Merry Christmas!

May you enjoy every moment of the Season with those you love the most!

Ya Gotta Love 10's

Just started ten hour days a few weeks ago, so now I go in at 6am and work til 5 from Monday-Thursday with an hour for lunch - good for dog walking since he needs some relief too in a long day. It has been quite an adjustment, but today is a great reminder of why I think I'm going to like a four day work week. I got to sleep in, been leisurely getting stuff done around the house, and am in the midst of watching "Love Actually". It's nice to just have a whole day, all to myself and then to realize that I've got the whole weekend ahead of me as well.

Think I'm gonna go to the grocery store to get that over with and then pay some bills OR maybe I'll just stay right here on the couch . . . .

Harvey Oaks

Mom invited me to the neatest soiree the other evening at Harvey Oaks Jewelers in Fremont. For some reason I can never get my hyperlinks to come through on my blog but they have a website - www.harveyoaksjeweler.com/. Anyway, they invite customers to this event where basically they have appetizers and wine and it's the only time of year they actually have anything discounted. They also buy their jewelry and place it at fair market value at the time of their purchase. Then if the market goes up, they don't mark up the prices, so that's cool. They also encourage you to make a wish list, and then they keep it on file so that when your husband or family member or friend comes in, they know what type of jewelry you like. This event was for the ladies, and then in two weeks, they have an event for the men so they can see what's on their significant others' wish lists. My mom bought a very pretty gold ring, and the neat thing with it was that stones can be added later or she can wear it as is. The gentleman that waited on us has been with the store for 31 years. He goes to shows and buys the most unique and high quality gems. He spent a lot of time with us, showing us all sorts of gems that you don't see every day, and he explained all about the ones that are more durable or more soft than others. I never realized that emeralds are one of the softest stones so you have to be very careful when wearing them. So, if you're ever in Fremont, check them out. They aren't the most inexpensive of stores, but if you make a purchase there you know you're getting something special.

November Rain

Regrouping from two weeks straight without a day off. Drill was last weekend and it was a long week prior to and since. Yesterday I basically vegged out all day and today I'm playing catch up with all the things I've let slide, including bills and blogs. Mark and I decided to take tomorrow off and the government has graciously given us off Veteran's Day on Tuesday, so it's almost like we've got a mini-vacation. The weather has been a bit dreary but it makes for a nice opportunity to curl up with a good book.

This afternoon is going to be a bit tough though, because Mom and I are attending the funeral of a woman who was like a second Mom to me. I spent many days and weekends at the Mercer household while I was growing up, and now we've got to say goodbye to Mrs. Mercer. She is definitely in a better place where there is no suffering and nothing but peace and joy, and we will see her again someday - that is a comforting thought.

Amish Friendship Bread

Ever make it? Well if you're like me and you don't cook much or hardly at all, the task seems quite daunting. It was actually pretty neat though when I gave it a shot. You get this bag of goo and for like 10 days you do all this stuff to it and on the 10Th day you bake it. It's really good - tastes a lot like coffee cake. Most days all you have to do is mush the bag but a few days you add a few ingredients like milk and flour and sugar. You then split the batter and give it to friends on the 10Th day. It's sorta like a chain letter but with food. I gave mine to the ladies at work and told them I totally understood if they'd want to toss it, but I think most of them were actually gonna make it. You can also add raisins, nuts etc to it to make it even better but I thought I'd just follow the recipe since sometimes that alone is challenging enough for me. All in all though, it was fun to watch the batter ferment and stuff and people actually ate the bread when I took it to work so it couldn't have been that bad. Thanks April for bringing me my bag of goo - it made for an interesting 10 days, and you may just make a cook out of me yet - but don't hold your breath :-)

October Already?

Behind again - much has happened these past three weeks or so - almost all of it has been a lot of fun! It's had its ups - Family reunion at Put in Bay - and downs - had to take Mark to the ER - but all in all, it's been pretty good. Thankfully Mark is doing pretty well, although they are going to do some blood work to see what is going on with him. He's feeling quite a bit better though - Thank God!

Tonight we're having a WXKR radio reunion at Mi Hacienda in Toledo. Can't wait - it's been forever since we've all been together. I'm definitely taking the camera for that one. My friend Jennifer, who is AWESOME at planning these types of events -is making a CD of old pix that we all e-mailed her - that oughta be a hoot.

