountain of dishes done, and I am currently still working on the mountain of laundry (which reminds me, I need to go switch out the loads and get another started). I have also gotten other cleaning and cooking and organizing done. I called and set an appointment to get my hair cut, which I have needed done for quite some time. I am going at 8:30 am tomorrow before I have to go to work at 10am. Yeah, tomorrow is my Saturday to work which stinks but at least its only for 4 hours max. Michael is working tomorrow also though.

So I am getting excited about our honeymoon. I guess I can still call it that. Right after the wedding we are only going away for a few days to somewhere within 3/4 hour drive. Then about the first 2 weeks of July we are going to Anaheim, CA. Half the time there will be spent at the International Barbershop Convention, but the rest we are on our own. I am not positive we will stay in Anaheim after the convention, but I am excited to go do Disneyland, the beach, and all the other stuff I am sure we can find to do in and around Orange County.

I know that it is not technically even the weekend yet, but it makes me sad knowing that it will be Monday again in no time. As I already said, I work tomorrow and then we are going out to Fordland to celebrate my mom's birthday. Sunday will be church/church dinner and then I imagine we will be going to the trailer that Michael owns out in Pleasant Hope. The tenants that he has had for the last several years moved out the first of the year so we are trying to get it cleaned and fixed up to get re-rented. Unfortunely, they kind of trashed parts of it. Michael told me I could come out and help paint tonight, but I think I am going to pass on that.

Well, I should get off of here and get back to working on some stuff. I have some phone calls I need to make before places start closing for the weekend.

be back soon,

Lisa

P.S. There are a few random spots on past blogs that Michael wanted to go back and make some comments too. I think anything he wrote in put in blue.

rambling

It is incredible how messy a house can get in four days. After working 10 hours, I just really don't want to come home and do laundry or housework. . .so I didn't. Now I am kind of regretting it. I have been spending my evenings ready more about the adventures of Harry Potter. It is such a good series. I am now through both of these also. So far I have only read up to the point that I had already read once before, the last three I will be reading for the first time. I am not allowing myself to start Order of the Phoenix until Monday. I need to spend the weekend cleaning and getting other stuff accomplished.

I am going to the Metropolitan Bridal show this Sunday with my future MIL. I asked Beth if she wanted to go also, but she hasn't answered me. I went to a wedding expo back in August but it wasn't really very productive. I was hoping to win something. . .but of course I did not. Again, it would be wonderful to win something this time, more specifically the wedding cake they are giving away, but I am not really counting on it. I guess I did get something from the last one though. . . I set up my appointment with Davids Bridal. . .which I went to and ended up buying my dress! That was one of the first things I had.

I am getting ready to order some pictures that I can pickup tomorrow morning at walmart when I go to get groceries and after that I am going to do some wedding planning/organization. I have so many ideas, and I have had so many ideas; however, most of them are only halfway thought out and some of them I just need to start acting on and set it in place instead of it just being an idea. I think I have kind of been putting it off because I know I still have so much to do its almost overwhelming. Well, I could probably ramble on for awhile about some of my ideas and stuff, but I need to actually go plan some stuff instead of just talking about it.

so without further ado,
I will be back later.
Lisa

its over already??

How can it be Sunday night already? Actually, I guess it is after midnight so it is now Monday. Well my last blog was blabbing about what all I wanted to get done on Friday. I did get some of it done Friday, and Saturday, and Sunday. I did get my house clean and my laundry done. I did not go and get my hair cut, but I did go and get groceries. I was successful at getting some scrapbooking done, which makes me happy (but not Beth, because apparently I am making her feel more behind on hers. . . sorry Beth).

The following are the four layouts I got done over the last three days. I don't have pictures ready to do anymore, so that will be my next task for scrapbooking. The layouts I got done are from when we rented a pontoon boat at Tan-Tar-A with Jake and Laura. From when Michael, Beth, and I went to the Ozark Empire Fair and they were mean to me. (When we left the fair, they told me I should find the car because they knew I had already passed the row we were parked in. I was wandering around looking for the car, and they were following behind me laughing like crazy)

From some pictures I took of my nieces/nephews in August.

From a picnic at Close Memorial park with myself, Michael, and Beth

That is all the scrapbooking I got done. I did not really do much in the wedding planning area, but I think I did figure out what invitations I want and the wording that I want. Wedding stuff is what I should have spent more time on, but unfortunately I got involved in these. . .

I have had some of the Harry Potter books for quite a while, but I have never read 5, 6, or 7. I already had 6 and I got 5 and 7 for Christmas. It has been awhile since I read 1-4 so I decided I needed to re-read those before I read the other three. Well. . . I got the first two done this weekend. Needless to say, that is what I ended up spending quite a chunk of time on.

I need to be heading to bed considering I am supposed to be at work in about 8 hours. After having one week done of my new shift, I can say it is really, really nice to have the Friday off, but the other 4 days are really exhausting. Of course, this last week Michael and I had plans for both Wednesday and Thursday night. Maybe if I don't go out in the evenings it won't be so bad. I guess we'll see.

Just forewarning you, it will probably be Thursday before I am back on here.

Thats it for now,

Lisa

How much can I do?

So it is midnight and I should probably be in bed. . .but you know what. . . I don't have to go to work tomorrow! I switched to the 4 10-hour days at work, which means three day weekends and that makes me very **happy**. There is so much I want to get done tomorrow, I am afraid I am being unrealistic about how much I can actually do. I want to clean house, do laundry, scrapbook, work on wedding planning, get some craft items done for wedding, go get groceries, and maybe get my hair cut. Seeing as how I could probably spend all day scrapbooking. . . . I am not sure what all will get done. We will see.

