Puppy Fun

Stokley had a great time being outside while Joel mowed the lawn this weekend.

I didn't do it, it was him. Honest!

Never part of the Cool Crowd

Remember back in middle school and high school when you had to wear Gap or Buckle jeans. Has that really gone away? I've found that it hasn't.

I've come to realize that no matter how hard I try(if I were to try), I'll never be part of the cool crowd. Mostly because I really don't like the things that the cool crowd likes.

I'm not a fan of Seinfeld, Simpsons or the Family Guy. I'd prefer to watch old Disney movies and listen to country music than watch Napoleon dynamite or listen to the latest band. I've come to realize that the things that I really enjoy, not many people do. I'm the person who usually likes whatever everyone else is making fun of. For example, we'll be hanging out with family or friends and someone flips the channel past something I'd like to watch, but I keep my mouth shut because start to make fun of it. For a while this really bothered me. I kept thinking to myself, "If I'm willing to try to enjoy what everyone else likes, when will it be time for everyone else to try to enjoy what I like." But that world just doesn't work like that. So, I enjoy what I enjoy and let others enjoy what they enjoy.

You better watch out if you spy on me when I'm home by myself, because you might just find me blaring country on the radio or singing along with a Disney movie.

Bored

My job is becoming like Joel's. For the past few weeks (since the weather has gotten nicer), hardly any students are coming into the math lab. So I sit here for hours at a time, just waiting for students (who need lots of help) to come in. I've been working for almost four hours and I've helped about 6 students. --- that makes my pay about $10 per student. Not too bad for about 15 minutes worth of work each.

(If you don't know me that well, I'm driven by accomplishing tasks. So when I sit here with nothing to do, I feel useless and unproductive and it drives me nuts!)

A B-E-A-U-tiful Monday

The snow is gone! The sun is shining! Joel took the day off of work, so I got to sleep in! There's no better way to start a week. Plus, I only have this week and next week before I have four weeks off inbetween semesters! That just makes me smile!

Great day to stay inside

Since the weather was not very cooperative and Joel's in Chicago at a Bulls game, I took advantage of the day. I got home from church about 12:30 and promptly changed into my pjs. I even went as far as taking out my contacts. Then I circled up on the couch and watch about 4 hours of Nashville Star (the country version of American Idol), mostly because there wasn't much better on. After 4 hours on the couch, I thought I needed to accomplish something today, so I taught Stokley how to shake. Ethan and Hailey have been wanting him to do that for a while, so this was a great time to teach him. He had it down pretty well today.
I also worked on some stuff for Kids' Kamp (anybody wanna help?) and revised my resume and cover letter to send to MSU. Since I'm going to be teaching on their campus next fall, I thought I'd send my resume and let them know I'm interested in classes if they have any openings. Ya never know what might happen!

Yesterday, Tricia and I went to Birch Run outlet mall. We had a great time shopping together and got some great deals! I finally found a pair of black leather boots for $30 at the BASS outlet. I was so excited! I had been wanting some for a while. I also got a pair of GAP jeans for $15. You gotta love great deals!

Ahh... Finally Friday

I'm really glad this week is over. It's not that it was a bad week, but I'm just ready to relax a bit.
Joel and I bought a grill tonight. So now we can grill steaks, hamburgers etc. That is, when it's not snowing. Yeah, the weather man is calling for 5-8 inches of snow this weekend. What is up with that? It's almost May. I know this is Michigan, but God shouldn't let it snow after He's already given us 80 degree days. It's just a cruel joke!

The Fun Never Ends

Today I found two piles of saw dust under one of our doors in the basement. Guess my attempt to get rid of the few carpenter ants that I saw didn't work. So, I called the exterminator. He's coming on Tuesday to assess the situation. I'm hoping that its not too expensive. But I'd like to take care of the situation before it gets out of hand and their eating everything wood in sight. But hey, my bugs are not nearly as gross as Tricia's! (if you want to see something gross, go to www.triciamiller.blogspot.com).

Odd Questions from the Doc

So I went to the doctor's yesterday to have my ingrown toenail checked out (yeah, I know it's really gross). It was my first appointment with the doctor, so I had to fill out tons of forms and got asked a lot of questions. First, I was suprised that they wanted me to pee in a cup just to get my toe checked out. Then when the doctor saw me, he asked about 150 questions about myself and my health history, some of which included:

What percentage of the time do you wear a seatbelt?
What is the health status of your parents (ok, that one has some merit).
Do you prefer men, women or both? (I was a little shocked at this one, but I replied men. Later I wished I would have said "a man, named Joel".)

So next time you visit the doctor for something small, such as a toe infection, be prepared to answer anything!

