I'm sitting here watching Bridezillas on the WE network. Not because I truly enjoy it but because of a lack of better things on television to watch. And there is only one question I have...
How many of these marriages actually work out? I would love to know the percentage of these marriages that end in divorce.
Because these women are riduculous...and terrible...and jut...tashy and awful. Craig, my mother, my friends...EVERYONE would absolutely murder me if I ever chose to act like some of these women.
Ugh.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Doctor, doctor - give me the news!
A few weeks ago, as Craig sat down in a folding chair in the Big Gym during one of his 6th grade PE classes he felt his knee lock, stretch and then POP. Since then, it has been locking and popping on a regular basis as well as pretty swollen. He had an appointment with his specialty knee doctor (the same doctor who has done his two previous knee surgeries) on Wednesday and this is the result:
- Torn meniscus which is an extremely difficult cartilage to surgically repair. Taking the meniscus out is the first part of the surgery.
- Replace the missing meniscus with cartilage from another area of his knee that he doesn't need. (I am a bit curious about this part of the procedure because I am generally under the impression that ALL cartilage is important. After all, isn't a LACK of strong cartilage how we got into this situation? Just my thought.)
- The third portion of the procedure will be an option for the surgeon once he gets into the knee and sees how bad the true damage is. If Craig's cartilage is really in bad shape, small fractures will be created in the surrounding bone to increase blood flow to the area, ultimately resulting in a growth in cartilage in his knee. If this procedure has to be done, Craig will be on crutches for four to six weeks.
Okay. So that's the technical part. It was really cute on Wednesday. I obviously didn't go to the doctor with him because A) he's a big boy and B) I had school. He called during my 4th period class and I excused myself to recieve his call. At that point all he could tell me was that the doctor had indeed confirmed that his knee was locking. Duh. Nine years of school for THAT prognosis? Thanks Doc. He also let me know that he had an MRI scheduled for 3:00 in the afternoon which would give the doctor a better view of what is causing this painful situation. I didn't hear back from him until 4:30 when he called and told me that YES - he was having surgery but that he was in a rainstorm and would have to tell me the details later. Ooookay. I headed up to school to open the gyms for his select basketball stuff because he was driving from Dallas (apparently in a rainstorm) and wouldn't be able to get to the gym in time to open it up and get out the balls. He arrived in the coaching office a few minutes after 6:00 and laid it all out for me...all the technical jargon I just spewed for you up above. But...here's the best part of the story.
When discussing with his doctor the best day to do his surgery, the immediate Thursday (March 26) was unfortunately out of the question because by the time the MRI had been read and Craig and his doctor had conferred, it would be too late to contact the surgical center. Okay. So the next available day was Tuesday, March 31st. Ooh. Craig shook his head in shame and admitted to the doctor. "Doc. If I have surgery on Tuesday, there's a good possibility that I won't have a fiance when it's all over and done." Hmm. Peculiar. "Why is that?" inquired the curious doctor. "Well...you see...that's the night of the Britney Spears concert that Laura has been looking forward to for three months. And...uh...I'm supposed to go with her." Oh. Well. Interesting. Craig's surgery has been scheduled for a week from today - Thursday, April 2nd. As funny as this story is, I am really touched that Craig indeed knows what Tuesday is and how important this concert is to me. Sure...it's just a semi-washed up and totally nutso pop star who is trying to pay off her legal bills with a world wide tour. But it's BRITNEY SPEARS! I have totally been her target demographic since the first strains of "Oh Baby Baby" hit the airwaves. This concert is on my bucket list and ain't no surgery messing with that. I'm just glad he was still thinking of me despite his aching body.
Craig had basketball practice for three hours that night and I opted to retrieve our crutches from the house for him to use during that time. I sped off to my volleyball league and played an outstanding round of volleyball - laying every hit and serve down on the court. I wish I could have stayed an extra hour and played because driving home with thoughts of Craig in surgery and all the possible outcomes clouded my high of playing well. I like to be prepared. I like to be in control. I have the neurotic tendency to contemplate and envision ALL the possible outcomes in Technicolor. I have an overactive imagination which tends to get the best of me in emotional situations such as this. I needed to be calmed down...and quickly. After Craig got home and ate dinner, we crawled into bed, shut off the tv and began googling. We googled every single part of his surgery so that I could fully understand what was going on. We usually do our best talking in bed right before we go to sleep and this was our opportunity for me to discuss all my unfounded fears as well as our plan of action (first part of the plan - both our mothers will sit with me in the waiting room) on the day of as well as during the recovery process. Again this only compounded my love for him and reassured me that he is the right guy for me - he knew exactly what I needed. I needed to hear and see exactly what was going to happen in order for me to feelc omfortable with this whole procedure.
So far, the plan is to have the surgery on Thursday and then set him up on the couch for a few days (and nights). We'll probably move him upstairs on Saturday so he can get a better night sleep as well as be closer to the bath and other necessary bathroom accessories. I'm planning on taking off both Thursday and Friday from work. I just don't feel comfortable with him being home alone just twenty four hours after major surgery. I'm glad that we're doing this on a Thursday because it's going to cut down on the number of days that he's going to have to take off work. He'll be sore and tired going back to work on Monday, but I think he and I both will be ready to get out of the house and get back to work.