Tonight I went to a Barbershop banquet with Michael. It was actually an installation banquet for the new officers, but they also awarded a "Barbershopper of the Year" plaque. It was awarded to Michael! I know that meant a lot to him. He has been doing barbershop for a long time and this is the first time he has ever received the award. He was looking at some of the past recipients listed on the plaque and he is in great company.

Well, I think I am off to bed. Can't sleep in too late tomorrow and lose valuable working time.

And once again,
Lisa

for my Health, Wealth, and Life

So I didn't make it back on Saturday morning, but I am here now. It is 9:30 pm on Sunday and I cannot believe the weekend is already over. Tomorrow starts a new work schedule for me because I will be working four 10 hour days 2 out of every 3 months, which means I have off on Fridays. Yeah!!

Saturday I slept in some and then I took down all of my Christmas decorations and packed them up and out to the car for storage, and then I rearranged and dusted the living room, and vacummed all the floors. That all took quite a bit of time because by the time I was done, Michael was already on his way home from work. Saturday evening we went out to dinner with Waylon and Jessica and then came back to our house and watched a couple movies. . . well, to put it more accurately, Jess and I watched movies while Michael and Waylon shoot at each other in a computer game. Here is a shot of both couples from while we were waiting to be seated at Cheddars. I love that restaurant, but it is always so packed!
Well. . . on Friday I stated that I had more to say which was really just telling you about my 2009 Resolutions. The following are my resolutions for my health, wealth, and life.

Health

1. Quit using the snooze button on my alarm clock - I can remember when I was younger and I had my first alarm clock; I never used the snooze button because when my alarm went off I actually got up. Then, one day I started using it and it has been downhill ever since. I set my alarm much earlier than it needs to be knowing that I am going to hit snooze repeatedly. I know Michael will be happy if I succeed at this one because he gets frustrated when my alarm goes off before his just so I can hit snooze. Oops!

2. Clean out our storage unit and have a garage sale - You might think this is odd that I have this listed under Health, but anytime I think about our mess of a storage unit and the thought that I have no idea what all is even in there anymore really stresses me out. Having this done will just be one less thing for me to unnecessarily stress over.

3. Be more active - I am not going to say that I am going to do so many situps a day, or walk so often. I am just going to say that I need to be more active in everything that I do; park further away from the building and walk, always take the stairs, and just make more of an effort to do outdoor activities with Michael.

Wealth

4. Get my student loan debt under $$$$ - I actually have not completely set this resolution yet. I cannot decide how much I want to commit to every month in order to meet a goal. I am so ready to have my student loans paid off. In 2008, my goal was to get them under $8800, which I did succeed at. . .but just barely.

5. Pay off my Equinox - I bought my car in February of 2007 and I am even more ready to have this thing paid off. Luckily, I think I should be able to accomplish that this year. yeah!

6. Buy a house - Michael and I have been looking at houses off and on for over 2 years. I am so ready to move into something with more space, more storage options, and a garage. The house we have been living in since 2005 is so small and the only closets are the small ones in each of the two bedrooms. It stinks! I am so ready to have more space. We are definitely planning on acting on it this year which makes me really, really happy!

Life

7. Get married - I don't know if this is really considered to be a resolution, but oh well. . . as least by the end of the year its one that I know I will complete :)

8. Enjoy our time with each other - Knowing that it is very likely Michael will be redeployed around January 2010, makes me feel like we need to do so much this year to make up for the year after that when he will be gone

9. Travel - I don't really care where. I just love to go places. . by plane or on a roadtrip

Thats all for now. Be back soon!

Lisa

Holiday snapshots

Hello all! I know I have not been on here in a week, but it has been a crazy, busy, wonderful time! Honestly, right now I am just on here to catch up some pictures from over the last week. I will try to actually blog tomorrow while Michael is at work, but right now I need to hurry up and get ready to head out to Pleasant Hope. Michael and I going over to Waylon and Jessica's tonight to spend some time with them.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from Christmas Day with my family and the couple different Christmas celebrations with Michaels family. I will tell you I was glad when Sunday evening hit because we were done with all of them. Kendra and Trey on Christmas Day. Trey would not smile until Beth came over and was threatening to tickle him.

My dad striking a pose. He got a nail gun for Christmas so of course it had to be a macho pose.

The Cook Family - Whew. . .this picture was hard to get. No, not all of them are smiling, or even looking at me, but after several times, this was the first one where everyone was looking up and no ones eyes were closed.

Yeah! My parents got me a Cutterpede paper cutter for Christmas. That makes me happy!

Beth's self-portrait on Christmas Day.

Michael and I with (our) niece, Taylor. She doesn't have a shirt on because this is right after we had eaten, and sometimes it is just much easier to strip them then to use a bib. :)

Sasha going in for the kill. My parents are going to need to buy a new set of little board books soon to keep at their house. They have had them since Kendra was born, but I am not sure they are going to survive the sixth grandchild.

The Birk Family - They are such a beautiful family.

The future Mr. and Mrs. Michael Hillenburg. I love this boy!

So this was meant to be a funny picture with Uncle Michael where everyone was crossing their eyes. What I think makes it the best though is that Michael has no idea that the wall decor behind him gives him wonderful antlers!

Actually, I think it looks more like a halo that you can't see the top of. MH

Madeline and I

Audrey and I

Amelia and I

These girls are getty so big so fast. This was the fourth Christmas I have spent with them and they are growing up too quickly.

Amelia is a doll. She loved the Aladdin figurine set that Uncle Michael and I bought for her.

Well, that is it for now. I do have more to say, but I will have to save that for tomorrow. One last thing though, Michael and I went and looked at a possible wedding reception location on the 30th, and liked it so much that we went ahead and booked it. So yeah!!! We finally have that step done and it is a huge relief!

Until then,

Lisa