PRK

Tyler's surgery went quite well this morning. He rested for most of the day, with me timing each type of eye drops and medication plus a bag of frozen veggies on his eyes. He's very easy to care for - he's not the whiney type, unless he's sick - then he whines. ;o) I'm so happy that he has the opportunity to have his eyes corrected. Maybe someday I'll be brave enough to have it done...maybe.

I taught 3 voice lessons back-to-back today. Every wednesday I teach 3 girls. It's a lot of fun and I really enjoy it. Speaking of voice lessons - I've been looking/emailing/researching around for a voice teacher to help me progress. Last night while I was sleeping - a name came to my mind of who to ask. She was another voice teacher at the college I attended last quarter. In fact, she was the voice teacher that I initially wanted - but I was assigned to another. I emailed her and she said she'd "be honored to teach me". I'm really thrilled to have that settled and in progress. :o)

Tonight we went over to the Neel's to watch the Republican Debate. I was frustrated at McCain for his snide remarks towards Romney. I greatly enjoyed Huckabee's final comment on whether Ronald Reagan would endorse him as president. Despite the bickering and uncomfortable moments, I was able to see these 4 candidates share their hopes and dreams for America. I support Romney for the Rep candidate. I like his views. I'm sure that he being LDS does affect this because we have similar views through the gospel. Plus he's nice looking, which always helps. :o) I heard that some people voted for Bill Clinton simply because they thought he was good looking (why, I have no idea) and Mitt Romney is clearly the best looking Rep candidate out there. NO QUESTION. What did you think of the debate?

BLOG TAGGED

BLOG TAGGED
Do you remember playing TAG on the playground?
Maybe it was FreezeTAG or TouchTAG or some other version who knows. What I do know is the now ever so popular adult "BLOG TAG" or "email forward tag".
I kinda like "BLOG TAG"... isnt as messy!
Well here it goes... basically "YOUR IT!" Take the below questions and answer them for yourself then "BLOG TAG" your friends and family. Don't forget the family members.... they want to be "BLOG TAGGED!"

Two names you go by - other than the one you were given:
1. Sweetie
2. Jota

Two things you are wearing right now:
1. A black stocking cap... Baby it's cold outside.
2. My navy blue Christmas jammies

Two of your favorite things to do:
1. Sing
2. Play games

Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1. To have another baby/be pregnant
2. To find a wii for my daughter

Two favorite pets you have/had:
1. Lord Arthur of McElwain - cat
2. Lady Winifred - cat
*Mainly I just loved the names my mom chose for them...I'm more of a dog person, actually.

Two things you did last night:
1. Laundry (2 loads)
2. Dishes (3 loads)

Two things you ate today:
1. Cereal
2. Milk

Two people you last talked to:
1. Tyler
2. Sarah

Two things you will do tomorrow:
1. Help Tyler recover from PRK surgery
2. Drive to MI

Two favorite holidays:
1. Birthday
2. Christmas

Two favorite beverages:
1. Water
2. Milk

I now tag: Glittersmama, Melisa, Iphilip, Misti, Maria, Dana, Jana, Jess, Melody, Michele, Sarah, Shannon, Nina, and anyone else!

It's not easy being a mezzo

I want to begin learning real pieces of music for a mezzo soprano. I've been looking online this evening and haven't been able to find many pieces, let alone books of mezzo soprano arias that interest me. Looking further, I realize that there really isn't a huge arena of opera parts for a mezzo soprano. Hm. I've been thinking lately that I want to pursue voice lessons and hopefully do some competitions and some performances - but as far as actually performing IN an opera...that doesn't interest me at this time. Even though I have an operatic voice - that doesn't mean I have to sing in an opera, does it?

This morning I woke up & took Anna to school, then came home and went back to bed. I woke up at 12:30pm...and was still tired. This is one crazy virus! There was a RS activity this morning at Jana's house, but I thought she'd appreciate my not bringing my virus over to share with everyone. Now that I'm not in school, I hope to be able to attend more RS functions during the day. :o)

I did some laundry & dishes today, plus packaged some eBay items I sold. My sweet husband mailed them for me. Tomorrow is his PRK surgery - prayers are appreciated! I think I'm more nervous about it than he is. As for leaving town on thursday - that's still the plan. Tyler says that whether we stay home or go to MI, he'll be feeling miserable - so he might as well be among friends - not to mention a doctor to check on his recovery (Thanks, Brad!) :o) Of course, we'll decide for sure after the surgery and his follow-up visit thursday whether or not to go.

Virus central

So, Anna had a terrible virus last week and missed school. Today was her first day back. And as I write this post - I am currently enjoying (read: enduring) the same virus that I got from her. Anyone feel like missing work or school? Head on over to my house, we'll set you up.

