My two awesome accomplishments for today.

People don't understand that being in a house pretty much all day everyday gets to be a bit old after a while, especially if you aren't driving and don't know a whole lot of people in the area. Even if I borrowed the car, I really didn't have a lot of options as far as places to go or people to see so I just sit in the house. The only voices I hear and the only people I talk to till Daylan comes home are from facebook or random tv shows. I finally decided that enough was enough and I wanted to get a job.

Yesterday I went and filled out four applications for restaurants close to the house and we decided to drop them off today. It was 3pm so we were in between the lunch and dinner rushes. The first three places were completely dead, which is what I expected. The last restaurant actually had cars in it. Not only that but half of the restaurant was packed during this "off" time when every other place only had a few tables occupied. It certainly was an interesting thing to see.

I handed my application to a waiter and he asked if I wanted to go ahead and do an interview. I was already there so why not? The manager sat me down and barely looked at my application. He asked me a few questions. He saw that all my other jobs were in Florida, so he asked how I liked it in Texas. I'm use to a beach area with rain so I told him that this was a big change. I did make it clear that while I had ten years of experience in the food industry that only ten months of it was restaurant experience and only three or four months of that was waitressing experience. I told him I wasn't working for a while, but it was because I didn't need to. I told him I was now working so we could pay for a wedding. Fib. He didn't need to know the real reason but he just smiled and nodded. He asked me about the last restaurant so I told him that I probably couldn't handle more than four restaurants, honesty is the best policy, but that I'm use to working a lot. At Sonic I worked 60+ hours so that wasn't a lie. My hours were being cut, business was slow so I left. The restaurant really did shut down, but I guess I made it seem like it shut down shortly after I left. If he tries to call, he won't get anywhere. From what I understand, the building is gutted. He said that my having food experience is good and my lack of restaurant experience is also great. They apparently are revamping rules and whatnot so I can be trained with "good behaviors and habits." He said that I have right people person personality that he is looking for, despite my saying I am shy at first. He said that if I needed extra days for training I could have it. I asked if he wanted me to be a hostess first so I could get a better understanding of the menu and he said it wasn't necessary. He apparently either really wanted me to be a waitress or was in desperate need for a waitress. Either way I was in the right place at the right time. Orientation and paperwork is on Saturday. He told me to expect to be there for about three hours so 9am-noon.

Yeah, I wasn't expecting to be hired on the spot.

By next week I will be a waitress for Cheddars. This is one of the busiest restaurants in San Angelo. He said it is a 3.2 million dollar a year restaurant. Daylan says it is really good and usually packed. How can I not make money if it is busy? I have heard from Daylan's family that a lot of parties and business meetings are held there. I am definitely excited at the idea of making a shit ton of money. I just have to get use to the pace, to the menu, to holding a tray full of food (again) and see if I can advertise myself. I'll be doing all this fun stuff again.

I'm just hoping that I've learned how to better control my temper. I don't tolerate people yelling at me or giving me a hard time because they came in that way. I don't kiss ass. It's good trait in real life but a bad trait to have at work.

After we got done with that, Daylan of course started calling people to share the news. He seemed really proud of me. We went and got our grocery shopping done. Once again I couldn't use a lot of my coupons, but I did explain to Daylan that Albertson's and HEB is great for just groceries, but places like Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid (which we don't have here) are best for toiletries, laundry detergent and other items. If I remember correctly, you can double coupons there. I think it is finally starting to sink into his head a bit. He just hates having to shop in more than one place. Anyway, this is how we did this week.

Here are the stats: what we spent was $76.15 and saved $57.93. That is a 76% savings! Assuming my math is correct,that is the best I've done yet! It's not a lot of stuff for $76 but we had a lot of $.88 or $1.88 deals. The chicken was buy one get two free so we got a little over 6lbs of chicken for $18 or so. Daylan that while he loves red meat, he thinks it would be a good idea to stick with mostly chicken. 

The two boxes of cereal were $1.88 a box, and I got the kiddy sugary cereal for Daylan. I find that stuff disgusting. The six things of yogurt were 2 for $.88, so I couldn't pass it up. The cream cheese was BOGO for the generic brand. I bought a pack of red beans (not realizing that I already had some), sour cream, eggs were half off so they were $.88. The two mustards were 3 for $5. Green onions for 2 for $.88, as were the grapefruit. The cantaloupe was $1.88. The nutella was about $2.50 with my dollar off coupon. That was a treat for me. The milk, tub plug, bagels and sour cream weren't any special deals, but we needed it. The three boxes of velvetta shells were $1.88 each. I got three different kinds. Salsa was 2 for $5. The grapes for $1.88/lb and I think it was just over a pound. The ranch wasn't on sale. 

 A lot of these we could have got the generic brands but Albertson's was giving away extra game pieces for certain items. We are missing one piece on a few prizes. If I am going to play, I might as well play hard. Yes I could have saved a few more bucks, but we could win some pretty big prizes. It's worth a try right? I'm just happy we saved almost as much as we spent. It's the best we've done so far. It's no 95% savings like the people who are into extreme couponing, but I'm not doing too bad with the coupons and in store deals for being only a few months into it and only shopping at one store a week. I'd really be saving more if the store would double the store coupons with the manufacturing coupons and if fresh stuff was cheaper. I've said in numerous blog posts how fresh produce, meats, milk and cheeses will give you high grocery bills. I did cut back on the vegetable purchases since I have frozen (fresh) produce in the freezer. I only grabbed green onions and a red pepper for dishes I plan to make soon. 

In between all this we went to T-Mobile to look if there were any phones that fit the three criteria that I want but I didn't find anything immediately. We did go to Hastings to buy some movies. Buy two used and get another for $1. I also finally got the newest Linkin Park cd for $9, which is the cheapest I've seen it. We decided laundry could wait to be done on a later day since we didn't have as much as we normally do.

All in all, the day wasn't horrible. I didn't get much else accomplished but I think today was a good day.

Making a list and checking it twice...or I could just go with it with a smile

Part of a lesson I learned is to simply block out all negative thoughts and focus on things that make you happy. Once you have rewired your brain, even for the moment, you then focus on things you want, things you want to accomplish, people you want to meet and it is supposed to calm you down.

I sat here in my room. My eyes are closed, my tv show is paused, and all I hear is the fan blowing on me. I tune out the white noise and the sound that is replaced is the inhalation of breath, the exhalation of breath and the warm thud of my heart. My skin tingles as I am cooled, even though I am sitting with a blanket on me. Breathe in, breathe out. What do I want to focus on? I lean my head back till it rests on my padded brown suede headboard. Think. Think. Think. In a split second, my mind's eye fast forwards through images. It stops instantly on one word: happy. There we go. Sometimes it is not always that easy. It isn't always so cut and dry. I am a list-maker and I sort out idea and errands by making numerous lists. I open my eyes slowly, turn on some music and decide that rather than focus on what I can do to make myself happy, I want to think of everything I can in this time span that already makes me happy.

