In A Long Time

There are only a few things that make me mad in this world. For one when I order a dollar chicken sandwich from McDonald's and specify Mayonnaise only and they proceed to give me a "double checked for accuracy" chicken sandwich with mayonnaise with lettuce. But along with the other things that make me angry nothing is so big or massive that it's not worth laughing at.

Although one thing which really upsets me is when people start their own blog and then go weeks even months without paying any attention to it. Which is where I'm at. I have totally ignored the story I had started which is about Maxx and myself and our wonderful life together. And now it's almost Christmas, last entry Halloween.

So to make up for this I'm going to let you all in on a few things I've learned while doing Christmas shopping this year.

1. There are three classifications of parking spots. We all know the Rock Star spot, the one that's right next to the door or at the front of the aisle. Then there's the Future Rock Star spot these are mid range spots you get, don't worry you're still pretty good at the game of parking but there are those who have mastered it better. And finally there's the State Fair Runner Up. Most popular at Target, these spots are at the end of the lane. Like the real thing these in some circumstances can be better than Rock Stars this is because with a State Fair Runner Up you don't have to worry about all the people surrounding your vehicle as you're backing out plus you get a little extra exercise in.

2. I LOVE Overstock.com. Last year I bought Maxx and myself some clothing that was SUPER inexpensive so this year I decided to look again. While I can't reveal my purchases at this time let me just say that I got $650 worth of gifts for less than $150. And the items are the real deal they aren't knock offs or you don't get something that is a crap version of what you expected. Plus they have EVERYTHING. Okay maybe not the Wii that Monica and Ben just got but EVERYTHING else. Definitely worth looking into next year. Plus shipping is always $2.95 and like every other day around Christmas it's free.

3. When doing online shopping you can save even more with coupon codes. Now there are a lot of websites out there that "promise" to save you money, even the ones featured on the Today show suck bottles. Most of them are badly designed and give you advertisements instead of coupons. But there's one that's the King of them all. RetailMeNot.com is not only nicely designed but it's simple all you do is type in the website you're wanting a coupon for (like Sephora.com). You're then shown the featured discounts that site is offering currently followed by coupons with their codes AS WELL AS the success rate of the coupon. I've found that any coupon with a "green" success rate (above 60%) is pretty good to go. Lower ratings are iffy but still worth trying. Using this website I was able to save an additional $60 on my purchases.

4. It's nice to get people things that fit their personality. As Noel and Celeste mentioned Gifts.com has a personality profiler which is great. I've found that if you search enough sites you will eventually find the ONE site that has the perfect gift. (DISCLAIMER: The gifts you are about to read about are not the gifts being given so if you're a person mentioned I'm not spoiling it for you.) Example: I stumbled on the site PerpetualKid.com and upon browsing found numerous items I loved. They had a really cool Bowling Clock which would be perfect for Jason and Humidor Cologne by Demeter which would be nice for Noel. With just a little time I was able to find two great gifts with out having to do anything other than being patient until I found the right site.

5. PerpetualKid.com got me wondering around the internet for other sites with unusual gifts. I figured I could find something kitschy and cool for everyone on our list. So I started googleing things like "unique gifts". Here's where I did something I'm not so proud of. Although some sites came up that were worthy of my time I quickly realized that I was becoming addicted to the possibility of the next site having something really cool. A couple of hours passed I was somewhere with a name like UncleBobsBarnofGagsGifts.com looking at the 20th Pooping Reindeer I had seen and realized I had crossed the thin line of looking for unique gifts and wasting my time on sites that had NOTHING I was going to be interested in.

6. There's a simple way to tell you need to use your "back" button on the internet. That is if you go to a site that has amongst their categories of products a section listed as Adult Novelties or Toys for Women. It's not good. You don't want to do your Christmas Shopping anywhere that sells an inflatable moose head, pooping reindeer, and vibrators all in one stop. I made the mistake so you don't have too. And to everyone on our Christmas list don't worry no presents were purchased from said sites.

7. Finally it's amazing all that I'm able to do this Christmas. Labor Day weekend Maxx and I realized that we HAD to quit spending money on alcohol and going out. Although we had said this many times we have really stuck to it. With this change not only are we both SUPER productive now the blessings being given to us are amazing. I am busier with parties than I've ever been. Both November and December were great and I am booked every day in January that I'm not at the Dr's office with the exception of 3. Plus my Saturdays are gone into March and I have parties into April. This is only because we decided to stop ignoring our lives and start being honoring of the God Spirits that we are which is much easier done when you don't buy beer half the week. Maxx is also busier at the salon and we're very much enjoying being at home with each other more often. I'm glad we FINALLY made this much needed change in our lives and we would like to thank all of you who had prayed for us over the course of time. Our lives are wonderful as are all of our family and friends. This Holiday season the number one thing I've learned is that it's absolutely fantastic to be an adult be married to your best friend and love daily all of the wonderful things God and the Universe manifest into our lives. Enjoy each other and please above all REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE.

