Monday, December 29, 2008

Monday Moan

Cory Writing....

My Monday Moan today is about the weather. I hate how yesterday it is beautiful and slightly warm and now today is bone chilling cold. Maryland weather sucks and my closest friends are in freakin Florida with 80 degree weather.

Friday, December 26, 2008

My Husband Rocks Friday

April writing...

I don't have the MHR picture today, it's actually on my computer at work...and I am too lazy to go and save it here.

Cory rocks today because he was sweet enough to bring me home some much needed medicine this morning. I called him around 5 am this morning with my growling voice and my barely able to swallow sore throat and asked him to rescue me in the form of some good meds. He came through for me...even though he got called back into work for another 4 hours and he had to drive back up to work!!

I was able to get more much needed sleep with the aid of some medicine and I am already feeling better! Thank you sweetie! YOU ROCK!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

too busy?

April writing...

My co-worker thinks that my desktop is too busy? Do you think so??

Hmmm...now that's interesting...

April writing...

At the 1994 annual awards dinner given by the American Association for Forensic Sciences, AAFS President Don Harper Mills astounded his audience in San Diego with the legal complications of a bizarre death. Here is the story...

On March 23 the medical examiner viewed the body of Ronald Opus and concluded that he died from a gunshot wound of the head caused by a shotgun. Investigation to that point had revealed that the decedent had jumped from the top of a ten story building with the intent to commit suicide. (He left a note indicating his despondency.) As he passed the 9th floor on the way down, his life was interrupted by a shotgun blast through a window, killing him instantly. Neither the shooter nor the decedent was aware that a safety net had been erected at the 8th floor level to protect some window washers, and that the decedent would not have been able to complete his intent to commit suicide because of this...

Ordinarily a person who starts into motion the events with a suicide intent ultimately commits suicide even though the mechanism might be not what he intended. That he was shot on the way to certain death nine stories below probably would not change his mode of death from suicide to homicide, but the fact that his suicide intent would not have been achieved under any circumstance caused the medical examiner to feel that he had homicide on his hands...
Further investigation led to the discovery that the room on the 9th floor from whence the shotgun blast emanated was occupied by an elderly man and his wife. He was threatening her with the shotgun because of an interspousal spat and became so upset that he could not hold the shotgun straight. Therefore, when he pulled the trigger, he completely missed his wife, and the pellets went through the window, striking the decedent.

When one intends to kill subject A, but kills subject B in the attempt, one is guilty of the murder of subject B. The old man was confronted with this conclusion, but both he and his wife were adamant in stating that neither knew that the shotgun was loaded. It was the longtime habit of the old man to threaten his wife with an unloaded shotgun. He had no intent to murder her; therefore, the killing of the decedent appeared then to be accident. That is, the gun had been accidentally loaded...

But further investigation turned up a witness that their son was seen loading the shotgun approximately six weeks prior to the fatal accident. That investigation showed that the mother (the old lady) had cut off her son's financial support, and her son, knowing the propensity of his father to use the shotgun threateningly, loaded the gun with the expectation that the father would shoot his mother. The case now becomes one of murder on the part of the son for the death of Ronald Opus...

Further investigation revealed that the son became increasingly despondent over the failure of his attempt to get his mother murdered. This led him to jump off the ten story building on March 23, only to be killed by a shotgun blast through a 9th story window.
The medical examiner closed the case as a suicide.

...blogging through it...

April writing...

I am not sure what my deal is. I had SUCH high hopes for how I would finish out this year. This might end up being a super vulnerable post for me, albeit truly needed.

Here's a little bit about the 'weigh' I was before 2008.
- I found myself buying button up shirts because I thought they were cute, knowing full well that I couldn't button them. "I'll just leave them open and put a shirt underneath" I would tell myself...at least then I could feel a little cute when I went out.
- My pants were getting too tight, but instead of giving in and buying the next size up, I rigged up a little stretch system, using a hair-tie through my pants button hole, attached to the button. It gave me an extra inch and half or so of room at the top while sparing me the personal embarrassment of yet again getting bigger jeans.
- Eating out was easier...especially for lunch. Could I have made myself a lunch? Sure. But I think if I am being honest, I knew that deep down that fatty food was doing something for me...not something good. It was keeping me down, but I craved it.
- I ate when I was bored. I mean it...all the time. I have never been an emotional eater. I haven't struggled with that. For me, it was... "Oh it's 10:15 pm and I am watching TV and my mouth is bored...lemme get a sandwich." I wasn't hungry...I don't think I ever was when I ate at those times.
- Grabbing a soda was way more inviting than water, especially a Grape Soda. Water was so plain and boring and blahhh. I would kid myself when I said things like, "I drank a bottle of water at work today...so I can have four sodas at home tonight." Like that one bottle of water made any difference at all.
- I got winded taking the stairs. I found that I couldn't talk for a couple minutes after climbing the stairs at work...I hoped that when I opened the door to my office there wouldn't be anyone there that I needed to greet. That way I wouldn't sound like a fat, out-of-shape mess when I said, "Good Morning."
- The idea of doing yard work and gardening was always on my mind, yet I would start a project...barely get through it and be out of breath and exhausted...then I would stop.
- I didn't feel pretty...at all. I felt like a fat-lazy-no-good-unpretty person.

