Hey everyone!


Well we finally did it! The wedding was this past weekend in Tennessee and I'm now officially Mrs. Robert Ringle! I just want to wait for some pics to write a bigger post. I'll be updating soon! :)

Well, Thursday morning concluded my mini-vaca back home to Indiana. I flew in on Sunday morning and stayed with my parents for a few days. The main purpose of the trip was to go to my graduation in Fort Wayne. That's right folks...I am officially an IPFW graduate! I picked up my Bachelors degree in front of a HUGE crowd at the coliseum. The feeling was wonderful and my spirits were definitely high.

Here's a run-down of the trip. Sunday I mostly chilled with my parents and crashed early because, as always I didn't sleep the night before a flight. I've somehow unconsciously convinced myself that because I'm a terribly deep sleeper, I'm likely to sleep through an alarm and miss my flight.

Then Monday I went to Huntington to get my hair highlighted and trimmed. It looks fab although I'll admit that I'm relying on a headband at the moment. Then my sister picked me up and we hung out for a while and shopped. Afterwords my Dad came up and we went out to Long John Silvers. Yes I'm a hick because I freaking LOVE Long Johns! Sue me! ;) So I got my chicken planks and drowned them in malt vinegar. Yum Yum, Amazing!

Then I invited Dad to go see Star Trek. He doesn't have anyone to go to the movies with and I know he's a Trekkie at heart so I knew he'd get a kick out of that. Personally, Im not into the whole Star Trek thing. Since Dad never had cable as a kid I would have to watch whatever his rabbit-ears would pick up on his weekends. Sometimes that was Star Trek. It just wasn't my bag. But honestly I whole-heartedly believe that everyone has what I call their own "nerdism". Mine is Harry Potter..Dad's is Star Trek, but some people are more predisposed to have multiple nerdisms ..That is my Dad. I definitely picked that up from him and feel no shame in indulging in ridiculous Sci-Fi or Paranormal topics. As it turns out..Star Trek was really good. I was literally anxious and on the edge of my seat the whole time. It was very fast-paced.

So then we went to visit my Grandma who is batty as hell and certainly in some stage of Dementia so I have to forgive her when she tells me that I "outweigh" my Dad. HAHA This is like when I was around 12 and she looked flummoxed when I visited her and said, "Well My God, Gene! She's getting to be as big as a BARN!" LOL Mind you, this is all coming from a woman who has never, herself, been thin. Its always a trip. After that Dad and I went to play pool for a while and get a couple of beers. It was nice.

Tuesday, Mom and I had to continue the shopping where I had left off. I was looking for a cute top to wear to graduation. My Aunt Reva came to visit and brought me a nice gift and a card which was really sweet. It was nice to see her. Then we headed back and Mom made her Chuck Roast. Totally delicious. My step-sister Amber and her husband came to visit, followed by Grandma and Grandpa (my step-dad's parents) so I got to see them.

Then Wednesday was Graduation day. The Graduation was long but they read through the names really quickly so it wasn't that bad. Mom and Jim were there as well as my sister Angela, her husband Adam, my nieces Brittany and Breanne, my dad, and Bob. Bob left N.Carolina at like 4 in the morning and drove all day to be at my graduation only to have to turn around and leave to go back at like 5 the next morning. How sweet is that?

So anyhow, it turned out to be a great week. My only regret is that I felt that my time was spread very thin so I didn't get to see a lot of ppl that I wanted to and who wanted to see me. Hopefully next time!

Well, I believe thats all for now. I should have a major update soon because there are only 13 days until the wedding!! AHHH! Can you believe it??

Until then!

Gean Bean

1. I hate Guinness' e-collar (aka "The Cone") just as much as he does. Mostly because he's already a clutz and he's crashing into EVERYTHING with that stupid plastic cone. Including me. My shins have the bruises to prove it.
2. I really need to get a job. I've totally given up caring about my appearance for the most part. Most days are either a sweatshirt and jeans day or a sweatpants and t-shirt day. I do little with my hair and lately even that involves a headband. I feel like a slob.
3. My stomach is revolting against me from last week. Bob was gone for several days on business so I purchased all of the things that I like to eat but he does. It turns out those things are greasy as hell. Maybe thats why he doesn't like them. Lesson learned.
4. A Jehovah's Witness rang my doorbell today. Luckily, she scampered off before I could wake up to get the door. However, I did have a pamphlet shoved through the crack and had a hearty laugh after looking at it. Apparently, by the look of the painting on the pamphlet..Jehovah's Witnesses think that Jesus looks exactly like Kevin Costner with a beard. Hmmmm...I doubt that!
5. I've figured out that I can push our huge grill in front of the steps on the deck and then shoo Guinness outside. He's got the whole deck to run around on and I get a break. Sometimes thats really nice!
6. McDonalds is truly of the devil. I tire of the temptation of fries or cheeseburgers or nuggets. Now they have Sweet Tea.....Damn you, McDonalds.
7. Bob is driving me nuts with the wedding planning. I feel like this is TOTALLY not the wedding I wanted and we've waited until the last minute to plan everything. Now we sit down to make reservations and he feels like the cabins are too expensive. Bite the freakin bullet. Please!
8. I watched "The Bridges of Madison County" today and was totally turned off. Clint Eastwood is so unattractive. And squinty. I don't like squinty.
9. I ordered my cap and gown today from IPFW's bookstore. I've had to call 3 different times to get a manager because I was told that he was the only person that could approve a purchase over the phone. The girl today answered the phone and when I explained what I needed she got snotty and said, "Um.. You just need to come into the store." I said, "UM...I've relocated to North Carolina. Let me speak with your manager." She was like 'Oh..." Honestly..they all act as if its totally abnormal to not live right in Fort Wayne and be able to come to the store. People do move you know? Get real.
10. Dog tongues are just so unlike cat tongues. Guinness has a slimy tongue. My cats have rough little tongues. I prefer the cats.
    