What better than to create a playlist of songs that are currently my favorites. If popping my knuckles didn't hurt me immensely, I'd take a deep breath and pop away. Instead of doing that, I pull up my hair and apply baby petroleum jelly to my lips. I know, it's a bit ludicrous, but it's what I am doing for this. I'm also going to stick to my tried and true thing; lists.

• Sleeping
• Texting friends
• Watching movies or tv shows
• Walking
• Taking pictures
• Reconnecting
• Hearing my son's laugh
• Hanging out with my friends
• Writing
• Taking pictures
• Putting makeup on myself
• Spending money
• Saving money
• Visiting new places
• Meeting new people
• Facebook
• Burning cds
• Having dinner with friends
• Going to Emerald City
• Touching animals
• Relaxing in a comfy bed
• Grocery shopping
• Pampering myself
• Eating food
• Finding some awesome clothes (which is rare)
• Getting a new elephant item
• Holding hands
• Washing hair color out of my hair
• Eating raw oysters
• Baking 
• Laughing at stupid stuff
• Hugging my son when he tells me he loves me
• Sleeping in
• Getting dressed up
• Making lists and/or planning things out
• Getting a massage
• Playing new games (board or cards)
• Collecting movies and tv series
• Buying new bras, underwear or lingerie
• Hearing Daylan say he loves me
• Looking at wedding stuff
• Watching storms/being in storms
• Documentaries
• Astronomy
• Dinosaurs
• Marine Biology
• Paranormal activities
• Topics of mystery such as the Bermuda Triangle and other topics
• Horror movies, stand-up comedies and dance genre movies
• Eating healthy
• Taking hot baths
• Sitting by an open fire in a fireplace
• Winning a debate
• Making someone else laugh
• Learning something new
• Opening presents
• Cashing/depositing paychecks

The only thing you can do in life is sit and concentrate on the things that make you happy. There are more things, but this is what I thought of in a short period of time.

If you build it...

Daylan and I were talking about whether or not it would be cheaper to just buy a house or to build one. We both believe it would be cheaper, here in Texas, to build one. In Florida, it is cheaper to buy but the housing is double the cost than it is here. If I were to buy, I'd have so many other hassles to deal with. Is it really worth it?

Look, I know that I know nothing about the housing market and my "knowledge" is based off of shows I've seen on HGTV. Experience trumps assumption and all I have are assumptions. From what I gathered, you have to pay a realtor to show you homes that aren't quite what you want but you try to narrow it down to what has the most features off of your list to the price. Sometimes you really have to compromise. If the house is popular, then you have a wage war. Who can give the previous owner or the builder the most money. You go through closing costs, home inspections and then you pay to alter the house to how you want it. Couldn't I just bypass most of that and just build a home how I would want it?

I'm sure I'd still need a house inspection and I know I'd still need a buttload of insurance to cover it, but I think I'd rather pay a bit extra for a house that has every quality I need and want than to worry about jumping through all those hoops just to have to fix the house up. Maybe I don't want wall paper or carpets in the living room. I'd rather go through the sleepless nights, the gray hairs and the timeline to build a house that won't have to be fixed for a long time. It would be brand new. No sudden repairs that have to be dealt with and while I understand I'd have a house with absolutely no history I would still have a home who's history starts with me.

Where I build a house will have to be a place where I can see myself living for a long time. I don't want to have to give up the house because a better job offer was elsewhere. If I am to become a nurse, I'd rather work near the best hospital in the country (assuming they'd hire me) so I don't have to worry about better offers. It's a long shot but a girl can dream.

So how would I have my house? I'd want a house with a wide parking lot, not a long one. People can park and go when they please and I wouldn't have to worry about finding keys. I'd want the dining room and living room side by side but I want the connecting wall to be mostly 3/4 walls so that I could light candles on top. I haven't decided on if I want an open kitchen to the living room or if I want there to be a serving wall somewhere for the kitchen and dining room. I want the guest rooms on the opposite side of the house as the master bedroom. I want a finished basement that could be Daylan's man cave and a den for my makeup and/or crafts. I do want an attic for storage but I want to have a shed. I want to have a green house. I want a large laundry room/pantry off the kitchen. I want there to be a deck in the back yard so that we could have BBQ's. The master bathroom would have a deep metal tub big enough to where I can submerge myself as well as a shower. There would be two sinks and plenty of space where we could keep our stuff. Oh and let's not forget a walk-in closet for the master bedroom. Having a room for exercise equipment would be nice.

I'm sure this would have to be a big house. I'm sure if would require a big income and a lot of land. But you don't know. By the time we get settled down and get enough finances in order, it could be possible. My brother built his house outside of Memphis.

Spell check has ruined us.

I ran into a really funny clip this evening. It took all of fifteen seconds, but I was laughing incredibly hard. My gut was hurting. I even played it for my fiance and he just grinned. After I heard the video, I noticed everyone's posts online. It seems as though the basics have been lost on us.

Basic grammar has been forgotten. No one knows how to not have run-on sentences. Colons and semi-colons are a thing of the past. Yes, I'm guilty of grammatical errors. I use "LOL" and emoticons that represent faces. However I don't shorten words that aren't even true abbreviations. I don't use text talk. I don't shorten sentences or respell words. People can read what I write without having to guess and guess incorrectly. No one knows how to spell anymore because we rely on the spell checkers on our computers.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/video/video.php?v=1731265676318&comments

What's hilarious about this video is...wait, what isn't funny about this video? Who the hell gets a call about being attacked by a warthog? Really? Warthogs are in the woods! What is it doing in a neighborhood? What did they do? Did they throw a can at it because it was eating food out of their trash can? I just couldn't help but have this voice in my head that is doubled over from laughing (yes the voice in my head does a says a lot of weird stuff) while I'm listening to all fifteen seconds of the video. To me, redneck/hick/boggie accents are hilarious.

No offense, but I've always viewed those accents as a sign of being uneducated. They use words, such as "coolin box" instead of a refrigerator. "Fishin poe" instead of fishing poles. I have "family" who live in Alabama and Mississippi, and trust me, I believe that despite they "job" they have that they are dumb as a rock. I can say this because members of my father's family have asked us "Where's yall's coolin box??" I respond with "The refrigerator is located in the kitchen and almost every kitchen in the country is located in the middle of the house. It's the room with all the appliances and no beds, futons or couches." Yes, I'm a bitch.Yes, I laughed at the man because of his accent. Whoops. Back to the story at hand.

What's even better is the fact that this man, and his wife, more than likely live on this road. I say this because he knew what the neighboring street was. If he lives on that street, why couldn't he spell it? If he didn't live on it, how did he know that the next street's name?

Yes, it's a good idea to marry someone who can spell.

Go ahead. Listen to the video again. You know you want to. Oh the tears!

