The Life of Me...

Ok, I am back...

2007-02-13T12:09:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know, it has been a LONG time since I have posted. I got busy with work and school, but I guess that will soon be changing...

I am currently on bedrest from this past weekend's medical event. I guess I should start at the beginning...

On November 4th, we found out we were pregnant (for those of you that haven't heard from me in a while)... We were very excited, and had a good first few weeks of pregnancy. Then, we had a few episodes of complications. Actually, this happened until I was 14 weeks pregnant.

We got a good 6 weeks of happy, healthy pregnancy, when I started having contractions. Last Thursday, we went to Labor & Delivery for the contractions, and I was monitored for a while, then sent home and put on bedrest. We ended up back at the doctor on Friday, because the contractions had gotten worse. They admitted me to the hospital, because the doctor was suspecting appendicitis. They gave me IV fluids and watched me til Sunday, when they determined that this was indeed contractions. The doctor on call said that the contractions weren't big enough to start labor, but were big enough to cause a heck of a lot of pain and pressure. So, the order of bedrest still stands until I get reevaluated next week. The surgeon said that as long as I am having these pains, I don't need to be working. So far I have been on bedrest for 2 more days, and still get the pains... I am thinking I won't be returning to work...

Yes, this will cause difficulties, because I was the primary breadwinner in the house. Chris just started a new preaching job for a church in a small town in Mississippi. He really enjoys it, but we both know that won't be enough to pay the bills. He is also going to school full-time, so that cuts into time that he could be working. I feel a little guilty, because I know he needs to do well in school, and doesn't need the stress of my being off work. But, things happen, and I know we will make it through.

I have spent the past few days doing some school work, watching movies, and wishing I could get up and do things!!! I wanted to get started on the baby room, but I can't really do that now. Guess I will have to wait until my parents come to town- I can point and tell where things go!

We haven't bought the crib yet. With the recent change in employment, I think that is being put on hold for now. We found the one that we love at Babies 'R Us, but we know the baby shouldn't be here for quite a while longer, so we have time. I still want to be ready just in case, since the doctor said there's no guarantee that next time it won't be actual labor (great thought, I know)...

We are currently in the 21st week of pregnancy! The baby is due June 28th, and I am hoping he holds out til at least Memorial Day weekend. They said that at that point, the baby can do well on his own, without much intervention. A baby that stays til closer to due date would be even better, but we will take what we can get!

Chris has been so supportive through all of this. He deserves the Husband/Dad of the Year award... It's funny, because I told him this last night, then threatened to revoke the title if he didn't go to Sonic at 10:30pm and get me a hot dog! This is particularly funny, because I really don't like hot dogs, and he has only seen me eat one once during the whole time we have known each other! LOL After a while of fighting me on it, he gave in and headed out in the torrential downpours to retrieve my bit of processed-meat goodness... I love that man!

Well, that's all for now... I will be writing again soon, since I have nothing else to do... :-)

Michelle

Ick...

2006-10-04T14:40:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I last posted... Life has gotten pretty busy here, and I have not had a lot of time to breathe, let alone sit down to write a post... I apologize...

I am finally finding time because I am home for the rest of the week. On Monday, I came home from work early because I had a migraine and began vomiting. Chris took me to the doctor, where they found that I not only had a mingraine, but a pretty bad ear infection as well. I was given a shot of pain medication for the head, and medications for the nausea and ear infection, and sent on my way.

I went back to work Tuesday, but decided that wasn't a good idea. I made it through the day, but when I got home at around 3pm, I promptly fell asleep. I did not wake up until 6am this morning!!!

I got to work today and lined up a sub for tomorrow. Seems like nothing has been getting better, and my vision in my right eye is getting blurry. I made it through all of 25 minutes at work before needing to go home. I went to the doctor again today, letting him know my concern over the increased pressure in my head, the blurry vision, and the big blood spot on my eyeball. He took some sinus x-rays (which came back fine), scheduled an appt. with a specialist, and got me an appt. for a CAT scan. Sounds like tons of fun... He also said on top of all that, I have conjunctivitis (pink eye), and I got more prescriptions for that. I had to write down a medication schedule to keep everything straight. Oh, yeah, and more pain medication for the head pressure and all the infections...

So, I am home til Monday, where I have inservice and Parent-Teacher conferences. I also have class that night, so I guess I will be going to class late. I have a hunch that none of my parents will show up on Monday, but I have to be there anyway.

I have one exam next Thursday, so I will be attending at least part of class tomorrow night. I will see how long I make it through the class... I am betting 1 hour, but I might surprise myself...

I am headed to bed now... Rest has to help, though it doesn't always feel like it.

~M

Finally, a BREAK!!!

2006-09-04T19:24:00.000-07:00

Well, we are back home now... We finally got a weekend where we were able to relax!!! Sure, it was busy, but compared to the past few weeks- I felt like I was finally allowed to slow down and enjoy myself!

Backtracking: We had a meeting with the social worker on Friday at 3pm... We have to schedule one more meeting, because we need to go over a few more papers. We also have some reference letters that have not been turned in yet, so we are waiting on those. Once all of that is sent in, it will be about 2 weeks, then we will receive the official copy of the home study.

Saturday we received our letter requesting a fingerprinting appointment. We were told this letter would come about 2-4 weeks after sending our application. Ours took 6 days... Hmmmm... So, I am getting anxious about completing the home study, because then we can wait about 45 days to get CIS approval.... Then, the REAL waiting begins!

So, this weekend we got into town and visited with Granny & Jack for a while. That was nice to get to talk to them. I just wish we were more rested- I think I might have fallen asleep while talking! Later, we went to the Fish Fry to say some hellos. We didn't stay too late, since Chris was preaching in the morning.

On Sunday, Chris gave the sermon at the Clarksville Church. He did a VERY good job- I was proud of him!!! We went to Cracker Barrel after church with Granny, Jack, Tim, Regina, and Meagan... It was nice to get to see everyone and visit for a while. After all that, we headed on to Nashville...

We met a friend of mine from elementary school at Opry Mills... We had dinner and did some shopping... Then, we relaxed for the rest of the evening. It's always nice to get to see her- we look forward to a possible visit from her and the boyfriend sometime soon.

So, tomorrow starts another work week... Ugh. The upside is that there are only 4 days in the work week. The downside is that there are still 4 days in the work week. Ok, I am kidding, but it just takes me a while to get adjusted to a routine- this weekend threw me off...

~M

2006-08-25T18:00:00.000-07:00

Two weeks down, 34 more to go! LOL

Seriously, this week went really well... We had some changes in the classroom, trying to get kids moved around and stuff. The room is coming along, but I still have some more rearranging and decorating to go. I figure it will all be set by Christmas. LOL

We had a meeting with the social worker last night. It got to the point where I changed into my pajamas when she interviewed Chris, because it was getting so late... Long time and a lot of talking... Well, we have one more meeting on next Friday, then she finishes the home study. We have to track down the reference letters- seems there are still a few floating around out there. We didn't expect the home study to go this quickly, but most people had moved quickly to send their letters in. So, after that's complete, we should have the home study done.

Got a package from Immigration today and I panicked. They returned our application because we miscalculated the fees for filing paperwork and fingerprinting... So, after being on hold with Customer Service for 30 minutes, we find out that it was their error and I did have the right amount... So, I guess we will try again. I ran to the post office to mail it one more time... Hopefully everything works well getting it through this time!

So, with the major paperwork coming to a close, it looks like we can start talking nursery and preparing the house for baby... I kinda held off putting too much thought into that because I didn't want to jinx us... Once everything else is done, we play the waiting game, so we can focus on the nursery... Looks like we will have to get creative with our space... We are thinking just a crib and glider rocker. He already has a dresser and bookshelves, and a changing table isn't really a necessity... We found a crib we liked at Babies 'R Us when we went there for a seminar. I like going there to browse- it feels like the only permanent focus in the adoption. It's not like we have a giant belly to stare at, so we go there to look around and ponder our upcoming parenthood... :-)

Well, that's about all for tonight. Chris is working tonight, so I am relaxing from a hard week's work... I am so tired, and classes begin Monday. I wonder how that's going to go.... I have training for about 1 day a week for a few weeks, so that will make 3 days a week where my afternoon/evenings are tied up... Then it gets more relaxed after that.

~M

One week down, 35 to go!

2006-08-19T05:32:00.000-07:00

I made it through the first week!! It actually went by pretty quickly, because of all the changes in the class. I showed up to class the first day with 11 students on my roster, and wasn't quite sure what I was even teaching. Since there had never been a class like this before, they weren't sure what to tell me to teach. The first day, only 3 students showed up... So, we did some activities that day, but it was pretty much unproductive. Tuesday, we were going through the day (just the 4 of us), and had several people come by to see how everything was going with the class. We checked the system for the other students on my roster, and none of them had enrolled anywhere in Memphis City Schools. So, our group stayed pretty small for the day.

Wednesday I got to sit down with the other special education teachers and the guidance counselor, and come up with a plan for the students. One of them wasn't even supposed to be in my class (we found this out once we finally got the paperwork on him), and the others are supposed to have electives outside of my class. I was told to be patient- there were tons of kids in the school without schedules, so we had to wait til that was done. I didn't want to say that my kids had been enrolled all along, and should have had a schedule before these kids that just showed up to register. My kids need the structure of classes, and being with me from 7:30 to 2:15 was becoming a behavior problem. They are very well behaved, but as the week went on the problems escalated.

So, finally, on Friday, I gave a list of classes to the guidance counselor, so that no student is in my class for more than 4 periods a day. We are trying to get them in class at the same time too, so I have a planning period to meet with other teachers and such.

I don't know what next week will bring. I have spent many nights getting plans together and reviewing paperwork. I have become quite knowledgeable about a lot of stuff I thought would be difficult to learn. I guess it just takes jumping in to learn it well...

We have a meeting with the social worker in our home Thursday night. We had been wanting to paint the living room, but with everything else going on, it has been a struggle to get together at the same time and do anything other than sleep... So, I thought we would paint it before Thursday so it would be done, but it looks like that won't happen. It's only 5 days from now, and I really want to relax for the rest of the weekend. Once the week begins, I have stuff going on every day:

Monday- Meeting with Guidance
Tuesday- Parent Meeting
Wednesday- Meetings (yes, plural... I hope to get home before midnight... LOL)
Thursday- Meeting with Social Worker

So, as you can see, there's not much time to paint the living room, and I don't want to have us start painting and then have to clean up.... That would leave the walls looking pretty bad... I figure we can hang the pictures and such, then just take them down at a later time and paint...

~M

Another wedding!!!

2006-08-13T13:03:00.000-07:00

My brother just got engaged!!! Yep, I called the house to ask my mother a question, and got to talk to them... I guess it just happened! I am so excited!!! :-) Goodness, my parents have barely recovered from one wedding! LOL

So, it looks like he and Allison will be tying the knot sometime soon. They don't know any specifics yet, which is to be expected since they JUST GOT ENGAGED... I know we did it backwards and had the wedding practically planned before we got engaged... To each his own! :-) I heard my brother did a very good job with the planning- very romantic! :-)

So, now we welcome a sister to the family. I called Chris, since he is on his way to Clarksville right now. He was psyched as well! We were hoping to get the baby home next summer, and I don't know when the wedding will take place (this year or next)... We were doing our best to get a ringbearer, but we didn't know there would be an engagement so soon (which is funny, because they have been dating since high school)... Anyway, I am very excited for another party!!! :-)

~M

2006-08-12T19:09:00.000-07:00

One week down...

Well, I am through my first week of inservice, and my room is looking much better. It seems that the teacher that had my room was fired, and he decided not to take any of his trash with him... I found a bag of McDonald's leftovers from who knows when... I am surprised I didn't have some critters in the classroom to welcome me!

There were meetings galore on the first week. I had called the week before to find out the schedule for the inservice week, and all that anyone could tell me was to show up Monday at 8am... Well, that doesn't help me...

So, Monday came and I showed up and sat through meetings. I don't think I left work that day til 4pm... I found out that even though Tuesday wasn't a work day, we were required to work for 8 hours that day... So, I got to work at 6:30am. Wednesday was the District Assembly at the Fedex Forum... We were supposed to be done for the day, but then they had us stay for a meeting. So, that's another long day... Thursday was meetings galore, and Friday- guess what??? More meetings.... Yeah, I didn't think I would make it out of that school alive! We went to the school this morning to finish up my classroom, and I am going to take tomorrow off before the school year begins (Monday)... I need to clean the house anyway, since I have been gone all this week. Chris is leaving tomorrow afternoon for Clarksville- he has a meeting in Nashville on Monday morning. That's convenient, since I will be doing all the cleaning tomorrow! LOL I am hoping he is home Monday afternoon to relax with me after my first day of work...

So, I have about 11 kids in my class, and hopefully won't receive anymore. No one had sent for their IEP's, so I have to do that on Monday. It's going to take a few days for those, so I am going to go ahead and assess them starting Monday....

I have learned more in the past week of work than I have in all my classes so far. I am not saying that my classes were bad- they were great! It's just that sometimes you never know what to do til you are in the classroom!

I am going to relax and finish watching a movie... I need a break!

~M

Just another Wednesday...

2006-08-02T18:13:00.000-07:00

It seems that Chris had a good birthday! We had a nice dinner at home, and relaxed for the rest of the night... Chris woke up pretty sick early this morning- we are talking violent vomiting at 4:38am (I know the time because I woke up out of a deep sleep wondering what the heck was going on!!)... So, we stayed up for a while after that to make sure he was feeling better, then back to bed... I assure you it wasn't dinner- probably a bug... He was back at school today, and I spent today feeling crappy....

Today we worked on some of the adoption paperwork. It's our goal for Chris to complete his autobiography by Saturday so we can e-mail it to the social worker and schedule our second meeting (hopefully for sometime next week)... I would love to have the whole thing done by the end of August!!!! We talked about the possibility of accepting a referral of a child with various medical needs. Often, the children having needs are those that are easily treated with our medical technology (and insurance to cut the cost of procedures that are way too costly in their home country). You really don't know what you will get with biological children, so I believe you shouldn't be too quick to dismiss an adopted child's needs. Besides, there are a lot of things I would hate for my child to have (selfishness, bitterness, lack of motivation, negativity), and those are classified as a special need. So, we have broadened our scope a little more now...

Time for bed... Yes, I know it's 8:15pm

~M

One meeting down...

2006-08-01T07:17:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday we had our first meeting with the social worker. We got our checklist of documents we need to complete, as well as completing an autobiography for each of us. At first it looked like a lot of work, but when we got home, I pulled together a few things I had already copied, and looked through the forms to see which ones could be completed easily. Now, about 60% of the paperwork is done, so we are doing well. The first major step is to send in the autobiographies (which I have already written), and then schedule the individual interviews. Chris will hopefully have his done in the next few days, and then we can meet for meeting #2 sometime next week.

