Super Stocking Stuffers '08

My dad has taken it upon himself for the past few years to be "the one" to be the stocking stuffer. Last year he gave my brother and me this little gem: a CozyTunes! It's a "sneaker with a speaker," something you can plug your iPod into and listen away!

Here's some footage from this year:


The top right picture, the one of the package of gum is actually gum created "for hunters." Here's my favorite part of the package:

He's headed to San Antonio in January for a conference and will commence shopping for Stocking Stuffers '09.

And I can't wait. :)

Home, So Far

So far my holiday has been pretty uneventful. Today I "helped" Mom bake Christmas goodies (I got a little distracted though, trying to tie up some loose ends back in KY) and this evening Dusty and I went to McCoy's to eat dinner with my friend Rachel.

Tomorrow is the Christmas Eve service, and then it's time for Super.Stocking.Stuffers '08. But more on that later.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Me & Reba

Flying home is always an adventure. This time, I got to fly with Dusty, which may I just say, is hysterical. He's like a little kid; staring out the window with his nosed pressed against it, and yanking on my arms saying, "I can see the turbines, Em! The turbines!"

Then, there was Reba. I am not making up her name.

Let me back up and say that while we went through security there was a lady they had taken aside who had a wrapped Christmas present that was apparently "full of liquid." I thought nothing of it, though she really was giving the TSA lady a hard time.

Fast forward to the plane and this old lady with red hair and a smoker's laugh. She plops down next to me with a bag that I know would not qualify as a sizable bag to carry-on and a purse that looks like she skinned a rattlesnake and proceeds to tell me the story of how TSA owes her $60 because she bought her son-in-law a bottle of Polo cologne that they would not let her take on the plane. (My inner monologue, "Oh no! It's her!")

Then things got interesting:
--Flight attendant #1 made her put her TOO LARGE bag in an overhead bin...all the way at the back of the plane. Reba was not happy.

--Then flight attendant #2 made her put her purse in an overhead bin for takeoff. This made Reba even more unhappy.

--Then the inflight service starts and even though it's only 12:30 pm, Reba wants a rum and Coke. The flight attendant tells her that she can pay with debit or credit. Reba makes it known to everyone in a 5 seat radius that her debit card is in the bag that they made her put at the back of the plane!!! She then turns to me and says, "Well, there's no way I'm tellin' 'em that I left my cell phone on!"

Have I mentioned I'm afraid of flying? This did not help matters.

During landing they, again, made her put her purse away and Reba protested, saying it was more trouble than it was worth. Now, it just so happened that the overhead bin where we were all seated (Dusty still studying cloud formations at this time) was malfunctioning. The flight attendants had to practically beat on it to get it shut the whole flight. And our landing was not smooth. And guess what happened to Reba's purse? The bin flies open, the purse crashes down and hits the man sitting across the aisle in the head causing the flight attendant to have to stand for the rest of the (choppy, choppy) landing to hold the compartment closed.

And Reba settles back into her chair with a contented chuckle, looks at the flight attendant and says, "See. Told you so."

Spoiled Kid

Here are some fresh-from-this-evening pictures of Gabriella, just to make it even harder for me to get motivated to pack!

(The hat is from Grammie Laura, and the shirt is from yours truly.)

Procrastination

I. Hate. Packing.

Everytime I pack for a trip I think I do a really thorough job, then I get to my destination and find myself saying, "What the crap is all this?"

So, I'm blogging instead of packing. Take that empty suitcase that is staring me in the face.

Jamming to the new Killers album, "Day and Age." I got it for Dusty for Christmas and am benefiting from it. Haven't made any decisions on it yet, this is my first spin, but it will be nice to listen to the song Human not as a ringtone. That's what Dusty has on his phone right now, so all I know of it is, "Are we humaaaan? Or are are we danc.." "Hello?" <---- that's Dusty. My rad friend Andrea got me a birthday gift off Etsy (one of my favorite sites) and it came in the mail today. I'm wearing it right now actually. "What is it?" you are thinking? I just so happened to take a picture on my webcam! How convenient!

I would like for you to note three things:
1.) Apparently, felt is all the rage right now.
2.) You can still see the remnants of my black eye!
3.) I am not mad about anything, I just look like it in this picture. I'm really in quite a good mood!

