4 days later...

And here is how much the crew has progressed since Friday...

Fireplace now.
Closing the doorway that goes from the front room to the front bedroom.
The back bedroom with the framed extended wall.
Kitchen. Notice the closet is gone?
Bathroom and where the shower will be extended out to.

It's progressing quickly. LOVE IT!

All in a day's work

Oh, but no worries. It wasn't me working. Here are a few photos of what the crew got done in ONE DAY!

View from the front door.
Fireplace. Remember the dry rot?
Lat and plaster removed from back bedroom.
View from the new kitchen area.
Back bedroom closer up.
Area that will hold a shower, laundry closet, and extended bedroom with closet.
View into the back yard where the sink will be.
Just an artsy shoot of some old electrical.

For Those Who Think German is Hard...

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on. English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the
lights are out, they are invisible.

PS. - Why doesn't "Buick" rhyme with "quick"

You lovers of the English language might enjoy this...

There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is "UP."

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?

We call UP our friends. And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car. At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special.

And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is Stopped UP. We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.

We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP! To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions. If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more. When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP.

When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP.

When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP.

One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now my time is UP, so... it is time to shut UP...

Happy Belated!

The 28th was a special day for a friend of mine. Stacey had a birthday, and last night we celebrated at Tuesday Night Dinner. I'm gonna be nice and not sure the numbers of candles on her cake, but I took a picture of the pile.

It says "Happy Birthday Stacey", not Happy Birthday Sfacey". I'm not so good with the frosting-in-a-can.

And the walls came down!

So I went home to meet with Ron yesterday about the house and electrical. And much to my surprise and astonishment, just about all of the walls that needed to come down in the house, were down. I took pictures earlier today. I'll add them later. So far, it's going to look great!

Let the Walls Come Down!

Praise the Lord! Construction started on the house THIS MORNING! It is finally happening. No more waiting and waiting and waiting. The end is much closer now that action has started.

The Wizard and I

This past weekend was my "last minute" trip to Hollywood to see the musical Wicked. The trip went really well. Much better than I anticipated actually. Everyone got along just about the whole time. Only one person started getting annoyed by others the last hour of the trip, at least that we know of.

Wicked was fantastic! I highly recommend it for anybody is enjoys musicals, or loves The Wizard of Oz. May I just say, Glinda is the most sparkly good witch I've ever seen. I love sparkles...!

House Plans Revised

And here would be the plans for the house. Obviously it'll be changed quite a bit in at the back of the house. Construction will start in about 1 1/2 weeks. So I would say to plan on bringing your paint brushes over in about 2-3 weeks to start painting where they finish up. I'll provide the paint, and maybe some beer or pizza or something. EXCITING!

Movies I've Seen in 2008: January

January
Enchanted (theater) - Gotta love Disney movies! I liked this one, probably because I wish to be a princess and have my Prince Charming come after me. And most of the time I live in a fairytale world (mind). Highly recommend this movie for the Chic Flick viewers and little girls.

Knocked Up (DVD) - Ok, so I bought this movie after Christmas with a gift card that I got as a gift. This movie was HILARIOUS! Loved it! Vulgarness and all. I swear, the f word wasn't written into the script, but the actors were just told to use it whenever it fit as much as possible. I don't recommend watching with young children or your parents, neither of which I did.

P.S. I Love You (theater) - GO WATCH THIS MOVIE! I read the book about a year ago, and I cried. I heard that a movie was being made out of the book and I was so happy. P.S. I Love You is hard to explain on the reason for the sobbing, just watch it. You'll totally understand. It's one of those happy, sad movies.

Shrek 3 (DVD)- You know, it was cute, but I was kinda disappointed in it. I like the first 2 Shrek movies better.

Bourne Ultimatum (DVD) - Love this triology! Good movie. I really enjoyed it. Although, it's been awhile since I saw the first 2 movies so I felt a little lost. I think I need to watch all three in succession.

I'm horrible about going to the movies. I always claim that I'll watch it when it comes out on DVD, which just about never happens. So, this year I'm going to keep track of the movies I've seen, whether in the theater or on DVD (first time viewing only). Maybe if I'm feeling up to it I'll even write my review.

