My Second Concert

Tonight, my sister and I went to my second concert ever. My first concert was Nickelback when I was 21. Tonight we went to see Paramore, with Reliant K and Fun as opening acts. We were stoked!
Our friends, Josh and Angie, were there also.

They had general admission tickets, so they were on the floor. I didn't feel like standing for the entire concert, so Rachel and I sat in seats.

The concert opened up with Fun. They were decent.

Next up was Relient K. I know one, maybe two Relient K songs, but one really well. And they didn't even play it. I was slightly bummed.

Then, came Paramore.

Let me tell you, that girl spent the entire show jumping around the stage. I couldn't believe it. She was a little ball of energy. I was super impressed. She interacted with the crowd a lot and her personality on stage made it seem like she'd be fun to have as friend.

Paramore sang "The Only Exception" as a duet with one of the band members from Fun. I think her name is Emily.

It was amusing to watch the progression of the concert. Fun had a little sliver of the stage to work with, and basically just the stage lights on them. Relient K had a little more stage space, and a good amount of light show. Paramore, of course, had the entire stage, and a pretty awesome light show.

Paramore sang "Misery Business" as their last song. As Haley was getting ready to go into the last part of the song, she pulled the blonde girl up on stage with her and let her rock out with her. That blonde girl was probably the coolest chick in the room.

I really had a great time hanging out with my sister. I definitely felt like the oldest person in the room. I kept looking around and wondering why these kids weren't in bed. I'm so old!

Celebrating Dr. Harris

Today, we had a graduation party celebrating my cousin, Dr. Harris. Lucas has graduated from University of Washington. We are so proud of him.

I was stoked to be able to use my camera and get some practice shooting. Obviously this one isn't taken by me.
But, I took this one. Aren't the colors just gorgeous!!

We had to ask my sister to reenact her pit bull story. Always good for laughs!

Then, I was asked to take a couple of family pictures. I, very obviously, need to learn how to increase my shutter speed so that I can take a few frames a second to eliminate closed eyes and such.

Some of us cousins

Our New Toy

Drew and I bought a new toy today. A Nikon D5000.
Isn't she a beaut??

Drew has been moved to second shift at his new job, so that leaves me alone at night. And, to be honest, I'm bored. I have been wanting to buy an SLR and take some photography classes for a while now. Drew being gone all night has been the final push. I need a hobby.

The camera came with the standard 18-55mm lens. We also bought the 55-200mm lens. Based on recommendations, and research, these are the only two lenses that I will need right now to take the pictures that I'm looking to take.

I am also already signed up to take an SLR Photography Basics class. There is also a D5000 class that is offered the week after that I am planning on taking. This month, the camera store where we bought the camera is also offering a class on Outdoor Portrait lighting. Depending on how I like the first two classes, I may take that one too.

So, be on the lookout for some (hopefully) better looking pictures on here!

Important PSA

I feel like infertility is such a taboo subject. Infertility affects more than 7.3 million people! And the only reason that I can be so open about it and talk about it so much on my blog is because I have actually been diagnosed with a condition that causes infertility. For many women, and men, it's something that isn't discovered until after months of trying to conceive.

It is such a hard journey. Drew and I have gone into this knowing that it isn't going to easy, knowing that there will be many challenges, knowing that God will bless us when it's time. Words can't even describe how hard it is.

I have tried to be very open about it. If I'm having a hard day, I want people to know, and become educated, on just how hard this is. Drew and I are so anxious to become parents. And I want everybody else to be anxious for us too. Since we both know that this is something that will be challenging, it will make the reward, a healthy, full term pregnancy, even better. We want everybody to be able to rejoice in God's blessing when we announce that we're finally pregnant.

It's so important to become educated on infertility. It is too easy to say the wrong thing to someone who is struggling with infertility. And while that person may act like everything is fine on the exterior, inside they're dying.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or send me an email. And say a prayer for all of those who are struggling to get pregnant.

Another Girly Weekend

I had an unbelievably awesome weekend. Friday night, Drew and I went out to dinner with our friends, Donny and Khristy. They brought two of their kids. Jett is 2 1/2 and Dex is only a little over a week. And Khristy looked fabulous for just giving birth! We ate dinner at Chili's and then went to Menard's to do a little home shopping. We were going to get some of the supplies that we need to DIY a mirror project that we're going to do, but then we remembered that there is no way that a sheet of plywood would fit in Snowball (my Cavalier).

