Fish Pedicures

I have no idea how I found this, but apparently one of the new trends in Washington D.C. is "fish pedicures." These little fish eat dead skin, but they don't have teeth so it doesn't hurt. I'm really not sure how I feel about this new phenomenon. I mean, I have been searching for a way to get rid of my calluses for a long time, but I don't know that I would want a swarm of little fish to do that. And also, is it humane? Fish being dumped in and out of "foot baths" all day. They must eat something else in the wild. How could dead skin fill their nutritional needs?
This just weirds me out a bit.

Here is the article....
"When your pedicurist is a fish"

National Guard

I am an official National Guard wifey now. He joined today. 

The Good News:

1. A signing bonus. (Money tends to be a perk)

2. Can't deploy for 2 years and the unit he will be attached to is about to deploy so hopefully he won't have to deploy at all!!! (THE MAJOR PERK!)

Items YOU'VE seen on top of Cars

My hubby and I have seen some very STRANGE things being transported on top of vehicles recently. (By top I mean the top, not the cab or bed.) I want to know if YOU have seen anything. Or maybe you have actually transported something on top of your vehicle?

Things seen on top of vehicles...

1. A Geo Metro with two wheel barrels tied to the top. (Ok... seriously... picture it... a tiny car with 2 wheel barrels on it.. Why does anyone in Nashville need 2 wheel barrels anyway?)

2. A very small Nissan truck with a HUGE boat on top and a bike on top of that. 

Opening Doors - Rudi's Trick

Yeah... She taught herself that one...  It's hard to get her to do it in front of me because she thinks she'll get in trouble... So its not the best, but its funny!!

Chasing Flies

I am sitting on my couch, enjoying the sounds in the apartment, and reflecting on my crazy day. 

Work was sort of insane as I had to listen to a 3 hour audio book (it really took longer because I had to put on my critical ears and take notes) and do various other tasks so that we can press this "masterpiece" and have it in our hands by Thursday. I don't mind doing it at all. In fact, I sort of thrive off of deadlines and craziness. 

But now I am done working for the day and I want to do nothing. (I am also trying to avoid the fact that I still have a lot of organizing and such to do with my apartment that I've been putting off since I moved.)

While I'm sitting here, my puppy is chasing a fly. A pesky annoying little fly that is driving her absolutely insane, and she wants to eat. Rudi is not a crazy fly catcher. She just sits there and watches it until it is within her reach when she pounces with her jowls. Oops! She got it already! (She is apparently a very efficient fly chaser.) 

Although I am sure my brain could come up with a fancy shmancy analogy for that particular situation, I'm going to give my brain a rest. I just want to say that sometimes I wish my only concern was a fly that was buzzing. That would be a wonderful thing, don't you think? 

Danae In the Kitchen!!!

I decided to start a new blog entitled, "Danae in the Kitchen." It will include some of my kitchen stories, experiences, and recipes. Check out the cake photos I've posted!!!

http://danaeinthekitchen.blogspot.com

Updates!

Since I live in Nashville and have family and friends around the country, I thought I'd elaborate on the happenings in my life. 

My job...

I am still working for my friend/mentor, Vince Wilcox. I really enjoy working from home and spending time with my puppy! This week I am also checking in on 2 other pups, a lab and crazy jack russell pup. 

On another note, I have interviewed with a company I am basically in love with and it went very well. I hesitate to say much more at this point until I have more information. The interview process is a little crazy in that I have to go through 6 interviews. Please pray that I hear back about my 2nd interview soon! (I am on to the next step. I filled out a personality test,...)

My friends...

I go through phases where I think I have the best friends ever and then those relationships sort of fizzle. Right now I see my true friends, old and new and I can't wait to see where those friendships go. 

My church...

We just found out that the church that owns our church building/property is going to sell it for 1.2 million, way out of our budget. So we're looking at this as a positive and praying for God's leading and direction. I'm excited to see where God takes us next! I will also play an important part in the women's bible study which will be awesome as well.

My hubby...

Ben is doing okay. He is hoping to start terminal leave (basically, he'll be done with the army) on Monday. Meaning that when he comes up next time, he won't have to leave again! YAY! Just pray for him as it has been challenging to get all his paperwork and such so he can get out. 

When he gets here, he's planning on taking a security job, looking for a school, and joining the National Guard (for various reasons that make sense, but I won't get into right now). I think he is definitely ready for a new adventure and to live with me full time. (Or maybe not... hehe)

Our wedding...

