Saturday, December 29, 2007

Good Times


As much as the worries surrounding the uncertainty of a looming job future for my husband and the winter blahs that have hit Ohio pretty hard I still think that I am having one of the best times of my life right now. It's a great time mostly in part because everyone is home right now! Andrew and Lyndsay are home from Minneapolis, Evan is home from Bahrain, Kyle is home from Pittsburgh...we are just basking in the good times until everyone has to get back to the things that drive their everyday lives. I am in the cafe right now sitting at the new stainless steel tables waiting for applications and I'm thinking about when I left the house this morning. Sam was outside diligently preparing the wood supply for our house so that we can stay warm this winter. Evan came out to help and all I could hear was their dueling chainsaws outside. I am so glad that Sam has someone out there to help take the burden off of him in cutting and stacking all that wood and I am even more glad that Evan is actually in my front yard after being away for a whole year and he's sharing his time with my family. Right before I left to go to the cafe Evan was cutting down a big branch that is eventually going to come off the big sugar maple that we have in our front yard. He had to lift the chainsaw over his head to reach the branch and I watched the sawdust cover his whole head as it coated his bright red hair and in his eyes and all over his face. He put down the chainsaw to wipe out his eyes and the whole time he was smiling and laughing. I was so glad to see that! It's my hope that for all of us that are taking a little hiatus from the normal daily things that we do that it would be filled with fun and love and that it would re energize each and every one to bring us back to what we normally do with a new vision and energy and bring us all back together safely the next time around.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Drummers pt. 3




Here are the rest of the drummers in my life. Hope you enjoy!
Chris-My Brother. He’s the 6’6” guy that seems so imposing that it only makes sense that he should play the drums. When he stands up it just scares people so it is good that he sits for this hobby. Chris and I are only 18 months apart in age and we have always had a really cool relationship. I hardly ever remember fighting, we have a lot in common and we have this weird connection that when I have a bad day I always find out that he had similar circumstances in his own. I don’t know if drums were his first choice of musical instrument. I think that he was kinda thrown into them. I think that the guitar is his first love, but I do know that he loves playing the drums. It seemed like overnight he knew how to play them and he was instantly good at it. Like most things in his life, skills come easily to him. Once he knows something he doesn’t forget it either. The way that he plays the drums sometimes cracks me up though. Sam and I used to make fun of the way that he would hold the drumsticks. Like he was ready to beat down and kill a man. You get the picture hopefully or maybe not. We don’t want Chris to look like a murderer or anything; nasty rumors get spread that way. He is totally a straightforward drummer, he is right on with his timing and he plays exactly what he needs to with no extra flourish and it always sounds good. I know that he had no formal training, I am pretty sure he is self taught with a little advice from a couple other drummers at the beginning. I really enjoy watching him play the drums, it is impressive and it makes me happy.


Brad. My Bud.-Well this guy has the skills to pay the bills! Brad has real talent when it comes to the drums (I'm not saying the others don’t)! I became friends with Brad about 5 years ago when Sam and I were youth leaders at the church he went to, now we are totally awesome friends and Sam and I have become really close to Brad and I consider him one of my best friends. I was able to be a part of the worship team at the church he played at. I’ve also seen him play at concerts with a couple bands he was a part of. Always impressive, it is amazing how quickly he can pick up a song too. I’ve seen songs thrown at him that he’s never heard and he picks up on them the first time playing. If you can believe it he actually looks like he is playing the drums about 90% of each day while he is awake. He drums on anything around and his feet are always moving. To be sure, if a song is playing he is beating his hands on his head or legs, it’s always makes me smile. I love to see him play the drums, he has a really awesome drum set that is this gorgeous light blue swirled color, he is very skilled at the drums and he does so many cool variations and he gets the arms flying and makes a cool show of it with no holds barred. Pretty sweet stuff.

Mike. My Incognito Friend.- Mike is another one of those extremely talented individuals that also plays the drums. I met Mike about 12 years ago when he was dating Sam’s neighbor Ginny and I was dating Sam. Mike and I are like 2 peas in a pod. He’s just a little wacky and so am I, so I really understand his mindset and the crazy stuff he does. As long as I have known him there has always been a drum kit set up in his house. He often fools around playing it and has taught himself how to play too. He really likes to jam and get together to play live music with others, it totally gives him nourishment and revives him. Mike is good at everything he does; I know the drums are no exception.
Kevin. My Old Friend.-Kevin is this wiry guy that is bred to play the drums. He is so fast paced and always on the go, it would be a shame if this world didn’t have Kevin playing the drums. We first met in high school and we don’t get to see each other as much as either of us would like anymore, maybe once or twice a year, but when we do it is always awesome to be hanging out again. I’ve seen him play at church and at concerts from high school to just a few years back and he sincerely loves the drums. They let out his emotion and high energy and they fit so well into his life. He sometimes needs to vent and I think that drums are his way of expressing who he is; they are just a natural extension of him.


Thursday, December 06, 2007

Drummers pt. 2...Sam


Of course the first drummer that I would write about would be my amazing husband Sam! I really have only heard Sam play the drums live one time. We were dating & he was making the decision to get out of playing the drums & he decided to take his set down and sell them. I had always wanted to hear him play & I told him that occasionally, kinda hinting that he should for me. He talked about how much he loved to play them & I wanted to see that part of his life at least once. Well one day he calls me over to his house & he brings me out to the garage & he says that he’s been practicing for hours on this song, its one of his favorite ones to play the drums to & he is going to play one last song for me before he retires the old drum set. I was & still am amazingly impressed that he would go thru all the trouble of doing this for me! I don’t even remember what song it was. He turned on the old cassette tape & blasted away at this baby! Something metal and loud, but it wasn’t the song that I remember. It was Sam playing something that he loved & put time and skill into, something that he wanted to share with me one last time. That moment made me love him so much for sharing a part of his life that was over, but he wanted to give me a glimpse of all the joy he had in it before he was done. To this day he has never played the drums again to a complete song that I know of. Yeah, he may fool around & hit a symbol or snare here and there (that rhymed). But everyone that asks him if he still plays drums he will say that he doesn’t do that anymore & that he has no interest in starting again. I’m not sure why he doesn’t want to give it a try, he actually has most of a drum set in our bedroom that is not set up. I don’t know if it will ever be again, or if it does when he will even sit behind it and play it. I may never see it again, but maybe he will sneak one of the old metal songs when no one is around & get that same exhilaration all over for something that he loves so much!