We have to get physicals and clearance letters from the local government, so that will be more tedious than anything. There's also some paperwork I had placed in an envelope last year and have since misplaced it. So, I have a few weeks to tear apart the house and find it, then clean the house back up for the home visit (final meeting). Our goal is to have this part of the process done in the next month, and then wait for everything to be done with INS... In order to complete the INS process, we have to take a copy of the home study with us when we get our fingerprints done. Then, we wait approximately 45 days for our letter of approval. Once we get that, we can finally go on the referral list....

It seemed like looking out on the process from the beginning, I had seemed overwhelmed by the prospect of all the steps and paperwork involved. While we are no where near finished with the process, it seems like everything is being put in perspective now. I can see that this won't be as bad as I once thought, and all the writing has made me reflect on my own family experiences, and decide how we want to parent our children. I don't know of many opportunities like this for mothers to contemplate such ideas. Another that we will be looking at is the fact that we will be raising a child of another race and culture, and we need to find ways to incorporate both cultures into our daily lives. Our children need to feel love and accepted, and know they are part of two different cultures. Sometimes, that is easier said than done...

~M

Well, I have a job now...

2006-07-29T13:26:00.000-07:00

So, I have the job at Ridgeway High School, and I have been scrambling to get materials together for the school year. It's hard when you are a special education teacher, because you have to be prepared for any grade level, and a variety of different students. I have the textbooks to work with, and will be meeting with the principal sometime this week to get further information on my class.

Tomorrow is our anniversary! We were supposed to go to Jackson tonight for a ball game with some friends, but their daughter was sick last night. That worked out great for me, because I had been sick all last night and part of today, but didn't want to cancel so late in the game. So, we made reservations for dinner tonight, and will be celebrating our anniversary. We have our top layer of cake to eat from tomorrow- maybe with pizza delivery?? :-)

Monday is our home study meeting! YAY! I am nervous, as I am sure Chris is, but I am also excited because we are finally getting active in the process. We are prepared to move quickly through this part of the process, so we can sit and wait for that referral!!!

I remember the days when I would begin getting ready for a date 2 or 3 hours before it happened. Like painting nails, hair, makeup... Lately, with being married, I really don't care about all that as much- I know Chris doesn't care how I dress (within reason). Tonight, I just might put some effort into the evening, since we only get one first anniversary. Eh, I might wait til 5 to start... Reservations aren't til 6:30pm... :-)

~M

Well, I got the job!

2006-07-25T04:42:00.000-07:00

I went to Ridgeway High School yesterday for my interview and ended up walking out with all my textbooks in hand. The funniest thing happened when I was getting ready for the interview (well, it wasn't funny at the time)... I was brushing my teeth, and I looked at my watch and realized I needed to leave NOW! At that point, I was still walking, and didn't pay attention to where I was going. I tripped and spewed toothpaste all over my black pants (sorry for the visual). I really didn't have time to change, so I blotted the pants with a wet towel, and headed out the door- forgetting that toothpaste will end up drying bright white. Luckily, there was only one big spot on my pants, so I definitely had to cross my legs throughout the interview. When I got up to walk around, I carried my bag in front of my spot,and I was ok. Any other day, I would have made it out of the house with nothing exciting happening. But, yesterday, I was just antsy to get something all over my clothes....

So, I am supposed to hear from Human Resources about what else I need to do. Technically, I wasn't HIRED, just recommended. Now, HR has to hire me. I don't care who does the actual hiring, I just know I will be hired...

Chris's parents came to town yesterday to deliver the top layer of our wedding cake. It was nice to see them for the afternoon. We went to eat at Whole Hog Cafe, which is a favorite of ours. I am glad the weather was a bit tamer- it was about 10-15 degrees cooler yesterday than it had been the previous week. I am hoping this weather will continue to be cooler- I don't know if I can handle many more days of 105+... Another reason I am glad my classroom is in the lower level, where it should be nice and cool. Probably a problem in winter though....

Well, I had better get ready for work. This is my last week with the boys, so there's 4 days left including today!

~M

2006-07-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

This week has started out a little slow, but I have a feeling it will move rather quickly now that the worst is behind me...

I went to work today and had one of the ROWDIEST, CRAZIEST days that I have ever had in my time working with children. I think it was the heat, the combination of children, and my lack of patience that made it such a crazy day... I came home from work, and almost fell asleep! That has never happened to me before, and hopefully won't happen again!

I have less than two weeks left in my current job, but am looking at extending my time with the family until I get assigned for a teaching position. The school system has been dragging their heels to hire people, and now they warned that we might get called up til 1-2 weeks after school BEGINS! I can't imagine what took them so long, but I have faith that everything will work out ok.

Our anniversary is in 11 more days! :-) The way the heat is going, we are probably going to have our anniversary on the hottest day of the summer... Go figure- to people that dislike heat more that possibly anything else in this world, and we get married during the hottest time of year. I spoke with an old college friend this evening, and he told me that where he is (Alaska), it gets to a high of 70 if they are lucky, and it snowed the other day... I almost hung up on him... I think we need to plan an anniversary cruise to Alaska...
Chris has been doing well to get through his classes. One more semester to go! I am very proud of him!

And, we start Home study soon... Yay.... More paperwork...

Other than that, the highlight of our home is that we are painting the living room on Friday evening. Chris named it a painting party.... I guess the word "party" was placed there to make it sound like it would be fun... Right...

Oh, and in response to his comment about baby names- the list was left on my side of the couch... So, his intrusion on my side left him to see my list... And, for the record, I think Emerson and Noah are fine names... Perhaps future baby names... We might have to have something like American Idol where people can call or go online and vote for their favorite name... Will it be true that more people will vote for our baby's name than for president?? Hahahahaahaha... I might have to set something up to gauge the response...

~M

2006-07-11T17:04:00.000-07:00

There are only three more weeks of my job left. There's a family vacation scheduled for the first week of August, so I am off for that week. Depending on if I receive a call for teaching, I might work the second week of August for them if they need me. I am going to miss the kids- I have been watching them for almost a year. I always grow attach to the kids I watch. It's nice to be able to bond with them, but it is sad when I have to leave...

Chris started his summer session II today- from what I hear, he had some really good first classes! I hope he enjoys this semester- it's hard to really enjoy some classes when it is summer school. One more semester for him once these classes are done! December 16th!! 157 More Days!!!

It has been nice to be able to spend more time with Chris over these past few weeks. When we moved here, we took as many hours as possible at our jobs in order to make ends meet. Also, school was on such a wacky schedule, which left little time for just us. Over the past 5 weeks, we have had a lot of time together, and I enjoyed spending that time hanging out and working on family stuff. I hope we will be able to continue that with these upcoming months. It will take some effort, but I know we can make it work!

Our anniversary is coming up in less than three weeks!! I don't know what we will be up to- I know we are going to meet some friends in Jackson, TN the day before for a baseball game. I know it is a big anniversary (some couples don't make it this far!), and I am very happy that the year has gone so well! Hopefully we will get to spend the day together doing something special... No hints here... :-)

~M

Babies 'R Us...

2006-07-08T18:40:00.000-07:00

This morning we went to Babies 'R Us to attend two seminars they offer for free... The first one was about decorating the nursery, and it was given be a decorator that I gathered charged a lot for her services... So, she gave us some good ideas, but some of them seemed a little more over the top than I would even consider for my bedroom, living room, or dining room... Let alone the baby room...

The second seminar was informative, and instilled the sudden fear that my house was a deathtrap. I had quite a bit of knowledge concerning safety before the talk, but after I suddenly have this dreaded fear that no matter what I do, the baby will be in trouble. I know I will work through this, and I have raised how many children so far?? Yeah, but those are OTHER people's children... Hmmmm...

So, today I was brainstorming ideas to make the baby room more functional and less cluttered. We are going to move furniture around the apartment tomorrow, and see what we need to do to make everything look right, be clutter-free (for now), and be safe...

I know you all are reading this and thinking, "Goodness, why are they so motivated and ahead of themselves? The baby won't be arriving til spring!" Well, there are a few reasons. The main one is that we have to endure the process of a home study, which includes a home inspection for safety and to make sure we have enough space to keep another life in this apartment. Another reason for us being motivated is the fact that we simply don't know when the baby will arrive, since we don't get a due date... I think this level of planning and work is helping us maintain our sanity. The third reason is I start teaching in a few weeks, and we both start back to our classes at the end of August... We all know that nothing will get done once classes begin....

We scheduled the first home study meeting, and are on the right track with that. We have to sign more contracts, send in forms to the Immigration and Naturalization Services, and then take a break (right) before the referral comes in.... We can try to get the timing pinpointed down to the approximate week the baby will arrive, but I have a feeling things will move pretty quickly. Already the agency approved us before they had originally told us, so we are moving a few weeks ahead of schedule. All I want for Christmas is a referral... :-)

~M

Beginning of Another Month...

2006-07-01T09:25:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of a new month, and it is the first July that will be relatively relaxed in a LONG time! This is the first summer I am not taking classes, so I will have a little more free time than usual...

So, last week we got officially approved to proceed with the adoption, and now we are setting up the home study appointments. After that, we send in the application for CIS (Citizenship & Immigration Services), then wait for the approval from them. They told us it takes about 2-4 months for this process to be completed, but it just depends on how quickly we fill the requirements for the paperwork (fingerprints, obtaining records, etc.)... Hopefully we will be able to get everything in order over the next 2-3 months, and then sit back and wait for the word. Once we get approval from Immigration, we are put on a waiting list for a referral. The referral is when we are placed with our baby, and we will then receive a photo and pertinent information about our son. From what we were told, it could take 3-6 months for our referral, but it just depends on how many baby boys are available. After the referral, it's 3-4 more months til our travel date.

I like how they have everything well explained with this process in terms of time. It really doesn't keep me from getting anxious though! We are very excited about the changes, but it is still kind of scary!

After the home study is complete, we begin applying for some grants to help with the costs of international adoption. It is unfortunate that these adoptions cost so much, but we know that it is because of the extensive paperwork, support to orphanages and foster care, as well as travel involved. We are excited that we will be able to offer a home to a child in need, and are able to be his Forever Mommy & Daddy...

~M

It's A Boy!!

2006-06-24T13:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I was at Kroger yesterday, and my cell phone rang. It was the adoption agency calling to let us know we had been officially approved, which means we will have our baby boy in spring of next year!!!! :-) Chris was at the ball park, and it was all I could do to stay home and not come barging onto the ball field. When he got home, I told him the news and he was VERY EXCITED. He called some family and friends and was beaming all night.

I am so excited that we will be going to Vietnam in about 9-10 months. For a few hours, I wandered around in a daze of excitement, then my mind began racing with things to do before the big trip. Besides the mountain of paperwork, we have a lot to get ready before we leave. We have the baby room painted and such, but we have to make a plan for baby furniture, and once we get the referral, there will be accummulating the supplies and baby gear. I ran across an article on the "List of Lists" needed for adoption, and I hope I don't get to that point yet!! :-)

We were told we could go ahead and get started on the next step of the process. We had been planning and budgeting for the start of this venture, and had not prepared for the go-ahead one month early. So, to come up with the expenses a month ahead of time, I think Chris will start spending 12 hours at work every day instead of the regular 8! :-) I am going to try to pick up extra hours, and he can probably get some more ball games on his plate. As long as we can get this first step going, everything will start moving smoothly... Please, keep us in your prayers!

~M

A Man Named Todd...

2006-06-10T16:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was running some errands around town. As I pulled out of the grocery store parking lot, I noticed a homeless man standing on the corner with all of his belongings... I looked up at the temperature reading in my car, and it displayed 99 degrees... Without much thought, I turned around, parked my car, and approached the man about getting something to eat...

I asked, "Are you Hungry?"

He looked at me as if to say, "Are you kidding me?!?!?!?!"

I asked him if he wouldn't mind walking with me down to the IHOP. He looked at me like I was crazy, since all he did was walk.

Finally, he answered: "Sure."

So, we walked and talked and I introduced myself to him. He said his name was Todd, and this was his neck of the woods. I waited while he parked his shopping cart outside the restaurant. Then, we walked inside.

As we walked through the door, all eyes fell upon us. The hostess looked at me like I had antlers growing out of my head, but I just said, "Two, please."

We were seated and he ordered a glass of milk with ice in it. I told him to order whatever he pleased, and his eyes got really big. After we ordered, we talked for quite a long time. Whenever I made mention of homelessness, he would steer the conversation in another direction. I think for that afternoon, he didn't want to have to worry about his situation.

We talked about my career, my family, his family, and life in general. He told me how a typical day goes for him- I told him about my job. It was a delightful meal, and even the waiter had a more upbeat attitude before the meal with through.

When we walked out of the restaurant, he thanked me for the meal. I told him we would have to do lunch again sometime....

~M

Painting... Ugh!!!

2006-06-06T13:36:00.000-07:00

Well, we have two rooms painted, and two to go! The baby room is painted, and we just need to add the border (tomorrow morning). We painted an accent wall in our bedroom today, so that's done- just need to add the curtains. It's been a hard few weeks waking up every morning with no curtains- the morning sun comes in through our window... So, that will make our bedroom done. I had a goal of painting all the rooms this week, since I am off work, but Chris was offered a BUNCH of games, so we are going to put the additional painting on hold for other weeks. I don't think the rooms will be going anywhere, so we can paint them when we get the time. Maybe we can get the kitchen in on Sunday... We'll see...

It's been nice to be able to wake up at a normal time (after 6am)... I know, I am spoiled, but my old schedule was work at 11am... This has been tiring for me, and I am considering picking up another job for the summer. I do have extra time on my hands, and we could use all the money we can make for the adoption (ie. Chris working like there is no tomorrow with the baseball and regular work schedule)... Thank goodness he is out of class for 5 weeks- I know that even though he is working hard, he still feels less stressed than when he was taking classes!

Well, that's all for now. I have to make some cookies as thank you gifts...

~M

Facebook rocks!

2006-05-31T20:15:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I have been terribly behind when it comes to keeping up with the trends of the "young folk." Chris had been onboard with this Facebook thing when I was still laughing about it... Now, I think it is the most amazing concept out there. I had lost touch with so many people, through all the times I had moved. Now, with a few clicks of the computer keys, I have reunited with some old friends. There are others I have found that I am just starting to get back in touch with. This is so cool! I should be meeting with an old college friend this Saturday before he leaves for Alaska, and I have since heard of some crazy happenings from old high school friends. This is about as good as a soap opera for me... I definitely get a fix when I run the searches... Hehehehehehe....