Random thoughts from the past year (or so)

Krista, I promised. Now I deliver. So here are my random thoughts (and facts)...

1. A lot can happen in a year.
2. A lot can happen in an hour.
3. Traveling is the best.
Except for the actual time it takes to travel to and fro, that's not always so fun.
Especially when there are delays or long lay overs.
4. For once, I don't have a crush...
5. And I'm not going to settle.
This means I’m learning to be content with myself and growing as an individual.
6. Communication only works if both people are doing it.
I'm not so good at communicating...
7. Dieting is difficult.
This is why it’s better to not diet, but work at life long lifestyle changes.
8. Wow, when did my alcohol tolerance get so high?
9. I was created to be a mother.
Seeing and holding babies make me want one really bad.
10. Adjusting to change is hard.
11. I love my family.
12. Weddings are expensive.
Especially when you're in one.
13. God likes to test me with patience.
A lot.
14. Remodels don't happen over night.
They take time.
Lots of time.
15. The Dog Whisper does not live in my house.
But we'd really like a visit!
16. New York in December is not as cold as I expected.
17. It is not a good idea to plan on doing laundry the same weekend siblings come home from respective colleges.
Yes, a washing machine can wash 3 months of dirty clothes in 2 days.
None of it was mine.
And Mom will tell you to go to the laundry mat.
18. The same people pick you up when you fall time and time again.
And because of this, you love and value those people dearly.
19. Over the course of 2007, I lost 5 pounds.
And in a single holiday season, I gained 6 pounds.
You’re smart. Do the math.
20. I’m sad because I didn’t make it up to the lake this year.
21. I love dessert.
But dessert doesn’t love me.
It’s a love hate relationship.
22. Sometimes I stink at being a friend.
23. You can’t dwell on the past, but you can look forward to the future.
24. God’s love has no boundaries.
Therefore, quit looking for them. Just accept it and love Him back.
25. Find an appliance store going out of business and buy your appliances that way.
Same appliance and a regular store, just less expensive.
26. It’s hard to find the perfect balance.
Of anything.
27. Swimming, or lounging, is best when done with a friend.
28. Paying off a large bulk of your car feels good.
More so, knowing that in 2008 it will be paid off.
Earlier than planned!
29. I don’t like being alone.
But sometimes it’s necessary.
30. Somebody needs to make Britney Spears move far, far away where paparazzi does not live.
She will eventually find herself.
And maybe learn to live a normal life.
31. Fame does not equal happiness.
32. Chris is the last Montague to pass on the name.
I fear for my family’s legacy.
Not really, I love my brother.
33. At some point I have to stop studying and start doing.
34. People who pay attention know where you've been when you haven't been around.
35. It’s hard growing up.
And growing older.
36. Pictures are worth a thousand words. But the experience is where all the memories are.
37. It’s hard to get 4 dogs to sit still to take a picture.
But by golly we tried!
And we did not succeed.
38. Buying things for a house you don’t live in yet is fun.
39. Not remembering what is in storage is scary.
40. 2008 will be a great year.
I can just feel it!

Jury Duty Scam

I generally don't pay much attention to all of the scam warnings that go out. But this on seems like it could be a real threat. So, I'm doing my duty and passing it on to all of you.

This is for real. At the bottom of the page you can check it out for yourself. There is a link that will send you to the Federal Bureau of Investigation to prove this. It supposedly has not hit California yet but you never know when it will.

Jury Duty Scam DO NOT DELETE WITHOUT READING!

This has been verified by the FBI (their link is also included below). Please pass this on to everyone in your email address book. It is spreading fast so be prepared should you get this call. Most of us take those summonses for jury duty seriously, but enough people skip out on their civic duty, that a new and ominous kind of fraud has surfaced.

The caller claims to be a jury coordinator. If you protest that you never received a summons for jury duty, the scammer asks you for your Social Security number and date of birth so he or she can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant. Give out any of this information and bingo; your identity was just stolen.

The fraud has been reported so far in 11 states, including Oklahoma, Illinois, and Colorado. This (swindle) is particularly insidious because they use intimidation over the phone to try to bully people into giving information by pretending they are with the court system. The FBI and the federal court system have issued nationwide alerts on their web sites, warning consumers about the fraud.

