I know... I'm full of promises!

Finally I'm going to come through though. So this is how the house looks today, this evening, May 6th, whatever; the point is, I took the pictures just a few hours ago.

*Oops! Really, I took them yesterday. Today is now May 7th.*

Ok, here we go...!

Ooohhhh...pretty flowers... Notice the railing?

Now doesn't that look like a cute little house now? So, let's go inside!

I've got a joke for you. Me: Knock, knock. You: Who's there? Me: I eat mop. You:... well, you can figure it out...

The living room... Watch your step. It's a little messy right now.

The dining room... It's a little messy in here too.

The back bedroom... Yep, still messy.


The kitchen...

The utility closet... Yea, I know, the ugly doors are still there.

The front room... Nope, no bed yet, but the bed frame is put together.

Stay tuned. More to come later.

You never know what you miss...

...until you realize you miss it. It has been a tradition you can say, that my family caters the Merced County Spring Fair's buyer dinner the Saturday of the fair after the Junior Livestock Auction in Los Banos. We've been doing this for as long as I can remember. At least since my grandparents were on the board of directors eons ago. And every year that I can remember, except last year, I've help out, or at least been there.

But you see, fall of 2003 I actually accepted a job at the fair where I worked in the office. I managed, organized, coordinated, corresponded. I loved it. I worked with fantastic people, during the off season and during fair time, and the relationships that were built. I loved the power that I had within the office and on the grounds. But there were a couple things that I didn't like so much. Like the commute, 30 miles each way...sometimes in the fog. It was a real doozy. And my boss. He started out great, then he meet someone, got married and turned into a jerk. Now he's divorces. He's back to the way he was, a good guy. Of course, it's a little too late for my sake.

And you know, I've moved on. I found a new job with new great co-workers. But something about going back there every year makes me a bit nostalgic. I see the people I used to work with and joke with, I see the directors that used to give me their full support and respect, and I see the fairgoers that keep the place running every year.

I get a bit sad. I start plotting and skeaming on how I can get back into the fair industry. I wondered if my old boss would fire his current staff and hire me back. How does one become a director? There is just something about the fair world that is so fascinating, so intriguing, so inviting that it's just hard not to want back in.

Everyone I used to work with that I ran into, which were a lot, stopped to give me a hug, talk about old times, catch up about new times. And a majority of them said, "Call me. We'll do lunch." Wouldn't that make you feel good? Not only do these people miss you from old days, but they want to continue that friendship outside of a work environment.

So, call me a "Carni" and tell me I'm weird for liking all of it. And I'll tell you yes, yes I am.

Now go find me a corn dog.

Personality Profile: Part 2 - Openness

On the Openness Dimension you are:
SOMETIMES CURIOUS, SOMETIMES CONTENT

Words that describe you:

Accepting Flexible Educated

Self-aware Middle-of-the-road Proper

Distinctive Indecisive Adaptable

A General Description of How You Approach New Information and Experiences:
Like someone who can sleep comfortably on either side of the bed, you are equally at home with ideas and beliefs that you have held for a long time and with new ways of thinking and believing that grow out of your intellectual curiosity.

Your sense of who you are and what your place is in the world around you rests on values and principles that are the solid ground you walk upon. You've tested them, they work for you, and much of the time you are content to trust them, that is, until some provocative new idea slips in from a conversation, book or some flight of your active imagination. "Hmmmm. What's this. Never thought of it before." And off you go, exploring.

Since you love to learn, you've always been teachable; you absorb new information, which means you are well-educated in things that matter to you. Sometimes your intellectual exploring will lead you back to where you started; the "next new thing" proves too shallow or impractical to you. But once in a while a new idea or belief will dislodge you from the ground you've stood upon; it is so compelling and persuasive that you step away from the tried-and-true and embrace this notion that is brand new to you.

Because you hold both solid beliefs and are open to new ideas, you are accepting of other people and other ways of thinking and believing. You are flexible enough to listen to something new and different, or something outside of your comfort zone; if it works for you, you'll take it in, and if not, you'll let it go. In this sense, you know who you are: you are neither closed-minded nor wildly open-minded, but walk somewhere near the middle of the intellectual road.

Negative Reactions Others May Have Toward Your Style of Thinking:
Not everyone will be thrilled by your flexible, middle-of-the-road ways of thinking and believing. A few people are so taken with flights of imagination into whatever is new that they might find your commitment to long-standing values and beliefs too confining, if not too boring. Oh well; so be it. They'll just have to be in free-flight without you.