The Reeves came over tonight. It's amazing how Maria & I formed our friendship by meeting in a local park here one night over a year and a half ago. Our daughters are one week apart in age and have a great time together. I made a pot roast with carrots, gravy, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, & corn with chocolate cake for dessert. Maria is from the Dominican Republic - so I thought it would be fun to show her a typical meal that I had when growing up in OK. The only thing that was missing were rolls - but those would be difficult for me to resist eating!!! As it was, I had to leave the room when dessert was served, so I wouldn't give in! :o)

I weighed in this morning and I gained a pound this past week. I half expected not to lose this week - not because I hadn't been going sugar-free, but because I was trying to use some food storage items that were going to go bad, but weren't on the SBD diet. Food storage items don't really mesh with SBD items. For example: rice, pasta, wheat - not really things I eat on the SBD. However, when we will need to be eating our food storage - say, if some disaster happens - the diet won't be the most important thing at that time. So I had a biscuit mix that I didn't want to waste - so I made the biscuit - topped chicken pie ( recipe in earlier post ), but it has white flour in it...and we ate on it for a day or so...anyhow. I'm ready to begin my YMCA membership, but now I have this nasty virus! *sigh*

Tyler is getting PRK eye surgery (similar to lasik) done on wednesday. Then on thursday we're planning to head up to see Melisa and her family for a few days - so Tyler can recover from his surgery. I'm looking forward to it - I just hope I can shake this virus before then!!

President Gordon B. Hinckley

Our beloved prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley, passed away tonight. :o(

Ode to casseroles

We love casseroles, yes, we do! This is my ode to casseroles post. I just made a favorite one of mine this week: Biscuit-topped chicken pie. It's scrumptious and very much considered "comfort food" in our home. Here's the recipe:

Biscuit-topped Chicken Pie

3 cups chopped cooked chicken
5 hard boiled eggs, sliced
1 cup frozen corn or 1 can corn, drained
Salt
Pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
1-2 recipes biscuit dough

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken in casserole dish; cover with sliced eggs and corn. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix broth & soup; pour over chicken. Cut biscuit dough in rounds with biscuit cutter or drop by spoonfuls over chicken. Bake for 30 minutes or until the biscuits are cooked; serve hot. Yield: 6 – 10 services.

It was gone in 24 hours and there's only 3 of us in the house! That's how tasty it is. I put up 4 other casserole favorites on the right sidebar of my blog. Some are difficult, some are easy, all are tasty! Happy baking!

Some humor:

A night at the opera

2 weeks ago, a girl in my ward gave me two free tickets to see Macbeth by the Dayton Opera. Last night Tyler & I went to see it. Here are some photos of us all gussied up:



No, Anna didn't go with us - but she wanted a photo taken of her - just the same. I've only been to one other live opera: La Traviata in Tulsa, OK (the mecca of fine arts, naturally). When I went to that opera, I dressed in my very best dress and still felt underdressed. So, this time I figured it would be the same. I wore this dress - my nicest dress, the one I bought for Tyler's Air Force commission. When I arrived at the opera, I felt a bit overdressed - if anything. I even saw someone wearing tennis shoes - TENNIS SHOES TO AN OPERA! That was a bit odd. Oh well, the opera was grand and I felt wonderful simply being there. I wonder if I will sing on that stage someday. Time will tell.

This morning Tyler & I went to the Temple. I have a goal to go as a couple once a month this year - so far, so good. Anna wanted to play with Leia today - so she called her to set up a playdate. Sarah, being the wonderful, fantastic friend that she is, not only had Anna come over - she came and picked Anna up from my house! So Tyler & I were able to take a badly needed nap to recover from going to the opera late last night and going to the temple early this morning.

Good news: The Office season 3, 3rd disk arrived today, courtesy of netflix. So, we're off to watch it! (Deena - wish you were here!)

BIG

I like being tall. I'm 5 ft 10 in tall and I think it's great. In fact, I like things bigger, generally. My shoe size is 11. My ring finger is size 8. I like big cars, big couches, big beds, big bathtubs, big tables, and even big silverware. I hope to own silverware someday that resembles that of Outback Steakhouse - big! I'm not interested in being small - I never have been small. My weight goal is to be 180 pounds - which isn't small at all. (of course, it's smaller than I am now, but I digress...) I'm happy around tall people. My husband is 6ft 3in tall and he makes me happier than anyone else on earth. My daughter, Anna, is tall. In fact, she's the tallest kindergarten student at her school. My dad is tall - 6ft 9in. You know how some kids would bully you and say, "Well, my dad can beat up YOUR dad?" Well, I would say things like, "Well, my dad is TALLER than YOUR dad." Yeah, I sure showed them. I showed them all! ha ha.

