Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Magistra

So, today, it happened.

I finally started my tutoring. Which would be all fine and well, except that part of my tutoring is in a language I have never spoken!

(and, well, let's face it...no one speaks it!)

I am SO glad I took on this little summer project however. When Mrs. Emily said "oh yeah, the girls are starting their new school and they will be behind 1-3 years on Latin." I jumped all over that.

I have been super interested in Classical education since I read the book The Well Trained Mind, and when I almost took the job at a Classical school. The job would have been amazing except for the fact that the salary was 14,000 dollars for the year. I snubbed my nose at that when I shouldn't have, because I spent the next 8 months in a junky job, and the last 2 months unemployed! OH well, I could've never known I wouldn't get a teaching job that paid 30,000, right?

So, I ordered a Latin curriculum for the girls, and a teacher's manual for myself and Mrs. Emily to use, and I have been working ahead of the girls to get a feel for what the lessons are like, how the letters are said, and the flow of the program, and let me tell you, I am loving it!

If you ever want to learn a new language, research and order an elementary based program that goes up at least 4-5 levels. It works better than any other book based system I have seen (for adults,) because of how fast I can complete units. It's also very encouraging to be like "wow! I finished 3 lessons today, and have semi mastered 20-30 words!"

But, this book is written on a 2nd -3rd grade level, so it's not like I will be fluent by the end of the book, just familiar.

It makes me very excited to start learning Arabic, although that is going to be 50 times harder to learn, (umm, different alphabet, a "throat" language, and reading right to left is really going to throw me off.)

I don't really know if I'll keep going through the next books, but we'll see what happens. I don't think learning two new languages at the same time is wise, but, if I feel like I really enjoy learning Latin and that it is a relaxing rather than a stressful thing, then I might consider it.

Right. So our first Latin lesson went well today. I think the girls are a little overwhelmed with the new vowel sounds and all, but they are so bright, they caught on quickly. Now just to make things more creative, interesting, hands on, and entertaining!

*sigh* I love teaching.

(ps: Magistra means female teacher, and I told the girls they had to call me that! What a riot!)

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Remarkable

Our pastor started a new series this week, called "Church Remarkable," and this week's sermon was on Service. He touched on in the community, within the church, and international service, but focused in on how we should be serving our community and being a remarkable difference in our area.

Then, he had our ushers come forward with the offering bags (since when do we use bags? So strange.) and told us that this might be the only time you would be allowed to take something out of the plates. So, as the bags came by you or your family was supposed to take one envelope out of the bag.

To our surprise, there was cash in the envelope, and our pastor explained.

He told us there was two rules:
1. You can't spend it on yourself of immediate family.
2. You can't give it back to the church.

He said our mission was to "use the money in the envelope to bless someone, let them know which church you were with, and then to inspire more people by sharing your "remarkable" service story with our church, by posting about it HERE.

I was so shocked. In the envelopes, were cash bills for anywhere between 10- 100 dollars. It was so neat to immediately hear people talking about what they could do with their money to bless other people. Some people had a plan already of who they were going to bless with groceries, lawn care, free meal, while other people were simply going to see what opportunities presented itself in the next week or so.

Either way, it was definitely neat to leave the service with a mission, and fresh eyes to the needs in our community. I'll let you know what we figure out!

On a side note, this is a really special thing to see our church doing, because they just completed a massive building project and we still owe some on it. To take part of our budget and devote it to a service project like this means that we aren't all wrapped up in the number game, and is super encouraging!

It's about people, after all.

So, what do you think? How would you use your $10?

Saturday, June 27, 2009

On My Own

For a night anyways. Yesterday, Ian and I drove up to Jacksonville, for our friend Ben's wedding. Ian is a groomsmen, and we booked a hotel before realizing that all of the groomsmen were spending the night with Ben.

So, rather unexpectedly, I spent the night, by myself! So strange! We had picked the hotel, because I knew it was in a safe area and was very new.

Here is a little narration of my night, on my own!

8:28 Check in at the front desk. Lady is very, very nice. I make sure to smile and not look nervous. This is, after all, my first night alone in a hotel.

8:30 Park the car. Grab small overnight bag, hanging dress, and purse, and confidently walk in to hotel and take the elevator to my room.

8:32 Walk into room, asa gush of cigarette smoke rushes over me. Have I mentioned that I am allergic to cigarette smoke? Turn around and walk right back out and down to the lobby to ask (politely,) for a new room.

8:33 As I am waiting for nice front desk lady to reassign me to a room, I have a dawning revelation that I have turned into my parents. (this was usual practice, growing up, because my mom is also allergic to cigarette smoke.)

