Hoops, Hangnails, and Hope

Hoops...because basketball is over!  Not that I didn't have fun, but all you coaches out there understand, those last two weeks are tough.  I'm exhausted, but I had a great group of girls and I think they had a lot of fun.  Hangnails...because I'm on week #4 of not biting my nails.  I'm sporting "brilliant bordeaux" on those babies!  Only bad thing, since my nails were so bad to begin with (you have no idea, we're talking ET fingers here...) I keep getting these massive hangnails.  I must fight the urge to bite them off.  So I carry around my trusty pair of clippers and let them do the work for me.  It's pretty hard, and some days I catch myself almost biting them (almost)...but then reality sets in, and bam! I'm over it!  And lastly, hope...hope that I don't pass out tonight when I work out for the first time in...well let's just say...a very long time.  Time to get back on the bandwagon.  I'm ready!

Oh, and I finished the Friday Night Knitting Club.  Really cute book, very Steel Magnolias and Sex and the City all wrapped up in one book.  I went ahead and checked out the second book, so I'm starting that now...I'll let you know what I think when I'm done!

Blue Skies Ahead

Though it is dreary outside, there are sunny skies in the Howell house. There are some exciting things that are developing, and while I can't devulge all details right now I will say that things are definitely looking up and we are blessed beyond belief. A few reasons:

1. We have been able to start saving so much more money lately.  We have almost everything paid off except the house and are looking to try and save even more money to continue remodeling and save for when we decide to build.  This can sometimes be a struggle considering some of the luxuries we have given up, but I'm proud of us :)
2. I have been working for some time on a side business that I can use to help generate extra income for our family.  I am finally in the planning/developmental stage and am excited to get the ball rolling.  Just waiting to hear back on some of the questions I have on logistics.  Super excited nonetheless.
3. Timothy and I are trying to make plans to get to both Denver and Oklahoma soon to visit friends.  Some days are harder than others without my best girls, but I realize that they are still there...I just have to go to them! :)
4. Basketball is almost over!  Not that I haven't enjoyed this season, but I'm really tired...and I need a little break.  I'm ready to cook, clean, and do other wifey stuff, and have a little stuff for me sprinkled in there! Plus the end of basketball means that spring is right around the corner, and oh how I love spring.

Walkin' Like a Fool With Your Pants on the Ground

If you haven't seen this yet, you should! Possibly the best American Idol audition ever! I think this should be played in every school across the nation :)

What I Hope To Learn...

Ever get one of those stupid emails that comes right at that time in your life when you don't want to hear any "advice" from anyone?  It's kind of like going to church and feeling like the sermon is completely directed toward you.  Well...got one of those emails today.  Sometimes I get so wrapped up in worrying about all the things that other people do that I forget to stop and think that most of these are things I cannot control.  So here are some of my favorite things that apparently this person has learned but that I only hope to learn.

• I've learned- that no matter how much I care, some people just don't care back.
• I've learned- that no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
• I've learned- that it's not what you have in your life but who you have in your life that counts.
• I've learned- that either you control your attitude or it controls you.
• I've learned- that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.
• I've learned- that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.
• I've learned- that it's hard to determine where to draw the line between being nice and not hurting people's feelings, and standing up for what you believe.
• I've learned- that people will forget what you said, and people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

Enough with the sappiness...although these are things I aspire to understand and emulate...Sappy is not what I want to be on a hump day!  So I found a funny version of this email.  (Mildly censored of course)

• I've learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is stalk them and hope they panic and give in.
• I've learned that no matter how much I care, some people are just assholes.
• I've learned that you can keep puking long after you think you're finished.
• I've learned that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones who do.
  
• I've learned that your family won't always be there for you. Of course, if you win the lottery, the hag, the philanderer, the screw-up, the missing one, the asshole and the horse tooth girl will be and will also claim to be your best friend.
  

Happy Wednesday!

Update on Resolutions

In a previous post I listed some of my resolutions for 2010.  Research says that most resolutions get dumped after the first few weeks, #1 being losing weight.  My problem is that resolution doesn't really get its chance with me until the end of basketball (only 2 more weeks!)  So until then I have been eating healthier...with the exception of the 4 slices of taco pizza I ate last night!  As I was laying on the couch miserable and feeling on the verge of upchucking everything I had just eaten, I told Timothy this was never happening again.  I told him no more large pizzas if he can't eat the whole thing! Only a medium pizza so I can only have 1-2 pieces.  I felt disgusting, and still feel disgusting today.  So that resolution is still a work in progress, but I'm looking forward to January 25th when I can start working out with Timothy's sister.  She's my accountability partner and last year when I was preparing for the wedding she really helped out, so I'm hoping the 2nd time will prove the same.

As for my other resolution, stopping that nasty habit of biting my fingernails.  I am proud to say that it has been 10 days strong!  I have the tiniest bit of white on those puppies.  I was showing them off to Timothy last night and he said, "that's all they've grown?"  That's all?? That's all????  Those poor things were severely damaged so it's going to definitely be a work in progress.  One week at a time is how I'm looking at it!  In a couple of months they'll be much better.  Then I am going to treat myself to a manicure...and I don't care if they look at them and say, "that's all?" They'll be all mine...

