Outrage

Vatican Newspaper Calls Abortion Assassination

By John-Henry Westen

VATICAN CITY, August 29, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Commenting on the recent report of the abortion of twins in Italy one of whom was suspected to have Down's syndrome, the semi-official Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano observed: "Two girls have died, assassinated as a consequence of selective abortion."

The case sparked ire after it was reported that doctors were seeking to abort the unborn child with Down's syndrome and mistakenly aborted the other twin. After hearing of the error the mother had her remaining unborn child killed as well. The children were three months beyond conception when they were aborted.

It is a matter, said the Vatican newspaper, of "eugenics is imposing its law"; of "the culture of perfection that imposes the exclusion of all that does not appear beautiful, glowing, positive, captivating."

"A radical decision has brought about another abortion, that of the little sister that still had life," reported L'Osservatore Romano. "It is an illegitimate decision, even though it is authorized by the law, as here in Italy.'

At ease with the Goo

The sleep study was horrible!
Well, at least they said I did not have to return Thursday night. Probably because she said the nasal sensor wasn't picking up much, but I am OK with being "sleep apnea" free.
We got there only to find out that they wanted Matthew to be available to stay all the next day, which he couldn't do with this new job beginning this week. So, he went home to the nice warm bed and I stayed.
I got hooked up to the 50 or so cords and got over the weird sensation of having things taped all over my face and scalp. They asked me to try and sleep on my back.
The thing about me is that no matter how hard I try, I haven't been able to sleep on my back for years now. I blame the back surgeries, but I just can not get comfortable and get these throbbing pains down my legs.
So, I tried. the mattress was unrelentingly hard, the pillows were small and unsupportive.. it was such a disaster! I slept all of 3.5 hours before calling the nurse in at 3:15 and telling her I had given up. Even trying to lay on my side was so uncomfortable I couldn't stay that way. So I sat up for about an hour. Then she let me take the electrodes off.
The 30 minute process of installing them quickly became a 30 second lesson in pain tolerance and exfoliation limits. They told me to wash my hair about 3 times in the (hot) shower to "melt" away the wax-y goo that was all on my face and scalp.
It was actually the hottest shower I think I have ever had, and I washed my hair 3 times.
I still had adhesive marks on my face I had to scratch off, but I managed to get myself ready and Matthew picked me up at 5:30 a.m. In the car I realized I still had spots of goo in my head. I put my hair back in a ponytail and tried not to freak out.
We ate breakfast with a co-worker of mine and life went back to normal.

Oh, and it is Michael's Birthday today. Heehee, 6 days older than me is still OLDER than me.

Church and Life

Church news:
Well, last night was great. The Rite went well, and we had more time than we thought before jetting off to the sleep study.
I had a nice conversation with another sponsor, Claire about the parish in Soddy Daisy. After the Rite, at the reception, we got to see Darlene who went through RCIA with us! She is managing the Ladies of Charity Thrift Store downtown. Saturday morning Matthew and I are going to go check it out.. they need volunteers.
We have also decided to get back into helping the library. I was on a hiatus after my back surgery, but I feel like I could move boxes of books around all day now!

East Tennessee to take part in ‘40 Days for Life’ campaign
Taking as their theme the transformation experienced by Noah, Moses, Jesus, and his disciples over a 40-day span, Christians across the country are uniting to dedicate themselves to “40 Days for Life.”

The Coalition for Life, based in Bryan, Texas, launched the first 40 Days for Life campaign in 2004, relying on prayer, fasting, constant vigil outside a local Planned Parenthood clinic, and community outreach to end abortion. Those who couldn't be present at the clinic could pray at home, with the aid of daily e-mails.

“It was the longest continuous prayer vigil in front of an abortion business,” said Coalition for Life’s executive director, Shawn Carney, quoted in a recent article published by National Catholic Register. “As a result, abortions dropped by 28 percent locally.”

Planned Parenthood has been the focus of the prayer vigils because it is the single largest U.S. provider of abortion. According to the 40 Days for Life 2007 campaign overview (available as a pdf download from 40daysforlife.com), Planned Parenthood reported in June “that it raked in record amounts of taxpayer funding in the last year—over $305,000,000—forcing you and all people of faith and conscience to underwrite the organization which aborts a quarter million children every year.”

Since 2004 a number of other cities have undertaken the effort, and the Knoxville area will participate in the campaign scheduled for Sept. 26 through Nov. 4 this fall.

For more information on 40 Days for Life efforts in the Diocese of Knoxville, call Paul Simoneau, director of the diocesan Office of Justice and Peace, at 865-584-3307. To sign up for e-mailed updates, visit 40daysforlife.com.