Anna was home again today. I've played Guess Who so many times, that my mind is developing strategies for the game. Oh yeah, I could win every game - but what fun would that be for Anna? Sometimes I let her win. Is that good? I think Anna will go back to school tomorrow. At this moment she is building a kleenex box out of paper and tape. You'd be amazed at how good it looks! She's such a creative girl - much like her Aunt Alleigh.

Well, the liver cleanse was a success! I went through with it, finally! I purged about 70+ gallstones. Not bad, not bad. Healthy living, here I come!

I'm waiting for the last disk of The Office Season 3 to get here...it should arrive tomorrow...I can't wait...hurry, netflix...

WHEN NEGATIVE STATEMENTS END UP EVEN MORE NEGATIVE

By Noah Goldstein, Ph. D.

We all have traits, abilities, and knowledge that we think others should take into consideration when we are trying to persuade them toward our own viewpoints. But as we discussed in a previous column, it can be difficult to convey these characteristics to others without being viewed as an arrogant braggart, which could make it more difficult to persuade others. To deal with this dilemma, many people naturally turn to disclaimers. For example, instead of making a statement like, “I’m probably more knowledgeable about this issue than almost anyone else,” someone might say, “I don’t mean to sound arrogant, but I’m probably more knowledgeable about this issue than almost anyone else.” But is this common strategy effective or not? I don’t mean to sound more knowledgeable than you, but I’m pretty sure the answer will surprise you.

According to recently published research conducted by social psychologist Amani El-Alayli and her colleagues (2008), using such disclaimers is at best completely ineffective and at worst can actually be counter-effective. For instance, the researchers found in one study that mentioning this type of qualifier before making a statement with a lot of hubris actually increased the audience’s perception of the speaker as arrogant compared to when the same statement was made without the qualifier. When the actual statement was not particularly arrogant, using the disclaimer didn’t have any effect on the audience’s perception of the speaker as arrogant. Either way, using the disclaimer did lead the audience to like the speaker less than if the speaker had made no disclaimer at all.

Alayli and her colleagues found a similar pattern of results with disclaimers and statements that implicated other negative traits, such as laziness and selfishness. For example, they found that when someone preceded a selfish statement with either “I don’t mean to sound selfish, but I think…” or “I know this may sound selfish, but I think…” the speaker was viewed as more selfish than when the selfish statement wasn’t preceded by any qualifiers.

The researchers suggest that this maybe the case because people tend to have a confirmation bias when making inferences about others. In other words, people pay particular attention to information that confirms rather than disconfirms what they already believe about someone. Therefore, when people hear from a speaker that what he or she is about to say may sound arrogant, they are predisposed to viewing the statement (and the person) as particularly arrogant.

This research clearly demonstrates the dangers of using a qualifier to try to protect yourself from the negative implications of the statements you make to others. Rather than telling someone with whom you’re negotiating that you don’t mean to sound selfish when making a grab for a bigger slice of the pie or telling someone with whom you’re working that you don’t mean to sound lazy when asking that person to do a greater share of the work, it would be best not to use such disclaimers. The same goes for when trying to protect oneself from sounding arrogant when attempting to convey one’s skills or expertise to a potential business partner, which makes the alternative option of having someone else present your credentials for you an even more important one.

Source:El-Alayli, A., Myers, C. J., Petersen, T. L., Lystad, A. L. (2008). “I don’t mean to sound arrogant, but…” The effects of using disclaimers on person perception. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34, 130-143.

http://www.insideinfluence.com/current/article_jan.html

Guess who?

I cannot count how many games of Guess Who that Anna & I have played together this week. I have really enjoyed the time together that we have had these past few days, since she's been home sick from school. I don't know when she'll be going back to school. She still has a cough, yet it has been surprising to me that she isn't eager to go back to school. She loves her teacher and her fellow classmates. I LOVE having her home - and spending so much time together playing Guess Who.

Last night I watched Persuasion - my favorite movie. It was nice to take some time out for myself and enjoy that classic story by Jane Austen. :o)

I am really doing the liver cleanse and it feels great! I know that by tomorrow I will have at least 100 less gallstones and should be allergy free for a while. I loathe epsom salts, but I'm already halfway through the cleanse - 2 more epsom drinks tomorrow and that's all!!! In about 30 minutes I'll drink a solution of olive oil and fresh grapefruit juice. Sound gross? Well, you may be surprised to hear that the epsom salts are so much worse. *gag*

Anna had her own personal pan pepperoni pizza from pizza hut tonight. She read 10+ books in December and so Pizza Hut has a BOOKIT policy where the kids can earn their own pizza. Anna would read the books anyhow, but the pizza is an added perk! Speaking of reading, Anna read a whole chapter last night in the Illustrated Book of Mormon book - all by herself!!! I am amazed at her reading skills. She is plugging right along! I was thinking of checking out some books to read with her - any suggestions?

