Getting moved in - Part 1

Preparations for Aaron and I to move into our new apartment are coming along swimmingly. The new carpet has been put down and looks great! We also began moving some of our stuff in today. We moved in the massive stash of wedding gifts that has been in my old room at Mom and Dad's house as well as most of my possessions (sans clothing, some books, and some CD's). I am really excited about getting things together! I can't wait to have everything in and organized. We plan to be completely moved in by December 1st, though if we can swing it maybe by Thanksgiving. It's been very nice living in Newnan with Aaron's family, but we are both very much ready to have our own space. The first thing we plan on doing once our new pad is settled is having our friend Joan over for dinner. She is a very sweet lady who has been a friend of my family for a long time. Last Sunday she approached my Dad at church to say that she had been thinking about it for a couple of months and wanted to pay our first month's rent! Aaron and I were SO touched that we decided we absolutely had to make her our first guest for dinner as a small way of thanking her for this immense act of kindness. After that I think it would be fun to mabye have some friends over for a housewarming. We will see what we can afford to do.

Quick Update

I am typing this from my Mother-in-law's computer due to the fact that my laptop has effectively decided to be useless. I cannot get it to go past the welcome screen, which leads me to believe it has some sort of crazy bad virus or something. This is particularly bad since I really want to do some job hunting. Meh. Geek Squad here I come as soon as we can afford it.

Also, I got my hair cut for Locks of Love yesterday! I got a full TWELVE INCHES hacked off, and I think I like it! I haven't had my hair short in years, but I think it looks better now that I have bangs to go with it.

Renovations on the floor at the house in Newnan are coming along quite well. I will be glad when it is all done. Aaron and I are really looking forward to moving back to Lilburn. We are SOOOO grateful to Janine for allowing us to live with her rent free this month, but we are longing for our own place. Please pray for us as we continue to look for jobs and get our feet on the ground.

The advent of the LP?

In working on putting in the new hardwood floors in my sister-in-law's house Aaron discovered a fully-functioning stereo which includes a turntable. He has been happily listening to his 1980's LP's all morning as he has been taking up the carpet in the TV room. I have really been enjoying it because he has excellent LP's including Electric Light Orchestra, Dire Straits, Kiss, and The B52's. Personally, I have been wileing away my time by writing thnak you cards for wedding gifts. This is a tedious process after a while. 12 down, seventy-something to go? Ah well.

Home

Well, me and the new Mr. have been home from our honeymoon for a few days, and WOW!! I didn't realize how much of an adjustment it is to start doing things for two people instead of just myself. But being married is FUN!!! I think my favorite part so far has been coming home to each other. I've worked the past two days and it has been such a joy to know that at the end of the day I get to go home and rest with Aaron!

We are currently living in Newnan with Aaron's family, but just until December when we can move into our apartment. It's not a bad situation, but we are looking forward to having our place. We went out today to get my name changed on everything - which was fun! So I am even more so officially Mrs. Lamanda Rhodes! YAY!

IT'S HERE!!!

I'm getting married in 14 hours!!! HOLY COW!!! Everything feels simply amazing!

Well, they say it's good luck for something to go haywire, right?

Of all the times for something to happen. It is now a week before our wedding and this morning while brushing my teeth I lost the filling on my front tooth! What a joy, right!?! So I have a message on the answering machine at the dentist's office begging for an appointment as early as possible Monday. I think everything will be fine, but I freaked out a bit this morning. It just not something you really want to happen before a major event where there will be lots of pictures and several of them likely to be close up. *sigh*

Well on the upside I got a lot of stuff bought today that we still needed for the wedding. I am so tired after such a marathon day of shopping!

