OHIO...The Heart of it All, Really???

Ohio is listed #15th on the list of fattest states in America. (BTW - West Virginia is ranked 3rd. Paul is always saying he feels skinny there!)

Ohio governor, Bob Taft ranks 50th on the national list of Governors.

Ohio's tax burden is ranked 3rd in the US.

Cleveland is ranked as the poorest city in the US. About a third of it's residents live in poverty.

It is no wonder Ohio ranks 47th for population growth.

Ohio is a beautiful state. The weather is kinda crummy in the winter but it certainly isn't as bad as some states. I've heard northeast ohio has fewer sunny days than Seattle but I think that is just an urban legend because I couldn't find those facts anywhere.

What the Blogvertise????

I must admit I am a sucker for get rich quick schemes. I have been a Mary-Kay lady, an Avon lady, a Discovery Toys lady, I'm a garage sale entrepreneur , I've bought lottery tickets and filled out surveys. I've even signed up to be a secret shopper. I am still not rich. As you know, I love to write and my blog has been a big part of my life for the last year. My brother in law, Applehead first started the blogging rage in the Miller family but now several of us (7, I think) have blogs. It is so cool. Stephanie's (Applehead's wife) has recently taken off. She gets hundreds of hits a day. That is so cool. I check it a couple of times a day myself. I like to keep up to date on the comments. Well, I go on there and she has this thing that you can sign up for where you get paid to Blogsvertise. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? My sister in law isn't the type who usually falls for this sort of thing. I am not sure I really understand the whole thing but I think they pay you to write about certain things in your blog...hence the name Blogsvertise. For example...Maybe someone has a web-site where they sell a product, you go on it and check it out then write about it on your blog. I think it is subtle advertising. Isn't this a scam? Won't this ruin the purity of the blog??? Once you get paid to do something doesn't it usually suck the joy and life out of it?

So, I get home from work today and Jake is downstairs on the computer. I ask him what he is doing....He says, I am getting paid to blog! Yes, now my husband has now signed up to Blogsvertise. Aren't you going to wonder now if he is writing something real or if he writing something just to get paid???? Hmmmmmm. I guess only time will tell.

Sleeping in....

Last night I didn't go to bed until around midnight because my friend came over and I helped her sign up for an eharmony account. If it is something you are thinking about doing let me warn you....it takes a long time to completely fill out all the questions they ask you. So, I didn't go to bed until late. When my alarm clock went off at 6 A.M. I hit snooze over and over again. Finally, somewhere around 6:40 I decided to just turn the dumb thing off. I told Jake he needed to get up for work and he did. I, however, went right back to sleep. So, I am laying in bed somewhere in dreamland and I hear a knock at my door. It was Alicia, the babysitter. She had let herself in, like she always does and didn't think anything about the fact that I didn't come right down. I am usually finishing up when she arrives. She turned on the T.V. and waited. After about 15-20 minutes she decided she should go upstairs and make sure I was awake since she didn't hear me walking around or anything. So, that is how I woke up this morning. I took a shower, did my hair, got dressed, put on my make-up and brushed my teeth in a record 18 minutes. I guess I need Jude to wake me up in the morning! Elise was still asleep. She usually wakes up around 8:30-9:00.

So, Jake and I have been Geocaching a lot more lately. It seems we go through phases with it. Sunday we let Elise with Alicia and headed off for the woods. We would have taken her but she refuses to sleep in the backpack thing and she was very tired before we even set out for the journey. It was a short hike (2 miles, maybe?) but it wasn't even terrain - made for a little bit of a challenge. It was fun. We found the first two caches with little trouble but the last one...we searched and searched. Finally we gave in and called the babysitter to look it up on line for us and tell us the hint they gave. As soon as we got it we found the cache within a 2 minutes. It did rain a little but since we were in the thick of the woods we had some cover. It was very humid. We were dirty and smelly by the time we got home.

We are heading for Tennessee next week-end and hope to do a bunch while we are down there.

Well, I never.....

Stephanie posted a blog today listing the things she thought she would never do before she had children. She invited people to to do the same so I thought I would give you my list. If you want to post your own list on your blog then go to her blog and list your website in her comments.

I have a lot of things I said I would never do before I had children. Here are a few....

