China Kitchen in Collegedale

China Kitchen

Address:	9408 Apison Pike # 3a, Ooltewah, TN 37363
Phone:	(423) 396-9898

ROFL! :D

Something one of my friends posted on their FB wall....

"Your food stamps will be stopped effective March 1992 because we received notice that you passed away. May God bless you. You may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances." -- Department of Social Services, Greenville, South Carolina

My Sermon for the Day... lol

We've all done things we regret. But hey, we all have a chance to start over. Its a day to day thing. You are not a 'FAIL' today, you weren't yesterday, and so on.Today is what matters an we gotta make the most of it. Don't beat urself up for the past if you've honestly decided to change what it was u were doing to be an epic fail. I'm learning that if I focus on what a 'fail' I have been in the past, then I'm more likely to be a 'fail' in the present. All we can do it forgive ourselves (as much as possible) for our past fails, hope that the person we wronged can forgive us too,and then make today the best we are capable of making it. And the more we try, the better our 'best' gets. *big grin*

The Powermat

This looks cool... we definitely have too many things in this house that require charging. There are cords EVERYWHERE! :P

THE POWERMAT

Teenagers Exercise Self Control With FaceBook

By KATIE HAFNER

Published: December 20, 2009
The New York Times

Facebook, the popular networking site, has 350 million members worldwide who, collectively, spend 10 billion minutes there every day, checking in with friends, writing on people’s electronic walls, clicking through photos and generally keeping pace with the drift of their social world.

Make that 9.9 billion and change. Recently, Halley Lamberson, 17, and Monica Reed, 16, juniors at San Francisco University High School, made a pact to help each other resist the lure of the login. Their status might as well now read, “I can’t be bothered.”

“We decided we spent way too much time obsessing over Facebook and it would be better if we took a break from it,” Halley said.

By mutual agreement, the two friends now allow themselves to log on to Facebook on the first Saturday of every month — and only on that day.

The two are among the many teenagers, especially girls, who are recognizing the huge distraction Facebook presents — the hours it consumes every day, to say nothing of the toll it takes during finals and college applications, according to parents, teachers and the students themselves.

Some teenagers, like Monica and Halley, form a support group to enforce their Facebook hiatus. Others deactivate their accounts. Still others ask someone they trust to change their password and keep control of it until they feel ready to have it back.

Facebook will not reveal how many users have deactivated service, but Kimberly Young, a psychologist who is the director of the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery in Bradford, Pa., said she had spoken with dozens of teenagers trying to break the Facebook habit.

“It’s like any other addiction,” Dr. Young said. “It’s hard to wean yourself.”

Dr. Young said she admired teenagers who came up with their own strategies for taking Facebook breaks in the absence of computer-addiction programs aimed at them.

“A lot of them are finding their own balance,” she said. “It’s like an eating disorder. You can’t eliminate food. You just have to make better choices about what you eat.” She added, “And what you do online.”

Michael Diamonti, head of school at San Francisco University High School, which Monica and Halley attend, said administrators were pondering what the school’s role should be, since students used Facebook mostly at home, although excessive use could affect their grades.

“It’s such uncharted territory,” Dr. Diamonti said. “I’m definitely in support of these kids recognizing that they need to exercise some control over their use of Facebook, that not only is it tremendously time consuming but perhaps not all that fulfilling.”

In October, Facebook reached 54.7 percent of people in the United States ages 12 to 17, up from 28.3 percent in October last year, according to the Nielsen Company, the market research firm.

Many high school seniors, now in the thick of the college application process, are acutely aware of those hours spent clicking one link after another on the site.

Gaby Lee, 17, a senior at Head-Royce School in Oakland, Calif., had two weeks to complete her early decision application to Pomona College. Desperate, she deactivated her Facebook account.

The account still existed, but it looked to others as if it did not.

“No one could go on and write on my wall or look at my profile,” she said.

The habit did not die easily. Gaby said she would sit down at the computer and find that “my fingers would automatically go to Facebook.”

In her coming book, “Alone Together” (Basic Books, 2010), Sherry Turkle, a psychologist who is director of the Initiative on Technology and Self at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, discusses teenagers who take breaks from Facebook.

For one 18-year-old boy completing a college application, Professor Turkle said, “Facebook wasn’t merely a distraction, but it was really confusing him about who he was,” and he opted to spend his senior year off the service. He was burned out, she said, trying to live up to his own descriptions of himself.

But Facebook does not make it easy to leave for long. Deactivating an account requires checking off one of six reasons — “I spend too much time using Facebook,” is one. “This is temporary. I’ll be back,” is another. And it is easy to reactivate an account by entering the old login and password.

For Walter Mischel, a professor of psychology at Columbia University, who studies self-control and willpower, “what’s fascinating about this is that it involves spontaneous strategies of self-control, of trying to exert willpower after getting sucked into a huge temptation.”

Professor Mischel performed a now-famous set of experiments at Stanford University in the late 1960s in which he tested young children’s ability to delay gratification when presented with what he called “hot” temptations, like marshmallows.

