Highlights

Some of the highlights of my week because I'm forgetful and want to be reminded of these things.

James and I talked to some of our friends in Scotland. Hearing their voices made me really ready to be there.

Tuesday a patient told me he has an affidavit with my name on it, so when he sues a co-worker of mine, he can have me questioned. What?!? Craziness I tell you.

I biked to work on Tuesday and Thursday

Engagement announcement! One of my best friends and one of James' best friends are getting married! I can hardly believe they're dating, much less getting hitched. I felt so privileged when they biked over from Chimborazo Park to tell us. We were the first to congratulate them in person.

We had dinner with my parents and had a very real, honest conversation about some serious stuff. It was very freeing.

Saw a friend's wedding pictures. She got married in Jamaica last week.

Found a good album on ITunes

Lunch on Thursday was at Pho So 1 near Horsepen behind Home Depot, a treat from my friend Phavy. I had Barbequed Pork and an egg roll over Vermicelli. It was so good I just HAD to eat the entire humungous bowl.

I accidentally did something so silly and stupid at work; I laughed so hard I cried...a couple of times.

My last patient of the week was a doozy. I'd tell you all about it, but honestly, I'm slightly afraid of him.

My 3 day weekend

Friday
-Biked to work. (I'm loving this transportation/exercise combo)
-Showered at work, worked, ate a donut.
-Biked home from work at 12:00
-Painted trim in the upstairs hallway
-Went to my parents for dessert.
-Enjoyed watching my husband and 8 year old nephew light fireworks

Saturday
-Painted the hallway trim some more
-Did some other stuff around the house that I don't remember
-Went to the wedding of a friend from high school

Sunday
-Overslept. meant to go to the early church service, but missed it.
-Met some friends in Ashland and went wakeboarding with them on Lake Anna
-Pondered the affect that water used to cool a nuclear power plant reactor could have on people
-Talked about family stuff with family for a long time

Monday
-Packed some stuff that will be stored for 2 years
-Did a little cleaning and laundry
-Talked to friends in Scotland through Skype (get a Skype account so you can talk to us for free while we're in Scotland. do it now. see the link on my blog)
-Went to Wal-Mart to get some big Rubbermaid tubs to store stuff in/fly stuff to Scotland in
-Saved a lost swan next to Wal-Mart by letting it through the gate so it could leave the parking lot and go back to it's pond (I thinks its wings were clipped).
-Went to family Memorial Day cookout/birthday party for my cousin
-Trying to decide if I should bike to work tomorrow since I got ZERO exercise this weekend

Thoughts on getting older and enjoying it.

There are certain landmarks in ones life that proves the inevitable progression of time; a.k.a. getting old. I'm getting old.

I'm now one month from turning 27, and while there are many people who would roll their eyes and mumble something about wishing they were that young again, it feels old to me.

I went to a high school friend's wedding on Saturday and was able to spend some time with a few friends from that era. First of all, next year will mark the 10 year anniversary of my high school graduation. TEN YEARS. That's a decade people.

A family I know from high school was at this wedding. The oldest of four sons is my age. The youngest is now a sophomore in college. The last time I saw him he was 9, a round-faced chunk of cuteness. I saw him and could only stare, unable to believe that little Bobby was in this football players body. I could barely believe when those dreaded words came to my mind and I fought as they came out of my mouth, "I can't believe how old you've gotten; last time I saw you, you were 'this' big!" And he stared at me like I used to stare at the "old" friends of my parents who used to say that to me: smiling politely with not a clue in the world as to who they were. Yup, he had no clue who I was.

I love where I am in life. I'm relishing being a part of the, "young marrieds without children" group, and looking forward to what the future holds. I definitely would NOT want to go back to any stage of my younger days...one time through is enough. But there is something eye-opening about realizing the passing of time, and it forces me to choose how I will view my stage of life. It's the people who are bitter about getting old that make me sad. Another year passed is another gift of spending time on this earth and another year closer to eternity in Paradise.

A friend gave me this statue a while back that helps me keep these ideas in perspective. The name of the idea is Sankofa from a West African people group.

The Weekend

Friday
-Worked until 1:00
-Got my hair washed (always such a treat) and cut by Gary at Vision's
-Helped James get packed up for the Beerble Camp-out
-Did some exercising
-Hung out with Blare and Allison on their front porch. Met a very interesting old man who used racial slurs as a regular part of his speech because "that's how things were done when he was young"

Saturday
-Road my new bike
-Did lots and lots of laundry
-Checked out the annual Churchill neighborhood yard sale
-Did some more laundry
-Cleaned the house
-Had ice cream cones with my aunt and uncle

Sunday
-Sunday School and Worship at Stony Point church
-Cheeseburgers and ice cream for lunch. yum.
-To Jenna's to hang out at the pool
-Biked to Franklin Street for church with James
-Ate cookies after Franklin Street even though I told myself I wasn't going to. no willpower.
-Wondered how long I'd have a sore butt from riding my bike
-Watched Soprano's and Entourage
-Started but then stopped watching the Omen because it was freaking me out too much
-Went to bed and had a very long and involved dream about being held hostage

A New Love

I'm back from my short trip. What a great time! I'm now know why so many people love riding bikes.