• My kids will NEVER eat hot dogs! ha ha ha ha ha ha ha HAAAAA!
• My kids will NEVER sleep in my bed. Yeah right. Jude still crawls into bed with us.
• Characters??? Well, my children aren't going part of ridiculous world of child consumerism. I swore they would not like characters. As most of you know, Jude is a character JUNKY! The Wiggles, spiderman, blues clues, Toy Story, dora, etc... He has everything from night lights to underwear with characters!
• I will NOT let my kids go and stay with relatives out of state for a week at a time. And I certainly would never take a vacation without my kids. By the way...anyone want to take them for a while? A week? Two? Okay, give me a call.
• I will not be a working mom. Why would someone have children and then pawn them off on someone else? See my last post.
• And last....I thought it was some sort of child abuse to let your kids cry for more than 5 minutes at a time. It took me a while to catch on but man I was stupid then.

My list could go on and on but for now that is it!

Confessions of a Working Mother...

I've been reading Stephanie's Blog lately and she has been doing a lot of posts about being frugal, homeschooling, organizing etc.... She reads a bunch of other mom's blogs about similar stuff. I check them out when I get a free moment. I used to be one of them. Until Jude turned three I was a stay at home mom. I used cloth diapers, made my own baby food, cut coupons and I would drive to 4 different grocery stores to buy specific sale items at each. But, alas, last fall I had to go back to work. We changed jobs and after working and reworking our budget I had to accept my working mother fate. I took a "part-time", yet crazy schedule job teaching abstinence in the local schools. It was fun but Jake and I had to work opposite shifts and we never seemed to get anything accomplished. I hated working opposite each other but we did save on babysitters (we didn't need one most of the time) and our kids at least got to be with one parent at all times. Unfortunately, my job didn't pay that much and we barely could pay our bills. We were still very frugal and pinched every penny. Fortunately, that only lasted 8 months or so. This past spring Jake and I decided to change careers/jobs. So....as most of you should know, we now work pretty much the same schedule and we have a full time babysitter. We (well our children) really lucked out because she (Alicia) comes to our house and the kids get to be in their own environment. She is great with them and takes them to do all the things I wish I had time to do (zoo, the park, swimming, etc...). They get to take naps in their own beds and play with their own toys. So that part is great.
As far as our new jobs - Jake loves his job and is eager to learn more and move up the company ladder (it is a short ladder...I think 15 employees???). I was pretty bitter about working. I really REALLY want to stay at home. But I have come to terms with the fact that I have to work. It doesn't matter how frugal I am or how much I go without we have accumulated bills in the past that we have to pay for now. I do enjoy my job. It is going well and I am making a little more money. I have the potential to make a lot more. So, it is motivating.
So, now for the confessions. Now that I am working full time I am not as organized as I used to be. I have tried and tried to get on some sort of schedule for cooking, cleaning, etc... but I still haven't gotten into the groove. I don't cut coupons or shop sales. I rarely go to Aldi's because it is out of my way and I don't shop at 4-5 different stores anymore. I shop at one. It is not the cheapest but I earn money off my gasoline (and it is close to my home). As far as cooking....well, I've cooked twice this week, which is more than I cooked all last week. I keep taking the time to write out a menu but then I don't follow through. I forget to thaw something out or I don't have time to get it together the night before. Because I make these BIG plans and don't follow through, I have recently let several things rot in my fridge (greens, peaches, cabbage that I bought for cabbage rolls, fennel, a ton of fresh basil that I planned to make into pesto and freeze). How wasteful of me. It is embarrassing. I have also been buying frozen prepared meals. I am a "home cooking" kind of lady so this has been a big step for me. Last Saturday I decided to have a deep cleaning day. We have lived in our house for 2 months and we hadn't had one. I barely had any cleaning supplies. Jake and I talked about it and we joked that I really am frugal! I have been saving a ton of money by just not cleaning. You really can save by not buying those expensive cleaning supplies. And speaking of cleaning....Jude's Room. ARgggghhhh. It is awful. I mean it is such a mess. You can barely walk through it. And guess what. I really don't care. I try not to go in it. I've decided it just isn't that important. I also don't make my own bed 75% of the time. I know it only takes a minute or two but honestly, I just don't have a minute or two. I used to believe that old saying "you make time for what you want to do". Well, I do think it is true to an extent- I do what is the most important but I don't get to do everything that is important. I wish I had more time. Then I could blog more and take my kids to story time at the library. We do eat together and take family walks/hikes each night. All I know is this....It is just a season.