In conclusion - start saying prayers on Thursday. Some for successful surgeries and others for a quick and relatively easy recovery. That's the other part of my worry - the recovery. BUT...that is a worry for another day. I'm going to get him through the surgery successfully and then start on the recovery.
- Torn meniscus which is an extremely difficult cartilage to surgically repair. Taking the meniscus out is the first part of the surgery.
- Replace the missing meniscus with cartilage from another area of his knee that he doesn't need. (I am a bit curious about this part of the procedure because I am generally under the impression that ALL cartilage is important. After all, isn't a LACK of strong cartilage how we got into this situation? Just my thought.)
- The third portion of the procedure will be an option for the surgeon once he gets into the knee and sees how bad the true damage is. If Craig's cartilage is really in bad shape, small fractures will be created in the surrounding bone to increase blood flow to the area, ultimately resulting in a growth in cartilage in his knee. If this procedure has to be done, Craig will be on crutches for four to six weeks.
Okay. So that's the technical part. It was really cute on Wednesday. I obviously didn't go to the doctor with him because A) he's a big boy and B) I had school. He called during my 4th period class and I excused myself to recieve his call. At that point all he could tell me was that the doctor had indeed confirmed that his knee was locking. Duh. Nine years of school for THAT prognosis? Thanks Doc. He also let me know that he had an MRI scheduled for 3:00 in the afternoon which would give the doctor a better view of what is causing this painful situation. I didn't hear back from him until 4:30 when he called and told me that YES - he was having surgery but that he was in a rainstorm and would have to tell me the details later. Ooookay. I headed up to school to open the gyms for his select basketball stuff because he was driving from Dallas (apparently in a rainstorm) and wouldn't be able to get to the gym in time to open it up and get out the balls. He arrived in the coaching office a few minutes after 6:00 and laid it all out for me...all the technical jargon I just spewed for you up above. But...here's the best part of the story.
When discussing with his doctor the best day to do his surgery, the immediate Thursday (March 26) was unfortunately out of the question because by the time the MRI had been read and Craig and his doctor had conferred, it would be too late to contact the surgical center. Okay. So the next available day was Tuesday, March 31st. Ooh. Craig shook his head in shame and admitted to the doctor. "Doc. If I have surgery on Tuesday, there's a good possibility that I won't have a fiance when it's all over and done." Hmm. Peculiar. "Why is that?" inquired the curious doctor. "Well...you see...that's the night of the Britney Spears concert that Laura has been looking forward to for three months. And...uh...I'm supposed to go with her." Oh. Well. Interesting. Craig's surgery has been scheduled for a week from today - Thursday, April 2nd. As funny as this story is, I am really touched that Craig indeed knows what Tuesday is and how important this concert is to me. Sure...it's just a semi-washed up and totally nutso pop star who is trying to pay off her legal bills with a world wide tour. But it's BRITNEY SPEARS! I have totally been her target demographic since the first strains of "Oh Baby Baby" hit the airwaves. This concert is on my bucket list and ain't no surgery messing with that. I'm just glad he was still thinking of me despite his aching body.
Craig had basketball practice for three hours that night and I opted to retrieve our crutches from the house for him to use during that time. I sped off to my volleyball league and played an outstanding round of volleyball - laying every hit and serve down on the court. I wish I could have stayed an extra hour and played because driving home with thoughts of Craig in surgery and all the possible outcomes clouded my high of playing well. I like to be prepared. I like to be in control. I have the neurotic tendency to contemplate and envision ALL the possible outcomes in Technicolor. I have an overactive imagination which tends to get the best of me in emotional situations such as this. I needed to be calmed down...and quickly. After Craig got home and ate dinner, we crawled into bed, shut off the tv and began googling. We googled every single part of his surgery so that I could fully understand what was going on. We usually do our best talking in bed right before we go to sleep and this was our opportunity for me to discuss all my unfounded fears as well as our plan of action (first part of the plan - both our mothers will sit with me in the waiting room) on the day of as well as during the recovery process. Again this only compounded my love for him and reassured me that he is the right guy for me - he knew exactly what I needed. I needed to hear and see exactly what was going to happen in order for me to feelc omfortable with this whole procedure.
So far, the plan is to have the surgery on Thursday and then set him up on the couch for a few days (and nights). We'll probably move him upstairs on Saturday so he can get a better night sleep as well as be closer to the bath and other necessary bathroom accessories. I'm planning on taking off both Thursday and Friday from work. I just don't feel comfortable with him being home alone just twenty four hours after major surgery. I'm glad that we're doing this on a Thursday because it's going to cut down on the number of days that he's going to have to take off work. He'll be sore and tired going back to work on Monday, but I think he and I both will be ready to get out of the house and get back to work.