Bros before hoes and chicks before.... what again?

It always surprises me how things work out and how people work out. I shouldn't be shocked but clearly I was at the news that Daylan gave me. I had warning prior to hearing the news but I really didn't think that it was such a big deal.

It started with the fact that Daylan's best friend, Bryan, IMed me on facebook asking with Daylan was. I told him he was at work so to keep trying to get him. I told him that he never checks his voice mail and he's been keeping is phone charging on the desk for a while now. If he needed to get in touch with him, I'd just text him. I did give him the store number and said that if he didn't respond to just call the store. As long as Daylan knew Bryan was looking for him, he would call back when he was free. Bryan said he needed to speak to him sooner than later but it didn't sound like it was extremely important. I went on with my night.

The reason why he had to get a hold of Daylan was because it was about Heather. Before I tell the story, let me back track. I met Daylan about four years ago. I was still married to Tom and he was with Heather. My marriage had been on the rocks for a while but both relationships deteriorated around the same time. We ended up dating each other soon afterward. We were just waiting on the courts to sign off on the divorce papers. Most of the divorce process had already been completed by the time Tom and I tried again. Daylan and Heather's breakup was a bit harsh and it left Daylan pretty devastated. He called me that night and asked me to come over, so I did. Bryan was dating Ashley, at the time, so Bryan was there for Daylan as well. Bryan's girlfriend was best friends with Heather so Heather would talk to Ashley about the breakup while Daylan had Bryan. I didn't like Heather because for a few reasons, and none of them was because I wanted to be with Daylan. Heather worked with a friend, so I heard different stories than everyone else. She was whiny, didn't want to do anything, was picky, things had to be her way and she raised hell if something wasn't right. I'm not even adding how she treated Daylan because I was biased at the time. Does this sound like a weird soap opera yet? So a few months ago Bryan and Ashley break up and I've heard weird stories from Daylan about it. Anyway Bryan asked Daylan's permission to date Heather, his newly broken up girlfriend's best friend. Daylan says he doesn't care. They haven't been together for years and Daylan respected Bryan for asking. Heather didn't even ask Ashley, who is still upset about the breakup which was only three months ago. Daylan called Ashley to see how she is and apparently Heather told her that this was how it was going to be, so she pretty much threw away the only best friend she had who was willing to put up with all of Heather's bs for her new ex. Ashley is furious and calls Bryan because he never even mentioned it to her and she is pissed. She thinks that he is opening up to Heather, who he rarely said anything nice about when Daylan was with her, when he wouldn't open up to her and they were together three years.

Sigh.

I told Daylan he needs to call them. Heather may not be his responsibility anymore, but he needs to tell her that she is pretty much discarding the only best friend she has. Her loyalty towards Ashley should trump any guy and if it doesn't she should have worded it so much better. He needs to tell Bryan because he doesn't think Bryan knows HOW Heather told Ashley. If he even loved her, and he did, then he should at least care about her feelings. She doesn't have to like it, but she shouldn't be left heartbroken because of how the whole situation is playing out.

So this is what Bryan needed to talk to Daylan about. Do you mind if I date your ex girlfriend from three years ago? What a guy. At least he asked. He knew Daylan shouldn't care, but hey, you never know. If I were Ashley, I don't think I could ever talk to Heather again. When I found out a different Ashley slept with Daylan while saying that Daylan and I should have never broke up, I stopped talking to her. How could I still be friends with a triffling drunk girl who would sleep with my man, in the midst of a breakup, and say "I hope you two get back together again because I miss both of you." Obviously she missed him more. If I were Ashley, I could never look at Heather the same way again, especially with how her delivery was done.

Man, everyone else has so much drama...

Am I going crazy?

Night time is a weird time for me lately. It never seems to matter exactly what mood I am in. The nights will always bring the opposite reaction. I could be chilling at home without a care in the world but the instant I come to bed to surf the internet, IM someone, cruise facebook or edit pictures, I will be the complete opposite. I'll be some sort of a nervous wreck. You wouldn't think so if you were to look at me. If I am upset about something during the day, then I calm down. Well, I am calm till it is time to shut my brain off.

It isn't that I am a night owl. It isn't even entirely because my sleep schedule is out of whack. Maybe it's because my brain is functioning strangely on the cups of green tea I've been drinking for the past week or two. I try to drink it at noon, but sometimes I don't get to till 3pm. There isn't even anything good on tv late at night but sometimes I can't sleep till 3am. I do try to go to sleep around 1am.

Oh, and I seem to sleep 12hrs a day no matter what time I go to sleep. I don't even take naps! I am walking periodically, but I think this is my brain version of trying to medicate itself. The less hours it is "awake" and functional, the less hours it will drive me absolutely bonkers. One would look at me and just think I am lazy. I really am serious when I say I sleep 12hrs a day. I may wake up earlier and watch something in bed and wake up not realizing I fell asleep. Or I'll wake up around 6, be up a while and then sleep later.

Night time really is a weird time for me. Maybe I should take sleeping pills for a week. Perhaps that will get me back on a normal sleep schedule. If nothing else, maybe I can mentally be a normal person at night. Maybe I should get back into reading again, but I have to do it in complete silence. That is a rare occurrence in this house since Daylan is always playing a video game (and cussing at the tv).

Sleeping pills sound about right.

Stuffing my face is exhausting

Ever since I've tried cutting my calories and eating only fresh foods, I've been starving. I know this is a good thing. The human body is supposed to eat every three to four hours and we were never meant to eat like we didn't know when our next meal would come. So I am trying to measure what I eat, keep track of the foods that I know I can find calories to and I try to eat all the time. I'm trying to cut down sugars as well. So here I am, cutting the calories, trying to eliminate the sugars and I am trying to walk. I'm still starving. Fruits and vegetables keep me full for less than an hour. I refuse to weigh myself because I don't want to be dependent on a weight loss number. 10-15lbs would be ideal but no more than that. If I can get back into all of my old pants without having to lose 10lbs, then so be it. I just want to fit into my old clothes. In the mean time, I'm starving and stuffing myself at the same time. So I will grab a fruit and a yogurt before I go on my walk. Man, I have got to get use to this.

Hastings may lose a valued customer soon

On Monday I was able to print off some coupons for three movies I was interested in buying. It's rare that www.coupons.com has movie coupons and the chances that I would find movies I like are slim to none. I got lucky and was able to print off three coupons. One was $4 off of Easy A in Blu-ray or dvd, one was $4 off of Karate Kid (the new one) Blu-ray or dvd and the other was $3 off Romeo and Juliet Blu-ray or dvd.

 I walk inside Hastings and make bee-lines for these movies. I'm feeling like a rock star. I have coupons in my hand to save me $11 and I know they usually have deals on movies. Buy one used get one for $1. I find Karate Kid and Easy A used for $9.99 and I am feeling good. I find Romeo and Juliet on sale (brand new) for $9.99. Well, because we got two used, we decided to grab some movie I've never heard of as Daylan's choice and Inception used as ours.

