Riley and Me

Change of address...

2007-05-21T20:24:00.000-06:00

I have decided to relocate my blog to wordpress. I like that I have more control over various aspects, and can customize things easier. So, please change your links and head over to the new blog at http://julieanne.wordpress.com!

Riley

2007-05-14T22:08:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday baby Riley! I love you so much, and don't know what I would do without you.

Terrible twos, here we come!

(I hope to have a much more involved birthday post tomorrow.)

I be educated

2007-05-11T21:25:00.000-06:00

Graduation was great fun, except for the fact that it was crazy hot and I ended up with 4 blisters. It seems that cheap shoes and walking across campus don't work too well together. But I have pictures!

This is at the main campus graduation. Everyone started out over here (if you wanted to go), then the grad students were dismissed to their own diploma ceremonies elsewhere. The flags at the front represent each of the colleges. Peabody is the light blue one third from the left. The light blue represents education, and is the same color that was on my hood. While we were there, each school and degree was announced. The med school whipped out the beach balls and silly string when they were called to stand. Everyone laughed, and it wouldn't surprise me if this is a med school tradition. I can only imagine how excited they must be to be finished with med school.

There's me, all fancied up in my regalia. I have a picture from the back as well, because you can't get the full effect of the hood. The back picture is on my dad's camera, so I'll post that one later.

Me and my parents. If anyone was wondering how I ended up as short as I am, now you know. =)

Me and my mom, with my diploma.

These two are me and my friend Crystal. The one on the right was a self-portrait that was taken at our banquet the other night. The was one on the left was at graduation, obviously.

It was a good day. My parents and I went to eat at Cheesecake Factory afterwards, then I had TCBY ice cream. Then I went home and took a long nap. Graduation was outside, and sitting in the sun makes me really tired. I'm probably going to spend a lot of time this weekend laying around, watching TV, and trying to come to terms with the fact that I really don't have any papers due. Of course, I should work on cover sheets for resumes, but that's different. I should set aside time to work on that though, considering it would be nice to have a job sometime in the near future.

That's all for now! I'll probably have more pics later this weekend. Thanks to everyone for all the well-wishes!

Tomorrow! Tomorrow!

2007-05-10T22:51:00.000-06:00

The day is almost here. I have my cap and gown and hood. My tassel is a light blue color, which I really like. My hood is light blue velvet on the outside, and black and gold lined on the inside. There is no way I'm going to be able to get dressed by myself tomorrow, due to the fact that you have to strategically flip part of the hood so the inside and outside shows. I have the diagram that came with it, so hopefully Cassie and I will be able to figure it out. I mean, we're getting our Master's degree. Surely we can figure out how to get dressed for the ceremony...right? =)

I had a surprise visitor in my classroom yesterday. Mayor Bill Purcell was in the building for most of the day yesterday, and he (along with the principal, assistant principal, resource officer, and someone else) came in during my 4th period class. Yesterday's topic (from a program that's put out by RASAC) was sexual abuse and all the issues (emotional, reporting, etc) that go along with that. Luckily, I had finished the part where I had to explain what actually qualifies as abuse, and was talking about mandatory reporting/limits of confidentiality (meaning that if a child discloses abuse of any type, I HAVE to report it to the authorities. There's absolutely no way around that, and I think it's important that they know what my legal and ethical obligations are, so it doesn't come as a huge shock that I can't keep this a secret like I do with everything else). This is something that has been drilled into my head from day one of my program, and I've given the speech numerous times already, so I was able to keep it together and keep teaching. Until they left, of course, when I had a moment of hyperventilation. Then we finished the lesson.

As of today, I have officially finished my internship hours. I go to graduation tomorrow feeling free and relieved. I'm still planning on going to internship on Monday, just to say all my goodbyes with the kids and thank everyone for allowing me to work and learn there this year.

I've been knitting on the sleeve of my Central Park Hoodie. It's going well, except for the fact that it's like 90 degrees outside (maybe not that hot, but too hot to be thinking about wearing a wool sweater). At least it'll be all ready for next year! I've slacked a bit on my socks, and I guess I currently have a bit of SSS (second sock syndrome). I recently ordered some Yarn Pirate sock yarn in the Mermaid colorway, so I'm excited to see what that looks like. I'm also thinking about buying myself a set of the Knitpicks Options needles that I've been eyeing pretty much since they came out. Hehe...I just went to the knitpicks web page, and see that they've changed the "view shopping cart" to "view stash." I think that's pretty cute.

Riley got mail today. He has a birthday coming up on Monday, and the vet sent him a birthday card. He'll be two years old. Maybe that's why he's been barking and being a bit irritating lately...it's the terrible twos! I'll have to get him a present. His gotcha day is in July, so I'll have to celebrate that too, of course. I can't believe I'll have had him for 2 years in July. Time is going so fast!

I guess that's it for now. Hopefully I'll have lots of graduation pics to post!

Riley

2007-05-04T23:55:00.000-06:00

This is what Riley looks like after a bath. This video is pretty old, but he does basically the same thing now. This is definitely one of the most entertaining parts of having a dog. =)

It's been awhile...

2007-05-02T18:47:00.000-06:00

So I've neglected the blog for a bit, but hopefully I'll be able to remedy that. Look! Puppy pictures!

These were taken at Riley's Delta Society graduation back in March. I'm a little slow, obviously. Riley took his test on March 31, but unfortunately he didn't pass. The test is going to be really hard for him, just because he's pretty much by himself in a room (with me and the tester) and people walk towards him. The same for the neutral dog part of the test. Riley does great when he's out in public, I guess because the people are just part of the scenery...but if someone walks towards him, then they're obviously coming to see him. He got a little too excited when the neutral dog came in and whined at her. It wasn't aggressive, but they're still not allowed to vocalize. I'm hoping to get him tested again soon, but I decided to wait until I'm out of school and not stressed with all that. Next time I'm going to wear him out before the test, to see if that helps. Oh well. He's a good doggie, and I know he'll pass when he's ready.

School is going well, especially considering I'm done with classes! This semester's ending was kinda anti-climactic, especially compared to last semester. I had papers due throughout the semester, and everything lined up so that I had time to focus on each thing. It wasn't like last semester when I had 13 assignments in a month so I was counting down. All of a sudden, I was just done, and classes were over. I'm still doing internship hours, but I hope to have those done a day or two after graduation. I'm having to play catch up a bit, but it's all working out. I really love getting to know all my kids, and I wish I could've done more of this earlier.

I haven't been knitting as much as I would've liked, partly because I've started reading more. I recently read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and now I've moved on to The Golden Compass. This is a re-read, inspired by the fact that they're making a movie out of the book. This scares and excites me at the same time. I love Lyra and Pantalaimon, and being the visual person that I am, I'd love to be able to see them. At the same time, book movies have the potential to be majorly messed up. Let's hope this is one of those movies that does the book justice.

I've been pretty tired lately, which isn't fun. I don't know how I managed to go to school all day every day when I was in middle school. Maybe I'm just getting old. =)

I went on a shopping spree this past weekend, which was great fun. For some reason they decided to do the tax-free weekend thing, which was nice, and people also had some big sales going on. I got some new pants, and even found a dress for graduation! This weekend I need to get shoes, because the ones I have gave me blisters again today. I'd rather not be hobbling across the stage because my shoes hurt. I have to process from main campus to Peabody, which is enough of a walk that I'll have blisters by the time it's over. I haven't decided if it's the style or the place I bought them that's the problem.

In other exciting news, my dad and I celebrated a milestone this weekend. Check out the odometer on his 1983 Nissan. It still has the original engine, too!

This is the car that I rode in on the way to school for years and years. It's been a good one, even without the power windows/door locks and air conditioning.

It turned the big 30(00000)!

There's a first time for everything...

2007-04-10T19:39:00.000-06:00

I have the influenza. I don't think I've ever officially had it before, although there were times that I wondered. I knew when I spiked a fever that something was definitely wrong, because that's really rare for me. I may feel bad and have sinus stuff, but never a fever. It topped out today at 102.2, before I dragged myself off the couch to down some advil. I have a renewed love for advil gelcaps, because they have gotten the fever down some, and make me feel like I might actually not die. The sweats/chills junk isn't cool though.

I was dreading the TCAP (standardized testing) process, but at this point I cannot wait to get back and count answer sheets. I guess that's what I get for complaining about it.

I forget if I mentioned that I finished my Monkey socks. They've been done awhile, but I haven't taken a picture. I'm planning on ordering some sock blockers, but the person that makes them is out of town right now. They're going to make me an extra-small size, so that'll be nice. I'm currently working on my Dublin Bay socks in Sweet by Sunshine Yarns, and the Central Park Hoodie. I finished the back and one of the fronts, and am only on the second ball of yarn. I love that Cascade 220 goes such a long way. The hope is that I'll have some extra yarn that I can switch out. I think I've also decided to make a mitered square blanket from Mason-Dixon knitting. It seems that other people (*cough*enablers*cough*) have started on the mitered bandwagon, so I'm going to too. I have some yarn money left over from birthday/Valentines, and the Easter bunny brought me a little too. So, the next thing to make will be a mitered square afghan out of Tahki cotton classic.

So the laptop feels like a furnace, so I'm going to go sleep some more. Riley's been keeping watch over me today, and has been stopping to look over at me every time I move or turn over. He's a good boy.

I thought I had a few years...

2007-03-26T09:23:00.000-06:00

...before my kids started taking my credit card. I left this on the couch after signing up for Netflix (more about that later) and Riley decided to walk off with it. Smart dog. =)

I finished these socks last Thursday when I was at Threaded Bliss. They fit really well, and he seems to like them. He did say that he was afraid to wear them, but I didn't make them to be looked at. The yarn is Lana Grossa, color 1008 (I think...the Italian's throwing me off). I also finished my Monkey socks (except for weaving in the ends), so I'll hopefully get pictures of those tonight.

On Saturday I went out to Montgomery Bell State Park for a fiber festival. There was a sock dying/knitting class with Charlene Schurch (!) that I *really* wish I had known about. That would've been awesome to take. There weren't as many vendors as I'd hoped, but I did get a skein of really pretty yarn. I bought the Roses n Thyme colorway from Knitting Notions (it's actually the colorway that's knitted up in the baby sweater at the top). I'm not usually much of a pink person, but I like the way the pinks and greens work together. I'm also planning on ordering a swift from them, due to the fact that the one my dad made (twice) still results in tangled yarn when it's used. I spent a few hours unknotting yarn last night, but I'm very grateful that it wasn't as knotted as it could've been.
For my next pair of socks, I'm using the color Sweet from Sunshine Yarns, which was the February colorway for her 2007 Sock club. I'm going to make the Dublin Bay Socks (link goes to the pattern PDF, but there's a picture). It's very spring-y, so that makes me excited. I'm also going to use size 1 needles for the first time, hurray!
I guess that's about it for today. I should hopefully know something about comps scores this week, and Riley takes his Delta test on Saturday. Let's hope everything goes well!

Oh, and I need some help. I recently signed up for Netflix, and I need help making my movie list. I made it through the 80's and 90's without seeing lots of the big important movies, so odds are that if you like it, I haven't seen it (I did see the Princess Bride about 100 times, so that may be the exception). Any movie suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

New girl in town...

2007-03-17T21:51:00.000-06:00

Meet Hope. Hope is the newest addition to the family. She lived with some of my dad's tenants, and he convinced them to give her to us. I'm not totally sure where she originally came from, but I know she was pretty sick for awhile. She seems to be in good health now (she hasn't been to the vet yet), and she is so sweet. She's smart, too. She knows her name, and is really good about coming when she's called. She's a lot calmer than Riley, but I still think she has a lot of spunk. She and Riley got to running around today, and I think they like each other. They're pretty close size wise, so I hope they'll be good friends. Hope hasn't met my dad's cat yet, so we'll see how that goes. Riley and I will definitely have to visit her a lot!

Speaking of Riley, he's still running the house around here. He likes to look out the window, but I don't let him do that too much. He tends to get excited when people walk by, and I'd rather him not bark at people and cause a disruption like that. Riley also loves it when I take pictures of us. =) He went to the nursing home last weekend on a Delta visit, and he did *so well.* I was exreely impressed with how well he did, and we had some good visits with the residents. He was very still and let me hold him a lot longer than he normally would, and loved having people pet on him. He also rode an elevator for the first time, which kinda freaked him out. His legs sprawled everywhere and he hit the ground when the floor started moving, but he did fine. I just think it surprised him. He didn't hesitate getting on at all, so it must not have been too big of a deal to him.

I finished Trogdor awhile ago, but I didn't get around to posting pictures. The pattern was posted on Crafster.com, and the author's blog is here. I was really pleased with how it turned out, and I'm glad that it really does look like the real Trogdor from Homestarrunner.com!

I'm on my second spring break right now, because grad school spring break and middle school spring break weren't at the same time. I need to do some work this week, but I also plan on doing a decent amount of knitting. I started working on the Central Park Hoodie from the Fall issue of KnitScene. I'm using Cascade 220 in a periwinkle color. I think it'll be really pretty. I missed knitting at the library this month due to comps, so that made me sad. I'm thinking on going to some knitting meetings this next week since I won't be at internship all day long.

So I guess there's not too much to update...I keep thinking about things I should write, but then I forget when I actually have time to update. Heh. Basically lately life has been all about comps, but now that it's over I just have to go back to writing other papers. I seriously can't believe that it's mid-March already. It'll be graduation time before I know it (yay!).

14 pages later...

2007-03-12T13:56:00.000-06:00

Written comps are OVER!! I still have the oral part to do tomorrow, but if I don't know that info by now there's not much I can do about it. My special topic question was 9 pages long, and my personal theory was 5 pages. I finished in 3 hours, with an hour to spare. Considering all we really have to do is pass (who needs a high pass when everyone gets the same diploma?), I'm not too worried. We'll see how the oral part goes.
I still have tons of work to do before I graduate, but at least I can see the light. Maybe tonight or tomorrow I'll have a chance to put some pictures up. Special thanks go to my blog stalker Sula for all the well-wishes. =)

For my Lime and Violet swap partner...

2007-03-03T12:14:00.000-06:00

So unless you're my swap partner, please disregard this post (unless you want to know what yarn I like). I'll have a real post coming soon.

1. What kind of fibers do you prefer?
I like wool (like merino), but I'd also be interested to knit with some of the tencel or other blends. As to the color of the fibers (I had to get this in somewhere!), I'm not much of a red/pink person. I love blues and greens and purples, and have recently developed a fondness for fall colors (the muted reds/burnt oranges and such).

2. What kind of weight do you prefer (sock, worsted, bulky)?
Sock weight, please. Anything bigger than that makes my feet hurt (sad, I know).

