The Whiteman Nut House

What To Do

2010-03-14T20:24:00.003-04:00

I'm not sure what to do with this blog. There are so many memories, pictures, etc on it and I simply can't delete it. I have started my own blog and have decided to keep them separate rather than import this one into the new one.

Jarrod never really had anything to do with this one....as you have read it is full of my posts, comments, thoughts and pictures.

For now it will sit here. Perhaps I will continue to update it on how things are going in our lives.

Any thoughts?

It's Complicated

2010-02-23T23:24:00.002-05:00

For those of you on Facebook, I'm sure you may have seen a relationship status change. For those of you not on Facebook and are by some wild chance still stopping by here, here it is:

Jarrod and I will be filing for a divorce in the next few days. This decision was made after long conversations and coming to the understanding that this is the right thing for us to do.

We have been married for six years, and like all marriages we had our ups and downs, laughter and tears, good times and bad. We were the best of friends before coming together and know that we will continue to be long after.

In the next few months, Jarrod will be headed back up to Norfolk with orders to his next ship and for the time being I will be staying down in Augusta.

Having such loving families and friends have helped us through these past months. We would like to say thank you to you all and we love you very much!

Jarrod's First Half Marathon

2009-09-09T15:49:00.003-04:00

Jarrod traveled up to Virginia Beach last Friday to compete in the Virginia Beach Rock N Roll 1/2 Marathon. His first ever!

He finished in 2:04:06!!! I wasn't able to go up with him due to work but they had a live web feed so I was able to watch him cross the finish line :)

Our friend Kate said that every time she saw him run by he was smiling and laughing..... only Jarrod would be having a ball running 13.1 miles with over 15,000 other people!!

Here is a picture of Jarrod with his finisher medal after the race:

one year of books

2009-09-09T15:36:00.002-04:00

53 books. 52 weeks.

Sometimes it certainly felt like I was reading that fast. At times it felt like that is all I did. And now I have the proof.

I wonder if I should do another year......

What A Summer.....

2009-09-05T23:51:00.003-04:00

Is anyone still checking this? If so, leave me a message....... :) I will work on keeping it up to date. Promise. No really, promise.

And perhaps in the next fews days I will finish tallying up all the books that I have read over the past few months but didn't log on here. For those who might remember my year is up. And there were A LOT of books!

Apologies

2009-07-06T13:33:00.001-04:00

I promise I will stop neglecting. :) Hopefully in the next day or two there will be plenty to read and maybe a picture or two to browse.

The lawn is calling for me to mow it now. And I have energy I need to burn off.

Mom and Dad Are HERE!

2009-06-11T22:09:00.002-04:00

and i am too lazy to update this. so please visit their blog for all the updates and pictures!

http://theiowans.blogspot.com/

Sad News

2009-05-14T21:07:00.002-04:00

Jarrod's grandpa, Charlie, passed away this morning. Some weeks back, he had a heart attack and had double bypass. He seemed to be recovering well at first, but just was not able too. When he learned there was nothing more that could be done for him, he asked to go home. They got Charlie home on Wednesday night and this morning he went surrounded by family.

Jarrod will be flying back tomorrow to celebrate Charlie's life. I say that because Jarrod does not feel the need to mourn. He had a wonderful lifetime with his grandfather and many memories.

It has been rough on everyone but now Charlie is at peace and reunited with his beloved Sara, his wife he lost almost 18 years ago. We appreciate the support so far and love each and every one of you.

New Tattoos

2009-04-30T19:28:00.006-04:00

I forgot how much it hurts!

I forgot to breathe and almost passed out.

On my left shoulder.

Leo sign on right wrist.

A Very Productive Weekend

2009-04-26T19:57:00.004-04:00

I am completely wiped out but it was a great weekend.

Friday night we went to our friends' house for burgers. The first grill for me for the year and now I want to grill every night. Um.... maybe have Jarrod do the grilling - I have issues with patience.

After not getting home until midnight (I'm not sure the last time I was even up that late!) we rolled out of bed a little after 7am on Saturday and made our way across town to participate in a 5K. It was the final race of the Green Trails Trilogy. Jarrod ran it in 25:?? and I finished at 41:03. We are pretty happy with our times considering how hilly it was - there were a couple of nasty ones! Jarrod is now going to try for a 10K next month, while I will just sit back and be happy with how little I needed to walk this time!

The rest of Saturday was terribly boring considering I slept most of it. Grabbed a headache in the afternoon and my body need to recover evidently.

This morning I had to work at 4:30 and met Jarrod at Home Depot afterwards to pick up mulch for the front yard. I was only able to get a few bags - have to wait for their next truck on Tuesday for more. We were able to get what we had out and I finally got all of my plants in the ground. As soon as we can get the mulch (and maybe a border) down I will post pictures - we are so happy with how it's looking!

Tonight I will just relax with my sunburn and try to figure out my next tattoos. =)

Here we are with our prizes for participating in all three races that made up the Trilogy.

This was right after I finished - Jarrod had been done for about 20 minutes already. He did come back and get me though. He helped me up the last hill - wouldn't have made it without him!!!

Trying to get a shrub home - it is at Jarrod's feet in my little car. I laughed the whole way.

A Low Rumble

2009-04-24T18:01:00.001-04:00

Today at work I heard a rumble. It was a fighter jet.

They don't come around here often but I instantly knew.

And I thought to myself "damn i miss those".

Love It.

2009-04-23T15:50:00.001-04:00

Some Pictures

2009-04-16T19:35:00.002-04:00

Sarah and Jacob - they convinced Jarrod to climb into the playland at McD's.

Jacob tries to catch Jarrod at the end of the slide.

Yep, they convinced me too.

Jarrod being welcomed home by the flock. Dudley - Cocker Spaniel, Sammy - Golden Retriever with a haircut, Thumper - Great Dane on floor, Taz - Boston Terrier on loan from Grpa Charlie, Snickers - Basset Hound. Not pictured: Coal - Lab - knows enough to stay out of the way.

Random Thoughts Written While Traveling Somewhere in North Carolina

2009-04-11T21:44:00.002-04:00

1. Jarrod does not appreciate me driving too fast around a curve outside of Charleston, WV. I went slower this time.

2. Out of the whole trip to Ohio and back there was one guy who left his left blinker on after he changed lanes. It made me mad enough (after 5 hours of driving) that I had to pull over so J could drive - I was too mad to continue behind the wheel.

3. There is no sign of spring in Ohio. Brown everywhere. And it snowed. And was COLD. We got back home and everything had turned green. It's amazing what happens in five days that you don't notice until you're not around.

4. Hospitals smell. And I don't like them.

5. Jarrod and I don't travel well together. We used to. But not anymore. It's the different tastes in music. We annoy each other.

6. A downside of coming off my migraine medicine is that my motion sickness is back.

7. Six dogs in one house is a lot. But a Boston Terrier, Cocker Spaniel, Basset Hound, Black Lab, Golden Retriever, and Great Dane flock is a happy one.

8. It is very hard to say no to a 6 month old Great Dane "puppy" who stands as tall as your hip - on all four paws - when he wants to play. Or a Golden Retriever on your lap.

9. Tune in for more randomness. It's all stuck in my head but it will eventually fall out. :-)

Update: Weather

2009-04-11T21:26:00.002-04:00

Ok. When you are in a tornado warning, even if you don't want to call your parents because they are watching the grandkids and you are afraid you are going to wake everyone, you still must text message updates. Dad, point taken. Sorry.

Last night we had some pretty crazy weather. We were in a tornado watch for most of the day, but watching the line of storms moving across the state. This is the same line of storms that created tornadoes in Arkansas and Tennessee. Jarrod and I got a quick bite to eat, meandered through Home Depot looking for flower ideas and then ran through the grocery store because the sky was getting darker (looked like rain but we knew more was behind it) and I needed to wash work clothes before the sky got too out of control.

Everything was fine until just after 10:00 when I decided to head for bed since I had to work at 7:00 this morning. I turned the news on -- just in case -- and tried to settle in. I was doing ok until the Emergency Broadcast System came on and issued a tornado warning a few counties away..... and then for our county. I jumped out of bed, threw some actual clothes on, rounded up the cats and threw them (unhappily) in their crate (which was already in the closet -- no basement here!), topped with pillows and a heavy comforter.

It wasn't too bad until the lights flickered a bit, the rain got really heavy and then started whipping into the windows in a very weird way. As soon as the hail started I started to panic a little and got tears in my eyes. Jarrod stayed in the dining area looking out the window -- he really wanted to go outside though. We didn't have any damage and the scary part didn't last too long thankfully.

