Coupons

Coupons are tricky. They force upon you an insatiable desire to use them. If I have pile full of coupons that expire today at one of my favorite stores, an urgency takes over, causing my mind to reel. I just have to come up with a way to use them. I ask myself, "What do I need?"

Well, plain and simple, if I needed anything, I wouldn't have to brainstorm about what it was. When I have to sit and ponder what I "need," chances are I don't need it at all. Most of the time, true needs arise and are met as fast as possible. They don't wait for coupons. This brings us to desires. When no needs arise in my mind, I start to think along these lines: "Well, what have I been wanting for awhile? Now that I have coupons, it is okay to buy it. I will be saving 50%!" Truth be told, I will be spending 50%. And on our budget, that is too much simply to satisfy a desire-- just so I can spend those coupons.

Oh the struggle.

Rockin at the Rock Concert

Nickelback Concert! That is where Jared took me on our hot date last night! It was awesome! The night started out at Rancheros with delicious fajitas. Then we ran down to the Target Center in time to listen Chris Daughtry jam for almost an hour, followed by Stain. Then the big guns came out-- Nickelback! There were sparks flying on the stage behind them, flames shooting in time to the music, and lots of mist wafting through the air. By the end of the concert, the room was so hazy with mist that it was difficult to see the people on the floor in the general admission section. We sat three rows from the back wall, in the uppermost level. We were nearly as far away as you can possibly get, but I didn't care at all.

I'm sure that Presh got a pretty good concert too, cuz we could feel the bass pumpin' through the room. I have read that babies can hear low-pitch tones, like bass, in the womb. I am pretty sure Presh was a fan, cuz that baby was dancin' and groovin' to the beat!

Sorry, no pictures. Jared told me to leave the camera in the car, at which point I was still unaware of where we were headed.

Unsolved Mystery

So last week Jared told me he is planning a surprise hot date for us tonight. WOOHOO! It is been sooooo long since I have been on anything resembling a hot date. He has tauntingly mentioned this date everyday since then, increasing my anticipation to the utmost. Then, in the car last night at 9:30 pm, he sprung something on me--- I was told I have to wear "a sexy little outfit." Immediately my mind jumped in two different directions.
First, "Wow! This date is bigger than I was imagining. I wonder what we could possibly be doing?!"
Second, "How can sexy and pregnant coincide?"

So when we got home, I ran upstairs and riffled through my closet and dug out three of my "sexiest" pregnant dresses and tried them on.
1st dress- Uffta! NOT so sexy after all.
2nd dress- Are we going camping? Cause I'm wearing the tent.
3rd dress (little black dress)- PERFECT! Sex in a bottle. I was pretty sure at this point that I had reached my full potential and successfully (magically) married "sexy" with "pregnant."

I accessorized with dangly rhinestone earrings, a sparkly necklace, and black heels. I threw on a sheer black overshirt, and ran downstairs to display myself to Jared. He looked at me and his face lit up and said: "Woooow. That does look sexy, but..." and stopped. My heart jumped. What?!? What could possibly be wrong with this outfit? It hit me. It was waaaay too formal. I quickly asked him if that was the problem. And here was his reply: "Well, I want you to be comfortable. But I want you to feel sexy."

I don't think he realized that he just asked the impossible. Sexy. Comfortable. Pregnant. I barely managed to pull together sexy and pregnant. I honestly didn't think it could be done. But comfortable and pregnant? That would consist of my cut-off gray sweatpants and the baggiest T-shirt I could find. Maybe a hoody too. And my down blanket. Anyone think this is SEXY?

When I heard this response my heart sank. No matter how much I scrounged through my closet, I would never find something to fit all three.

This morning, I brought 3 outfits, 6 necklaces, 4 pairs of earrings, 2 bracelets, 3 pairs of shoes, and 2 purses to work with me (he is picking me up straight from here). When I arrived, I lamented to Cara about my impossible predicament, and she ran upstairs and returned with a shirt for me to try on. Guess what? It fits me PERFECT. It looks sexy. It is more comfortable than any shirt I own. I am still pregnant. Cara, will you marry me? You are my hero!

(I will post pictures tomorrow of our date and let you know what the heck we did!)

Bad Baby!

Due to a power outage, only one paramedic responded to the call. The house was very dark so the paramedic asked Kathleen, a 3-yr old girl to hold a flashlight high over her mommy so he could see while he helped deliver the baby!
Very diligently, Kathleen did as she was asked. Heidi pushed and pushed and after a little while, Connor was born. The paramedic lifted him by his little feet and spanked him on his bottom. Connor began to cry.
The paramedic then thanked Kathleen for her help and asked the wide-eyed 3-yr old what she thought about what she had just witnessed.
Kathleen quickly responded, "He shouldn't have crawled in there in the first place......smack his butt again!"


Sent to me in an email from my dad! Good story Papar!

All I Need Are My Fiskars

This morning I woke up and looked at myself in the mirror. I had had enough. I got probably the best haircut I have ever received about 3 weeks ago. I LOVE my haircut. It always sits beautifully, and is very easy to upkeep. I am usually able to stretch my style for as long as 2-3 days in between washings by adding a few strategic bursts of hairspray. This is especially wonderful these days, since I am quickly loosing energy to spend time in the morning styling my blond locks.
One little problem: perfect haircut + pregnancy hormones = hair growing at a rapid speed. Now, I forked out more for this haircut than we spend on groceries in a week (sorry Kristi), and am not about to plunge into our meager bank account again FOR A TRIM. (Now there's another whole story about how I feel on charging the same amount for a trim, as for a completely life-changing, dramatic haircut. Maybe I will feel differently after cosmetology school.) But a trim was definitely in order. You see, when she cut my hair, she cut it at the perfect length, which means that as soon as it started growing, it was too long. I really do see the strategy in this-- it would bring the salon-going crowd back every 3-4 weeks, which means more $$ for Ms. Haircutter. I, however, am too stingy to pay that much once a month.

So... No problemo! I grabbed my best pair of Fiskars today and hacked away. Looks just like it did the day I left the salon. I am pretty proud of my self-administered trim. Free of charge.

The Day That Never Ends

(Set to that incredibly annoying tune of the "Song That Never Ends")

This is the day that never ends,
It keeps going on and on, my friends,
It started out just fine, but now I think, that it's just a joke,
I would like to scream aloud "Today, you're a slow-poke!"
This is the day that never ends...

Back to School

Exciting news! I am (hopefully) going back to school to earn my Cosmetology license!! It is something I have wanted to do for several years now, but saving all our pennies for a house took precedence. Jared and I were having a heart-to-heart last week and I shared my regrets for never following through with it. He simply looked at me and told me to go for it. I immediately gushed my concerns about trying to make it through school while caring for a newborn, but he stopped me in my tracks with some of the sweetest words I have ever heard: "I will do whatever it takes to help you get through this."

I have been pouring over information from various schools, trying to weigh my options. The only thing I know for sure at this point is that I am going to enroll as a part-time student, and complete my degree in about 18 months. The classes will be a few evenings a week, and on Saturdays. This morning I called around to all the potential schools and set up meetings with each of them to gather as much information as possible. I have three this week, and one next week.

When should I start-- right away or after the baby is a few months old? How much will it cost? What is the part-time schedule? Will any of my previous credits tranfer? How much financial aid do I qualify for?
All of these are vital questions that I need to know the answers to before I can make any further decisions. If you have a minute this week, I would really appreciate your prayers. I am a little nervous about this huge new step.