I think I'm going to go scrounge up some felt and try to replicate it. You know, instead of packing.

This time tomorrow I will be in KC, barring any winter weather that may strand us in St. Louis. What a boring airport to be stranded in huh?

-----------e.

Gabby Visits Our Room

It pays to live upstairs from a baby, especially an incredibly adorable baby such as Gabriella Grace.

He Socked Me Good

Dusty gave me a black eye. No, this is not a case of spousal abuse. I see the remorse in his eyes everytime he looks at me. He feels really, really, really bad.

He was having a dream that people were chasing him, throwing knives at him, and then charging him. When the first guy charged, Dusty stepped over a meat cleaver and right hooked him!

When, in all actuality, he had right hooked me. It was the third worst pain I've ever been in coming in behind certain medical procedures and my nose piercing.

(this is my "well I'm stuck with it now" face.)

In Which Papa Tells A Story...

This is my Papa's account of the practical joke he played on his sister-in-law this past weeks. Please note the following things:

• There is a picture of Dusty and me on the table. This is not it's usual spot. We had just given them their Christmas gift and they hadn't moved it to the mantle yet.
  
• Note the Scrabble board, please. This is their passion, their past time, and something that ultimately binds them together on their journey of life. And my Papa is really, really good.
• Margaret (or Marge) is his sister-in-law, my great aunt. She's married to Papa's twin brother, Brady. (Or, as we affectionately call him, "Uncle Bad-Eye.")
• Enjoy!

T-Minus A Few Hours

We're packing up and leaving Campbellsville tomorrow. I honestly cannot believe it. This move has been months in the making, and Dusty and I have labored and prayed about what we are to do next. Here is some wisdom that I believe has been the catalyst to the whole move:

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.//And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.//From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.//God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.//'For in him we live and move and have our being.'

You see, I have to cling to that wisdom because we currently have no jobs, very little money, we're leaving our friends, my grandparents, and the town where we met and fell in love.

For the record, I'm not worried, just a little sad. I'm interested to see things come in to focus for us that are currently just lingering on the horizon. So far, the plan is:

1.) Dusty starts grad school in January online at Capella University. He's pursuing a degree in Industrial & Organizational Psychology.

2.) I start my nurse's aid course in January and, assuming I do well, will be certified in May and start my RN classes in August.

Aside from that, we're just waiting and praying and seeing what the Lord has in store.

Catching Up With You

I have not been blogging lately. I'm living at my grandparent's house right now and they do not have internet, but that's ok because their 42" HD tv more than makes up for it.

Except I haven't been blogging, but now, here are some blog-worthy highlights from my life lately:

1. My mom asked for a Led Zepplin cd for Christmas. I find this hysterical. Rock on, mom.
2. My grandma called Coca-Cola today to complain about the new lids on their plastic bottles. Normally I would find this kind of behavior absurd, but on this one, I totally agree. The lady is sending her a coupon for a free pack of Diet Coke. Ifind that this will onl ymake the problem worse as we will have even more Diet Coke that we can't open.
3. I have been "caffiene free" for about two weeks now. I hasn't been hard at all and that weird little lumpy that I felt on my rib a while back (news to you, I'm sure) is pretty much gone.
4. I just finished Twilight, I'm starting New Moon and I'm not lame. I don't wish I was married to Edward Cullen I just find it easy and interesting to read. So there. (Nah.)
5. Just got done with my class's Christmas program. Oh. My. Word. I was so proud of each and every one of them, they did fabulously. Go kids, go!
6. I got to leave work for 30 minutes today because one of my kids faceplanted a pew and blood was everywhere! It was all over my arms, my shirt, my jeans, my shoes, not to mention him, his shirt, and his face. I have never seen someone bleed so much. Ever.
7. Dusty is a salutatorian! He's graduating December 12th and I'm so proud of him!
8. Next Friday is my last day of work and I actually got a little sad today. Weird right? We'll see how I feel Friday, I may feel strangely emotional, even though I'm pretty sure it will come in the euphoric high of not having to deal with certain children/parents anymore.
9. Conversely, next Friday I will be unemployed. I'm scared. Those bills are still rollin' in you know? If anyone wants to hire me, it'd be greatly appreciated. Maybe I'll give piano lessons.

