Happy Holidays!

Yup, I'm late. and yup, I've been a terrible blogger.  Maybe my cute little snow dog and a pretty decent picture of me & B will make up for it?

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season!

Good Stuff: November

Another month down. One to go for 2010. Seriously, where does the time go?

• Re-connections - I had been feeling pretty awful about myself lately for my lack of contact with a lot of people.  Not talking to the people you spent almost every moment with for four years in college is weird. And yes, I've been out of school for a while now, but it was really starting to bug me.  So, I've been working to make more phone calls, send more emails, and set specific plans.  It's been great to talk to some of my best girlfriends more regularly, and even see, or plan to see, a few of them :)

• Engagements - I guess I missed the memo that November is the month to get engaged.  Two of my best girlfriends from college got engaged in the last two weeks. The three of us all started dating our significant others around the same time and I've been anxiously awaiting them to join me in the old married woman category.  They're both planning weddings for this upcoming summer, which means lots of girl time in my near future with showers, and bachelorette parties, etc etc etc.

• Christmas Decorations - I know, this is about November, not December.  But who doesn't break out their Christmas decorations the weekend after Thanksgiving?!  Yup, our stockings are already hung, and the garland has been strung!

• Thanksgiving - I didn't do a whole post on Thanksgiving.  My apologies.  I was busy spending time with family and friends :)  It's a fantastic holiday that is all about spending time together and being thankful.  No worries about shopping and presents.  Just good quality family time.

• Planet Fitness - So I joined Planet Fitness.  I have joined, and re-joined Gold's Gym multiple times, and back in the day was a member of the YMCA.  The Y had too many pre-teens, and Gold's had too many 'body builders'. So far, I am extremely happy with PF.  Neither of the aforementioned groups frequent PF, and although there's also the old ladies that think walking around naked in the locker room is acceptable, its been my kind of place.  They don't have group fitness classes, which is really the only drawback I've found.  Plenty of cardio and weight machines, plenty of TVs, and my location is fairly new which means its clean and things still work!  They also have a 30 minute express workout area, which includes weight machines alternated with cardio - which in this case is a step.  It's great for a quick in and out, and makes me feel like I got a real workout.  It's not too expensive (19.99/month) and I can go to any location (ANY), bring a guest with me whenever I want for no charge, and I get unlimited tanning and haircuts (the first of which I don't ever do, and the second is just a little weird).

Kitchen Renovation: Let There Be Light!!

Bet you didn't expect a kitchen update from me, did ya?

Yea, it's been a while.  But a few weeks ago, the lighting situation was completed.

First, you may recall the old chandelier:

Awful huh?  Well, I like to think this is much better:

Yea, that's better.  When we did all our shopping for the kitchen, we also purchased some pendent lights to hang over the island.  It was a busy summer and we hadn't gotten around to getting them installed.  But, they have finally been hung!

Here's the (messy) before.

And, although not quite the same angle I think you can still get the idea, the after:

Finished the room off, don't you think?

I have a plan to paint the kitchen before Christmas, at which point I'll also clean it and have a whole bunch of final pictures (hopefully).  Of course, the cabinets still need to be straightened and the slow close thingys still need to be put on.  But, one thing at a time...not like we've been working on this since... ya know, MAY, or anything.

Ahhhh...

I'm alive. Life is good.  I've got lots to say and update.

And I'll get to it, I swear!

Freedom Don't Come Free

I honestly do not have the words to properly honor those who have served this country.  I appreciate and admire each and every one of you, not just today, but everyday.

*And I will always do my duty no matter what the price

I’ve counted up the cost, I know the sacrifice

Oh and I don’t want to die for you, but if dyin’s asked of me

I’ll bear that cross with honor, cause freedom don’t come free.

I’m an American Soldier an American

Beside my brothers and my sisters, I will proudly take a stand

When liberty’s in jeopardy, I will always do what’s right

I’m out here on the front lines, sleep in peace tonight

American Soldier, I’m an American, Soldier.*

Thank you.

Mistaken Identity

Anyone ever had their identity stolen?

Well, this story is probably nothing like that.

