Inundated with media today

While I was waiting at Peachtree Dermatology today for my annual mole check up, I had more than enough time to read the entire newspaper. Cover to cover. Talk about feeling grown up. I even shared the newspaper with other grown ups in the waiting room. It was a nice, albeit unfamiliar, feeling. Being grown up AND mature all in one day? Whew, I was definitely going to need a nap after that mental work out.

So I read through the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and one of the articles that caught my attention really made me think. And yes, it is political, so please brace yourself if you need to. The article makes some good points that we ALL need to be aware of as we sit here and complain about this or that when it comes to our government. And, don't worry: I am not talking about Democrat or Republican ideas but instead I'm talking about doing something that will help the people in Congress to remember that they are there to serve OUR best interests, not theirs. When I was at the gym this afternoon, one of the "news"channels was showing statistics on the approval rating for congress - - it's at 18%! Can you imagine if your boss told you that you still had a job even if you did a good only 18% of the time? Of course not!

You are probably wondering: Ok, Krista, this is all good information but what in the world are you suggesting we do? Run for Congress, ourselves? And, to answer your great questions, I am not asking you to run for Congress but to take an active role in learning about what is - and isn't - being discussed and/or passed in Congress.

Check out this link and please consider signing up. All you have to do today is input your information and you will then get updates on what is going on in Washington and you can choose to act - or not act - if you feel that the issue being addressed is important. It costs nothing except a little bit of your time. That is a very fair exchange - - give a few minutes a month in return for an improvement in the world in which we live and an opportunity to make our country a little bit nicer for our children. (For some reason, I have Whitney Houston's song, The Greatest Love of All , in my head now...)

The Bestest Christmas Gift Ever

If someone were to ask you what your favorite Christmas gift of all time was, what would you say? Do you have one Christmas or a particular Christmas gift that comes immediately to mind? I do. When we were growing up, Kelly and I were hoping for a puppy as our gift. We assured my parents that if Santa brought us a Shih Tzu on Christmas Day, we would be the best kids in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD. We would never act up again.

Our piano teacher had the sweetest little Shih Tzu named Mozart. We didn't particularly like going to piano lessons but being able to see the little pooch always made the visit a little bit easier. So, maybe if we got a Shih Tzu for ourselves we'd be better off? Of course we would, helllooo.

As we were crawling into bed on Christmas Eve, exhausted from visiting with family at Mommo & Poppo's house in Pilot Grove, opening presents, and going to our annual candle light church service, my parents came into the room with something that they found downstairs. It was the cutest little Shih Tzu in the world! My Dad said Santa must've dropped it off while we were at Mommo & Poppo's. We were so excited that it was a chore for my parents to get us to go back to sleep that night ... and as you could imagine, we lived happily ever after and Kelly and I never acted up again. Bandit, as he was later named, was the best Christmas gift that I ever received.

We switched up our routine this year and stayed in Atlanta for a wonderful Martin-style celebration. Echo enjoyed the visit, too, since the car ride is much shorter going to the Martins across town than going to the Langs in Missouri.

While I don't know what gifts Bettyann has received during Christmases past, I do know that the gift she received this year would qualify as her best Christmas gift ever. Stephen said that for as long as he can remember, when he asked her what she wanted for Christmas, her response remained the same, year after year: a pony. This year, she must've done something right because Santa brought her exactly what she was hoping for.

Randomness

First, let me start by saying that I finally found a movie that I've seen and Dennis hasn't. In case you couldn't guess, the movie that I'm talking about is UP CLOSE & PERSONAL. What type of award should I win for this accomplishment? I am going to nominate, and award myself with the highly esteemed - and not to mention, highly coveted - Oscar for being the COOLEST SPOUSE IN DA HOUSE. I think that this will look very nice on our mantle. Oh, and by the way, Happy Kwanza today.

I didn't realize - until Dennis pointed it out to me the other day - that after EVERY single movie we ever watch, I ask him, "on a scale of 1-10, what would you rate this movie?" So, as should be expected, when we exited the theater after watching FOUR CHRISTMASES the other day, I asked him the inevitable question. He rated it a 6. I gave it an 8 and Dennis couldn't believe it. But, part of the rating criteria that he missed (because I never told him) is that ANY movie that is 90 minutes or less gets an automatic minimum score of 6. And the movie finished safely under that time frame.

Today, Dennis and I were brainstorming names for our son (is he 'our son' yet? do I need to wait till he's born to refer to him that way? who knows) and got into a big debate over how to spell the main character's name from Family Matters. Is it Urkel (Dennis' vote)? Or Eurkel (my vote)? This is a serious question, now, because we were contemplating initials and need to know this type of information.

Although commonly (mis)spelled with an "E", Dennis wins that bet. Damn. I guess he can have an Oscar, too, it just won't be as awesome as mine. What should his Oscar be for?

His can be the not-so-coveted spelling bee award.

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

Baby Lane

In the 3+ years that we've lived on our street, the occupancy rate per house has grown significantly. There are 20 houses on our street. After we have our baby in May, there will be an additional 14 people on our street. I'm not referring to a bunch of renters moving into one house or anything like that, I'm referring simply to the number of BABIES. That's pretty freakin' insane if you think about it. That's an increase of almost 3/4 of a person per household (used my calculator on that one). Can you imagine having 3/4 of an extra person running around your home?

With the influx of babies on our street, we've also had more than our fair share of baby showers. A few pictures from Wendy's shower (at our house) are below. She is 33 weeks in this picture and her due date is early February but she probably won't make it that far. Lucky her: she may be able to participate in our monthly Wine Night sooner than we originally anticipated!

Belly Shot

My belly shot is not what it used to be and I am having a hard time accepting it. I obviously know that you have to gain weight when you are pregnant and that you can lose the weight later (what I hear when people say this to me is blah, blah, blah, you just have to be fat for a while, blah, blah, blah) but it's not a lot of fun yet. I feel like I have a rubber tire around my middle section. Or that I swallowed a bowling ball. Or a small child.

I have put off posting the inevitable baby-belly shot as long as I could but Dennis told me I couldn't wait any longer. So, here it is. Me in all my glory at 16 weeks. Thing is, it will probably be better when I get bigger because then, hopefully, people will KNOW that I am pregnant and not just think that I am porking up over the Holidays. Now I just look like a frumpy child eater.

I saw this shirt online and think that I absolutely need to get it because it sums up how I feel in 4 simple words. It's an awesome shirt... I'm just not sure I could get away with wearing it to work. Maybe I could dress it up with some jewelery?