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Drummers

I was just thinking about it the other day and I came to the conclusion that the most important and influential men in my life are drummers. They may deny that they are "true" drummers, but at heart they will always have that love for the instrument in them. I’m not sure why it is so important that they all play drums, or why in this weird way I have been linked to them. I love the intertwining of interests that they all share and I am so glad to be a part of it. I just thought that I would share my heart and the importance these men play in my life and how much they mean to me.
I love the drums, and I always have. The thing that draws my attention in music is the singing first and then always the drums. I wish that I could play the drums, but I know that I would get my feet and my hands all tangled in some non-coherent sounds and I would never be able to make any sort of effort of decent noise out of them. They scare me to play. I have sat behind a drum set and they are daunting. I can sit in front of a piano or other instrument and I have no problem making a fool of myself playing it. But those darn drums frankly just scare the crap out of me. I think that it is the fact that whether you are good or not they are going to always be LOUD. If you do some really sour things on it, everyone will hear you, I guess that I don’t like people to hear every little mistake that I make. That’s just my nature. I wish that it didn’t matter to me but it does.
I thought that I would share these drummer men in my life because, like I said before, they play huge roles in my life and I love the fact that they have something so awesome in common, yet they are so different in each of their styles. So for now I will stop and gather my thoughts....check back soon!





Monday, November 26, 2007

Almost There



I only have 3 more weeks till this semester of college is done. Two big exams this week, one on Tuesday and one on Wednesday, three papers due on Wednesday and the big final for giving a full physical exam next week. Honestly I don't have much stress over finishing this semester, I've come to the realization that at this point I know it will all get done one way or another. There is no use worrying over something that you know is on it's way the entire semester.
What I hate is that I have a cold. I really hate colds! The nursing coordinator told us that us nursing students would get really worn down from all the stress and activities and all that crap, and that we would get sick towards the end of the semester. Well unfortunately my body got the worst of me and I now have the sniffles and a chest full of yuck that won't come out when I cough. I sound like a coal miner who has the black lung when I laugh. I totally feel fine mentally, but apparently my body was telling itself a different story without my knowledge. I hate that my body felt some sort of weardown and stress and that the silly nursing coordinator was right. That sucks! Anywho...nothing more to say, just thought I'd rant a little. Now back to studying...

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Lost and Found!


About 2 weeks ago I lost my flash drive for transferring stuff between all the computers I use. I use the thing ALL the time between Kent's computer labs, my laptop, work information and my computer at home. I store everything on there and I go between all of the aforementioned computers and load or store stuff on them with this amazing invention. I totally felt naked when I lost it. It nagged on my mind. You know when you go without something that you have with you all the time, a wedding ring, cell phone, glasses, wallet, and you just feel out of place the entire time that you are away from it? Well that's how I felt. I looked everywhere that I last remembered seeing it. Under the couch, in the computer lab, in the laptop storage bag, pants, coats, my purse, etc.-you get the drift. I really hate that feeling and I knew that there was some pretty important information on there, I just hoped that someone wasn't going to steal my identity or worse, all of the recipe's for the new cafe!(Of course all of that information is on my computer too). I just thought that I had lost it and I was finally getting resigned to it being lost and having to find out another way to work around it. Well, we went to Cleveland on Saturday for the big Ohio State vs. Michigan game and we went out to eat after with some friends. When we were saying goodbye to our friends after dinner I remembered that I had some pictures for them that we took awhile ago and it was in my laptop bag. I reached into the side pocket and the inside light of the car was shining in to the pocket and low and behold there was my lost flash drive! I think that they may have thought I lost my mind when I saw it because I started yelling and dancing around like a real idiot but now I feel whole again.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Warming Foods

The Encore Cafe is coming along fast now, I met with one of the main food brokers that we will be working with to get in deliveries today. We talked for 2 hours about different recipes and items that I want to use that will give us the best cost and quality for what we will be making. Thats pretty much where the progression of things are now; finishing touches. The equipment is in now, the main stuff at least. Ovens, display cases, sinks and refrigerators are starting to make the cafe look like a real one! I can see it all coming together!
What I really am looking forward to is finally starting to make recipes. I have been "off" of work for 3 months now; mainly what I am doing is all of the leg work to get the cafe started, I miss physically working with food. I find that I extremely miss getting my hands and apron dirty while making recipes. I love that I get to develop recipes and work the whole start to finish end of getting the cafe set up, but I really got into this new job for the prospects of doing something new, exciting and challenging at the same time. I was bored with my old job, even though I loved it, but I wanted to have more freedom, so when this venture fell into my lap I gladly took it.
So when this thang finally opens up I am going to be there constantly, you might see me running around with flour all over me, a huge honkin' coffee buzz and spoons in hand but I will have a smile on my face!

Monday, November 05, 2007

Playing in the Dam Water

I know many of you read Sams posts that read mine as well. You will know that Sam has a new interest in his life and that is researching the Sandy-Beaver Canal and finding the old locks that used to traverse Beaver Creek here in Ohio. I love the great outdoors and I happily will go hiking, camping, or just outside anytime that I don't have something else to do. So to go out exploring and look at some old locks and dams is pretty fun, and I find it interesting too. We have gotten to go hiking quite alot lately and I have been lovin it! Fall is one of my favorite seasons; the temperature is perfect, the leaves are so beautiful, the air smells amazing, we get to harvest all of the veggies from our garden that I have been waiting so long for...I could keep going on and on. We all know that one of the best parts of hiking and being outside is getting some great shots of the landscapes and other great things to remember the treks by. Sam found some wildlife playing in the water in this once in a lifetime shot!

Monday, October 29, 2007

Weird stuff is going on!