We make our way to the register. I'm still feeling pretty good. I even tell Daylan how much I rock because we are going to be leaving with extremely cheap movies and we did it without stealing or cheating.

Some little dimwit wouldn't even LOOK at my coupons. He just said if they weren't Hastings coupons, then there was no way that they could take it because it would be fraud. The poor guy on the register must have seen the look in my eyes because I began to see red. In my mind, I remembered when I brought a similar coupon to get Home Alone for $4. This was Christmas! I know that they are able to take these coupons, but the guy at the register had to listen to the person who must have been in charge. He wasn't a manager.

My eyes were wide and my hands were in fists by my thighs. I didn't say anything except "This was the ONLY reason why we came here.". Daylan took over. He paid for the movies anyway and whispered how he thought I was still a rock star. It didn't even matter at this point in time. All I thought was 'Who the hell doesn't take coupons?' Daylan tried to reassure me that maybe they changed their coupon policy and all I kept saying was that we would return and talk to someone else. That's $11 we could have saved! Our total wouldn't have been $37 (he rented a game as well), it would have been approximately $26 or so for the five movies.

Lets just say I didn't bother to take the movies out of the car. We will be back and I will bring those coupons and the receipt. If a manager says that we could have used those coupons, they will void the entire sale and start over from scratch. I will give them the description of the guy who said that he couldn't use the coupons. So far I haven't found anything in their coupon policy online that states that they no longer take internet coupons. If you look at the two pictures, you can see that there isn't anything wrong with the coupons. They aren't expired. It says blu-ray or dvd, it even has a barcode to scan. I bet if they were to scan it, it would take it. If the computer were to say that it wasn't valid, then at least I would understand....somewhat.

I still would have brought the movies inside.

With the look on my face, I'm surprised Daylan even bought the movies. I was tempted to just walk out the door and tell the blonde guy to fuck himself. I was furious. The cashier was trying to make the situation better, and Daylan really could have cared less, but my head was spinning. I'm honestly surprised that the situation even had me as livid as I did. No matter how you look at it, $11 is still $11. Who doesn't want to save money or get a good deal? Hopefully we can go back tomorrow or on Friday. I refuse to open the movies until then.

Does no one listen?

I can not tell you how frustrated I am. My morning started off bad an hour ago and I'm just wanting to escape. Once again, the toilet overflowed. Every time I use it, I have to use a plunger, but nothing seems to help. It just won't flush correctly. Water come up to the rim. Most of the time, it slowly drains but sometimes it doesn't.

I slept on the couch last night and I heard the toilet running a lot without taking a break. The toilet tends to constantly run unless you jiggle the handle. I woke up to constant running so I go towards the bathroom to mess with the handle when I saw water coming down the hallway. One part is going into the spare room, one part is starting to flood the kitchen and the other is making its way to the bedroom. The bathroom is the only bathroom in the house and the only door in the house (besides the front and back door). It's not like I have any other options as far as bathrooms unless I want to pee in the tub.

Daylan told me that he called the maintenance man but apparently he canceled the request for David coming out because he thought the toilet fixed itself...nothing fixes itself. I've been telling him for the past few days that you have to put the plunger to it every time you use it but apparently Daylan has stopped listening to me all together. I'm in the house all day every day. Apparently I don't know what the hell I am talking about. Now we may have to wait until Monday to have our only toilet in the house looked at.

I just want to scream and cry. You would think something small like this would be no big deal but the toilet flooded not too long ago! Then the sink was leaking in the bathroom, then our sinks wouldn't drain (because the pipes were frozen), then the freezer outside thawed out all of our meat. Let's not forget that the front and back doors have gaps so wasps, centipedes and other critters could constantly get inside my house. This was an everyday thing when the temperatures were hot. I never had a phobia of wasps till they were in my house everyday. I'd wake up from taking a nap on the couch to a wasp hovering over me.

Geez, I know this will be gross but I hope I don't have a bowel movement this weekend. I can use the tub to pee but I don't want to deal with the toilet overflowing again because Daylan refused to listen to me.

New discoveries awoke a sense of desire in me

It's interesting when you get to take a look inside someone's life. You never know who they really are until you do :) I discovered the secret lives of two of my facebook friends. In my head, I heard a lot of my other friends booing the pictures, the videos and the blogs that I found. They would not be looked upon in a nice manner, but I saw nothing wrong with it! To each their own. They are doing what they like and they seem to be making good money from it. It actually made me a bit jealous because I wished that my tummy was as flat as theirs, and one is a mother! It did make me realize that I've really been letting myself go so I should start making a few changes.

I need to actually do myself up more often. I feel good when I have my hair done and makeup on. I've just been going around the house with no makeup on, my hair in a ponytail and in pj's because I only get to leave the house once a week. No, that isn't an exaggeration. I need to still do my normal routine because it may pep up my mood. I'm no longer hormonal. I also need to keep up with walking but ad a few more things to my workout routine. Do some push-ups, some squats and sit-ups. Crunches don't do anything for me. Technically sit-ups don't either (I use my  back muscles more than my ab muscles so my back always hurts more than normal) but I don't know how to make crunches or sit-ups work for me. Oh well, I might as well do them. I will definitely feel better about myself if I can get back into my old clothes.

I hope in the process of getting my old body back that I don't lose the breasts I got from having Gabriel. Yes, I'm vain. Shut it.

I've been thinking about doing a somewhat vegetarian diet. I'm not talking about going in 100%, but I do want to have meat only a few days a week. It's actually called a Flexitarian. I use to be one in Florida because I could go days without eating meat but since moving here, I've consumed more meat. I'm sure that with the lack of walking is what helped me gain the weight and the stomach. The main issue isn't that my stomach is huge. What it is is the fact that my pregnancy has messed up my abdominal muscles. They never healed right because my uterus grew to house an almost 10lb baby. They are stretched out. I also have excess skin on my stomach. Who knows if this diet will help with that, or if surgery is the only option, but it couldn't hurt to cut meat out. Daylan will never be on board (completely) but it couldn't hurt to at least try to cut down my meat consumption by half. Since it is halfway  between being a omnivore and a herbivore, I will have to buy different types of beans. I need them anyway to make a jambalaya.

I've been doing some thinking about what I want to do about myself. I do like the person I have evolved to, but I still miss some aspects of who I use to be. I want to mix the wisdom with that feeling of being carefree. I want to be young(er), healthier, more fun and still be who I am now. I don't want to do anything that would compromise who I am now, but there is always room for improvement no matter who the person is or what stage of their lives they are in.