Had to wake up early today. Not really my forte as of late. I've really gotten out of the habit since I moved down. Its not like I have a job to make it to. I told Bob last night that he was going to have to make sure to get me up. He was apprehensive about doing this because I'm not always the nicest person to try and wake up. I've told people a million times...I can't be held responsible for things I do or say, or decisions I make when in the half-asleep mode. So he can't sleep..kinda like what I did ALL night, and he gets up earlier than usual, this being about 5:30. I'm finally feeling like I'm sleeping well. Then he comes back in and he's going to leave for work early too and he tries to get me up and I'm cranky. Now, wait a minute. You're leaving at least 20 minutes early for work and you don't have the time to wake me up patiently? Give me a break! I can't help it if I'm a heavy sleeper. I always turn my alarm clock off in my sleep unless Im working or teaching. Nothing registers in the back of my mind that I shouldn't do that.

Anyhow, flash forward a couple of hours. Its now 8:30 am. I had an appointment at the Spay & Neuter Clinic here in Greensboro to get Guinness neutered today. Poor puppy...bye bye balls! Anyhow...I've been trying all over creation and my nav system is now saying "When possible..make a legal U-Turn"...I do and head back the other direction. Then it says again, "When possible..make a legal U-Turn." HUH?? So its sending me in circles and I'm going all over the place.

In the meantime, Guinness..who isn't always thrilled with being in the car for longer than it takes to get to the park..starts puking all over my back seat. I'm calling the place and they're giving me bogus directions and they practically sent me to High Point before they said.."Oh...We've got you going the wrong direction. You need to turn around." I'm freaking out, I'm late, and Guinness is in the back seat licking his vomit off of the seat. Thats Awesome, Guinness..thanks for your help. Now its really ingrained in the fabric. I even stopped to try to clean it up. All I was able to do was ascertain that he had puked a lot and that if I opened the door and tried to clean it up he was going to dive past me and make a run for it. Thats not exactly what I needed at that point.

I managed to hold it together long enough to get to the clinic. I would have liked to have sent Guinness off in a better way. I also let the big "G.D." fly out of my mouth during the fiasco, which I now regret..especially seeing that I really want God on my side right now when my dog is going under for a surgery.

Poor Guinness..First I spin the car around in circles and he pukes all over the place, then I send him off to get put under and have his balls whacked off. Its just not our day, is it buddy?

Last night I rented "Marley & Me" and had a movie night with Guinness. "Marley & Me" was one of the best books I have ever read, especially being a dog lover. I knew what to expect from the movie then, but I still cried. I was crying from laughter and from sadness. The waterworks really began when Marley tried to go up the steps and was struggling.

Even though Guinness is only a puppy I dread the day when his time will come. I've waited my entire life to have a dog in the way some people wait for a child. As much as he aggravates and irritates me at times I love him to death. During the movie Guinness had been allowed in the living room so that he could watch it with me. He really did at times too. He likes to watch the TV and he was definitely interested in the barking and whining he heard. When Marley was put down I had to stop the movie for a little while because I was a mess.

I've always said that animals have a sense of when something is wrong with their owners. There have been numerous occasions growing up where I was sick and one of the cats would curl up on the couch with me and not leave my side. After I had to stop the movie, Guinness crawled up onto the couch with me and I just held onto him and bawled. I'm glad he was there.

All I can say is hold onto them while you've got them. That goes for dogs, cats, kids, parents, husbands, wives..you name it. I definitely recommend curling up on the couch with your dog and watching this movie. You'll need popcorn ( be prepared to share it!), soda, and tissues.

Enjoy!

Alright, so the original plan was for me and the Bob to fly to marry in Scotland. We were going to stay at a night Highland hotel, get married right on the highlands, and I even talked him into wearing a kilt. Yum yum! Then the dollar started tanking against the British pound and I started rethinking not being able to have any family or friends at our wedding.