Some managed to stop themselves; others could not.

“Facebook is the marshmallow for these teenagers,” Professor Mischel said.

Rachel Simmons, an educator and the author of “The Curse of the Good Girl: Raising Authentic Girls with Courage and Confidence” (Penguin Press, 2009), said Facebook’s new live feed format had made the site particularly difficult to tear oneself away from.

“You’re getting a feed of everything everyone is doing and saying,” Ms. Simmons said. “You’re literally watching the social landscape on the screen, and if you’re obsessed with your position in that landscape, it’s very hard to look away.”

It is that addictive quality that makes having a partner who knows you well especially helpful. Monica said that when she was recently in bed sick for several days, she broke down and went on Facebook. And, of course, she felt guilty.

“At first I lied,” Monica said. “But we’re such good friends she could read my facial expression, so I ’fessed up.”

As punishment, the one who breaks the pact has to write something embarrassing on a near-stranger’s Facebook wall.

After several failed efforts at self-regulation, Neeka Salmasi, 15, a sophomore at Greenhills School in Ann Arbor, Mich., finally asked her sister, Negin, 25, to change her Facebook password every Sunday night and give it back to her the following Friday night.

Neeka quickly saw an improvement in her grades.

Still better, she said, is that her mother no longer visits her room “every half an hour to see if I was on Facebook or doing homework.”

“It was really annoying,” she said.

Last year, Magellan Yadao, 18, a senior at Northside College Preparatory High School in Chicago, went on a 40-day Facebook fast for Lent.

“In my years as a Catholic, I hadn’t really chosen something to give up that was very important to me,” Magellan said in an e-mail message. “Apparently, Facebook was just that.”

In his follow-up work, Professor Mischel said he found that some of the children who delayed gratification with the marshmallows turned out to be higher achievers as adults.

Halley said she and Monica expect their hiatus to continue at least through the rest of the school year. She added that they were enjoying a social life lived largely offline.

“Actually, I don’t think either one of us wants it to end,” she said.

Rainy Day Update

It's a rainy day, almost 11am... and I'm still in my bathrobe. Lazy me. :P I've been emailing Chris back and forth all morning, but now I think I'm gonna leave him alone for awhile and not distract him from work. I like distracting him, though... hehe.

Ivanya is already a month old - as of Tuesday! Wow. She's doing well, and both of us are about over our sniffles. She's getting so long... I'm pretty sure she's gonna be tall like her Daddy. :)

Mom and the girls were down here the 11th through the 17th. That was nice. I took advantage of them a few times and went out with Chris.

The first time we went to Greg's to work on the Audi, putting the right CV joint on. That was fun... reminded me of working with Daddy when I was little. I tried to put a tire on by myself and failed - well Chris had to get it started because Audi makes their cars a pain to work on, and the way the tire fits on is different than other vehicles.

Then that night I had to make a trip almost to Knoxville to rescue Chris and Alan cause the CV joint just kinda fell off the Audi lol! I wasn't laughing at the time. It was 3 in the morning by the time we got back home, after standing out in the cold on the side of 75 while Chris tightened the CV joint back up in 18 degree weather. The wind caused by the semi-trucks was awful! :P

On Wednesday, we left Ivanya with Mom and the girls again. This time it was just a town trip, grocery shopping at Wally World after a nice meal at Olive Garden - which I hadn't been to since Chris' Basic Training graduation down in Oklahoma. 'Twas delicious! We both got Manicotti Formaggio... think that's what it was. : ) We also had some Riesling... Mmm...! : ) Grocery shopping is much more fun after champagne! lol

Mom and the girls left last night to go back up to Indiana... but they're planning on being back on the 23rd. And guess what? DADDY IS COMING DOWN THE 26TH! Eeeek. : ) He wants to help Chris work on the Prizm while he's here. Then I'll have that car to drive while Chris is at work and we can give Grammy's truck back. :P

We're trying to decide whether to keep the Audi now, since we've replaced the transmission and 2 CV joints, or trade it for something easier to work on. I love the Audi. But I'll be happy with whatever Chris decides as long as it runs well for us for a long time! And fits baby, and doesn't look 'trailer park'... lol. Chris wouldn't buy anything trailer park tho, so I don't have to worry about that.

Wellll... I have stuff I should probably be doing today... so I'm gonna go get dressed and find something to eat. Baby Girl is probably ready to eat, too.... so bye for now! :P :D

PS. When I find my USB for my camera I'm gonna post some cute pics of Chris working on the car. :)

...and life goes on.

It's a Sunday afternoon... Chris and I are watching Stargate SG-1 - as usual - and Ivanya is being quiet for the moment. So I'm going to write an overview of what's happened recently.