Others are content with the ideas that have served them and their culture well; they're not excited by the prospect of moving on. And some people are afraid of new ways of thinking because they are somewhat fragile; they have trouble maintaining their current worlds and don't want someone like you, for instance pushing out the edges of their intellectual cosmos. So don't be surprised if your solid values sometimes make people distrust you as an explorer, or if your flexible and open mind sometimes gets you criticized by people who walk away from the very same explorations that you find refreshing.

Positive Responses Others May Have Toward You:
Many others will find you trustworthy and therefore an attractive companion on the intellectual journey. They will appreciate the combination in you of open-mindedness and a commitment to the tried-and-true. In an intellectual climate sometimes dominated by the extremes of either wild innovation or dug-in traditionalism, your moderate views and your proper acceptance of a wide range of possibilities will be a distinctive and refreshing quality. Because you join your curiosity to strong foundational ideas and beliefs and practical solutions to problems, people will trust your occasional explorations into new territories to be reliable, and not "something new for newness sake".

You are accepting of others, flexible in your own intellectual commitments, well-informed in areas that matter to you, and comfortably aware of who you are and where you stand. This combination will make you a desirable companion on the intellectual journey for many, many people.

Personality Profile: Part 1 - Agreeableness

In efforts to let you, the read, know "who" I am, I gonna tell you. And I'm gonna tell you right now based on what my eHarmony Personality Profile tells me I am. We'll start with ... Agreeableness.

You are best described as:
TAKING CARE OF OTHERS AND TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF

Words that describe you:

Fair Considered Collaborative

Responsive Sensible Diplomatic

Contemplative Indulgent Rational

A General Description of How You Interact With Others:
You are important. So are other people, especially if they are in trouble. You have a tender heart, but you know how to establish and keep personal boundaries. You are empathetic and compassionate, but you also believe that it's best if people solve their own problems and learn to take care of themselves, if they are able.

You are deeply moved by the needs of others, but you know that if you don't take good care of yourself, you'll wind up being of no use to anyone. So yours is a thoughtful compassion. You strive to be fair and sensible, taking care of others while also taking care of yourself.

When someone really is in trouble, you like to collaborate with them toward a solution; they do their part, you do yours. You consider carefully, and respond in a sensible way; they do their part, and together you move through the difficulty.

You seldom act impulsively; rather, when a problem arises, you take your time to think through the situation. This contemplative quality usually means that you'll arrive at a diplomatic solution, one that's fair for the other person and also fair to you. It's frequently a win/win situation.

Negative Reactions Other May Have Towards You:
For people who are ruled by tender-hearted compassion, your more diplomatic response to problems might seem too cool, too focused on fairness and not filled enough with sympathy and selflessness.

For them, when someone's life is on fire, what is needed is not collaboration but rescue. And the person who experiences their life on fire may resent the time you take to contemplate. "I need you, and I need you NOW! This isn't about fairness, it's about the fire." "All deliberate speed" may seem too deliberate and not fast enough, either to the more compassionate or to people in genuine trouble.

At the other end of the spectrum of compassion, those who believe people should take care of themselves may find even your thoughtful sympathies too soft. They expect people, themselves included, to work their own way out of trouble. They are convinced that the helping hand you lend just fosters dependence and is not good for the development of character, either in you or in the person you assist.

Positive Reactions Others May Have Towards You:
Many people, perhaps the majority, will come to appreciate your balance as a compassionate person. The more they get to know you, the more they will admire your thoughtful compassion for others and its compliment in the sensible ways you take good care of yourself.

Those whom you help will appreciate the way you leave them with their dignity by expecting them to collaborate in their own rescue. Those who are more tender-hearted will find in you a balance they lack; when they've run out of energy because they fail to take good care of themselves, you will still have enough compassion left to lift others out of trouble.

Even the tough-hearted, those who believe people should solve their own problems, might come to admire your tenderness which they don't find in themselves. So the people you help will be grateful, and the people who see your balance between self and others will admire you. Certainly, balanced is not bad at all as a way to be known among your friends.

That's it for now. Tell me what you think of their assessment of me. Is it true? Is that how you would describe me? Just curious.

Next up... Openness.

Saved Life

Nope, sorry, not about my own life. Except for the fact that yesterday I save a life. The life of a butterfly. That's right. A butterfly.

Story goes like this, back by the pool pump we, and I use we loosely, have a dove with a nest and two eggs. So I was walking back to check on Ms. Coo-Coo (not crazy coo-coo, but dove sound coo-coo) and her eggs.