In conclusion - start saying prayers on Thursday. Some for successful surgeries and others for a quick and relatively easy recovery. That's the other part of my worry - the recovery. BUT...that is a worry for another day. I'm going to get him through the surgery successfully and then start on the recovery.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Vegas Hangover
Week of: March 15th - 21st
First of all - how did last week turn out?
- We spent the first two days of Spring Break meeting and interviewing DJ's and photographers for our wedding. I think it was a bit of wedding overload for Craig. He just generally needs to know the bottom line (how much will this cost) and doesn't want to get caught up in all the details. But we did settle on a DJ (www.mobilemusicpbp.com) and a photographer (http://staticsixx.com/) and it feels good to have that put behind us. Up next? Bridesmaid dresses, cakes and flowers...but I'll do all that this summer.
- We flew out to Vegas on Wednesday and had a very enjoyable time. We didn't really win a lot of money on the slots or at the tables, but Craig's impressive repetoire of basketball knowledge helped us reap in cash through betting on the first round of NCAA tourney games...but unfortunately that money was spent losing on the aforementioned slots and tables. Thus is life. We did have a relaxing Thursday spent on the Lazy River at the Mandalay Bay resort in a cabana that we rented for the day. Craig sat inside the cabana with the flat screen watching basketball games and I lounged around outside on the chair reading fluffy books. Friday during the day we went to the Mandalay Bay Shark Reef which was quickly followed by a couples body wrap, body scrub and deep tissue massage. That night we saw the Cirque de Soleil Zumanity show at New York, New York casino...it was much less family friendly than my personal fave of Cirque de Soleil - the LOVE show. All in all, we had a pretty good time. As with any vacation, I was ready to get on the plane and get home to my own bed by the time Saturday rolled around...but that doesn't mean I'm ready to go back to school tomorrow.
I am looking forward to...
- Seeing my friends at work tomorrow and catching up on a week's worth of events. From down the hall classroom neighbors, to lunch buddies and to the other members of our coaching staff, I have a multitude of good friends at work which makes work a ton more enjoyable but at the same time I will be sad to leave when the time comes.
- Craig's doctor's appointment on Wednesday morning. Although the outcome could possibly be surgery, I'm just ready to find out what is wrong so we can find a solution and get him the pain relief he desperately needs. And plus...I'm a little tired of hearing him complaining. Ha, ha.
- My Wednesday night volleyball league starts up on Wednesday night and I'm so excited. Although I really loved playing basketball games for a couple games, my real athletic love right now is volleyball. I thinks it is because of the massive adrenaline high I get from a solid serve or slamming a good hit down on the wood.
I wish I could fast forward through...
- This week's lessons...again. We're still stuck in Africa and I'm getting really tired of repeating myself: dictator, genocide, poverty, civil war, disease...I actually think that my kids are getting a little worn down with it as well.
- Track practices and the track meet on Thursday night...I'm not sure if my terrible case of Spring Fever has been totally cured and staying after school to measure distances and such for Long and Triple Jump is not really what I want to be doing on these beautiful and warm afternoons.
Right now I'm obsessed with...
- My new hair straightener...the BaByliss Titanium with a high level of heat setting at 490 degress or something else astronomical like that. I always tease the 8th grade girls about their co-dependent relationships with their hair straighteners but after one fateful trip to get my hair cut...I'm hooked and if there is a cure for my addiction, I don't want to know about it.
- the NCAA basketball tourney. Last year on our first trip together to Las Vegas, Craig and I filled out our tourney brackets on the plane and of course - he won by a landslide. This year though - I'm on a warpath to claim victory and so far? I only had 7 wrong choices in the first round compared to Craig's 8 wrong. Hurrah!!! I'm off and running to total domination...as long as Ty Lawson, Tyler Hansbrough and the rest of the UNC Tar Heels can keep going to the end - I'm golden. Although, yes...I wanted my Aggies to do well in the tourney, I am realisitc and once I saw that their most likely opponent in the second round was going to be UConn, I had to give up hope.
On my mind...
