Shelby, NC

Possibly my new town. :) We went to look at that house last night. Joe and I both really liked it. It's got A LOT of room inside. The backyard is small, but it's fenced in. It's in a nice neighborhood. It's QUIET. We were there over an hour. We heard birds. And our own voices. We saw 2 cars go by the whole time. It's in a nice subdivision. An older subdivision. We saw an old man running down the street as we were leaving. :) I want it. BAD.

It needs a little bit of updating. If we buy it, we're going to redo the kitchen and the bathrooms. The whole house is in hardwoods except the living room and the "bonus" room, which are carpeted. It has 4 bedrooms and a bonus room. Two bedrooms and the bonus room are upstairs and two bedrooms are downstairs. The bonus room was never finished... meaning, they didn't put the vents into the room, so it's not technically heated/air conditioned like the rest of the house. However, it felt about the same temperature as the rest of the house. It has 2.5 bathrooms. They're smallish, but with some updates, I think they'll be great. The living room has a fireplace. There is a formal dining room (I miss that in our house now). The kitchen is huge, but blank. There aren't enough cabinets or counterspace, but if we buy it, we're going to put in different cabinets and more counterspace. It has a beautiful stairwell and a screened in back porch. Our neighbors are really close (the only real downfall in my opinion), but across the street is just woods. Woods, woods, and more woods. :) We're only a few blocks from the Country Club (nice area of town!... not the ghetto!!!).

The realtor is supposed to call us back. He is finding out how much it costs per month to heat the house and to let us know when the A/C is turned back on so we can make sure that the air conditioner can keep the house cool (Joe and I both need it to be cold at night so we can sleep). Once we find out those things, I think we may make an offer. :) I'm so excited!!!

A house!

Okay... so Sunday night, some super sketchy people were walking in front of our house when Joe and I got back from Dairy Queen with the boys. It was Jippy's birthday and they always get Dairy Queen for their birthdays (The birthday dog gets a cherry dipped cone and the others just get plain vanilla cones -- small of course!). Well, we were letting the dogs do their business in the front yard before we went into the house. Then this guy came around the corner holding a shovel over his head. Jippy went nuts and I thought he was going to attack the guy. Then Cody started after the guy. The guy just kept walking like nothing was wrong, still holding the shovel over his head. I called the dogs into the house and then another guy came walking around the corner. He was fat and shirtless and carrying a box. He asked Joe if he did any construction and Joe said no. Then he cussed Joe out. We got into the house and Joe said that we were officially going to move. :) FINALLY. I'm so tired of crackton.

Anyway, I started looking for houses and I found one that I like that is reasonably priced. We're going to look at it tonight. It's in Shelby. It's about half an hour away from work instead of 15-20 minutes, but it's in a nicer town in a much better neighborhood. And it's got a fenced in back yard and lots of room inside. I'm really excited to see it.

Even if it's not what we end up with, I'm really happy that we're moving in the right direction to get moved out of South Gastonia. If I didn't have those 4 dogs there, I would be afraid for my safety. And all of those out of town trips that Joe makes: they wouldn't be happening. There's no way I'd stay there by myself.

Woot for making progress towards moving out of CRACKTON! :) I'm off to look at a house now.

New ways to spend my $$$ and a False Alarm

I realized this past weekend that I have extra money in my bank account each week after paying all of my bills and doing what I want to do. So, I finally have reached one of my goal points in life. I finally have enough extra money to donate regularly to the charities that I like. :)

So, on Sunday, I set it up with several of my favorite charities to take small amounts out of my account each month. I'm really excited about it. I am now giving $10 per month to Peta (I also sent a specific $25 donation), $10 per month to The Humane Society of the United States (I also became a member for $25), $10 per month to the ASPCA, and $20 per month to the World Wildlife Fund.

I am thankful for all the work that all of these charities do, and I am glad that I can finally help support them financially. I can't take in any more animals right now, and I am waiting to find out from the Lincolnton Humane Society about when I'll be starting my volunteer work there. So, these financial donations make me feel that I'm still doing something to help. I'm proud to be a part of them.