Thought I'd put a picture from the old radio days on the blog too - partying with the band The Why Store back in the mid-90's - seems like only yesterday!

And of course, I had to post a picture of the wild and crazy Kruse bunch at Casual Cape on Put in Bay - what a neat place and what a great time! Two houses all to ourselves - we're going to try to do this every year from here on out, and thanks to my Mom's cleaning effots, next year we get Thursday evening free! Go Mom!!!

Memories of Summer

Our friends and neighbors, Tom and Emily, have a friend who came in August and took some pictures of their dog Sandy and also of the lake views from our beach. I swear Sandy is smiling - no wonder Noah loves her.

Said Yes to the Dress

Found "the one" - it's simple but beautiful. I love it! Thank God Mom has been there all the way to help me with one thing at a time so I don't feel so overwhelmed. Still nailing down the date, but it's definitely going to be next September or October. This is really exciting - never tried on a wedding dress before, so what an experience that was. I had tried on about a dozen before finding this one. I actually passed on it a few times because it didn't look like "me" in the bag, but once I got it on, it fit so perfectly and I just fell in love with it. Plus it was actually comfortable - I never thought a wedding dress could be comfortable but I can see me wearing it easily all evening. My sister is coming in town in a week and a half for a family reunion and I just can't wait to show it to her - she's going to cry, and I might even cry too.

In Check

God always has a way of keeping our egos in check. This morning I went running down at one of my favorite spots down the road from here, and it was such a perfect morning for a run. The sun was out but it wasn't too hot yet, and there was a nice breeze as well. I had run all but about the last quarter mile, and I was thinking here I was running on my day off, feeling good, thinking that I've come a long way since I started doing this regularly almost nine months ago. Then all of a sudden, some young tan girl in a Brandy Chasteen running bra comes running out of Lakefront Marina looking absolutely stunning and running with the greatest of ease. As I was running behind her I just laughed to myself, noting that there's always room for improvement.

In other news, with persistence, God also allows for things that start off rocky to turn out Great. That's what happened yesterday. My Sister was in town for basically only one full day and we were hoping to go waverunning. Unfortunately, everyone and their brother had the same idea around here. We had a heck of a time just getting them around to the beach to fuel them because they were on empty and kept cutting out before we could even get them to the jetty (is it jetty or jeddy? hmmm). Then there were so many people at the beach that we didn't feel comfortable fueling them around all those people, so poor Mark basically had to trek through thick foliage (hopefully not poison ivy-infected) to get around to a more secluded spot for fueling. Once we finally got them fueled, the waves kicked up so it was a bit of a bumpy day for riding, but we ended up having an absolute ball! Then we came back up to the condo and cooked brats and beans and corn on the cob and snacked on veggies and cheese and talked and laughed with the folks too. They even got on the waverunners and rode for a while - I was so proud that they did that, even though it was a bit rough out there. It ended up being just a wonderful and memorable day - a hard one to top!

Hot, Hot Hot

Whew - Summer is back with a vengeance. These last few days have been muggy and hot, and we've taken refuge in the cool condo. The dog, poor little black critter that he is, is out and in in a moment as the heat is way too much for him as well. Our neighbor Joan had a fish fry last evening - walleye bites, and they were awesome. We sat around and ate and drank some refreshing Sangria and enjoyed the occasional breezes as they would blow through. Now it is Sunday afternoon again, and I've got that ambivalent feeling I always get as the weekend winds down, wanting to savor every moment of what's left of the weekend and mentally preparing myself for another busy work week. Maybe I'll head out and take a dip in the lake because before we know it, it will be sweater season again.

Oh, and I finally downloaded the picture from when my Uncle Frank (my Mom's little Brother) and my Cousin Missy came through on their way to moving her down to Virginia. She is starting an exciting job at James Madison University tomorrow. She's going to be teaching a history class and getting her Master's Degree there as well - too cool - we're So Proud! We had such a nice time the other day - hadn't seen them in at least five or six years - Uncle Frank lives in North Dakota. It's amazing how time gets away from us, but with family and close friends, it's like we've never been apart!

