Hmm…

So, the husband has an interview tomorrow! An interview, an interview!!!!

This is the first promising thing to happen in the entire (over) four months he has been off. I am really hopeful about this, but trying hard not to get my hopes up too high. *Fingers crossed* Prayers and happy thoughts much appreciated!

In other news…we’ve had TWO bats in our house this week. So. Not. Cool. Totally creeps me out. Also, my broom and snow shovel weren’t happy about it either. Old houses are very overrated.

Other than all this, life has been busy and crazy. Some fun, some just plain crazy. It seems like something is always going on every second of every day. My reading is suffering so bad, you have no idea! I am trying really hard to get back on track with that. I’m halfway through City of Glass, which is a big yay! Really enjoying that book so far. I’m hoping to get some good reading time in tonight after I make sure the husband is all prepared for his big morning tomorrow!

I really, really hope whether this job is it or not, that his new job comes soon. It’s been fun, so fun having him home, but it’s also very emotionally frustrating living in a land of limbo. I hate that unsettled feeling. It’s been a tough summer so far, and I could really use some new and good things coming our way!

I did find 37 cents on the ground today. A sure sign things are looking up;-)

Also, I am Scrabble Champion. I rule, yes I do.

I’ll be back with an update (hopefully a really good one) very soon!! Stay tuned!

A Decade

Things that happened in July of 1999…

* 1 July – The Scottish Parliament is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth on the day that legislative powers are officially transferred from the old Scottish Office in London to the new devolved Scottish Executive in Edinburgh.

* July 2 – Benjamin Nathaniel Smith begins a 3-day killing spree targeting racial and ethnic minorities in Illinois and Indiana.

* July 5 – U.S. Army Pfc. Barry Winchell is bludgeoned in his sleep at Fort Campbell, Kentucky by fellow soldiers; he dies the next day from his injuries.

* July 7 – In Rome, Hicham El Guerrouj runs the fastest mile ever recorded, at 3:43.13.

* July 8 – A major flash flood in Las Vegas swamps hundreds of cars, smashes mobile homes and kills 2 people.

* July 10- USA soccer player Brandi Chastain scores the game winning penalty kick against China in the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

*July 10- Kevin & Kimmy got married!!!

* July 11 – India recaptures Kargil, forcing the Pakistan Army to retreat. India announces victory, ending the 2-month conflict.

* July 16 – Off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, a plane piloted by John F. Kennedy Jr. crashes, killing him and his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and her sister Lauren Bessette.

* July 18 – David Cone pitches a perfect game, the 16th in history, as the Yankees defeat the Montreal Expos, 6-0, to celebrate Yogi Berra Day.

* July 20 – Mercury program: Liberty Bell 7 is raised from the Atlantic Ocean.

* July 20 – Persecution of Falun Gong: Falun Gong is banned in the People’s Republic of China under Jiang Zemin.

* July 22 – The first version of MSN Messenger is released by Microsoft.

* July 23 – ANA Flight 61 is hijacked in Tokyo.

* July 23 – Mohammed VI of Morocco becomes king upon the death of his father Hassan II.

* July 23–25 – The Woodstock 99 festival is held in New York.

* July 25 – Lance Armstrong wins his first Tour de France.

* July 26 – The last Checker taxi cab is retired in New York City and auctioned off for approximately $135,000.

* July 27 – Twenty-one people die in a canyoning disaster near Interlaken, Switzerland.

* July 31 – Mark O. Barton kills 9 in Atlanta, Georgia.

* July 31 – NASA intentionally crashes the Lunar Prospector spacecraft into the Moon, thus ending its mission to detect frozen water on the lunar surface.

It’s been TEN whole years since the big nuptials! It’s hard to believe we are a decade old.

It’s been a wonderful ten years. I am more in love now than ever and I can’t wait to spend a million more decades with my beloved;-)

Happy Anniversary!

For more photos click: 10 Years of Wedded Bliss!

Yeah, yeah, yeah

I changed my theme again. Yeah, I know. Nothing new.

I change my theme about as often as I change my hair.

I change my theme about as often as I change my purse;-)

You like it though right? Tell me you love it! Tell me you do!

In other news…had a fabulously relaxing day at super-secret-hidden-park-of-awesomeness! (aka The Coke Ovens) It really is a beautiful place to go. We walked the really nifty trail (I love trails! Which might surprise you all because I’m not so outdoorsy, but trails are awesome!) We had a fabulous picnic lunch consisting of KFC, M&M’s and Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies! Hey, I didn’t say it was healthy, I said it was fabulous;-) We also took tons of pictures!

See! See!

