A Weekend to Remember

Hello all! 

Like I mentioned in my previous sleep deprived post, me and Jarod were going to attend a marriage conference.

I had heard about it before. The radio station I listen to promotes it every year and gives away registrations sometimes. This year Jarod's aunt wanted us to go, so she got us registered. 

The conference is called A Weekend to Remember, and this year it took place in a town about three hours away. I got Friday afternoon off of work, and we took off. We drove my car, which was a big mistake, because the Super Sport logo on the side just makes him want to play with it. And this number on the engine makes him particularly happy. 

He did manage to behave somewhat, and things were going good  until he announced that he couldn't see. 

We were driving down the interstate doing about seventy. And he can't see. He wasn't joking either. We were weaving all over the lane. I've never drove on the interstate, and this was going right through the heart of town, so there were six lanes, so even if I could have taken over and driven the rest of the way, there was no where to pull over and switch. So I was his peripheral vision whenever we had to merge. After white knuckling it for about twenty minutes we did make it to our hotel and I called my boss (He's an eye doctor. That's who you call when you go blind on the way to a marriage conference) and had Jarod tell him what was happening. Doc said it was probably the onset of a migraine. Speak of the devil, Jarod got a big one about five minutes later. We got checked into the room, and I gave him some migraine medicine, because I get them too, and we headed off to the other hotel where the conference was being held. 

Apparently pain killer does bad things to him, because he went from massive headache to massive tired and like groggy. He didn't say anything funny, but he didn't make a whole lot of sense, and his tummy felt jittery. 

So...naturally he laid down in the hallway of the hotel to sleep it off. 

People looked at us like...what is this wanna be Amish guy doing sleeping in the hall? 

When he woke up though he was normal and could see again, so we went into the conference room. 

The classes were actually really good. I wasn't sure what to expect, but there was lots of good stuff. I especially liked the couples discussion. We had to fill out answers about ourselves and each other then compare and talk about our results. It seemed like the areas I thought I scored low in, he thought I did good at. For one activity he put that I was a good listener, and gave my undivided attention. Those things made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I'm not really sure why. I guess I liked getting to see what he thought of me. 

We both saw a lot of areas we needed to work on. It was rather convicting. There were several classes for engaged couples, which I really appreciated. 

Food wasn't provided, so we spent lots of the weekend getting lost in round-a-bouts and taking wrong turns. All was well though. We had to make a run to walmart and buy swim trunks so we could go test the pool and hot tub. It would have been more enjoyable had there not been five million toddlers thinking the hot tub was the kiddy pool and their older siblings weren't screaming in the big pool. It was fun though. 

Water turns Jarod into a big kid and I had to swim for my life so I wasn't drowned.

One project we had to do was write a love letter. I had mine finished that day, but I'm holding it for ransom until I get mine. 

It was very fun and I'm so thankful his aunt sent us. 

They definitely gave it the right name. 

My Mental Status

I just...wanna go to sleep.

Really guys. It's terrible. I am so tired. I don't remember the last time I slept good. My days are all blended together. I don't know what time it is or where I'm at most of the time.

Sometime last week (I think) Jarod got sick so I went and made him supper and brought him medicine after work and generally took care of him for two days. Then the weekend hit and it was back and forth with him at my house and me at his, and for some reason we are incapable of leaving in time to be in bed at a decent hour. Then I got sick (thanks honey. I love sharing germs with you too), and was unable to breathe, therefor unable to sleep (cuz if you go to sleep not breathing, you don't wake up. You just don't).

Then my co-worker got sick (not from me though) and had to leave early, and was sick the next day, and then today she is still horribly sick so I have to leave my office and go cover for her this afternoon. Don't get me wrong, I fully understand she is sicker than a cat and I told her to get to a doctor, so its not a problem for me. But I still feel sick, and can't seem to shake it. My body hurts. I have chills and hot flashes. I just feel run ragged. 

Seems like every night ends up being a late night for some reason or other. Last Saturday Jarod and his aunt had their bull sale, so I was there early helping serve food and didn't leave till late, getting everything cleaned up. I've got all this stuff that has been going on and I'm looking at the next few weeks and there is no end in sight. 