What a Weekend

This weekend was our FTX (field exercise) at Camp Perry. Each year we spend three days in the field playing war games and honing our skills. It's always a trip - we have chemical attacks, aggressors trying to access our camp, and all sorts of other fun stuff. Well this year, we had our Detachment, a brand new group of Red Horse Personnel from Mansfield, join us. Normally it's hotter than heck and miserable as all get out, but this year, the weather was just perfect. Other than the downpour we experienced on Saturday night, you couldn't ask for anything better. OK, maybe one thing could have been better. If you're going to have over three hundred people playing war games, you might want to locate the porta potties a bit farther away from the dining tent. Needless to say, after three days, even with good weather, when you stood in line for your meals, you always had the pleasant aroma of porta potty wafting through your nasal passages. Maybe this is the Air National Guard's way of helping us to control food portions and stay within fitness standards . . . it sure worked for me!

It's Me or The Dog

Victoria Stillwell is coming to America and they are asking for applications on Animal Planet. Hmmm - I want to, but have you ever seen the show? She's pretty blunt about how it's usually the humans who are screwing up, not the dogs. Noah is so smart that I'm guessing I'm the one who is enabling him to be agressive by my actions or lack thereof. I'm sure they'll have tons and tons of applications but I think I'm going to send one in too, just for tickles, and see what happens. You never know . . . .

Renewal

I don't talk too much on this blog about religious or spiritual stuff because - well, I'm not really sure why, but I guess I just don't. Is it because those who may actually stumble upon it might think that I'm "weird" or a "religious nut" or a "freak" or something? Hmmm, I never really thought about it all too deeply but in this society of political correctness, I guess I've just conditioned myself to keep it nice and light. Another Hmmm, because life is for sure not always nice and light. As a matter of fact, those things that often prompt me to actually put things in words are the very things which I edit out of much of my posts. Very strange indeed -it's like even on cyberspace I want to present a better me - me without all the bitching and moaning (which I do believe I try to keep to a minimum). But I have truly digressed so far away from what I actually wanted to post this evening.

This is going to be a post about a spiritual moment I had tonight - religious if you will, although I believe religion is getting a bad name right now, especially congregated religion. I'm not entirely sure that some of the bad press concerning this isn't without warrant. People have, throughout the centuries, performed many heinous acts in the name of religion. But again I'm wandering so far away from the subject of my post.

In all the time I've been dating Mark (which is quite a long time - several years in fact) we've always walked the beach and he's been exceptional at finding "lucky stones". I know I will probably botch what exactly a lucky stone is, but I'm afraid to clarify with him at this point because it will once again prove that I'm not always paying complete attention to his stories. My explanation (again, probably very flawed) is that lucky stones are cheek bones from fish - I want to say walleye or perch - that wash upon the shore. They have a signature "L" groove in them, which I'm guessing stands for "lucky". So, on with my story. For the past 7 years or so, each time we go walking, or I even go walking by myself on the beach, I have never, never never found one. Not even close - never ever. Mark seems to find one at least every few trips to the beach. Now mind you, he's had an eye for these "lucky stones" since he was very small and I have only relatively recently been hunting them myself. Oh - I explain way too much - but anyway - tonight I walked down to the beach with the dog - all by myself, and I was talking to God and said, I'd really, really like to find a lucky stone tonight (now I've said this to Mark and to others and to myself before but it never has happened in all this time). I swear to God (no pun intended) that five seconds after I said that, I found the biggest lucky stone I've ever seen - right there on the beach, and right next to the picnic table I was going to sit down on. It was SO obvious - God said "You asked, and I was listening" -it was the neatest thing I've experienced in a long long time. I absolutely knew that this was no coincidence. It was an affirmation that God is here, that he's listening in the present, that it's just as easy to believe in all the good possibilities as it is to be bogged down by all the sins of the world. Maybe I just need to spend more time talking and listening and seeing what God has to show me and spend less time on pitying "poor me" for some of the things that life deals. Life isn't fair - we are to go through this life being the best that we can be and our true reward will be when we meet God face to face in heaven. The best thing we can be in this life is a good example of God's love and that will help us through the rough spots and help us to appreciate the good spots - and there are many many good spots - spots such as tonight where a small white "stone" with a grooved "L" helped me again to renew my faith in the One above . . . .