I figure I could put darker streaks in my hair so it doesn't look so bland. May help make my hair look thicker. I want to be able to experiment with my style the way I use to in high school. I didn't have a set genre. I would be a "goth", then a skater, then the next day I'd be in a skirt and then back into my preppy clothes. I wore whatever I wanted because I was young and no one would judge me. I've been in a wardrobe crisis because I'm in between stages. I'm not in old people clothes yet but I'm not in club wear anymore. I like the style that Clinton and Stacy put people in for What Not To Wear but I wish I could get back into that goth/anime clothes. I want to be able to wear stuff from Hot Topic without getting weird looks. Yes, I'm a mother and I am 27 but I'm not dead. I'm also just wanting to have hints of it in my attire. I also want some 50's inspired outfits. Maybe I'll get my nose done again, but I'd have a hard time getting a job. Maybe I really will get my smily done. I also want to be able to go out every once in a while. Do the club thing with some girlfriends so I can dance the night away. This won't happen all the time, but I do want to be able to leave the house or go to some concerts the way I use to. I never went often but I liked it when I did go.  It wouldn't hurt to really go and try new hobbies. Maybe take up pole dancing lessons.

Speaking of, I wouldn't mind getting back into my more sexier side. I use to wear lingerie. I use to wear nice outfits. I use to love being in just my bra and underwear, if that. I once even went on dates....with Daylan. Well, they weren't even dates but we still did stuff other than the video store and the grocery store. None of that really happens anymore. He never leaves the house so I stopped wearing makeup. I lost my body image so I stopped wearing sexy stuff. We stopped going places. I miss the sexy side of me. It's time to get back to the person I use to be while still being the person I am now.

After all, who says we can't have our cake and eat it too?

Jenelle---Is she a basket case or is there potential?

Teen Mom and Teen Mom 2 are one of my guilty pleasures. I watch it despite all the drama and I always hope the best for the girls. In the first installment, I was cheering for Maci while Amber clearly was the bad guy in the show. In the second installment, I am cheering for Leah because she has twin girls. Jenelle has now taken over the roll of the bad guy in the show, but I am on the fence with her.

I think she really gets a bad rap when there are situations that do not escalate because of her actions. I am not standing in her corner by any means but I think that she isn't as horrible as everyone seems to make her out to be. I partly blame MTV because they edit the show how they see fit. I understand that there are storyboards and writers, I understand there is editing because clearly they can not show every hour of their lives. An hour of the show is what, a few weeks in real life? It seems obvious that they have to edit which clips they will add into the show to make it flow cohesively, but they also need to have a villain for the show. They only air what they think will bring in more ratings.

This is my real opinion about the girl. She obviously had enough common sense to understand that her mother was more capable of taking care of Jace, especially since it doesn't appear that she is getting any financial help from the biological father. He isn't even in the picture. She did make the conscious decision to sign over temporary custody to her mother. It wasn't a decision that was her own, but in the end she did agree to it. She got a summer job and was getting things for her son. Of course she is going to buy things for herself in the process. Everyone does from time to time, but did anyone pay attention to how much everything cost? I wouldn't pass up a skirt that was $3 as well. She was even in the process of getting financial aid so that she could go to college. Obviously she knows what she has to do.

She does have a bad habit of not keeping promises. She says she will come home when in reality she stays out all night with her friends. She says she doesn't drink or smoke but I've seen pictures of her with what looks like a blunt. Of course it could be photoshopped. It could just be a cigar, a Black and Mild, but these pictures aren't the most flattering of her as a mother. It doesn't look good for a young mother to be smoking anything that could be perceived as a drug. She has a bad habit of fighting with her mother (which I will address separately ) but no one seems to realize that there is more to the story. Her father hasn't been around for a while and apparently there are siblings who don't keep in touch with Jenelle's mother because they never appear on the show.

Did no one stop to think that maybe Jenelle doesn't know how to do certain things? Had her mother played a different role in her life, she would not be the way she is. Jenelle's mother, even during 16 and Pregnant, played such a horrible role. There was so much tension going on in that house that it is a miracle that Jenelle didn't go into premature labor. It doesn't matter what is going on; Jenelle's mother is always screaming about something. Not once in the any episodes do you hear her mother say she loves her, but she sure will go in the recap shows with Dr. Drew and pour tears saying she loves her daughter. It doesn't seem like Jenelle knows how to have financial responsibility, it doesn't seem like she has a lot of knowledge about home economics or life management. I'm sure if she made the effort to be a better mom, herself, that her and Jenelle would have a far better relationship.

Look at the relationships the other girls have. Chelsea is very close with her dad. Leah is close with her mom and step-father. Kailyn's mom isn't in the show much and she doesn't talk to her dad, but she still has a decent relationship with Joe's parents despite the fact that they aren't together. These girls want to live up to the parent's standards and they all made similar mistakes as Jenelle. After all, they are all teen moms. Even Chelsea's dad doesn't yell at her for her not studying the way she should and for having the father come back in the picture (especially when he learned that the boy moved in) . If Jenelle's mother were more supportive of her and wasn't constantly berating her or downgrading her worth, I'm sure Jenelle would step up as well.

Some may argue that Jenelle's mother takes great care of Jace, and I'm not going to disagree with it, but I also see that she uses Jace as a pawn to keep Jenelle where she wants and makes her do what she wants. She controls her daughter with the grandson. You rarely hear her speak in a calm tone of voice, which then ignites the fury that everyone dislikes Jenelle for. Like I said, I don't like the girl, but it seems that all people want to do is have that one person that they can talk shit about because it makes them feel important and right.

Who are we to judge this girl? We are in her shoes. We aren't in the situation. Yes, the other girls are better moms, but they also aren't in the situation Jenelle is in. Most will say they are better parents and I'm not in their situations to say whether they are lying or not. That is the point. They are placing judgment based on what they see on tv----which is constructed the way it is for ratings! I'm sure there isn't nearly as much turmoil in the show as it seems there is.

Jenelle could definitely ditch the guy she is with now. It seems as though she is staying out all night so she can be with the guy and the hickeys on her neck don't help the situation. She could be at home more. The comments of her being a part-time mom or a mom only on Saturdays could easily be fixed if she were to be at home more. However if she were there, then surely each visit will be another battle with her mother. She can't leave the house with her son since she doesn't have custody, but she wasn't able to leave the house with Jace even when she did have custody. She could definitely keep better hours. Being up all night and sleeping most of the day surely isn't helping her situation. She could have been working more often and she could have kept the stuff she bought at a friend's house and brought it over when her mom wasn't home. It would then at least appear that she is more devoted. She could have had more research done as far as the financial aid for college was concerned. If she did wait until the last minute to spring this on her mom, then that is something she could have fixed beforehand.

Trust me, I may not like Jenelle, but I hate her mother with a passion. 

