A Day to Remember by Doing

I know that the blog world - especially with all my incredibly amazing mil-so's out there - will be inundated with Memorial Day posts, photos and inspiring words. Mine will be no different.
The way I see it, as soon as we forget those who fight for all the things we have, we no longer have them, nor do we deserve them.

Most people get Memorial Day off of work. Many spend the day with their friends and family, grilling outside, playing in the sun, watching fireworks and other events of celebration.

This really seems backwards to me. Shouldn't we be working if the troops are working?

It pains me to think of all our Veterans, and our currently serving troops who are overseas right now, getting up today, like they do every morning, to do their job once again. They don't get today off. They don't ask for it, complain about it, or even take one second to question the fact that they are working while the rest of us are celebrating.

I've really thought about this a lot over the past couple of days. Instead of the country having a day off to honor those who have fought and died for our freedoms, why don't we instead have every single American across the nation pick up their hammer, their pen, their broom, or even their money and give SOMETHING to THEM. Tell those Veterans to sit down, take the day off, and WE will work for YOU.

So, my plan today, instead of hitting the beach or heading to the BBQ at my friend's house, is to head down to my local VA office and volunteer my time. Whether it's stacking shelves, helping Veterans with basics tasks in their homes, or simply allowing them to eat a full meal and sleep in a warm bed for another night, I'm going to be a part of it.

Today, I'm not taking off of work.

Today, I am remembering those who have served our country with bravery, selflessness, courage and honor.

Today, I am remembering our Veterans with a little service of my own.

Hopefully, my small act will show you just how thankful I truly am.

THANK YOU!

**All images found online with basic Google image search, I have no rights to any above images

Pillow Talk: Session 1

I joined the Pillow Talk weekend session at The Wifey Blogs a couple of days ago, but I didn't want to link and start it up without having a great PT conversation to share. And lo and behold, today I had a webcam conversation with Al that's just too funny not to share.

(Check out the button on the side of my blog if you would like to join!)

Today - 1600 here, 0100 in Iraq - the following conversation occurred:

Me: I don’t know why you help him with that…

Him: Because he pays me in Monsters, how can I turn that down?

Me: You’re easily bought.

Him: Yeah…

Me: So if a woman came in with a case of Monsters and asked to have sex with you, would you?

Him: Are they ice cold?

**we both laugh**

Him: You should get a tattoo of the Monster logo on you

Me: Should I get that next to the Coors Light logo?

Him: Yes

Me: On my butt cheek?

Him: Yes! And then we should see if they have ink that turns blue when it’s cold!

And the Winner is...

JUST A GIRL

I simply put the numbers 1-64 (each entry got a number) into an online automatic random picker. The number5 won - which happened to belong to Just A Girl. Get in touch with me by e-mail and I can send you your prize!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

All of you who entered and asked questions totally made my week!

I did my best to answer ALL the questions that were asked, but there were a TON of them (mostly, Mrs. S and Tia, he he), so if I missed anything you REALLY want to know, please keep asking!

Instead of posting a long, drawn-out post with all the answers, I created a page link above with the Q&A (entitled..."You asked") for your viewing pleasure. This way, the people who want to read through it can, but it isn't going to take up the whole blog in the process. I will leave that up for awhile, so feel free to read it at your leisure.

I hope this works for all of you.

A special thanks to Jessica, Just a Girl, Kaylee, Mrs. S., Star, Staci and Tia for providing such interesting and fun questions. I really enjoyed answering them. And thank you to everyone else who entered the contest and played along. This was a totally successful first-go at give-aways on my blog!

Contest Closed

It is 23:59 (11:59 PM central time) and the contest is officially closed.

Yes, I already know who the winner is.

NO, I am NOT going to reveal it until morning.

Why?

Because it's my blog and I like suspense.

Goodnight.

Accomplishment

This week was my first week of summer class. I'm only taking one: Professional Responsibility. It is entirely as exciting as it sounds... I'm taking it because it will allow me to take a portion of the bar exam (the licensing exam for attorneys) in August, which cuts the test from a 3-day test to a 2-day test. Needless to say, I am completely on board with this idea and am willing to put up with a few hours of class each week for two months of my summer in exchange for that lightened load. Plus, the class has a couple of familiar (and friendly) faces and seems to be a cake-walk of a course.