Ups and Downs

The last day of vacation. It had its bumps - we ended up going to two funerals - one for a dear friend and former boss and one for a dear friend's Mom. They were both somewhat expected yet they came too fast, and the finality of it always weighs so heavy on your heart even as you know they are in a far better place.

There were also some very nice high points in this workless week. I've always been a night person and being able to stay up late and sleep in each morning made this vacation worthwhile even if we hadn't done anything else. I guess some people might think we didn't do much of anything else this week, but we truly enjoyed the peace and quiet and calm of not "having" to do anything. We went shopping. Mark cooked excellent food and I even made some seafood pasta salad - thanks for the recipe Miss Shelly - it ROCKED! We also got the waverunners out and are hoping to run them in the evenings after work and on weekends for the rest of the summer when we don't have drill.

Today we are meeting the folks at Cleats (the old Nate's Restaurant here in Port Clinton). If they aren't too busy that's where we'll be having an early dinner this evening. It'll be great to see them because it's been a few weeks.

Time to go walk the dog - he's got a "gentle leader" which he hates, but it's supposed to keep him from jumping and lunging at poor suspecting folks. He's managed to get it off from around his muzzle a few times now, but I think he's getting more used to it. He's definitely used to the treats I've been giving him as I encourage him that yes this is a good thing - don't think either of us are convinced of that - hehe.

Red White and Blue

Happy belated 4th of July - what a weekend! This really is one of my favorite holidays, although I love any holiday where work is not included. Plus, it's vacation week - woo woo. We're staying home I think, maybe a day trip or two, but it's so nice not to be at work . . . .

Sunday Morning Scents

Is there any better smell than that of cooking bacon? That is what I wake up to on the weekends. Mark loves to make breakfast and it's a treat that we never have time for during the week. I almost love the smell of bacon more than the taste, although a few nice chewy pieces always go excellently with my scrambled eggs. Mark prefers his bacon a little more crunchy so he makes some of each - yum!

Another work week has made it into the history books and for some reason this one went really slow. I think it's because it was the last full week before my vacation. We have the 4th off and we're taking the 7th through the 11th off, so it's four more days 'til I can put the uniform in the closet for a while and be a total slouch if I want to.

Last weekend we went to Novelty, Ohio for a beautiful wedding of two people we are in the service with. Andrea Salway and Jason Benson are now Andrea and Jason Benson. I got some great ideas for when we finally take the plunge. The service was in a gazebo - gorgeous, and it was romantic and meaningful while at the same time not taking more than 15 minutes. Mark and I both liked that idea a lot! The reception was also a blast, and Mark actually asked me to dance twice, and he's not usually really big on that type of stuff. We just really had the best time!

They say it might rain today, but it sure looks nice out now, so I think we'll take advantage of it while we can. Maybe Mark will take me for another ride in his little red corvette - I've always been a Ford girl, but I must admit, that's one Chevy I've definitely fallen in love with!

Happy Dad's Day

Looks like it's going to be a perfect day to celebrate with Dad. Happy Father's Day to all Dads out there! Didn't have a clue what to get mine, although he always says, "don't get me anything - just spending time with you is all I want". Mom says the same thing, but I always like to get them a little something anyway - they've done so much for me my whole life. Mark came up with a good idea though - he had purchased several pounds of fresh lake Erie yellow perch so our freezer is packed full. So, I'm taking Dad a twelve-pack of Miller Lite and some freshly frozen lake Erie perch - I think it'll beat the goofy ties I used to get him as a kid . . . .