Have a wonderful Holiday and hopefully I'll write again before Memorial Day.

A note to non-enthusists

The following post originally aired on www.thegreengiants.com September 27th, 2007. I enjoyed it so much I decided to "Ctrl C" "Ctrl V" it to our blog. (Maxx that's how you copy and paste.) Being as I am the writer I hope no one tries to pin me with plagiarism. For those of you who have read it a new one's on the way, for those of you who haven't there's still time to shop for a costume, or at the least start planning for next year.

The grand old time of year we like to call Halloween is quickly approaching and I would like to take a moment to address the rather small group of people who find it necessary to purchase a $10 t-shirt that says “I don’t do costumes”.

I realize that you probably fall into a “group” of social friends who may agree with you this holiday is one you outgrew once your parents quit dressing you. However you view yourself, whether it be skater, preppy, goth, nerd, loner, busy working mom, real estate pro, business entrepreneur or one of the other labels amongst the myriad of choices I have a what may be shocking announcement for you. Here goes:

If Halloween comes and you are not in costume we (the rest of the world) will know by the fact that you are not in costume that you “don’t do costumes”. It’s that simple, you can now feel free to take the $10 and put it towards a pocket protector, new stickers for your skate board, business card magnets (free @ vistaprint.com), or just get an iced breve from Starbucks and sit back watching the rest of us have fun.

See it’s that simple after all those of us who do dress up on Halloween don’t feel the need to go out and buy a t-shirt that states “I do costumes” which we would then wear over our costume. That would be pointless so why do the opposite?

One last note & this is how we really get you. One definition of the word “costume” is: a set of garments selected for wear at a single time; AH-HA, so this t-shirt that you’re buying to wear on Halloween is in turn what you dread the most A COSTUME!! How do you like that for your burgers? If it fits the requirements flip it over and start grilling. Hopefully the t-shirt designers will make one that says “I don’t do costumes, except for this shirt which I bought only for this evening making it a costume, so next year I should really put more thought to it like the Green Giants do”

Occurrences

This just occurred to me. Kinda like in a movie when one person knows what's going on and you as the viewer are "in the loop" but the other character doesn't know anything so from their perspective things are really funny to everyone, and again, I quote "in the loop". And Noel and Celeste if you did know this before hand then just make believe that you didn't because it's that imagination whether true or false that really makes this great. Maybe more like a classic episode of Seinfeld.

Yesterday and today were Patient Appreciation Days at the office. This meant yesterday any existing patient could bring in 3 non-parishible food items, to go to the Victory Mission and in turn get a free adjustment (approx a $35 value) today any new patient could bring the same and get a complementary consultation, exam, and any necessary x-rays (at most about a $250 value). We had been promoting this for over a month and while a good day for us is usually seeing 20-30 patients yesterday we saw 71. Each month it's our goal to see 20 new patients and today we beat that by 1. In addition to the complementary treatments we also decorated, had food, there was fun festive music and balloons everywhere, plus at any given time yesterday there were about 5-8 people just kinda hanging out.

In the midst of the celebration yesterday in walk Noel and Celeste. Now I'm just thinking hey there's Noel and Celeste, and although it was one of those moments when you want to say something like "Hey everyone it's Noel and Celeste!" I refrained. They popped in chatted said "Hi" to the Doctor and then left. This was normal for me because I, and if anyone has a different saying let me know, was "in the loop".

Just a few minutes ago it hit me that maybe Noel and Celeste didn't know that we were having Patient Appreciation Days. In that case, which I'm believing is the truth because it makes me laugh, their "out of the loop" movie view would have been something like this:

A hazy dream-like fog fills the screen and we see Noel and Celeste come into view driving from Barnes and Noble north on Glenstone.

