Its New Years Resolution time again guys! Last year I completed 7 of my goals, the three I didn't do were bake a cheesecake from scratch, fly a kite on the beach, or write a thank-you note to my high school teacher. Easy things to get done, that I just never devoted the time to doing (plus I shied away from the beach after the sting ray incident). But even though those aren't on my list this year, I still plan to do those things this year. Lets call those extra credit goals.
I will be posting a list in my side bar pretty soon so you can check on my progress towards my resolutions, and also check out my reviews on the books I'm reading.
1.Complete Jillian Michael's 30-day Shred
I've actually started the shred once before, and stopped after about Day 9 or so. I just told myself I was going to take a day break and never came back. I just completed Day 6 this time around, so I'm more than 1/5th of the way through, so it would be stupid to stop now. I'm pretty sore all over, but I can tell my endurance is better already. Plus, Adam said my arms were looking more toned the other day. I'll be really proud of myself if I finish this.
2. Clean Out The Shed
We have one small closet in our house, so when we moved we threw everything we didn't need to survive in the shed. There is also a lot of wedding gifts out there, that we can't really use till we move in a few years, and also things that need to be donated. Every time I go out there the disorganization drives me bonkers. But its a big job, that will be tackled this year (with pictures to prove it).
3. Go on Our Honeymoon
We couldn't go on our honeymoon right after the wedding, due to money and time off of work issues. But we have one planned for our first anniversary this year. We are going to Washington D.C., and I know that this isn't your typical honeymoon location. But Adam and I are the biggest history geeks ever. So it is perfect for us. We are staying in this swanky hotel in DuPont Circle, and I can't wait. This is only listed as a goal, because there are some things we have to pay for ahead of time. I need to make sure that gets done.
4. Join a Church
I haven't attended church once since I moved to California. I still pray all the time, and my relationship with God hasn't faltered. But I miss going to church and having the worship experience. I'm just so darn shy, and Adam isn't much interested in going with me. So its hard to get motivated. But I will get off my behind in 2010, and get involved.
5. Read 35 Books
Last year I read 30 books, and I felt that was a good resolution. I really enjoyed getting back into reading, after so many years of not reading due to college reading obligations. So this year I raised the goal to 35. This will definitely be hard, because I almost didn't make the goal of 30 last year, but I'm up to the challenge.
6. Become Confident in Role-Plays
I have to do one of these just about every class, it is a nerve-wracking experience, and every time I feel like I'm going to die. I slowly taught myself not to be nervous when giving oral presentations, so this year I'm going to work on raising my confidence in myself as a therapist.
7.Create a Wedding Album
I really, really need to print out all the pictures that my friends and family took at the wedding, and put them in a scrapbook. Not only does it really need to get done, this will go a long way in helping me get over my dad's bad behavior.
8. Lose 30 lbs
Last year, I lost 35 lbs and was able to keep it off. This was awesome, and I was even able to stop taking my blood pressure medicine. I have kind of plateaued since then, not losing or gaining anything (But not really trying either). I feel like 30lbs a year is a really sensible goal, and will go a long way in getting me healthier.
9. Write more Legibly
I write terribly, I'm always having to rewrite numbers and words from my students, and I find it kind of embarrassing. My little "A's" look like little "E's", so people are always misspelling my name by looking at my own signature. Lets not talk about how I had to go to the courthouse twice in one hour, because they spelled my name wrong on my marriage certificate. I tried to convince everyone that it didn't matter, that we could keep it that way, but apparently it really, really does matter. LOL So I just have to slow down my writing, and pay attention to what I'm doing.
10. Stop Binge Eating when I'm Sad
This is another goal that just deals with living a healthier lifestyle. I've always been one to binge eat when I'm sad or bored. I eat pretty sensibly usually, and then I have a bad day, and I just pack away the food. Its a bad habit I picked up from my teenage days, when I was fighting depression, and it is how I got fat. I still do it, and sometimes I will throw away an entire day of healthy eating because I ate a cookie and then decide to binge. But no more, my emotions will no longer rule my eating habits.
So the last time I was in class was three weeks ago (due to winter break). This was my first break since June, and it has been fabulous. Believe it or not, there is life outside of Grad School! Who knew? During that class, I had to do my role-play. Yes that sounds kinky, but unfortunately for me and you, it's just not. Basically I wrote a vignette, based on some situation someone might see a therapist for, and then had to play therapist for 20 minutes in front of the class with a classmate.