My route there was Churchill-Leigh St.-Belvidere-Main-Grove. It took me 45 minutes. On the way back I took Cary-Parkwood (to bypass the Cary Town area)-Cary-over to Grace in Shockoe Bottom-home to Churchill. The ride home took 30 minutes.

I'm excited about biking to and from work a couple times a week. I'd love some route suggestions that any of you think would work well.

And here's a story about the most exciting part of my ride. I came upon a little boy on Parkwood (couldn't have been older than 2) hanging out in the middle of the street trying to get into a mini-van. I stopped to look, and there were no other people around anywhere. The door of the house he was near was wide open. The little guy said (in the cutest little voice you've ever heard) that that was his house when I asked. I rang the doorbell and then said, "hello?" when no one came. Finally a mom and her other son came down the stairs. A wave of emotion came over her when she realized what happened: shock, worry, relief, appreciation. She was obviously not a negligent mother; just busy, I'm sure, with active boys.

I can't say for sure what would have happened, I can only imagine there are some horrible possibilities that could result from that little boy's curiosity. But I do know that God predestines everything, and I'm glad He directed my route in the direction He did.

A Shiny New Bike

I got a new bike! I'm so excited, this is my first official road bike. You can see a picture of it here. But I got it at a much cheaper price than what's listed at that site...you know how I love a good deal!

The funny thing is, James got the same exact bike (much larger of course, since he is a foot taller than me.) It just turned out that the same bike he really liked was the only one that fit me really well, after looking for weeks at many bike shops. So we are "that couple" with His and Her's. This is a first for us. I have to say, even though it was not intentional, I think it's pretty cute.

I even got a matching helmet. That fact, I am very excited about.

I'm about to set off on my first long journey. From my house to my work. It's 6.4 miles. This will be a test to see if I want to make the trek during the week.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Weekend Update

Thursday Night
Dinner with mom, dad, grandmother, brother, husband, nephew, brother's girlfriend for mother's day. Ate at a delicious restaurant, Antonio's, on Route 10 in Chester. It's a hike from the City, but seriously amazing food.

Friday
Work until 1:00
Worked out for a while
Worked on painting the hallway for a little bit
Received a delivery from James and Ross of our most fave thing ever: free stuff, from Ross' parents
Made some yummy Thai food for dinner

Saturday
Ran the Susan Komen Race for the Cure 5K with Macaria, had a great time. SOOO many people ran it
Did some more painting in the hallway/stairwell
Took a break to drive down Williamsburg Rd to get some more paint from Scherwin-Williams
Got a Gardenia plant for my Mom from Southern States
Babysat for my boss's kids from 5-12. had so much fun with them, as usual (5 yr. old twin boys, 6 yr. old girl, 12 yr. old boy)

Sunday
Sunday School and Church at Stony Point Presbyterian
Ate a ton of meat for lunch: shrimp and steak...and nothing else
Enjoyed the sun at Jenna's rooftop pool at her Shockoe Bottom apartment building
Franklin Street Community and a yummy Oatmeal Raisin Cookie
Played Ticket to Ride with James and my parents
Watched the Soprano's: OMG, I can't believe he killed him. I mean, I can believe it, but I can't.
To bed.

Little kiddie's are so stinkin' cute

Conversation I had with two 5 year olds at church today

girl: "He got hit in the eye with an orangutan!"
me: "Wow, an orangutan? How'd that happen?"
boy: "No, it was a BOOMERANG!"
me: "Ahh, that must have really hurt." (holding back a chuckle)

Review of Last Weekend

So it's Friday, and I'm thinking about how great last weekend was. I just have to sum it up now, even though it was a week ago. This is more for my benefit, so I can reminisce and be full of joy that I am blessed with such wonderful friends who are loving, caring people and a blast to be around.

Friday:
Had a bunch of people over. The boys watched a silly movie while the girls hung out on the porch. Enjoyed some drinks, dominoes, and Texas hold 'em. It was a blast. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy


Good times with friend's visiting from Colorado!


Zach's in a total trance: spellbound by Blare's love =)


Owen, stop looking at my dominoes!

Saturday
Slept in while James helped his friend move. Went to my great aunt's yard sale, got lots of great old stuff.
Went to friend's home to have a cookout and enjoy another fabulous game of dominoes, hung out and had a blast...AGAIN.

Sunday
Went to church, lunch with parents at Joe's Inn in the fan (never go to Joe's Inn on the Southside...yuck). Home for a minute, Franklin Street Community service at 4:00. Met friend's (Jeremiah and Emily, visiting from Colorado) and mom and aunt at Legend's for food and beer.
Home to watch Soprano's. Disappointed by the lack of action.
Went to bed with much appreciation for time spent with friend's.

