Inspiration via Julianna

My good blogging buddy and friend, Julianna, posted some questions on her blog. They are kind of random, but very fun. I hope you learned something about me you never knew........

Four jobs you have had in your lifetime:
1)Lubke Chevrolet filer/ car deliverer/ misc.
2)Bank Teller
3)Bank Customer Service
4)Financial Services for Ritz-Carlton Club (all the prestige with non of the cash!)

Four movies you would watch over and over:
1)The Wedding Singer (I can't explain why this movie never gets old - you would think it would after a while)
2)My Big Fat Greek Wedding (Although I may be giving this impression, I'm not a wedding movie enthusiast)
3)Forrest Gump
4)The Sound of Music
(If that's not a weird combo, I don't know what is!)

Four places you have lived:
1)Eden Texas, (I do miss the homeland)
2)San Angelo, Texas
3)Seward, Nebraska (don't miss the cold!)
4)Lakeland, Florida (a place where beaches are close by, but that I never have time to visit. Oh the irony!)

Here's a fun one that Julianna didn't have:
Four Colleges/ Universities I've attended (Yeah I know)
1)Angelo State University, San Angelo, TX
2)Howard Junior College, San Angelo, TX
3)Concordia University, Seward Nebraska (I did graduate from this one!)
4)University of South Florida, Tampa

Four TV shows you love to watch:
1)Desperate Housewives
2)Gray's Anatomy
3)Surface (I hope it comes back next season!)
4)Everybody Loves Raymond & King of Queens reruns

Four places you have been on vacation:
1)Winter Park Colorado - twice snow skiing. It's so beautiful!
2)Disney World (before I moved to Florida - I actually haven't been since I've moved here almost 2 years ago!)
3)Nashville Tennessee and Memphis to visit the home of the King (Yeah, I'll just come out and say it - I like Elvis! He was my first "crush". While other's were swooning over New Kids on the Block, I had my sights set on a dead guy. Another embarrassing tid bit- I've seen most of his movies.)
4)Washington DC - loved it, want to go back and take Nick with me

Four websites I visit daily:
I don't have time these days. The ones I visit are all work related unless I can grab a break. In which case they would be:
1)My Concordia email - a few people still email me there
2)Julianna's Blog - it's how we maintain our friendship! :)
3)Bank's website to check on my account and pay bills
4)USF website to check my grades

Four of my favorite foods:
1)Tex mex Fajitas w/ all the trimmings
2)Shrimp w/ pasta (any sauce will do)
3)Ice cream - I'm a sucker for it
4)My grandmother's home-made bread - I haven't had it in so long - I've GOT to get the recipe and go for it

Four places I would rather be right now:
1)Not at work
2)On the beach relaxing
3)Home with my mom and dad for a visit
4)Heaven! :)

So, there you go....stuff you never knew and aren't really sure if you wanted to know after all!

It's been a while

I haven't died, although I've prayed for death a couple times in the last few weeks. :) I haven't know busy until recently. But, anyway, here's a little recap of what's been going on the past week.
Last weekend Nick and I finally got our landscaping put in (Just in time for our first and only hard freeze of the year.) We covered all our new plants with sheets, and I think they are all going to make it. One got a little burned, but hopefully it will perk back up. The banana trees didn't fair so well. They look pretty sad. I hope they won't die on me.
Valentine's day came and went with me spending a romantic evening in class, and Nick enjoying a romantic dinner with my grandparents. You know we like to spend all the romantic holidays with family. It's been our tradition so far!
Tonight is Pastor Goff's big surprise party for his Doctorate. I made a big salad last night, and a batch of my family's world famous salsa.
This weekend, we will hopefully get our baseboards put in and our screen fixed on the porch. Charles is driving us crazy with his constant and perpetual meowing to go outside. There were a couple of holes in the screen, and he figured out his escape path. So until we get that fixed, he is banned from going on the porch. It's like giving a kid a toy, and then taking it away from them. All they want is the toy. And so it has been with Charles.
So see, you really haven't missed to much. I'm too busy to have anything exciting actually happen! Love to you all..........