So...Sam, Brad and I were watching a scary movie last night that wasn't all that scary. It was called Silent Hill and it's supposed to be based on some video game that probably should have just stayed a video game. It was interesting to watch, but at the end of the movie we all had like 10 million questions about different parts of the movie. Do you ever get that way about a movie where it didn't make a bit of sense and you wonder where they came up with half of the plot? I think that some of my dreams that I have would make a 10 times better movie than this one. By the way I have some really nightmarish dreams so I think that I could write a really good movie plot if I would only write down my dreams. It seems like I am always getting chased by a person or multiple people trying to kill me or I am in some twisted plot that is just totally screwed up. Anywho... I don't know where I was going with that except to say that after the movie I got a restricted phone call on my cell that we thought maybe was my cousin in the Navy in Bahrain. Well, it wasn't. It was a prank call with some guy whispering the question "what color panties are you wearing?" Yikes! I guess that it was a really off night and now I am confused and embarassed. Remind me never to answer my phone again when it is restricted. If they leave a message that's good, then I can call them back and ask them what color panties they are wearing!

Monday, October 22, 2007

What am I doing?


I'm not sure exactly what I am supposed to be doing yet for this class I am taking this semester. I am in the 9th week already, with only 7 more to go and I am totally lost in this class. I'm not the only one either, even though I think that I am a little more lost than the others. First of all I lost my 100+ dollar book on the 3rd week that the class requires and I haven't found it yet. Stupid Laura! I don't have the money to go buy another one, plus I feel stupid that I lost it in the first place that I don't think I deserve another. I am not even really supposed to be taking the class either given my standing in college. It's considered a Junior level class and I am still a sophmore until the end of this semester when I will be in Junior standing. We are supposed to make this big project that goes on the entire semester and I'm not sure what a Methodological plan for researching society is supposed to even look like because he hasn't even given us any information on what he wants from us. I meet him in 30 minutes and I don't even know what to ask him because he hasn't given me any direction, plus I don't have my book(Duh!), and I'm only a lowly sophmore in a class with a bunch of smarty pants Juniors. I probably should have dropped this class if it weren't for the amazing bull----ing that I can pull off to make a paper work after I find all of the information online from another instructor that gives good details in how to do things in this type of class. Then I find out that I have one of the best grades in the class and I figure that I should probably take all classes that I don't have a clue as to what I am doing. Makes sense to me.

Thursday, October 04, 2007

50 posts on the wall






So, this is my 50th entry into this here blogger I call my home! I don't really have anything super thought provoking to put on here. I don't really ever have too much wisdom to write on these pages. Actually what I was going to write about is simplicity. These days I feel like I have so much going on that I can never really feel too much peace. I'm running here and there...I have all these things to do that even when I am sitting down I can't get my mind to calm down. I sit and all I can think about is the paper I have due next week or the menu that needs planned for the cafe, the person I need to call, or the thank you letter that I need to write, you know all that stuff.


I thought that when I got older I would have a better handle on keeping things simple. I thought that I would be able to order out everything that I needed to do with an iron fist. I thought that once I finished one project then I would be done with it. I realize now that there will always be another project, another goal, another finish line to always reach for. I've found that I keep taking on more things because I like to be busy and I always enjoy a good challenge. I hate being bored and I love to have 10 million things going on at once to keep me happy and excited about life.


But then there are the times when I just want to get rid of everything. Sell all the junk, get rid of the 50 t-shirts that I have in my dresser, throw away the cats, sell the house and get into a smaller one, stop all the little projects I have going and just live a simple, focused life with little worry or distraction. The things I would do each day would be clear to me and the routine that I pick up would pretty much be the same. I would stick with the things that I know work for me and I would be calm.


I'm not sure which one I like better, I guess that I have times of both and thats what I enjoy the most, I don't want to write out my life and know each step of the way, so I will take what I have and enjoy it as much as possible. Happy 50th reading!

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Back To It



So...I am back in college for the 5th semester of my college existence. I was really worn out from the past semester, I just felt unmotivated to study and at the end of everything I felt poor about how much I didn't get done. Needless to say my grades showed that. Even through all of that I still managed to get my letter of acceptance into the nursing program that I am now in, starting this semester. During the summer I had to get a million shots, accredited in CPR, physical exam, fingerprinted for a background check, endless trips to the post office and hospital, etc. all within 1 1/2 months.

I thought that taking the summer off would get me motivated for the next phase of my schooling. I am so excited to one day be a nurse, I have wanted to be one ever since I could remember. I just want to be there doing it. But I have found that I am having a really hard time getting my head into this whole school thing. I feel as if I am not good enough to be going through this right now. I need to concentrate and feel strongly about the work I am doing, but it all feels kinda boring and mundane. Does everyone get this bored with the routine of school at this point in the game? Or do I just need to crack down and get into it and excited about it again? I only say this to vent, you won't see me quitting or anything crazy, in fact you will probably see me studying and in the books more now than ever to get back the excitement that I once felt for this whole trip into nursing.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Starting Anew



So as some of you know I have started a new venture. I recently was given the opportunity to run a new cafe in Columbiana. My good friend Don who is renovating the Main Street Theater and the building adjacent to it that is now called the Encore Cafe approached me with the idea and although it was a really hard decision, because I have been with my other job for 12+ years, I just couldn't pass up the chance for something that I have always wanted to do, which is start up and run a cafe. I get to make the menu, order equipment, hire and train employees, deal with the Health Department, and all the fun things that running a business takes. My first week of non-employment at the Dutch Haus started this week and it has been really wierd. I feel out of place not having a set schedule yet. The Cafe is set to open in mid September and until the building crew is out and we are ready to move stuff in then I will be mostly at home and traveling to meet food distributors and other vendors. Once open we will have all the things that you can expect from a Cafe. Coffee, Lattes, Mochas, Pastries, Soups, Salads, Caramel Apples, Sandwiches, etc. and various other things to make people feel at home there. I am really excited about this new venture and I love the challenge of taking it on, at the same time I am really nervous and expectant for the future of the Cafe and how it will do once it is open. I will still keep my plans of nursing in full tilt. I will still be a full-time student and Kent State and I, in no way, will drop those plans. The owners of the Cafe are giving me free access to whatever hours I will be able to work once school starts and I will be able to fit in a full time schedule there whenever is most convenient for me.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Its Always Cloudy




Sam and I were driving into Columbiana last Sunday and the clouds in the sky were absolutely amazing to look at. I fortunately had my digital camera with me so I snapped a few shots while driving. The weather was perfect that day, the clouds were so full, it looked like a Simpson episode in the sky. We always have clouds in the sky here in Ohio, so I don't look at them that much, but there was something about these that made them stand out and look spectacular.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

The Wedding is Over.
