Noel "Hey we should stop by and see Janelle at work"
Celeste "That's a great idea babe, let's do it"
Noel "She really likes working there, that's exciting. I really like designing web-sites that's exciting too. Didn't you go to a Chiropractor when you were a cheerleader"
Celeste "Yup, it was great. We should make hummus when we get home"
Noel "Mmmmm hummus. Yeah let's watch some Monk after church also, it's a good Monk day"
(turning into the parking lot)
Celeste "That's a funny roof, 417 should have us write a story on funny roofs we've seen"
Noel "I'll mention it to Greg tomorrow, I bet he'd go for it"
(walking in)
Janelle being surprised "Hey guys what are you doing?"
Noel "My back hurts"
Janelle "Really?"
Noel "No we were just around and thought we'd stop by and say hi"
Janelle "Oh good. Dr Falukos this is my brother"
Dr. Falukos "Hey Noel"
Noel "Hey"
Dr. Falukos "I saw your picture in 417"
Noel "Yeah we're gonna write a story on funny roofs for them"
Dr. Falukos "Mr. Price I'm ready for you"
Noel "Ok I guess we'll see you later"
Janelle "K Love you"
Noel and Celeste "Bye"
(leaving)
Noel "That was kinda like being in a Mexican Restaurant, that was salsa music playing right?"
Celeste "Yeah, I thought maybe I was having a weird dream"
Noel "No wonder Janelle likes her job so much if people just come, hang out and eat cookies and meatballs all day"
Celeste "My chiropractor never had balloon garland hanging everywhere in his office"
Noel "I bet it was Janelle's idea she was probably like 'hey Dr Falukos why don't we hang balloons everywhere and play loud music then we can serve food also".
Celeste "She should really have her own show"
Noel "I'm still excited about hummus"
(end)

So little did Noel and Celeste know that much more was going on than me just simply deciding to festive up the office. It was all part of a master plan. A master plan to make people who just walked in question, if only for a moment, "Have I entered the Twilight Zone?"

Follow Your Fears

In 1994 Nelson Mandela opened his inaugural speech by saying, "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are more powerful beyond measure". This is and has been a very powerful statement in my life over the past few years and even more so over the past few weeks. As humans we get used to being knocked down whether we were the last to get picked for dodge ball, our parents got divorced, we suffered a loss of a loved one, we get used to pain in one form or another. More often than not we carry that pain into adult hood. Sure we're over being the last picked, or being made fun of, but we replace it with a variety of other things. Some choose over-spending, others it's dooming relationships from the start, or it might be sticking with a dead end job, drinking, being a bad friend, the list goes on and on.

We get used to the pain and we adapt, we learn how to find another relationship, pay bills if only the minimum, go to the job we dread, and continue on because we've been taught that you can't have it all. We've been taught that we have to settle and only deserve so much. That a dream is just that a dream it's o.k. to dream but realize that you'll wake up. You can wish upon a star but the stars will never be in your reach. It is so sad that as people we are taught this and we believe it.

We get scared to look for something better because that would mean change. We're afraid of change because what if we fail? It's often easier to stick with what we're doing than to grab hold of our fears by the hand and say "come on I'm in charge and by following you I'm going to make a difference". Maxx and I are going on two weeks w/o buying any alcohol, for those of you who know me and us this is a pretty big change. We realized that we were too comfortable with our pain and we also realized that we hadn't made any changes because we were fearful of giving up the pain that we had become so fond of however subconscious the fondness was. We also realized that it was going to take a drastic change and that we were going to have to be strong and make each other strong. So here we are, following our fear of not having pain.

I realize our situation does not apply to everyone. It's a universal truth it's hard to many things because we're AFRAID. We don't get the clients we deserve because we're afraid to approach people, we think "they might laugh at me or tell me no". So what? We're afraid of coming on too strong, or asking for the raise we know we deserve, or talking about something that's bothering us. This is crazy to me, what is it that makes some people "special" enough to be millionaire's and others not, how are some people happy no matter the circumstances and others not? The answer is they chased their fear, they realized they had to to what might be uncomfortable to be a better person. We are all beautiful beings made by a wonderful God who created us in His image. Once we realize that we don't have to live with pain and make the decision to proceed and make changes ridding our lives of what ever's holding us back it becomes easy to let the pain go and begin living our dreams.

Dreams do come true. Wish upon a star, we may not be able to physically touch it but our thought sends out millions of vibrations that reach it. We are capable of what ever we set our minds to, whether we want money, love, friends, health, it's all ours when we accept and expect it. It may take doing something physically uncomfortable and "following a fear" for some for others it may be more of an emotional journey in their thoughts and speech. We get what we expect and if we expect debt, illness, a bad job, or nonsupporting loved ones, that's what we get. On the other hand if we expect abundance, health, a career we love, and a great family, friends, and spouse that's what we get.

Nelson Mandela's speech went on to say, "It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Have a beautiful week, you deserve it!