Saturday started out uber boring with me cleaning the house while Drew worked. I loathe cleaning! Absolutely loathe it. But, the end project is so, so worth it. I vowed that I would never let my bathroom get as dirty as it was again.

My sister came over and after I finished getting ready, we headed out to meet our mom and our aunt for dinner. We met at Backyard Bar and Grill.

After dinner, we decided that we weren't ready to be done with our little girl's night, so we headed to Burlington Coat Factory to do some shopping.

We couldn't pass up the opportunity to make fun of the hats! I ended up purchasing a really cute lime green strapless dress to wear to Angela's rehearsal dinner.

After shopping, Rachel and I decided to drop by Josh and Angie's house. I haven't seen them in ages!! I know, I know, it's not good manners to just drop by unannounced, butit was such a fun surprise. And they were really happy that we did.

Josh just had to show me his brand new purchase!

He drove by a garage sale and just had to snag it. He says it was the best $15 of his life! And I have to agree. That grill is simply awesome.

Today, my sister and I practiced our shopping skills. I picked up a bunch of cute things. I'm sure you'll see pictures soon.

I told my sister that I would make lasagna tonight for dinner. Except that I've never made lasagna. And Drew was going to come home tonight to eat and bring his coworkers. The pressure was on. And, if I may brag, I made an amazing lasagna! I couldn't believe how good it was. And it was very easy too. Just sorta time consuming. Everybody else loved it too. Drew's coworkers volunteered me to make dinner every Sunday night. We'll see about that one!

My Favorite Time of Day

Some people are morning people. Some always have been, and some certainly develop into one. They always get right out of bed when the alarm goes off and never snooze. I'm one of those people. By the time I get out of the shower, I am very, very awake! But I loathe getting up early. Mornings are most definitely NOT my favorite time of day.

Some people may love their morning coffee. That first sip of caffeine is just what some people need to start their day and start it in the right way. I am not a coffee drinker and usually stick to water in the morning.

Some people may like the moment they get off of work. The freedom that they feel knowing that they have the entire rest of the day to themselves is wonderful. I love punching out at the end of the day, but that still isn't my favorite time of the day.

Some people may love dinner time. Some people eat alone, some people eat as a family, some people eat while watching their favorite shows, and some people eat a dining room table. I love being able to have dinner with Drew. When it's just us, you can find us parked in front of the tv. I always love to have people over and eat at the table. There's only one thing better than that.

My favorite time of day is the moment when I crawl into bed and turn the lights off. Drew and I usually spend a few minutes and simply talk. We chat about our day, about our goals, about funny or interesting things that have happened. I love those moments together, in the quiet darkness. Sometimes we spend those moments wrapped up together, and sometimes we prefer our own "sides of the bed". I spend all day longing for the moment when we climb into bed together. Pure bliss!!

So tell me, what's your favorite time of day?

I Think It May Be Working

Time for another round of cycle talk!

I've been doing acupuncture for about 3 weeks now, twice a week. I am very, VERY happy to report that I'm finishing up my period and I was hardly sick at all. I started my period Wednesday afternoon, and I woke up about 4 AM on Thursday morning with some pain. Drew got me some Tylenol and I laid in bed until the dreaded alarm clock went off.

I was in some pain during the day at work. Morning was difficult, but nothing that I couldn't handle. Once the afternoon rolled around, I wasn't feeling too bad at all. A few sharp stabs of pain here and there, but completely tolerable. I never once felt the need to be confined to the couch writhing in pain, I never once threw up.

Friday dawned and I took some Tylenol again, but mainly to just be on the safe side. I had a little bit of pain, but nothing that I even felt the need to complain about.

I had an appointment with the doctor on Friday morning. He was very, VERY happy to hear about my progress. He adjusted me again, like usual, but this time, he also took me into a room and did some moist heat therapy. After that, he did the acupuncture again. This was the first appointment that Drew was able to go with me. He took a picture so that he could show me what it looks like.

Not gonna lie, I was really amazed! I knew that he put a decent amount of needles in me, but I never really count when he's doing it. I had no idea that there were that many. Plus there were 4 in my head. Oh, and don't worry, he says that the fact that it's all red is very, very good. That means that my body likes it and is needing it.