May have to stick with HALF

I was determined. I left work yesterday and headed over to the McKay's used book store, which is conveniently just down the road from Matthew's new workplace.
I had a list.
I was wanting to find:
a travel book on Oklahoma.. there were none.
a book written by Pope JPII.. there were none.
a book on adopting (written this century).. there were none.
and finally, any of the Captain Underpants (for my nephew) book series by Dav Pilkey.. there were none.
In fact, the Children's section was appalling! The books were all haphazardly stacked and too high up on the shelves for kid's eyes! They weren't sorted by author, or anything! Ugh! It was super frustrating. I can excuse them for not having certain books, but I shouldn't have to search for an hour in the children's dept. just because they can't organize.
The rows are so tightly together you cant stand back far enough to peer down and see what's on the bottom shelf, and crowded! Now I know why I haven't had an inclination in going there for almost a year!
I guess I will have to buy everything off of Half.com like I always do.

We had our sponsor orientation last night and we are so excited about re-joining RCIA by sponsoring! We will be meeting on Wed. nights. WooHoo.
Tonight is our sleep study and the Rite of Welcoming.. busy busy busy!

What I am reading

No, it is not Harry Potter!!
I still have yet to get through it, so I am just reading it whenever the mood strikes me. I don't like being rushed.

Currently I am reading Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond. It is fascinating. I have had this book for almost a year collecting dust.. now I remember why I bought it!

It really is so involving and informative.. gets you thinking.

Oh, and it won the 1998 Pulitzer for Science. There is also a National Geographic special on it, but I haven't seen it yet.

100th Post! Kitty Time!

Here are some pics of the cats frolicking outside. We bought Kira a brand new Tag, so she is able to have a look around without us thinking she might run away and never be seen again. The little ones are good about staying on the porch, but Kira has decided to "roam" on her first supervised visit to the outside:

Picture Pages, Picture Pages..

Time to get your pad and your pencil!!!
Here is some random pics of our Road-Trip:

Wendy's, Say it isn't so!

I got this article from the Humane Society.

Funny:

Birthday & Novena

My 27th Birthday is on Wednesday, September 5th! It is also the tenth anniversary of the death of Mother Teresa.
PriestsforLife.org is sponsoring a Novena, or a prayer you say each day for nine days leading up to the 5th. I really like this prayer, and will be keeping up with it.
As far as my birthday, I have never felt such a lack or pomp and circumstance. I have finally lost all excitement over growing older.

Anyways, here is a good article from priestsforlife.org

Excited!

So, tomorrow night is the RCIA sponsor orientation.. I am so excited! Did I mention I bought a new outfit for the Rite, which is on Wednesday at Mass? It is a super cute blouse and skirt.. and I even bought shoes! Yes.. I, Samantha, purchased shoes to match my outfit. The only time I have bought shoes for a singular outfit.. but I love them. Payless has gotten so much nicer than it used to be.
Oh well, just had to gush a bit!

The Long and Winding Weekend

Once again, I am behind on downloading my pictures from my camera. Well, We took off to Washington D.C. and it only took about 8 1/2 hours to get there. It was a fun and easy drive and Matthew and I had fun just talking and looking around... and noticing license plates.
Once we got to Dulles Airport, we had around 3 hours until Michael landed so we ate at a restaurant, and I had a wonderful shrimp salad sandwich, which is totally strange for me. I actually enjoyed bean sprouts.. it was so weird!
Anyways, Michael got in safely and we headed out with 1/2 ton of luggage. :-)
The drive home was CRAZY. We know that there is a strange rule about Virginia after dark, which is that it takes about 3 times as long as it should to get to Roanoke on 81. We call it the "black hole" of Virginia. You just seem to drive and drive and never get anywhere! The drive up was super quick, but we were stalled by a massive wreck and then by our own sleepiness. I drove for a few hours, Michael drove for a few hours, Matthew drove a few hours. We ate breakfast at the Cracker Barrel near Pigeon Forge off the interstate, and got to Chattanooga before 9 am.
Matthew and I went home and crashed. Friday we slept all day and I woke up around 7pm and did some chores and watched some TV.
Saturday we got up and cleaned around the house and got the laundry and dishes back to normal and Matthew made the best dinner for us! Baked Tilapia, green beans, and rice. Michael came up and we watched Hot Fuzz and some dvr-ed TV shows.
Sunday we got up and went and had lunch at Logan's and then went shopping. We were able to get home before too long and had a nice relaxing evening.
Matthew started his new job today and he was so excited! YaY

Oh, and Thursday was the 14th anniversary of the date Michael and I met... way back in 1993 when we started 8th grade. Dang I'm OLD.

Random Pictures

As Promised. These are just some really random pictures from my office and our trip to Lowes.

The Role of Men

I found a fascinating article on the role of Father's on their child's religious future. It is from Fisheaters, one of my favorite libraries of documents and essays. I am just amazed at the statistics. Fathers who regularly attend church have a much stronger influence over their children's future attendance than their Mother's do. I always thought it was the other way around.
Listen up, MEN.

The Truth About Men & Church:
On the Importance of Fathers to Churchgoing

Bad Blogger!