Okay, I need to go play Boggle. Later days!!

Totally Random Nothingness and a Poll!

I know I’ve been slacking on blogging, but there just has not been a lot going on.

Yesterday, I felt the urge very strongly to change my hair. So, after spending a year growing out my bangs I decided to go get them cut again! Even though they hadn’t been grown out long, it felt like forever since I had bangs. I also got a really smart chick who not only gave me bangs, but trimmed up the rest of my style VERY nicely. I like it a lot. I then came home and immediately dyed my hair brown. I kinda had to, cause when my bangs were grown out, I had just them like totally blond and the rest of my hair was brown and only lightly highlighted. Once they were cut, I looked quite odd with blond bangs and brown hair!

So, I look in the mirror now and it takes a few seconds to realize it’s me. Weird since, I spent the majority of my life WITH bangs and brown hair.

I guess something that used to be normal for you can become the new different.

Also, I was entertained to watch this young kid get a mohawk. It was pretty cool. His dad kept taking pictures and said he was going to put them on Facebook;-)

What else?

Kevin is STILL looking for work and let me tell you, there is nothing out there!

I won a great debate this week. Seriously, what do YOU call a hooded sweatshirt with a zipper?

Let me give you 3 choices…

SAVE OUR LIBRARIES! (part 2)

I have another link to share with you all.

I cannot stress enough how important this issue is. Our libraries are vital institutions and well, WE NEED THEM!!!!!!

Please click HERE to get involved. It doesn’t take much effort, honest.

Send a letter, call the senator, contact the govenor, participate in a rally. DO SOMETHING!!!  It’s just too important not to!

Save Our Libraries!

Our local libraries need our help!

Governor Ted Strickland’s budget proposal of Friday, June 19, presented the dire financial situation at the state level. To face a huge deficit, the Governor is forced to make cuts. But the cuts that are proposed to the Public Library Fund would amount to 50% over the next two years. This, on top of eroding funds over the last few years, would mean that your Mahoning County Library System faces losing an estimated $3.5 million over the biennium. The erosion has been steady over the years, but this library system cannot sustain this budget proposal’s devastating blow to the Public Library Fund. We would be forced to close most of our branches. Consider a library system in Mahoning County which is ONLY comprised of Main Library, plus only two of the following three branches: Boardman, Austintown, Poland.

Governor Strickland’s proposed budget cuts will reduce library funding by
50 percent. This severe cut would devastate our Mahoning County library system, as well as libraries throughout Ohio.

Click HERE to help save our libraries. And, spread the word!!

The Meme Request

Sam has tagged me for a meme, and so I shall comply!

Six unimportant favorite things, guilty pleasures or silly somethings, whatever you like that doesn’t really matter to the world.

This is always so hard because I want to include new things that my readers may not know about me. And, since I’m usually quite enthusiastic about the things I like, it’s going to be hard to amaze you all with some obscure knowledge. I shall try though!

1. Hot wings! The hotter the better! I’ve not always been a fan, but at some time during our marriage, Kevin convinced me to give them a try and now I love them! Whenever we feel like splurging, we order up a plate of hot wings and share them. If they make me cry or make my nose run, they are of pretty decent hotness and I love it!
2. Game Shows. I am a sucker for a good game show. We watch The Game Show Network A LOT. I love Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, Family Feud, Cash Cab and Lingo and could probably spend hours watching! (and playing!)
3. Having my hair washed or my head scratched. seriously, this is heavenly to me.
4. Adventure! i love going new places, seeing new things. I love to travel. It even extends to eating establishments. I can be a pain to travel anywhere with (even, if it’s only like Pittsburgh!) I insist on finding a place we’ve never been to so we can try a new experience. (sometimes I compromise though, I’m not pure evil)
5. Opening new things. Whether it’s a brand new jar of peanut butter, a new CD or a beautiful new Mac! (Hey, a girl can dream, can’t she?) I just love the excitement of opening a fresh new thing. (I love opening the mail too!)
6. Getting wet. If I’m with the right people in the right weather, I love water fights! I can totally get into them. When I was a kid, we used to have neighborhood water fights and they got pretty intense. And, I don’t just mean the kids, adults were in it too! It’s one of my fav memories growing up. I also walk calmly through the rain and have gotten completely drenched and loved it. I always laugh at those that run from the rain like it’s going to kill them! Also, don’t put jumping into the pool fully clothed past me!

I’m not sure how good I’ve done at amazing you all, but I tried. It’s hard to come up with new things when you’ve been blogging as long as I have;-)

Now for the rules…mention the person who tagged you, list your six unimportant favorite things and then tag six fellow bloggers.