They did confirm today that an EF1 tornado did touch down a few miles away from here.... close enough for me! That wasn't quite the welcome to spring that I wanted.......

Update: Cats

2009-04-11T21:24:00.001-04:00

Ornery as ever.

But we love them.

Update: Charlie

2009-04-11T21:12:00.002-04:00

In the early morning of Friday, April 4th, Jarrod's grandpa, Charlie, had a minor heart attack at home. They needed to do bypass surgery and advised that Jarrod and I come back. We arrived in Ohio on Sunday and went straight to the hospital to visit Charlie. He looked pretty good for such a rough weekend!

Charlie went into surgery Monday morning and was out in 3.5 hours - must faster than the 4-6 hours they prepared us for! It turned out the third blockage wasn't as bad as they thought, so it was a double bypass with a plan for a stint at a later time instead of the planned triple.

He woke up earlier than planned, was weaned off the ventilator earlier than expected and was moved out of CCU on Wednesday morning. He was so happy to be sitting up in a chair in a normal room rather than being confined to a bed on his back! Charlie wasn't terribly thrilled about the 6 walks a day they were making him do, so during on of the visits Jarrod grabbed a few feet of toilet paper and made him a finish line just outside his room. The hospital staff was still talking about it when we were leaving town Thursday.

We hated to leave town on Thursday but Charlie was doing well (despite being so tired and well, crappy from major surgery!) and I needed to head back to work.

We found out this evening that he was put back on a ventilator and is back in CCU because he does have more fluid in his chest than they would like and his blood pressure is screwy and they are able to monitor him more closely in the CCU. Not worried though - Charlie was ready to get better and leave the hospital Sunday night when we first saw him!

Will try to post updates as soon as we know.

Update: Work

2009-04-11T20:59:00.002-04:00

So things have been a little frustrating for me at work. I have finished my temporary team lead position up front (hooray! - no really, I am HAPPY about this!) and have returned back onto the sales floor with my team. However, a couple of weeks back I was offered a position on the floor to be in charge of two different departments. This exec when on vacation and then we had to leave town to go to Ohio (see Update: Charlie) so one hand thought the other had talked to me and no one actually told me that I was NOT going to be in charge of these two departments, but I will more than likely be going some place else.

A little confusing for now, but until I actually see the change on my schedule I am not going to assume anything. Just keeping my fingers crossed that I am able to keep my team lead status.

Update: Neighborhood

2009-04-11T20:30:00.002-04:00

There was quite the disturbance in our neighborhood a few weeks back. At first we thought a woman interrupted a burglary after she dropped her son off at school. In the end her neighbor and her neighbor's son were charged in her murder. Of course it is an incredibly sad situation, we all have a sigh of relief knowing that the killers were behind bars (and it was a targeted crime) and some psycho wasn't on the loose waiting to come back. There have been rumors of drugs, cover-ups and a love triangle, though the truth has yet to come out.

For now we are again a sleepy neighborhood where kids are once again playing in the street (after setting up traffic cones and caution signs) and people are coming out to work in the yard.

I still love my neighborhood. :-)

Interruption

2009-04-09T21:02:00.001-04:00

We apologize for the lengthy interruption in your reading material. Your regularly schedule blogging amusement should resume in the next day or two. Thank you for your patience.

My Toes Aren't Naked Anymore

2009-03-21T20:37:00.002-04:00

In fact they are a little chilly.

Jarrod spent the week in Atlanta for a class. This explains my silence on the blog. He takes the laptop with him and I get irritated at the PC so I don't do much more than catch up on news on there. But now he's home playing the Xbox and I've stolen the computer.

Nothing much happened this week except a whole lotta work. I worked a seven day stretch with made the time go by quickly but by the the Wednesday came around (my day off) I was ready to collapse. True this is job security in a time where job security is about as solid as a bowl of pudding, but a girl needs a break! The next few weeks promise to be a bit better but with Masters coming up, everyone is getting their houses ready for the renters which is boosting our sales.

As I said Jarrod spent the week by Atlanta for a class. He went to Benihana's for supper and enjoyed some raw fish and beef. Well maybe enjoyed isn't the right word......

He was also notified that he is board eligible again this year. Refresher: now he sends in his package of "stuff" to a board so they can decide whether or not to make his a Chief this year. I vote yes.

This morning we got up and drove across town to participate in the Spirit Creek Sprint 5K Run/Walk. This is the first 5K in the Green Trails Triology - a series of events that take place on trails in wooded areas rather than on the road. It's aimed at getting people out to enjoy nature. Jarrod ran it (3.1 miles if anyone is curious) and I walked to. J did his in 27:30 and mine really didn't count since I was only walking. Nature my arse. The way the course was set up the runners spooked some deer and they tried running me over. Ok so they weren't close enough to take me out, but close enough that my heart skipped a beat! But they were beautiful! I've already requested time off for the next two races which are in April and might even try to run in one of them for a bit. We'll see.......

My Toes Are Naked but Happy

2009-03-07T15:22:00.001-05:00

Naked because they have no polish on them but happy because it's so warm out today that I wore sandals out for my errands! =)

We Are Getting Visitors!

2009-03-05T21:02:00.000-05:00

It's officially official! Mom and Dad will be here in June! Yea!!!!!!

I'm doing a happy dance!

My Legs Hurt

2009-03-04T18:32:00.002-05:00

My legs hurt but for a good reason. I've walked six miles so far this week. My friend Sarah and I started walking around the neighborhood on Monday. Two miles a day. One trip around is one mile. And she doesn't like my hill. It's a gooooood hill.

Sarah is the Team Leader of Starbucks in the store and lives just across the road from our 'hood. Neither of us will go to a gym or really want to walk to we are going to stick together and motivate each other to walk at least 4-5 times a week.

I do love the feeling of my legs hurting and being tired because I went walking outside for two miles, rather than walking around a store for 7.5 hours a day, six days in a row. It's a welcome change!

Update

2009-03-03T20:48:00.002-05:00

First of all - thank you all for your comments, calls and words of support. =)

Secondly, I am having a great day! Well, besides my feet being in quite a bit of pain. I spoke to the pharmacist at the store about my foot pain. She believes it's a combination of the medicine and my shoes. I have worn out the cushion in my shoes and need new ones. Also, Cymbalta is used to treat nerve pain so it has probably been helping me work comfortably on my feet. (Ok, it hasn't been all that comfortable, but I haven't hurt this bad since I started working at the store..... which was when I first went on the medicine.) So I will need to go through this pain all over again and buy new shoes.

She also stressed that I should take quite a bit of time on this dose. I was three weeks at 40mg and I need to spend more than three weeks at 20mg. Fine with me. Whatever is going to get me through it!

For now I am going to relax tonight and enjoy my day off tomorrow. I work on Thursday and Friday and then will enjoy a nice weekend off with weather in the 70's and 80's. I can't wait.

I Feel Like A Drug Addict

2009-03-02T21:10:00.003-05:00

I only say that because I am coming off my medicine and I believe I am suffering some interesting withdrawal symptoms. Read on.

I have been taking Cymbalta since October 2007 to help with my migraines. I tried blood pressure medicine which didn't help and irritated me when I got a cold because I couldn't take much medicine. My neurologist down here gave me Topomax and most of you I'm sure remember me completely flipping out due to that one! So she threw me on Cymbalta mostly to help with my migraines, but I was also a little depressed and out of control at the time.

It has been working beautifully for me ever since. I went from having migraines and rebound migraines 4-5 or more times a week to maybe once a month and those were driven by Mother Nature herself. Got to love being a woman. Still there was nothing I couldn't handle with a nap, some Tylenol and a nice warm shower. Lot of water always helped too.

I decided to come off Cymbalta not too long ago because Jarrod and I are hoping to start a family soon and this is one drug you should NOT be one when you become pregnant. I'm also anxious to see if I can control my migraines without chemical help. I started out at 60mg, which was my normal dose, and went down to 40mg for three weeks. I never noticed a thing. After being there for three weeks with no increase in headaches I went down to 20mg. (I should also mention this was the same weekend I ended birth control.... sorry Dad if you're reading this - a little too much guy information) =)

Since Wednesday I have had three headaches, two being borderline migraines, including one right now. I am trying to be patient. Tonight I noticed that this is the second time with my headache that I have had a little dizziness and nausea, which I haven't had before. So when we got home from going out to eat with some friends and running to get Jarrod's new knife I took up withdrawal symptoms. Yeesh.