Yes, I am bad. I went two days without updating my life. I promised to upload pictures.. and never got around to it.
Sorry.
I have a camera with a lot of good pictures to post.. but it is still in my purse, and hasn't been downloaded onto my computer. I just haven't had the time or motivation.
I have not been sleeping well at all.
Matthew put a window air conditioner in our bedroom because it has been too hot, but even with that running I am getting little sleep. So, I must not be getting too hot. Maybe I just will never sleep well again. It could happen.
We are still looking into mattresses.
This week has been steadily busy. My car only has 38k miles on it and yet I needed new tires. We went to Firestone and come to find out that I have an oddball size tire, and Firestone only has ONE style of tire to fit my car. Why would Nissan put a "performance racing" tire on a @#$%^ Sentra?!?! Ugh. So, we bit the bullet and today after work I am getting an alignment.
Tomorrow morning we are heading out on a little "road trip" to DC to pick up Michael from the airport. It will be nice to get away, and plus, Michael is buying the gas.. Holla!
It is surprisingly only 562 miles from my house to the airport. That's 9 hours at 60mph.. so we will leave in plenty of time to drive around and sight-see, if only from the car. I am glad to just have the time doing something different for a change.
Next week we have the Rite of Welcoming at church, and then our sleep studies.
Oh, and MATTHEW STARTS HIS NEW JOB MONDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Need..........more.........sleep

This weekend was really actually busy, fun, and very interesting. Friday I left work after lunchtime and went to Matthew's MRI appt. He did very well, and by the time we left we had both waited way too long to eat! We went to Moe's and had a really great late lunch. Neither of us had tried it, but we were both happy with our food, and remained full for a long time on what seemed like a small amount of food!
After we ate, Matthew went and visited his soon-to-be workplace and talked to his new boss. I headed in my car to JCPenneys and found a lovely new outfit that I am going to wear at the RCIA Rite of Welcoming on August 29th. Then Matthew called and had taken his truck into the Ford dealership for repairs and I picked him up there. We went back to the mall and just walked around until it was time to meet Niki for dinner at Applebee's.
Dinner was great and it was so fun to get to spend some time with Niki. We are so happy for her that things seem to be going swimmingly in the "getting married" department! :-) HeeHee
Saturday we woke up surprised to be invited to an impromptu breakfast by my nephew. He made us all eggs, biscuits (hand made by mom), bacon, and gravy. It was delightful, even though I couldn't eat the bacon I was able to smell it and that sufficed. No one was doing much after breakfast, so Matthew and I went home and made out a kazillion bills to mail out.
Matthew stayed home and got caught up on some TV and did chores. I took my nephew to go see Underdog at the theater. It was such a cute movie! When we got home Matthew and I headed back down into town and just walked around stores, looking at various things, and making the most of our time.
Sunday morning we woke up and just relaxed a little. We left the house and went to Lowe's where we had a list of things to look at, price, and just get ideas. After Lowe's we went to Mass and then to pick up dinner for ourselves and Matthew's parents. We went to their house and had a good discussion about getting a "gameplan" ready for the house re-modeling, and was able to get a lot of guidance as far as prioritizing projects.
I am really excited to just have a timeline of progress, and to be able to see projects begin and end! There is so much to do!
Why the big push all of a sudden to nail down projects? Well, Friday night Matthew and I had a really good discussion on adoption, and how the ship might have already sailed on the chance of us having our own.
We talked about the potential psychological issue that we might have about never having the opportunity to raise a child that shares our DNA. While it might have come as a blow 5 years ago, we have actually had a lot of time to consider the eventuality of never having our own child together. It isn't such a large blow as it was in the beginning when we were just finding out about all of our fertility issues.
Having that time has pretty well resigned us to adoption. I was so proud of Matthew when we were talking about any problems he might have with the thought of not having our own, and he said something to the effect of "as long as we raise them they will be Smiths". I have never been so proud. If we do get to adopt, there won't be any egos in our way.. and that is good to know.
So, then we start deciding that we need about a year to a year and a half to work on the house, making storage rooms bedrooms, sheetrocking and getting rid of panelling, insulating better, replacing the roof, and getting all the windows replaced, etc.
It is a rather daunting list. But as long as we see progress it will be the happiest I have ever been while waiting for something. :-)
I took a lot of pictures this weekend, and I will be posting a few at a time starting tonight.. so look out!
I slept all of 3 hours last night so I am hoping this blog post isn't incoherent.

