On Spring

Today is the first day of spring... and what should EVERY person do in the springtime?

- Fly a kite!
- Watch a sunset
- Watch a sunrise
- Have a picnic
- Plant something! (It can be potted if you don't have a house yet like us.)
- Spend as much time as you can outside!!!




Sometimes we get so caught up in work, school, and other responsibilities we may have in life, that we forget to just take a moment to be in nature.

I was outside the other day, after working a 12-hour shift, and I dropped my keys as I was trying to get into my car. I mumble some garbage talk under my breath while picking them up again, but then my eye caught two birds about 5 feet away from me. They were jumping around, tweeting incessantly... it was like watching a Disney movie they were so happy and playful with each other, or, what the pessemist would call - Puke worthy. But it changed my outlook. I noticed the sky was unbelievably blue and clear and there was a temper-perfect wind hitting my face (not to be confused with temperpedic).

I drove the whole way home with my arm out the window making waves. We WILL be spending some time at the park in the next couple weeks regardless of how busy we are, you can bet your bottom.

New Heading

Well, since I am really the only one who ever writes in this blog... we decided to change the heading a little bit. I'll be changing it every once in a while for fun, and to fulfill my "artsy fartsy" needs. Paul may write in the blog someday... or maybe someday he will create his own. How fun would that be? Way.

I Have A Surprise For You... You're Pregnant!!

My mom and my sister have been telling me for a few weeks now that they think I am pregnant, and that it is a girl, and that if I am not, I will be soon.

Yeah! I know!! Isn't it supposed to happen the other way around???!

Thier reasoning and how and why they feel this way is another topic entirely, and I will discuss that at another time.

In other news... I'm now two weeks late.

A few things could be the cause of this:
1. I am pregnant

2. My mom telling me this, and me now thinking about it a lot more than I was before, could have caused my body to think about it and react. I have heard of some women whose thoughts are so powerful that their bodies actually reacted as if they were pregnant when they were not! Their bodies exhibited all the symptoms. Our thoughts truly are powerful, I believe.

3. The stress from school and work could be having a negative effect on my body (this has happened before).

4. I am just irregular and will start back up again next month (this has also been known to happen before).

So I am tired of waiting, and I have decided to go to Walgreens and pick up a pregnancy test tonight.

It wouldn't be a bad thing if I WAS actually pregnant. Paul and I were planning on starting a family this year anyway. This would just be a little earlier then planned, but you work around those things ya know? One thing we have learned is that you can't plan out your life on an excel spreadsheet like Paul and I originally tried to do when we first got married. Just ain't gonna work.

Will it be positive? Will it be a girl? Are my hormones just out of whack? Will this be what the baby looks like?




Find out on the next episode of... DRAGON BALL Z!

------------------------------------
Later...
The results, after 2 tests:

To One Of My BFF's

Happy Birthday Shanonna Leigh!!

No matter how far apart we live, or how long we go without talking - you will always be the best girlfriend I have ever had.

Why are you so cool? Well, let me tell you...

Betty Crocker should take lessons from you. You are an awesome cook! When you say something is "homemade," it really is! As for me, if it was cooked in my oven or reheated in my microwave, it is homemade.

You are one of the only people in my life that I have laughed so hard with that I have cried, AND a little tiny bit of pee came out.

No matter how hard times are in your life, you think of, and serve, others.

You're very talented! Artistic in such areas as scrapbooking, hair, decorating, sewing, crocheting, quilting, photography... the list is endless!


I love you my friend!

Why Are Thier Butts Stuck Together? Ohhh....

I love this time of year in Tennessee because it's not too cold out, but it's not too hot; the birds are chirping at all hours of the day (which can be annoying if you are trying to get some sleep because you have somewhere important to be the next day, but otherwise it is a pleasant and Disney-fantasy-land like experience); and the sunsets and sunrises are unbelievable!

Our apartment complex, in the 3.5 years we have lived here, has gone down the tubes a bit (my car was broken into last April, and in the last month we have received 1 notices of other cars being broken into and 1 notice that a tenant was robbed and harmed in the process and to "be careful and cautious"), but one thing that I love about this place is the trees that surround the complex. They go all the way around, and they are on each side of the road so it's almost like driving, or walking, through a tunnel of flowers in some areas - I love it! It just gets my "Mmm-Ahhh-nature" juices going.

So, today after class I took a moment to get some snapshots of the trees cause they're pretty and it makes me happy.

See how pretty? (click picture for a closer look)

Well, apparently it is mating season for bugs here, specifically mosquitoes, because as soon as I stepped onto the grass to get a close up picture of some tree blossoms a vast multitude of mosquitoes with their butts stuck together exploded out of the grass and enveloped me.

I had disturbed the ultimate mosquito orgy. Yes, I feel gross and itchy now.