Ode to My Mom

I can say with confidence that I have a wonderful mother. Everyone should be as blessed as me. She means so much to me and I love her for so many reasons. She has always been my number one supporter through everything I have done. Whether it be changing my job to changing bedroom furniture around. She constantly builds me up and tells me that she is proud of me and loves me. Though I think she has always been my best friend, it has become more fully solidified the past couple of years. I know I can call her with anything, even if all I have are complaints and gripes over something. She listens to me and is always there to tell me everything will be o.k. She is the epitome of what it means to have faith and keep plugging along. Many trials have come and gone with new ones presenting themselves as we speak, but she has faced all of them with stregnth that I know can only come from God, and over come them all with pure Grace. She teaches me all sorts of useful bits of wisdom. One recent favorite of mine, "You may not be able to control everything your husband does, but know that he can't control everything you do either!" I love my mom. Only she could make me laugh with something like that. Though she often times thinks she's "a failure" (what ever that means) she is anything but. I don't know where she gets these crazy thoughts from. No one can be perfect, that's for sure, but just by making one mistake or not living up to what society views as success in no way makes one a failure. She has constantly reminded me that I "married my dad". She loves Nick and since he is a lot like my dad she has fun getting a rise out of him! :) This I just watch with amusement. Although she is very independent in her own right, she also portrays what it is to be a submissive wife. I have learned a lot from this. I have watched her faithfully support my father for the last 26 years, while at the same time doing her own thing. I think this is key to any successful marriage. If I am half as good a mother and wife as she has been, I will consider myself successful.

I love you MOM! Hope the rest of your week is better.

What's in a dream?

So, lately I've been having all these dreams that I am pregnant. Just to clarify - I AM NOT PREGNANT. It's been freaking me out, though. What does it mean? The other night, I could feel the baby kicking in my dream. What is making me have these dreams? I've thought about it and it could be for any of the following reasons:
1) Everyone around me is pregnant and/ or just had a baby and I've been surrounded by it 24/7, work, school, church....
2)I have this overwhelming fear of becoming extremely fat, and being pregnant heightens this fear. Hince, my subconscious is telling me to exercise more? Yeah...what ever that means...
3)God wants me to have children soon. To which I beg- "please let me finish grad school first"! :)
4)I am realizing that school will be finished in a short 2 years, and that's the time we've decided to have children. That's not very far off people!!!

It's probably for the first reason, but I don't usually have dreams that are recurring.....Except there was a phase I went through in school where I kept dreaming I was going to school naked and not realizing it until I was already in class. Talk about a nightmare! I have written that one off to the highly critical girls I went to junior high school with who could squash your spirit like a bug in a split second. Ah, I don't really miss those days too much.
So am I the only psycho who has recurring dreams, or do you have some, too?

The Rat Race

I'm currently running it - at full speed. I have hardly had time to pee lately! Work is running me into the ground this week. I knew it would be busy, but it's almost out of control. I am praying for a chance to catch my breath, but I do not foresee that in the near future.
On a happier note, all other aspects of my life are running pretty smoothly. Nick and I took our beautiful picture for the new church directory this week. That was an experience. The man taking our picture said, "Yea, I am excited to have a young couple. I've been taking pictures of old people all day." Can you believe he said something like that? (Dick, did you go in that day for your picture? :)
Nick is getting over losing his voice. I am glad that he is feeling better. I have been studying all week for an Economics test that will count for 40% of my final grade, so pray for me tonight as I take that.
I apologize I have nothing interesting or witty to say. Maybe next time! :0) I hope everyone is having a fabulous week!

Bad hair day

Yeah, we all have them, I know, but it always seems so much more dramatic when it happens to you. What's the deal? How can one day my hair be awesome and perfectly in control, and the next day my best attempts result in an Animal-from-the-Muppets-like appearance? It's those days when even a pony tail looks horrid. How can you mess up a pony tail?! I still haven't figured it out - it's the same hair I had yesterday! I would just shave it all off, but my vanity won't allow it. Thus, the saga continues....

