Weekend Recap.... and....."Bizarre love triangle" kick

Ayla came to town Fri- Sun!




It was sooooo good to see her! Its sad for me sometimes that my two best friends live in Orlando and Jacksonville.
Anyways, Ayla was VERY pregnant. (Well, to me she was - she will be more so very soon!) Friday her, me, and Jer just hung out and watched TV because it was late anyways. We went to bed around midnight and the next morning we got up and hung out for a few hours and started getting ready for her baby shower at her dad's house. It was a lot of fun and very relaxing. Her dad grilled burgers and we ate A LOT of food. Chips, Dips, Fruit, Candy, Veggies, and these DELICIOUS cheesecake bites ordered from her dad's previous wife. (Mini cheesecakes by Connie) - let me know if you are interested. They were just soooo cute and pleasantly surprising to taste!

Ayla got LOTS of baby clothes at her shower. I personally got her some cute washcloths with whales on them, receiving blankets, baby socks, baby mittens, bottles, breastmilk storage, and breastmilk bags. Some things her dad was very squeamish about. LOL. Of course, what dad wants to know what's comin' outta their daughter's boobies? It was funny!




We then went to visit her grandparents because her grandma had hurt her back and couldn't make it to the baby shower. There, she opened lots more baby clothes! Very cute ones at that. Her grandpa is very loud and funny. He did put the pressure on though when he asked me to become a mathematician and answer the question, "If I have some candy in my bowl, and you have some candy in your bowl....and then you give me one of your candies which makes my bowl have twice as many as your bowl, and then I give you two of mine which makes our bowls have equal candies...how candies did we each start with?" HAHAHA, You tell me if you know the answer!!!! I will post it at a later date...and there is only one possible answer in the universe.

That night, we made a LATE meal at my apartment - like 11pm dinner. hahaha! So healthy! Ayla showed me how to make homemade alfredo sauce....



YUM!!! We also watched "HOT TUB TIME MACHINE," which isn't exactly a recommendation, but it was lightly entertaining if you like to hear the F-word in every sentence. One plus about the movie was that the men went back specifically to 1986. Because of this, there was LOTS of great 80s songs....and do I LOOOOVE 80s music!!! One of my FAVORITE SONGS EVER was in it....."Bizarre love triangle" by New Order. You should definitely YOU TUBE this song if you don't know it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzVhFhibevg

It makes me dance dance dance....Though I was only one year old in 1986...I saw that someone wrote on the internet about the song,

"PEOPLE WOULD LITERALLY TRAMPLE EACH OTHER TO GET TO THE DANCE FLOOR WHEN THIS SONG CAME ON"

Boy, would I have loved to have been there.


Lyrics for fun....

"Bizarre Love Triangle"

Every time I think of you
I feel shot right through with a bolt of blue
It's no problem of mine
But it's a problem I find
Living a life that I can't leave behind
But there's no sense in telling me
The wisdom of the fool won't set you free
But that's the way that it goes
And it's what nobody knows
well every day my confusion grows

Every time I see you falling
I get down on my knees and pray
I'm waiting for that final moment
You say the words that I can't say

I feel fine and I feel good
I'm feeling like I never should
Whenever I get this way
I just don't know what to say
Why can't we be ourselves like we were yesterday
I'm not sure what this could mean
I don't think you're what you seem
I do admit to myself
That if I hurt someone else
Then I'll never see just what we're meant to be

Every time I see you falling
I get down on my knees and pray
I'm waiting for that final moment
You say the words that I can't say



Basically, that was my weekend and my current song craze in a nutshell :)

Taco Bell....or Taco Hell????

OK, WOW....I just wanted to share a quick story...


This past tuesday night, Jer and I had our usual pre-marital counseling session. Since Jer got out of work at 6 and we had to be at the Pastor's home at 7...we rushed through a taco bell drive through on the way there and crammed down a few tacos. YUM! And very bad for you....yet satisfying for the moment.

Pastor Colin had asked us what we ate for dinner and Jeremy goes..."You don't want to know. Your favorite place..."

Colin suggested Macdonald's ...but then realized Jeremy was talking about Taco Bell.