2 and 3

Long before the movie "23" came out, which I have not seen, the numbers 2 and 3 have had great meaning in my life. I was born at 10:22 p.m. and Gaitha's birthday is October 22. I discovered that my birth number, the number associated with my birthday is 2. My parents have essentially 2 sets of 3 kids. Yesterday I discovered that my birth card is the 3 of spades. 1/3 is my favorite fraction, and when folding things I always fold them three times, if folding a towel then I fold it three times and then three times again, which is 2 sets of three. Maxx and I got married on the 23 which was decided after doing research as to what our numerological numbers for 2007 would be, I was a 2, Maxx was a 3. Plus the 23 happened to be, according to Japanese culture the luckiest day to get married. When my name was Janelle Rene Green I had 2 "e's" and one "n" in each name, now that I'm Janelle Rene Hatzenbuehler I still have 1 "n" in each name and now 2 "e's" in my first 2 names and 3 "e's" in my last name. E is the fifth letter of the alphabet which is 2 + 3. I'm a Libra which sign is the scales, scales have 2 sides. I'm not sure why I'm so drawn to these numbers or why these numbers are so drawn to me but I find it very interesting that all research shows they are prominent numbers in my life and before I knew that I already felt a bond with the numbers 2 & 3.

Our Dallas Vacation

Maxx and I had a wonderful day in Dallas yesterday. Actually we were in Springfield, but make-believing we were in Dallas. It started with us going to brunch with Mother and Daddy & Noel and Celeste at Blue Plate. I pointed out after we left that we NEVER went to brunch with family unless we were in Dallas and that I was going to make-believe we were on vacation for the rest of the day. I asked Maxx if he would like to join me and he accepted. After our wonderful family brunch we ventured to the mall so I could use my Sephora gift card on a new make-up item I had been wanting. I purchased the Benefit "That Gal", a make-up primer which can also be used instead of foundation to give your skin an even glowing look, and can also be used to refresh your make-up through out the day. Since we were on vacation I also decided to splurge on some Benefit lipstick, so I purchased the Candy Store color. I had been using the cheap lipstick that I sell with Slumber Parties and it tasted like old Halloween make-up.

After leaving Sephora we browsed the mall some more but made no further purchases. We needed to make sure we had enough gas money to make it back to Springfield. We then went to Renaissance Book Store, which was just as hard to find as a place might be in Dallas. But finally we arrived. There we browsed the store for about 30 minutes, Maxx bought a book he had been wanting and some crystals for the fung shui of the house, he also purchased a bookmark for me. It was my birth card which is the 3 of clubs and also happens to be Maxx's birth card. This was interesting because out of the 52 possible cards only about 5 birthdays of the year share the same one. I purchased some Gypys Goddess Money Drawing Oil, which normally I would have decided not to buy but we were on vacation. Plus it was only $10, and I love the scent. It has patchouli, sandlewood, ginger and cinnamon in it and it must work because this morning I received a phone order from a previous guest at a party.

Once we finally left Renaissance I told Maxx that since we were on vacation it might be nice to have a tropical frozen drink from Tropical Liquers. He agreed so we went down town to Trops. It had been ages since we had their frozen drinks. I decided on a Tropical Sunburn and Maxx got the Tropical Sunburn mixed with Tiger Paw. We sat for a couple hours and chatted with friends as well as making some new friends. Upon arriving back at our resting place for the evening we just hung out and watched some t.v., it was nice not to worry about any house work that might normally be on our minds. Overall it was one of the best vacations we've ever had. I highly, and I'm sure Maxx would too, recommend taking a day out of your normal lives to enjoy a make-believe vacation of your own.

Next month we're Paris bound, complete with an afternoon coffee and spending the day at a quaint little bookstore reading whatever tickles our fancy. I just hope we can understand the locals.

Bang for your Butts

A couple months ago I called the 1.800 number for Camel Cigarettes to see if there was any thing Maxx and I could do with our close to 1000 camel cash that we had saved over the last 3+ years. I had been very solid in my belief that we needed to save them until we had enough to get something really cool. Well they discontinued the program about the time that I was ready to indulge in some not-so-free items. I was however hopeful that maybe they had some items still available. No such luck, but the customer service guy said he would put a gift in the mail since I took time to call.

Now it's no surprise that cigarette companies prefer women customers over men. I guess they think that we have more decisive power in a household over the male. I am always getting zippo's, great coupons, and ashtrays from not only Camel, but other companies who are wanting to convert me to their brand. Maxx never gets anything, except maybe lame coupons.

About a week ago I got yet another ashtray that weighs about 3 pounds, that same day I also got my free gift. This is possibly the funniest thing I've ever received in the mail. It's a pocket ashtray. Like the one pictured above but mine is a light beige and on one side it says "Thank You" and has some flower thing. The great thing about this is that it looks like something straight out of a 1975 Holiday Inn. I'm going to call the customer service lots more to try and stock up just because it's so funny. It wouldn't be so great if it didn't look as dated as it does. I must say I have more ashtrays than I'll ever need and I'm sure they won't stop coming. Oh well as least I have a place for my butts.

