Sunday, July 31, 2005

Melancholy Amy...

Well, boys and girls, school's almost here. Say it with me now, "EEEEWWWWW!!!" Soon, chants of "5 more minutes, Mom...pleeeease!!" and cries of "The dog ate my homework" will resound over this great nation. I shall be thinking and pleading the former when my alarm goes off tomorrow morning.

Work for my district begins tomorrow. The summer has flown by. Absolutely sprouted wings and took flight like a rocket. I find myself wanting to freeze the moment. Perhaps it's b/c of too much TiVo, but the desire to pause time has almost overtaken me.

Did I use my time wisely this summer? No. I don't think I did. Did I make the most of every moment? Some days, but not many. Am I regretful? Of course. Now I find myself wishing I had more time..

Isn't that always the case? Well, except for when you're in the dentist's chair (even then, there's regret like, "Why didn't I floss (more)?" or "Man..I should never have eaten all that candy growing up!"). Ah, and when you're in school, there's nothing you want more than a break from it all! For some reason, 2 months isn't enough. Give us an inch and we'll take a mile.

I don't really have a point to make. If you are one of those who reads really hard between the lines, maybe you could glean a little bit of awareness of your lack of time-management skills or something. Or, maybe it spurs you on to grab life by the horns and have a blast. I dunno.

All I know is, I don't want that alarm clock to go off at 6 am tomorrow.

Monday, July 25, 2005

This is worth making a new post for...

I was gonna stick it in the "comments" section of my last post, but hey...this one deserves some time in the limelight ;-).

MY NIECE JUST CLEANED THE LIVINGROOM! Complete with dusting, vacuuming, and a bit of tasteful rearranging. She even attempted to re-alphabetize our DVD collection (it's all out of whack)! I helped her finish that daunting task. Here's the kicker: no one asked her to!

Ok, so family visits aren't all that bad ;-).

Thanks, Kennedy. Need a job?

All in the Family....

Well,

I haven't been able to swing by for any updates b/c I've had my hands full the past few days. Some of my family has come out to the great sweltering state of Texas for a little visit. My father, oldest sister and her 2 kiddos made the 12 hour trek last Thursday. This is the week of her annual Mary Kay dealio in downtown Dallas, so they decided to squeeze in a visit with us as well.

I still have my sanity, and that's saying a lot ;-).

No, seriously. For someone who's 12 hours away from family most of the year, this visit is a sight for the weakened heart (even though the heart has hammered a time or two!). There was a soft place somewhere in there that longed to see someone familiar. It's great that the in-laws are only a couple of hours away, but I can't tell you how good it is to have Dad here. He's got shingles by the way :-(. Poor guy can't travel anywhere without getting sick. I know helping with my niece and nephew (10 and 13) hasn't helped his energy lately, either.

Not much to report. We spent the greater part of Friday shopping with Laura as she purchased some finishing touches for the convention (it started last night), then met my cousins from Ft. Worth for dinner. Saturday, we took Logan to play paintball. Fortunately, it was at a Celebration Station and not some random field out in the middle of nowhere (Did I mention it's blazing hot here???). So, we got to stay indoors while he suffered outside (in a mesh "tent-like" thing) and Kennedy played some games. Sunday, it was more playing as we went to the "grown-ups Chuck E. Cheese," Dave and Busters. That was a lot more fun (and had great food!) than the day before. The in-laws came up to join us and we took the train downtown.

Not sure what we'll do for entertainment today. I fear computer games and playing with the dog is becoming less alluring as time ticks by.......

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Literati! Literati! Literati! Li-ter-aaaaa!

Like my lil ditty there?

I think I might be addicted. Thank you, September :-p.

For anyone who's lived under a rock longer than me, Literati is a board game akin to Scrabble (but don't try to use your Scrabble vocabulary....Literati isn't up on all the lingo and your words will get *sniffs* rejected). It's on Yahoo!Games if ever you're interested. You can play with random ppl or you can host a table and invite whomever you know is signed on. (I think that's how it works) The world of technology never ceases to astound me, as I got to play 2 games with my great friend in Sascatchaswan last night/this morning. ;-) Yay!