I have two more days of work this week. It is sad when I work 4 days, and I rejoice at the halfway point! I am ready for this weekend to come, because at 3:30pm on Friday I start vacation! Yippee for me!!! Yep, I get a week off work, which gives us enough time to paint all the rooms in our apartment and put the baby border up. Then, that room is done til we get the referral at the first of the year (besides cleaning it, of course)... I brought the boys by the apartment today because they wanted to scope out our new place. Edward walks in and looks at the baby room (he has been eagerly anticipating a new playmate)... He looks at all the boxes and stuff we have lying around, and exclaims "where will you fit the baby?!?!?!?!" Too cute...

Tomorrow I have a meeting concerning a teaching position. I am psyched about it, but don't want to get to crazy, or I will get nervous. We will just see how this goes- hopefully smoothly. I wouldn't mind starting off my summer already signing a contract. If not, I am confident it will work out before the summer passes. School starts August 14th for MCS, so we have quite a summer break ahead of us... Filled with plenty of days with my two boys. I am already getting sad about leaving them in the fall... The little one is going into junior kindergarten, and he won't need me to watch him anymore. I feel like they are my boys, and I am sad to see them go. I agreed to watch them over holiday breaks, and maybe next summer (depending on travel schedules)... We will see what happens- one door closes and another opens....

~M

What was I thinking?

2006-05-30T17:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess I had a thought that it wouldn't be much crazier to watch the boys full days all summer than to watch 1/2 time in the school year. Well, I was wrong... There's plenty to do with them, but I come home worn out beyond belief... At first, I wondered if this was a sign of why not to have children, then I realized these aren't even my children, so I am working against prior parenting... When we have children, they will have the consistency of being raised by 1 set of parents, and that will help to eliminate a lot of the trouble I am having. I love the boys, and I love the family I work for, it's just hard to deal with the "but mom said" stuff all day long... I guess I will have to lay down the law to help keep the sanity this summer!

Once I make it through this week, I get a week off for vacation. We will be painting to house that week, since I have a big sale that next Saturday. We are also getting everything in order so we can take photos of our home to send with our application. That's the major motivation...

Chris has 2 more days of classes to go! Then, a final on Friday and he's done!!! I was seriously wondering if we would make it out alive. If we ever think of presession classes again, shoot me. I think the 2nd session will be better because it is 5 weeks, and one of his classes has a movie focus, so that should be good...

Baseball is in full swing, and Chris is grabbing up games! I am very proud of him for the fact that he is working all he can to support our adoption goal! It would have been very easy for him to say "eh, I'll worry about it later..." He works very hard with his job and baseball, and I know his knees aren't too happy about it!

I have started writing about my thoughts on the whole adoption process. I know I will want these memories later when the years have gone by... I have briefly considered writing a book concerning adoption issues, and as the process goes on I will think more about it. For now, having the notes is something I can work on to help get my feelings on paper, and record important milestones.

Saturday we are going to Brentwood for Chris's meeting. Originally, we thought we could drive to Clarksville to get some bookcases, then head to Brentwood, then head home. Now, with the threat of nasty weather for the weekend, and the fact that we just really don't want to push it on time (or Chris's back!), we will just be heading to Brentwood and back. I am really hoping we can meet up with an old college friend of mine as well. He leaves in a few weeks for a summer in Alaska, and I haven't seen him in a few years.

~M

I'm back...

2006-05-29T17:02:00.000-07:00

Yes, it has been over 4 months since I have last written, but I honestly don't know when I would have had the time to write until now! Last semester was crazy (taking 4 classes and working full-time is not advised). I should start teaching in the fall, and will be taking 3 classes... I know, that's crazy, but I am trying to cram in as many classes as possible before next summer. That's when we will be welcoming our son into our home. After that, I only have three classes left to graduate (which will be spread out over two semesters- requirement)... So, I guess if I knew that I would be enduring these classes for a reason, I think I will make it through...

Chris graduates in December, and has a few days of class left for one of his summer classes. He is finishing Spanish 2010, and will be taking Spanish 2020 and a philosophy class in July/August. That will make him able to finish a normal semester in the fall, and graduate in December. He graduates on December 16, 2006. He will probably be in the morning graduation, so I guess 12 pm starts party time!!! :-)

I am working full days watching the boys over the summer. I will be working til August, when I start teaching. I have a few meetings and interviews- I have been selected for the teacher pool, I just need my assignment. Wish me luck on that... I am sure it will all go well...

And, as for the baby, we will be adopting an infant boy from Vietnam. We are starting the paperwork at the beginning of August, and the process should take about 10 months to complete. We hope it will be fairly streamlined, since the process just reopened for Vietnam, but there can always be a hiccup. Now that we know our baby will be coming, we are in EAGER anticipation.

We are painting next week (my one week of vacation this year)... We are going to go ahead and paint the baby room, since we only want to paint it once, and we have to show it during home study time in a few months... We decided to decorate in Classic Pooh, and will be painting the room a sage green. Should turn out to be very cute...

Chris is currently working baseball. He will be working his butt off for upcoming months. The adoption will be quite costly, so he is taking on the extra games, and I am taking on as many hours as I can handle. I have a Mary Kay sale in 2 weeks that should help out as well... I have been praying about this for quite some time, and I know that everything will work out for the best. Hard work always seems to help! :-)

Well, there are still boxes to unpack... We should have everything unpacked this week, but we have to go to Clarksville Saturday morning to get some bookcases, and then book it down to Brentwood for an afternoon meeting. Crazy, crazy, crazy....

~M

New Year, New Semester

2006-01-17T20:27:00.000-08:00

Well, today was the first day of classes for the new semester, and I sure know how to start off the semester with a bang...

Last night, I was on the way to a Mary Kay meeting with my business partner, and we were involved in a car accident. We were stopped at a light, and got plowed into from behind by this older lady... She was all sweet and sorry, then turned into a very belligerent individual, noting that we obviously didn't have any injuries, and we can't prove it was her fault (uh, she hit US from behind)... So, we went to the hospital in Collierville and were checked out by the ER. I have a cervical sprain, and spent the day on medication and resting. I didn't work, and was relieved of work for the rest of the mornings for this week (I still work afternoons), so that kinda sucked...

So, tonight was the first night of my classes, and I wasn't there. I slept for a majority of the evening, and had an inspection for our alleged dog. Give me a break, the woman shows up an hour late for the inspection (5pm), after noting in the letter she gave us that she would come any time between 9:30am- 4:00pm. Way to keep us informed of her plans. Even when I called down there at 3pm, and she told me she would be coming, she was obviously in no hurry when she showed up late. So, I sat there until she came, and I desperately wanted a nap, and was fighting off the drowsiness of the meds. She blew through here, and left with a very sour attitude, commenting that she will talk to my husband about all this (since I am not capable of handling issues of such importance... whatever...)...

Tomorrow will hopefully be a better day... It can't get much worse than today... It's funny- yesterday I was on a high because I found out that the doctor would finally give me the medicine I had been fighting for.... Then, yesterday evening, we get hit... Man, what a polar opposite of situations...

Michelle

Caroling...

2005-12-22T17:46:00.000-08:00

I felt slightly guilty that as I tripped down the stairs and cursed the person knocking at the door, I knew something was strange that anyone would be banging that low on the door. As I opened the door, I heard a group of little voices, and once I looked out, I was greeted by 8 or 9 4-year olds singing Christmas carols. They were all holding sheets of the song, which I knew none of them could read (some of the sheets were upside down!)... They sang a few songs, and brought me a candy cane. It was the most amazing Christmas treat I have received this year, and I am sad Chris was at work and missed it! I could see how excited they were to sing to me, and half of them didn't even know me. I know as kids get older, they are terrified of singing in front of strangers... These kids were excited to go from house to house in temperatures I have not even ventured out in, and wish us all holiday greetings...

Also, I got my Mary Kay inventory today... Yes, 4 big boxes showed up on our doorstep, and I was lucky that Chris came home to find them before someone walked away with it! From now on, I am moving the delivery to my associate's house, no matter what the size.... Once we have our own house, it won't be a problem!

Tomorrow is my last day of work for this week, before the holidays... This week has been tiring- I will work 30 total hours this week, which may not seem like torture, but when they are spent with two smart and destructive young boys, it seems more like 60! Chris works tomorrow, as well as Saturday! I am so thankful he is willing to work all that he has... It is nice to bank as many hours as possible before the schedule is slim... Also, with school out, we have more time to get these hours! I know once my business picks up, I will be hard-pressed for time as well...

Well, I am going to go make some hot chocolate and celebrate the cold December evening, with Jingle Bells still in my head...

Michelle

Exams are done for Chris!

2005-12-12T19:14:00.000-08:00

Thank goodness his finals are over!!!! I was about to go crazy from the stress!!!! So, now he's done with class, and I am hoping to get him to do a few things around the house before we head back to school....

I have a final on Wednesday night, then I am done. I am already prepared for it, so I am just waiting for the time to come!! I also have a meeting that night for Mary Kay... I decided to become an independent beauty consultant, mainly because the product works wonders for my skin, and I enjoy the women I work with... Here's my website- check it out: http://www.marykay.com/michellewinn

Well, I am going to get back to doing some computer work!

Happy Holidays!

Michelle

Well, It's Almost Over...

2005-12-10T13:03:00.000-08:00

Well, Hell Week is almost over... Finals week is normally pretty stressful, but being married to a student doubles the fun! I am exhausted from the stress in our home, and I am so ready to get to Monday...

Chris has gotten a lot done for his classes. Seems he had a lot of papers and stuff all due at one time, so he had a lot of writing ahead of him...

My two weekend classes had already ended, so I dealt with those finals a few weeks ago. Now, I have one final left, and I think I will be ok, because I have been doing a good job of comprehending the material throughout the semester. I will be happy when Wednesday night rolls around, because that means I will be done!!! Chris finishes on Monday at 10am, so I will be having a little party that day too!

Christmas time is apparent here in our home. We have our tree up, and assorted decorations throughout the house. I love this time of year. I am ready for classes to be over so we can enjoy it. There's the Brooks Lights Festival on Sunday evening (tomorrow), but I have a feeling we will be missing that... Oh, well, there's more stuff to do after tests are over. We have ZooLights to go to next weekend, and I am ecstatic!!! Christmas lights are so exciting!!

Well, looks like Christmas Day will be spent in the fine city of Memphis. I work through Friday, and Chris works on Saturday as well. So, I do not feel like driving ANYWHERE for a long while (after Thanksgiving's stresses)...

Michelle

Christmas Party...

2005-12-05T08:34:00.000-08:00

Last night was Chris's company Christmas Party... Say that three times fast...

The party was at Cafe Society in Midtown, and it was INCREDIBLE... The dinner was extravagant, the people were very nice, and it was all in all a good evening...

I had the Shellfish Bisque, the Red Sea Bass with Butter Sauce, Bacon, and Granny Smith Apples over potatoes, and the Creme' Brulee... Chris had the Shellfish Bisque, Filet, and a Marquis Bon Bon which means a BIG hunk of chocolate... :-)

Today's my day off, so I guess I can get some things done... Right...

Michelle

One Holiday Down...

2005-11-28T16:41:00.000-08:00

Well, I am glad to say that Thanksgiving is over with... Not that I didn't enjoy seeing our family and all, but we were EXHAUSTED from all the travel... Now Chris and I are overtired with scratchy throats... I am going to have to seriously consider any more ventures out of Memphis in the near future--for the safety of our health!

We got home Saturday evening, and I was more productive than ever on Sunday... I was actually planning on a lazy day around the house, but I had a sudden stirring inside me that screamed "CLEAN THE HOUSE!!" This is strange, because I have never had any strong feelings toward cleaning... Anyways, I cleaned up most of the house, and Chris did the laundry! :-)

So, today, I went to the Allergy and Asthma center in Germantown to be screened for a study... It was for a new nasal spray, and I thought I would be perfect (they thought so too)... I got there and they did an allergy test, and I ended up with welts all up and down my arms... Needless to say I will not be participating in the study... Chris goes to get checked tomorrow- hey, at least the allergy testing was free!

I have all my Christmas shopping done except for a few more things for Chris... That's a good feeling! :-)

I have a huge paper to turn in on Wednesday... It's almost done, but I know I will go back and change some things before d-day...

Well, Chris is at work, and I think I am going to read a book...

Michelle

What a night...

2005-11-20T00:38:00.000-08:00

Last night we went to dinner at the Belmont Grill with my friend Sophiah. It was a great meal, and I had a great time with friend and hubby... During the day yesterday, we went to Sam's for what felt like 2 or 3 hours, then to the mall to pick up some coffee for our home brewing... I started getting a really weird feeling in the mall, and now I can remember why I don't go shopping at Christmas time. I can't stand crowds in malls, really crowds in general... So, in Radio Shack, I started getting clammy and dizzy, and knew that our shopping venture was over... I can see online shopping in my future!
Seriously, we are already done with everyone's Christmas shopping, because we have to drop it off when we go to see our families for Thanksgiving. Christmas is going to be crazy, and I think we will end up in Memphis for the holiday, so in lieu of exorbitant shipping costs, we are going to drop them off. They will make it to the hands of their recipients, and we will not have to worry about their transit.
Today is spent lounging around and feeling icky... We were seated in the smoking section last night,and unbeknownst to us until our meal, there was going to be a LOT of smoke! So, this morning, I woke up with the classic allergy issues I struggled with during waitressing- clogged up ears, scratchy throat, and stuffed up nose... Yay!!

Well, a few more days til Turkey day... Gobble gobble...

~Michelle

Today, I am 23!!

2005-11-16T19:54:00.000-08:00

Today was my birthday (well, I guess it still is...)... Yippee! Chris woke me up with a breakfast this morning (no, not breakfast in bed- he flicked the light on and told me breakfast was downstairs)... Hey, it's the thought that counts...

The boys I work with told me today that since I didn't have a cake, if I would drive them to Baskin-Robbins, they would buy me a cake... with MY money! Yeah, that's cute...

Tonight, my class was HORRIBLE!!! I was in misery all night, and it didn't help knowing that on my birthday I could come up with millions of things better than class... So, I ditched the second half...

Now, I am going to go see Chris at work... Tonight had better get better quick!

Michelle

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year....

2005-11-09T10:15:00.000-08:00

Well, today is November 9th, and I am sick of the heat! Yes, it is about 85 degrees here, but it is supposed to get back to the 60s tomorrow.... I wish the weather would make up its mind- we have had 20 degree fluctuations in the past two weeks, and it is driving me nuts!