In other news, I crossed TWO things (partially) off my 101 things list! I never posted the initial list, but I created a page link up top that you can view. As of last week, I found a crock pot at a garage sale a bought it for $3!! This means I can get started learning a few great crock pot meals.

Second, I signed up for a boxing class. I called around to a couple of places in my area and found a gym that was reasonably priced and seemed to have a good program for beginners. I've ALWAYS wanted to learn how to box and I am so excited to finally put it into motion. I have my consultation in a couple weeks, so I'll fill you in on that later.

Another thing, Al had attempted to give his two cents on the "ring issue" for a couple of days but since he's dealing with local Iraqi internet, it wasn't working in his favor. He can read the blog, but has issues when it comes to signing in and the whole thing is in Arabic. Yikes! So, I went ahead and posted his commentary for him (in his words, which he sent by email.) It's in the comment section of the post and I encourage you all to read it. It's definitely a great perspective and entirely the reason I love that man!

Last but DEFINITELY not least, remember that TODAY is the last day to enter my contest. It ends tonight at 23:59 (11:59 PM, for those of you who don't speak military time). I will be announcing the winners and posting answers to all your questions tomorrow!

Blogging from a Remote Location

Ok...so it's not remote at all. It's simply from the reception desk at the law firm I used to work. The receptionist is in her second trimester and is starting to take half-days off, so they called me in (since I know the job like the back of my hand and could ALWAYS use the money) to cover some of her afternoons. It will be interesting since I get out of here at 1700, to see if I can make it to class at 1730. It should be OK.

Anyway, I've been thinking about doing something kind of fun, but before I put it into motion, I wanted to close out the contest and get through the BIG holiday weekend. Just to get an idea what ya'll think of it, I will put this out there.

How would you guys like to have a Q & A with Al? I always think it's interesting to meet the men behind my fabulous blog-women. It's often easy to forget that we're strong, smart, independent women in part because we support and love them (and the military and our country!) Since Al is on board with the idea (and I want to get him before he stops being a good sport), I thought I would get this started early next week. Thoughts?!

Sex & Fashion

At 11:30 tonight, I will accompany 4 girlfriends to the premiere of this movie.

I am excited. Yes, the humor is forced and the plot is, well lacking. (I mean, who goes to Morocco on business and brings their 3 best friends?) It's a guilty pleasure. I like the actresses, I followed the show throughout the series (it was refreshing to have a show that was willing and ready to discuss sex and the good, bad, ugly, and awesome stuff that comes along with it) and I saw the first movie.

But the REAL reason I want to see this movie: the fashion.

Photo and information found here.

I LOVE the shoes BOTH Carrie and Miranda are wearing. I also like Miranda's dress. But just to give you an idea how far out of my realm these things really are - Carrie's shoes are $835 Brian Atwood Loca heels. Ouch.

There are many, many more looks that I am in store to witness. I'm using this to avoid any unnecessary shopping of my own. I figure drooling over beautiful things I can't afford is a great motivator for working hard at law school and saving my money now so I can indulge later!

Change of Heart

This whole ring talk sort of spiraled out of control. Instead of turning into a nice, loving conversation about getting engaged, it made me a worried wreck and made him think I was a superficial b*tch. It took all the romance out of something that should be, well, romantic.

So today, instead of hashing over the same details, I made a decision.

To make a long story short, it is more important that someday in the future he proposes and I say yes. Everything else is just filler. Hopefully, this puts the romance back in the whole thing and we can move forward.

Forward to the next step in our lives together.

REMINDER: Don't forget to enter my contest! Click the link just below the header and enter. You have until 23:59 tomorrow to do it!

I love you all and thank you for your readership and support!

The Rings the Thing

Al and I have spent a lot of time recently having "the ring talk!"

I sent him a link to a gf's ring on FB, which unintentionally spurred a conversation.

"What kind of ring do you want? It will cost HOW much? Why's it so important?"

The first thing we established is that we DEFINITELY want to spent our lives together.

Unfortunately, that was the only thing we agreed on at first.

The hard part about this conversation is the timing. I was ill for the last couple of days and about to start summer class. He had a minor surgery in Iraq, but it left him in a lot of pain and highly medicated. This, OF COURSE, was the time we choose to have this talk. Which should have been the first indicator it wouldn't go as planned.