Not much goin on around here. The fam is coming to visit on Thursday: Dad, oldest sis, her 2 kiddos. They'll be here a week. Laura's got a Mary Kay conference.

In preparation, me and the other fam did yardwork this weekend. Before you go, "Oh blah! What a way to spend a weekend!!!", we did manage to catch a rockin Third Day concert on Saturday night. :-)

Anyway, the yardwork was sort of forced upon us by Mother Nature in that she effortlessly blew our lone tree (in the front yard) over during a storm. In that one tree falling, I got my yard edged, shrubs trimmed, and various weeds pulled. We had a regular chain-gang thing goin. Everyone works, then everyone rests. It was a nice rhythm. It's always nice when there's more than one pair of hands working. I was introduced to the fine (or not so fine) art of trimming shrubbery. I felt like Mr. Myagi or something with my own lil banzai trees....or boxwoods...

The weekend went well, other than the work, and even our dogs got to have a little bonding time. My Schnauzer still hasn't recovered from visiting w/ his cousins (2 Bichons and one Schnauzer pup whom we lovingly call "The Pirhana"). He's done nothing but sleep the past 2 days!!

That's it from here. Nothing profound. I'll need all the brain cells I can muster in dealing with the niece and nephew this weekend.............

Monday, July 11, 2005

Listen to this song to make your heart feel better..

Any Sanctus Real fans out there? "Fight the Tide" is now playing in WinAmp on my computer. Their title track, "You Are Not Alone" is quite catchy.

Isn't it comforting to know we aren't on this journey alone? I know it feels lonely sometimes, but I'm thankful God finds ways to send little rays of sunshine through my melancholy clouds just to remind me that He's here. He's here, my Christian brothers and sisters are here...my cute lil puppy dog is here. I am loved. THAT makes my heart feel better!!! :-D

Does your heart ever NOT want to feel better? Is it anchored in a corner with a sulky pout on its face? I know mine puts itself in a happiness "time out" from time to time. Why is it so stubborn? It's FREE, yet it wants to be mired in sadness/despair. Frustrating, isn't it? Why does our stubborn human nature want us to be unhappy just for spite? That's what it feels like. We close the blinds of our soul to block out God's light. He's trying to flood us with it, but we're so doggone resistant.

Wherever you are, take those pity-party thoughts captive, throw open those blinds and chuck them out the window. Just do it. It will make your heart feel better.

:-)

Technology hostage..

Since it's just me and the crickets (seriously..there are at least a couple plus some harmonious tree frogs outside right now), I thought I'd jot an update while waiting on DirecTV to call back.

While I avoided any store technological today, hubby didn't. We got another TiVo DVR tonight for the bedroom. Its hard drive is actually twice as big as the one we have now (in the living room), so we decided to put our existing one in the BR and install this one in here. Well, we had tons of stuff recording, so we had to wait til midnight. No biggie. I'm a night owl.

Apparently, the DirecTV/TiVo techies are updating their server. They told Dillon it would be about an hour (that was almost 2 hrs ago!). I guess, when you gotta update something, doing so during non-peak hours is good, b/c you figure you won't have many customers needing to connect something. Unfortunately, we are in that minority tonight/today/whatever. He took our number and said they'd call back. No biggie...we'll just play xbox or something. We just called back and they are still updating and don't know how long it will be :-.

Here we are. Sure, we could go to bed and just get the blasted thing hooked up tomorrow but, unlike with exercise, we are TODAY kinda ppl when it comes to technology. ;-)

Oh, and for the record (and to keep up my boring menu offerings) tonight's feast contained:

Chicken jambalaya (pasta) and sweet tea (Dillon added chips and hot sauce (read: salsa) to his dinner). We had lemon cake for dessert.

I won't bore you with breakfast/lunch.

Til later,

Sunday, July 10, 2005

Street Team blues...