Then we decided to do it in NYC. We flew to NY over Christmas and picked out a little garden park in the heart of the Village. At that point the economy worsened for everyone. People in my family started to lose their jobs. I had to have a serious heart-to-heart with everyone to see if they could come. I don't blame them..they couldn't afford it.

Bob and I decided on the Dominican Republic to honeymoon and even talked about marrying down there. It seemed like a pain though to try to do it in a latin American country. Afterall, where was I going to get my hair done? I then thought we had decided on marrying on a beach. Technically, I even picked my wedding dress out with the beach in mind. Coulda been a little clearer on that, Bob.

So here we are, looking at a late May, early June wedding and everything still isn't finalized. We're pretty sure we're getting a cabin in Tennessee at this place called the Preserve Resort. They happen to have a cute little chapel on site. We're all gonna stay in a cabin. Me and Bob, my parents, and maybe my sister. Thats it.

Can I just ask...WHAT happened to the wedding I always dreamed of? The one with all of my friends and family there. The one with the nice little reception afterwords with the grand entrance and the first dance and all of that. Could I please just win the lottery and fly everyone to Scotland so we can marry in the highlands and then Bob and I can fly to the Dominican Republic so we can still rot away on a warm, sandy beach.

Anyhow, the most important thing is that I at least have my immediate family there. That means my parents and hopefully my sister can come. Maybe down the road when everything straightens up for everyone, us included, we can renew our vows in a big grand wedding. For now I'll settle for the little chapel on the mountain. At least I got my dress.

I took it out of its garment bag today and snapped a couple of pics of it. Bob is forbidden to go near the dress. He can't see it until the big day.











And Now for the Daily Dog:

It's raining today so Guinness has that forlorned look about him. The one where he just sits by the door and stares out at the raindrops hitting the deck.




Well I guess I'd better find something to do on this rainy day. I'm starting to feel like we live in Forks. Yes..you know what I'm talking about 'Twilight' people.

Today I decided to try out the Bark Park again with Guinness. Our first and only visit there resulted in Guinness being rolled in the mud by a big dog only 30 seconds into the experience. I explained all of this in my previous post about the bark park. This time was a little better.

There are three off-leash, fenced-in areas in the Bark Park. I decided to take him into the one that usually is empty. There was only one dog in there anyhow. So I took Guinness in and let him off of his leash. We went to the far left of the enclosure ( which is huge btw) and found some tennis balls lying about. I played fetch with him for quite a while which he loved. Its funny how retrieving really seems to come instinctually to him. For the most part he ignored the other dog in there. Then he started to meander over to him so I followed. The couple that owned the dog looked at Guinness suspiciously and I assured them that he was totally friendly. The woman's immediate response was, "Well he is not." about her dog. Immediately their dog viciously lunged for Guinness. I was so pissed. WHY, if you know your dog is dog-aggressive have you brought him to the dog park?? Huh? The rules of the Bark Park clearly state that not only are dogs with histories of aggressive behavior prohibited, but that any dog must be removed at the first sign of aggression. They, of course did neither.

I leashed him up and he was scared to death. Now, Guinness is typically not afraid of any human or animal he comes across. If he shows any sign of trepidation I usually take that as a clear indicator to steer clear of that dog, knowing Guinness' amiable nature. I decided to chance it and take him into the main enclosure. There was a full-grown Golden there and it has been my experience that most Golden owners are very responsible pet owners. Of course the big Golden came right up to greet us. Guinness was just totally freaked out by everything. He ended up cowering over by the gate the entire time and trying to escape whenever someone opened it. I should also explain that about a week ago we were walking in the adjoining Military Park and this massive dog got loose from its gentle leader and came right for Guinness. I hadn't realized until that moment that I would take a bite for my dog, but I found myself shoving Guinness between my legs and crouching over him protectively. I ended up putting the other dog in a headlock until its owners could run over and get him.

Damn people. I mean really. Now that may have been an accident, but so many people are irresponsible with their pets. I ended up talking to the lady that owned the Golden and another lady who had what looked like a black lab mix. We were discussing why people were bringing dogs that were aggressive into the park. Meanwhile, Guinness, still over by the gate, ends up getting mounted by this pitbull who's jerky owner decided to bring in. Poor Guinness. He just melted into a pile of submissive goo and looked helplessly at me. I leashed him up and kept him beside me. The only dog he was really comfortable with was the big golden and a couple of the little tiny dogs. The pit kept assaulting every dog he came across. The owner continued to let it happen for some time before finally taking him back over into the other enclosure.

I'm gonna try to go there early in the morning the next time. I've heard its a better, more responsible, group of people at that time. And the next time I see people being irresponsible with their pets I'm going to point out the rules sign to them and inform them that they need to leave. I'll make sure I've got my cell on me from now on with the parks dept. number in it. I really think that the responsible owners who are there should really start to put their foot down about this issue with aggressive/obnoxious dogs.