Life is Funny - So Laugh

I've found that the moment you decide to laugh at yourself life becomes much more entertaining. I'm pretty well known for making silly mistakes or having random things happen to me that probably wouldn't happen to anyone else. I've decided that this is because I can accept these things as being funny and not embarrassing. Here are a few examples:

I was walking downtown and waved really big to a motorcyclist who was waving at me. . . except he was really just signaling to make a right turn

After purchasing my first pair of Sarah Jessica Parker's jeans I wore them out of the mall, which I had to walk all the way through to the other end. Once I got to my next destination I realized that I failed to take the back pocket tag off

Maxx & I were out to dinner with friends once and I had to go pee. Someone was in the restroom forever and I couldn't hold it and wet my pants. Then a couple came out of the bathroom, my jeans were only half wet so I wet them the rest of the way in the sink and hoped no one would notice (they were dark and really tight already). Then Maxx put his hand on my leg and was like "YOU'RE WET" so I made up a story about how they got dirty in the bathroom and I had to wash them in the sink. I could've just been like "we have to go NOW" but that would have been too easy and not Janelle. I've since told the truth.

I am continually running late and decide to take a short cut, which inevitably gets me lost and driving in circles till I reach the entering spot of the short cut again and thus run even later

I've given up telling jokes and leave it to Noel. If I try by the time I get to the punchline I'm laughing too hard to finish, that just makes everyone upset

I know I've had several other "janelleities" including the time I thought very deeply at Thanksgiving and told Noel "Hey all of us kids have an older brother and an older sister and a younger brother and a younger sister, except me. . . and Leland. . . and Jason. . . and Barry. . . and Gaitha. . . . . . Hey you're the only one who has an older brother and an older sister and a younger brother and a younger sister" We hadn't eaten yet so I couldn't even blame it on the treptiphen.

You're more than welcome to add other odd things I've done after all life is funny - so laugh.

I'm A Rockstar

In the year 2020 we will only be watching each other on television. Does anyone realize the amount of reality shows there are on t.v.? The next one is going to be titled "America's Next Big Idol American Real Star Singles Chef." We've run out of ideas as a country and it's not good. And struggling for ideas is not a good idea. To prove it here are some examples of trying:

Rock of Love - featuring Bret Micheal's as he searches for love

Scott Biao is 45 and Single - speaks for itself

The Simple Life - Paris and Nichole try to learn. . . (side-note: Monica I hope we didn't look like this at GVBC)

The Pick-Up Artist - Some Guy

The Girls Next Door - Hugh's 90 and dating

Making the Band 4 - P Diddy was feeling left out

And some random shows we watch which are also reality

Big Brother 8

Survivor

Road Rules

The Amazing Race

The Captain Master

Real World

Engaged & Underage

My Big Fat Fabulous Life Of

America's Next Top Model

Model Life

Miami Ink

L.A. Ink

American Chopper

Monster Garage

Trick my Truck

Parental Control

Sadly the list goes on. . . and on. . . and on. . .

Random for a Song

Random:

~ On the way home everyday coming up a hill Maxx and I pass a road sign that says "Red Signal Ahead" Right over the hill there's a Stop Light ...................................................................and a Red Signal Gas Station

~ There are certain parts of Spfld. where my cell phone consistently drops calls. I've learned to stop speaking when I'm coming up on these parts. Now when I'm in the car with someone I stop talking if we're in an area where I don't get service.

A Song:

~ Einy-Miny Pickle-Liny
Pick your tiny nose
If you find a booger
You can put it in your toes
Save in for a rainy day
Then you'll be so glad
That you found that booger
On the day that you were sad

Reason #357.5 why it's great to be married

There's somebody who you can get REALLY excited about planning gifts for a Birthday, Christmas, etc.

Fashion Philosophy

I've had several Fashion Philosophy's in my life. When I was seven I thought it was crucial I change outfits every 30 minutes. This led to, I'm sure, several upsets with my best friend Kari as she had to wait on me to change before we could play Barbie. I lost all fashion sense through my 6th grade year as I only wore knit pants with an elastic waist and some over sized shirt of Noel or Jason's. Upon entering 7th grade through high school I became very interested in what I wore and when I wore it. My philosophy then was (due to the alternating schedule of having M-W classes and Tu-Thurs classes and every class on Fri) I could wear an outfit on a M or W then 2 weeks after that I could wear the same outfit on Tu or Thurs then two weeks after that I could wear the outfit on a Fri. This was very time consuming as I kept track of my daily fashion on my calender to the last detail.