- Being a teacher in Texas right now doesn't suck. The rest of the economy in the world might be falling to pieces, but as far as I can see...it hasn't affected us quite yet. Having said that, I haven't been really paying attention to the exact details of the economic crisis that has been going on because a) like I said, I haven't personally been affected and b) regrettably, I don't really understand the causes, effects and potential solutions that are being discussed on the main stream news channels. That's why I turn to Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert for my news. Chuckle you might...but seriously. I'm not ashamed to say that I didn't understand this whole AIG thing until Mr. Stewart put it into lamens terms for me. And then I was pissed. Which leads me into my next point: I don't think terrorism or any other outside source of evil is going to lead to the ultimate downfall of our nation. I think WE are going to be the thing that creates an unsuccessful nation and I believe that the bonus scandal of AIG and the Bernie Madoff trial are prime examples of this. Many years ago people came to America for the simple reason of being able to practice whatever religion that they chose. This served as the basis for the American dream - to be able to create your own oasis of joy and happiness in whatever way you deemed suitable. For many of our grandparent's, this meant a home in the suburbs, a family car and a backyard for the kids. How did this simple idea of security and fulfillment get maniacally twisted into the greed, selfishness and "ME" mentality that leads people to not be satistified with MILLIONS OF DOLLARS? Don't get me wrong - I'm not a bleeding heart liberal that believes in the pseudo-socialist idea of equality and sharing wealth. I believe that America is one of the few societies where a person, regardless of birth status, can create any future conceivable for themselves. If people are willing to put in the time, effort, dedication and sacrifices to achieve the status and wealth of Steve Jobs or Warren Buffet...then they are truly worth of the success they acquire. Does that mean to turn one's back on the poor and needy because they should be able to overcome any obstacle and take advantage of services available to be successful? Nope. I am more than willing and happy to help those in need...who are attempting to help themselves as well. Regardless...I value ambition but not when it turns into greed that severely and negatively impacts other people. Shame on you Wall Street for not recognizing when enough is truly enough. Didn't your mother ever teach you to be grateful for whatever you got for your birthday or Christmas?
First of all - how did last week turn out?
- We spent the first two days of Spring Break meeting and interviewing DJ's and photographers for our wedding. I think it was a bit of wedding overload for Craig. He just generally needs to know the bottom line (how much will this cost) and doesn't want to get caught up in all the details. But we did settle on a DJ (www.mobilemusicpbp.com) and a photographer (http://staticsixx.com/) and it feels good to have that put behind us. Up next? Bridesmaid dresses, cakes and flowers...but I'll do all that this summer.
- We flew out to Vegas on Wednesday and had a very enjoyable time. We didn't really win a lot of money on the slots or at the tables, but Craig's impressive repetoire of basketball knowledge helped us reap in cash through betting on the first round of NCAA tourney games...but unfortunately that money was spent losing on the aforementioned slots and tables. Thus is life. We did have a relaxing Thursday spent on the Lazy River at the Mandalay Bay resort in a cabana that we rented for the day. Craig sat inside the cabana with the flat screen watching basketball games and I lounged around outside on the chair reading fluffy books. Friday during the day we went to the Mandalay Bay Shark Reef which was quickly followed by a couples body wrap, body scrub and deep tissue massage. That night we saw the Cirque de Soleil Zumanity show at New York, New York casino...it was much less family friendly than my personal fave of Cirque de Soleil - the LOVE show. All in all, we had a pretty good time. As with any vacation, I was ready to get on the plane and get home to my own bed by the time Saturday rolled around...but that doesn't mean I'm ready to go back to school tomorrow.
I am looking forward to...
- Seeing my friends at work tomorrow and catching up on a week's worth of events. From down the hall classroom neighbors, to lunch buddies and to the other members of our coaching staff, I have a multitude of good friends at work which makes work a ton more enjoyable but at the same time I will be sad to leave when the time comes.
- Craig's doctor's appointment on Wednesday morning. Although the outcome could possibly be surgery, I'm just ready to find out what is wrong so we can find a solution and get him the pain relief he desperately needs. And plus...I'm a little tired of hearing him complaining. Ha, ha.
- My Wednesday night volleyball league starts up on Wednesday night and I'm so excited. Although I really loved playing basketball games for a couple games, my real athletic love right now is volleyball. I thinks it is because of the massive adrenaline high I get from a solid serve or slamming a good hit down on the wood.
I wish I could fast forward through...
- This week's lessons...again. We're still stuck in Africa and I'm getting really tired of repeating myself: dictator, genocide, poverty, civil war, disease...I actually think that my kids are getting a little worn down with it as well.
- Track practices and the track meet on Thursday night...I'm not sure if my terrible case of Spring Fever has been totally cured and staying after school to measure distances and such for Long and Triple Jump is not really what I want to be doing on these beautiful and warm afternoons.
Right now I'm obsessed with...
- My new hair straightener...the BaByliss Titanium with a high level of heat setting at 490 degress or something else astronomical like that. I always tease the 8th grade girls about their co-dependent relationships with their hair straighteners but after one fateful trip to get my hair cut...I'm hooked and if there is a cure for my addiction, I don't want to know about it.
- the NCAA basketball tourney. Last year on our first trip together to Las Vegas, Craig and I filled out our tourney brackets on the plane and of course - he won by a landslide. This year though - I'm on a warpath to claim victory and so far? I only had 7 wrong choices in the first round compared to Craig's 8 wrong. Hurrah!!! I'm off and running to total domination...as long as Ty Lawson, Tyler Hansbrough and the rest of the UNC Tar Heels can keep going to the end - I'm golden. Although, yes...I wanted my Aggies to do well in the tourney, I am realisitc and once I saw that their most likely opponent in the second round was going to be UConn, I had to give up hope.
On my mind...