Leaving home...again

Given that I am very soon moving out of my parents' house to live with my husband (at least he will be my husband by then) I have been trying to spend as much time with them as I can before the wedding. However, my Dad seems to be having some separation anxiety issues. Almost any time I say anything about spending time with anyone else he kind of freaks out. Like today I mentioned that my friend from high school who is coming into town from Massechuesetts to be one of my bridesmaids might want to spend the night at our house after the rehearsal dinner instead of with her family he kind of got offended and said, "Well I thought you'd want to spend some family time!" Like I'm not with them everyday. Plus, I would still be with them, I'd just have a friend along. And this friend and I haven't seen each other in 2 years. I miss her.

I understand that Dad is struggling with the idea of his baby girl getting married and not living in the house anymore, but wow. I wasn't expecting this much of a reaction! I am trying to work with it, but I think I have a right to a little more say so since I am an adult and almost independent. I hope he will chill out a bit.

Oy with the poodles already!

I got a call from me and Aaron's landlord today. They are going to be refinancing their home and have asked us if we would mind waiting 2 months to move in. I think we are willing, but geez!! It seems like we are constantly experiencing setbacks with our living arrangements. I just want us to have our own place!

Healthier living is going to be tasty!

Ok, I know it is cliche to say this, but I am commiting myself to a healthier lifestlye. I woke up today and realized that I am 25 and about to get married. This means I am free to eat what I choose and choose the lifestyle that I want. Well, I want to have a healthy lifestyle. This doesn't mean that I will never again eat chocolate or ice cream or pizza. I just want to have things in moderation, and I think that the moderation of some things (fruits, veggies, whole grains) can be greater than others. Plus, I really don't move enough. I spend far too much time sitting in front of the T.V. and computer.

So here are some goals:
physical activity at least 30 minutes a day, 4 days a week
eating by normal standards
improving how much time I spend on all areas of my health (physical, emotional, spiritual, mental, and relational)

And I am encouraged in these endeavors! A while back I ordered a free cookie from www.kashi.com Well, I got it today, and that was one tasty cookie! It was a dark chocolate oatmeal cookie. The first thing I try to notice about food is the aroma. The aroma of this cookie was sumptuous! It had a nutty, well, oaty aroma that was warm and pleasent. I am a particular fan of the texture of oatmeal, so the texture of these cookies was terriffic! The taste was also light but sweet. It was a soft but lightly chewy cookie, and the ratio of oats to chocolate chips was right on! Best part: it is a great cookie, and it is healthy! I am a growing fan of Kashi's 7 Whole Grains Blend! I think I will continue to buy their products in the future.

Where to begin...

I have decided that today I am going to start packing my things in preparation for moving out of my parents' house. The thing is, I have no idea where to begin. I don't want to pack something that I might unknowingly need, but given that we will be moving our stuff in within the next week I need to do something. *sigh* I just need to start.

Wow! It is kind of a rush to realize that we only have 11 days until our wedding! I'm tracking down a few last minute decorations for the stage, and we will be meeting with our minister soon to hash out the ceremony details. Plus we need to sit down and make our CD's for the ceremony and the reception, but that's the fun part! I've also been getting in touch with all the people who need to know that I will soon be out of town for my honeymoon - I so can't wait! *sigh* Daydreaming is fun!

The Starter Home

Aaron and I have accepted the offer of a mother-in-law apartment! We officially have a place to live! It is in the lower portion of the house of some of my parents' friends at church. It is a nice place for a newlywed couple to start out in. It is somewhat small, but has a lot of storage space, brand new carpet and brand new appliances. We can also have our precious India with us, and we don't have to pay an ungodly deposit in order to have her. We did a lot of checking with other apartment possibilities, but this seemed to be the most financially sound for a couple starting out with basically no money. We are SOOOO excited to finally have our own place!

I can hardly contain myself with the realization that it is only two weeks until our wedding!!! Dad and I went to Gwinnett Place Mall tonight to have my wedding ring sized at out trusty jewlery repair place. We went to browse around in Sears while they sized it, and I found myself gliding dreamily through the housewares sections thinking of how much fun we are going to have putting together our first pad! Two weeks seems like almost no time at all after having been engaged for nearly four years, but when I got my ring back tonight and saw how perfect it fit and how pretty it is after being cleaned it feels like an eternity. I wish it was tomorrow! *Deep breath* Must temper my exhilaration...at least enough to where I can sleep tonight!

