I'm not writing this post for anyone but me. I'm not asking for support or congratulations or anything of that nature. I am simply putting this out there so that it is out there. So that it is real. So that I know that others know. If I didn't I would stop.
I'm on a journey.
.
A long journey.
A journey that I started about 6 years ago and quit halfway through.
A journey that I am determined to finish this time.
You see, I know that I'm not in picture perfect health. I know that I need to loose weight. I know that I need to be more active. I know that my blood pressure would not be elevated if I were healthier. And, despite what some may believe, I didn't get this way because I eat 5,000 calories a day. Some people just struggle with their weight. I always have and always will. It is frustrating, but I'm done letting it control my life. So today I joined Weight Watchers for the second time in my life.
I had great success the first go around and I am going to have great success this time as well. I am determined.
Determined to be healthy.
I could care less if I am "thin" or if I have the "perfect body" or any of that other crap. I just want to be healthy. I want to feel good about who I am as a person because I have a purpose in my life and because I am healthy enough to live that purpose out.
Here I go! I'm on my way to a healthier me!
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Flutter
This afternoon I took a little nap. I just hadn't been feeling all that great and after church I was wiped out. I laid down on the couch, turned on some re-runs and fell fast asleep. My loving hubs just let me nap. He let me nap for 2 whole hours. When I awoke he was no where to be found. I sat up and looked around the living room and was trying to figure out how long I'd been napping when I heard it....
flutter...flutter...flutter...
Hmm? That's weird?
flutter...flutter...flutter...
Is that IN my ear?
flutter...flutter...flutter...
Hubs? Where are you?"
-------
"Hubs? I think I have a bug in my ear!!!"
-------
"TIM!"
He walks in the living room with a weird look on his face.
flutter...flutter...flutter...
"I think I have a bug in my ear! I keep hearing this flutter sound in my ear! "
He looks..."I don't see anything."
"But I HEAR it.
Looks again..."nothing."
*sigh*
We never have found anything in my ear. It stopped for a few hours, but has now started back up. With that said, I have felt all day like I have fluid in my ear. About an hour ago I had Tim flush my ear out with warm water. Nothing came crawling out.
Should I be freaking out yet? At what point do you go to the doctor and say, "I think I may have a bug in my ear?"
I've been amazingly calm for someone who may have something living inside my ear. However, if it doesn't stop and a doctor confirms this nightmare to be true I may have to start sleeping with ear plugs in my ears!
Have any of you ever had a fluttering sound in your ear? What did you do? Did you find anything living inside your ear?
flutter...flutter...flutter...
Hmm? That's weird?
flutter...flutter...flutter...
Is that IN my ear?
flutter...flutter...flutter...
Hubs? Where are you?"
-------
"Hubs? I think I have a bug in my ear!!!"
-------
"TIM!"
He walks in the living room with a weird look on his face.
flutter...flutter...flutter...
"I think I have a bug in my ear! I keep hearing this flutter sound in my ear! "
He looks..."I don't see anything."
"But I HEAR it.
Looks again..."nothing."
*sigh*
We never have found anything in my ear. It stopped for a few hours, but has now started back up. With that said, I have felt all day like I have fluid in my ear. About an hour ago I had Tim flush my ear out with warm water. Nothing came crawling out.
Should I be freaking out yet? At what point do you go to the doctor and say, "I think I may have a bug in my ear?"
I've been amazingly calm for someone who may have something living inside my ear. However, if it doesn't stop and a doctor confirms this nightmare to be true I may have to start sleeping with ear plugs in my ears!
Have any of you ever had a fluttering sound in your ear? What did you do? Did you find anything living inside your ear?
Monday, June 3, 2013
Life After Death
Most people have heard about the sudden passing of officer Jason Ellis. His story was spread all over the news. A death like this would have caused me to stop and reflect on life. I would have felt bad for his family. I would have even uttered a little prayer for them. But the passing of Jason Ellis was a bit different than any other officer or military that I've heard of before.
It was different because I knew Officer Ellis. He was part of my extended family.
