Judged

There's so many things in my life that go unspoken. It's not because I want to keep things to myself or because I am ashamed. I have found, it shows a true persons character when they judge another based on their own ideas and what they think they know. For if they choose to judge at all, they are usually mistaken based on their lack of knowledge and understanding. So my unspoken words bring out the true form of those who choose to judge.

Many have chosen to judge me, in the past, for the paths I have taken to get to where I am now. I may not have made the right choices for them, but I have made them for me. I have learned along the way which made the wrong choices at the time become right ones. Because the number one goal is education...we learn from our mistakes.

That being said, I have chosen this time to educated you a little about me and my relationships with Mark and Jett, and the judgements we face:
Mark and I have quite the past. All filled with friends, friends we've hurt, family, war, school, relationships, love...there's not an emotion that hasn't be crossed with us. When we met again, after 7+ years of not speaking, it's like love stood still for us. As if we kept on moving but our love stopped and waited until we took the right path back to each other. We knew we were going to face many judgements when we met up again. It was, and always will be, a risk worth taking...because ultimately those people don't know us...they just know what they think.
One day, we decided to bypass all judgement and live for ourselves. We got married, without anyone knowing. On April 30, 2009 we were forever joined as husband and wife. For the first 6 months we lived together as one, with no one else knowing. To avoid more judgement and conflict we chose to remarry and keep our secret. On October 29, 2009...almost 6 months to the day, we were remarried in front of family. It wasn't until just after our 1 year anniversary that we told my family of our secret. We will never avoid judgment of our choices but we are proud of our choice, it was the best one for us.


Mark and I at our first wedding


Mark and I, with Jett, at our second wedding...6 months later

It's not just us that face judgement because of the decisions we made/make...Jett too will forever face judgement. I do not believe in labels, especially labels that could ultimately disable someone. However, it seems that it is easier in this society to label something/someone to make it easier to explain/describe. That being said, as many know he has been labeled as Autistic. He is a wonderful boy with quite the ability to charm anyone (just like his father) and memorize anything you put in front of him. He also has the ability to not understand boundaries. These boundaries that society has developed to protect people are also the same boundaries that inhibit people; and are the same boundaries that cause us to make judgements for fear of crossing the boundaries created. Jett knows of knows of no limits with people. He thinks everyone is interested in what he's doing, he wants to be everyones friend, and he loves everyone he meets. Sadly enough, this ability will one day cause him harm without the proper societal education. So we educate him on how to treat others in public, we educate him on what to do in certain situations, we educate him... BUT...where is the education for everyone else? Why is it that parents can't educate their "normal" children more so that Jett will not be judged because he is not like everyone else? Why is it that just because he is associated with a label he is treated differently? Why is it that people cannot accept what they choose to not understand or be educated on?
The worst part of it all, is that Jett is not the only one out there who faces this problem. There are other kids out there who face the problems that come with being labeled. There are grown adults that face the same problem. And people judge. Why is it that it's ok for people to judge? We all have our problems, our quirks, our "abilities"..."judge not that ye be not judged"...it's just that simple.

I don't know...

I'm not proud of what I have been feeling, I'm sure I'll regret what I have to say, but it's what I'm feeling right now. Doesn't that deserve a little recognition? When I married Mark I didn't marry him because of Jett, I didn't marry him for money, and I sure as hell didn't marry him for his ex-wife. I didn't marry him cause I thought he could support me, or give me everything I want/need. I married him because I felt I could be myself with him, laugh at stupid things with, share my thoughts with, and because I love him. But selfish me is now wondering about the rest. Why do I have to revolve my life around a kid that's not mine in order to be with the one I want? Why do I have to put up with his ex-wife? And who is going to support me (cause I couldn't do a very good job of it on my own), and who's going to give me what I want and need (cause I'm too selfless most of the time to think about myself, current blogging as the exception)? Am I losing me in order to be with the one who I can be myself around?
I make no sense. I have no idea who I want to be or what I want to do, but I'm upset about not having the opportunity to go somewhere I think I want to be to maybe find what I want do. Or would it be just another dead end?
Why is it that we always want what we can't have? Why can't we just be content with the life we're given?
I was meant to be something more, I was meant to do something more, I was meant to be somewhere more. At least I think so, what if this is as good as it gets? What if I reach beyond this point and it's just downhill from here?
I need a direction, a starting point, an ending point, a path, a tunnel with light at the end of it...at this point I'll even accept the light being a train...I just need to know where I'm going, what I'm doing...and if this is all life has to give...than I need to learn how to accept than I'm not what I thought was or where I thought I was going be...but maybe that's not always a bad thing.
I just don't know...I'm ashamed...and I don't know.