Next Wednesday is my birthday! YAY!!! We are going to dinner on next Saturday, but nothing exciting on the actual day... I have class that evening, and I work during the day, so I guess the party will have to wait! When you get out in the real world ;-), I guess things like birthdays are inferior to work and school and such.... Hehehehehe....

After that is Thanksgiving, so we will get to see our families, even if it will only be for a very SHORT time...

Christmas season is beginning, and I am thrilled! I guess the Saturday after Thanksgiving I will be putting up the Christmas tree... I need something to do that weekend- mom and I are making the first Christmas cookies the day after Thanksgiving, so I will get to take a bunch home...

The kids will get off school the week before Christmas (I think), and will be off til January, so I will have a busy work schedule! Chris will be working hard as well, so I think we will probably cross paths more than anything... I know that without school over winter break, we will have a chance to spend some more time together, so I guess that is the trade-off!

I have a midterm for a class on Friday morning, and then the final for the same class on Saturday morning! :-0 When the midterm was given, I had a conflict with another weekend class, so I was told to wait to make it up--- til now.... So, I am prepared for the midterm, I just need to get cracking on the final....

Next semester is gonna be exciting... We register on Monday, but I have already come up with a tentative class schedule... My classes will include:

*Consulting with School/Family/Community
*Behavior Management
*Accommodating Diversity in Urban Learners
*Either a Literacy class, or Educational Research (I have to see what will work better for this semester)

and, I will also be on the Israel trip, so that will be another class...

I am hoping to complete student teaching in Spring 2007, and if I get my act together, I can also graduate that May... Depends if I do the thesis or the project (in education program, you can implement a project instead)...

So, I guess I might end up with some winter break reading! ;-)

Gotta go to work now...

Michelle

It's Finally Friday!

2005-10-07T08:22:00.000-07:00

I don't think I have ever been so excited about it being Friday! I have been exhausted all this week-- to the point that I am ready for bed an hour after waking up! I think my job has made me tired, and I think my body might be going on strike... ;-)

Things are going well in our home. Chris has a game again tonight, so I think I am going to do some school work, and go grocery shopping. Tomorrow, he has a class in the morning for his new computer, then I am hoping to coerce him into getting a few projects done around the house. I have some photos to hang, and curtains as well... We even have a shelf we bought about a month ago, and have yet to paint. So, I think we have an action-packed Saturday ahead of us... :-)

I am absolutely thrilled about the seasons changing. I LOVE AUTUMN!!! The next three months are my favorite, because the beautiful changing leaves, Halloween, my birthday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas... That is an action-packed time of the year!

Well, I guess a shower is in order- I have to go to work in a little bit!

~Michelle

MORE PICS!

2005-09-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

Here's some more!

~M

More Pics!

2005-09-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post a few more pics....

2005-09-09T15:59:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures from the wedding... I have to go to class tonight (ugh...), so after this, I gotta run!

WEDDING PHOTOS!!!

2005-09-03T22:17:00.000-07:00

Here's some more photos from the big day! :-)

~Michelle

WE GOT MARRIED!

2005-09-03T22:09:00.000-07:00

Well, I am incredibly sorry that I haven't been on the blog in 3 months! So much has happened! We got married on July 30th, and the wedding went beautifully! I am very thrilled to be a new wife, and we picked up and moved to a new city two weeks after being married! Now, school's in session, and we are getting a grasp of married life! It's been exciting.... and BUSY!!! Below are some pictures from the wedding! It was gorgeous, and we had an awesome photographer! Terri Beloit, of Puyallup, WA, did the photographer with her husband, and it was the most wonderful gift we could have received!

Talk to you guys later!

~Michelle WINN

Another shower around the bend...

2005-06-04T21:38:00.000-07:00

Well, this is my third shower of the wedding season... I have a shower tomorrow with all of the ladies at church... I have to drive separately from Chris, because he is preaching at the Clarksville Church... Again, another exciting moment that I will have to miss... :-(

I start my summer online class on Monday... I also have the GRE on Thursday, so those events should be very excited... right...

It's only 55 more days til the big day! It seems like time was moving so slow in regards to the wedding... Then, when it hit 80 days and under, it really sunk in...

Michelle

TONSILS SUCK!!!

2005-06-03T11:51:00.000-07:00

Tonsils are evil little creatures, and they were out to make my life miserable!! I had surgery on Tuesday to remove the tonsils and the adenoids, and that was no picnic! I don't know why they didn't do it when I was younger, and it would be classified as a more common surgery...

I have eaten more than 50 popsicles in the past two days... I brush my teeth three times a day, because I know all that sugar isn't helping me... I am on meds continuously to keep the pain away... This morning, at about 3:50am, I woke up in lots of pain-- I had forgotten to take the dose at 3am... I feel like a baby, waking up all hours of the night...

Next week is the GRE exam... I am not psyched...

Michelle

Ok, it has been a LONG time!

2005-06-01T21:29:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a LONG time since I last posted, but so much has been going on, I have barely had time to breathe!

I got my tonsils out yesterday, and that is probably the only reason I am on here right now... Having surgery tends to slow you down, and therefore there is more time for computer/movies/reading/etc... I am bored out of my mind, and it has only been one day... I have a few more to go before I get back into the swing of things, so I guess I had better hang in there...

The wedding is 58 days away!! I am soooooooo excited! I had to get a new wedding dress, because I had a sudden growth spurt, and it wasn't fitting correctly... I found a new one that is absolutely gorgeous, and my old one is back on e-bay... If anyone is looking for a wedding dress... ;-)

I start my last class for the summer on Monday... I finished my Research Methods class on Friday... The exam went quite smoothly- almost TOO smoothly... I have Juvenile Delinquency over the summer... Yes, I was supposed to be done, but Dr. Thomas Brignall decided to be a male shovinistic pig, and therefore gave unfair treatment to the females in the class... An appeal case will take too long, and considering he didn't post the grade until everything in the class was erased, he seemed to plan very well and cover his tracks. Without much proof, I could end up having to take a class again, and then it would be in the fall.. For now, I am taking it in the summer, and sucking it up to get the grade I need for the diploma... I hate that I can't fight this injustice, but I guess sometimes it pays to just do what you need to do to get by, and not to make a point...

We found out that I no longer like Target... I went in the store to look at some registry stuff, because my mom alerted me that some stuff was getting clearanced... Well, I went in and my Pfaltzgraff set is being pulled... There were only three items left on the shelf that matched the set... I was soooooo upset! So, I picked out a new pattern through the Pfaltzgraff website, where it is guaranteed... I have to return all of my already purchased items in the denim blue, so I guess I have some exchanges coming up!

The wedding stuff is working out nicely... I believe we have almost everything in order... The dress is ordered, the tuxes are ordered (awaiting a few fittings), the flowers just need a final order, and the cake of course needs to be ordered as well... But, all in all, things are coming together quite nicely...

The honeymoon plans changed.... We figured that because I just had surgery on my throat, and i already react badly to plane rides with my sinuses and ears, we will not be flying this time around... We decided to head to Atlanta, then come back and stay in my parents' cabin for a couple weeks... This gives up more time on vacation for less cost, and I don't have to ride in a plane!! There is a lot more flexibility with this plan, and I am forever grateful that I will not be popping my ears!!! :-)

Well, I guess that is all for now... I will try to write more later... The pain medicine is finally kicking in...

Nighty-night.

Michelle

Something to ponder...

2005-04-24T07:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, upon going in and out of my dorm, I noticed a trash can heaped with stuff... Amidst the trash, but not on top, was a Krispy Kreme box where a dozen doughnuts had been... Inside was one doughnut- untouched... I thought that was weird, but kept moving... Last night, when I took Chris downstairs, I noticed the doughnut had disappeared... How many people would dig through trash for a doughnut? And, did anyone catch them? I know that it wasn't touched, but still the thought of it is the problem I am having....

Everything else is going well! I am ready for this year to be over with!!!! Today's church, and I also have a BIG paper to do, so I have to finish watching my movie... Other than that, nothing too exciting!

Michelle

Well, it's almost 100 days!

2005-04-19T18:18:00.000-07:00

Well, it's almost 100 days left til the Big Day!!! Tomorrow starts the 100th day countdown!!!

I went to the doctor yesterday, because over the weekend my throat had swollen up pretty badly. I had a fever so bad that I couldn't get comfortable for the past few days, and I was shaking the whole time. I finally went to the doctor yesterday, and alas, I had strep throat. I am not allowed to be around many people, especially children, until tomorrow at the earliest. Seems strep is running through the Clarksville schools like wildfire, and the doctor was very concerned about a lot of the children. So, I took my medicine and rested today. I could barely get out of the bed anyways, so I don't know how much good I would have been at work and school...

Tomorrow I am going to the specialist to check on having my tonsils removed. I am soooo ready for this- there has been too much grief with these things... The doctor I saw yesterday warned me that this surgery is much more serious when you are an adult, and I wanted to know why they didn't do the surgery when I was a kid, when they first mentioned it. Seems like there might have been some sort of insurance thing keeping me from getting it done... It's funny that they don't want to have them out, just pay for tons of prescriptions and office visits for the past twelve years...

I have a major field test tomorrow afternoon. I commented yesterday to Chris that I have been sick on both the Senior Exit Exam and the major field test- good thing these things don't count!!!

Two and a half more weeks til graduation, and I am sooooo ready!!!

Well, I am headed back to bed now!

Michelle

Ah, the weekend's almost here....

2005-03-31T15:52:00.000-08:00

Today is Thursday, and that Thursday is almost over!!! I am ready for the weekend.... NOW...

This week has been so busy, and I have barely had time to breathe. Tonight is my Senior Exit Exam, and I am on drugs... Literally... Seems I got another cyst (we think) that is bursting... So, until i can see the doctor, I am on some nice pain killers... I slept all afternoon, and I am ready to go back to bed, but I have to wake myself up early so I am somewhat coherent for the test... It doesn't count any scoring, just have to TAKE it, so we will see how it goes...

Tomorrow we leave for Owensboro, KY. Chris's Motlow game got cancelled, so we are headed there instead. He has a conference series, so I am going with him- tomorrow there are no games, so I think we might hit the movies....

I think I need to walk around so I don't fall asleep!

Michelle

Another Easter in the Books... and yes, I am back...

2005-03-27T19:58:00.000-08:00

Well, we are back from another Easter, and it went quite well... We had a nice lunch with Chris's family, after services at Mt. Denson. I was in charge of Children's Church (my job now), and so I had quite a task with only 6 little ones today...

Over the past month, I have been terribly busy getting through school work and planning the wedding. I graduate in less than 6 weeks, so I will be down to the last few weeks of projects and tests.... I walk the line on May 6th, and will finally have all that behind me...

The wedding plans are coming along quite nicely. It is good to hear that so many people are able to join us... I have a few more purchases for my wedding ensemble, then I will be done... The honeymoon is in Boston, though Chris and I had a talk about moving it to Salt Lake City because he has a conference available to him that weekend... On hindsight, I don't think that my proposal will work, because we would be beyond exhausted through most of his conference, and that could be a waste of money...

His computer is officially up for sale... The auction ends Friday, so we will see what happens...

We leave for Kentucky this Friday... In fact, we will be quite busy with all that is going on this week. He is supposed to have games tomorrow, but that is weather-pending. Tuesday is a double-header in Motlow, where I am from. I have a dentist appt. combined with that trip, so that will be nice... Wednesday is church as usual, and Thursday is my Senior Exit Exam (he has games that night too)... He has another game at Motlow on Friday, then we are headed to Owensboro, KY for the weekend for a conference series.... This will be sooooooo busy!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Well, I guess I had better get back to my movie- Steel Magnolias.... Gotta love it!

Michelle

Tiring course of events...

2005-02-24T10:02:00.000-08:00

Well, I have had an overly busy week, and it isn't over yet... This week I had church, school, work, and I have been feeling miserable in general anyway... Tomorrow night is the start of the Famine, and it will be a miracle if I make it through the weekend...

I am writing a paper right now, and then we are taking Gracen to Chuck E. Cheese... I am watching Nicki and Donovan's little girl for part of the day, then we are checking James and Elizabeth out early from school to go to the Customs House... It will be a BUSY day!

Well, I guess I had better get back to work. I am going to finish this paper if it kills me!

Michelle

Recapping...

2005-02-21T21:50:00.000-08:00

I have felt dead to the world lately, due to the fact I have been on medication for kidney stones. Pain sucks, and I can't believe that something like this would hit me at a time like this! I can't really control it, so I am gonna live with it... albeit in a drugged stupor...

I am so happy the Chili Lunch and Silent Auction are over with!! I am not too thrilled about spending TONS of hours planning something that is done in less than 2 hours!

This Friday is the Famine, as well as all day Saturday! I am excited about doing that again this year! Come Sunday, I will be ready to relax! Wait, that's Chris's meeting, in between church and youth group...

Retreat is coming up in a few weeks. Before we leave for that, I head home for a day to do some cleaning. I am getting ready for some yard sales. I need to get rid of all the stuff I will never use again! I am packing what I am moving, and the rest goes!!! I hope to get a chunk of money towards the wedding stuff that's happening. Maybe even the tickets for the honeymoon! We are seeing some good deals on plane tix to Boston!!!

Well, I am headed to bed now. I work tomorrow!

Michelle

Another Day of Ick...

2005-02-16T09:13:00.000-08:00

As I type right now, I think my head is spinning... I can't tell, because everything feels weird...

I took some more medication this morning, because I have continued to have pain in my back and a general feeling of ickiness.... I wanted to feel better, but now I feel loopy....

Today I was supposed to do so many things... I think I will limit to what I absolutely HAVE to do... I know I have work this afternoon, and church tonight. That's it for me... I have an essay due tomorrow, so I am working on that little by little. We will see what happens come tomorrow....

Sitting in Grinder's is a nice comforting feeling. I have missed this for the past few weeks. My computer hasn't made it out of the dorm in quite a while... I guess it needed a vacation...

Michelle

Valentine's Day...

2005-02-15T09:48:00.000-08:00

We had a very nice evening last night... I didn't have to work, so we took advantage of heading out early, and went to Murfreesboro to revisit the place of our first date... We ate dinner at Demos' and headed to the bookstore, just like last year! It was so nice- I had a great time, and it wasn't too much activity, since I haven't quite gotten into the old swing of things since last week...

Now, I am doing some school work, so I can get ahead for Friday, when I will go with Chris to Trevecca for a double header...

Michelle

A Wonderful Night...

2005-02-13T08:31:00.000-08:00

Last night was absolutely wonderful...