Memo

Apparently we missed the memo. As you can see from our smorgasborg of Christmas cards that we have so beautifully displayed on our pantry door, sending a picture or you, your loved ones, and/or your pets trumps sending an actual paper card with a hand written message in it.

Am I old fashioned? I think so. Getting photo cards is great, don't get me wrong, but I guess I'm stuck in the 1990's by suggesting that cards should have a hand written component to them. And, hey, maybe I'm just jealous that I missed the memo. And most everyone else got it.

All of that being said, I was really looking forward to having a baby because I knew that we would finally be able to send out photocards. So, I guess we didn't need to get pregnant just to send them out, afterall! And, I am slowly realizing that photocards are taking over the world (just as fast and feverishly as kudzu has) and they are personal - - just photos rather than words. Hey, a photo is worth a 1,000 words, right? And I know that I've never written 1,000 words in any Christmas card. Perhaps I've had it backwards all along.

NSFW (Not Safe for Work)

I would be surprised if the title of this post actually kept anyone from continuing to read or open this page...based on my knowledge of who frequents this site, I bet that if anything, it probably encouraged people to pull up the post to see what type of work-inappropriate material I could be sharing. Me, inappropriate? Never...

After a long weekend of running around, I had some cramping and bleeding this morning so I called my OB's office and the high-risk MD's office to see if I should be concerned. I'm pretty much a paranoid freak about anything that does or does not happen, so I am sure that the nurses recognize my phone number on their caller ID and probably do a preemptive eye-roll in anticipation of my questions. Anyway, I was told to go home, put my feet up, and relax (what's that?), and they were going to see if they could work me in for a quick appointment in the afternoon. They were able to squeeze us in and we were glad to find out that our SON (yes - I said it! We're having a boy!) is doing very, very well. At first, he had his legs crossed and was sucking his thumb but after a few minutes he decided to uncross his legs and we saw everything. Dennis claims that the only reason we could tell a month 'early' (we're 16 weeks now and people usually don't find out the sex until their check up at 20 weeks) is because this little boy is his son.

As you can imagine, we are thrilled. I'm thinking of everything blue. Maybe green. And yellow. Now it seems more real than before...I wonder about names? I guess we have plenty of time for that, but my concern is that everyone and their brother has had little boys lately so we may have a hard time picking out an unused name. Guess we could always go with Obama.

Things that make me go mmmmmm....

A few things have come to my attention lately...making it clear that I mmmmmight be pregnant. I know, I'm hilarious. Without further adieu, here they are:

1. Dennis has ceased calling me Rip-van-Krista when I want to sleep. Now any sleeping that I do is OBVIOUSLY for the baby and not due to my love of sleeping.

2. Bending forward isn't as easy as it was previously. So I guess my days of cleaning the house and "picking up" are limited.

3. After a shower, I can been seen (only by the spies that hide in my house) rubbing cocoa butter all over my body. Bathe with water and then bathe in cocoa butter.

4. I finally have fingernails.

5. Some nights I get REALLY CRAZY and have a glass of chocolate milk when Dennis has his glass of wine.

6. A follow up to #5 is that I always feel good on Saturday and Sunday mornings. No more cases of the beer flu for me.

7. I have learned that it's a good idea for me to cross my legs when I sneeze or laugh really hard.

8. I have developed a sudden love of sleeping on my back. Apparently, that is a no-no for later in pregnancy and so when Dennis catches me sleeping on my back, I get a friendly reminder to roll over...every night.

9. Now I walk on the treadmill rather than run. It's a really good idea, too, because my coordination is pretty much non-existent and I need to avoid falling as much as possible.

10. I think my belly is growing a lot...I just can't see over my boobs to know how much.

Unions are so last century

So, we've all heard about this auto bail-out thing-a-ma-bob being discussed, deliberated, and which will ultimately be passed..... only to fail. Or need another huge "life line" in the next few years. But, whatever, it's not a big deal. The $700 billion bail-out is supposed to help save American companies that are near failing, right? But, wait a second...isn't that what capitalism is all about? Good companies succeed and bad companies go bye-bye? No, that can't be right ... we live in an all-too-pc-world where we can't just let a company go bye-bye. That isn't fair. Or nice. It's much nicer to throw $$ at companies that have already failed on their own...just to post-pone the inevitable.

You are probably thinking...wow, it's been a long time since Krista's posted anything remotely political. It has...and yes, a month or two is a long time. Not to worry, though, because I do throw up a little in my mouth each time I hear President-elect Obama's voice on TV. So, I'm still alive. I am really trying to be a glass-half-full-person and hope that he proves me wrong and that he turns out to be a great president. Doubtful, but there is that 1% chance. And hey, there was only a 1% chance that one of the embryos we implanted would split into two, and that happened. So, you never know.

Ok, now to the point of all of this: unions suck. Yes, they do (or did) serve a very important purpose with helping labor conditions in factories to be improved and to make the work environment much more safe for workers. And don't forget child labor laws. What we need to ask ourselves is are they really necessary in 2008? Unions are so last century.

Just take a look at what's happened to the auto makers. Now, I'm not suggesting that all of the problems these companies are facing are due to the unions, but let's not overlook the big (or HUGE) contribution they've made towards pushing these companies over the edge.

Can you guess at what a union worker makes at one of the Big 3? $73/hour. Wow, that's a big number. It's especially big when you compare it to $44/hour (average) for Honda, Nissan, and Toyota employees. And $73/hour is especially big when you compare it to the average $31.50/hour that manufacturing workers make in the US. This is just asinine. With these companies spending SO MUCH of their employees, how can they be competitive? At a bare minimum, it raises prices for all of us.

Y'know, this kind-of makes you want to go to work for a union, doesn't it? You just join and then you make upwards of 150% what someone else in the industry is making in a non-unionized setting. You do the same work for more money. No difference between you and them except the money.

It's been suggested that the Dem's are in bed with the unions, as well they should be. Unions contributed about $80 million (or $450 million, depending on which source you use) towards the most recent election (for Dem's, of course) and they want their payback.

I also find it interesting that people say that the CEO's or other high ranking officials at these companies need to forego their high salaries, give up their private jets, and refuse any type of bonus. What have the unions offered to do to help in the same regard? Wait...nothing. They've ruled out any discussions of concessions. Now, that's pretty nice and fair, isn't it?

Cheeseburger gone wild

Phew. I am so glad that I received this news alert via email today. (And yes, I fixed the "e" key and it is wonderful! eeeeeeeeeeeeee)

NOW I see why everyone says that I should be careful when I'm walking in dark alleys every night. I never thought that one of those gang members could be carrying something as dangerous as a cheeseburger!

