It's TUESDAY!!!

Yayy! It is about thirty minutes past midnight which means its June 22 my husband’s 26th birthday! We stayed up late just so that we could celebrate. I am so proud of him and realize how lucky I am to have such a wonderful husband. He takes care of me whether I’m happy or insanely angry; he is always there for me. Vince will swing by my work and drop off a nice homemade lunch if I forgot mine, and always seems to know when I’m craving chocolate. I can’t tell you how many bars of chocolate we have hidden around room ha ha, I think it’s the German in him that causes him to make sure there is chocolate available at all times. He is also excellent at repairing and fixing things that I break, and he just made an awesome chicken wire blockade to keep t he birds away from our strawberries. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if we hadn’t met. After all the likelihood of us ever meeting was pretty slim. I lived in California and he had moved to Arizona from Washington back in high school. Eventually he attended a very very rural community college in Thatcher AZ where I was talked into attending by my cousins. I was only there for 4 months and only really spoke to Vince on the LAST night I was in town before I flew back home, and he had girlfriend the entire time I was there. Anyways, I guess I’m just glad we were able to hit it off the last night before I left, otherwise I would have barely missed meeting my soul mate.

No More Back Breaking For My Husband

My husband has been laid off from his work for going on 7 months. Work picks up every summer until the fall but for some reason the work's just not there this year. He's worked there for 2 years, and on average his days are 12+ hours plus, but it involves back breaking work, and he often comes home with bloody hands from digging holes with steel bars for 15 hours. He was starting to lose interest, let's put it that way. After waiting and waiting and being told "next week" a thousand times, he decided he doesn't want to do it anymore, and applied at Starbucks. I looked into the benefits of Starbucks, and I can't believe how well they treat their employees!

Find one other company as involved in charities, and global outreach programs. . . and gives their PART TIME employees BENEFITS!!!!! It blows my mind. I really hope he gets the job, he's had one interview thus far, and has a follow up tomorrow, so I'm really pulling for him. He works at TMCC in the Microbiology Lab during the year and also tutors, but having this job will definitely give us benefits (after 120 days)that we need. I know that I've written about my dilemma about wanting to have a baby and whatnot, and now that I've wavered back and forth, Vince has taken a position against the idea. . . . for now haha. I'm just excited that maybe once we have insurance we can for once rest a little easier. Although he's athletic, he suffers from asthma, and has had two surgeries on his ankle. Insurance would definitely be peace of mind.

Anyways, for any of you reading this, wish him luck tomorrow for his interview!!!

Fly Fishing is an Art

So my husband's friend decided to take him out fly-fishing, and the first time he came back and was "skunked". . . meaning he hadn't caught any fish. He's been fishing since he could stand so I found it hard to believe, but after my first time fly fishing not only am I exhausted, but it's tough work!

First you've got to get the timing down without snagging anyone near you, the back cast is just as important as the forward cast. When casting you must also be aware of the slack you're supposed to be feeding, in order to have a distant cast. The toughest part by far was not getting tangled. I was fishing near the two others so it was tough to focus on fishing and not snagging them! I was told later that typically they get a ton of space between them, but Vince's friend wanted to monitor us, as we're amateurs, and he could get us out of a bind if need be.

Overall, we caught 4 trout and had a blast. I didn't catch one, neither did Vince. . . but it was a ton of fun either way. The best part of the day was seeing two bears on the way home. We stopped to take pictures of them, and Vince's friend actually got out of the truck to take a picture!

I can't wait to go again, maybe next time we'll catch enough fish to feed the family!

Friday Rodeo

Last night I went with my friend Ciara and my husband to the rodeo. I couldn’t believe how expensive the tickets were, $17!!! For some reason I just expected maybe $10-$12. It was a lot of fun but unfortunately EXTREMELY windy which made it harder to enjoy. I just can't believe how much those riders get whipped around when they're clinging on to those bucking horses with one hand. I can only imagine what that does to their back and neck. At on point I was walking on the bottom bleacher level to find some friends and was able to see some black Clydesdales up close pulling a carriage. I think there was six of them and they were soooo impressive. I mean I couldn't believe that size, apparently they weigh between 1600-2400lb. I was also impressed by the man with reins, I can't imagine training and steering 6 massive animals. I know nothing about the rodeo but sometimes I kind of feel bad for the calves that they tackle down by the neck or rope up by the neck and feet. They're pretty rough on them, at least from what I can see. I understand it's a sport and everything but sometimes their necks really get twisted pretty hard, especially when they're roped and don't know and continue to run. Anyways that was my Friday and those were some of my random thoughts.

does anyone like painting?

"Let's paint the bathroom, it's small, should be easy". Uggghhh! Whenever someone claims something is easy keep calm but walk swiftly in the other direction and pretend the conversation never took place.

Unfortunately, I did not take my own advice and got suckered into painting. I never have enjoyed painting. There is so much preparation, washing the walls, taping the woodwork and windows, pulling off switch plates etc. You realize during the process of taping that there are small areas that will be difficult to squeeze a paint brush in to but you continue on.