Apparently there is another person running around with the same first, middle, and last name as B.  It was a little funny at first, the day I came home to a country sheriff in the driveway, attempting to serve him a subpoena for a lawsuit involved a company he's never heard of.  B kindly informed the sheriff that he had never even heard of the company that was supposedly suing him.  Checking the paperwork, the sheriff admitted that B does not in fact look 45, and that was that.

This was 2 years ago, just after the last elections.  And we mostly let it go.

Then there was the time we thought a friend was playing a joke on us when a conservation officer showed up to question him about a deer he had checked in, since he supposedly checked one in a few towns over around the same time.  Strange.

That was last fall.

Late summer I came home from work to a very angry voicemail from an older lady, demanding we pay her husband for the entertainment he provided at our event.  Uh.... I called her back and she was nasty to me at first, as I was asking questions about who her husband is and what event it was that she was speaking of.  See, this guy happens to part of a political group, which can easily be discovered via Google.  And I recognized the name of the group from previous research I'd attempted on this deadbeat.  I explained there's another guy with the same name and it was not my husband she was looking for.  She told me that was the only number information gave her. (Apparently Google is beyond her, because the first hit is NOT us.)

A few weeks ago, we received a bill in the mail. From a printing company.  For over $400.  Associated with that political group. Again.  B called and left a message for the printing company, but they never called back.  Which was too bad, because I'd like to know if he gave them our address, or if they found it through public records.

But no folks, that is not all.

Yesterday, B showed up at the polls, prepared to exercise his right to vote.  And was promptly informed, he had already done so.

Excuse me?

Once again, situation explained, they said they would take care of it and let him vote anyway. Which, itself seems a little ridiculous, because he SO could have lied. (He didn't, and wouldn't, but they don't know that.)    But what the heck?! When I voted earlier in the day, they asked me to confirm my address.  He heard them say "Oh maybe we should verify the addresses."

So, we once again have no idea if this guy is using our address, or if people just keep assuming he is B.  First issue, what the heck do we do now!?!  I ran both our credit yesterday, and thankfully, nothing was out of place.  But I don't exactly want to sit around and wait for it to happen.  We have considered going to the police, but I don't know if he's actually done anything illegal (at least against us) or if other people keep screwing up.  For now, I guess we wait.  Maybe try and get ahold of this printing company again. I don't know.

Second issue, who the heck decided there is no verification necessary for voting?  I was asked my address.  I also filled out a new voter registration for changing my name.  Which required no verification whatsoever. I know other people were provided their address and asked if it was correct.  And B? Well, he wasn't asked anything besides his name.  Doesn't something about that seem wrong?  I can't talk to a customer service representative about my cable bill without answering 15 questions, but cast a vote for the leadership of our country and no one thinks it might be a good idea to take a peak at a license?

I sincerely hope this is the end of it. But something tells me it's just getting started...

Good Stuff: October

Another month already? Sheesh.

• Birthdays - I know way too many people born in October it seems.  Most notably, my darling husband.  We had some friends over and some "fancy" pizza to celebrate.  Always a good time.

• 10Ks - Yes, that is plural.  As my last few posts have mentioned, I ran 2 10Ks in the month of October.  I'm thoroughly impressed with myself for pulling off one, nevermind doing better by over 4 minutes in the second one with minimal training.  I will still not call myself a runner.  But I will admit, I am capable of running.  And apparently I'm capable of running 6.2 miles without stopping. Who knew?

• Down Comforters - It's fall.  Which means I've broken out the down comforter again.  And purchased a nice new duvet cover (for 19.99 at Target! Amazing!).  I am a happy camper (sleeper) these days.

• Overtime - Maybe I should say Overtime Pay.  Overtime itself is not so great, as it means I'm spending time at work, when I could be at home doing other things.  But, time and a half is pretty sweet, and makes me grateful to be an hourly employee.  It also makes me feel like I can shop more (which may or may not be true) kind of like how you justify eating that extra piece of cake after going to the gym.

• Midterms - Uh I know, I'm stretching it.  Midterms themselves are not good.  The fact that they're over now, and I'm more than halfway through this term IS in fact good though.  So go with it.  I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel... June 2011 can't come soon enough (at least as far as school goes...)