It's been a month since I last wrote. This blog has not been high on my list of priorities lately - I wonder why? The couple weeks before I had her, I just didn't feel like writing... and these last almost 2 weeks have been spent getting used to having a baby in the house and trying to fit in any quality time with Chris that I can get without her crying lol...! :D

Ivanya Elyse Peel was born November 17th at 10:58am. She weighed 7.9 lbs and was 20 1/4 inches long. The worst part was the 2-3 hrs of Pitocin before the epidural... otherwise everything went very smoothly. I only pushed for 20 min before she was born! Chris was there through the whole thing... he never left me. He's wonderful. : )

Ivanya is the most beautiful baby girl ever. I would say that, being her mother, but she's perfect. We saw pics of some pretty hideous babies at the birthing class we went to! She didn't have any bruising or anything. Her head wasn't wierd-shaped. She wasn't all purple and blue and red when she was born... She was just her little pretty self from the start. : )

I can't wait to see what she looks like as she gets older. Everyone says she looks like her daddy... and they're right. I found Chris' baby book when I was clearing out his things from his old dresser so I could put her stuff in it. I'm gonna put some of the pics on here when I get a chance, to compare her pics to. : )

Here's some pics of her for now.

FMyLife.Com

Here's a cool site that my youngest sister Katie showed me a while back. It's basically a site where people send in random crazy/ironic things that have happened to them. Very funny. : )

Some excerpts from the site...

"Today, I found my checking and savings account to both read $0.00. My parents transferred all my money to theirs because "I'm irresponsible, and not fit to handle money." I'm a 3.8 college student and have a full-time job. They are currently unemployed. FML"

"Today, I had to stay after school to make up for a test. When I got outside, I saw my mom wasn't there to pick me up. I called her and she explained that there was an emergency. I walked six miles home to see that the emergency was that Ellen had Taylor Swift today and she couldn't miss it. FML"

"Today, I got a text from my boyfriend that said, "Last week was the most embarassing time of my life, we're over." He was of course referring to the seizure that I had due to my epilepsy at Olive Garden. FML"

"Today, I recieved a message on MySpace from a cute guy I've been talking to for a while. It read, "I saw a girl in Old Navy at the mall last night that looked a lot like you, but she was much fatter." I was in Old Navy at the mall last night. FML"

"Today, I went to the allergist. I found out that I am allergic to dogs, cats, wool, fleece, and pet dander. I'm currently planning to go to school to become a veterinarian. FML"

Hope you get some laughs! : )

CLICK HERE to go to the site.

Common Sense or Discrimination?

Recent court rulings could make weight an issue in hiring

• Date: October 28th, 2009
• Author: Toni Bowers

''In 2007, Adam Childers, a cook at a restaurant chain called Boston’s The Gourmet Pizza, injured his back while at work. Doctors determined that Childers was overweight and without weight-loss surgery, the back injury couldn’t be fixed. Childers was advised to undergo weight-loss surgery and the company was forced to pay for it as part of the Workers’ Compensation claim.

The company argued that Childer’s weight constituted a pre-existing condition for which it was not responsible. But the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled differently, saying that the employee’s pre-existing obesity, combined with his back injury and subsequent weight gain, formed a new work-related “single injury” the employer was responsible for treating.

There was a similar case in August in which the Oregon Supreme Court ruled that an employer was responsible for paying for weight-loss surgery for an employee who needed a knee replacement but had to lose weight first.

Although such cases are still rare, I can see how paranoid employers might use it against hiring people who are considered “obese.” (According to data from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about two-thirds of Americans are overweight, and 27 percent — about 72 million — are obese.)

The overweight, like smokers, are not protected by the ADA and haven’t historically had much success claiming they were discriminated against.

There’s also the definition of “obese” to contend with. As defined by the National Institutes of Health, you are obese if you have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 and above. (A BMI of 30 is about 30 pounds overweight.) A BMI is a person’s weight in kilograms divided by his or her height in meters squared.

There’s really no good weapon to fight against discrimination based on weight, but states can create insurance pools similar to the “second injury funds” established to encourage employers to hire disabled individuals. The funds help employers pay for pre-existing disabilities further complicated by workplace injuries.''

Toni Bowers




My Thoughts: My personal opinion is that this is NOT discrimination. It some other cases it may be... but really. My dad is a Registered Nurse and I've seen some nurses who had a harder time getting around than the people that they're supposed to be taking care of!!! One guy Daddy worked with had to stop after a short walk down the hall just to catch his breath. What kind of care would he be able to give you in a life vs. death emergency situation?

Employers need people who can get the job done, and if a prospective employee's weight seems as if it might hinder their productiveness on the job... well, I don't blame them for not hiring that person.

Thanks Chris, for sharing this with me. :)

2 weeks to go!

I am so ready for this to be over with. I seem to be getting bigger everyday.... And I think I've gained too much weight. I was 135 before I got pregnant, and yesterday at the doctor's office I weighed in at 175! UGH. I can't wait to start losing all this. lol

I never thought I'd have to actually work to lose weight... I've never had a problem with it! But 175 is unacceptable. I imagine a lot will come off on its own after I have the baby, but some I'll definitely have to work on. I'll just be happy to have a waist again! ROFL

I am now 1.5 centimeters dilated. I was 1cent for 2 weeks, so I don't think it will be in the next few days or anything, though I keep worrying that it will just HAPPEN all of a sudden while Chris is at work or something lol.