Check it out here:
FBI
And here:
Some site called Snopes

Spontaneity

For something like this, it's very last minute for me. Normally it would require more planning. But next weekend I'm going down to the LA area with a few other friends, 2 of which already had tickets, to see Wicked. Yep, I haven't even read the book. But you know, what the heck? Off on an overnight trip I will go.

The month after Christmas

'Twas the month after Christmas, and all through the house
Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.
The cookies I'd nibbled, the eggnog I'd taste
At the holiday parties had gone to my waist.
When I got on the scales there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store (less a walk than a lumber).
I'd remember the marvelous meals I'd prepared;
The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared,
The wine and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese
And the way I'd never said, 'No thank you, please.'
As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt
And prepared once again to do battle with dirt---
I said to myself, as I only can
'You can't spend a winter disguised as a man!'
So--away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip
Every last bit of food that I like must be banished
'Till all the additional ounces have vanished.
I won't have a cookie--not even a lick.
I'll want only to chew on a long celery stick.
I won't have hot biscuits, or corn bread, or pie,
I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.
I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore---
But isn't that what January is for?
Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.
Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!


AMEN to that!

Confessions

1. Do you sleep in your bra?
Not intentionally, but sometimes it happens

2. ?? No #2

3. Are you happy with your looks?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no

4. Do you enjoy drama?
Only the staged stuff, not real life drama

5. Are you a girly girl?
A little bit

6. Who was the last person you hugged?
I think Jenn after lunch Sunday

7. Small or large purses?
Oh, the bigger the better!

8. Are you short?
I'm average

9. Do you like someone?
I think for the first time in a long time, no I don't...

10. What would you do if someone smacked your butt?
Depends who...

11. Do you care if your socks are dirty?
Yep, wear once then wash

12. Do you think you're conceited?
Not really

13. Are you a bitch?
I don't think so.

13. Do you dress up on Halloween?
Not this year

14. Are you double jointed?
Nope

15. Where is the weirdest place you have slept?
Hummm... don't know.

16. Has anyone touched/smacked your butt in the past 24 hours?
Past 24 hours, no.

17. Is there any type of rumor going around about you?
Who knows, I'm sure it's not true though being a rumor and all

18. Do you call anybody by their last name?
No

19. ?? No #19

20. How many guys will read this just because it says- Girl Confessions?
Maybe lots...!

[x] I do wear make up
[x] I have cried at a movie theater.
[x] I can put mascara on without opening my mouth.
[x] I get jealous
[x] I love to laugh
[ ] I like rap
[ ] I like techno
[x] I like country
[x] I carry a purse.
[ ] I own(ed) a Spice Girls CD
[x] I own(ed) a Britney Spears CD
[ ] I get bored watching football
[x] I’ve never been called a spoiled brat
[x] Guys are confusing
[ ] I’ve been called a bad influence.
[x] My friends/family are the best.
[x] I have/had piercings.

Come on ladies, be truthful!

1. What color bra are you wearing?
Nude. Hold on now guys, nude color, not nude like... well, you know...

2. Do you prefer light or dark haired guys?
Either

3. Are you currently frustrated with your man?
Frustrated with my lack thereof

4. How many times have you had sex this week?
WOW! Well, let me count, there was that one guy and the other and, who am I kidding. NONE!

5. Do you have a best friend?
Yes

6. Have you ever had your heart broken?
Absolutely, and I got over it with time

7. Have you ever thought of having plastic surgery?
Yep, currently thinking of it even

8. Do you like your life?
More or less, yes

9.Do you shop at Holister?
I have before, but not currently

10. Has one of your friends ever stolen a boyfriend from you?
HAHA! In high school, yep! And our friendship was never the same after that.

11. Have you ever jumped in the pool with your clothes on?
Just about all this past summer.

12. Do you have more friends that are girls or boys?
Girls

13. How long have you had myspace?
Maybe 3 years...

14. Have you ever cried yourself to sleep?
Yep

15. Do you believe in saying "once a cheater, always a cheater"?
Can't say I've dealt with it first had to really ponder it.