Feeling a Little Overwhelmed

I'm sure everyone goes through several day spans of feeling like they need about 35 hours in the day. Well, the next few days are spawning those feelings as we speak.

This weekend I must:
-Clean the entire house. I am baffled how a house can become so dirty and messy when no one is ever there! It's got to be the 8th wonder of the world.
-Laundry. Must I say more? The dirty clothes hamper, I am convinced, leads into the great abyss. Everytime I reach inside, I pull out more clothes that need washing. I can only imagine what it will be like when we have kids!
-Work in the yard. Yeah, we still haven't finished the landscaping in the front yard.
-Homework. I'll restrain myself from making inappropriate comments.........I brought this on myself. I can blame no one but myself. Dumb myself.....
-Help with Youth Night - My weekly wifely DCE duties.
-Practice for and play my trumpet for Sunday service. eye yi yi!
-7 dust Charles for fleas. It's the poor people's way of getting rid of fleas and ticks on their pets........and yes, you can use it on plants, too.
-Cook. But you know I really don't mind that.
-Balance the check book, and make sure all of our tax information is together in the same folder.

Seriously......I'm not sure I have time to get all this stuff done? But, somehow, it allways seems to get done, and life goes on. It's going to be a long couple of days.

Reasons #1,628 - 1,633 why I love my husband........

-He makes me feel better after a horrible day at work.

-He knows just what to do to redeem his good name after making me mad with a less than flattering comment regarding (fill in the blank).

-His laugh when he thinks something is REALLY funny makes me laugh, too.

-He claims to like my cooking, but isn't afraid to give his honest opinion when he thinks a dish "could be better" (Disclaimer: This is initially VERY annoying, but in the end, I have made some things better, I must admit. I do appreciate the honesty.)

-He unselfishly allows, and supports my dreams and goals (i.e. my MBA). Even though it's a big sacrifice, I have never once heard him complain or make a negative comment regarding furthering my education.

I must admit I thank God constantly for blessing me with MY "perfect" partner.

(I apologize for the exorbinant amount of "mushy, lovey-dovey" material submitted in this entry, but I must give credit where credit is due:))

JELL-Oh My!

So, as you read in the previous post, this past Sunday was Middle School Jello Night! Can you imagine? Praise to my great Lord that everything went pretty well. The night required the preparation of 43, count them 43, boxes of Jello. Jello has a really funky smell after a while, and I'm pretty sure I won't be eating any in the near future. Plus, after seeing feet in some kind of food, it really doesn't make you want to go out and chow it down.
Although it is kind of an "expected" thing for me to help with the youth since I am the DCE wife, I do enjoy it. It allows me to give back my time. In my hectic schedule, I sometimes have to remind myself to go to the bathroom (jk). I seem to make time for everything else, and forget about God sometimes. This gives me great accountability and way to serve Him. It's funny how I reap the benefits of serving. God wasn't playing when he said he would fill our cup full and overflowing.

I have a Dream.....

Since this is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I thought I would talk about my "dream". As Nick and I were preparing 43 boxes of Jell-o for Middle School Jell-o night, we got to talking and amidst the talk, I unveiled my dream job. Most of you would not be surprised at this in the least.
If I had all the money in the world, and could do whatever I darn well pleased, I would own and operate my personal catering service. This would ultimately in theory fufill all my needs, utilize all of my strengths, and incorporate my passions.
How awesome of a job would that be? I would get to put my MBA to good use with the operations, marketing, and financing aspects of the business. It would be a sort of make your own rules, schedule type of a job. I would get to do one of my most favorite things in the world - cook and get PAID for it! And to top it all off, I would get to use my impeccable customer service skills.
This got me all excited, because I never did have a dream job in the back of my mind. It's sort of sad, isn't it?
Will this ever come to be? Being an entrepreneur is not conducive to my personality. It takes great risk both monitarily and emotionally. My wonderfully supportive husband said maybe once I graduate, try it out part-time on the weekends on a very small scale.
For now it's all a dream in this little head of mine, but maybe someday.......