Could be coincidence. Could be the real thing. Some I have noticed: balance issues, concentration impairment, crying spells (but my hormones are out of control anyway right now), highly emotional, migraines/increased headaches. I am not too excited about the last one as you can imagine - that's the main reason I was on the drug! I have also been working since Thursday and my feet and ankles hurt pretty bad. One site I was reading listed pain in legs/extremities so I wonder if I'm more sensitive right now and I need to rest a little more. Or maybe I have been running around a lot at work and my feet have every reason to be sore. I did buy insoles which seemed to help until today - it just plain hurt.

I'm not in any hurry to get off this medication. I another refill left which gives me another three months. Plenty of time. I am very thankful right now for a patient and loving husband who is stuck going through this with me. I am also thankful for understand and loving family and friends - thank you for being patient if I don't seem quite like myself for a while. I'm trying to get back to me. =)

A Couple of Pictures

2009-02-26T16:37:00.003-05:00

Our self picture on Valentine's Day with my new camera. =)

The other night we turned off the humidifier so I could run the dehydrator to dry out the cranberries. Cosmo decided he wanted it back on. So he jumped on pushed the on button with his paw and looked at us as if we were nuts for turning it off. We had to unplug it so he couldn't keep turning it back on.

Drying Fruit

2009-02-25T10:58:00.003-05:00

I usually have a bowl of oatmeal every morning before work. I picked up a container of dried fruit and nuts at The Fresh Market to put in the oatmeal for a little more flavor. Extra yummy now.

We found some cranberries on sale last week at Kroger so I thought I would try my hand at drying in them in the dehydrator... that I don't believe we've used yet. First I had to dump them in a pan of boiling water until the skins popped. I wasn't expecting them to actually pop! Grandma told me that sometimes they will pop right out of the pan, but none of mine were that crazy.

Evidently I wasn't patient enough because it looks like not all of them popped. It's taking quite some time to get them all dried out but it will be worth it! Yummy oatmeal and maybe I'll make some cranberry muffins too. Mmmmm.

My Plan

2009-02-22T20:22:00.003-05:00

My plan is to start mapping out a plan for the front yard.

Fix the patch of mud and sand by the house.

Perhaps bushes in the side yard.

Pretty bright flowers by the mailbox and by the tree.

Weed the yard.

Rose bushes maybe?

But my biggest problem will be the backyard. I have no idea.

Books

2009-02-22T20:13:00.003-05:00

Jessica and I had stated that we were not going to read HP and the Deathly Hallows until it came out in paperback since Jessica has the first six in paperback. I read somewhere on the internet (so it must be true) that it wasn't being released here until July, but was already out in England. Jokingly I told Jarrod to contact one of his ex-girlfriends so they could send me a copy. =)

Instead he contact his friend that is stationed now in England (they were stationed together in DC). Last week a box appeared on our front porch with a FPO return address. Steve had sent me the book! It looks nothing like the American versions and I think it's pretty cool to have the British version in my possession! Now I just have to figure out how to pay him back......

I have already finished the book. It was darker than I expected but I couldn't put it down! And now I'm a little disappointed there is no more to read.

Weekend

2009-02-22T20:00:00.002-05:00

It was a pretty quiet weekend around here. My weekend started at 4:00pm on Wednesday - I has Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday off. Unheard of! But that's what happens when you shove all your hours into the first part of the week including a double shift on Tuesday. It was worth it though. Quite proud of myself too - never once went to the store this weekend!

I did a little bit of cleaning every day which was nice - instead of shoving it all into one day. But it was nice to have all the laundry done in one day! =)

Last night we had our friends Sarah and Hunter over for a Jarrod dinner. Sarah is the Team Leader at the Starbucks in the store and they live across the road, not even a mile away. Jarrod made chicken rolled with prosciutto, mozzarella, and basil. Risotto - yummy! For dessert we had ricotta style blood orange cheesecake with a crushed pecan crust. YUM!

Tonight Jarrod had to go into work at 6:30 so it's me watching a M*A*S*H marathon and the cats napping - it's been a pretty lazy day! Oh, and the banana bread actually turned out!

Banana Nut Bread

2009-02-22T15:35:00.000-05:00

Sounds good right? The kitchen is filled with smells of chocolate chip cookies, lemon chip cookies and now banana bread. Except we won't be having banana bread.

Evidently when I split the batter into two smaller pans I put too much in one and it exploded over the side and down onto the inside of the oven. So I turned off the oven and have to wait until it cools down so I can clean the inside.

And I really wanted banana nut bread today. =(

Whew.

2009-02-16T20:21:00.002-05:00

Read. Work. Sleep. Bake cookies. Work. Busy at work. Finish book. Sleep. Cook. Clean. Sleep. Work.

And now post.

This was my weekend to work. Ugh. Long busy weekend. I'm not sure if it was because it was a very busy weekend, or if there was some other reason but work was crazy and it seemed that everyone was cranky, impatient, and ready to argue about every little thing. By noon on Sunday I was ready to curl into the fetal position and cry myself to sleep. A nap in the recliner with a cat curled up with me did the trick though.

On Saturday night Jarrod and I drove across town to The Fresh Market which just relocated next door to a bigger building. Crazy busy but worth it. We then drove down to Famous Dave's and had a yummy Valentine's dinner. It was only a little after 5pm so it wasn't busy and we got out quickly. After that we stopped by Circuit City to see what kind of deals they were having. Since they are closing all their stores we were able to get a few movies we wanted to see for pretty cheap, Jarrod got a new Xbox game and external hard drive and I got a new camera. The camera that Mom and Dad gave us a few years back has worn out a bit. This way I hope to take more pictures since this one is small enough to permanently hang out in my purse.

Jarrod spent a nice three day weekend at home. I'm not really sure what he did because I was at work most of the time =) but I'm sure that a lot of Xbox playing went on.

Last night the door to the garage was left open. Thankfully the garage down was down because the cats spent most of the night in the garage. While I was driving to work this morning I noticed little paw print all over my windshield. I hope they had fun because if I have my way that will never happen again! (I know, I'm a mean mommy!)

I'm looking forward to this weekend - I have a four day weekend beginning on Thursday. =)

Hopefully my brain will be working better then and I can write some more.

Patience

2009-02-11T21:24:00.002-05:00

I really do have things to say lately. I just don't have the patience to write them down. I have tomorrow off and need to get my car looked at and bake a few hundred cookies for work. I may complain but I really do enjoy baking cookies for everyone at work!

Maybe I'll jot some things down while I'm getting my car looked at so I don't have any excuse not to update, rant and rave.

I have been reading a lot though. For some reason it is taking me quite a while to get through Oliver Twist.

What A Day!

2009-02-07T11:41:00.002-05:00

It's a open the windows, blast the radio, clean the house kinda day!

I even sat out on the back porch in the sun and read a chapter of my book. It was great!

Someone Was Watching Over Them

2009-02-06T21:21:00.001-05:00

They were so lucky no one was in the car or the house didn't start on fire!

http://www.iowapostels.blogspot.com/

Ohio Vacation Pictures

2009-02-01T19:48:00.006-05:00

Sarah, Me, Jacob and Jarrod on our last night. Jacob would only be in the picture if he could hang onto this ball. =)

Fireman Jacob shows us his mask.

Buggies lined up in Amish Country.

Too beautiful not to take a picture of.

This is the world's largest Amish buggy at Wendell August in Berlin, OH.

The Almighty Horseshoe.

Jarrod and I in front of The Horseshoe.

Sarah and Jarrod after making marshmallows.

Jacob before we went sledding at the park. I think he would have preferred playing with the stick to sledding!

Sarah supervising Jarrod while making marshmallows.

Meet Sammy. Sammy thought he needed to climb on my lap all week. I would have taken Sammy home if I could have. =)

Jarrod and I during sledding. Any sledding pictures? Nope! I was too busy screaming down the hill!

Sarah and I waiting for the slowpokes so we could get to the hill and sled!

Feeding the ducks, geese and a swan on the river.

Jarrod, me, and Jess at P. F. Chang's in Columbus. We live in GA, she lives in TX and we had to travel to OH to see each other!

Jarrod's Morning Routine

2009-02-01T19:44:00.003-05:00

Get up.

Get dressed.

Get Cosmo-ed.

Sorry

2009-01-29T10:21:00.003-05:00

I've been a little lazy, a little busy and now I think I'm a little sick.

I have Friday off so I will try to post more and get some vacation pictures up.

Update

2009-01-20T17:02:00.002-05:00

I think I have gotten used to the cold - I may even miss it when we leave! We are having a great time spending so much time with Sarah and Jacob. We even went sledding yesterday! Later tonight we are going to Tom's Ice Cream Bowl to get some supper and to get "all the ice cream Sarah and Jarrod can eat"!

