Wow, December is crazy busy. There are so many things going on that, in order to stay sane, I just have to say "no" to some of them.Looking ahead I have meetings outside of the office Monday & Friday this week, and I'm trying hard to make arrangements for a Tuesday meeting as well.Tuesday evening I'm going to Goshen for a middle school...

Read More...

The Tree:Opening the box - a good first step!Oh great, what are these??It's party time with the Christmas tree!Oh, I figured it out!The "table" is ready.Making progress!Spreading the branchesPutting on all the mini ornamentsTa-da!Tree & MeIt was the first tree I've put together myself. And, seriously, it only took like 40 minutes! ...

Read More...

I am SO looking forward to family, food, and fun this long Thanksgiving Weekend! One of the things I like best about Thanksgiving is that it's pretty much a guaranteed 4 day weekend. Unless you work where my sister-in-law does, or J-La, or Lisha. But I've never had to work the day after Thanksgiving. In my opinion that's just plain wrong!I am going...

Read More...

First up, this Friday, Willie Nelson is performing with Billy Bob Thorton at the Morris. Sounds like a strange event to me! For more info, www.morriscenter.orgFriday, Dec. 5th -Winter Exhibition Reception at South Bend Museum of Art , 5:00 - 7:30 p.m. Admission is free. Have a jolly great time at this exhibition reception for Dick Lehman's In Pursuit of Beauty: Microcosm and...

Read More...

Ok, seriously! It is 12:56 as I begin this. I'm all ready for bed, but I am wide awake.I just realized what a great week this is gonna be!Monday - breakfast at Paul's - FUN!, frantic hard work in the office the rest of the morning, and then a meeting out of the office ALL afternoon! It will, no doubt, get out early,...

Read More...

I posted an album of photos from the weekend on my Facebook. If you don't have fb access, let me know, and I can email the album to you if you would like to see it!Here are some teasers: ...

Read More...

Thoughts during the American Music AwardsYou go, Christina Aguilera!Joey & Jordan are still the hotties in New KidsWatching NKOTB sing is weird and kinda creepyOh, The Right Stuff - suddenly this is awesome!I really like listening to music!What?!? Scrubs is moving to ABC??What is Jimmy Kimmel talking about??Kanye West is weird.I'm really in the mood for banana bread!Aww, Queen Latifah! Love her!Hey, didn't...

Read More...

I LOVE this article!! I LOVE this article!! ...

Read More...

There are a lot of stupid baby names out there, in particular stupid celebrity baby names which grow up into stupid adult names. They are ridiculous and deserve to be made fun of.The latest: good ol' Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz just named their baby boy Bronx Mowgli Wentz. Do you think they received a stipend from BMW?All I can do is ponder...

Read More...

Another one. This happened a few weeks ago just before the huge home tour event we did in Beverly Shores.I got a call from one of our members who had just read about the tour in a magazine or newspaper about 10 days before the tour. I could quickly tell that she was already upset because she “was surprised she didn’t get any...

Read More...

My boss told me this one the other day:His laptop (for whatever reason) won’t connect to a projector for giving presentations. We had a backup laptop that he would use for that and other various things. Something needed to be fixed on it, so he gave it to our IT guy at Headquarters.It had been a couple weeks since IT guy had it,...

Read More...

I’ve mentioned before how I tend to do a lot of journaling on Sunday nights. Ever since grade school, I tend to get more contemplative on the eve of the dreaded return. Maybe it was always the time reality hit, and the guilt for procrastinating on homework all weekend started showing up.As an adult, fortunately with no weekend homework (usually), Sunday evening has...

Read More...

For those of you who don’t know, I have a degree in Elementary Education. 5 years ago I decided I didn’t want to teach. 4 years ago I applied for a teaching position, went through an intense interview with a large panel of professionals, was not offered the position, and was grateful.I just found out my Indiana Teachers License has expired. I found...

Read More...

1. Am I the only one who hasn't gotten the digital transformer thing yet for my TV?2. This morning as I was snuggled up under all my blankets, the radio DJ said it was 15 degrees. 15 degrees!!! That's too cold.3. I was also shocked to already be hearing school delays - apparently Northern Indiana's snow made national news.4. Have you ever been...

Read More...

48 hours on BRAT only! I keep seeing food commercials on TV (and even hearing them on the radio the two minutes that I'm in the car) that are slightly torturous. Pizza, pasta, hot chocolate...I'm going to eat a pear this evening, and that is very exciting for me! Do bad it's not a pizza. ...

Read More...

I've been feeling better today. Thank you for your encouragement and prayers.I've been hard core BRAT only foods for about 28 hours now. I really want pizza. But honestly it hasn't been that bad - yet. Good for me - I like bananas. The rice is yummy. The bread is too. And the applesauce is like dessert! And I've been feeling a lot...

Read More...

So, I have managed to avoid talking about this for awhile, but I can no longer refrain.I have been sick for about 3 weeks now - upset stomach, digestive problems, and . . . I'll spare you the details, but lots of trips to the bathroom (there's that TMI). And don't forget last week's throwing up! This from someone who hadn't thrown up...

Read More...