Being a Quarter of a Century Old

As of 11:06 PM tonight I will be 25 years old. These days a lot of people would be feeling like they are getting old, but honestly I don't feel much different. I mean I am feeling more like an adult - if that makes sense and doesn't sound too juvenile - since finishing school and getting so close to being married. I think it just has to do with the increase in responsibility, but I am not viewing this in a negative light. I mean it is intimidating at times, but I'm actually excited about it! I am looking forward to starting my life with Aaron, having our own place, and boldly stepping out together in the adventures of life. I think I will definitely be blogging a lot more. I kind of have a yen to chronical this adventure Aaron and I are embarking on. I've always heard interesting stories about people who journal the story of their lives, and it sounds like fun.

Hmm, maybe I do realize that I'm getting older. The older I get the more pensive I seem to get. "I wish that I knew what I know now when I was younger."

Exhausting Day!!

The motor on my driver's side window died the other day. Dad made a valient attempt at trying to fix it, but it was beyond him so we took my dear Rosie into Tom's (Our mechanic). Apparently there was a tractor trailer truck carrying chicken that exploded on the interstate this morning, which backed up traffic on the surface streets, including the street where Tom's is. Thus traffic was HORRIBLE as Dad was attempting to get me to work. I was half an hour late.

Work was different. I worked on the decals we had to put on the front windows of the store - two large bare trees, very frustrating - and box-up in the stockroom. Box-up was a very welcome process today as it kept me in the back and allowed me to avoid people. Typically I like working the sales floor, but today I just didn't feel like dealing with people.

Aaron picked me up after work so we could go get our marriage license - YAY! We first went to the Gwinnett County Court House, but they would not accept the copy of Aaron's birth certificate because it didn't have the embossed certification seal. So we drove all the way to Decatur because they only require one form of I.D. so we just used our driver's licenses. Traffic was again a bear as we made our way back to Tom's to get my car and then back home. We were exhausted by the time we got home for dinner.

It wasn't a bad day, just full and at times frustrating. The upside is: We are now officially licensed to be married!

In other wedding news, Mom and I ordered tablecloths today. They are chocolate brown and hunter green. Very nice. We got a great deal on them.

Tomorrow I have to start calling apartment complexes to ask questions so Aaron and I can figure out where we will be living. *sigh* I'm tired.

Back to the drawing board...again

I didn't get the job in Rome...again.

I am getting really tired of this. What am I doing wrong that is making potential employers not be interested in me? I thought I had good credentials, good references, and a well-written resume. We have basically 21 days until our wedding. Somehow we are going to have to make ends meet. I am maintaining my two part time jobs at Bath and Body Works and The Hope Counseling Center until I find something full time. I just have to find someway for Aaron and I to be able to live on what I make.

God will make a way. I just have to believe that.

It felt like Fall today!

Today was probably the most pleasent day weather-wise that we have had in Georgia in a long time! It was overcast and very cool. I think the weather guy said it didn't even get up to 70 degrees. So given the wonderful nature of the day I spent as much time as I could outside. I made a special effort to park in parking spots that were a rather lengthy distance from the entrances of the stores that I went to. I also spent some time walking around in my front yard just noticing the lawn. Maybe it's the combination of the on-again-and-off-again moisture and dryness and the sudden dip in temperature, but we have a surprising number of mushrooms popping up in the yard. We have white shrooms, red ones, and one rather large gray one. I thought the red ones were kind of cute. It's been nice to kick back and enjoy the quiet simplicity of nature today.

Wedding Shower - When it rains it POURS!!