It's been a fun and relaxing vacation back to Ohio - I even managed to sleep all the way in to 10:30 this morning!

I will have to post pictures when we get back to GA, but I think I've done a pretty good job at remembering the camera almost every place we go!

Cold. Really Cold.

2009-01-17T10:34:00.001-05:00

How do you know it's cold?

When the windshield cleaner gets frozen in the hoses and you can't clean you windshield. It doesn't help that they crap they put in the car is such a bad mixture that it's more water than cleaner.

But you get the point.

Brrrrrrr

2009-01-16T12:31:00.002-05:00

We have safely arrived in Ohio at Jarrod's parents house. Brr. I called Jarrod's mom to let her know where we were somewhere in W. Virginia and told her we decided to turn around....it was too cold. She was NOT having that!

My friend Jess is in the state for the weekend - how crazy it is that we have to meet in Ohio?! We are driving to Columbus this afternoon to have lunch with her and her mom after she lands. YEA!!!!

Kate - we stopped at the plaza by Tamarack in WV and I had a Starbucks at the very same one you did!!! I thought of you! =)

2009-01-13T16:08:00.001-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JARROD! WE LOVE YOU!

-Tiffany, Kit Kat and Cosmo =)

Work News

2009-01-10T16:53:00.002-05:00

I am moving around the store once again. I was pulled in the STL's office with HR the other day and they informed me they wanted to offer me a temporary position back up front as GSTL (Guest Service Team Lead) while another GSTL is out on maternity leave. (Sidenote: This GSTL has been waiting to adopt a child with her husband for over a year and they finally received Joshua, a BEAUTIFUL 9month old baby boy with curly eyelashes this week. Truly a gift from above for parents and child!)

If you have been following, this is the same position that I was offered last year, but decided not to take, as I felt "stuck" up front and wanted to expand to the rest of the store. One stipulation of me accepting this temporary position was that after the other GSTL returns (or if she decided not to return at all) I would be able slip back out into the store again.

This move gives me Team Lead status which includes a nice chunky pay raise and the opportunity to get managerial experience under my belt. I will be part of a 4 GSTL team that covers the front and is charge of everything up front, from Food Avenue, Starbucks, the check lanes, Guest Service, and oh yea - the bathrooms again! Except now I will just remind my guest service team member to clean them and help out if she is busy. I hate the bathrooms.

I am going into this with an open mind and hope that I really will enjoy this position, even if it's temporary. It will mean crazy hours again. They kept reminding me that it was a good pay raise... except that I just don't care about the money. I'm not in it for the money. I truly enjoy my job and it's the last thing I thought I would ever do.

Perhaps a week into the new position I may change my mind and ask for more. =)

A Little Laugh

2009-01-05T09:06:00.004-05:00

Poor Cosmo. He took over my computer yesterday and changed my desktop picture. I think it's cute, but I think he put it on there to remind me never to do it again. There are little hats I put on them for Halloween. I didn't have time to take the tag off because he knew it was coming.

Kit Kat knows better.

Twilight Series

2009-01-05T09:01:00.003-05:00

Jarrod surprised me on Christmas morning with the first two books of the Twilight series. For the longest time I resisted wanting to read them, to avoid the bandwagon jumping, much like I did with Harry Potter and most reality shows!

I read Twilight in three nights. I am fighting the temptation to ditch everything I need to get done today and pick up the next book and finish it off in one day.

My 2009 Hopes

2009-01-05T08:52:00.003-05:00

I hope....

....Grandpa feels better this year.

....Grandma can relax and take time for herself.

....the spring and summer are beautiful in Iowa so Mom and Dad can enjoy the outdoors as much as they want.

....Andrea knows that I am proud of her for not letting medical issues keep her down and take up running.

....Jessica takes time for herself too and enjoys the happy environment she creates.

....Jarrod makes chief this year. I hope he knows how much I love him. I hope he knows that I support him 100% even if I don't always show it.

....I can continue to be happy and surrounded by those that love me, and that I love dearly.

....I don't take this year for granted.

....everyone reading this slows down once in a while to listen to the birds sing and watch the grass grow.

Holidays At Our Home

2008-12-29T17:54:00.003-05:00

It has been a great week or two around here. The weather has been warm and it's been pretty quiet....except at work.

Work before Christmas was pretty nuts. Last year I was behind the service desk for the holiday rush and even that wasn't too bad. This year it was front lines sales floor! I would say the worst day the Monday before (I think it was that day) when I worked 11 1/2 hours and only left toys for lunch. By then most people were pretty resigned to the fact that they waited too late, but the long hours weren't too bad when I would come out of the backroom with the toy they didn't think we would have.

One night I was sitting in the recliner just looking off into space. Jarrod asked what was wrong and I replied that I was just trying to stay awake until 8pm. I didn't make it. Thankfully he continued to be patient and the wonderful husband he has always been and new I was working hard, long hours and kept things going at home while I was passed out from exhaustion. There were times that I was fed up with it, but then I would think how many people don't have employment right now and I be thankful and go back for more.

On Christmas Eve after I got home from work, Jarrod and I went out to eat at The Chop House. It's a fairly new steak house in the area and eating out on Christmas Eve seems to be a tradition that we are starting. We made it home in time to watch the first viewing of A Christmas Story. Christmas morning we woke up and opened the presents that Terry and Julie sent from Ohio. The rest of the day was full of naps and lounging around. That evening Jarrod hooked up the webcam and I was able to talk to Mom, Dad, Grandma, and Grandpa on Skype for a couple of hours.

Saturday was our five year wedding anniversary. I'm stuck with him now - his mom told me that after five years he is unreturnable! =) After sleeping in and taking another nap, we got ready to go out to eat at Miyabi Kyoto - one of our favorite restaurants. We got there right as they stopped accepting walk ins and only had to wait about 45 minutes for a seat so we considered ourselves pretty lucky! The plan was to go see a movie, but we stuffed ourselves so well the night ended with us back at home watching Batman Begins. Eventually we'll get to The Dark Knight.

Jarrod spent most of the weekend reading a new book, playing the Xbox and making yummy cheesecakes. After the first of the year he's going to begin running again and begin school again. That's the luxury about the school he's attending - it's online and new classes start every month!

Last night I was part of a team that pulled an overnight shift to help get the store back together after Christmas......and the day after. (I had never seen women trying to jog to the wrapping paper at 7am before!) It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I wasn't tired until I got home but my feet sure hurt!

Later in January we will be traveling to Ohio to have Christmas with Jarrod's family. The drive won't be as long as it was to Iowa, but it's still at 10 hour drive! Until it will be work as usual and enjoying our weird 60-70 deg weather!

2008-12-27T08:33:00.001-05:00

Happy anniversary honey! I love you!

2008-12-25T15:06:00.000-05:00

MERRY
CHRISTMAS!

What Is Your Favorite Song?

2008-12-21T20:57:00.002-05:00

While I was frosting cookies tonight and Jarrod was getting a cheesecake ready we were discussing what our favorite Christmas songs are. What's yours?

Jarrod - traditional: Silver Bells
other: Christmas in Sarajevo

Tiffany - traditional: Carol of the Bells
other: Grownup Christmas List

Check Currently Reading

2008-12-20T21:28:00.003-05:00

I thought that this book would bring me out of my over-the-holiday funk. =)

Record

2008-12-18T20:19:00.003-05:00

83 degrees. That's the high temp forecasted for tomorrow. Ridiculous. Like those in the north unhappy about the upcoming storm, we are unhappy about the warm weather. We are about 30 deg above the average temp.

It just doesn't feel too much like Christmas. (Except at work.)

I'm not wishing for feet of snow. Just cooled down enough so I can at least wear a sweater. Geesh.

Work. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.

2008-12-18T20:09:00.003-05:00

This is how I'm living my life right now. I'm very happy that I don't have to worry about buying presents for Christmas day this year (except for Jarrod) because I don't have the energy to shop. Thankfully I have the weekend off - I will be spending a lot of time doing nothing but enjoying being off my feet and away from crowds for a while.

I never thought I'd be tired of the holiday but this year I am. Our Christmas music display has been playing since a few days before Halloween. The lights went up for sale with Halloween. The toy section of the store is forever destroyed, as is the Christmas part. Is it so hard to put something back right where you found it?

Jarrod has been pretty patient with me. He listens to me complain and wakes up me to move to bed after I have fallen asleep in the recliner and already slept for three hours. And he doesn't complain when I don't hear my alarm going over for over a minute at 5:00 in the morning.