P.S. On a different note, I wonder if MLK Jr. was Lutheran.....

I should have been in MAC.....

For all of you that aren't Concordia alum, MAC stands for Multicultural Awareness Culb. I wasn't a member during my days at CUNE, but now I could be the president! For those of you who don't know, I am the one and only white person in my work area. It's kind of weird being a minority, but the people I work with are too much fun. My immediate team consists of Antina who is half Puerto Rican, half black, Tracy who is black, Edna who is Puerto Rican, and my Manager David who is Puerto Rican. On top of that, my team works right by the Latin America correspondence team. They all call me Dulce (pronounced dulc a )which means "sweet" in Spanish. I kind of like it, which is a good thing since people call me that more than they call me by my given name! I have learned so much about Puerto Rican culture. It's been really neat. For example, you will never find a PR male wearing anything with a bull on it. This is because bulls are associated with men whose wives are cheating on them. I wonder if any PR's attend USF (their mascot is the bull). Pretty interesting, aye?
I have also been learning a little of the language. I still don't understand 90% of what is being said, but every once in a while I can pick something out of a near by conversation. And no - I'm not ease dropping. They just talk REALLY loudly - especially my mgr. :)
It's an environment like no other I've ever worked in. They are very fun loving and sincere people. They have embraced and included me from the get-go, and I will always be thankful for that. I'd like to think that I have educated them on some "white folk" stuff, as well. The other day I explained to them what a "buckle bunny" was. That was fun!! They all got a big kick out of it. They are also big practical jokers, so there is never a dull moment around here. So anyway, here is a picture of my coworkers! I thought you should meet them since I spend more time with them than with Nick!

I like this one because we look so intimidating!

We have way too much fun at work some times! Are we adorable?

Here is the final one. Although it's a crappy picture of me, it's the only one that David is included. What can I say, I'm a white girl in a multicultural world!

Back to school, Back to school.........

Today I start my second semester. Economics (Micro and Global), and Accounting (Financial and Managerial) will be the fun I will partake in for the next 16 weeks. Why am I doing this to myself again? Will this all pay off in the long run, or am I wasting time and money? I guess I will have to wait to find the answer to that question.
Some days I am still really excited about returning for my MBA, and other days, I think I'm certifiable. I have chosen USF - The University of South Florida in Tampa -to further my education. There are positives and negatives related to this - I have to drive into Tampa twice a week (about 45 minutes one way), but all of the classes are offered at night. I have to take all the "tool" classes since I didn't graduate from USF as an Undergraduate. :P Absurd I say!, but I have sucked it up and will not let 21 extra hours deter me. I do say it is re-gosh-darn-diculous that I have to take basic accounting classes when that was my minor! The university's business department holds the highest accreditation a school of Business can hold - that will hopefully look nice on a resume.
So, anyway I've been dealing with the department of redundancy department as I retake "refresher" courses that I took my last couple of years at old Concordia. I'm hoping that it will instill a bode of confidence in me before I start the core program this coming fall. I did o.k. last semester. I guess we'll see....
I have decided to go back to school now - before I have children. After I have kids, I know I will never want to go back. So, there you have it - all who were wondering when we are going to have kids - not for at least another 3 years. We will re-evaluate at that time. :)
So now that you are bored out of your mind reading things that are only of concern to me, I will sign off for now. Wish me luck tonight!

I Adore Being a Girl......Sometimes

So, it has come to my attention that women, although we are the more intelligent sex, have many more things to deal with than our male counterparts. I have come to believe that men cannot behave in any sociably acceptable, or fully functioning sort of way without the aide of a woman. Then again, I think it is probably an act so we will do everything for them.
Take my loving husband for example. He is a DIRECTOR of Christian Education. He organizes huge events, orchestrates them, and insures that they run smoothly. Why then, did it take me (literally) 15 minutes to explain to him how to pay the mortgage?
Men don't have to worry about a monthly inconvenience - which for me usually spawns a migraine. DOUBLE FUN! They don't have to worry with the pains of childbirth. They don't have to pay bills, or cook, or clean much of anything (at least mine doesn't). What DO they have to do?
I have thought about this for a long while and it suddenly occurred to me - HE HAS TO PUT UP WITH ME! :)

Green Thumb? We'll see.....

