Stomach Bug

Well, the stomach bug has not gone away.

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The nausea continues, as it has the last 6 weeks.

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But my good doctor finally figured out the problem.

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Come August, my stomach bug will look something like this:

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We are

thrilled

scared

excited

humbled

grateful.
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From Russia With Love

Oh, wait. This isn't Russia. The U.S. Postal Service could have fooled me. Let me explain:

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At Christmas (one of these days I'll post Christmas pictures), Chris and I only took carry-ons on the plane with us because our flights were delayed and changed and switched and messed up, and we didn't want to deal with lost luggage. So we left everything but the minimum at Chris's parents house. Because of this, we were unable to fit all our Christmas gifts from my parents in our luggage, and my mom said she'd be willing to send it to us in a package.

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Yesterday we got our package.

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We looked through and thought everything was accounted for--except Chris's new nice Nike sweatshirt. I called and asked if my mom forgot it. No, she said, I swear I put it in there. Did we get the cookies? No cookies. Did we get the garments (yes, I asked for garments for Christmas). Yes, we got those. Did you get the bank statements from Zions Bank? NO. Traffic ticket information? NO. Hmmmm. . . missing items: expensive sweatshirt, ticket info, and bank statements (thankfully we no longer have that account with Zions).

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My mom said when she sent it the bottom of the box had a few basic layers of tape. The box in our apartment has an excessive amount of tape on the bottom.

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Two possibilities: first, the box burst, along with another one, and the delivery men got the contents mixed up and happened to give our expensive/highly personal materials to the other box. Other possibility: someone cut it open from the bottom, found what he thought might be useful, and taped it back up--really well.

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My brother served his mission in Russia. This used to happen when my mom sent things to him--expensive stuff would go missing. My mom even said one time he sent books wrapped in nothing but paper and string and it made it to Idaho (from RUSSIA) in one piece. And the U.S. Postal Service can't get a package from Idaho to Tennessee without one of their workers breaking in? And they wonder why people choose Fed-Ex and UPS over them? Uggggg.

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I'm really annoyed right now.

I'll Miss Him

Regardless of what anyone says, I'll miss him. Yesterday, was a great day, historic . . . . all that jazz. But I'm horribly burnt out on Obama-mania, and its only day one. I hope he does well--for my sake, for America's sake--and I wish him luck. But yesterday, one of the things that was most disappointing was the way Obama-maniacs treated George W. Bush. Little cheering, Booo's, and even singing "Na-na-na, hey hey hey, good-bye." Classy.

I was happy for Bush, when he arrived in Texas last night. Fox News was the only channel that showed it (of course--everyone else had to show a steady stream of nothing happening at the White House while the new 1st couple got ready for their balls). But in Texas, W got the ovation he deserved. He wasn't a perfect President, far from it, but he was genuine, he was himself, he stuck to his values, he did what he believed was right even when it wasn't hip or popular or Hollywood-approved. And the U.S. hasn't been hit again since September 11th. I'm grateful to him for that--for that safety people don't choose to recognize. Things may be hard in Afghanistan and Iraq, but the Taliban is no longer in power, and neither is Saddam Hussein. Call me crazy, but I think those are good things too. I'm glad Bush gets to be home, with people who recognize the good he did, with his wonderful classy wife, with his dogs and his girls and his ranch. He deserves it. Yesterday, his little speech in Texas was more sincere, heartfelt, and charming than anything I've heard out of Obama's mouth to date (granted, I'm bias). When discussing some of this future plans he said that he looked forward to a relaxing morning the next morning. "I'm going to wake up and make Laura a cup of coffee."

Regardless of what anyone says, I'll miss him.

Something about W makes me smile. Something about Obama makes me nervous. Only time will tell, and I pray our country is in good hands. I'll be bringing children into "Obama's America", so I pray he lives up to his hype. I pray my kids will know the same America I was a child in.

