A Quarter Century...

Brandon turns the big two.five today. Woah! That's a milestone, right?

It's funny how he sees himself.  He's really harsh on himself... I suppose we all are.  I certainly don't want to me airing my man's dirty laundry... But sometimes I wonder what goes through his noggin.  All the while, I'm sure he does the same with me when I talk about my fat rolls for the eighth time during dinner.  Most recently he is down on himself for not being in a "career."  Or, having not graduated from college.  I have to find ways to nonchalantly remind him that while he may not be a scientist or professor, he provides for us and our "family" more than adequately.  College pathways are shoved down kids' throats so early these days.  I understand why and certainly agree with most of the reasoning.  However, it also leads to a level of dissatisfaction or failure for those of our generation that haven't yet figured out their niche in life.  I definitely have felt the crunch since I have been out of high school for over six years now (and have been in college 5.5 yrs of that 6) and am still working on my BA. Shhhh! Don't tell anyone that! It's embarrassing!

I'm beginning to ramble, I know.  I'm really good at rambling.  My point is that Brandon is so successful in my eyes (as well as everyone else that loves him!) and sometimes I wish he could see what I do.  He is a huge asset to our family's business and it literally would not be what it is today if he weren't a part of it.  I know that the business will be missing a huge chunk when Brandon does in fact find his passion in life.  He is a provider for our family, especially right now with me in school full time.  I work my buns off too, but he has more earning potential than I do and I appreciate him sacrificing his time and energy so I can finish my degree.  He puts in sixty hour work weeks nearly every week and that just isn't normal.  I have a hard working man and for that I am proud!!!

He doesn't read my blog and makes fun of me for having one to begin with... but I wanted to share my love for my man anyway!  We are celebrating this weekend BIG TIME! :)  I am working his lunch shift tomorrow while he gets an hour and a half massage *ahhh* and then spends the afternoon golfing with his parents.  Then,  we got our dinner/closing shifts covered and we are going out to the Melting Pot with friends of ours for din din!  Then, Saturday we are headed to Herron Island to relax for the rest of the weekend in some friends' beach cabin! We're hoping to enjoy our lovely 70 something weather while kayaking or just combing the beach!

I figure we better take advantage of as much relaxing and time to ourselves before the chillin's arrive.  You know, *someday.*

I love this picture because it shows what a goofball he is!!! I know, it looks a little like he may be a switch hitter... but I promise he was just being goofy! :)

Love ya babe! Can't wait to grow many years older with you! :) Happy Happy Birthday!

The Jackson Tales Part 1

I'm not sure if I have ever shared the full story that brought Jackson into our lives... I'm too lazy to go read my first post so I will give a series of posts that will bring us all up to speed on my main man.  Well, my main furry man. :)

July 14th, 2007 I was driving down a main drag in Mesa, Arizona around midnight.  We were killing time because we had to pick Brandon up after his shift at the lovely Red Lobster.  We came up on a frantic looking dog that was running like a mad man in the middle of the street, literally.

 *Sidenote*
I'm not sure how it is in other parts of the country, but up here in Washington, most main roads the speed limit is between 30-45 depending on how busy, how wide and how curvy! We have several highways that the speed limit is higher, but main roads through cities and towns are different.  Well, in Arizona the main roads are of course all N/S and E/W.  The Phoenix Valley is literally a grid which is great for getting around! However, all of the main roads are four lanes (two on each side) and while the speed limit is 35-45mph everyone goes 60+.  No joke.  Well, except for the snowbirds that all slow traffic down which is a hazard in itself.

So, with that tidbit of information, you can imagine my fright when I realize that the oncoming traffic's red light had just turned green and here are a whole buttload of cars headed in this poor dog's way.  I sped up, pulled into the center lane and jumped out of my car in attempt to scare him out of the road.  It worked.  He went running off into the subdivision that was on the other side of the street.  I got back into my car and kept driving.  While waiting in the Lob's parking lot for Brandon I couldn't get my mind off of the dog.  I kept thinking... is he okay?  Why is he so frantic? He's obviously lost... Should I call animal control? Should I go back?  Well, it doesn't take a genius to figure out which thought process I went with...

So, fast forward to 45 minutes later.  The dog is in the back of my SUV and I'm picking Brandon up from work (late, might I add.)  The dog's odor is absolutely atrocious and he is spooked out of his mind.  Oh, and I should add that Brandon was peeved.  Like, extra peeved.  I don't blame him, either.  We lived in student housing for Arizona State University and quite honestly we didn't have a budget that included a dog.  So, I promised that I would take him to the pound the next day.