So there. Now we're all caught up and I can not-blog for another week or so. Happy weekend! Granny's making breakfast tomorrow. She is TOTALLY spoiling us by the way. Both of us. And she likes to brag about how she spoils Dusty. Not me, Dusty. She loves him.

A Night at the Movies Can Be Eye Opening

Dear Any-girl Teeny Bopper U.S.A:

I saw you at the movies tonight while my husband and I were treating each other to a date. That guy sitting next to you, he's not into you, but he does like the twin friends sitting atop your chest. Pull that neckline up girl, and he'll be gone in a heartbeat.

You do not have to have the coolest phone on the market. In fact, you probably don't even need a phone at all, just a mechanism that text messages since you've forgotten the lost art of dialing a phone number and getting a live human voice on the other end. And trust me, they aren't going to be able to tell you the end of the movie, so put the phone down and just watch it.

Also, and I'd really like you to hear me out on this: leggings are not pants. Wear them to accent whatever you want, but when you flounce into the theater in a shirt that doesn't even cover your bum, leggings, and boots that look like the abominable snow man has devoured half of your leg... at the end of NOVEMBER we know two things about you: 1.) You are cold and 2.) He's still not that into you.

Don't get me wrong, I was there. High school really wasn't that long ago for me but it just seems like things have changed. And it's up to you to make sure that change is for the better. So zip up that sweater, turn your phone on silent, and don't date guys that have dragons on their shirts. You'll be so proud of yourself in five years when you look back on your past. Trust me.

Love,
Your Future Self

Tryptophan

I'll tell you one thing: even though Gabby's not on solid foods yet, she sure got the hang of her Thanksgiving nap.

ps: Dusty is going to be an amazing daddy someday... :)

Taboo

Oh, I SO love Taboo! The more people that play the better and we had a crew of eight tonight. Here are some of my favorite one-liners:

(the word is "body piercing")
Ed: "Ok, Dusty and Emily do not have this anymore."
Laura: "Oh, oh a home! An address!!"

(the word is "cuddle")
Dusty: "Ok, you like to do this at night. You say you want to "blank" me!"
**insert awkward laughter from everyone at this point and me turning eight shades of red**

(the word is "whistle")
JP: "This is something I can't do. I can't do this thing."
Aubri: "Oh, swim!"
JP: "aw..." (insert deflated look here.)

(the word is "diamond")
Laura: "This is an oval with four points."
Everyone: "...huh?!"

(the word is "squeegee")
Adam: "Homeless people do this to your car at a stoplight."
Lindsay: "Um... umm..."
Adam: "It's a device they use, with water....!"

(the word is "ostrich")
Me: "This is a winged animal..."
Dusty: "Griffin!"

Tomorrow is a family photo shoot that d and I somehow missed the memo on. I'll let you know what Gabby wears later, because really, that's all anyone cares about anyway. :)

Happy Thanksgiving Ya'll

turkey//stuffing//deviled eggs//family//football//day after ads//lounging on the couch//traveling (though not this year)//pilgrims, indians, the mayflower//cornucopia//pumpkin pie//sometimes my brother's birthday//

what do you love about Thanksgiving?

It's Beginning To Look A Lot...

... like there's 37 days left until Christmas!

Do you know what you're getting the loved ones on your list?

Here's what I got people on mine:

1.) Heeyyyy... wait a minute!
2.) The people on my list read this blog!
3.) How silly of me!
4.) What was I thinking?

Guess you'll have to wait until later. After I dig your gift out of storage because we accidentally packed it.

That hasn't really happened... yet.

Hiatus

A hiatus is a more temporary thing. I've started something of a hiatus, but I'm sad to say, it's not temporary. As long as I have the gumption it is here to stay.

"What is it?" you're wondering. "What could possibly be so important that she decided to cut it from her life?"

"Detrimental," and not "important," that's the word I'd like to use, because it makes everything seem more serious and therefore worthwhile.

Caffeine. I'm off it.

I'm a good part of two days in and have not caved. When I craved carbonation I got a Sprite. (Gross, but oddly satisfying.) I did not get a sweet tea on my lunch break today (and it nearly killed me) and I have been drinking a ton of water.