- Being a teacher in Texas right now doesn't suck. The rest of the economy in the world might be falling to pieces, but as far as I can see...it hasn't affected us quite yet. Having said that, I haven't been really paying attention to the exact details of the economic crisis that has been going on because a) like I said, I haven't personally been affected and b) regrettably, I don't really understand the causes, effects and potential solutions that are being discussed on the main stream news channels. That's why I turn to Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert for my news. Chuckle you might...but seriously. I'm not ashamed to say that I didn't understand this whole AIG thing until Mr. Stewart put it into lamens terms for me. And then I was pissed. Which leads me into my next point: I don't think terrorism or any other outside source of evil is going to lead to the ultimate downfall of our nation. I think WE are going to be the thing that creates an unsuccessful nation and I believe that the bonus scandal of AIG and the Bernie Madoff trial are prime examples of this. Many years ago people came to America for the simple reason of being able to practice whatever religion that they chose. This served as the basis for the American dream - to be able to create your own oasis of joy and happiness in whatever way you deemed suitable. For many of our grandparent's, this meant a home in the suburbs, a family car and a backyard for the kids. How did this simple idea of security and fulfillment get maniacally twisted into the greed, selfishness and "ME" mentality that leads people to not be satistified with MILLIONS OF DOLLARS? Don't get me wrong - I'm not a bleeding heart liberal that believes in the pseudo-socialist idea of equality and sharing wealth. I believe that America is one of the few societies where a person, regardless of birth status, can create any future conceivable for themselves. If people are willing to put in the time, effort, dedication and sacrifices to achieve the status and wealth of Steve Jobs or Warren Buffet...then they are truly worth of the success they acquire. Does that mean to turn one's back on the poor and needy because they should be able to overcome any obstacle and take advantage of services available to be successful? Nope. I am more than willing and happy to help those in need...who are attempting to help themselves as well. Regardless...I value ambition but not when it turns into greed that severely and negatively impacts other people. Shame on you Wall Street for not recognizing when enough is truly enough. Didn't your mother ever teach you to be grateful for whatever you got for your birthday or Christmas?
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!
Week of: March 15th - 21st
First of all - how did last week turn out?
- All the track meets were cancelled because Mother Nature's viscious side appeared and she sent us three days of cold weather and rain. Yay for rain because we needed it, but boo for cold weather - I had already gotten my toes done and brought out my flip-flops in anticipation that winter was truly over.
- My basketball game on Friday went well. Craig did end up going and he was very supportive and very...quiet. I told him before we went that he had to take off his critical coaching hat and put on his supportive fiance hat during the game. I played defense pretty well - got some rebounds and pushed some girls around BUT my offense was terrible. I was posting up and getting the passes very easily but I couldn't get the ball through the bucket. Ahh...oh well. At least Craig got to see me throw two girls to the ground during a jump ball - I just wanted him to see that I am really tough.
I am looking forward to...
- LAS VEGAS!!! We are flying out on Wednesday afternoon and will be returning late Saturday night. We're staying at THE Hotel at Mandalay Bay and we have already planned lots of fun stuff to do like lying around the pool, going to a Cirque de Soleil show and getting massages.
- Sleeping in. It is officially Spring Break and I am looking forward to sleeping in and being lazy with Craig.
- Going shopping for Vegas and springtime clothing. I haven't really shopped for myself in forever and I am excited about getting new things.
I wish I could fast forward through...
- Monday and Tuesday's meetings with photographers and DJ's. It's not the most exciting part of planning a wedding and I'm not looking forward to facing the price tag that it's going to take to get what we want.
- Packing and unpacking for Vegas. It's the most difficult and stressful part of the journey for me.
Right now I'm obsessed with...
- the thought of getting my hair cut. I used to have short, choppy and layered black hair. But...since dating Craig I've realized that he thinks I'm beautiful just the way God made me and I've found myself laying off all the expensive shopping, the face full of makeup and the extreme hair cuts and colors in the past year. My hair has returned to it's natural color and has grown past my shoulders. BUT there is this nasty bottom layer that is looking a little rough and never seems to do what I ask so therefore, I must remove it from my head and preferably before we leave for Vegas.
- Playing the game Dynomite from PopCap games on the computer while watching the Real Housewives of NYC on Bravo. It's my guilty pleasure and is surprisingly relaxing for me. It's just astonishing that women are so ridiculous.
On my mind...
- Craig's bum knee. He's had several surgeries on his left knee before all due to a torn ACL at one point in time and his knee is beginning to lock up and give him pain again. He has an appointment with his knee surgeon for next Wednesday (March 25th), but he's pretty sure he already knows the outcome which will most likely be more surgery. I'm just trying to convince him to ice it, stay off of it and use crutches for the next two days before we fly to Vegas.
First of all - how did last week turn out?
- All the track meets were cancelled because Mother Nature's viscious side appeared and she sent us three days of cold weather and rain. Yay for rain because we needed it, but boo for cold weather - I had already gotten my toes done and brought out my flip-flops in anticipation that winter was truly over.