Anyone who listens to music and has branched out into this cyber world of ours knows that street teams are all the rage among record labels now. They know there are masses of fans out there who are chomping at the bit to see their favorite bands come to town and more fans means more $$.

I love the street team ideal: bringing the message to the masses BY the masses. Totally jive with that. There's nothing I like better than spreading the word about what an impact Steven Curtis Chapman has had on my spiritual walk and life, in general. I love doing that so much, that I signed up for his street team, as well as a couple others whose artists I relate to. The only problem is, sometimes the projects are beyond what I can do as a fan. Well...are beyond what I want to do, that is.

Take for instance, the "roundup." This is where a street teamer e-mails hordes of his/her friends, imploring them to join "The Force." This is one of the key strategies of those in power, and, as such, they reward their recruiters with great prizes. I don't mind emailing my friends who listen to CCM about things like this. What I don't like is that they have a target number of folks they'd like us to email. Needless to say, I don't have that many folks in my address book. And, if I did, not all listen to CCM, not all are in the age demographic that enjoys all things online, and I venture that some would be put off.

I want to spread the word about his music...not so much ask folks to join the team. If it means merely posting a link or something on a message board here and there, that's cool. But to personally invade someone's inbox is something beyond my comfort zone.

Am I a sissy fan for feeling this way? Comments?

By the way, if anyone reading this IS interested in joining, here are two of the teams I'm involved with: www.groundforcenetwork.com (use the referral code 1891, please) and www.themovement.fan2band.com. Hopefully, those links will work for you. Thanks for enduring that shameless plug.

Have a great rest-of-Sunday!

Saturday, July 09, 2005

Whataburger

Well, today's dining didn't quite come off as healthy as last night's. For those who are just dying to know what was on our plates, here goes. Are you ready??

Breakfast: Chic-fil-A biscuits (buy one get one free, compliments of coupons from Celebrate Freedom last weekend). Yay for "Christian" chicken ;-) :-p.

Lunch: leftovers. I had a bratwurst sandwich with some olive spread on it....For those of you going "ewwwww.." the spread is hard to explain, but it's really good. Lotsa different olives chopped up, kinda like what's on a muffaletta (however you spell that). You can go have your very own lil bucket (ha) from SAM's for $6.42, I believe. Yummy stuff that has lasted quite a while (and has a long shelf-life, as long as it's kept refrigerated after opening). I think Dill had hotdogs and some chips and salsa (Texans call it hot sauce).

Dinner: Let me preface this by saying I spent WAY MORE TIME than should be allowed for a wife on a Saturday at electronics stores. Holy bovines! We ended up going to look for a wireless USB adapter for my father-in-law who is onlineshopaphobic (The only place you can find the exact one he needs is online). Well, there are other versions (hence our "hunt"), but that one is the ideal one.

Anyway, we are at one place and find something $20 cheaper than what he paid for it in their hometown (they don't have this particular store there). Well, we went ahead and got it for him, and he plans to return the one he got (He hadn't opened it. I know some of you were holding your breath over that one.). Weeeellll, we go to the next major chain and find something like the "coveted" one, only there was SOME question as to whether or not it would work. There was ONE left...the sales guy told me "Nope. Doesn't work with TiVo." Hmm...it was gonna be $4.99 after rebates. The bargain hunter in me wanted to cling to the box with all I had, but I put it down and we went on our way to the next aisle. There was a more pricey one, but the FIL wasn't at home to make sure it was compatible with his system (Bored yet??). We decided to go on to the NEXT major chain. We got as far as the parking space closest to our car when the phone rang. He wanted the one I had picked up. By this time, we're in the car, on our way out of the lot. I tell Dill to just drop me off and I'd go in and get the other adapter. I get in there and, guess what??? IT'S GONE!! I see the guy who helped us was busy, so I found another guy who checked the other place they had them and said it was the last one. :-S I'm thinking to myself, "Not 5 minutes was I gone, and someone got it?? The sales guy acted like it was useless! Hmmm...I'm gonna ask him what happened." Well, the patient bargain hunter was now looking for some retribution (whether warranted or not!). He finishes up with the folks he's helping and has spotted me. He seems to have conjured up 2 coworkers for moral support. The one on the right says, "Can I help you, ma'am?" I lock eyes with THE ONE in the middle and say, "Yes....that USB adapter. That's the one we need. Have any more?" He paused a sec and said "Hold on." Now, I don't know what happened, but here he appeared with the box in hand! I take the box and go to find Dillon in my sudden rush of victory. He's all bowing down to me and telling his dad that I found it, but now we have to wait and see if it's for sure compatible with their system and/or does THEIR store have it. Hmph. We wait. He calls, is hung up on (I'm sure, accidentally) and then is put on hold for longer than he's willing to wait (I'm sure the first try was what put him off...). We decide to go ahead and get it. If they find one at their place and it works, our plan was to keep the other one for ourselves and use it. (Should I mention that the rebates always come in twos or end up to be not as great as they did before you actually get the item up to the checkout counter and go thru the fiine print?)