But really, for the most part I enjoyed myself a lot more. The Bark Park really is a great thing and we both could really enjoy it if it wasnt for the bad owners. There is also a guy that seems to come there all the time and he sits on a bench with his dog and plays his fiddle. Thats such a nice touch. :)

We will be back. And we will enjoy ourselves without the presence of bullies.

One of my most Popular dishes amongst friends and family. CHICKEN SCAMPI

2 lb. boneless chicken breasts, boned 1/4 c. butter 1/4 c. olive oil 1/4 c. chopped scallions 1/4 c. parsley 2 tsp. lemon juice 1 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 2 tsp. chopped garlic 1 lb. linguini Parmesan cheese to taste Combine butter and oil in a pan over medium heat. Add scallions, garlic, salt and pepper. Saute. Add chicken, lemon juice, parsley. Cook 7 to 10 minutes or until chicken appears done. Cook linguini according to package directions. Drain and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Place in a large serving dish. Top with chicken. Serves 4 to 6.

Snapped some pictures of Guinness today on the way to Petsmart after our walk in the park. Threw together this little slideshow. Enjoy! PS..Notice the look of contentment on his face in the car as he gets full blasts of wind in the face. Silly pup!

Another social networking swamp is on the rise.. If you haven't heard of it yet there is no doubt that you will soon. Twitter. Its all the rave these days apparently. Its what all the cool kids are doing.

I want it to stop. Please! I can't keep up with the pace of the internet anymore. LOL

My first venture into cyberspace was ICQ. Man, I was quite the little rebel at 13 with my ICQ messenger. It even had instant chat and you could see when people deleted as they were typing. I talked to strangers all over the world...oooooo *spooky fingers*.

Then there was Yahoo Messenger and Yahoo Chat. MSN Messenger..AIM messenger.

Then came the social networking sites. Friendster. Had one never used it. Xanga..I was pretty active on it for a couple of years. I moved from there to Facebook then to Myspace.

NOW there is Twitter! What is Twitter? Well, I don't know and I'm putting my foot down now and saying I really don't care. I'm gonna stick with myspace and facebook and the random assortment of messengers I have collected over the years.

After all of this social networking am I really any more social? Not really, not that I suffered in that department before. Am I finding new clubs, potential employers? No.

So what was the point? I think I'll cling to what little social ambiguity I still possess and Twitter can be where the buck stops.

Well to say that the past few months have been a struggle would be an understatement to the greatest extent. I have been an emotional roller coaster. For someone who prides them self on being stable both in mind and in actions, I feel really out of whack with the mood swings I've been experiencing.

Bob and I considered depression. There was a month or so when I first moved down here where I was constantly weepy, down, and excruciatingly irritable. Poor Bob, he bore the brunt of that period. Thing is...and call me hoity-toity if you must..I'm above depression. Yeah..it sucks not having a job and feeling like you are helpless and forced to depend on someone. I'm a very independent person so thats hard for me. But nothing to be depressed about. Then again, I wouldn't put myself past relying on that rational reason and overlooking the highly irrational nature of depression. So maybe its true..what next?

I've done everything I can to get a job. My resumes are floating around two large counties right now and a handful of private schools and academies. The jobs just aren't there. Stupid recession. Alright, North Carolina. Where is this job shortage you've been touting all over the midwest? Huh?

I'm bored silly and that is half of the problem. It all goes back to being jobless though. I have no income, and no insurance. In plain words, I'm in ghettoville, ladies and gentlemen. In the past six months I have experienced the very worst that our fine American health system has to offer to people in my situation. I have had to get approved for free medical attention..thats a perk right? Well making an appointment with that perk still meant having to sit in St. Joe Hospital E.R. in Fort Wayne, Indiana, for over 7 hours only to find out that I had acute tendenitis and being put anti-inflammatories. That reads, prescription-strength Ibuprofen, folks. I have a new appreciation of what people in my situation, and in worse situations, have to go through to receive basic medical attention. Newsflash America! Your doctors are the highest paid in the world, and your health system ranks with several third world countries. This brings me back to a little ditty I learned on Sesame Street as a child. "One of these things is not like the other. Which one of these things does not belong?"

I haven't been able to refill my Ritalin LA for a few months now. Let me explain what that means in my world. I get up around 10:30-11 every day and have NO motivation to do anything. Some would call that lazy..thats my mind screaming "GET THE HELL UP AND DO SOMETHING, ALREADY!" and my body responding..."Cant....move...can't...think...can't...function". I'm in flakeville big time.

The good news? After having to go to the County's Public Health Dept. I was finally referred to a physician who will see me without raping me for loads of money. So hopefully, I'll get a refill next Friday and be a normal person again. If anything about my life is depressing it is that fact. Normal people take drugs and act like flakes. My brain makes me act like a flake and I have to take medication to be normal. Thats terribly depressing. I hate having to depend on anything. So anyhow, this doctor used to be the director down there I guess. So she's gonna see me, without insurance, for $35. BLESS HER heart and thank you Baby Jesus.