Please, please, don't hold me in high esteem. Don't look at me and think, "Wow, she's got some amazing will power. That Emily, she's just so, so... cool. Because she's choosing to abstain from something. I could never do that. She's so much cooler than me."**

Because if you are tempted to think that way (and let's face it, why wouldn't you?) just head to McBurgertown, get yourself a $1 sweet tea and drink it in front of me. Nobody looks cool with drool hanging out of their mouths. Not even me.

**the editor would kindly like for you to be sure to note her sarcasm.**

Ebb and Flow

Lately I've felt a little like I have no anchor; like there's nothing really holding me in place or all together. I guess I'm just trying to prepare to enter into a transitory season in my life, and the life of my little two-person family.

Truth be told, I feel like I'm at the mercy of a powerful river's ebb and flow. I'm constantly being moved by one current or another, and I have no clue as to which current I should be riding out or where this river is eventually going to take me. Am I going to be washed up on some silty bank, or am I headed for a tributary into the Atlantic? This is a season of upheaval and a season of uncertainty. But one thing I do know for sure, I got a really good word last night as d. and I were discussing end-times stuff, so here it is:

What's true on earth is true also in Heaven and in both places the Lord upholds the cause of the righteous.

So I take heart in that, and trust that even though the river seems winding and confusing and a little cold, it's His river. And I am content.

Hmmm...

Jaaaruba! Jamaica!

There's this little girl at work who sings the lyrics to Kokomo like this:

"JA-ruba, JA-maica, jewwww i wanna take ya to JA-ruba, JA-hama! I'm a pretty momma!"

On a semi-related though not related note the point of this post is to say that I'm officially jealous of a three year old because he got to spend last week here:

While I was stuck here:

Ho hum. I think I'm going to mention that if they ever need a babysitter on another family vacation, I'm their girl!

Reality Check

It's sad when your most recent reality check comes from Wal.Mart.

I went to buy groceries today and saw about a billion people I knew. (6 is a billion right?)

And as I wheeled my cart out to the car it hit me that pretty soon, I won't know anyone at Wal-Mart.

Literally...no one. I won't happen to be in the same check out line as a former (favorite) boss, or run into a co-worker or nod at the guy who owns the pedicure place, or see not one, not two, but three daycare parents.

And I hope I won't feel all Cheers when that time comes:

Also, Randomly...

For the past two evenings I have ran a fever of about 99.7. I'm great throughout the day, but then night comes and I feel all sick-like. Any diagnoses?

A Game For Distraction

Just passing this along, saw it on another blog today:

If I were seven again I would:
know better than to wear anything with Tweety Bird on it.

If there were an extra hour in the day I would:
grind.

My junk food indulgence of choice is:
Oatmeal Cream Pies, the BIG ones.

The color yellow makes me think of:
sunflower decor schemes, circa 1995.

The most used item in my kitchen is:
our Cutco knife set, thanks to Dusty.

now, go. yes, that means you!

The Evening After

Whew! What an Election Day! I'm definitely not surprised by the results, and I tiny part of me can't say I'm completely disappointed. (Sorry Dad.)

Go check out these pictures of our future President, even if you didn't vote for him/think the country is going to hell in a hand basket now. They are so cool.

Now, ultimately I hold to the fact that I serve a King that holds no loyalties to any parties. Let's get that right out into the open. That being said, I'm so interested to see what Mr. Obama is going to do. For the past eight years we've had apples, and for the next four we're getting oranges; anyone feelin' me?

In other news, I did not receive an "I Voted" sticker yesterday and am still a little bitter about it.

Clear The Air

just a sidenote on my last post, those aren't really my "favorites" in the sense that I agree with the fact that a lot of them see Obama as being "wrong" for America, but God's will being "right."

ok good. :)

Favorite Facebook Statuses

Ooooh Facebook! Let's see how people reacted to the election results, and no offense if this is yours:

-- "is thinking that we are in a heap pile of trouble-this may be the one thing that might make me cry."

--"is feeling like a train wreck."

--"is moving south, maybe Venezuela, maybe Ecuador, or maybe even Brazil. Anyone want to come?"

--"Obama won. Hope he knows what the hell hes doing! Should have been hillary!"

--"is wondering where America is headed, but knows that God is still Sovereign!"

