It's getting better!

Well, I woke up this morning tired. I had a final on Sunday, and with all of the other drama in my life, I have just been wore out. I have been refocusing on enjoying my life, and it looks like it is going to be much better. I have always been the prim and proper girl about manners and what people would say. As I said the other day, that's over! I have to say that it is so far, so good. We hit a bump in the road yesterday with someone, but that was quickly squashed. I wasn't kiddidng. Eric and I have worked way too hard to get where we are to let someone take that from us.

So, after work today, I'm going to go home and catch up on house stuff. I am working fast and furious on a baby blanket for Eric's cousin. Since I'm going home this weekend, I need to make sure that it is done. I'm 1/4 of the way there, and I started it on Saturday night. Plus, the new episode of NCIS is on tonight. :joy:

I did mail off my HSKS swap kit, and my pal liked it. So happy about that. :)

A new class for school started. I'm only taking one this time since it's algebra, and that always kicks my ass. So, I'm hoping for that to go well. Other than that, I'm a boring girl!

Taking Back my Life!

I have let far too many things and people upset me over the past couple months. I have given control of how I feel over to people who aren't worth my time, and frankly, I'm tired. I guess I can't really blame anyone other than myself for letting it get this bad. Well, it's over! I'm done with people using Eric and I, being mean to people I care about or just being horrible people in general. Seriously done!

Now, I'm going to focus on me and Eric and what is good for us. I'm done being nice and polite because it is the right thing to do, and for the psycho c u next Tuesday who trying to bring drama to our lives, you are in for one Hell of a fight. Grow up and get a life. You can't have mine.

new tattoos and updates to old ones...

This is my first tattoo. I want to get it recolored, and I'm thinking about adding something to it.

This is my second tattoo that I got last year. I need to have it redone cause it has faded, and I need to have something fixed on it. Other than that, I love it.

Between the two clovers above, I want to get one. I would like a mix of the two somehow, but I haven't worked it out. Also, I'm going to change the word to "creid" which is Gaelic for believe.

Lastly, this is an anchor that I would like to get tattooed on my ankle to represent the time I spent in the Navy.

I'm so tired.

Working six days a week sucks ass! Seriously!!! I just got home. I'm tired. I'll post more tomorrow.

Speechless

Quidditch 2 while life is falling apart...

Luna & Ron
Snape & Lily

Godric's Hollow

1. On which day did the Order of the Phoenix come to get Harry?
c. Saturday
2. During all this chaos with Voldemort and the Death Eaters, people still had lives to live and Ron's oldest brother, Bill decided to marry Fleur Delacour. Who were the uninvited guests at Bill and Fleur's wedding?
b.Death Eaters
3. Voldemort had seven Horcruxes hidden in different places. Six of them were hidden at the Gaunt shack, Hogwarts, a cave, inside Harry, inside his snake, Nagini and Tom Riddles Diary. Did Voldemort hide the last Horcrux inside the Malfoy's vault at Gringotts?
b. No... not the Malfoy vault, the Lestrange vault
4. Why did the Dumbledore's move to Godric's Hollow?
c. The father went to Azkaban
5. Harry and Hermione read a part of "Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore," written by Rita Skeeter. Then they met Dumbledore's brother Abeforth and he told them the same story, just with a few details changed. Which of the following did Aberforth and Rita Skeeter agree on about Dumbdore's past?
b. That Dumbledore was friends with Grindelwald for a while
6. When Harry and Hermione visit Godric's Hollow, they visit the graveyard to see Harry's parent's graves. Harry walks by a tombstone that we later learn belong to tone of "The Three Brothers." The brother buried there once owned what?
b. The cloak
7. The Trio finds out that Luna had been kidnapped by the Death Eaters , and that they won't give her back until they got Harry Potter. Why did they kidnap Luna?
a. Her father sided with Harry and Dumbledore
8. After Voldemort killed Snape, he left the room and Harry came out from under the cloak. Snape gave Harry some of his memories all the way from when he was a child to just months before. Harry dived into the Pensieve and which of the following did he not see?
c. Snape and Lily having fun in a potions class
9. On the search of the Lost Diadem, Harry finally gets to talk to the Gray Lady. Who was the Gray Lady when she was alive?
c. Helena Ravenclaw (Rowena's daughter)
10. Which of these is not one of Harry or Ron's children?
d. Victoria

SP13 Angel Package

I already put a pic of Eric and I in the frame that my angel sent! Very cute!
She made this sconce which I immediately put up. How freakin' cute!