3. Do you spin?
Nope.

4. Do you crochet?
Nope.

5. Are there any books, patterns, magazines would you like to own that you don't?
I don't think so...the ones I want aren't out yet. =)

6. Are you participating in any themed a-longs like the Project Spectrum? yes, I'm in Project Spectrum, as well as socktopia. Yarn doesn't have to follow either of those though.

7. Do you have a wishlist on Amazon.com or Half.com? (provide a link)
All the books on there are psychology/counseling related, so that doesn't really apply here.

8. Any Etsy stores that you would love to get something from?
I'm going to answer this question as "any stores," not just etsy stores. =)
I'd love to try some Yarn Pirate. I also love a lot of things at Sunshine Yarns (on etsy, and I'm in her sock club). RubySapphire is nice too, but I already have Julie and Julie Anne. I've also wanted to try Socks that Rock. Or, if there's a brand/dyer that you love, that works too! I'm all about branching out to new yarns.

9. What other crafty things are you involved in (quilting, drawing, painting)?
Not much else right now.

10. What is your favorite sort of scent?
I like "bakery" smells, like chocolate, coffee, vanilla, etc. I also like citrus.

11. Do you have a sweet tooth and what kind of sweets do you like best?
I sure do, except for the whole weight watchers thing. Some of those new Hershey 100 calorie packs are good though. A few pieces of chocolate or a bag of fruity candy (starbursts, skittles) would be ok, but I'd rather not get tons of candy. I have a puppy dog, so "dog sweets" is another option. =)

12. What kind of music do you like?
I mainly listen to country, and love Rascal Flatts. Recently I've been getting into podiobooks.

13. What do you like to knit? And for whom?
I like to knit socks, and I'm about to start on another sweater. I usually knit for myself, unless someone specifically asks me for something. I like knitting for other people, but I want to know that it's wanted before I spend the time and money making it.

14. What sort of things do you like to collect?
I collect miniature clocks, and love little things in general. I also like stuff that's Japanese related.

15. Do you want needles? And what kind do you prefer?
Needles would be fine. I don't use DPNs, and so I'd want a 40 inch circular for magic loop. I've wanted to try out some of the Knitpicks needles. Size wise, I don't have any US1s, (haven't needed them yet), and I would be glad to get some more US2s.

I think that's it! Let me know if there are any other questions! I'm excited. =)

Amazing...

2007-02-21T22:31:00.000-06:00

Some people have too much time on their hands..

Mario!

It's a video, so make sure the volume's on. This takes me back to my childhood. =)

A picture is worth a thousand words...

2007-02-13T18:10:00.000-06:00

Which means that I'm probably not going to type too much this post (we'll see if that actually happens).

It snowed!

I only had to work a half day. Yay! Also, this was not today. It was two Fridays ago.

Knitting
I've had a lot of people say that they voted for me in the "Best Sporting Event" category of a contest.

This is most of the prize, besides a pen that was already in my purse when I took the picture. The pattern is for a beaded hat.

I finished the mittens for Grandmommie. She was asking about them the other day, so I'm glad they're done and ready to be sent out.

This hat and booties set will be going all the way to the Philippines. My friend Lilymae had a baby girl recently, so I had to knit her some accessories. I don't know if it'll ever be cold enough for her to wear them, but at least they're little and cute to keep as a memory.

I got my first skein from the Sunshine Yarns sock club. This one is called Sweet, and looks prettier in real life. I haven't figured out how to get yarn to actually look right when I take pictures. Although, I'm sure taking pictures during the day would probably help. I don't have many lights in my house.

I started Jaywalkers in the Riley sock yarn.

Then I unstarted them. These colors are actually pretty close to the true colors. The sock was coming out too small, and I wasn't really liking how the colors looked in that pattern. I restarted them in Monkey from knitty.com, and I really like how they're looking. The only problem is that I make crazy stupid mistakes (like changing the pattern in the middle of a round) when I knit late at night. So I've made a new rule: no knitting anything complicated after 10pm. I recently started a pair of basic socks for my dad, so those can be my later at night knitting. Since there's no pattern changing, I'd hope I wouldn't be able to mess them up too bad.

Anyway, school's crazy. I need to get started setting up an internship site for next year, which seems crazy. I'm still hoping that I can get an interim (meaning I get paid), but I've been told to not count on it. So, I've been thinking about what to do on the 2 days a week that I'm not in internship. Substitute teach? Get a part time job somewhere? See if I can pick up some clients/groups somewhere? I think I like the last option the best, considering it's in the same field. I guess I'll have to take it as it comes.

Riley goes to his second training class tomorrow. He did a really amazing job last week, so hopefully things will keep going in a positive direction.

I almost forgot. I bought more yarn. I tried to resist, but it just wasn't possible. The yarn's called "Julie Anne" and it's from RubySapphire at etsy. If you like yarn and want to have money, don't click on the link. Their yarns are beautiful, and they have great customer service. What more could you want?

Look! A mitten!

2007-01-30T21:54:00.000-06:00

I made a mitten! After I made Grandmommie a sweater, she decided that she wanted mittens too. I stopped by Angel Hair yesterday before class and picked up some pink alpaca. This yarn is *so* soft, and should be really warm for when she's outside. I could feel my hand warming up during the short time that I was taking the picture. Hopefully it'll fit. I made it based on my hand, so it should be close. This is just a very basic mitten pattern, and the bulky yarn made it go really fast. The good thing is that I still have 55g left in the skein (out of 100g). So assuming I follow the pattern exactly the same, I'll have enough yarn for the second one.

In other news, I have a ton of school work. I started stressing about it, but I've realized something lately. I've realized that it's amazing how much time I have to do stuff when I'm not tired/exhausted/unmotivated. I really think I'm starting to feel the benefits of my c-pap machine. I came home today and wrote the first of my 3 essay questions for a midterm, which was a little over 3 pages. I also got started on reading stuff for one of my other papers. Let's hope things get even better as I use my mask longer!

I have a pretty packed weekend coming up. Friday I have Shabbat (aka Jewish church), Saturday I have Mass (aka Catholic church), Sunday morning I'm going to a peace service (aka Buddhist church), and Sunday night I'm going to an African dance troupe performance. I'm doing this for my diversity class, and I'm actually pretty excited about experiencing all the different things.

So that's it for now. I'm going to snuggle with Riley a bit before I head to bed.

So much for the resolutions...

2007-01-28T22:40:00.000-06:00

Well. I was all proud of myself for sticking with my journaling resolution when life decided to happen. I've been a lot busier than I expected to be this semester (probably because of that weekend class). I do have some pictures over the past week and a half. I've decided not to be a stickler about the picture a day thing, and instead just to take my camera everywhere and get the ones I can. So, on to the pictures! (Cause it's late, and I'm tired)

Up first are the Celebration socks. These were made for the month of January, for the knitalong at socktopia.net. There's a link over in the sidebar there.

This is where Riley decided he wanted to sleep when he was at my parents' house. I guess newspapers are comfy?

And these are Riley sitting with the "Riley" colorway from Sunshine Yarns. I rolled this yarn into two balls last night (which took about 5 hours...long story). It's really pretty, and it'll be my February socks for Socktopia, as well as meet the Blue requirement for Project Spectrum in Feb and March.

That's all I've got for now. I started using my breathing machine on Monday night, and things seem to be going well with it. I'll take a picture of it later. Riley's conked out beside me, so I think that's my cue that it's bedtime. It's sad when 10:45pm is past your bedtime. I'm getting old.

Another year down...

2007-01-16T21:44:00.000-06:00

First of all, I'd like to say thank you for all the birthday wishes, both on facebook and livejournal. =) I had a very good birthday. I was in the classroom during internship today, and my supervisor told our second class that it was my birthday. They all sang to me, which kinda embarrassed me. After we left, we had to go back in the first class because "someone didn't finish their test." Actually, I think that was a set up, because as soon as I walked in the whole class yelled "Happy Birthday, Ms. Julie!" then proceeded to sing. It was really cute. During lunch Tara brought out a cake (which was really good), and I even got some presents! The lunch group got me some yarn, and Dominique (the other counselor) gave me one of those mini sharpies and some of the new 100 Calorie Hershey bar things. I really wasn't expecting anything, so it made me feel really special that they went out of the way to do all that for me.

I came home and laid around a bit, before I headed out to pick up my pizza. This is the first Papa John's pizza I've had since I started Weight Watchers last July. It was SO GOOD. I have to admit that over the course of the night I ate the whole thing (it was a small, so that's not too bad). I'm really full now, so that might not've been the best idea, but oh well. It was good. =)

I was planning to rant a bit yesterday about my future, but I forgot. I'll do it now. So it seems that there is a list out there that shows which schools are eligible for Interim positions (that's where you get hired without a license, with the understanding that you'll get it within a certain period of time). I was hoping to get one of these positions next year, since I'll have a Masters degree and all the course work except for internship. That way I could be working and be paid, as well as finish up my school internship. It seems that nother department at Vanderbilt had some big major discussion (without consulting anyone in my program), and decided that their students weren't qualified for Interim positions. The result was that Vanderbilt was taken off the list. So the way things stand now, I can't even apply or interview for these positions, because Vanderbilt is not on the list of qualified schools or whatever. I get the reason for students not being ready to work in the field while they're still in school, but there are those of us that will be qualified (due to having a degree) who won't even get a chance at these positions now. I'm going to stay on top of this situation, and hopefully things will change before it really impacts me. But still, it's just really irritating and stressful to know that something has to change for me to even have a chance at a job next year. If it really comes down to it, I'm going to do my 20 hours a week of internship and hope an agency will hire me part time to do groups or see a few individual clients. I'll make it work somehow, but it would be nice if I had more options.

In happier news, CONGRATULATIONS!! to Cassidy Riley, who made his ECW wrestling debut tonight. Scott called me freaked out telling me to change the channel, and there was Cassidy! This is who Riley's named after, and it was great to see him getting a hance to be on national TV. Good job Cassidy! Hope to see you on TV more often!

What a bad time to be stuck in traffic...

2007-01-15T21:18:00.000-06:00

I was watching the Golden Globes, Prince wasn't there to accept his award. It seems he was stuck in traffic. What horrible luck.

My ear hurts from my sleep study. Between the scrubbing and tape and such, that sensitive skin behind my ear doesn't feel too good. Anyway...the study went well. I managed to sleep with the machine, even though it started out too tight. I should have my own in a week and a half or so, once the test is scored and the machine people call me. After that I start working on the 30 days that it takes before you should feel better. I'm hoping it doesn't take that long though.

Before I went to the study Scott and I went over to Julie's house to watch the TNA PPV. I only saw about 30 minutes of it, but it was pretty good. While we were there Scott, Riley, and I got presents! Yay! I really like mine, and Riley did too! I just wanted to post some pictures for Julie and Jana to see how much Riley enjoys the cookies.

I was hoping to have my socks done by tonight, but it didn't happen. I messed up the heel the other day, so I had to take it all out. That got me really behind. I've got the heel turned now though, so I'm hoping I'll be able to finish them tomorrow. Scott's going to order Papa John's pizza for my birthday dinner, which I'm really excited about. Mmm, pizza!

I had my first Intro to School Counseling class tonight. There's a decent amount of work, but it seems like the class is going to be really informative. Today's picture is the Wyatt Center, which is at the end of the big lawn on Peabody campus. I think it's a pretty building, and this is the first class I've had there. So, I figured I'd take a picture.

I forgot to mention this earlier, but I joined the first Sunshine Yarns sock club. I noticed on the Lime and Violet message board that people had canceled, so I e-mailed to check the status. There was *one* spot available, and I got it. My dad is paying for 3 months (as my birthday present) and I'm paying for 3 months. This is my first sock club, and I'm really excited that I'll be getting packages for the next six months! There will definitely be tons of pictures. =)

While Scott was here he set up the grooming table for me in my extra bedroom. I'm going to go and attempt to trim some of Riley's scraggly eye hair. Hopefully I won't mess anything up!

In a hurry...

2007-01-14T13:57:00.000-06:00

I'm packing up to head to drop Riley off with my parents and head to the rec center before I go to watch a bit of TNA pay-per-view and then go to my sleep study. So, this is going to be a quick post.

This is yesterday's pic of the day. I accidentally knocked over the box that had Riley's little bones, and a lot spilled on the floor. I was doing other stuff, so I left them there for a minute to see what he'd do. I noticed that he had moved one away from the pile and was going back from more. When he stopped to put it down, 3 bones fell out of his mouth instead of one. So here's Riley, guarding the 3 bones that he can put in his mouth at one time.

I was a little busy last night because my mom brought my birthday present over. I pointed out some fabric that I liked when we were last at JoAnn's, and she got it on sale to make some curtains. We got them done pretty late last night, so that's going to be today's pic of the day. You can't see it very well in the picture, but it's kinda a see through fabric with stitching on it. They're really nice, and it was on sale, too! We had enough to put them in my bedroom, too, we just ran out of time last night. I really like them!

Oh, and yesterday's class went really well. It's definitely an enjoyable class, which is a very good thing. But at the same time, I'm glad that there's only two more weekends. =) I have to write journals for class, so I'm going to save my thoughts and write them there instead of boring everyone with class details. =)

It seems that this letter took the scenic route...

2007-01-12T23:22:00.000-06:00

Please notice the date in today's picture...20 Nov 2006. This is what was posted on the invitation to Marisa's wedding. Obviously, I didn't RSVP by December 1, 2006. =) It seems that the zip code was one number off, so the letter ended up taking almost two months to get here. I can't remember ever getting a letter like this, where I got it so long after the original sent date.

So here's a quick recap of my day. I went to WW, and gained .6 pounds. That's ok though, because I know I drank more coke zero (and therefore less water) than I should've, and also that it was my first week back to school. I'll take care of it next week. I went to daycare for 3 hours, then headed to class. I'm taking Counseling Diverse Populations, and it'll meet for 3 weekends. I was dreading the class, but if tonight is any indication of the rest of the class then I think I'll really enjoy it. So far it was more of an experiential class as opposed to a "let's read from the book and highlight" class. We're going to have lots of speakers, which is always good. I have to do 10 hours of experiential learning, which means I have to go to/do things different from my culture. I'm hoping to go with my friend Crystal to a deaf church, and I think I may go eat at a Japanese restaurant. I need to figure out a few more hours, but that should be a pretty fun part of the class.

So that's about it. I have class until 5pm tomorrow (thankfully the hours we were sent are longer than we'll actually be in class). Let's hope things go as well as they did today!

omgGrey'sAnatomy

2007-01-11T22:25:00.000-06:00

First off, I must squee over Grey's Anatomy. Supposedly something that caught me totally off guard was in the commercials, but I managed to miss that. I'm glad did though! It's much better to not have any idea what's coming.

Two pictures today, taken pretty much one after another. I put my finished sock on Riley's back when he was sitting on the couch. He jumped to the ground and the sock fell off, and he decided to pose on top of it. He looks a bit irritated that I was taking his picture, and I guess he was bored. So, he decided to take a nap. Riley definitely keeps my life entertained.