Extended Weekend

I really enjoyed my extended weekend, trust me I did!  It was nice to do some laundry.  I also spent time with my husband, my family, and his family.  By the end of Friday though I was definitely having a case of cabin fever.  I had only ventured out to go to the bank and drop of some eggs...but even in a 4-wheel drive truck it was pretty bad.  So by Saturday I was about to lose it.  It reminded me of my first year of teaching, in December of 2006, when it iced so bad that most schools were out for a whole entire week before Christmas.  They very well could have put me in a padded room after that.  When there's nowhere to go, you've done all the cleaning, laundry, and internet browsing there is to do...what's left.  I was starting to feel that way until an idea came to me...I did some research all day Thursday and Friday and I am feeling optimistic.  I've been wanting to have something on the side to make some extra cash for awhile, but was racking my brain on what I wanted to do.  All the while, what I am really good at was right under my nose!  I'll keep you updated when I have more info ;)  Other than that, it's back to the grind this week...I'll probably be exhausted by Friday but oh well.

Vacation...round two

Found out today that I will be getting a little unexpected vacation the next couple of days!  School's cancelled baby.  While I am not super excited about the idea of adding a day at the end of the year and losing a day of spring break, I have to admit this will give me a chance to get some shiz done around the house.  You would think that during my 2 week long Christmas vacation I would have gotten the whole house cleaned...if so, you thought wrong.  I did a great job getting the major rooms really clean but did a pretty bad job at laundry.  So my goal is to get ALL the laundry done during this extended weekend.  Yes I said it...ALL the laundry.  My husband will be happy...I will be happy...the dog, well the dog will be pissed.  He seems to find comfort taking naps on my dirty sweatshirts and sweatpants.  I'm a softy.  Plus it's hard to say no when it's not his fault all the dirty laundry is in a pile on the floor.  So here's to wearing your pjs all day, making chili and hot chocolate, watching trashy daytime tv...and laundry

Back to the Grind

I am back! Back at work and surprisingly cheery.  For about a week and a half I have been dreading this day, but thanks to my awesome coworkers today isn't so bad.  A short meeting this morning and we have the rest of the day to ourselves.  I am planning my butt off!  I have all of 3rd quarter planned (can't go too far...snow days are looking probable this year) and I feel really good about 2nd semester.  I know the kids will only feel the same way for about 2 weeks, but hey...they're teenagers.  What do I expect??  I only have 3 more weeks of basketball and after that I can really work harder on me.  In my earlier post I mentioned one of my resolutions of being healthier.  This started today (well mainly tomorrow because we are all going out to eat for lunch...darn) and I already feel more energetic...or maybe it's just optimism.  Here's to a good week.  The Mr. and I are going on a date this weekend.  He asked me last night, which I gotta admit was pretty cute.  And for all of you that are doing the "shove my finger down my throat" act...oh well.  Loving the hubs right now!!  First couple days of 2010 are looking bright and cheery.  If only it wasn't -25 outside...but on the bright side, we did find out in our meeting this morning that it is a good possibility that we will have a late start part of this week! Heck yeah!! One more hour for me to do a load of laundry...

Ringing in the New Year

We had such a good time last night with friends and family, we literally didn't even notice as midnight came and went.  2009 was such a great year for us.  Here are some of the highlights:

• Getting married...this one was a no-brainer!  I am so lucky to have such a wonderful and loving husband who just plain gets me.  I love him more every day and it makes it even more sweet that he has gotten closer to my family and friends lately.  I love this life we have together!
• Moving in together.  I know it's a stretch, a lot of people do this before they get married (and trust me I'm not against it, it just wasn't for me...to each their own :)  It's pretty fun learning new things about each other.  Being married definitely requires a team effort...and I think we make a good team
• Getting our puppy!  Champ has been awesome and is always a ball full of energy.  Seriously, this dog is crazy.  Crazy and smart, which is cool with me.
• Our first married Thanksgiving and Christmas with family.  It was really special for us, and I am so thankful to have family on both sides that are flexible.  They make it so easy for us. 
• God blessing me with a new job.  This has taken a load off our shoulders because I don't have to drive as far and I love what I am teaching now.  Let's just cross our fingers that the economy will hold out and I'll be stuck there next year too :)
• Having such great friends!  Our friends are the best.  Hands down!  We have friends that travel the freakin country to see us and friends that would drive 1 block to see us.  We don't deserve all that we have, and we know it.  To have such great friends that are always there is such a blessing and I am so thankful for that.  I love the time we have spent with friends lately.  Even something as simple as playing board games with other couples has come to be one of my new favorite things. 

Sometimes I find myself having a pity party (we all do it!...nobody can judge.)  It's times like these where I get a chance to sit and reflect on all that God has given us.  As I sit here in my warm house (when it is 2 degrees outside) watching my tv, while my husband sleeps peacefully, I know that today is a gift.  In the spirit of resolutions...here are mine:

1. Stop biting these darn fingernails!  2010 is the year!!
2. Spend more down time with Timothy and friends
3. Make it to Oklahoma...finally :)
4. Go to church more
5. Let the people in my life know that I love them and appreciate them...often.
6. Keep a positive attitude, even when it is hard.
7. Accept the things I cannot change.  There are some things in life that happen because of other's choices...these are things that I definitely do not need to worry about...and I feel like I wasted too much of 2009 worrying.
8. And the usual...be healthy.  This is unlike last year in which I had the wedding as motivation and a goal to work towards.  This year I am not concerned with weight.  I am more concerned with being healthier and feeling better about myself.  Time to break out that giant water bottle again. 
9. See my family more often...they only live 25 miles away for cryin' out loud!  My mom will appreciate this for sure...
10. Save more $, give more love...We are saving to build a new house, and we are finally in a position where we can save save save...and I'm excited about that.  We might not have a ton of money to give, but I do have time and energy that I could be putting to better use.  And I am going to work hard in 2010 to make sure that people know we love them!! 

Here's to a great 2009 and an even better 2010.  We love you all and are so blessed.