Satisfaction

There is a sense of satisfaction to go to bed with your house clean, including your kitchen being clean. Let me go one step farther - not only is your kitchen clean, but your dishwasher is empty as well. Oh yeah, that's very satisfying. No dishes to put away in the morning. Ahhh. This is the life.

I kept Anna home today. Her cough is better today than yesterday - but it's not gone. I emailed her teacher who said that there are other kids with a cough and that she, herself, has a cough. I'm not sure that makes me want to hurry up and send Anna back to school tomorrow. I think I might keep her home another day. I asked her if she wanted to go back to school tomorrow and she said "no" which surprised me. Maybe her Mama is more fun than school. Maybe Anna still feels sick. Just for fun, we'll go with the first maybe. :o)

Amidst cough drops, games of Guess Who and snuggling with Mama - Anna relaxed today, watching her movies that we got from the library. She is such an obedient child. Whenever I ask her to do something, she says: "Okay, Mama, I'll listen." How cute is that? She's also very logical in her way of thinking. She wants to understand things and it's fun to see those wheels turning in her head. She's such a doll and I enjoy being with her. I've noticed that she, too, likes her alone time. I remember my Mom needing some time alone when I was growing up and I know that I need my alone time as well - otherwise I get overwhelmed. I think that perhaps Anna does as well, because she will go up in her room and play with her toys - doing role play between her dolls. Like mother - like daughter - like granddaughter. It's the great circle of life. Cue The Lion King soundtrack.

Tomorrow I'm doing the liver cleanse. I know what you're thinking - the last 2 times I've set out to do this cleanse, something has prevented me from doing it (mainly myself because it's so terrible). But this time is different, I will go through with it - and my allergies will be gone for 6 months! Hooray!

The White Countess

I lost 2 and a half pounds last week! I'm on track to get back to where I was before December 2007. I think that returning to the YMCA will help in addition to being on SBD. :o)

Today was Martin Luther King Jr Day - so both Tyler & Anna had the day off. Hooray! However, we didn't know that this holiday was coming - so we were a little unprepared for it. We kept asking: "What are we going to do today?" We ended up going shopping for some clothes and looking at paint at 3 different stores plus eating chinese food - Anna says it's her favorite restaurant because it has chicken on a stick, shrimp, and ice cream. What more could a girl want?

Please note Anna's 6 year-old pictures on the sidebar! Isn't she a doll?? Poor Anna Belle still has a really bad cough. She sounds pretty bad. I'm going to keep her home from school tomorrow. We bought her some cough drops which have helped some - but what do you give a 6 year-old who has a bad cough? I'm not really prone to coughing, myself, so I feel uneducated on this topic. Ideas, please!!!

Tonight we had FHE on eternal families. We've decided to use the lds FHE manual and tonight was the first time. Tyler did a great job. We feel like we need to do better in teaching Anna the gospel. What a huge responsibility to teach her. I hope and pray that we will be successful in teaching her during these precious years.

After Anna went to bed, Tyler & I watched The White Countess. It was heartwrenching and historically interesting at the same time. It involves a Russian Countess living in Shanghai, China, pre-world war II. The movie left me wondering what my life should consist of - that, at the end of my lifetime, what will have mattered the most? I've toyed with the idea of pursuing music as a real career, and part of me wants that - but part of me just wants to be home, raising my daughter and any other kids that come along. And I feel that if I were to be home and raise my family, that at the end of my lifetime - it would have been enough for me. No, more than enough, more than a huge career in music would have been. Those are my midnight thoughts for now.

What is your color?

What's Your True Color?

My Result: Black

Your color is black. The color of night. Serene and mysterious, black conjures up images of elegant evening gowns, dashing tuxedos, and gleaming limousines. Traditionally a symbol of success, black also represents power and an uncompromising demand for perfection. Not surprisingly, you tend to set challenging goals for yourself and do whatever it takes to achieve them — your strength of character is second to none. This unfaltering determination, along with your natural elegance, impresses people. But keep in mind that your personality might be intimidating to some. Try to temper your demanding side with a little softness — trust us, it won't kill you. Overall, though, black is the color of professionalism and achievement, which means it's clearly the color for you.