"It's been 11 years.....since I ate there." he said.

Colin asked Jer if I should hear "the story" or not and I of course was very anxious to hear it. I have to know everything.

He began his story 11 years ago...when he was pulling up to a Taco Bell on a youth group trip and there it was on a stack of empty boxes behind the restaurant.

a sentence that read, "GRADE D MEAT...BUT EDIBLE"

WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT'S DISGUSTING!!! See if I EVER eat there again. SICK!!!!!! All I could think of during our session was, "my poor poor body."

Space, rest, and peace :)

So this past friday night was a little great, and a little rough at the same time. Weird, huh? It happens.


My best friend, is a great girl, LOTS of fun and you can trust her with your life. But we are so different now.... sometimes I wonder how we have stayed friends for so long. In the mall, you can find her looking for clothes and make-up....me? I would be looking for home decor and practical things like pretty shower curtains. That's just how we are and it is 100% ok. Everyone is different and everybody likes different things. (You can ask Jer, I tell him that constantly when he questions someone's ways or interests.)

A couple of nights ago, my best friend told me she would be in town this weekend and asked if she could come over Friday night. Well, she said she'd probably be over between 9pm and 10pm on Friday. I assumed immediately this meant 10 or later and automatically forgot about the between 9 part. (which was wrong of me to do of course...never assume anything, even based on patterns or past incidences.) But that's just how it's always been...she's always been over at least an hour later than she told me she'd be. There is never an exact time with her. I was actually thinking more like 10:30 or 11 to be quite honest. I usually don't know where she's coming from either, so I had no idea if she was going to stop by her dad's for dinner first when she got to town (which is something i'm pretty sure she had mentioned on the phone to me)- this is something that could run later than expected very easily. In the mean time, Jer's brother and sister-in-law asked if we all wanted to go out for food and beer so we said yes...whynot? I mean, in my mind, my friend wouldn't be to my apartment til after 10 and they didn't want to go out until 7:30. I had plenty of time! As we were leaving to go see them, she texted me and said she was leaving to come over. That gave me about an hour and a half to enjoy myself out with friends and fiance if she came STRAIGHT to my place without stopping at her dad's...but I knew it would be like two hours at the restaurant because it was Friday night and it takes longer to get food in restaurants then. I went ahead and texted her to meet at the restaurant and finish up hanging out with everyone for the night and then we would just go back to my place and chill for the night before she went back to her dad's for bed. Well, for whatever reason she got very offended that I invited her out with two couples. (me and jer + his brother and wife) This is understandable since I don't like going out with her and a bunch of single people who are all just flirting with each other...because it's two totally different worlds...but this other couple is about to be my family. And for the record, none of us go out and make out or display inappropriate affections in front of others. That's just plain rude. We just don't do that because we are grown-ups and mature. We are friends who chat and laugh and drink beer. What's so bad about that? I really did NOT want to waste my Friday sitting around the apartment waiting for someone who is basically always late, which anyone should understand. I went shopping with my sister all day, then greeted my fiance at home and then we got ready to go out and then we were just gonna come home so I could hang with my friend. I just don't see what the big deal was. I am guessing maybe she had a long day at school/work/driving and she didn't really want to go out, which is fine....but why couldn't she just tell me that? Anytime she has invited me somewhere and I can't do it, I just flat out say, "I'm too tired...or I'm sorry, but I have to get up early tomorrow...." and let it be that. I'm getting older and trying my best to take care of myself by not stressing (a MAJOR american killer), and really trying to get my full 8 hours every night....it's almost a reward to myself, for having a productive day. My life has completely changed since I've made my sleep schedule very strict 12-8. Sometimes 12:30-8:30. It's the most amazing thing I have ever done for myself and I'm not changing it. Sleep deep and long so that the next day can be just as wonderful. I never over schedule things and I never try to cram too much in one day.(Though I so over add to my "to-do" lists.) I like space, rest, and peace. Getting a Friday night off is not too often in my job...so sue me if I want to go out and not sit at home, like I usually do 5 nights a week after a long work day. I guess she was just in a really really bad mood. It REALLY hurt my feelings though. But that's just life. You try to enjoy it, and people get mad at you because different things make different people mad. Hopefully, she'll call soon. Maybe I shouldn't have gone out with the fam, but I really didn't want to be stuck in the waiting mode like I have been so many times with her and gotten disappointed in the end. A lot of times, when she hangs out with me she cuts it short to go meet with someone else anyways, which deep down always makes me feel like i'm not fun enough or something silly like that. What's so great about meeting up with as many people as you can in a day? Have a few deep meaningful relationships, not many quick ones. But who am I to say what's better. I just know what's better for ME - a few best friends, a close family, and a happy happy home....with a meaningful, fulfilling career to pull in the dough. You know, the american dream :)