Mom wants to have a wedding planning meeting and get stuff figured out, since we only have four months. We have a chiropractor appointment late Tuesday night. Monday is Jarod's birthday and I'm planning something for him. I have to go get a filling re-done at the dentist. Next weekend Jarod's aunt registered us for a marriage conference which sounds great, but it overlaps with my family's Easter dinner, so that should be interesting. We scheduled engagement pictures, which someone fell on the same day as my sisters prom. Tomorrow we are going to a farm auction. 

Its just hectic. 

And I'm walking around like a zombie. 

I can't even put together a good blog post. I'm looking at it right now and I'm just like...how do I format this? What do I do to make it look like I know what I'm doing and am capable of the written word? 

I know.

GIFS. 

I started like this. 

No biggie. I got this. 

Then...

Ok...so maybe I am a little tired.

Can't stay awake once I do get home

But I look like this all day when I wake up

And now it's finally come to this. I fall asleep doing daily tasks. I've almost face planted on my desk several times this week. I've fallen asleep driving twice. I never fall asleep driving. Ever. I fall asleep on the phone. Before, Jarod was always the one falling asleep. Somehow...the tables have turned. And I try to go to sleep. I come home earlier and earlier. I go to bed sooner. I shut off electronic devices. And I'm still dead. 

.......

And then there was daylight savings time

Home Sweet Home

Hi guys! How goes it? 

I just wanted to use this post to ramble on about how excited stuff makes me. Just little stuff. Like buying a curtain.

I think I mentioned before that Jarod rented a house, and even though I wont be moving in until July, I'm just so dang excited. We got everything painted (except the spot they messed up sliding the stove into place, but that's alright, I'll get it), and all of Jarod's stuff is finally moved in.
There is not going to be any room for me.
He has at least three times as many clothes as I do.
 *sigh*

We got a stove and dryer bought, as well as a fridge, so we finally have all of the appliances accounted for. The bed is set up, and it's actually very comfy, which is good because we are both very temperamental sleepers.

My kitchen! Love it. 

 I've got curtains for the kitchen, bedroom, and living room, and today before work I ran and got one to go in the baby room. Jarod is really bothered by windows with no curtains, because he can see outside, and he doesn't like being alone, so he's really happy to have all the windows barricaded now. 

He's become pretty handy at handling the wood burning stove, so the house is always nice and cozy. 

The TV don't work to watch actual TV, but we do have a DVD player hooked up and are halfway through Dispicable Me. Eventually we will get a converter box or a new TV so we have regular television.  For right now we just watch fuzzy channel three, lined channel six, and windmill swirling vortex of terror channel ten. 

We've got two recliners, and we bought a hide a bed couch that we have to go get in a couple weeks. That one will go in the baby room, and I want to put a cute little dresser in there and decorate it. Maybe a desk or something. Then I have another couch on the way that can go in the living room.

The living room. The kitchen table won't be staying there. He just doesn't want to eat alone in any other room. 

It's crazy how happy I get just rearranging furniture, or finding a spot to put a rug. I was tickled pink when the curtains looked good with my bedroom accent wall. It's definitely not a pinterest worthy house. The bedroom is pretty well jam packed now, and full of boy stuff. Model wagons and stagecoaches on the dresser, and John Wayne and boy scout posters on the walls, but that's ok. It looks like us. Or at least him. I'll have to add my touch later. 

Downstairs is the washer and dryer, which I love because the house I live in now has the laundry in the bathroom and I like the idea of being able to hide that stuff away if necessary. There's a pretty big room that would be great for storage if I can get some shelves located, or it could even be another bedroom someday if need be. 

For some reason Jarod and Mommy have dubbed this the baby room. 

There is a smaller room downstairs that I think I can make really cute as long as Jarod fixes the light for me so it doesn't flicker constantly like a ghost has come to steal my soul. I plan to put all the bookshelves and guitars down there and make it a Maddie Cave. They wont fit upstairs, and I've invested way too much money in them to part company. I can't wait to get my hands on that room, because it's going to be fabulous. Well...actually it's going to be a crazy chaotic haphazard arrangement that cant decide if it wants to be chic, punk, or cowboy, covered in posters and random paraphernalia. But that counts as fabulous, doesn't it? 

I think my whole family thinks I've gone crazy, and I know Jarod does, but I just can't help it. 

I'm getting my own house. I get to decorate! It's so fun. 