If you've been following my blog for awhile, you know of my coffee dilemmas. Well, today my coffee is pretty much perfect. Why?1. Freshly, thoroughly cleaned pot and coffee maker (yah, I did the extreme clean and made my whole house smell of vinegar).2. The finest organic coffee beans from the Farmers Market.3. Freshly ground last night at Jen & Andy’s (ok, a...

Read More...

1. Of all the experiences in your life to date, which five, good or bad, would you never want to forget, and why?Four come to mind right now - time with my Grandma, dorm life, my 2 months in Okinawa, and my 2 years in LA. They are all fond memories of things that I cannot experience again.2. What is one descriptive word...

Read More...

I’m going to have a great day.This was decided when I woke up at 6:15. On my own. No alarm. I really woke up because I had to pee (I had a lot to drink last night). But I amazingly felt refreshed. NOT sleepy. Do you have any idea how rare that is?!? I mean, do I have to remind you of the...

Read More...

Months ago I snagged a Buy One Get One Free coupon from Jerry for Indulgence Pastry Shop and Cafe. I always intended upon taking my boyfriend. Since that ended, I decided I'd take my sissy instead! We met up last week. I picked her up (look what she gave me - beautiful!) , and we chatted and took lots of fun pictures. It...

Read More...

Every now and then I will get a call at work from a friend or family member playing a trick on me. They know how much I like to deal with moronic callers, so they like to call me and act like one.Here's how a call at work went this morning:"Hi, I wanna buy one of your properties!""Ok… Which one?" (Is this one...

Read More...

Saturday was my mom’s birthday. We celebrated Sunday. She picked Cracker Barrel (in Elkhart) for her meal, mainly because she wanted to do some shopping in their gift shop! We had a nice time at the restaurant (once I got past being overwhelmed by the menus),and I treated everyone to candy sticks for the ride home.Before getting back on the toll road, Andy...

Read More...

My old laptop was over 7 1/2 years old. That's WAY longer than a laptop is supposed to last. But it was definitely starting to show its age!Best Buy had a great sale, and, ta da! Here's my new lappy! I'm excited! ...

Read More...

So, for those of you who care, here's what has been going on lately...looking at airplane flights to SoCal and Texaschanging my dietbreaking my "Vomit Free Since 2003" streakcollege homecoming and 5 year reunionseeing Tess (in from Cali)seeing Jac (in from Texas) and meeting her college roomies - what fun!spending time with my brother and sister-in-lawcelebrating Dan's bdaycelebrating mom's bdaylive trivia with J-Lavoting...

Read More...

Ok, I'm trying something new that I stole from Corey.Leave a comment asking me a question, and once I get 10, I'll post a blog with my answers.Go!Oh dear. Now I'm wondering if I even have enough readers to get ten questions! Don't leave me hanging here, folks! ...

Read More...

I tend to get really contemplative on Sunday evenings. Lots of journaling occurs on Sundays. Lots of reflection.I feel like it's been awhile since I've posted a blog with much depth. The truth is - I have written posts, but haven't published them. Sometimes I just feel it's too much to share with the whole world.There have been some real lows and some...

Read More...

Awhile ago I asked my readers if they could identify this mystery building. I realized I hadn't told you what it is!It's the train depot in Beverly Shores, IN (about an hour west of SB). It's really an amazing piece of architecture, and what is inside the depot is just as amazing.There's an art gallery with changing exhibits and the historical museum for...

Read More...

Religion and Politics: two things we’re not supposed to talk about, right?Well, I don’t follow those rules. Or at least, not today.Realizing not all of my readers are Republicans, and not all are Christ followers, these are my thoughts, and I still think this is a good reminder for all. I know many of my readers are not pleased with the results of...

Read More...

I want to know who’s NOT voting! All I hear is reminders to vote. On tv, on the radio, internet, friends… Everyone is reminding everyone to vote. To me, it’s sort of a “duh” thing. I can’t imagine NOT voting. It seems that everyone I know is voting.So, tell me who isn’t! Only like 55% of Americans vote. Who are these other 45%...

Read More...

Don’t forget to vote! And after you do, go to Starbucks and let them know you voted. They will give you free coffee. Cool, huh?*******************************************************I wrote that this morning. And was then later made aware of all sorts of things voters can get for free tomorrow. Thanks to Jeanna for the info.Then I saw via Stephen's blog, even more.And while I do intend...

Read More...

Gas this afternoon in Roseland: $2.16 - $2.17Gas this evening at WalMart up north: $2.10Yesterday's football game was intense. QUADRUPLE overtime!!! I didn't even know such a thing existed! Unfortunately, we ended up losing by three. :(Any other updates you want to know about? ...

Read More...

I had to run errands up north yesterday. Gas was $2.12 at the 3 stations around the Cleveland/Portage intersection. It's been awhile since I've been through Roseland; I'm curious to know how much it is there. Ooh, actually I'll be headed that way for lunch plans today. Yea! I had to run errands up north yesterday. Gas was $2.12 at the 3 stations...

Read More...

It's been 3 weeks since I've watched a Notre Dame game, and 4 since I've watched it live!Last week was on cable only, and I was out gallivanting around my hometown in Wisconsin.Two weeks ago was an off week.And three weeks ago I was working all day; I taped it and watched it that night.So, I'm gearing up for today's game, pretty exciting!It's...

Read More...