Blood!!

Today at the hospital LifeBlood was taking donations of blood from staff and anyone else who wanted to donate. I haven't ever donated blood before. I tried once before many years ago, but something went wrong and they wouldn't let me. Also, it doesn't help that I really really dislike being poked with a needle. I don't mind poking other people with needles though.

So I decided I'd donate. Me and a couple of my friends went down after work. They do a quick physical on you to make sure you are stable and healthy enough to give blood, and then you sit in a chair and BAM - you're squeezing a ball and blood is pouring out of you into a bag.

In our area they have plenty of O+, A+, and B+ blood, but there is a critical shortage of O-. Regardless of your blood type, or if you don't even know your blood type, it's a good idea to donate!

Working in surgery, I've seen how blood can help first hand. It really does mean the difference between life and death for some people. It is so important to help your community... wherever you live. Someday your children, parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents and friends may depend on your local blood supply to save thier life.

So go donate! If not to help others, to get a free cookie and some juice!!

Introducing.... PRECIOUS!

Precious Kitty... our new kitty cat.
Click on the pictures for a closer look at her!
Born: No idea, but we think she is a "young adult"
Joined our family: technically 3 months ago, officially - this past weekend.

Loves to sleep... especially on her fuzzy red blanket. Lazy? Nah... It's a lot of work being this cute!



5 time Olympic gold medalist in kitty jumping division one...

Protector of her owner's Geo Metro - Full time.
If some crazy gangsta tries to steal this stereo... this little kitty is gonna bus-a-cap yo! Werd.






Lover of String... especially PINK string.

Oh and, P.S. If you are a fuzzy mouse you may as well throw in the towel now cause you'll be dead in about 10 seconds.

Home Sweet Home

Front of the house
Originally uploaded by heebadeedoo

We did it!! We finally decided on a price for THEE home and just a few hours ago, Paul and I signed the contract to buy it, our very first home. I am so excited!!!!! I love this house! We set the closing date for December because that is when our lease on our apartment is up, the builder was fine with that. We got such a great deal on the house too. This time, since it's gonna be ours, I decided to take the camera out and get some pictures. Just click on the picture to the right and you can view more. By the way, the furniture in the house is not ours.

After our triumphant business dealings, we went out to Wendy's to celebrate... being this is all we can afford now.

Home Is Where The Heart Is.

Today we made an offer on what I hope will be our future home! Paul and me have been searching for the perfect home for over 2 years now and I know this is the one. Paul, specifically, has gotten really involved in real estate, the housing market, the recession that is happening... basically anything that has anything to do with buying a home, and it has totally paid off.

I was so proud of him today!!! Not only was he ready with the massive knowledge he has on this topic, he had even prepared a presentation - complete with cover letter - that explained why we offered the price we did, what is happening in the current market, the future predictions for the market, etc. He even had references to news articles and average selling prices for the area we want to live in.

By the end of the meeting the real estate agent offered Paul a job. She was serious too! It was so awesome! I was so proud it was insane. I was blown away at his awesomeness. I had no idea he was as prepared as he was. I am so friggin' lucky to have a husband like Paul. I just love him!!! I know we are going to get this house for a great price.

In other news, my mom sold her house!! She put it up for sale only a couple weeks ago after fixing it up better than it has ever looked. It happened so quickly I really don't know what to think. It's strange to think that the home I grew up in is no longer in our family. My mom has been in that house for over 30 years. She was one of the first to move into that neighborhood.
I am a little sad that I didn't get time to realize what was happening and have the final "goodbye" that my other siblings had, but what an awesome future my mom has!

My big brother Nate and his family recently bought a new, rather large home and they are building an apartment (It's almost done) for my mom in their basement that is beautiful. It will have a separate entrance so it will be like her own place, and it's really nice. I like the idea of my mom living near someone in the family because I hate the idea of her being alone if something ever were to happen to her. Not that she is incapable of taking care of herself - she is super woman and I admire her more than words can express.

This year my little sister Amber and her husband bought a new house, and so did my older sister Heidi! It has been a big year for our family. There have been a lot of changes. Through it all though, it's nice to know that no matter where we are, we are still a family who loves each other and will always be close. Home really is where the heart is.

Lemon Cleanse - Over

I only did the lemon cleanse for 6 days. It's not that it was hard to do because of work or anything, I just didn't want to do it right now. It's been over a year since I last did it, but it felt like it had only been a day or so. The drink, the saltwater, everything, was as easy to get down as before. I ended up losing like 8 pounds - extremely unexpected & most of which I have gained back - so it was a good experience. Maybe some other time.