Funny Jen F Stories...

Jen is an old friend of mine. We worked together at East Side Mario's back in the day. There were like 4 or 5 Jen's working there at the time so we called them by Jen & the first initial of their last name. Needless to say, the name Jen F stuck and don't think I could ever just call her Jennifer or Jen. She'll is Jen F to me. We have always had a love/hate relationship. Although we don't talk that often anymore I think of her frequently. I think I have had more fights with her than I have had with anyone. We are both stupid. Our last fight (I can't even remember what it was about) happened in October. We didn't talk for months on end but when Jake was sick and in the hospital she called! We never talk about whatever our "last argument" was over. Either way, I was thinking about my past and trying to figure out what exciting and entertaining story I could tell you and I decided I am going to list some of my all time favorite all time Jen F moments.... I don't think I could even think about putting them in any particular order.

• We used to go walking or roller blading a lot. I have tons of stories just surrounding those "exercise sessions". When I lived in Peninsula she would come over after work sometimes and say "We are going to walk!" So this one evening we set out at about 11 P.M. to take a power walk down Olde Eight Road. It was pitch black. We were going along just fine, chatting about something juicy I am sure - when we see this car coming behind us. As the car gets closer it began to slow down. It eventually pulled off to the side of the road we were on. We were both scared out of our minds. So Jen RUNS off and leaves me standing there frozen. It was a police officer. He questioned me and wanted to know why my friend ran. Uh...I don't know. I yelled for her to come back and she did. She had been hiding in some bushes. We didn't get into trouble or anything.
• Another time we went for a walk down Olde Eight Road but I think it was more of a leasure walk. I remember it was a hot spring day and we were wearing flip flops. I had stopped along the way and picked a fist full of daisies to take back home with me. We were walking along...I am sure talking about something just as juicy as before when out of nowhere these GOATS bolted into the road directly to us. Well, I was (yet again) frozen but Jen took of (flip flop flip flop really fast). The goats decided to leave her alone but they surrounded me. I ended up feeding them my daisies. There were abnormally agressive goats. Cars were driving by, honking their horns and laughing their butts off but no one helped me. Jen was long gone. She didn't come back.
  
• Another time we were roller blading in this metro park. Jen was wearing a bikini top and umbro type shorts. I can't remember what I was wearing but it is irrelevent to the story. Neither of us had on any sort of padding because it would mess up our tan lines. When we first set out on the trail a couple of people commented on us roller blading. We just thought they were suprised to see us because of all the bike traffic. So, here we go and things were going well. Then we get to this BIG hill. I think okay, I can do this. I bend my knees and steady myself. I assumed Jen was doing the same. I was gaining momentum when I looked back I saw Jen had ditched the hill effort mid attempt. I turned just in time to see her dive into the grass and do a flip. I was worried and shocked. So I tried to slow down. Bad move. I wrecked too. Except I hit the pavement. I just layed there trying to figure out if I should laugh or cry. I finally scrapped myself together enough to go check on Jen. I had blood everywhere and still have scars to proove it! Jen however escaped without any blood BUT she had "grass burn" (like rug burn only done with grass) all over her abdomen. It was bad.
  
• Jen F always had a few boyfriends at a time. Always a serious boyfriend and then many suitors. I was in a bar with her when two of her boyfriends were there in diffent areas of the bar! It was something out of the movies. Oh it was a hoot. I think many of the men knew she dated other guys and just didn't care! Seriously there have been a few guys who would do ANYTHING for her. And it didn't matter how she treated them.
  
• When we went out dancing guys flocked to her. She could get so stinkin drunk that she pukes and guys still wanted her number. I used to give it out to everyone! She would be mad (for a minute) but in the end I think she saw the humor in it all. Oh back in the day....Well I could go on and on but it is so late and I must be getting that beauty rest!
  

Secret Message...

GWAR can do the new pants dance but if you are a fatty Boomba Latty you might have to put on your MC Hammer Pants and hammer time to Ice Ice Baby.