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In other news, when I came in to work this morning, I was the first one in. As I got close to the door, I could hear that the alarm was going off. I went in and saw that it said, "FRONT OFFICE - MOTION." So, I typed in my code and then I went back outside for fear of what was in my office (my office is the FRONT OFFICE)! I called Joe (he's out of town on business), but I got his voicemail. He had a late night and was sleeping in.

It was almost 8:00 and Dave (the only co-worker not out of town on business) still hadn't arrived. So, I ventured in on my own. I turned on the lights and looked around my office. Everything was as I left it yesterday afternoon. I looked in my bathroom and everything was peachy-keen there too. I looked in Rudy's office (it's across the hall from me) and everything was normal there too. I looked in the breakroom and nothing was out of the ordinary there either.

I opened the door out to the showroom and turned on the lights. I just glanced around and everything seemed okay. I didn't go out to the warehouse because the lights take too long to turn on and I didn't want to be surprised in the dark.

I went back to my office and locked the door. Dave finally arrived about 8:20. Joe finally called back about 8:25. Dave did some looking of his own and even went out to the warehouse. Everything seemed normal. Joe had me call the alarm company (which I already did, but got the answering machine). I finally got ahold of someone. They said that the motion detector is probably on the fritz. They're sending someone out to check it out. It's under warranty still, so if there's anything wrong with it, they'll replace it for free. :)

So, it seems that everything was okay, but it sure got my heart racing this morning! I don't like being by myself when there might be an intruder! :S

Taxes...

Okay. So I did the math. I have over 25% of my check taken away from me by the government. First of all, I don't make that much money. Secondly, if the government can't be trusted to spend the money they take from me wisely, they should leave it alone. I'd do a better job of stimulating the economy if they'd just let me keep it. I mean, if I had that extra quarter of my paycheck back, I would be very much likely to buy a house. I would not have to worry so much about being thrifty with my money. So, I'd buy stuff. And then other people would profit. Especially since I buy lots of local stuff. And I spend most of my money on books and food (restaurants... which are most of the time family owned restaurants, not franchises).

That government stimulus check? I spent it on vet bills for Daly to get spayed so that I wouldn't have to have the government spend more money to gas the innocent pups that she would give birth to.

I'm a responsible citizen. I spend my money wisely. I buy local. I try to help the economy.

What does the government do with the money they take away from me?? They use it for worthy causes, I'm sure. Like war and lining the pockets of corrupt politicians (you know, prostitutes, hush money, and the like). Not that I'm against prostitution. People should be able to do whatever they want with their bodies, including sell it for sexual purposes. I just don't think that my hard earned money should be buying sex for the politicians who are going to tell me that I live my life in the wrong manner (damn conservative hipocrites!).

Okay. So, I'm feeling a bit cynical about our government today. At least I live in a place that will allow me to openly bitch about what a bad job the government is doing. I love and appreciate that greatly! :)

Oh, but good news. Joe comes home tonight! Yay! I haven't seen him since very early Monday morning. He'll arrive by plane in Charlotte at 9:18 tonight. That is if he doesn't miss his flight. **Fingers Crossed**

Schools Out Forever...

In a few days, students will be moving back into the dorms or into apartments in Salisbury. A few days after that, classes will be starting. And I will not be a part of it. For the first time in 17 years, I will not be starting another semester. And it makes me sad.

When I left Catawba in May as an official college graduate, I was so excited. I thought, no more homework, no more papers, no more reading books that I don't want to read. No more school BS. I was really burnt out. I thought that the real world would be simple compared to Catawba.

Well, I was right. I don't have homework. I have free time at night where I don't have to worry about writing papers or reading books that I don't care about. I don't have to do lab reports or projects. I work about 48 hours a week. And I still have lots of free time. I have my nights and my weekends to do whatever. It's a hundred times simpler than Catawba. However, I don't know that that is a good thing.

I miss my friends. Some of them are still around, but there are so many missing links (haha, double entendre for my Link Friends)... My life is boring. Even though there was always so much to be done at Catawba, it was at least always different. I do the same things every week at work. I always had multiple jobs and lots of schoolwork, but at least it never got boring. Joe travels a lot. When he's gone, I mostly just hang out with Jack, Cody, Jippy, and Daly. I love my babies, but they don't have much to say.