I sound negative. I'm not. A fresh breath of air just may be what America needs. I hope it is. I just hope everyone realizes, as I'm sure Obama does, that he has the crappiest job ahead of him. And its going to be a wild ride at first. The DOW fell 200 points as of yesterday afternoon, shortly after the inauguration. No party, no crowd, no crying Obama-maniacs can make up for that. I'm excited to see what Obama can do. Interested to see what the future holds.

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But I will say, they are adorable. They are the best part of this deal.

Rage

And I liked you, Tom. For so long I liked you and watched your movies and thought you were nice and respectable--and respectful. Turns out, there's too much Hollywood in you. Even if you think this way, maybe you could express it in a less bigoted (yes, bigoted) way. Or do your research and see we evil Mormons aren't the only ones to "blame".

Tom Hanks is actually the executive producer of "Big Love", about a polygamist family in Utah (awesome, Tom). Tom's wise words: “The truth is this takes place in Utah, the truth is these people are some bizarre offshoot of the Mormon Church, and the truth is a lot of Mormons gave a lot of money to the church to make Prop-8 happen. There are a lot of people who feel that is un-American and I am one of them. I do not like to see any discrimination codified on any piece of paper, any of the 50 states in America, but here's what happens now. A little bit of light can be shed and people can see who's responsible and that can motivate the next go around of our self correcting constitution and hopefully we can move forward instead of backwards. So lets have faith in not only the American, but Californian constitutional process.”

"Californian constitutional process"? Tom, that already happened when around 54% of Californians voted for Prop 8. "Who's responsible"? You know what? Mormons don't make up 54% of California's population. Not even close. In fact, around 59% of African Americans--the same people who flooded the polls for Obama (which is great, they have every right to)--voted FOR Prop-8. So why don't you say nasty things about African Americans? Why don't you call them un-American? Well, because that would be down-right politically incorrect, of course, and racist. And don't even get me started on the countless other religions that backed Prop-8 and the Mormon church on this issue. That felt the same way and gave the same amount of support. But Mormons? We're such an easy target, I suppose. A peculiar people.

Hollywood + politics = me gagging.

Weekend of Favorites

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings . . .

Hey, y'all! My tummy seems to be on the mend and I have a check-up with the doc on Thursday, so things are looking increasingly sunny---even though it won't stop raining here in Knoxville. {I'll do a full Christmas report some day.} But right now I have to share some joy . . . January joy (its a rare thing---can you tell I'm not a huge fan of January?). But this weekend was stock full of some of my favorite things.

We went to the mall on Saturday night to do some shopping with all of Chris's Christmas returns money (I didn't have any! Boo!). At our mall we have a Godiva chocolate store. I'm not allowed to enter. On this occasion, however, we decided to get a Chocolixir. They are these cold chocolate drinks-not-quite-shakes. Like cold coffee minus the coffee plus a lot of chocolate. DE-LISH. Maybe even sinful? I adore them. I prefer the Dark Chocolate Decadence, while Chris likes the caramel something-or-other. Either way, it was a delightful treat to rev up our shopping motors.

On our mall outing we stopped by American Eagle. Chris was trying on some clothes, so I sat on the couches in the back. This is always painful for me because I'm a shoe-aholic and this is where all the shoes are. Well, I saw these boots (just like these, but black) and thought they were so cute. I've always liked the boot idea, but I'm not really a fan of the Ugg look. So these were perfect. There was one box sitting on the ground, which happened to be my size. I pulled them on and knew I was smitten. Price tag: $89.99. Sadness. But it looked like some of the winter shoes were on sale so we had the girl check. Sale price? $19.99. I've always prided myself on bargain shopping, but this time I think I outdid myself. So Chris got me some pretty boots--with his Christmas money. I proceeded to wear them with my pajamas the next 24 hours (it was Sunday! We didn't have anywhere to go).