Aaron and I had our wedding shower at church today, and it was AMAZING! We were given so much! I can't even begin to say how grateful I am to all of the people who gave us gifts, gift cards, money, and wisdom. All of our new possessions have currently taken up residence in my room until something else comes along. That something else would be a place for Aaron and me to live. I try not to keep worrying about getting a job and finding a place to live and making ends meet, but it really seems to be my major fear about starting a fully independent adult life. I just don't want us to have to live with my family or his when we are married. My primary reason for this is that I feel like we should be independent. Plus there really isn't a whole lot of room in either house for another couple. Also, there is the *slight* awkwardness of trying to maintain a sex life when you are merely one room over from your parents. Maybe my wanting to be independent is a matter of pride, but I feel that by the age of 25 - and being married - I should be supporting myself. I mean, if we really had to start out living with my parents or his sister we would, but we would really prefer to have a place of our own. Somehow I know that Aaron and I will make it even if starting out is rough, but I am still afraid. I'm praying to God for some clear guidance in which way to go, peace about the decisions Aaron and I have to make, and strength to do what we need to.

I'm putting this request out into the blog-osphere. If anyone who is navigating a good marriage right now has sound advice for a soon-to-be newlywed couple, please feel free to share in a comment.

To Ink Or Not To Ink?

I have been thoroughly enthralled with L.A. Ink recently. I have thought in the past about getting a tattoo, but it's one of those things that I want to put significant thought and consideration into. First, I need to know more about tattooing. I found a great website called www.tattoofinder.com which has a section called tattoo-101 with lots of information about tattooing and suggestions of things to consider and actons to take to make the experience the best it can be. Second, I need to figure out what kind of design I might like and where I would like it. Placement is something big to consider, especially given my choice of profession. It must be in a place that is easily concealed. I'm thinking about getting a small tattoo on one of my hips - not really sure which one just yet. Third, I need to find a really good tatto parlor and artist. I would like to avoid picking up any sort of ickiness from needles, environment, or people.

I think my two major concerns about doing this would be the pain factor and the fact that over time tattoos can change in appearence (i.e. fading, stretching, sagging, etc.).

My dad asked me tonight, when he saw me watching the show, why a needle-phobic like me would be interested in watching a show where people are being tattooed. I realized that it is the creative nature of the art that draws me to it. I find the show somewhat of a creative outlet. It gives me ideas and inspires me to draw like I used to.

Maybe if I don't ever get a tattoo I could get into the art portion of it, like drawing designs or something as a hobby. I have an idea for a design right now that I would like to work on. I will post it when I'm done.

In the meantime, if anyone has advise or experience pertaining to tattooing please share!

Janice Dickinson is the devil!

Ok, I have now seen the advertisement for the new season of Janice Dickinson's show on Oxygen WAY TOO MANY TIMES! And THEN she was on the Today Show this morning. It is people like her that make me totally SICK of the fashion industry. She was bragging about the fact that she now has a deaf model on her show (which is a great thing in my opinion. More power to him! I don't think people with disabilities are represented enough in the public eye.), and then she made it a point to make no bones about the fact that she is against plus-sized models. In her words, "When a fashion designer draws a silohette it isn't a plus size." Oh sure, models can have disabilities but heaven forbid they be anything above a size 2!!! What a dreaded thought that someone might have NATURAL curves! Hoda Kotbe and Kathie Lee Gifford tried to point out to her that REAL people in America are bigger than models, but she would not hear them. I am SO tired of the fashion industry (who is a DISTINCT MINORITY of the population) trying to push an unrealistic ideal body image on people. Healthy women have CURVES! I'm not saying it is healthy to be obese, but you can be healthy and a double-digit size. Plus, a person's body size does not diminish their beauty or worth as a person.GET OVER YOURSELF JANICE DICKINSON!!!Rant over.