As we started mulling over the ring, the cost and all the details, we both got more frustrated. I thought his "high price mark" was low and he thought I was high. He thought I was crazy when I retorted with my own. He wants to save money on the rock and put it towards a house, car, etc... And I'm torn.

I'm torn between the practical, responsible part of me that really respects the idea of saving for the bigger things in our future - AND - the little girl inside me that wants the big, shiny rock on my finger, no matter the cost.

Of course I know the rule is that it should cost the equivalent of 3 months of his salary.

Of course I know that it isn't fair for him to put his hard-earned savings towards a silly diamond.

Of course I don't need a big, fancy ring to symbolize how much I love him, make our bond any stronger, OR ensure a long and happy marriage.

So, how do I answer the question? How do you explain to the man you love that you want to spend your life with him? How do you explain that even though the ring size or ring cost DOES NOT matter in the grand view of our future together, it being a special ring is important to me. This is what I came up with:

The ring, as we know, symbolizes the bond between two people. It symbolizes a commitment that two people are making to be with each other, exclusively and eternally. To women, it symbolizes more than that. It is (usually) the first big purchase and the first step the man makes (often on his own, or with a small amount of input from his girl) to show his girl just how much he means. It's not about the size or the cost. It's about the effort. It's about that guy putting everything he has into a ring and a proposal and putting that smile on her face. It's a symbol of the level of commitment to their wedding, their marriage and their future together. And there's a little girl inside every women that wants to be treated like a princess, even if only in one small way.

So, we took a deep breath and decided to revisit the subject later on. It's not like we can do anything about it while he's over there, and we're certainly not in a hurry. For now, I'm happy that we are both on the same page - we both want a future together.

The idea that some day, he will put a ring on my finger; Some day we will commit to each other and be together, forever; is more than enough.

Getting to Know You...er...Me!

Since this week is all about introducing my new followers to their person of interest (me, of course), I am joining in on MannLand5's Getting to Know You quiz!

1. Do you have a fetish? Hmmm... Does shoe shopping count?

2. Do you sing in the shower? Absolutely! And in my car. And when cleaning, doing homework and running (really any time I might be wearing my iPod.)

3. Who was your first crush? His name was Tom. I was 5 and he was 10; he lived across the street. At one point, I did the standard "hold him down and force a kiss on him"...yeah, I was totally cool. (And maybe a little bit of a creeper!)

4. What do you think is the best manly trait a guy could have? A guy who works hard, gets a little dirty, with calluses on his hands, but at the end of the day, he touches me like velvet!

5. Do you sleep naked? Sometimes. I live in a really old apartment with no AC, so in the summer I definitely do. In the winter, my apt. is on the other side of the spectrum and I need layers! It is Minnesota, after all!

6. What do you do when (you think) no one is looking? I talk to myself, do the "armpit sneak n' sniff" and sometimes I even pick a wedgie. Shhh! Don't tell anyone though!

7. What's the first thing you do when you go online? Check e-mail, Blogs (mine and others), then Facebook. Then I check my school e-mail and browse through my standard daily reading materials.

8. Summer is.....? Super-awesome! I love everything summer = sunbathing, BBQ's, running outside, BASEBALL, cold beer and umbrella drinks, warm nights under the stars, 4-wheeling, the beach, and anything else that gets me outside in the sun!

Also, remember to enter my contest!

Forgive Me

Forgive me for the multi-posting. I had to re-think my earlier post because I'm sick, emotional and groggy and don't think I was very clear on what I wanted to say.

Forgive me for not posting anything more exciting for today.

So, here's another picture from last week's trip to the zoo.

In the meantime, ENTER my contest and enjoy your Monday!

Fifty Followers!

Yipee! I just hit 50 (ALMOST) followers! This is very exciting news!

In celebration of this event and in appreciation of all of you, I am doing TWO things.

The first, I am doing the quintessential Q & A session. Since many of you are newer to my blog, I encourage you to ask questions of me. I am very open and willing to answer anything you ask, so don't be shy. I also know that often times I leave details out, sometimes on purpose, sometimes as oversight, but that leaves you with questions. So, NOW is the time to ask!