This is NOT the first time I have disturbed a mosquito meeting of merrymaking, oh no. As a child I used to go up to Wilderness Girls Camp each year with my church group. We had so much fun during those camping trips. Great memories! One year, we got our tents all set up and then either had to go to a camp meeting or decided to go on a hike (I don't quite remember), and when we got back our tent was filled with what seemed like hundreds of mosquitoes with their butts together!! It was the most bizarre thing I have ever seen.

If you to want to see what moquitoes look like when they mate, click here. Go ahead, no one's lookin', and I promise not to tell that you like bug porn.

Some little known facts about mosquitoes...
- Did you know that only FEMALE mosquitoes bite?

- Did you know that Mosquitoes are more attracted to you if you have just eaten a banana?
- Did you know I had a patient the other day named "Chiquita" and all day I called her "Chiquita banana," when I wasn't in the room, and it was a party?

Lessons of the day - check for mosquito orgies before you sit or step on grass - especially if you live in a highly mosquito populated area - and don't name your child Chiquita.

What a World!

Can you name the 192 United Nation member states in 10 minutes?!! Andy S has created an online quiz to test your wordly knowledge.

I got 70, but only because when I was a kid I memorized that song Yakko from Animaniacs sang, "Yakko's World."

Other techniques I used...
- I thought of where some of my old friends went on their missions.
- I thought of foods I like.
- I thought of places I have been or would like to go.

While you're at it... Can you name the fifty, nifty, United States of America in 10 minutes (I know some of you can... we were all there together in elementary school... NEW! hampshire, NEW! Jersey, New Mexico... bum bum...)? Ironic Sans has put together a states quiz for you to test your skills on. Don't cheat!!

I got all 50 states in under 3 minutes!

Now, don't you feel smarter? Good.

Excalibur!

Special thanks to Maggie Mason (a.k.a. Mighty Girl) for pointing us in the direction of author Evany Thomas, who has written a book entitled The Secret Language of Sleep: A Couple's Guide to the Thirty-Nine Positions. On Ms. Evany's website there is a sleep test for couples to take so they can find their ideal sleeping position.

I was spooked after I took the quiz because the position that came up was EXACTLY how Paul and I already sleep most of the time. Yes, we move around a little bit at night, and eventually end up back to back or spooning... but we always start in THIS position...

Find your own pose!
Illustration by Amelia Bauer

This lady really knows her stuff!! What's YOUR sleep pose?

Did I Mention...

The FBI now has my fingerprints on file.
No... I'm not a criminal.
But now I never can become one either, unless I get my prints burned off like Agent K in Men In Black. I guess I WON'T be able to pull off that bank heist with Vinny and the boys now either. Ahhh, oh well.

FYI: Fingerprinting was done so I can take the NCLEX-RN exam in June/July

Interior Deck-Or-Eight-Or

Paul and I are buying a house this year, so I am starting to put together some ideas for how I want to decorate. It has been a dream of mine to be able to decorate my own home... I am SO excited!!!


Anyway, I often read Dooce, an entertaining blog by Heather B. Armstrong, and she recently referenced a website - wrapables.com. They have the neatest stuff here! A few of my favorites:

The Starburst Wire Wall Mirror, doesn't this thing just shout excitement? I love it!

The Fringe Dot Transparent Printed Glass Vase
I have always loved the look of pressed flowers in glass. My grandma Vivi first introduced me to pressed flowers and leaves and I have loved them ever since.

and, the Nourish - Grass, Duvet Set, King
I love the colors and the "nature-esque" appeal of it.

They even let you start a wishlist that you can refer your family & friends to for gift ideas... hint, hint, my email address is edith.annith@gmail.com if you want to find my wishlist and send me a gift. My birthday is April 8th, We're buying a home in June or July, Easter is in April, Then you have the 4th of July... I can't think of a better way to celebrate our independence than to purchase a starburst mirror for a good friend. Oh, and Christmas!! What a wonderful time of sharing and giving.

Will Work For Dictionary

While driving...

Me: Hey look, there's one of those guys who stands on the corner with a "I like to stand on the corner in traffic with this stupid sign instead of go get a job" signs.

Paul: Yeah...

Me: Isn't that against the law? To stand there on the corner and bug people?

Paul: I think so. I think they call it loitering.

Me: Noooo... that's when you throw trash on the ground.

Paul: That's littering.

Me: I know that. But isn't loitering just a fancy word for littering?

Paul: Hahahahaha, No.

5 Years...

Married March 2nd, 2002

Happy Anniversary!

I've never been as happy as I am with you.

We sure were chubby when we got married.

5 Things You Didn't Know About Me

1. When I was a kid I wanted to be a veterinarian, and a movie star, and a gymnist, and a dermatologist (my mom told me I would be a millionaire cause by the time I was old enough to be a doctor most people would have skin cancer).

2. My very first job was working as a telemarketer for a photography studio. I quit the first day. I don't like telemarketers, and if I WAS a telemarketer, I would have to hate myself... and I just can't do that. Besides, this place had to be pretty hard up if they were offering free weekend trips to Lake Tahoe or Las Vegas just so people would buy a picture package.

