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Saturday (Pictures)

Did you know the first day of Spring is in just a few days? That’s insane! I’m so glad, though. I can’t wait ’til the weather finally breaks. Although, we’ve had quite the mild winter–no complaints there. I’m just ready to wear flip-flops and skirts and traveling and taking pictures. So ready!!

Work news:
During lunch one day, Shannon, Justin, and Patty had a “puppet show” of sorts with spoons. Hilarious. KA told me that I’m getting good at proofing the reprints. YAY because I enjoy doing it very much.

Amanda’s last day was yesterday. She was my cubemate and so awesome. I get my own cube, but I won’t get Amanda. I’ll miss her.


Amanda looks pretty.
I look like a dork. My hair is awful. πŸ™

Aidan news:
He is climbing all over me and it’s driving me crazy. There are a million places to sit in the family room, and he insists on sitting ON MY BACK. It’s not comfortable at all. He’s trying to force me to eat a Pringle. A Sour Cream and Onion Pringle for breakfast. HONESTLY. Ew. He’s also learned how to ask for every single toy he sees. Oh my.

I got him REAL underwear in hopes that it will speed up the potty-training process. I figure, if he wets himself and feels it, he’ll be less inclined to do so in the future. I know this will mean lots more laundry over the next few days to several weeks, but hopefully it will mean the end of buying diapers and Pull-ups soon. He’s getting there, but he gets lazy sometimes. Way too much, actually. So yeah.

I feel like I’m constantly running the vaccuum because Aidan is forever spilling crumbs or something all over the floor. Our family room carpet is awful, and the shampooer is broken, so I just have to live with it. *sigh*

He pronounces “butt” so funny. I keep asking him to say “butt” or “nut” or “cut” because I love the way he says those words.

I feel like all I say is “NO!” He gets into so much stuff. All the time. He climbs like whoa, nothing is safe!! He’s so destructive if he’s not being watched or monitored every second. It’s exhausting!

Writing news:
In April, I ‘m going to Spring Fling Writer’s Conference. I’ll get to meet other writers there, authors, agents, and mandywriter!!! It’s gonna be fun! πŸ˜€

I haven’t done much with my WIP. I have ideas all the time, but once I start working, I seem to lose steam. Not sure what the deal is. Well, it’s hard to focus. I’m trying to write romantic scenes, and that’s hard to do when Aidan is asking for help with something every five minutes, or when Chris is slamming things all over the house. I think I have to get away to be able to write those scenes. Also, there is so much I have to do, write, revise, change, that I feel overwhelmed by the idea of it all. I simply need to FOCUS, get in my zone, and let go.

I heard from my agent. He’s had to expand the submissions list to include Christian publishers. I’m getting discouraged because my book is on that fence: too Christian for mainstream, not Christian enough for the Christian publishers. I don’t know if Only Yours will sell. All the more reason I’m glad I have a super agent–he’s working his butt off to sell my book because he sees merit and that’s incredible to me. I always let him know how much I appreciate him.

Pictures:
It’s been a while since I’ve posted loads of pictures. I know certain people have been requesting them (ahem davidd), so here we go:

Captured!

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Lots (Pictures)

I am EXHAUSTED! Last week was long:

Wednesday: Family stuff/mourning/support.

Thursday: More family stuff, then a trip to Bed, Bath and Beyond to get a coat rack. I ended up picking up some canvas storage boxes for $2.99 each, and a Santa Claus who was on clearance for $3.74.

Friday (around midnight): Out of town relatives showed up, and we took some of the cousins to our house. They were tired, but we stayed up really late talking anyway. It was good to see them, even though the circumstances were sad.

Friday evening: Calling hours. They showed a DVD full of pictures of Grandpa. The cousins and I were in and out. It was really sad, but the support was amazing. After that, all the cousins went to Max & Ermas to eat a late dinner, and a few of us went to Meijer in search of long underwear.

Saturday: The funeral. Needless to say, it was very, very, very sad. There were three eulogies (Chris gave one), and a song, and their pastor spoke. After the service, we went to the cemetary, and there, the American Legion did a service, and there was a 21-gun salute, and they played taps. It was heartbreaking. It still doesn’t seem real. πŸ™ As an aside, the Johnstown cops are PIGS. I hate them. One of the pallbearers had expired tags on his car. THEY IMPOUNDED HIS CAR. He didn’t get to be a pallbearer, he was at his UNCLE’S funeral, and he was already upset–they couldn’t have just let him have a ticket? The cops were supposed to be there to help escort us to the cemetary, not towing cars. Grrrr. Anyway… after the funeral services, we went to a lunch that the church had provided for the family, and then some of the cousins and I went home for much needed naps. They woke up after an hour (AN HOUR!) and headed to Grandma’s. I slept for a few more hours, and so did Aidan and Chris. We were so tired. After we got up, we headed to Grandma’s where the mood was a lot lighter than it had been. People were laughing and talking and it was good. We were also taking pictures, some of which I’ll put under a cut. The cousins stayed with us again (YAY) and we watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and half of Hitch before we all got tired and pooped out.

Sunday: BIG BREAKFAST made by Chris. We talked and hung out with the cousins, then they left about 10:30am to head back to Illinois. I miss them. THEN we went to Aurora to drop off the Booba. Mommy had us take her grocery shopping, and I was cranky and tired. We also ate Ruby Tuesday. We came back home, I finished reading A Bad Boy Can Be Good For A Girl (Tanya Lee Stone tanyaleestone) and crashed.

Monday: WORK all day, then Barnes and Noble. I got a few books and a book light. Then I met Craig at Target and helped him pick out an iPod. Then I went to his house and set up his wireless network (can I just say $#@!*&), and helped him with his iPod. I was there a lot later than I’d intended, so I grabbed some McDonalds on the way home and ate that before reading a bit then falling asleep.