Speaking of Jesus. And I don't say that in a vain tense...I have a predicament. Bob and I are still church-shopping and there is a local church that I'm really interested called Westminster Presbyterian. Anyhow, they have contemporary services as well as traditional. I'm looking for a blend of the two I think. Bob is leaving in the morning for Georgia. He won't be back 'til Thursday. I'm thinking of going alone but I'm really nervous. Does anyone else go to church alone if they are in a relationship? I mean Bob would go if he wasn't leaving for Georgia on business. Do you really need company to go to church? I'm kind of torn. Let me know what you think.

Well this was a long time coming. I need to get off for now though. I apologize for the tone of this blog, however, its simply the reality of my current life situation. I'll leave you with a positive note. Today I bought daisies and pansies. Two of my favorite flowers and also very happy flowers. So I'm going to try out my green thumb again this year and transplant the daisies into a nice coco basket I got to hang off of our porch rail. I'll take picture of the progress.

'Til next time! Toodles...

I'll get around to this soon pending a refill on my Ritalin. What? I can't get anything DONE without it.

I'll get back on here..don't you worry your little heart about it.

It was beautiful here today. Mostly warm, light breeze and hardly a cloud in the sky. So I decided to take Guinness for an extra long walk today. We went most of the way through Military Park and then cut over into Country Park. We strolled through there for a ways and stopped off in the Bark Park. For the first time. Now..I have been warned about the Bark Park. Warned that some people bring their aggressive dogs even though they shouldn't. I decided to check it out and that I would intervene if I had to. Three seconds in to the experience..I'm trying to get Guinness to drink some water at the fountain and he's being Mr. Picky and wouldn't have anything to do with it. Then here come the other dogs to greet Guinness. One of them was really obnoxious and decided to grab him and pin him down and then ROLL him in the mud. I was like OMG when I saw the mud on him. I also thought he seemed a little freaked out by that particular dog so I decided to keep an eye on him. Guinness enjoyed himself while I chatted with a couple of people there and while a really cute boxer came over and loved on me. Unfortunately..here came the obnoxious dog again. This was the only dog that Guinness interacted with that made him yelp. At this point I went over to separate them and to call it a day. Guinness was COVERED in mud! His owner only said to her dog "Thats the second white dog we've run off today." Um..I'm sorry but is that something to gloat about or even to be okay with?? Maybe she'd like to pay for the bath that Guinness was definitely gonna have to have after that. Ugh!
So we walked back to the car and at that point poor Guinness was exhausted. When I gave him his water from my water bottle he layed down to drink it haha. Poor dog! He was ABSOLUTELY covered in mud and dirt. He looked like PigPen from Charlie Brown. As soon as we got home I called PetSmart to see if I could fit him in for an "emergency" bath. Unfortunately they wouldn't take him because he's now turned 4 months and we haven't gotten his rabies shot. Money is kind of tight right now since Bob is supporting both of us until I can find a teaching job. So he was trying to shop around even though I explained to him this could happen.
I ended up having to go to Petsmart and get shampoo and conditioning treatment so that i could bathe him at home. Ohhhh my goodness. I have NEVER bathed a dog in my entire life! What a riot! I ended up getting into a bathing suit and basketball shorts and putting him in our walk in shower with me. I thought he was going to hate it and go nuts or bite me or something. Um...no. Not my little weirdo. He freaking LOVED every minute of it! He pranced around and then he would snap at the water from the showerhead. I got him clean and towel dried and decided I'd try to blow dry him. I know a lot of dogs hate this and are freaked out by the sound. Again, not the case with Guinness. He literally climbed into my lap while I blow dried him. I never know what to expect from him.

So tonight he's totally zonked out after the long walk and it has been very quiet and peaceful around here. He's relaxed, he's fluffy, and he no longer looks like a mud monster. What a day!

*Note: Pic is not of Guinness. Only after I blow dried him did I realize that I should have taken muddy pics, wet rat pics, and fluffy "after" pics. DOH! Regardless..the pup in the pic looks EXACTLY like he did after the Bark Park!

Last night I came across the funniest article here. Reading the article was humorous enough but I rolled with laughter and some of the comments below it. Please take the time out of your busy lives to enjoy a laugh at these anecdotes!

I have plenty of stories myself about sleepwalking. I guess it runs in my family through my father's side. We are both that scary kind of sleepwalker that seem very livid and "awake" though we aren't. We're also the people you see on 20/20 who occasionally eat in their sleep but never remember it. My Mom claims to have woken up on several occasions, while they were still married, to find things like fudgesicles stuck to my father and his pillow.