Take this test >

I love Sundays!

Last night we actually got our act together and went to bed at 11pm - unlike 3am last week - and I was amazed to wake up rested. Is there a correlation here? I think so.

Choir practice went so well. I'm truly amazed at these dedicated members of the choir who get up an hour earlier each week and come in the freezing cold (today it was 2 degrees when I left my house) and come share their talents. I'm in awe of these wonderful singers.

I sang in church today: O Divine Redeemer. And I sang it from memory - that's a big deal for me. For some reason, I doubt that I'll be able to remember the words to just about any song that I sing - even if I've been singing it for years. I didn't even give myself the chance to look at the music, I just left it in the pew. It felt good to do that and I think the song went well. It's a difficult song for me to sing, there's no coasting when I sing it. Anna has a bad cough - so we came home after Sacrament meeting. It feels odd to be home in the morning on a Sunday.

The SBD has been going well. I meant to go back to the phase 1 but I've been doing more of a phase 2 instead and I discovered SBD frozen pizzas - they help me get through. :o) I'm eager to see how much I've lost this week, I think it will at least be 2 or 3 pounds. Plus I think I'm going to renew my YMCA membership. I noticed that I went to workout more often when I had that membership - because my friends go! So, I think on Monday I'll renew that membership and get my rear in gear.

Celebrity look-a-likes

Wow, Tyler does look like Adrien Brody - that's amazing!



I don't know who half these people are...lol

My heart aches

So, on Sunday my period will officially be 2 weeks late. My cycle works like clockwork - 4 weeks to the day. A week and a half ago I took a home pg test: negative. Last week I took another one: negative. Today - still no period - I went on base and took another pg test: negative. It's not hard to believe that I'm not pregnant when my period comes when it's supposed to - but when it doesn't come, I begin to be hopeful. When I found out that today's test was negative (they called me with the results) I just cried, and I've been crying on & off throughout the day/evening. My eyes are all puffy now. *heavy sigh* I had a wonderful evening with Anna, despite my tears. We watched The Chipmunk Adventure (old school) and I cried during it - and not in normal spots, just random parts of the movie caused me to become emotional and cry. I asked Tyler to give me a blessing - it said that we're not meant to know all things. *deep heavy sigh* I need to increase my faith that God will take care of me and that what he wants for me will happen. I just need to be patient.

Romeo? How about Juliet...that's better

Which Shakespearian Tragic Hero Are You? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Romeo A poet and a romantic at heart, as well as somewhat naive, you just want to live your life and have someone to love. When you fall in love, you fall fast and hard, but you often find yourself the victim of circumstances beyond your control. Romeo 83% Othello 75% Brutus 75% Hamlet 71% Macbeth 71% King Lear 63%

I present to you - MY NEW COUCHES!

This is my new living room. And no, you don't need to adjust the color on your computer - they're orange! My favorite color is orange and now I have burnt orange couches! You'll have to see it to believe it (hint, hint). We bought the Ashley brand couches for $700 off of craigslist and they threw the matching rug in for free. We're very pleased - they're so comfortable!

I had my background check done this morning. They had to fingerprint me in two separate ways - one involved my two thumbs and index fingers being scanned into the computer through a small device of sorts. It took him 30 minutes to get my fingerprints on there. He said that I have a lot of lines on my fingers...whatever that means. Don't we ALL have lots of lines??

I spoke with the public schools administration and they said it might be a month before the FBI (yes, the FBI) background check goes through. I'm not complaining - I'm ready for some time at home! :o) I went to wal-mart to see if there was a wii in stock, no such luck. I'm going to try back tomorrow...Anna asks me daily if I've found one yet.

I now have 5 voice students - one of which started lessons today. She has a lovely mezzo sounding voice. I'm excited to work with her.

Today the SBD was a little more difficult. I bought a SBD cheese pizza and that seemed to help me through the "what can I eat when I'm on a diet" slump that I was in.

Ballet Lessons

Tomorrow I'm going in for a "background check" for substitute teaching plus an interview. I plan to sub about 4 days a week. It will be good to earn more money for our family - but I must admit that I enjoy being home. I signed up to sub mondays, tuesdays, thursday, and fridays - which will give me a break during the week on wednesdays. :o)

The house looks really nice now - I did a lot of organizing and tidying and it really shows. I thrive on a clean house. I took Anna to the thrift store and found lots of clothes for Tyler, myself, & Anna - all at $3 a piece or less! You can't beat that.

2nd day on SBD is going well. I didn't a chance to exercise today - however I have been busy cleaning all day long, so that should count - right? Poor Tyler is exhausted. He has training this week plus school and hasn't gotten enough sleep since Saturday night. Poor guy!