Believe me, being a therapist involves a lot more than just asking, "And How Does That Make You feel?" It is about thinking on your feet, because you can't plan out what a client will say. Luckily, I survived and actually did really well. But because I am a rational, well adjusted, young woman the days leading up to my role-play involved a lot of just threatening to drop out of school altogether, because really why even try? Fatalist, much?
Once my role-play was done, I felt like the weight of two half-ton twins was lifted off my shoulders, and I could sit back and watch my classmates role play (Meaning I could harshly judge them). One girl in my glass had written a vignette about a male teenager, who was suffering from body dysmorphic disorder (this is when a person is excessively worried about what they see as a problem in their physical appearance, and this problem may not even exist. Kind of like Michael Jackson and his nose). For her role-play, she had written that the client was obsessed with his extremely, mild case of acne. The guy chosen to be the client was this really kind and husky man, that I will call Walter.
During his role-play, Walter said that his friends on his football team often make fun of his obsession with his acne. The therapist asked him what were some of thing things his friends were saying, and he replied that they called him "Crater Face" and "Pimples Galore." When he said Pimples Galore, soda just about came out my nose, and I was having to bite my tongue to keep from laughing and ruining the role-play. It's just the image of this guy on the football team, who is as big as a football player himself being called "Pimples Galore," is the funniest thing ever. Is it just me, or is that hilarious? Maybe you have to know him, I don't know.
But on our break, I started talking to my classmates about those commercials you see on TV where someone gets a pimple and then freaks out because how can they they possibly go on a date when they have a pimple! It goes something like this, "Gee Wilikers, I have a blemish on my nose, Suzy Q will never go to the sock hop with me now!" Ok so that was the 1950's version of the modern day acne treatment commercials. But I always thought those commercials were so silly, I've never gotten one pimple, that would keep me chained to the house. Now I get how a severe case of acne would be a horrible thing, although I've never really had a complexion problem. But one pimple, come on on people. I wasn't buying it.
Then on Monday morning, I woke up with a zit where the skin meets my upper lip, and that sucker was monstrous. I swear I've never seen a zit that size. I don't know what show it is, but I've seen this cartoon where a big zit on this guy's face talks to and influences this guy to do evil things, and it totally reminded me of my zit.
When I really started looking at my pimple, I figure out it was three pimples that had kind of combined together to form one giant, evil entity of pus. Not only was it ugly, but it was one of those painful pimples that drive you batty. So of course, I have to pop it to stop the pain, and I'm popping all three centers of the pimple repeatedly (gross image, I know), and using my quick fix trick of toothpaste, but nothing is working.
Then, Adam comes home from work and tells me its looks like I have herpes on my lip. At first, I'm like how does he know what herpes looks like?" ]and then I think, "OMG, it looks like I have herpes." Gee, thanks Adam for given me a complex about my pimple. Of course, I was out of concealer, and all week my younger students have been pointing out my pimple. I told one 2nd grader, that one day she would have pimples too, and she told me that could never happen to her. Good luck, sweetheart!
Honestly, I think my pimple is some kind of karmic payback, for laughing so hard about the whole "Pimples Galore" thing. But man that nickname still makes me laugh. Also, now I get it, one pimple can affect your day!
Fireworks in Long BeachSo last week I did living rooms, so now I thought I showcase some of my fave bedrooms. I like fun, bright colors, but I also like some pretty classic stuff.
We went to the mall today, to pick up various items that we needed. A process that I dreaded because the mall will be packed from here to Christmas, and there is nothing less fun than shopping in a crowd. First, we went to Target to print out photos for our up coming court case. Oh I probably haven't mention that before, because of the ridiculousness of this case, but lets just say our previous landlords are big butts. * Grumble*. Next we went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and Hallmark to look at Christmas decoration type stuff. Do you know that they sell Christmas themed toilet covers? I found a picture to prove it. This is so wrong, on so many levels. It is degrading to Santa. Sadly I could see my mother buying this.
My mother's house every year looked like Christmas exploded. She even has a snowman cover for her computer monitor. Even though I have always teased her about it, it is exactly the kind of house you would want to wake up in on Christmas morning. And she always had other ways of making Christmas extra special. One year she had ordered some teddy bear for me from a catalog, and when it arrived the nose was mushed in. So she put a letter in my stocking from Santa, apologizing for letting Rudolph step on my bear. I could care less about the crushed nose, because I had a letter from Santa! Not just any letter, but an apology letter. Score.