My birthday weekend was the most fun I've had all summer. I had so many of my friends together at one time. We talked and hung out and it was wonderful. It was like what I had most every weekend while at Catawba.

I'm hoping that now that school is about to start back up, I'll at least get to see some of my younger friends more often (and the super seniors, of course), but I can't just hang on to Catawba forever. Sooner or later, all the people I know there will be gone.

My parents always told me to enjoy college because life gets rough in the real world and there's always so much to be done. That's BS. College is WAY more work than the real world. It's just that the real world is not nearly as interesting.

I am hoping to find a book club or something to join. I just don't want to have to drive all the way to Charlotte. I'm sure that things would be easier for me to adjust to if I didn't dislike Gastonia so much. We live in Crackton and there is nothing to do in Gastonia. It's dull and dreary. It's a depressing place to live.

But Joe doesn't want to buy a house. I don't blame him, but we won't find anywhere else to rent where they'll let us have 4 dogs. So, we're stuck until we decide to buy. I hate it. I just want to be less bored and live in an interesting (and not depressing) place. Life in the real world is ... I don't even know. It's certainly not like life at Catawba.

Save them, please!

If anyone can adopt a dog right now, please consider one of these pooches. They desperately need your help. I can help with adoptions fees if necessary. Just please help them!

http://www.helpsaveone.org/urgent-dogs.html

Today

I woke up this morning feeling great. I wanted to go back to sleep, but other than that, I thought it would be a good day. Well, it's still early, but so far so good.

I miss Joe. He won't be back until Friday night or Saturday. He still seems to be in a good mood despite all the driving he's having to do (from Minnesota to Massachusetts, then to Virginia, then home -- he hates driving, or riding in a car).

Some pictures from my birthday have surfaced. And a video. And despite the fact that I look ridiculous in my camo TEAM KETCHAM t-shirt and my candy g-string, and holding a beer despite the fact that I was NOT drunk, they made me very happy. I have awesome friends. That is all. :)

My list...

Joe told me that someone he spoke with had a list of famous people that she could sleep with without it being considered cheating. I've heard of this before. Joe couldn't really think of anyone he wanted on his list. I came up with my list. I would never actually sleep with these people b/c I don't believe in having sex with people who I do not love, but for fun, (in no particular order) these are the famous people who I think might actually be worth having a relationship with:

1.) Hugh Jackman -- He is absolutely gorgeous (especially as Wolverine). He has played in a variety of roles and seems pretty down to earth. I think he'd be great to talk to (very important to me).

2.) Heath Ledger -- Well, he's now dead, so that relationship probably would not go very far, but when he was alive, I totally could see hanging out with him. :) And he's beautiful!

3.) Christian Bale -- Such a fiery personality. It probably wouldn't last, but I bet it would be amazing for the short term. Plus, who wouldn't want to date Batman?? lol

4.) Edward Norton -- He seems intelligent, he's handsome (I'd even say HOT in American History X), he looks like my kind of guy. I think he's probably a great guy. Probably not as wild as Batman, but I do like green. :)

5.) Kevin Spacey -- Okay. So he's probably not someone that most people would put on a list such as this, but I'm a huge fan. He seems like the kind of person who I wouldn't mind hanging around all the time. He seems like he would actually be someone I would really befriend in real life. And that's hot. :)

And, I'm a bit iffy about #6, but here he is:

6.) Matthew McConaughey -- He is absolutely flippin' gorgeous. He is the sexiest man alive (I don't care what anyone else says!). He is very cool. I mean, come on, he got caught playing the bongos naked while smoking pot. How much more laid back do you get?? So, I think he'd be super cool to be around. I wasn't sure if he'd be relationship material b/c he's so out there, but I flip back and forth about it. So, he still gets a spot on my list. :)

The Weekend + My super powers

Well, my weekend wasn't that thrilling. But, I did get to hang out with some very cool people. :)

I watched The Dark Knight for the third time. I think that will be the last time I go to see it in the theaters. We played Ultimate Frisbee. I actually had a great time. People weren't douche-bags about me not being a perfect player. :) We ate at Cartucci's. It used to be my favorite restaurant and Joe and I used to go every weekend. It seems that the magic is gone. Our favorite waitress, Claudia, is no longer working there. The food was good, but not as magical as I remember. I guess all good things come to an end.