We have the middle name decided on for sure now. I love it. Chris picked the first name and I picked the middle, and they're both beautymous, of course. : )

Anyway, I guess that's all for this week's update. I have to get back to laundry, etc. : ) Hope you're all having a great day, despite the fog. I think its kinda pretty... : )

(CLICK HERE for more info on how Baby Girl is developing this week.)

Iorek - the new kitty

We got a new cat today! Mom left her kitten Bella with us while she was on the cruise with Grammy, and so Kitty got a bit used to having another cat around. But Bella went home to Indiana with Mom today, so we're thinking getting another cat will maybe help her be nicer to Baby when she's born, or at least be a distraction for her.

She is sooooo pretty! White, with some slight gray markings mixed in. A raccoon tail, and little white paws. And BLUE EYES! : ) Chris checked and she's not deaf, thankfully, which is something you have to watch out for in cats with blue eyes.

She is incredibly cuddly... can't stop moving for anything! : ) Chris wants to name her Lucifer. Myah. I looked online, and found one I like, which also means 'light'... Anushka. Chris likes it too, so that's her name. : )

NOTE (10/27): Eeeek! ITS A BOY KITTY! lol we were playing with him on the bed and he rolled over and he is def a boy. So Anushka's out. And Chris still wants to call him Lucifer. ROFL and before we found out he was a boy, Chris was thinking we should find the name of the girl that threw the rock at Ellen White, and name the new kitty that. 0_o Since he calls Kitty by the name of Ellen White or Ellen White Patch. lol

NOTE (10/29): And his name shall be called, Iorek, for he resembles Iorek the Polar Bear from The Golden Compass. lol

Here are some pics... : )

Sparta - The Mean Kitty Song

5 weeks left....

I can't believe it... only 35 days to go. At the same time, that seems like forever. She doesn't have much room in there now, but she's kicking more than ever. Probably feels claustrophobic, poor thing.

Click HERE for what's happening this week...

6 more weeks...

Man... I'm having conflicting emotions. I don't want to get any bigger and I want her OUT, it's so uncomfortable sometimes... but at the same time... Only 6 more weeks til we're parents????? Freaky!!!!!!!!

My Pregnancy This Week

Booo hooooo! I want to go camping and hiking... and I want it to be just me and Chris for a while longer... I'm getting to the place where I just want him with me every second cause I know it'll be different here soon... :/

This is ridiculous...

I'll get over this... I have to!

India Mahal

Ok so this is my favorite restaurant ever! Well I guess it would be second to Veggies down in Oklahoma, but its my favorite local restaurant.

You can totally stuff yourself here and not regret it! It doesn't leave you feeling all heavy and sluggish because its healthy food.

They have 2 kinds of rice to pick from, a nicer type of white rice which Chris likes, and the veggie rice that I always get.

On top of that you have lots of choices of veggie-based toppings for your rice. My favorites are the Spinach w/ Cheese Chunks, and the Curried Potato/Cabbage/Garbanzo topping. They do have real names for them, by the way, but that's what they actually are. : )

They also have a small salad available, dipping bread to clean your plate, and these yummy little deep fried cheese things that I don't know what they are but I love them lol!

Everything is vegetarian, except for two chicken dishes that are always on the far right side of the buffet.

One of my favorites parts of going to India Mahal is the breath freshener on the way out, a little bowl of anise seeds covered in a crunchy sweetness. Mmmm....!

Try it, and enjoy! : )


India Mahal

5970 Brainerd Rd
Chattanooga, TN 37421

(423) 510-9651

Open Hours:
All you can eat Buffet from 11:30am to 03:00pm Everyday
Dinner from 05:00pm to 10:00pm Everyday

The Mellow Mushroom

Yesterday the Prizm broke down at Chris' work, so I had to go pick him up in Grammy's truck, which we thankfully still have from getting the washer/dryer.

After picking him up, Chris was like,"You know where we're going tonight?"

"Where?"

"Mellow Mushroom...!"

Chris said he's been wanting to take me there for a while, we just never get over that direction. So last night we finally got to go together.

We ordered a medium 'build your own' pizza with black olives, onions, fresh garlic, parmesan cheese, and of course... mushrooms! : ) It was so incredibly delicious! Like the best homemade pizza you'll ever have. Ever.

Definitely want to go back again! :D

Mellow Mushroom

205 Broad Street

Chattanooga, TN 37402

United States

(423) 266-5564
www.mellowmushroom.com

7 Weeks To Go...

Check it out.... only 7 weeks to go!

Great News!

*singing* "I'm so happy, and here's the reason why..."

Guess what? Susan, my mother-in-law, called me earlier with some really great news!

There's this lady at her work that recently had a grandma-to-be shower thrown for her, because her daughter is having a baby. At this shower, someone gave her a brand new crib, still in the box, so that when the baby is at her house it will have a place to sleep.

She told Susan that she will most likely never use it, and so......