Though I was bummed about what happened with my friend, Jer and I still had a great time with the family. We drank beers. (shock top and sam adams Oktoberfest)...I chatted it up with Amy about wedding plans and how much I LOVE THE 80s...and how she wants me to be three months pregnant while she's 8 months pregnant...which i WILL NOT allow to happen. LOL. How about i just stay un-pregnant for as long as possible??!!! Though it would be wonderful for little cousins to grow up together, Jer and I just aren't ready for anything like that. I never had cousins really close to me...they all lived STATES away and who knows what they are doing these days, but I do have four siblings which is great enough for me!!! The boys played iphone scrabble from across the table...silly willies! Jer and I stayed out a little later since my friend didn't want to come over anymore, and we came home and slept until almost ten on Saturday morning!

WEDDING UPDATE: Jer is SERIOUSLY trying to talk me into the guys wearing khaki colored suits!! What is this, a beach wedding????? HELL NO...THAT'S WHY I'M GETTIN' OUTTA FL. I love the mountains! Jeremy photoshopped the way he wants our wedding to look...he got pictures off of the internet and combined them. And much to my surprise...I do like it....it matches my ivory colored dress......



I think it's hilarious how the bridal party members are duplicates, but it's a great indication of what things will look like. the bridesmaid dress is the exact one the girls will be wearing. He even put in flowers and the colors and kind of flowers he wants. If my groom wants this so bad (which grooms really don't care usually) I should feel special and let him have "his" wedding, LOL!! And I will...I LOVE it and I love that he is picking things out instead of just me :)

We went to William's subs for lunch (MMMMM - family owned and operated for over 50 years...) and it was DEE-LISH. They have the BEST hot pepper relish!! It's the first place Jeremy and I ate from together when we first started dating :) The lady who runs the joint has known the gables for YEARS. She always recognizes Jer and remembers his "ham and cheese." YUM!

We also went to a pumpkin patch to get a pumpkin....but it wasn't there, even though the sign said it would be. We are just thinking the pumpkin truck hadn't arrived yet. Maybe our next day off together :) I would like the air to be cool when we go, but it has warmed up again. Blaaahhh.

Did I ever tell you I love cool air?

Okay, so I realize it has been 5 months since i've been around on here, so I am going to do a reasonably quick, yet informative catch-up. SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED!!! Life has happened....





Work: First of all, I got promoted to Customer Service Team Leader on June 26th, 2010. (The above pic is me venturing to my new store...) Each Publix has one Team Leader to run front end operations at their store - you know, taking care of all cashiers and service clerks, and staff....and most importantly being there for customers to see and talk to. I seriously, almost cried because I have been trying to obtain this position for about two and a half years. It's so strange because it just happened out of the blue....the day before I really knew, there were a few inklings because of strange happenings at work, but I wasn't sure if I was just antsy or if it was real. It really is a competition sometimes....One guy (who was also trying to get the spot) was so upset that I got the open position...he SERIOUSLY went home sick. SERIOUSLY? How immature. He was the only one who didn't say congrats to me on my last day at that store. Some team leader he'll [never] make....
My store pitched in and bought me some gift cards as "good-bye" gifts....kohl's, bahama breeze, and banana republic....AND a scratch off that won 5$ so I bought ANOTHER scratch off that won $50! Gosh I love gambling! (ask ayla and jeremy to try and pull me from a slot machine, LOL)
My new store is much smaller than the ones I am used to. It's great though...I love my newfound responsibility...I feel important and more needed than ever before. I love talking to and coaching the workers slightly under me and I love my new relationship with management (my next goal). Customers see me as more helpful and friendly than ever before. (Or, I just get to hear worse bitching since I am the girl in the ironed blouse and slacks :) )