Man allegedly assaults girlfriend with burger

VERO BEACH, Fla. — A Vero Beach man faces a domestic violence charge after authorities said he assaulted his girlfriend with a cheeseburger. An Indian River County Sheriff's Office arrest report said a 22-year-old man and his girlfriend got into an argument as they sat in a car in front of their home.

The report said the man would not let the woman out of the vehicle, so she threw his drink out of the car. In response, the man allegedly grabbed her arm and smashed the cheeseburger into her face. The pair got out of the car, and authorities say the man again took the McDonald's sandwich and put it on her face.

The man was released on $1,000 bond Wednesday.
___
Information
from: Press-Journal, http://www.tcpalm.com/vero (Maybe they meant press-a-cheeseburger-in-your-face journal??)

And the excuses begin

Ok, first of all, my "e" key isn't really working. So you may notice that thy are missing from this post. Oh well. nough struggling with that stupid key.

Dennis has always been vry considrate and sweet but he has been especially protectiv of me sinc I've ben prgnant. At first, I kpt trying to resist and I would do everything that I had done prviously. But, you must embrac change, right?

I've mbraced it with a little bit of a twist. Possibly an evil twist. If Dnnis asks me to do somthing or if I ask him to do something and he doesn't want to do it (which is most of the time), I respond with, "you don't want to do [insert task here] and you'd prefer for your pregnant wife to do it instead?" I must admit that I'v gottn away with a lot mor than I evr could have bfore.

And ys, I'm going to get that damn key fixd. (That's my first cuss word on the blog! I feel libratd...is that wird? Shit. Ass. Ok, I'm stopping now. Bitch. BYE!)

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Have you ever taken a minute to think about how cattle will stand outside in the snow, in the rain, in the heat, and never complain? Well, before this trip home for Thanksgiving, I hadn't either. I have a new found respect for cattle. And several other things. Yes, don't worry: I am going to share what "other things" entails.

I have a new respect for The Day After Thanksgiving shoppers that do not act like a herd of cattle and run over the store manager. The polite, calm shoppers. Like my Mom and Dad, who bought us an early Christmas present on Friday. A Sony Blue Ray player. And yes, Dennis picked out that gift. It'll probably be unwrapped and set up before we get our suitcases out of the car tonight.

I have a new respect for football games. Really. I do! Even though it was a devastating loss to KU, the MU/KU game at Arrow Head was so much fun. It snowed the entire time and we each wore ten more layers of clothing than normal. Dennis even bought his second pair of Long Johns for the game. I think he bought the first pair when we were in Columbia last year for Christmas.

I have a new respect for paper maps. They come in handy when Dennis thinks he can outsmart Mr. Garmin.

I have a new respect for family and friends. We spent our first Thanksgiving in Missouri this year (we usually stay in town and visit with the Martins) and Dennis survived the 60-some person reunion. It was actually a smaller turn out that usual, but I think that was probably good for Dennis' first visit. I realized that my cousins, aunts, and other family members are actually cool. Well, let's not go too far. They are at least normal. I never realized that before! Even my two cousins that Kelly and I nicknamed Pee-Pee and Poo-Poo were nice to visit with. It was weird.

AND, my little niece Georgia, is absolutely beautiful. Megan isn't really my sister, but we've been great friends for so long and she feels like a sister. And that makes her daughter my niece, so there. It was great meeting her for the first time and I cannot wait to see her again.

I have a new respect for good food. Man, I feel like I gained 30 pounds but it was worth it. On Sunday we visited Mommo and she put together a "quick and boring" lunch that included ham, friend chicken, corn, green beans, rolls, fruit salads, mashed potatoes, cookies and pecan pie. Yes, I had a piece of pecan pie. That stuff is magical. ANYWAY, we ate plenty of "quick and boring" meals that far surpassed the "exciting and time-consuming" meals at our house. I am going to learn to cook. I really am.

Lastly, I have a new respect for wireless cards. It's awesome to be able to play on the Internet while Dennis drives us home...through the snow and sleet.

Super Turkey

This is a song that we will always sing at Thanksgiving. The first time that I sang it to Dennis, he looked at me like I was crazy and suggested that I made up the song. Truth be told, I only WISH that I could've come up with a song like this. It's a classic and yes, Dennis and I will definitely sing it together on our way to Missouri to visit my family. Ohh...I cannot wait!

Baby Martin

Sept. 2, 2008: Ok, so I am trying something new. I am going to keep quiet about what Dennis and I are up to. It is going to be a difficult challenge, but I am up for it. I have to keep my mouth shut for three months! Three months? Yes, I can do it. My Dad used to say "you can telephone, telegraph, or tell-a-Krista". Not anymore. My lips are sealed.

Dennis and I do not want to ginx this baby-making-thing this go round so we're going to wait until 12 weeks to spill the beans. So, I will be confiding only in my blog until that day comes. Lucky you, oh Bloggo. I am telling everyone that it will be "several months" till we get to try again. I love it - the drama! The excitement!

Sept. 4, 2008: Taking estrogen now through just about every orphus possible. And I'm wearing estrogen patches. Gotta love it. I told the nurse that I'm feeling especially moody, tired, and I've definitely put on a few lb's. She said not to worry, that those three things are the most common side effects. FANtastic.

Sept. 8th, 2008: Spoke with the nurse today and we are doing the transfer tomorrow at 10:30 am. I am excited. I feel like I need to drink a lot of wine or beer or a keg since it'll (hopefully) be many months before I can do that again. It is sorta like my last meal in a weird way. Oh, and the nurse told me that they will either implant two or three. Dennis had to sit down when I said "or three". Dennis & Krista Plus three.

Sept. 9th, 2008: We were all ready to do the transfer and they pulled up a picture from the lab of three "beautiful" embryos. The conversation went back and forth between us, our MD and the embryo specialist (not sure of his exact title), for about 10 minutes as we considered implanting two or three. I guess at this stage, after two days, the chances that all three embryos would make it wasn't really high. But, you never know. So, we would probably want to implant three since (most likely) not all three would take and we wanted to get atleast one pregnancy out of this. But, that also meant that we could have three - yes, three - embryos develop and grow into little babies. Plus, it is not too uncommon for an embryo to split, resulting in idential twins. So we could have four babies from this whole transaction. Dennis & Krista Plus four.

We decided to wait until Friday to see which embryos appear to have the most promise. Then we can implant two of the best looking embryos and feel much better about our possibilities of getting pregnant with one - or two, max - babies.