Someone got stung by a bee on Saturday. They had to stop playing afterwards. I do not have serious reactions to bee stings. It's just a simple "ouch!" and then some stinging for a few seconds and then I move on. I forget all about it. The past few people that I've seen get stung have been in pain after it, so I wonder if I just don't get hurt as much by it as other people. It's the same for mosquito bites. I itch right after the bite, but then I forget about it after a few seconds and the bump is gone within a few minutes. I know that is unusual, but I'm not sure about the bee stings. Am I super-immune to insects, or are people just wimpy??

I've tested out another thing in the past few weeks. When I was younger, I could not get poison ivy/oak no matter what I did. I could roll around in it and not have any reaction. I had heard that this could change as people get older. It hasn't for me yet. I still don't react to it. :)

So, apparently the only thing that can hurt me is the sun (damn evil thing) and spider bites. I've had a few spider bites that have made me pretty ill. Maybe I'm actually not as sensitive to those either... maybe those bites would have killed a normal human being. lol... Okay. So I'm probably not super-human, but it's still kinda fun to think about. :)

Why do I need to have kids???

I don't know what life is going to bring me. I only know what I have in my plans. Well, my plans do not include having children. Why is that so hard for people to understand?

I love kids. I spent 3 years working at a middle school (worst stage of life ever), I babysat from the time I was 11 years old, I have a large family with lots of children. I just think that children deserve more than what I can give them.

Children require a lot of time and energy. And sacrifices on my part. And I'm not willing to have children unless I am willing to give those things. If I have children, I will not work until they are at least in school. And I plan to homeschool my children for a few years. That is incredibly demanding, I know. And I'm not going to be ready to make those sacrifices for a long time. And, I don't want to have children after 35 because of the risks involved.

And on top of all of that, Joe doesn't want kids for good reason. He is not very good with kids. He's tough on our dogs, so I can only imagine how tough he'd be on kids.

So, with all of this, I'm not planning to have children. Who knows... things may change. I may have an oops baby. I may not end up with Joe, I may suddenly "need" to have children. I don't know. I'll roll with the punches as they come.

No matter what happens, though, people should respect my decisions. I shouldn't be considered a freak for not wanting to bring children into this world. I'm the one helping the world by not adding to the population. :)

Dreams

Last night I had a series of very interesting dreams. I remembered them upon waking, but now I can't remember as much. It's driving me nuts.

In one of my dreams, I was hanging out with someone (a friend), and then he confessed his love to me. I told him that I felt the same way for him, but we couldn't be together because I was with Joe. Then, I'm not sure I broke up with Joe or not, but then this friend and I started dating. It was magical and beautiful and we were apparently just made for each other (but of course that's the way it goes in the beginning of most relationships).

Anyway, a few things are driving me nuts about this. First of all, I can't remember who this friend was in my dream. I know that it was someone that I actually know. Second, I never dream about being in relationships with other people. And thirdly, I'm not secretly madly in love with anyone else, unless it's subconsciously! lol

So, I decided to look up what these dreams "meant." I'm not sure that I believe in dream interpretation, but I was curious, so here is what one website said about my dream:

http://www.freakydreams.com/2336,Cheating.html

"To dream that you are cheating on your spouse, mate, fiancé, or significant other, suggests feelings of self-guilt and self-betrayal. You may have compromised your beliefs or integrity and/or wasting your energy and time on fruitless endeavors. Alternatively, it reflects the intensity of your sexual passion and exploring areas of your sexuality. It is actually a reaffirmation of your commitment. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for people approaching a wedding to have dreams about erotic experiences with partners other than their intended spouses. Most likely, such dreams represent the newness of your sexual passion. It may also signify anxieties of changing your identity - that of a spouse."

