the 25 things about me part 2…

so, i did do a list on facebook, because i was tagged by a few people, then the people who i tagged, tagged me back. so instead of doing another list on facebook and tagging people, i will come up with another more random list post it here and it will show up on facebook, but i wont have to tag anyone. (see how tricky i can be…) here goes;

• i think bullets look better than numbers
• the music i listen to reflects my mood, for instance, if i am in a bad mood you will most likely find me listening to ‘break stuff’ by limp bizquit very loudly
• my first job was at kentucky fried chicken, i never liked fried chicken but every once in a while i have an urge for chicken strips dipped in cheese
• one of the cooks at my first job would call me ‘gin and juice’ i have a strong affinity for that song as well (not sure what mood that goes with)
• my dad never liked mashed potatoes, so we NEVER had them growing up, only until i worked at kfc did i find the wonder that is mashed potatoes.
• i have VERY picky eating habits, sometimes i wonder how i ever gained a million pounds, i also wonder how on earth my mom and dad found the patience to deal with the picky-ness
• i want to know at what point in your life do you decide not to care what other people think and start doing your own thing
• as much as i find it annoying that nick will only wear certain things to school, i can totally relate, i did the same thing
• sometimes i wonder if the excessive watching of friends that goes on in the house will somehow shape how nick looks at life (not a bad thing, its just funny)
• i used to chew my nails, all the time, my mom was always saying ‘get your fingers out of your mouth’ to this day a few of my finger nails grow really funky if i let them get too long-its annoying
• i also think the pokey black hairs that grow on my chin, overnight, really need to stop growing. i hate them!
• i always thought that acne was the curse of being a teen, i understood that it wouldn’t completely go away when i was in my 20s, no one deserves it in their 30s!
• i cannot wait to get married!

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Thank you Mike…

so my good friend Mike sent me some questions that are awesome! i knew he would he has a talent for words. so in an attempt to answer them in the best possible way, here we go!

1.Name a favorite blogger you don’t know personally and explain why you like him/her.

my favorite blogger who i do not know personally would have to be Mandy from small town girl. i forget how i found her blog, but the minute i read it, i was instantly impressed and thought that we had a lot in common, turns out we do. she was the first person to interview me and now its like i have a bff internet friend, it is pretty cool.

2.If you were best friends with a cartoon character from the 80s, who would it be?

Great Question! and an easy answer for me at least, but he might be from the late 80s. my best friend would be Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes. part of me thinks hobbes was actually real and part of me totally understands the imaginary friend. i had on in kindergarten whose name was sara and she unfortunately got hit by a car. it was tragic, but she got lots of good gifts at the funeral. i even named my dog Hobbes after that comic strip.

3.If you could have a reunion with someone from your past that you no long keep in any kind of contact with, who would it be and why were they important to you?

that is a toss up, so in a two part answer an alive person and someone who has passed away. the first would be mrs. gordon. she was my social studies and language arts teacher in middle school. my middle school was very small and very cliquey, mrs. gordon saw the torment that people would put other people through and somehow make you feel better about yourself. and when we were in 8th grade we had a living through american history course where we started our own country, it was her that initially planted the seed to pursue history. the person i would want to reunite with who has passed away was my softball coach joel hall. he passed away at a very young age and was that adult who was so cool and believed in everyone who played for him. he played double a ball for a while so that probably elevated his podium in my book.

4.What’s the biggest challenge of being part of an insta’ family? 

i was just talking to kevin about something similiar the other day. when i was growing up, i used to joke that yeah i wanted kids, but i didn’t really want to go through labor, changing diapers or potty training, just give me back the kid around 11 or 12. well be careful what you wish for! there are two things that are a bit of challenge, the first being that we went from dating and having visits with nick to having him full time and being responsible for EVERYTHING overnight. just digesting all the changes at first was difficult, but realizing that our freedom as a couple had completely changed took a little bit longer, and at times i think we both look at that past. the other is that no matter how much i am there for nick, i will never be his mother, and that is fine with me, i will always be jen, but i have noticed at times when he is angry at the world that he will take it out on me because i am there so i just need to learn to be patient with that  and remember that its not me personally its all the other shit that swirls around.

5.What’s the biggest reward of the same?

and of course the flip side of all that is kevin nick and i have formed a wonderful little family unit. with all the ups and downs and bad progress reports and lies, the foundation that we have in place for nick is the most rewarding thing ever. i get to witness the everyday development of kid with a huge personality and great potential and do not know how any mom would give that up. plus we still get time for ourselves when nick goes to his moms and everything seems to work out just fine.

Thanks Mike those were great questions!

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ahh the snow…

so this morning my outside looked like this:

 

which equaled no work and no school, for either of us!!  i did however make it to the dmv to re-new my registration, in what turned out to be the most pleasant experience i have ever had at the dmv. thank you snow day!