Her mother really did not have to have some fight ready for Jenelle when it came to her signing a few sheets of paper. All it took was five minutes to sign her name a few times. It's not like she is going to be paying for her daughter's education. She is just itching to have a fight with Jenelle. Trust me, Mrs. Evans is far from being innocent! She is as much to blame for the fights that are had, for the fact that Jenelle can't do what she needs to do (such as signing the papers so Jenelle could get financial aid for college), and possibly for how Jenelle turned out. Had she been a more peaceful mother and taught her daughter responsibility, half of this wouldn't be an issue.

Of course, this is merely an opinion of mine.

Jenelle has plenty of room for improvement and I think she could be a great mother. Remember Farrah from the first installment? She was the same way. She was partying. She didn't spend time with Sophia. She fought with her mother all the time (who is a lot like Jenelle's mom). She shaped up. She was in culinary school, she had a job, she stopped dating, she even moved out for a while. She was going to therapy because her mother punched her in the mouth. She got the DNA paperwork so her daughter could get her dad's social security benefits (Farrah's boyfriend died in a car accident right after he graduated high school). She became a great mom. She still was whiny but she grew up. Jenelle has the potential to overcome all those obstacles. It's just people need to quit talking smack about her.

She has her flaws, but everyone seems to want to pick her apart because they want to show their dominance. They  feel that they are above her. It doesn't matter if they think she is a horrible mom. They aren't in the situation to judge her. They aren't giving her the benefit of the doubt and they aren't even willing to see the steps she is trying to take to make the situations better. She could very well not go to college, but she  wants to. They just want someone to complain about. No one sees all the fault that her mother is placing on the situation. No one sees the obstacles that Jenelle has or has had to go through.

Just sit back, shut up and watch to see what happens. I bet everyone will be thoroughly surprised after a little while. It will take some time, but I bet she will change everyone's mind here shortly.  And don't pay attention to tabloids! Doesn't everyone know that most of the stories are fiction?

Jenelle will be a big surprise for everyone and she may in fact turn out to be a girl I like.

I'm ready for this to be done, at least until next month.

Is it possible to feel so anxious and so mellow at the same time? I've just been so jumbled lately. Being as hormonal as I have been certainly doesn't seem to be helping me the past few days. Normally being on my period doesn't bother me (despite living in the bathroom and having extra laundry no matter what I do) but lately I just can't wait for it to be over. This is getting to be a bit stressful. It's also making it to where Daylan and I are getting on each other's last nerve. It's mostly me but whenever I am irritated with him, he is in turn irritated with me. It is what it is. I don't want to not have my periods, but I certainly don't want to keep going through this.

The more I think about it, maybe some distance between us will be best. I've been fighting the idea of doing another long distance relationship but now I'm not so sure it would be a bad idea. I have to go back to Florida regardless. I miss my friends, I miss my son and I miss my home. I can get my license again (by the end of the month) when I get there. I can get jobs and be able to have my own life. I certainly don't want to spend a year without him, but maybe this is just what we need. I think some distance in relationships is good for it as long as it doesn't become a regular thing.

As I am typing, we are starting to get slammed by a major cold front. It dropped 12 degrees in just one hour, about an hour ago. It was 28 degrees the last I checked. There is a possibility of snow either tonight or tomorrow. I'm hoping for both because I want to go out in the morning to seeing white everywhere, but I want it to still be snowing so I can get pictures in daylight. If the wind isn't too horrible, which it will be, I'll walk around with my camera again. What I learned this time around is to let the faucets drip. The pipes froze so we couldn't drain the kitchen sink. I also will have to take a quick shower tomorrow. Last week the hot water didn't last more than five minutes because everything was frozen. It's a good thing I only wash my hair twice a week. Washing my hair in ice water is horrible. We also laid down towels at the base of both doors, we left the cabinets under the kitchen sink open and we made sure to turn the heaters on. We are hoping to avoid the problem we had last time because doing dishes in the bathtub really hurts my back.

I'm getting fed up with crap in the house. Everything is old. Who knows when it was all replaced. We've been having issues with the toilet. It is constantly running. If I jiggle the handle, it will stop but sometimes it will start running again. It doesn't even flush correctly and the bowl fills up entirely. A month ago, the toilet overflowed completely. That next day, the sink in the bathroom sprung a leak. Then the sink in the kitchen malfunctioned a week ago because the pipes froze. The hot water apparently doesn't last if it is that cold out. Then last night the outdoor freezer busted. It is still running but it is warm inside. I'm still irritated that there is no dishwasher, washer/dryer hookups and no pantry space here. I'm just irritated living here period. The fact I have no friends here, no job, no freedom here doesn't help the fact that the house is having all these little problems spring up at once.

For some reason, I just don't care right now. I'm irritated, but the house isn't what I am irritated at. I'm just hoping my annoyance with Daylan decreases once my hormones level decrease. I'm just listening to music on my laptop while Daylan watches tv next to me. I found a new band that I am starting to like. I heard "Paperthin Hymn" by Anberlin on MTV so I decided to download the song. I've been listening to it for days so I downloaded more song. Little by little I am listening to them. Some of the songs already seem familiar but I'm debating if got a bad download, if it really is the song I am looking for, or if this was a remake. I know they re-did "Love Song", which 311 covered as well. So who knows. The few songs I've hears so far sound pretty decent.

I've been trying to get back into walking. I did it today and I almost didn't. The loop I walk is approximately a mile and a half. I drove it so it should be correct. I try to do two laps so that way I can feel good about it. My right calf is always hurting me while the rest of my body seems fine. Usually once I sit down a while my lower back pain subsides. I just am not sure why only my one calf is upsetting me. I am right-handed and I know I lead with my right foot, but I don't think I place more weight on my right side so there shouldn't be a reason as to why only that calf is irritating me. Regardless as to why, I am hoping I can trim down again. When I was walking before I twisted my ankle, I was able to get back into quite a few pairs of jeans. Now I don't fit into any. Daylan had to buy me two new pairs just so I could fit. I want those to be my backup jeans but I want to get back to all those pairs that are already in the closet. Not only that, I want it to be a start to the weight loss/trimming I want to do for whenever I do get married. C'mon, if I am going to wear a corset style dress, I want to look good in it. I just wish Daylan would get on board and do this with me.

I'm trying to cut down what I eat at one time and just snack more, but I can't seem to get Daylan to embrace that idea. He just goes back to the kitchen and eat a bowl of cereal. He won't walk with me. I walk for exercise and I want to do it for an hour but I can't seem to get him to walk for longer than 10 minutes. He acts like he will drop dead  if he does more than 10 minutes. He says "Aerobic was never my thing. I lifted weights" and I honestly don't know how he survived it if walking for ten minutes is such a hard thing. It would be easier to trim down if he were to support me. This would be a good idea for him as well.

God, it seems as though my posts for the past week to week and a half have all had this underlying negative tone to it. I'm just hoping that once the hormones go that the mood will leave with it. I'm ready to be feeling "happy" again. Well, as happy as I can be when I am inside this house all day everyday and only leave twice a week for short periods if I am lucky. I became compliant so my mood increased but god, I am ready for my period to just go away.