SHE'S GIVING IT TO SUSAN FOR US! :D

Eeeeeek! : )

I'd been looking on Craigslist for a good crib and I did find a few, but this is FREE! And not a used one, either! :D Thank you, sweet lady, whoever you are. : )

Blackout...

Ouch. I have a bump on my head. Why? I fainted. How retarded! I do NOT faint, and I prided myself in that until yesterday. Myah.

Here's how it happened.

I was in the kitchen getting something to eat yesterday morning a bit after 9am. My gag reflex must be messed up from when I had morning sickness or something, because I coughed just a bit and then all of a sudden felt like I was REALLY gonna hurl! lol

So I lean over the sink, with my elbows propped up... then everything goes gray.

All I remember after that is the feeling of laying in bed with ur eyes closed, its pitch black, ur almost asleep but ur mind is still wandering... then nothing.

I woke up quite abruptly to a split-second falling sensation, a big bang and heard myself shriek,"Ow!" I had no idea what was going on, why my head hurt, or where I was. Reallllly freaky.

Then I open my eyes and I'm laying on the kitchen floor, and Kitty is sitting beside me looking really worried. Apparently I blacked out and just fell straight backwards from the kitchen sink onto the linoleum-covered concrete floor.

I called Chris crying right after I was able to get to the sofa, and that made me feel a bit better. Then I called Susan cause she was taking me to a doc appt later that day anyway and she said to call the doc. Then I called the doctor who said if I still felt the baby moving I should be fine. Then I called Daddy, still crying, and he said I sounded like I was having a panic attack cause I couldn't catch my breath. Weird. He's a nurse and so we talked for a while and by the time I got off with him, I was calmed down.

I still feel retarded cause it wasn't really something to cry over... It just hurt and the feeling of not knowing what happened, not being in control and wondering if the baby was alright kinda freaked me out.

Needless to say I now have a large bump on the back of my head and a wretched headache!

When Chris got home from work that evening, we were talking and he said to let him know if my headache persists for too long. To drive home the seriousness of the situation, he then proceeds to tell me about Billy Mays getting hit on the head with a piece of luggage, and then 3 days later dying in his sleep. So then I was afraid to go to sleep last night, lol!

But I woke up fine this morning, still with a headache but alive. :D

Today I'm trying to do better about eating regularly, because the doctor said my blackout was most likely caused by low blood sugar, even though it didn't feel low at all. Pregnant women are supposed to eat 6 small meals per day, which sounds very unhealthy for the digestion, so I haven't been doing it. But I guess maybe I should eat some trailmix or yogurt in between, just to keep my blood sugar from dropping too low.

Don't wanna do that again! :/

Baby Shower

The baby shower was last night, 6pm. at Ooltewah SDA Church. I was very happy with the amount of people that came... I think it ended up being like around 25, and that was good. I don't like big get togethers - especially when I have to sit up front and open gifts and be the center of attention! lol

Thankfully Chris was right there with me. I know it's not usual for the father to be at a baby shower, but who cares? I wanted him there, he came, and I enjoyed it much more for having him there. : )

Jackie and Erin did such a wonderful job on the shower, and I appreciate everything they did to make it so special. ; ) Jackie just started up at Southern again, and Erin works, is planning a wedding, babysits, etc... so they really didn't have time for this, but did it anyway. Thanks, girls!

And thank you, everyone who came, for all the beautiful gifts you gave. Thank you notes coming soon! : )

9 more weeks...

That's freaky. How on earth can we be parents in 9 weeks? I just realized how soon that is... K, I'm gonna have to add more later after I get done freaking out. lol

In the meantime, check out this link to see how our little girl is developing this week.

Your Pregnancy: 31 Weeks

Two things that make me happy? You'll laugh...

I still have a belly button, and I can still touch my toes! Ha.

Collegedale Cops

I know they are just doing their job, but REALLY! They annoy me to no end. Myah! We've gotten to where we will go out of our way NOT to go through C'dale... just to avoid them.

I've only been pulled over twice, but the consequences from those two times have drug on and on... way too long!

I went in to the police station yesterday to pay my $60 fine for not having my license switched over within 10 days of moving here, and found I owed them not $60, but $157.75! That is left over from December when I had my court date for going 60 in a 40mph zone on Apison Pike. I was supposed to go to defensive driving but didn't have the money so they charged me a fine which they said they mailed me about, but I haven't gotten anything.

I was soooo looking forward to going in there yesterday and being done with the wretched place. No more court dates or fines or fees... But no! After paying the $60, I still owe them $97.75, and my driver's license might be suspended because I didn't pay when they wanted me to. I can't pay if I don't know I need to! Grrrrr... I guess I should call and see if my driver's license is, in fact, suspended. :/ Just a second....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ok... I just called the Tennessee Driver Information Line - (615) 741-3954 - and checked my DL number with their automated system. It says that I'm valid... hopefully that means its not suspended. I pressed 2 to talk to a real person and a recording came on to tell me to,"Please call back another time." lol
I should be able to pay the remainder of my fines soon... I could ask Chris to, but I'd like to take care of it myself. Personal responsibility, as Daddy would say...