Last year I spent Christmas with Adam's family in Wisconsin, and while I enjoyed the snow and the company- I missed my family. We had always planned to go home to see my family this year, but as luck (see stupid court case) and finances would have it, I'm the only one that can afford to go home. So I'm flying home alone on December 19th and staying through the 23rd. My family and I are just going to celebrate a few days early. Because if it can be helped at all, I will never spend Christmas without Adam. At first, I was a little disappointed that he would not get to experience the Ervin Christmas Extravagance. But then my mom decided to send us her old Christmas tree, and we purchased three matching stockings (one for each of us, and one for the pooch). We don't have a lot of money for gifts this year, but I'm really looking forward to our quiet little Christmas together. And and excited about forming our own Christmas traditions.
P.S-I rolled out my annual Christmas blog layout. I hope you like.
I spent most of today watching HGTV, and daydreaming about what I would do with my house if I had some extra crash. (OK so I was really thinking about getting rid of the couches). These are some of the designs I really, really love. I'm not sure if I love or hate the last one, I defintly know Adam wouldn't go for it. But I don't care what he thinks :)
I was watching the travel channel the other night, and a show called Extreme Restaurants came on. They had a bunch of interesting restaurants on there. One was called Ninja and it is located in New York. Basically Ninjas jump out and scare the ever loving peace out of you. That sounds so not fun to me, I hate being scared, and I would be a basket case by the time I left. Just ask my mom how I once turned around and ran out of a Haunted House 30 seconds after I had entered it. And how she didn't want to ask for her money back because it was for charity. So no thanks Ninja restaurant.
The second restaurant they featured was a little disturbing. It is called Modern Toilet and the original restaurant is located in Taiwan, but it is now a chain! The theme of the restaurant centers around, you guessed it, toilets and poop. You know how three-year olds think that talking about poop is hilarious? I have to believe that is how they came up with this restaurant concept. The chairs are actually toilets, and the tables are bathtubs. The lights are even shaped like poop, and they have a pink poop mascot statue in the front. The food comes in toilet bowls, and one of their menu items is vegetable curry (which looks really gross in the toilet, and I won't post a pic of that LOL). They also serve chocolate ice cream that is shaped like turds in toilet bowls! Insanity. There is no end to the madness. Apparently it is a really popular restaurant over there. I would probably eat there once just for the experience, but I still think it is pretty questionable. 
Its been a year ago this month since I got really, really sick. I know this because the night before I came down with the worst case of food poisoning I have ever have, I went to a midnight screening of the Quantum of Solace with Adam. Adam is obsessed with anything and everything James Bond. When I first met him in the dark ages of AIM chatting, his screen name was bndadm. Which was an abbreviated form of, "Bond Adam." But I thought it was a weird form of the name,"Brandon." So for the first six months of chatting with the man I WOULD EVENTUALLY MARRY, I couldn't even remember his first name.
The movie was OK, Daniel Craig was hot as always, but it definitely didn't live up to the typical Bond film in our oh so humble opinion. I had gotten a soft pretzel for a snack that night, and the next morning I kicked off the lovely Throwing Up Extravaganza of 2008 (Great Imagery I know). DAMN YOU PRETZEL. Adam even had to come home from work, just to take the dog for her morning walk, because I couldn't even walk a few feet. Coincidentally, a few months earlier we had gone to a different midnight movie, and Adam had woken up sick. Apparently, midnight movies only make us tired, cranky, and sick. So at the ripe old ages of 23 and 25, we have decided WE ARE TOO OLD TO GO TO MIDNIGHT MOVIES. The girl who used to stay up until 5 a.m. every night, that lives inside me, is ashamed.
I mused last week that it had been forever since I had gotten sick, and then on Friday morning I woke up with a sinus infection (I so jinxed myself). I felt like there was an Elephant inside my head trying to escape. So that morning I had a conversation with myself that went like this, "Dear Body, I have no time to be sick. K, Thanks." But my body wasn't listening, and the truth is I probably got sick because I have been running myself ragged. I'm feeling a little bit better today, but if I stand too long I still get really fatigued. Honestly, I want nothing more but to have enough energy to get up and clean the bathroom. I'm not even kidding.