3. I don't enjoy camping anymore (This does NOT mean that I do not enjoy the outdoors... I LOVE the outdoors.)

4. My first car was a 1978 silver-blue Caprice Classic that I paid $500 for. It died a week after I bought it. It was so big that I had to sit on a pillow when I drove it. The only reason I bought it was because I thought it was cool that it was made in 1978 and I was born in '78.

5. I have the entire movie "ghostbusters" memorized. I can quote it word for word AND make all the sound effects.

Paul + Edith

Last night Paul and I went out to dinner and then, since we were in the area, we stopped at Best Buy - Paul likes to look at all the electronic type stuff there on a regular basis.

We always start at the right side of the store where the hard drives and keyboards are, work our way to the TVs, then the cameras, the video games and finally the movies. Then we usually head home.

Every time we go to Best Buy I have to use the bathroom - it never fails. So, per our usual routine, I excused myself for a moment and headed to the ladies room.

While I was sitting there, on the pot, contemplating life, I got this sudden urge to be bad. I never understood before why someone would have the need to write or scratch something onto the bathroom stall door or wall. Why would someone want to state that "Rico is hot!" or "Wanda is a B**ch." But tonight, for some reason, I took out a pen from my purse, and I wrote...

"Paul + Edith"

on the bathroom stall door. I even took a picture of it with my camera phone so I can always remember what a badass I am. Of course, afterward, I took a wad of toilet paper and wiped it off. So I guess I'm not a true badass, but I am really close.

Anyway - after my bathroom fun, I headed out to find Paul. We met, and he informed me he needed to use the restroom too, and he would be right back. I informed him that I would be over in the CD section looking at dance music cause sometimes I just feel like boogying.

In telling him this, I thought it was clear that he was to come find me when he was done and then we would resume our regular Best Buy routine. Ten to 15 minutes passed... no Paul. So I headed back toward the bathrooms to see what was taking him so long.

Another 5 - 7 minutes passed, I swear.

Nothing. No Paul. So... I call his cell. No answer.

What???!! He ALWAYS answers his phone. Maybe he was in the middle of something and couldn't get to it right away.

So I wait another 30 seconds or so... then I call him again. NO ANSWER.
Hmm... that's wierd.

I call again. Nothing.

What in the world is going on????!! I call again... I leave a message, "Paul. What are you doing? Answer your phone! I am getting worried."

I decide to walk around the store to see if maybe he already came out. Maybe his phone is turned off. Or maybe he had it on silence and forgot to turn it back on. Or maybe his battery is dead.... NO, the battery is not dead cause it doesn't go straight to voice mail when I call... it rings 4 to 5 times.

I walk around the ENTIRE store. No Paul. I call again. No answer. I go back to the toilet area... I ask a strange man to please go into the men's room and ask if there is a "Paul" in there.

"Sorry ma'am.. no Paul."

Why did he just call me "Ma'am?" Do I look 40 or something?

I head to the front of the store and stand in line at customer service.

"Hi, can you please page Paul [Last name] to the front of the store for me?"

"Paul [Last name], Paul [Last name] ... please come to customer service. Your wife is looking for you."

I stand there for what seems like a year, no Paul.

My pulse is racing, my heart is pounding. I don't see Paul anywhere. He is not answering his phone. Maybe he got sick and went out to the car.

I check the car... No Paul.

I come back into the store. I search every nick and cranny of that place. People are everywhere, the music is blasting... WAYYYY to loud by the way - STUPID best buy. WAYYY TOO LOUD!!!!

I get a call on my phone. It's Paul. "Hey... where are you at," he says.

"Where am I at?!! Where the hell are you at?!" tears rolling down my cheeks.

I see him in the distance. I walk over to him, punch him in the shoulder.

Paul looks at me like I am a psycho. And I am... I really am a psycho to freak out like that. But I was so scared that someone had mugged him in the bathroom and he was lying in a pool of blood. Or maybe he had a heart attack from taking too big of a poop!! How am I supposed to know??

Note to self: stop watching Law & Order and that show about people who get kidnapped.

Paul swears that the entire thing occurred over 10 minutes - MAYBE 30 minutes, but that includes dinner. I personally believe Paul was in Electro-heaven-nah-nah land and lost track of time cause it was totally 45 minutes or so.

His phone was on... he just couldn't hear it cause Best Buy was too loud. STUPID Best Buy. I'm GLAD I wrote on your bathroom stall. I shouldn't have erased it!

Fuzzy Socks

I've recently discovered "fuzzy socks," and I love them beyond measure.

They are...
As soft as marshmallows floating on clouds wrapped in silk and laying on a baby's bottom

Toasty warm

and
Fruiticiously (made up word) colorful!

The Only Way To Travel

Just catchin' a ride from my good friend, Falkor.

Bastian Pleeeease.... callll myyyy naaame!!