When my sis-in-law married into the Phillips family I met Jason's wife, Amy. I met her beautiful boys. Then I met her husband, Jason. I didn't know Jason well. I won't pretend that he and I shared deep conversations or that we were best friends, but I knew him well enough to learn a few things about him on my own and not through the media.
I learned that he was a kind man. I learned that he like to joke around, but mostly I saw that he loved his two boys and that he was madly in love with his wife.
And like that...it was gone.
I've spent the last week and a half in utter disbelief that someone would just take him away from his beautiful wife and children. That someone would have so much hatred in their heart that they would take him away from his friends and fellow officers. After a short amount of time I still can't wrap my mind around it. The "why" question is there and it isn't going anywhere fast.
The question has been asked what is the best thing to do in times like these. I pray. I pray hard. My mind just keeps coming back to Amy and the kids. I couldn't imagine loosing my husband. I couldn't imagine continuing my life without him by my side. I can't even begin to fathom what she's going through. So, I pray. Each and every time she comes to my mind I utter words of peace and comfort to her. I pray for her family. I pray for Jason's friends. I pray for the officers that are trying to solve the case. I pray for the officers who have to work knowing there is a killer out there somewhere. I pray for whomever did this. I just simply pray.
I know I don't have many blog followers out there. This blog is mostly for my own benefit. It is a place to get thoughts out of my head. But if you are out there and you would like to help Amy there is a way to do so.
First, pray for her and her boys. She needs that more than anything. Second, you can purchase a memorial bracelet and a portion of the proceeds go to the memorial fund. Third you can make a donation directly to the fun and all the money will go directly to Amy.
Here is the link.
I want to say thank you if you decide to donate. But mostly, I want to say thank you for praying for Amy and her kids. There is so much healing that needs to happen in their lives.
Hopefully the case will be solved soon and some of the "why" questions can be answered. Until then I pray for peace and I pray that none of us takes our life for granted. We are here today but we are not guaranteed tomorrow. Make the most of everyday that you are given!
It was different because I knew Officer Ellis. He was part of my extended family.
When my sis-in-law married into the Phillips family I met Jason's wife, Amy. I met her beautiful boys. Then I met her husband, Jason. I didn't know Jason well. I won't pretend that he and I shared deep conversations or that we were best friends, but I knew him well enough to learn a few things about him on my own and not through the media.
I learned that he was a kind man. I learned that he like to joke around, but mostly I saw that he loved his two boys and that he was madly in love with his wife.
And like that...it was gone.
I've spent the last week and a half in utter disbelief that someone would just take him away from his beautiful wife and children. That someone would have so much hatred in their heart that they would take him away from his friends and fellow officers. After a short amount of time I still can't wrap my mind around it. The "why" question is there and it isn't going anywhere fast.
The question has been asked what is the best thing to do in times like these. I pray. I pray hard. My mind just keeps coming back to Amy and the kids. I couldn't imagine loosing my husband. I couldn't imagine continuing my life without him by my side. I can't even begin to fathom what she's going through. So, I pray. Each and every time she comes to my mind I utter words of peace and comfort to her. I pray for her family. I pray for Jason's friends. I pray for the officers that are trying to solve the case. I pray for the officers who have to work knowing there is a killer out there somewhere. I pray for whomever did this. I just simply pray.
I know I don't have many blog followers out there. This blog is mostly for my own benefit. It is a place to get thoughts out of my head. But if you are out there and you would like to help Amy there is a way to do so.
First, pray for her and her boys. She needs that more than anything. Second, you can purchase a memorial bracelet and a portion of the proceeds go to the memorial fund. Third you can make a donation directly to the fun and all the money will go directly to Amy.
Here is the link.
I want to say thank you if you decide to donate. But mostly, I want to say thank you for praying for Amy and her kids. There is so much healing that needs to happen in their lives.
Hopefully the case will be solved soon and some of the "why" questions can be answered. Until then I pray for peace and I pray that none of us takes our life for granted. We are here today but we are not guaranteed tomorrow. Make the most of everyday that you are given!
