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Earlier this week, Mark and I paid off my student loans. Paid Off


PAID OFF!

Now I do have to say that we were very blessed in the fact that my husband graduated with zero student loans, and while I had some-it was not near as bad as it could have been. (But then of course, it wasn't as good as it could have been either! If I had umm.....kept my GPA up and not failed Spanish 2 my second semester of my freshman year and kept my scholarship. I mean seriously, who fails Spanish?)

But still, I am super excited. We made our first student loan payment in July of 2007. We had set out early on with the goal of paying them off quickly, as opposed to taking the full 30 years like they wanted us to.

When Mark and I were dating and talking about our future, I always knew that I wanted to be able to stay at home when we have kids. And so, that meant planning financially for that future.(Which is not in the near future-but that's a post for another day.) It's crazy and dumb and backwards and old school that I would want to be a stay at home mother, and quite ironic that to do that I have to concentrate on paying off loans for a college degree that I won't be using. But it's something that I feel strongly about. And I know that if it gets down to it, and I'm in the middle of a job that I love and can't imagine giving up then we'll find a different way, and Mark won't be upset and life will be great. But as we have it planned now, I want to be able to spend that time at home with my children and raise my family and put my "career" on the backburner.

We don't drive brand new vehicles and we work around a budget every month and we maybe put off buying tons of new furniture or whatever because that doesn't work for us right now. And we still have season football tickets, and we go out to eat, and we buy fun things, and I never feel guilty about spending money when I do-we just don't let that get out of hand.

I am very blessed to have a husband who feels the same way about money that I do. Many couples say that money is one of their biggest issues. Our biggest money issue is why he's not spending more of it on me? I mean seriously, I'd take another diamond or maybe just a pretty bracelet, or a shopping spree-that'd be fun too.

Having money isn't everything, and I never want it to sound that way. But having money affords you choices, and we want to be able to make those choices for our family, our friends, our faith, where ever we are led.

I'll Play Doctor with You!

I have a confession to make.

I have a crush. And it's ok, I already told Mark-he's not too worried.

You see my crush is on a fictional character. I have recently become enamored with the tv show Numb3rs and one of the main characters Charlie Eppes. Dr. Charles Eppes. Oh man. He's a mathematical genius, a kind person, and he has the floppy curly hair that kind of just does it for me.

I think I would die if I ever met David Krumholtz (the guy who plays Charlie) in person. And I would cry if he wasn't at least a little bit dorky and smart in person.

So there, I've admitted it-I've confessed my love for a fictional character. I feel a little better, but I wish I was at home watching a Numb3rs marathon.

What I did on my Sick Days

I'm back to work, I headed back on Wednesday. I went to the doctor on Monday and he told me that I just had a cold and that I was a big ol' wimp. Well maybe not the last part-but that's what I kinda picked up on. No flu, no strep, just a little cold that put me on my back for about 4 1/2 days.

It's been a long time since I have spent that much time in front of daytime TV and it taught me two things. 1) I have rekindled my love for two morning TLC shows A Baby Story and Bringing Home Baby- and I can't decide if they make me want to start a family or never ever ever go through the process of labor and 2) TV Shopping Channels are addicting -sorry family if all you get for Christmas is a Denim and Co. cardigan set or a lifetime supply of really expensive clothes hangers.

And maybe if I'm lucky-when I order I'll get to talk to the people on set and tell them exactly who I'm buying everything for and I can tell them a cute story about my puppy and all the other things I'm gonna buy from their lines and what the weather is like in little ol' Kansas and yes I've heard that Wizard of Oz joke before and ohmygoodness we'll become best friends forever and it will all be so wonderful -AND I can just make the 5 easy payments and it'll all be shipped to my house in time for all the holidays!

My husband is now realizing that I can never be sick again.

Music Tuesday

Completely random-I mean way random and I don't even know why I thought of this. But I was thinking about the tv show Nashville Star. Now I'm talking about back when it was on USA, not NBC-because you can hardly consider that show Nashville Star, plus I could hardly watch it for the severe dislike I have for John Rich-blech.

But anyways-I was really into Season 5 and I thought I would google a few names and see if anyone from that show had done much of anything. Sadly, it's not really looking like that. But I do still love some of the girls from that show and there's a few random singles out there that I love.

The winner of Season 5 was Angela Hacker. Her most popular song during the competition was "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool." She just crooned it and made me close my eyes and sway along and I loved every minute of it. According to her website she's supposed to be coming out with a new CD in early 09-it's obviously late 09. So hopefully it is in the making somewhere, because I really think that she has an individual sound and could take country music back to its roots.

Another favorite of mine was Meg Allison. She wasn't real classic "country" sounding. But I big time love her. I love the twang and the writing and everything about it. She seems to be busy with tour dates, and there's lots of good songs on her myspace page.

Still sick

I'm skipping work today. I wish I could say I was just playing hooky and that I was going to do something fun today, but I'm pretty sure my day will consist of laying on the couch, trying to hack up a lung, guessing as to whether it's been long enough that I can take another capful of my Nyquil stuff, and hopefully making it into the doctor without catching someone else's sickness.

I can't remember a time where I have felt like this. Been this sick. Normally I might get one of those 24 hour things where I just sleep all day. But that's not happening now. I might only get 2 hrs of sleep before I wake up and have to start fighting whatever it is that I have. I cough and cough, not getting anywhere or again have to make that painful swallow in your throat-where you're not really swallowing anything and you have to close your eyes and squint just to finish that painful motion.