16. Have you ever had a good feeling about something?
Yes

17. Do you ever wish you were famous?
Maybe not Britney Spears famous, but a little fame might not hurt

18. Are you currently missing someone?
I miss people

THIS GUY OR THAT GUY?

Preppy or Gangster?
More preppy than gangsta'

Taller or Shorter?
Taller than me, duh?

Face or Body?
More face than body

Sweet or Sexy?
Grrrrr....both

Well-educated or Dropout?
Definitely educated

Armani or Abercrombie?
Whichever

City-slicker or Rural?
Rural

Contacts or Glasses?
Doesn't matter

Funny or Serious?
Both for sure

Dark Eyes or Light Eyes?
Light

Long Hair or Short Hair?
Short

Curly Hair or Straight Hair?
Either

Good Dancer or Good Singer?
Good singer, especially if he can play an instrument like the guitar

Smoker or Non-smoker?
Non smoker for sure!

Drunk or Sober?
Sober

Druggie or Clean?
Clean

College or no college?
College

Has a Motorcycle or Has a Sports Car?
Sports car

Beard/Mustache or clean-shaven?
I like a little scruffiness

Younger or Older?
Older, but not by much

Punk Rock Pooch

Monty, he's pretty much at rocker status! Check out that mohawk!

House Plans

For for visual, viewing pleasure.

Last week we met with our contractor and went over the current layout of the house and what we would like to do with it. Later this week he'll be getting back to us with our revisions and we'll start chalking out the lines in the house. It's estimated to be completed mid to late March! So here are the plans as the house sits now. Once we get the revised plans I'll upload and share those also. So exciting!

Donating Rice

I don't know about you, but I like helping the needy. And it's even better to help them at no cost to me. Visit Free Rice to take a vocab quiz. For each correct answer you're giving 20 grams of rice. I just gave 500 grams. How much do you want to give?

A year in review...

Yeah! It's a list!



(sorry it's kinda small...)

2008 Goals

Lose 10 pounds...by May. Then another 10 by the end of the year.
Get a tattoo.
Move out.
Go to Hawaii.
Look into Grad School.
Take and pass the GMAT.
Weekend wine tasting trip with friends.
Make it to at least one concert.
Reread all of the Harry Potter books.
Attend church more often.
Get my passport.
Make a real quilt, for myself by myself.
Reconnect with old friends.
Take life as it's dealt to me with a positive attitude.
Take a fun class at a local college or adult school.
Visit my siblings at where they are living more often.
Let people know how much I truely appreciate them.
Take more day trips.
Date more.
Focus more on God and spending more time with Him.

I know that many of these won't happen, but they're a thought and something that I'd like to complete at one point. But hey, at least I'm ambitious!

House

I have no major update on the status of the house. All I know is that I need to get ahold of our contractor to get plans finalized and get things scheduled. So that's what I'll be doing tomorrow, making a phone call. But I have for you a couple pictures.

I'm ready for Christmas next year! I bought a faux tree on sale. Normally $320 down to $50, and it looks real. I'm super excited!

My new refrigerator! Nice shiny black!

The outside patio area coming down. It had to. It didn't work and was in the middle of the property line. So I had my little helpers chipping away.

Happy New Year!

There is no better way to bring in the New Year than with great friends and good alcohol. Thomas, Katie, and George hosted a New Year's Eve/Happy Birthday Katie Party. Conversations were going on all over, a lot a bit of Rock Star "concerts" going on, and good food (if I do say so myself). Hope your new year celebration was just as you wanted it to be.

Oh yea, George got a keg!

Jenn and I. (I'm in her wedding in May!)

George rocking the mic!

Here's Krista

Anthony on drums

Bryan and Chelsea

Jenn and Anthony. Apparently Anthony has a little problem...

Happy Birthday Katie!

Darren and Nicole

Cheer

While going through a magazine, which I need to do more of, I came across an intriguing Starbuck's ad. And instead of typing it all out, I thought it would be more fun to scan it and upload it so you can see it in full color.

How do you define cheer? What is cheer to you? I hope to spend 2008 spreading cheer in some way, shape or form to those around me. I hope you too will spread cheer.