Decisions...decisions...

I have been finding it hard to write about just Mark and I. Things coming from my point of view alone just don't work well talking about two...because there's always 2 sides to things. However, it is important to me to occasionally rant or put my .02 in somewhere so here we go again. This time, it won't always be about us...sometimes just about what I think.
Right now we are facing all important decisions about our future. What we want to do, where we want to go, and who we want to be. It's difficult to know when you're making the right decisions...or even what the right decision is. Who do you keep in mind when you're making your decisions? Are there limits to what you want and how far you'd go to get them? How do you know who or where you want to be? I don't think there's just one answer to every question, so it's our job to weed out the bad, find all the options and make the best ones for us.
As of late, we have decided not to have kids. We were working so hard the last 2 years to try to get pregnant that I think we lost sight of ourselves and what we really want. While 5 years ago, even 10, I was determined to be a young mom, there were other plans out there for me that I had no control over. I told everyone, including myself, that I was born to be a mom. But now, as I quickly approach my 30's, I'm beginning to rethink the whole thing. Why is it that I wanted to be a mom in the first place? Is my life going to be any richer with children than it is now? What would I be missing out on with kids or without? Ultimately, after many talks with Mark, the decision was made...no kids for us. The list goes on as to the reasons why not, here are just a few. 1. We won't be able to just pack up and go where ever/whenever we want. 2. Less time for just the two of us. 3. The infertility issues. 4. Less money for us to play. 5. Less flexibility in what we want to do in our future. Like I said the list just went on and on, so we decided that we need to make the best decision for us. Mark will have the "procedure" done sometime soon to eliminate the "accidents" and to keep me from having to take any more hormones. And if we do want kids in the future, we both agreed that we can adopt, there are tons of kids out there who need a family to love them. Besides, Mark and I lost 10 years together that we have to catch up on.
Also, we are facing where we want to be and go and do. Right now we know, we've always known, that Texas isn't the place for us. But we also knew that we were stuck here till Jett turned 18...which is another 10 years away. So just like that, because one party wants to stay while the other one wants to go, we're stuck. Until we put a bit more thought into it. Who's to say that we have to live in Texas to be parents to Jett? Families do it all the time; have commuting children for holidays and vacations. While it's not for everyone, in this case it just might be better. Jett is very much a mommas boy and doesn't care to be at our house much. While we've tried to make it as much as home as possible for him, we have rules that don't exist as his moms. No food in the bedroom, limited tv time, very limited fast food, no personal computer (he's 7 for heavens sake)...standard rules that we had growing up, that he doesn't have at moms. And with his "disability" us implementing rules that just go away when he's home actually throws him off and makes him worse cause he needs consistency (and who are we to say that the rules we have are any better than the ones his mom has, I just can't have chaos at our house, it's not my thing). Plus, the more we communicate with his mom about him the worse the arguments get, the angrier people get, it's just over all a bad situation...when the parents can't get along at all, is the child getting 100% from either one?...100% from one is better than 60/40 from both.
Anyways, so we decided to look for opportunities outside of Texas knowing that we can make anything that we set our minds to work. Mark has the opportunity to transfer to his company's sister office in Carson City, NV with no change in anything except location. With me not having a "real" job right now, I can pretty much pack up and go anywhere. So that's an option for us. We also got to talk about the top 10 places we would like to live. We made lists compared the lists and we ended up with a few places. Colorado Springs, CO. Portland, OR. Salt Lake City, UT. All of these include surrounding cities. The bad thing is that if we decide to move to any one of these places we would have a rough time because one would have to go ahead of the other to find a job. The good thing is that we have family in all locations, so we'd have a place to stay while looking. Carson City wouldn't be like that, we'd know very few people, but there's already be a job waiting. And who's to say that if we stay a year and it doesn't work that we can't move again?
Then there's the thought...what do you want to be when you grow up? And which one of those places would be best suited for that? For Mark, it's simple...he wants to fly...and when he gets his money he'll be able to finish up his flying time and get his licence and go from there. With me, it's not that simple. I have NO idea what I want to be when I grow up. I haven't found my niche yet...and I'm ok with that...I'm kinda just letting life take me where it wants to. So now the questions is...where, when, and how do we go?
Ok, and while I'm all for ya'll offering your .02...please don't judge...you only know the information in which I've told you...there's so much more to things you just don't know.