We're still planning for May, maybe the 9th... We need to check on availability and such. I'm very excited! I've finally picked my colors! That being said, now everything else will hopefully fall into place!

So there it is, the new the old and the ... ? I don't know... 

Being content but not complacent

Content (from dictionary.com) - "satisfied with what one has; not wanting more or anything else"

Complacent (from dictionary.com) - "contented to a fault; self-satisfied and unconcerned"

There is a distinct difference between being content and being complacent. Being content is being happy with the way things are while being complacent is more settling for the way things are going. I make this distinction to say that I am wholly content with where I am right now. I am happy with my job, although it is temporary. I'm satisfied with my apartment. I'm excited to see what is going to happen in my church. (I will elaborate on these at a later time.) I have a couple really great friends and that's all I need. 

If you know me, you know I stress and worry but right now that's not me at all. I can honestly say I am truly happy and content. I love it. It's like nothing I've ever felt or experienced. What a relief! 

My love - "First they met"

Today was a fabulous day. It was one of those days where although nothing really makes sense, you realize that it will in due time. (Does that make sense?) I am just learning that God is in control and His plan is so much better than mine. Funny how that works...

I was also thinking about my husband as I often, okay pretty much always, do. I can't help but get the day I first met him out of my head. It was on the steps of my dorm hall where he came walking up with Shawn, my big bro (figuratively). My heart skipped a few beats as I saw this handsome man walking towards me. He was very tall and very quiet. 

In fact, I got him to dance for the 

first time EVER that weekend. We quickly became best friends and helped each other through some really rough, life changing years. Once he returned from his first tour to Iraq, he pursued me. I'm not talking subtle... He actually told me "I will have you." If anyone else would have said that to me, I would have probably punched them or stormed off, but it worked for him. After nearly a month of pursuing, I finally gave in and let him hold my hand and such. 

(The picture on the left is one of our first dates where we celebrated Valentine's Day. Boy we look young!)

I am bound to share more about us later, because this man is my love, my soulmate, and my life but that is a start! 

Great weekend

I had a fabulous weekend with my hubby. We didn't really do anything incredibly special, just hung out. I cooked/baked A LOT and found some pretty incredible recipes. I will share some of them, I'm just debating on whether I should start a separate blog or just put them in here. Any suggestions? 

I love a good weekend, because it often sets the tone for the week. I'm completely relaxed and rejuvenated. So ready for a hot bubble bath, a glass of wine, and a good nap. Or a cup of coffee and a good movie. We'll see...

Language Barriers

It's late and I am exhausted but something inside me is telling me I need to blog. Don't ask me why. Somehow it has become a ritual. Usually these types of blogs, the random ones, are the most entertaining... for me. ;) 

I had a really great night with some of my dearest friends. I met one of them at the mall for pedicures and whatnot, had dinner with some others who are basically my family, and then went over to another friend's house to watch a movie, but we ended up talking for a couple hours instead. I love good friends and good conversations. When you open up to someone you are close to, you show them that you trust them with something that is special to you. That means a lot to me. 

So I have to comment on pedicures for a moment. 

Today, the lady working on my feet wore gloves. She didn't speak but 2 words of English and didn't understand anything I said to her. As I observed the dynamics between her and her co-workers, I noticed some things. I did not know what they were saying to her, but I know she was working really hard and going "the extra mile" to do a good job. She took her time. The gentleman working next to her would constantly look over and say things. Anytime he would say something she would stop doing what she was doing and move on to the next step. Then a lady came over and spoke to her in a harsh tone. 

There is something to be said about language barriers. Although we may not have any idea what someone is actually saying, we all still feel. We feel laughter, pain, and boredom. Not only that, but we all express it through the way we walk, our posture, and our overall body language. The young lady that did a fabulous job on my pedicure was very shy and reserved, but kindhearted. I wanted to get to know her, to converse with her. I wish that I could have. 

Lethargic

I keep finding myself in this dark and scary place today. I have NO energy. No motivation. No stamina. I feel like a fish that is not in the water. You know, flapping on dry ground except I'm not really flapping. Okay strange analogy but seriously this is getting on my last nerve.

I've been going through my daily grind of work and applying for jobs, but I have not been my normal, overly productive self. I don't even think I've been a below average worker today.

Any pointers on how to get out of this funk?