So it's almost the weekend - in about 10 minutes! What does a 23 year old Floridian do for fun on the weekend? Work in her yard, of course!
My newest project is doing some landscaping to the front of our house. This is a picture of our little house right after we bought this past summer. After paying thousands of dollars over the last six months in mortgage payments, I reckon we own part of the closet in the front room. But, now I've strayed from my topic....
As you can see, there really isn't much landscaping to the front - a couple of bushes and a rock garden. The plan is to take out all the rocks, plant two nice plants between the windows, plant some flowers under the window closest to the door, and mulch around everything.
Pray that I don't throw out my back scooping rocks! I will post an "after" picture if everything turns out o.k.

At least my hair's not blue yet

I'm sure everyone has a venting medium. For me, it's cooking. To help facilitate my crutch, my husband got me the most awesome Christmas present - a Kitchen Aid Mixer. It is quite fabulous, and red to match my kitchen! Other husbands might be permanently shipped to the dog house for buying their wife a kitchen appliance, but not mine.

Anyone who knows me knows my passion for the kitchen. If I had tons of money - and friends to invite! - I would entertain all the time. I once pondered the idea of making it my profession, but I reniged. First, I'm not all that great - I just like to pretend and make Nick tell me how phenomenal my skills are. And Second, it's been statistically proven that you tend to lose passion for something if you start getting paid for doing it (I know there are exceptions to this rule, but why risk having the passion, for something that brings me joy, dissipate?)

My aunt calls me Ms. Betty Crocker - ha ha ha. I must admit, however, that I am rather old-ladyish in several aspects. I crochet, I cook dinner most every night, I don't stay up past 10:30 90% of the time, and grow my own tomatoes in pots in the back yard. Yikes, it's almost disturbing to put this in writing one right after the other! :)

But, whatever, that's who I am. Does anyone have any good recipes?

I'm BAAACK!

Greetings to everyone. I hope y'all had an awesome Christmas and New Years. I know I did. My family came down to visit for a few days and I really enjoyed the time we had together even though it was only for a few days. I can't wait to see them again.

So, I guess everyone is busy making New Year's resolutions. I've never been the resolution type, even though I'm a pretty goal oriented person. Is it laziness, or just sheer apathy? I don't know. Kudos to all who partake in the tradition.

It's back to the grindstone today at work. I thoroughly enjoyed my break from the Marriott monotony. It stinks being a grown-up sometimes. Every once in a while I question the significance of my contribution to this world. I still don't know exactly what I want to be "when I grow up". This is for you Julianna - "My life is a riddle, wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in a vest", and I just haven't dissected it yet! There is a good chance that I may never, either. But, I'll try my very best to enjoy the ride along the path to enlightenment. :)

***I don't think that last part made any sense what-so-ever, but oh well.***

Anywho, I best be signing off for now. Good luck reading my psycho-babble!

I'll Be Back

Hi to the 3 people that read my blog! You are awesome and I appreciate your commentary! Just to let you know, I am one of the last people in the USA to have a computer and internet access at my house.
SOOOOOOO, I'm going to be on vacation for the next week!! To spend time with the fam. But, don't fret, you can't be rid of me that easily. I will return later for more enthralling entries on my ever so fascinating life.
I wish you a joyous Christmas celebration as we take time to reflect on the birth of our Savior- Jesus Christ. God's richest blessings to you all.

Cents-able?

Do you every have one of those "It is most probable that I am in need of serious help" moments? Well, I do. What has recently spurred this line of thinking, you ask? Well, most of it just stems from me being extremely anal - especially when it comes to money. Thanks to Nick who puts up with it day after day.