Holy Guacamole!

8:35 Nice lady finishes room reassigning. I apologize again and again and she smiles and tells me that is "no problem," and that she has "upgraded me for the inconvenience."

8:36 I'm not really sure what "upgrade," at a Hampton Inn means, and I figure that just means I have 10 more sq feet or something. Walk into new room and....

Holy Guacamole!

I have a kitchenette!
And a couch!
And a real desk!
And a super nice bathroom!
AND two King size beds....all to myself!

I like this upgrade stuff.

8:40 Finish exploring upgraded room. Unpack suitcase which is only just my cosmetics and a laptop.

8:45 Sign into free internet and catch up on blogs. I am a speed reader when I forget to comment (sorry!)

8:55 Change out of rehearsal dinner clothes

8:56 Explore kitchenette. Try to decide if that bag of microwave popcorn is pro bono or per diam. Hmmmm.

8:57 Go get ice from the ice machine. There is something very exciting about ice from the ice machine. I have many a wonderful memories of Heather and I skipping off gleefully to get our ice.

8:59 Double check to make sure I am locked in. Pull out Ian's groomsmen gift he had just received (erm, a Smith and Wesson knife) and leave it on the end table...just in case.

9:00 Find a melted cookies n creme chocolate bar in my purse. Score!

9:01 Set up lap desk and laptop so I can write this post.

9:02 Stare at TV Guide channel for 4 minutes, it's a special on Michael Jackson.

9:06 Flip the channel to Wife Swap, I like this show!

10:00 Proclaim "yay!" when I realize another episode of Wife Swap is on

10:00:30 Proclaim "boo!" when I realize it is an episode that I have seen.

10:02 Get sucked into HGTV show about picking a house.

11:00 Get up to brush teeth and wash face.

11:00:15 Realize I left almost all of my cosmetics either A.) on our bathroom counter in Orlando, of B.) in Ian's bag that he took with him to Ben's. (drat.)

11:02 Do some internet research, discover a 24 hour W@l-Mart is one mile away

11:15 Get re outfitted and call hubby to let him know I am heading out.

11:25 Arrive at the big W. Am a little nervous. There are some strange people at this store at 11:25

11:31 Am convinced I am being followed by man in a pony tail....duck and weave in aisles.

11:32 Phew, I lost him! Maybe he wasn't following me.

11:45 Acquired mousse (an essential,) shampoo, a comb, and toothpaste. And, People magazine. What? So sue me.

11:50 Check out and head back to the hotel.

11:55 Unload and snuggle into bed to watch more HGTV and to read half of my magazine. (only half, because I want to have something to read tomorrow, pre wedding.)

12:33 Decide to finally turn in for the night. I love hotel beds- they are so soft! I am looking for the continental breakfast in the morning.

Bring on the Waffles!

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Oh.My.Gawd!!

I had a minor scarring experience a little bit ago.

And in T@rget, non the less!

I was standing in the candy aisle, contemplating over whether I should buy Mike N Ikes, Watermelon Sour Patch, or Kit Kats, and this kid, at the end of the aisle, picked up his ringing cell phone ...

(ps, never give your 10 year old a cell phone, especially when you are shopping. right. next. to. him.)

Then, at the top of his lungs, this little chubster screams,

"Oh My Gawd! Michael Jackson is Dead!"

THEN he proceeds to throw himself down on the floor prostrate, flail his arms and legs, and yell "No more moon walk, no more moon walk!"

Then, his mom, throws her hands up by her face and proclaims,

"Oh my Gawd!"

And then,

(wait for it, wait for it,)

She cries.

Tears and all.

I was in complete shock. Complete shock people.

And then, from the next aisle, I heard a stock boy start humming "Smooth Criminal."

It was SO surreal.

Also, in case you were wondering, I picked all of the candy, and ran for the cashiers. I just had to get out of there.

Weird things happen to me in stores. Remember THIS?

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Blogging Book Goal- Book #18



I picked this little beauty up at the old "Friends of the Library," sale this past spring, for an astonishing 2 bucks! I just had to have it, because the author, Homer Hickam, is the author of the book Rocket Boys, which October Sky, the movie, is based off of.

And I just love me some October Sky.
Plus, Jake Gyllenhaal's smile just melts me everytime.

So, on the cover of my book, there is a quote by Stephen Coonts that says, "Homer Hickam is the best natural storyteller I've read in years."

I second that.
Seriously!

This book is a historical fiction, based off of some historical facts, which makes it even more intriguing!