I can't wait to be through with all this stupid legal stuff! So that's what my money will be going towards for a little while.

Who Am I...?

Sometimes's I wonder,
"Who am I anymore?"
Time flies by so fast...
And I change.
I change too fast.

Running ahead of myself,
Trying to keep up...
Falling behind.
I plead, "Time, please stop!
Let me stay right here
Just a little longer...
Let me catch my breath."

Once in a while time seems to listen,
Just long enough for me to find
Sketchy answers...
Puzzle-piece answers to my question,
"Who am I?"

I look past all the change.
And deep within, there is me -
The part that stays the same.

Simply put, I am a young woman.
A daughter, a sister...
A wife, a soon-to-be-mother...
A baby girl on the way.

I am still a little girl, though.
Raking leaves and jumping in...
Sights and scents of childhood remembered.
A far away look through misted eyes.
A smile.

I am a crazy girl,
Giggling at everything,
Showing my alleged 'blonde streak' often.

I am a deep thinker.
Long stretches of time spent thinking of what was,
What is, what could be...
What will be,
Or what could have been.

I was the tough-girl tomboy.
Shunning all things deemed 'too girly',
Playing with snakes and spiders.
I had to climb the highest trees,
Be the bravest,
And run the fastest...

I am still the tough-girl tomboy...
But it comes out in different ways.
I must shoot guns with the guys,
Chug the most rum...
I must do those things the guys say I can't...
Like draining a bottle of hot-sauce through a straw.
(Not always are the smartest things done
In the effort to remain a tomboy...!)
"Man... she's hardcore!"
That's what I like to hear.

I am sensitive,
And with an artist's heart
I treasure the simple beauty
I find in small things:
A splash of color -
Living green, or startling blue...
Music, too beautiful for words.
A tiny leaf...
A delicate flower.

I run towards danger,
A reckless love
For things that make my heart pound:

A deafening clap of thunder,
The rush of a waterfall...
The roar of a tiger.
Thudding bass,
While driving fast.
Tall mountains...
The strong pull of ocean waves.
Walking to the edge of the cliff -
Just to see how close I can get.

But I also crave peace,
And in the safety of my husband's arms -
My favorite place to be -
Everything is all right.
We're here.
Together.

I am an optimist,
Trying to find the best in everyone,
And in every situation.

An optimist... who easily sees
From a pessimist's point of view
With a sarcastic kind of humor.
"Can you imagine if such-and-such happened...
Wouldn't that just be awful?"
*giggle giggle*

I am not the 'perfect young lady'
People have thought me to be -
The one they might have wanted to see...
I am far from it.

I often confuse myself.
I often annoy myself.

I often find myself laughing
...at me.

And the answer to my question -
Seemingly simple,
But oh-so-complex -
Is this:

"I am all these things."

11 "Don't-Tell-the-Wife" Secrets All Men Keep

WebMD Feature from "Redbook" Magazine
By Ty Wenger


I was in the ninth grade when I learned a vital lesson about love. My girlfriend at the time, Amy, was stunningly cute, frighteningly smart and armed with a seemingly endless supply of form-fitting angora sweaters. And me? Let's just say I was an adolescent Chris Robinson to her budding Kate Hudson -- and well aware of my good fortune.

Then one day, as we stood in line for a movie at the mall, Simone Shaw, junior high prom queen, sauntered by. Suddenly Amy turned to me. "Were you looking at her?" she asked. "Do you think she's pretty?"

My mind reeled. Of course I was looking at her! Of course she was pretty! My God, she was Simone Shaw! I paused for a second, then decided to play it straight.

"Well, yeah," I chortled.

Five days later our breakup hit the tabloids (a.k.a. the lunchroom).

There comes a time in every man's life when he discovers the value of hiding the grosser parts of his nature. He starts reciting the sweet nothings you long to hear: "No, honey, I play golf for the exercise." "No, honey, I think you're a great driver." "No, honey, I wasn't looking at that coed washing the car in the rain."

We're not lying, exactly. We're just making things...easier. But Glenn Good, Ph.D., a relationship counselor, disagrees, and maybe he has a point. "These white lies are pretty innocent, but they can turn confusing," he says. "Many women think, If he's lying about himself, is he also lying about something else? Is he having an affair? To establish trust you have to tell the truth about the innocuous stuff."

And so, in the interest of uniting the sexes, we've scoured the country for guys willing to share the private truths they wouldn't normally confess. Some are a bit crass. Some you've always suspected. Some are surprisingly sweet. (Guys don't like to reveal the mushy stuff, either.) But read on, and you may discover that the truth about men isn't all that ugly.



Secret #1: Yes, we fall in lust 10 times a day -- but it doesn't mean we want to leave you

If the oldest question in history is "What's for dinner?" the second oldest is "Were you looking at her?" The answer: Yes -- yes, we were. If you're sure your man doesn't look, it only means he possesses acute peripheral vision.