Second, I am hosting a give-away. It's nothing big, just a little something to show my appreciation.

Found here.

Here's how to enter:

1. Be a follower of my blog (one entry)

2. Link to this contest on your blog (one entry)

3. You will get additional entries for every question you ask me

Easy, right? The contest will end on May 28th (next Friday) at 23:59.

I will announce the winners on May 29th.

Good luck! Oh, and THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for reading my blog. It wouldn't matter near as much without the rest of you!

I have a button!

Thanks to Karissa over at Being a Better Wife, I have a blog button!

You can have a copy of my button for your blog by grabbing the code underneath on the right-hand side!

What's even better, rather than accepting money for creating this button, she asked for a donation to the Dan Berchinski Fund.

Please check it out and make a donation - ANY amount is helpful! This is a great way to reach out to other military families.

Stay tuned for a couple of REALLY COOL happenings come up soon on my blog. I don't want to give away too many details but let's just say it involves a giveaway!

I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'!

Happy Friday!

My Trip to the Park

In Minnesota there is a free Conservatory here in the cities. It's connected to a zoo, but the Conservatory is by far the cooler part of the park. My girlfriend and I decided that this would be a cool way to blow an afternoon in the sun yesterday. Here are some pictures.

This is the only time you'll ever see palm trees in Minnesota

I thought the flower was pretty - and it's called "Starfighter"

Now if only we can get money to grow on trees!

A java plant? Yes, please!

This is the Japanese Garden that was donated to the city of St. Paul by Nagasaki, Japan in 1955. Apparently, this was the first sister-city relationship established with a Japanese city. Since it happened so soon after WWII, that's actually really impressive. Although, not as impressive as the garden itself. Beautiful!

I am a great girlfriend...

Because of this...

Yes, I bought it for him. He requested it.

They did something different this month, putting it in 3-D and they even include the glasses when you purchase the issue. I am actually incredibly intrigued by what the 3-D centerfold will look like and since I bought it on Tuesday I've been extremely tempted to open it.

But I'm not going to.

Not because it bothers me. Rather because Al asked me to wait until he got home so we could look at it together. I intended on sending it to him (Hell...it's lonely over there.) Instead, I am following his request and keeping it safely in the wrapping until he comes home to un-wrap it with me.

Problem is, now I'm stuck as I'm putting together a care package. Al doesn't really eat a lot of snacks. He's not a big junk food guy and the few snacks he does like he already gets from my mother on a regular basis.

I bought a book to send him, which I returned because he'd already read it. Then I bought the magazine (per his request, remember) and am told to leave it here. That leaves me with a care package containing a card, some photographs, and...yep...nothing else.

The last factor I have to consider is budget. I don't have a lot of money and he'd prefer me not to spend any. Which means making something myself is the best bet.

So, my question to all my lovely readers who have gone through deployments (or are currently going through one) and have an equally IMPOSSIBLE man to send stuff to...

What would you send? Any clever or creative ideas? Any cost-effective ones?

Wishlist Wednesday

It's wishlist Wednesday over at The Foster Family, and this week I am playing along.

1. I wish for a weekend getaway to somewhere warm. This would, of course, be for when Al's home in September so he can enjoy the warm weather and we can run around in bathing suits with umbrella cocktails all day.

2. I wish for a a wine rack, like this one. I tend to have 3 - 6 bottles of wine on my counter at any given time and I wish I had a cute, organized way of holding them.

3. I wish for the new Quicken Home & Business software for managing my bills, both personal and my business finances.

4. Finally, I wish to go to bed next to Al tonight. This will not be happening, but it's MY wish. So there.

Happy hump-day everyone!

Another Award

I was recognized by Just a Girl with another award! Thank you! It definitely makes me feel good to know that I'm recognized by my peers in the blog-world.

Following the rules of the award, I've included the following 7 things about myself.

1. I love learning. I have never felt more at home then when I'm getting an education. I plan on getting a Ph.D. in addition to my J.D. someday.

2. I love summer. Which is odd for a life-long Minnesota girl. I enjoy sun, beaches, BBQ's, outdoor sports, a cold beer under the summer-night-sky...I could go on.

