2009

Today is Tuesday, January 6, 2009. Yesterday was the first Monday of the new year. Speaking for myself, I don't usually accomplish much on Mondays, especially Mondays after a long weekend, a vacation or a holiday. Soooooo.... TODAY is the "first day" of the year! Today is the first day for resolutions, the first day for a new start. Being a visual persion, I envisioned myself hitting a big, red "Reset" button this morning which gave me a blank slate.

I don't want to say 2008 was a bad year. It wasn't. It was our first full year being married. We were able to take a couple vacations - one long weekend to Traverse City and a week to Las Vegas. We were surrounded by family and friends and good health in 2008. I was laid off from my job at the end of August, which actually turned out to be a great opportunity to open new doors. Yes, it changed some of our plans we had for the immediate future. But, it gave us just enough time to get prepare for an even better 2009.

I have made a couple resolutions. I don't like to be overly specific in resolutions, because you really never know what life will throw at you. But, having goals keeps you on track and gives you something to think about and strive for.

1. Take better care of myself. This includes thinking twice before I dish up two scoops of ice cream at 9pm. Maybe I only need one. Drink more water, eat more fruit. This also means getting my butt moving! Taking the dog for a walk at lunch, putting on some Black Eyed Peas while cleaning the house, going to yoga – these are all great ways to get more energy and get my blood pumping.

2. Give my business a real shot. For those of you who may not know, I have laid the ground work for an at-home graphic design business. I am very close to launching my website and preparing to start marketing. Owning my own business is something I have always been interested in, but never really had to opportunity to do it.

3. Get organized! This is something I HAVE to do to be successful with my business endeavors, but I also feel I need to get personal matters in order, as well. No more piles of junk mail on the counter. No more clean laundry in a basket to put away. That's it. It only takes three weeks to break a bad habit or start a new one. More organization = less stress.

Now that I have declared these resolutions in writing on the world wide web, I have to give them my best. 2009 is going to be a good year. It will be filled with challenges and surprises. What are you doing different in 2009? I wish you the best with whatever it may be.

Grey is the new Black.

This morning, while pulling my hair back before hitting the track, I noticed a small, flyaway hair glistening near my temple. Hmmm.... I haven't see a hair that color on my head since I was a toddler. Wait a minute! That's not the platinum shade of my youth! That's a whiter shade of pale! Of course, I went with my gut reaction - pluck it! Yes, I know, ten more will now come. But, I have now bought myself time to devise a plan of attack on my head. Do I run toWalgreens and buy a DIY kit? Which brand do I buy? And more frighteningly, which shade do I pick? My loving husband says, "Leave it. Let it grow in naturally." Ha! I guess guys don't understand that women don't easily give in to "aging naturally."

From what I have read, "silver is chic." Maybe I haven't fought hard enough against growing roots to appreciate this statement. I have never been one to color my hair regularly. It really
doesn't go much further than experimenting with at-home kits in junior high and my roommates and Igiving each other highlights in college. I have embraced my natural, mousey blonde shade. Now, Mother Nature is forcing me to re-think it. What shade do you think would look best on me? A sassy, strawberry blonde? A sophisticated deep auburn? Golden blonde? Or should I do as my wise husband says and (shutter) age gracefully?

In fact, let's start a poll! I will be taking votes until another one of those pesky, little hairs shows their shiny, pale faces again.

It's not easy being green.

Living in Michigan, we all know what it's like to feel the frustration of coming up to miles of orange and white barrels. Now that the cooler weather is setting in, the excitement of seeing that dreaded "Work Zone - Next 27 Miles" sign come down is the highlight of some communters' year.

If only it were like that at our house. We have finished the construction in our living room as the warm weather comes to an end, just like on the roadways. Unfortunately, that just means we have moved down the hallway to start renovations on another room. Due to a recent change in my employment status, we have decided to make the next overhaul our third bedroom - aka "My Office." This room is so small, we hesistate to even call it a bedroom, even though our mortgage papers tell us different. We affectionately refer to this room as "the Green Room" due to my painting it a shade of green that makes Kermit the Frog look pale the week we moved in.


As for the master plan for this room, we have already re-sized the closet which was nearly half the size of the actual room giving the coat closet on the other side of the wall a bit more room. It's funny, this room is tiny, but yet it had the largest closet in the entire house. We plan to build some shelving in the new closet to help with storage.

We have wrapped up the drywall and I have started priming the walls in preparation of a new, more subtle hue. Yes, we are remodeling to improve and update our 50 year old house to make us a little happier. But, we also have to keep in mind the next owners and making the process of selling easier and quicker. I have come to terms with the fact that maybe the green paint wasn't soooooo practical, but I liked it, and still do. It makes me a little sad to see it go, but am excited of the new purpose this room will have once the remodel is complete. For now this is where we are at....
You would not believe the difficulty I had trying to take a photo of this room! It is so narrow that there was not one corner I could stand in and get a decent amount of the room. So this is what you get - the office from the vantage point of me standing on my file cabinet.

Under Construction

We are just about to wrap up our renovation on our living room. It has been quite a while since my last update, so I thought I would share some photos of our progress.

Before

After

Before

After

Sin City - As Seen thru my Camera!

We arrived home from Las Vegas late Monday after a whirlwind weekend of hitting the slots, a wedding and lots of wonderful refreshments. It was exhausting, but a great time! Here's some photos from our trip...

Here is our room, which was fabulous! (please ignore all our crap.)

The casino in our hotel...


The outside of the hotel....


Kristy, my sister, & Jim


From across the street


BIG winner!

We heard Hef might be looking for some new bunnies


Stick it up your nose, George!


Creepy statue guy at the Venetian

No, I don't really consider old cars exciting,
but this one was priced at $12 million.
I think that is worth a mention.

Now to the important part - my sister's wedding.
Here's Ryan on the wedding morning.


The bride & groom


Things are getting fuzzy...


No, we don't need to zoom..


The ceremony, which was held at the top of the Eiffel Tower.
This explains the early morning drinking.


Gee, I sure hope the professional photog
got better pictures than I did.


As Willie Nelson said, "It's a bloody mary morning!"


"Is it time to go home yet??"

Obamalicious!

Who's that mysterious, political figure trapped in between my loving hound dog's teeth!





Why, that's Illinois Senator Barack Obama!

It looks like Clark has officially endorsed his candidate for President.

Everybody Loves Bacon!

Whether it be turkey bacon, bacon bits, a real slab of bacon for breakfast or in your Bush's Baked Beans, everyone loves bacon, right?! Well, let's put that to the test...




My sister, Kristina, has fostered this adorable siamese kitten - and she has named her Bacon! Her logic was that her fiance, who LOVES bacon, would fall in love with her too. So far, no luck. Bacon started coming around about three or four days ago looking for food. As you can see in the pictures, she is very, very skinny. Kristy thinks she is only three or four months old, due to her size. Bacon is a little shy when it comes to humans, but she has started eating soft kitty food twice a day.

We are trying to find Bacon a nice home that can give her the love she deserves. Please, please let me know if you are interested or know someone that is.