- My basketball game on Friday went well. Craig did end up going and he was very supportive and very...quiet. I told him before we went that he had to take off his critical coaching hat and put on his supportive fiance hat during the game. I played defense pretty well - got some rebounds and pushed some girls around BUT my offense was terrible. I was posting up and getting the passes very easily but I couldn't get the ball through the bucket. Ahh...oh well. At least Craig got to see me throw two girls to the ground during a jump ball - I just wanted him to see that I am really tough.
I am looking forward to...
- LAS VEGAS!!! We are flying out on Wednesday afternoon and will be returning late Saturday night. We're staying at THE Hotel at Mandalay Bay and we have already planned lots of fun stuff to do like lying around the pool, going to a Cirque de Soleil show and getting massages.
- Sleeping in. It is officially Spring Break and I am looking forward to sleeping in and being lazy with Craig.
- Going shopping for Vegas and springtime clothing. I haven't really shopped for myself in forever and I am excited about getting new things.
I wish I could fast forward through...
- Monday and Tuesday's meetings with photographers and DJ's. It's not the most exciting part of planning a wedding and I'm not looking forward to facing the price tag that it's going to take to get what we want.
- Packing and unpacking for Vegas. It's the most difficult and stressful part of the journey for me.
Right now I'm obsessed with...
- the thought of getting my hair cut. I used to have short, choppy and layered black hair. But...since dating Craig I've realized that he thinks I'm beautiful just the way God made me and I've found myself laying off all the expensive shopping, the face full of makeup and the extreme hair cuts and colors in the past year. My hair has returned to it's natural color and has grown past my shoulders. BUT there is this nasty bottom layer that is looking a little rough and never seems to do what I ask so therefore, I must remove it from my head and preferably before we leave for Vegas.
- Playing the game Dynomite from PopCap games on the computer while watching the Real Housewives of NYC on Bravo. It's my guilty pleasure and is surprisingly relaxing for me. It's just astonishing that women are so ridiculous.
On my mind...
- Craig's bum knee. He's had several surgeries on his left knee before all due to a torn ACL at one point in time and his knee is beginning to lock up and give him pain again. He has an appointment with his knee surgeon for next Wednesday (March 25th), but he's pretty sure he already knows the outcome which will most likely be more surgery. I'm just trying to convince him to ice it, stay off of it and use crutches for the next two days before we fly to Vegas.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
The Wedding...thus far
So I know that I haven't really blogged that much about the wedding and what we're planning but it's just because it is really so far away that I haven't really planned that many fun details.
We've chosen the place:
The Marriott at Champion Circle in Fort Worth by the Speedway
Bouquets: I'm thinking that the mainly green flower bouquet will really contrast dramatically with chocolate brown bridesmaid dresses.
Cakes:
I really like the colors and intricate designs on this one...I just don't like the stripes and the really BRIGHT green contrasting with the chocolate and light green.
I really love the design on this cake...the intricity and delicateness of the branches climbing up the cake, but obviously I would go with a light green frosting, chocolate brown branches and then white accent flowers.
Centerpieces and overall decor:
I'm not sure if we'll really be able to pull off a "signature" cocktail...but I did have quite the penchant for Appletinis in college.
Along the aisle chairs at the ceremony
I have seen these centerpieces all over the place and since green is my favorite color of fruit (apples, pears and grapes) I figured it would be an easy and inexpensive way of dressing up the tables. I even have a co-worker that is willing to lend me the vases and stands from her own daughter's wedding...which happened to have the same color scheme as mine.
Hopefully, you are seeing the general trend and theme that I am going for with our wedding...a hippie-forest chic wedding. We'll see if I can really pull it all together and make it look good!
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
I hate Sunday nights.
I hate not having the luxury of being able to stay up a little late. Not that I can ever really make it past 11:00 on any given weekend...but I like to have the option of sleeping in the next morning if need be.
I hate the idea of having 5 days stretching out before me full of lesson planning, practices and general exhaustion.
The only thing that I look forward to on Sunday nights are my two guiltiest pleasures on VH1: Rock of Love and Tool Academy...but those season finales are quickly approaching.
So....in an effort to combat the bad mood that ultimately sets in towards my bedtime on Sunday evenings, I'm trying a new approach...
Week of: March 8th - March 14th
I am looking forward to...
- the first track meet. Despite the drama that has surrounded our track season in my school district, I still love sitting out in the warm weather in lawn chairs in the middle of the football field with my co-coaches and chatting while supporting our athletes. I'm also pretty psyched because our 7th grade athletes are pretty impressive when they run and jump...we actually could have a chance at the district level this year.
- SPRING BREAK!!!!! With all the drama that has occurred recently plus the hectic and non-stop schedule Craig and I have had since January, we definitely need a break.
- playing basketball again on Friday. I played a few weeks ago and although my skills were a bit rusty...I enjoyed the team atmosphere and just the satisfaction from knowing that "yeah...I still got it." Plus - Craig is coming and I gotta bring my A game.
- the U2 concert dates coming out and Craig and I making our travel plans to go see them...multiple times of course. He's pretty much the U2 equivalent to a Dead Head.
I wish I could fast forward through...