After he removed the needles, I was trying to hurry up and get dressed because I had to pee really, really bad. I pulled my hand up and noticed that there was a decent amount of blood on it. Not enough to worry me, but enough to know that I needed to figure out where it was coming from before I got it all over everything. I looked at Drew and told him I was bleeding and asked him where it was. He said nowhere. I showed him my hand and told him it was coming from somewhere. He told me nowhere again, so I just figured that I had already wiped it with my hand. Then, I dashed off to the bathroom.

I looked in the mirror and realized where I was bleeding from. MY HEAD!!!! I had a pretty little trail of blood running down from the spot where he had the needle at the top of my head and down my forehead. Awesome! I cleaned up as best I could and then went to find Drew to have him help me finish cleaning my head. I could do nothing but laugh. The doctor said that it happens sometimes. The needle hits a blood vessel and sometimes it bleeds. I'm just glad I saw it before I walked out in public.

So, I'll be continuing the acupuncture. I'm so happy that I felt better this cycle and hope that by next cycle I'm pregnant.

Anything But a Mini Van

Drew and I have been talking for a while about replacing "Snowball". Snowball is my car. She's a 2002 Chevy Cavalier. I bought my car in December of 2004 after my car at the time died a quick death. Basically, I ran into a bridge on a snowy night. It had everything to do with weather and nothing to do with my driving. Besides the fact that I stupidly took a country road instead of going through town.

Anyways, Snowball has been a fabulous car! I haven't had any trouble with her until January or February when we had to replace the water pump. And she just rolled over 100k miles.

We drive Snowball everywhere. Drew's truck sucks gas like crazy, so he only drives that to work and back. We're both ready for something with a little bit more room. And since kids are in the future, we need something that accommodate car seats and strollers a little more easily.

We went car shopping tonight. I have known that I wanted an SUV type of vehicle. I originally thought that I would want a smaller SUV, something like an Equinox or Escape. After some thought, I think I might want something a little bigger to grow into too.

We first went to a dealership and was immediately drawn to the Chevy Traverse. I think I may be in love!
This car is beautiful. The one that we were looking at has a black exterior with black interior. There are so many features to this car. There are three rows of seats, and the 2nd row has bucket seats. Behind the 3rd row, there is a decent amount of cargo room; enough for a stroller or groceries.

The Traverse had a backup camera, OnStar, blind spot mirrors, rear entertainment package, digital dual temperature control, and many more. It was a beautiful car. I wanted to drive it off the lot immediately.

But, I can't buy a product without looking at some other options. So we went to the Ford dealership. After discussing what we were looking for, we were shown a Kia Sorento. We took a quick drive in that and realized that we weren't crazy about the ride. Then, we moved onto the Ford Edge.

This car offered basically the same options as the Traverse, but only had one row of seats in the back.

I just can't say that I like the Edge more than the Traverse. When I think long term, if we have more than two kids, especially if we have two in car seats, it'll be a tight fit in there. I would rather buy a slightly larger vehicle now, then have to stress about finding something to fit into then.

So, dear readers, do any of you have either of these? Do you have something similar that you love?

A Sister Type of Weekend

My sister, Rachel, was in desperate need of some girl/sister time this week. I found out that Drew was going to do some contracting work all day on Saturday, so I asked her if she wanted to go to the mall and spend the night. She, of course, happily agreed.

Rachel has never been to Gurnee Mills mall, so I told her that we'd go there. To say that she was stoked is an understatement. We got there around 12:30 and, since I was famished, went to lunch at Rainforest Cafe, where she had never been either. We had crappy service. End of story.

I usually try to stay out of the stores that we have here, but the display right inside the door at Victoria's Secret caught my eye. There were mannequins and a table filled with White Sox and Cubs merchandise. And that's when I saw it. This amazing little shirt. And since Drew is a die hard Cubs fan, it couldn't be more appropriate. How cute is that shirt? I was just giddy over it and I couldn't wait to come home and show Drew.

Drew worked all day today, as usual, so Rachel and I spent the day together again. We ran to our mall here because I wanted to get my rings cleaned and we went into another clothes store. And Rachel talked me into buying a pair of skinny jeans. Me! In skinny jeans.