Okay…tag time!

Amy My beautiful, sweet friend!

Vanda This is a ridiculously futile attempt to get her to blog;-)

Dan My newest blogging friend. This is my way of welcoming him!

Stacy Because I don’t find her exceedingly mundane at all!

KimW Another futile attempt;-)

Jenny Because she’s a good blogger and I think there’s much more to know about her!

Wrapped in Sponge Bob and Running Into Walls!

Yesterday morning we had to take Deacon in for some dental work. When he was at his yearly checkup last month, they expressed their concern with the tartar build up on his teeth and encouraged us to bring him in for a dental ASAP.

So, after figuring out how to manage it, we called and got his appointment set up. For five days beforehand, he had to be on antibiotics. The night before, we had to take his food and water away from him. I hated doing that!

We were told the procedure itself would probably take around an hour, so imagine my surprise when I found out we had to leave him there all day and possibly overnight!

We dropped him off at 8:00am and he was to be caged until at least noon. His procedure was scheduled for between 12-4. He had to have blood work beforehand to make sure that he could handle the anesthesia.

It was very hard to leave him there!

When they finally called late in the afternoon, the doctor said Deacon had to have 6 teeth removed! They were abscessed and if we had not done the procedure, the infection would likely have entered his bloodstream and eventually could have killed him;-(

Other than that, he was healthy and all his tests came back good.

When they finally allowed us to come pick him up, he was SO out of it. He looked so sad laying in the cage on a Sponge Bob blanket all wrapped up. I had to carry him to the car and into the house. I could see the recognition in his eyes, but that was about all. When he got home he started to realize his surroundings and being the stubborn, independent little pup that he is, he tried to get up and walk. He stumbled and kept running into walls. He was not steady on his feet. He looked quite intoxicated!

Finally, he rested a bit and has perked up some since, but he’s still somewhat out of it. I’ve only heard him bark one little time since we’ve been home. We have to feed and water him gradually for a little while and he has to remain on antibiotics for the next five days.

I’m so glad to have him home though! I couldn’t stand leaving him there, mostly because he has been abandoned so much in his life and I couldn’t bear for him to think we also abandoned him. I am so thankful that he is okay and that he did not have to spend the night there alone.

I’m also thankful that we heeded the doctor’s urging and went ahead and did the procedure even though times are tough around here. Our little boy is worth every penny!

Father’s Day Blog Tour

More faulty information about God swirls around us today than ever before. No wonder so many followers of Christ are unsure of what they really believe in the face of the new spiritual openness attempting to alter unchanging truth.

For centuries the church has taught and guarded the core Christian beliefs that make up the essential foundations of the faith. But in our postmodern age, sloppy teaching and outright lies create rampant confusion, and many Christians are free-falling for “feel-good” theology.

We need to know the truth to save ourselves from errors that will derail our faith.

As biblical scholar, author, and president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. Albert Mohler, writes, “The entire structure of Christian truth is now under attack.” With wit and wisdom he tackles the most important aspects of these modern issues:

• Is God changing His mind about sin?
• Why is hell off limits for many pastors?
• What’s good or bad about the “dangerous” emergent movement?
• Have Christians stopped seeing God as God?
• Is the social justice movement misguided?
• Could the role of beauty be critical to our theology?
• Is liberal faith any less destructive than atheism?
• Are churches pandering to their members to survive?

In the age-old battle to preserve the foundations of faith, it’s up to a new generation to confront and disarm the contemporary shams and fight for the truth. Dr. Mohler provides the scriptural answers to show you how.

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I had it all backwards. The main thing was not my love for God, but his love for me. And from that love I respond to God as one deeply flawed, yet loved. I’m not looking to prove my worth. I’m not searching for acceptance. I’m living out of the worth God already declares I have. I’m embracing his view of me and in the process discovering the person he created me to be.

In Eyes Wide Open, Jud Wilhite invites you to discover the real you. Not the you who pretends to be perfect to satisfy everyone’s expectations. Not the you who always feels guilty before God. Not the you who secretly feels God forgives everyone else but only tolerates you. Not the you who looks in the mirror and sees a failure. The real you, loved and forgiven by God, living out of your identity in Christ.

A travel guide through real spirituality from one incomplete person to another, Eyes Wide Open is a book of stories about following God in the messes of life, about broken pasts and our lifelong need for grace. It is a book about seeing ourselves and God with new eyes–eyes wide open to a God of love.

Unfortunately, I have no giveaway copies this time around, but you can definitely purchase copies for your very own HERE and HERE

Promise

After a refreshing walk in the rain, I caught a beautiful rainbow;-)

(Click to enlarge)