Does this mean anything to anyone?

Just Asking....

A Story About Nothing....

Today on the radio they reported on the funniest story. There was this waitress working at a restraunt and one of her customers asked for an alcoholic beverage. Being a good waitress and abiding by the law she asked to see the patrons identification. When the girl handed the server her ID the waitress just stared in disbelief. IT WAS HER ID!!!! Not the customers but it belonged to the waitresses! I guess she was at an "establishment" in Cleveland and her purse was stolen, about a month ago. There were charges on her credit cards but the culprit had not been found. Apparently the girl had been using the ID as her own (maybe she planned to pay with the stolen credit cards???) Who knows. The girl tried to run away but was apprehended by the police. I can't remember what her name was but what even added to the stupidity - she is 23 years old. It is not even like she needed a fake ID or anything. She was just plain dumb. A friend of mine works at the place but I haven't had time to talk to her about it.

Here is a link.....DUMB GIRL STORY

Is it really Friday? Thank God!

Work was great this week. We had a lot of activity. It was nice to talk with a lot of potential customers and I even made some of them happy by saving them a few (hundred or so) bucks. Isn't that cool. I don't think of it as selling insurance but rather selling a savings. Ha. Sounds corny but it is true.

I was a little suprised that no one commented on the pictures. WHY NOT? Well, a few of my friends did discuss them with me in person. Either way, the funniest thing someone said was "That Applehead looks mean!" So, Applehead...if you were going for the aggressive look I think you accomplished it. BTW...I did say you aren't mean. I thought the dump truck picture was priceless but then again, I know the people in the photo which makes it that much funnier to me. I don't know.

The kids are great. Jude's toe was well on the way to recovery. He is going to loose his nail. But he did have a little set back this week and he decided he couldn't walk on it again.

Today I was in the basement doing laundry and Elise stopped and was looking at me. I thought she had a VERY guilty look on her face so I said "What are you doing?" She started laughing and ran towards me with her hand out. When she got to me she handed me a penny. Isn't that something? She knew she wasn't supposed to have it and I busted her! So cute.

Well, I am tired and must be going to bed but I wanted to update everyone.

I am going to the beach and I am taking......

Well, I am not going to the beach but Jude came home today! I had a busy day at work. My mom took him to my house around 4:30ish and I didn't get off until 7 P.M. Jake brought the kids and met me at Sam's Club (exciting I know). But we really needed to stock up. So, I got there first and was just waiting. When they pulled in Jude was laughing and being goofy. He was happy to see me (yes, I can breathe a sigh of relief...my son does like his mother after all). He gave me a big hug and all that but some time ago he decided he doesn't like kisses and wipes them off. It has become the big joke. He even wipes Elise's kisses off. So we go into the store and Jude needs to go to the bathroom and then Elise has a poopy diaper. Of course we didn't bring the diaper bag in because...well we just didn't. So, Jake goes out to the car and the kids and I continue to shop. Hecktic Hecktic hecktic. After all the bathroom stuff was finished Jude was trying to hang on the cart and Elise was kicking him. She obviously didn't want him near her. I think she enjoyed being the only child for a while and wasn't happy Jude returned. Either way, we did survive Sam's Club and made it out without spending every penny we have. You know how it is...you go in for one or two things and the next thing you know you have enough meat for the next month.

When we got back out to the cars (remember we drove separately), Jude decided he wanted to ride home with Mommy. We anticipated this already so it wasn't a big deal to move the car seat over. On the way home he said "Mom, lets play a game". I figured I was up for a big game of "I Spy". He always picks something we are going past and by the time I figure out what he is spying...well, we are five miles down the road from it! But isn't that cute. He then proceeds to tell me what he is taking to the beach (you were wondering where I was going with the title weren't you?). I quickly remembered a game we used to play with my mom. She'd say I am going to the beach and taking (blank). Then we would have to say "I am going to the beach and taking your (blank) and my (blank)". The idea is to remember the whole list of what you are taking to the beach. I used to love playing this game with my mom and sister. It was undivided attention. So, I played along with Jude and as I listened to him tell what he was taking to the beach I recognized the items as the same ones my mom used to say to me when I was a little girl. For example I told him I was going to take water to drink. He said "NO...we are going to take whemonade!" Isn't it so sweet??? I have a feeling this will be "the game" for a while. I know when we were kids we always wanted to play it. I am sure it drove my mother crazy at times.