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Dear Car Dealership
Dear Dealership,
Let me tell you a few things about your customers.
First, not all customers that come to you will let you push them around. Some of us really do want to do research about a vehicle before we drop a large sum of money to purchase it. Some of us may like your options as well as options somewhere else. Don't hate us for that. Again, we are just trying to research our options to make sure we get the best vehicle for a great price. When we say we are just getting a starting point, believe us. When we tell you that our goal for the day is to decide which SUV drives the best and which SUV is within our budget, believe us. Don't try to push us into either one. It's our future car! Let us make that decision on our own!
Second, we know that your sales guys are going to be a bit pushy. That's their job. That's ok. What is not ok is that I left your lot 5 hours ago and I've already had three phone calls from you. That's right, three! This does not make me feel good about my experience. What it does is creep me out, annoy me and make me wonder why you have to call your customers three times in 5 hours? I have been nice all three times. I have given you the same information all three times. I have explained to you that we want to purchase sometime this summer and that when we are ready we will return. Trust me! I promise that calling me over and over will not make me want to return but rather push me to another dealership to purchase the same vehicle I could have purchase from you. If you call again today I can't promise that I will be very nice. I will probably be snippy with you. Sorry!
Third, don't tell me that a particular model coast xxxxx amount of money when I have a quote on the SAME SUV at another dealership for 8,000 dollars less. You also shouldn't gawk at me when I tell you this and tell me I must be wrong. I promise you I'm not. I also promise you that I won't buy the vehicle if you aren't willing to come down on your ridiculous price. I know you have to make money, but I'm not allowing you to get away with robbery! You'll come down or I won't buy! It's that easy!
Fourth, if I tell you I'm looking for a practical level vehicle in the terms of "perks" don't put me in a luxury model. I don't need to pay 5,000 extra dollars to talk to my car and have it do stuff. I am capable of pushing a button if I want more/less air! Putting me in this car just makes me mad because you aren't listening to what I told you about my spending budget! I already explained to you that my husband and I are both teachers and that we don't have 40 grand to spend on a car that will not be worth that the second we drive it off the lot. Listen to your customer! Find a vehicle that fits their needs/budget. Don't force them to join the American dream of being very in debt just to have fancy gadgets that they don't need. My husband and I don't operate that way! We would prefer not being in debt for the rest of our lives.
Finally, I can promise you that if I do buy one of your SUV's I will get it from a different lot. Probably the one that quoted me the vehicle of my dreams for 8,000 dollars less than what you said was the lowest option. Maybe they will treat me better than you did today.
Your very annoyed customer,
Carissa
Let me tell you a few things about your customers.
First, not all customers that come to you will let you push them around. Some of us really do want to do research about a vehicle before we drop a large sum of money to purchase it. Some of us may like your options as well as options somewhere else. Don't hate us for that. Again, we are just trying to research our options to make sure we get the best vehicle for a great price. When we say we are just getting a starting point, believe us. When we tell you that our goal for the day is to decide which SUV drives the best and which SUV is within our budget, believe us. Don't try to push us into either one. It's our future car! Let us make that decision on our own!
Second, we know that your sales guys are going to be a bit pushy. That's their job. That's ok. What is not ok is that I left your lot 5 hours ago and I've already had three phone calls from you. That's right, three! This does not make me feel good about my experience. What it does is creep me out, annoy me and make me wonder why you have to call your customers three times in 5 hours? I have been nice all three times. I have given you the same information all three times. I have explained to you that we want to purchase sometime this summer and that when we are ready we will return. Trust me! I promise that calling me over and over will not make me want to return but rather push me to another dealership to purchase the same vehicle I could have purchase from you. If you call again today I can't promise that I will be very nice. I will probably be snippy with you. Sorry!