But I kept doing it all...the eating, the not exercising, the tricks to make myself seem smaller...Until January 2nd, 2008.

It was literally that morning that I said enough was enough. After Mom going through her major heart surgery, and me seeing how well she was doing losing weight...making a difference in how she ate so she wouldn't be in the same position again...I had seen myself in her. All of my eating choices, my choice to watch TV instead of being active...all of it. I was over it. I wouldn't end up in her shoes...needing surgery and putting myself, my body, my heart at risk.

So I joined Weight Watchers. January 2nd-March 2nd went GREAT....I dropped 22 pounds and I was on top of the world!! March through the middle of July went just as well...I lost another 12 pounds! Then enter the PLATEAU. The dreaded WALL in the middle of your weight loss.

Looking back. It absolutely GOT the best of me. For the next 4 months I would bounce around like a yo-yo...up .08, down 1.2, up 1.5, down .05...until by the end of November...I had gained back 5 pounds.

I know it doesn't seem like alot. But I was down...and I was kicking MYSELF while I was down. I stopped trying. I sold the lie to myself saying...OK take a week off...just eat whatever, next week we will kick our rear into gear...but that week turned into a month.

And here I am still. I honestly don't know HOW much I have gained back. I am actually terrified to go weigh in. By my estimation...I would put myself around 212ish...that would mean that I have put BACK on 12 or so pounds of the 34 that I had originally lost.

Now I am by no means back to the weigh I was before...but I can see how easily I would get there. I am scared now because I cancelled my WW membership in order to save $40 a month. I honestly KNOW that I can track my points and do it on my own....I CAN discipline myself to stay off the scale except for one day a week. I know that I can journal my food and all of that. But for some reason...I am stuck.

Why is this? What has happened. I was on a ROLL there...I could actually be pretty much on target if it weren't for my plateau, and then letting that plateau win and basically giving up in the past month or so. And it seems so easy to say right here, right now...that I am DONE again...I MEAN it this time. I am GOING to lose the rest of this weight...but I feel like there are shackles on my ankles and something is keeping me down.

I want this. I want to lose this weight...and I am past the point of wanting it because I want to look cute or because I want to be able to buy the cute clothes or not feel like the fat girl in the room. I want this because I want to be HEALTHY and because I want to have a BABY. I want to live a long-happy-fulfilled life. There is so much that is uncertain in this world, and I want to know that I am doing everything to ensure a healthy, long life. I know that being healthier will only aid in my chances of conceiving a child too.

*at the risk of sounding extremely cheesy* I am honestly feeling like I am standing on the edge of an even bigger cliff than the one I stood on back on January 2nd of this year. This seems harder. I am at the point now where it's going to be HARD work. I am going to have to make some SERIOUS changes. I am going to have to
PUSH through ME
the biggest WALL of all...to get where I want to go!

I know that I can do it. I DO believe in myself. I will do this.


Thanks for listening...I know I needed this.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Sushi Night

April writing...

Went out with some yout's to dinner tonight. Had Sushi. Ohhhh did it hit the spot!!!

10 Dynamite Rolls
7 Ebi
2 California Rolls
1 Iguana Roll
= $190 smackaroonies.

all worth it...

And then came the pictures....

Where's our SUSHI?? We are going crazy!!!
Another satisfied customer...

Nummm Nummm Nummm.
Look at that yummy goodness.


When Olivia saw the Octopus...minus the legs. ehhh.

The Gang - OD, Eggroll, DTJB, Beks, Murryann, Hoots, Sammy, Pretty Jenn and Via.


Next time won't you SUSHI with me?!

In case you were wondering...

April writing...

just a PEEK...

April writing...

...so I did a photoshoot with my Christmas Trees...enjoy.

What does YOUR tree look like?

My Husby Rocks Friday

April writing...