Apparently, I also have done this a few times and had witnesses to tell me about it. Once, while on a Campus Life trip to Florida, I apparently had a lively conversation with my friends in our cabin while I ate another girls Little Debbie Cakes. She was very unhappy with me the other day and my friends couldn't believe that I only hardly remember speaking to them and nothing about eating. On another occasion, a friend of mine spent the night and explained to me the following day that I had come out of my bedroom at least 3 times, gotten a popsicle from the freezer and ate it in front of her.

Then there are the things that I have said in my sleep. Some of the more memorable things include:

• "Honey! There's Bologna Over here!!" -I dreamed that my fiance ( who used to sit on the couch and eat rolled up bologna, ICK!) had brought bologna to bed and it was coming out of the matress
  

• "You know, we should really consider installing that second windshield. You know..for the people." and later in the night "Mustaaang, Niiiiiice! F**kin' GTO!" - This was after a visit to the Auburn, Cord, Dusenburg Museum in Auburn, IN

• "*chuckling heartily then sighing..* Oh Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy.."- This was recent!

• One night I "woke up" to find a spider web suspended in mid air above my face. I was dreaming of course. But I started shoving Bob going, "MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!" He just looked at me in shock. I said, "FINE! I will CRAWL over you!!" And I did. He says, "WHAT are you doing??" I waved my hand in the air and said.."Do THIS" He waves his hand and says.."Honey..there's nothing there." I said "I could have sworn I was awake." and went right back to bed and passed out.
• Also on the Florida trip I woke up in the middle of the night and leaned over the girls bunk next to mine, patted her on the head and said, "I hope you feel better, sweety." Then went back to sleep. That same trip I walked in..pantsless on my friend Kasondra while she was showering. She was apparently like, "Gina! I'm naked!" I guess I grumbled and said something like, "I don't f**king care..." then used the toiled and kept saying "f*ck" or so I'm told. I slightly remember going to the bathroom and kasondra being in there but thinking nothing of it.

Then there were the Ambien-induced sleepwalking incidents. I'm convinced thats what was going on with the girl in the article. My sister was on Ambien for a while and used to call me at night. We'd talk forever and she'd seem totally fine then just slowly start to get weird and have to go. I would always get a phone call the next day saying, "Gina..Adam (her husband) said I called you last night. What did we talk about?" haha

When insomnia became too much for me I too was prescribed Ambien. I once wrote a looooong blog about how much I loved my "mommy" and "should tell her more often". Yikes! The worst, though was something that happened at the IPFW dorms. Oh my.. First of all, I don't sleep with pants on. Its just too constricting for me. I'm sure everyone wanted to know that but its relevent..just humor me. On this occasion,my roommate heard me get up in the middle of the night and went to investigate. There she found me..with a full bag of garbage in one hand and my other hand about to open the apartment door and NO pants on! I was about to take the garbage out, in my sleep, with no keys (the door automatically locked because it was electronic). I would have been locked out..wandering around the parking lot with trash and no pants on. She said she looked at me and said, "Gina..what are you doing?" She said I just looked at her and looked confused and grumpy and then dropped the trash and said.."Im going back to bed!" and I did. LOL

Well that concludes my sleepwalking anecdotes. Please feel free to share yours!

Warning...Impending Rant..stand clear!

So today was the day I had to go the the North Carolina DMV to receive my North Carolina Driver's License. I didn't notice a sign reading "Welcome to Hell" but I guess I could have missed it.

My adventure started out with the lady at the desk. Now..I think it should be stated, before I go any further, that I remained totally polite, friendly, and cooperative throughout my interactions with the DMV folks. The lady asks for my ids. I gave her my passport, my Social Security Card, and my Indiana driver's license. She asked for my proof of insurance. I gave her that. My Honda is under Bob's name because he bought it for my last year. The insurance is also in his name. She asked where my name was on it. I explained the situation...clearly. She told me that I was going to have to call the insurance company and have them fax the proof of insurance there. I told her that they would send the same thing with his name on it not mine. She said, "Maam, you are going to have to call your insurance company, and have them fax the proof of insurance." She hands me their fax number and sends me back to the lobby. Okay..fine. I call the number and have them fax it and then take my number and have a seat in the main room. For a long time.

They have like 2 people working. Another person would come in and then someone would take a break so there was always 2 people. I understand that the economy has taken a turn for the worst, but seriously..the state can only afford to have 2 ppl???

Finally they call me. I go through all the stuff at the desk, including stumbling through the road signs during the "vision" test. Some of that crap is hard! Anyhow then he sends me to a computer for the "written" portion. I thought i'd never have to do that again since I became old enough to drive!! That sucked and I missed 4 of the 5 you could possibly miss. Anyhow I passed...barely. I come back and he tells me my fax never came. He sends me to a seat to call again.

I call and wait until I can go back to the desk again. They've faxed it and now they tell me that its not going to hold up because it doesnt have my name. Well no shit! Was it ME that told you that? Was it ME that told you that they would fax the EXACT thing I held in my hand??