I had my first class today. We basically did schedules, got freaked out about comps, and went home. I hung out with Scott and watched the wrestling show before he went home. The big surprise was that Scott shaved his goatee! It was an accident (he sneezed and didn't move the razor far enough away from his face), but it's the first time I've seen him without it. He looks fine, but he doesn't like it (hence no picture for the pic of the day). I do like the goatee better though, and he's planning on growing it back.

That's pretty much it for now. I have class tomorrow from 4pm-9pm, and then on Saturday from 8am to 6pm. I'm really really hoping that she'll let use out early. I'm going to have a really hard time staying awake sitting in class for that long! I just hope the class is interesting so I can stay involved and have the time go fast.

In other news, Grandmommie likes her sweater so much that she wants matching mittens. I guess I know what I'll be making once I have some money to buy yarn. =)

So sleepy...

2007-01-10T21:03:00.000-06:00

I've really been dragging today. As much as I didn't lie having classes after internship last semester, it actually helped keep me awake. I fell asleep for almost 2 hours earlier this evening, because I just couldn't keep my eyes open. That's really not fun. I would've much rather been doing something productive.

The day started off kinda scary. I walked to my car (which is pretty much outside my front door), and saw a cop talking to the lady that lives diagonal from me. Her parking spot is next to mine. As I walked around my car spraying my windows with the de-icer thing, I noticed that her passenger side window was broken in. That's the window on the side where my car is. Luckily, the only thing that was stolen was her radar detector. I'm really really glad they didn't chose my car instead, because all my purse valuables were in there. I've changed that habit (obviously), due to recent events. At the same time, it's kinda scary that someone was stealing things right outside my door. I don't know what I'd do if he'd decided to try to come in my house. It made me feel a lot safer to have Riley, because he'd bark his head off if someone tried to get in. I think I'm going to start making sure my cell phone is in my room at night, too.

Internship went well. I'm still feeling the "getting back into the swing of things" dragginess, but I hope I'll get over that. I think I'll be better next week when I'm in the classrooms. The drive home today took me right at an hour, which is ridiculous, but there's not much I can do about it. Luckily a new episode of Lime and Violet came out last night/this morning, so I could listen to that on the way home.

I called the sleep doctor today to see if my sleep study had been scored. It turns out that I'm actually in the severe range when I'm in REM sleep (and REM sleep is really important). They level of severity is based on how many apneas you have. I was told that their cutoff number for naming it "severe" is 30. My number is 43. It's not as bad as 70 or 100, but that still enough to explain why I always feel so tired. She also said that my oxygen level went down to 80%, and it's supposed to be at 100%. The next plan of action is to do my c-pap study this Sunday (basically the same study as before, except I do it with a breathing machine). After all that is submitted to the insurance, I'll get set up with a machine a day or two later. I am *so* ready to try sleeping with this machine, just to see if I really feel different after using it. Hopefully I will.

Today's picture is kind of a cop out. I didn't really have anything big happen that I wanted to remember with a photograph, so I decided to go with the cute puppy pic. He's so scraggly, and I really need to work on grooming his head. Doesn't he look so happy to be in this picture? =)

Not much to say today...

2007-01-09T21:06:00.000-06:00

Here's today's picture. My pictures aren't really fancy or artistic or anything, but I'm glad that they show some happy/important/funny things that happened that day. This is a thank you note that I received today. First of all, it's really cute. Second of all, it let me know that the husband's favorite baby gift from the shower was the knitted hat and bootie (only one, cause I ran out of time) that I made. It really made me feel good to hear that, and it's so nice to knit for people that appreciate it. I need to get that second bootie done before the baby's born!

Other than that, today was pretty uneventful. There wasn't much for me to do at internship, and the afternoon consisted of playing on the computer and watching the two hour House extravaganza. I really liked the twist at the end. =) And for other House geeks, look who's engaged! I totally squealed like a little fangirl.

That's about it. Time to knit and watch Miami Ink.

Happy Birthday, Elvis!

2007-01-08T21:48:00.000-06:00

I started off the day by actually getting up at a decent hour (meaning 9am). I walked Riley, then headed to my WW meeting. I got my 20 pound star, which was nice. Maybe in a week or two I'll get my 25 pound magnet. Hurray!

After WW I ran by Vandy to turn in my exam form/check, and to pick up my books. There was actually a parking space close to the bookstore (there's only 8 or 10 spaces, and they're usually all full), so I was able to get in and out a lot faster than I expected.

I headed downtown a little before noon to participate in the monthly knitting group that meets at the public library. Two of the knitters celebrated Elvis's birthday by either knitting Elvis hair or making sideburns that attached to their glasses. Ann wore the knitted Elvis hair while reading poetry that was written about Elvis. I forget exactly what was said, but there were some done in haiku form, as well as one titled "Elvis, Take My Hand." The tribute lasted about 2 minutes, because that's about all the bad poetry we could handle. =) I also won a book! There were door prizes, and my number was chosen. The book I chose was Threadbared: Decades of Don'ts from the Sewing and Crafting World. I didn't think I'd use either of the other books, and this one looked amusing. I also finished my sock while I was there! One down, one to go!

I checked my mail when I got home, and I had two packages! One was the jewelry scale I got off ebay (to weigh my yarn...a postage scale isn't sensitive enough), and the other was the custom order yarn from RubySapphire. I ordered the colorway named Julie (pink, red, orange, and yellow), and they created one for me called Riley (yes, dork. I know.). I love what they did with Riley's. It's muted colors, and has some light browns/tans in with some muted blues and greens. There's a bit of white in there, too. I love it because Riley's harness is blue, and the leash I use the most is a light green color, and then (obviously) he's brown with white on him. I think the yarn is really pretty in and of itself, and even better because it was made with Riley in mind. I even showed them Riley's picture as inspiration. I'm totally going to move on from this topic, because I'm sounding dorkier by the minute. =)

That's the big stuff that happened today. I also went to the store and got seriously ticked off because I wasn't able to turn where I needed to (due to a wreck earlier and police people working on the light). A little later I went to the rec center and rode on the bike again. I started reading Wicked while I was there. It's pretty interesting so far, and maybe it'll be good enough that it'll make me want to work out so I can read more. That would be nice. =)

Tomorrow is my first day back at internship. Right now I'm kinda dreading it, but I know I'll have a lot of fun once I get there. I think last semester burned me out so much that I haven't totally recovered...or maybe it's that I feel like I'm going right back into the same situation, even though I know it's not going to be. I'm sure I'll be fine once I get going and realize that it's not nearly as busy or crazy as last semester.

Two weeks until Heroes comes back! Are you on the list?

My last weekend day before the craziness begins again...

2007-01-08T00:25:00.000-06:00

Today started late, since I stayed up so late last night. After I dragged myself out of bed I headed to the rec center. I met my mom there, and we rode the sit down bike thing. I rode for 45 min for a total of 5.5 miles. Yay me. I hope to start going on a semi-regular basis. I've been listening to my ipod, and I realized that I can knit basic stuff, too. I may start a pair of plain socks so I can knit while I ride. That would make it so much more enjoyable (me=addicted).

After the rec center I hung out at my house for awhile. Scott came and picked me up, and we headed to the mall. I exchanged some sweaters that were too big (nice problem to have), then headed to dinner. We forgot that it was Sunday, and all the stores closed about 15 min after we got there. Oh well. We ate at Macaroni Grille then went to wander around Barnes and Noble for awhile. That's where I found today's picture. It's kinda hard to see, because this shelf was above my head, but the three sets of books in the middle (the blue, yellow, and orange) are actually knitting mysteries. If they'd been longer I might've bought them, but I have a hard time paying $6.50 for a book that will be read pretty quickly. Maybe I can get them off amazon or something. I did buy a book called Wicked, which is supposed to be the back story of the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz. The play is on Broadway right now, and it kinda intrigued me. I think it's interesting to have this view of a character (such as how horrible she is) and then go back and read and understand why she might chose to act the way she does. Hopefully it'll be a good read. After that we headed to Dave and Buster's to play the horse game for awhile before our movie. We saw Pursuit of Happyness, with Will Smith. It was a good movie, but I thought it dragged some. I'm one of those people that needs to have a lot of stuff going on to stay interested in a movie. Will Smith's son is adorable, and they both did a great job in the movie.

I guess that's it for now. Tomorrow will be a busy day (especially considering I realized that I haven't gotten my textbooks yet...denial's really working for me). I also have to turn in my form to take the NCE, which is a huge thing that comes up in April. But then, I'll update about all that craziness tomorrow.

Go Toppers!

2007-01-07T00:19:00.000-06:00

Today's picture is of me and my friend Lisa. Lisa and I met at the daycare where we both worked. She and her band were playing at French Quarter tonight, and I went to watch the show. They all did a great job, and I hope I'll get to see them perform again soon.

Now for the big news. Scott's going back to school! He called me yesterday and told me that he'd been accepted at Western Kentucky, which is where he did most of his undergrad work. He's going to be taking one class, which is all he could get into this semester. He only needs 5 or 6 upper level classes, so they may be offered certain semesters and not others. Anyway, I'm really excited and proud of him for deciding to finish up his degree. I want him to walk at graduation, but I don't know if he'll decide to do that or not. Yay for Scott!

I didn't do much today except sit around and knit. Scott came over for a few hours before he headed out to his wrestling show. In our typical exciting way, we sat around and watched a House episode he hadn't seen. I'm so ready for all my shows to come back with new episodes!

The first Harry Potter movie is on right now. I absolutely love those movies. I found a yarn dyer that sells a set of 4 skeins based on the dragons that are involved during the Goblet of Fire quest. They're really pretty, and I love it when one thing I really enjoy overlaps with another. Maybe that can be my graduation present to myself. =)

Look! I'm vague!

2007-01-06T00:29:00.000-06:00

So I have a photo of the day for today (meaning January 5), but I'm choosing not to post it for the following reasons.
1. The subject is a 3 year old, and I don't think I have the right to post his pic without his parents' consent.
2. Said child's father is a well known professional athlete.
3. Fairy wings were involved.
And that's really all that needs to be said on that subject. =)

So something really exciting happened today, but I haven't been given the ok to announce it publicly. And, since it's not my news, exactly, I feel I should wait. Once I get the go ahead, I'm sure I'll have lots to say about it.

Wow, I'm being all ambiguous today. In more concrete speak, I'm almost done with the gusset decreases on my sock. I *might* be able to finish it tomorrow, depending on how much time I have. I definitely want to be well into the foot by tomorrow, at least. I tried it on earlier, and I really like how it fits. It's a lot tighter than the other socks I made, and seems to be perfect. I also love how the yarn is striping. It seems to be all the same colors, but it's not. I keep thinking I've found a repeat, but nope. The yarn feels really good, too.

I'm really tired all of a sudden. I think I might let Riley sleep with me tonight. Either way, it's definitely bed time.

This is always the hardest part for me

2007-01-04T23:14:00.000-06:00

Titles are complicated.

I forgot to take my camera with me for part of the day, so I missed some photo ops. Today's picture is kinda boring, but that's ok. This is a pic of my knitting area. Riley likes to help, as you can see. He snuggles right beside my leg, and twitches if the yarn or needles touch him. The sock in the picture is my current project, and is being made in Trekking XXL color 109 in the garter rib pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks. It's actually neat to look at this pic, because I've gotten a whole lot more done since I took it earlier tonight.

I got some of my Japan pics printed today, but they don't fit in the frames. Wonderful. I need to get mats for two of them, and cut off the white edge on one. Maybe that'll get done tomorrow. I also cashed in two of my savings bonds (which, btw, are the best things in the world. I'm totally going to do them for my kids) to pay for the National Certified Counselor (NCC) exam in April. It's $230 (!), and I really hope I pass it. If I pass, then I"ll have fancy letters after my name. Besides that, I basically sat and knitted on my sock.

Tomorrow I need to renew my Weight Watchers membership for another session or whatever. I'm hoping this is my last, as I'm around 6-8 pounds away from goal (depending on where I decide to stop). After I hit goal I have to maintain for 6 weeks. Then I'm a lifetime member, and don't have to pay unless I gain more than 2 pounds above my goal weight. Yay for free! I plan on going to meetings at least periodically so I can keep up with everything.

I guess that's it for today. Back to sock knitting!

Houston, we have a problem...

2007-01-03T20:12:00.000-06:00

Last night was sleep camp. I ended up very frustrated, due to the fact that the directions were absolutely horrible (it said I had to turn onto roads, when in fact the roads just changed names and I should've just kept going straight). Anyway, I finally got everything figured out, and got in around 9pm. I filled out some forms, and started getting all hooked up around 9:30pm. My mom decided to stay the night, due to the fact that it would've just been me and Mike (the sleep tech) in this big building by ourselves. I wasn't worried about it, but it made her feel better to stay. The three of us chatted while all the wires were getting hooked up. Anf if you ever wondered what a person would look like during a sleep test, well...there you go. I had two more electrode things on the back of my head. At this point I am "unhooked" from the machine so I could go to the bathroom. All the hooking up finished around 10:15pm, and lights out were at 10:30. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get to sleep, because I got up late. Anyway, the night went pretty well, except for the fact that I woke up a few times when all the wires would pull on my head when I'd try to turn over or move around too much. Mike woke me up at 6am today and told me that I was going home and not staying for the daytime study. He told me the night before that if the results indicated sleep apnea (where you stop breathing) or hypopnea (where your breathing slows down). Based on what he saw, he figured I was on the border between mild and moderate. I don't have my formal results yet, but he saw enough to confirm that it's probably sleep apnea and that that's the reason I've been tired. So, the next step is to wait and see what the doctor wants to do after my study is fully graded or whatever. I figure I'll have to get a c-pap machine to make sure that I get enough oxygen at night and stop waking myself up. I really didn't think I had sleep apnea because I don't snore, I'm not a lot overweight, and I'm not older. It does seem to run in families though, so I guess I got the genes for it. Anyway, I have another sleep study (this time with the c-pap machine) tentatively scheduled for January 14. I should hear before then what the doctor thinks the best plan of action is. Part of me is like, "Great, something else wrong with me, and I don't want to wear a stupid mask thing," and part of me is like, "Woohoo! They finally found the problem! Now they can fix it!" I'm ready and willing to try it though, especially if it makes me feel better.

The other day I was reading on a knitting blog and came across this thing called "Project 365." Basically, you take a picture a day for every day during the year. The picture should sum up the day or represent something about that day. I would like to do this (and will try) but I'm not going to formally commit or anything. I don't want to be all stressed out about it. That also goes along with the resolution I forgot, which was to update the blog more often. But anyway, yesterday's picture is the one above.