Okay, so I'm not sure that just kissing is considered an "erotic experience", but I know that Joe and I are not near getting married, so I'm not sure that part applies. I have spent much time questioning where my life is headed in general, and that in turn has caused me to wonder if Joe and I truly are going to stay together. I worry a lot that Joe and I aren't meant to be together lately, but I don't know where the worry comes from. We're getting along fine. Nothing has changed between us. I try not to think of it because I think it mostly stems from me being scared about "becoming an adult." I am afraid to think of having to settle down into one job, not going back to school, my friends moving away, and becoming used to a schedule. Work every day from 7:45 to 5:30. Make dinner. Watch tv. Go for a walk. Play with the dogs. Go to sleep. Do it again. It's horrifying to me. So, maybe the dream interpreter is correct in that I am worried about "fruitless endeavors" and changing my identity ("Adult").

http://www.dreamhawk.com/dyd-a7.htm#affair

In general dreaming of a pleasant affair is a way of enjoying or exercising the wonderful feelings of falling in love and sharing emotional and sexual pleasure. Many dreams are compensatory, and therefore make up for the lack of passion or excitement in our daily life. But having an affair in a dream may help keep alive or active the ability to love and be loved if there is not sufficient stimulus in waking life. It is not unusual for married and happy people to dream of an affair with someone else. This may express nothing more than a desire for variety, but of course occasionally is the sign of an infatuation or desire for the person we love in the dream. Adultery dreams may also express release of sexual feelings; desire for another partner; desire for one's partner to have sex with someone else.

The person you are having an affair with may represent a particular attitude or situation in your life. Therefore if the dream has a strong feeling such as failure or fear attached to it, the affair might well be dealing with your relationship with such life situations. Examples include - infidelity; betrayal; failure; longing for love; feeling alone in a relationship; etc.

Another possibility with dreams about an affair is that they express the constant process of trying to find a balance between what we deeply desire and what is socially or personally possible. Some people will marry or live with a person because that person is the best they could achieve in the circumstances. Nevertheless they may still long for someone different. Or perhaps there are aspects of relationship missing in their present situation, and they long for a fuller satisfaction but do not want to destroy their present situation.

Well, more interesting thoughts. Again, this friend and I did not have sex in the dream. I guess I don't just give it up in my dreams either. ;) Am I longing for variety? As I already said, I know I am in my life, but is my relationship boring me as well? Joe and I have been together for almost 4 years (September 23). Maybe subconsciously, I am longing for newness. I haven't been single in almost 8 years. I started dating my high school sweetheart at 15. I was with him for almost 4 years. Then my rebound was Joe. lol... I've never really "dated." I've never been single, really. My high school sweetheart was my first real boyfriend. They are the only 2 guys I have ever been with. And sometimes I do wonder what it would have been like to be single or to just date casually. Don't get me wrong. I love Joe, and I enjoy being with him.

So, based on my dream analysis. I may be bored and looking for variety. I may wonder what it would have been like differently. I may be just upset about life in general (stagnant) and looking for any change in my dreams. Who knows.

It still drives me nuts that I can't remember who my dream affair was with. :( lol

I hate the heat :(

Yesterday was too hot. In fact, every day in recent memory has been too hot. Why did I ever think that moving to North Carolina would be a good idea?? I hate the heat. And on top of that, the sun hates me (I get sun poisoning at the drop of a hat). And further, I love the snow. And dramatic changes in seasons. I miss the beautiful autumn in Indiana. I miss the 6 feet tall snow drifts. I miss the crazy thunderstorms.

Yesterday, Joe and I went for a walk. Normally he does his run and I walk one of the dogs. His legs were sore yesterday, so we both walked a dog. He had Jack and I had Jippy. After one lap, I thought Jippy was going to have a heart-attack. I put him in the bed of the truck and poured water all over him. Joe did two laps with Jack. Jack threw up twice when he finished. It was just too damn hot.

I pretty much like everything about NC except the weather. Most days I feel that that is enough of a reason for me to move. Unfortunately, I am not currently stable enough to move, and Joe doesn't want to move. I'm thinking about moving to Washington (the state, not DC). I hear that Seattle is fabulous. :) It's cool and wet and that sounds perfect to me.

God Smiting People...