I was glad I went, since I was still feeling horrible, and wanted to stay in bed and sleep... But the tickets were already bought, so we headed on to the dinner...

The Clarksville Church was having an annual Valentine's Dinner. The food was good, but I drank more tea than I should have! I was buzzing come last night, and couldn't go to sleep til after 1am...

There was a show, so that provided some entertainment. One of the segments was where couples were taken to the stage, and the man had to read a poem to the woman, as romantically as he could... It was hilarious... I got a rose, and a kiss on the cheek... They drew tickets for door prizes, and I won a pie (chocolate, at that). Then came the fun... The group auctions off baskets of good stuff... There were movie baskets, toy baskets, baby baskets, etc... A woman at our table that Chris has known for sometime is obviously pregnant- I think she is due in early march... So, the baby basket came up and she made vocal warning to anyone else who would have bid against her.... So, of course, Chris bid against her... Rest assured, we have no use for a baby basket right now, but the auctioneer (who is the woman's husband) asked Chris if he had any OTHER announcements for the group.... I was probably as red as the balloons that decorated the place! The whole crowd rolled with laughter, but Chris kept going. He got the lady up to $40, then gracefully let her have it!

He did this again with a big basket of toys, so the auctioneer asked if it was twins... I think that congregation will be watching me til July for any signs of weight gain across my midriff...

We bid on a tool box for Chris, and won... He got his Valentine's gift early...

The basket I had wanted all along had ended up being the grand door prize. The people that won it donated it back into the auction, so we bid and won... It had everything I could ever want for Valentine's gifts, and I am quite content with the basket it came in too!

It was a wonderful evening, and it has been a wonderful year! I am looking forward to spending many more with you Chris!

Michelle

A Thought...

2005-02-12T09:50:00.000-08:00

It really doesn’t matter if the person who hurt you deserves to be forgiven. Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself. You have things to do and you want to move on. ~Anonymous

Wow, what a weekend....

2005-02-07T21:39:00.001-08:00

If you can imagine anything more crazy than receiving a phone call on Wednesday night, and asking if you were able to watch three children for a weekend, what more could there be???

I was delighted at the offer to make a few extra bucks, and I love the kids, so of course I said yes. I arrived on Friday afternoon, and saw the kids off the bus, then headed to the minister's dinner we had already planned on attending. We arrived home late Friday night, and went to bed. In the morning, Chris had a meeting in Nashville, and I had to tutor back at the college, so I had the neighbor lady babysit! She was a godsend when Sylvan never called me back!

When I got home from tutoring, I made lunch, and we decided to bake cookies. The kids, James and Elizabeth, measured and mixed all the ingredients- I only supervised... They even took care of the dishes by themselves- quite the kitchen masters!!

Chris came home shortly afterward, and we waited for the cable man to arrive in order to install cable internet... After he left, we took the kids to Toys R Us for a toy, then to Chuck E. Cheese's for dinner. We had a great time, and they fell asleep in the car on the way home...

Come Sunday, we woke up and took the kids to church. It was a great experience for all of us- they got to see our church, and we we were entertained with some of their humorous observations... We headed back home for some cleanup, then the Super Bowl began. I was not feeling well at all, so I spent part of the evening in the bed, and the other part propped up in a chair... The evening came to an end, and I quickly fell asleep!

Monday morning came quickly, and I woke up to get them ready for school. CHris was supposed to take them to the end of the driveway to meet the bus, but I looked outside and saw the car was gone... SUCKERED!!! He ended up driving them to school, so he came home about 20 minutes later, giving me some time to clean up...

This evening, we took James to Sylvan and finished everyone's homework... We got pizza on the way back, so everyone was fed before Bill and Terry came home... Great to see them back, safe and sound, and ready to resume their parenting responsibilities. I am so glad when Chris and I have children, they will start out as little blobs that sleep, eat, and cry... See, I can handle the three.... I know I will still be worn out, but it will be easier to get used to!

Michelle

Wow, what a weekend....

2005-02-07T21:39:00.000-08:00

Ok, it's almost the weekend...

2005-02-03T06:12:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's Thursday, but I am ready for Friday... I know, not people feel differently, but this weekend has worn me out! I need some serious sleep, and QUICK! Of course, that's not gonna happen, but I could have some wishful thinking!

Tomorrow night we have the dinner in Brush Hill... I might be watching the kids I normally work with for the weekend, so I gotta check out the logistics on this...

Saturday is Upward Bound and then dress shopping... I could really do without the dress shopping, but I promised I would do that...

Sunday is the Heritage Dinner after church, then a Super Bowl party that evening... Yes, if you were paying attention, you noticed there were no real "free" days!!!!

Well, off to work...

Michelle

Monday Morning's Suck...

2005-01-31T10:22:00.000-08:00

Ok, I woke up a little earlier, and came to the realization that Monday Morning's in-and-of-themselves SUCK... Yes, I can wake up with a gloom cast over me, and I hadn't even rolled out of bed...

Yesterday was a waste of my time. I had a bridal show to go to, which was great... After that, chaos of the third degree ensued... I am only able to say that I am pissed off with the legal system, that protects the wackos, and leaves the victims to be helpless... I am just ready to graduate and get out of this wasteland...

Today I am going to finish some school work, then go to work... I am supposed to work out tonight- we will see how that works out...

Wedding plans are in full swing. Chris just dropped off the announcement for the paper, and called the church to book the fellowship hall for the bridal shower... I need to send Kimmy an e-mail to give her all the info I promised. I wish I would get back into moving a little quicker... I have still been feeling sick, and I hate it!

Michelle

I can't believe it...

2005-01-30T20:43:00.000-08:00

Ok, this was the weirdest weekend I have ever had... Last night, we went to Opry Mills to see the IMAX movie, Aliens of the Deep, and the projector broke. After thirty minutes of trying to fix it, we were refunded, and offered the chance to watch another movie. So, we waited around in the mall for another movie, then went to see Hide and Seek. It was good, but as we entered, a security guard was there to see that no one underage was entering. We got inside and during the previews, a baby began to cry! Why was a baby in the theater at 9;25pm, not to mention in a horror movie!!! So, we got disgruntled for an hour, then I got up to do something. I went and told the manager, and he got the security guard. I went to tell him the deal, and he told me that I must not have kids, and some parents need to be able to see movies and that's all they can do. I told him there's this thing called a BABYSITTER, and the rest of us get them. I also told him that movie wasn't appropriate for young kids, and he was the one making sure that underage children and teens didn't get it... So, he did nothing, and I wrote an e-mail complaint to Regal...

Arg....

I felt miserable all day- my legs have been killing me... Got a suspicious note today... I have the appropriate authorities looking into it...

Good night all...

Michelle

A Disgrace...

2005-01-20T09:37:00.000-08:00

I just wrote a HUGE essay on how ignorant APSU is, and when the blog published, it was gone... I guess I can sum it up for you:

Housing sucks, due to the fact that they can't fix a fire alarm issue that has gone off at least 12 times in the past month... Illegal? I think so.... Also, they had quite the attitude when it came to rescuing me in the dorm- there was no RA around, therefore they cannot help me out... My response: hire a F#&&ing RA...

Campus Police sucks as well, because the lady on the phone told me that the cops had better things to do than write tickets... My response: if they did their F&$*ing job, there wouldn't be such a problem, and I wouldn't wait 30 mins for a spot, and ultimately park illegally...

Yes, I am madder than I have ever been. It's because I am saddened that such ignorance can exist in a place of "higher learning." They hire idiots, because they don't have to pay them as much... Well, we pay even more, semester after semester, and the quality of campus life has bottomed-out... THis is ridiculous...

Also, my old roommate is stalking the dorm... Restraining order? I think so...

Michelle

A Disgrace...

2005-01-20T09:25:00.000-08:00

School's Back...

2005-01-18T22:32:00.000-08:00

School's officially back in session... I am not as thrilled as I was this morning... It's always exciting to have the first day of classes, but after that it sucks... I have the one class on campus tomorrow, and i can't remember what time it is to save my life! I guess I had better figure that out quick!

We have been going to the YMCA lately- got a membership and all! I take the kids from work, so that's an excuse to get my exercise in!

I got the wedding dress!!! Yep, it's being mailed my way very soon!!! I am so excited! I got the shoes, garter, and veil as well... I am working on the tiara!

Wedding plans are coming along nicely! Chris and I are keeping our heads relatively level right now, and that really helps when we are discussing our future! We are also having a lot of fun too, which is important!!! :-)

Tomorrow's Wednesday, and we have youth group! It seems like not a day goes by without something for me to do! I wouldn't mind a day off sometime soon!!!

Well, I guess that's all for now! I need to finish an e-mail and head to bed! I have to work in the morning... The nagging feeling of nausea and headache are still lingering, so I guess I am still taken advantage of by the virus.... Ick....

Michelle

I know, it's been a while...

2005-01-12T11:24:00.000-08:00

Well, I know, it has been way too long since I last wrote, but I have been so busy, I could barely think straight! We have been busy planning the wedding, as well as trying to maintain some level of normalcy on my life!!!

I tried on dresses on Monday, and knew they were going to cost way too much! By chance, I looked online and found the same dress for MUCH less!! So, I bought that, and now it will be shipped to me!

I am working on the guest list... Too many names, too many addresses.... AHHH!!!!

School starts back on Tuesday! This is my last long weekend, so I am going to have to take advantage of the freedom before classes begin... I am thrilled about Monday, I get to sleep in past 6am! :-)

School's going to be busy this semester... I have a lot of classes to get through before I graduate in May... I hope I can do it all, with getting through the semester, and planning the wedding!

Well, today I am going to get some lunch, do some work, then head to work and then church... Another full day... Tomorrow I go back to the doctor's for another test, so I am hoping to find some helpful information from it all!

Michelle

Ick is over...

2004-12-29T22:19:00.000-08:00

Well, the ick looks like it is over... I am almost over being sick, and the holidays are almost through... I am getting one day to rest and relax (tomorrow), then I am back to the craziness... we have the overnight for youth group on Friday night, so I will most definitely be sleeping on Saturday! Back to church on Sunday, and work begins Monday! I don't know how I am going to get over being sick! Well, I guess I should just head back to bed early tonight!

Christmas was good... We had a good time with both families! Lots of family together time is always nice, and though I was sad that I would not see my family for Christmas morning, we still got to spend time with them the day after, and I got to spend a little extra time as well... So, yes, I was sad, but now I am not...

As for being sick, I got sick the morning we wanted to go see my parents... By that afternoon, I was just icky, and by the evening, after mom dragged me to the mall, I was MISERABLE... I ended up with a fever of 102.9 degrees, and just icky all over... Next day- not better at all.... In fact, I had the same fever all day! That night was the worst- I thought I was on the edge of death! At about 10:30pm, the fever broke, and I was up watching a movie, but I still felt miserable...

Today is the day that I had started getting better... I woke up this morning feeling better than I had in a while, though not quite 100 percent! We had youth group tonight, and now I am worn out! GREAT NEWS: FLUFFY CAME BACK!!!! I am sorry I hadn't mentioned this in the beginning, but for some reason I was going with the flow of my week... She was found at the house today, and I met Chris at the vet's to see if she was ok... She was very hungry, thirsty and tired, but she looked happy to see Chris! We got her some food, and she has some medicine to take, so I think she will be doing well quite soon! I am so happy to see her back!!! We missed her!

Well, I am off to bed.... Until tomorrow...

Michelle

It's definitely a white Christmas...

2004-12-24T10:53:00.000-08:00

Well, it's definitely white out! We had some snow come in on Wednesday, and it's still here! Roads are miserable here in Clarksville, and I won't be able to go home for Christmas morning... I think the tears are all dried up now! I was so upset, because that was the short amount of time I had planned on getting to spend with my family this year... I haven't seen them in a month now, except for dinner in Nashville one night... I know, I should get used to it- holidays are going to be different from now on, but I guess the reason I am so sad is that I had planned on going up until last night... I had looked forward to this for weeks... Last year, Christmas consisted of me coming out onto the couch for a few hours (I was drugged up...), and then retiring to my room... I barely have any memories- it was terrible... I had a broken leg, and spent all of December in my bed, and missed all of the holiday festivities... This year, it's happening again... I guess there's nothing I can do now...

Tonight, we are headed to Chris's parents' house for dinner... Tomorrow morning, I will wake up here in town, and head to Tim and Regina's for Christmas brunch. Tomorrow evening is spent with Granny and the family for another Christmas dinner... At least I have some people to spend Christmas with, but I know it won't be the same...

Michelle

It's been a while... I hate saying that...

2004-12-21T22:03:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been a while since I last blogged... Chris reminded me of that today- at a time when I had no time to sit down and blog! :-)
Today was crazy! I woke up this morning and noticed that the tv wouldn't turn on. I went to get ready, and none of the outlets in the bathroom worked, but I didn't think much of it. Well, come this afternoon, I finally figured out the power was out through half of the building, so I called campus police. They didn't care much to help me, which ticked me off to no end. I explained to them that the doors are electronically locking, so if the power goes all the way out, I could be stuck inside! Well, eventually, about 45 minutes later, they called saying they would send someone, after telling me they couldn't... So, a cop walked in, looked around, and said "Yep! The power is out!" So, he got someone else to come.... 45 minutes later! Then, that guy did the same thing, and sent for someone else who got there 20 minutes after that. Let me mention that the washer worked, so I had washed my clothes. The dryer looked like it worked, but it had no heat- just power... So, now I have soaking wet clothes, and have to wait almost 2 hours before I can dry them! :-( I wasted $10 on dinner, when we could have eaten at the dorm, or elsewhere, if we were ABLE to... So, now I am ticked with the housing here... Big surprise, right? ;-)
I have 1 more gift to finish up! I have it almost done, I just need to do a little more work... I still have 2 days, so that's good!
The wedding stuff is coming along nicely... I am finding that I can make a lot of the accessories... That's AWESOME to me! I get to try out my craftiness, and I get to save some money! YAY!!!
Well, tomorrow I am sleeping in, and then I have some projects to work on... We have a few errands to run, so I
guess we will be doing that as well...

Good night,

Michelle

Almost Done....

2004-12-15T09:07:00.000-08:00

It's Wednesday, and I am having another exam in over and hour. I am excited, because that would mean after that one, I only have one more left!!!! I am getting worn out from these exams, but instead of being mad or grouchy, I am going to look at it like being excited for them to be over! I just want to get on with the Christmas break, because all of this stuff is too much for me... I felt icky yesterday, and it's carrying over to today. I just have to get through 11:30 tomorrow morning, then I am DONE!!!!! YAY!!!