I am now going to have a margarita. Or ten.

Sept. 12, 2008: Well, we did it! We are officially preggo! These two little cuties were implanted near each other so that they can start getting to know each other right away. The nurse told me she thinks that one is a boy and one is a girl. They both look like boys to me.

Sept. 20, 2008: Just went to the store to buy beer and a pregnancy test. The beer is obviously for Dennis and the test is for me. It would be nice if the pregnancy-test-makers would package them in bulk - and I mean BULK - at least in boxes of 20. Not just "buy 2 and get 1 free".

And yes, I know, I know, I know that it is too early to necessarily feel pregnant but it is concerning to me that I've been feeling "normal" the last few days. The home pregnancy test results came back positive so I can relax a little bit. Maybe.

Sept. 24, 2008: The relaxing continues... atleast for now. I went in for blood work on Monday and then again today and the good news is that my results suggest that the pregnancy is moving forward and progressing as expected. My beta levels, estrodial, and progesterone levels were good - - and my beta level almost doubled from Monday to today, which is a very good sign. I guess the beta level is the key measure of how things are going. It should keep going up and up and up.

I was especially nervous because I had some spotting a few days after the IVF transfer and then more spotting a few days after that. Since I have had that bleeding, I'm not allowed to work out. So I am being a total bum these days but an excited bum, none-the-less.

Sept. 27, 2008: More spotting. Great. It makes me so nervous and so scared - - especially since I do not get to go in until Wednesday to get my blood drawn again. Trying to be patient sucks! Dennis told me not to worry because it is out of our hands. He is right, but... it is still hard!

October 3, 2008: We're going in for our first ultrasound next Monday instead of Wednesday because of the spoting that I've continued to experience. I am hopeful that we have one strong heartbeat that shows up...but what if we have two? Or more?

I've been overly emotional (which is hard to imagine, I know, poor Dennis), my boobs got in the way at golf lessons last night (lucky Dennis), and I feel sick, which are all hopefully good signs. I never thought that I would say, "I am so glad that I feel sick" but those words actually came out of my mouth several times this past week. I think we are technically 5 weeks as of today.

October 6, 2008: We had our first photo shoot today. But, it wasn't without drama. We went in, I had my blood drawn, and while we were waiting for the ultrasound tech to come get us, I went to the restroom. I came out crying, sure that I had just miscarried. There was a lot of blood.

Dennis tried to help me be positive and to just wait to see the results of the ultrasound.

Well, just when I had given up all hope, we were informed that everything is OK. After seeing one heartbeat, the tech said, "wait...I think I see another one," and I thought that I was going to start crying again. Dennis quickly quipped, "I guess it's buy one get one free!"

Apparently we have three sacs but only two of them have a heartbeat. One of those embryo's must've split!

The third sac explains a lot of the bleeding and spotting that I've been having. The continued bleeding, though, still keeps me from being allowed to work out. I guess I'll have time for that later...

We are very happy right now. A cautious, scared, emotional happy.

Oh yeah, we told our parents. Woopsy.

November 21st, 2008: You may have noticed a HUGE jump in dates from the last entry. Y'know the sound of a record screeching to a halt? I wish that I could've inserted that into this post.

The reason for the screeching record noise (let's pretend) is that we went in and found out that there were actually three heart beats. Three! The physician told me that there is a 1% chance of this happening, so she was really surprised. I started to cry when I heard the news. Dennis smiled, and all that I could say as I freaked out was, "I don't have three boobs! They don't make sidewalks big enough for a three baby stroller. We will need to move! Our house is too small. Oh no...and we'll be immediately outnumbered! What if they decide to attack?" And yes, you know me: I am a slightly anal planner. And this is a huge deviation from what I planned. So I lost it. Luckily Dennis apologized to the nurse for my reaction and helped me to stay somewhat together.

A week or two later, we went to see the high-risk doctor who wasn't optimistic about me being pregnant with three babies. The risks to all of the babies was very high if we continued the pregnancy with all of them. Selective reduction was discussed and Dennis and I went home.

Selective reduction is when you basically choose which babies to continue with in an effort to have the most healthy baby(ies) possible. Are you kidding me? Where is this in the book on IVF (if there was such a book)? This was too complicated and too heart breaking to think about. Plus, we're not supposed to have to even discuss something like this. So, as you can imagine, we were emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausted as we continued to discuss all options over the next few weeks.

When we went in for another check up with the high-risk specialist, she noticed a lot of fluid accumulating behind the head of one of the identicals. She was extremely concerned about it and said that it is an early sign of a chromosomal or birth defect. I guess this is fairly common with identical twins. The prognosis for the identicals was getting less and less bright.

As you can probably guess, since we are pregnant with one cute baby right now, the identicals didn't make it. God helped us to make a decision that we didn't want to make on our own. A decision we didn't know how to make on our own.

The wonderful news is that the third little one looks really healthy. And, isn't that why we started this process in the first place?

So there. That's all of the nonsense. Dennis and I have decided that no more drama is allowed. We are not going to think about the sadness, excitement, and worry that we've already been through. No, we aren't. We are just going to focus on being pregnant with a happy and healthy baby.

We are very excited about this special blessing!

Shiba Inu Puppies

Ok, I'll just say it. I think that baby humans (aka 'babies') are very cute but I don't think that they compare to baby dogs (aka 'puppies'). Once Dennis and I have our own children, I'm sure that I will change my mind but until then, I'm sticking to that opinion. Baby dogs are cuter than baby humans.

The live webcam below is absolutely adorable. I don't know anything about Shiba Inu puppies except that they are so cute. I guess there is a couple in California that decided to upload this live video of the puppies playing together and it has taken off because people will open it up while at work and just watch the cutie-patooties play when they need a break.

So, regardless of whether or not you need a break from whatever you are doing (and I know you aren't doing anything too important because you are lolly-gagging on my blog right now), please watch this for a few minutes. You'll be hooked just like I am. Promise.

Live video by Ustream

Domesticated.

I'm not sure if it was the excitement that I had when the alarm went off at 7am, telling us that it was time to get up and open up our garage for the hugely acclaimed neighborhood garage sale (or, the garage-sale-of-a-lifetime, as I like to refer to it) or how I looked forward to re-arranging our guest room that made me feel official. Officially domesticated.

My sister stopped by for a few minutes, so I spent time with family today, too. Dennis and I cleaned the house a little. I took a nap and when I woke up, I listened to Dennis and one of our soon-to-be-a-father neighbors, Jason, (and by soon-to-be I mean his wife, Tina, is due to deliver sometime this week) talk about pregnancy, breast milk, starting a family, and things like breast pumps and doctor appointments. It was actually really sweet.