Today's picture shows what's under my sink. See that big black thing on the left? That's one of the things my dad got me for Christmas (aka a garbage disposal!!). He installed it today, and I'm really excited to use it. I hate having to scrape the leftover bits into the trash, and now I can just disposal them away! I've been asking for one pretty much since I moved in (March 2005), so it's nice to finally have everything hooked up. It also only required two trips to the store to get all the parts.

For my day today, I basically did more cleaning. My house loves me for finally paying some attention to it. The big project for tomorrow is to vacuum the daylights out of the place, and make sure I get up all the little leaf bits that Riley brings in. I also want to hang more pictures (and get some framed). We'll see how much of that I can get accomplished tomorrow. I also went to the rec center, where I rode the bicycle thing and listened to the new Lime and Violet podcast.

Now it's time to go work on the Celebration socks. I didn't have the hours to sit and knit today like I wanted, and all I've managed to do is cast on. Oh! I got my package that I ordered from Borders via Amazon. Scott gave me a $25 Borders gift card, and I ordered Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch (and I currently want to knit every sock in this book) and Knitting Without Tears by Elizabeth Zimmerman. I'm excited to have these two additions to my knitting book collection!

Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T21:25:00.000-06:00

So, it's 2007. That seems absolutely crazy to me. Last night I went to Cassie's to do a murder mystery (where I was a knitting grandma who liked everyone), play the Wii, and talk. I had a lot of fun, and I totally want a Wii. I played bowling, and it was really cool. Riley and Sabin played a lot, and looked so cute snuggling together. Also, since I was the knitting granny, I got to work on my Ursula socks! I finished the knitting last night, and grafted the toe today. They're really comfortable, I'm excited to have a real pair of socks! I had a slight drama with the needles, which I didn't realize until I was almost done with the second sock. I got through the heel flap on the first, and decided that I wanted to knit them at the same time so I can remember how things work. So, I went and bought another circular needle. Unfortunately, the first needles I bought was a 3mm needle (which doesn't translate to American sizes) and the second needle I bought was a 3.25mm, or a size 3 in American sizes. So, one sock is a little bigger/looser than the other. It works out ok though, because my left foot is slightly bigger than my right anyway. I think I still could've gone down to 2s and been ok. I'm going to use 2s on my next pair and see what happens.

Today I did some cleaning and laundry, and made a Target run. That's basically it. I got up really late due to feeling yucky at 5am. After I finish updating, I plan to start on the Celebrate! socks. I'm using the purple trekking, and hope to have them finished by my birthday (hence the name). These fit with the Socktopia January theme, as well. Yay knitalongs!

Tomorrow night I have sleep camp, as Scott calls it. I have to go out to Spring Hill and spend the night in their sleep lab. The next day I'm going to have to take naps every 2 hours or so. They're going to stick electrodes and such to my head and see if they can figure out why I'm tired all the time. If there's something to find, I really hope they find it. I'm tired of being sleepy all the time.

Now for Resolutions (in no particular order):
1. Continue with Weight Watchers until I make goal, then maintain
2. Knit one sweater, one afghan, and at least 12 pairs of socks
3. Do a better job with cleaning
4. Invite people over (which depends on number 3)
5. Take more pictures

That's about all I can think of for now. Happy New Year everyone! May 2007 be the best year yet!

End of 2006

2007-01-01T20:58:00.000-06:00

So before I get to the New Year's stuff, I wanted to update about the end of 2006.

On Thursday (Dec. 28) we went spent a little bit of time running around Omaha. We stopped first at Personal Threads. They were having a sale, which is always good. I ended up buying two skeins of Trekking XXL (colors 109, which is a purple variation and 110, which is mainly orange but has lots of other colors in it too). I love the way the yarn looks...hopefully it'll make some nice socks!
After the yarn store we met Sandra at Luxe Pet Boutique. This place was really fancy. My favorite thing was the sushi squeaky toys. I would've bought them, except for the fact that they were $15.95. Considering how fast Riley can chew through things, I was afraid these wouldn't last nearly long enough to get my money's worth. I ended up buying some between-the-bath spray stuff that's supposed to clean them off without having to give them a whole bath. Hopefully that'll work well. This store also sells ice cream sundaes for dogs. I ordered one for Riley, and he got to stand on the bar to eat it. He wasn't too sure about it, and only ate about a lick or two of it. I tasted it, and it wasn't sweet at all. But anyway, at least I got some pictures. =)

After we finished in Omaha we headed to Little Rock, Arkansas to see my cousins Doug and Dixie and their new baby Ethan. He is so tiny! Ethan and I were 2 ounces apart when we were born, and it's just amazing to me how little he still is at 2 weeks old. Here's Ethan wearing his hat and booties. It looks like they both fit ok!
Look how precious he is!

After that we headed home. It was a long trip, and I was glad to be out of the car. I basically spent the last few days of 2006 laying around, watching football, and knitting.

Bingo!

2006-12-27T21:59:00.000-06:00

Today I spent the morning and early afternoon at the nursing home. We got there around lunch time, and took Grandmommie to a private room to eat. After lunch we sat around for awhile and talked while I knitted on my Ursula sock. We went to Fit and Fun, where Grandmommie did some exercises with light weights and threw a ball and darts and such. She seemed to enjoy it. After that we headed to Bingo. The volunteers that were supposed to be there didn't show up, and everyone was getting cranky. At 2:31 Grandmommie was like, "Where are they? I'm ready to get started!" It was funny. Anyway, we played for about an hour. My dad and I gave our Bingos to her, so she can get a prize. After Bingo we said our goodbyes and headed out to Omaha.

So we drove just a little bit away from the nursing home. I saw one police car (probably the whole York department) sitting in the left lane with his flashers on. A car in front of us was waving out his window trying to get us to slow down. I had no idea what was going on, until I looked out the window. It seems a cow had managed to get loose, and was running around in the yards. I tried to get a picture, but he ran behind a house or barn or something before I was able to get one. That's definitely something I've never seen in Nashville!

When we got to Omaha, we stopped by Sandra and Micah's house (cousins on my dad's side). Riley got to experience REALLY BIG dogs for the first time. Tucker (a golden retriever) weighs over 100 pounds, and Smokey was over 80. I picked Riley up so he could be on their level, and he got used to them after awhile. He was trying to play with Tucker, but he wasn't really sure how to play with such a big dog. I laughed when Riley tried to sniff him though, because he had to jump up on his back legs to get up that high. =)

Tomorrow we're going to go to the yarn store/antique store, and to a ritzy pet store. Sandra said that it's really fancy and expensive, and that the dogs get to eat ice cream sundaes on a bar or something. I'm going to take Riley and the camera. Hopefully I'll get some good pictures if anything exciting happens.

The Holidays according to Riley...a photo journal

2006-12-26T20:42:00.000-06:00

I realized after my last post that I didn't put up any pictures of what Riley's been doing lately.

First, Riley went to see Santa. He got his pictures taken, and even had a chance to meet a guinea pig! The lady that was in line before us had hers there for the picture taking, and Riley and the guinea pig got nose to nose and sniffed each other. It was really cute, and I wish I could've gotten a picture of it. But anyway, here is Riley's 2nd Christmas picture!

After Riley saw Santa, he protected me from my dad's evil cat. She and Riley *do not* get along, and Riley came and planted himself between me and the cat. I'm not sure if he was protecting me, or if he was hoping I had his back if she attacked him. =)

Before Johnson family Christmas, my dad fried a turkey. Riley obviously wanted his share.

This is how Riley spent a portion of the trip to Nebraska. Every time we slowed down he would look out the window to see where we were. Riley loves riding in the car, so the trip wasn't a big deal for him. He slept pretty much the whole time that he wasn't looking out the window.

This is where Riley decided to hide last night. He knew something was going on because I took his harness off. I think he knew that bath time was coming!

Tomorrow Riley and I will be making another trip to the nursing home before heading to Omaha for the night. We're hopefully going to visit with cousins Sandra and Micah, as well as hit a local yarn store in search of sock yarn. After that, we'll head back to Nashville via Arkansas. We're going to stop in Little Rock to see baby Ethan, the newest member of the Gunselman family. Hopefully I'll be able to get a picture of him in his knitted hat and booties.

Well, that's about it for now. I'm going to go work on the Ursula socks. I'm excited that I have time to knit socks again. Hopefully these will be done before too long. I can't wait to wear them!

Where's my pink sweater?

2006-12-25T22:02:00.000-06:00

I really can't believe that it's Christmas already. I remember when I was a kid and everyone was always like, "Oh, the years will go faster when you're older," and I was like, "I want them to go faster now!" Well, I've hit the point where they seem way too fast.

School is over for now. I made it through the semester, managed to turn everything in on time, and even managed to make all A's (and I passed internship). I really thought I'd have a B in my assessment class (and would've been ok with that) but I'm really glad that I got an A instead. This was by far the hardest semester I've had, and I'm really proud that I was able to do as well as I did. I stayed at internship a week after classes were over and was able to get all my hours in. I was sad that I had to miss a classroom visit for some of my favorite classes, but I was very glad to have that time at home.

I went to Marisa's wedding on the 17th, and it was nice to see some Lipscomb people that I haven't seen in a few years. There was a big SAI table, and I also got to see Alicia and Stacey from my Johnson days. Marisa and her bridesmaids all looked really pretty, and I'm glad that I was able to make it.

I spent the week before Christmas at my parents' house because of doctor visits on Monday and Tuesday (18th and 19th). On Monday I went to the sleep doctor to try and figure out why I'm tired all the time. I really liked him, and we have a sleep study set up for January 2nd and 3rd. Scott called it "sleep camp," because I'll be spending the night (so they can see if I stop breathing or kick or move around a lot) and then staying the next day to do a nap study. I'll have to go to sleep every two hours so they can see if I go into REM sleep and how fast and all that. I plan on taking lots of knitting, and they'll have a TV for me to watch as well. Maybe I'll be lucky and find a TV show marathon that I want to watch. =) Tuesday I had bloodwork done, which showed that my cholesterol is continuing to get lower. It was 154, which is the lowest number I've ever heard for mine. Yay for good drugs!

On Tuesday afternoon Cassie and I went to get our hair cut to donate to Locks of Love. I was really excited to finally get it cut, but at the same time I was really nervous about how it would turn out. It took me over 2 years to grow it long enough to donate. I like how my haircut looks though, and it's nice not to have crazy long hair that gets everywhere!

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday basically consisted of shopping and working on Grandmommie's sweater. I spent a long time at Threaded Bliss on Thursday, and got tons of help. I did all the shopping for this Christmas, as well. Let me tell ya, the mall was crazy. I really don't have a desire to go down there during the holidays ever again, especially at night.

Friday was pretty crazy. Riley got sick, so I had to take him to the vet on Friday. He got into some weird bacteria, and ended up getting checked for obstructions (during which Riley growled at the vet and let him (the vet) know that he (Riley) was *NOT* happy with the situation) and got two shots. I've been giving him pills 3 times a day and have him on a special food. Riley loves the special food, because it's soft. He scarfs it down as soon as I give it to him. He's also done really well taking his pills. I tried to put it in a bread ball, but he spit the pill out (which is exactly what I would do when I was little). Luckily, it doesn't faze him at all to have me put it down his throat. After that drama, I went with my parents to Cracker Barrel to see my aunt and uncle (my dad's brother). They were passing through during their holiday traveling, and I was really glad that things worked out so we could have lunch. At this point I need to give a big WELCOME!! to Ethan Douglass (their first grandbaby), who was born on December 14, 2006. Hopefully I'll get to see him in a few days!

Saturday was Christmas with my mom's family. It was supposed to be at my house, but it got changed to my uncle's house. I was really glad, because that kept a lot of stress off of me for cleaning and such. I made my chocolate peanut butter pie, and that's all I really did. I got to see their addition to the house, which was really nice. I got to see my cousins Aja and Rachel, and met Aja's boyfriend. After the party I stayed around and chatted with Rachel, and then watched Dreamer. It was a really good movie, and I'm glad that Rachel liked it.

Yesterday we set off to Nebraska to visit Grandmommie. We got a late start because of all the running around we had to do before we left. We stopped right after we passed through St. Louis in one of the shadiest places I've ever stayed. It did have a fridge and microwave in the room, but still. Today we finished up the trip and stopped in to see Grandmommie. A minute or two into the conversation my sweet, 84 year old, missionary for years grandmother turned to me and said, "Where's my sweater?" We all had a good laugh about that. She's gotten demanding in her old age. So, my mom went out and wrapped it up so we could give it to her tonight. She really liked it, and it seems to fit pretty well, too! Riley went in with us, and did a very good job. I could tell that it took everything in him to stay when I told him to stay (and not go up to people that were just walking by). A few people petted on him, and he promptly rolled over to get belly rubs. I think this week will be a good preview for how he'll be as a therapy dog.

Tomorrow the plan is to go to Country Kitchen to use a gift certificate that Grandmommie got for Christmas. Other than that, it'll probably consist of sitting and watching TV (and me knitting). I have some more pics to post, so maybe I'll do that too. I love the little motel place where we're staying...the sign said "Pets welcome!" and "Free Wireless Internet!" But anyway, it's time for me to head to bed. Grandmommie gets up at 6am (!), which is really early for me and my family. I figure her lunch time at 11am will probably be our breakfast. =)

Total weight loss as of last Friday: 21.4 pounds. This week is going to be hard because of limited selection, but let's hope I can stay as close to WW as possible.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Killing time

2006-12-08T10:09:00.000-06:00

So I've got a little time before work, so I figured I'd update a bit. At this point I have one paper left. I was supposed to do a lot of work on it last night, but the internet was down. It's kinda hard to write a paper when all my sources are bookmarked internet sites. It was ok though, because I really didn't want to spend the night working on it anyway. =) I still have Saturday and Sunday and most of Monday to get it done, so I'm not too worried. Part of me wants to have a marathon writing session on Saturday and just finish it, so I can turn it in and be done. I have at least 3 days left at internship, but I'm not worried about that at all. I love being there, so it's no big deal to finish that up. Today is daycare day. Hopefully we'll be low, since it's getting close to the holidays.

The big drama right now is that my nose is so stopped up that I can't breathe when I'm lying down. I had to kinda prop myself up last night, and ended the night trying to sleep sitting up on my couch. That's the second night that it's been like this, and I really don't want to deal with another one like these.