I got the chance to decorate my cousin Shane and his new wife Jens wedding cake this weekend. Jen found a great picture of an abstract wedding cake that she found on the internet. It was iced with fondant, which is a gumpaste icing that kind of molds onto a cake, its kinda like fruit roll-ups that you onto the cake without icing the thing. I don't mess with that stuff, its hard to work with and it doesn't taste that good. It's more meant for decoration and not eating. So my mom and I went to the church the night before the wedding with all of the stuff we needed for the cakes and decorating. We got there and the kitchen didn't feel air-conditioned at all. So the icing was really soft and I had a hard time getting it to keep its shape, finally I got it where I wanted it and I decorated the cake while my mom iced up 5 sheet cakes with cream cheese. Everything turned out really cool, Jen didn't want flowers or anything fru-fru on her cakes. I didn't get to take a picture of the cake when it was all set up but here are some of the ones right after they were decorated. I've decorated a lot of cakes and this one was lots of fun.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Fine, I Better Do This Thang!

I got tagged the other day! So I better do this thang and give you 8 random things about me.

1.)I don't like yellow vegetables. Carrots, squash, etc. They are too sweet for me to eat. Plus when I try to eat raw carrots I just keep chewing because I can't swallow all of the carrot, it just shreds in my mouth.

2.)I hate drama in peoples lives. I know some people where life is a big soap opera and I just can't keep up with it. Maybe thats why I get along with men better than women most of the time because life is more natural and they don't make up a ridiculous life to make everything hyped up.

3.)I want to cover my body with tattoos and get dreadlocks.
4.)I took classical piano lessons for 9 years, I really don't remember too much anymore. I can still play scales and I can read notes, but that's it.

5.) I once moshed in steel toed boots at a 6 feet deep concert and I almost got killed when I was trampled by some crazy heads.

6.)I want to be a car mechanic if nursing doesn't work for me. I love taking things apart and putting them back together, and I don't mind getting my hands dirty.
7.)Me and the sun don't get along. I have already had a benign mole taken off of one leg and more that the dermatologist is watching because of getting so many sunburns when I was little. Morbidly, I have told my family that skin cancer will kill me one day.

8.) I have had a fever of above 104 degrees several times. I normally had them when I had pneumonia. They made me hallucinate. "You're not my Mom!"
So anywho, I don't have any other people to tag so it ends here. Thanks for reading!

Sunday, July 08, 2007

Yard Sailing

We are having a porch sale today. Right now there is a lag in the people visiting so I have a few minutes to get some thoughts on the computer that I haven't been able to do for awhile. Sorry to everyone who looks to see if I've posted everyday! I am sitting at my grandpa's computer right now. He's laying on the couch next to me snoring away; he's been asleep now for the past hour at least. His snore is pretty sleep inducing. NOT! Sunday afternoon naps are the best, especially when you are the one sleeping and not staying awake so that you can make money at a yard sale. My brother Luke is waiting for me to get off the computer so that he can IM all his friends and get on myspace. Dirty Jobs is on in the background and they are at a catfish farm trying to catch and gut them. Yuck. Mom and Sam are out on the porch in the hot day. Overall its a pretty good day. I feel like something is missing though. I guess that I will feel like that for awhile now that some of my best friends, Andrew and Lyndsay left for Minneapolis last Thursday. It was really great to see them start new lives and begin college and living on their own, but it was super sad at the same time to know that our friendships will now be long distance. Our routines of each week for the past year at least will have to go through some major revamping because we always had our Thursday & Friday nites and Sunday's where we were with them most all the time. I will miss them, I'm sure they will miss us, but we will all get used to the idea one of these days and continue to be close friends with our new routines however they may turn out.

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Now you see Him!

WAKE UP ANDREW!

Friday, June 15, 2007

Sticky Situations


I picked up my first Hitchhiker today. She was short, blonde, tan…and drunk. She was walking in the middle of the small side road that I take to cut across the main roads on my drive home from work. As I came driving over a small hill I saw her walking the way that I was traveling, so all I could do was stop. There was no way that anyone could have gone around her unless they wanted to drive into the ditch a little bit. She turned and saw me coming her way. She lifted her index finger as if to ask me to wait a minute and give her a moment of my time. Maybe she was testing the wind to see how change was going to come her way, I don’t know? I slowed down to pull up to her and the first thing I noticed was the large carton of red and white parliament cigarettes sticking out of the top of her straw purse. She asked me where I was going in a really sluggish, drunken sentence. I said towards Lisbon. She needed dropped off at the Beverage Barn Drive Thru and I said that I would take her there. I had to move some stuff in the passenger seat to the back; my purse, my lunch in a white Styrofoam container, a pottery bowl that my mom had made and it had a defect at the bottom, and my jacket from the cold morning that I had to travel to work in at 2 am. She asked me my name as I was moving things from front to back and I told her “Laura.” I asked her name and she said “Sandy.” I told her that I was just on my way home from work and she asked where I worked and I told her the Dutch Haus. She mumbled something about how she has a cousin that works there and she went thru a list of about 6 names trying to remember who it was, “Kim, John, Timmy….”, and then finally, “It’s Pete..Pete is his name…I think?” She got into the passenger seat and we went along our merry way to the Beverage Barn only about 2 minutes away. As we drove she kept mumbling and trying to make conversation, but it was so unorganized and followed no real path. I did catch that her husband’s car was impounded and that he was driving her car today. But I didn’t catch much else. I pulled up to the Beverage Barn, let her out and away I went back home. It was an interesting experience. In the past I’ve thought about why people don’t hitchhike as much as they used to. I know that many people, especially my parents age back in the 70’s, (those old crazy hippies) used to hitchhike or bum a ride all of the time to get where they were going. In fact, I remember my mom saying that she and a girlfriend of hers hitchhiked to a location at least 3 hours from where they started when they were in their teens! Would anyone in their right mind do that anymore? I’m not sure that they would and the biggest question is: why is that? Has our faith in people diminished? Are people more skeptical then they used to be? Is there trust in strangers anymore?