From rant to relax

I just have to have this repeat in my head, "I'm on my period. Calm down." It just seems that Daylan is bound and determined to have me blow up on him. It's taking everything in me to not do anything more than give him the 'eat shit and die' glare. I'm literally tired because I'm trying to not unleash the fury I am feeling inside of me. He doesn't understand that my insides feel like they are dying. I'm low on iron because I have such heavy cycles each month. The little things do nothing but make me see red and all I want to do is be as far away from his ignorant ass as I can because his stupid actions aren't helping. All I want to do is take a hammer to his xbox 360 or take a frying pan to the back of his head. "I'm on my period. Calm down." Woosah. Breathe. He is a guy. He is stupid.

These are the days when I wish I had a lesbian lover. She wouldn't be screaming at a video game. She wouldn't be cussing or saying words that shouldn't be in the American language. She also wouldn't be playing video games three times a day. She would also walk with me when she says she wants to work out. This lesbian lover would be more in tune with me rather than tuning me out with those damned turtle beach headphones. I ask him something and he doesn't listen. He asks me something and doesn't pay attention to the answer. The oven buzzer goes off and he is still playing even when I am telling him that food is ready. I may just take a hammer to that 360 soon.

I told Daylan that it feels like my insides are dying, I am bleeding constantly and I will break the stupid machine. He asked me why I feel so bad. Well duh. I also told him that it pisses me off when I hear him scream at the tv from across the house and no matter how many times I ask him to stop he continues. It always results in my yelling at him in return because while it is a "stress reliever" for him, all it does it make me stressed. I'm tired of saying something to him and it goes through one ear and out the other. How the hell is that supposed to make me feel? It just makes me want to knock his ass out. When he came to and saw me standing over him with that frying pan, he'd start to listen to me then.

On a positive note, Daylan did give me his other site of turtle beach headphones so I could tune him out. I believe that this is perhaps what I needed. I've been listening to music that has made me want to dance. I've kept it very upbeat and almost like club music. I definitely feel better. Now if only I had a bigger tub. I could go in there and just relax. Turn some music on, lock the doors, light some candles and just melt away. One day we will own one of these tubs. Something long enough for me. Something deep. Maybe add some jacuzzi jets in it. I want to be able to put some candles and bath oils around.That would be heaven. Until then, these headphones will just have to do.

It does seem as though something is wrong with our outdoor freezer. Daylan says it's running, but it just doesn't seem to be cooling. At least I feel better that it wasn't something like my leaving the door cracked. Maybe I can have Daylan called David, the family maintenance man, and see if maybe he knows what is wrong with our freezer. I certainly don't want to have to go through this again. A website I read said that technically there is nothing wrong with meat if it has to be frozen a second time. It's just frowned upon because the meat breaks apart a bit because there are crystals forming in it. The food quality may go downhill but as long as the meat isn't warm, there shouldn't be a problem. For now, our tiny freezer inside the house is just jam packed. It's such a pain. This is why I loved having this outdoors freezer because it gave me room. I was able to stock up and not worry about space.

I've been thinking about school a lot lately. I'm really wanting to go back in. I feel so horrible being 27 and not having a college degree of any kind. I understand a lot of moms wait till their kids are in school so they can go back into college. I saw it in the classes I took but it doesn't make me feel any better. I want to go back in so I can at least feel a little bit better about myself. Gosh, getting jobs (and higher paying ones) would be so much easier if I had a college degree. I definitely need to come up with a game plan with Daylan about school. I may have to wait another year because I am going to try to get two jobs when I get to FL so I can get my debts paid off, save up for a house, save for a wedding (and honeymoon) and get a savings account set up again. Getting money saved up is just step one. I still want to be able to go back to school at some point.

Quick mishap

I am hoping to remember to come back and blog again.

So not even ten minutes ago I went to the freezer outside. I figured I would just do steak and potatoes but I noticed that all of our meat thawed out. Look, I know I shouldn't freeze something that has thawed out but oh well. We just transferred everything to the freezer inside. I'm not going to throw away perfectly good meat and replace it. It will already cost us over $100 if we do that. I figure as long as it is cooked thoroughly, there shouldn't be a problem. The only meat I eat that isn't fully cooked is steak and that is because medium rare is heaven.

Maybe I didn't close the door all the way when I grabbed a pizza out, but even if it was cracked, it shouldn't have cooled off completely. It sounded like the fans were on and it was kind of cool. Maybe that was what it was. I hope it wasn't something stupid like not checking to make sure I shut the door. We will find out tomorrow. So it looks like pizza again because we don't have room in the little freezer.

At least I had a banana and a foot long sub earlier today. I'm not really hungry yet but I panicked and threw the pizza in the oven. Oh well, I can snack on fruit, berries and yogurt if I get hungry again.

Super Bowl Sunday is nothing but a headache

I grew up with the mentality that football was just a bunch of guys in tights running around for ONE ball. You got the fatties and the one hottie. Everyone has to guard this one hottie so he doesn't get crushed just so a piece of pig skin that is sewn together makes it between two plumbing pipes. You hurt others, you break bones, you get concussions and you can only make it a few yards at a time. How is that worth it? Oh wait, the boys get to have their butts touched by the other team mates when they say "Good game".

Super Bowl Sunday can suck it. I'll eat my beer and hot wings in silence rather than hearing people scream at the tv and throw popcorn at it. Yeah psycho, the team and the couch hear ONLY what you are saying. They don't hear anyone else who happens to be yelling at them too. You are just that special that they hear you yell "Defense! Defense! Defense!" and will actually listen because you are God.

Screw that. Give me NCIS instead.

I have a fever and it reads 105

I have babies on the brain and my fever is running high. I'm not sure if it is because of the pregnant bellies my friends flaunt or the babies they have. Maybe it is because I miss Gabriel and feel that I am just failing. I want another chance, but not right this moment. I'm hoping that I will be getting a positive pregnancy test in two years, three at the most.

I told Daylan that I think I will start getting baby stuff when I am in FL. It's what I did before Gabriel. At first I was shopping for Stephanie but then I kept on buying. I stayed as neutral as I could but I got starter clothes and half of the stuff I needed. When we found out the sex, the rest of the buying went into play. I'm thinking about just doing it again because you never know what your finances will be like when it comes time to deliver the baby. You don't know if you will be able to have a baby shower so it is best to just start early and get things gradually throughout the pregnancy.

It seems like things are more expensive now than they were six years ago when I was pregnant. The only thing that I'm sure I could get cheaply (besides clothes) would be disposable diapers. I thought about doing cloth, but I don't own my own washer and dryer. I also don't know how willing I'll be to scrape poop out and have remains of poop in my washing machine. That is something I would definitely have to read more into. It is costly at first but it seems like it would be inexpensive in the long run. I'm just now sure if it would be cheaper than disposable. My facebook friend, Jen Porter, seems to have a system for getting cheap diapers. She's getting a box of 120 or so diapers for about $15. That's not bad.