Running low...

It’s taken me a long time to get up the nerve to write this blog. Partly because I feared people knowing about all of this, partly because writing this means it’s more real than I ever wanted it to be, partly because of the reasons I have a hard time writing all of my blogs…I’m lazy. Now the situation has gotten to the point where I need prayers, well wishes, good thoughts…or whatever beliefs, feelings or desires may feel is appropriate for the situation.

About 6 months ago Mark and I seriously started trying to get pregnant. The problem was that I have been diagnosed with PCOS (poly-cystic overian syndrome), so I’m not ovulating on my own. After evaluation by my GYN she suggested that I go on Clomid to try to induce ovulation. The first month on a low dosage was unsuccessful, no ovulation. The second month she upped the dosage which caused over stimulation and 3 very large, very painful cysts. At that point my body need a break, my heart needed a break.

After taking 2 months off I made an appointment to see the GYN mom works for. He suggested that I go on a different medication that when taken regularly is a cancer drug but when taken for 5 days can aid in ovulation. I took all of the pills as recommended, went in for a consult mid cycle and to get a sono done. Yup, more cysts. The doctor said to hope that it worked this time around because if it didn’t and the cysts were still there at the end of the cycle that he’d stop the meds. The good news was that the blood work came back showing that I ovulated. The bad news is that I’m not pregnant.

We didn’t check the cyst at the end of that month…I took the risk to avoid more heartache. Now we’re on month 2 of this new drug…month 6 of trying. I’ve taken the meds like normal…followed the schedule to a tee…minus night before last, but we can’t be perfect now can we? Now I’m just hoping that it works this time…

In between all of this we found out that my baby sister…who had no intentions of having a baby, who really didn’t want a baby…is now pregnant. I’m trying to be happy for her. Then today I found out my sister-in-law and brother-in-law are now pregnant…both of which initially talked about not having any more kids…this may have changed…but I’m trying to be happy for them.

I’m running low on “faith”…running out of hope. The thought of this not working is breaking my heart more and more every day. Part of me wants to numbingly keep going, part of me just wants to give up…but it takes the better part of me just to get out of bed everyday and pretend none of this bothers me…to stay strong.

So now I’m hoping someone else can provide the “faith” for a little bit…I’m running a bit low. Pray, cross your fingers, hope…do whatever you may do best…but keep me in mind when you do…this needs to work…please let it work.

Appreciation...

It doesn't take days like this for me to appreciate Mark, it days like this that I appreciate him just that much more. Today i'm not feeling well...I don't know it's becuase I'm tired or if I'm actually sick, but either way...
So Mark came home from work brought me flowers, chicken soup, popsicles! He takes such good care of me!

Weddings...