Random Thought

When I drive behind someone, I like to stay far enough behind them that if they were to stop suddenly I wouldn't bash into their rear, but close enough that someone can't cut in front of me - that pisses me off.

Lemon Cleanse 2: The Lemon Strikes Back

I started the lemon cleanse again today. I did the cleanse about this same time of year last year and it really made a difference in my health. So, I am off on another quest for good health. You can read about my adventures here... LEMON.

Howdy-Ho.

Life is frantically busy! I can't believe it's September. We're working every day and our weekends are packed with all the other things we can't fit into the week.

I just want to apologize to all our friends... we think about you and often find ourselves saying things like... "we should give (insert name here if you are a beloved friend of ours - you know who you are) a call", all the time. We WILL eventually call you and everything will be honky-dorry, we promise.

We've been looking at homes a lot. We were going to live out of the county we are now living in, but now we have decided that where we were thinking of moving is just way too far from work. We plan on having children and it dawned on us that if something were to happen to our child at school or something it would take me at least 45 minutes, and Paul an hour, to get to them. Also, YES we would have saved some money on taxes living out of the county, but the money we would pay for gas would almost bring us right back to where we would be... you get the point. So now we are looking at homes in Bartlett. Bartlett is a really nice place, and a friend of mine from nursing school recommended a friend of hers who builds homes there. They are actually the best builder we have found so far and there is a really nice home for sale at a great price they have available that we like. Of course, Paul is going to try to get them down more. I'm not good at dickering so I leave that to him. I'm very excited to have a home though. We've been talking about it for what feels like an eternity, and I think we have looked at every home for sale in the country - that's what it feels like.

Labor day weekend we didn't do anything vacation-like, we looked at a lot of houses, we cleaned, slept - HEAVENS TO BETSY I love sleeping. I wake up around 5 AM for work each morning so I LOVE ME SOME weekend sleep-in time. It's comparable to chocolate covered in silky smooth satin laced with gold and topped with a touch of heaven. Yes. THAT good.

We went to a BBQ wedding reception a couple weekends ago for a friend of mine at work. It was really nice. His parents are loaded. Paul had like 3 plates piled high with BBQ meat. Sometimes I wonder if he has a parasite. He can eat a truck load and stay thin. Today, I glanced down the hallway at a piece of cake this lady was carrying and I gained 20 pounds on my ass. Seriously.

More updates later!

I Was Just Wondering...

Have you ever been in a public restroom that has music playing overhead and the song just pierces your soul and causes an undeniable urge to dance to develop within you? And then you break into dance as you are washing your hands? Then someone walks in the bathroom just as you are coming out of a spin and you recover nicely by faking that you are grabbing for a paper towel to dry your hands off with... and they will never know what you were just doing... and you just basque in your cleverness as you leave the bathroom with that thought in your head and the satisfaction from a nice moment of secret emotional and artistic release?

One Of The Cutest Kids In The World

HAPPY BIRTHDAY...
to my nephew Max - one of the coolest kids I know.

He's touch, he's strong, and he can do no wrong!
We love you and miss you so much!

This Is What Happens When You Threaten Your Children With Pickles...

Link in case video doesn't work: Pickles

Happy Birthday Babe!

Today the numero uno man in my life turns 30.

Happy birthday to my best friend, my husband, Paul.
I love you forever x infinity + 1.

Paul & Edith Simpson

We finally caved and joined the latest craze... we've been simpsonized. I have to say, it does sort of look like us...

Happy Birthday Heidi!!

Happy Birthday to my big sister Heidi!

I'm so proud of you and all you've accomplished! I miss you!

The Latest Craze That Has Been Around For A Long Time That I Just Discovered...

Do you love to sing? Do you wish that life was more like a musical and you could SING those uninteresting toneless words you speak each day? Do you sing in the shower, or regularly boogie-down to the songs on the radio in your car. Then you need to try... Online Karaoke!

If you have a sound card, speakers and a microphone of some sort - even a dinky one like the one we have - you have all the necessary equipment needed to sing your heart out in the privacy of your own home.

You don't even have to be good!! You can even NOT post a picture, and make up a silly name, which no one would know was you if you did not want to be identified by someone who may know you... ahhh the luxurious internet.

There are couple of websites out there, but the one I like the best is SingShot. Where I am known as "eedy" - look me up some time and listen to my rendition of such songs as Breathless by The Corrs. Or have a listen to Angel By Sarah McLauchlan.

There is another one out there called SingSnap that has a better selection of songs, but it requires an invitation and a better sound system to get good sound on your recording. If you want an invitation let me know.

Join me flower child! (that was for you Shawna)