Set on a fictitious island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, at the start of WWII, the story follows a band of islanders going about their business, when German U Boats (a type of sub,) begin wreaking havoc on the shipping lines.

Now, I know nothing about boats, torpedos, submarines, or the navy, but it was a very compelling story, and it had you wrapped around it's pretty little finger from the beginning. A mystery stretches the entire story (missing child!) plus there is romance (sigh, beach romances are my thing,) and lots of German words throughout.

So, that's a plus.

If you want to catch up on your German, that is.

I loved this book, and tore through the 54 chapters in 3 days! It was very clean (no to minimum language, and no gratuitous scenes,) though was slightly graphic since it was a book on war and devastation.

Great book. And, now that I have stalked Homer Hickam's author site, I have found that there are a 3 more books in this series! Plus he has a brand new one that looks AMAZING....

And now, I am off to scour our 30 books that we have brought with us for the summer, to find something that looks remotely interesting. I will purchase "Red Helmet," as soon as possible, but I'm really craving some new stories from Terri Blackstock, which I will probably hunt down in the next day or so!

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Girl-i-fied

I was thinking about it today, and discussing with Ian and then Katie, about how much more "girly," I am now, then I was two years ago.

I used to not care if we ran around outside, playing football, going rock climbing, working out, playing with the kiddos outisde.... it didn't matter!

All of a sudden, it's a big pain though. Not because I don't like doing those things, but because if I do those things, I will have to shower, and refix my hair!

Let me explain. I have super thick, long, curly hair. So when I shower, which is usually about 20 minutes long, and get out, I have to wait about 20-30 minutes for my hair to be dry enough to do anything with it.

And in case you have been living under a rock, and are wondering why I just don't take a blow dryer to it, let me just tell you that blow dryers + curly hair = 1970's afro. Not so good.

Then, once I take the 3-5 minutes to actually FIX my hair, it takes another 2-3 hours for it to be dry!

Seriously.

My hair holds onto water like it's in the Mojave Desert.

Sheesh.

So, by the time that's all clean, fixed, and dried, it is 3-4 hours later. And if I get all hot and sweaty, I'd have to Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

No, thank you.

Besides, I value my time greatly (well, not so much right now, seeing as I am the unemployed married woman living with her inlaws,) but I do understand the value and worth of a two hour block of time, and I don't want to be wasting that much time if necessary.

So, for instance, today, when our college group met for a game of Ultimate Frisbee, I opted out, and sat on the sidelines. It actually didn't even look fun, because I knew how hot and sweaty everyone was.

So, that's it. Just my thoughts on the matter, and how I have noticed how I have changed over the past couple of years and left my childhood stage of being carefree and messy!

Also, my new mantra just might be ....

"I don't mind getting dirty, as long as I can get clean again."

Jane in Maine

So, when I was a junior in high school, my best friend, Jane, and her mom (also Jane,) and Grandma (I have no clue what her name is...just grandma,) decided to go on a labor day weekend trip to Maine.

And I got to go!

I was SO excited, but we didn't really think through how illogical it was to take a weekend, fly from FL to New Hampshire, then drive 6 hours or so into Maine, spend two days in Maine, then repeat the whole process on the way home.

It was SO illogical.

I digress.

So we head to Maine (because that's where Jane Sr and her momma wanted to move to....because of all of the lobster and moose *I am not making this stuff up,*) and the whole trip was pretty loopy.

Maybe I should preface the rest of this disjointed tale by telling you that Jane Sr is, um, a free spirit. A very colorful lady that could always make me laugh. Her daughter is the same way, just a funny person who you love instantly because of how bright their personality is.

Lucky for us, I was the super cool teenager who L-O-V-E-D to film everything on my super cool video camera (ya know, the kind with the tape!) So I have almost the entire trip on film.

Seriously.

Right. Loopy trip. As it turns out Jane Sr wasn't so great at the whole "reading a map," thing, or "booking a motel where we won't get mugged," thing. So Jane jr and I took over, mapping the way and finding a new motel (did I mention we were 16?) and generally keeping us alive and sane.

We went to Bar Harbor, Maine, after a night in Portland, and got to go hiking! Now, I think I am a pretty seasoned casual hiker. My parents raised me going hiking and tromping through the woods since I was little, and Jane jr got to come on a family vacation to the mountains so she was pretty comfortable as well.

Well, turns out her momma wasn't so seasoned. Raw would be a good term. First of all she brought her rolling suitcase (that has straps,) to wear as a hiking backpack, haha. And she chose a really hard trail to hike, with some actual rock climbing interlaced into the hiking. And she wore a skirt over her pants! (I told you this lady was hysterical!)