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Laughing Fool

Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh. – W. H. Auden

I love a great quote. They can conjure up a million emotions in one sentence. I think that this one is one of my favorite quotes of all times. I really thing that laughing is the common ground that we all hold, and I wish that we all could laugh with others more than we are given the chance to each day. I think of all of the great friends that I have that inspire me each day when I look at this quote. I thought that I would just write a little about the things they do or instances that they have left me laughing so much that I just couldn't help but love them. You know what I'm sayin' ?

Sam-He knows how much I enjoy laughing and he always attempts to make me laugh, whether it is a genuine laugh or a I feel bad at his pathetic attempt, I always have something to laugh with Sam with.
Brad-Totally makes me laugh all the time! He is so random in his thinking and what he finds enjoyable. We can laugh thru a airsoft game where I shoot his chin over a van from 20 feet away, or sitting around talking about nothing. Thats right beef broth ninja star!
Lyndsay-Acts like a serious ghetto girl in a small town setting! She can make the best comments in a conversation that just drives the entire group of people she is with to their knees laughing.
Kyle-He's got the craziest dancing feet and the best moves I ever saw on the dancing floor. It cracks me up!
Andrew-Wild and crazy boy! Is up for anything at all times, at least when he isn't hopped up on the allergy medicine and zonked on the couch. Just play some Rage Against the Machine and watch him go! I'm his Byotch!
Arin-This girl sends me the craziest text messages, normally at about 6am everyday. She sends me quotes, cusses me out, tries to get me to send the message to 10 other people or best of all sends me pictures of manure. Whatever it is it always makes me laugh!
Theresa-I work with Theresa at 3am on Wednesdays and Thursdays. She keeps me awake as we talk about crappy love songs, pooping or whatever topic the morning may bring up. And no Chlamydia and Gonorrea are not flowers. We've established that.
Evan-Even though he is in Bahrain right now he still can make me laugh out loud at what he writes in his blog, or whenever I get to talk to him on the phone with 10 second relays as we wait to hear each other.
Candy-She keeps my sanity at work. If ever I had a real sister I think that she would be the one. We can yell at each other and hug each other in the same conversation. We throw food at each other all day and we have dance dance revolutions every Saturday at work as we listen to yucky 80's music all day.
There are so many others that make me laugh each day I could write pages and pages about them. Maybe I will for my next blog because I will still be thinking about it for awhile. Write me about why you love people. I'd love to hear your comments. Have a great day!

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Mesmerizing!


So.... now I am FINALLY done with the semester! Kent State is officially out of my site for the summer. Good times, and time to partay! Yeah, you know what I'm saying! I've got big plans for the summer, most of which I will fail to accomplish. My biggest plans are to work in the garden, do alot of canning from it, organize junk in the house and generally get done all of the things that I couldn't take a lot of time to worry about during the past full year. What I have had some time for in the past few weeks is Guitar Hero! I have been playing it lately in my spare time like after work or when Sam isn't around cause he doesn't really like to play it, although he will watch others play it, but I feel like I am boring him when I do play for a long time. I noticed the other day that my hands get stuck in a guitar holding position when I play the game too long, (kinda like when Evans hands get stuck in a working out position from doing so much weight lifting in the Navy, it's similar you know). Anywho... the weird thing is that when I take my eyes off of the tv screen, I look at my skin and it is moving and warping into wierd shapes. Have you seen this before if you have ever played Guitar Hero? When you play the game the screen constantly pulls your eyes downward as the notes pass along the screen and it does wierd eye tricks to you. Creepy to see your skin warp. I couldn't stop staring at it, it mesmerized me. Try it sometime, if you play for about 45 minutes straight it should happen. Very crazy!

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Spring and a Boring Life!


My 38th post this one is! Oh, what a memorable occasion! You can congratulate me by sending comments and money donations to blogger. Yeah, whatever...just read on if you want to.

I really have no topic to write about. I usually have a certain thing that I write about. But alot of times I really have nothing to write about, like today. I've read others blogs where they mainly talk about their daily lives. They make this their journal to sort out their thoughts and to just let others in on their lives. I wish that I could do that without totally boring people with my own life.

So even through the warning, here is my boring life right now. Skip it if you don't want to fall asleep! My friend Lyndsay dyed my hair the other day. I wanted some bleached chunks of blonde in my hair and she did a great job. My bangs are totally blonde and underneath my hair is totally blonde too. When I went to work the next day 2 people told me that they "loved my red hair" and "why did I dye all my hair blond?" I had to show them that I only dyed certain parts of it and that most of it is still red. I guess that they were suprised, but it's better than them being fake and telling me that they loved it or something dishonest.

I took my last exam for Human growth & Development tonight. One class down, 3 more to go. I think that it went pretty well considering that last night I was pretty sick with this wierd dizzy and queasy thing and I was hardly able to study, which I had big plans for.

Sam, Andrew, Lyndsay and myself are going to have a road trip this weekend to Andrews brother Ryans wedding in Indiana. I am looking forward to it so much! Finally, my loverboy Ryan is tying the knot with his amazing fiancee Kristen. I am so excited for them! It will be a nice little getaway, even though I have to bring my college stuff to study for the 2 finals I have next week.

I was sitting on my porch studying for school today; I looked out across our lawn and I realized how beautiful spring is. Our maple leaves are just starting to develop into an amazing green color. The green lawn is full of yellow dandelions, the crabapple tree is full of bright pink blooms. Across the driveway our transparent apple tree is in full bloom with large white blossoms. The japanese maple in the landscaping is a deep red color, and in the lawn are tiny blue flowers that just reach above the grass's level. So many colors that spring brings. I wish that we had that all year long!