Shopping Trip

Well, all the stores are clearance-ing out their summer clothing.. and I intend to do my part in helping liquidate. If you know me, then you know what an utter chore it is for me to go shopping. I hate most everything, and if I really like it, then it never fits right.
Well, I have decided that I don't have enough clothes, which anyone would agree with.. and now is the time to buy!
Wish me luck on my shopping trip!
I went out for lunch yesterday to Captain D's and got some fish (cooked country-style) and lemonade. yumm....
Last night I came home and made a cheese pizza and good ole' caesar salad. I tried to do some things online, but I just get so frustrated with our slow dial up. I can never get anything done. And in this day and age everyone's web page has a gazillion bells and whistles that dial up just wasn't intended for. I called comcast again last week.... still no good news. I am so irritated.
Has anyone watched the show Mind Control with Derren Brown? It came on Sci-Fi and I got a season pass.. it is so awesome!! Matthew and I watched an episode last night and the best part is he explains what is going on, which is comforting. I don't like those shows like Cris Angel that don't ever let you in on the trick. He played a trick with Simon Pegg, the actor from Hot Fuzz, where he totally blew our minds!!! It comes on again this week, you should watch it.
Matthew calls me this morning, looks like his Ranger is giving him problems.. will be going into the dealership to be seen today after his MRI today. Ugh.
Then we will be eating dinner with Niki tonight!!!! I am so excited! I haven't gotten to spend any time with her since before she fled the country (ha), and I am ready to hear all about her and her boyfriend. :-)
I got to talk to Michael yesterday for about 45 minutes! I was suffering from Michael withdrawal. He is doing well, and currently staying in a hotel in Oxford watching british soap operas, just biding his time until his flight out on Monday. Oh, I just am so happy that he is coming home! I will pick him up from the Chattanooga airport after work on Tuesday, and then Matthew and I will take him out to dinner!! :-) I have cleared the next weekend too, because I know that he will want to come up and have a movie watching day and hang out.. maybe go swimming again? LOL

Sola Scriptura

I came across this great essay on Sola Scriptura, Twenty One Reasons to Reject Sola Scriptura by Joel Peters. It is a 33 page document you can print out by clicking HERE. It is complete, concise, and has all of the backing footnotes and references.
It is the best I have found, and I have reviewed quite a few. I have been taking the quizzes at StillCatholic. They are really fun and simple.

My friend James has asked me about researching on faith. I have given him links to three books on Amazon that deal with primary source early christian history. Not only do I personally try to use primary source documents, but if you truly want to understand what was happening in a certain place at a certain time you must read what people from that time wrote. It is essential.
I recommended:
The Fathers of the Church: An Introduction to the First Christian Teachers
Four Witnesses: The Early Church in Her Own Words
Faith of the Early Fathers: Three-Volume Set

I was wrong

I was wrong, my next appt. with the Quack isn't today. It is on the 22nd... Ugh. Another week trying to convince myself that it might work out.
The diet is going well. Last night I had a large caesar salad and some whole wheat ritz with hummus. Yumm.
I have been printing off some recipes from the Food Network in hopes of getting some motivation behind Matthew. I know that all I have to do is show him some recipes and he will take off on a cooking spree this weekend.
The biggest obstacle is having to go buy groceries. We don't usually eat fish, so transitioning into a fish heavy diet will be interesting. We will have to find out what types of fish we like, where to buy it, and where we can get the freshest. Then other ingredients that I see a lot of in these recipes.. like sesame seeds and white wine, different vinegars, and herbs that we just dont have on hand. I see a wild grocery list in our future.
I think it will be an adventure. I need to buy a rice cooker too!
YaY

General Anxiety

I've been getting anxious about our December trip to Disney World. It will be my third time going, and this time we are going with Michael and Jennifer.
I am in need of this vacation. Remind me why we have to go so late in the year? The crowds, the heat? Oh.
Well, I am ready!
I was talking to my blog buddy HappyGirl today and she is fixing to head off to the beach! I want to go to the beach!
We are planning on an April trip out to Oklahoma, and then I say we do a September trip back to Gulf Shores... 2008. That would be awesome!!!
Well, I called Aetna and complained about the "Fertility Specialist" fiasco. There is nothing they can do. The only thing that may get me out of having to see this particular Dr. is if she cannot provide the treatments outlined in my policy.
So, I go there tomorrow. Hoping maybe, just maybe I might actually get to see the darn woman this time! I have never had to go to a Dr. office before and not even get to see the Dr.! I am fed-up with all the red tape.
Oh, and the most super embarrassing thing in my entire life... getting ready to go back to the "Quack" Dr. I had to get my last Pap test results faxed to me to take. Well, I had some people here at work helping look out for it.
Wouldn't you know.. my (man) boss hands it to me!!!! I was soooo embarrassed!

It's Wednesday.. all over

Last night Matthew and I went to eat in Dayton. I had a Taco salad, with no meat, extra beans and cheese. This no meat thing will be a breeze!

We came home and watched Babylon 5 : Lost Tales which I enjoyed. then it was off to another torturous night of "sleep".
For about a month I have just not gotten any sleep. I blame the cats, I blame the mattress, I blame a certain spouse's snoring. :-(

I need to diligently begin searching for the "right" mattress for us. After two back surgeries I am making it a priority to do more for myself. I have threatened to pull out the sofa.. and it may come to that.

We will be attending Mass tonight for The Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Can you smell the FOOD?