The kit came with a felted pin, a lovely note and lots of scrapbookin stickers.

The entire kit... How cool! I have enough yarn for 5 pairs of socks!

Thank you, Swappy! I truly loved it.

I lost 5 pounds this week! Woot!!!

Angie made me get on the scale today. I worked out with her 4 times this week, and I lost 5 pounds. I'm just so proud of myself. We'll see what next week brings.

I'm tired.

I'm tired... worn out... exhausted... beat up... sleepy... TIRED!!!! I don't want to be social. I don't want to knit. I don't want to do my homework, go to work, walk my dog, clean my house, finish unpacking! I don't want to do anything except curl up in bed, take an Ambien and sleep until I wake up all by myself. That isn't a possibility. Let me know the joyful weekend I have ahead...

8am to 4:30pm - I'm at work.
4:45pm - fake and bake
5pm - drive home
5:45pm - walk dogs
6pm - take shower
6:30pm - drive to Mariola's (She is a good friend that I have practically disappeared on while deep in my own mess. I have to go see her.
9pm - drive home
10pm - walk dogs

I want to pretend that at this point I will make some attempt to start cleaning the house, but I'm sure I won't.

On Sunday...
I want to get up by 9am. We'll see.
9am - walk dogs
9:30am - clean house (walk dogs as needed)
12:30pm - leave for gym
1pm - let Angie kick my ass at the gym
2:30pm - drive home
3pm - walk dogs
3:30pm - take shower
4pm - hopefully, finish cleaning house

Plus, I need to eat sensibly in the middle of all that.

I'm failing my math class. It's not a great start to 2009. I hope Spring brings a saner me.

a little of this and that...

I think Dega has a yarn problem... Seriously?!?! Anyone want to untangle 2 full skeins of sock yarn, 1 partial skein of sock yarn and some DK weight alpaca? Please???

I put a lot of the new stash up in the pantry last night. For those of you who don't know about my fiber stash, there are now officially 134,499 yards of yarn in my house excluding leftover skeins from previous projects.

134,499 yards?!?!

That is 122.985886 kilometers!

or

That is 76.4198864 miles!

So, I think it is time to admit that I need to knit something. lol That's really not a problem. I have about 15 projects on the needles right now. I am knitting daily. I use yarn all the time. I do enjoy buying more though. The cool thing about the latest yarn enhancement is that it allowed me to finish running a yarn marathon, and since I finished first, I think that there is a first place prize of yarn. I can't wait to see what that is.

School is exhausting, and work is back to an 8 to 5 schedule. Nothing really new on those fronts.

The dogs were shaved the other day. They had gotten very tangly at their last visit with the dog sitter, and it needed to happen. They are happy and getting into everything.

I have a newly acquired stalker, and she is evil and determined to ruin my day, week, month, year and in general, life. For that reason, you won't be reading about Eric anymore.

about half of the stash...

a marathon of yarn...

I don't think words can do this justice...

Round 1

1. What momentous event was the reason that the members of the Order of the Phoenix felt it necessary to move Harry out of the Dursley’s house?
d. Harry’s upcoming birthday

2. Who revealed the actual date of Harry’s transfer to Voldemort, despite the misinformation the Order had been spreading around that the move would occur on the eve of his actual birthday?
b. Snape

3. With the use of Polyjuice Potion (and to confuse any possible attack by Death Eaters), six member of the Order were disguised as Harry and escorted out of Privet Drive, along with the real Harry. Which member of the order did not survive that night?
a. Mad-Eye

4. Who informed Harry, Ron and Hermione of the bequests left to them in Dumbledore’s will?
d. Rufus Scimgeour

5. During the wedding celebration for Bill and Fleur, Kingley Shacklebolt sent a Patronus to tell the guests that the Ministry had fallen, Scrimgeour (the Minister) was dead and the wedding celebration was about to be attacked by Death Eaters. What form did the Patronus take?
a. A lynx