In better news, I lost another pound this week. That makes 19.4 total! Hopefully next week I'll get a 20 pound sticker. Woohoo! I think I need to go buy yarn to celebrate. =)

Step 2. Take training class

2006-12-06T20:56:00.000-06:00

So I posted awhile ago about Step 1, which was to pass Riley's therapy dog screening test. Well, tonight I got the call asking if we wanted to be involved in the training class. Hurray!! I was sooo excited, and chased Riley around the house and snuggled him. He stood and watched me while I was talking, and could tell I was excited. The class starts on January 17. The first three classes will just be people, and then the dogs will come. They're also planning on taking some trips to the nursing home, and I'm really hoping I'll be able to do those. I have a weekend class next semester, so the days might conflict. Hopefully it'll all work out though. I'm definitely excited! I need to get my mom to make Riley some more bandanas. =)
Yesterday I took the only real final that I have this semester, and it was pretty bad. It was open book open note, and I had to look up probably 35 of the 39 multiple choice questions. It was ridiculous. I wrote one essay before class, but still ended up with 7 pages total for the 3 essay questions (typed, thank goodness). Now I only have one paper left, which is going to be about the treatment of a mental disorder. It's due on Monday, and I'm hoping to have it done early enough so I can go knit at the library early Monday afternoon. I'll get to knit with Ann! I also got my form for the NCC exam, which is going to be in April. It's a total multiple choice test, which I like. I usually do really well on those, and I'm hoping this won't be the exception. Usually Vandy people pass, which is good. I'm taking it less than a month after comps, so I should be all studied up and ready to go. It'll be cool to have a certification and have letters after my name.
I actually have a fairly busy social calendar in the next few weeks. Friday I'm going to Girls Night Out with some friends from work. Saturday I'm going to Marisa's wedding shower. Sunday I have a Chi Sigma meeting. Monday is knitting at the library. That next Saturday is Marisa's wedding. The weekend after that is family Christmas. In between all that, I need to finish my internship and clean the daylights out of my house. It has really gotten neglected this semester. I also want to knit a lot and watch movies. One of the teachers at my internship gave me a list of movies that I need to see, because my pop culture knowledge just isn't what it should be. So Scott and I are going to watch some of those over break.
I guess I should get going on my research. But before I do that, I have to post pics of my new yarn! At the daycare Christmas party last Friday, I got a skein of Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn! I was really surprised and impressed, and it's really pretty. I have needles for it, and I plan on making Jaywalkers with it. The colors in the pic aren't quite true to color...it's hard to make them look exact. The yarn is a deeper color, and more red than pink. Thanks to Sheila for helping pick it out!

...for as long as all the liquor lasts, we'll drink to VPI!

2006-11-27T12:10:00.000-06:00

So I'm back from a trip to Virginia for the VT vs UVA game. It was awesome, and I had a great time.

Friday
On the way up, I slept and listened to podcasts, so the drive wasn't that big a deal for me. We drove through campus (which was beautiful) on our way to the hotel. After we put our stuff up we headed to the bookstores. I saw a few sweatshirts I wanted, but unfortunately they didn't have my size. I did get a pin for the game, so I was happy. We headed to dinner at a place called Nerv. It definitely ranks up there with my worst restaurant experiences of all time. First of all, we had reservations, so I figure they should've known we were coming. An hour and a half (and 3 glasses of diet coke) later, our food finally came out. Of the 6 of us, I think only one was actually the temp it should be. My meat was warm enough that I didn't think I'd need to send it back for health reasons, but I did get a cold noodle here and there. We were afraid that if we sent it back that it would take forever for them to bring it back out. Basically, we were all starving and irritated by the time the food came. We headed back to the hotel, and ended up at the hotel bar place. It was pretty quiet, and we just sat around and talked. I didn't drink, of course, but it was fun to hang out with Scott, his brother, and his girlfriend.

Saturday
Saturday we got up early so we could go tailgate. Scott and I walked to the site and got to see a bit of campus. We sat around and talked and ate, then headed in to the game. The game went really quickly, and we won. After the game we headed back out to tailgate until it got dark. We packed up, and headed to Sharkey's to get dinner and check out the scores of other games. I had some amazing french bread pizza. Scott and I ate and hung out for awhile, but we were both tired. We walked back to the hotel (yay exercise!) and watched the Notre Dame vs USC game before I decided that I was tired and went to sleep early.

Sunday
Sunday basically consisted of driving, like Friday did. I got home, talked with my parents some, then headed home. Riley had a good time hanging out with my parents, and is absolutely exhausted now. He's been laying around and sleeping since I got home.

So that's about it. I still have a little over two weeks of classes left, with papers and such that go with it. I'm pretty caught up though, thanks to a few free days during Thanksgiving break. Once classes are over I just have to finish up my internship hours (as quickly as possible) and then I'm done with the hard semester! I can finally see the light at the end, and that's a great feeling. Once I finish with classes the crazy cleaning begins. Christmas is going to be at my house again, which means I have to clean the daylights out of it. I'm glad, because it needs it, but at the same time I hate doing it. Oh well. It'll be worth it in the end.

I got a 16 week charm at Weight Watchers today. I didn't realize they gave those, but it was something about helping to keep people motivated because people usually quit around the 3-4 month time. So that was a nice surprise.

I think I'm going to go finish re-watching Grey's Anatomy and then maybe start cleaning and get caught up on the Lime and Violet podcast. I'll leave with a few pics from the weekend.

Hokie Pokie Video
This is a link to the video I took of the tubas playing the Hokie Pokie. =)

And this is me with my knitting during the game. I'm entering it in a contest for "Best Sporting Event" that is held at a knitting blog by the Arizona Star. Voting opens December 1.
Other pics from the trip can be seen at my flickr account. =)

Thanksgiving already?

2006-11-22T22:32:00.000-06:00

So the month of November has gone crazy fast. I really can't believe tomorrow's Thanksgiving.

Riley
So Riley had his Delta Society screening on the 19th. He was a very good boy, and did a good job with all of his obedience stuff. Our screener said that we had good communication and a good relationship. I heard another screener say, "Oh, we've got a cute team over here." So, hopefully all that's going in our favor. There is enough room for 14 dogs, and there were 19 dogs that were at the screening that day. I was surprised though, because the other 4 dogs I saw were all big dogs...a German Shepherd, a Great Dane, a Rottweiler, and another bigger black and brown dog. Riley was by far the smallest dog there, but he didn't seem to mind. He was wanting to play with the big dogs. =) The German Shepherd growled at Riley, which makes me wonder if it's appropriate as a therapy dog. Anyway, we're supposed to get a phone call next week-ish to let us know if we made it in the class. Oh, and my screener also said that she could tell that I really wanted to do it, and that that was 90-95% of it. I'll be disappointed if we don't get in, but there's always next time. I'll just get him some extra training so he'll do even better for the next session. He's still really young, too, which just makes me prouder that he can do so well while he's still a baby. I guess we'll see! *crosses fingers*

School
School has been absolutely crazy. I've finally gotten a handle on all the work I have due, thanks to getting some things moved. Today I wrote a 5 page paper about the ethics of using IQ tests to determine intelligence based on nature versus nurture. Um, yeah. If someone had told me a few years ago that I'd be writing a five page paper in a day and not be overly stressed about it during the writing, I'd have not believed it. I'm glad it's easier to get big papers done though. Only an annotated bibliography, an 8 page paper, a take home exam, an in-class exam, a presentation, and a reaction paper left! I've already written 6 of 8 articles for the bibliography, finished the presentation, and done one of 4 of the sections for the reaction paper. I'm soooo ready for this semester to be over. I knew it would be hard, and it didn't disappoint. Next semester I'll only have 9 hours, and 3 of those will be over after the 6th week of class. I do have comps though, which won't be fun. I have my readers/graders for my comps and my special topic decided on, so that should help. The annotated bibliography is for comps, so even though I don't want to do it it'll help me in the long run.

Weekend Plans
On to something exciting that's not school related! This weekend I'm heading to Virginia Tech for their rivalry game versus UVA. I've been wanting to go up there, and I'm glad I'm finally getting the chance. I'm hoping it's not too cold though. I've heard the campus is beautiful, and I can't wait to see it. Besides going out to eat and going to the game, I don't know what else the plans are. There's probably not time for much, considering we're driving on Friday and Sunday and the game is on Saturday. Even still, it'll be nice to have a mini vacation.

Christmas Presents!
I got some early Christmas presents from Scott's mom, so I could use them at the game. I picked out some Uggs and a Northface jacket that'll help me stay warm. Even though I never wanted Uggs and thought they were ugly (hence the name), I managed to find some dark brown ones that really don't look bad. They're way comfortable, too. So those will be keeping my feet warm. My jacket is purple and white, and has a liner that I can zip out and wear separately if I want. It's definitely the nicest jacket (and most expensive) that I've ever had, and I plan on wearing it for a long long time.

Other stuff
I also recently bought an ipod, which I love. I decided to cash in my points on the credit card, and had saved up $250. That was more than enough to buy a 4gb ipod nano. I got a white one, because I really like how clean it looks, and because the metallic ones are a little too bright for my taste. Anyway, I've discovered podcasts, which are awesome. I've also enjoyed listening to harp music while I'm reading or writing a paper.
Another exciting purchase I made recently was a new pair of skinny jeans. They're a little more than 2 sizes smaller than I was wearing in July when I started Weight Watchers. I say a little more because they're a petite size, and those tend to be a little smaller than regular sizes.
I'm still knitting every now and then, but I haven't had much time lately. I have made it to the first sleeve of Grandmommie's sweater. I had to buy lots more yarn, but I should have enough now to finish it. Hopefully it'll be done before Christmas. I'd like to go out to Nebraska to see the family out there, but we'll have to see if that works out.
So, I guess that's about it. I don't have any pictures loaded up at the moment, but I should have lots after this weekend. I'll close with two pictures from today's date in 2004.

Fancy pants

2006-11-06T10:33:00.000-06:00

I've been pretty busy lately (don't I always start with this?), but I've managed to find time to go to the flea market, knit, go to a Vandy football game, and go to Scott's office's 50th anniversary party. Here's my favorite picture of the night.
And no, I'm not that tall. We were conveniently placed where I could stand on a step. =) This doesn't have the best resolution, so if you want you can check it out HERE. For some reason it comes out better on photobucket.

In other news, I've lost 16.6 pounds. Whee!

Busy, busy

2006-10-29T21:11:00.000-06:00

I found my cell phone the day after I lost it, which was a great relief. I felt really naked without it.

I had a pretty busy social weekend this weekend. Friday night I went to a Japanese restaurant for Anna's bachelorette party (she's in my grad program). I had udon, which always makes me happy. We sat around and talked for awhile, and had lots of fun. I didn't go out with them afterwards, partly because that's not my thing, and partly because Scott and I had plans to go to Rocky. The show was ok, but I was pretty tired. I saw someone else knitting, and I made extra sure to point out to Scott that I wasn't the only person that carries knitting around with them.

On Wednesday I headed out to Threaded Bliss to pick up some yarn for warshcloths and for Grandmommie's sweater. I've slacked off on the sweater a little bit due to work and wedding shower knitting. It's still in the plan to finish (hopefully!) before Christmas. I was the only customer at the yarn store, and I ended up staying until closing chatting with Shelia and David. I really like going in there, and wish I had more time to go hang out during their Stitch 'n Bitch. Maybe that'll be possible next semester. I did manage to finish one warshcloth for Anna's wedding shower (on Saturday), so that was good. The other one is in progress.

On Thursday Scott surprised me with a video game. He bought The Sims: Pets for me, and I'm definitely addicted. I made myself and Riley, and the real Riley stared at the screen and growl-barked at his 3-D self. It was pretty funny. Scott tried to take a pic, but it didn't work. I've definitely played it more this week than I should, and it's been an easy distraction from the papers I should've been working on.

Today I went to the flea market (not flee market, like they have in Illinois) with Riley, Julie and Jana. I got some stuff for my dad, as well as a candle that smells like coffee. That's the second candle from this seller, and it smells soooo good. Riley did really well, too. I like having him in high traffic areas, because it helps me know what I need to work on with him. He did very well, and probably just needs more experience in those situations. After I got home I took a nap. My mom came over a little later, and we went to OpryMills to search for a dress for this Friday. I'm going to Scott's office's 50th anniversary party, and it's really formal. I luckily found a dress that I really like, and it was 50% off. I also managed to find a necklace, earrings, and hair clips to match. I have so little dress up stuff that I have to get everything when I have a special occasion. I think it'll look nice though, which is all that matters.

A House marathon is on right now, which makes me want to stay up until it's over (even though I can tivo it). I'm really tired tonight, and I figure part of that is because of the time change. It's amazing how much an hour can really throw off my schedule. I'm probably going to head to bed now and take advantage of the fact that I'm tired at a normal hour.

15 down...

2006-10-23T21:44:00.000-06:00

Weigh-in today went well. I have officially lost 15.2 pounds. I got a 5 pound star. Woohoo!

In other slightly sad news, I've lost my cell phone. I have a pretty good idea where it might be, so hopefully I'll get it back tomorrow. If not, then I guess I'm getting a new one a little early (I was hoping for Christmas sales). It looks like I can keep my number, which is good. I don't have a house phone though, so I feel pretty cut off. It's quite difficult and irritating. I keep looking for it, or want to call someone to tell them to call my phone so I can find it. Weird.

I started on my DSM case study today. It was kinda complicated.

I finished Scott's mom's scarf. Hurray for not being swamped with Christmas knitting! I'm hoping to make some warshcloths for a bridal shower this weekend, but we'll see if I have time to pull it off.

Now it's time for bed. I'm really tired.

2006-10-20T22:02:00.000-06:00

So...it's absolutely crazy how fast time goes when you're in grad school, working, and doing an internship. It doesn't seem like almost 2 weeks since I last blogged.
Since then, I've gotten new couches! They're dark blue, and Riley seems to like them. I found a greenie hidden in them the other day, which means that they're "official." Riley likes to put bones and greenies down in the corners, and I usually find them when I'm looking for the remote control. Riley seems to like the couches (and my jacket), which is good. I like them a lot, too! They're really wide on the sitting part, so I can sit cross-legged with no problem. Not having to deal with the back cushions is *awesome* as well. My old couches have found a new home in a condo my dad is renting to some of his friends.

Knitting wise, things have gotten a little crazy. I "finished" the back, and moved on to the sides. I have quotes because although I did my bind off and everything, I'm going to go back and frog most of it. I didn't do the best job of measuring, and it ended up being longer than it should've been. In turn, this caused it to use up a whole lot of yarn. I intended to make it a little longer than the pattern said, but I've now realized that the pattern length will be fine, even though the sweater measured for my grandma was a couple of inches longer. Plus, this should hopefully keep me from having to buy too much more yarn. I'm going to finish the front panels before I go to the back, because the front goes faster. I'm not looking forward to winding the yarn into balls though. I'm asking for a ball winder for Christmas, so hopefully I won't have that problem for too much longer. =) I'm really hoping this sweater turns out looking nice instead of just like a big pink blob.

In internship news, I had to call DCS yesterday. It was my first time to make a report, so I guess I'm fully initiated into the school system now. Let me tell ya, I'll be perfectly fine if I never have to do that again.