- this week's lesson plans. We're into Africa at this point in the curriculum and it is the most boring part of the year for me...and I assume for the kids as well.
- track practices after school. This part of the year is so difficult because it's just now getting warm here and it just makes it that much harder to stay after school and coach long and triple jump to 30 7th graders.
Right now I'm obsessed with...
- the Kings of Leon. Every song is so incredibly powerful - you can hear the passion and intensity dripping out of the singer's mouth and through your speakers. Check them out on your iTunes and listen to "Use Somebody" or "Sex on Fire" to get your first taste of the greatness.
- Strawberry Limeades from Sonic. The switchover from Starbucks to Sonic has officially occurred with the warm weather that has moved in. Unfortunately, the drinks are only heightening my already grave illness...the dreaded Spring Fever.
On my mind...
- micromanaging. I am an adult. I make good decisions. I am aware and in control of things that happen in and around my classroom. I have a degree. Please let me do my job and trust that I am capable of making the best decision for my students and athletes.
- a dog. I need one desperately. I think I might have finally convinced Craig to let me get one. I just want a small dog to follow me around, to cuddle with and who would listen to all the silly things that come out of my mouth. It's really a win-win situation because it would cut down on the time that Craig has to spend doing these things! :)
Hopefully this will help me mentally prepare for another week with a much better attitude than I usually have.
I hate not having the luxury of being able to stay up a little late. Not that I can ever really make it past 11:00 on any given weekend...but I like to have the option of sleeping in the next morning if need be.
I hate the idea of having 5 days stretching out before me full of lesson planning, practices and general exhaustion.
The only thing that I look forward to on Sunday nights are my two guiltiest pleasures on VH1: Rock of Love and Tool Academy...but those season finales are quickly approaching.
So....in an effort to combat the bad mood that ultimately sets in towards my bedtime on Sunday evenings, I'm trying a new approach...
Week of: March 8th - March 14th
I am looking forward to...
- the first track meet. Despite the drama that has surrounded our track season in my school district, I still love sitting out in the warm weather in lawn chairs in the middle of the football field with my co-coaches and chatting while supporting our athletes. I'm also pretty psyched because our 7th grade athletes are pretty impressive when they run and jump...we actually could have a chance at the district level this year.
- SPRING BREAK!!!!! With all the drama that has occurred recently plus the hectic and non-stop schedule Craig and I have had since January, we definitely need a break.
- playing basketball again on Friday. I played a few weeks ago and although my skills were a bit rusty...I enjoyed the team atmosphere and just the satisfaction from knowing that "yeah...I still got it." Plus - Craig is coming and I gotta bring my A game.
- the U2 concert dates coming out and Craig and I making our travel plans to go see them...multiple times of course. He's pretty much the U2 equivalent to a Dead Head.
I wish I could fast forward through...
- this week's lesson plans. We're into Africa at this point in the curriculum and it is the most boring part of the year for me...and I assume for the kids as well.
- track practices after school. This part of the year is so difficult because it's just now getting warm here and it just makes it that much harder to stay after school and coach long and triple jump to 30 7th graders.
Right now I'm obsessed with...
- the Kings of Leon. Every song is so incredibly powerful - you can hear the passion and intensity dripping out of the singer's mouth and through your speakers. Check them out on your iTunes and listen to "Use Somebody" or "Sex on Fire" to get your first taste of the greatness.
- Strawberry Limeades from Sonic. The switchover from Starbucks to Sonic has officially occurred with the warm weather that has moved in. Unfortunately, the drinks are only heightening my already grave illness...the dreaded Spring Fever.
On my mind...
- micromanaging. I am an adult. I make good decisions. I am aware and in control of things that happen in and around my classroom. I have a degree. Please let me do my job and trust that I am capable of making the best decision for my students and athletes.
- a dog. I need one desperately. I think I might have finally convinced Craig to let me get one. I just want a small dog to follow me around, to cuddle with and who would listen to all the silly things that come out of my mouth. It's really a win-win situation because it would cut down on the time that Craig has to spend doing these things! :)
Hopefully this will help me mentally prepare for another week with a much better attitude than I usually have.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Recharged
Since January, our weeks have been spent juggling 7th and 8th grade basketball games, the high school basketball games, basketball and cross country practices and cross country meets. There were some weeks where neither of us returned home for the night before 9:00 the entire week. Needless to say, it was invigorating due to our district championship wins on the court and the course, yet exhausting because of a lack of controlled laziness and much needed emotional intimacy.
Oftentimes the only time we got to talk and debrief was late at night while trying to fall asleep. I missed lazy and playful mornings spent in bed, cruising the internet and channel surfing. In fact, three major milestones and events passed us by these past few months without any proper celebration: our engagement, our first "official" Valentine's Day and our year anniversary. We just didn't have the time nor the energy to be able to celebrate and enjoy each other's company the way we should.
So shortly after we got engaged and began looking at the upcoming months and our crazy packed schedules, I convinced Craig to take a weekend off from everything so that we could go away together and celebrate everything that we had neglected in the past few months.