I found some ballet lessons for Anna to check out this week. Get this: the first lesson is a trial to see if she likes it, there's no set leotard specifications or colors - she can wear whatever she feels comfortable wearing, and there is a performance at the end of the year but we won't have to buy costumes to use - because they already have them in stock to use, plus it's only $40 a month for an hour lesson each week! Yeah, I'm excited - let's just hope the first lesson goes well!

Congrats to Mitt Romney!!! Hooray!

I'm listening to Anna Netrebko right now...it makes me sad because I don't know what I'm doing with my singing talent...her voice is amazing, I wish I could develop mine to the degree that she has hers.

Mitt Romney

Who represents your political views? Leave your answer as a comment:

Who's your candidate?

Then you can go to the link here and choose five or six words that describe me best (thanks, Shannon!): The Warrior

In other news, I did weigh myself this morning and it wasn't as shabby as I had expected. The last time I recorded my weight was in late november and it was 312.6 pounds. Today after all the holiday eating I did I weigh 318.4 pounds. I feel certain that I can drop those 6 pounds easily and be back on track for losing weight. Today went well. I basically did the SBD 1st phase with a couple of 2nd phase food items (milk, whole wheat toast) and I feel good. I miss sugar, but hopefully soon it won't even be a thought in my head.

I picked up a substitute teaching packet today, in the great state of ohio they pay you $80 per day of subbing. That is much better than the $50 I was paid in OK for subbing back in 2002. I also mailed some items at the post office (Melisa - watch your mailbox for Brad's pants that he left here when you came to visit). Then I did some cleaning/tidying around the house. We still haven't found any couches and so our living room looks pretty sad. On wednesday we're planning to hit another store and look at some couches listed on craigslist. I've finally had 2 people email about seeing the bedroom set. Hooray!

For FHE we talked about recognizing the Spirit in our lives - talk about a difficult concept to teach! Then we watched Shrek 3 - pretty funny! I love hearing Anna laugh while watching a silly movie.

Precious moments

Here is a precious moment that I caught on camera this evening:

Every night either Tyler or myself reads Anna stories - well, whenever Tyler is home, he reads to her (because he's not home every night due to school) and I read to her the other nights. It is so precious to see the man I love reading to the daughter I love. What more could a wife/mama ask for?

We're still in the process of moving rooms. What's that you say? What's taking so long?? Yeah, well, I had no idea it would take this many days to change rooms but in addition to just moving the furniture that was in the rooms, we are trying to sell a bedroom set, Tyler made shelves in the closets, and we've moved our living room couches upstairs. (FYI - if you come to visit, there's currently nowhere to sit downstairs). We're still looking for a pair of couches to put downstairs. We're looking for an inexpensive but sturdy (preferably TALL) set of sofa/love seat. I hope it won't be long before we find something - my problem is that I don't have a lot of patience, so I need to be careful that I don't just purchase the first thing I see - but wait for the right set. Anyone have some nice couches for sale? (and live in OH?)

Church was wonderful today. Choir practice went extremely well. I'm very impressed with the choir here - they are excellent sight readers. (meaning they can read/learn new choir pieces easily). I really love my ward.

Tomorrow I will begin a renewed effort to return to South Beach Diet phase 1. I've been living it up (food-wise) for the past month or so and I'm positive that I've gained some weight - if not all that I lost last year. It's depressing to think about it, but it's a fact I need to face. I want to implement healthy eating habits for myself and my family. I need all the support I can get. If any of you are pursuing a healthy eating plan for yourself or your family - let me know. We can support and uplift one another. My plan is to be on the SBD phase 1 and exercise 3-5 times a week. I have a yoga tape and will walk outside, if the weather permits. I'm ready to be healthy and I feel optimistic that once I lose a good amount of weight - that we'll finally be able to realize having more children.

Speaking of my reproductive anatomy (now that's a great opening line, eh?), I'm not sure what's going on down there. My period should have started last Sunday. I took a pregnancy test: negative. I've been very regular that past few months - 4 week cycles, to the DAY. So this whole week - no period. With each day my anticipation was growing - could I finally be pregnant?! Was it possible? Yesterday I took another pregnancy test: negative. I still haven't started...it's so hard being a woman.

Happy Anniversary, Take 2

So today Tyler & I thought we'd celebrate our anniversary together versus being apart - like we were on the actual date (jan 6th). This evening Tyler took me out for a wonderful dinner at OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE. Our daughter, Anna, is actually spending the night with her friend Glitter at Glittersmama's house. (Thanks!!!) We were going to spend the night at a bed & breakfast, but decided that we'd just spend the evening at home, which has been quite nice. We're actually moving things around the house, getting everything the way we want it. It's funny how moving rooms is so much fun that we want to spend part of our precious date night doing it. In other news, I listed my very first Craigslist item for sale today: a 5 piece bedroom set. I hope it will sell - we really could use the money!