My brain is mush. My feet have disowned me. I feel like I'm just going through the motions....wake up, get ready, drive to work, workworkworkworkworkworkwork, come home and eat whatever is in front of me, fall asleep, and wake up......

I should be thankful that I have a job right now. I should be thankful that I'm getting hours right now. But what good is a blog if you can't release some steam every now and then?

Retail at Christmas

2008-12-17T00:30:00.002-05:00

It's 12:30am right now and I'm up because I didn't get off work until midnight. I had the unlucky shift of 5pm-11:30pm tonight on the sales floor. What a mess. It's amazing how people will destroy an aisle looking for something in particular. Or simply dump a cart full of stuff in an aisle and let the ice cream melt.

I am so happy that I don't work this weekend. But I'm not looking forward to working the rest of the week. Thankfully it's all days.

I have been finding myself wondering why people wait so late to purchase gifts and then get so mad when the merchandise isn't in stock. Is it because they haven't had time? Did they assume that we would have it? Do they need to get that one last gift because it's a hot item?

Oh well. Just one more week to go.

PICTURES!!!!

2008-12-15T13:41:00.010-05:00

Someone loves his cottage cheese!

Hunter jumped in at the last second and the self picture worked!

Dad taking Hunter's picture.

Hunter and Mom putting up the tree.

Spider Hunter - the newest reindeer!

I think he was just there to steal some food.....

Hunter and Mom at Thanksgiving dinner.

Andrea loading up her plate with Grandma and Jessica behind her.

Ian trying to figure out how to get past the tape!

Christmas came early!

Chad and Hunter..... hurry up!

Hunter and his Nerf gun in the garage.

The sick ones come out from the sicko wing to make an appearance.

Andrea and Grandpa

Jarrod, Grandpa, me, Brad, Grandma, Andrea

Mom and Ian at Hunter's party.

"No, MY gun's bigger!"

Hunter blowing out his candles.

Weather

2008-12-15T13:23:00.002-05:00

No wonder I can't get better.

When we got back from Iowa it was raining. Pouring. Which was nice because we needed the rain. It's been pretty mild since then. We've had a few raining days since then and it gets pretty cold at night which is normal expected - it's December!

Right now it's 72 degrees. My windows are open and I'm running around in a t-shirt, my comfy non-work khakis and bare feet. There's a nice breeze blowing the curtains into the tree and the cats keep running from window to window. Cosmo has already taken his nap in the sun.

It's December! It's not supposed to be this warm - even down here! I have a feeling my cold might stick around until the weather decides what it wants to do!

Grrr!

No Words

2008-12-10T20:47:00.001-05:00

How many of us could be this brave and thoughtful when we were six?

"Family Finds Letters From 6-Year-Old After Cancer Claims Her"
http://www.wlwt.com/health/18248330/detail.html

Rain

2008-12-10T19:03:00.001-05:00

I love how thunderstorms come around while the Christmas tree is all lit up!

To Dad and Jessica:

2008-12-08T18:52:00.002-05:00

Neither of you have to worry about turning me in or arresting me now.

I plead guilty.

I paid the ticket.

I am such a criminal.

=)

(and for those of you who are lost, I am talking about my speeding ticket that I got in Iowa.)

Christmas Parade

2008-12-07T19:01:00.003-05:00

Today we went to the Columbia County Christmas parade with Guy and Meegan and their daughter Savannah. They just got a new dog so he came along too. He's only 3 months old and did very well being on a crowded street - until the bands came by. Didn't mind the sirens or horns honking but something in the band he just didn't like.

When the ambulances came by I tried to call Jessica so Hunter could hear them. I ended up leaving a message so Hunter received a voicemail of nothing but sirens. He was beside himself when he found out that Spiderman was in the parade, and the firetruck was carrying Santa!

I got called into work last night for this morning's ad set, which meant I went to work at 4:30 on my weekend off. Since they offered the hours I certainly wasn't going to turn them down, no matter how early!! It does make a long day, especially when I didn't get my nap since I was freezing my tushy off watching a parade!

The house is decorated for Christmas and I'm trying to figure out if I want to write a newsletter to include in my Christmas cards. Nothing much has happened this year - it's been nice and quiet! Anything that has gone on has been posted on the blog. I'm to the point where I feel obligated for some reason to write it.....maybe I would be more into it if it wasn't such a ho hum year.

I have tomorrow off and plan on doing nothing.... except getting cards ready, downloading pictures, cleaning the house, doing laundry, and running errands. Or curling up and reading a new book. I haven't updated my reading list, although it only took me a night to read the book that it currently shows. I just haven't started a new one yet! Being sick sucks the energy right out of me so I just want to lay here and watching mind numbing games that Jarrod is playing or playing games on the internet - not trying to retain information in a book!

Dear Guests

2008-12-05T19:52:00.004-05:00

Dear Guests,

I understand that we are not the only store you shop at. I understand that you shop at The Other Place. Please do not come into my store, ask me if my store carries something, and then upon hearing that we do not, look me straight in the eye and reply "Well The Other Place carries it."

Just because you tell some employee in Evans, GA that The Other Place carries what you are looking for does not mean that she will magically produce this piece of merchandise, nor does it mean that the powers that be in Minnesota will decide all of a sudden to make a spot on the shelf just to satisfy you. Go to The Other Place then. There are plenty of people shopping who like my store.

Had you made this comment to me any later in the day, I probably would have told you that you were currently in between two local Other Places and ask if you needed directions to either one.

And another thing. We are pushing out Christmas decorations as fast as we can and are spending most of the time cleaning up after you because you don't care that you dump a pile of stuff in a random spot in the store and don't stop to think that someone has to come behind you and put it back in the right spot.

Now, can I help you find something?

=)

Christmas Lights

2008-12-04T20:12:00.003-05:00

Ok, so I'm a little blog happy today.

I just ran across this website today and I think everyone should stop by! A lot of people out there are going crazy with lights to music but I think this one is very tastefully done!

http://www.holdman.com/christmas/video.asp

Go ahead! Click on it! =)

A Sad Day in Augusta

2008-12-04T19:42:00.002-05:00

Hockey is gone from Augusta. After 10 1/2 years, the Lynx are no more. Fans just didn't fill the seats and no one came through to help. They asked the ECHL to buy them out and the Lynx were turned down.

We went quite a few times last year, but the truth is we didn't even go to one game this year. Perhaps it was because it was almost a 30 minute drive there, or that we had no other hockey friends to enjoy the game with.

It's still upsetting not to have the option though. Guess we took them for granted.

Sick and Tired

2008-12-04T17:09:00.002-05:00

Have you ever been sick and tired of being sick and tired??!!!

Stupid cough go away!

Jarrod Survived!

2008-12-04T16:35:00.001-05:00

He's done with his first term back at school! There was so much work since it was a short term and it was all online. That certainly is not an easy hill to go up against. But he stuck with it and it now taking a month or two off while assessing how these past months went and figuring out what to take next. Grades aren't posted yet but I know he did very well.

I proud of you honey!!!

Settling Down For Christmas

2008-12-04T16:24:00.002-05:00

Since Thanksgiving is over, Jarrod finally said I could put up the Christmas tree. I would have done it sooner but we were in Iowa most of the week and I need his help getting all the boxes out of the garage!!

I was digging through the garland and Kit Kat decided she just couldn't wait for the actual tree to get up to start chewing on the decorations. When the tree starting going up, I only had the bottom third of the tree up and Cosmo was already trying to climb it! We have spent the last few years trying to stop this behavior from both of them but it just doesn't work. So for the new few weeks I will clean up Kit Kat's mess littered with tree needles and bending the branches back up after Cosmo takes a nap somewhere in the middle.

With this in mind I set out to strategically hang the ornaments so if they fell they would not break and if the cats decided to bat at them they wouldn't break against each other and if they knocked it down they could bat it around for a while without harming it. Not an easy task.

I think Jarrod's happiest part of all is the fact that I only purchased a new tree topper, one new ornament and a deer figure to stand in front of the fireplace opposite the penguin I got last year. Everything else I needed I bought last year after Christmas on clearance. I've been scoping out the ornaments at Target and I'm not sure that I like this year's themes anyway. At least that's what I'll keep telling myself!

Now that the inside of the house is done I'll have to get Jarrod outside to get some lights on the house. I bought a bunch last year specifically for this year so we'll see if it really happens!