Christmas break will be quiet and calm. I don't work for the first two weeks, because the people I work for have made other arrangements for the kids. So, I have two weeks off, to plan a wedding, of course! I also have a few Christmas presents to finish, so that might be important! I am looking forward to doing almost nothing in regards to classes- just concentrating on feeling good and getting some sleep- reading some books- relaxing!

Well, today I have one more exam, then I am free for a few hours before work. I am going to make cookies at Granny's for the Cookies and Cocoa after the play tonight! That should be fun!!!!

Michelle

PROPOSAL

2004-12-13T23:55:00.000-08:00

Well, tonight was the night for the official proposal, even though we have already been planning the wedding.... I will try my best to describe the night as accurate as possible...

We started out at Wal-Mart and got an oil change and such. I had wondered why Chris got me a coat before we left, but I didn't think much else until we got out of Wal-Mart. He suggested we get cocoa and head to Christmas on the Cumberland again. I knew I was going to freeze my butt off, but I agreed! I loved seeing the lights last time, so this should be fun!!
We got there, and there weren't many people. We walked all the way down to the end of the lights, and headed back. My hands were ice, as well as my nose and ears. We got back to the Christmas tree with all the wishes from local kids, and we went inside the building that had HEAT!!! Then, we looked at all the star ornaments. He hugged me and told me what he wished for, how he wanted to have a good happy life with me, and to raise children that were happy and had good values. He also wanted to minister to people and just be happy.... He told me there was something he had to do before all that would happen.... Then, I turned around and he got down on one knee and asked me!!! It was so sweet- I was trembling and crying... It was the most romantic moment of my life, and I will never forget it as long as I live....

The wedding is set for July 30, 2005. More details will follow... For now, I am basking in the glory of being OFFICIALLY engaged! ;-)

Michelle

Ah, Monday, Monday, AGAIN....

2004-12-13T09:53:00.000-08:00

Well, today's Monday, and I have no exams, but I still hate having to wake up to a Monday! I won't be getting up to go to work in the early morning til Thursday, so that's a plus. And, tomorrow's 8am exam is just a hand-in, so I won't have to worry about sitting through 2 hours of torture! :-)

Last night was the youth group Christmas party, and the pancake breakfast was in the am. We did very well for the youth- made over $300! That was awesome!!! And, last night, for the Christmas party, we had some party food, chatted, and exchanged gifts. We also collected gifts for the angel tree, and there was TONS of stuff for the kids!!!! It was great!

Well, today is going to be devoted to doing the take-home test, and maybe working on a few more projects. I have to work at 4pm, but that's it for today!

Michelle

Ok, it has DEFINITELY been a while...

2004-12-11T22:19:00.000-08:00

Well, it seems like it has been forever since I have been on the blog, and a lot has happened as well. We went to eat with my parents last night- that was nice, but kinda too formal for me... It's good to get that out of the way!!!

Today, we went to Opry Mills with the youth group to watch Polar Express 3D. I LOVED it, but got a little sick to my stomach- I saw that Chris loved it so much, he fell asleep! :-) At least it was a nice comfy nap!

Tomorrow morning's the pancake breakfast, and we also have the youth Christmas party that evening. That should be exciting. Chris and I are going to Wal-Mart after church to get the rest of the Angel Tree and Dirty Santa gifts.... This should be fun!

My next exam isn't til Tuesday at 8am, and that's only when I turn in the take-home exam. I have another one that afternoon, but only for part of the afternoon!!! :-)

Well, I better get to bed. I was supposed to be asleep by now!!

Michelle

Over a week....

2004-12-08T11:38:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been over a week, and I had forgotten to write! I have been so busy!!! I am nearing the end of my classes, and I am so grateful!!!

This Saturday, we are going to Opry Mills to watch Polar Express 3D... Sunday is the Pancake Breakfast, and the CHristmas party is that night...

Next week, exams Tuesday thru Thursday, and then I am DONE!!!! I get to go see my family next Sunday, and then I am waiting a week til Christmas!!! :-)

This Christmas is going to be awesome! I can't wait!!!!

Well, back to work! Bye!

Michelle

Ah, the holidays are over... and the cookie sale too...

2004-11-29T00:10:00.000-08:00

Well, I am back to school now, and we have successfully made it through the holidays, as well as getting into the home stretch of the cookie jar sale! Well, I guess we more than surpassed our goal for the sale. When I proposed the idea, Chris was thinking we might be lucky to sell 5. Well, the whole group sold 63 jars total! I am very proud of them! That made it possible to raise $200 for our library!!! YAY! So, they got that done, and I only have three more jars to complete for Wednesday... Less than two weeks til the Pancake Breakfast for the New Year's Eve overnight... UGH!
Well, today, in between school stuff, I was doing a little cleaning of my room, and straightening up some paperwork and such. I am so ready for this semester to be over with! I can't imagine hanging on any longer... I guess I am getting run down with work and classes and church, and I am ready for my Christmas break...
Well, back to work now.... Yes, I am absolutely thrilled about that....

Michelle

Wow, it's been a while...

2004-11-26T20:56:00.000-08:00

I didn't realize it has been so long since I last blogged... I guess a lot has happened- I am home right now for Thanksgiving. We are headed back into town tomorrow morning- we have to decorate the church for Advent, as well as assemble the cookie jars, our youth group fundraiser... It's been a wonderful trip home! I can't believe how weird it feels to be home after so long away... I was away for three months without coming back into this house! My cat didn't even remember me.
We had a family movie night on Wednesday night, and Thursday was Thanksgiving so we had dinner, took the family photo, and signed Christmas cards...
Then, today, Chris played video games and watched football while I cleaned the house and did some school work. I got caught up on a lot of stuff- I am pretty proud of the work I did today. We even headed to Wal-Mart at 3pm today, and it wasn't crowded at all. I guess it sucked that I determined we needed to go to Sam's after all, but I wouldn't have thought our Wal-Mart would have such low stock on nuts...
Monday start back into the work week, and the school week as well. I have about two weeks left of classes, then exams and I am DONE!!! As of December 8th, classes are officially over. Then, it's exams after that, and I am DONE!! YAY!!!
I am staying in Clarksville over Christmas break. I decided to cough up the $300 so that I can continue my work and get some time of peace. I am going to pick up some more math tutoring, so that should be nice... A little extra money never hurt anyone! ;-)
Next Saturday is the last Upward Bound session for this semester... I guess I just remembered it today... Man, I am glad I remembered that after all! It's also Lindsey's birthday, so I better get my plans together for that!
Well, I am wiped out, so I am headed to bed. I have to get up early tomorrow morning to head back to Springfield, so I am better get to sleep now....

Michelle

It's My Party....

2004-11-16T23:15:00.000-08:00

Well, today was my birthday, and it was AWESOME!! Here's the cool things, listed in no particular order:

1) I got to my test today and found that it was open notes!! YES!!! And, the project due next Tuesday has been moved back and week-and-a-half!! DOUBLE YES!!!

2) I got awesome messages from people throughout the day, including the sweetest voice mail from Chris!

3) I got presents from Chris throughout the day. They included a CD, a Care Bears birthday balloon, apple butter bread from Apple Barn, and a basket of fun products from there. I also got a set of 4 tires for my car! YIPPEE!!!!

4) I got a wonderful meal with my friends- my "family" here at school. They made me an awesome meal that I got to eat in my jammies. It was complete with a tiara for my day as a PRINCESS, and cards and such from people. YAY!!!

5) I didn't have to work this afternoon! I was so happy with that, because i wanted a day to just bum around. That was the answer to my prayers!!

So, it was awesome, and now I am SOOOOOOOO tired!!!

Good night all!

Michelle

It's Almost the Weekend Again...

2004-11-11T21:10:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't kept up with my blog, but this week has been a whirlwind. I have been so ill over the past few days, I don't even want to think about it- it makes me sick. Tuesday night I went over to Granny's and hadn't been feeling too great for the earlier part of the day. I ate pizza with Chris and later started feeling icky. I started tearing up, because I was in pain- my whole body hurt and I started a fever. By the time I got to the bed, I was boiling! I was shaking and sweating and coughing. I fell asleep shortly after, and I remember waking up a few times to remember what misery I was in, then passing back out. I woke up at about 11:30pm, and wanted to go home to sleep more. So, I headed home, and fell back in the bed.
Wednesday I woke up REALLY late, and was feeling icky as well. I didn't want to move, actually... I COULDN'T move for much of the time. I finally sucked it up and went to do what I had to do. When I got home last night, I was sick again.
This morning I woke up at the crack of dawn to go to work. We had the kids ALL day, and I was miserable by 5pm, when Terri got home. I wanted to go right to bed, but I was kinda hungry, and had laundry and a paper to do, so I had to stay up til now.
Today, I am still miserable, and I want to cry I am so irritable. I just hurt all over. I go to the doctor for an exam and more tests. He said he should know something by tomorrow. I would hope so- this has been misery!
So, I have the kids tomorrow. I have to take them to the doctor with me. Then, I told them we could go to the library and maybe McDonald's. I hope for a smooth day tomorrow. I just want to go to home tomorrow night and fall asleep!
That's all for now. I am headed to bed.

Michelle

The Weekend Is Over... :-(

2004-11-07T21:53:00.000-08:00

Well, it's over... I sound like something died... It was just that the weekend was so nice, I didn't want to see it end... Let's recap:

Friday, I had the most perfect picnic dinner for Chris. We ate, danced, watched a movie. It was great just being together!
Saturday, I slept til 12:30 in the afternoon! That was awesome! I got up and got ready in time to see Chris and go shopping with him. We bought some Christmas gifts, bought groceries, ate dinner at Don Pancho's, and went back to listen to music at his place. That was a good night, and I headed to bed quite early for the most part.
Sunday was spent getting up kinda early. Usually I don't get up early for church, but at about 4:30 this morning I heard a crash and it sounded like we were under attack. The lights that were hung for the picnic on Friday were now falling down and trying to kill me. They knocked over my $40 bottle of perfume along the way... Lucky enough I salvaged it! So, I picked all that up and tried to go back to bed. Not too much luck in that department. I resolved that I would just give up sleep for the day- I had better things to do... So, I did the church thing, ate lunch with Chris, did some school and church work, cooked, cleaned, then had youth group. We got home about an hour ago, and now I am working on a paper for school. I have like 5 of them due soon, so I am trying to get those done. Fortunately most of them have to do with the same topic, so I am lucky in the research dept.
The 16th is my birthday, so a bunch of us are going out. Usually I go out with my family, but they won't be here this year. I will see them briefly for Thanksgiving. That will be it for me...

Good night all!

Michelle

It's been so long...

2004-11-06T13:31:00.000-08:00

This week has seriously been the longest and weirdest. I just didn't feel like myself all week. I guess I got my rest this morning, well afternoon, when I didn't wake up til 12:30pm. Now I feel a little more rested, although I could go back to bed!
Last night I surprised Chris with a picnic on my dorm room floor. Some of my friends decorated the room with Christmas lights and cut-out pink hearts. I had music, flowers, lasagna, breadsticks, "wine", and ice cream. It was lots of fun. We danced afterward, which he never does, so that was a great treat for me! Watching My Life was a great ending, since I sobbed the whole time, and got to watch a "girlie" movie with him. I hope he had a good time! It was great because we got to have a nice Friday night without going out! That's what I needed after this week!
Today is Homecoming and I am going Christmas shopping. I guess you guys don't know that I will not shop for Christmas after December 5th or so, because I don't like the crowds and I don't buy into the frenzy. I have everything set, I just need the money to get it! :-)
My birthday is 10 days away! YAY!! I will be 22!!! This will be nice to have a good birthday and a good Christmas this year. I was telling Chris that last year, all during CHristmas break, I was in bed with a broken leg. This is TONS better. I am with the one I love for the holidays, and it can't get any better!
I have been doing some major thinking about what I want after May when I graduate. I am trying to loosen up on the control in my life, and just go where I need to go!
Well, that's all for now! I better finish getting ready! I also haven't eaten in quite a while (since 6pm last night), so I had better get something in me...

Michelle

Michael's Birthday!!!

2004-11-01T20:12:00.000-08:00

Today is my brother, Michael's, birthday! He's 20!!! YAY!!!

Today sucked overall... I am just worn out, and I am starting to show it. I have had a hard time adapting to stress, and I am starting to have nightmares! Last night's was miserable, and I woke up in a panic. I need to have a little bit of time where I am not worrying about everything. I know that I have a lot I need to do now, but I need to set up my schedule so I don't get panicked. This weekend I want to relax and have a good time!!!

Well, that's all for now. I have to go get my laundry! Good night!

Michelle

Ah, the fun of trick-or-treating....

2004-10-29T22:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I know you can't read this really well, but in honor of Halloween, I am writing this in a somewhat-orange color. It was a great evening, and even though the day sucked for the most part, it turned around for the good. We went out to lunch, fed the ducks, went trick-or-treating without costumes, ate chinese food and watched The Big Chill, and shared a Tootsie Roll ;-)!!! Lots of fun!

So, now I am headed to bed, and ready to start a new day. Tomorrow I am going to get some school work done, as well as do some resting. Sunday is Youth Sunday, so I need to prepare a Children's Message. Ick...

Well, that's all for tonight!

Michelle

Don't Breathe...

2004-10-26T18:27:00.000-07:00

OK, last night, we had it with the plumbing, so Lindsey bought this chalk stuff and took matters into her own hands... The chalk itself irritated my throat, but not too bad. When they were done with that, they cleaned up the mess.........with BLEACH! So, yeah, it was bad. My lungs started burning, and by that time I had taken Tylenol PM, so I was drowsy anyways. I left the window wide open and fell asleep. I woke up this morning, and the window was shut, and I could barely breathe. My roommate had shut the window because she got hot (not thinking, obviously), and so all the fumes built up in my room... By the time I got to work, I was dizzy, had thrown up gray stuff, and my chest hurt so bad! I got sent home, and spent the day in bed. The maintenance men came back, and ended up having to tear out the plumbing in order to repair it! So, now that's done, and I still feel like crap.... I hope a good night of peaceful slumber will get me back to good!

Tomorrow's church... I now have a couple bucks I can use to put gas in my car. It seems that all my money is going to gas nowadays... I go to work, but I also drive to and from church on Wednesday and Sunday, and we had a youth council meeting and trip to Nashville in the past week... I guess there's a chunk of my cash!

Well, I am headed to bed. Yes, it's only 6:30, but I am exhausted, and I need my rest! I didn't get a chance to sleep last night--- too busy weazing!

Michelle

Another Monday... Ugh...