All I needed to do to make being domesticated official today was to cook. And yes, I'm still working on that. Maybe tomorrow I can make some boxed brownies or pancakes and we can call it even.

Who would've guessed??

Ok, so something must've happened. I am not sure what it was, but it was definitely something. And a really big one, at that.

Just when I crossed over into the new world of being 30, leaving behind any 20-something ideas, goals, and thoughts, it happened. My brain stopped working like it used to (and yes, I know it's hard to imagine, but my brain does function some of the time. Not much, but a little.) I keep trying to think of something to blog about and as soon as I come up with an idea, my next thought is, "no, that won't work" or, "that's too personal to put on the blog". What? I am usually the biggest blabbermouth on this side of the Mississippi and I am now developing some type of filter? It can't be. It just can't. What would I do?

So, please stay posted. I will make it through this rough spell. I will come through it and immaturity will continue to prevail. I must be suffering from a flare up of my non-ridicilousopathy.

And now, for the next trick...

This is awesome. Echo and I now have some major dance practice scheduled for this weekend.

It's sad to say but the dog, Gin, can dance better than I can!

Thanks, Stephen, for sharing.

Closeness

How do you define closeness? I often struggle with this question since my parents live in Missouri and I, obviously, live very far away. My mother and I have a very close relationship. We've always talked every day and recently it's been several times a day. She is really one of my best friends and it is so hard when I talk to her and she says, "oh - I wish that you were here. If you were, we could go to get some coffee and catch up" (as if we really have anything else to 'catch up' on, but that's another story).

My younger sister, Kelly, lives here in Atlanta, too. It's nice when my parents drive here (yes, they drive the entire 11 hour trip without any complaints) because we can all do things together - with my parents, Dennis, and my sister. Echo gets to hang with us, too. The Griswolds do Atlanta.

My mom and I often talk about how it would be nice to live near each other. Obviously that would make the whole going-out-to-get-coffee-thing a lot easier. I can tell that she is jealous when I tell her that Dennis and I saw the Martins or that we dropped by their house for a few minutes. So I came up with a solution that makes me feel a little bit better, and her as well.

It's all about the minutes. The minutes we spend on the phone together. The minutes we spend together when they stay with us for an entire weekend or when Dennis and I stay with them in Missouri. There are tons of minutes that we spend together each day, really. So we are both trying to focus on the minutes and not the miles.

Dennis and I have talked about moving closer to my family, but I don't think that is in the cards for us right now. We need to do what is best for us as a couple and right now there isn't a good reason to move. Plus, I love being close to Dennis' family, my sister, and all of our friends. We're in a very good place right now and who knows what the future will bring. But, for right now, we'll just focus on the minutes and enjoy the 11 hour drive.

Phoney Business

Please go to this website! Select your country from the drop down box and then enter your phone number.

Using Google Earth, a sattelite can locate your position using your cell phone. It'll only take one minute - you'll be glad that you did it.

Wishing You a Spooktacular Halloween.

Fangtastic Halloween Jokes

Enjoy these spooktacular jokes. I love 5th grade humor. Maybe it's more like 2nd grade humor. Whatever.

Why did the vampire go to the orthodontist?
To improve his bite...

What do you get when you cross a vampire and a snowman?
Frostbite...

Why do witches use brooms to fly?
Because vacuum cleaners are too heavy...

How do witches keep their hair in place while flying?
With scare spray...

What do you get when you cross a werewolf and a vampire?
A fur coat that fangs around your neck...

Do zombies eat popcorn with their fingers?
No, they eat the fingers separately...

Why don't skeletons ever go out on the town?
Because they don't have any body to go out with...

What do ghosts add to their morning cereal?
Booberries...

What is a vampire's favorite sport?
Casketball...

What is a vampire's favorite holiday?
Fangsgiving...

What would a monster's psychiatrist be called?
Shrinkenstein...

What do you call someone who puts poison in a person's corn flakes?
A cereal killer...

The Best (early) Birthday Gift

Dennis was sweet enough to plan a special trip for us this past weekend. We drove up to Asheville, NC and stayed at the Biltmore Inn (picture above) Saturday night after touring the Biltmore House (castle). It was great to get away and I'm not usually one to enjoy driving (or riding) in the car, but the trees were so pretty and the little towns were really too cute to not enjoy myself. Plus, I was with good company. (Yes, go ahead and gag or whatever you need to do but it was a really romantic and fun trip.)

If you are ever in need of an escape from the chaos in Atlanta, I would highly reccomend going to Asheville. You just have to take me with you.

A Scary Sight (pre-Halloween)

As Summer fades into Fall and we start to put on more clothing than we did in the previous months, it is important to note that one of the best parts of this transition is that people no longer wear Crocs. A lot of people wear these ugly things. I'm sure you've seen them. Probably stuck on an escalator or somewhere like that.

And I can't figure out why so many people wear them. I heard that these people even pay money for them.

Since I'm a fashion expert, I was appauled at what I noticed online today:

"They're baaaacccckkkkk".

Tagged

I don't usually participate in these things, but I was officially tagged by Katie, so I will give this a shot. As per the tagging guidelines, I am supposed to share 7 things that are weird or that y'all don't know about me. So, sit back and enjoy.

1. I love the smell of gasoline. When I was growing up, I was constantly asking my parents how I could have the smell of gas around me all of the time. Little did they know, I was going to marry Dennis and my problem would be taken care of.... (only kidding!)

2. In college, I applied to, and was accepted to participate on the show Change of Heart. I did not end up participating because the idea behind the game show is that you and your current boyfriend/girlfriend go on the game show, go on a date with someone else, and then either keep your current boyfriend/girlfriend or go for the new love of your life (that you just met). If you go with the new person, you have a "change of heart". For the game show to work, you have to live near where they are filming in case you meet the new love of your life...you need to both live close so you can continue on your road to happiness.

3. I was the last one out of all of my high school friends to drink alcohol. I was afraid to drink because I thought that I would get out of control and cut my hair. Talk about morals!

4. I got my worst grades in band in junior high school. I played the saxophone and hated being in parades with those silly cumberbun's and other band-y things. I often couldn't memorize the whole song so I would just pretend to play and keep walking... Kinda like when you are singing in the choir and move your mouth as if to say, "marshmallow...watermelon", so that no one can tell you aren't singing with everyone else. I mean, we all did that, right??