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i couldnt resist!

so i saw another interview by the fabulous Elizabeth and had to request questions from her as well: so here goes:

1.  If you could have lunch with any three people (alive/dead/real/ficticious), who would they be and why?

stephen ambrose-because he is an amazing author who died way too young, michelle obama because i find her fascinating and benjamin franklin to ask him if he really was a ladies man in france.

2.  What is on your bedside table? 

a depression glass bowl with bracelets in it, alarm clock that i hate, glasses when i am sleeping because i am blind as a bat and sometimes my phone…i think, oh and lots of dust!

3.  What is the last book you read that you would recommend to someone and why?

Richard Ohman-Selling Culture, it was just really fascinating in a history nerd sort of way.

4.  If you could try anything and NOT fail, what would you attempt?

being a large animal vet-i failed miserably at chemistry…always wanted to work with horses.

5.  What is the worst injury you ever had?

injury? well i am a clutz so i would have to say in highschool when i fell off my horse got a concussion and probably messed up my back more than i am willing to admit, i do not remember how i got home, the rest of the evening or most of the following day at school-until i asked the trainer before our basketball game if having a swollen throat feeling after hitting my head was a bad thing…followed by a huge WHAT! and a prompt ride to the ER. 

Thanks Elizabeth!!

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sometimes i…

sometimes i wonder what it would be like to drive my car like a demolition derby on the way to work.

sometimes i wonder how expensive that proposition would really be.

sometimes i get lost on the internet, one search leads to another and another and another until i forget what the initial search was all about.

sometimes i wonder what i would be doing if i hadn’t moved to the east coast, i certainly know i wouldn’t be in the same position as i am now.

sometimes i look on facebook for people i know will never be on there and its not like i really want to talk to them, just looking for familiar faces.

sometimes i will be in a situation where i think “mags really would appreciate my thought process” or “i remember when allison did that” and i get incredibly homesick.

sometimes i think about nicks future and really hope that he full fills his dream of being a professional athelte, at least gives it a try. but hey at least now he talks about “when i go to college” HUGE change from only last year.

sometimes i cannot believe how fast things go, there was a time when the summer used to drag by and school almost stood still.

sometimes i drink lemonade out of a wine glass, just because it feels classy.

sometimes i toy with the idea of eloping, just as long as i can wear a dress.

sometimes some of the grouchiest people i work with, who tell me i am an idiot, instead of returning the favor, i kill them with kindness.

sometimes i make up life stories for people i pass in the store.

sometimes those life stories are elaborate and exotic, sometimes they are more boring than mine!

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i bucked up and beared it

and went to a bridal show this past weekend. and i am positive i do NOT want this:

 

because believe it or not, they are still out there, complete with mullets and balloon arches. needless to say i think i learned of more of what i don’t want then any ideas of what i could see us doing. next weekend, kevin and i will attempt one again. this past weekend, i went with my sister. it was an awesome experience with her and we were able to joke about all the swarmy vendors and cheesey banquet halls that just made me feel as if i needed a shower. but i did see a really neat cake, an innovative photographer and pretty sure i found bartenders. bring on the planning…

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an update…

i am done with the letters mable! after we fixed the tire, we noticed a headlight out, no big deal. right? WRONG! the simple act of getting a headlight cost way more than the one tire. monday  morning on our usual commute you decided to do something so heinous, so insensitive, i am about ready to throw in the oil rag. 

let me recap; granted it was frigid and you like i am getting up there in years, i understand being a bit brittle, however, that pot hole that we always go over because there is no way to avoid it, the one on the way to nicks school, should not have caused you to issue the loudest bang i have ever heard. i actually got out of the car hoping to see something hanging off of you, or blown off, to justify the bang. Then you had the NERVE to pretend like everything was okay. i went to work, the bank and home with no problems, it was only when i backed out of the parking space when you decided to reveal your devious plan. the insane knocking and then only allowing me to drive straight…was INSANE. talk about not being grateful, we were going to get you a new eyeball!

two days with no car, relying on my boss to get me to work and wayyyyyy to much money later, the spring in the suspension, that was complelty severed has been replaced. but let me tell you a little secret, the new spring, is really a used spring…so hah on you. and the reason being? we would have to replace EVERYTHING if the spring was new. so right now, i would say you are not on my favorite list. i hope we can resolve this little spat soon, you still mean a lot to me.

