Over the past 2 weekends

Last weekend, Paul and I found some stools for the bar. I love them.We are slowly getting some furniture to fill the house with. :)

We also had a cookout. We finally figured out how to use the charcoal grill, so our burgers tasted like burgers this time instead of lighter fluid! :) Notice the dead bamboo plant in the pink pot. Yeah, I am so bad with plants I actually killed bamboo! (Well, Friskie didn't help either.. He ate on it every time green leaves would come out!)



Our yard with the neighbors emerging garden to the side. This summer I am going to plant some bushes and flowers along the fence line.



This weekend Paul helped me hang a picture frame on a very bare white wall. It looks much better! I got the frame over a month ago. It has just taken forever to finally get pictures in it.


This is a plant we picked out at Walmart yesterday. It was only $8.00! I was so excited I got it. It's a Yucca. My mom who knows a lot about plants suggest I shouldn't get it because it gets very sharp and dangerous... If it does, we will figure out something to do with it? It was only $8.00. I don't know much about plants, so maybe that was expensive? I thought it looked tropical.



I've quite a few summer projects, like creating a garden, finding curtains, painting the garage, etc. Maybe I can convince my mom to come up and help me! :) She is good at all of these things. Jojo can come too!

Finally, these are some pictures of the kitty cats enjoying some sunshine!

I gotta go spray the yard with some weed killer, so that we don't have to mow twice a week! :)

Bugs

2 weeks left of school!!! :)

Bugs:

Last weekend, Paul and I decided to go hiking. We knew there was an outdoors adventure place near by, but we thought it was a good 30 minutes from our house. Lo and behold, it was 5 minutes away!! Awesome. This place has 10 miles of biking and hiking trails. We decided to hike the 3 mile trail which was a lot of fun! You can see the river while walking and climb fairly step hills. It was just nice getting outside.

However, after walking for awhile, I started hearing a noise that sounded like small rain drops falling on leaves. I told Paul to stop and listen. We both couldn't figure out what it was, so we continued walking. After walking 2 miles, Paul felt something bite his neck. He grabbed it and it was a small green worm. Then, I look at Paul's shirt and it was COVERED in green worms and caterpillars. They were in his hair and on his neck. I realize then.. that the noise we heard was not rain drops.. It was worms falling from trees! I also realized there were many small black specks in my hair! Ahh! Yes, caterpillars and green worms were in my hair and all over my clothes too. We quickly tried to get them off of each other. We walked hurriedly back to our car, but we tried not to let the bug experience get to us. I felt rather paranoid for the rest of the day..

Bugs continue...

During my first class today (about 20 minutes after giving my presentation), I felt something tickling my arm. I swat at it.. and this huge black spider lands on my desk and heads straight for my doughnut that a girl in my class brought for all of us. *gross* I freak out. Everyone looks, and I explain that there was a huge spider. Of course, by then, it had crawled under my desk. *sighs* I was worried it would get back on me for the rest of the class... By noon or so, I hadn't seen spider again. Thankfully!

Well, after working on a project in the computer lab, I picked my backpack up and headed towards my last class of the day. I decided to stop by the restroom first. I set my bag down.. and then.. I don't see spider....I see a huge brown cock roach! Yeah! It was running all over my backpack. Yet again, another gross moment! I kicked it off with my shoe and squished it. Needless to say, I was very paranoid during my last class that I would have some other creature crawling all in my hair or face during class! As for as I know, there wasn't.

So... when I got home I changed clothes and showered to make sure other critters weren't there. I am hoping this is just the season for bugs, and they are not just attracted to me for some reason! I am going to be very paranoid for the next few days...

Job Fair

I went to this job fair:

http://www.charlotte.com/breaking_news/story/588621.html

4,000 people showed up. All of us were competing for one of the 800 teaching positions or other positions with CMS. (It was very crowded!)

I will stay positive, but I will start applying to some other places as well. :) It was a good experience interviewing with a few schools and seeing what type of questions they ask. That way I am better prepared for next time.

Quick blog.. sorry, but I gotta finish cooking dinner.

Pray for Sharon

Sharon may need to go back to the hospital on Monday for more treatment. Please keep her in your prayers.

Don't blog when you are tired and hungry..

This blog was going to be all about self pity. Complaining about all that I had to do which is a lot: work, all day job fair and interviews on Saturday, work, work, exam, presentations, final website due (1 professional website with 5 sites within), presentation, paper due, 2 papers due same class, presentation, debate, group meetings, group meetings another class, neuroscience homework, work, multiple articles to read, web assignment, and 2 take home finals (which are due on the day we have our 4th test-never had this before?). All this must get done within the next 2 weeks, but I am not freaking out anymore. It will get done! :)

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Sometimes, you just need to be reminded of that. Take a deep breathe. Most of the stress is my fault anyways, I am working 2 jobs and going to school full time. Not the brightest thing to do, so I can't complain. How can I when my poor hubby works 100hour work weeks, but still has a positive attitude about work and still enjoys it! I wish I had that motivation! He even mowed the grass when he got home fairly early on Tuesday. It has grown a great deal since then.

Funny how I am taking an elective about motivation this semester and it hasn't help, nor has it really defined motivation. Theorist desperately try to explain motivation, but they can't explain why some people have more than others. The best they can come up with is that motivation is force that directs behavior. I guess the force isn't with me! lol I think someone who likes Star Wars came up with that definition.

Ok.. this blog will be turning to food soon. *stomach grumbles* I will try to keep up with everyones' blog over the next 2 weeks. I must go find some dinner to eat! ;) I am hungry.... To make something or go for a Sonics burger and fries... so tempting? Yummy salty fries.. with a cheese burger.. Yum! ... must resist...

School.. school....

Great news! Sharon was able to come home yesterday. That is an answer to prayers. :)

I am just trying to make it through the last 3 weeks of school! Just 3 weeks... I got a grade back on a website I developed in my web development class today. Let me tell you. He is so picky with his grading. We are using Visual Studios 2005 for the first time. I love it! Most of the class we have just been plugging in code by code for HTML and Javascript, so not having to go piece by piece and having a compiler that checks for errors is amazing! I love Visual Studio. I wish we could have used that at the beginning. Needless to say, the Visual Studio stuff is very easy compared to creating all the code from scratch, but the "grader" gave me an 80 on an assignment. I was not too happy.

Let me explain. We had to list 4 streets with Visual Studio. The fourth street was to be personalized with our name, so I having the name Holly decided to use Hollywood Drive as my fourth street. Well, the "grader" took off 2 (8/10 scale) points for that bringing my grade down to an 80 because Hollywood is an industry, not my name. Yeah, how picky is that. I sent him an e-mail asking for at least one more point which would bring my grade to a 90 because I did have my name which is Holly (just in case you didn't know) as part of the fourth street. Oh well! I guess if I had the name Amber and used Amberwood that would have worked. I should have just gone with Holly. That would have been more exciting and personal. ugh

Ah.. school. I can't wait to be done. At least 80 is passing! :) Well, I'd better get ready for work. I just needed to get some frustration out.

Update: My professor stood up for me and told the "grader" that "Hollywood and Holly are a close enough tie for me. It shows she really did the work." Yay! :)

Family visit

Ivy, mom, and Iza were able to come visit me today. It was great seeing them. :)

Iza darted from one room to the other... It was quite funny.

Lambchops came out to play....

Jojo even came! :)

Honey did not like Jojo very much....

We went out and got some yummy apples. I have eaten half of the Rocky Road apple already.

Paul needs to get home soon and eat the one I got him before I do! ;)

These are some really cute decorative cats my mom and Ivy got me. :)

Friskie approves of them.