Work is getting crazier now. They are cutting hours pretty sharply at my store, but since I'm cross trained in just about every department now, they are able to stick me anywhere they want to at any shift and know they will get results. So I'm staying above 30 hours when most are getting entire shifts cut. I am certainly not against cashiering on a Friday night again if it means I can have the hours!!

For now the plan is just to relax and enjoy what's left of the year. And try to shake these colds!

Thanksgiving in Iowa

2008-12-04T15:57:00.003-05:00

Last week Jarrod and I left at 3:30 on Monday afternoon to drive 16 hours to Iowa for Thanksgiving at Mom & Dad's (and Grandma & Grandpa's)! It was a very long drive. I started out driving and hit rush hour in Atlanta. Terrible timing. What made it worse was it was raining the whole time and the wipers on the rental car worked as well as razor blades.

We stopped in northern GA at Steak n Shake for supper and picked up new wiper blades - and it didn't rain the rest of the trip there. We also stopped somewhere in northern Missouri at an all night gas station and truck stop on some state road to get some sleep. Well, Jarrod needed some sleep. He realized he couldn't watch the road anymore and to sleepyland we went.

Around 9:30 on Tuesday morning we drove up Jessica's driveway, only after stopping at Hardee's for some breakfast and to assemble Jarrod's gift to himself and Hunter - the Nerf Vulcan gun. After spending a little bit of time there and getting to know Chloe (the German Shepard who is afraid of new people) we headed to Grundy to see Dad, find out where they lived, and drop everything off before going over to Waterloo to finish shopping and see Mom at work.

Here's something to remember: unless you plan on watching your nephews for your entire holiday vacation, never mention wanting to spend as much time with them as possible! I loved every minute (especially falling asleep in the chair with Ian and shooting at the targets with Hunter) but it got a little rough since they were sick and then I ended up getting sick.

For the first time.....since our wedding(???!!!!!) the entire family was together. It was so nice to be surrounded by family and have M&D and G&G in the same house. No running around - I think I left the house three times and that was to go to the store and tour Parkersburg!

I caught a cold and started feeling pretty crappy on Thanksgiving so I didn't do much but sleep. Grandpa and I joked that we would be in our sick wing since he laid down a lot too. Every once in a while we would shuffle out to the living room to see what was going on and then back to bed again.

We had Christmas from us and Brad and Andrea that night and it was great to watch the boys open their presents. It looked like the toy truck just dumped everything right on the living room floor! On Saturday we had Hunter's birthday party and it was more toys from the toy fairy!

Through the wonderful falling snow, Jarrod and I took off after the party to come back home. This time we were both feeling pretty crappy and divided up the driving times a lot better. The Iowa State Patrol was kind enough to give me a gift of $102 in the form of a speeding ticket before I left the state too!

We had such a great time back home - it was so relaxing! Jarrod did have a lot of school work to do so he spent a lot of time on the computer...... and downloading old cartoons for him and Hunter to watch! I am already looking forward to our next trip home!

We love all of you and miss you so much already!

Thanksgiving Morning

2008-11-27T11:50:00.002-05:00

It's Thanksgiving!

Mom, Hunter and Ian got the tree up and decorated. Ian's idea of decorating is taking an ornament and throwing it up on the tree. Once or twice it actually worked!

Now Jarrod and Chad are getting the turkey marinated and ready to be fried. No one thought to get an injector so they are making do with a sharp knife and turkey baster. I think Dad got some good pictures.

It's warm and cozy here in the new house.

I love the holidays!

We Have Arrived

2008-11-25T21:04:00.002-05:00

After a marathon drive from Augusta to Jessica's house (3:30pm on Monday to 9:00am on Tuesday) we arrived in Iowa exhausted and bearing gifts for Hunter and Ian! Hunter got a new Nerf gun that he wants to play all the time (thanks Uncle Jarrod!) and Ian still can't figure out how to say my name!

I'm not sure that we will leave town until it's time to go back home - it's nice to relax!

And now here's Hunter:

jtid itjmoirj69esio5j 9inuj6ssa3w904i96i0nw 67w3489uo390u

my heart needs to talk

2008-11-22T20:54:00.002-05:00

i just finished reading a book by sarah smiley, a military brat and wife, who wrote about her husband's workup-turned-deployment at the beginning of the war. i refused to cry until i got to the part where her dog, who was her childhood pet, died and now i can't stop. i need to spill some thoughts.

i love being married to jarrod. i love being a military wife, although it doesn't seem like it much right now. shore duty is wonderful compared to sea duty. sometimes it doesn't seem like the military because we are in georgia and there are no boats around. no fighter jets screaming across the sky. i have had it so easy during our first five years of marriage.

but i will never forget taking him to the airport in dc so he could fly to pensacola for school for two months to get ready for the ship. i was crying so hard when i left the parking garage the attendant asked me if i everything was ok and if i needed to pull over for a minute.

i will never forget dropping him off at the airport so he could fly to the ship which was already in the gulf. i'll never forget that kind lady (who was obviously an officer's wife and knew that i was new to all this) who hugged me and walked me to my car and told me everything will be fine.

i'll never forget that first week that i made myself physically sick from missing him, and breaking down in the vet's office after she told me that kit kat needed to spend the night. she was fine but my husband had just left and now she wanted to take my kitty! i spent the evening doing laundry at brad and andrea's and rushed to pick her up as soon as the clinic opened the next day.

i'll never forget sitting at the computer willing a new email to pop into my inbox or for the phone to ring and crying because it was empty and silent.

i'll never forget laying in bed and trying to remember what if felt like to have him hug be or hear him snore in my ear while i was trying to sleep. suddenly it wasn't so irritating.

i remember how exciting it was when he called and how my heart fluttered and the rest of the day flew by.

i remember how excited fridays were because that was trash day and that's how i counted down the time left. four trash days is better than thirty days!

i remember how excited i was after brad helped me by a weedwacker - when i figured out how to rig it so i could pull the string and start it all by myself (with my weakling arms!)! it was june 27, 2004, our sixth month wedding anniversary. i'll never forget that.

i'll never forget changing the headlight in jarrod's car and doing a little happy dance in the street with the neighbors looking on and laughing. it was a bunch of navy guys who offered to help and didn't quite understand why i needed to do it myself - with the owner's manual in one hand. it was the first time i had ever done it. it's the only time i've ever changed a headlight.

i remember coming home from a spouse meeting and crying because we learned they were going to be a week late. how did they think we could take another week??!!! it wasn't fair!!!!

i remember not being able to sleep the night before they came home. i went to bed early but nothing helped. i was up before my alarm the next morning and agonized over my clothes and hair.

i remember the excitement of driving onto the base and parking - one of the first ones there!!! - and getting ready for a very long day. the pier got so full and loud.

i'll never forget how tears came to my eyes and my heart jumped when i caught the first glimpse of the ship coming in from the bay.

i'll never forget the first sight of jarrod up on the flight deck while we were down on the pier.

i'll never forget being jealous of everyone getting to hug and kiss their sailor while i had to wait until noon, when jarrod was off duty.

i'll never forget jumping over the rope and running to give him a hug and the relief that he was in my arms again and he was home - even if he didn't get to come home until the next morning. i remember just wanting to stare at him and remember every little feature.

i am so grateful that he is home everyday. i take for granted that he's here. i needed to read this book to remind me that i am lucky. i am blessed that he is in the other room taking a break from his homework and yelling at the other players on the xbox.

i love being a military wife. and i love my husband.

i can't breave and jarrod's excitement

2008-11-20T09:20:00.002-05:00

I have a wonderful fall cold. I MUST get better before Monday! Jessica has the boys' bags packed already for me to take care of them next week (with Andrea's help - someone has to change the diapers!) and I want to be able to be around them and cuddle them the whole time! I only have to work Friday night and Sunday morning so I have plenty of time to rest!

Last Thursday Jarrod's car got broken into at work. The guy stole his phone, wireless earpiece and iPod. We had insurance on the phone so a $50 deductible got a new one here but the iPod was a hit. There will be a lot of downloading to do when it's replaced! Jarrod called this morning and they may have leads on who did it - two more cars were hit this week in the same parking lot. I forgot to mention that the dumbass made a call with J's phone and I was able to get the number for the phone company and pass it to the investigator. Itunes also records your iPod serial number when you plug into it so that was recorded as well. Now we just sit and wait. And try to get everyone's numbers back into his new phone! So it might be a good idea to email Jarrod your numbers so he has them all again!