The Long and Winding Road

Long story, but I scored myself an interview at the Rome Regional Youth Detention Center this upcoming Wednesday! I am elated, but honestly scared. I had pretty much given up hope for this job and moved on to "greener pastures." Aaron and I are going to look at an apartment in Duluth Sunday that we had pretty much concluded was going to be our first place. If I get the job in Rome we won't be able to take this place, which is kind of sad because it's such a deal, and we would be living with some other great tennents. *sigh* Much to consider, but I am trying VERY hard not to speculate too much.

Hey God? A little direction, please?

Feeling naked and confused!

I have apparently misplaced my digital camera, which is why I am feeling naked and confused. I have been tearing the house apart looking for it, and HATE that I can't find it. I wanted to post the latest phase of Project Afghan. The afghan now has two complete rows and is looking great! The new row is chocolate brown and cornflower blue. I am currently working on the third row which will be royal purple and a kind of golden yellow. I love my knitting.

On a better note, I am continuing my lucious reading journey through Terrt Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. I finished the first book, Wizard's First Rule, yesterday, and Aaron has passed along the second book, Stone of Tears, which I have already started! I love this series! Also, my devotional book of choice at the moment is Stormie O'Martian's The Power of a Praying Wife. She writes from the heart, and I love that. I am so ready to marry Aaron! We have only 72 days until our wedding! I'm so excited, but I also realize this only gives me 72 days to find a job. Talk about pressure.

Girls' Night!

Leslie, my best friend of twelve years, and I FINALLY got some great best friend time last night! I picked her up after church last night and we went to rent movies. We ended up getting Lars and the Real Girl and 9 to 5. We only had time to watch Lars and the Real Girl, which was a reccomendation for me from one of my past supervisors, Kathryn. It was a WONDERFUL movie! A little odd, a little quirky, but very sweet. I highly reccomend it to everyone! We also looked at pictures on my computer, ate oreo chocolate cake, and drank blackberry merlot. We talked and talked and were up until about 2:30 AM! A fantastic evening! We got up this morning in time to get Leslie to work at Color Wheel. We were actually running ahead of schedule, so we stopped at Java Monkey in downtown Decatur near Agnes Scott for a cup 'o joe. Now, I LOVE indy coffee houses, so this place was right up my alley. They serve organic coffee, and it isn't freakishly pricey. I had a wonderful cup of breakfast blend coffee, and happily sipped on it all the way home. I tried on my wedding dress to show Leslie how it looks on me, and it is a lot tighter than the first time I tried it on at the shop. So I would like to try and shed some inches so it fits as opposed to having it altered. Granted I will try it on again in a month, and if it still is tight I will have it altered, but I like to pinch a penny where I can. I love that dress!!

ESP

Not only as a counselor, I tend to be the kind of person that looks at myself and other people in a very holistic sense. ESP = Emotional Spiritual Physical. Emotionally today I am feeling mellow, sort of open to the world and life. Spiritually, I am in expectation. God is a God of promises, and today I am resting in the knowledge that He's never failed in those promises. Physically, I actually feel energetic. I'm spending a lot of time knitting today, but I also have an urge to move. I think that's why I actually cooked breakfast this morning. I made homemade pancakes from scratch!! I also have an urge to pull out my pilates tapes before I shower and run errands. My creative juices are flowing! Today is a day for some new yarn that will go into the next phase of the afghan. I'm smiling today!

How is your ESP?

A Step in the Right Direction

I got word today from the clinical director at PSI (Psychological Studies Institute - my graduate school) that I will be the counseling center coordinator on Monday nights at the school's counseling school in Jonesboro!!! It may just be one night a week, but it pays and I will be able to see clients at the center which will count towards licensure hours and I get paid for it. This does not of course preclude the possibility of me getting a more full time position some time in the very near future. I am really excited!!! I think this will be an excellent beginning to my career.

Another Rejection

I have officially been turned down for the social service provider job at the youth detention center in Rome. Apparently I didn't have the required two years of experience they wanted. Can I just ask, how the hell am I supposed to get any experience if no one will hire me without experience!?! Throw me and effing bone here people!! I'm so tired of rejections and job hunting. I love working as a counselor, but trying to get a job as one SUCKS! All I have wanted to do today is cry, but I am trying not to give up just because this one didn't work out. I have other options. I'm still a viable commodity, right?