Although I am largely intrinsic, I can't be blamed entirely for my disposition and eccentric behavior. I was taught the basic principles beginning at a very young age. To give you some background, I will start with the envelope phenomenon. One of the norms in my family is that the women keep envelopes of money hidden in the house in case of an emergency. My mom did it, my aunts do it, as a child,I did it in the form of a little box, ect. It drove Nick nuts when we were first married, but, now that it has come in handy and he can see the value in doing it, he has let it go. Is this just totally weird? I need an unbiased opinion.

To further prove my point of financial lunacy, I do an excel spreadsheet of our budget at the end of every month, and then send it to Nick. That's right - a spreadsheet. A crazy nerd, what could be worse! :) Personal behavior, in my opinion, doesn't seem so bad until it is verbalized, and then the wheels start turning. That is what lead to this revelation.

Why do I act this way? Is it my need for achievement (we were able to save more money than last month)? Is it my overwhelming sense of responsibility (must take care of everything and be prepared for the unexpected)? Or is it something else? I guess it doesn't matter. It's not like I am going to change my ways. Praise God that my husband is also frugal, or things could get pretty ugly.

So am I certifiable, or do you have a quirk that is just as bad as mine?.....:)

Charles - The other man in my life.

I promise that I'm not one of those people who obsess over their pet. I don't dress him or buy him expensive food. His toys consist of an old Koosh Ball we found in a box, a toy that one of his "friends" didn't play with anymore, and new as of this week - Christmas ribbon.

But, I must say that he brings great joy to my life. He is pure entertainment for me and Nick. He sits on the counter and watches me get ready every morning. I can say with confidence that no one else in this world would enjoy that day after day. Let's just say I don't look like mother radiance first thing in the morning. I think it's the unconditional love thing that gets me ---poor thing, he doesn't know any better.

This love for animals was so obviously inherited from my father. Despite his ongoing battle with his sinuses, I grew up with a vast array of pets. Now that my sister has moved out of the house, the number of pets exceeds the number of humans! It's my mom, dad, 2 dogs, and a cat (that's almost 17 years old!). Nick thought I had taken him to a zoo when I brought him home to meet my parents! :) I'm ever so excited to introduce him to Charles. I'm sure they will hit it off.

A Nurse, a Guest, and a Priest....Not quite

What a crazy weekend I had! Friday night we spent the night with one of our pregnant friends who is having a horrible time with her pregnancy. (Her husband had to attend his grandfather's funeral.) She is 11 1/2 weeks along, and has been sick sick sick since November 2nd. I pray for her often and hope that she will overcome this wretched illness soon. We had to rush her to the emergency room Saturday morning due to severe dehydration. She received an IV and was released a few hours later. Thankfully, she is doing better. After that, Nick and I came home and crashed for a couple hours before the biggest Christmas bash in Plant City, FL.

Julianna is an awesome hostess and makes a fantabulous cantelloni. Supurb! What could possibly be better than pigging out, watching A Muppet's Christmas Carol, and enjoying conversation with people your own age? Hats off to Julianna for a great night. I'm looking forward to New Year's eve.

Sunday was filled with church activities as usual. So, I still did not get shopping done. I usually live by the 5 P's - Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance.*Yes I am a self proclaimed NERD.* However, somehow these principles fall by the wayside around Christmas.

Yesterday was a very interesting day. Technically I married two people. Yes, you heard me right - married. You see, I am a notary in the State of Florida, and in Florida, notaries can sign and certify a marriage licenses. One of my coworkers had a couple of friends that needed their document witnessed and stamped. So, I obliged them and whipped out my trusty stamp. Pretty wild, huh. I'm thinking about opening my own little white wedding chapel - what do you think?

*****So, Julianna, when ever you find the right pair of pants - and the right man- I'm your woman!!! :)********

Last night was productive, as I finally started my Christmas shopping. Today my project is getting some letters printed and in the mail.

Welp, that's about all the excitement going on for now.......until next time.