• Diapers
• Clothes/PJs
• Bottles
• Breast pump
• Milk storage bags
• Blankets
• Bibs
• Crib/Bedding/Mattress/Rubber crib liner
• Stroller
• Car seat (hopefully in a set with the stroller)
• Vitamin drops
• Gas drops
• Water filter (if you are mixing formula)
• Medicine
• Shoes
• Toys
• Swing
• Baby food (unless you make your own)
• Formula
• Pacifiers
• Baby nail clippers
• Baby bath (unless you have a deep kitchen sink)
• Changing table
• High chair
• Play pen
• Baby gates
• Teething rings
• Swing (both indoor and out)
• Room decoration
• Baby shampoo
• Diaper rash cream
• Baby powder
• Diaper inserts
• Clothes detergent that is formulated for sensitive skin
• Bottle brushes
• Baby lotion
• UV screens for car windows
• Baby sling
• Nursing pillow
• Body positioning pillow for baby
• Plates/silverware
• Bottle warmer
• Portable bottle warmer
• Baby book
• Diaper bag
• Bumbo baby seat
• Diaper wipes
• Nursing blanket
• Diaper genie (unless you do cloth diapers)
• Crib mobile
• Itzbeen baby care timer

God, if you only have a few months to prepare and get what you need this would be overwhelming. I was able to get what I needed before hand and both sets of grandparents got the major stuff but I would feel better if I was able to get this stuff along the way before I try to conceive. How could this be a bad idea? If all else fails, they would be great baby shower gifts since people only buy baby clothes at these showers.

So I guess I'll be saving for a wedding, a house, baby stuff and then trying to pad my savings account again. Oh boy. Maybe it's a good thing I don't have an immediate time line. Two years for a baby, a year on a wedding......Oh boy. Crap!

Holy crap!

It was rumored that we would get snow but I found it hard to believe since it was so warm yesterday. We had both doors open all day long so we could air out the house. According to The Weather Channel, it was an average of 60 with a brief high of 80. It suddenly dropped around 9pm and it got down to 20. This is some bipolar weather. We have a low of 10 tonight so I will definitely have a fire going tonight. The thing that gets me is that it will slowly climb, starting tomorrow, and it will be in the low 60's again by Saturday. Anyway, back to the story. The storm that came certainly brought rain. First it turned into pea-sized hail, then it became sleet, and it quickly turned into snow.

There was still lightning all around me and the snow began to fall hard. I've never seen lightning and snow together but it was beautiful! Man it was cold. I have on a tank top, a thin long sleeved shirt and a sweater on but snow still fell into my bra. I didn't make a good choice on clothes. I had on leggings, my pj pants and sweat pants on. I was shaking. I wore more today as I took pictures and the wind still cut through me. Unfortunately my gloves, scarf and ear muffs are in storage. What the hell!

Anyway, snow is not a big deal to most people. In fact, it seems as though people hate it. I truly was excited. It just doesn't seem like we will get anymore snow. I'm now seeing rain clouds in the forecast at all today. It's cloudy but I doubt we will get more snow. I figured it would be that way when I found it was snowing last night. I ran out there because who knows how long this would have lasted. Here are the pictures.

It started out as pea-sized hail. It hit our roof with such force that I thought it was much larger. It quickly went to sleet and then snow.

This is what I walked out to an hour and a half later when I heard the hail stop.

This is the first time my car has seen snow. That is Daylan's dad's car. They traded for the time being because the Durango really needs new hubs and bearings, but we are still waiting on them to come in.

Can you tell that I am happy?

The ground here isn't as level as it appears to be. There are lots of holes and slopes. Slightly off to the right is where the cliff starts. I refused to walk in the grass in fear I would twist my ankle again.

This picture reminds me of the "orbs" people claim to see when they are witnessing something paranormal. This was just beautiful. I couldn't catch the sky when it was lit up from the lightning but it truly was a sight to see.

You can barely see the rocks and the boat in the front yard but they were starting to get their layer of snow.

I truly was amazed to be seeing snow. It seemed at though everyone else in the country got snow and it just bypassed us. I had two or three inches on my car by the time I got outside.

This was when it really started to get heavy.

By this point, you wouldn't know there was a boat out there unless you knew to look for it.

I was wearing layers but I didn't choose the right sweater. Snow kept falling into my bra and making me jump. It certainly was a wake up call. My hair also started to get heavy as the snow layered my head.

It's funny how my roots look gray because of the snow that accumulated at the top of my head.

I was laughing.

This was as far as I'd venture into the back yard. I twisted my ankle one night because I stepped into a hole that an animal dug. I couldn't see the hole due to the snow.

I wish I could have stayed awake so I could see what it looked like outside at 5 or 6 am. I'm sure everything was white. I bet you couldn't see any color anywhere.

By this point, I had to delete a bunch of pictures. I was shaking so hard that the pictures were blurry. I knew it was close to my limit. I didn't stay out much longer.

Enough said :)

My camera had to be wiped off quite a few times since the snow was so heavy. The last thing I needed was for it to not work because it got wet.

The view of the boat as it got it's layer.

This was taken this morning. I never thought I'd see a picture of a cactus covered in snow. It's an oxymoron.

You can see some color (brown) in the distance but if the trees had leaves, you would have seen any color.

This is no longer snow, it was now ice. The crunching as I walked made me hungry for cereal.

It really was beautiful. I would have stayed outside longer but I wouldn't stay. I spent half as much time outside this morning as I did last night. There wasn't any wind last night. Oh there was wind today.

A close up of the tree out front.

That, my friends, is solid ice. I slipped quite a few times on it so I can imagine how bad driving was. The roads get salted in town, but we are on the out skirts.

Holy crap, those are huge icicles!

Don't mind the hideous color of the house and just focus on the ice. I didn't paint the house.

I'd guess that those icicles were 24 inches or so.

Speaking of 24 inches, I've been watching The Weather Channel. Chicago is supposed to get a major blizzard soon. They are estimated to getting 24+ inches of snow in a very short period of time. It is supposed to be "The worst snow fall since 1967". I'm not sure when the blizzard will hit but I am assuming it is close. Oklahoma City is being plummeted right now. Cory is still in Chicago and Kristen is a few hours away in St. Louis. I'm getting  a little concerned. I told them both that I'd be sad if they were icicles and that thawing them out would take a while. They better keep warm. I don't want to hear that their cars are abandoned on the side of the road somewhere.  I will keep watching from time to time and see if I can get updated from them. I wonder what the city will look like afterward? I have pictures of snow from a slight blizzard I missed when I was in Chicago. It was beautiful but it was only six inches of snow. This is going to be two feet of snow and that is on top of the snow that they already have up there. Geez, this could be bad.