I have today off (I love Thursdays!) but it will be far from relaxing. I was up at 5:30 this morning and slept only about 30 minutes after Jarrod went to work before I gave up and got up for good at 8:30. The house is a mess and the kitchen was full of dishes from Jarrod making cheesecakes for work so I started cleaning. I can't get much done without have to blow my nose or take a break because I'm tired. Sometime today I have to tackle the pile of presents going home for Christmas at Thanksgiving - it will be a wrapping party...... for one! =)

Veteran's Day

2008-11-10T22:04:00.005-05:00

In honor of Veteran's Day on Tuesday, November 11th, I would like to thank all veterans, past and present, including these brave men in my life.

Jarrod's grandpa - Charlie Whiteman, United States Army

My grandpa - Jack Yeomans, United States Merchant Marines

My wonderful husband - Jarrod Whiteman, United States Navy

I love you all. Thank you.

Happenings

2008-11-09T13:54:00.002-05:00

This past week has been pretty eventful in our lives. On Tuesday Jarrod ran his lap for the Tribute to the Fallen, which he wrote about a couple of posts back. It was dark by the time they ran but it was so awesome to watch the Marine come around the corner to hand off the bullets and then Jarrod's group take off in a jog in formation to do their lap. I went around to the lighted corner at the end and waited about 30 minutes for them to come around. All of a sudden it was like they reappeared out of the dark. It gave me chills. I took some pictures, which didn't come out very well since it was dark and a few of them had reflective clothing on. I'll post them as soon as the PC is all fixed up again.

I had my normal Thursday off and it was WONDERFUL! I don't think I did anything of significance all day. Come to think of it, I don't remember what I did at all! That's a great day!

Friday night we went to the Columbia County Fair, which is just a few miles down the road from our house. It's pretty much a carnival with a chainsaw carver and some piggy races. But it's our fair for now so I like to go and enjoy it. We went with our friends Harvey and TJ (Harvey and Jarrod work together) and their two kids. After spending way too much money on pizza, fries, a fried Snickers and a round of Skee Ball, I rounded out my time at the animal exhibit. There is a place in South Carolina that has animals from around the world that you can feed and pet..... just watch out for the llama. He didn't spit on me but I think that's because I had a cup of food in my hand! Below is a picture of me feeding an Africa Watsui, or an African Longhorn. She meant business!! Except for the gross goat/llama/alpaca/cattle/donkey spit on my hand after I was done I had such a fun time feeding them and getting their permission to pet.

Saturday Jarrod decided to put off some of his homework and go run errands with me. I think I finally have all my Christmas shopping done for Hunter and Ian. Jessica too. Since we are having Christmas at Thanksgiving (and Hunter's birthday party too) I am in a rush to get my side of the family shopping done. We should be traveling to Ohio after the first of the year so I still have some time to shop for them!

Today I woke up at 7am and read the paper. After taking a nap with Jarrod snoring next to me, Kit Kat curled at my head and Cosmo keeping my feet warm, I got up and worked outside for two hours. We still have no idea what we want to do with the front areas by the house where we tore out the bushes earlier this year so every month or so I have to go out and give it a good weeding. And then a rose bush kicked my butt. It was great working outside though. I bundled up because it was chilly and a little windy but sunny and I was surrounded by beautiful colors in the trees. Right now every window in my house looks out towards a tree changing colors. =)

Jarrod's plugging along with school. Just a few weeks to go and he's done with his first term. He's adjusting to all online courses and learning what it means to fully read your assignments and not to procrastinate. I remember how much of an adjustment it was to take online courses so I can understand.... but I loved them so much more than in class!

This week holds more quiet time for us.... =)

Election Day

2008-11-04T20:40:00.000-05:00

I voted.

Jarrod ran his lap.

Tribute to the Fallen

2008-11-01T13:50:00.005-04:00

As you most know I do not post very often. I normally leave that for Tiff. Well I wanted to just drop a few lines and link something I am taking part in. Tribute to the Fallen

NBC Augusta Story

Every year the MARDET (Marine detachment) puts this on. On the fourth of November members from the Command's First Class Petty Officer Mess will take to the track for Navy Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Gilbert Minjares Jr.

This tribute comes as two Sailors that work directly for me volunteered for duty in combat zones and will leave soon. So wherever you are, please stop and give a moment of thought to All of the Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen serving at home and especially abroad.

J.

currently reading: Sniper One by SGT Dan Mills

Water Main Break

2008-10-26T10:22:00.002-04:00

You never know how much you use water until you wake up on Sunday morning and there is none.

Not The Same

2008-10-23T21:55:00.002-04:00

I had the day off today. I stopped at Atlanta Bread Company for a bowl of their yummy baked potato soup. It just wasn't the same. I'm wondering if they changed the recipe. I have been waiting for it to get cooler for a bowl of this soup. What a disappointment.

Today also made me miss the days in Virginia when Jes and I would meet for lunch.

I miss Schlotsky's.

And I miss Jes.

Quiet Time

2008-10-22T19:09:00.002-04:00

It's been pretty quiet around here. Jarrod has his nose stuck in the computer, but this time it's for school. He has a lot of reading to do and it trying to train his brain to write papers in civilian speak again. It is his third week of classes and he's finding a routine that works for him.

I worked all weekend, which was fine except for Sunday morning. I am now in a rotation for ad set on Sunday mornings. This means I have to be at work at 4:30a.m to help set all those pesky ad thingys on the shelves and change the price on endcaps if needed. Sound easy but next time you walk through a store, start looking at just how many things are on sale.

Tomorrow is my day off and I am looking forward to curling up in my warm blankies early in the morning instead of hopping out of bed to get ready for work! I have this weekend off too so I'll be baking lots of sugar cookies for the store. I try to bake cookies every holiday for everyone to enjoy. Monday is a truck day so about 100 people will work in the store that day. That's going to be a lot of cookie baking - I always try to make enough for a couple each. And that's why I chose to bake this weekend instead of during the week. My fellow team members don't care when they get the cookies though. They just want to know when I'm going to bring them in again!

My eyes are finally adjusting to my new prescription. I picked up my new frames on Tuesday and love them. There are a bit narrower than my old ones so I find that my range of vision is cut a little shorter but I'm already learning to look right at what I need to see. I have to stop in tomorrow to get them readjusted - my ears must be really crooked because I can't get them to sit straight.

Not much else is happening in the land of our home. It's nice that way.

It's Cosmo's Fault

2008-10-22T19:06:00.004-04:00

Poor Cosmo. He keeps getting blamed.

When it gets cold out or if he's tired, Cosmo loved to cuddle. He'll try to prevent Jarrod from getting ready in the morning. He'll curl up in the heartbeat when I'm reading my book in the recliner. On Sunday night I fell asleep in the chair with Kit Kat at my head and Cosmo curled up on my chest. Today after work I was trying to relax and read the mail. Up he jumps and off to sleep we both go. Who can't fall asleep with a warm fuzzy Cosmo curled up on you?!

My Eyes Are Confused

2008-10-16T13:17:00.002-04:00

They have contacts in them again. Having them in again made me car sick at first so I dodged across the street from the eye place and walked around Wal-Mart until I got used to them a bit more. I bought a cheap pair of sunglasses to help with the bright sun and that helped too.... except they broke two minutes after I put them on.... it's a good thing I still have a pair at the house.

It's been quiet around here. Jarrod's trying to get into the school routine - he's learning just how fast the semester (they're only eight weeks for him) is going to go and how difficult it can be to concentrate and stay on track during online courses. He's doing great though and I am so proud of him for enrolling!!

Inventory is done at the store so now I'm back to working my normal morning shifts which I missed believe it or not. Who knew I'd be a morning person?!

It's a beautiful day out - a little warm but otherwise nice. I think I will go mow the lawn for one of the last times this year.

One last thing - I may need a reminder next year to not buy Halloween candy so early.... I can't stop eating it!!!

To: Ian Tucker

2008-10-14T17:09:00.001-04:00

How come you can say "tickle tickle" and not "Tiff"???????

Confession

2008-10-11T22:21:00.003-04:00

My name is Tiffany.

I am addicted to reading.

I sometimes neglect my housework to read.

I feel like I neglect my husband sometimes to read.

I can't walk into a bookstore without buying at least one new book to read.

I don't want to go to the library. I want to buy the book and then pass it on for others to read.

My house is being taken over by books.

And no matter what happens, my husband will always be dreadfully disorganized.

Navy Day Ball

2008-10-07T08:48:00.000-04:00

All Work and No Play

2008-10-07T00:13:00.003-04:00

....makes for a dreadfully boring blog.

Pictures of the Navy Ball attire should be up in the next day or two.

Inventory at the store is on Thursday night and then I have a three day weekend!

