Giving Thanks

Well, I'm going to be cliche for a moment.

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of year.

I love fall, cooler weather, sweaters, and all that.

I love spending time with people I love, like my super awesome husband.

Being in Texas has made me realize how blessed I have been and still am today.

While I am far from my family and most of my friends, God gave me Stephen.

And even though it's been a tough almost-year for the two of us, I would not trade our first year of marriage for anything.

I am thankful for computers and Internet-- thanks to Skype, I was able to see my family and talk to them yesterday. My mom, my Nanny, and my 2 sisters (Dad was sleeping off the turkey)

I am thankful for airplanes-- Stephen's parents were able to come visit and we got to share an early Thanksgiving with them.

I am thankful for cell phones-- Though I am many miles from my closest friends, I can text and talk to them regularly.

I am thankful for the people that we have met here in Texas-- it was very lonely our first few months in Waco, without a church family or friends. But now we have both! And Stephen and I both have good jobs, working with good people.

God has been so faithful and I am confident that He will continue to be faithful.

To all of my friends and family, I love you!

And I hope you all had happy Thanksgivings!

Hello children!

Well, look at me, blogging again.

I just can't stay away.

Also, I've had many a request for a new blog.

Apparently, ya'll can't stay away either!

(Yes, I said ya'll, I live in Texas and my parents are from Tennessee! Don't judge.)

So as some of you may know, last week I got to go to my little hometown of Federal Way, Washington!

It was a delightful trip, even though I had to leave my Husby behind.

We survived; thank you for your concern.

Like I said, the trip was super amazing. We did a whole lot of shopping, went walking round the block, took partial family photos (partial because Stephen wasn't there), went to Rachael's graduation, ate way too much food at Mongolian Grill, and basically just spent a whole lot of time together.

I love my family. They are amazing people and I wish that Stephen and I did not live so far away from them.

However, I feel completely blessed that I was able to spend 6 days with them (and I am VERY grateful that my parents paid for my plane ticket; without that, I would not have been able to go).

Still, it was not all fun and games. I had some pretty trying moments also. And because my downfalls are usually very amusing, I will choose to share one of these moments with you!

We took partial family photos in a little park near downtown Seattle. It was a beautiful day: 70 degrees, sunny, a few wispy clouds, a gentle breeze- basically the perfect Seattle summer day.

Stupidly, I wore heels.

This may not seem that stupid, but keep in mind that we were in a PARK!

And also, it's been several months since I've worn heels and I am not practiced in wearing heels.

So the photographer found this really cool looking, low-branched tree for us to pose under, and I was having a hard time balancing on my heels.

Then, as I headed to the tree to pose for my pictures, I was looking at the ground to try and step lightly, and my heel went all crooked.

In my haste, I over-compensated and ran head-first into a low-hanging tree branch.

I saw those little stars flying round my head, like in the cartoons.

A lump formed almost immediately.

I cried.

And laughed a little too.

And feel verrrrrrry sheepish.

So that is my story. It doesn't sound as funny told in blog form, but I'm sure ya'll chuckled a little anyway.

I miss my fam a ton already. Hopefully, in the not too distant future, we will live close enough so that we can see each other every few days instead of every 6 months or so.

The End.

(maybe I'll be back)

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

No, don't worry. I know it isn't Christmas time.

It's not Thanksgiving, or Easter, or even my birthday.

It was Memorial day yesterday, but that still isn't what I am talking about.

No, this magical event begins tonight.

"Tonight?" you ask, very confused as to what could be so exciting on a Tuesday night...

Well, it isn't Glee, as much as I like Glee. This is bigger than Glee. This is better than Glee.

This, my friends, is Wipeout.

WIPEOUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's right, John Henson and John Anderson return tonight to bring us endless entertainment as people fall on their faces (and other parts of their bodies) in pursuit of lots and lots of money.

It may baffle you as to why I enjoy this show. You may think, "How horrible! She likes to watch people fall down..."