So, we set out hiking, and about 1/4 of a mile in, we stop, because Jane Sr has fallen behind and is splayed out on a rock comically calling for "Oxygen! Oxygen! I need Oxygen!"

Talk about theatrics! I could barely keep it in. Most of the time, when you don't want to laugh AT someone, you might have to resort to using sarcasm as a cover method. That's my tool of trade.

Anyways, here is a little clip from our experience. Sorry for the horrible camera work, I never claimed to be good! Don't forget to scroll to the bottom and pause the music so that you can hear her calls for "Oxygen!"

Friday, June 19, 2009

Favorite Wedding Pictures 3.0

Although my computer is still in a coma, I think that I will be able to squeeze out a couple more of these wedding posts because my wonderful husband has alot of our files backed up on his external hardrive! Hurray!

Check it out:
Favorite 1.0
Favorite 1.5
Favorite 2.0

Today's is all about the men. My man specifically, but, all of the other men involved too.


(isn't he handsome?)

Ian was so in awe of the whole wedding process, because he had never been to a wedding before! Now, one year later, this is old news to him, because since our wedding he has been to four or five weddings. I'm so glad our wedding was his first, because he really was in wonder at the whole thing, and was interested in hearing about the customs and traditions that we were incorporating.

Ian has a pretty tight knit group of guys, who, all but one, grew up together! Ian has two brothers, Sid (older,) and Andrew (younger,) who were groomsmen as well!









Thursday, June 18, 2009

Minor Tragedy

Rest in Peace
HP Pavillion zv6000

You were a wonderful little computer.
I am amazed at the length of your life...
4 years of me dragging you all over tarnation!

And technically your mind (umm hardrive) is still alive and kicking.

It's just that your battery died over a year ago, so your life line has been your power cord.

And now, that is no longer working.

Also, it is making a scary ticking sound, so I will have to call the bomb squad on that thing.

But dear compy. It makes no sense to replace your battery and/or powercord, for that would cost us over 100 dollars, and, though I hate to admit it, we were already going to replace you come salary time in September.

So for now, dear old computer, adieu.
Also, it's kind of adieu forever, unless we can recover your hardrive. Just FYI.

Love,
Brittney

PS: This means that my blog posts might be a little delayed. Luckily, almost everything has been backed up on my husband's external hardrive (he's such a nerd, but a very prepared nerd,) so we should be able to operate somewhat normally soon.

I'm just not sure if we are going to get my new computer right away, due to the no income thing right now, but I am having a hard time imagining us sharing a computer, seeing as we both read for hours at a time on it.....

Hmmm, maybe this will be a healthy separation from our computers! (or just mine, rather.)

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Favorite Wedding Pictures 2.0

All week, I am recapping out wedding with posts on our favorite wedding pictures (we had an amazing photographer!) in celebration of our one year anniversary.

Make sure to check out


This post is all about the bridesmaids! Let me first tell you though, that I have 3 wedding regrets, and they all have to do with my poor planning with the photographer.

#1 I regret not making a specific list of photos/poses that I wanted taken
#2 I regret not asking for individual shots of my wedding party
#3 I regret not getting pictures with my flowergirl AND ring bearer

There are other poses that I wanted, like me with the groomsmen, Ian with the bridesmaids, and in locations (we hardly took any inside our venue - an old courthouse turned history museum!) but those three regrets are the most specific, and they are also my fault! I knew I was supposed to make up a list, I just put it off.

Let me explain #2, because I know this isn't often done. My thinking is this: all of bridesmaids/groomsmen/flower girl/ring bearer/family of the bride or groom, have put alot of time, effort, and money into being there and looking good. They all looked so wonderful! It would have taken an extra 5-10 minutes top to get individuals of all my girls, and I know they would have loved to have them (after all, we live in a profile picture society.)

All that to say, here are some of my favorite pictures with just the girls:


















Favorite Wedding Pictures 1.5

I'm doing a week of wedding pictures and memories, in celebration of our one year anniversary!

Make sure you check out:


Favorite Wedding Pictures 1.0


Today's post is short because the event that was captured happened so quickly, that all of the pictures were taken by bridesmaid, because my photographer was outside taking pictures of the men.


Alright, so here is what happened....


First off, know that we aren't superstitious, but Ian and I held very tightly to the custom of the groom not seeing the bride until she walks down the aisle.

However, no one ever said that the bride can't see the groom!


The photographer took pictures of all of us ladies outside, and then we rushed inside to escape the heat and humidity that personifies Florida summers.


Then, the photographer took the guys out of their room, and took them outside to take pictures.