So there I was, having been there for nearly 2 hours and they tell me I have to get a form sent in by the insurance company. The dumbass woman sends me back to the same seat I called from the 2nd time to make a 3rd call to the insurance company. I start to call and one of the DMV guys shouts across the room "You can't use your cell phone in here. You have to do it in the lobby." First of all I already HAD used my cell in there the 2nd time they told me to call the insurance company. I said.."Sir! Your lobby is full! There is not standing or sitting room." He insisted I make the call in there. At that point I was fed up with the lot of them.. I said. "You know what. That's fine. I'll take the three steps into your "lobby" to make my call. Better still..I'll take five steps and find myself another branch." And left.

Why do people have to be so lazy and rude? If the lady would have told me what to do the FIRST time I explained the situation, then I wouldn't have wasted 2 hours in there.

I'll try a branch next time that ISN'T in the ghetto.

Market Street DMV... You suck!

BTW..I'm watching 'Burn Notice", which is one of my favorite shows on TV right now. Its like James Bond/MacGeyver. Anyhow its weird but this is the only thing that Guinness has consistently sat in front of and watched. His little eyes dart back and forth and his head keeps tilting haha. It must be all the flashy colors and movements. Although..can dogs see color? I'm not sure.

Wednesday night means...GHOSTHUNTERS!!!



Okay..I think I'm more into this tv show than any other show EVER. And I love the drama on the side. Brian always complains and thinks the world is out to get him for some reason. Andy is a total know-it-all, and although I think he's smart I think he would get on my nerves too. Tango is a total cutie with his jersey accent. I also think Grant is kind of attractive and I'm not sure why.

The best thing about Ghosthunters is that they try their best to debunk things. Its not like Paranormal State where they try to over dramatize things or imbelish.

So here's to a night with beer, cozy fire burning, and my favorite TV Show. I <3 Ghosthunters..

I remember a time when I absolutely LOVED rainy days. Rain has always been soothing to me and I like the idea of being able to have a lazy day indoors without guilt.

Its not quite the same when you have a dog. I'd love to take him for a walk but to go to the park or anywhere else would mean some seriously muddy paws in my car. Not gonna happen! So trying to keep a 15-wk old puppy entertained indoors is like rolling a boulder uphill. It also seems that on rainy days he wants to drag me outside for no reason at all. You know, I'd rather not get soaked and have to towel both of us off every time you want to go dick around outside, my dear.

Its been a lot of chase and tug games today instead. I was supposed to go to the license branch today to get my N.Carolina driver's license. Unfortunately, I slept like complete crap AGAIN last night so I ended up having to sleep in. I guess I'm gonna have to go tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow will be sunny too so Guinness and I can get outside.

I think we both have Cabin Fever. Sometimes toddlers are easier to entertain than my dog. ;)

Ingredients

• 6 Large ( Family-Sized) bags Tea ( Luizianne if you want the good stuff!)
• 2 C water
• 1 1/2 C Sugar or Splenda
• 2 lemons

Directions

1. In a large pot add water and tea bags and bring to a boil.

2. After it comes to a rolling boil allow it to continue for 1 minute then remove from heat.

3. Squeeze tea bags out and toss them.

4. Pour hot tea into a large pitcher.

5. Add sugar/splenda and stir well.

6. Fill pitcher the rest of the way with cold water slowly, stirring the entire time.

7. Make sure to leave enough room for lemons if you want them in the pitcher.

8. Allow Sweet Tea to refrigerate for as long as you can. It ferments in the fridge as the sugar dissolves even more and the lemons sweeten the tea.

9. Use remaining lemon for individual drink slices.

10. ENJOY !

11. *Note: Using Splenda and Decaffinated Luizianne will allow you to consume as much of this as you would like, totally guilt-free and without staying up all night.

12. 
    

You know..I love my dog. I really, really do. I've waited my entire life to have him. But I have to admit some times he frustrates the CRAP out of me. I'm sure its this puppy stage. I think there is a piece missing from my female psyche that makes it extraordinarily difficult to deal with infant and young stages in animals or humans.

There are times when I'm like..OMG..when are you going to become a mature, well-behaved dog? Really he's extremly trainable and very smart ( when he wants to be). Its just these puppy things we have to deal with. There are times when he totally ignores my commands. And he has the WORST gas ever. No really..it makes me almost gag! And thats when I know he's definitely going to need to go #2 soon.

So I just took him out and he's just dicking around forever. He wants to pick up leaves and twigs and stuff. I'm in flip flops and freaking PJ pants freezing my ass off! Come ON dog! Just poop already! Finally I clipped him outside on his tie-out. I came back out to give him a toy and to put his harness on so he wasn't choking himself on his collar. And I couldn't believe it. Suddenly there are these white flakes falling all around me. What the crap?? It was 75 last week! Its snowing!