Now it is time to begin painting...the primer. That's right you want the paint job to look good and last so you start with primer. This is going to take forever! You pull the lid off stir the paint then pour it into the paint tray, tip the paint can back and now it begins. Paint drips down the side of the paint can all over your hand. You swear loudly but you are alone and get no sympathy. You dive in and begin painting, first the ceiling then the walls. Oh crap, I can't tell where I've painted, the primer is white and so is the current wall and ceiling. You stand back to inspect and see some missed areas, not realizing you are stepping into a small unnoticed pool of paint. The phone rings, nice time for a break so you run to catch the phone. After a 3 min conversation with your sister you decide you better get back to painting. As you walk back down the hallway you eye catches smudges of paint on the floor. Nooooooo! You then discover the paint on the soles of your old shoes! You finish off painting the primer and decide to let it dry over night. Maybe my husband will finish it for me but of course this a delusion because he hates painting too and it was part of the bargain you would do the painting and he would do put up the crown molding.

I still haven’t finished painting I don’t think I even like the paint color any more.

.....continued

So I realize that having a child right before I start the program which I've been working my ass off to get into, wouldn't be right. I have worked for my A's and someday I want to share this work ethic with my children. I know I have one of the best moms in the world but she only took a few college classes and then stopped going to school, and when my parent got married neither of them had a degree. Eventually they moved in with my dads parents while he attended Heald college to get a degree. My mom also became pregnant with me during that same time period. After thinking about this I've realized that in a way, I'm repeating exactly what my mom did. Both in our mid 20's living with our husbands parents and going to school. My parents always told me how wonderful it was to be a parent but at the same time emphasized how much stress it added. My dad constantly tells me "All I want you to focus on is getting that degree". I can't ignore my dads advice, after all he knows what it's like to live with parents, while going to school, and having a newborn. In a way my situation would be even more complicated because both Vince and I would also be going to school, where as my mom worked so at least there was someone bringing in a steady income. But my mom tells me that she really regrets not being able to be around as much as she would have like when I was a baby. I really don't want to repeat this, I want to prepare so that I can enjoy every moment. Overall I really want to set myself up so that when I have my first child I wont have to worry about making ends meet. I just wish I was more patient and time would fly by a little faster.

Have Some Class

I went to watch my husband play softball tonight, and we arrived a little bit early to the sports complex. Being early and not having any other teammates there just yet, we decided to watch the game ahead of ours, with two teams that he (my husband) had played in previous weeks. One team, we'll call them Team A, was all class. Their opponent however, Team B was drunk, and completely out of control. What's worse is the fact that not only did the team take part, but their fans as well!

The pitcher from Team A is a competitor, but doesn't do so without great sportsmanship. He's always at the top of his game, but never talked trash, and always seemed to have a good time (according to Vince, my husband). During this game however, he missed what would normally be a routine fly ball, and the opponents on Team B started cursing at him telling him how much he sucked. Now, the dropped fly ball was to team B's advantage, and yet they still felt the need to rub in in on this guy and for some reason try to get a rise out of him.

Next, Team B is still up to bat, and a lady strikes out. . . . Team B complains saying that she had only 1 strike, and deserved another chance. . . and the umpire AGREED after he had already previously called her out. The pitcher from Team A asks if the umpire remembered each pitch, he even reminded him of the foul ball on the first pitch which would equate to 2 strikes on the hitter. Finally the umpire stays with his original call and decides that she's out. All hell breaks loose. Now the fans are involved, cursing, throwing garbage at the fence (they couldn't throw it over, apparently being drunk was to the umpire's advantage).

There's a time and place for competitiveness, but with class. I don't understand how these people can go home and be happy with how they behaved after being so ridiculous. This type of behavior is frowned upon when children do it, but apparently the babysitter wasn't watching these 20-30-40 year olds, as they were definitely out of control.

I guess what I'm saying is, have some class, wherever you go. . . . oh, and Vince's team won.

Starbucks

My husband recently decided to look around for a new place to work to replace his construction job. Construction pays well but it's not dependable, hard on the body, and I really don't think that the employer cares AT all about the well being of their employees. I recommended that he check out Starbucks because I had heard that they offer INSURANCE TO PART TIME EMPLOYEES. I mean now days this is almost completely unheard of. Most students don't have insurance because their unable to work the hours required by most businesses, and it's extremely frustrating. I really wish that there were more business like Starbucks, who actually invest a little into the well being of their employees. The other day I was researching how much it would cost to purchase insurance privately and it was ridiculous. At least $150+ a month and the deductible was anywhere from $5000-$10000. I'm not for universal health care but I am definitely for Tort reform, which would ultimately decrease the costs of insurance.

Heart vs. Brain

Lately there has been a fierce battle going on between my brain and my heart. My husband and I are both students and working. We will not graduate with our degrees in nursing and radiology until 2013. However I REALLY REALLY would like to start a family. It's so easy just to say "hey lets just do it" because we live in a house where we don't have to pay rent and are not really financially burdened.By the time I graduate I will be 27, I know that is not an old age to have a child but I've always wanted to be a younger mom for some reason. At the same time I know that that there would be a HIGH HIGH chance that I would not graduate on time due to responsibilities of being a parent. I realize that it would make it extremely difficult to continue school, I live with my sister in law who has a young child and can see that she struggles. Sometimes I just get tired of living my life the "right" or "smart" way and planning everything out so strategically, I wish I didn't have to be so logical.