5. I often call Dennis "baby goat balls". Previously I called him "baby goat" or "goat balls" and one morning I was not very awake and called him "baby goat balls". We both fell over laughing.

6. Y'all already know that I have an appetite for weird things. I like to eat ICING (by itself). When I ate cereal in college, I mixed it with Diet Sprinte instead of milk. The first night that I met Dennis (& the Elon gang), Katie asked me what I like to eat. I told her, "Chicken. Chicken in the morning. Chicken for lunch. And chicken for dinner." Some things never change.

7. I applied to Steak and Shake for my first job. I didn't even show up for the first day of training because I found out that I would have to wear a bow tie!

8. (BONUS) I have always wanted to have a pie throwing contest! Y'know, put whipped cream in a pie shell and throw it at each other!

Ok, there are the most exciting 7 random things about me! I hope you were entertained.

Please leave a comment with 5-7 of your weirdest attributes. I am officially tagging Maya, Meimi, Dennis, and Josh. Please do it! There are starving kids in Africa!

I'll have a Philly Cheesesteak, please

The Rocky theme song was playing in my head as our plane landed in Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon. I am in Philadelphia (well, Chadds Ford, to be exact) for a sure-to-be EXCITING week of meetings. Yessss.

The last time I was in Philadelphia was in 2004, right after Dennis and I were married. (I know, I know, it seems like JUST YESTERDAY that you were in Columbia Missouri for the most fun wedding EVER.) We moved in together, got married, bought a new car, and then I lost my job. Then my sister moved in for what seemed like 10 months. Then I got a job with GlaxoSmithKline. I was excited but it meant weeks of training in town ("homestudy") and then 3.5 weeks of grueling training and testing in...guess where? PHILADELPHIA! It was super stressful and I am so glad that I never have to do it again.

I know you are wondering if I ran up the stairs at the courthouse (??) and put my arms in the air like Rocky and I am proud to say that yes, yes, I did. I was definitely the first person to ever do that.

So, anyway, all of this to say that it is crazy to think about all of things that have changed since I was here about 4 years ago. Dennis has since made sure that I have seen all of the Rocky movies. The best one is with the Russian fighter dude.

You can tell from the pictures that we were younger (weird). Dennis came to Philadelphia to visit me on one weekend and it was the one thing that kept me sane during that training. I hated spending my birthday away from him...so he fixed that for me.

Yes, this is a random post without a real story but WHATEVER!

Barackonomics

I was thinking about this post this morning and after I read Josh's blog, I am a little more riled up. As this election is drawing the attention of many people who previously never voted or even cared about politics, it is increasingly clear that the followers of Obama tend not to focus on the facts but more so on the "promise" and "charisma" of this man. HELLO: He's terrifying! Since when are we so afraid of being politically correct that we neglect to look at the facts and figures, the flawed economic plans, the friendly relationships that the candidate held in the past - and still continues to hold - with terrorists and others that HATE America (and have voiced disdain for WHITE people, too), the "memoir" that details his strongly held marxist and communist beliefs, and most notably, his talk about "redistributing wealth"? Excuse me, but WTF? Where is that in the Constitution or Bill of Rights? Wait...it's no where to be found and that is because it is NOT THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT.

But then again, those measley little documents don't really matter to "The One".

For those of you who still think that it is good to "take from the rich and give to the poor", let's look at a very simple example of Barackonomics:

John goes to school and earns an A on his exam. He studied very hard and is extremely proud of his work.

Jeremy goes to the same school but didn't really feel like studying, he earned a C on his exam, like the majority of the other kids.

The teacher, Mr. Barack, decides that everyone should get the same thing so he gives everyone in the class the same grade ---- a C+. It's the only fair thing to do.

Tell me, puh-leez, how this motivates John to continue to work hard and study for his exams in the future if he's going to end up with the same thing as the kids who didn't work as hard? And, what motivation do Jeremy and his classmates have to study harder next time when they actually ended up with a better grade than they deserved? The kids in this school just received a lesson in Barackonomics. Work hard, it'll get taken away and given to those who don't work as hard. Don't work hard, and you'll be taken care of by your government. That's redistribution of wealth, folks. A vote for Obama is a vote for mediocricity (at best).

Luvs Diapers

A Luvs diaper commercial just aired and its tag line was to "say no to expensive diapers". Dennis looked over at me and said that NO MATTER WHAT we will not spend a lot of money on diapers. Afterall, they are only used for one (or two, if you want to be specific) thing - - and there is no need to spend a lot on that.

I laughed and said, "our kids will need THE MOST expensive diapers, I am sure. They will most definitely have sensitive asses and will require special diapers. THE most expensive ones available. We'll probably have to special order them." That's just the way our world works.

And, so, folks, there you have it: Dennis & Krista's children will have, among other things, sensitive asses.

Britorama

Where will you be on November 30th?



Dennis and I will be right in front of the boob-tube.

30 before 30

I came across an article listing the 30 things a woman should know how to do before she turns 30 and since I was impressed with the amount of things on this list that I can do (almost 30, but not quite), I wanted to share it with you. And, while we're talking all things 30, I guess I should point out that I am closing in on less than 30 days until I am officially 3 DECADES OLD.

Ah-hem. Here's the list:

1. Hard boil an egg (I am sure that I can do this, just haven't tried)
2. Diplomatically tell Mom to butt-out (Dennis would say that I haven't mastered this one)
3. Ace a job interview (Easy-squeezy-lemon-peezy)
4. Ask a man out (I was doing that in elementary school!)
5. Send a thoughtful thank you note (I am pretty much the queen of good thank you notes)
6. Listen to a friend in need
7. Ask for help
8. Effectively end an unhealthy relationship (romantic or platonic in nature)
9. Beautifully wrap a gift
10. Say “no” gracefully
11. Whip up a great dinner with the five items in her fridge (Yes, this is on my list of things to work on...)
12. Forget pleasing him, by 30 a woman should be able to tell her man exactly how to please her 13. Sew a button
14. Mix a kick-ass cocktail (Does a margarita count? What about a vodka & diet coke?)
15. Take off her bra without removing her shirt
16. Apply lip gloss in the dark
17. Balance her checkbook (if we still used one...does anyone still use a checkbook?)
18. Create a budget (HELLO - I heart Excel!)
19. Find the best deal
20. Negotiate a salary and/or pay raise (That's why I left my last job...)
21. Read a map (Does using my Garmin count?)
22. Hail a cab
23. Say something in French just for the hell of it (pardon my French...)
24. Apologize when she’s wrong (but what if I'm always right?)
25. Dress for her body type
26. Change a flat (or know whom to call to come change it) (I know who to call - DENNIS....)
27. Spot a fake (handbag, diamond, potential friend…) (Not so good at this one.)
28. Feign interest (huh?)
29. Know what to tip on a $25 dinner bill
30. Hold a baby (Hey, someone you know is bound to have one sooner or later)

A similar list exists for our male counterparts. This is one time I'm glad that I'm a female because their list looks a bit harder.