It dawned on me, waiting in the bridal room of our church, that there was a window, in the staircase of the balcony of our sanctuary, that offered a prime viewing area of the boys, without letting them see us back!


So I hitched up my dress, and went running, to see my handsome, dashing groom -to -be!

And the rest, is history.....












Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Favorite Wedding Pictures 1.0

This week, I will be posting several "Favorite Wedding Pictures," posts, and will try to link between all of them as well, so if you miss one, you can figure out which one!

Our wedding was held in the town that we "grew up," in, as in, not where we were born and spent our first 10 years, but we both moved here in late elementary school, and did our actual "growing up," right here in our little ol town/suburb.

I wanted a pretty traditional wedding, held inside our church, with a white gown, red flowers, and a host of our closest friends as bridesmaids and groomsmen.

The bridesmaids arrived at my home around 9 or 10 (I believe,) and I left shortly after to go get my hair done. I came back home and just sat back, relaxed, and had a good time watching all of the girls fix their hair, do their make up and joke around.

I really wasn't stressed before hand, honest! I just wanted to enjoy the day, and tried to keep the mentality of Que Sera, Sera (whatever will be, will be,) pumping through my head.

We got ready, and headed out to the church in the limo, where the photographer was all set to take a million pictures of just us girls.

This first post, is all about, well, me! These are some of my favorite portraits that were taken before the wedding!






















Monday, June 15, 2009

The Morning After....

Let me paint you a picture...

The morning after our wedding, Ian and I get up, get showered and packed, and head out from our hotel to go to our honeymoon destination (the Florida Keys.)

We get into the elevator. Ian leans over and gives me a kiss. You can hear birds in the air, the soundtrack to this morning is just lovely.

The elevator reaches the bottom floor, the doors whoosh open, and we step out of the elevator into the lobby ....

(this is the part where the beautiful soundtracks comes to a literal screeching stop,)

and there, in the lobby, is my DAD.

For reals folks.

I about had a heart attack.

I thought to myself "He knows what we just did!"

And, wouldn't you know, it was Father's Day, so I couldn't NOT talk to my dad (as much as I just wanted to melt into the ground and disappear, I couldn't deny him his fatherly rights of a chat and a hug on his father's day! **especially since I left no present!**)

So we quickly chatted, and then Ian and I made a beeline for our car which the valet had pulled up. And wouldn't you know it, my dad walked us to our car!

I was full to the brim with that embarrassment stuff.

Then we drove off into the sun (it had already risen,) and told ourselves that one day we would be able to laugh about this.

I will clarify that he was there for a reason.

Ian's tux needed to be returned, and my dress needed to be taken home.

So my Dad, the willing chauffeur, had shown up to pick the stuff up from the concierge, where we had arranged for it to be left.

Only, he came too early, and we weren't gone yet.

So he thought it prudent to wait until we came out, instead of waiting, oh, I don't know, in his car!

I can't believe some people CHOOSE to see their parents the night after their wedding. That's just odd! (sorry if that was you)

(One year later, Ian and I can hesitantly chuckle over it, but we aren't quite to the point of laughing about it yet.)

Sunday, June 14, 2009

One Year!

Happy one year anniversary to my sweet husband, Ian.

Our wedding day was perfect, just as we I had envisioned it. (haha)

It was Ian's first wedding EVER, as in, he had never been to one in his life, so of course he thought everything was perfect!

We said our vows,


Prayed for our marriage,



Danced our dance,


And were whisked away by a tunnel of sparkling well wishers.....



Happy Anniversary honey! I love you more than words can explain. You are my best friend, my soul mate, and are the man I am going to spend the rest of my days with.
Ian and I are headed over to the hotel we spent the night last June 14th! We are eating at our favorite Lebanese restaurant Cedars, and will be heading to the Universal theme parks on Monday (just like the day he proposed!)
*sigh* I'm so excited!

Saturday, June 13, 2009

On this Day,

On this Day Last year,

I had just gotten my nails done for the wedding,

Then had four of them ruined when practicing with the runner.


I Was harrassed by our family friends because I wasn't stressed enough,

But I kept my cool *almost* the entire day.


I pulled on my rehearsal dress, and felt horribly ugly (that's the worst feeling folks, especially 24 hours until your wedding.)

My only consolation was the fact that I would look beautiful in 24 hours.


I still had not printed out our programs for the wedding ceremony, because I had a vision for them,

Instead of just being cut and dry "here are the events," I wanted it to be detailed and on beautiful paper, instead of something everyone would instantly throw away.


I went to 3 different copy places, and it turns out my paper was too thick,

So I stayed up WAY late, hand feeding batches of 10 into my printer, one side at a time.