--"Woah, the sky didn't fall, the moon didn't turn to blood and the Muslims haven't taken over the world! Isn't that just amazing? Now let's work together."

Whew! I'm feelin' good, not gonna lie. I didn't vote for Mr. Obama, but I don't not like him either. I'm just happy that we didn't have to have a military coup to overthrow our current government. Let's all look at it from that perspective hmmm?

Life Lessons

Last night Gabby got one of her first life lessons: When in the Snyder house, root for the Steelers!

CNN <------ over the top

Please, PLEASE tell me you saw the hologram on CNN during the election coverage.

It did not look like this:

But it was crazy, guys! CRAZY!

Dusty Meets Gabby

Today was the first day that Dusty met his wonderful niece. Call me partial, but I think he's a natural!

Baby, You're A Star!

She's Here!

Gabriella Grace

1:51 am

November 2, 2008

8 lbs. 4 oz.

21" long

...and we are all ready for you, girl.

Halloween Part II

So, in regards to Halloween, (I know, I know, I'll get off the Halloween kick today I promise!) There is one good thing that has come out of it:

An incredibly cute picture of Batman Dusty! He still makes that face when I tell him I'm putting pickles on his sandwich...

In other news, I'm sitting at the in-law's house and Aubri is having contractions! I'm pretty sure this experience will cause me to hold off on having kids for at least three years... she is in pain people!

Aubri is so brave: she's going au naturale folks and she's going have a beautiful, healthy baby! Today, it's going to be today. We've prayed and asked the Lord that it would be this weekend and she has entered active labor.

So keep it up and pray, pray, pray that she'll go today.

(Selfishly, this is also because I've been predicting that Gabs would be born on Nov. 1... so I've got a little stake in it too!)

I Hate Halloween

This year, I hate Halloween.

Usually, I'm pretty indifferent. Usually it's just another day. And sure, I dressed up as a kid. I remember being a mad scientist, an indian, a pumpkin, and a ballerina. (Actually I don't remember the ballerina. I did see a picture though from when I was a wee tike.) I would collect my candy with Kyle and then we'd sort it out for days and days, and I'd eat all the stuff that I didn't really like first and save the best for last.

I'm such a best-for-last kind of girl.

This year, however, I work at a daycare. I teach three year olds. Let me give you a portrait of my day in words:

• 10 costumes to change the kids out of
• 4 princesses, 1 pirate, 1 spiderman, not to be confused with 1 spider, 1 clown with a nose that honks, 1 Thomas the Train, and 1 that didn't show up for the costume parade so I don't know what the heck he was.
• 11 parents; that crowded into the room, coddled their kids until they didn't want to play but only wanted to go home; asked me if daycare was, "always this chaotic?"
  
• 1 lost shoe which resulted in a phone call to me after hours in regards to said shoe's location
• 10 three year olds on a sugar high
• 5 parents who made goodie bags x ten kids a piece = 50 goodie bags to stuff into
• 10 milk jugs crafted into candy storage the day before

To put a cherry on top of it all: as I got out of my car at home I was greeted by a kid in a Chuckie costume (mask and all) with a butter knife pointed at me, standing behind my car, asking me if I "wanted to play?" and then advancing upon me with the butter knife as I walked up the steps, sure that he was about it embed it into my spine.

I. hate. Halloween.

Remember When...?

Remember when I posted about this?

You better click on that link, because I'm not telling you what it was.

Well Sam's dad is cool and knows how to use Youtube and posted one of the songs on there. Keep in mind that the system used in the first place was incredibly, incredibly bad and the resulting sound seems like it was recorded in a tin can, but nonetheless it's a recording and it's live and it's youtube and Dusty is on it so I'm proud. Watch it.

Introducing...

...the world's largest bag of cereal!

Let's see how it measures up to common household items:

(with a bottle of ibuprofen:)


(with a glass):


(with the most awesome cookbook ever assembled:)


(with my knees:)

And check out Dusty's wingspan when he's pouring himself a bowl!

Yow-za!

Did You Get A Haircut?

"Did you get your haircut?"

Nope, sure didn't. And by that I mean I did. A lot.

Insurance Update

Well... I have insurance, but I'm not as happy as I thought I would be about it.