Of course I can't leave him out when its snowing. So I tried to get him to go again to no avail and he just got more and more obnoxious so he's in his crate now. I know if I let him run around in here he'll just sit be the door and whine like he has to go out. I just want him to stop dicking around outside. If you have to go..be ready to walk outside, squat, do your business, and come back inside.

The bad thing is..if he's going to act like this today I am NOT taking him to the park. Its not going to be enjoyable for either one of us if he's a total ass on the leash.

Maybe this is normal but he has great days and then he has days where I just want him to be like a 5 year old dog. Grow up Guinness!! :)

I'm sure I'll be posting in about a year saying "Oh My Dog! Where has my puppy gone??" But at the moment I could deal with a better behaved pup. He's being sweet at the moment because he's ASLEEP in his cage. Terrible twos anyone?

Here's to a better day...with wagging tails instead of fingers.

Well this should be a new experience.

I've always been slightly fascinated by these blogspot postings. Every once in a while I stumble across someone's blog and take the time to read their thoughts. Not that much of what I have to say is worth stumbling across, but the pages of my journal continues to fill up. This is so much easier. We'll give it a try.

So, I've been taking Guinness to the Guilford Military Park right by us. Its a great park and its full of little foot trails through the woods. He does so well when its just him and I on the trail. He's getting to be really good on his his leash. If he gets a little bit ahead of me he looks back at me, pauses and then falls into step beside me again. So we finished our walk and I always bring a bottle of water with me and a rubbermade bowl to give him some water when we're done. I went to the trashcan to throw it away. It had this weird latch that said "Animal Proof Latch". So I open it up and there is a mouse inside of it scurrying around. It looked at me in shock like I had just walked in on it showering. haha I just laughed and said "Animal Proof my butt!". Weird.

Anyhow. Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and I have something special planned for Bob. Well a whole day's worth actually. I'm starting by making him breakfast. Everything he likes. For lunch I'm taking him to Jason's Deli in Friendly shopping center. I'm making chocolate covered strawberries. THIS time they won't include rancid shortnening. haha There's a funny story behind that.

Last summer I decided to surprise Bob with a romantic picnic. I bought things for small sandwiches. A nice french baguette and some decent brie. I made chocolate covered strawberries with Ghiradelli chocolate. I got him his favorite Ginger ale and me some Orangina. I had planned to take him to a park, spread a blanket out, the whole deal. THAT didn't happen. He was on his way home and I step outside and suddenly it looks like its going to storm. Okay..I changed my plans. I set us up outside on our patio table. I have the whole shebang out there. I even brought out the little wine tasting glasses we got when we went to Chateau Morrisette in Virginia. I took Bob out there and showed him what I had planned. He was pleased as pie! So we're starting to eat and really enjoying ourselves. The drinks are poured and ALL of a sudden the wind gusts. Our umbrella gets caught up in the gust and it picks the ENTIRE metal and glass table up!! We had to throw ourselves across the table top to keep it from flipping the table. Its made of tempered glass so if it cracks..well it wouldn't crack. SHATTER into a million pieces would be more like it. So we saved the table...The rest of it..well not so much. The food we had out was dumped with the gust and at least one of our glasses shattered. We gathered everything up and pulled the umbrella out of the table and ran indoors. I spread ablanket out on the floor and the rest of our picnic went pretty well. I pulled the chocolate covered strawberries out and he was like "Oh wow!" Until we tasted them. We both grimaced and looked at each other and ran to the trash can to spit them out.

When I dip anything in chocolate I use about a teaspoon of shortening to keep it creamy and smooth. I thought that his crisco looked kind of funny. I hadn't realized he had it for ages and I never use crisco except for something like that. I hadn't given it a second thought. It was totally rancid and upon closer inspection it looked like melted plastic. UGH! We had to throw out all of the strawberries. This was the picnic from hell! haha

We still laugh about that. I'm certain that he'll bring it up tomorrow when I bring out the chocolate covered strawberries. haha.

Sometimes in my life when it rains..it pours. Well..my surprise from him is coming tonight. I'll let it be known that I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a new phone. I've been waiting and I keep bringing it up haha. I know it doesn't sound very romantic but I hate having to use his phone with his phone number. I wanted to get the Pink Sandstone Blackberry Pearl. I dunno if that's gonna work out though because Cingular (AT&Crap) says I have to purchase a data pkg to get that phone. What a rip! I think I'm going for the Samsung Propel which was originally the phone I was interested in. So I'm hopefully going to get my hands on one of those and start doing a lot of Ozzy impressions.." blahblahblabhblackcoffee" "Itsjustf758ingbollocksman" Oh Ozzy. haha

Well..I should really actually get off of my rear and do something productive. And I suppose that watching The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, and Pillow Talk doesn't count towards that. Besides...I have more things to pick up for the big day tomorrow. Did I mention I have a romantic candellite massage planned? Oh..don't put it in the gutter. My intentions are totally aimed at relaxation. I happen to be quite good at massages.

Anyhow I'm signing off..until next time.