It's tradition...you get a giant Publix cake when you are promoted :)

Friends: Holy shit....Becky went to law school (I am disgustingly proud of her), Ayla is having a baby, AND I added Amy to my crew of beautiful bridesmaids! SHEESH!!! SO MUCH! Ayla's baby shower is coming up in two weeks and Stephen Fox is due in December!!! (maybe late november...my birthday would be fantastic! - come on Ayla, push!) When I asked Amy to be a bridesmaid, I actually cried a bit...wow, I am CHEESY!! I just felt God wanted me to do it and I felt right doing it. So what if I have more bridesmaids than Jeremy has groomsmen...this wedding is not too typical. Life is not too typical....lol....

Wedding: Lori had to cancel on the photography because she found out she's preggie and her baby is due two weeks before the wedding!. :( :) Happy and Sad. Anyways, she's helping us find a new photographer so hopefully that will be in place soon. Jer is JUST about done with the wedding invites...they will be going out VERY soon!!! The bridesmaid dresses will be CHOCOLATE brown....amazingness!! The girls will be holding white bouquets....and did I tell you?? I bought my wedding dress!!!!!!! OMG, I never knew I would love a dress so much. I went to David's Bridal with my two sisters....I fell in love with three different dresses, slept on it, and the next day I JUST KNEW which one best suited me and my wedding style. I called immediatley and spontaneously left a deposit. (While shedding a few jouyous tears as the associate put me on hold for a moment). I would post a picture for you, but I'd rather not risk my fiance reading this....as if he ever would....lol! It's ivory and misty....perfect for a mountain wedding!




This is Ayla trying on the bridesmaid dress one more time before she moved. It will be brown, though. You would never know she's pregnant in this picture!


Cats: Well, Moose and Bunny are doing the same as usual. Sleeping eating, and enjoying time on the balcony. Early in the mornings they get a little rambunctious, but then it's back to laying around and sleeping...or licking themselves?





Family: Katrina is turning into a beautiful woman and Matt is trying to beat the bottle. Everyone else is doing well also. Grandma and Grandpa are in Kentucky visiting family members that are very well. My grandpa's sister, Susan...and my grandma's sister-in-law, Betty. I hope they all turn out well! (I think I will call my grandma after this blog post!)

Fishling: If my fish makes it until my birthday, that means I have kept him alive for an entire year! I spent a good twenty dollars on him yesterday getting new filters and a gravel cleaning pump...oh and a new thermometer. I hope he is happy with me once I refresh his aquarium.

Not too much else is going on...Becky is coming into town this weekend so hopefully I will see her Fri or Sat. Her little sister is turning 12....I can't believe it because I literally remember when her step-mom was pregnant with her back in middle earth days!!! (Of course i mean school...this isn't lord of the rings.) Aren't I a dork? lol!

Oh! There are 17 day's until our "girl's weekend!" that Amy, Jenny, Dela, and I are doing. It's going to be very exciting...well, for our men :) Can't get into it at this time...

I really hope to get back into blogging again and stay! It's very relieving and nice to sort of keep a record of life's random pieces.

Right now I am drinking coffee and I have the living room sliding glass door open so I can see the trees in the breeze. Just this week, cool air has begun to drift into the area and i absolutely LOVE COOL AIR!!!

The Treadmill

Okay, so I have really really decided to "lose the weight." I still can't believe I thought I was fat at 120 lbs three years ago........now I AM fat at 157.5. AAAHHHHH, and I'm 5'4''. I don't want to get too into it as to lose to magic of the hardworking process, I just want to say I went to the gym twice now and walked on the treadmill for thirty minutes each day. I was going to go today for round 3....for real, but I can hardly move my legs right now!!! My glutes are EXTREMELY sore, even just walking around my apartment is a task for them. I will surely rest today.....and I mean rest by doing housework and then going to work 2:30-11:30. When this "good sore" fades, i will surely be back! I will be eating a good healthy lunch in a bit :)

Wedding Update: Lori Schaneville is coming to TN to be our photographer!!!!!! Yay!!!!!