Tuesday: WORK all day, and then I plan to stop at the library to pick up a reserve, then go home and relax and write and read. I am worn out, I have a headache, and I need an evening, so I am turning off the phones and probably won’t be answering anyone on AIM or AOL.

And… here are some pictures:

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RandomNess (Pictures)

So yesterday, I went and got my hair done for the first time since September. It’s just so luxurious to have someone else do the hard work for me. I’ll be going back in seven weeks. πŸ™‚

After the salon, I hopped over to Kohls and picked up two pairs of pants, a simple black shirt, pajama pants, mittens and a matching hat, and a treat for Aidan for around $47. Can’t beat that with a stick, huh? πŸ™‚

I’m in a good mood.

OH MY GOD. I’ve been eating like whoa the past few days. I mean, I’m like starving all the time. No, I’m not pregnant. Oh wait. I just realized why I’m eating so much. : Dang it, the months go so quickly, don’t they?

Bloody hell, it’s already February. That’s just crazy. Soon, Aidan will be going to spend two weeks with his grandmommy (he’s been talking about it non-stop), and Chris will be in Phoenix for a week. Guess what I plan to do!

1. LOTS OF WRITING.
2. Lots of naps.
3. A massage.
4. MORE writing.

It’s gonna be sweet.

Anyway, here are a few of my favorite pictures from Holly’s wedding:



This one gives me chills. πŸ™‚

See more here: CLICK! and comment here at my LJ! πŸ™‚ I did the photography and I want to know what you all think.

The Meme of Four

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Weekend (Pictures)

This evening, I went to feed the fish and noticed all sorts of balls floating at the top of the tank. I FREAKED OUT because I thought they were eggs. Turned out to be food that Chris had dumped in by mistake.

Speaking of fish–not sure if I posted that they had been moved to a ten-gallon tank. πŸ™‚ Two of the zebras had died, so that left three. Yesterday, I got 2 guppies, 2 silver mollys, and a snail. One of the mollys has died already, but Petsmart has a 14-day guarantee, so I’m going to get a replacement tomorrow. I hope they ALL don’t die from overfeeding–but they seem to be ignoring the food now that they’re full.

Last night we celebrated Chris’s grandparent’s 50th anniversary. It was a surprise–they’d thought they were attending someone’s birthday party. πŸ™‚ His grandmother started crying IMMEDIATELY. I snapped this picture mere seconds after she walked into the door:

I was so happy because Sara and Amy were there (cousins by marriage). THEY ARE SO FREAKIN’ HILARIOUS. Here I am with them:


Yes, those are Chris’s evil eyes lurking in the background!!

They are such great gals. And they’re hilarious with the kids. I love spending time with them. They are SCANDALOUS!!!! I’ll never forget the ICE MOLD. It was um… very special and very suitable for a bachelorette party if you know what I mean. :O


Here are the kids (minus one) and the happy couple. None of them are standing/posing in a way that makes sense except Chris’s mother. Grandpa is right behind Grandma.

Friday night, I pretty much read, relaxed, and wrote. πŸ™‚ This weekend, I finished reading my fourth novel of 2006: A Total Waste of Makeup. It’s freakin’ hilarious, I LOLed at more than one point in the book. Good stuff. Right now, I am reading S8er Boy by Mari Mancusi. I know her. πŸ™‚ She’s very nice and so far her book is really good. Once I finish S8er Boy, I will be 5% finished with my goal to read 100 new books this year. WOO!! πŸ˜€

Book Links: A Total Waste of Makeup | Sk8er Boy

Today, Holly came over for a bit and Chris tested another wedding cake for her. In case you didn’t know, Holly (who I’ve known since college, and who Chris has known since preschool) is getting married January 28th. I’m photographing the wedding, Chris is doing the cake. His past tests were not so good, but today was very yummy. He’s using fondant and going to accent it with pink. It’s going to be great. I hope my photographs turn out well. I’m a little nervous, but I’m going digital, so I think I’ll do okay. I’m excited, I’m going to get all the best spots for picture taking YEAH!

I watched Mickey Mouse Club: Best of Britney, Justin, & Christina today. There were only four episodes on the DVD. I want them to release DVDs of ALL seaons of MMC. I’d be SO on that, you have no idea. Gosh, just turning the DVD on, hearing that theme music–I felt like I was 18 again.

Tonight was the grove. It’s all new. Very cutting edge. New room, new atmosphere, new format. I like it. πŸ™‚

I got a Disney Catalog that focused on home goods. Oh My God. If I were rich, my house would TOTALLY be done up in all Mickey Mouse. Desks, tables, TV cabinets…you name it. Oh man. Talk about a dream house, huh? Well, instead of the furniture, I pre-ordered Lady and the Tramp.

Alright, I’m ready to read. I’m enjoying tonight because tomorrow I have AIDAN DUTY like whoa. Chris works from 1-10. I am off. I have some errands to run (Comp USA, Petsmart, Meijer), and Aidan and I will have lunch at McDonalds, and I’m MAKING him take a nap with me, dang it. He was a cranker today which drove me insane. I will pull out my hair if he acts that way tomorrow.

Later! πŸ™‚

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Happy New Year! (Pictures)

HI!

I hope everyone had a safe and responsible but of course FUN time last night! I had a last day of 2005 and first day of 2006. Time for a RECAP!

First, we went and visited the new baby who shares Aidan’s birthday. Aidan was super gentle with her, and it was the sweetest thing. She’s such a beautiful baby and the parents are totally cool.


Tell me that’s not precious??????

Last night, I partied with some friends and brought in the New Year. It was loads of fun.

Check it

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