I received this email from my super-conservative, fundamental Christian cousin.

It is written in the Bible (Galatians 6:7): 'Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sow, that shall he also reap.

Here are some men and women who mocked God :
John Lennon (Singer):
Some years before, during his interview with an American Magazine, he said: 'Christianity will end, it will disappear. I do not have to argue about that. I am certain. Jesus was ok, but his subjects were too simple, today we are more famous than Him' (1966).
Lennon, after saying that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ, was shot six times.
Tancredo Neves (President of Brazil ):
During the Presidential campaign, he said if he got 500,000 votes from his party, not even God would remove him from Presidency. Sure he got the votes, but he got sick a day before being made President, then he died.
Cazuza (Bi-sexual Brazilian composer, singer and poet):
During A show in Canecio ( Rio de Janeiro ), while smoking his cigarette, he puffed out some smoke into the air and said:'God, that's for you.'
He died at the age of 32 of LUNG CANCER in a horrible manner...
The man who built the Titanic
After the construction of Titanic, a reporter asked him how safe the Titanic would be.
With an ironic tone he said: 'Not even God can sink it'
The result: I think you all know what happened to the Titanic
Marilyn Monroe (Actress)
She was visited by Billy Graham during a presentation of a show.
He said the Spirit of God had sent him to preach to her.
After hearing what the Preacher had to say, she said: 'I don't need your Jesus'.
A week later, she was found dead in her apartment
Bon Scott (Singer)
The ex-vocalist of the AC/DC. On one of his 1979 songs he sang:
'Don't stop me; I'm going down all the way, down the highway to hell'.
On the 19th of February 1980, Bon Scott was found dead, he had been choked by his own vomit.
Campinas (IN 2005)
In Campinas , Brazil a group of friends, drunk, went to pick up a friend...

The mother accompanied her to the car and was so worried about the drunkenness of her friends and she said to the daughter holding her hand, who was already seated in the car:
'My Daughter, Go With God And May He Protect You.'
She responded: 'Only If He (God) Travels In The Trunk, Cause Inside Here.....It's Already Full '
Hours later, news came by that they had been involved in a fatal accident, everyone had died, the car could not be recognized what type of car it had been, but surprisingly, the trunk was intact.
The police said there was no way the trunk could have remained intact. To their surprise, inside the trunk was a crate of eggs, none was broken
Christine Hewitt (Jamaican Journalist and entertainer) said the Bible (Word of God) was the worst book ever written.
In June 2006 she was found burnt beyond recognition in her motor vehicle.

Many more important people have forgotten that there is no other name that was given so much authority as the name of Jesus.
Many have died, but only Jesus died and rose again, and he is still alive.

Well, I have just a few problems with this. I'm not sure if all of this is true (or if it is false or just a misrepresentation of the truth). If God is smiting these people for turning against God, what about those people who end up with this fate (or worse) but are innocent victims?? What about babies who are murdered or children who are abused?? Did they do something to have God turn God's back on them?? Did God smite them as well?? The logic of this email is completely dumb. Why would God smite people who turn their backs on God, but then either punish those who are innocent (or allow them to suffer anyway). If God has the power to punish, then God has the power to save. Why is God allowing evil?? If God does evil, then God cannot be the loving God that we know. If God does not stop evil but has the power to do so, it is the same thing. God cannot be a good, just, and loving God if God has the power to stop evil but does not use it. Therfore, God must not have the power. :)

I don't have time to go into any more detail right now, but if you're interested, the logic I am using (and the only good logic I've found for God's existence) is from Process Theology. I'd be glad to tell you more about it, or you can look it up yourself. To sum it up, for good to be loving and just, God cannot be all-powerful (There is another argument regarding God and omniscience... I'll talk about that another day!).

Wanted

A few weeks ago, I went to see the movie Wanted. I enjoyed it. I had never read the graphic novel that it is based on. Joe said that it was nothing like the movie. I generally enjoy books more than I enjoy the movies based on them, so I thought I'd give Wanted a shot.

I bought the graphic novel and started reading it. It was incredibly depressing, but I pressed on. I thought that there surely must be something more to it in order for it to be so popular. There wasn't. The novel is crap. There is nothing to be taken from the novel. Except crap. The end.