It's getting CLOSER

I've been home for over a day and already the house looks MUCH better. It would be done already if we weren't moving things around. I'm so excited about the switching rooms. Tyler made an interesting observation - he said that whenever we decide upon something, we're both very excited to get it done and to do it fast. That's just one of the many things that we have in common. I'm such a lucky wife to have Tyler as my husband. We have so many things to talk about and laugh about. Today we went to look for some couches at a furniture store. It makes me uncomfortable when the sales people come after you and never leave your side. Tyler finally asked the sales lady if she could leave us alone to walk through the store. I know that it's her job - but man, it's so annoying! We did find one set that we liked a lot. (Too bad it's only $4,000) Our problem in selecting furniture, we've found, is that it needs to be tall - since we're tall - and I like it to be firm. I want to be able to get up from the couch when I'm 9 months pregnant (whenever that DOES happen). And this set fit those requirements, plus reclined! It's too bad it didn't cost $400, then we'd have it in our home right now. *sigh*

There's no place like home

I'm so happy to be home! I woke up this morning at 3am and my wonderful in-laws dropped me off at the Tulsa airport for my 6am flight to chicago and then a connecting flight to Ohio. I'm so thrilled to be with my family. Poor Tyler - he was trying to unpack, go to work, care for Anna, and begin the winter quarter for his MBA program - all by his iddy biddy self. What a man! Today we went grocery shopping, took down the Christmas tree/decorations and are in the process of switching the guest room with our master bedroom. We're going to make our old room into a guest/family room. I'm very excited about the switch! We're also thinking of painting our home, which is a fun idea as well. It's just great to be home. I have a "to do" list that is a mile long and I'm eager to get 'er done!

Going Home, take 2

I'm going home tomorrow. I'm happy that I was able to stay in OK a few days, but am relieved at the thought of being home with my dear family. Today I went out for lunch with my friend, Nilma, and out for dinner with my friend, Nina. It was nice to catch up with both of them, not to mention enjoy tasty food that neither of us had to cook! I have an early flight out of Tulsa (6am) so I'm about to head up to Bartlesville now and leave from there tomorrow. I went shopping at Ross Dress for less today. And yes, that equals 4 shopping trips to Ross within the last 2 weeks. I had no idea how addicting that store would be - especially since they carry my clothing size. I've bought enough clothes to have a real wardrobe, not one that consists of only 20 articles of clothing. Now I have cool clothes to go with the cool shoes that Sarah helped me find. I'm set!

Going home

Well, today my Dad was released from the hospital. Thanks to all of you who are praying for him and my family. I appreciate your thinking of us at this time. Dad is doing remarkably well. His feet aren't nearly as swollen, he can breathe deeply and has been able to sleep soundly the past 3 nights. He's feeling great! I'm so glad I was able to come here and help him through this difficult time. I feel much closer to him now.

Since all is going well, I bought a plane ticket home. I'll leave early (6am) on wednesday morning from Tulsa. My wonderful in-laws let me borrow their car during these past few days. I'm so blessed to have such wonderful family members.

My current plans for when I return home is to begin substitute teaching to help relieve our school loan debt and to find a voice instructor who can help me improve my singing talent. My dad has encouraged me to continue studying voice even though I won't be in school this quarter and I may not ever gain a degree in music. I recently subscribed to a magazine called Classical Singer and it has lots of advertisements for competitions and workshops around the world. I've always wanted to study abroad and this may be my way of doing just that - even if it's for a 2 week workshop!

Happy Anniversary to us!

Today is Tyler & my 7th anniversary. I am so grateful to the man who has enriched my life with all kinds of happiness and who continually takes care of me and loves me each and every day. I am sad that we aren't together on this anniversary - but my heart grows fonder of him each hour we are apart. He is my rock, my counselor, my example. Even now he is in OH taking care of everything: unpacking from our 2 week trip, caring for Anna, and preparing to go back to school. He is a wonderful man that I am grateful to call my husband. I love you, Honey Bunny!

All is progressing with my Dad. He is doing better each day. Last night I was able to spend some one-on-one time with him, which was nice. I think he's very surprised to be having any health problems whatsoever, especially with his heart, but I think he's dealing with it as best he can. The current update is that he should be coming home on monday. We'll wait and see what his doctor says today.