Back to work and refreshed....

I've been back to work about a week and a half now. It was a bummer at first, but i'm back in the swing. Jer and I had a really fun week off together. We went up to Jenny's for Friday-Sunday. (in Lake City) It was cool because I finally got to see the treehouse that Chris has been working on and it was AMAZING. I don't even know if Carson (7 years old) realizes yet how great his parents are!! What a special special treehouse. Every kid wants a treehouse....and it's like Chris and Jenny are actually making one!!! We slept in their living room with the windows open at night and it was a lovely cool air coming in....with hardly any noise at all! I could hear "air"..but then Jenny and Chris said it was the interstate....LOL....but I mean, it is traffic pushing air, right? Oh well, I liked the sounds whatever they were. Here at the apartment you can hear people walking and talking in the halls and doors and trash cans opening and closing and so forth. After our trip to Jenny's, Jer and I spent day 4 relaxing around the apartment....we did other things around town like went to a lot of restaurants like Applebees, Olive Garden, went to the pool a couple of times....went to the park and walked, went to the bookstore, i bought "Financial Planning for Dummies' so I am in the midst of reading that. We also went to the Casino with Ayla and I came out sixty dollars ahead. lol....Jer and Ayla had to pull me away. Black and White 7s....here I come next time. We went to ellenton outlet mall on one day...and it was fun driving over the skyway. We really felt like we were out and about!! The mall wasn't TOO exciting but at least we have finally discovered what it was all about. We did find an amazing wedding ring for Jeremy at Zales outlet. We didn't buy it, but the next day we went to Jared to have my engagement ring for it's six month inspection and found a similar one that we can customize.

This is the ring...but we'd make some changes. It's cool because it spins. It's sort of like a stress ring. I'm almost positive it's the one. Jer seems to really love it.


I really needed my vacation, so I am glad I took it even though we didn't venture to any far off lands. On the way up to Jenny's, Jer actually got a call that his old job at Catalina wanted him to fill in for someone for two weeks while they were on vacation. It seemed annoying, but now he's been there for a week and a half again and love its.....once the week is over we are praying that they ask him to stay. According to Jeremy, no one was on vacation and they made that up....and I guess in one of their meetings that Jer wasn't in, the boss asked the team how Jer was doing and they all said very well! AND, they reinstated his work badge and even hooked up his phone line....but for two weeks only??? We'll see!!!!


Wedding update; We booked a GORGEOUS 10 bedroom cabin in TN!!!! The wedding trip will be March 27-31st. The Wedding Day will be the 30th. It's perfect!!! I can't wait to plan. Colin and his wife Sheba said they could be there and everything!!! It's also Spring Break for Micah, Carson, and Abby...so it works PERFECT!! I think this is how God wanted it.



Well, this is it for now. Great things are ahead!!! I can't wait to see if Jer gets this job....and I am so excited for us to get married!!!!

Vacating Publix......

So....I am officially off for 11 days in a row!! I couldn't be happier at this moment!!! Today has been a very pleasing day for sure.

Jer and I met Colin at 10am for marriage counseling....well, premarital counseling I suppose we should call it. It was absolutley a delight....a little emotional at some points, but Jer and I always walk out of there feeling more prepared for life in general just because Colin's ideas/teachings are very harmonious to the good of this world. Jer may be considering going to Church again and I just feel like it's about time. I just haven't felt right if I were to go alone. I feel that my future husband should be by my side for me to attend. Anyways, we talked about the postponement of the wedding....which I think is a great thing now. I really do - I am starting to be less sad about our larger cancelled wedding and more and more excited for the way it really will end up turning out someday - which will be lovely and perfect.

After our meeting, Jer and I went to Paulos. It's an italian mom n pop shop. MMMM. Very bad for you, but yummy!!! I actually really like supporting small businesses like them. I hate supporting walmart but I think I've journalized that concept before. But, sometimes, you have to go there anyways. Well....I'll let you know how my vacation went!!!!!