On my like walk from the back door to the pool pump I noticed a butterfly flat in the pool floating on top of the water. Poor butterfly.

So I found the pool scoopy thing so I could scoop him up, take a moment of silence, and toss him in the bushes. But as I was carrying the scoopy thing, he started to move! What, he's not dead like I had presumed? So I ever so gently put him on a leaf on the lime tree. He didn't like that, there were no flowers with nectar and he kept trying to climb off the end of a leaf.

So I let him climb on my hand (yes, I had a butterfly on my hand!) so I could find somewhere else to set him so he could rest and regain his strength. But of course, I happen to have my camera on my, I had to take a couple pictures. It's not everyday you save a butterfly's life and then he crawls on your hand.

I then took him to the honeysuckle bush. Lots of flowers and nectar, perfect! I set him down, made sure he was moving around and liked this new setting, and I went about my business.

And I'm happy to inform you, that as of 7:30 this morning he was still there. Although one of his wings is a little injured, he was moving a lot more. I have full confidence that he'll make it.

(I'll try to be cool and play with the pictures on photoshop to make them look "better".)

I've been workin' on the railroad...

I've been working hard. Both at work and at home. Sorry I haven't been visiting with you lately. I've had a couple late nights working on the house. The good news is that I've started to move stuff in! I know, YEAH! The bad news is...there is still painting to do! Boo! Everyday I've made a trip to the storage unit with dad's muscles and his truck. We've gotten all of the big stuff out: the washer and dryer, dining room table and hutch (some minor repairs needed, as well as being sanded and painted), bed frame (I assembled last night), couch and chair (out of bff's garage), and boxes of dishes to be run through the washer before being put away. See off to a good start.

And while I was away last weekend my wonderful, talented father finished the fence and built the railing around the porch. I know, I know. You need pictures! I'm working on it. Well, not really, but I can.

BEAUTIFUL CHRISTIAN SISTER

'A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ

that a man should have to seek Him first to find her.'

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not shouting 'I'm clean

livin''I'm whispering 'I was lost, Now I'm found and forgiven.'

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride.

I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong.

I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say.. 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success.

I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect,

My flaws are far too visible but, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain...

I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou,

I'm just a simple sinner Who received God's good grace, somehow!

by Maya Angelou

So tired...

I'm exhausted! After 3 nights this past week of painting from 5pm to 9pm, and only stopping at 9pm because it's decided that dinner must be eaten before midnight, I'm ready for a break. I work all day. Then come home, change, and then work until past dark.

Alas, I get a break from the painting. Reason #1, the crew came in this afternoon and put another coat of varnish on the floor. All of the base boards are painted, and there is just a bit of trim left over. This is the 4th and absolutely final coat. Until they decide to do a 5th... But I pray not! Of course, with this last coat of varnish, it is preferred that we stay off the floors for 72 hours! And if we do go inside after 24 1/2 hours, we are to only wear socks. I suppose the footprint of my Rocketdog shoes forever ingrained the the varnish would be bad... But you know what that means...? That means I can't start to move things in until Tuesday after work. But at that point the only things left to do is paint (bathroom trim, kitchen windows trim, hall closet, and touch-ups), tile back splash, and...ummm.... oh! moving things in!!

Reason #2, I'm going away for an over night bachelorette weekend to Santa Cruz for my friend Jenn who is getting married in 2 weeks. It'll be good to get away to the coast with the clean fresh coastal air. I'm in the wedding and am excited for her.

Dad decided that since we can't work on the inside we'll work on the outside. So we made a quick trip to the local lumber yard to get supplies to build a cute little railing for the front porch. So tomorrow while he's cutting wood and using big boy tools, I'll be wandering around a cutesy little beach town with friends.

So I'm excited to come home to find railing around the porch. So rest assured, if you have one too many drinks at my house and you happen to stumble outside, the railing will catch you before you fall off the porch. And we don't want that to happen. Cause if you have one to many drinks at my house, there will be no wondering outside. There will only be wondering to the couch where you will be sleeping. See, I'm responsible!

But right now, I just want to sleep all weekend. Right now though, I need to go pack for my overnight excursion.

I've done it...

What I've not wanted to have to do. Because I think it's dumb and unconventional. That's right, I still think it's dumb and untraditionally. I've signed up for e-harmony. God save me.

You see, I'm very skeptical of the whole online dating/meeting people thing. Maybe because I'm more traditional and believe in being persued...in person...not by e-mail...