February Results

Hi guys! I cannot believe that February is coming to a close already. It was just January for crying out loud. 

So I mentioned awhile back that I was going to engage in the challenge going on at Go Teen Writers where you come up with a different idea every day. 

Well, I most certainly did not come up with one every single day, not even close. But I did come up with some ideas that I think are rather fabulous, and I plan to keep around until that distant day when I remember I'm a writer and sit my butt down and write. 

Here is what I was able to come up with:

#1. This one is probably my favorite. It struck on the way to work, early on in the month while listening to The Eye of the Tiger. (My music is old. I'm not sorry) And I really have no idea why this idea formed the way it did, but it did. Basically the setting would be a post apocalyptic world, so things are pretty rough, and it takes place in an old west style town that would have been used to make movies before everything went to heck. So you've got people living off western props, but they're also mixed in with stuff we have now, so basically you have a bunch of gangster cowboys running around this town. The town is basically run like the mafia, so once you're in- you're in. And I'm not sure if it would be a guy main character or a girl, because I kicked both ideas around and never settled on one. I'm not really sure on a full blown plot yet, but the line that says "The last known survivor" is key, because every time I hear it I think "Last known....So there must be one that people don't know about." So I'll have to figure out what was survived and who survived it.

#2. This one sparked from me spending too much time on the computer. I had pulled up MSN or something and I happened to glance some headlines that said something about last Christmas having the first full moon in several hundred years, and then something about an upcoming total solar eclipse. So I thought, year of the vampire and werewolf man. Can you imagine the trauma of having a full moon on Christmas? A day where the sun is totally eclipsed? It would be sheer brilliant madness. I feel like I need to write a monster story.

#3. This one came from being stuck in a blizzard at work, and how rapidly the weather changed. Basically the idea is that people have once again predicted the end of the world for a certain date and time, and so people are stockpiling goods and stuff, getting ready to survive the end of the world. My character ideas are a brooding skeptic girl, and her friend who is a geek and also a massive procrastinator. So, the day before the world was supposed to end, the sky goes black and weird things with the weather start happening. And my critic is like standing on her porch with her arms crossed and is just like "well crap." And little mister procrastinator is freaking out because he didn't get to the grocery store in time and all the good food is going to be gone.

Ta-da! Only three decent ideas in a whole month, but I'm rather pleased with them anyway. 

The Next Chapter

Parts One, two,   three , four.  five.  six. and seven. and eight, and nine. TEN. and Eleven

Well of course she said yes, that Christmas was the best. They kept it a secret for a day or two, there were a few people they needed to break the news to. Of course there were scoffers, people pitched a fit, but the pair just smiled and put up with it. 

Then the princess called her family and spread the news round, and then the thought hit her, a dress needs to be found. So she called her bridesmaids, and they headed to town. They searched and they searched, till the perfect one she found. They picked shoes and picked colors, and talked over locations. His friends were all happy, and ready to join. They planned and they practiced and saved every coin. 

Then they flew across the country, to a wedding for the Prince's dad. It was a crazy experience like she'd never had. The mood was set perfect, it was sappy and sweet. That will be them soon. Boy was that neat. They held hands and took walks, and had lots of talks. They practiced their dancing...they'll need to practice again. 

They found bridesmaid dresses, and tried to block out the stresses. Lined up gals for their hair, and looked for someone to take pictures. Things were going quite smooth, with the plans and the plots, and mostly they blocked the doubts that were shot. 

The pair found a house, a cute little dwelling, every time she sees it the princess feels her heart swelling. They painted together and moved everything in, thinking this was where their whole life would begin. 

At times she felt nervous, and there were some doubts. Will I do this right, will I be his delight? He'd smile and shush her, say it was alright. 

Her friends were all happy, and offered support, they all wanted to help and be a good sport. 

Decorations and flowers, music and food, so much to plan, and so much to do. 

Hi!

Hi guys! How are ya? 

Seems like I've been terribly busy, but don't really have anything to tell you about. 

Let's see what I can drum up here....

The other day I attended a Lunch and Learn on communication in the workplace. I ended up teaching a room of old -*ehem* people from a different generation than I am- people about what Generation Z lingo even means. 

I got asked what barriers to communication were and I said age. When asked to explain, I said that the 40 something year old gal that I work with doesn't understand the terms I use daily. 