6. Escaping from the wedding to London, our three friends found themselves confronted by a pair of Death Eaters, disguised as workmen. This close brush impressed on them the need to find someplace to hide. Where did they decide to go?
b. Sirius Black’s house

7. Kreacher’s animosity towards Harry, Ron and especially Hermione (a Mudblood) was well documented in book five, “The Order of the Phoenix.” His initial interaction with them showed that his attitude had not changed. How did they win him over?
d. By giving him Regulus Black’s old locket

8. Who did they eventually find was in possession of the locket/Horcrux?
d. Dolores Umbridge

9. What did Harry find embedded in the door of Umbrdige’s office?
a. Moody’s magical eye

10. After retrieving the Horcrux, they tried to return to their safe place but they were pursued (actually Yaxley tagged along when they disapparated). This meant that the Death Eaters knew their hiding place and they had to go somewhere else. Where did Hermione take them?
d. To the site of the Quidditch World Cup

Ravenclaw Homework

1- What form does your Patronus take? What does it symbolize for you?
a Maltese - It is the unconditional love that my dogs have for me even when I'm not at my best.
2- Did you bring a cat, an owl, a toad, or other pet with you? What is their name?
2 Maltese dogs - Dega and Indy (Shhh... I snuck one in.)
3- What is your favorite class here at Hogwarts?
History of Magic
4- What is worth sneaking out of the castle for, even if you got caught?
time with Eric...
5- What has made you laugh so hard that you've had butterbeer come out your nose?
when Eric tickles me or when I rub Indy's belly and her head flops back
6- What yarn do you covet? Link please...
I'm dying for some Lorna's Laces Lion and Lamb. They have it at http://www.eatsleepknit.com/shop/132/flypage.ihtml?# in the colors I love, but you can get it a lot of places.
7- What is your favorite flavor... the one thing you could simply not live without? Is brand important?
I love MnM's of any kind except the dark chocolate, but peanuts or peanut butter or the chripy ones... Yum.
8- How many HSKS terms have you participated in? 4
9- Do you have a birthday, anniversary or other big Muggle event during this year at Hogwarts? If yes, please tell us what.
nope... My birthday is in December. So, it is all good. :)
10- You in 5 words.
happy-go-lucky, optimistic, tired, perfectionist, sarcastic

my brain is fried...

Seriously, fried... It's been a long week, and while I should take advantage of this semi-peaceful night and go to sleep, I don't want to. I have a ton of stuff to do this week, and I'm just ready to lay my head down at this point and cry. I'm over winter. YOU HEAR ME, MOTHER NATURE! OVER IT!!! The winter blues suck. They fucking suck. It's not just that. I have been in a weird funk for a while now, and I know that pushing people away and settling into the moody blues only makes it worse. So, I'm trying. I'm trying to believe in the power of positive thinking. I'm trying to take it one day at a time. I'm simply just trying.
I did get to have some fun today. I got to volunteer at the Museum of Science and Industry. I really do love that place.
Other than that, no new news. Just fighting the funk... But here are some pictures to tide you over to a happier me.

This is right after I first got Indy when I took her to Chix to meet the girls.

The string in the sky is yarn I'm winding. The puppies are waiting for it to fall.

Boogity. Boogity. Boogity! Let's Go Racing, Boys!

Yep, it's that time again. Tonight at 7pm CST, the green flag for the Bud Shootout starts. Any of you that know me know I'm hoping Jr. wins again this year. I am currently trying to find a blanket pattern for the 2009 season that allows me to knit without having to worry about being complicated. I have an entire plan in place. I'm going to get veggies to snack on for tonight on my way home. I'm going to go home and give Indy a bath. Dega still can't get wet; so, he'll just get wiped down as best as possible. I'll take a shower myself and put on comfy clothes. Wind the yarn if needed and get comfy on the couch. Phone off. Just me and the tv. Though, if Eric texts me, I'll be talking to him. Other than that, the do not disturb sign is up. Leave me alone!!!

Supporting Those Who Supports Others

A friend on Ravelry is hosting a raffle of yarn to raise money for her MS Walk. Please check out her page.



To help support her, I'm going to give aways sock yarn to those who donate $100 to her.