I have recently rediscovered Lois and Clark, the New Adventures of Superman. I remember watching this show religiously when I was in middle schoolish, and still remember how excited I got during one season finale (I can't wait to see that episode again!). I had (*cough*have*cough*) a huge crush on Dean Cain, and now I'm catching humor that I probably missed when I was younger. I also don't think I've seen any of the first season, because I only saw the ones with the second person playing Jimmy, and these have the original guy. And yeah, I'm a dork, but that's ok. I'm just excited that I have something that I really enjoy to watch while I knit. I have two seasons right now, and I know more are out. I may not be a big movie watcher, but I really like watching TV shows on DVD.

In Riley news, his screening is getting closer. It is now officially under a month away. That's kinda scary, and I know this next month will fly by. I ordered some grooming stuff for him, and I *love* the Mars Coat King stripping knife. It was kinda expensive, but it's so worth it. I can get handfuls of hair off of him in just a few minutes, and he doesn't seem to mind it very much. He still tries to eat it when I'm working on his front legs, but his back legs twitch when I brush on his sides. I think he looks a lot better after just two days, because I was able to thin out his leg hair. Hopefully this will help keep leaves outside where they belong. I think Riley was bringing in a tree a week with all the leaves that got caught on his legs and belly.

So I guess that's about it. I'm thinking about going to Vandy homecoming tomorrow, depending on the weather. If it's cold and rainy, then it's not gonna happen. I'll probably spend the morning knitting and watching Lois and Clark, and walking the puppy. I've slacked off on my walking this week (because of the cold), and I really need to get back into it (and get some warmer clothes).

Weigh in comes up again on Monday. Total weight loss so far is 13.4 pounds. We'll see what Monday brings!

More knitting and puppies!

2006-10-09T21:11:00.000-06:00

I just finished up with the 3rd ball of Grandmommie's sweater. It's still a big pink blob. I'm getting close to arm hole shaping, but I'm not there yet. I tried to take a pic with the tape measure on the sweater, but that wasn't exactly possible. My tape measure looks like a sheep, and Riley tries to eat it when he gets the chance. So I have the pencil again as a gauge of how big it is. Riley also refused to move when I was taking pics, so he modeled again.

Today I officially made my 10% goal at Weight Watchers I got a lovely keychain that's a lot better than what I was using, so I switched everything over. I'm really proud of myself. Yay me!

And last but not least, I'm getting new couches tomorrow. Tonight is the last night I'll have to deal with these saggy back cushions that take up half the couch. Tomorrow I'll have a fancy *matching* couch and loveseat, complete with attached back cushions. I can't wait!

Knitting and puppies!

2006-10-08T20:58:00.000-06:00

I just finished the second ball of Grandmommie's sweater. It basically looks the same as it did yesterday, just longer. This is the part that'll be the hardest for me. I'm working on the back, and right now it's just basic knit and purl until it is 14-15 inches long. It's probably around 8 inches now (see pencil for size). It's a great TV knitting project though. I love the fact that I'm making a sweater. It's still a weird feeling, since this is only my 2nd sweater. Riley was hanging out on the couch, so I decided to make him model. He's nice and clean, since I gave him a bath tonight. He's still in the fluffy and kinda wet stage, so he looks like he has lots more fur than normal.

I have a video of Riley from when he was younger, and how he looks after a bath. I can't help but laugh every time I watch it. He might be older and bigger, but he still reacts the exact same way.
Riley after a bath

And here's a pic of the crazy guy after his bath tonight.

This is the hat that never ends...

2006-10-07T22:53:00.000-06:00

Knitting
I have finally conquered one of my knitting monstrosities. I have no idea why this hat became a monstrosity, but it did. I've been wearing it for most of the night because I'm so glad it's done. The yarn is Cascade 220. It's more purple in person. The flash on my camera tends to wash things out. (And yes, I am wearing clothes in that pic. It just happens to be a camisole, and my hair just happens to be long enough and in the right place so you can't see the straps. Oh well.)
I have also re-started on Grandmommie's sweater using a different yarn. This time I'm using GOA, which is a German yarn. Pretty cool, since my last name's German. The yarn is 50% cotton, 50% acrylic. Now, I usually tend to stay away from the "a" word (being a yarn snob and all), but this sweater needs to have minimal care since Grandmommie lives in a nursing home. This yarn can be washed in the washing machine if it needs to be, which is a plus. It also was on major sale back when Threaded Bliss was having their crazy 2 year anniversary sale. I got a bag of 10 balls for a little under $40. It's squishy, and feels good to work with. It's also fat, and seems to be knitting up quickly. I hope to document the sweater ball by ball. I started and finished the first one today. It's going to be my watching TV knitting for the most part, since a lot of it is just plain stockinette. I really hope I can have it finished by Christmas!

School
School is still good and crazy. I totally slept through (or forgot to set) my alarm last week, which was bad. I really like what I'm doing, so that's good. I also saw a pay scale last week, which made me really excited. It's more than I expected, and if all goes well then I could be making real money at a real job next August!

Kitty
So on Sept. 28 I came home and heard a meowing outside my door. Instead of coming in and making dinner like I planned, I spent the night trying to figure out what to do about a skittish orange kitty that was outside my door. The cat wouldn't come up to me, and would kinda run away if I moved too much. It did come up to me and rub its head on my finger, which made me happy. I finally decided that I would try and get it to come inside (while Scott and Riley waited in my room), have my dad come get it, and see if he could keep it for a few days. Long story short, I finally got the kitty inside and then into the cat carrier. It was really hungry, so I gave it some cottage cheese (and cat food, once my dad brought some). I was hoping to find a home for it, but I was told that the kitty took off when the door was open (one of my dad's renters was keeping it). It's too bad I didn't get to find a home, but I'm hoping someone else finds it and gives it a home. I did what I could. I was convinced it was a girl, but I really have no idea (which is why I was calling the kitty "it").

Other
In other news, Riley is still his crazy self. He's sitting on the couch behind me right now (I'm sitting on the floor) and periodically sticks his nose in my ear. He likes to "help" when I knit, too. This usually consists of him lying right in the middle of my lap (where my yarn is) or lying right by my legs. It's really funny, because he twitches if the yarn or a needle touches him while he's sleeping. This happens fairly often, too. I need to see if I can get a pic of him when he's being my knitting buddy.
In Weight Watchers news, I've lost 12 pounds. I have my next weigh in on Monday, and I'm hoping that I've lost another pound. I'm really close to my 10% mark, which is the first really big WW goal. But if I don't get it this week, there's always next! I'm really glad I decided to do this. I feel so much better physically and mentally after losng that 12 pounds. Only 16 more to go!

Procrastination...

2006-09-25T18:29:00.000-06:00

I have a test tomorrow, and I probably should be studying...but the open book/open notes stipulation is making it hard to be motivated. Before I say any more, I have to do this...

omgKurtAngle!!!1!!11!one

Ok. Now that that's out of my system, I'll get on with the updates.

Fuji Picture
When I was in Japan, my private lesson teacher gave me a calendar that had a woodblock type print of fuji on the top, and the days of the year on the bottom. I've kept it rolled up since I got home, and finally decided to have it framed. I cannot believe how much it costs to frame things...but I guess the picture *is* really big, and they do a preservation thing to keep it looking nice for forever, so I guess it's worth it. It's straight on my wall, so I must not be very good at taking a straight picture. It's got a green suede mat under it, so you can see the papery edges. The frame is a reddish wood, and really fits with the theme of the picture. I'm really happy with it.

Knitting
I've been doing as much knitting as possible lately, because it helps my introvert issues. I really don't feel recharged after the weekend unless I have time to just sit and chill. Knitting helps with the chill time. I've been working on the kimono for my cousin's baby boy, who's due in January. I really like the cute baseball buttons that I found to put on it. I think the kimono's looking a little weird (at least not like all the others I've seen) but I think I can make it work. I may put the buttons a little further over so there's more room in the neck. I also started working on the "matching" scarf for Scott's mom. I say "matching" because it's the same colors, but I'm using a different stitch and using longer sections of each color. I really didn't want to change colors every two inches because of all the ends that I'd have to weave in. The scarf should go quickly, so I should be able to get on with other projects.

Riley
Riley is just as precious as ever. As a matter of fact, I'm not totally sure where he is right now. I should probably go find him and make sure he's not causing trouble.
Ok, he's been located. He was chilling out by the door, and being a good boy. This pic is a self-portrait I took a few weeks ago. Riley looks better than I do, but I was really surprised that I was able to get one with him looking at the camera.

School
Ok, so here's where I need reader input. I have a decision to make about school, and I'm not totally sure where I want to go. I'll try to make it as clear as possible.
OPTION 1
This is the option that I am currently on. This option would mean that I would graduate with a community counseling degree in May. My third year of the program would be completing the one remaining class for the school counseling program, as well as doing a school internship. If everything works out, this internship would be an Interim-A position, which means that I'm actually working and getting a paycheck even though I'm in the process of finishing up requirements for licensure. I would finish the school track in May of 2008 with my school counseling license. This would also give me the 60 hours required to get my LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor) in the future if I so desire.
OPTION 2
This is the new option that was suggested today. This option would allow me to switch from my current community track to the school track, and take the school internship class (as opposed to the community one I'm in now) next semester. I would "graduate" in May with a school counseling degree, then take the final required class in the summer. I would be certified when I completed the requirements in the summer and pass the Praxis (I'd have to take the Praxis in both scenarios, it's just a matter of when I take it). On this track I could possibly get an Interim-A position (if I haven't gotten my license), or be ready to have a real school counseling position next fall. I would not have a community degree, but all that would be required to finish (should I desire to do so) would be the year-long internship (and maybe 1 class).
CONCLUSION
So, one option will have me in school until 2008. One will have me done in Mayish. One will give me two options for licensure/job opportunities. I basically have to decide if I want to spend the 3 years now and get two options, or spend two years for one option and maybe go back for the 3rd year later if I want to. The hold up is that I don't know if I want to give up the possibility of working in an agency. And, with an interim position, I'd basically have a job. The only bad thing is that I would still have to do tapes and work and give money to Vanderbilt. Thoughts? Or was that way too confusing?

Weekend
This past weekend was pretty fun. Friday Scott and I went out to eat with Julie and Jana, which was fun. Saturday Scott and I spent the morning cleaning, which is never fun. My house looks lots better though, which is always nice. I got one of those Swiffer picker-upper things, and I'm actually really impressed with it. Riley brings in a lot of leaves and such on his legs, and I really don't want to vacuum everyday. This is a nice way to pick up the leaves without hauling out the vacuum. Saturday night Scott and I went to the Vandy vs. TSU game. The ended up delaying kickoff for 45 minutes due to rain. By the time the game actually started the rain had stopped, but by then Scott and I had already sat in it for about 30 min. It actually ended up not being too bad, especially because it stopped. It was a fun game, and Vandy won. I also found a fleece jacket that I want, if I can get them to order my size. Sunday Scott and I went to Julie's house for the PPV and the huge TNA announcement. We were all excited, and we'll see what happens with all that stuff.

Other
So I think that's about all that I have for now. I really want to update more often, but it's so hard with classes and being busy. I'm really enjoying my internship and everything I'm doing, but a little slower schedule would be nice. But then, that'll come next semester. =)

Grr...

2006-09-18T02:50:00.000-06:00

So I just got a phone call from one of those pre-paid calling card number things. At 3:30am. I heard it ringing, and would've answered it (just in case) if I'd gotten there in time. Luckily I didn't make it, because what I was reading online is that it's people harrassing you or trying to get info or something. I'm slightly freaked out about it, because it's the middle of the night. I'm also ridiculously irritated, because I'm now wide awake (although groggy). I wasn't sleeping so well anyway, and I really didn't need this. Oh well. Hopefully it won't happen again.

Step 1. Pass Screening

2006-09-12T20:03:00.000-06:00

So, Riley officially is scheduled for his Delta Dog screening. His appointment is November 19 at 10:30. Knowing me, I will be crazy nervous, and probably won't sleep the night before. Basically, the Delta Society is a society of people/animals who are helping promote Animal Assisted Therapy.

Delta Society® Mission

* Improving human health through service and therapy animals.

Delta Society Goals

* Expand awareness of the positive effect animals can have on human health and development.
* Remove barriers that prevent involvement of animals in everyday life.
* Expand the therapeutic and service role of animals in human health, service, and education.

I found the Nashville group/ associated with the Delta Society. I filled out the form, and bam...Riley has a screening. If he passes, then in January we'll begin the 10 week long program to prepare the two of us for the test required for our certification. I'm really excited about this possibility, and hope that all goes well. Scott and I have really started working on "come when called," because that's an area where Riley's kinda lacking. He thinks he can come when he wants to, not when we want him to. He's done well so far, and I'm sure we'll have it down by November.

I've been knitting a lot on weekends, and already finished Scott's mom's Christmas present. I shipped off a present package yesterday, and I'll hopefully post a pic of that after the recipients indicate that they've received it.

Right now Scott's playing the Lego Star Wars game. It's awesome. It has a two player mode, too, which I like. Not many games now days have a good two player mode. I think I'm going to go knit and watch Scott play. I have pics I need to upload, but the camera's in the car. Maybe later this week I'll get around to it. Oh, and I've officially lost 10 pounds! Yay me!

I will be laboring on labor day

2006-09-04T10:10:00.000-06:00

So today is labor day. Woohoo. I still have to go to class, so I'm not as thrilled about the day as others may be.
I just got back from walking Riley, and figured I should update. We actually didn't get too much walking done, because we were stopped by 3 people to chat. Now, I enjoyed it (as did Riley), it just took longer than normal to go less distance than normal. While we were out it got hot, so we decided to come in and finish the walk later tonight.
So this weekend was a shopping extravaganza. Because of the sales, I was able to get a whole bunch of clothes that were discounted. I got lots of stuff for internship, and some everyday stuff as well. I actually found dress pants that fit really well. I was shocked. I bought a brown pair and a black pair, and would've gotten a gray pair if they'd had my size. I'm really glad I was able to get new stuff, because I only had a few days worth of nice clothes. I also got new shoes, which I'm really excited about. I have such a hard time finding shoes to fit, but this weekend I got 3 new pair! They were all flip-flop type, but a little nicer so I can wear them to internship.
I have pics that I need to post, but I haven't gotten around to adding them to the computer. I knitted a lot this weekend, and got started on Scott's mom's hat. I ended up having to start over after knitting about an inch and a half. Oh well. When I started over I did a different ribbing, which I like better anyway. Pictures will come on that later.
Now, I think it's time to eat, shower, and make sure I didn't have anything due for class today. Then maybe I'll knit some more and try not to stress about how busy my weeks are.

Sad...

2006-09-04T08:23:00.000-06:00

In Memory of Steve Irwin, "The Crocodile Hunter"

Feb. 22, 1962-Sept. 4, 2006

http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/09/04/australia.irwin/index.html

I'm an intern, but unfortunately there's no George O'Malley...