*Holds up her "Will Counsel For Food and Shelter" sign*

My Fourth of July weekend!

This has been a really wonderful weekend! It actually started Thursday with spending a couple hours with Jen and Kellyn, and then we all headed down to Newnan for dinner and hanging out for a while. After Jen left Aaron and I watched the first Hellboy movie - excellent by the way! Friday morning we (Aaron, me, Janine, Mohammed, Hatem, Sue, and Jack) all packed up and went to Chickamauga (no clue if I spelled that right) for the Jones family reunion (that is Aaron's mother's side of the family). It was out in the middle of nowhere really, but a fairly nice time, sans the repeated ocasions that Jack took to playing his bagpipes while, yes ladies and gentlemen, he was wearing his kilt. The kilt I don't mind so much as the bagpipes. You see, he still has a long way to go before he could really be considered good. Aaron and I devised a drinking game in which (theoretically, because we had no booze) you would take a shot everytime he squeaked. Janine quickly pointed out that you would hardly have time to fill your shot glass between the required drinking moment - hahaha. After the reunion and making various visits to other family members in the area who didn't make it to the reunion Aaron, me, Janine, Mohammed, and Hatem went up to Chattanooga for the rest of the weekend. We stayed at The Chattanoogan Hotel - not as great a hotel as we had thought it would be, especially given the fact that it was almost $200 per night! We got to our room, unpacked, and found a great 24 hour diner in the area that had 98 different types of cake and pastry, so we hit it up for desert! I had a huge slice of this incredible chocolate cake called the seven deadly sins - it lived up to its name! We then went in the direction of Lake Winnepasauka amusement park to see a fireworks display (we actually stopped at a gas station near it where we could see the fireworks perfectly). Yesterday was our full day that we had to play around Chattanooga. We went to Rock City, The Incline Railway, and Ruby Falls (you can get a discounted ticket that gives you access to all three, I think it was like $42). Rock City was fantastic! It was a beautiful garden with all sorts of rock formations, waterfalls and such. Aaron and I bought out first home gnome. His name is Gus, and he will be accompanying us as we search for our first home and will then be our official gnome to make it a home. The Incline Railway wasn't my favorite thing honestly. First of all you had to pay a parking meter to park - a lousy idea for such an attraction given you have no real idea how long it will take. Second, I am not a huge fan of steep hills and going down them in vehicles. Yes, I like rollercoasters, but the falls really are my least favorite part, and no, this was NOTHING like a rollercoaster because it was very slow, which did make it more bareable. By the time we waited in line to go down the mountain, went down, got off, waited in line to go up again, and went up we were certain that our meter had expired and that the seemingly overzealous meter maid (yes, it was a guy like in school for scoundrels) had left us a nice little ticket. However, our meter had expired but meter maid man had yet to get to us so we left as quickly as possible to slip out of it! Having finished this we were famished and went in search of food which took us to KFC where we reveled in the wonder that is air conditioning and probably drank our weight in diet pepsi. We then hit Ruby Falls. Long line, but it was all in shade, and we had fun being very juvenile with the remaining ice in our cups from KFC. Now, when you go to Rub Falls you have to go down in an elevator 260 feet. This elevator's door is glass so all that you see as you are going down is rock. The elevator began to have some issues as we were going down (apparently yesterday is their busiest day every year). It stopped about 3 or 4 times and a couple of times began to shake quite a bit. The operator even called back to the control room to have them reset the elevator sensors (whatever that means). It was a small elevator with quite a few people and with it only looking out on a rock wall things began to feel very tight very quickly. Needless to say, I was uncomfortable and Aaron had to remind me to breath. We did make it down and after that it was FANTASTIC - my favorite part of the day!! Going through the caves was really awesome, but the cavern with the actual falls was beyond words! We got some awesome pictures. By the time we got back to the hotel we were tired but wanted to have a night out on the town, so we picked a restaurant (Big River Grille and Brewing Company, where I ate with my girlfriends from PSI in January), cleaned ourselves up and went out. The food was AMAZING!!! Aaron and Janine had a dinner that included these shrimp stuffed with crab that were to die for, and the wine I had with my dinner was delicious. Plus we just had a great time in general talking, laughing, and hanging out until like midnight. This morning we slept late (til like 10) and checked out of the hotel. We hit the diner again for lunch, and headed home. We were just about to 85 south from 285 west when the accelerator cord in the engine of Mohammed's car broke. We spent like 30 minutes trying to figure out a way to jerry-rig it so we could get home, but to no avail since we had no tools. We were just about to throw in the towel and call a tow truck when a tow truck who was on his way to a call saw us and stopped to check on us. With his help and his plyers we were able to temporarily rig the cord so that we got home - quite an unexpected event! So here we are now in Newnan, road-weary and slightly smelly. But all had a great time!