So there is my life in a nutshell. Have a great spring day!

Friday, April 20, 2007

Summer

It is carefree; it has a breathy air to it. It’s so great to open all of the windows, feel the breeze in the musty over wintered house. See the brighter sun as it warms up everything. Summer brings plants, life, bugs, BBQ parties, swimming, hiking, camping, golf, vacation, lazy naps that lets you dream about all of the things you could be doing. It takes away winter blahs and makes you whole being feel renewed, refreshed and revised. It lets you make new goals and brings a fresh start to all of the things needing done that could not be done when it was cold. One of my favorite things about summer is the sounds of birds, their voices waking me to start a new day in a good mood. I love summer parties; they bring great stories and old friends out to share in life. They bring good, wholesome foods. It’s awesome to work hard in the garden, work up a hot dirty sweat with backs bowed and knees grimy and creaking to labor around some of Gods beautiful bounty that He gave us to enjoy in great satisfaction. He knew what he was doing when He made the 4 seasons. Summer brings a great harvest and a gathering of all of the long light filled days. It brings us produce and keeping of harvest to sustain His people in the midst of winter and their dreadful blahs. It brings hope to tired hearts, it brings reprieve of what we strive to be done with, it is newness and hope.

Monday, April 09, 2007

All My Kitty Children

I took some pictures of my kitties the other day. They were enjoying the rare sun that we have so seldom seen yet this year. I thought that I would share some pictures of them doing their thing.


Ruby, our youngest girl that we found abandoned as a small kitten at the Columbiana Street Fair, enjoys laying on Sam and feeling safe and secure, she loves to eat and has learned some bad habits from Junior, like getting on the kitchen counter and pushing plates and cups off of the counter to hopefully get some food out of them.


My 7 year old Farley enjoys the heat from the sun the most, actually he enjoys heat more than any other cat I know. He will lay in front of the electric heaters we have running in the house and steal the heat from everyone else, he will get all the way in the bedcovers and stay there all night. How do cats breathe under the covers for so long?



Junior, my shadow, likes to steal all the attention and he gets into whatever is going on where the action is, whether he is sound asleep or not.





Tuesday, April 03, 2007

My Husband, the Joker


I didn't want to just comment on Sams April Fools joke blog, because for one I knew that it would be too long, another is that I would say something that would make someone mad(which I probably will be doing in this blog) and for another I knew that the person who I wanted to read this is now not even reading his blog for a determined period of time, very clever. If you truly know myself too then you will know that I never get this upset about something unless it is about the friends and family that I love, God gave us to each other and to take that honor and priviledge away is a terrible mistake.

I was very disturbed by the idea that Sam presented in his April Fools story at first, I think that everyone was. I was scared for the flack that he would possibly get and the explainations that he would have to give for people that didn't understand why he would do this kind of joke. Normally he shares with me something that he is going to do that may be a little crazy and if I had given my advise on this one I would have told him to either change up the story a little or at least let everyone know that it was an April Fools joke at the end. I know that I personally couldn't imagine something like that actually happening to him, and if you knew him super well enough you would know that too, as some did catch in time and others who knew him well did not. I noticed a trend in the ones that did not realize the joke. They were mad; they felt like they were left emotionally distraught and didn't know how to really help Sam in his time of need, at the same time upset that he had played them like that all in good fun for a April fools joke. But thats all it really was, a joke! Don't take this incredible man and blast him for doing something that was only meant for that!


Sam was only sad about the responses that were given to him. My thoughts on this subject are in no way indicative of Sams. I am furious about some of those comments. So what that you don't know Sam that well and that he played you? Get over it. Sam is and always has been a responsible, mature, caring person. So for him to write this fictional story is just so out of whack with who he really is that those that truly know and love Sam would know that it was all made up. Those that want to air their personal problems with Sam can do that, but why in such a demeaning manner, why blast him in not only his joking but also his personal character?

Just as Sam or anyone else for that matter can say whatever they want, then I have to say to Kristen or anyone else that feels this strongly about being mad at Sam: How dare you? I am personally glad that you need 6 months to vent and let out YOUR anger and immaturity against Sam! It will give him and myself time away from your hurtful, ridiculous ideas of who you think your own brother or friend really is! Sam never once personally attacked you or anyone through all of this and all you can do is try to hurt him so bad that you don't care about ruining your relationship with him? I'm not sorry at all that we have our own lives, friends, jobs; the fact that we can't always talk and catch up or that time and distance place difficulties in getting to know you and share in your life like we really would like to is hard on all of us and you have to believe that. You have to get over all this, considering the fact that we do still love you and care about every aspect of the you and your family. So if you want to label Sam and at the same time label yourself for something that I know you really are not, then go for it and ridicule yourself, because I will stand up for my husband and best friend when even his own flesh and blood cannot! Oh, and since you are being so vindictive about the whole 6 month time limitation you may as well take me off of your list too Kristen!

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Currency


I am not trying to rain on Sams friday funny postings, I just found this dirty joke that caught me off guard today and it had me laughing like crazy. Hope you like it!

Why it's important to understand English: When I got back from Montana last week I had a bunch of Canadian dollars I needed to exchange, so I went to the currency exchange window at the local bank. It was a short line with just one guy in front of me...an Asian guy who was trying to exchange yen for dollars and he was a little irritated! He asked the teller, "Why it change?? Yestoday, I get two huna dolla fo yen. Today I get huna eighty?? Why it change?"

The teller shrugged her shoulders and said, "Fluctuations".

The Asian guy says, "Fluc you white people too"!

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

After Midterms


I have found that yet again I am in the swing of things at college. I have 3 huge exams next week, all of which are going to take all of the brain power that I have. Microbiology is all about bacteria,the microscopic things that control the world. We talk about how our bodies convert energy, germs, chemistry, the earth, and everything in between. It covers so much information that it is almost overwhelming to deal with. Plus the fact that it is a 3 hour class only 1 day of the week is frustrating. I hate to talk to my professor over the internet. Next time I have a major science class I will opt for taking it 2 days a week even if that means more driving back and forth and less time at work.