And I'm still so hoarse, I can hardly talk-I sound like a whispering man. And yes, my husband is enjoying this quieter Miranda-but I'm still able to make demands, so it doesn't work out all that well for him.

Basically this just sucks and I'd (almost) rather be at work. I'll let you know when I switch over to definitely would rather be at work-if that happens.

So Sick

I am so sick today.

So sick that I can't talk.

So sick that I can't go to the K-State game.

So sick that I'm allowing my mother-in-law to stop by with some food, even though my house is a disaster.

So sick, and so pissy! Why does this have to ruin my weekend. I had some fun things planned.

Just so sick.

And yes, I will take your sympathy.

Is queso an acceptable anniversary gift?

Last night my dad came to Clay Center to hang out with me and my husband. He had wanted to take us out for supper for our anniversary since, well our anniversary. But you see, I had no concept of this whole Fall Harvest thing back when I decided I wanted to get married-which has of course resulted in Mark and I never being able to actually celebrate our anniversary with more than a quick supper and a lousy champagne toast at about 10pm when he gets home all dirty and gross from the elevator. I mean seriously, why did no one tell me about this whole deal back when we actually decided on the wedding day!

But anyways-I digress.

My sister Morgan, my dad, Mark and I all went to eat at Carlos O'Kellys. I love me some queso and chips. Did you know-when we lived in Oklahoma-EVERY Mexican restaurant served not only the free chips and salsa, but also free queso! It's one of the few reasons Mark and I kinda miss Oklahoma. That and the......well, I'm thinking......we also miss the umm.......I don't know. There wasn't much else, other than the Mexican restaurants.

Mark and I moved back to Kansas from Oklahoma on March 29th, our 6mo. wedding anniversary-surprisingly another date that we couldn't celebrate, with anything more than a lousy toast and lots of sweating and cursing from the move.

Outgoing Introvert-not an oxymoron

Back in high school, when you had to fill out the personality tests, it would always ask if you were an extrovert or an introvert. And always I would answer, Extrovert. No questions. I'm typically loud, and enjoy talking, I like people and can strike up a conversation with almost anyone. But one day, after reading the true definition of an extrovert, I realized I may not really meet the criteria.

Extroverts are people who are energized by being around other people. As outgoing as I am, and as much as I like being around other people-I have realized I need my alone time. It is at home, in the quiet, in my own domain, that I truly re-energize. Whether it's through reading a good book, taking a long bubble bath or just getting stuff done around my house, I feel best after having some time to myself.

Sometimes I just like the quiet. I love it when I'm comfortable enough with a person that we can be quiet together. That's when I realize that I can truly be myself with that person. And honestly there's not many people that fit that description in my life. And it's not anyone else's fault, it's all mine! So often I feel like I have to play a character, be a certain person - whatever is either expected of me or who I need to be so that I can fit in. And I'm not trying to say that I'm always fake, or that I don't like many people or consider many people my friends, or that I'm quiet most of the time (cause Lord knows THAT'S not true) but just that there are just a few people that I could take my issues or questions or problems to and expect an answer that is really best for me.

But all in all, I like who I am and where I am as a person and more importantly where I am going. I want to become a better person, I want to be a person of bigger things, I want to be a person of great friends and great influence and great character.

But tonight, this evening, I just want the quiet-and the comfort of being married to my best friend and his understanding of me-and the acceptance.




-But then again, by about midnight, when he's wanting to go to sleep-that will probably be the time that I want to start talking and being silly and whatnot! Oh the problems of being an outgoing introvert.

Trying for Wife of the Year

Probably not a good sign for the day when this is the conversation I have with my husband, as I return from a night away with some fun Mary Kay gals:

Me: Hey hon! How's your day going?

Him: Oh fine......hey, could you do me a favor when you get home?

Me: Ya sure, what?

Him: When you get home will you look by the bed for my glasses?

Me: .......so does that mean you don't have your glasses on now? You're saying that you're so blind that you can't find your glasses. That sucks.......wait, you've been at work for over 7 hours? What exactly are you wearing then?

Him: My safety glasses.

Me: Hahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahaha (imagine my manic laughter as you have heard before)

Him: If you're just gonna laugh, then forget it. I'll find them when I get home.

Me: hahahahahahahahaha

It's a Good Time to be Me!

I am tired, so tired. And I couldn't even tell you why, but I am just tired.

And no, I'm not pregnant.

But tomorrow all will be better. Tomorrow I will be in the hands of a Massage Professional, a Massage Master if you will. Tomorrow there will be soaking in a hot tub, leisurely conversation with my favorite Mary Kay gals, and massaging of my tired tired body. And the best part of it all. Because this massage is better than just any old massage. Do you want to know why? Why the massage in itself is not the best part of my day?

It's all FREE! Because I have the best job in the world. My Mary Kay director is treating all of her star consultants to a day of luxury. Tell me that it is not the best job in the world, I play with makeup, hang out and have parties with girls all the time, and get free massages!!!!

And then , because the weekend is not great enough just with that-I will be having a 4 day weekend because I get Monday off as well. Christopher Columbus, you're a lost idiot, but thanks a little to you too. And to celebrate this day off from the bank, I will be spending time and money at the 2nd best place to spend those things (well you know the first is of course the spa.) We will be at the casino! So pass me your oxygen tank, and your nickels and wish me luck!

I Apologize

1. I apologize for the cuteness that is my dog. It's just amazing how cute he is.

2. I apologize for my manic laughter. That is what my husband has to deal with, and probably a large portion of why he's going gray at 24.