A Very Interesting Experience

Aaron and I hit the Jeju Sauna and Wellbeing on Gwinnett Place Drive in Duluth yesterday. It is a Korean bathhouse with six different dry heat sauna rooms, men's and women's lockerrooms and nude bathing areas (yes, they are both kept seperate), a swimming pool, a fitness area, a Korean restaurant, and seven different spa treatments (these cost extra in addition to the entrance fee). The entrance fee is $25 which gives you access to the six sauna rooms, the pool, the locker rooms, and the nude bathing areas. The bathhouse is open 24 hours a day so you can literally stay as long as you want for just $25. They will provide you with just about anything you need including a toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, and there is an area for sleeping. Aaron and I hit all six of the dry sauna rooms, each of which is different. I think our favorite room was the rock salt room. The entire room is lined completely with huge salt rocks. It's really hot inside, but SO relaxing. Our second favorite room was the charcoal room which is lined with wood charcoal, it's supposed to be extra detoxifying. We also hit the swimming pool, which is a maximum of 4 feet deep. It was very relaxing and peaceful, even when there were a couple of kids playing in it. We also each spent some time in the nude bathing areas which have a steam sauna, a dry sauna, a jacuzzi tub, a warm bath, a cold bath, and showers. I thought doing this would be really strange, but it wasn't as much as I thought it would be. I mean it was a little odd to be naked in front of several complete strangers, but since it was all women it wasn't quite as odd as it would have been with men around too. Aaron also got a massage and a body scrub. According to him the charge for the hour-long massage was very reasonable ($70). I didn't get any spa treatments because I couldn't afford them. I also want to mention that everything was immaculately clean! I mean, you would think that a place where people specifically go to sweat would smell horrible, but there was not a single place there that was dirty or foul. So over all we had a GREAT time and walked out very relaxed. I give this place 4 stars and a recommendation to others.

Project Afghan Day Fifteen

Yes, it has taken me two weeks to complete the first full row of my Warm Up America afghan, but I think it has turned out pretty good! It isn't perfectly straight or anything, but that's what gives it character, right? The first row, as you can see in the picture below is two slightly different shades of pink and a nice green. The yarn in this row all belonged to my Grandmother, so I think it's a special way of remembering her. Her name was Nelle Elizabeth, but everyone called her Betty and she was one of the most loving, generous people I have ever known.




While I have been working diligently on row #1, I have also been making good on using my list of charitable contributions. I have given to church as well as to community service projects that my church group is doing this week. I can't participate because I had already committed myself to teaching the two-year-old class at church this Wednesday.





That said, I give you row #1:

Row #2 is going to be a combination of brown and medium blue. Oh hey, I just noticed that my toe made it into the lower left corner of the picture. Ha ha ha!