I had my standard PB&J for lunch today. Yumm. I did my research on vegetarianism, and decided I want to be a Pescetarian, or someone who only eats fish but no other meats. I can totally do that! WooHoo, can I get a frequent shopper card to Captain D's? No? Oh well. It will be easy to go remember during Lent to not eat meat on Fridays too! I am excited, my fave dinner is Salmon Patties.... I can make them all the time!
I have a new e-mail buddy named Brandy, her Blog is HERE. She is totally awesome, and personable. We have a lot in common, and I absolutely love finding out things about people.. how exciting!
Tonight I am going to let Matthew leave his truck at work and pick him up..CarPool!! That will make me get outta bed earlier tomorrow since I will have to take him to work. I have been dragging butt lately, waiting till the last possible minute to wake up. I need to get up and do my back stretches, it has been getting so stiff.. after 2 back surgeries you'd think I would have the discipline enough to get up and do some stretches!!! WAKE UP!!!

Abortion may cause Breast Cancer

Read the article HERE.
It basically states that a lot of research has gone into the correlation between abortions and the prevalence of Breast Cancer. It is a byproduct of cutting a pregnancy short and certain hormone levels one will have at each stage.
Now, it has both been proved as a possibility, and disproved because the odds are against it.
Funny, though, how a few states now require you to sign a statement saying they have been told of the increased risk of developing breast cancer.

Hmmmmm. Here is what I believe.

Cardinal Combs?

I got a voicemail from Michael saying he was in Rome, and went to Mass at the Vatican. Apparently the Pope was out of town. I am so jealous though!
I will be so glad next week when he finally gets back stateside. Our phones still aren't working properly or something, I miss his calls, I can never get through to his. So frustrating. I am sulking around until he comes home. XOXOXOX

Houseplants

We bought some "kitty grass" at the hippie-tree-hugger-grocery store this weekend. They are fascinated with it, and ate a little bit, too. But Nermal likes to get in the pot and lay on the grass. Geez!Since watching Hot Fuzz, I am going to buy a Peace Lily. I looked it up and they are, indeed, part of Nasa's top 10 indoor air cleaning plants.

NASA research has consistently shown that living, green and flowering plants can remove several toxic chemicals from the air in building interiors. You can use plants in your home or office to improve the quality of the air to make it a more pleasant place to live and work - where people feel better, perform better, any enjoy life more. TOP 10 plants most effective in removing: formaldehyde, benzene, and carbon monoxide from the air.

Bamboo Palm
Chinese Evergreen
English Ivy
Gerbera Daisy
Janet Craig
Marginata
Mass cane/Corn Plant
Mother-in-Law's Tongue
Pot Mum
Peace Lily
Warneckii

Side thought: Deeply considering becoming Vegetarian, if only to force myself to widen the scope of food I eat.

Three Day Weekend!

Let's see. Saturday Matthew and I headed out around noon and ran a bunch of errands, I mean a bunch! I got to see the decline of the newest Wal-Mart into an unsanitary mess as I tried to run in, but quickly ran out.. it was filthy! We went shopping for the ingredients for the Lemonade Diet, going to two "high end" places only to find that no one in Chattanooga has grade B maple syrup!
We came home and watched "Hot Fuzz". It is such a great movie! I will from now on watch anything those two guys write, because I have been grossly enamored with both of their movies, Shaun of the Dead and now Hot Fuzz. It was so refreshing to laugh out loud at a movie, I don't think I have since Eulogy. Matthew actually sat and watched the entire movie with me.. such a milestone! He is such a movie snob!
Sunday we cleaned and Matthew cooked dinner for my parents and sister, nephew, and me. It was really stellar.
We came home and watched the Hot Fuzz DVD extras, deleted scenes, outtakes, and a really long documentary on their promotional trip to the US. It was awesome!!!
Then we set to work on making a large batch of the "Lemonade Diet" brew. I hand-juiced my organic lemons and we did the recipe right (except for grade A syrup!) and bottled them up and set them in the fridge.
Monday morning I woke up and felt like I hadn't slept at all. I called in to work and decided to go run some errands but take the day for myself. Matthew headed off to work, and I sat and decided to start my diet. It needed extra straining because somehow the sight of all that cayenne pepper floating around made me ill. Then I tried it.
It was sweet, and flavorful. Then it caught my throat on fire.. like shooting whiskey or something. It burned so hard, but I was determined to drink my 20 oz. bottle. I grabbed a straw and just started drinking as quickly as possible.. it would only hurt when I stopped drinking and allowed my brain to realize I was in danger :-)
I drank it, and left the house, going to lunch with Matthew and watching him eat something really great and then having to try and describe to him that what I had drank earlier I could still feel. Every single inch of my digestive tract was on fire.
I went to the post office to mail 2 boxes to the soldier I got from AnySoldier and made the mistake of going to the Red Bank post office, where the rudest man was! I stood in line for 20 minutes, then he yells at everyone that he couldn't take debit cards. Some guys in line before me even said he was being ugly with his attitude.
When I got up there he threw some customs forms at me and said I would have to fill them out and get back in line. I was so upset, I just took the forms, my boxes, and left.
On the way home I stopped at the Sale Creek post office where I received excellent service, even though, admittedly, my boxes required a lot of "processing" before I could leave the counter. 2 boxes to the military.. 25 smackaroos. Oh well, it is the cause. I will mail the other two boxes later this week.
No good deed goes unpunished, eh? That man at Red Bank should be happy, he gets paid well and gets to help out people like me, who are nothing but nice. Stop being ugly, Postal Man!!!
P.S. by around three o'clock I was back to regular food! Ha. Maybe next time I will use a lot less pepper!