My Human Growth and Development class is put on by the nursing coordinator of the Salem Kent State. She is a little italian woman with a big attitude. She loves to talk and she is a huge encouragement to me, but she is very intimidating to be around too much. She warns of bad grades, inevitable failure and not getting into the nursing program to everyone she talks to. I think that she does it so our hopes don't get too far up and to let us see how hard it really is to be in the nursing program. The class isn't that hard, in fact she told everyone that they would be lucky getting C's and almost everyone got B's or higher on the first exam.

Nutrition is also a 3 hour class, one day a week. The professor,which I have yet to meet and will probably never meet, is online and teaching from the East Liverpool campus. A really funny professor he is scared of bad weather and he doesn't like to be on the campus after dark, so he always tries to end his lectures early. He covers alot of information about proteins, vitamins, minerals, fats, and carbohydrates in a little space of time so his tests are mostly memorization, which I stink at considering that the other 2 classes I mentioned are also mostly memorization of terms and definitions. So if you hear me mumbling something about the Krebs cycle, Moral Development, DNA transcription, or Calcium and how it builds strong bones, don't be alarmed, it's all stuff that I will forget once the exams are done:)

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Thrills and Chills


It seemed that everyone had a nice fall at Hocking Hills this past weekend. You can read about Brads scary fall at his blog, thank goodness I didn't see it. I am terrified to watch people fall. Don't know why, I guess that I really hate to see people get hurt. I guess thats why I am going into nursing; to be able to take care of those people that need help. Anyway, I'm side tracking...so I was the first to fall on the trip(it doesn' t matter so much when I get hurt, I normally just laugh in the face of pain), I probably had the stupidest fall too. All of the stairs in the cabin were painted slick wood, yeah you see where I'm going with this? I was in my socks and heading to the bedroom to change for the hot tub. I took one step on the top of the stairs and my foot slipped out in front of me. I bumped all the way down the stairs on my hip and landed at the foot of the stairs, cause I couldn't stop myself from sledding right down them darn stairs. I broke open a large burn wound from work and my ankle somehow got caught under me so it hurt for awhile. The worst hurt was my hip. About 2 minutes later I started to develop a huge bruise on my hip. By the next day it was a 3 inch circle and deep black. I ended up showing it to everyone a couple nights later; SORRY if anyone caught a glimpse of my behind too, but you know you liked it;) The crazy thing was that Sam fell that same night on the upstairs steps on his way down from the hot tub. Like a wet dolphin if I ever saw one. Actually, I almost got caught in his wake because I was going down the stairs in front of him, I had just told him to be really careful going down the steps because they were wet. His feet didn't listen very well though. Moral to this story and note to anyone trying to catch people falling down steps: it doesn't work, just move out of the way and let nature run its course.

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Love at Hocking Hills

As most of you know that read my blog I went to Hocking Hills this past weekend. In fact most of you were probably with me on this trip that read my blog. I really needed this little escape from reality for a few days, I think that more than any other trip to Hocking Hills, the group that went really needed this more than anything. I love the fact that there was nothing there that was in any way part of an everyday routine. There wasn't anything holding us down and I love that.
I came home from the trip feeling like I was in a bubble. The next day of work caught me laughing to myself as I would think of the dancing, the falling, the late night cake, the late night magazine skits, the dreadlocks, the eating, the ice...everything made this trip such a memorable one.
This trip was more than I could have asked for. It was definately the best Hocking Hills trip I have ever been on. The cabin was one that we had been to before and it had so many great memories from the last time as well as the amazing memories made there this time. We all talked about what our favorite part of the trip was and I think that mine was just spending time with my best friends in the world, ones that I can be my true self with, ones that I can laugh with and make a fool out of myself and they still love me for exactly who I am. I love the fact that they feel like they can be their true selves around me too. I think that I really did have a real smile this weekend like Sam wanted me to, and the memories made are some that I will remember forever. So thanks to all that joined me on this trip, I really needed it, I love you all sooooo much, you mean more to me than I ever could express! You've been a great audience! Good night Atlanta!

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

I am really tired!







I have been really tired lately. I think it all has to do with winter dragging on for so long, but the biggest reason is that I haven't gotten much sleep in the past 2 weeks. I have been covering for one of my co-workers at the bakery that is on vacation, and I have had to go into work between 12:30am and 2:30am for the past 8 of 9 days. I am a huge night owl. I would love to stay up all night and then sleep during the day if I really had my wish. The worst part of that is that I have a real hard time falling asleep when I have to will myself to do it. So, I don't sleep. The most sleep I got this week at any one time was yesterday when I slept after I got off of work between 12:30pm and 4pm. I set my alarm for 2pm and I slept right thru it. Needless to say I had to stay up later to finish the homework I had for the next day, so my nights sleep amounted to pretty much nothing. I woke up this morning at 2am with my cat Ruby sleeping on my chest and my husband snuggled up against me, and I did not want to get up!!! I had to will myself to get out of the warm covers and go to work. At work I am normally a pretty outgoing person and I like to get people talking and at least stay focused, but this morning I felt like I was having an ouy of body experience, where I watched myself go thru the movements of the job and it somehow got done. I hate that feeling, it's really wierd. Blah!Thank goodness I am off this weekend, it is going to be so great!!!

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Long time, no see


I know that it has been awhile since I last blogged. How is it that in winter, when we all seem to have less to do, that we write less often? Or is it that the novelty of blogger was a passing phase to sometimes hold our attention? Maybe we have writers block and we can't think of anything profound or important enough to write down. Does it really matter? This blogger is really for my own enjoyment anyways, if I want to say that I love mexican food and that offends or bores or entices someone, then so what? Either way, I will say what I want and enjoy myself doing it. Yeah, I do like mexican food, so there.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Pipe smokin doesn't come easy!