Trust me, I think about blogging every day. I want to keep up with myself and let everyone else keep up with us this way, but it never does really work out the way I would like.

I’m not feeling so well today. I think it may be possible that I’m working too much and it may be time to slow down. I will give it just a few more weeks…till right before the wedding/honeymoon…then I know I will have earned that break.

The wedding is officially 1 month and 1 day away. I can’t wait! We found my wedding dress at Ross one day. After my discount it ended up costing me $21. Gotta love that! It’s really simple and elegant looking…almost more of a beach type of dress than a wedding dress, but it’s perfect for this.

We’ve also decided on our honeymoon destination. We will be staying at El Dorado Royale in Playa del Carmen. We are both extremely excited! This trip is much needed and well deserved.

We went to Mark’s friends wedding over the weekend. It was a lot of fun. It was nice being able to help and actually know some of the people at the wedding…old high school friends. Mark was one of the groom’s men. He was sweaty and uncomfortable, but he was as cute as can be. It turned out to be a beautiful wedding. I hope the bride and groom enjoy their lives together and the joy of their soon to be new twins (she’s two months along)…so exciting!


Other than that, right now it’s work, work, work…we are so earning this honeymoon!

Slacker...

Someone should put a little bell on me so I remember to update this thing every now and again. Sorry for not keeping better track of myself, I do by best, but sometimes my best isn’t enough for blogging.

Let’s see, where in the world do I start?...

Well, the teacher thing hasn’t turned out to be what I thought it was going to be. Maybe because I don’t have the drive of what I once did. Maybe it’s because I lack motivation. Maybe it’s because that since I wanted to be a teacher way back when, Texas has changed what’s important to a student’s learning…now it’s all focused on the TAKS test. Either way, it hasn’t necessarily been crossed off the list, it’s just been put off for an unknown amount of time.

Right now we are both working 2 jobs, partly to have more money in the account and partly because I don’t think we’d really know what to do with ourselves otherwise. I am working at Ross with Lupe from 6:30am-9:30am and then I head over to Mark’s dad’s office and work there doing QuickBooks stuff from 10-3. It’s good that my day is over at 3 because it allows me some time to get other things done or come home and nap. It’s a good chance for me to have some quite time. Mark is working at Harley still. Actually he was promoted today. No more pay because he’s making quite a bit more than everyone else there already, but definitely a better position for him. I’m glad they see his potential. Then he’s also working out at the farm on the weekends; doing farm work or doing petting zoo parties. He’s very good at what he does. Sometimes I like to go with him just to sit in the back of the room and admire how good he is with the kids and animals.

Mark is also learning how to fly. We are blessed that his sister is dating a guy who owns 3 airplanes and has offered to help in getting his pilots license. It’s been great for him and I know he really enjoys it. I’m hoping that we’ll be able to pull the money together so that he can finish in a good amount of time so he can take me up with him one day and I can admire him in the air just as I do on the ground. I actually cried the first time he went up in the air. I’m just so proud of him for following his dreams and doing what he loves.


Jett started 2nd grade on Monday. It looks like he’s going to enjoy school very much this year. He has his kindergarten teacher for 2nd grade which worked out well since his special Ed. teacher from the last couple of years is no longer at the school. This year he has his first male teacher. From what I understand he likes him, so let’s continue to cross our fingers and hope this year go by smoothly.


We have also moved again. This is the last time we will be moving for at least a year. I love this place though, so I think this a great place to stick around. Our new place is further north than our last place, since I don’t have to be so close to downtown. It’s about 3 miles from Jett and about 5 miles from dad, mom, Megan, Renee and Jonathan. As well as not being that much further to Mark’s moms or the airport. It’s close to both of our works and that makes our lives just that much easier. The place is lovely. One day when I have it a little more straitened up I will take pictures and post them (sorry, not a fan of dishes or bed making right now). Our place has wood floors, a great view, and even pot and pan drawers. I love my pot and pan drawers, one of the best things ever invented!