The Search for My Replacement: The Saga Continues

Three more interviews for my replacement at work happened this week...Three more strikes.

But, today there were murmurings of another possibility that has some promise...

The Art of Dumpster Diving

I began thinking about the glories of dumpstering when I read my friend Valerie's recent post. It's pretty hilarious that when people have junk to get rid of they think of us. You know, most people might be offended, but I'm flattered. My husband and I are pretty economical (a smarter sounding version of "thrifty"). We love a good sale and love free stuff even more.

Now, don't think just because we like free stuff, we have a house overflowing with junk. Granted, we do have some items we don't need, and are working on diminishing that pile, but doesn't everyone? Be assured, we don't live in one of those houses you see on Dr. Phil's that has newspapers from 2 decades ago and a back-yard full of non-working appliances.

I didn't used to have this affinity for finding good deals and appreciating free stuff.

In fact, the first trip James and I made to the grocery store ended with us putting the food back and leaving in a storm of miscommunication and misunderstanding. You see, I come from a background of:
"give freely to others, money is no object" and "usually brand names are better than generic."
James comes from a background of:
"definitely buy generic, no matter what" and "only use half of a dryer sheet per load of laundry"

I think that both schools of thought are valid and have their benefits. That's why I'm glad James and I are together: we can foster our positive traits in each other, while tempering our out of control traits.

The first time I visited James' apartment, he and his friends pointed out all of the items they had acquired while dumpster diving. I have to admit, I was intrigued, but also grossed out. I mean, who would want to actually get in a dumpster??? I soon found out, that most of the time you don't have to get inside the dumpster, a lot of times the treasure is sitting right next to it!

My favorite kind of dumpster dive is the kind you can give away. Don't worry, we won't dumpster something and wrap it up nicely for your birthday. Anything that is dumpstered and given away, is fully disclosed as a dumpstered item. It's great when we've found something that someone else needed, and we could never afford to buy it for them, but we sure could give it to them since we found it for free! (Hope you like your table and chairs "friend who just moved"*!)

The other great aspect of dumpstering is making a profit off of free things. For example: we found a dresser on the side of road with a "free" sign on it, add a fresh coat of white paint, shiny spray-painted brass handles, and you've got yourself a $60 sale off of Craig's List. Can't beat that. I could name quite a few items like that.

So bring on the free stuff. If we can't use it, we'll give it to someone who can, or sell it to someone who's dying to have it.

*Name removed in case friend prefers not to reveal himself as owner of a dumpstered item.

p.s. James and I are now able to go to the grocery store together and have a very enjoyable time.

I love Churchill.

My area of RVa is awesome for many reasons, but the biggest reason is the people. You never know what kind of interesting person you will happen upon on any given day. Lots of other people love Churchill too, here are some of them.

A couple of weeks ago renovations began on the condemned house next door to us. We are so very excited. We've met the contractor and his two main workers; they're all great guys.

Here's a story for you that gave me and my husband a good chuckle and also reconfirmed my love for my neighborhood.

Fridays my office closes early (praise the Lord, it's an amazing thing). While exiting my car with a smile to be home at noon, I heard our worker friend's next door yell, "Hey, it's the lady from next door!"

While enjoying a nice chat with the three good ol' boys, one of the workers said, "I see ya got some of them there scrubs on, whaddya do?"

[To give you a mental picture of the scenario, I must describe the appearance of this man to you. I am, in no way, being judgemental, just descriptive. Mid 40's, short, overweight, long stringy brown hair that was last cut back in '05, teeth that could badly use a professional cleaning, wearing one of those Volkswagon farfegnugen t-shirts that said something like, "farfrompukin"...you get the idea]

"I'm a dental assistant."
Surprised, like I caught him off guard, he responds gleefully: "No kidding! I'm a licensed massage technician!"
His boss, the contractor, looks at him like he wants to smack him in the back of the head and says, "Now what does that have to do with dentistry?"
"Well...the scrubs!"

Fast forward one hour.

Owen and I head out for a walk so she can sniff other dog's poop and run around in the park.

Arriving back home at the end of our walk, I stopped to talk to my across the street neighbor and her friend. She's a single mom of three, so friendly; she's always got a, "Hey Girl!" for me. I'm still not sure how she spends her days when I'm at work and her kids are at school, but she's on her porch whenever I'm outside, no matter what time of day or night. They're great neighbors.

My neighbor's friend stated that she saw me in my scrubs earlier and asked me what I do. "I'm a dental assistant"
"No kidding! (with surprise and glee) I'm a licensed massage technician!"

No joke, same exact conversation, within one hour, with two people who couldn't be more opposite.

Please let me know if you figure out the connection between dentistry and massage therapy.