Wedding Plans

Tonight, I ordered the materials for Aaron and me to make our wedding invitations! We scored a GREAT deal by using www.formal-invitations.com. We got materials to make 125 invitations for just $111. The materials are also earth-friendly, meaning that a significant percentage of the materials used to make the paper are recycled or post-consumer. We are also blessed because one of Aaron's sisters-in-law's mother does professional printing and wants to help us with the printing. I think they are going to look great! They are going to have a chocolate brown background with a white overlay with the words printed in a sage green. The envelopes for the invitations and the reply cards are going to be sage green as well. Now we just have to decide how we will word our invitations. Pictures to come!

Overthinking it?

I was in the shower yesterday and had the radio in my room jacked up really high so I could hear it over the water. I was listening the Dave FM when they started playing "Mercy," the new single by Duffy. Now, I really like this song. It's a lot of fun with a great blend of sounds, and Duffy really has a great voice. Please correct me if I am wrong, but does this song sound somewhat like something off of a porn soundtrack? (No, I have not watched porn, but a certain local college radio station has been known to play such tunes.) Maybe I have this connotation because the song was used in an episode of ER when two characters were going at it in one of the recovery rooms in the ER. Just an observation.

How cool is this!?!

I was reminded of this snazzy little knitter's standard while knitting the second section for my WUA afghan. I recalled seeing this on a shirt that Lorelai Gilmore wore on the knit-a-thon episode of Gilmore Girls, season seven. I am becoming increasingly fascinated by my new-found hobby. In the past I have knit a scarf for Aaron, my fiance, and a baby blanket for my new future niece, Kellyn. Granted none of these projects has really been anything spectacular, but I just love doing it! I am planning to increase my skill by practicing with new stitches and patterns. I also want to chat up Veronica at church and get her to teach me how to make socks. Sue (Aaron's mom), Janine (Aaron's older sister), and Debbie (Aaron's sister-in-law, Jennifer's, mother) have all offered to teach me how to crochet, and I am going to take them up on it! It's nice to have a hobby in addition to reading.

I hope to continue making afghans for WUA, and I also found another group that is an off-shoot of WUA called FriendshipShawl.com. Friendship shawls can be given to people you know and love for various reasons or to strangers or donated through WUA for nursing homes or other people in need. This group provides free patterns and tips and encourages people to share the stories about what happens to the shawls they make.

Here are the websites for these great groups I have found: www.warmupamerica.com and www.friendshipshawl.com

Project Afghan Day One

I have been feeling a bit aimless since finishing graduate school back in May. Other than serious hunting for what I term a "career job" and working my butt off at my part time job and occasionally having fun with Aaron I haven't been doing too much. I decided today that I should make myself useful instead of feeling somewhat sorry for myself about not having landed full time employment as a counselor yet. I came up with a list of ten ways that I can give back to the world around me while I am trying to find the path God would have me go down. Here it is:

1. Regular contributions to church

2. Donating to Agape

3. Donating to AIM

4. Participating in service projects at church

5. Knitting squares for Warm Up America

6. Buying and planting trees from The Arbor Day Foundation

7. Having trees planted in memory or celebration

8. Giving trees as gifts

9. Purchasing items for NCM

10. Anonymous donations to various charities

The good news is that most of these will cost very little if anything. That's important since I'm not making much and have to follow a very strict budget in order to save as much as I can in the next four months before Aaron and I get married. I plan to take part in at least one of these as often as I can, trying to do at least something once a week. My favorite of these so far is knitting squares to make afghans for The Warm Up America Foundation. I began work on what I am calling Project Afghan today. The pattern seems simple enough, but it will definitely take some time! I have to knit 49 - 7"X9" sections to be connected into one large afghan which will then be sent to The Foundation. I think if this goes well I may try and get some of my knitting friends to work with me on more afghans later on. I want to try and do this one on my own and see if I can execute the pattern up to par. I'm excited to have something to occupy some of my free time that is actually meaningful! Here is the first section!