True Blood Tonight!!!!!!

I am not really a huge fan of "Twilight" but can tolerate it. . . "True Blood" on HBO however is a whole different story. I can't get enough of it. Fantasy is fantasy but I believe that the series captures what life would really be like in the bayou, with vampires haha. My husband Vince and I got into the series a while back and watched the first season in a matter of two days, then watched week to week as the second season progressed.

I don't know whether to consider this a spoiler alert, in fact you should already assume that since it involves vampires, and is on HBO, there is plenty of sex and violence. Vince and I raved to my parents about how wonderful this series is and when we rented the first DVD and viewed it with them it was a rude awakening as we had forgotten how graphic some scenes were when the series had just started.

If you enjoy a little fantasy with the lore of vampires (THEY DIE IN SUNLIGHT, NOT SPARKLE LIKE TWILIGHT). . . . . then you just might enjoy this series.

Today my husband went to Pyramid Lake with some of his friends to play disc golf and bocce ball, it was sooo tempting to go but I decided to stay back and try to get ahead on my classes instead. Nothing like staying in on a sunny Saturday doing homework. However it is kind of nice having the house to myself. I live with Vince’s parents, his sister & her husband and their 2 year old son Malik, and we have a roommate living in the basement. So you can imagine having an empty house is pretty rare. After being a computer zombie for a while and completing a few access exercises I decided to take a quick break and water the garden which is my new favorite hobby. I’m a beginner and pretty much have no idea what I’m doing but I really enjoy it. Right now I’m trying to grow Cherokee Purple tomatoes I heard they sell for around $4-$5 a pound at Raley’s, at least according to the 85 year old patient I spoke to on the phone a few weeks ago. He told me that his plant grew 6 FEET TALL!!! I highly doubt I will be that successful I’m just hoping I can keep mine alive at this point. We’re also growing 3 different types of peppers, corn, onions, cucumber, melon and strawberries. If anyone has any gardening tips let me know!

They Found Abby!

Abby Sunderland, a 16 year old trying to become the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe has been found alive on her vessel. A few days back she reported 25 foot waves and 35 knot winds striking her boat before her communication was disconnected. Her ship has been badly crippled, and it appears that this may be the end of her attempt to make history.

I say it's about time.

16 years old, and she's all by herself on a boat for nearly 6 months? I realize she has the satellite luxuries of the internet, and vlogs as well. What gets me is: who the hell would let their 16 year old be on their own for 6 months. And beyond that, who the hell would let that same 16 year old be alone ON A BOAT, CIRCLING THE GLOBE. I realize that she's got an auto-pilot, and that her route was designed to avoid pirates and whatnot but come on! It's apparent that she really dodged a bullet with this storm, as it could have had a much sadder ending than not completing the circumnavigation. Her route has also been posted online for all to see. . . meaning that even though they planned to avoid pirates . . . who says one's not smart enough to "google" her and find out where she's headed?!?!

I'm glad that she's safe and will hopefully be with her family again soon, as they haven't yet retrieved her from her wounded boat. I question parents who let their young children view an R-rated film, but I'd almost venture to prosecute parents who allow a 16 year old risk their lives for fame that will make the news for a week tops.

Who knows. . . maybe they'll get a movie deal out of it. . . . I suppose that's motivation enough for some.

Confusion in the Media

Back in May I saw a news report about a "Free Gaza" flotilla travelling to the Gaza strip in order to give "badly needed aid" to those that were settled there. I then watched as Israeli commandos dropped down onto the ship from a helicopter, and all hell broke loose. The reporter, whether he meant to or not, presented the Israeli response as brutish and barbaric, and completely unnecessary. I mean after all, these people were just trying to help, they only believed in peace and harmony (according to this reporter). I felt as though I should feel terrible for these poor souls on the ship, as they were only trying to help. . . . right?

Days later, tapes were released of the communications between the Israeli military who had formed a blockade to stop such ships from passing, and these flotillas who attempt to get through and give "aid". The conversation went something like this:

Israeli radio: You are approaching a blockade and must turn around immediately, you will not be allowed through as this is an illegal act (or something to that effect)

The response was:

Flotilla Radio: Go back to Auschwitz.

Really? Auschwitz? I know that news reporters can only report what they're seeing, but to assume that the people on the boat were the actual victims, and not the Israeli government (our ally) is beyond me. I thought that reporters were supposed to report and not be partisan? Oh yes, this reminds me, later in the week I got to view the rest of the tape of these Israeli "commandos" dropping onto the deck of the ship, where they were greeted with steel. Yes that's right, the peace-loving folks on the flotilla who were only trying to help. . . beat the commandos with steel rods. At one point I saw 4 people swinging these rods on one soldier as he laid down limp on the deck of the ship.

Now you tell me. . . is it better to report something as it's happening, peppering in opinions here and there. . . swaying the public. . . before the facts are really known? I say if you don't know what you're talking about. . try not to talk. . . too many people are listening.