Third, don't tell me that a particular model coast xxxxx amount of money when I have a quote on the SAME SUV at another dealership for 8,000 dollars less. You also shouldn't gawk at me when I tell you this and tell me I must be wrong. I promise you I'm not. I also promise you that I won't buy the vehicle if you aren't willing to come down on your ridiculous price. I know you have to make money, but I'm not allowing you to get away with robbery! You'll come down or I won't buy! It's that easy!
Fourth, if I tell you I'm looking for a practical level vehicle in the terms of "perks" don't put me in a luxury model. I don't need to pay 5,000 extra dollars to talk to my car and have it do stuff. I am capable of pushing a button if I want more/less air! Putting me in this car just makes me mad because you aren't listening to what I told you about my spending budget! I already explained to you that my husband and I are both teachers and that we don't have 40 grand to spend on a car that will not be worth that the second we drive it off the lot. Listen to your customer! Find a vehicle that fits their needs/budget. Don't force them to join the American dream of being very in debt just to have fancy gadgets that they don't need. My husband and I don't operate that way! We would prefer not being in debt for the rest of our lives.
Finally, I can promise you that if I do buy one of your SUV's I will get it from a different lot. Probably the one that quoted me the vehicle of my dreams for 8,000 dollars less than what you said was the lowest option. Maybe they will treat me better than you did today.
Your very annoyed customer,
Carissa
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Flat Tire
On Friday I was planning to walk out the door as close to 3:05 as possible. We were planning to head out of town to spend the weekend at Tim's parents house and we wanted to get on the road as quickly as possible. Well, I walked out the door around 3:30 (I can never get out of that place on time) and hopped in the car. I put Ellie in reverse and hmmm? What was that odd sound? Oh well! I have places to be. . .
Then, I got out to the "circle" and ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum. . .
Yeah, that's a flat tire.
Here's the deal. The "circle" is NOT a good part of town. I teach in a very hostile neighborhood. There are a lot of not so go things that happen in the neighborhood. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my school. I love teaching in this type of area. I have found it to be one of the most rewarding parts of my life. That said, I don't want to be broken down in this area, alone! My solution, keep driving and pray I make it to the gas station an eighth of a mile down the road. ba-dum, ba-dump, ba-dum, ba-dum.
I pull in and by the time I park my car near the air pump I'm just happy to be off the road. My tire is gone. Fully shredded. I don't think the air will help!
I call Tim who is still at school teaching. Like all good teachers his phone is on silent and he isn't answering. So I call again, and again, and again, and again thinking that eventually he'll realize that it's a real emergency and I'm stranded at a gas station in a not so great part of town.
In a panic I call the girls I work with who were conveniently at a goodbye party across the street. So there we are. Three women changing a tire at a gas station. Did I mention it was pouring the rain?
I felt so bad! The girls were soaked and they still had to go back to the party!
While we were changing the tire nearly 20 men walked past. None of which asked if we needed help or if they could call someone for us. 2 did ask me what time it was though. I guess they heard me calling my husband in a panic and knew that in my crisis I had a phone which also had the time. *sigh* What has the world come to that a MAN doesn't offer to help a woman in distress?
Needless to say we didn't need any men! We got the tire changed and my wonderful husband who was 40 minutes away located a new tire and had it paid for and waiting for me when I made it to him nearly an hour later.
He's a winner!
I've mentioned that my car is falling apart before my very eyes. We are currently on the hunt for a new car. Actually, a new SUV, so if you have any advice we are all ears!
Then, I got out to the "circle" and ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum. . .
Yeah, that's a flat tire.
Here's the deal. The "circle" is NOT a good part of town. I teach in a very hostile neighborhood. There are a lot of not so go things that happen in the neighborhood. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my school. I love teaching in this type of area. I have found it to be one of the most rewarding parts of my life. That said, I don't want to be broken down in this area, alone! My solution, keep driving and pray I make it to the gas station an eighth of a mile down the road. ba-dum, ba-dump, ba-dum, ba-dum.
I pull in and by the time I park my car near the air pump I'm just happy to be off the road. My tire is gone. Fully shredded. I don't think the air will help!