2004-10-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know, I should sound more enthusiastic. I don't think so.... I guess today kinda sucked... I am worn out, and stressed about absolutely nothing, so I feel really bad that I am so stressed in the first place. I went to pick up Parker today, and he was at home. No one had told me again.... AHHHH!!!! Then, I came home and there were 11 illegally parked cars, so I had to deal with that. Now, my roommate, who never studies, is freaking because she has a test and paper due tomorrow, and she has decided she will be in here all night. I told her I have to go to bed early, and she's not doing much work anyway, so I think that won't go far... I need to take an online test in a few minutes. I am going to wait until I move my laundry...

Tomorrow looks to be better... I have some classes, then work, oh and work before classes, but other than that, my night looks free! She's going to a concert, so I have some time to myself...

I am ready to go to bed! I know I still have to take a test, so that's not cool that I really want to sleep.... If I can just hold out one more hour!

Michelle

Ah, a lazy Saturday afternoon....

2004-10-23T13:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I am working on some serious stuff here- yeah, right... I am back from the Youth Council Meeting, and I am getting a few things taken care of... I needed to balance the checkbook, and other exciting cleaning tasks, so now I am going to work on my online class! Yeah, I know, that sounds thrilling! I think I might take a nap first! Sounds like a good idea!!!

Last night we went out to get Chris something to eat, and went out for a night on the town... I got serenaded at Johnny's, as usual, and we watched a movie. I took him out for a celebratory lunch yesterday too, so that was a big day! Today, we had a meeting EARLY in the morning in West Nashville, and now we are back. He's working on a paper, and I am going to get a few things done!

Tonight, we have another movie here, so I think that's the plan, along with a frozen pizza! Yippee!!!

Michelle

The Week's Almost Over!!

2004-10-21T22:18:00.000-07:00

I think my second-favorite part of breaks from school is the fact that the rest of the week is sooooo short!!! Yippee!! It was great to go to classes for two days, then to have tomorrow of classes, just working! I know it's weird to think that something so significant could bring such joy, but I have had a lot of stress over the past few weeks, and I would love to have some time for me... Yeah, people always say that, but right now I feel like I give to everyone else, and yes, I do get a lot in return, but I think I put myself aside for other people... Well, enough about me... See? Doing it again...

Tomorrow we are going to watch the movies that we got through the Netflix free trial... That should be fun! As soon as we get them watched, we mail them back in, and get some new ones sent, so it will be nice to get as many as we can watch each month! I guess we can give it a try! We went through the list and picked some movies for the upcoming selections, and there were some great ones- I was touched that Chris went to the romance page so I could get some good girlie movies! That was so sweet...

My prayers are with those tonight who are struggling with different issues... We have to remember that no matter what happens, life does go on, and we are all here for a purpose. There are obstacles that are put in our paths to teach us great lessons... Almost all of the time, we don't know the lesson until we have lived it! God only gives us as much as we can handle, though I feel at times I have had my share! ;-) Also...

Life is a balance of holding on, and letting go...
(Yes, the quote from Keith's album has come back yet again!)

Michelle

Fall Break's Almost Over...

2004-10-18T19:24:00.000-07:00

Well, it's already Monday, and there's only one more day left of break. I have to work tomorrow, so the vacation's over tonight... I will spend all day tomorrow working on some papers... Yippee!!

Today was spent at the mall! Yeah, I got my dream come true, but without the endless supply of cash! Then, we headed to the church to put together a ping pong table, so that was fun... Finally got home a little bit ago, and cleaned up some stuff- the laundry's in right now. I am ready for the day tomorrow! It will be an exciting week, ok, not really... I was trying to throw some optimism in there...

I am going to read a book and after laundry's done, settle into bed and read until time to sleep! Yeah, it's been a few days since I had to get up early! I hope I can do it!

Michelle

:-) ;-) :-) ;-) :-) ;-) :-) ;-)

It's been a while...

2004-10-16T23:01:00.000-07:00

Man, it seems like it has been so long since I last posted... Things have been so tumultuous... I feel like I haven't even had time to breathe! Right now, I am finally feeling the calm of what is supposed to be a break! Tomorrow, we are headed to a little getaway after church and such. I need a break- I took Monday off work, so that should get my some time to not worry about being late for work! I just want to sit back and relax before the break slips away!

Today, on Sweetest Day, which Chris still denies even exists, we ate leftover Chinese food, went to the mall and bought forks, and shopped at Wal-Mart for Drano and Kleenexes... Yes, that's romance right there! Actually, I had a really good time with him- we ate pretzels from Auntie Annie's for dinner, and he splattered marinara sauce all over his pants and mine! We shopped around, he got the testosterone fill at Sears tool dept. and I got my fill in Vicki's and the Christmas Shoppe... He even kicked off the Christmas season with a kiss under a sign that SAYS mistletoe... I don't know if that counts... :-)

Well, I am off to bed... I had been feeling sucky today, but that trip out really cheered me up! It was a rough day, but it is getting better...

Michelle

Mondays suck... I know, that was hard to figure out...

2004-10-11T22:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I officially concluded that Mondays suck... I got to work this morning at 6:45am and the lady walks out into the kitchen and asks me "what are you doing here?" That was NOT the right question to ask this morning! It seems that plans changed since more people came into town, and I wasn't needed til later! It ended up being ok, because I needed to leave early anyway, so I got some hours in. We went to Chuck E. Cheese, and I got to eat pizza that I think tried to kill me! I have an exam tomorrow, and I think I am pretty well prepared, but I don't want to jinx myself, so I am going to say that I still have some work to do! ;-)

Tomorrow's the exam in one class, then on Wednesday is the exam in Dr. Steele's other class! I never get a break! The good news is that come Wednesday evening, I don't have church AND I am done with my tests for before Fall Break! I would love to work on a paper on Wednesday night, and maybe turn something in soon after?!?!

I decided to make Michael a CD for his birthday, since I am not able to give him much else. I think he will like this one... I know I like making it! ;-)

Well, that's all for tonight! I went to the library and got some books, had a little emotional breakdown, nothing out of the ordinary! ;-) Ah, the life of a woman! Heheheehe...

Michelle

Ayayay, do I ever get time to think???

2004-10-10T22:37:00.000-07:00

Ok, I came to the realization that I have had no time to THINK lately- I have always had something going on- clouding my brain!!! I can't wait to have a couple of days that I can just vegetate!!! This will be AMAZING!!!

Fall break starts Friday... I have some jobs I need to do that day, but it's a pretty slim day!!! Saturday, all I have is Upward Bound, then I am free for the day! Sunday- just Church!! Monday, I am off work!!!! and Tuesday, all I have is work!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!! This will be great!!!

Ok, I forgot to mention the week of torture I will be going through before then! I have two exams this week- Tuesday and Wednesday... They are the same teacher, and they are supposed to suck big time!! So, I need to work on that beginning tomorrow afternoon- after I get home from working all day!

Ah, now I am getting ready for bed, and the tylenol pm is kicking in! I am having a hard time sleeping- I have some emotional issues right now- and my head is killing me, so the tylenol helps!

That's all for now! More tomorrow... if I survive!

Michelle

Ok, Here Goes...

2004-10-07T20:30:00.000-07:00

Ok, I usually don't take this long once I open the page to sit down and actually make the post... I opened the page, then Lindsey came in to talk to me... I sent her to do my shopping... :-) So, that's good- she's going to get me a salad too... I have had a craving for one since earlier this evening... Suddenly I feel like eating pounds of lettuce... I have a feeling that might be a BAD idea!

Today I went to the doctor, and on the way I got a flat tire... So, Chris, instead of offering moral support, he went to fix the tire! The visit went well... Whether you like it or not, I will live another day- I know it doesn't feel like it right now! I have to go get my blood sucked tomorrow morning, so that should be a party!

Tomorrow night's the overnight... I am so exhausted all ready, so I think we will run over the Bible study, watch some movies, eat and sleep. I was pretty smart about putting the starting time so late- they are bound to be tired after a few hours!

Well, that's all for tonight!

Michelle

It's Almost Over!!!

2004-10-07T09:46:00.000-07:00

Thursday!!! FINALLY!!! I am so excited!!! I have one more day of the week to get through, then I am DONE! Today I am doing some research and preparing for my two exams next week! Then, at 2:15, we are headed to the doctor's so I can figure out what's wrong with me!! Then, I book it to the Tobin's and make them dinner... I will be home at 7:30pm, so I can study til my heart's content! I hope to get it all done tonight, so I don't have to worry about it Saturday when I get back from the overnight! I have to prepare for the fact that I might not be up to working- that night's gonna wear me out!

Well, I better get to work! I have a lot to do, and not much time to do it!

Michelle

Man, It's Already Been A Rough Day...

2004-10-04T21:46:00.000-07:00

You know, I have had such a hard day... I mean, it hasn't been miserable, but it's been rough... I woke up this morning late, after giving up on studying last night in order to go to bed at a decent hour... So, I went and took my exam. I thought I did well, but I don't want to jinx it! So, then I came back to the computer lab and typed up a resume- it was Career Fair day and I forgot! So, I got that done, ate lunch with Chris, then headed upstairs to the fair! I talked to a lot of good reps, and got a lot of information to think about... I know, in the past week, there have been a lot of decisions, opportunities in my life...

I have to go to the doctor on Thursday... Well, it was either that or November 8th! So, I picked Thursday and rearranged my schedule. I have still been feeling miserable. I just feel so used to it- I don't even notice the pain anymore, except when it's shooting... I have been taught not to let the pain show, and other that tears streaming down my face, I have felt so strange to let anyone know how miserable I have been... I am also scared to death...

So, I have a new dilemma... I know something is wrong, but I don't want to focus on it... I look for distraction and I see looking at my future... I don't want to be pessimistic, but I don't want to focus on something that may not happen. I am not saying death, I am saying that may not be an option for me... I am looking at what I want now, and where I am at... It's inspiring, but kinda scary...

Chris is writing a paper tonight... I know he was reading like crazy today, so I hope he does well! I know he has been busy lately, but I know he is doing well with everything. I am so thankful to have him here with me... I know I would not have made it this far without him... I love him so much for all that he has done for me these past months, and for what I can see in the future everytime I see him smile...

Well, I want to go to bed by midnight tonight- this is my goal... I am aiming for more like 11:30 or so... I ate dinner at the cafeteria tonight, and spent a lot of the night chatting with Adam, Chris's friend. I always appreciate a little humor, and some male insight into humans... Ok, chicks...

Well, I am going to finish watching this movie... It's really good!
I missed the beginning because of talking with people downstairs, so I guess I will catch the next showing in a few days or so...

Michelle

Now I am Moved in....

2004-09-30T19:10:00.000-07:00

Tonight was Steak and Shrimp night in the cafeteria... It was good- actually, you only got one... That sucked... Why don't they call it Steak OR Shrimp night?? Hmmmmm.....

Well, I love the fact that I had to move last night, and that I had no room to fit the fridge in and PLUG IT IN, so I left it out in the hall... I don't get told not to do that til after midnight, when i would like to go to bed... Yeah, like I would leave it in the old room! HA! I have had destruction and deception with roommates before, and I was not going to chance a fridge... So, I moved it in the room and it's in the middle of the floor... Now, I hit my foot when I get up to go to the bathroom... Yeah, that's a lot more safe than in the hall... Whatever...

Chris is watching the debate tonight... I am gonna do some school work and eat some Froot Loops... They were on sale REALLY cheap, so I got some. YUM!!!

Michelle

A New Day, A New Room...

2004-09-30T08:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I am now in my new room, and I like the fact that I could sleep last night!!! It's been great so far, but today we are going to move furniture around to make everything fit!

I have two major exams today, and I didn't get as much review as I had wanted, since I was still moving stuff off my bed and finding homes for things at about 11:30pm... I had already studied, so I should be quite alright...

Well, I am still not feeling well, but I am getting really used to this now!

Have a good day!

Michelle

What a Day Yesterday....

2004-09-29T10:59:00.000-07:00

Well, it was quite a rough day yesterday! I had classes, and went to health services and told them how icky I was feeling... They did blood work, and I should know something by Friday... So, I evaluated how rough the living situation has been, and how I (like most other people) desperately need more than 5 or 6 hours of sleep each night! I talked with Jason about what housing has done for me... NOTHING... and I decided to give in and move... It's sad that it comes down to that- I shouldn't have to pick up everything and move because they wouldn't let me do something that they offered to others, and now I am stuck with someone who has no regard for other people... Her little world is the only one that exists... I am supposed to move out tonight... And, to kick off my last night of sleeping here in the room last night, I went to bed doubled-over in pain, and she left that light on and ate pumpkin seeds (the noisiest snack EVER) until 1 or 2am... Then, at 6am her alarm went off and she flicked the lights back on to study... WTF???? Yes, I got 4 hours of sleep, give or take a few minutes.... I sat up in bed and just looked at her with contempt... That was the worst night of sleep EVER!!!

So, I will be moving down the hall, I believe, with people who show respect for the need of sleep... Who know night from day... Who don't condemn you based on your beliefs and choices in life... Who would have thought that I would have been put in the position all so that housing could make a buck... That's pathetic... I am so disappointed in their actions...

So, I have to get some stuff together for my tests tomorrow. I know I won't have time to review tonight, since I have church, then I have to move everything... I better get going now...

Good day to all!

Michelle

My Goodness, I am EXHAUSTED!!!

2004-09-27T21:45:00.000-07:00

I just want to sleep now, but I know that won't be possible for a little while longer... I am so tired today, and I am hoping I won't have a hard time getting any sleep!!!

Today started out kinda different, since it was Monday and in my biological clock the alarm is set for 9:40am... Well, I was up at 7:50am with a call from Chris, since we needed to go to the bank this morning... I got up and brushed my teeth and washed my face... I stumbled downstairs and set off to the bank with him... We finally got that taken care of, and we were running late, so we went ahead and got his brother too... Ok, so I got back in town in time to get a shower and head out! Got that done and came back to my room... Lemme tell you, my roommate seems to think that night is day, so at night, when she's studying, I am trying to sleep! and I try to be quiet! In the daytime, in fact all day today, she SLEPT, so I was trying to be quiet too! Finally I gave up and came in slamming things.... Oh well, like I don't hear when she spit-sprays her ironing in the morning!!! So, now she went to get food for another late-night studying, and I am going to bed with an ickiness that won't go away... I am thinking something's definitely up... I will go see a doctor when I can pencil him in!

Tomorrow should be nice, since I get to sleep in a little bit!!! It turns out that I am not needed in the morning for work, so I can sleep the extra 2 1/2 hours!!! YEAH!!! So, I go to classes, take a little nap after, then head to work, then back for dinner and an extra algebra tutoring session in the library... I already reserved the room for 8pm tomorrow night... I want to watch a movie, and I am hoping Chris will join me! So, I got her to go to the library for the evening, and that way we will both have time to do what we want!