I withdrew from classes and feel at peace concerning it. I'm planning to work when I return home and hope I'll be able to make a dent in our school loan debt. Currently I'm thinking of substitute teaching until I find something more suitable for me. I like how flexible of a schedule I can have with substitute teaching, so it's very appealing to me in that way, although I'm not sure on the pay per day. I'm also considering the idea of returning to infertility treatments on-base. Since I would be going in for labwork every other day - a flexible job would be necessary to accomodate this.

Thank you all for your words of support and encouragement for my dad and also for me! I feel very blessed to have such devoted friends. Thank you.

Update

Well, after considering the situation with my Dad, Tyler & I agreed that I should stay in OK to see how I could help my family. Tyler & Anna are now on their way back to OH. Last night I stayed at the hospital while my stepmother, Suzanne, & Alleigh (my little sister) went home to rest. Dad is doing much better. He does has CHF (congestive heart failure) and they said it's a good thing he came in when he did because he might have died if he'd waited one more week. YIKES. He's had a blessing and it said he'd recover and that he still has things to do on the earth. I've remained quite calm through everything - I'm determined to help everyone else work through it. It feels good to serve the people you love. As far as when I will return to OH, that is not known. If my Dad comes home on monday (when he's expected to be released) and does well, then I'll try to fly home next week sometime. Dad slept all night last night - the first time in over 2 weeks. :o)

Prayers

We are currently in Owasso, about to head up to Bartlesville and then leave for St. Louis. I feel a little bit in limbo right now. Last night I had a call from my brother, Jacob, who said that our dad is in the hospital and potentially has congestive heart failure. Naturally, I'm very concerned. My step-dad, Bob, who passed away in 1999 also had congestive heart failure. I'm thinking that perhaps this is why I've been prompted so strongly to withdraw from school for the time being. Any and all prayers would be appreciated.

Winding up our trip

It's almost over - our 2 week vacation to OK/TX. We've had such a great time, we're not ready for it to end! We're now in Stillwater for the night and will head to Owasso/Bartlesville tomorrow. Today we spent more time with our family in Edmond, and ended with some family pictures at target and a meal at CiCi's pizza. Anna was so sad to leave her Aunt Alleigh, who is 13 years old. They have a very special relationship. I wish we lived closer so they could grow up spending lots of time together. We will be leaving OK on friday morning and will most likely stop in St. Louis on friday night, then arrive in OH on saturday.

For the past week or so I've been feeling very confused as to what I should be doing right now. Before we came to OH I was quite content with my current goal - a degree in vocal performance. But during a Sunday School lesson on finances last Sunday, I began wondering if bringing more debt to our family (by getting another degree) was what I should be doing. I mean, I already have a degree and with my undergraduate degree, Tyler's undergraduate degree and his current MBA degree - we have a TON of loans to pay back. I'm beginning to wonder if I should temporarily stop this degree to work and help lesson the financial strain on our family. I want to study music, but I'm not sure if that's the most important thing right now. I'm so confused!!!

My baby is 6 years old

At 4:33pm yesterday, on New Years Eve, my baby girl, Anna Elisabeth, turned 6 years old. I can hardly believe it. Why does 6 seem so much older than 5? I did my best trying to make her birthday a wonderful day for her. It's difficult to separate Christmas from her birthday and I have a feeling it will become more difficult as she becomes older. We spent her birthday at my parent's house in Edmond. We had pepperoni pizza, veggies (it was a VeggieTales themed birthday party), shrimp dip, chocolate milk and chocolate cake with chocolate ice cream. Anna received several gifts including My Little Ponies, Teddy Bear books, floam (courtesy of my brother, Coulter), Care Bear, Mulan barbie doll, hair accessories, some card games (like Old Maid & Go Fish) and some clothes. Plus she got to have Trix cereal for breakfast, since in OH we don't buy cereal anymore-it was a special treat! I love my baby girl so much. This past year she has begun kindergarten, she has become even more outgoing (as if that were possible), and has now sung/performed for her family in OK and done very well at that. Her (current) favorite foods include: shrimp, chocolate, cereal, chocolate milk, oranges, chicken, rice, carrots, corn, manicotti noodles (plain), & pizza. She enjoys reading her books, playing with her leapster, playing with her many dolls, playing her Guess Who game and now her Tinker Toys. She's still quite affectionate with her parents, always giving hugs & kisses. I am trying to teach her how to deal with losing in a game, which so far has been unsuccessful. We use "snuggles" as a way of calming down-meaning we snuggle with her on the couch. She is beginning to understand the gospel more & more and enjoys reading the Book of Mormon stories at bedtime. We love her so very much and can't imagine our family without her. I love you Anna Belle!