And you wouldn't be wrong. Ok, you'd be sort of wrong.

I LOVE watching people fall down.

Please don't mistake what I am saying; it's not like I'm laughing when a little kid falls down on the playground.

These are grown people, who AUDITION to be a show where the goal is to MAKE you fall down so that Americans everywhere can laugh at you.

The hosts, John and John, purposely exaggerate a character trait (or even physical feature) that you possess and mock it the whole show. They are almost as funny to listen to as it is funny to watch the people fall.

Even if you can't understand my love of Wipeout, you should tune in at least once this season.

It's going to be hilarious.

I can still remember the first time I saw an episode of Wipeout. Anna and Kristin were with me I believe, but I don't think Janna was there. We were sitting in the living room, flipping through channels, and there it was. I don't think any of us knew what it was, but after about 10 minutes, I was hooked. From then on, I scheduled my homework around Wipeout.

Then last summer, when I lived with Nanny and Aunt Ethel, Stephen and I both looked forward to Wipeout night. It was a sad day when one or both of us had to work. Even Nanny and Aunt Ethel would watch with us! That was some hilarious times.

I am excited for this. Wipeout somehow means summer and good times ahead. While it isn't the same without Anna, Nanny, and Aunt Ethel, I am excited to have Stephen to share this magical time with.

After all, it's the most wonderful time of the year!

Wipeout season 3 is here!!!!!!!!! ABC, 8pm, 7pm central, Tuesday nights.

Watch it. Love it. I have spoken.

Enemies

As most of you know, I am a pretty normal person. I have some quirks, yes, but overall I'm pretty awesome.

I can get along with most humans, if I want to, and I can get along with most things in nature too.

But there are a few creatures in this world that I cannot coexist with peacefully.

I will now share this not-so-super-secret list with you:

Dogs: Over the years, my family had a fair share of household pets. Dogs, cats, birds, hamsters, iguanas, rats, gerbils, guinea pigs, fish... You know, the usual. Except for rats and iguanas, maybe.

Anyway, of all the creatures we allowed to roam our home, I usually liked the dogs best. Until horrible things happened to them. Like the puppy who died weeks after we got her, or the puppy that I found with my friends who had a whole host of problems (worms, fleas, a hernia...). Or the last dog my family had, Chief, a giant monster of a German shepherd who barked and dug and dug and barked and got muddy and barked. Somewhere between my favorite dog, Gunner, and the other dogs we had, I lost affection for them. Dogs bark and bite and slobber and leave hair every where and drool and they are so needy! I think, as a human, I should get the corner on being needy. So, I'm not a big fan of dogs anymore.

Cats: I liked one of the cats we had, name of Roo. He was kind of a special cat. And then he went away. After him, I've not so much cared for the species. They shed, they claw, they spray (if they are boys), they go through heat (if they are girls), they are so stuck up! Cats are like the pop stars of the animal kingdom. All the pretension with none of the right.

Ants: I hate ants. When I lived with Nanny in Tennessee over the summer, we had a little trouble with ants in her kitchen. About half of the time, Stephen and I ate at his apartment, because he worked more than I did and I would go over there and make him lunch or dinner before or after he went to work. But when we did eat at Nanny's, we would find ants in the cabinet or in the bread box. It was icky. So she got ant spray and they went away easily, if the counter was kept clean, which it was because Nanny is a machine and amazing like that.

When Stephen and I moved into our apt in Waco after the wedding, one of the first things we dealt with were ants. And they have been plaguing us ever since. We've tried ant spray, we've tried moving our food, and our latest trick has been vinegar (they don't like the smell). But they just keep coming back. It is not only inconvenient, annoying, and costly - because they keep infesting new food-, but it is also gross. I feel like they are on me all the time. I hate ants.

I suppose I could go on, but I expect I'll get grief for these as it is. Especially for the first one. For some reason, few people share my distaste of members of the canine species. I don't get it.