When we arrived home that night, I proceeded to give "Lindsay" (his temporary name... I found him on Lindsay Road and I thought he was a girl... whoops!) a bath to rid him of his terrible stink.  In the process, I found over 75 ticks on the poor dude and several "road rash" wounds that looked like they had attempted to heal to only be reopened.  He spent the night in an empty room in our house.  The next morning, we loaded him up and I regretfully walked him into the Maricopa County Animal Shelter.

To Be Continued...

C25K Update...

I don't think I mentioned over here that I joined Jen in her quest to be fit... We started the Couch to 5k program 5 *or so* weeks ago. It started as an email group that morphed into a full on Facebook group.  Its cool because there are several of us women at all different stages of fitness and life and we all are keeping each other motivated!!!

I do not run.  Never have... except when I played basketball in middle school and my freshman year of high school. Or, if there is a fire.

I repeat... I do not run. Well, at least I didn't used to!

But!

I've completed almost 3 weeks of this thing! Ah*maze*ing!!!! It has been a positive program that starts you out in increments that are attainable instead of just reaching for an unrealistic goal.  I really do think that is the main thing that makes so many people successful at it!

So, I just wanted to gloat for a bit.  I am behind week wise, but I am so proud of myself for slowly making progress... I can't usually say that!!! I am reasonable enough to know I will probably finish this program in more like 11 or 12 weeks instead of the 9 that it is originally set up for, but that is OK with me!

A big thanks to my friend, JEN for keeping me motivated!!! She's on week 5! Holy wowzers!!!

In other news, its a slow weekend for restaurants/bars. Annnd, it's my long weekend.  Meaning I work all three nights this weekend. FUN! Not. :)  But, we did recently put in an outdoor patio area that is awesome! We have some tables & chairs as well as some flowers and stuff out there to make it look pretty.  So, now people can enjoy their beer in the sunshine!

Signing off for now... that ended up being a random post! Happy Sunday everyone!

Summer TV Favorites

I always feel a sense of emptiness when my favorite primetime shows have their season finales.  That is kind of sad, right? I mean, I feel like TV should not have THAT big of a part of my life. Oh well, I'll have kids someday and then I'll have WAY less time for TV, right? ;0)

Kate Plus Eight

Yep, I'm one of those women. I totally still watch Kate! Those kids crack me up! This past episode was all about their new chickens.  Cara and Maddy argued over who got to carry the lone egg back to the house and Collin proved himself to be Mr. Macho Man by doing a bunch of the heavy lifting himself! :) 

Real Housewives New Jersey

Jacqueline has always been my favorite out of this cast with Caroline coming in as my 2nd favorite.  I just love how laid back Jacqueline is and she seems very normal.  Well, as normal as those rich people can be! ha! I watch these reality shows to get a peak into these people's normalcy, not for the drama.  Except, I think that drama is Teresa and Danielle's normal.  So, last nights episode was in one word *crazy*.  Woah! I must say, I will be very disappointed if they keep Danielle on the cast.  Her and Kelly Bensimone need to go to a mental hospital. Geeze!

Bethenny's Getting Married!

Bethenny was my favorite housewife from the start of RHWNY so I was thrilled when they started a spin off for her.  I happen to think she's hilarious... I know she can be bitchy but hey, we all can be a little snarky right?  I was really proud of her for sticking to her grounds with Jill because while I liked Jill for the first season this season she seemed very two faced and only concerned with how she "looked" in the eyes of her oh-so-precious NY Socialites.  And her BFF LuAnn makes me gag. *Eck*! 

I got off track... So this episode "So Hoppy Together" was so great! I can't help it, I just feel really happy for both of them! I love Jason's family... his mom cracks me up.  She kept talking about how her Xanex helped her nerves! HA! Bethenny is definitely a crack up and her peeing in the garbage can was a great moment.  It shows me that she doesn't take herself too seriously and I think that's important for famous people.  Out of all of my crappy TV, this is the only show that Brandon will watch with me! He thinks she's funny too.  Cookie cracks me up too! I love that her wedding planner kept calling Cookie Kujo (however you spell that!)

So, those are my favorite shows during the summer.  Thankfully I have DVR so I just keep them stacked up for a while and then sit down and watch them all at once.  I have a really weird schedule so I usually only have time to watch over an hour of TV once or twice a week.  I suppose that's a good thing!! :0)

What are your favorite shows? Or, are you a better person than me and you don't watch crappy summer TV?! Haha!

What's In a Personality Type?