1. Freudian Slippers 
2. Pet Catuses (Cacti if you are an English stickler)
Aren't these little catuses adorable? Finally a plant I can't kill! But better than that, I figured I could turn these into necklaces, and give Adam the blue one and me the pink one. We would wear them around our necks as a symbol of our undying love. It would be just like the whole Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thorton thing, but less creepy. Do you guys remember when Angelina was really crazy? Pre-Brad Pitt?
3. Plush Sushi!
You have no idea how in love with these I am! I want them all! Not just because I love Sushi, but because they are so cute! Who wouldn't want to cuddle up with a little Wasabi plushie? That would be hot (Ha!). I think I should make Adam buy me this, to make up for the fact that he won't ever take me out to eat sushi.
4. Grow Your Own Mario 1Up Mushroom
So Mario Brothers was a pivotal part of my childhood. I love the idea of getting this little pot, scooping up some soil from outside, and then pretending to grow a classic 1up mushroom. Plus it would look really cute just sitting on my desk.
5. Owl USB Port
This little guy sits on your lap top or on his own personal stump. He has three different moods, "Mellow, Active, or Sleeping." I just think he would keep me smiling when I'm working on those grueling papers. Maybe he could give me some sage advice from time to time. Or he could just sit there and look cute.
I found the slippers at UncommonGoods.com and the other stuff at ThinkGeek.com.
So on Sunday, I told you about the wonderful things my mother has taught me (and she is just as amazing as she sounds, the strongest woman I know). One of the things I listed was to always use a coaster. This is one I abide by, because I hate drink rings on a table. *Shivers* Adam really does follow along with this, but Thursday when I got home late from class ,I found an empty glass on the coffee table. And heaven forbid, we get a drink ring on our uber valuable $25 IKEA coffee table. All of a sudden I had visions of him putting a million glasses without coasters on the coffee table every Thursday night, and LAUGHING while I toil away in class. But he said that Sarah had knocked over an empty glass with her tail, and he had just placed it back on the table. I believed him, because Sarah has a massively, strong tail. Once she even managed to knock my lap top off the table.
But the next day, I found a drink ring on the table (not where the glass was last night) and decided to send him a light-hearted e-mail about it.
Me: There is a ring on the coffee table-You Bastard! :P
Adam: Okay bitch, impossible, listen up. The cup was empty, Sarah knocked it with her tail when I was trying to leash her up. The cup was not cool or wet enough to create a ring. That ring has to be from a different glass I had on the table. Or it was you. Investigate THAT!
Me: LOL I know its not where the glass was last night, but there is one on the side of the couch where you sit. I know it was you, because I'm too obsessive to do it. I bet you do it when I'm in class!! You are a bad person.
Adam: Well did it cause damage?
Me: I want to say yes and make you grovel at my feet and apologize, but unfortunately that would be a lie.
That man always makes me laugh. I love him.
This is Clyde. Clyde's name is spelled with a backwards L. If you don't spell Clyde's name with that backwards letter, he gets angry. When Clyde gets angry, he kicks puppies. And you don't want to be responsible for a kicked puppy now do you? That's what I thought. Clyde sits in our backyard, and is shared with our duplex neighbor. Do you know we have lived here a little over two months now, and I have yet to glimpse our next door neighbor? Adam met him on move in day, and assures me he exists. But other than once hearing him sing karaoke through the walls, I have no proof.
Clyde holds the washer and dryer, and all the crap that we can't fit in our one closet. In Clyde, there are various items, that either belong to the mysterious duplex neighbor, or were left there by the landlord.
Doesn't everybody have a dead baby doll hanging from a cage in their storage shed? I know we do! We call her Chatty Cathy, because that just seems fitting. Plus, I hypothesized (ohhh, big word) that maybe it is her chattiness, that got her strung up in the cage. Bad Chatty Cathy! Bad! I about fell out laughing the first time I saw it, and now I don't even notice it. What does that say about me?