I had given up on my home-sewn fashion philosophy's until Friday. Upon my 6 month review at the Dr's office I received a very gracious bonus check. With that check I was quick to announce some of it was going to S.J.P.'s new line Bitten. After work I went straight to the mall but I needed mascara from Sephora, so my walk to Steve & Barry's was long across the mall. Now I'm not really sure why I did this; possibly it was over excitement, or the fact that my shoes had shred my ankle in half, but for some reason or another I bought a size larger than I needed. Now I had already decided to get two pair of the same jeans, one in a short length to wear with flats and one in a long to wear with heels. But I bought two pair in the wrong size. I didn't realize until I wore the short pair for a few hours that I bought the wrong size. The next day I threw on my short pair again while at home and, although I decided to exchange the pair not worn, I also found that I was becoming very fond of the pair I had on.

So here's my new fashion philosophy. A woman (sorry men) needs to buy 3 pair of the exact jeans. One in a length that she can wear with flats. One a length to go with heels. And a pair in a short length that is a size too big. The pair in a size too big is, what Maxx titled my "Lazy Fashionista Day Jeans" for days you're lounging at home, or running up to the store and want to by cute but not in sweats. These are the jeans that, when we wear, it's as if we've borrowed our husband's jeans. But better, because I don't know anyone who's husband's jeans would actually fit in any way shape or form. Plus it's always reassuring to wear jeans and be able to tell yourself when you're having a so called 'fat day' "Hey at least I'm not this size".

With every fashion philosophy there comes guidelines. The guideline with this one is simple and as follows:
1. The jeans must be a classic jean. A timeless color and cut. Anyone purchasing jeans from Frederick's of Hollywood that lace up the sides, should be strictly discouraged from following this philosophy. And no lace up the side jeans are NOT timeless.

Re: Fridgerators

So I just read on Monica and Ben's blog that they had company and very little food in the house. I must say I've had slight panic attacks over this very issue. Maxx and I are horrible at actually stocking the fridge and although we have various items in the pantry they aren't generally items that go with each other to create an actual meal. I'm very relived to know we aren't the only ones who shop for dinner 30 minutes before we make dinner. Although once in a while I'll stock up with a weeks worth of food, it's a rarity. I've come to accept this fact and although at first it made me feel as though the fact of not having food meant we were some sort of slackers trying to pass as responsible adults, I know realize it's just "us" and possibly a part of the free-spirited non-worriers that we are. Or maybe we're just slackers.

So here's where the fridge comes in. I'm not sure why we have a full size fridge. If there were some other tall slender appliance that could fill the hole in the wall I'd be all for it. Why not a fridge/dishwasher combo? Our fridge is stocked with garlic, mayo, mustard, ketchup, A-1, and several other condiments but no food. NONE. I realized a few weeks ago when our fridge was FULL that we are in the habit of only using it as a place to store left-overs until we decide to throw them away. I'm not exaggerating here, I decided to clean out the fridge one night as we could NOT find another spot to place food items. Upon opening and starting I threw away spaghetti, spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, onions, tuna salad, a couple dishes of rice, some left over ribs, hot dogs, gravy and mashed potatoes, as well as several other items. What's the point, why cook a meal then fool yourself into the thought that you'll eat the leftovers and keep it in the fridge for a month? When I finished our fridge was EMPTY, nothing on any shelf. I must say the past few weeks I've been better about throwing away food as we finish it. I can gladly open the door now and see only our condiments and some pasta and sauce that I thought I'd eat . . . two weeks ago.

I've Been Bit

Noel and Celeste brought it to my attention a couple months ago that Sarah Jessica Parker was launching her own clothing line called Bitten. As excited as I was to begin with I was elated when I found out that every item in her collection was under $20!!! I also knew that the items were only going to be sold in one store, but didn't know which one. I figured it'd be somewhere like H&M that we don't have in Springfield, and that (last I knew) didn't offer online shopping. Finally tonight I goggled it. Low and Behold her collection is at Steve & Barry's!!! Which we have at the Battlefield Mall!!!! You're able to view the whole collection online (see the link at right), complete with the prices and number of colors they come in!!! Not only was every piece under $20, I didn't see a piece that was above $15. For any of you who know me I'm A BARGIN SHOPPER. I turned down a pair of Banana Republic jeans last weekend which origonally sold for $60+ on sale for like $33 because I thought that was too expensive. So having numerous wardrobe pieces all for $20 or less is a dream, And she has over 200 items, Lots available in a ton of colors, Plus she has jeans, slacks, tees, dresses, blouses, purses, shoes, swimsuits, pajamas, and under ware, And they're all in sizes 2-20!!!!! Does any one know what this could do to the world? Not only is it inexpensive, but you can easily wear the items to work, school, out with friends, or around the house. The world as we know it may just change for the better. Dave Ramsey needs to check this out. People need to buy clothes and now we have the option to do it AND get out of debt. Are you excited?!?! Although I've only been in Steve & Barry's once they better watch out cause HERE I COME! Next month I'll write about how every body in the store knows my name. Hey I take back the I will work for food, starbucks, blockbuster, etc. Bring on the Steve & Barry's gift cards.