Credit Card Woes

I try to be a nice person. Really I do. But I'm so mad right now that I can't even type right. I totally unloaded on some poor unsuspecting Bank of America Customer service guy but I've had it up to here! I knew about a month ago that I was charged twice for my "dog in my suitcase" payment when I took Noah to Charlotte. I tried to remedy it then, but each time I talked to the customer service people there, I kept getting cut off - after there was no 1-800 number I could find nor someone actually in customer service. Tonight when I finally received my BOA statement, they had the number for the Charlotte NC Summerfield Suites I stayed at. Anyone who knows me (I would hope) knows that I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but "they" caught me after a particularly bad day and a few glasses of wine on an empty stomach. Supposedly now, after 1 hour with two different customer service reps from both BOA and Summerfield Suites, I "should" be credited - Miss Kruse. We'll see! I hate to go Medieval on people's butts - normally it pains me more than them - but I've been a loyal customer to BOA, oh wait, MBNA, for 15 years. I guess I should feel totally assured after losing basically an hour of my life that I will NEVER get back, that all is well. I've been assured that before - and it pains me tremendously to think that all will one day become online - that's why I don't like online bill paying, even online room reservation, because this all stems from never having talked to someone who I can actually say, "and what is your name, and how can I reach you?". UGH! I swear to God, and I'm trying not to swear so much these days, if there is still an extra charge beyond the already outrageous price I paid for a less than "comfortable" room, you will hear my screams from miles away as they take me to the loony bin . . . . Thanks for listening - I strangely feel somehow better now :-)

Memorial Day Memories

Today actually turned out to be a pretty nice day - after the early morning rain, it warmed up nicely and I'm actually sweating as I type this. The AC is off and Mark made some chili so the place is pretty toasty. I was glad that the rain held off for the Memorial Day Parades and Ceremonies - it's a really important tradition that I'm glad hasn't gotten totally lost in the commercial-ness of the world today. Not that I mind the cook-outs and beach parties and all of that - that is really cool as well, but it's also important to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we all enjoy. It's like Easter - love the chocolate bunnies and colored eggs, but I need to stop to recognize the true gift God gave of his Son to give us our eternal freedom!

It's been another busy month and I can't believe (well actually with my track record I CAN believe) that I haven't posted since early May. Mother's Day was really nice -we actually went to Blackberry Corners, which is not a usual Mother's Day place that we go to, but it was yummy! And the place was packed - looks like others had the same idea we did.

Last Saturday some of us from our old Supply Warehouse Days at Camp Perry (like 12 years ago) got together to visit our former boss. We had a ball telling stories and showing pictures and generally reminiscing.

My Sister had to have surgery on her birthday - doesn't that bite? Thankfully everything went well and she is home from the hospital. My folks went to Florida to visit and help take care of her for a few days. I wished I could've gone as well, but I might try to visit in a month or so when she's able to be up and around before she goes back to work. Mark and I mowed the folks' place yesterday and wow - I forgot what a chore mowing can be. The weather was so nice though, so it was actually a perfect day for it. I just can't believe that the folks still do it and do it so well - Dad's mowing lines are arrow straight - my lines are crooked as heck and I swear I hadn't been drinking!

I had to post a picture just for grins and tickles - this is one I took near Tucson when we were there last month. The picture doesn't even do it justice, but it's pretty neat just the same.

Time to walk the dog and then get ready for bed - another interesting day lies ahead at work tomorrow.

I really am still alive

Can't believe it's been over a month since I've posted. I have been back for a few weeks now, but there's been such a hodgepodge of funny things going on that I've been falling into bed each night saying I've got to get on my blog. Now I'm waiting for my uniform to dry so that I can iron it for tomorrow's big meeting and I finally thought that this will be the perfect time to post. The Arizona trip was a blast - I'm going to try to post a few pix from it - simply beautiful out there. The following weekend we ended up going to Charlotte, North Carolina, and back, in two days, with a truck full of people - what a hoot. Then last weekend was drill and that is always a ton of fun and activity. Today is the first day in over a month that I've taken time to slow down and breathe. It's been a heck of a ride but I can't complain a bit. Life is good - hectic and stressful - but good!

Slackin' Again

What is it with my continued sporadic posting? Work has been extra-special busy lately and I've been taking a taped course as well at home after work so it just seems that I have less and less time. I have great respect for families with two jobs, children, pets and college classes - I truly don't know how they do it. I can barely keep up with one job, one fiance and one dog. I'm not complaining though - life is good and there is never a dull moment for sure.

I took today off for my birfday - we're meeting the folks for an early dinner at Biaggi's in Levis Commons today - can't wait! I'm also going to be offline for a few weeks - making a run for the border as part of Operation Jump Start - our unit is building roads along the border fence. We'll be in Arizona at the perfect time of year - nice and warm but not Africa hot.