So, everyone is back home. Jake will be gone tommorow night. I am sure you will read all about that soon enough. Have a great day!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words (or Laughs)....

Here are the pictures I have been waiting to get on here.


A hot and tired Jude relaxing on Daddy's lap.Applehead and Vivian....
Is is Jake or is it Tony Stewart with a Ryan Newman hat on????


Remember when I wrote about the kids sliding in the mud in West Virginia? Well here is the proof....Elise on the 4th of July.
Jude sitting in a dump truck - doesn't he look proud!?
Muddy West Virginia kids again...



This is Elise eating an ice cream cone after getting her first hair cut! This is Cody at the Akron Aeros game with us. He had a great time.


Oh this picute will have to speak for itself...... This isn't something I found on the internet. I actually know these people and took this picture myself! ha ha ha...
Jude and Lydia wearing their boots.

Pictures of You...

Okay...Here is the deal. I want you to write captions for these pictures. I will tell you who and what they are later. I am having a tough time getting to these other pics I want to post. Hopefully Jake can help soon. Either way....write captions.

1.
2.

3.

It is official...

I can officially sell for Allstate. Isn't that cool? Okay, enough about work.

Jude went to Tennessee for a week. It seems like he never wants to stay home these days. He is having fun. He did talk to us the first night but last night he just wasn't that interested. He said "night night mommie, I love you" that is it! Can you believe it?

I am hoping to post some pics this evening. I have some great ones!

Everything is a little stressful right now. Money is tight...of course Jake and I both changed jobs/careers at the same time. We still aren't completely unpacked. Work is piling up! ARRRGGGHHHHHH. Last week there was some talk about me going part time at work but I don't know where we are on that right now. Still waiting for a budget!!!! My babysitter is having surgery on her jaw at the end of the month and I am not quite sure who will watch the kids. Then when she comes back my other babysitter is going on vaction in Mexico (I must be paying her too much.....ha ha ha....inside joke!). What will I do with my babies???? Oh, and on top of all of this, Jake says he is ready for another kid! Oh boy.............................

Okay, more later......

I Read A Boring Blog......

That is what my friend Sherry told me last night. Can you believe that she would say that????? Well, she was just teasing me about not blogging lately. The thing is - I keep thinking I will get time to sit and write but it just hasn't happened. I still don't have a routine and I haven't quite figured out how to be a "working mother". Right now I am in another class. I have to be here to FINALLY get my binding authority. That means I will be able to actually sell insurance for the company (on Wednesday). Today we are learning about property policies....

This past week-end I went to the Women of Faith conference. It was fun. I roomed with Heather (my sister), Rixey and Justiene. All of our traveling was done on a bus. It was interesting. The loud mouth crowd sat in the back of the bus, just like in school. Can you guess where I was???? Well, since it was all girls you can imagine the talks we had!!!! Let's just say they weren't all fit for a public audience so I won't be repeating them here. But I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. The conference was great. There were very moving speakers and lots of great music and drama. I really enjoyed myself and would like to go back in the future. It was a far cry from the Nine Inch Nails concert I attended a month ago. Both fun....just in a very big way. Honestly, I fit it a lot better at WoF. Isn't that great to know??? I did cry several times and you all know how much I love to cry. Ha ha. But tell me, how can I sit there and listen to Natalie Grant sing a song about a two week old baby dying from SIDS and not bawl my eyes out? Luckily I anticipated the emotional roller coaster and stocked up on kleenex before attending. The speakers were so real. I mean VERY VERY VERY honest about their misgivings and mistakes they have made. Everything from spending time in mental facilities to having many abortions. There was a strong emphasis on knowing God will forgive you for your past and he loves you where you are. I dealt with my own guilt for my past mistakes a long time ago so the conference really just re-emphasised what I learned a long time ago. BUT...I think the best part was just getting away for a week-end (Thank you Mom for watching the kids) and spending time with the ladies from our church a little better. Girl time is always needed and refreshing. Most of our husbands went to Promise Keepers in Columbus. I think it was a little more intense.