A big part of my program at school revolves around the study of interpersonal communications.  I find it SO interesting as we clearly partake in these situations multiple times daily.  It seems like such a *duh* to me that we should all study them! Knowing ourselves and how we best communicate will only allow us to improve on all relationships in our lives.  Well, I should say... it will give us the tools to be able to improve those relationships.  Certainly, not everyone will use those tools! I have found myself profiling my family members and friends also which I have used in a good way. I suppose that could have a negative aspect too! Ha!

More than one of my classes has focused on different personality types and how they play into communciation styles, etc.  We have used the Meyers-Brigg test to indicated what each of us tend to lean towards.  I have taken this free test several different times and I always come up with the same answer....

ENFJ

Hmm... so what does that mean? Ha! 

E-  Extroverted
N- Intuative
F- Feeling
J- Judging

Here is a great summary of the ENFJ type:
Extraverted feeling types seek continuity through harmonious relationships and collective values. They excel at picking up on the tone of a situation and acting accordingly, adding warmth to a cool setting or turning sour into sweet. They naturally seek to know what people do well, what they enjoy, and where and how they work. They seem to have an infinite number of acquaintances from all walks of life and are always on the lookout for people in need and those who can help out. ENFJs weave and strengthen the collective fabric of social conventions and interactions. Inclusiveness is important and they are particularly sensitive to those who are excluded.

ENFJs focus on others, feeling a glow when those around them are happy, and troubled when something is amiss. They are natural cheerleaders, often expressing support, gratitude, and encouragement, and heaping praise onto those they appreciate. They take note of what is being done and what needs doing, offering their assistance wherever necessary.
ENFJs enjoy organizing group activities and tend to take their commitments seriously. In general, they are reliable and do not like to disappoint others. As team players and project leaders, they have a gift for rallying their players, focusing on what is being done right and each member's strengths. They are loyal and they expect loyalty. They carry conversations well, finding common ground with their speaker. They tend to find the correct and gracious way to respond in any given situation, no matter how tense or uncomfortable it is.

source

Of course, this description only notes the positive sides to an ENFJ and while I am not claiming that everything about my personality is great, there are definitely good things! :)  I can relate with almost all of this description.  One of my main disagreements is that I am usually not very gracious. Ha! I tend to open my mouth too much and sometimes in a not so nice manner.  But, I am aware and working on that!!!

So, if you made it to the bottom of this lengthy post... have you ever taken the MB test?  If not, go do it! It's interesting! If you have, what type are you and do you find that it describes you pretty well?  I'm interested to hear the feedback!

Win a Few of Her Favorite Things....

While catching up on my bloggy buddies' latest posts (ahem, like the past months worth...) I realized my PNW buddy, Jenn was having a giveaway! She's calling it... A Few of Her Favorite Things! Cute.  I decided I like all of her favorite things and you should go check it out! :)

If I were going to give away some of my favorite things they would be:

Burts Bees Chapstick! I love the pomegrante kind...
Philosophy - Amazing Grace Lotion
Lia Sophia Jewelry - Love it!
Purse Hangers - I always give these as gifts! They're a favorite QVC item of mine! :)
My favorite coffee/drink tumblers that are leak free and stainless steel! Love them! Also from QVC!

Hmmm... Maybe I will do a giveaway someday soon... ;)

Prayers for Bennett

Because I am a lazy blogger... I don't use my google reader or even my dashboard in blogger very often.  I usually just check out blogs from Jen's sidebar.  It's just easier for me that way.  Especially because 9 times out of 10 I am reading blogs from my phone when I'm bored. 

That is how I found Adrienne & Jim's family.  I've been reading for over a year (I think...) and have prayed for them numerous times.  Their entire story is amazing to me... check out their blog for the details.  Most recently Adrienne gave birth to their baby Bennett entirely too early because of complications.  What a sweet little boy he is. 

Please hop over to read about Jim & Adrienne's adventures in adoption and now the birth of their baby Bennett.  They can use all of the prayers possible!

See What The Apple Pie Gal Says...

Jen's sister-in-law started a blog last month... TAPG has made some cameos in pictures that Jen has posted before... but now she has THE REAL DEAL! She has like a billion posts already too! Sheeesh! Way to show off, TAPG! She's funny and talks about Ballz sometimes.  Hey, it's good to talk about Apple Pie AND Ballz.  They're both really important things in this life!

All joking aside, she has some great input into all things green and do-it-yourself gardening/cooking.  So, she's giving away some Environne veggie & fruit wash! I have never heard of this stuff... I keep forgetting to remember to look for it at the store.  Forgetting to remember is such an odd phrase... Anyway, go over to The Apple Pie Gal's blog and enter to win! I don't even want to know what yucky chemicals we all consume on our fruits & veggies! Yucka!