Thank God we're starting to see the sun again and seeing some warming of the weather - I absolutley love snow but I must admit I'm ready for spring for sure. Mom and Noah and I went for a walk last Sunday in hopes of soaking up some spring weather but instead we encountered muddy walking trails and rain, but we had such fun. At one point we had to traverse a "river" - we took big branches and put them down to make a bridge of sorts - we ended up wet and cold and muddy - the dog looked like a junk yard dog but we laughed and laughed and realized that we still had quite the sense of adventure left in us - too bad we didn't take some pictures - what a memorable day!

I'm hoping to be able to post while I'm gone but knowing me and knowing the fast-paced deployments we have I'm not sure it will be possible. When I return I'll hafta describe this latest adventure. I've been to Arizona before but never for this type of work. I guess there's an Ostrich Farm - Rooster Cogburn's Ostrich Farm - somewhere around where we'll be so maybe I can check it out too . . . . the excitement never ends

He Is Risen

Happy Easter! The snow is slowly melting but we got a "punch" Friday night. It was some heavy stuff too but it sure was pretty! I remember a few Easters in my lifetime where it snowed and I remember a few where it was almost hot. Either way, the ham is in the oven and the house smells great - Yum Yum!

It was another busy week but last weekend was great! Last Sunday we went to see Mark's daughter Heather at BGSU - we had lunch at EasyStreet Cafe. I LOVE that place! We used to go there all the time when I went to BG and it was like returning home. Heather showed us her apartment - very nice - and she seems to be really enjoying school. I can't believe she's almost done with her first year already!

Mark and I then headed over to Levis Commons in Perrysburg to meet up with Mom and my niece Staci. She had surprised us by flying in on Friday to spend the weekend with the Folks. We met at Books A Million - love that place too! Then we went to Johnny Rockets for an early dinner. Yep, we did a lot of eating that day - that always makes me happy!

No Fake

I've been trying to post for at least a week - I don't know if it's something with my service at the house or blogger or Google or what, but I've had a helluva time even getting to the sign in page. Been meaning to post about so many things but now I'm at a loss because I'm stunned that I actually got on to post. As always, many things are going on, especially with work, but overall, all is well. Can you believe last Tuesday's ice storm and then the almost blizzard on Saturday? Too Cool! We went to the Country Keg in Graytown on Sunday and they were packed with sleds - made me homesick to ride again.

Now that I'm finally on to post, I'm finding myself too tired and lazy to say anything of importance. Actually, I've very rarely said anything of real importance on this thing. I just like to "hear" myself ramble I guess. If I'm not too lazy tomorrow I might just post about this germ fear issue I've been having - betcha can't wait for that!

Pray for me - gotta go to the dentist in the am - I've got a really great dentist but I've got something wrong with a filling, I think, and I've never gone to this guy for anything other than a cleaning. Thankfully I've not had a cavity in several years. I'm a little nervous about the visit. I'm just hoping they don't have to pull a tooth or do a root canal - I'm good with just about anything shy of that . . . .

Snowy Day

Susie took these pictures at work yesterday - wasn't the snow just absolutely beautiful? It was so cool that I just wanted to stay home and play in it all day. Today it's just too darn cold to hang outside for any length of time . . . .

A Treat for the Senses

Not only are they beautiful to look at but they smell Incredible! It was such a lovely surprise for Valentine's Day because Mark was out of town in another time zone - Guam - where it's actually almost tomorrow already - and I just thought that with him being so busy there that he might have forgotten the big day. Since he did such an excellent job over Christmas I figured he'd get a couple of freebies if he forgot a holiday or two for a while. But he didn't forgot - he did an awesome job! And here I thought I was the sneaky one for putting a card in his luggage without him knowing. He has outdone me again!

New Scarf

Noah got this for Christmas from Aunt Darla. It came with his Dingo bones - which he loves - the scarf on the other hand, not so much . . . .

That's It???

We had our first biggest loser weigh in on Friday and in the past two weeks I've lost (drumroll) 1.7 lbs. Yeah, that's it. But on the flip side I at least didn't gain any and have to pay money. However, I did learn that as we go if we gain weight from the previous weigh in, we still hafta pay - I was under the false hope that as long as we didn't go over our initial weigh in, we wouldn't have to fork over any dough. This really is going to be a challenge. It has been fun though and my team won the overall most weight lost and most % lost so we're on FIRE - thanks Sam - he was our biggest team loser overall - he ROCKS! So after two weeks, the "E" team is the BOMB! We need to have an "E" team nickname - "E" for Exceptional - or Elephants - or Expedient - or --- maybe something better will come to us if we put our heads together . . . .