My Husby rocks because we are going to Sushi tonight. This may not seem like a big deal in your house...but in ours...I am the only one who like Sushi. I have been craving it, along with my Sister for months now...and we are finally going. And my dear 'rockin' Husby is going with! We are also taking about 8 other students from the Youth Group who really love Sushi too...so it should be a GREAT time!!!

Thanks for rockin' (and Sushi rollin') with me tonight baby!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Baby Signs®...on sale

April writing...

Since I am sure in the future I will have some of my Baby Signs® folks dropping by from time to time...I figured I would go ahead and start offering some great News and SALES...especially the SALES part...if you go down on the LEFT side of the blog you will see an ad for 15% off two great books by Baby Signs®.

They will make a great addition to any kid's library and a great addition to any family learning to sign with their babies!

Remember to enjoy the savings before December 31st!!

Signing out...

Simple Pleasure Thursday

Cory Writing....

My simple pleasure today is cooking a new type of dinner with my wife and it turning out good. April and I cooked a BBQ Chineese Chicken lettuce wrap meal on Monday and it turned out very good. It has been a pleasure working 8 to 4 and being able to spend quality time with my wife at night.

What is your simple pleasure this week?

Not to sure...

April writing...

Not too sure if Cory will make it on here for Simple Pleasure Thursday...he is already having a rough day at work...poor guy. We will hold out for him though...

Here ya go...to tide you over...
Enjoy some GodTube sponsored Christmas Craziness!



Simply Adorable...

April writing...

I came across some great childrens stationery and labels on this site.

Personalized Stationery for Kids!


TT, they have some great Monkey related items as well, like Monkey Tee's, (which are on sale now actually!)


and Monkey labels, to label Mr. Br's stuff! (Monkey Label)

Thought little man would enjoy that!!

They are also running a FedEx two-day shipping say for only $7.50. So that's great if you order any Christmas presents!!!

Just thought I would share.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Wordless Wednesday

"Just one of my favs...a little jazzed up."



April writing...

Monday, December 15, 2008

These kids are amazing...

April writing...

Just look at how much they enjoy the music and live in the song...and that soloist...go girl!!! Love it!! They have other great videos too!

PS22 Chorus!



Monday Moan

Cory Writing....

It is Monday again, which means it is time to moan. My moan this week is about drama. I don't know why everyone needs to ahve drama in their life. To me it is a very useless thing. I only want my drama to be on television. I don't need drama to fill any other part of my life.

Lets hear your moans.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Uhm....

April writing...

This made me giggle...then it made me laugh...then it made me stare...and somewhere around the point where they started "taking their robes off..." I got uncomfortable.

haha.



My Husband Rocks Friday

April writing...

My husband rocks because he is enjoying his time with me (on a regular schedule) just as much as I am enjoying my time with him. It's so great that it has happened around the holidays. It is so nice to take the time to remember how special and important our relationship is.

And now we have time together to do so!

I am also so pleased to see him doing something that he really enjoys!! I hope you get the position baby!! Especially if it means more time together...you sleepy old man (heehee) :)

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Simple Pleasure Thursday

Cory writing....

Today's simple pleasure is being on the same life schedule as my wife.

I am working as a School Resource Officer for the next couple of weeks and that means I am working Monday - Friday 8 to 4. I get to sleep in my own bed with my wife at night and I get off of work at the same time as my wife. Since we have been dating and married we have never really been on the same schedule. Now that we are I am enjoying the time with my wife.

Lets hear your simple pleasures.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Wordless Wednesday

April writing...

"Holding on."

Getting to know Yule...

April writing...

Getting to know all about yule...
This seemed like something fun to do given the season!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper...and if I were rich, I would buy the REALLY pretty feely kind.

2. Real tree or Artificial? I am artificial all the way. Less mess. Pre-lite...thank you.

3. When do you put up the tree? Right after Thanksgiving. This year...instead of the one big tree, I did my three small trees in the bay window. It's so cheery.

4. When do you take the tree down? Usually right after New Years. NO LATER than January 5th!

5. Do you like eggnog? GAG!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Our first hamster. It's my most vivid Christmas morning memory. Mom and Dad locked us away in the basement (where our bedroom was) early the night before...and we wanted to be upstairs so badly. We knew they were wrapping our presents. We tried desperately to peak through the slots in the door at the top of the steps. Christmas morning, we were awakened by a strange sound from the living room....we crept up the stairs...peeked around the corner and saw a hamster cage with our new little friend running on his wheel! We were SO excited!

7. Hardest person to buy for? It's always been my sisters boyfriends/husband.

8. Easiest person(s) to buy for? Cory. I have never had an issue with it.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Not quite yet. I am desperately trying to find ways to slowly collect the oh so expensive Willow Tree Nativity Set. My MIL thought she got it for me one year...but when we opened it, it was only the Shepherd part of the set. That along was close to $50!