The book was so negative. There was no moral. In fact, the entire novel is amoral. It was just someone giving up on life but instead of just killing himself, he rapes, steals, and murders to destroy the world. Sounds like a happy book, eh? I got absolutely NOTHING from this book. I almost wish that I never would have bought and read this book (it's only almost b/c if I hadn't, I'd probably still wonder... at least now I know that it's garbage).

I don't want to recommend it to people, but I want people to read it to see if they feel the same way that I do about it. I hated this novel. If you want to read it, do so, and then tell me your thoughts.

However, I definitely recommend the movie. I really enjoyed it and I actually got something out of that movie. Angelina Jolie teaches a great lesson on standing up for what you believe in (in a REALLY cool way). :)

My boys...

Joe has grown tired of our 4 pups being inside dogs. Daly ruined it this past weekend. She peed all over the kitchen floor. I swear that her bladder must be the size of a watermelon. It had not been that long since she was last outside. And she holds it all day while we're at work. So, I don't know what her problem was. But she really pissed Joe (and me) off.

And Jippy has the same problem that Jack had when we first got him. If he gets scared or excited, he pees a little bit. It's sad. Jack got over his (except that he still gets excited pees on me a little bit when I have been gone for a few days), so I was hoping that Jippy would get over his problem. Well, after Daly peed all over the kitchen floor, Jippy got scared and peed on the living room floor. It was just a little bit, but Joe had had enough. Now he only wants Jack and Cody to be inside dogs.

Joe and I see the dogs differently. I see them as my family, and I would never expect my family to live outside (especially after living inside with us for so long). Joe sees them as just pains in his butt, and therefore, able to be kicked out. For now, Joe and I have an understanding. When indoors, Jippy and Daly will stay in their crates (at least while Joe is home). And, they spend most of their time outside. They are still allowed to sleep in the house in their crates and are allowed inside (again, in their crates) while it is storming.

I only pay attention to those rules while Joe is gone. If he is gone, then the house is mine and my boys are allowed to be out of their crates in the house. I'm trying to make him happy, but I'm not going to follow the rules that I don't believe in while he's not there to be bothered.

This rule is extremely bothersome to me. Jippy doesn't do it on purpose. And I don't know what Daly's problem is. I thought she was house-trained. She has done well for a long time. I guess she's just a brat. She's only 7 months old, though. We got her when she was four months old. How long does it normally take to house train a dog? I don't really know. Cody was easy. He basically house trained himself. I don't remember him ever going #2 in the house, and the only time I remember him going #1 in the house was when our roommate wouldn't let him go out. He tried to run outside, but she wouldn't let him. So he walked over to her, squatted, and peed on her foot. lol :) He tried to tell her.

But anyway, this is making for an uncomfortable living situation. I guess we'll just see how it goes.

The Kindle...

This Kindle is freakin' sweet! I've downloaded The Count of Monte Christo and Chocolat and have begun reading both. At the same time. Well, not at the same time since that would be nearly impossible, but I'm reading both of them. Which one I read depends on my mood at the time I pick up the Kindle.

If any of you love to read (which I do), I definitely recommend getting this gadget! It's awesome. The Kindle itself is a bit pricey, but I can get cheap books (which I love) and have them sent to me where ever I am! I LOVE it. :) If I get bored with one for the moment or I don't feel like reading that type of book, I can just switch and I don't even have to move! I don't have to drag multiple books around with me. And if I finish up one, I can have another one instantly at my fingertips! It's book lover heaven.

A wonderful birthday weekend...

Well, my birthday went swimmingly. :) I had a great time.