Now, yes, I know I'm thin. But I don't usually wear pants that are that tight. Or short. Or tight. They feel like they are spray painted on me. But Rachel said they look cute. And I'm all about looking cute. Now I just have to find some flats. When did I get so old?

I had the best time with my sister this weekend. I so wish that we could spend more time together like this. And with Drew's new job, it may be very possible. If she wants to spend time with her old sister that is.

Work Rotations

It's time for some more changes in our home. Changes in the area of jobs. This time it's Drew's turn.

Drew has accepted a new mechanic position with another company at the airport. He has been trying to get a position with this company for something like two years. He would have interviews and then they would end up not hiring anybody.

This new position will give Drew great benefits, great pay, and GREAT experience. He will be working on heavy aircrafts, which is what he wants to start getting into. He also have the opportunity to work a lot of hours. And that's both good and bad. It's good because he'll have a nice paycheck. It's bad because that leaves me alone. A lot!

We're both very happy and excited!

Peace and Quiet

You'll never guess what happened?

Yesterday, our tenants moved out. Mike has been living in Germany, working, since before Thanksgiving. Becca and the kids finally received their orders and a moving company came on Friday to pack all of their stuff.

It's so weird that it's so quiet around here. They moved in about a month after we did, so they've been here for about a year. We've never really had a chance to be newlyweds in our first home.

There is absolutely nothing in our basement. Our minds are spinning over what to do down there. I'm sure that there will be lots of posts over changes that we make down there. I'll get some before pictures up soon.

Stuck

After work today, I had my first appointment for acupuncture. When I was doing some research on endometriosis, I found a site that said that acupuncture was recommended for some management of symptoms. I decided to pursue this option. Hey, at this point, I'm willing to try anything to fix me.

When I arrived, the doctor, who is a chiropractor, first did some chiropractic assessments. He soon discovered that my hips are misaligned. He took some pictures of my back and pelvis. When I saw the pictures, I could definitely see that my right hip sits higher than my left hip.

He then put me in another room to do the acupuncture. This appointment was just a first appointment in order to "shock" my nerves, rid my body of toxins, and get ready for more acupuncture. He put a needle in my ankle, knee, wrist, and hand on each of my body, for a total of 8 needles. Completely unpainful. For the most part. My right wrist and hand was a little sensitive, but it was really just an achy feeling. After he inserted the needles, he covered me with a sheet, shut the lights off, and left me alone to relax. I laid in there for about 20 minutes or so.

My next appointment is Monday. Do you want to know what impresses me? He actually called me tonight to check up on me. He told me that he's going to look over my information and write up my reports. How awesome is that? I can't believe he called to check up on me. Nice!

Endometriosis: The [Not So] Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Since I've received an official endometriosis diagnosis and this seems to be something that I will have to live with for a good chunk of time, I thought that I'd put a little information here on my blog. This way, you, my wonderful readers, can learn a little about it.

What Is It?

Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus is found elsewhere in the body. Endometriosis lesions can be found in the pelvic cavity: on the ovaries, the fallopian tubes, and on the pelvic sidewall. Other locations that are not so common are caecarian section scars, bladder, bowel, intestines, colon, appendix, and rectum. Even rarer, endometriosis can be found inside the vagina, inside the bladder, on the skin, in the lungs, spine, and brain.

What Are Some Symptoms?

The most common symptom of endometriosis is pelvic pain. The pain often correlates to the menstrual cycle, however a woman may also experience pain at other times during her monthly cycle. For many women, the pain of endometriosis can unfortunately be so severe and debilitating that it impacts on her life in significant ways.

Pain may be felt:

• before/during/after menstruation
• during ovulation
• in the bowel during menstruation
• when passing urine
• during or after sexual intercourse
• in the lower back region

Other symptoms may include:

• diarrhoea or constipation (in particular in connection with menstruation)
• abdominal bloating (again, in connection with menstruation)
• heavy or irregular bleeding
• fatigue

Another well known symptom associated with endometriosis is infertility. It is estimated that 30-40% of women with endometriosis are subfertile.

What Causes Endometriosis?

Several different hypotheses have been put forward as to what causes endometriosis. Unfortunately, none of these theories have ever been entirely proven, nor do they fully explain all the mechanisms associated with the development of the disease. Thus, the cause of endometriosis remains unknown. Several theories have become more accepted, and reality is that it may be a combination of factors, which make some women develop endometriosis.

