Terrible.

I've neglected this blog. I've been busy. But not too busy to blog, so that's no excuse. 

So for a major update I suppose. Brendan got his license finally. I'm very proud and very happy that I am not the only one driving around these days. I've recently been accepted for a janitorial position at the YWCA. I couldn't be more excited. I go in for orientation on Monday. It's a full-time position with benefits. (The plus side of all this is...it's not food service!) Hooray! So that's a new venture I'm taking in my life. Hoping to pay off the rest of my bills and purchase a used car. (New to me of course.) This is the car I want.

Hyundai Tiburon. Beauty and price. Definitely. 

In other news, our little dog Abby just had puppies. 7 of them. The poor dog is very little. I'm surprised she made it through labor. We're proud. Here's a photo.

They're beautiful. 

Well that's about all I've got. Hey, at least I updated, right? 

crazy cat lady fails at blogging.

readers readers readers.
i am terribly sorry.
wow. i'm horrible at blogging.
really, i apologize.
my life has been filled with little things here and there.
looking forward to the next two and a half weeks because they're exciting!
i successfully went to the mall here for the very first time the other day.
it was justifiably a mall.
nothing special at all.
well, i take that back.
there is a little gem of a store in that mall.
it's called the jewelry box.
everything in there is a dollar.
jewelry for a dollar?
best thing to happen to me as of late.
no wonder all the ladies down here look cute.
all for a dollar. mhm.
that was the only thing exciting about the mall.
one thing that terrified me though, was the computerized soda machine.
touch screen? huh. oh well. welcome to the year 2009.
as always, i miss my family and friends tremendously.
that will never change.
other news, my cat is obese and she loves catnip.
she escaped to the neighbor's house a few nights ago.
about gave me a heart attack.
call me a crazy cat lady, i don't really mind.





















brendan and i are doing wonderfully.
2 years together soon! :)
he's the love of my life and i couldn't ask for a better man.
i'm proud of his recent accomplishments.
i'm sure i'll be proud of his upcoming ones too.
well, i'm on a normal sleep schedule again.
time to fold laundry, feed my cat, take a shower and go to bed.

ps. favorite quote lately:
"good morning! oh and if i don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight" - Truman from The Truman Show

nothing entertains me more...

than police scanners.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ScanMichigan---Live

keeps me entertained while i'm trying to get sleepy.
check them out sometime.

i'll greet you with this...and this only.

i miss the staple food of grand rapids.
yesterdog.
probably the most incredible edible to happen to grand rapids.
i salute thee, yesterdog.
and will forever long for your deliciousness.

until we meet again.














































that's all folks. send me some yesterdog? kraut or killer dogs need only apply.

http://www.yesterdog.com/

readers...hello.

just thought an update would be beneficiary to all my readers. things are going smoothly here. it's been a wonderful couple weeks. the weather has decided to cool down, which is appreciated. (a cool down is considered from 100 degrees down to low 90s here in el paso). brendan successfully completed his GED program and i have never been more proud. he worked hard on it and his work shows. he's so smart, i knew he'd do excellent.

speaking of education. i've had this strange drive to go back to school lately. i would like to go to school online though. there is a lot of research i need to do before committing to that. my brain feels dead and it needs a revamp. if anyone has any great ideas or recommendations for schooling, please get a hold of me somehow. brendan and i both completed our FAFSA online yesterday and it shows that i am approved for up to $5,350 in a pell grant. that would be absolutely wonderful. i just need to decide what i want to do. something in health administration or human services. i don't know yet. again, the research is going to help in this dilemma.

nate comes for his R&R tomorrow afternoon/evening. he's been gone since march and it'll be a joy to see him. the kids are really excited to see their dad. and i think his wife is equally excited! i don't blame them. it'll be terribly hard to watch him leave again, but we need to just make the best of the time that he has while he is visiting.

another strange thing, the army tells all their soldiers who come home on R&R that they are visitors in their own home. that's such a strange concept for me because the soldiers are the ones providing for their families, and they're supposed to be considered visitors in their own home? i think that is ridiculous. oh well, you do what the army says right?

on a creepy note here, there have been a plethora of black widows creeping around our house lately. that makes me uncomfortable. they vary in size. but they're disgusting none the less. i'd never seen one before i moved here. gross. here's a few photos.




























































aren't they horrendously disgusting? makes me want to wear pants and socks when i sleep.

alright, well that's about all the update i have for you at this moment.
more to come.
love you and miss you all.

out of the music loop

hello readers. short post here. i just want to present to you my new favorite website of all time. if you're at all into music, please please check out http://www.last.fm. i know that it's been around for a long time, but i have been an avid pandora user. after today, i have concluded that last.fm tops all music sites. it's a ton of music at your fingertips and it's completely customizable. it caters to every kind of music interest possible. it gives you the ability to play a good amount of songs that are based on your choices. they also recommend songs that suit your taste. you can create playlists. if you love music and want to discover new music, last.fm is for you. i'm not kidding. check it out. it's a glorious choice for a music lover. do it.

ps. update: my cat is getting really fat, she needs to go on a diet. look at this awkward photo i got of her on the couch the other night. it tops all of the photos i have of tuna melt.

















one more of our family kitten sunshine. she's a little bundle of kitten trouble.


















she's cute, you can't even disagree.

okay, that's all i wanted to say tonight. it's late and i need to shower and sleep. love you all.

I am not spectacular at keeping this updated.

I am back after much time of not posting. I'm sorry to keep all of my readers out of the loop. Everything here in Texas is going swimmingly. It's been horribly hot, which I am definitely not used to, but I deal. The pool does its job here in Texas. (The air conditioning on the other hand does not.) I just turned 23 and don't feel too different about it. Life moves on. It was a good birthday. I got to spend it with my family here and that's what counts. I also got to talk with my parents on the phone and that's always wonderful to me. (I know you guys read this! I LOVE YOU very much and miss you horrendously some days.) July has just come and past. It's insane how fast this year is flying by. We're at the end of July already and my niece and nephew go back to school one week from tomorrow. Mikaela is starting kindergarten and Austin is going into second grade. They're my pride and joy. Mikaela is my little angel (who drives me crazy sometimes!) and Austin is the most handsome man in the world. (Even though he's going through a whiny/angry phase.) I love them both with all my heart. We just celebrated Austin's birthday yesterday. We just had friends over for a backyard barbecue complete with throwing candy off the roof. Good thing we have enough pools and rent-able water slides around here to make backyard barbecues manageable. Here are a few pictures of the birthday boy and his sister in all their glory yesterday.

1. he decided to dunk his face in the cake and the cutie in the background is our friend marky.


















2. the birthday boy in all his glory (cake face and all.)























3. of course his sister had to follow suit. (and turned out looking like a superhero!)






















4. using my cool color accent feature on my camera! (thanks dad for picking this one!)


















5. getting ready to open presents! the highlight of any child's birthday.



















6. present #1: a rocket for fun in the desert.


















7. present #2: a pile of rocks in the left hand and a magnifying glass in the other!


















present #3: a scooter!


















present #4: ford remote control truck! the favorite of the evening!


















so that was austin's birthday. good times, good friends, good food. in other news, brendan takes his last section of his GED test tomorrow. he will then get his results back within the next two weeks. i'm very happy and support him greatly. i know that he will pass those tests with flying colors. he's an incredibly smart man, and i'm happy to see him applying his brain to something! well, i need to get to bed, my back has been sore all day and i'm just generally tired. thanks for reading! love and miss you greatly.