Hellfire + Brimstone = Southern Summer Day

The weather is unbearable, the heat attacks you until you decide the best plan is avoidance. Today is the first time I went out to lunch with the girls this week.. and last. It has been too hot for me, so I have ate at my desk. My skin is dried out, I don't really like perspiring on demand, and the humidity has been making my lungs ache. I am so whiny in the summer!
Today is Friday, another 40 hr. week behind me. I am going to the gym tomorrow morning.. early. Hopefully I can get myself wore out and get back home before the sun starts terrorizing vegetation and small children.
I skipped two days of the Byetta, mainly because I left it at Mom's.. oopsies! Well, I am back on track today.. this is my third month. I have lost nearly 30 lbs, go me! My only stumbling block is making time for the gym.. I'm not even concerned about Matthew going with me anymore, I just need to drop in more, just for small 30 minute visits on my way into and out of town.
I am looking forward to Matthew's new job schedule coming up at the end of August. We will be able to leave a car at home, save tons of gas, and there is a gym literally blocks from his building.. YaY!
My sister told me that her classmates are having an informal get together this fall or something.. it would be like 13 yrs later for them. I really hope the people in charge of our class reunion get a good event planned, because I am ready for something to look forward to!
10 years! We are old, and I can tell. Those moments that make me cringe at my awful self-awareness as I see someone and realize they are younger than me. Is that the sign of madness? Obsessively trying to de-age myself? In fact, on any given day I have been known to outright forget how old I am. I told my own mother a few weeks back how I couldn't believe I was turning 28 in Sept. Well, she couldn't believe it either, since I was born in 1980 and would only be 27!! Geez.
Well, anyways that is going to be our weekend... Netflix, gym, fiddling around.
Oh, and I am going to try and find some grade b maple syrup and TRY to do the lemonade diet next week, wish me luck!!
Oh, and Matthew put in his 2 week notice at Signal View.. yippee!!

Hooray for Matthew!

Matthew was hired today at The Villas at Oak Crest! He was really excited about being up for this job of Maintenance Supervisor. There is really no "negatives" about this new position, but the positives are:



More $
Closer to my workplace... YaY carpooling!
Better hours
Disney Vacation still on!
did I say more $ ?!?!?!
Well, I am so excited for him .. and me!
Last evening we had such a blast. We sorted through all of my Beanie Babies, he was such a good and patient guy to sit and call out names and dates while I cataloged. Since getting my boxes ready to ship to Iraq, I noticed a lot of them ask for beanie babies, because they are small and they can carry a bunch to give out to the kids over there. Finally a use for the beanie babies I have amassed! (over 130 total) Of course, for posterity's sake I will keep those really old ones, and the special editions. I can not believe I began collecting them in 1993.. 14 years ago! It doesn't seem that long ago. I am going to be 27 next month! Yikes!
Then after that we sat out some questions for him to ask for the interview today. Next we had such a good time scrolling through iTunes and Matthew guessing the songs within the first 2 seconds. He is really great at oldies.. I didn't even know a tenth of the ones!
Well, hope everyone is doing extremely well!!!

Cracking Upz

Cant not help. Funny.

Simpsons

SO, I made our avatars from the Simpsons movie site, it was fun. The hard part was that Matthew currently is buzzed so short, I had to make him bald! Oh well.

