New Bedding

I finally broke down and bought myself new bedding. I have been using the same bedspread for many years now and it wasn't really my style. It was something that I had made back when I was married and I was just over it. For the last month and a half or so, I have been using Christian's bedding trying to figure out what to do. Yesterday I went to Kohl's and got a 4 piece set that included the comforter, dust ruffle, and 2 pillow shams in dark chocolate brown for only $50. Then I ran over to Target and bought sheets and pillowcases in pale orange and some cream colored pillowcases to sew together to put over the body pillow. The last piece to the ensemble is a cream colored blanket that I bought at Walmart. I have never put together my own bedding set and I LOVE it! I now have to ask my friend, Chris Lowe, what colors to paint my bedroom. He's been helping me with the rest of the house.







I found a nice cream colored decorator pillow at Target that I'm going to get when take back the extra set of pillowcases that I accidently bought.

WTF?

I bought a new blow dryer about two or three weeks ago. Last night when I was drying my hair this tag fell off of the cord and I read it for the first time:

Warning: The power cord on this product contains lead, a chemical know to the State of California to cause birth defects and other reproductive harm. Wash hands after handling.

What the eff? Why would the manufacturer put lead in the cord? I have been using this blow dryer (which I love) for this long and didn't see that warning before. What if I had been a pregnant mom-to-be and was using this dryer? I would have ended up with a messed up baby. It's a good thing that I always wash my hands after I do my hair anyway because I have serious hand washing issues (it's probably the nurse in me). Now I can't let my girls use this dryer. It's a good thing they have their own.

Tag! I'm it

My friend Donna tagged me with this one.

List 6 strange or quirky things about yourself:

1- I work nights and love it
I work an all night shift from 6 pm to 6 am. I have tried other nursing shifts and they wear on me. When I work days starting a 6 am I wake up all night worried that I have overslept my alarm clock. I am so sleep deprived when I work "normal" hours.

2- I was 30 years old before I went to a concert
Actually I was 30 years old before I did a lot of things that most people consider a rite of passage. That was the age when I first went on vacation by myself, went dancing in a bar, bought my own music CD's, and many other things. The old saying "Life begins at 30" was true for me.

3- I play World of Warcraft
This one isn't as strange because many people play WoW. It's just that most of them aren't 32 year old mothers of 3 who go to work and school full time. I don't quite fit the "nerd" image that most people hold in their minds but I really am a full time nerd. I embrace this.

4- I can't stay awake for a movie
No, really. I have started so many movies that I can't count them. People at work will talk about this great movie and I have to say either "Stop! Don't talk about that, I haven't finished it yet." or "Oh, that sounds like a great part. I fell asleep before that happened." The only time I stay awake for a movie is when we go to the theater, but not every time.

5- I love karaoke- sober
I don't have the best voice or stage presence. I often sing songs that are COMPLETELY out of my vocal range (which is only 2 notes). My motto happens to be "If you can't sing well, sing loud". But I cannot deny the total adrenaline rush that come along with getting up on a stage in front of perfect strangers and singing. It is better than any buzz alcohol can provide.

6- I live NEXT DOOR to my boyfriend
That is the one that people think is the weirdest. We moved in to the same apartment building after we had been dating just a little while- I think around 3 or 4 months- and have decided that this arrangement works out the best for us. We can see each other all that we want to, we are not financially dependent on each other, we have our own spaces, and we have two kitchens- especially awesome when the holidays roll around. I'm sure at some point we will live in the same house but now is just not the time for that.

I tag Shawn and Cass, Dona Shock, Eleanor Cleverly, Casey Esplin, Lindsay Carrick, and Andrea.

Dreaming of warmer places

I would love to move away after graduation. I have lived in Utah since 1988 and never when I moved here did I think that I would get stuck here. For 21 cold winters I have hated the snow, the cold, the gray. I need to leave this town, leave this culture (where I don't quite fit in), and go somewhere warmer. Christian's parents lived in Austin, Texas for about 5 years before they left on their mission. Christian lived down there for a few months after his divorce and all of them say it's a really nice place to live. The weather is warm, the housing is affordable, there are plenty of jobs in both Christian and my fields, and there are many concerts and events to go to. I have no idea if we will actually be able to move since I share joint custody of the kids with my ex-husband, but for now I can dream of warmer places. I have placed the weather tracker for both Austin and Provo in my sidebar for comparison purposes.

My fitness journey

As many of you know, I struggle to maintain my weight. I come from a family of very large women who have taken diet pills, starved themselves, and even had stomach bypass surgery to try to keep a healthy weight. Most of them have failed. They have many health problems due to the fat on their bodies and many of them have died before reaching 65. I want to enjoy my life now and enjoy many years after I reach retirement age. I don't want to just be alive- I want to LIVE. I have started a new blog that is about my road to fitness here. I will be updating it regularly with things that I am doing that are working and I will add the things that aren't working too. As I find healthy recipes or exercise plans that are awesome I will share them. My goals are many but the two main ones are: be down to my healthy weight range of 135-138 by my 33rd birthday (January 7) and to run the Salt Lake City half-marathon (April 18). I will be making many small goals along the way and keep my progress updated. Wish me luck!

Cool

One of my favorite things to do is look at other people's blogs and then steal ideas from them. This was up on my friend's MySpace. I thought it was cool.

so stinking busy

Today has been housekeeping day. My house is seriously so messy that is is verging on dirty. I am trying to decide if getting a housekeeping service once or twice a week is worth it. The kids and Christian help me clean but it just isn't staying together. There are times that I miss being a stay home mom. These times include but are not limited to: when i get up an hour after going to sleep after work to take William to school, seeing the growing pile of laundry in the corner of my room, seeing the kitchen looking like the cupboards exploded all over the counter tops, and being too tired to do anything about any of it on a daily basis. Don't get me wrong, I actually love the fact that I have a full time job that was meant for me. I love that my kids are getting older and more independent. I love going to school to pursue my bachelors then masters degrees. I love that the family is getting better at seeing that there is a mess and doing something about it. I guess I just wish that I had more time in the day to get everything done that needs to be.