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? WHEN I do them...Mail.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I actually got a SWEATER from a friend one year. I mean...one of those good-lord-awful Christmas ones too. And they were dead serious. It was not a joke gift.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Gosh..."A Christmas Story," "Elf," and probably the classic, "It's a Wonderful Life."

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Well, before we started this new way of Christmas thinking...we usually started in October. It was my GOAL to be completed by December 1st.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Sad to say, I have.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My mom's Pepsi Ham. :)

16. Lights on the tree? Yes and white only please.

17. Favorite Christmas song? I have many...I LOVE Christmas music. But I really like "Oh Holy Night" (most any version), Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You," Silver Bells," and "Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow."

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? HOME!!!! I love the fact that my extended family is all within 10 minutes from each other. PERFECT!

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? I will try...Dancer, Prancer, Donner, Blitzen, Dasher, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Rudolph??? Did I get them all?

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? We have done both...

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Well....Cory and I have always opened our gifts on Christmas Eve as we are usually out at families houses on Christmas Day. So that's always been our Christmas.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Hmmm...I would say the feeling of HAVING to get a gift for people.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Silver and Bright Blue. I like Snowflakes and Glitter too.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Our family tradition is Hawaiian Chicken at my In-Laws.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? To relax and enjoy time with my family and friends. No debt, no stress, remember the true reason for the season!

NOW...TAG your it!!! Post this to your Blog and let me know you did it!!

Monday, December 08, 2008

Me likey...

April writing...

Me thinks this is mucho sweet. :)

*thanks to Picasa3...me loves you too*

Monday Moan

Cory Writing....

Today's Monday Moan is about district court. I went to court this morning for four DUI cases. When I got there two of the four were postponed. The third case was plead quickly and the fourth is where the moan comes in.

First off the attorney isn't there because he is in glen burnie on another case. Then another attorney comes to take it but he can't seem to get the client to cooperate with him. Finally they settle on a plea until they get before the judge. When they are in front of the judge the attorney decides he wants the other attorney to handle the case, so he asked for a postponement. The judges grants the postponement after we have had two prior postponements. They wonder way the court system is clogged. It's because you give three postponements. So i got to court at 8:45 and didn't leave until 11:00.

Gosh.

Friday, December 05, 2008

fun with PICASA...

April writing...

Look what fun things you can do in the new Picasa 3!!!

Lightin' it up!

April writing...

Cory and I went with Jason and Brittany and Terri and Andrew to see the Lighting of the Monument in Baltimore City last night...

While it was cold and rainy and our attempt at dining with El Patron SUCKED...we still had a blast. Here are some pictures from the fun event!! Enjoy!



THIS is how you stuff stockings...

April writing...

Ever wondered how to REALLY fill a stocking...check out some of these goodies...sure to make anyone smile on Christmas morning!!! Click on the names of the items for pricing and more information!

My Husband Rocks Friday

April writing...

I absolutely love it when my husband just lets go and enjoys himself. You see, last night, we went with some friends to see the Lighting of the Monument in Baltimore City. We had a blast...but at the beginning of the evening I was a bit worried. You see, it seemed that Mr. Cory was in what can only be described as a foul mood, which was made ever so slightly worse by me asking him, "what he was wearing?" things kind of went downhill from there. He seemed grouchy and quiet. I thought to myself...great this out to be fun then!

But he did it...whatever funk (which was probably just attributed to him being sleepy) he was in, slowly faded away. And he was able to enjoy himself and our friends. He even gave me his best, "whatchou talkin'bout Willis!?" face!

I know there are times where he works so hard, and he gets so sleepy and if just seems to effect everything he does, how he feels, acts, etc. But I love it when he can push through and enjoy it. Not only because it make the time with him that much more enjoyable, but because I know he is making great memories for himself too!

I LOVE you CJE and I am glad that you had a good time last night!!! And I hope you are catching up on all the sleep you need today!! :)

Thursday, December 04, 2008

Simple Pleasure Thursday

Cory Writing....


My simple pleasure today is having a true day off. I have been extremely busy the past several weeks. Today is my first true day off and I am thoroughly enjoying not really having any pressing issues.

Lets hear the simple pleasures.

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

just do NOTHING...

April writing...

You will also see this quote in my Wordless Wednesday (post below)

“If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned how to live.” - Lin Yutang

There is alot of importance in making the most of your time, but the idea of quality “nothing” time is just as crucial as productive time. In fact, I think the two go together. When you work hard, relaxing is all the more enjoyable. It is really so important to STOP. To just relax. To just be. To not always produce.