We played volleyball for an hour or so on Friday and I have to admit, not only am I out of shape, but I think I've become a bit of a wussy. I was whining about every little ache and pain but I swear there for a moment that I sprained my wrist or something - it's sore as heck, along with the rest of my body. I could hardly get out of bed yesterday. Gettin' old sucks! Hopefully I can turn it all around and end up feeling 18 again if I can keep up the exercise and start eating better. I think that's going to be my biggest challenge - I just love food, and beer, and wine and desserts . . . . Moderation is the key, though - like two Hershey kisses instead of two bags . . . .

I LOVE FOOD

We're doing this Biggest Loser thing at work and actually it's given me a kick in the pants to try to get back in shape in 08 BUT it seems that the more I'm supposed to be watching what I eat, the more I want to eat . . . my subconscious is feeling all starved or something and it's getting an attitude. I'm doing ok with the workout routine a few times a week although I need to step it up a bit - walking on the treadmill at 1.9mph and 0% grade while watching a movie isn't exactly working up a sweat :-).

But it's the food - I'm constantly thinking about it. Plus, I've been out to eat twice this week - once to The Garden for Dad's Birthday on Thursday - Happy Birthday Dad! - and once to Red Lobster - last night at 9:30pm after going to the mall to have my ring sized. It sure was good though - both times. I had the Salmon Rockefeller at The Garden and I skipped the garlic mashed potatoes with gravy and instead had the oriental vegetables which were excellent as well. Couldn't entirely pass up desert so I had coffee with Bailey's - yum yum! Last night I had the broiled seafood platter - but desert was a daiquiri. I'm really sacrificing here ---it's just kinda funny because the more I think about what I'm putting into my mouth, the more I put into my mouth. We have our first weigh in on Friday and we have to pay a buck a pound for each pound we've gained since our initial weigh in a few weeks ago. Hope I don't have to cough up $10.

The Ring

We still need to have it sized but I don't want to give it up for a few days - right now I've got a ring sizer on it so I've at least got it on the right finger :-)

I'm usually very low key about fashion and jewelry and stuff - I need to be on What Not to Wear - but I look at this ring each day and think it's the most beautiful ring in the world - I couldn't have imagined anything better and feel totally thankful for a guy who knows me so well and loves me enough to stick with me the rest of our lives . . . . I wonder if he has any idea of what he's getting into - I'd better not say too much or he might change his mind :-)

Happy New Year

It's been far too long since I've posted - if I had a dime for each time I said that I'd be rich - but so much has gone on in the last few weeks. It was a wonderful, wonderful Christmas and New Year's Eve! My Sister Lisa surprised us with a visit and we went to our watering hole - the Wharf Lounge - and on to the Port Clinton Fish Flop as my buddy Crosser likes to call it. It was our first time - too funny! Then we stopped into the VFW for a cocktail and headed back home. Lisa came to see . . . my engagement ring! Yep, I can't believe it - I'm engaged! It's the most beautiful thing I've EVER seen - Mark did an awesome job picking it out all by himself. You should see the diamond earrings that go along with it - WOW!

I won't go into all the details of the proposal here because I couldn't describe it in a way that would do it justice - it was just so magical, and mere words would be woefully inadequate - suffice it to say that I was floored and am still on cloud 9! We've got no date set yet, and with the two of us procrastinators, we might get hitched by 2020 - just kidding Mom - I'm guessing it'll be maybe this fall or next spring - we'll see - I just can't believe it - I've got a great guy and I'm a very lucky girl!

Other than that, we're trying to get back into the swing of working all week each week again and we had drill this past weekend, so our butts are draggin' already today and we've got four more days to go . . . although depending upon the goodness or the badness of the BCS Championship Game tonight, I might just hafta take tomorrow off - bosses are out of town and I've got plenty of leave on the books so we'll just wait and see.

GO BUCKS!!!!