After my first full basketball game in several years on Friday night, we woke up early on Saturday morning and finished a few loads of laundry and packed for our weekend adventures. We started off checking into the Crescent Hotel in downtown Dallas, which is one of the most recognizable and famous hotels in Dallas. I was a little intimidated - I'm not really an upscale Dallas girl. I'm more comfortable in sneakers and windshorts than stilettos and skinny jeans. Regardless...I knew that with Craig by my side it wasn't about impressing anybody else or making them be envious of me. All that mattered was that we were going to have a relaxing and quiet weekend together.
After checking out our room we braved the hurricane-like winds that whipped through the towers of Victory Plaza and headed into the AAC for the Stars vs. Ducks hockey game. We have season tickets to the Stars which we have thoroughly enjoyed, despite their tendency to come out of games outscored this season. Saturday was no disappointment with the Stars losing their point advantage in the third period to lost 4-2, but the loss was quickly remedied with a fantastic fight between two Ducks and #29, Steve Ott.
We once again braved the winds and headed back to our hotel where we shut the black out curtains and both agreed to the same activity...napping. We slept for about an hour and woke up slowly and watched the end of Ricky Bobby - not my first choice of movie, but it's on Craig's level as far as comedy goes. We then got freshened up a bit, put on our nice clothes and heavy coats and headed out to Nick and Sam's, which is a very nice and well known steak house in the nicer area of Dallas. Although we had reservations for the restaurant at 8:30, being Dallas on a Saturday night we did not sit down to eat until closer to 9:00. Despite the time delay, we still had a delicious meal in a quieter section of the restaurant. It was so nice to just sit and enjoy a full meal without worrying about running into students, or keeping a running list of things to do upon arrival at home in my head.
We were just able to sit...and talk...and enjoy each other's company. Which is part of the reason I am marrying him - I just love to be in his presence and hear his thoughts, his ideas, and his perspective on things. After dinner we headed back to the hotel and shared our presents with each other. I was delighted to find out an 11:00 massage appointment had been arranged for me, along with breakfast delivered to our room at some point in the morning.
All in all, we had a simply delightful weekend. We both turned off or silenced our phones and were able to just relax and enjoy being in each other's company, which is something that rarely happens in our busy schedules.
Oftentimes the only time we got to talk and debrief was late at night while trying to fall asleep. I missed lazy and playful mornings spent in bed, cruising the internet and channel surfing. In fact, three major milestones and events passed us by these past few months without any proper celebration: our engagement, our first "official" Valentine's Day and our year anniversary. We just didn't have the time nor the energy to be able to celebrate and enjoy each other's company the way we should.
So shortly after we got engaged and began looking at the upcoming months and our crazy packed schedules, I convinced Craig to take a weekend off from everything so that we could go away together and celebrate everything that we had neglected in the past few months.
After my first full basketball game in several years on Friday night, we woke up early on Saturday morning and finished a few loads of laundry and packed for our weekend adventures. We started off checking into the Crescent Hotel in downtown Dallas, which is one of the most recognizable and famous hotels in Dallas. I was a little intimidated - I'm not really an upscale Dallas girl. I'm more comfortable in sneakers and windshorts than stilettos and skinny jeans. Regardless...I knew that with Craig by my side it wasn't about impressing anybody else or making them be envious of me. All that mattered was that we were going to have a relaxing and quiet weekend together.
After checking out our room we braved the hurricane-like winds that whipped through the towers of Victory Plaza and headed into the AAC for the Stars vs. Ducks hockey game. We have season tickets to the Stars which we have thoroughly enjoyed, despite their tendency to come out of games outscored this season. Saturday was no disappointment with the Stars losing their point advantage in the third period to lost 4-2, but the loss was quickly remedied with a fantastic fight between two Ducks and #29, Steve Ott.
We once again braved the winds and headed back to our hotel where we shut the black out curtains and both agreed to the same activity...napping. We slept for about an hour and woke up slowly and watched the end of Ricky Bobby - not my first choice of movie, but it's on Craig's level as far as comedy goes. We then got freshened up a bit, put on our nice clothes and heavy coats and headed out to Nick and Sam's, which is a very nice and well known steak house in the nicer area of Dallas. Although we had reservations for the restaurant at 8:30, being Dallas on a Saturday night we did not sit down to eat until closer to 9:00. Despite the time delay, we still had a delicious meal in a quieter section of the restaurant. It was so nice to just sit and enjoy a full meal without worrying about running into students, or keeping a running list of things to do upon arrival at home in my head.
We were just able to sit...and talk...and enjoy each other's company. Which is part of the reason I am marrying him - I just love to be in his presence and hear his thoughts, his ideas, and his perspective on things. After dinner we headed back to the hotel and shared our presents with each other. I was delighted to find out an 11:00 massage appointment had been arranged for me, along with breakfast delivered to our room at some point in the morning.
All in all, we had a simply delightful weekend. We both turned off or silenced our phones and were able to just relax and enjoy being in each other's company, which is something that rarely happens in our busy schedules.
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