Misbehavior and mishaps

I LOVE my puppy. She has been an enormous blessing to me. I don't think I could have coped with this past year without her. As much as I love her, she can be quite the little pistol. Rudi gets very VERY upset when Ben or/and I leave.

I am still working on putting our apartment together and feel much better leaving her in the bathroom. Typically when I shut the door, she starts crying. That doesn't bother me. It's when I start hearing pounding noises that I have an issue. She kicks her food dishes across the room. (They rest in a wooden frame that sits off the ground.) The other day I came home to find an article of clothing that was on one side of the room in her water bowl on the opposite side of the room. There were also little paw prints all over the tub. What is she thinking???

Here is a clip of one of her favorite tricks... Watch out, she's sneaky!!!

(Okay, you will have to come back for this one... It is taking way too long and I am way too lazy to wait... I'll try again!!!)

Thankfully, our new apartment does not have those kind of door handles, but I do not doubt her ability to figure these out as well. Stinker...

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Just for your humor...

I totally locked my keys in my car today, right before I started babysitting. Genius, I know. I'm so thankful for AAA! The guy came and knocked on the door and I just started laughing, told him I was stupid, and he chuckled as well. Then he reassured me that I was not the only one. Thank you for confirming and affirming my stupidity mister locksmith man! I appreciate that! No really, I don't mind.

Back to it!

I joined Curves before Ben left for Iraq thinking it would be this wonderful experience where I would be motivated and in shape, plus lose a few pounds before he returned. The first 3 months were fabulous. I was dropping weight like crazy and toning up really fast. Then I started missing days. I was too tired or didn't feel like it... There is ALWAYS an excuse.

When I had my surgery, they did not charge me for a few months as the doc said I could not do physical activity. Hooray! A way out! Or so I thought. That time has officially expired and tomorrow I will begin working out at the Curves that is much closer to my new apartment. On top of that, crazy me signed up for the 7 a.m. slot knowing full well that if I do not go first thing in the morning, there will be more excuses.

Curves is one of the few exercise/diet program type deals that has worked for me. I drank lots of water, ate normal, and worked out at Curves and lost inches so fast! So I'm hoping and praying that it will work again. I don't hate my body but being in shape and losing some weight would be fabulous, especially with being in Stacie's wedding and having my wedding...

I'd also like some motivation...for anything, really. My current motivation level is almost as low as it could be with most aspects of my life.

The SCARY part is that I have to get weighed and measured tomorrow and its not going to be pretty. AT ALL!!!

I'll let you know how that goes... Well, not how much I weigh, but how the getting back in the grove of it part! ;)

Children and 18 Children...

So let's face it, Ben and I have been married for 20 months and at this point it is natural for the "kids" conversations to come up. I go through phases where I want nothing else but to be a mother and other phases where I want to wait for a LONG time. We're planning to wait a little longer, of course. Not being with each other for the majority of our marriage puts us behind most couples.

Anyway, the point is that today we had the "how many kids do you want" conversation. Normally, Ben says "I want 2 boys" and I say "I want 3 or more with at least one girl." Well today, Ben said "I want to have as MANY kids as you want to have." So naturally, I said "I want 10." He seemed excited and acted like it would be fun to have 10 kids! I proceeded to clarify saying, "no hunny, not 10." Ben, "I really wouldn't mind having 10 kids."

Because he will probably not recall that conversation tomorrow, I had to put it in writing.

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On another note....
Have you heard about the family that has 17 children, with another on the way? They have been featured on the discovery channel and are about to have their own series. Here is an article if you are not familiar with them, http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/24537885/

Let me preface by saying I have no problem with someone choosing to have that many children. They must be incredibly patient and energetic! However, I have a few issues with the first paragraph of their "about us" page, http://www.duggarfamily.com/aboutus.html.

Again, this may not truly reflect the family and what really happened, but it sure does make a statement.

"They were grieved! They were Christians! They were pro-life! They realized that their selfish actions had taken the life of their child."

I am a Christian and I am pro-life, but I have a hard time accepting the fact that they or everyone in the nation who is married and takes birth control, of any form, is selfish because of a miscarriage that may or may not have occurred due to the pill. Some people should not have children or are not ready for children. Whose place is it to judge a motive? Plus some take the pill for other reasons and not having a child happens to be an effect of the situation. I also know people who have had babies, no problem, while on the pill and people who have miscarried without the pill.