"When a woman walks by, even if I'm with my girlfriend, my vision picks it up," says Doug LaFlamme, 28, of Laguna Hills, California. "I fight the urge to look, but I just have to. I'm really in trouble if the woman walking by has a low-cut top on."

Granted, we men are well aware that our sizing up the produce doesn't sit well with you, given that we've already gone through the checkout line together. But our passing glances pose no threat.

"It's not that I want to make a move on her," says LaFlamme. "Looking at other women is like a radar that just won't turn off."


Secret #2: We actually do play golf to get away from you

More than 21 million American men play at least one round of golf a year; of those, an astounding 75 percent regularly shoot worse than 90 strokes a round. In other words, they stink. The point is this: "Going golfing" is not really about golf. It's about you, the house, the kids -- and the absence thereof.

"I certainly don't play because I find it relaxing and enjoyable," admits Roland Buckingham, 32, of Lewes, Delaware, whose usual golf score of 105 is a far-from-soothing figure. "As a matter of fact, sometimes by the fourth hole I wish I were back at the house with the kids screaming. But any time I leave the house and don't invite my wife or kids -- whether it's for golf or bowling or picking up roadkill -- I'm just getting away."


Secret #3: We're unnerved by the notion of commitment, even after we've made one to you

This is a dicey one, so first things first: We love you to death. We think you're fantastic. Most of the time we're absolutely thrilled that we've made a lifelong vow of fidelity to you in front of our families, our friends and an expensive videographer.

But most of us didn't spend our formative years thinking, "Gosh, I just can't wait to settle down with a nice girl so we can grow old together." Instead we were obsessed with how many women who resembled Britney Spears we could have sex with before we turned 30. Generally it takes us a few years (or decades) to fully perish that thought.


Secret #4: Earning money makes us feel important

In more than 7.4 million U.S. marriages, the wife earns more than the husband -- almost double the number in 1981. This of course is a terrific development for women in the workplace and warmly embraced by all American men, right? Right?

Yeah, well, that's what we tell you. But we're shallow, competitive egomaniacs. You don't think it gets under our skin if our woman's bringing home more bacon than we are -- and frying it up in a pan?

"My wife and I are both reporters at the same newspaper," says Jeffrey Newton, 33, of Fayetteville, South Carolina. "Five years into our marriage I still check her pay stub to see how much more an hour I make than she does. And because she works harder, she keeps closing the gap."


Secret #5: Though we often protest, we actually enjoy fixing things around the house

I risk being shunned at the local bar if this magazine finds its way there, because few charades are as beloved by guys as this one. To hear us talk, the Bataan Death March beats grouting that bathroom shower. And, as 30-year-old Ed Powers of Chicago admits, it's a shameless lie. "In truth, it's rewarding to tinker with and fix something that, without us, would remain broken forever," he says. Plus we get to use tools.

"The reason we don't share this information," Powers adds, "is that most women don't differentiate between taking out the trash and fixing that broken hinge; to them, both are tasks we need to get done over the weekend, preferably during the Bears game. But we want the use-your-hands, think-about-the-steps-in-the-process, home-repair opportunity, not the repetitive, no-possibility-of-a-compliment, mind-dulling, purely physical task." There. Secret's out.

Secret #6: We like it when you mother us, but we're terrified that you'll become your mother

With apologies to Sigmund Freud, Gloria Steinem -- and my mother-in-law.


Secret #7: Every year we love you more

Sure, we look like adults. We own a few suits. We can probably order wine without giggling. But although we resemble our father when he was our age, we still feel like that 4-year-old clutching his pant leg.

With that much room left on our emotional-growth charts, we sense we've only begun to admire you in the ways we will when we're 40, 50 and -- God forbid -- 60. We can't explain this to you, because it would probably come out sounding like we don't love you now.

"It took at least a year before I really started to appreciate my wife for something other than just great sex; and I didn't discover her mind fully until the third year we were married," says Newton. "But the older and wiser I get, the more I love my wife." Adds J.P. Neal, 32, of Potomac, Maryland: "The for-richer-or-poorer, for-better-or-worse aspects of marriage don't hit you right away. It's only during those rare times when we take stock of our life that it starts to sink in."


Secret #8: We don't really understand what you're talking about

You know how, during the day, you sometimes think about certain deep, complex "issues" in your relationship? Then when you get home, you want to "discuss" these issues? And during these "discussions," your man sits there nodding and saying things like "Sure, I understand," "That makes perfect sense" and "I'll do better next time"?

Well, we don't understand. It doesn't make any sense to us at all. And although we'd like to do better next time, we could only do so if, in fact, we had an idea of what you're talking about.

We do care. Just be aware that the part of our brain that processes this stuff is where we store sports trivia.


Secret #9: We are terrified when you drive

Want to know how to reduce your big, tough guy to a quivering mass of fear? Ask him for the car keys.

"I am scared to death when she drives," says LaFlamme.

"Every time I ride with her, I fully accept that I may die at any moment," says Buckingham.