After that, we headed to a Christian bookstore where I felt more in my element (it's close to the above mentioned electronics store). Got a good bargain book and the newest Veggie Tales DVD. Oh, and we also saw they now have spiral notebooks and folders with Christian artists on them. How funny, but kind of cool, is that? We actually found one with the Newsboys on it that we purchased for my sister-in-law as sort of a joke.

We decide to head back to the first store and return the first adapter we bought. I stayed in the car and started on the book I had just purchased while Dillon went in and braved the return line. A little later, he came back with this kind of "grin" on his face, though I knew it was more of the "Please don't kill me" kind. His dad had just called and said they found the adapter we'd just purchased at THEIR store. :-o Well, if it works with our system, we're keeping it!!

How does that tie into dinner? At this point, all ideas of"slow, healthy food" are being brutally devoured by my now "psycho" appetite. Whataburger was the closest joint and so there we went (to hubby's delight. He and his father share the Whataburger gene).

On the menu was:

Dillon: A1 Thick and Hearty (or heart-stopping burger) Meal
Me: Whataburger Jr. meal

Boy, now aren't you glad you stopped by to see if I'd written any exciting updates? :-

We're off to watch some soccer. US vs Canada on the Spanish channel. Fun stuff! The only thing I have understood thus far is the logo up next to the score. It's the famous golden arches with the words "Me encanta" next to it. I don't need to tell you what it means, though. Everyone knows Mickey D's is a universal language!

Hasta la pasta,

Amy

Man...

It took me forever to figure out how to do another post!!! I feel like a dork now. :-p

Hey, anyone seen "My Cousin Vinny?" Geez...I shoulda had some v-chips and dip before watching that one. Lotsa language. If you're gonna watch it, go for the made-for-tv version.

Well, good night everyone....

Friday, July 08, 2005

Maiden voyage...

Welp. Here I am. I've avoided the great cross-cultural blogdemic for far too long. Good news for me, b/c I can curb some of the creative boredom I've been feeling. Bad news for you, b/c I'm not that creative!!

*crickets chirp*

Anyone out there watch The 4400? I don't think it would have been on my must-see list had I not married a sci-fi junkie, but it's not that bad (don't tell him I said that). There's an episode playing as I type, which is why this first edition might seem a bit unorganized.

I honestly feel I have nothing worthy to contribute at this moment, except for leaving you with tonight's dinner menu (mainly b/c I'm full and I'm looking for filler for this post!):

Grilled bratwurst accompanied by zucchini, squash, and onions that were grilled in a cozy aluminum foil bag. Oh, and some sweet tea I made with my Iced Tea Maker. It was a wedding gift that I just decided to put into use a couple of days ago. Can you belive that?? It only took me 2 years! Ah, trying to wean myself off of cokes. Yes, that's right. I said "cokes," and I don't mean the kind that wants to make the world sing. Here in the South, any carbonated beverage (that can be bought under the age of 21) is a coke. Doesn't matter if it's Dr. Pepper, Mt. Dew...whatever! It's a COKE!

Have a nice night and thanks for reading!