Top (or bottom) 3

As I was reading (and drooling) over the article about Leo (and yes, we are on a first name basis) and how he is looking for love and marriage (hello: ME!) I asked Dennis who his Top 3 would be. As I anticipated, he selected Jessica Biel, Rachel McAdams, Jennifer Aniston, and me (of course). I then asked the next logical question: Who are the bottom 3? Who are the three people you would never, ever lock lips with (even for a bazillion dollars)?

And here is who he came up with:

1. Jocelyn Wildenstein

2. Rosie O'Donnell

3. Janet Reno

My list is equally as unimpressive:

1. Carrot Top. (Does he even have a real name?)

2. Michael Jackson

3. Janet Reno

How do your list(s) compare? Can you guess who your spouse would choose?

A Great Weekend

How do you measure a fun weekend? Apparently you can measure a lifetime by the number of laughs, or the number of minutes...or something like that. While I may not know exactly how to measure a lifetime, I do know how I am going to measure a great weekend: by the number of times that I get to eat icing.

On Friday afternoon, Dennis asked what I wanted for dinner and my response was this: "Too bad they don't make ice cream WITH icing in it. That would definitely be my favorite. And it would be a top seller, I'm sure." He went to the grocery store to pick up a few things and brought home a container of Betty Crocker vanilla icing. Yesss. He is my favorite person in the world. We'll count that as serving number one.

Then, on Saturday, we went to Dennis' parents house to celebrate his mom's 60th birthday. It was a surprise party for her and she really enjoyed it. While I did really enjoy the company, what I enjoyed most was Stephens Cherry Loaf cake. AND THE ICING.

We were sent home with a few slices of the cake, so to start off the day in the most healthy way possible, Dennis and I each had a piece of cake for breakfast. We're up to 3 servings of icing already! This has to be a record!

You are never going to believe what I am about to say next...you may want to sit down. We are going over to Trish's for a birthday celebration tonight and I know that she is an icing connoisseur, like me, so we are definitely going to get to have yet another serving of cake and ICING! I CAN'T WAIT!

Using this new (and incredibly scientific) methodology to measure "fun-ness", it is safe to say that we had an amazing weekend. Fo sheezy!

And, most importantly, this has to be a world record. Someone puhleez call the Guiness Book of World Records. Four servings of icing in one weekend.

I might have to take Monday off just to regroup from all of the excitement (and to recover from the inevitable sugar hangover).

Yo Mama

I wanted to offer up some really profound, deep thoughts for everyone today. And this is what I came up with. Sorry.

Yo mama so stupid... she puts cheese by her computer to feed the mouse.

Yo mama is so fat... she went to KFC and asked for the bucket on the roof.

Your mama so stupid... that when Judge Judy said "Order"! She said "Fries and a coke please".

Yo mama's so bald... Mr. Clean got jealous.

The question is not IF I omitted any good Yo Mama jokes but rather which good ones did I omit?

Opening This Friday, October 3rd

For some reason, Dennis isn't quite as excited as I am about this movie.

I love Mexicans. Yo quiero Taco Bell!

Emergency Room Excitement

As I was driving to work on Friday morning, I was cut off by a middle-aged man in a minivan. I don't have anything against middle-aged people nor do I have anything against minivans, but when they are coupled together with a super star attitude, it's bad news. He just looked at me as if to say, Get out of my way, lady, because here I come in my super cool minivan. I'm hot and I know it. Eat my dust. Naturally, I waved at him. With one finger.

As that one finger was outstretched, I was reminded of an adventure that Dennis and I endured about a year ago....

I had just started packing for a trip to Orlando for work when Dennis mentioned going to our favorite Mexican restaurant. Of course, he didn't need to twist my arm too much and fifteen minutes later we were waiting for a seat and the inevitable margaritas and soft tacos that would follow.

At that time, our neighborhood wasn't quite finished and I felt that it was my duty to walk around in each house prior to it being sold. So, when Dennis was driving us home from dinner, I said, "Hey Dennis - let me out. I want to see what type of garage doors that new house on the corner is going to have."

"No, don't worry about it, Krista. You'll see soon enough."

"No, please stop. I HAVE TO know." He slowed down and I jumped out, ran towards the house that was still under construction and went into the garage. Thank goodness the garage was open. Actually, it might have prevented what followed if the garage doors had been closed.

Dennis loves to make fun of my 2 inch vertical jump but none-the-less I had enough "ups" to jump up and try to pull the garage door down. Try was the key word. I jumped up, grabbed onto the normally rubber end of the door, and quickly realized that the end of the gatage door was, in fact, sharp metal. There was no rubber.

When Dennis retells the story he says that my eyeballs were the size of saucers. I looked down at my bloody fingers and screamed. I shook my hand back and forth, as if that would make the blood and the severed fingers go away.

"Krista, are you OK? Oh my God, Krista, are you OK?"

"Dennis, I'm fine. Go ahead and drive the car home. I'll walk. I don't want to get blood all over the car."

"Krista, get in the car. I am driving you home." We went back and forth for a few minutes and somehow Dennis managed to get through to me and I climbed in the car. Two minutes later, we pulled up to our house and I laid down on the driveway, as if I had been shot.

"Krista, what are you doing? Why are you lying down on the driveway? Atleast go into the backyard to lay down so that the neighbors don't think that I stabbed you. And, let me see your hand."

"No Dennis, don't look at it. It hurts. It's bad. I need to just lay here for a few minutes while you call an ambulance."

"Call a WHAT?"

"Call an ambulance, Dennis!"

"Krista, I can definitely drive you to the emergency room if you really need to go."

"I need to go. Now. Please call an ambulance!"

"Krista, I WILL DRIVE YOU." Again, against all odds, Dennis managed to coax me into the car after he tried to clean me up with a wet rag and wrapped my hand in a towel.

We pulled up to the Emergency Room around 8:00pm. I was "assessed" by one of the nurses who told me that I definitely needed stitches. Then she motioned me back out to the waiting room where we waited...and waited...and waited.

As I sat there next to Dennis, I took an assessment of what was going on around us. There was a lady sleeping in the corner (hopefully sleeping, and not dead), and there was another lady who had a puke bucket in her hands and kept staring at Dennis. Even when she puked.