Our rehearsal went perfectly, except for one altercation with a grooms men's girlfriend, who wanted to chill with the men in the morning of the wedding as they got ready.

I corrected her on the proper etiquette of the day (NO!)


We had a beautiful rehearsal dinner, complete with maracas, sombreros, mariachi bands, and chimichangas.

Delightful!


My fiance drove me home and kissed me goodnight, one last time, before we would become man and wife!

Wonderful!

Sweet Niblets!

Our friend, Sam, has an older brother (Nate,) who is married to a wonderful lady named Amy. Nate does cool stuff with computers and Amy is a teacher.



Pictured, from left to right, Sam, Amy, and Nate.

So, Amy and Nate decided to do something cRaZy with their summer.......

Biking to Canada!!!!

As in, cycling. Ya know, the kind that actually uses man power, and not gasoline.

Isn't that just absolutely fascinating?

I would love to do something like that one day.

Only....I don't have the will power to do that.

And, to top it all off, they have a webpage!

Check out:

www.nathanandamy.com

And don't forget to Pull down on the tag!

Friday, June 12, 2009

Predicament

Earlier this week I was babysitting for the Vargas'. We spent the first five hours of the day swimming and playing hide-and-go-seek, but decided to spend our last hour or so up at the neighborhood park.

It's about a ten minute walk (with their short little legs,) and after all of that playing, the grumps were beginning to set in.

We got to the park and did our usual thing on the playground side, and when we switched and headed out to the swings, you can imagine my annoyance when one of the four swings was broken.

4 tired kids + only 3 swings = 1 very upset child and 1 very annoyed babysitter

So, I relegated the older girls to the big kid swings, and placed the youngest in the baby swing, because he fit into it still.

Poor little C, she just wanted to swing too!

So, what was my ingenious idea?


Have you ever wondered why baby swings have 4 leg holes? Like it was made for some sort of alien child.

Seriously!

At least it proved helpful this time!

That is, until I tried to take them OUT of the swing. Turns out, the rule of thumb of "what goes in may not always come out," is still applicable. Even with a 4 and 5 year old.

Don't worry, I eventually got them out.

They thought the whole thing was hilarious.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Abandonment

Sheer abandonment. That is how I would describe my day.

I forget how kids play with abandonment, especially on those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer.

I spent my morning/afternoon with the Vargas clan, swimming like wild monkeys. hmm, that analogy is a little weird, but I will just leave it for your kicks and giggles.

Right. Swimming like wild monkeys and trying not to drown as four children pounce on me. Then we got out after 3 hours and decided it would be a great plan to take a walk to the neighborhood park, where we swung and had ourselves a jolly good time.

Then I came back and collapsed at the house for an hour, after taking a gloriously long shower (I'm still getting used to having a normal sized water heater that keeps the hot water coming for more than 11.5 minutes, which is how long our apartment water heater worked.)

Then, I headed over to the Aldermans, where we "Sorry"ed it up (I got smoked by an 8 year old,) and then tried our hand at some Wii racing (I still got smoked by an 8 year old. Pathetic.)

And then, we made Peanut Butter Pie. Devine. Mostly like the one my sister posted about at "Sugar and Butter," except mine is more of a "use what you have," kind of recipe, so it included 4 spoonfuls of peanut butter, to use it all up, and cool whip, to keep it light and fluffy.

I left Mrs. Angela a piece in the fridge.

But then I remembered she is Mrs. Healthy now, so I might have given the kids permission to sneak it away. Maybe.

I don't want to be a temptation now, do I?

Then we all snuggled into bed so I could see the DVR'd episode of Jon and Kate Plus 8, which was rather lame this week, but the bed was moy moy relaxing, and I made a beeline for my home soon after.

Ian wants me to watch the Magic game, but let's face it, I'm really not interested.

Also, I have come to terms with the fact that my eyelids are drooping down to my knees due to the exhaustion.
And, I am so tired I will not even spellcheck this post. Or apologize for not spellchecking. So there!

Oh, to be able to live and play with the wild, carefree abandon that these kiddos do.

Tomorrow is an exciting day.
For sure.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Siesta Study!!

Anyone a Beth Moore fan?
Anyone looking for a summer Bible study that isn't terribly long but will be incredibly effective?

I am. Most definitely.

And, in case you didn't know it, she and her daughters (and maybe some other ladies as well,) have a blog over at The LPM Blog.

AND, they are hosting a summer Bible study, starting June 23rd, and lasting 6 weeks, which to me, was perfect timing, because that is way short for a study but ends right around the time that summer ends!