2006-08-30T18:23:00.000-06:00

Today was my second day of internship. I'll do a quick recap of the days.
Day 1 (Yesterday)--I acutally got up earlier than I needed to so I could walk Riley. By "walk" I mean 30 minutes, not a potty walk. I was really proud of myself. I headed off to school, and realized that traffic on I-24 is crap. It took me 19 minutes to drive what usually takes me 5 or less. I really hate that road, because people are all weaving and trying to get good position and such. I just try to stay in the right lane and get past it all. Once I got past the downtown split off, the road was absolutely clear. Not too much happened during the day. I basically followed Tara around and learned a bit about what goes on. Right now they've got lots of schedule stuff, so I can't do much to help with that. I also sharpened pencils that are used for their standardized tests. I met with one student, and that might be a potential client (woo!). I was late to class due to traffic. Boo. Oh, I also wore new shoes that gave me 3 blisters in the matter of a few hours. I switched to flip flops, and probably won't wear those shoes again.
Day 2 (Today)--Today I tried to get up and walk Riley, but it didn't happen. I had a training meeting at 8am, so I had to get up a little earlier than "normal" (what will be come normal) anyway. The training class was pretty pointless for me. I thought it would be more general about what counselors do and such, but it wasn't. ost of it was geared towards computer stuff, and requirements for being in one class or another, etc. Basically, it was a lot of stuff that I won't be doing during my internship. So, I left during the break. I did meet someone that knew my cousin Stan, and used to go to church with my aunt and uncle (Rebecca, that's you). So I headed out to school and spent about 2 hours working on getting TCAP scores into the 6th grade files. There are a lot of 6th graders at this school. After lunch I shredded papers, watched as Tara went through new student files, and sharpened more pencils. A student came in right before I left, so I got to observe that, too. I wasn't late to class today, because I found a different way to get to Vandy. Hurray.
So things seem to be going well at internship. It's slow right now, but that's to be expected during the first few weeks. I have high hopes that it will be a really good experience. Let's hope I'm right!

Retreat!

2006-08-26T10:33:00.000-06:00

So, the retreat went really well. I'm so glad, because a lot of us spent a lot of time planning it and trying to make it better than last year's. I had a few food issues (namely my hot pocket getting wet in the cooler) but I did really well considering. And the pie? It was soooo good. I knew it would be though. The best part is that it's pretty rich, so one piece was all I wanted anyway, and there was no temptation for other sugar stuff. I had 3 people ask me for the recipe, and they had no idea it was a Weight Watchers recipe. It's definitely going to be my new "Hey, I need to take something to a party" food. It's so easy, and way good. I was really excited people asked for the recipe, because I'm not a big cooking/kitchen person.
Anyway, on Thursday we left early to get everything set up. We spent time eating lunch, and talking in our mentor/mentee groups. We spent the day in Sewanee, which was pretty neat. We went to a little coffee shop called the Blue Chair. I got a Pinky Flamingo Smoothie, which had lemonade, strawberries, and frozen yogurt in it. The best part about it had to be the straw. =) We also found out that the Blue Chair sponsors a place called the Blue Monarch, which helpes abused women and their children. The women there learn how to make the pastries that were sold in the shop, and other things for job placements. It was really neat that we were helping support that group.
Yesterday was my first day to go by my internship site. Communication between the Vandy people hasn't been the best, so I decided to just call up the school and hope I could get in touch with Tara (my on-site supervisor). When I talked to her (around noon), she said that a meeting had already been set up for us at 2pm that day. I was *really* glad I called, because no one got the message to me that this meeting was set up. The good part was that she was already planning on meeting with me, and the time worked. I really like the two counselors there, and I think it's going to be a really good fit for all of us. She hasn't supervised anyone in awhile, but it won't be hard for her to be better than my last supervisor. I haven't seen much of the school, but they have a nice counseling office, and even have a room where I can do my individual sessions. We'll see how things go, but at this point I'm excited about being there. I like this feeling, especially considering I dreaded going to my practicum last semester. After hearing what they do, I think I'll probably end up in a school as opposed to a community agency. I was really disappointed that Daystar wasn't taking interns, but now I really think it worked out for the best. I'd still love to be connected with them in some way down the road (maybe summer sessions or something), but I think job wise I'll be happier in a school. This also means that I am definitely doing the extra semester at Vandy. I'll still graduate with my community track in May, and then I'll finish up the school track in December. I'm starting now to cross my fingers for a paid internship for that fall (or maybe an early job placement that will count as internship...that would be awesome). At this point I'm just really excited that I have more of a direction on what I really want to do. Hopefully this internship will cement that in my head.
Tonight I'm going to babysit for baby Sam again. He's a really cute kid and is easy to sit for, so I'm excited. It'll be nice to have that extra money, and it'll give me a chance to get some knitting done (because he'll go to sleep early).
I guess that's it for now. School's going to get crazy pretty soon. My DSM class is going to be a lot of work, and I have a big paper in there that'll be 30% of my grade. I still need to get the syllabi from two other classes, but hopefully those assignments will stagger a little. I just need to make it through this semester.

First Day o' Class!

2006-08-23T23:00:00.000-06:00

So today was my first day back to school. I had my internship class, and it met at 9am. This was really weird feeling, because all my other classes have been in the afternoon. It was nice though, because I had the rest of the day to run around. Scott and I went to lunch at Shoney's, and I searched for "The Perfect Planner." Amazingly enough, I think I actually found it. I'm picky in that I want to have a decent monthly view (so I can put my stars on the days I have stuff to do) *and* a weekly view with appointment times. This was much harder than you'd think. I love the monthly planner I have, but I'm about to start seeing clients. I'm going to need to write down their times, as well as any other parent meetings/supervision/school meetings that might occur at internship. So until 2007, I'll be using two planners...one for school and one for internship. The only problem with "The Perfect Planner" is that it doesn't start until 2007. But, it does have all the monthly views right in a row. That way, if I need to know what I'm doing in August and Spetember, I just turn the page. I don't have to go searching through the weekly view pages to find September. It has handy little plastic markers that go on the month and week that is current. Yeah, I realize I'm a total dork for writing this huge paragraph about my planner (and posting pics) but it's so hard for me to find the right one that I'm way excited about it. And, get this...it even has pretty colors. Usually I have to sacrifice aesthetic value for function, but not this time! Franklin Covey, you have a customer for life if you keep making planners like this.

Aside from planner excitement, I made a chocolate peanut butter pie tonight. Oh. My. Goodness. It is so good. I haven't even eaten the pie, just tasted the filling that I licked off the bowl (and spoon and beater things). It's a Weight Watchers recipe, and is only 4 points for 1/8 of a pie (for those that have no clue about WW, 4 points for decent size dessert that tastes this good is amazing). So I'm going to take the pie, along with a pudding cup, to the retreat tomorrow. I know there's going to be a lot of cookies and brownies and sweet stuff, so I'm really happy to know that there's something I can eat. I'm also taking all my own food so I don't have to worry about trying to figure out how much I'm eating and all that stuff. I'm really hoping the retreat will go well. We've planned the heck out of it in hopes that it'll be way better and more organized than last year's. Last year was so badly organized that it wouldn't take much to make it better, but still. We want it to be awesome for the 1st year students. The students I've met so far seem really nice, and I can't wait to get to know them better.

I don't have much else to say, except that I have a wonderful boyfriend. I came home from our retreat meeting irritated because Scott didn't answer his phone. I got more irritated when I realized that my recipe needed a mixer, which I didn't have. I was getting frustrated with the thought of sitting there by cookies and wanting one soooo bad. Anyway, he said, "Put your shoes on. You go to Kroger and get the stuff, and I'll go to Target and get the mixer. I'll get you a blender too, so you can make those smoothies." It made me happy that he was willing to go to Target (which is about half-way home for him) and get me a mixer at 8:30pm just so I could make a pie. =) If anyone wants the recipe, leave me a comment (with e-mail) or e-mail me and I'll get it to you.

Look at my handsome boy...

2006-08-21T12:09:00.002-06:00

After Riley went to Miss Kitty's on Thursday, this is the stance he decided to take when I got the camera. Obviously he wasn't in the mood.
This has got to be one of my new all time favorite pictures. This was taken on my bed, because I couldn't go to sleep because of groomer irritation. He does look better than he did in the pics I posted before the groom, but he still has hair in his eyes. But hey, it let me get a cute pic!
This is another one that was taken on my bed. I think he wanted me to leave him alone so he could sleep.

And *this* is my handsome boy after the groomer fixed him up today. Unfortunately he got into his water before I could take his picture, but I got him before he rubbed his head everywhere. As soon as I snapped this picture he jumped up and started pushing his head on the floor and rolling around like a crazy dog. He looks really nice. Rita (the groomer) trimmed his head for free, since I wasn't happy with it. I also had her touch up his back with the stripping. I think I've about decided that I'm going to get his back stripped, and just scissor his head (and maybe legs). Because all the hair on Riley's head is soft (and therefore old), it would all have to be pulled out in order for a new wiry coat to grow in. While it doesn't bother him on his back, that doesn't sound like it'd be too fun on his head. Also, he'd be pretty naked for awhile. I do think I'm going to try and get some little fingertip things and try to do his legs (and maybe some of his head) myself. Maybe if I can strip enough to keep him non-scraggly then I can get his new coat to grow. I guess we'll see. Either way, he's a good looking little boy. =)

Dogster!

2006-08-20T00:09:00.000-06:00

Tonight I created a dogster page. Basically, it's like myspace for dogs. To get to Riley's (and friend, me, too!) you can either click on the link on the sidebar (in the future), or just go HERE.
This week's actually been pretty busy. I got new jeans, so my mom hemmed those for me this weekend. Yay for new (smaller!) clothes! I took Riley to get a bath on Wednesday and groomed on Thursday. The grooming didn't go so well. Two of the things I asked for weren't done when I picked him up, but I was charged for them. They did them both in about a second once I pointed it out. I went back on Friday and complained, because he still had hair in his eyes. That's the reason I took him there in the first place, and I really wanted them to at least do a decent job. The good thing is that I got half my money back, and the grooming manager will fix Riley on Monday. His eyes are uneven, as well as his ears. Now, I'm not a groomer, but come on. It should be obvious when something's totally lopsided. I'm hoping Julie's groomer handstrips, and that it'll be cheaper than going to Miss Kitty's. I'd go somewhere else, if I knew anywhere else in the area that did stripping. I just don't think it's good business when the owner is stressed and nervous all day because they don't know if things will be done right when they pick their dog up.

Knitting
I gave Scott's mom her knitted articles (washcloth/potholder/washrag) yesterday. She really liked them, which is good. My mom saw them, and all of a sudden wanted me to knit her some, too. =) When I told her about it I don't think she really understood what I meant until she saw it. They're actually really cute (I think), and easy and inexpensive. I'm going to try to make one or two to go in the houses my dad sells, as a little gift thing to the new owner. That just kinda depends on how much time I have and how fast he sells the houses.
On Thursday I went back to Threaded Bliss to get some different yarn for the VA Tech hat. The orange I bought wasn't nearly orange enough. Luckily, there was a color that's about as close as I'll get in the same yarn that I'd already bought, so I only had to buy one skein instead of two. I actually like the first orange I bought...it's more of a rusty red/orange fallish color. I'm sure I can find something to do with it.

Party!
Since the wrestling show was cancelled tonight, Scott and I invited Julie and Jana over to hang out. We went to eat at Applebee's, then came back and watched a movie. It was something about a mirror mask, and was based on a story by Neil Gaiman. I fell asleep in the middle (typical), but I caught the gist of it. It was pretty odd though. After the movie we played Cranium. That was way fun. Scott and I lost, partly because he couldn't guess my acting (even though it was incredible) and partly because I know nothing about pop culture. I had to act out the word magnetism, and somehow Scott ended up guessing "porno movie!" Yeah...definitely on different wavelengths there. (For those wondering, I was trying to get him to X-Men, and then to me sitting in the magnetic spinner thing. Obviously, it didn't work.) I definitely want to play that game again. It was a ton of fun.

Tomorrow
Not sure what's on the plan for tomorrow. It may be a lazy knitting/watching Season 4 of Charmed, or Scott and I might go to Hooters to watch the WWE pay-per-view with Julie and Jana. I'm good with either, although there might be a problem if there's a two item minimum at the PPV. There's really nothing at Hooters that I can eat, especially because I went out earlier this week (and because Monday is my day when I check how much I weigh, and I don't want to screw that up). I think I should probably work on door tags for the retreat so I won't be doing that on Wednesday night. It shouldn't be hard, but I just have to do it.
Now that it's almost 1:30am, I should probably head to bed. It got late before I even realized it. I'll try and post pics of Riley on Monday after he looks all better.

2006-08-16T22:15:00.000-06:00

Knitting
Since my last post, I've actually finished a few things. I still haven't dealt with the brim from Coronet, although I probably should. My socks are also hanging out in the bag. I did finish the presents for Scott's mom. I also finished another ball band washcloth from the Mason-Dixon book. I'll post a pic of that one (and its inverse) a little later. I also bought yarn today to make Scott's mom's hat for Christmas. The colors are kinda muted for Tech colors (and this isn't exactly a very good color picture), but I think they'll work ok. It's *so* hard to try and match college colors. I hope this hat turns out the way it seems to look in my head. =)

Riley
Riley is a scraggly crazy boy. He got a bath and brushing today, and proceeded to roll all over the floor as soon as he got home. At least he wasn't outside in the mud. =) Tomorrow morning he'll be getting his head done at Miss Kitty's. It'll be nice to see his eyes again. These pictures are from yesterday, when his hair went everywhere after he rolled around on the floor growling. He makes me laugh so much.
School
I really can't believe that I have exactly one week until classes start. Wow. The good part is that I *do* have an internship! I'm going to be working at Goodlettsville Middle School in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. My mom actually went to high school in the building where the middle school is, so that's kinda cool. It's a little bit out of the way, but it's supposed to be a really good site. After my experience last semester when my supervisor couldn't even remember my name, a good supervisor would be a very nice thing. I don't know my schedule or exactly what I'll be doing yet, but I should be able to visit out there before classes start next Wednesday. Yay for finally having a placement! We're also planning lots for the retreat that'll be next Thursday night. I think it'll go well (or at least better than ours did).

Medical Stuff
So all my bloodwork came back normal last week. So, that means I can't blame my tiredness on the thyroid anymore. Riley and I are still walking a lot, and I'm doing pilates on the other days. I bought a new video and a mat today. The video was definitely harder than my other one, which is definitely good. So hopefully things will get better, especially since I'm going to be crazy busy.

I guess I'm going to go bind off the other washcloth and watch some TV. Oh, I bought Season 4 of Charmed today, so I plan on watching that soon. Scott's going to be in Illinois pretty much all of September, so (if I don't finish it before then) it'll keep me busy while he's gone. I wish I could go to Illinois too, but there's no way I will be able to get off work (I'm switching to Fridays) in time to go. *Maybe* if I get put in the earlier internship session I could work on Wednesdays. I don't know. I guess I'll just see how it works out. Either way, we'll live. Now, off to knit!