Ah, I can't wait to get through this week!!! Come Friday evening, I will be celebrating! The thought of sleeping in on Saturday again is sounding WONDERFUL right now!

Good night all!

~Michelle

Ok, let's try this again...

2004-09-26T22:26:00.000-07:00

Ok, I got half-way through my post and something happened and it got erased... So, here it goes again! I got up at the buttcrack of dawn to go to church and get all kinds of stuff done so that the youth could leave us with the bulk of the work and go about their lazy Sunday afternoons... It's so funny how they have other plans, and yet they expect for us not to! Just an interesting thought... Ok, now that's out...

I came home and dropped Chris off... He went to watch a game, and told me I needed a nap, so I went to Wal-Mart to get some stuff done... I needed a few things, and decided to pick up something special for myself- I needed it today! And, what do you know? I knew just what I liked! ;-)

So, then I called Chris and he was at the Clarksville ball field. Go figure... we got pizza and watched tv for most of the night! It was nice to see him, and I am sorry I wasn't in a better mood. I have had a hard time sleeping- some things have been nagging on me... I have also had a headache and a low-grade nausea for the past week... I guess saltines and ginger ale will be my friend for a few more days, at least until I get this figured out!

So, I start another school week tomorrow! I am not as thrilled as I sound... On the good side, I get the day off of work, so I will get to come back from class and not feel too stressed about getting across town... That will be nice!

It's nights like these that I wish I had a bathtub! I would love to soak in the tub and relax... But, alas, I am not that lucky on a night like this- I am left with attempting to cuddle in bed and maybe pass out from the tylenol pm... I know, it's a beautiful picture!

Good night all!

Michelle

What a Day, What a Day....

2004-09-24T19:34:00.000-07:00

Well, it was a very, very busy Friday! I woke up and kinda hung out in bed for part of the morning, but then I got up and met Chris before his Food Service meeting... After that, we headed to town to go speak to my friends at Cricket... That went well. We got the account straightened out... I am no longer Michelle Winn... It was good while it lasted! ;-) HAHAHAHHAAHA!!! Anyways, they gave me the 100 minutes I should have had a while ago, but now I have 4 days to use them! So, I am gonna have a long talk with someone before then!

Chris is at his game right now, and I am so exhausted from doing laundry and baking cookies (only 1/2 of them turned out!), so I am going to hang out in bed until he gets back from the game!

That's all for now! I am sure something more exciting will happen tomorrow!

Michelle

THANK YOU TO MY HERO!!!

2004-09-23T22:56:00.000-07:00

I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE A SINCERE THANK YOU TO MY (STILL) HERO, CHRIS WINN, FOR HIS EFFORTS IN MAKING MY PARKING SITUATION A SAFER PLACE!!! I LOVE YOU FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE FOR US, AND MANY OF MY FELLOW-RESIDENTS HAVE AGREED!!! THANK YOU!

Ok, it was a busy day, and I felt miserable the whole time, so I guess it's just another Thursday for me! Yeah, every Thursday includes questioning by cops, alleged-shoplifting, and being stalked by a tall dark-haired girl who doesn't live in our dorm... I think I need to go to bed! It's too much for me today!

I am so touched by the fact that Chris fought for my right to park, and he doesn't even park there himself! So, he was more worried about my comfort and safety, and I love him for that! Thank you!

Michelle

Please Write Me a Ticket

2004-09-23T11:50:00.000-07:00

I came back from work today, and found that there were no BROWN parking spaces.... I am stressing the colors because Austin Peay, in all of its intelligence, decided to go with a colored parking system. Well, one would think that by the time you go to college, you should have mastered the concept of matching colors... SO, if you have a BROWN parking tag, you get to park in the BROWN, right??? And, if you have a GREEN parking tag, where would you park??? GREEN!!! And, if you have a RED, where would you park??? You get the point... So, I called campus police, because one of the same white-tagged parkers was STILL there since yesterday and no police had come by then, and the lady answering said she would PRAY FOR ME to find a space, because there was nothing beyond a ticket that they could do! Well, I was beyond enraged, since i hadn't seen a cop writing a ticket all semester, and there was a whole write-up about how tough they were cracking down... Right.... Well, CHris took matters into his own hands and identified their cars for the cops- he was just helping out... He figures that maybe they can't match colors.... so, he wrote it out for them! Idiots... So, instead of claiming that my illness and injury are more than they really are, and getting a handicapped tag, I PAID FOR HOUSING that would give me good parking (which is included in the 1,200 I pay for a semester here)... THEY DON'T!!! THEY HAVE GREEN SPOTS!!!! NOW, THEY ARE GETTING TICKETS, AND I STILL HAD TO PARK OUT IN BUMBLEF*#& and WALK to my dorm.... This sucks....

I am feeling miserable right now, so I will let you go....

Michelle

Life is a balance of holding on and letting go....

2004-09-21T23:21:00.000-07:00

I got the Keith Urban cd today at K-Mart. They had the best deal as far as I could see- sure, I was paying 10.99 instead of 9.88, but I got a free poster that is hanging over my bed as we speak... The cd is incredible, and I have listened to every single song a few times, and love them all.... Even Chris seemed to like one or two!

I am eagerly anticipating Monday, since my classmate from some sociology classes will be on the Oprah show. She is one of the 641 women who are now going to give birth to the Iraq Baby Boom, once the soldiers all came home and continued their families... That should be cool- she got a lot of good stuff!

Tomorrow Chris is going to see Daphne. She had surgery yesterday, and will still be in the hospital... We are taking them dinner on Thursday, when she gets home... I hear she is doing well, so that will be nice for him to get to see her!

All of my tests for this week have been moved to next week. All of the classes have different professors, but each one decided he wasn't as far along as he thought he was... So, next week I will have a test on three of the 5 different days.... Yippee for me!

Chris and I compared schedules tonight, since he got his new football games... Looks like we are going to have to schedule in some time together. Sure, I will see him here and there, but we might have to pencil in a date in almost two weeks from now- that looks like the next night we will both be available for the evening!

I got info on the AKD Sociology Honors Society, as well as the Sociology Club. I found out I have to have a money order for $47.00 for the honor society by Thursday, and now that I am looking at my checkbook, this is gonna wipe me out... Seems like I have been dishing out a lot of money here and there, and now the numbers are getting low... Sure I do need groceries and such, but I am gonna be a little tight from Thursday to Friday... I get paid Friday, but I have to keep in mind that I will have to start getting money together for GRE test and car insurance!!!!

Well, I guess that's all for tonight! Tomorrow is gonna be a busy day! I go to take my car to Chris, he brings me back here, I get ready and go to class, then we head to work, then youth group, then home and I crash.... Man, that sounds so exciting, I don't even wanna wake up for it! Oh well, it's life, and really, I am loving it so far....

Michelle :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

Wow, what a day...

2004-09-20T23:02:00.000-07:00

Well, I just have to say THANK YOU CHRIS! I hope we keep up the enforcing of the campus law, so that I may have somewhere to park when I come back on campus from work in the mornings!!!

It was a very long day, but I got a lot done! I woke up this morning and got ready, and Chris came over with the new coffee maker, so we had to hook that baby up! We got that going, and I went to class and everything was great. My test got moved in that class, mostly because we do NOTHING in there, and therefore we have nothing to test over!

In between my two classes, I found out about the details of the quiz I was having in theory. So, I ran to the cafeteria, got some food, and sat down to start studying... I had put my stuff down at a booth, and when I came back with my food, people were sitting there. So, to prove my point, I pulled my stuff out and sat right down with them... I started eating quickly and thumbing through my notes. They finally noticed and apologized. I said whatever and kept on reading...

The quiz wasn't that bad at all. I mean, at least I had a clue of what was going on for the test! That was done, and now I have some reading to do for that class tomorrow night!

I booked it out of that class and ran over to Harvill to pick up Chris. I don't think I stopped to say two words before we headed out to the parking lot. I saw before me three people (there were probably more) that did not have brown tags, but were parking in our spots... So, we ran to my car, but Chris whipped out the cell phone and called campus police on them! YAY!! My hero!

I dropped him off and headed to Clarksville High to pick up Parker... I was in such a hurry to get done with everything, but I ended up getting to the school too early. That's ok, I ended up getting some reading done in the car.

Then, we headed back to the house, and got there when the kids did... Got some homework done and had a snack, then I left and hit Wal-Mart before going to a meeting I had. After that, I finished grocery shopping, then headed home to do laundry... Now, I just went over my homework, and I am beyond exhausted. I am headed to bed, and I know I will have sweet dreams of my knight in shining armor. Hearing the keytones of a cell phone stil brings shivers up my spine.... ;-)

Michelle

Ok, try this again!

2004-09-19T00:10:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am gonna try this one again! I wrote a LONG post last night, then when I went to send it, there was a server error, which erased everything! I gave up and went to bed! Oh, well....

Today I went to Upward Bound and worked for the morning... After that, I decided to take a nap, which ended up longer than expected, maybe due to the fact that the band's drum line was practicing outside my WINDOW!!! So, I heard the same beat for about an hour... That sucked more than you could imagine!

We didn't go to Jazz on the Lawn because Kent and Daphne had to cancel. So, we went to O'Charley's to watch the game... That was a lot of fun! We ended up winning the game, which we finished watching back at my place... So, it was a good night, and now I am ready for bed!

I have had the most horrible headache today, and I had a nagging nausea and headache for the past three or four days... I hope I am not getting sick or something.. That would suck- I have tests and work this week- no time to be sick!

Michelle

P.S. Did i mention it's been over 7 months?

It's Already Almost Saturday...

2004-09-17T22:57:00.000-07:00

Man, I don't like it when the first day of the weekend goes so fast! That's crazy! I mean, I got up at a pretty early time, got some stuff done, but the day was just cranking by!

We headed out to Joelton earlier today, and I closed my bank account I got when I first started at MTSU. There are no branches near us, so I decided to close it and be done with it! Then, we headed back here and got some stuff taken care of on campus. Then, heading to Lowe's is always fun... There's nothing better than taking your love to roam around Lowe's on a Friday night! After that, we went to Outback, and had dinner... That was really good, but I am still way too full, and that went against the intentions I had when I first came in the restaurant! Oh well... Tomorrow's another day!

Tomorrow I have to get up and head to Kimbrough for three hours of tutoring. Then, I can come home and work on some homework while Chris has games... After that, he's gonna come over and put together my organizer table for next to my bed! Then, we are headed to pick up Kent and Daphne for Jazz on the Lawn, so I need to clean out my car! Yep, the whole weekend's busy from here on out! I am soooooo thrilled (not!)....

I guess I am going to head to bed now. I was not prepared to go to bed this early, but I really am tired, and if I turn the tv on, I am afraid I will keep watching and stay up too late!

Michelle :-) :-P :-) :-P :-) :-P :-) :-P :-) :-P

You Can't Handle the Truth!

2004-09-17T09:18:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday was a great day! I loved it because it was the last day of the schoolweek! There's nothing better than starting classes and knowing exactly how many hours and minutes you have for the rest of the week! :-) The classes were actually good, because the first class got cancelled, the second one I SPOKE in (it was African-American Families, where I am quite a minority! I made some comments and I am now known as a "sista")... Behavior in Organization was a really cool class- I think the people that dropped it thought it was going to be terribly boring! I wonder if he did that on purpose??? So, I got through that class, and I was DONE! I went back to burn CDs for Chris and do all my laundry and cleaning! I was proud of how hard I worked, and the place looks great now! I hope I can do a little more today, and keep it that way for a while!
Tonight, I am hoping to have a nice calm evening with Chris... We are going to eat dinner together- he has an Outback certificate, but I suggested pizza if it's bad weather. Now, I don't think it's bad weather, so I don't know what we will do! It doesn't matter either way- I don't care where we go, or if we have to share a burger from the $1 menu- I just like being with him and doing fun stuff! Anyways, tonight will be nice...
I have the intention of writing a paper today, and doing some other studying for some tests today... I am going to see how far that goes. I don't know what time he's coming over, but that will cut my studying short! I am going to get all I can done now!

Well, that's it for today! Hopefully, the weather will be great (fingers crossed), and i will enjoy my free day! Tomorrow morning I have to go to Kimbrough for Upward Bound at 8:45am! It's only three hours, so that won't be bad- in fact, I think it will be a lot of fun! Then, I can work on some studying before the Jazz on the Lawn tomorrow night... I hope this weather stays as sunny as it is right now, and that it's not a fleeting moment!

Michelle

Feeding Ducks is FUN!

2004-09-15T22:01:00.000-07:00

We went to Dunbar Cave Natural Area today, and fed the ducks and geese a whole loaf of bread! It seems so simple, but it was the coolest thing ever! I actually had a few of the geese eat the bread out of my had! I even got nipped at- it scared me at first, but I got over that... So, we sat and laughed, and I was in awe the whole time... My life seems so ridiculous when I look at these animals and how simple they make everything! To think that they spend their lives swimming around, seeing random people, and eating bread from strangers... Their most complex thought is whether or not they should eat the bread from a person's hand... I watched as one of the geese looked me over with the beady little eyes, then inched closer while letting out a nervous honk... I know it's a lot to think of the situation, but it made me feel good that the goose was so trusting after looking me over and hearing my voice...

Youth group was exciting tonight... I don't know if the kids thought I WAS a taxi service, but I think it's now clear that I am not! I am so exhausted from all that drama, and now I don't have laundry done, so I will be wearing a dress when I get up and head out at 6:30am to trial-run babysit. Then, I have classes til 2pm... After that, I am going to do some homework and clean... Maybe a nap too! I would love to lie in bed all day on Friday, so I think I will get a lot done tomorrow! That's motivation for me!

Well, I am headed to bed now. The Tylenol PM is kicking in...

Michelle

I Never Thought I Would Be Up This Early....

2004-09-15T08:04:00.000-07:00

I know, you look at the timestamp, and think 8am is not an early time, but I don't have to be up for another 1 1/2 hours, and now I can't get back to sleep! So, I am up, and I am going to lie around in bed and watch tv, something I haven't gotten to do in a while now!

Last night we went to Austin's and used the $25 gift certificate. We took 4 people on top of Chris and I, and we fed them all quite well! The food was good, and I had a good time chatting with everyone!

Today is going to be a nice calm day, at least I hope so... I just have two classes starting at 11:15, and both of them are fun, so this will be cool! We have church tonight, then we head to Tim's for some stuff.... That shouldn't be too busy! I am sick of these days where I don't stop until I hit the pillow!

Well, I am going to finish watching some tv! Catch you later!

Michelle