The paragraph then goes on to say that because they felt the miscarriage was their fault, they were making up for it by having lots of babies. Unfortunately these things happen. I don't believe a miscarriage is someone's "fault" but something very horrible and sad that can happen. My heart breaks for my friends and loved ones that have gone through a miscarriage or many miscarriages. My heart breaks for those I don't know who have had to deal with one or more. I can not begin to imagine...

I just hope they realize the messages that paragraph is sending.

I think that's all I have to say about that for now.

Married

So although I have technically been married for a year and 2/3, I really only felt married, like the real kind, a few weeks ago. Probably because we were apart for 15 months. At some point you have to realize that your soulmate is not the most perfect human being in the world. They may be the most wonderful to you, but they are just that, human, and because they are human they will undoubtedly mess up. Just as you/I will mess up from time to time. That's really all I have to say about that at this point. 

Speaking of marriage, we changed the wedding date again... I know I know, its like the third time. My mom had a job offer she couldn't refuse that ties her up the weekend of our anniversary/wedding. So we are now planning the wedding for next May in NY. I am slightly hesitant about announcing a specific date because of the way that has gone thus far so when we have set it in stone, I will announce it. K? But I promise we are having one and it will be a huge celebration and a lot of fun! I want to give something back to those who have supported us and loved us through so much.

The joys of working from home

Thus far, I love it! 

Pros:

1. I am on my own schedule. 

2. I can take my lunch whenever I want. (Which I usually just eat and work)

3. I don't have to worry about driving to and from work or gas money.

4. I don't really have any distractions... aka- people in and out of my office all day.

5. I really feel like I'm more productive. Tasks that may usually take weeks, I accomplish in a day. 

6. I still get to run errands every now and then.

7. I can work from Panera, Starbucks, Coffee Beanery, the lounge... Anywhere that has internet really. 

8. I can work in my pjs (shhh) I mean uh...

9. I don't have to purchase my lunch thus spending much of my hard earned pay.

10. I don't have to "bring" my lunch, thus avoiding food spoilage or eating whatever I could scrounge up before running out the door. 

11. Because I don't have to drive to and from work, I get more sleep.

Okay... so there are definitely pros to going to work too and part of me misses it, but this is really nice for now! Plus, I get to work which I haven't really done for a couple months and I missed it. 

Current Predicament

If you don't know, I'm back to the job search game. Yeah, it is basically a game. I don't really feel like elaborating right now other than the fact that I have found something to tie me over which will be fun! I'm assisting a good friend/mentor with some of his business ventures.

Check out our client... George Bush Impersonator, John Morgan. (I've worked with him quite a bit over the past year, and I think you'll like his material.)
He was on Family Feud, Next Best Thing (top finalist), and much more!!!

www.georgebushimpersonator.com

Be sure to check it out at the end of the month when we hope to launch his new website!!!

My fourth...

Ben and I got invited to go out on a house boat with some friends for the fourth. So, naturally, we went. After all, seeing the Nashville fireworks display from a boat on the Cumberland away from the 10s of thousands of people that would be crowded on land sounded fabulous. Ok so it didn't work out as planned but I am confident that we had more fun than we would have had if we were able to see the fireworks.

The boat was from 1974, 34 years old. The engine worked great but the rest, not so much.

So we finally get off the dock and are cruising along when all the sudden the boat shut off. Yep, that's right folks, we were out of gas. Apparently the owner spent $500 on gas the last time they went out and thought there was more left, naturally. $500 is a lot of money for one boat trip! We made calls and couldn't get ahold of ANYONE to help. So we were stuck and we decided to make the best of it... We were all hanging out, eating chips and such, when I look out and see a barge coming directly at us.

Our friend, formerly a marine, came to the rescue and pulled the boat, with a rope, to the "shore." Of course the shore happened to be a cliff with a steep pathway. He managed to climb far enough to tie the boat off to a tree. We anchored the other side and were saved from the barge. 4 hours later we got a call from the guy who was going to bail us out after the fireworks show. He told us we would be better off having the guard come out. Yep, if you didn't know there is a coast guard active on the Cumberland River in the middle of TN. Funny, huh? So the guy called them and we waited... while it began to storm... The coast guard got there and after 30 minutes or more of convening they decided to side tow the house boat. Although we should have gotten like 15 fines, we managed to get out of them all with the promise to fix them.

Moral of the story: you can be stranded in the middle of the Cumberland and have a lot of stuff go wrong and still have a blast!!!

P.S. I decided to spare you all from the bathroom stories that came out of that boat trip. Hehe.