Okay, well, it is lunch time. I have to get going. Leave me a comment and let me know you are still with me.

Today I Took A Boring Class...

It is for my binding authority. Since I have been working for an Allstate agent for a month now I already know everything. Ha ha. Well not everything. But a lot of it is review to me. Today we learned how to do quotes. I think I've done close to 100 already. And we did a 2.5 hour long session about the different Auto Policies. It is boring for me to even tell you about it. Imagine if you were in the class. I will say, I was a little nervous about going to the class in the first place. I hate meeting new people. I know it doesn't sound like the Delilah you know but, I am truly a shy person. I fake the rest. Either way, I got there an hour early (thanks Josh) and there was this other lady who was also early. The instructor told me she was in the break room getting coffee. I went and introduced myself and asked her if she wanted to run to Panera Bread with me. She said yes before I actually caught her name. Then, on our way out we met this other girl who looked a little lost. I asked her if she was there for the class and she said yes so we invited her on our excursion as well. She joined us. So, within the first 10 minutes I met two new people and didn't even break out in hives. Yes, I do that from time to time. Maybe I am not as shy as I used to be. Who knows. I do know this...I spent a large portion of my day staring at the shoes of the girl who was sitting across the isle from me. I hope she didn't notice because she probably thinks I have some weird freakish foot fetish. I was just daydreaming and checking out her cool shoes. I want to get a pair. I'll have to put those shoe dreams on hold though....no new shoes for me!

Have a great day!

Step off the blog...(please!?!?)

Did you know I have had so much blog drama???? Well, I have. I think I was a little gun shy (yes I can be shy) about even writing anything for a while because I had 2 incidences right in a row concerning my blog. The first case was just crazy. A person from my past started reading my blog and read a comment I made that was in reference to him and a future ex-men Monday post. He and his girlfriend got a little bananas about that. Seriously, they did have a valid point. I was making fun of the guy and he had a right to be upset but they took it to an extreme...insulting my children, friends, my God, music, etc.... They called me all sorts of colorful and creative names. I kinda got a kick out of it but in the end I was upset because they posted some pretty nasty and untrue things about me on the internet with my full name. So that was drama #1. Now for drama #2. My old room-mate from college read the post I wrote about her and she was very upset. She left me a comment and I couldn't even respond to her. She was insulted by the things I said and thought I had a bad opinion of her. Honestly, I thought she was one of the funniest and nicest people I've known. I re-read the post and didn't seem to find any of it offensive. I think I even said some very nice things about her. Either way, she handled the situation with a lot more class, which I appreciate, but neverless hasn't spoken to me since. I did leave her an apology comment. Who knows if she ever read it. Right after that happened I heard about this study about the "tone" of an email. The conclusion of the study was that most people (something like 75%) misinterpret the tone of an email. I think the case may be the same in my blog. So, here's the deal. My intentions are not to hurt anyone. I write about my life, current events and past history. I don't always have nice and flowery things to say about everyone. That doesn't mean I am bashing others or making fun. Sometimes reality isn't pretty. Know what I mean???? I try to keep those that would be embarassed by what I reveal anonymous. I think that is fair. Obviously there are people who have been in my life for a long time that will know some of those I speak about but it doesn't matter because they lived what I write about first hand.

In closing I would like to say this...blogs are such a cool thing. It is more fun than a journal because you can get feedback from other people and share a part of yourself you might not ever get to in another venue. Sometimes we say things on our blogs that we might not ever bring ourselves to say out in the open. And there are people who read my blog who never even talk to me. It is almost like they are eavesdropping on my life. And there are people I have been able to keep up with that under normal circumstances I may not have been able too (Aunt D, Aunt Nancy, Jason & Kelly - to name a few). Allthough I was upset about the drama, I am flattered that people took the time to read through my pages upon pages of posts. I do think I have some good (funny) stuff and some serious stuff....mostly just goofy. Please, if you are a reader...don't take any of it too seriously. It is a blog...not a newspaper...or book (beware though, I might write a book someday)...it doesn't carry much weight. I am just a girl from the suburbs writing about my life....................................... I love you all so keep reading - maybe I'll write about YOU next!!!

Lots to Say...Little Time.