They sent me this booklet with all these riders and the exact terms of my policy and quite frankly I'm a little lost in all the jargon. I just want to make sure that when my sinuses start acting up in about a month or so, I will be able to go to the doc for some antibiotics, so that what happened on my honeymoon doesn't have to happen again.

I don't want to just have to use trial and error here folks. I guess I'm just nervous because it's the unknown and after being turned down by two insurance companies (because I'm just incredibly unhealthy apparently...) I'm a little "gun shy." (Those are my mom's words not mine!)

Currently Reading

Please

I love these shirts from Compassion. What a wonderful holiday gift! Not only are they cool looking, but all proceeds go to the Global Food Crisis Campaign. This one is in Bengali, which is awesome because that's where Mukti is from.

(Mukti is our sponsor child. She is four years old, and completely precious.)

This says "Please" in Bengali. Other languages offered are: Portuguese (Brazil); Creole (Haiti); and Amharic (Ethiopia).

To order your shirt, because I know you want one, click here.

Grinds My Gears

Do you want to know what really grinds my gears? When it's been a perfectly wonderful, cloudy, overcast, rainy day and then.... around 4:43... the sun comes out!

It puts me in the worst mood. What's even worse is, I mean really, who am I going to complain to about this? The clouds? The sun? God? No, no, and certainly no.

Maybe I'll just go lay in bed with some sunglasses on.

Lessons From Sunday

Today at church we sang "Sweetly Broken" by Jeremy Riddle. No offense to the other 95% of Christians out there, but I'm not a huge fan of this song.

However, I know a revelation when I get one and I got one during this song. The lyrics to the bridge say:

"In awe of the cross I must confess//how wondrous your redeeming love//and how great is your faithfulness."

And it really hit me that the act of confession is not just for sin. I know in my heart that the Lord has been so faithful to me again and again and again, but I need to confess it too.

Here is my confession:

He has been faithful to me in this:

He has been faithful to me in this:

He has been faithful to me in this.

He has been faithful to me in health.

He has been faithful to my family.

He has been faithful to educate me.

He has been faithful to provide opportunities for me make music.

He has been faithful to provide friendships.

He has been faithful to usher me through hardships.

He has always been faithful.

ROTFL

Last night Ms. A showed me a video that made me laugh harder than I had in the entirety of 2008. Fast forward to about 2:30 or 2:45.

What's Up With Dusty: Vol. 2

At the encouragement of my patient father in law, I will tell you all What's Up With Dusty in volume II of his segment.

1. Dusty got accepted to grad school this week! He's so smart. Next time you see him tell him he's so smart.
   
2. Dusty center refereed the district championship game this week. What district it was, I don't know, but I do know there were some unhappy parents who got mouthy. Newsflash: He doesn't care which team wins! Get over yourself and your kid!
3. Dusty has started wearing his long sleeves, which makes him look much more at home with his beard.
4. Dusty has unlocked all the characters in Super Smash Brother Brawl. This is what he does in his free time. Though yesterday he did clean the kitchen which rocks.
5. Dusty got a 10 oz. steak at Garcia's last night that I'm pretty sure was so rare it was still breathing. Just kidding, I'm just a steak wuss. He's a champion.
6. Dusty rocked a tuxedo at Garrett and Erika's wedding last weekend.
   

Stay tuned for more of What's Up With Dusty!

Hit The Road!

Have you seen gas prices lately?! I think the lowest I saw them in Campbellsville yesterday was $2.63. In other parts of the nation, say... Kansas City for example, they're even lower!

Dusty and I are being faced with a Saturday on which neither of us have anything to do. The stars must be aligned just perfectly because this almost never happens. And I want to do something! Here are some of our options, though granted some are more feasible than others:

1.) Drive, drive, drive to Folly Beach just because.
2.) Head to Lexington for food, fun, and of course... hookah!
3.) Drive to Nashville and walk the beautiful, wonderful downtown area.
4.) Point to a place on a Kentucky map and go there... no matter where it is. Unless it's Western KY. We were just there. Filled my quota for the year! ;)
5.) Drive to Cincinnati and surprise a good friend who probably has plans anyways and wouldn't be there/go to Ikea. Ooooh... Ikea. I love Ikea. I want to go to Ikea.

SO! If you could have a lazy Saturday to do nothing with the people who matter the most to you, what would you do/ where would you go?