A little bit of everything

2006-08-07T21:13:00.000-06:00

Knitting
Since my last update, I've been working on presents for Scott's mom, as well as Coronet from Knitty.

These are dishcloth things, and will *hopefully* match Scott's family's new kitchen. I haven't seen it yet, but supposedly it's brown and khaki colored. I actually didn't notice that there was a slight pattern thing going on in the towel until I took a picture of it. I still don't see it in the towel itself, unless I look at it in a picture. I worked on the cloth (in the back) while I was babysitting baby Sam last Friday.

Here's the brim of Coronet. I attempted to graft it together, but it looked all wonky. I then decided to look at the pattern (um, yeah, I was backwards) and realized that I'd knit one row too many. So...out came the graft (boo). Somehow I got a stitch screwed up, and one side only has 16 stitches while the other end has 17. I stumped Shelia at Threaded Bliss, so I'm just going to graft two stitches together to make it match. It's not in any rush though, considering how hot it is here. I don't think it's quite winter hat time.

School
Still no internship site. I cannot even really say more than that, because it royally ticks me off as well as stresses me out to think on it more. The good news is that I've decided that I'm going to double track. So, once this year is over, I'll have one extra semester where I'll finish up the school track of the program I'm in. I think this will be a really good decision, and will open more doors for potential jobs. I'm really hoping that I can find a paid internship for that extra semester, but that's kinda a stretch. They do come up though, so it might happen. I really can't believe I start classes in about two weeks. That's so crazy!

Shopping
On Saturday I decided that I'd take advantage of the tax-free weekend and buy some tennis shoes. Since I've started walking at night, I wanted some shoes that were actually more appropriate than my boot-type tennis shoes, old cheerleading shoes, or flip flops. I went to Green Hills and had to park about as far away as humanly possible. The good thing about the trip is that I was in and out in about 10 minutes. The women's shoes in my size (or as close as possible) weren't really my style, so that narrowed my choices down dramatically. I ended up getting some New Balance shoes that are gray with red accents. They were only $34.95, as opposed to the women's shoes which were about $100 more.

Riley
Riley and I have been walking about a mile and a half every night. It's not much, but that's about all I can stand before it gets either too humid or too dark. I refuse to walk after it gets too dark because the people in my complex drive like crazy people. I really don't like having to dive onto the grassy areas pulling the dog behind me because someone didn't bother to follow the speed limit. It's too scary to walk like that knowing that if I don't react fast enough, it could mean bad things for Riley. So, we walk at dusk and try not to sweat too much. I think he likes the walks, except he's tired afterwards. Tonight he decided that he wanted to roll in the grass of some of the houses we were passing. I was walking along, and all of a sudden I felt dead weight. When I looked back, Riley was flopped out on his back. Here's a pic of what Riley does in the grass, as well as what he does every time he sees people. This is the pose he took the other day, when Scott and I were watching TV (and obviously not paying enough attention to Riley).
This is the "You need to rub my belly right now" pose.

Random
This is my random picture of the day. This happened a few days ago when I was making popcorn (obviously). I've never had this happen, and it seemed quite odd. I think this occurred when the bag got pushed to the back of the microwave and didn't spin correctly. Still, I've never had the popcorn actually rip the bag open. This bag got thrown away and I made more. I also realized tonight that if I rub popcorn salt on Scott's face, Riley with try to lick it off. I enjoyed this for awhile. =) I've also found out recently that Riley likes apples (but not Granny Smith ones...must be too sour).

Plan for Tomorrow
Tomorrow I plan on knitting, as well as getting bloodwork done. Hopefully it'll show something about my thyroid, so we can decide what to do next. Tomorrow night Scott and I are going with our friends Julie and Jana to see Smackdown/ECW. It should be a fun show. I'm hoping Scott feels better tomorrow so he can actually enjoy the show.

Bad thing for the day...
One of my kids at daycare screamed for an hour. Today was the first day I've ever hated my job. But, one really bad day out of a year and a half isn't too bad. I'll take it. =)

Yarn sale!

2006-07-29T22:01:00.000-06:00

Today started a little later than I would've liked. I've done a good job lately of getting up around 8:30ish, but today I couldn't seem to get out of bed. This morning I watched some shows on my TiVo (and yes, some of them were Matlock) and knitted on my dishrag. I've finished two different types of the patterns from the Mason-Dixon book.

I really like the ones with two colors, and they're really easy to make. I've decided that I'm going to use that technique to make placemats for my table. It looks kinda plain by itself (although it usually ends up covered with stuff), and this is some easy mindless knitting that will spruce it up. So...that means yarn shopping! Michaels was having a $1 sale on the Sugar and Cream yarn that is perfect for this project (cotton and washable!), so I stocked up.

These two color sets will be for the summer. I realize now that I probably should've put the striped ones in front, but oh well. I love how bright they are!

These two colorways will be used for winter. I found two different greens at Hobby Lobby that seem to fit these, as well as a really pretty purple/blue/pink skein. I only had 10 min at Hobby Lobby before they closed (who closes at 8pm?), so hopefully that'll all work out.

This is for Spring. I think I found more Spring type stuff at Hobby Lobby, but I wasn't so concerned in the few minutes I had to grab and go. Plus, spring's a ways away, so it can hold for a bit. I have no idea what I'll do for fall, which is coming up. I'd love some orangy-red stuff, but I didn't see anything like that. Maybe I can find some online. I also want to say that some of these look better in person than on the photos.

So, there's my obsessive yarn purchasing. I don't really feel bad though, because it was so inexpensive. Oh, and everyone's getting washcloths for Christmas. There are some cute mitered ones I'd like to try...

For those here from the Mason-Dixon KAL, welcome! I'm still new to the blogging thing. If you'd like to do some reciprocal blogging linkage, send me an e-mail at julieanneknits AT gmail DOT com. =)

Other Stuff for Today
Besides my excited yarn purchase, I went to visit my friend Jana at Hollywood Video. I bought 5 VHS tapes for around $8. I got a Cookie Monster songs tape, Dora the Explorer, Thomas the Train, and two Blue's Clues. This makes me ridiculously excited, because there are now new movies to watch at Daycare! Since it's been so hot lately, we run out of stuff to do inside. We usually kill a little time watching a movie when we can't go outside. I've seen Sesame Street Fiesta! about 100 times. I was hoping to find some Wiggles tapes, but unfortunately I didn't see any. The Wiggles are popular, and the kids sit still for a decent amount of time and sing the songs.

After yarn shopping but before video shopping, Riley and I went to the dog park. He ran around a good deal, so that made me happy. It sometimes seems like he has a hard time getting started running around and actually playing with the other dogs. Maybe he's more like me than I realized. =)

Plans for Tomorrow
Tomorrow will probably be a knitting day, just hanging out around the house. Scott was busy today, but he'll probably be over tomorrow. We have a deal where he plays his football game and I knit. It works out quite well.

Scary...

2006-07-28T23:37:00.000-06:00

Tonight Scott and I were about a second away from being in major trouble. We were coming home from the show and were at the light from the interstate to Thompson/Briley. Our light turned green, Scott started to turn left, and a vehicle came flying down the road from Briley. They ran the light way after it had turned red, and were going crazy fast. Neither of us saw the truck until it was past us. Had Scott been a second faster, or the truck been a second slower, we would've hit on my side. It was really scary. The truck proceeded to run the next two lights on the street. It's too bad that we couldn't see his license plate. By the time we realized what had happened, he was too far away to see. But anyway, it's over, and everyone's safe. Nashville drivers are freaking crazy.

Lots o' Stuff

2006-07-28T11:06:00.000-06:00

Since my last big post, a few momentous occasions have happened for me in the world of knitting. Firstly, I got to hear Kay and Ann of Mason-Dixon knitting speak at Threaded Bliss Yarns in Brentwood. I bought their book, and was fortunate enough to have it autographed by both Kay and Ann. This picture was taken in front of the Cascade 220 wall (aka. "The Perfect Yarn" wall).

About a week later, I got to hear Stephanie Pearl-McPhee speak. She was ridiculously funny. I presented her some Goo-Goo Clusters, which you can see as a bright glare in this picture

I also started (and have since completed) my first pair of socks. Here's a pic of my sock with the famous travelling sock. Mine is on the right.

Here's a picture of my first sock on my foot. Woo!

Those socks were made with Arcania Wool (or something like that), and aren't really very comfy. I think my feet are a little too sensitive for a worsted weight sock. When I took it off, I could see all the purl bumps on the top of my foot. I'll keep these socks, since they were my first pair, but I probably won't wear them again. On to real sock yarn!

Let's see...I have a few pictures from the fourth of July, where I spent the day knitting on my second pair of socks. The yarn is Simple Stripes from Knitpicks, in a color that I think they're sold out of. My friend Urs sent me two skeins of this yarn in a package. Here are a few shots of the fireworks, including one of the sock enjoying the night.

See that blob? That's the sock. The sock has been put on hold for a bit, due to a frustration that took an hour and a half to fix. It seems that one of my decreases came undone, and it was impossible to tell exactly where it was supposed to go. I had to pull out all the stitches I picked up, as well as take out the heel and some of the heel flap rows. I'm at the point of re-turning the heel, but I'm giving it a break for awhile.

Baby Riley
Riley is officially a year old! His birthday was on May 14th. He's a good boy. I took him to daycare yesterday, and he did really well around all the little kids. I was worried that he might be too excited and spastic around them, but he did a lot better than I expected him to. Here are some pictures from Riley's birthday.

Medical Update
I've been on my thyroid medicine for about a month now, and I'm not sure if I'm feeling an effect or not. I've had some good days, but I've also had some really bad ones (meaning I sleep most of the day). I've also attempted to change my schedule around so I wake up earlier and go to bed earlier. I function better staying up later, but unfortunately the rest of the world doesn't work like that. Riley and I have been getting up between 8 and 8:30 (*way* early for me) and walking. It's been pretty hot here, so some days it's harder to walk than others. We have a mile and a half circuit that we do if we don't get too hot. So anyway, I'm attempting to do some things for my health, and I guess we'll see if everything works out.

School
I finished my first year of grad school on July 1st. At this point I have a 3.787 GPA (without my last class factored in yet), which I'm pretty happy about. I have two classes I could've done better in, but oh well. I still don't have an internship site, and classes start back in a little under a month. Goodlettsville Middle School is our backup, so that's probably where I'll end up. It's amazing to me that we don't have more connections with children and adolescents in the Nashville area. The two options I've been given are Goodlettsville or a school out in Dickson. Dickson is 50 miles from me, so that's not very feasible with my schedule. The weird thing is that my mom went to high school where Goodlettsville Middle is now. I just hope (if that's where I end up) that they know how to use me and can give me some good experience.

I guess I'm all caught up for now. I need to run to the bank at some point today (I hate going to the bank), and then I have one of Scott's shows tonight. One of my favorite wrestlers is going to be there, so I'm excited about that. I plan to take my knitting, and hopefully will get some done during the more boring matches/intermissions. Next week is a work week, and I'll be there from 12-6 everyday. I might babysit on Friday, depending on how things work out. It's been years since I've done any babysitting though, and I'd have no clue how much to charge. If it's just one baby, it would be pretty easy and I should have time to knit when he sleeps. I like being with babies, so this could be fun. I guess I'll see on Monday if the times work and such.

I'm back!

2006-07-22T13:20:00.000-06:00

So, I've decided to start posting on this blog (and others) again. It seems like everyone is connected by blogs now. I read knitting blogs on a daily basis, so why not write my own? I also would like to be able to look back later and see what was going on in my life when I posted. I have some pictures to upload, but I'll get to that later today/tonight. Right now I need to shower and get ready for Family Fun Night (which kinda fizzled, as only one person will be coming besides me and Scott). Scott bought us some games last week, so we can start having friends over and have stuff to do. In town? Want to come over and play games? Let me know. =)

Grandmommie's Sweater

2005-11-07T13:15:00.000-06:00

So I've been trying to work on the sweater Im making for Grandmommie, but it's hard when Riley wants to eat the yarn. I had a hard time getting started because of the border. I originally read the pattern wrong, so I thought that I was messing up. In reality, I wasn't. Once I figured it out, I did mess up a time or two, so it took me longer to get started than I'd hoped. At this point, I have about 10 more inches of stockinette stitch before I bind off for the arm holes. Here are the pictures I took yesterday.

This next picture is a close up of the edging.

The edging wasn't hard once I figured out how to be consistent with it. It was easy to memorize, which was good. I'm not sure how well the color shows up. It's a deep rose pink. I think she's really going to like it. Hopefully I can finish it before Christmas, but we'll see. My mom's been volunteered to help with the sewing up, since she's good at that sort of thing. I'll take pictures of the Virginia Tech scarf soon.

Preemie Hats

2005-11-04T23:58:00.000-06:00

So it's been awhile since I've posted. I haven't had much time to knit lately, thanks partly to grad school, and to my baby puppy. I love him lots, but he still takes a lot of energy. I've started knitting more when he's sleeping, instead of sleeping with him. =)
This hat was made awhile ago, but I forgot to post it. The goal was to make lots and to send them to the hospital, but that hasn't happened yet. Maybe someday I'll have a big package to send them. Here are two pictures.

In other news, I'm working on a sweater for my grandma. I'm using a pattern from The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns by Ann Budd. I like that there are so many different options, as well as different gauges. I'm using a rosy pink color of Wool-ease. I would've rather used real wool, but I didn't know how helpful a nursing home would be to the handwash instructions. Plus, I'm poor, and superwash wool is way expensive, and I'd already started with the wool-ease before I thought about superwash wool. It looks like it's going to end up ok though. I'm only done with the lace edging, but now I have 15 inches of stockinette to do. It'll be good watching TV yarn.

Finished Hat!

2005-06-01T20:55:00.000-06:00

This is the hat that I posted about. I finished it a few weeks ago, but haven't gotten to wear it because of the summer weather. It was knitted on 10.5 inch circulars/double points with Lamb's Pride Brown Sheep yarn. It was my first experience with dpns, and it wasn't too bad. I'm ready to wear my hat this winter!

For some reason, the top looks a little weird in this picture. I'm not sure why, because my seams turned out really even and pretty.

First post, and hat issues

2005-06-01T18:30:00.000-06:00

So I've started this journal to be my knitting blog, where I'll keep track of what I'm knitting, what I've finished, and pictures of everything. My first knitting project was a scarf, but I haven't taken pictures of it. Actually, I haven't totally finished it. After my scarf I made a hat. Here's what happened the first time...I didn't realize what could happen if you weren't careful!

That lovely twist isn't supposed to be there, of course. It's called a Mobius strip. If you follow it around, there's never a seam or an edge, just one continuous line...or something like that. Anyway, it's not a good thing if you want to make a hat!