But maybe I'm also a bit curious. What other kinds of losers, like myself, have signed up out of curiousity? Or because they feel pressured by their mother? Well, I'll let you know what other kinds of losers there are out there.

What's the worst that can happen? I don't get any bites, nothing different than any other day. Maybe something will come from it. We'll see...

I'll keep you posted on the going ons of my online dating experiences. Hopefully I'll end up with some funny stories to share by the end of the 3 months.

Too funny not to share...

Why females should avoid a girls night out after they are married ...
(If this does not make you laugh out loud, you have lost your sense of humor.)

The other night I was invited out for a night with the 'girls’. I told my husband
that I would be home by midnight, 'I promise!' Well, the hours passed and the
margaritas went down way too easily and around 3 a.m., a bit loaded, I headed for
home.

Just as I got in the door, the cuckoo clock in the hallway started up and cuckooed
three times. Quickly, realizing my husband would probably wake up, I cuckooed
another nine times.  I was really proud of myself for coming up with such a
quick-witted solution, in order to escape a possible conflict with him. (Even when
totally smashed, three cuckoos plus nine cuckoos totals 12 cuckoos--MIDNIGHT!)

The next morning my husband asked me what time I got in, I told him 'MIDNIGHT.'
He didn't seem pissed off in the least. Whew, I got away with that one! Then he
said 'We need a new cuckoo clock.' When I asked him why, he said, 'Well, last
night our clock cuckooed three times, then said, 'oh, shit.' Cuckooed four more
times, cleared its throat, cuckooed another three times, giggled, cuckooed twice
more, and then tripped over the coffee table and farted.

Here's the 411

All we have left to do is finish painting and moving my stuff in. Moving can't happen until they do one more coat of varnish. And one more coat of varnish won't happen until we're done painting. So guess what I've done about 10 hours worth in the last 3 days. Yep, that's right, painting.

Have I told you before that I now hate painting?

But here's also what's happened the last week or so...

I can make cookies.

And then do the dishes.

And then serve them to my guests.

To be my office/craft room/guest room. Accordion doors for the utility closet. Barf! I think it is hideous. And yes, it will be painted.

To be where the TV hangs, and where it is now hanging.

Ceiling fan in one of the 2 bedrooms. Oohhhhh.... Aaawwwwww....

Light in the bathroom. The medicine cabinet is now installed, as well as a sink.

A view of the kitchen.

"Dining room" light fixture.

That's what I've got for you for now. Once everything is all done, and I'm all moved in, I'll show you the before and afters of the house in a couple different installments. Prepare to be shocked and amazed.

In the meantime, if you need me, I'll be painting.

I'm a slacker!

I've got updated pictures of the house on my computer (I'm at work...shhhhh...) and I forgot to share them with you. But I will. I promise. Keep checking in.

I also have some pictures from a wedding that I went to this past Saturday. An old co-worker and lunch buddy has gotten married and is moving to Texas :( I'll try to share some pictures from that too.

I better write those down. I'll forget.

This little light of mine...

I'm gonna-flip-ALL-the-switches-on-and let 'em shine.

That's right folk. The lights and fans are up and running. As of yesterday evening all but one fan was up. The refrigerator was even plugged in and running. Although I think they forgot to hook it up to the water for the ice maker... Gotta get that fixed. Things are coming right along. There is still some painting to do (I hate painting), the counters to install, and ummmm... Well, I think that's about it! What's left after that you ask? Moving in!

Sweet!

(Once again, I apologize for the lack of photographs. I will get some up for you.)

Quilt Swatches

My quilt is so close to being done! It's so close I can feel the snuggliness of it on my bed. Yesterday I dropped it off to the quilt shop so they can stitch the backing, batting, and top pieces together in some fancy pattern. 3 weeks from now I should have it back. Then I just need to put the binding (edge) on it and throw it on my bed.

To tide you over on what the quilt looks like, here's a pictures of the progress:

Here's all the fabrics spilling out of a bag. Yep, I had to make sense of it all.

And I did. Look it, they're all sewn together. Well, almost all; there are one or 2 missing. Ohhhh....awwwww.... Look at the pretty color and patterns...

That's what the back looks like. I'm not showing you the front yet. I'm gonna keep you all in suspense for now.

Check back in 3-4 weeks. Then I'll show you the WHOLE thing. And I'll cross another thing off my resolution list.

By the way. It's a big quilt. Much bigger than I had planned. Let's just say that to find a sheet for the backing, which luckily I found flannel, I had to get a CAL KING! Yea, that's a big arse sheet, and it just barely finds the length of the quilt. And my bed is only a queen...