3. I am learning to enjoy cooking. I've never been very domestic. In fact, I'd rather work on a car and watch a ball game then sit in the kitchen. I am aware, however, that I want my children to eat someday and that I enjoy eating well and cooking it myself is the best way to accomplish that. I still refuse to clean and sew though.

4. I own too many shoes and too many books. Neither of which I am ashamed of or plan on changing any time soon!

5. It was only when I came to law school that I gained a handful of fantastic girl friends. I had one great girl friend from childhood and my sister but other than that ALL of my friends were guys. I think some of the drama went away when the immaturity did.

6. My dad is a nice guy, but he's sort of misguided on what it takes to be a parent. My step-dad on the other hand, is a fantastic man who has taught me a lot and supported me through much of my life.

7. Starting this blog was the best decision I made this year. It has been inspiring, empowering, therapeutic and I've made A LOT of friends!

I am also passing this award along to the following people:

1. Karissa at Being a Better Wife

2. Staci at Random Ramblings

3. Star at Star Spangled Stockings

4. Manda at My Explosive Life

5. Kaylee at Small Wonders

When fit hits the shan...PART 2

So, to continue my story...

Along with me (which means us, since he can't afford it on his own) moving out in July, my roommate was given an awesome opportunity with Haliburton Oil. This means he's moving to North Dakota (NoDak, as I will refer to it). His job starts next week, but he never planned on leaving our apartment because he'll still be in MN 1-2 weeks per month. It wasn't until I mentioned I wanted to move out that he decided he would look for a place in NoDak.

Keep in mind, he has a GF (who I will call KA) here in MN (they been together less than 5 months) and she will be staying here. There are many other little complications (she still has a lease through Oct; she is unemployed and can't contribute to a second place, etc...) which make the whole thing sort of complicated. Either way, he's moving unofficially until July, then doing some combination of the two locations at that point.

KA pretty much hates me. After the previous incidents which I finally put my foot down on and now the fact that I'm **apparently** the reason he's moving "so far away," I'm no longer her friend. Which is fine, I don't need friends like her.

Side note: It's ironic how much she complains about the long-distance they will be going through. I usually just smile and nod, but it isn't the same thing. Call me mean, but an 8-hour-drive to the middle of nowhere NoDak is NOT the same as getting shot at in Iraq.

Scottie and I have had some contentions, mostly because we're just existing in the same house at this point. I've decided to not buy anymore groceries or do any more cleaning (YES, I was the only one doing these things...) until he's gone. It will actually be worth it at that point. The last piece of information before I share last night's discussion is that I am in charge of the bills: rent, utilities, internet, etc... and making sure they get paid. For the most part, he pays me on time and there are no problems. The last few months (3, to be exact), he paid me late. This month, I received his half of the rent on the 14th.

Yesterday afternoon, I am running around getting things ready for dinner at my father's house and I hear bits and pieces of him talking about finances with KA. He's instructing her on his bank accounts, passwords, etc... so she can pay his bills while he's gone. Um...last I checked you're moving to NoDak and they have things like phones and internet there. PLUS (not that it's my place to say, but I'm on a rant so I'm going to anyway!) you have only been dating for under FIVE months. That simply doesn't seem like long enough to trust them with your entire earnings and assets. That's not the problem that concerns me however...

He then calls for me to come talk to him for a minute and asks: "when I'm gone how do you want to handle utilities?"

Me: "what do you mean? We'll handle them how we always do."

Him: "But I won't be using any of the utilities, so I shouldn't have to pay for them."

Me: "Umm...Ok..."

Silence...About 30 seconds while I recover from the punch in the gut.

Me: "Fine. But you need to guarantee me that I will be paid rent on time."

Him: "OK."

Then I walk away to take care of some more things. During which, I do some more thinking and return to him.

Me: "First, what I mean by guarantee is not just a post-dated check or something but if it bounces or you are late, there will be fees in place that YOU are responsible for. Second, if I am paying for the utilities, that means they are MY utilities. I can change the internet password and lock you out of it, I can do what I want with our accounts and when you are home and staying here I don't have to share them with you. Are you OK with that?"

Him: "OK."

Me: "Ok. Well, then I will write up a contract with the terms and how much you'll owe me if you're late or bounce a check. I hope you understand how serious I am. I'm not going to be nice about this stuff anymore."