Another successful stop was to the Victoria's Secret Semi-Annual sale. Now before you get your panties in a bunch, I adore this bi-yearly event for the amazing sales on the lotion: 6 for $30 instead of the usual $12 each. I stock up every January and June-ish. This year I went with something a little different, getting the Beauty Rush products instead of the normal stuff. Coconut Creme, Slice of Heaven, and Juiced Berry. I love that store--that sounds bad, but its so fun as long as you leave your husband on a bench outside and don't look at the pictures. I could have spent forever looking at all the products and sniffing scents and smearing sparkly lotion all over my arms. Chris always says I smell like 10 different scents when I come out. My response: Only 10?

After the mall and a good hand and arm washing (maybe I did smell strongly of coconuts and heaven), we made our way to Abuelo's for dinner. Have I ever mentioned Abuelos's? The place with life-altering enchiladas? It's amazing. I heart their enchiladas--one cheese, one guacamole, one spinach--with the sour cream sauce. Truly a special experience. Top it off with bottomless Dr. Pepper (I'm such a rebel) and it makes for a pretty good meal. If anyone feels like visiting Knoxville, a stop at Abuelo's will make it worth the trip. Hey, I'll even offer to go with you!

My favorite-filled evening was proceeded by a morning of another favorite: Man vs. Food. Now this show is real entertainment. Its on the Travel Channel and is about this guy who travels around the U.S. finding food challenges. Like, if you eat this hamburger that's bigger than your head you get a picture on our wall and a t-shirt. So he tries to complete all these challenges and while he's there he'll visit some local attractions and a few other restaurants other than the one where the challenge is. So its like "Man vs. Wild" meets "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives."

One episode I watched on Saturday morning involved a 30 inch, 11-pound pizza that had 5 kinds of meat and had to be devoured by Adam and a partner within an hour. The slices on this pizza were bigger than a baby--not even kidding, they compared the two. My mom told me about an episode with a 72 oz steak and giant donuts (see right, the whole in that donut is as big as a regular-sized donut!). I also saw an episode with a hamburger that had 1 inch of meat, 3 eggs, 6 sliced of bacon, 4 pieces of cheddar--all sandwiched between 2 grilled cheese sandwiches instead of a bun. I don't know why I love this show. It really represents everything that's creating the American obesity epidemic. But at the same time--not. Because he says when he's not filming or challenging, he eats a very strict healthy diet, and he exercises every day. He would never recommend eating the food he eats as part of your regular diet. So there. If you ever get the chance, take a looky. Its my new favorite. Whenever I watch (Chris has never seen it! so sad!) I always spend the next two days starting my sentences "Oh, on Man vs. Food, there was this . . . ". Chris really enjoys it. Did I mention the Dagwood challenge? 4 pounds of deli sandwich plus fries . . . .

Somewhere in there we also managed to watch Twister (love that movie) and Cold Mountain (why to I love that movie?), and even had a good day at church where we sang my favorite hymn before the sacrament. And the whole time I was with my handsome hub. Good-O!

Last but not least (or maybe it was least--I had a pretty good weekend), the Golden Globes were on last night. I could care less about winners and losers, I just love the dresses. This year's Golden Globe winner according to moi: Hayden P. (n0t even going to try to spell her last name). I L-O-V-E her dress.

Alas, now I'm back at work. But at least I'm blogging again! Another positive point from a very positive weekend.

Missing

I've been missing. I know. And while you probably haven't even noticed (it was Christmas, after all) I feel guilty for some reason. Our trip to Idaho was wonderful. I can't even think about it, because here I am back at work already and I no longer have a trip to Idaho to look forward to to get me through the day. Why do good things go by so quickly? But really the main reason for my absence is a wicked-nasty sickness bug in my tummy. Not sure what it is, but I've battled it off and on for the last few weeks. So my absence may continue until its solved, because I have very little strength or motivation to be the amazing blogger I usually am.

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But I thought I'd say 'Hi'

and I hope everyone had an amazing holiday.

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Booo on the January blues.