LPM is hosting Jennifer Rothschild's study called "Me, Myself, and Lies," and is about how to guard what we think and say about ourselves to...um...ourselves.

Hop on over to THIS post and read all about it. Let me know if you are interested in doing the study, and, if we're not able to find people locally to do it with(which is what is preferred,) we can be our own "small group!"

Then, either hop online to Lifeway or call one of their stores to order the book, ASAP, so that we can join in on the Siesta fun.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

When in Rome...

Do as the Romans do?

Bah.

I'm adjusting to life at the in-laws pretty well, I think.

You know, except for the fact that Ian and I just figured out that they have television! Seriously, we spent the last week not even bothering turning on the tv, and going to our friend's house to watch the NBA playoffs because they told us they got rid of their satellite.

Then, on Saturday, his mom and I were cooking dinner and she flipped on Animal Planet.

My jaw dropped and I asked how she did that!

She told me she pressed "on."

Hardy har har.

Apparently they just downgraded to a basic satellite package, which still means I must bother neighbors in order to see the TLC shows I love!

I think I am doing well with his parents and younger brother, though Andrew and I tend to amicably butt heads on a regular basis.

Ian and I are doing a good job at helping around the house and not just being leeches, which makes me feel alot better about this whole situation. Cleaning our bathroom, cooking, running errands, and cleaning the kitchen are some of the tasks we have found so far. I'm sure there will be more once everyone feels more settled.

I'm not doing so great with the dogs however. They have two small daschunds, about two/two and a half years old, and the boy one (D'Artagnon, Dart for short, who is named after a character from the Three Musketeers,) is not house trained! They are both "pad" trained, which is just a crock for not walking your dogs, and I think it is absolutely disgusting!

I about lost it tonight when Dart came into our room to say hello, stretched up his front paws onto our bed, and when I said "No." he proceeded to dribble all over our floor and our bedskirt. I was M-A-D. And the puppies are banned from our living space now.

I'm getting used to another aspect as well. The part where I've been gone for a year and all of my dearest and closest friends have gone and grown up and got their own lives. Not that it's bad, I just have to get used to different dynamics, and not expect things to be a certain way.

That's all for now. I'll keep you updated throughout the summer, and keep us in your prayers as we enter into week 2 of 12 of living with the in-laws.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Blogging Book Goal- Book #17

I have to tell ya'll, I am a little upset right now.

I just finished reading the book, The Shack, by WM Paul Young, and I am furious.

Not because he has God represented by a woman or anything (which is one of the biggest problems most people have with his book....that and all of the theology is screwy,) but because how he tricks his reader!

I'm all for clever authorship, but, when an author prefaces his book by saying that the story he is telling is a true story from his friend Mac, and that his friend Mac tries to remember all of the details as clearly as possible, but obviously, over time, details are lost, you tend to believe the author.

THEN, you read the whole book, and you finish and think "excellent story! weird theology. I wonder if I can find any info on the real details of the story!"

THEN you hop onto google and find a blog entry by (it appears to be) WM Paul Young himself, saying none of that story was true! And that he just wrote the book for his kids, to represent the sorrow and anguish he has gone through.

I feel foolish, and despite liking the story, I am not recommending it to anyone!

See what writing falsified information brings you? Bad publicity.

Seriously though, I'm not sure if any of that nonsense made sense, but I just want you to know that I definitely don't recommend this book. If you are looking for something to clear up issues you have with God and other theological issues, try the Bible, not some guys invented story of his time with God.

And if you meet anyone who has read it and recommends it, tell them that none of it is true and see how they react. Probably full of rage, because that is similar to how I was feeling when I started writing this. Hmmm, blogging IS really cathartic.


Sheesh.

Also, I blame you Sam, for lending me your book. I am now writing sad faces in all of the pages.

*****

On to read my next book, by a real author Mr. Clive Staples Lewis himself!

Friday, June 5, 2009

Smack Dab In The Middle of Death

How do I get myself into these situations?

I was driving from the house to the bank and back again, a trip that would take less than five minutes, and the first part had gone smoothly.

As in, I had gotten to the bank safe and sound.

Then, Ian's Dad's weird deposit form worked, so that was a great feat.

And then it happened. Turning out of our bank, left onto a divided road, I pulled into the median waiting spot.

Traffic was pretty thick and heavy, especially in the lane I was trying to turn into, and so I had to wait a minute or two.

Which is alright, I'm not an impatient driver (mostly.)

But THEN, I spotted an opening, and I zoomed my little zoom-zoom out into traffic and began trucking along.