I really should be in bed right now but I feel like I have really neglected the old blog these past few weeks. I have been busy and we've had so much going on. I started my new job. It is going well. I still have some classes to finish up for the company and then I am "offically" good to go. If you need insurance be sure to call me (or email me). We moved into our house last week. Jake and his Dad, with the help of Bill, moved stuff all week long. By time our moving day came along we had already spent the night in the new house. It worked out. Saturday morning I decided to go to a garage sale across the street. I was holding Elise and stepped off the last step of the porch, fell down and damaged my ankle. At first I thought I was going to pass out. It really hurt. But I did manage back up the steps and got Elise to safety (she was fine by the way). I brushed myself off and got it together. I should have taken it easier...by noon I couldn't walk on it. I ended up in the ER getting x-rays. It wasn't broken (thank God) but it was sprained. The doctor said it was pretty bad and gave me the big lecture about staying off it and the whole healing process. After about 6 hours on cruches I figured I'd rather be in pain. Those things were a pain. I looked ridiculous. It feels much better now. There is still a little swelling and bruising but nothing major.

On Thursday my laptop crashed. Yes, I lost everything on it. I had backed it up last summer but I lost all my pictures from the last year. It is so sad. I also lost the hundred's of recipes I typed out for the cookbooks I made last fall. My advice to you is...back up your computer RIGHT NOW! It is devistating.

Today we had a pretty bad leak. The landlord came over and had to take down part of our ceiling in the kitchen to fix it. Man, that was a job. He got right on it though. He is a very good landlord.

Tonight we went to our small group. It was nice to have it kinda back to normal. There were a few people missing.

Okay, I am falling asleep, as usual. Have a good day.

What if Trent Reznor became a Christian????

"I hurt myself today
To see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
The only thing that's real"

Do you know him? Trent is the lead singer of one of the most popular industial bands , Nine Inch Nails. He is originally from Cleveland and everyone in Northeast Ohio knows someone who knows Trent. I knew Michael, who dated my friend Stephanie. He was a member of the Exotic Birds, Trent's first band. My old friend Jenifer Bass loved NIN. She introduced me to the music. It was music that wouldn't be making it to the radio anytime soon. My pal, Audrey, from High School, has a huge NIN tattooed on her leg and she named her first born child, Trent. One of the first times I talked to Melanie she had just moved to Ohio from Florida. We were straightening the party isle at Toys R Us. She told me she was going to see NIN by herself because she didn't know anyone else to go with. I told her a ton of other people were going and I introduced her to them. That was when she became one of the gang. Tori Amos dated Trent. Everyone knows I love Tori. She wrote about him in a song. Courtney Love also dated Trent. I went to her concert and she kept talking about the size of Trent's "manhood". It was so stupid but Courtney thought she was so cool.

"What have I become?
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know
Goes away in the end
You could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt"

Okay, There is the "HISTORY". Here is what brought it all up again. A couple of months ago I was standing in the Kitchen and Melanie calls. She had just won tickets on the radio. They were to see Nine Inch Nails! She asked me to go with her. To be honest, I wasn't sure at first. I had A LOT of stuff going on and concerts...well, they are part of my past. I used to love going to concerts. I went almost weekly. I've seen so many bands live. Everything from Chicago to NOFX. I worked at Blossom for 5 summers with my friend Tiffany. We served coffee and HUGE cookies. Man it was fun. I've danced on stage with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and yes, I have stage dived and been in MANY mosh pits. Either way, I digress... I used to love Nine Inch Nails. When I got married and had the respite kids coming to live with us I really censored my CD collection. I gave away or sold most of my old stuff. Besides, most of it I can hear on the computer if I want to. After settling in to my new job and moving I agreed to go to the concert with Melanie. Yes, I went to see Trent, eleven years after the last time. It was so much different this time around. First of all....I didn't dress in the normal garb. Yes, I was slightly concerned about what to wear but when it came right down to it - I really didn't care. I don't care to look like everyone else. I just went as me. Denim shorts and a black shirt with my favorite, stinky sandals. As we walked through I stared at all the people. I really felt like I was amongst a bunch of people who just hadn't arrived yet. They were mostly close to my age. I didn't really talk to any of them so I can't be quite certain but I felt like they just never grew out of that ANGST RIDDEN stage of life. I have always been about the meaning of the music. I've analysed lyrics and have even asked a few song writers what they meant by certain songs. I had forgotten about the serious religious overtones of NIN.