Not Holding My Breath

Just applied for health insurance coverage from a new and different company.

However, I'm not holding my breath.

The Blues

I am in an oh-so bad mood right now, for reasons that shall not be addressed in this blog. What I'm aiming to do is lay on the couch and read my "dragon book" as Miss A calls it. I'd like to call it by its title: Brisingr.

But since I'm in such a bad mood I wanted to make a playlist that would help me embrace it and yet overcome, and in the process I have discovered something quite profound: there are a certain few albums that I own that remind me of a very specific season and the season that I'm reaching for right now is what I'd like to call dead of winter. Here they are:

1.) Give Up by The Postal Service

2.) Until When We are Ghosts by William Fitzsimmons

3.) Deja Entendu by Brand New

4.) Beneath The Boardwalk by The Arctic Monkeys (although this is bad to listen when you actually want to be in a bad mood.)

5.) No Name Face by Lifehouse

6.) This is not an album, but a life changing song: Mended by Christy Nockels

So, do any of you have seasons of music? 

Slap Happy Car Ride

We all piled into the Neon this weekend. Two doors, five people: Dusty, Andrea, Sam, Matt, and myself. It was hot, it was tiring, it was loud... it was a road trip.




More pics to come from the Sellers/Gilkey wedding, but as you can tell... there was never a dull moment!

Today Is Somebody's Birthday...!

Today is somebody's birthday, but I'm not telling you who. You have to guess.

--When I first met this person, he had such a baby face:

--His guitar playing skills helped bring us together:


--He used to always sport the faux-hawk, though nowadays he's preferring a buzz:


--He swept me off my feet by doing things like "planting" a garden on my deck:

--He knows how to change a tire on the side of I-75 with cars whizzing by:


--He still has the same facial expressions as he did when he was a wee babe:
(this is his "i can't believe you just said that" face)

--Did I mention he's my husband?

Have you guessed yet? Why, it's Dusty of course!

Happy Birthday Dusty! I can't imagine my life without you. I couldn't think of another person that I would ever want to grow up and grow old with. I'm so proud of you, and I am honored to be called your wife and your best friend.

Love,
e.

I Almost Died...

...for some cheap gasoline. That's right folks: Wal-Mart in Campbellsville is down to $2.97 and falling. Literally, I walked into the store and it was $2.99. I shopped for ten minutes, came out and it had fallen two cents.

and...it...was...a...madhouse! 30 cars there at least, all waiting in line. Some were waiting backwards, some were realizing they weren't on the right side of the gas pump and were trying to maneuver their way around. Some guy's truck broke down in front of a pump and people were backing up in front of him to see if the gas pump would reach to their tank.

Then the police showed up! Old man in Cavalier blocked me in while his wife yelled at him and he paid neither of us any attention. To make matters even more precarious, the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. had set up a tent right in front of the station (where normally you would drive up to the pumps!) and were blocking the main entrance!

And I say all this to let you know: I braved the pump today and filled up for $24.

The end.

BattleStarWarsMordorPotter

Please tell me you saw The Office last night.

Please...

And please tell me that you laughed until you cried over Jim and Andy's conversation that involved all things science/fantasy fiction.

Please tell me you caught on to the fact that he did, indeed, meld Battle Star Galactica, Wookies, Dumbledore, and Mordor into one amazing cacophony of misinformation, the whole time threatening Dwight to not be a "time thief" by correcting the information instead of working.

Do yourself a favor and watch this show if you don't already. Please. For me. Please!

Planetarium

In honor of Dusty's birthday tomorrow I'd like to post my all-time favorite picture of us. We had been "official" for one month-ish (or three months-ish depending on how you look at it!) and he took me on a date to a planetarium, which I thought was just rad. Though, the show as we both recall it was lame.

He had no beard and an eyebrow ring; I had calico-highlighted hair and my nose pierced and we rocked. And we still do... even a few years later.

This is the first picture of us my parents framed. They left it in my room back home for when I would visit on breaks. It's still there... of course, the wedding pictures sort of overshadow it now.

Playing Hooky

Well I'm not going in to work today. This was a planned absence. I always get nervous when I'm gone though, because when I get back I hear horror stories from the people who subbed that day. "Well now you know what I have to put up with everyday," I always think.