Metaplasia - Metaplasia means to change from one normal type of tissue to another normal type of tissue. Some researchers believe this happens in the embryo, when the uterus is first forming. Others believe that some adult cells retain the ability they had in the embryonic stage to transform into reproductive tissue.

Retrograde menstruation - This theory was promoted by Dr. John Sampson in the 1920s. He surmised that menstrual tissue flows backwards through the fallopian tubes and deposits on the pelvic organs where it seeds and grows.

Genetic predisposition - Studies have shown that first-degree relatives of women with this disease are more likely to develop endometriosis. And when there is a hereditary link, the disease tends to be worse in the next generation.

Lymphatic or vascular distribution - Endometrial fragments may travel through blood vessels or the lymphatic system to other parts of the body. This may explain how endometriosis ends up in distant sites, such as the lung, brain, skin, or eye.

Immune system dysfunctions - Some women with endometriosis appear to display certain immunologic defects of dysfunctions. Whether this is a cause or effect of the disease remains unknown.

Environmental influences - Some studies have pointed to environmental factors as contributors to the development of endometriosis, specifically related to the way toxins in the environment have an effect on the reproductive hormones and immune system response, though this theory has not been proven and remains controversial.

What Are Some Treatments?

Choosing a treatment comes down to the individual woman's needs, depending on her symptoms, her age, and her fertility wishes.

Pain killers, hormonal therapies, surgery, nutritional therapy, and complementary therapies are all ways to help combat symptoms with endometriosis.

All information can be found here.

AYKM - Something To Be Proud Of

Forbes recently put out their list of America's 20 Most Miserable Cities.

Guess what?

Rockford is number 14. Proud is definitely the word I would use to describe it! Ha!

Cities under considerations included 200 of the largest metro areas. Any area with a population of more than 245,000 was considered. There were many factors that were examined and they include: unemployment, taxes, commute times, violent crimes, how its pro sports teams have fared over the past two years, weather, and pollution sites.

Ready for the list? Here we go!

1. Cleveland, Ohio
2. Stockton, California
3. Memphis, Tennessee
4. Detroit, Michigan
5. Flint Michigan
6. Miami, Florida
7. St. Louis, Missouri
8. Buffalo, New York
9. Canton, Ohio
10. Chicago, Illinois
11. Modesto, California
12. Akron, Ohio
13. Kansas City, Missouri
14. Rockford, Illinois
15. Toledo, Ohio
16. New York, New York
17. Sacramento, California
18. Youngstown, Ohio
19. Gary, Indiana
20. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Does anybody else find it disturbing that Ohio is on the list 4 times? Unreal!

Tagged!

I've been tagged by Dana over at Sweeping Through Life. This is my second time being tagged and I am just stoked! Here are the rules:

• List 10 things that make you happy.
• Tag 10 other bloggers and link back to the person who tagged you.

Only 10? Ok, let's get started.

1. Family. Cliche, I know, but it's my list. As much as Drew irritates me on a daily basis, he still completes me. My sister is getting older, and when she's not ditching me for her friends, I can feel us growing closer and closer. I've spent more time with extending family the past year or so and it makes me so happy. I love being able to be with family!
2. Friends. I am so blessed to have the friends that I do. My close girlfriends are such a great group of girls. Drew and I are so blessed to have such amazing bonds with fantastic people.
3. NOT being sick. I try to keep my whining about it off of the blog, but when I get sick like I do, I absolutely hate it. I sorta feel like I may die. Or at least never feel better ever again. I treasure each day that I feel healthy so much more now.
4. Traveling. I love seeing and experiencing new places and cultures. Drew and I don't travel nearly as much as I would like to. We've been talking about taking a bigger trip towards the end of the year with a group of friends for all of our anniversaries. I so hope we get to go.
5. A clean house. I hate cleaning. Absolutely loathe it. But, the end product is always so worth it. Even if it only lasts for half a day because my husband loves to clutter things up. If only we could afford a housekeeper.
6. Saving. I love to see the bank account grow. Drew and I are working really hard to pay off our debt and once we get that down, we'll be able to save even more aggressively.
7. My furbabies. Since we don't have actual babies right now, our furbabies are my life. Often times I greet them first before Drew when I get home from work.
8. Our new bed. Don't tell Drew! I fought so hard against buying it. Spending large amounts of money like that makes me anxious. But, it's been worth it. Even if I do have to jump up into it.
9. Reality TV. There is no bigger stress reliever than sitting down to a good reality show and just letting my mind shut off. It's so nice to watch someone else's drama for a little bit.
10. Chocolate. Need I say more?