A Strange Occurance at Meijer

Yesterday I went shopping at Meijer for some much needed grocieries. I finished my shopping quickly (because family was coming) and headed out the door. I put the groceries in the trunk, returned the cart, and sat in my car to put away the reciept and make sure I had marked everything off on my list. That's when the strangeness began. I heard a tap on my window -- which always puts me on alert. I turned to see an older gentleman in about his 70s. So I rolled down the window a bit and said a shy hello. He replied "I don't want to sound like a girty ol'e man, but I just had to tell you that the fragrance you are wearing is wonderful. I noticed it as you were walking up and down the aisles and I just had to tell you how beautiful you smell." I was a little shocked, but politely said thank you very much and he turned and walked away. I've had a lot of old men tell me that they like the color of my hair, but I've never been told that I smell really good.

Oh, and just in case any of you girls are wondering what fragrance I was wearing, it was Candies for Women. Perhaps you should try some and see if you can pick up any old timers!

Family

My mom brought my Gramma and Grandpa up to see Joel and I today. (But I really think they came to see the dog.) Their little visit reminded me how much I miss my family.
As a kid, we used to visit each set of grandparents just about every Sunday. And most of the other cousins were over, so it was easy to keep up with everyone. I kinda miss those times. I miss calling grammas or cousins to run to WalMart with you or just to go on a walk together.
But then we have a whole new family here in Lansing. So it's not that I want to go back to those times, but I just miss them (if that makes any sense).

Thoughts to ponder

Tricia and I were talking yesterday about the book Blue Like Jazz . She was telling me about this quote from it and I just happened to be reading that same part later yesterday. I thought I'd share it with you all.

"I mean that to be in a relationship with God is to be loved purely and furiously. And a person who thinks himself unlovable cannot be in a relationship with God because he can't accept who God is; a Being that is love. We learn that we are lovable or unlovable by other people. ... That's why God tells us so many times to love each other."

Ponder the impact of that statment should have on our lives!

Tuesday blues

It's colder today. I've caught a cold again. It's three more days until the weekend. This makes me sad.

A great weekend followed by a great Monday

What a wonderful weekend. Joel and I took it pretty easy this weekend. Friday night I went to bed early and caught up on some rest.

On Saturday, Joel and I purchased our first lawn mower and spent the afternoon outside cleaning up the back area of our backyard. Stokley loved it because he got to be outside all afternoon.

Joel lead worship on Sunday and after three services, we crashed.

On Sunday night, I finally found the time to give my friend Daneal a much needed call. She's one of the greatest friends in the world. I think we talked for over an hour catching up on our lives. We don't get to see each other much since she lives in Virgina. But it's so great to have friendships that are strong enough that we can go six months without talking and pick up the phone and still be best friends!

Today Stokley met a new friend. While we were on our walk, the great Pyrenees who lives caddy corner from us was out with his owner Leah. Leah and I talked for awhile as the puppies played and decided that we should let them play together more often. It was fun to meet a neighbor who really wants to have a neighbor relationship!

A day of firsts for Stokley

Stokley lost his first puppy tooth today while chewing on my pant leg. So like a good mommy does, I have it saved in a plastic bag. I'm exciting he's loosing those sharp puppy teeth, then playing with him won't hurt so much!

While outside playing, Stokley had his first encounter with a toad. I found the toad in some leaves near the edge of our property, so I picked him up and took it over to show Stokley. Stokley was quite interested. I put the toad down (he was trembling) and Stokley wanted to knaw on the toad. I really didn't want Stokley to eat him or for the poor thing to die, so after a few seconds, I replaced to toad back into his pile of leaves. It was quite cute seeing them interact.

It was also Stokley's first day to go outside and play with out being on a leash. Since he knows the boundaries of our yard pretty well, I'm trying to let him off and train him to stay in the yard. He did pretty well today.

Tricia came over today and had lunch. We had a good talk and got to enjoy the wonderful weather. It's so nice to have awesome friends!

Now that I've waisted about 10 minutes at work, I think I'll get back to it.

I LOVE WARM WEATHER!!

Just for the record --- I love weather like today!!

A great Weekend

(I hate trying to figure out a title for these posts. I never think of anything creative.)

I had a wonderful weekend. The only thing that could have made it a bit better would have been more sleep. Friday, while Joel and Myron were at a Poker Tourny hosted by the Millers, Molly and I watched our dogs play and watched Little Women. It was some great girl time.
On Saturday Joel helped me finish up the grocery shopping and we went to Goodwill. I always have so much fun when he goes with me. That night we went over to the Millers to watch the Basketball games. As you all know, sadly MSU lost.
Then on Sunday, I worked two services in the Pre-k room. I had a great time watching kids paint coffee filters and turn them into beautiful butterflies. After lunch Joel and I took Stokley to a park with some trails through the woods along a river. Stokley loved it. He had so much fun running ahead of us through the piles of leaves, splashing in the water and even discovering a snake --- not to mention all the people and other dogs he got to meet. It was a really great time just to get out and enjoy nature. We ended the little trip by getting some ice cream comes from one of those local ice cream stands --- the kind where cones cost $0.70 and they're huge. It kinda made it feel like summer/spring was really starting. And when we got home, Stokley and I took a great name while Joel played Playstation.