There are several things that terrify me about this sign. First, was this stolen from a place that their are actually buried mines? Are there innocent souls that are going to be walking around a dangerous place, lets say a wal-mart parking lot, and are going to be blown up by a mine? Or is the sign to warn me and Adam of the dangers that lurk in Clyde? Will I be separating my whites and colors one day, take too many steps to the right, and be blown to smithereens? If that is case, dear Internet, I leave you all my snow globes
In the scheme of all the weird things in the barn, this wielder's mask isn't as interesting or as scary. But why it is there? Its not like the barn is used for wielding, as there are no other wielding tools in the barn. (Not that I knew what welding tools looked like, but I do now after I googled it). And why is the mask named Hutch? I just envision the horror movie scene that might be reenacted in our barn, and worry that it is lowering our property value.
This isn't an object, but a picture painted on the back wall. First, can I say WHY!?! Why is this painted on the wall? Is it art? Second of all, what exactly is it? I'm pretty sure two of the images are a giant man and a cloud. But what are the other images? Tacos? Rocks? Joints? Is he smoking them? Eating them? Dreaming of them? You tell me.
So after wrestling with it all month, I've decided that I will participate in NaBloPoMo 2009. You know where you write an entry every day for 30days? And just telling you I'm going to do this, has my heart beating a million miles an hour, because now I have to do this. This is insanity for me, because I hardly have time to crank out an entry every week. But last year I didn't learn about NaBloWriMo until after it had started, so I promised myself I would do it next year. Well, its next year! Though last year I didn't know I would be embarking on the Great Grad School Adventure, where I don't have one moment where I shouldn't be cranking out a paper. So I can't promise that every entry will be gold, and most will be posted at 11:59 p.m. But here goes nothing.
This is a text conversation between my niece and my mother. It is important to note that no one had even mentioned Christmas when this conversation started.
Kayla: I want cash for Christmas.
Mom: Oh is that right? What do you want to spend it on?
Kayla: Stuff for me only.
An hour goes by before she texts again:
Kayla: Are Aunt Brittany and Uncle Adam getting me a gift also?
As if to say, "Let's stop them in case they are planning to buy me a real gift that I might actually love!"
Y'all the teenage years are fast approaching,
Dear Cinnamon Bun Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream,
Where have you been all my life?
Dear Sarah,
Could you not lick your paws all night long while I am trying to sleep? The noise is cringe worthy.
Dear Grad School,
You are sucking up all of my free time, but you are worth it.
P.s-that research paper isn't going to write itself.
Dear Long Beach,
Thank you for raining all day; it is just what I needed to cheer me up.
Dear Christmas,
Can you hurry up? I am more than ready to hold my nephew.
Dear Wiifit,
I know I have not been on you in over a week, but do you have to be so judgmental?
Dear Girlfriends Who Are Far Away From Me,
I miss your faces and late night giggle fests.
Dear Cell Phone Bill,
$65.00 to turn on two phones is more than a little ridiculous.
Dear Honeymoon,
Be patient, April isn't so far away.
Dear Glee,
You have officially rocked my socks off!
Dear Lexapro,
I know you are working to make me feel better, but do you have to make me feel so sluggish?
Dear Adam's sweatshirt,
Where are you? It is cold in the mornings and I miss your warmth.
Dear Google Reader,
You are filling up faster then I have time to read or comment on.
Dear Library,
I will try to remember to turn my books in on time next time. So please, don’t be a hater.
Dear Adam,
Thanks for kissing me goodbye every A.M., even though I'm not always the sweetest person to be around in the mornings.
Adam: Is it weird to think that one day you will have a baby?
Me: Shut Up! Why do you have to talk like that.
So recently it seems that my entire family has joined facebook. I am now friends with my nieces, mother, aunt, and cousins. I am friends with my mother on facebook!! I mean shouldn't there be laws against such things? Plus, she now thinks she is so hip, because she's doing what the kids do. Jokingly, I've always told her she is too old for facebook. The way things are going, soon my grandmother will start poking me on facebook, and then my social networking life will be over.
Then today I was looking at the roster for my class that starts tomorrow, and there is a girl whose first name is Princess. I've always dreamed of being a princess. And I haven't quite accepted the fact that becoming a princess isn't a viable career option for me. So I thought I'd post a status about it just for my mom. See how cruel my mom can be!
365 days ago (give or take):
Facebook has gotten me into trouble before. Like when I first signed up, and I accidentally marked that I was only interested in dating women. It stayed that way for two whole weeks, until my former suite mate pulled me aside in the cafeteria and said, "That she didn't care, but she had no idea I was a lesbian, even after living with me for nearly a year." I didn't date much that year (are you really that surprised?)
See facebook really is evil!!