I call Tim who is still at school teaching. Like all good teachers his phone is on silent and he isn't answering. So I call again, and again, and again, and again thinking that eventually he'll realize that it's a real emergency and I'm stranded at a gas station in a not so great part of town.
In a panic I call the girls I work with who were conveniently at a goodbye party across the street. So there we are. Three women changing a tire at a gas station. Did I mention it was pouring the rain?
I felt so bad! The girls were soaked and they still had to go back to the party!
While we were changing the tire nearly 20 men walked past. None of which asked if we needed help or if they could call someone for us. 2 did ask me what time it was though. I guess they heard me calling my husband in a panic and knew that in my crisis I had a phone which also had the time. *sigh* What has the world come to that a MAN doesn't offer to help a woman in distress?
Needless to say we didn't need any men! We got the tire changed and my wonderful husband who was 40 minutes away located a new tire and had it paid for and waiting for me when I made it to him nearly an hour later.
He's a winner!
I've mentioned that my car is falling apart before my very eyes. We are currently on the hunt for a new car. Actually, a new SUV, so if you have any advice we are all ears!
Freedom
For the last 3 weeks I have been grad school free.
I can't even begin to explain the feeling that surrounds not having homework, papers, projects, readings or observation forms to complete. It is freeing, but that doesn't even begin to describe the past few weeks.
The last two weekends have been a blur. Last weekend we left early Friday afternoon to head to my parents house to celebrate my graduation. We arrived home late Sunday. This week was testing at school and I've had a massive case of allergy issues. Friday we left after school (that is after replacing my flat tire) to head to Tim's parents house for the annual Wix shoot. We just arrived home an hour or so ago. Shew! Tired!
With that said, none of this would have been possible if I were still in grad school. I think I keep waiting for the "next" class to begin. It's slowly starting to sink in that this chapter is over. Like so many others it has come and gone with only a few (many) tears. :-)
I am so thankful that I can enjoy my weekends again. I have a million diy projects that I can't wait to start. New decor for our home that we've almost lived in a year (holy cow) and I have only partially enjoyed. A hunt for a new car since mine is falling apart. Oh, and spending time with my hubs doing things we both enjoy and haven't had time to do for the past 4 years.
Ahhh, life without grad school is going to be great!
I can't even begin to explain the feeling that surrounds not having homework, papers, projects, readings or observation forms to complete. It is freeing, but that doesn't even begin to describe the past few weeks.
The last two weekends have been a blur. Last weekend we left early Friday afternoon to head to my parents house to celebrate my graduation. We arrived home late Sunday. This week was testing at school and I've had a massive case of allergy issues. Friday we left after school (that is after replacing my flat tire) to head to Tim's parents house for the annual Wix shoot. We just arrived home an hour or so ago. Shew! Tired!
With that said, none of this would have been possible if I were still in grad school. I think I keep waiting for the "next" class to begin. It's slowly starting to sink in that this chapter is over. Like so many others it has come and gone with only a few (many) tears. :-)
I am so thankful that I can enjoy my weekends again. I have a million diy projects that I can't wait to start. New decor for our home that we've almost lived in a year (holy cow) and I have only partially enjoyed. A hunt for a new car since mine is falling apart. Oh, and spending time with my hubs doing things we both enjoy and haven't had time to do for the past 4 years.
Ahhh, life without grad school is going to be great!
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Oh Baby!
Today a child asked my friend a very funny question about her baby belly. Here is the conversation. I hope you smile as much as I did.
boy: How did that baby get in there?
friend: You should ask you mom that question!
boy: I already know and it is GROSS!
friend: (laughing) Well if you already knew why did you ask?
boy: (Looks at friend like "eww! I know what what you did!" Shrugs his shoulders and walks away.)
I laughed till I fell over!!!
boy: How did that baby get in there?
friend: You should ask you mom that question!
boy: I already know and it is GROSS!
friend: (laughing) Well if you already knew why did you ask?
boy: (Looks at friend like "eww! I know what what you did!" Shrugs his shoulders and walks away.)
I laughed till I fell over!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)