Oh yea, and in order to quilt, I had to get a sewing machine. It's a Baby Lock. It's a small, compact, quiet little thing.

Pick up the Pennies

Here's a sweet little story that a co-worker sent to a handful of us. I liked and thought I'd share it with the rest of you...

You always hear the usual stories of pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, gifts from angels, etc. This is the first time I've ever heard this twist on the story. Gives you something to think about.

Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home. My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than their house. The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely.

As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband. He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment.

Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts. Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny.

He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up?

Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer. She casually mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value.

A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this?

'Look at it.' He said. 'Read what it says.' She read the words 'United States of America '

'No, not that; read further.'

'One cent?'

'No, keep reading.'

'In God we Trust?'

'Yes!'

'And?'

'And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold; I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!

When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, 'In God We Trust,' and had to laugh. Yes, God, I get the message.

It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are plentiful! And, God is patient...

W-O-W!

That's all I can say about the Rascal Flatts/Taylor Swift concert that I went to on Thursday at Arco Arena.

Kaitlin and I left home just a little after 4, and made it to Cafe Bernardo just a little later. Kaitlin's good friends, Britney, is going to UC Davis, so she met us for dinner. That was pretty special for Kaitlin. I had the most delicious Thai Noodle Salad. I forgot to take a picture of it at the restaurant, so here's a picture of the leftovers.

Imagine it not in a to-go box, on a leaf of lettuce, with purple cabbage on top.

We made it to Arco and our seats during Taylor Swift's first song. Can I just say that I want her sparkly guitar! It's pretty! Problem, with the sparkly guitar and the sparkly pink dress there was a lot of sparkle and light reflecting. So most of my pictures of TS show her as a moving white blog. But I did get a couple good ones!

I like her backdrop... So simple...We took this one during intermission.

And then Rascal Flatts started. They were one of the best concerts I've ever been to. If you are a fan of theirs or of just country, GO SEE THEM!

There were pyrotechnics.

And bright lights.Even the troops came out!They spent half the time on a circular rotating mini stage closer to our seats.Kaitlin was happy!
And that is how I spent my Thursday evening.

Walk this Way!

Just don't walk on the floor yet!

Look at the pretty floor! I took the picture standing outside the front door. That's where I'm confined to when I go to the house, the front door or the back door. And that's the only places I can go until Tuesday. That's right, I can't go in until Tuesday. Yesterday was the stain. Today is a varnish sealer. Friday is a varnish sealer. Monday is a varnish sealer. That would be 1 layer of stain and 3 layers of varnish. Yep, I passed 1st grade, only took me 2 tries.

So no painting for me this weekend. At least, no painting walls and trim. I have chairs to paint. 2 more to be exact. Then cushion covers to put on them.

(I apologize for the not-so-great quality of the picture. My camera was in my purse, in the car. I had my cell phone with a camera. I was being lazy and didn't walk the 20 feet across the street to get my camera.)

Another bites the dust...

Tonight I fulfill one of my 2008 goals.

Tonight I'm going to a concert! Not just any concert, a Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts concert...with my sister...and we're going to eat yummy food first. Besides the concert and hangin' with my sis, I'm really looking forward to the food, especially the Thai Salad. It's the most scrumptious noodley salad ever!

I'll take what pictures I can while out and about for the evening, and I'll let you know how the evening goes later.

And tomorrow, I'll be the one asleep at my desk.

Downward Trend

Just the way I like it! Here is a little chart that I've made with my decrease weight/increasing weight lose. I've removed the actual weights on the y-axis for my own personal privacy.

The dates and weights are based on my Weight Watcher weigh-ins that happen on Mondays.

Without including what I actually weight, I'll tell you that since the January 7th weigh-in I've lost 8.2 pounds. I'm only 1.8 pounds away from my goal of losing 10 by Jenn and Anthony's May 10th wedding. And then I'd only be 10 away from my 20 pounds for 2008 goal.

But with my 10 year reunion coming up the end of June, I've decided to add to my goal an extra 5 before the reunion. So, now my 2008 goal is 25 pounds, 15 before the end of June and another 10 by the end of the year.

Please help keep me motivated, hold me accountable, and slap my hand if I pick up a cookie.

Thanks!

Much love to homies!

Caution: Wet Paint

Oh my dearest readers, I apologize for not updating you lately with pictures of the progress of the house. The main reason for this is that when I go over there, I'm outfitted to paint. And well, I'm a messy painter and I'd like to avoid getting paint on my camera. My phone has survived and only gotten slimed once. Now I'm very careful where I put it and how I pick it up. Here are a few pictures for you, there are about a week old and a lot has happened in that week. At least a lot of painting has happened.