Him: "OK."

So, now I am doing something I never thought I would. I am writing a contract for my roommate (and best friend of 10 years) to sign to guarantee I will be paid on time and the parameters of me paying exclusively for the utilities. And now, I am totally OK with being the bad guy. Before I felt bad. He was still my friend after all. I didn't want to leave him hanging or ruin our friendship. At this point, he's been so disrespectful that I have no desire to try.

We'll just have to continue-on with co-existing and go on our merry way come July.

I'm a little heart-broken; I'm A LOT pissed off.

But I'm mostly sad to see our friendship come to this.

**Sorry for the long post and rant, but I appreciate you listening and letting me vent. I am open to advice and opinions and if there's still any way to fix this without me giving up much more of my own soul in the process. That is one way I won't budge any more!

When fit hits the shan...

Had a pretty interesting day, which I will share in detail tomorrow.

Al and I had a heated discussion/fight/argument which we resolved after about an hour on MSN. I am continually impressed at how well we fight. I know that sounds funny but I think a good indicator of the health of a relationship is when you can fight honestly, respectfully, and fairly. We're lucky in that fighting fair has never been a problem for us and I am proud of how well we deal with conflicts when they come up. And pardon me for saying so, but it's a total turn-on to be able to duke it out, resolve an issue and still think the man on the other side is the sexiest one I know. Perhaps even more so.

That, however, was not the most exciting part of my day. That came later, when I had a sit-down with my roommate. If you recall, I was having some issues with him (and his girlfriend). The solution to these problems has been for me to move out, which is happening in July. I have a month-to-month lease and could have (probably should have) left sooner, but chose to give him the respect of staying until July so I didn't stick him with any bills. Which is why what happened was such a slap in the face.

Stay tuned for more...

Random Rambling's Blog Hop

I am excited to have a blog hop out there for those of us under 100 followers! It's an excellent way to meet new people and get out there. I hope to get to know each and every one of you!

Here is my bio:

I am a 26-year-old law student in my home state of Minnesota. My boyfriend is serving in the US Army, currently in Iraq, but normally stationed in TX. We've been LD our entire relationship, but we've known each other for about 6 years.

I'm a city girl who, after a few hard knocks as a teen, learned I need to work hard and kick some a** (literally and figuratively) if I wanted to make it in this world.

I have a great family; a close relationship with my mom and step-dad and my sister is my best friend. I also have three half-siblings who I adore. I grew up in a religious house-hold, but determined my path of spirituality wasn't going to be in a church so much as in the privacy of my home with only God to answer to.

I am a conservative Republican, a patriot, and a registered voter, all of which are extremely important to me.

I eat more pasta than any one person should and I have a BIG sweet tooth. Other than that, I eat healthy and work out a few times per week. I'm addicted to chapstick and blogging (which has cured me of my Facebook addiction!) I like shoes, music and whiskey and any combination of the three can't be wrong.

I can change my oil and put on a spare tire and I am NOT a domestic goddess in any way at all. I speak German. I read, write and sing (although I'm not great at the latter.)

I am the biggest Minnesota Twins fan you'll EVER meet and I love hockey and football. I was a gymnast for 6 years and I still coach girls classes. I enjoy boxing, yoga, softball and anything that gets me outside and active.

I love my life. School is a lot of work, but I am so happy to have the opportunity. Long-distance sucks (especially when you're unmarried) but I am blessed to be with the man of my dreams and proud we have chosen a timeline that works for us. I am also honored to be a part of what he's doing. I really wouldn't choose anything better than what I have now.

See the profile above for more information about me, him and how I met him. There is also a link to some more facts about me.

I would like to encourage anyone to ask questions. I am not shy about anything and would happily answer any questions you have. Much love!

My Trip to the Farm

Thursday morning I woke up early, packed my overnight bag, filled my car with gas and drove 2 hours out of town to visit Al's parents. Al grew up on a hog farm, which his parents still own and operate. It was wonderful to see them, cut-off from connections (Although I cheated and connected to their wi-fi from my cell when Al tried to get a hold of me - that's one person I won't cut off from) and get some quiet and fresh air.