Who Does What

A man and his wife were having an argument about who
should brew the coffee each morning.
The wife said, "You should do it, because you get up first,
and then we don't have to wait as long to get our coffee."
The husband said, " You are in charge of cooking around here and
you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my
coffee."
Wife replies, "No, you should do it, and besides, it is in the Bible
that the man should do the coffee."
Husband replies, "I can't believe that, show me."
So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament
and showed him at the top of several pages, that it indeed
says.........."HEBREWS"

Will work for food, blockbuster tickets, free make-up, ice-cream, etc.

I feel very blessed to have not only one job but TWO jobs that I absolutely LOVE. I believe all of you know I do in home parties for women, called Slumber Parties. Then I also work as a Chiropractic Assistant. That's what I'm talking about today.

It was kinda a fluke that I got the job. I had been browsing the paper for a part time job back in Jan. and found a title saying "receptionist for Dr's office." I called left my info as the ad said to do then received a call back to go in for an interview. When I got there to my surprise it was a group interview with about 8 other people. We filled out the application, then proceeded to take quizzes like long division, filing, and things like "Are you a: boat drifting in the ocean, a tree swaying in the storm, or a horse galloping through the field?" I thought this was pretty fun and interesting for an interview. The Dr. called a few days later and said that he had decided to offer the job to someone else and thanked me for my time.

Maxx and I got married in the next couple weeks and then,on Wed, the day after our wedding. I received a call back from the Dr. saying that the other person didn't work out and he would like to offer me the job. I waited till Thurs to call back and accept then started on Fri. My title is an assistant as I'm in charge of ins billing, coding, & verification; doing therapies w/ patients; as well as a few other things. Going into this job I not only had no idea about insurance (I didn't even know what a deductible was) I had no idea what Chiropractor's did. Luckily I'm a quick learner, and newly FIRM believer in getting adjustments.

This is by far the best work environment I've ever been in. I had worked in about 5 different salons and always enjoyed that but there's always so much Drama and if you're the receptionist everyone complains to you. There's no drama at the office plus there are several other perks.

We start out most every day with a prayer, the music selection is great everything from classical to Micheal Buble to Harry Connick Jr to Christian (which always reminds me of going to camp and singing w/ the youth group). Plus if we meet certain goals each week or month then I get gift cards to places like Sephora, Blockbuster, Andy's frozen custard, Panera Bread, Starbucks, or cash. And, with the seldom exception of a holiday, we only work on Mon. Wed. and Fri. Which means that I always get tomorrow off if I work today. That's super because I'm not a morning person so if I wake up early for work then I don't have to the next day. It's not like working 5 days a week where you tell yourself that it's Monday which is basically Tuesday which is practically Wednesday and then Thursday doesn't really count nor Friday, so basically Monday is already the weekend.

So really long post to say simply I love my job, for the first time I feel like I'm working for someone who not only appreciates me but is also the type of person who is honest in their work. If anybody needs a job work for a Chiropractor, it's GREAT!

Great things about being Married

I was thinking yesterday about reasons why it's great to be married. Maxx and I were driving and some of the things I thought of made me laugh out loud.


* Never having to ask at the end of the night if the other person wants to do something the next day
* Dancing in the kitchen
* Having your best friend with you all the time
* Having someone to cuddle up with in bed
* Hypothetically the amount of zits you can pop in one day just doubled at least
* Inside jokes, and unlike in high school you don't have other people constantly asking you what they mean
* You can finally ask someone to buy you tampons without even being slightly embarrassed
* Cooking dinner together
* There's someone who you can tell ANY THING to and know they still love you
* Breakfast in bed
* Coffee and kisses in the morning (from Maxx, that's how I wake him up)
* Having a really cool last name
* Setting goals with each other, and seeing them through * Making up songs together
* Hearing your beautiful in pajamas and no make-up
* Messages wrote on the mirrors with eye liner pencil
* Having someone who wants you to be the best you can be
* Being able to tell someone you're scared if you are
* Decorating for holidays

That's just a few reasons but there's an endless amount

Our Family is Conservational

Maxx & I went to the Titanic today in Branson. Which was a great experience if you haven't been. Afterwards we did a little outlet shopping and ate at Ruby Tuesday's, which by the way has changed their menu and raised their prices but it was still good. We ended the evening by picking up a load from Barry's old house to bring back to Spfld.