"My wife has about one 'car panic' story a week -- and it's never her fault. All these horrible things just keep happening -- it must be her bad luck," says Andy Beshuk, 31, of Jefferson City, Missouri.

Even if your man is too diplomatic to tell you, he is terrified that you will turn him into a crash-test dummy.


Secret #10: We'll always wish we were 25 again

Granted, when I was 25 I was working 16-hour days and eating shrimp-flavored Ramen noodles six times a week. But as much as we love being with you now, we will always look back fondly on the malnourished freedom of our misguided youth. "Springsteen concerts, the '91 Mets, the Clinton presidency -- most guys reminisce about the days when life was good, easy and free of responsibility," says Rob Aronson, 41, of Livingston, New Jersey, who's been married for 11 years. "At 25 you can get away with things you just can't get away with at 40."

While it doesn't mean we're leaving you to join a rock band, it does explain why we occasionally come home from Pep Boys with a leather steering-wheel cover and a Born to Run CD.


Secret #11: Give us an inch and we'll give you a lifetime

I was on a trip to Mexico, standing on a beach, waxing my surfboard and admiring the glistening 10-foot waves, when I decided to marry the woman who is now my wife. Sure, this was three years before I got around to popping the question. But that was when I knew.

Why? Because she'd let me go on vacation alone. Hell, she made me go. This is the most important thing a man never told you: If you let us be dumb guys, if you embrace our stupid poker night, if you encourage us to go surfing -- by ourselves -- our silly little hearts, with their manly warts and all, will embrace you forever for it.

And that's the truth.

Why Isn't The Apochrypha In The Bible?

Interesting... click on the link below to read an article on this subject.

Why the Apocrypha Isn't in the Bible

Peppermint Mocha Hot Chocolate

I have just decided that hot chocolate, instant coffee, and giant peppermint sticks are staple foods in this house and must be kept on hand at all times. :) Mmmmm...!

I know it's summer, but really - I see it as a multi-seasonal drink. And if you don't want it hot, you can make it a little stronger and ice it. That's what I call making Starbucks at home! So much cheaper. ;)

I would post a recipe here, but since I'm not a recipe type person - I won't, lol! I just put stuff together that sounds good, and it usually turns out to my liking... something I got from Papa, my mom's dad.

Some special extras I enjoy are baby marshmallows on top, whipped cream, or coffee-flavored Werther's candies dropped in to melt while it's still hot. I might experiment with adding ice cream in a blender... Should be good!

Try it, and enjoy! :)

Poor Sleeping Habits Contribute to Mental Illness

I have always found these types of studies to be quite interesting... And she's right. Every college student should read this. In fact everyone would do good to read it thoughtfully and carefully.

The Sometimes Quite Lengthy Wonderings of Beth: Every College Student Should Read This

Weird and Unnecessary Spelling Errors

Neccesary. That's how I've been spelling it. Or maybe it was 'nessecary'... either way, it's not right! Horror of horrors - Heidi actually makes spelling mistakes.

Wierd. Apparently that's not spelled right either.

I write things the way they look right... didn't know I'd been misspelling them for so long! lol

So I guess it's 'necessary', and 'weird'. Okay... Always learning. :)

P.S. I still like 'wierd' better. lol!

August Birthdays

Happy birthday to all the August peoples! :)

August
14- Esra Feliciano, 21; Stefanie Kulik, 19
15- Janel Sheridan, 20
16- Melissa Moenkhaus (my mom)
19- Alan Hagerman, 22

20- (today) Hanna Moenkhaus (my sister), 16; Hudson Feliciano, 14; Rachael Lodenkamp, Melody Hyde

To get a job, or not to get a job?

I know... that sounds like a stupid, unnecessary question. For most people, the answer would be,"Of course! Get off ur lazy backside and go get a job!" But for me, it's a bit more complicated than that.

See, today I am 7 months pregnant. And I want to be a stay-at-home-mom, if it is at all possible for us to make it without me working once the baby is born.

Well, that's what I've always said. If I can't do that, then I'd want like a 2-3 day, 12-5 job where I could have someone watch the baby while I'm at work, and then Chris and I and the baby could all be home together in the evenings.

I would absolutely hate it if I got an evening job! And so would Chris, as he made clear yesterday when we were talking about this very subject. It would theoretically be the smart thing to do. Chris goes to work in the morning, I'm at home with Baby. Chris gets home, I go to work, and he watches her. No imposing on family members or paying a baby sitter.

But Chris and I actually like spending time with each other! We don't get enough of it as it is now. So a part-time day job is definitely the way to go, if I do decide to get one.

And now back to the original question: Should I get a job, or not?

I keep worrying, "Is anyone going to hire me knowing I'll have to take off in a couple months anyway?" Hmmm.... guess I'll never know if I don't actually APPLY! *laughing*

So... I'm going to apply at a couple places, and see what happens. Simple as that.

2nd Ultrasound

Profile

Her face...

A little arm...

And her feet. :)

First Baby Pics - taken August 3, 2009

Look at her little nose... I love it already.

It's a girl! : )