Oooohhhh, awwwww.... Look at the magnificent craftmanship with that tile work. That's my shower folk. The toilet is just across from it. I thought I'd spare you the details of that...for now... Shower door to be installed later.

This would be my counter and sinkless vanity in the bathroom.

And God said, "Let there be light." And then there was, in the hallway. Wow, I just noticed, it looks like the ceiling is way darker than the walls, but it's not. Everything is the same color... Cork Bark.

Man that window is dirty! Here is where my stainless steel sink will sit on my counterless cabinets.

When you turn around from the sink, this is what you see. Well, this is what you would have seen until this morning.

Who likes dark brown? Here is the built-ins with Mocha Mousse. The tape came down yesterday and everything was touched up, it looks great!

And the fireplace is with the same Mocha color. It looks really nice! The dark color on the same wall just opposite ends really balances it out.

Today... are you ready for this?... They started sanding the floors!!! That means we are near the end. It's a good and bad thing. The good thing is that means I get time off from painting. The bad news is that there is still stuff to be painted. But it's almost done and complete and then I can move and unpack and be a domestic single non-housewife. Who's more excited than me?!?!

I'll do my best to get in there this week to take some more updated pictures. But I won't make any promises. If there is stain or sealer on the wood floor I'm not stepping in.

If that's the case, you can find me working on my quilt, painting the dining room set, or packing.

Has it really be that long?

Yea, I guess so. 2008 - 1998 = 10 years! Holy cow! Yesterday I received the all dreaded e-mail informing me that it’s time for our 10 year High School Class Reunion. The e-mail went a little like this…

“Hey all,
After the first message went out, I received a lot of different feedback on dates. The majority of that feedback was to have the reunion later in the summer. So that's what we have done. The date of our reunion, barring any huge natural disaster, will be June 28, 2008. We need to book our location ASAP so if I could get some feedback right away that would be great. Double T (where we had our sober grad night) is one idea that has been thrown around. Does anyone have Adam A’s number so I could call and talk to him? Raju has also offered to let us use his place in Hilmar where he's done several very nice parties at. Other ideas have been Two Brothers (Turlock, CA) or possibly the Turlock Country Club. The facility is one of the biggest costs and setup/clean-up has to be considered at all these places. I would like as much input on this as I can so let me know your thoughts.

The other factor is cost. Last year, the class of '97 charged $50 per person. This cost covered facility, dinner, and dancing. Any drinks/cocktails were additional cost. Not everyone drinks, so they might like something like this, and others may not. Again, there are factors to consider, so all ideas are welcome.

Below is a list of people that I have contact information for: If you have contact information for people that are not on this list, please let me know. If you see a letter after their name, I am missing that corresponding information: (A - Address, E - Email, P - Phone).

I hope that everyone can make it. Please send me any questions that you have.

Thanks,

-CJ”
(I obviously left out the list of names; I don’t want to bore you with too much.)

Here’s the thing, I’m not so excited about this "monumental event." I didn’t have the most grand of high school experiences, and the people that I hung around with then I still see occasionally. Do I really want to participate in the parade of showing off spouses, photo albums of children, and who looks like what now? You probably would have never guessed it, but I wasn’t one of the “in” crowd while in high school; because I didn’t bath in money given to me by mommy and daddy, I didn’t get my nails done, I wasn’t a dairy kid or show dairy in FFA, and I wasn’t a partier/drinker (the regular weekend past time).

I think that I’m at a good place in my life. So what I’ve been living with my parents the last few years. The house that I’ve been working so hard on is so close to being done I can taste it and I’ll be moving into it before the end of the month. I’ve got a good job with a great company and make good money for a single person. I’m happy with myself and who I am. I have great friends. I’ve moved on and away from really caring about high school and the 4 years that I survived through.

But I have friends that are so excited about it. Why? I don’t know. Am I not excited because I have experienced other things in life beyond high school, like college, that brought better memories? Maybe it’s because I’ve gain a little bit of weight since graduating. Or maybe because I don’t have things/people to show off like others will with their family albums. Hummm...maybe I should bring pictures of my doggies...

All I know is this, if I’m going to the reunion, I’ve gotta drop 50 pounds quick. I’ll settle for 20 though.

Oh, and I’ve gotta find a date.
Wonder which will be easier, finding a date or losing the weight that I want/need to lose?