"God money i'll do anything for you. God money just tell me what you want me to. God money nail me up against the wall. God money don't want everything he wants it all."

The music is religous. Just not my religion. Trent sings about being hurt and strong at the same time. He gives hope to his followers. I watched people dancing and praising him. I thought (ironically) "this is what worship should be like". Unfortunately...well people are worshipping Trent Reznor. What is he going to do for them? Hmmmm.

"no you can't take it no you can't take it no you can't take that away from me"

So, I started thinking about it all. And I wondered...what would Trent Reznor do if he accepted Christ and became a Christian? Would he stop singing? Would he stop singing those songs? Would he apologize? Would his followers hate him? Or would they love him? Would it be a great testimony or would he be a traitor?

"head like a hole. black as your soul. i'd rather die than give you control."

I think he was writing about drugs??? Not sure. Definitely some religious stuff tucked away in there.

"bow down before the one you serve. you're going to get what you deserve. God money's not looking for the cure. God money's not concerned with the sick amongst the pure. God money let's go dancing on the backs of the bruised. God money's not one to choose"

I did have a great time. I love the loud music and the energy. I love seeing everyone dance around, united by a common thread (even if it is a pretty small one). But I felt different this time around....A little out of place. The best part was just getting to hang out with Melanie and laugh. Thanks Melanie.

Updates and Random Info...

I have 5 minutes. I will see how much I can tell you....

• We are moving to Cuyahoga Falls in less than 2 weeks. I would have been giving you a box count but....I haven't packed one thing yet. Jake has packed a few boxes though. The house we are moving to is PINK! I don't even care. It is very nice and has more space. They even mow their lawn.
• I saw Cody (the little boy I used to take care of...see previous posts). It appears I will be having contact with him again. More on that later....
• Work is going well. I made my first sale on Friday.
• Jude went to West Virginia with The Millers until Wednesday. He called me last night to say he wanted to come home to give me a hug. AWWWWWWW.
• Jarhead (yes the one I wrote about before) sent me an email this week-end.
• I had a good, fun filled week-end.... The Millers visited on friday. Went to a wedding on Saturday (girls night out w. Mandy & Sherry). Someone called us the Charlies Angels. I think they were drunk. Sunday we went to church, watched Jake play softball, went grocery shopping and went to the farm and picked peas (yummy). I didn't get to bed until almost 1 AM because I was cutting out fish (why do we need so many?????)
• I am working at VBS this week, working my job and packing. I will try to keep you updated.

Have a great day.

I did not abandon.....

I've been accused of being a blog abandoner... I can't even begin to explain how busy I have been. Is it ever going to slow down? I used to say when we were done doing Respite we would have all this free time. Then I had to work part-time, crazy hours, long drives....Well, it wasn't any less hectic. I kept saying when the school year is over and summer is here, I will have more time. Now I am working full-time and I can't seem to catch up. Some day..... So, as soon as I get in the swing of things and get a few things caught up I will blog again. Until then you'll just have to wait patiently. (please)

I did start the new job today. It was an easy day. No biggie.

This evening we went driving around and I think we found a new house to rent. We have half heartedly decided we should wait until next year to buy a house. At least I want to wait so we can afford the house we really want....not just the house we can afford right now, which wouldn't be much of a house. Jake isn't completely sold on the idea but either way, we found a really nice house in Cuyahoga Falls to rent. We filled out an application. It was really a cute place with more space and a much better drive way. It is on a quiet street and very close to a park. The yard is only about one tenth of what we have now, but it doesn't matter because we can't use the yard we have since the landlord never mows it. Last week the weeds were up to Elise's chin. How embarrassing. We would have to cut our lease a little short but I don't fear any legal recourse since she hasn't fixed the sidewalk or our floor yet and the grass thing. I will keep you updated on the house. Oh, one more note about the house...it has never been rented out before, so it is so nice. A family of four just bought a house around the corner and just moved a few months ago. Small closets though....

Have a good day. Talk to you soon, I hope.