I tag:

1. Kim at Berly's Thoughts
2. Lindsay at Designer Wife
3. Jessica at Life as a Mrs.
4. Brianna at Life in Loki's Backyard
5. Stacy at Our Perfectly Imperfect Life
6. Ashley at Nolan's Story
7. Hannah at That [Officer's] Wife
8. Summer at The Road to Mommyhood
9. Dana at Whitworth Family
10. Sarah at Better Together

Happy 30th Birthday Drew!

Today is Drew's 30th birthday. Of course, I couldn't let a big occasion like this go by without some sort of fanfare. So, I have been busy plotting planning a surprise party.

Drew has been working some crazy, insane hours. I planned for some of his friends to take him to the casino. He spent the afternoon gambling and, thanks to his friends, arrived back here right on time.

What a nice way to say thanks right? He just walks right away and into the kitchen.

The cake that Becca and I made.
The cake that Josh and Angie brought. I think it wins!

Leo absolutely loved the balloon decorations.

Well, now I have a hubby in his 30s. I know that he's felt a little down in dumps about it. Hopefully 30 will treat him well. And I would never rub it in or anything :)!

Silly Kitty

Making the bed is always a bit of a PITA when Leo is around. He loves to jump in underneath the covers and run around messing them up. Sometimes, he doesn't even need the covers to play with.

Isn't he just adorable? I love him even if he is a nuisance sometimes.

On Thursday, I dropped him off at the vet so that he could get neutered and declawed. Boy, has he been chill since then. I'm sure that part of it is because he's still in a little bit of pain. He's done very well and was playing when I brought him home on Friday.

A Place To Rest Our Heads Part II

Our new bed arrived today. And in case anybody is wondering just how big that bed is, it comes up to my belly button.
I practically have to run and jump to get onto the darn thing.

And, just in case anybody is curious over which bed we got:

Here's hoping to some good nights rest now.

Chocoholic Frolic

The Arc is an organization that serves adults and children with development disabilities here in our community. They have some fundraisers every year and a relatively new one is the Chocoholic Frolic. I received a flyer for it back in September of last year. I mentioned it to my aunt, who is a self-confessed chocoholic because I knew that she would love to go. I had sort of forgotten about it, but my aunt certainly had not. She mentioned it to my mom, who mentioned it to me, and we all decided to make a girls night of it. And, I mean, what woman can turn down chocolate?
The room was set up similar to what it would be like for a bridal expo. There were tables set up and each one had a different chocolate something. Brownies, cake, cookies, martinis, mousse, chocolate chili, and of course, a chocolate fountain.

It was chocolate lovers dream come true! Could this sign be any more true?

Is it bad that I'm already drooling for next year?

Color Matched

While reading through my Google Reader tonight, I came across a color quiz that Young House Love had posted. And I decided to give it a try. Basically, you pick colors that you feel are most pleasing to look at. Here's my results:

Best Occupational Category
You're an ORGANIZER

Keywords
Self-Control, Practical, Self-Contained, Orderly, Systematic, Precise, and Accurate

These conservative appearing, plotting-types enjoy organizing, data systems, accounting, detail, and accuracy. They often enjoy mathematics and data management activities such as accounting and investment management. Persistence and patience allows them to do detailed paperwork, operate office machines, write business reports, and make charts and graphs.

ORGANIZER CAREERS
Suggested careers are Administrator, Secretary, Printer, Paralegal, Building Inspector, Bank Cashier, Private Secretary, Statistician, Operations Manager, Financial Analyst, Bookkeeper, Medical Records Technician, Developer of Business or Computer Systems, Clerical Worker, Proofreader, Accountant, Administrative Assistant, Banker, Certified Public Accountant, Credit Manager, Store Salesperson, Actuary, Dental Assistant, Business Education Teacher, Food Service Manager, IRS Agent, Budget Analyst, and Underwriter.