I told my husband a few months ago that I really would like to learn how to smoke a nice tobacco pipe. You see he regularly participates in enjoying his pipes with his close friends, they have a great time talking and bragging about manly things and generally relaxing as they toke up an amazing smelling tobacco with a name like "topper", "blue diamond", "spice and nice" or "heather"(boy did she smell good). Anyways, I love to smell the tobacco and I thought that I would also like to enjoy this great aquired talent.
It all started last summer when I attempted to smoke a pipe with just a bit of success, I realized then how much of a skill it really is to be a pipe smoker. Just 2 months ago my hubby finally bought me a really well made smooth wooden pipe that is just the right size for me to hold in my hand as I puff away at it. I have been hesitant in smoking it, I feared that I would do a terrible job learning how to smoke it, that everyone would make fun of me or that I would never master the skill. I always hear the horror stories from my husband of the ones that try and fail miserably.
Well just the other night I finally got some tobacco; "christmas cookie" is her name. I sat around with 3 of the finest pipe smokers that I know and I got instruction and guidance as I struggled my way thru smoking my first bowl of tobacco through my very own hand made danish pipe. I guess that I did alright. I went through quite a few matches as I struggled to keep it lit, but I did enjoy a nice puff or two of some fine, unstressful pipe smoking. So thanks guys for helping me try to master my skills at pipe smoking. I hope that one day I will get a nice bowl of ash just like you!

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Friends

How quickly friends sometimes pass away. I saw a good friend the other day, I saw her as she walked by me and became out of my gaze, she did not even have the courage to say "Hi". She was 10 feet away from me! We will "talk" together thru the expanses of the internet, but yet she won't even gather the courage to say "Hi!" in public. Is there something to bringing out your extroverted self on the internet that can't be brought out in public? I really think that there is. It is easier to say the things that you wouldn't tell anyone else when it is on paper. And is there also a reason to be a little more introverted while in public knowing that you can talk to your friends online and tell them you are sorry for not talking to them when you saw them last alive and in person? It is hard to keep an online friendship above water, it takes alot more work. I would rather make face with the people that I love than expect to talk to them over the internet. I would rather say "Hi" while I have them there to cherish and love in person. Because who knows when the next time will be when we get to talk in person? Who knows when we will get to cherish each other in the knowledge of who we are at exactly that space in time? I have so many friends that I miss, that I thought that it wasn't a big deal to talk to when I saw them out in public. Now I wish more than anything that I could talk to them, that I could see them face to face and know how their life is really going. Life jumps out at you and takes that time and knowledge away and I wish that I could have that time back. Talking is only one aspect being with a friend. One aspect that we miss so much if we "talk" to them online is that we miss all of the idiosyncrasies of their movements and their facial expressions. I get so much out of reading peoples faces and their movements. I miss that interaction from the friends that I have been away from for so long. I only wish that I did have the time to get together with my friends all of the time. So for now I will be happy with the knowledge of getting to spend time with my friends however I can, because I love them so much and to get to talk to them however I can is all that I really want and can ask for.

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Three Things...


Three Things:
...that scare me: the dark(ever since I was a kid), letting someone else take care of me, losing friends
....people that make me laugh: Tony Stark(you know who you are), B-Rad, Sammy-T
....I love: my bestest friends, my husband, great music
....I hate: getting old, HOT weather, migraines
....I don't understand: how the human mind thinks, how plants grow with only water and sun, rude people who can never see their faults or refuse to at least
....on my desk: managers notes, chocolate, tag guns to date product
....I'm doing right now: sitting drinking coffee at starbucks, watching my husband read the newspaper, restlessly rocking my catywampus chair back and forth after drinking the starbucks
....I want to do before I die: go to Africa, together with someone lead them to the Lord, have some sweet dreadlocks in my hair
....I can do well: do a kickass Axl Rose impression, harvest and store the garden that my husband and I so diligently tended, get lost playing a RPG video game for hours
...you should always listen to: the Lord, your parents, your friends(they only mean the best for you if they truly are your friends)
...you should never listen to: those that say you can't do what you want, Satan, heavy metal music with whining guitar
....I'd like to learn how to do: yoga, keep in touch with my friends better, heal people with natural methods
....favorite foods: tasty CHEESE, oranges, bread
....beverages I drink regularly: water, coffee, beer
...TV shows I watched as a kid: Fraggle Rock, 3-2-1 Contact, Dukes of Hazzard
....books I read as a kid: Anne of Green Gables series, Little House on the Prairie series, choose your own adventure books
....bloggers to tag: All my friends are tagged(YOU'RE IT!) Tag yourself baby!

Monday, January 08, 2007

Fall Down Go Boom, Pt. 2

I think that I must be a faller. I was thinking about all of the times that I fell down last year. I can remember several actually but the best 3 are at least memorable enough to write about. During the summertime all of our buddies and myself were eating late at the Steel Trolley in Lisbon, after we ate we went outside and for some reason I was spinning around the lightpole at the corner of the street. Somehow I slipped and landed on my back on the road with cars swirling around my head. Sam came running and helped me up because I was laughing so hard I couldn't get up.
This winter Sam and I were wrestling in church again after our friends band Keep It Up was practicing. And I charged him and he jumped to the side just like a toro getting away from a bull, and I landed square on the floor and broke a huge blood vessel in my knee.
But the best one was this summer when we were hanging out with our friends at our home having a barbeque. It had been raining and I was wearing slippery shoes and our wooden deck gets slick when it is wet. I took one step off of the porch and I started falling and couldn't catch myself. My friends watched as I fell off of the deck and landed square in the azalea bush on my butt again, but not before scraping my shin off of the deck and leaving a huge rock that is still in my shin. All I could do was laugh again as Sam helped me get out of the bush. I'm glad that I laugh instead of cry.

Friday, January 05, 2007

Fall Down, Go Boom


January 5th-mark it as my first fall of the year. Can anyone top that? All of this crazy rain that we have had for the past several days off and on has left our lawn a muddy wicked mess. I was on my way out to my car getting ready to go to work and I slipped. My heel of my right foot slid forward and the front of my left foot slipped backwards trying to catch myself and lo and behold I did a split right beside my car. No one was even there to see my amazing feat of maneuverability! I yelled a loud expletive and I went back inside to clean up and change my clothes and then I finally went to work. Just imagine if all this rain was snow? If I’d have fallen I would have stayed down there for longer and made a snow angel, but NO, instead my ass and whole lower half was covered with December mud! YUCK!