The following is what went through my head immediately after I turned into the (slow) traffic.

"Why is this lane so slow?"

"Why is that car in front of my using his emergency light?"

"Oh! The next several cars in front of me have their flashers on. "

"Weird. Must be some sort of accident."

"But why isn't it effecting the right lane?"

"And why is there 20 cars in front of me going 30 mph with their flashers on?"

"And why does the car behind me have their flashers on?"

"And why is there a hearse at the front of this line?"

......
......
......

"OH MY GOSH!!!! I TURNED INTO THE MIDDLE OF A FUNERAL PROCESSION!!!"

"I can't get over!!! (the panic is setting in) I need to get over!"

(no car in the right was going as slow as molasses like us, so I couldn't get over. And, as the panic settled, I thought....)

"Eh. Oh well. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. (turn on flashers, relax for the 1/2 mile until your neighborhood entrance.)



I am totally serious. I felt pretty horrible about that, but, in my defense, there wasn't a police escort! So how was I supposed to realize it was an active funeral procession and not just a hearse out for a spin?

Come on now.

Also, I would like to note, that I had to look up how to spell hearse. I thought it was hurse or hurst. My bad.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

On the Big Screen

One of my favorite things about summer, is the movies! Nothing beats the summertime blues than heading to the theater to watch a summer blockbuster.

I must tell you I am a big Indie fan (independent movies, that is, not the Indy race) but I prefer to view those type of movies in the privacy of my home....they tend to have much more to reflect on and think over.

Ian and I try to, as a rule, stay away from R rated movies. That doesn't mean that we won't go see one if it has gotten excellent reviews and the R rating is explained reasonably, but we try to protects ourselves somewhat from the ridiculous "culturalization," that occurs.

I tend to have an eclectic taste when it comes to movies. I love me some romatic comedies, but an action movie is just as exciting! The Horror/Thriller genre I stay away from, because I don't want to wet my bed (duh.)

Mystery/Suspense can come out really great, or really horrible, so that is always a coin toss. I wait until I hear raving reviews before I head out to that type of movie.

Anything Historical I will probbably like (darn you, Mom and Dad, for dragging me to almost every Civil War battlefield on the Eastern coast!)

Dramas are also a cointoss, not because they won't be good/interesting, but because it's very possible they are incredibly predictable and redundant.

And kids movies......well, Pixar/Disney are must sees, no matter what. It's Disney! And I'm a Florida girl, through and through, (though I will admit to not going to see Bolt. Shame Brittney, Shame!)

Teeny Bopper Movies- No thank you, I have never EVER been a fan. Except, um, The Lizzie McGuire Movie. What? Can't a 12 year old enjoy herself?

I'm sure I left out a ton of genres, but that's alright, because I covered enough. So now, ladies and gentlemen,

Brittney's Movies-To-See in 2009!
(insert trumpets and fanfare)

Transformers 2- Uh, hello! The first one was amazing, please tell me you have seen it!
Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince- Uh, yes, I will be Netflixing the rest to be reminded
UP- Going this weekend to see this one!
The Proposal- Sandra Bullock= Hilarious. Anyone a Miss. Congeniality fan?
The Ugly Truth-Kinda like a reverse Hitch...PLUS, I adore Gerard Butler (Phantom!)
Post Grad- Because Alexis Bledel/Gilmore Girls is my favorite
Gamer- Because....well... I just have a feeling I'll get dragged to this one by my husband and FIL

alright, this last one isn't released until October 16th, so it's not really a summer movie, but I am SO excited!

Where the Wild Things Are!

Oh, please oh please oh please, go here and watch the trailer, and let me know what you think! I love how they have captured so many of the illustrations into real life! It looks good!

Let me know if there are any big movies that I missed!

Monday, June 1, 2009

I've Got A Wrench In My Purse

Seriously.

And a TV Remote.
And a bunch of refridgerator magnets.
And a bag of screws.
And 3 wedding pictures.
And my husband's car title.

I might have put any and all important things in my purse so that I could find them post move.

And I may have forgotten I put them all there, and in a panic, tore apart our room looking for the screws.

Then, I may have just found the assortment of goodies in my purse.

Maybe.

**Move Update**
We are all settled into our new room at Ian's parents house, and are working on figuring out our roles. Ian is obviously right at home, because, well, it was his home! Me, I'm just getting used to a whole new family and how they run things, which is turning out to be very taxing.

We arrived in Orlando 20 minutes after our storage facility closed (darn it!) and had to unload everything into his parent's garage. Ian and his friend Tim will be moving things piece by piece with Tim's truck.

Pictures to come of our new "crib."