Jarrod should have three days off too so we'll see what we can get in to.

Kit Kat is patiently waiting for me to be done on the computer so she can curl up on my pillow.... and kick me off it in the middle of the night.

I find it a little disturbing that I read all those HP books at once and then chose to read about a lobotomy.

Books

2008-10-02T09:54:00.002-04:00

J thought it would be interesting to keep track of the books I read in one year - just to see how crazy I've been. So I've started a list on the side of the blog that will show the books I have read, beginning September 1st, 2008 - when I started HP 2.

Is there such thing as reading too much?

Random

2008-09-27T18:02:00.003-04:00

I love this cooler weather. I love having my windows open and the breeze coming in and my nose a little chilly in the morning.

Jarrod's in Athens right now providing security for the GA v. AL game.

I think I'm getting a cold and am craving soup and hot chocolate.

My dress is ready and waiting for Friday - the Navy Day Ball. I am very excited to be going this year. Now if I can just find the right jewelery to go with it. Oh I wish my sisters and friends were closer!

Cosmo has stopped peeing in my tubs. All he wanted was an uncovered litter box. Life is good again.

Is it really the end of September?!

Work

2008-09-27T17:52:00.002-04:00

Just when I'm finally getting into a routine on the sales floor, the powers that be at the store throw a wrench right into the middle.

Starting Monday I am the Assistant Team Captain for inventory for the store. I am in charge of getting the back room ready for inventory, as well as overseeing the sales floor during the evening shift while they are getting the floor ready. It's going to be long, hard and tedious work but I'm looking forward to it.

This past week was a little difficult. A bug is floating around the store, along with various other excuses for not coming into work, which left me all by myself on my team for two days. With some much needed help from other team members I was able to get everything done but was certainly exhausted afterwards.

So much for getting a job just to pass the time......

Gas

2008-09-27T17:47:00.002-04:00

This is getting a little ridiculous. Right around Hurricane Ike we all gassed up - just in case. Now to get gas you must drive around to find a station that has gas. Then you must sit in line for a minimum of 15-20 minutes to get to the pump. And then you pay around $4. I paid $3.99 yesterday because I needed gas. Police officers now spend their time directing traffic around cars lines up out into the main roads and playing peace keeper in case anyone cuts in line. Maybe a moped really is the way to go.

jared's gonna git edjamacated

2008-09-19T20:05:00.003-04:00

Jarrod enrolled in school today. It's about time! Once the paperwork gets run through next week he will be starting online courses through AMU (American Military University). He's enrolled in an military history program..... for some reason I think he just might know a thing or two about this subject! =)

Where Does The Time Go?

2008-09-19T19:52:00.002-04:00

Can it really be September? Where does the time go? Where do the days go?

Jarrod has been enjoying my obsession with reading Harry Potter. I felt like I was neglecting him but he reminded me that he was now able to watch what he wanted on tv and spend many hours in front of the computer without me complaining about needing attention. It's been a pretty good arrangement for the past few weeks.

I've transitioned nicely to the sales floor at work. I don't miss the front end at all because I seem to be learning so many new things every day, rather than just doing the same ones over and over.

The weather has finally cooled down enough so that we can have our windows open during the day. Today there was a beautiful breeze through the house. It makes me so happy to have fresh air again.

Last night we went shopping for a dress for me -- we are going to the Navy Day Ball on the 3rd of October. I told Jarrod he had to go shopping with me since I don't like shopping and I have no friends or sisters here to go with. I bought the second one I tried on. My hair appointment has been made and I don't have to go to work until 11am the next day. =)

I'm sure time will fly as it's only two weeks away. Has it really been a month already since I've seen my sisters?

Grr.

2008-09-12T16:01:00.002-04:00

Gas last night: $3.59

Gas this morning: $3.99

Gas this afternoon: $4.49

I have never seen my gas station go this high before. Go thing I stopped and topped off this morning. I'm spending my weekend at home with my car in the garage.

Changes

2008-09-07T21:18:00.004-04:00

Please be patient while I mess around with the layout and find new pictures.... I'm hoping that by changing the layout, cooler fall weather will find us down here. And Jes and Mike over in Texas!

In the meantime, go be jealous of my birthday cake!

My Birthday Cake

2008-09-07T20:51:00.003-04:00

When I got home last Sunday I had a big surprise waiting for me. Jarrod spent the weekend making my birthday cake. Really. He started Friday night and finished on Sunday while I was driving back. It was a three layer sponge with white chocolate and strawberry mousse covered in a white chocolate ganache. Happy Birthday indeed!

Where Are You Today?

2008-09-07T19:08:00.002-04:00

My vacation with Andrea and Jessica last weekend marked the end of my wonderful summer working as the receiver for the store. I liked to affectionately call it my summer vacation. I had plenty of responsibilities and things to do during the day, but there weren't too many deadlines and I was pretty much on my own. And sitting in the back working with vendors is a whole different world than up front with guests.

I enjoyed Labor Day off then went right into work on Tuesday & Wednesday training back in Consumables/Market. I will be overseeing that area when the Consumables Team Leader is not there. We have to receive the truck twice a week, make sure everything is stocked FIFO (first in first out), check expiration dates constantly, and be aware of dented cans, open boxes and other quality issues. That's just the tip of the iceberg which includes setting shelves, ordering, working with vendors on the floor as well as being in charge of one side of Domestics too.

The Team Leader that I am working under in that department isn't the most popular guy in the store. I've gone into the new position with an open mind and everyone looks at me with sympathetic eyes when they find out that I have been moved over there (it was my choice by the way). It's getting a little annoying but understandable since many people have tried to work with him and haven't, which is why I'm giving it a go. Perhaps I'll be the one that is able to work with him.

Thursday I decided that I would come in on my day off (at 6am!!!) to help the pricing team since they had a heavy workload this week. Department #2 for the week.

Friday I went back to Consumables for the truck day and then begin to push clearance merchandise to the floor. A lot of clearance.

Saturday was a very very very long day. I went in at 9am to work a shift at Guest Service. After my lunch break I became the GSTL (Guest Service Team Leader). In non-Target terms, it's the front end manager for the shift. This would have been my job had I not requested not to go back up front after my back room time was up. Anyway. It was a pretty busy night but went off a lot better than I thought it would for a Saturday night. I left just before 8pm when breaks were over and it began to slow down a little. The LOD (manager of the store at that time) took over the front and finished out the night. My 10 hour day was enough. Departments #3 & 4 for the week.

This morning my day began early with a shift beginning at 7am to train in Instocks. This will be my other new position which will help me stay near 40 hours/wk. This will include walking the store to do ad substitutions, finding empty shelf and peg spaces and entering the information in the systems with our handy little guns and then pushing the merchandise out to the floor onces it's been pulled from the back room. Department #5.

The good thing is I'm learning more about the store. Much much more. The bad thing is I spent A LOT of time on my feet and although my feet are not as sore after my nap, my knee is killing me. Thankfully I have tomorrow off so I'll spend it lounging with the cats, reading, and catching up on laundry. And maybe take a nap or two. =)

Happy Anniversary You Lovebirds!

2008-09-02T18:30:00.001-04:00

I Learned A Few Things

2008-09-01T20:52:00.002-04:00

1. She who arrives at the hotel last gets the least amount of space for her crap.
2. She who wakes up last misses Tiffany's big hair before she fries it with the flat iron.
3. Jessica's toe does not fit underneath the door.
4. Never never never go to Starbucks without Andrea and not call her for her order.
5. Louisville drivers do not like out of town drivers who do not understand an intersection or two.
6. I don't see my sisters enough.

Louisville

2008-08-29T08:29:00.003-04:00

We all made it!!!

Check out Andrea's blog for updates and pictures!

Short & Sweet, Just Like Me

2008-08-27T18:51:00.003-04:00

Right now I'm burning music to CDs for the 8.5 hour drive to KY. Clothes are packed, food is purchased, phone is charged, cats are upset.

I'm going to miss my hubby but I'm so happy to get the heck out of here and have some sister time!

Hunterism

2008-08-18T20:55:00.002-04:00

Background: The other day Jessica mentioned that she would be getting the shed from Mom & Dad's old house if it wasn't going to stay with the house (which it did). Chad told her that he wanted to turn it into a chicken coop. She then said she would mail me some farm fresh eggs. I told her to instead load up Hunter's Gator and I'd pay for battery money for his trip down.

Hunter: You can't eat the eggs! They have baby chicks in them!

Me: Ok, I'll only eat the ones that don't have baby chicks in them.

Hunter: You get those from the store.