By the time we arrived home we were beat. (Has anyone else noticed that I write about a busy day and how tired I am yet I write it at like 1 am? I'm starting to see a trend.) We had borrowed Mother's van to make the trip, so we took it back to their house to get Iron Eyes (our truck). After having a nice & funny chat with Noel & Celeste for a few minutes we were on our way out.

Before leaving Noel brought up an event this coming Sunday that will include Daddy's side of the family and wondered if we were going. I said we were. Then as we were walking out to the car I was explaining to Maxx that he hadn't met that side of the family, except for a couple people at the wedding and he would like them. As you may or may not know Daddy's side of the family is a lot "louder" than Mother's side. I'm explaining this and say "this side is the more conservational side." Maxx was like "Now I'm excited we get to hang out with conservation people. I meant to say conversational and knew I was saying it wrong but couldn't figure out what was wrong about it.

When I was little I wanted to grow up and be a veterinarian so I would always say I want to be a vegetarian when I grow up.

Detroit is NOT a state

Maxx and I made a pact to stay home and work on taking care of things that need to be taken care of, instead of renting movies etc. (minus Big Brother hours). Sun & Mon were good and we got a lot taken care of.

But yesterday was the best! I got up cut Mother's hair, made deliveries & several phone calls to potential hostess/recruits and actually for once got them ALL done the day I planned to. Then got home an hour before BB-8 so we vacuumed, cleaned the bathroom, did laundry, made dinner, watched BB-8 somewhere in there, finally cleaned a little more and started the blog. I was in bed by a little after midnight which is pretty normal for me.

There's a slight drawback to being so productive when I'm not used to it. It's so exciting that I couldn't sleep last night till like 4:30 a.m. I just kept thinking about what all I had gotten done and how good it felt and how I wanted to do that everyday. I actually tried to count sheep to get to sleep. So w/ 2.5 hrs of sleep after work tonight Maxx and I went to a Reconciling Rwanda Benefit at the Gillioz Theater and got home about 10:30. By now I'm pooped.

We're talking c.c. bills due and Maxx is contemplating paying one online as he doesn't think it'll arrive in time by mail. I'm all "where's it going" and he tells me to look at the bill. I pick it up and it says : Wilmington, DE. I'm like "Oh Detroit" Maxx says "No honey not Detroit, Deleware"

We laughed SOOOO hard. So very long story short I'm extremely tired now and need to get in bed as Gaitha and I are having lunch tomorrow. Have a wonderful evening and KNOW YOUR STATES!!!

Maxx & Peanut Butter

As many of you know, Maxx & I have a Scottie named Aspen. Several months ago we bought Aspen a Kong and some peanut butter to put into the kong. They make kong treats but pb is about 10 times less expensive. Aspen LOVES this and he wil run into his kennel as soon as he sees you pick up the kong. We could probably have a very well trained dog if we used this method for more than getting him to go into the kennel.

So a few minutes ago Maxx came into the office with a can of peanuts he bought today and said VERY SERIOUSLY . . . "hey J can dogs have peanuts" I looked at him and was thinking "Oh crap, I don't know, I know they can't have onions" Luckily I realized right away but continued looking at him waiting on him to catch on. He only walked back into the living room saying "I don't know if they can or not". At that point I decided to clue him in. . . he told me not to tell anyone.

That's pretty typical of us though and at least it keeps us laughing. If you don't know the ATM story ask.

Our First Blog

We finally have a blog!!! Well actually we finally have internet, cable, and NOW A BLOG. This means that over the past few weeks I've had the luxury of reading Noel & Celeste's, Jason's, and Monica & Ben's blog. I must say that my blogological clock was ticking about a week ago. So tonight I took the plung!! I ran into the living room, actually it was more of a cute dance and after kissing Maxx a few times I looked him into the eyes and said ever so lovingly "Maxx I want a blog".

Although, he was quite shocked at first. . . soon he agreed that he too would enjoy having a little blog to tend too, so here I am. In the office working to get our first blog up and running. Maxx is in the living room enjoying the cable. But isn't that how it is when you're starting any kind of family. (I really don't mean that AT ALL, but I was in the middle of such good flow, I LOVE YOU MAXX.)

I'm very excited about our new blog & hope you all enjoy reading about our not so boring lives that we enjoy leading together.