We played Mario Kart while we waited. Then we went to Portofino's for pizza. Brandon's car tried to kill me when we arrived at Portofino's, but I survived (my heel got caught on the seatbelt as I was getting out of the back seat and I fell out of the car in the least graceful manner possible... I halfway caught myself, but that just left my arms sore. I scraped up my elbow and banged up my knees pretty bad, but I'm okay). The pizza was good. Artichokes for me, of course. The company was great. Joe, Brandon, Walt, Nate, and Kelli went with me and then Philip and Richard arrived later. Then we wandered around Books A Million for a while, and then went bowling. I had mediocre scores, but I was pleased. We had a great time despite problems with our lanes and awful (NOT BOWLING) music. We went back to my house and played Mario Kart for a while. Then ppl left or went to bed and I played around with my new toy: a Kindle (see the link!). It's pretty cool. I really like having the actual book to put on my shelf when I finish reading it, but this is so easy and the books are cheaper and they're more earth friendly, I assume, since there is no need for paper. :) Anyway, I went to bed sometime after 4 AM when Joe finally made me. ;)

Yesterday I slept until 10:30 when the boys woke me up. I was not ready to be awake. I took a nap a little later. Then we went to Concord Mills to see The Dark Knight for the second time with Brandon, Walt, and Richard. It was even better the second time. I actually had tears running down my face at the end. Since I had already seen it once, I knew what was going on and I got to pay more attention to what was being said. It was beautiful.

Afterwards, we went to Steak and Shake and had shakes while we had nerdy conversation. :) I love my nerdy friends. Life would be so less entertaining without them.

We got home after midnight and then my neighbor insisted on talking to me for over half an hour. Then I couldn't fall asleep. Again. Needless to say, 6:15 came really quickly. At least my birthday weekend was wonderful. Thanks to everyone who was a part of it. :)

Getting Ready

Well, I realized this morning that I have a lot to do today before people get here. Some ppl can't arrive until later, so Joe has shifted the meeting time to 6:00pm instead. That's awesome. Because the boys spent too much time outside this morning and are now disgusting. I have to give them all baths on top of cleaning up the mess they made of the house. Yay! And I still have to make the cake! At least there is a reward at the end of that (I get to eat the batter!). Yum!

Good news, though. I slept last night. For the first time in days, I actually slept through the night. I fell asleep in a reasonable time after I layed down and then I stayed asleep through most of the night. And even when I woke up, I was able to fall back to sleep quickly. Wonderful. :) I think I was finally just too tired to have insomnia. I was so tired yesterday that it gave me a headache. I was supposed to get up relatively early today so that I could clean up the house and get ready for later, but I went ahead and slept until 10:00. :) It was totally worth it.

This weekend...

Well, this weekend is my birthday. I will be 23. It's such an uneventful number. Just like last year. And next year as well. There's such a boring period of birthdays between 21 and 25 that don't really mean much except that you've survived another year. I mean, what's so great about turning 22, 23, or 24?? Nothing special happens. It's not like 18 where I get to vote, or 21 where I get to drink. They aren't milestone years like 30, 40, or 50. But, I'm still here and there'll be cake, pizza, bowling, Mario Kart, and cool people, so I'm glad I get to have a birthday this year anyway. :)

My birthday always reminds me of how much I hate the summer. The summer is hot. I hate hot. Again, I have NO IDEA why I thought it would be a great idea to move to North Carolina. I love it here... except that it's too hot and the seasons don't change dramatically. I miss the changing leaves and the snow. Anyway, one more reason that I hate the summer is that everyone is gone when I celebrate my birthday. I love throwing parties. Especially surprise birthday parties. I'm actually pretty good at it. And it's a lot of fun. I have only once ever had a party for my birthday. And it was thrown together at the last second by the people that I happened to be hanging out with at the time. Why? No one is ever here!! People are on vacation or are home away from where I'm living. So, not only is it hot, but my friends aren't around to celebrate with me. Stupid summer, you disgust me. :(

But, on the up side, I do get to spend time with a few people who care about me. And I'm always up for bowling. :) And, I've always got 4 beautiful pups who love me no matter what. That's the most awesome gift ever.

Joe is really excited about the b-day present that he got me. He says that I'll love it and it's perfect. There is a whole lot of pressure from this gift. He and my mom always talk about how much I'm going to love it. What if I don't??? I can't lie, but I don't want to break their hearts! I really want to like this gift. But, they keep talking about it and making it sound so spectacular that I don't know how it could ever live up to the hype at this point. I hope I really, really, really like this gift. For their sakes. :)