Tuesday Cat Chasing

Tuesday after work I went to Red Bank Animal Hospital and bought Frontline Spray for all the kitties.
We picked up dinner for everyone on our way back home, and got to spend a little time up at Mom's, making fun of her with my sister and nephew. You see, Mom has fractured her hip. And while that is tragic and sad, in the cosmic sense of things it is absolutely brilliant. Mom likes to go, go, go, pretty much whenever, wherever, and with whomever. She takes delight in pushing herself through her pain and thinks being tough and not letting pain stop her is a sign of great character. We all tried to tell her.
Months and months ago when she thought she had simply pulled a muscle, we tried to tell her she needed to stop running around and recuperate. She didn't listen, she continued doing as she wished and we all collectively gave up preaching to her about the need for rest.
Well, Tuesday she learned from her MRI that her hip was fractured (slightly broken, HA!).. but just enough damage to make her Dr. tell her to not use that leg at all. She has to use either crutches or a walker. I laughed so much I cried.... the thought of my mom wandering around WalMart or the Mall with a walker!!! Wow, it is amazing how much that ages me to tell people that my mom has fractured her hip. More calcium pills, please!
So, anyway, this was a good thing... we all agree except for my mom. This forces her to stop and heal. Humble herself a little and take down her self-imposed "Super-Woman" title. A blessing I hope she comes to realize, because when you are in pain, you have to understand that your body needs attention. You can't "tough out" everything in life.
So, anyways, after we all laughed at mom's expense, Matthew and I went home and began the night with spraying all 8 cats head to toe with Frontline. That stuff stinks, pretty badly. But within seconds we could see the results.. the fleas were falling off. I was so glad I decided to spend the $$ and get the spray, because the neck medicine you squeeze out made them all sickly. Now, we should be flea free by the end of this month, since the cats have been treated (its good for 4-6 weeks) and the absence of carpet in our house. YaY
They are really smart cats, they knew as soon as the first cat got sprayed down that we were causing trouble and strife. Matthew had to literally pull Pumpkin from the recesses of his closet.. she thought she was hiding so well!
Goosey went outside and we sprayed her down out there. She wasn't thrilled with us, but remained lounging on the deck while we had some tea and watched a show. When we did decide to go to bed and bring her indoors, that's when she decided to vacate the premises. Matthew hunted for her, then we sat with the curtains open and waited.. then she appeared. She is really enjoying it too much out there! Once it gets fall I will have no problem leaving her out, but it is just too hot.

When it all comes together

toothpastefordinner.com
Yes, I love Google Images search. I always get these simple ones from THIS SITE. They make me laugh. I am adding a link to it on the righthand column.

lolcats and work

Monday evening was really nice. I tooled around Kmart and found out I really don't like that store. Target has better clearance prices. No wonder Kmart is always having a clearance sale.. they haven't marked it down enough to make it go away. Although I do have to say I got all my after Chrismas goodies at Kmart for a steal, but seasonal clearance has different rules. I know a thing or two about clearance.
Matthew and I went home and had the best caesar salads for dinner, they were quite yummy. Goosey enjoyed lounging on the porch, and we watched a little bit of TV before going to sleep.
I have been having fun looking at all the Cat Stuff online:
Catster
LOLcat
StuffonmyCat
Matthew got a call back on the job he has really been excited about, so Yay!
I found out Sweeney Todd will be in Atlanta next Spring, woohoo!!!

New Adventures

This weekend was really great in the rest and relaxation department. Saturday I worked a little, shopped a little, met Matthew and had lunch, picked up the kitties from the vet, and still got home fairly early before the heat of the day. We took a loooong and restorative nap alongside the kitties, who bounced back from their spay surgeries and were wanting to cuddle.
Sunday we saw some movies and visited with Matthew's parents and picked up some really gorgeous windows that they have given to us. I can not wait to have new, larger windows bringing more light into our home. We have been blessed by those around us, helping us to realize our dreams.. even though our plans for the house change almost weekly!
Next I will have to nail down some colors for the room we just re-did. I am thinking a milk chocolate color, with an accent wall of earthy-orange-ish. But that too will change by the time I get to the paint section and ooh and aah over all of the wonderful colors.
This week we really do not have anything planned out, I am going to spend some time at the gym, thankfully after two really hectic weeks and not having any extra time I am making it a priority. My weight loss has lingered at the same point for far too long :-)
Sunday was a very momentous occasion as far as my cat obsession goes. I put Goosey's tag and collar on and let her explore the great expanse that is outside. She took off and ran around, and when we had gotten home from the grocery store there she was, all tired and laying on the porch. I carried her inside and she sprawled out in the chair like she had never been so tired. I felt bad for her, after all the air-conditioned spoiling she had by being inside. So last night after it cooled some more we let her out, and back in when she wanted. She stayed inside last night because it was storming.
This is such a big step for me, because I am so worried that cats outside are in constant harm. But then, I was traumatized by Barnabas getting eaten by the neighbor's dogs about 4 years ago.
Well, Goosey will be allowed to come and go as she likes as long as we are there, and hopefully the other cats will be pleased that she is not around much anymore. Goosey made them all upset, but that is a long story. Now all 9 of them are spayed, I feel a little better about letting them out in short spurts. Momma is so accustomed to being an outside cat, I never really worried about her being OK, but I know that Kira and Wader will never be able to do it, unless harnessed up and on a leash because they are just too fat to run away from anything.
Also, not to get too personal or taboo, but I am proud to say that I have successfully finished my run as family accountant after over five years. YaY! I was so happy to hand off everything and for the next five years I am going to sit back, relax, and try not to get involved in the small stuff. It just works best for us that way, where one is in charge and the other just helps out with the big decisions. It will be rough for me to transition into not organizing and planning each little weekly expense, but I am so relieved to be able to be a little less hampered by all of those mundane things. Whew!