There is a reason for my absence though, and their names are Garrett and Erika. Tomorrow they shall be wed as man and wife, and then be whisked away on their Floridian honeymoon!

More stories and pictures from the big day to come. If you all think about it, pray for them tomorrow as they start a new life together. And as they get to have sex. ;)

(I love being married and not feeling uncomfortable joking with newlyweds about this subject! However: Mom, Dad, Ed, and Laura, please never, ever talk to d. and me about it. That would be greatly appreciated)

Check 'Em Out

My church has a rockin' worship band. We are about to drop our first album October 16th. No, I'm not on it, but I am part of the group so I feel a slight sense of pride in the whole affair.

The myspace is up and there's one song on it so far. Please forgive the country twang (ain't my thing) and give it a listen. Promise: it's the most country-fied song on the whole album.

If you don't live in Cville and would like to purchase a cd, send me $10 and I'll get it for you! It's gonna be good guys!

www.myspace.com/embersworship

check it out!

peace,
e.

What's Up With Dusty: Vol. 1

I'm going to start a new segment called What's Up With Dusty? I don't feel like I blog about him enough so this is to let people know what's going on in Dusty's life on a week-ish basis.

And that way we can have one of those "couple's blogs" without it being a "couple's blog." So here are some things that have occupied my hubby lately:

Number 1: His Birthday Gift From The Snyder Parents--
Number 2: Applying for Grad School--
That's right folks: Dusty is graduating in December and (insh'allah) starting grad school in January online with Capella University. Area of study: Industrial/Organizational Psychology.

Number 3: Fighting With Campbellsville University--
It is our belief that CU cheated us out of quite a large sum of money. It is their belief that they haven't. We've met a compromise, and it was all Dusty's doing. Thanks babe!

Stay tuned for more of What's Up With Dusty in the future!

The Wulfe Brothers

Today at work we had the Wulfe Brothers come for a special musical performance. These guys are over the top. Click here to go to their wesbite. Ok, ok, ok I just have to give you a visual so you know what we're dealing with here:

No, your eyes are not deceiving you: that is an upside down guitar on lefty's shirt.

So these guys come in with their instruments and sing kid-friendly stuff like The Twist, The Chicken Dance, and The Hokey Pokey. And the kids are supposed to get up and dance and run around and act crazy.

We all arrive and head out to the middle of the gym where we were instructed to sit and these guys start their show. There's a lot of apprehension on everyone's faces. I can almost hear the children's thoughts: "Do I get up and dance? I want to wiggle, but am I allowed? Why is that guy's hair so long?" So nobody moves, we're just sitting there listening, wide-eyed, wondering.

I'm going to take a knee here to tell you that I, maybe more than any other teacher, have the most rambuncious, hard-to-control class in the entire center. The dynamics are really just quite ridiculous: two kids that aren't potty trained yet (they're 3), one who doesn't speak English, one with some developmental problems, and 7 out of the 10 are literally the world's most stubborn lot of three year olds one would ever meet.

So it's no surprise that "S" (name protected) is the first one, out of the 100 or so children in there, to get up and start to shimmy! He's not just clapping his hands here folks, he is groovin'! Soon "Linus" (again, name protected) gets up and starts to dance right along with "S." No one else dancing, everyone watching. These are my kids. My wild, unruly, crazy kids. My kids who run around singing, "Shake your boo-tay!" at the top of their lungs. My kids who drop the "f" bomb like it ain't no thang, they are the ones standing up and gettin' down! And I'm proud to say that they are the ones who got everyone else out on the dancefloor.

And in that shining moment, I thought, "Maybe I will miss this... just a little bit. Just a teeny, tiny bit." Then I went out and busted my best hokey pokey moves.

"Homemade Pizza"

Dusty had a random idea a few days ago to make our own pizza. What a great idea! Luckily the Kitchen-Aid came with a recipe book and there's a pizza crust recipe inside!

The following is a little photo journey through our first attempt at pizza making:

Aaaah... the freshest of ingredients!


Dough hooking:


Dusty, rolling out the dough:


Time for the oven:


What the pizza was supposed to look like:


Our final product:

So, fault of the recipe or fault of the slightly-sidetracked-by-Lost pizza chefs? You be the judge.