ORGANIZER WORKPLACES
Your very careful, conscientious, conservative nature gives others the confidence to trust you with handling money and material possessions. Structured organizations that have well-ordered chains of command work best for you.

Suggested Organizer workplaces are large corporations, business offices, financial lending institutions, banks, insurance companies, accounting firms, and quality control and inspection departments.

What do you think? If you know me at all, you know that that is pretty spot on.

If you want to take the test yourself, click here.

A Place To Rest Our Heads

When Drew and I moved in together, we were first sleeping on my full sized bed. We quickly realized that that was not going to work for very long. Drew's parents bought a new bed and were kind enough to give us their old bed. We have been so grateful to have a king bed to sleep on.

The only bad thing is that their mattress is more than 30 years old. That's old for a mattress! Drew has been complaining non-stop about how uncomfortable the bed is. And I'd be lying if I didn't agree.

Drew did some contracting work in January and I agreed that with the money he made we could buy a new mattress. We shopped around at the local stores here and Drew decided that he liked a Trump Home mattress from Serta.

I didn't have too many opinions on the mattresses. As long as it wasn't a memory foam and it was plush. Have you laid on a memory foam mattress? Absolutely horrible! Your body sinks into this hole as the foam forms around you. Then, when you want to roll over and change positions, you have to hoist yourself out of said hole and create a whole new hole. Can you imagine me doing that when I'm hugely pregnant? I shudder to think the size of the hole that I would create. Horrible!!

So, Drew purchased the new mattress on Thursday and we will be receiving it a week from today.

Hello 25

25 just seems like such a good age. A quarter of a century. Mid-twenties.

Today was my birthday and Drew and I spent the entire day together. I was woken up by Drew's parents calling me and singing "Happy Birthday". I love my in-laws! After I hung up with them, I looked at my phone and realized that I had a text message. When I read it, I squealed! Rachel had texted me to let me know that she was in the hospital getting ready to have baby Jack!!! On my birthday!!! I was ecstatic!

I got out of bed and Drew and I had birthday cake for breakfast. Becca was so sweet and baked me a spice cake and made me a sweet card. Thanks Becca!

Then, we got ready and went out and ran errands. We ended up going to Granite City for dinner. We had a great dinner, then came home and just chilled the rest of the night.

A First for Us

Drew and I started dating in September of 2006. So, we've been together for about 3 1/2 years. Now, there's a bunch of things that we've never done together, but one of them is not exactly expected since it's a very common thing to do when two people are dating.

Drew and I have never been to the movie theater together.

But that changed tonight when Drew took me to see Dear John for my birthday.
I love Nicholas Sparks books and when I saw previews for this movie, I immediately knew that I wanted to go see it. Bonus for me was that the movie came out right before my birthday. I knew that I could mention to Drew that I wanted to go to the movie and the book for my birthday and have a pretty good chance of getting it. And it worked! I'm so easy to please, aren't I?

How was the movie you ask? Shirtless Channing Tatum was fantastic. The movie was just ok. I find it hard to justify spending the amount of money that it costs to go see a movie, especially when some movies turn out to be horrible. I guess I just expected more out of this movie. It was still good, just not worth spending the money to see it in the theaters. But, Drew did comment later that he also agreed that Channing is hot. That made my day!!

After the movie, we went and played cards at Adam and Nicole's with them and Josh and Amanda. I love spending time with our friends.

Wednesday's Word

Pecuniary / pih-KYOO-nee-air-ee / adjective:
1. Relating to money; monetary.
2. Consisting of money.
3. Requiring payment of money.

He lacked the finer element of conscience which looks upon Art as a sacred calling, she remembered, and because of "pecuniary necessities" he "scattered his forces in many different and unworthy directions."
-- James F. O'Gorman, Accomplished in All Departments of Art

The young man of the house was absorbed in his vegetable garden and the possibilities for pecuniary profit that it held.
-- Samuel Chamberlain, Clementine in the Kitchen

He sees the great pecuniary rewards and how they are gained, and naturally is moved by an impulse to obtain the same for himself.
-- David J. Brewer, "The Ideal Lawyer", The Atlantic, November 1906

Over the decades, Pitt built an impressive roster of similarly well-heeled clients who stood accused by the SEC of securities fraud, misstating their finances, other pecuniary offenses.
-- Jonathan Chait, "Invested Interest", The New Republic, December 17, 2001