The Bureaucracy of Babies

All did not go well yesterday at the so-called "infertility specialist". My insurance company will be getting both a nasty written statement as well as a phone call from yours truly on Monday.. I just don't have it in me today.. it is too hectic of a day.
So, I busted my butt yesterday to go into work early, getting out of bed at 3:30! I did this so I could have time to go to the Dr. appointments yesterday while still managing to work one of the busiest days. Good intentions, right? So, I ended up going to the wrong location for my sleep study appointment.. even though my sister went to the Northpark location.. and my paperwork instructed me there, I had to be late because they needed me at Memorial downtown. Time is money, folks.
So, that was a two and a half hour chunk of my day. Yes, I need the sleep study, but I am not impressed nor do I think they will find anything other than another way to charge my insurance company too much money:-) At this point I wouldn't mind if the insurance had to pay out for a zillion mindless procedures. They are not on my "happy" list.
So, I go back to work, working through lunch, and leave at 1:35 for my afternoon appointment with the fertility specialist. I arrived plenty early, still with only minimal frustrations for the day.
It was an absolute joke. From start to finish this "Dr.'s Office" was like walking into a zombie movie where instead of trying to eat at you, they just ignored you and made you annoyed. I sat there for two different people, the office assistant and the "midwife" to go through my information packet and medical records and enter them into their computer system. For 2 hours! And the thing that ticked me off most was the fact that I had faxed in this information a week ago!! They had not taken the time to enter it into their system! So, I had to sit through all of that. Then, the "midwife", who I found to be a little odd anyways proceeded to give me an entire speech on the necessity of birth control for someone who has PCOS to regulate myself and to lessen the risk of cancer. By this time it was almost 5 and I was so upset! I kept telling her I was there for fertility diagnoses and treatments, and here she was preaching to me about birth control, which you already know how I feel about that! Ugh. I was so super frustrated! Then they kept wanting to give me my "yearly" exam, to which I had just had one with my regular OBGYN not even 3 weeks ago! I told 3 different people this after they finally stopped looking confused. Then I got a speech about vitamins, etc, and told that they needed to see my last lab-work with my primary care Dr. before I come back, so they know what other bloodwork and labs to do. Can you believe it? I basically paid an office co-pay, and missed 3 hours of work and life in general just to go over info. with them and not even see the stupid Doctor!!! What a waste!I am so discouraged! Aetna sends me to a quack who doesn't really handle a lot of fertility issues, and the office was in a strip mall! Oy!

The Lord measures our perfection neither by the multitude nor the magnitude of our deeds, but by the manner in which we perform them.

-- St. John of the Cross

The 'Big Day'

No, it is not my birthday, but almost. Today I finally go to the fertility specialist! Yippee. I am glad to be getting the ball rolling after all this time and insurance nonsense.
Well, anyway, thanks to everyone who has been praying for us. I was able to say a rosary at my desk the other day and that helped. I am trying to pray more, both to God and for intercessions. It's amazing what time you have driving in the car, or brushing your teeth, when you stop and think about multi-tasking.
We met with Bonita and Christopher last night, and they are truly wonderful people. I am so glad we are going to get to share the RCIA experience together. We have a lot in common, and she has an enormous amount of faith. Her son is also terrific, and is so gifted and knowledgeable, light years ahead of where we were at this same point. I only pray that we are worthy to help them on their journey.
Well, another day.

Energy

Take a moment to think of everything you're proud of about yourself and your life. Then ask yourself if you would have any of this without God's permission and aid? Give credit where credit is due; praise and thank Him, not yourself.

-- St. Francis of Assisi

Today has not been too bad in the scheme of things lately.
I am excited to go to Mass tonight and meet our RCIA candidates. This morning we got out of the house earlier than usual, but I must have drove slowly or gotten into a lot of traffic, because I got to work at the same time.. that was odd. No pretty clouds this morning.
Work has been steady, though my "BIG" days are tomorrow and Friday. I am coming in early tomorrow to get a head start, because I have to leave at 8 for a sleep study Dr appt., and then leave work again at 1:45 for the fertility specialist appointment. At least I can meet my friend from work for a good breakfast at Waffle House :-) So I am going to be going back and forth from work all day!
Please pray that all goes well at the fertility Dr. and maybe we finally get some good news!? :-)
Today is also the one year anniversary of my co-worker's daughter's passing, so please keep her family in mind this week.
I postponed the vet visit for Nermal and Patchey until Friday, it just seemed less hectic that way.

Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda

Robbie Williams has been in talks to star as Captain Kirk in an upcoming Star Trek movie, according to reports.
The 'Angel' singer voiced Dougal in animated movie Magic Roundabout in 2005 and has been offered a number of film roles ever since.
So far he has turned down a series of parts, but he is said to be a big Star Trek fan and is keen to revive Kirk.
Lost creator JJ Abrams said about him: "I think he'd be quite a good Captain Kirk. The Kirk in my movie is quite young, it's the early years."

Yeah, right.
Article is HERE