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Dear mable…

my dear mable the malibu, you have been such a great part of my life. can you believe you are ten years old this month? and as much as i love you, there are a few things i think we need to address:

the gas gauge. now i thought it was a cute quirk when it decided to work backwards. just one of the things that gave you a little character. i do have it figured out now, it will work until half a tank then instead of continuing to go down, instead you make it go up. but i am on to you! i set the trip meter and now know when i am close to 200 mi, its time to fill up.

temperature control. i didn’t mind it when the heat would only work on three or higher, hey at least there is heat right? well now you have decided that you cannot possibly have three human beings in the car and have all the windows defrosted at the same time. i am not sure why you refuse to do this, if i cant see driving, you can get hurt too.

random dashboard lights. since i am really not sure what you are trying to tell me, i just like to think that the dinging reminder is just your way of saying hi, well hi back to you!

drivers side window. i am very sorry if i offended you at some drive up restaurant, surely i did because otherwise your window would roll up just as reliably as it roles down. now we have to go in EVERYWHERE because i am too nervous to roll the window all the way down for fear that i may never see it again. you do know how cold it is outside?

last but not least this morning:

whats this, you look rather crooked…

 

#@#!$^#%$#@#$^%$  really?

no warning, no slow leak, no pulling to one side. Mable your charm is wearing on me. lets just hope the spare in the back is enough to get me to work, otherwise there will be no new shoes for you!

all my love

jen

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the interview…

since there is no school and no work and the outside world is one large ice-rink, i am going to attempt to answer questions from the lovely Mandy, who has more in common with me then she realizes. it also happens to be somewhat interactive so if anyone out there would like to play along, here are the rules;

1. If you want to participate, leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.” (And your e-mail address, please.)

2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Here are the questions;

1. What inspired you to start a blog and how do you find inspiration for your posts?  i originally started the blog because a few of my co-workers had one and i was leaving that job. the job that no matter how many times it made me upset was probably the first fulfilling job i had ever had. not to mention all of the people who i worked with made the transition of moving to the east coast a bit easier. they were like family and i thought this was a great way to keep in touch. then it changed a bit when before kevin and i moved in together the situation at nicks moms house turned very ugaly and we immediately had custody of his son nick. my blog went from “this is what my new job is like, to this is what its like to be a full time parent when you hadn’t completely planned that was going to happen right away.” it was a long term goal that i knew was coming, it just happened a little bit sooner then expected hence the “Insta family-just add water.”

2. What three songs have influenced your life in some way and why? two major songs are dave matthews songs, the first being tripping billies and the second being grey street. in what seems like another life both of these songs were relating to what i was feeling and what i was going through. now when i hear them its a subtle reminder of where i was and how far i have come. for instance in tripping billies there is a line “23 and so tired of life, such a shame to throw it all away…” i was 23 and tired of life and so glad i didn’t throw it away. and for the third i really cannot decide, my itunes library runs the span of Beethoven to Marylin Manson with a sprinkling of country and babershop. all of which have some significance in my life. when i first meet people i am more willing to show them pictures of my ugly phase before sharing the full scope of whats on my ipod.

3. If someone offered to give you a multimillion dollar home in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the US for the rest of your life (in which you could live having all of your utilities, taxes, everything paid in full)  but in order to get the house you first had to go live in a third world country without any of the comforts of home for two years, would you do it? when i graduated from college that is exactly what i wanted to do, and still do, so yes to the question, but even more important is i don’t need the motivation of something like an amazing house to go to the third world. first it was Kenya, then it was anywhere in eastern europe, then i decided it had to be bosnia, i wanted to teach english and work with all the women who had been raped during the bosnian war. it is still something i want to do, someday.

4. If you had to give up your sense of sight or hearing, which would it be and why? i would have to go with sight. i am practically blind as it is and becoming completely blind is still a real possibility. but i do  have a photographic memory and people around me who can describe things in perfect detail. so yeah sight would be my choice. i know i would not be able to stand it if i could see kevin and not be able to hear him say my name or that he loves me.

5. Do you have a life motto? What is it and why did you chose those as your words to live by? Treat Others as You Want to Be Treated. to me this is just a fundamental aspect of being a good person. everyone makes mistakes or says things they don’t mean but if everyone treated everyone else the way they wanted to be treated, can you imagine how different the world would be. i know its a tall order, so i am starting small and trying to instill that in nick. 

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bring it on!

2009!! so if 2008 was just a blink, how fast can 2009 go? in a few short months, school will be over with, again. summer will be here, again. and i am really looking forward to just being with my little family, big changes and little changes and everything in between. it has been over a year and a half since we just “added water” and i have to say it hasn’t been easy, but it is something i will for always treasure, not only am i spending the rest of my life with my best friend, i have the privilege of witnessing his son become the most wonderful person he can be, i may even have a small part in that. i remember something from an old job i had, that stated something about it not mattering how much money you have or what kind of car you drove just that you made a difference in one childs life…i can totally understand that and it feels pretty good.

so with that i have to post pictures from our latest little excursion to the city, we had a room near grand central station and spent and entire day with the fritzens-for christmas. it was perfect!

 

Mary and my cousin Abigail played with my cousin Heathers puppy almost all day;

I am not quite sure what mary is trying to avoid, its not like the dog was big…

i wish i was at the front of this shot; how cute are they?

 

and just watching this almost…almost made my ovaries hurt (it did make me rather upset with them, it was fleeting though.)

we are only missing one cousin in this picture…

 

and that was how we spent our weekend, along with lots of walking and shopping and just enjoying each others company!! Gotta love the city!

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