Being super patient, about an hour later I decided that I need to walk around. So I started pacing up and down the hallway. As I walked past our waiting room, I saw a police officer that was crying in the next waiting room. I went through the whole dilemna of Do I or do I not say something? Do I pretend like I don't see him? Should I just mind my own business? Figuring that he may be as near death as I was, I went ahead and asked him if he was OK. He informed me that he was going to be OK, but he had accidentally sprayed himself with mace. That was nothing, though, compared to his broken hand that he was waiting to have examined. I guess he broke up a fight and escaped with a battle wound. And then he sprayed himself in the eyes with his mace. This guy was definitely not having a good night.

I went back to our waiting room and told Dennis the story. A few minutes later, a nurse came out and said, "Who is here for the sleep study?" Without a moments hesitation, Dennis quickly pointed to the lady sleeping in the corner and said, "she is!" We both laughed and I looked at my watch. It was midnight.

"Dennis, do you have your laptop? I wonder if there is wireless internet in here."

"I doubt that there is wireless in here but I'll go get it."

About 10 minutes later, I was doing a google search for "Smyrna Emergency Rooms" and found a phone number for a nearby hospital. I called and asked what their wait time was and then looked at Dennis. "Let's go to Kennestone Hospital. They don't have a wait right now and this place sucks." Obviously he is an incredibly patient husband. He agreed and we were off. Again.

The second emergency room was pretty efficient seeing as how we arrived a little before 1:00am and were headed to the pharmacy for some Vicodin by about 3:00am. The nine stitches in my middle finger were wrapped in some white gauze.

The next morning, Dennis drove me to the airport because I had taken half of a Vicodin and he was worried about me. I think we left our house around 6:30am. We were both exhausted since we didn't get home until about 4:00am and I had to get up about 5:30am to pack and get ready for the meeting.

As I walked up to my co-workers at the airport, they all stopped talking. One of them noticed my bandaged middle finger and one of the others noticed that I had on two ID bracelets from two different ER's. I sat down next to them and told them the entire story.

I would like to say that I learned my lesson about being a nosy neighbor, but I think that the real lesson that I learned is that it is vitally important to check out the bottom of the garage door before jumping up to pull it down. And, if you see only metal and no rubber, don't do it. It's not worth it.

When Discrimination Ain't So Bad

So, the financial world around us seems to be in total chaos. And those evil, greedy, banks and mortgage-lenders are to blame. Shame on them for making such risky loans to people who obviously did not have the ability to make payments on a monthly basis. I mean, who wants to pay every month? Hell, who even wants to pay every other month? Dennis and I could put our mortgage payment towards a lot more "fun" things but since when is that a choice? Once we signed all 90,000 pages at the closing table two years ago, we knew exactly what we were in for. And we planned appropriately. Now, I'm not saying it's fun sending in that money every month, but it's sort-of necessary. And it's exactly what we signed up for.

What drives me absolutely crazy (well, one of the things) is that you very rarely hear about what really caused the current financial situation outside of the "greedy" individuals at banks and other lending institutions. What is very rarely mentioned, probably because it's not as exciting or not as much of a draw for people to listen to, is that the government helped to cause this mess. And, boy oh boy, did they help in a big way. The help the government provided was through the Community Reinvestment Act (which was strengthened under the Clinton administration).

To put it in laymans terms, here is what happened: ACORN and other community activist groups felt that certain people (minorities, lower income families) were being passed over for loans. These people wanted to own a home, too! I mean, there's gotta be a document somewhere stating that everyone has a RIGHT to own a home, doesn't there? Things like a bad credit history or not having a reliable job should not disqualify someone from a mortgage loan. I mean, they want a house, too. And, it's only fair.

So, these groups protested and at the end of the day, political correctness won. The US gov't then went on to say that if banks did not create loans that these individuals could afford (hence, the need for subprime mortgages, ARM's, etc.), then the bank was not able to expand. Basically the government forced these institutions to make knowingly bad loans if they wanted to grow - - it was a price of doing business!

I'm not saying that 100% of the blame is to be placed on the government because people do tend to take advantage of a bad system and I am sure that some super shady deals took place when no one was looking. But, what I am saying is that we need to think about whether or not we really want this much government involvement in the "free market" that we supposedly have today. My vote, which is a shocker, is NO THANKS. Let's not be politically correct and let's say that discrimination is OK. It is OK when we are talking about discriminating based on credit worthiness, job stability, and loaning money. Let's leave those decisions to the banks and not the government.

Ok, there. I got it out. That has been bottled up inside of me all week long and it just sort-of spewed out.

Separation Anxiety

Yes, you guessed it: Dennis is out of town for a few days this week. But, my separation anxiety isn't so much about him as it is about our tupperware.

We enjoy talking about what we'll do when we are rich. One thing that always comes up is that we'll buy really good deli meat. Maybe we'll even have our own chef slice our deli meat for us in our very own fabulous kitchen. You are probably thinking, oh, they won't eat sandwiches when they are rich but yes, oh yes, we will. We will eat them and enjoy every minute of it.

So for now, we're stuck buying the "fresh" deli pre-packaged meat. It's actually pretty good and my favorite part is that you often get a FREE tupperware container with your purchase. What a deal!

Due to my overwhelming love for cooking, it's fair to say that we've had our fair share of sandwiches and therefore have tons of tupperware containers in our cabinet. When either of us opens that cabinet, there is a 50/50 chance that lids and plastic containers will fall out of the cabinet and onto our heads. (Ok, they don't fall on Dennis' head but as a vertically challenged individual, they often hit ME in the head.) They are disorganized and mis-matched. Lately I've had to use foil to cover the plastic containers because I cannot locate the correct lid. I mean, seriously, this is getting ridicilous.

For some reason, I cannot throw them away. I just cannot bring myself to do it. Believe me, Dennis has threatened to throw them away but I won't let him. He suggested that we purchase one of these "smart spin" thingamabobs. And, I'm not opposed to it. But, you must realize that it will take time to embrace the change. I mean, our lives will definitely be less exciting without the thrill of wondering will I, or will I not, be hit in the head when I open this cabinet? Or maybe the thrill is more related to wondering will (insert spouses name here) get hit in the head when the cabinet opens? I hope so!

The term tupperware has been used very loosely in this post and I feel obligated to point out that a much more suitable term for what we have in our kitchen is plastic containers. That makes this whole little obsession thing a bit more sad, doesn't it? I guess the first step is admitting that you have a problem...