Of course then I was asked to tell some of the terms, which then led to me explaining the concept of Shipping a couple, fangirling, and the fact that everyone on planet earth is my minion.

....Speaking of minions, 

The girls at work have suddenly started calling me the M&M, which I'm told stands for The Master Minion. 

I do not disapprove of this development. 

Also developing, I have purchased a wedding dress and will be going to pick it up on Saturday. My hunt for a veil, belt and shoes is also complete. The hunt for bridesmaid dresses is in full swing and thus far has produced dismal results. I'm told that after a certain bull sale takes place on March fifth that my dearly beloved will be more available to help me get the man side of this event whipped into shape. 

We also rented a house! I am so stinking excited. Spent a week repainting everything. I still want to do something with the bathroom, but since there's really not a lot of furniture in the way in a bathroom, I'm content to let that wait till I've actually moved in. Jarod will be moving in this weekend if everything goes well (and we find a cook stove). We've been piecing together some furniture and household goods, but I'm being picky because the paint job in there is so fabulous that I want things to match. Which is why we had a war over whether or not the John Deere green and yellow dresser from his childhood will be in the bedroom. 

Despite differences in decor taste, I'm super excited about this. As soon as I get the drop cloths and painters tape off everything I will post pictures. 

Valentines Day was also our one year anniversary of dating. That just blows my mind. I cannot believe it's been a year already. I also can't believe it has only been one year. So much has happened. It's been fabulous. 

So, what did we do to mark this fabulous milestone you might ask?

Well, first I asked to go out to eat, but he wanted to move in, so I agreed. Moving into your first house on your first anniversary could be sweet. Then life stepped in and it was decided that he needed to clip the bulls that weekend to get ready for the upcoming sale. So no moving, no supper. After church we bundled up and went and clipped ornery bulls, and got them all trimmed up and pretty. We left that venture once it got dark, covered in hair, and smelling like smoke. So after showering up we burned over to subway and grabbed some sandwiches and rented a movie at the gas station. It was called True Story and if you like creepy mystery shows it is a must watch. 

I gave him a Bible Concordance, since he's been asking for one, along with a Snoopy Valentines card complete with sappy writing inside both, as well as a freakishly long poem I'm quite proud of. 

In return I got a card and itunes giftcard, which I plan to use to make our wedding playlist. 

I had to give him a hard time, because I wrote on pretty much every available surface of his gifts and the card I got was unsigned. Men. 

So, it wasn't a terribly romantic, dramatic anniversary, but it was definitely us, and I for sure enjoyed it. 

My sisters came to my rescue and got me chocolate. They really are the best. 

What about you, minions? Any fabulous developments since I've been absent? I have been silently stalking your blogs, keeping an eye on things, even if I don't comment.

My darn laptop has decided it cannot connect to the internet and hasn't worked for a few weeks, so it's been a pain in the butt to try to get any legit blogging done. I apologize. 

February Challenge

Hi guys! 

So, I have some fun news that some of you may want to join in on. 

Over at Go Teen Writers *sniffle*not a teen anymore *sniffle* they are going to be doing a challenge starting in February where you come up with a different story idea every day for the entire month of January. It's just a little something to get the creative juices flowing, make you look around at things differently, and see the story in everything. And, obviously, to hopefully come up with your next fabulous novel idea. 

The challenge is open to anyone, and there is a Amazon gift card drawing involved, and anything Amazon has got to be great, so I will be participating. 

I saw it and immediately had ideas start popping into my head, which really defeats the point, because I have to make up new ones, and its not even the correct month yet. 

I really like this challenge idea though, because so often the writing challenges I see online consist of writing so many hundreds or thousand words a day, or devoting this much time to just writing, or something along those lines, and I just don't have time for that anymore. It's a lot harder to find time to commit to writing twelve hundred words a day, especially since my creative juices have froze and it would take me three times longer than it used to. 

This one is much less stressful, but still creatively stimulating, and I'm hoping to thaw out the old creative genius and get it up and running again. You can follow the link up there to read all about it, and get registered if you would like to join me. 

If I come up with any absolutely stellar ideas I'll be sure to share them with you as the month progresses. 

I've also got a few posts in the works for the remainder of this month, so stay tuned for that. 

Until then, farewell!