I'm a city girl through-and-through, so the miles of dirt roads and horrendous pig smell are not exactly my cup of tea. On the other hand, there's something completely beautiful about the worn-out and loved buildings sitting on a natural backdrop; old churches and roads that go on forever. Enjoy my pictures below.

And it wouldn't be the country without the proper mode of transportation and a designated parking space for it!

Back to Reality

Hello all! I missed you. I know, I know. I only cut myself off(and didn't really, which I'll explain later) for a couple of days, but it really felt like an eternity.

On the other hand, I had an amazing time with Al's family. I enjoyed getting away from the city for a few nights and I got some cool pictures. I will post some of those later as well as catch up commenting on some of your posts. I am still reading about everything I missed.

Time to shower the hog barn and dirt road smell off me and I'll be back later.

Friday From Afar

(**I swear that I'm not cheating on my "no internet" pact for the week, I am writing this in advance. I just cannot let down my avid readers (ahem, Ms. Kay) and not post regularly.)

Enjoy some tidbits about me, from A to Z.

A. AREA CODE: I will forever be a 612 girl

B. BED SIZE: Queen. I love it. But it's certainly a LOT bigger when he's gone.

C. CHORE YOU HATE: I loathe doing the dishes. I would rather clean the bathroom toilet then scrape food and gunk off the pots and pans.

D. DOG'S NAME: None. I really, really want one, but it simply wouldn't be fair to a dog when I'm gone 10-12 hours each day.

E. ESSENTIAL "START THE DAY!" ITEM: Coffee

F. FAVORITE COLOR: Blue

G. GOLD OR SILVER: White Gold or Platinum

H. HEIGHT: 5' 9"

I. INSTRUMENTS YOU PLAY: I can play a couple of notes (not songs) on the piano, trombone and recorder (shout out to 4th grade!) But I can (sort of) sing. I would make one sad one-man band.

J. Job: Student

K. KIDS: None, someday definitely

L. LIVING ARRANGEMENTS: 2 bedroom apartment in the city with my best (guy) friend. This will, however, be changing very soon as I am moving to a new house about a mile away. I love living in the city and close to school so that will not be changing.

N. NICKNAME: Mel, Melba, and Baby (from Al)

M. MOM'S NAME: Julie




O. OVERNIGHT HOSPITAL STAY: None.




P. PET PEEVE: Bad drivers. 'Nuff said. 90 % of the people on the planet don't understand basic concepts of signaling, turning, merging and the proper use of the fast lane. If you are one of them, leave the road to those of us who do.




Q. QUOTE FROM A MOVIE: It's more of a scene or passage:

"It's hard being left behind.

I wait for Henry, not knowing where he is, wondering if he's okay.

It's hard to be the one who stays.

I keep myself busy. Time goes faster that way.

I go to sleep alone, and wake up alone.

I take walks. I work until I'm tired.

I watch the wind play with the trash that's been under the snow all winter.

Everything seems simple until you think about it.

Why is love intensified by absence?

I won't ever leave you, even though you're always leaving me."

Audrey Neffinger, The Time Traveler's Wife

R. RIGHTY OR LEFTY?: Righty

S. SIBLINGS: 1 sister = Ginger, 2 half-sisters = Em and Sophie, 1 half-brother = B.G.

T. TIME YOU WAKE UP: 0600 - I am slowly becoming a morning person because the older I get the less my brain functions at night and the more I need my mornings to get things done. I figure once Al and I live together, this will come in handy to correspond with his early mornings.

U. UNDERWEAR: Love me some Vicky's!

V. VEGGIE YOU DISLIKE: Radishes - otherwise, I love veggies!

W. WAYS/REASONS YOU ARE LATE: It rarely happens, but if it does it's definitely because I was doing something on the computer and lost track of time OR I didn't estimate the appropriate amount of traffic to get somewhere.

X. XRAYS YOU'VE HAD: Teeth, back (2), right knee (4), left wrist (2), right wrist (2) and right ankle (1).




Y. YUMMY FOOD YOU MAKE: I don't "make" a whole lot of anything. I am not a cook in any sense of the word. I eat a lot of pasta and easy chicken and fish dishes. I do make a great dessert called Portafina that I reserve for special occasions since it has wine in it.

Z. ZOO ANIMALS YOU LIKE: Monkeys. Definitely monkeys.