Us busy-do-do-doers...have a hard time with this, because the to-do list never ends. As soon as you fold the last bit of laundry, another t-shirt gets thrown into the hamper. After lunch, it’s only a few hours until dinner. If you sit down for a few minute’s rest, in your mind pop another thing to be done. Or in my house, I look over and realize that the floor needs to be swept.

But of all people, we home managers need to go out of our way for some quality down time. If we don’t, we burn out, plain and simple. And if we burn out, anything from the trivial to the serious could happen - the house could really go by the wayside, making it that much harder to clean in the end. Or much worse, we could end up risking our health. At the very least, our home stops being a haven, both for us and for everyone who lives with us.

The key is, our downtime needs to be quality - and by that, I mean unproductive. I mean, it needs to be truly downtime. Sure, you can happen to get something done when you’re resting. But the goal of your downtime shouldn’t be productivity, because your wheels will continue to spin when they should be getting serviced.

How to Have Quality “Nothing” Time
It takes effort to make your down time worth the time it takes. Here are a few ways to make it more purposeful:

• Schedule it in. Sounds counterintuitive, I know, but if you’re like me, you’ll work-work-work right through any well-intentioned down time. Before you know it, your down time was “catch up” time instead.

• Work hard when it is work time. You’ll enjoy your down time more when you’ve truly had a good day of quality work. I don’t mean you need to cross off your to-do list completely before you rest - that will never happen. But make sure you focus on work during work time, instead of intermingling work and play. In other words, when you’re on the computer to work on your family budget and balance your accounts, don’t read blogs at the same time. Finish your work, then sit down later to read blogs exclusively. It’ll be more fun.

• Turn off your distractions. There are so many blog posts out there I want to read, but sometimes, they’ll just need to go unread because I’d rather enjoy my downtime offline. The beauty of the Internet is that most things will stick around for awhile. There’s no blog-reading emergency.

• Know yourself. If you’re an introvert, do what you can to get some alone time to refuel. If you’re an extrovert, see what you can do to grab coffee with a group of girlfriends. I don’t like to put myself in a box. The Myers-Briggs/Jung test can be insightful. It tells me I am an ESFJ, which is a nurturer or harmony...that's the nail on the head for me.

• Nurture your essential relationships. Go on a relaxing date with your spouse. Business meetings are great when you need to discuss important family issues, but those usually don’t count as quality down time. Bowling with your husband can be just as important as a sit-down meeting where you discuss your life goals.

• Turn off that American voice inside you that says “you MUST be productive.” One thing I’ve learned from the culture in which I live is that relationships are more important than efficiency. Even in our downtime, we work so hard that we simply forget what it means to “just be.” Sure, you may enjoy sewing. But if you decide to sew in order to finish that project, not because it relaxes and refuels you, then that’s simply not down time. That’s productive time. Don’t worry about wasting time. Just be.

A Few Ways to Have “Nothing” Time

• take a nap

• call an old friend, and just catch up - and don’t do anything else while you’re on the phone

• read an enjoyable book you’ve been meaning to read

• take a bubble bath

• watch a movie with your spouse, and don’t work on anything else (this is a tough one for me… I hate just sitting there)

• grab coffee with a girlfriend

• read some blogs

• head to a bookstore browse just for fun

• cultivate a new craft - learn how to knit or dance for the heck of it

• snuggle on the couch with your spouse and reminisce about when you were dating

• make a cup of tea, sit out on your porch, and just… sit

• go on a leisurely walk, either alone or with your family - and go nowhere in particular

When you have really good nothing time, your something time is all the better. You’ll feel recharged, you’ll appreciate your kiddos, and you’ll remember why you love your life in the first place. Sometimes, you just need a break from work to help you be a better worker at home. Or anywhere, really.

What’s your favorite way to have down time? What’s the hardest part about finding down time in your life? I’m looking forward to reading your comments.

Wordless Wednesday

April writing...

“If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned how to live.” - Lin Yutang

Monday, December 01, 2008

Monday Moans

Cory Writing...

My Monday moan today is the Maryland weather. I truly miss my southern California weather. The only thing you had to worry about there is whether it was going to rain or not. Here you have to worry is it going to rain, snow, sleet, hail, is it going to be hot or so cold you can't feel your toes. Then you take today for example it is cold, raining, foggy and God knows what else. UGGGGGGHHHHHHH I hate Maryland Weather.

OK let me here your moans. Everyone is going back to work after a long weekend with family so I know there should be good moans out there.
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