Please check it out!



http://sarahwinchesteroffiberarts.wordpress.com/2009/02/02/walking-for-those-who-cant/

NutriSystem is controlling me for now!

Sorry I have been MIA. Really, aren't you used to it? I'm going to try to be better AGAIN, but with work, school, 2 dogs, a diet and a long distance boyfriend, what do you expect? lol



On that note, here is your super quick and dirty update...



Work is the same. I worked 6 days this week. I'm beat.



School? Well, tomorrow is the end of week 8 out of 9 weeks. So, next week will be rough since it's finals. New classes start the very following week, but week 1 is pretty chill. At this rate, I'll have my associates the first week of August. WooHoo!



Puppies? Dega and Indy are fine. They are both sleeping at my feet now. All they have lined up tomorrow is grooming. They are OVERDUE. So, it'll be nice to not to have to stay home with them. They'll be so cute and have to go out.



The diet? Well, I started NutriSystem. I get on the scale when I go see the boy, but I started at 208. Isn't that nuts? Food is decent, and I think it will work. I guess you will get to see.



The boy? Could I love him any more? Nope. He's perfect for me, and we are just busy planning a Daytona 500 party and our vacation in May.



That's it for now.

Hmmm... 2009?

I'm in Ohio. I normally get up at about 8am CST especially when I don't have to be at work until 10am. This morning, though, I got up with Eric. So, that would be 5am CST. I was tempted to go back to sleep, but it is much easier to sleep when he sleeps. So, I got up and did some homework. I found clothes in my mess of a suitcase to wear to my seminar today. I had time to kill; so, I bought a few albums for my iPod. Since I don't have to call Mom for a ride (my car is going to get new tires today) until 7:30am, I thought it might be a good time to blog some. I always wish that I had more time to do this. Life seems to catch up on me, and next thing you know, I'm behind the 8 ball. I don't even play pool. (lol)

So, I got to thinking.... 2009! Wow. Really? It seems like ten years ago I was a world away. The funny thing is that it seems I have come full circle on some things. Most of you know that Eric and I dated before. Well, ten years ago, that's what I was doing. I was working as a waitress, going to Sinclair and dating Eric. I hadn't joined the Navy yet, and I had just gotten my first tattoo the month before. I didn't have a driver's license, and I had this cute 1 bedroom apartment across the street from Cleveland Elementary. Life seemed so much simpler then. Though, I'm happier now then I have ever been. I am very lucky, and I know that. I have a good job, a great man and a life. I'm not in Iraq, and I'm not on the verge of losing my job. So, it can't be that bad, right? School is going well, and I should have my Associate's (FINALLY!!!) by the end of this year.

I don't normally make resolutions. It really is a great way to set yourself up to fail, but I do want to live better this year. I want to get healthy, and I want to be proud of who I am and what I do. (Not that I'm not proud currently...) I'm just cleaning out the cobwebs so to speak.

So, that's it for now. I'm going to start getting dressed. I desperately need coffee already, and I'm wondering if I should take socks to knit to the seminar in case we get a long lunch.

just another Sunday

I can't believe that I slept so late. I had plans of actually being productive today. I wanted to get up and take a shower. I wanted to go to church. (Though, I can go tonight. So, that's not a total bust.) I wanted to come home and do all the laundry and finish hanging it up or putting it away in the dresser. I wanted to go to Home Depot or something like that and get screws to attach the headboard to the frame. (Why it doesn't come with screws? I don't know.) I wanted to make the bed and set the alarm clock. I wanted to knit and hopefully finish some knitting projects that are so close, but I can't finish cause I keep starting new things. I wanted to go to the post office to send back my latest movies I finished watching. Oh, well... I guess a late start is better than nothing.

In happier news, I get to go to Ohio on Tuesday for 5 days. God, I can't wait to be able to see Eric for 5 days!!! I have a work seminar on Wednesday and Thursday. So, I took a vacation day for Friday. It'll be nice.

That means I have more stuff to do though. I need to take the car in for new tires for the trip. I need to take the dogs to the kennel. Joy...

Well, I'm off to start the fun. Hopefully, I won't fall asleep on the couch and sleep the day away.