I guess we'll just keep on keep'n on.

I passed...

Today I took my real estate license test. I waited until the last minute like I usually do, I was to take the exam by August 11th and today is the 5th...but I got it done in time none the less. I spent the last 2 days trying to cram the best I could. I even told Mark I was taking the test next week to avoid any added pressure. However, last night I took a practice test in which I majorly failed, so I confessed to Mark my dilemma and he tried to help the best he could. I went to bed late after studying, and got up early this morning to study more. I headed to take the test by 9:30. Parts of it were hard and parts were easy, I had to take it on the computer and had no idea how I was doing. Almost 2 hours later I finished and the results popped up as PASS!! I was so relieved!!! I called Mark who had left me 2 panicked texts while my phone was in the car. He said that he had been worried sick for me. Isn't that so sweet? I think he was more worried about me passing than I was. I then celebrated by going to Sam Moon and buying myself a wallet and going to chick-fil-a and buying a much needed happy meal. I then met Mark at work for his lunch. He is so wonderful, all he's been saying since he found out was how proud he is of me. It is so wonderful to have him support me and be proud of me!!! Mark's parents and my parents are happy for me too...I have such wonderful family!!! Wahoo for me!!!

Updates...

Gosh, it's been quite some time since I blogged last. Life has been kinda hectic, so where do I start?...

I quit my job in June, it's been over a month and a half now of surviving. We've been doing pretty good so far. We've cut back a lot but are getting by. I finished with my teachers classes, and now all I really have to do is take the test. However, things have gotten a little tight around her and my hopes of being a teacher this upcoming school year were unrealistic. So I have been working a Ross, thanks to my manager sister-in-law, and have been able to bring in some much needed extra bux. The teaching thing will come in time, when it's right everything will fall into place when it's supposed to. Keith, Mark's dad, is also trying to help find me a job. He is one of the best people I've ever met...I'm so glad I will soon be able to call him my father-in-law.

Speaking of which, Mark and I have finally decided to get married. We are going to get married in a JP on October 30th...I'm very excited. It's taken over 10 years but I know this is the place I was meant to be. We make such a great family together.

Jett turned 7 in June...he is getting so big...and he's making Mark feel older by the day. He's such a wonderful kid though. He's going through a bit of a momma's boy stage right now, so it's hard for him to stay the night here. We have already lost Thursday evenings due to Marks work schedule, and will will lose Tuesday nights when school starts. We will still have him Tuesday evenings and Saturday overnight, but I think this is really hard on Mark. He's being very strong about it though and constantly remembering that this is for the good of his son. He's such a wonderful father.

What else...oh...about 2 weeks ago Mark got bit by a degu (kinda like a pet squirrel). It very quickly turned from a small bite to a balloon hand. We spent one night in the er, they sent him home on antibiotics. He saw a hand specialist the following day who was quite concerned about it still..enough that he sent Mark to be admitted into the hospital. Mark spent the next 4 days in the hospital on antibiotics every 6 hours. I worked the days while he was there, but came right there after work and slept the night every night...I have never missed my bed so bad in my entire life! Mark is doing much better now. His finger still hurts sometimes and he's just now able to bend it almost all the way down. I'm sure he will recover fully real soon. Now it's just going to be interesting to see what all the hospital and doctors charges are...all I can say about that is thank goodness for insurance.

I found out awhile ago that I am going to be an aunt, and Mark an uncle. Megan is pregnant, as a matter of fact she found out today that it's a boy. I'm not sure if I'm excited or scared for her, but either way I'm here to support her if she needs me. Although, I don't know if she knows if she's excited or scared about it either. I'm sure everything will be ok for everyone, as long as the baby is healthy and has a happy and loving home...life is good!

We are moving again on the 11th and 12th of August. We found a place a little further north of here...since I don't have to be so close to downtown anymore now that I'm not working there. Our new place is super nice; wood floors throughout except in the bedrooms, pot and pan drawers, big closet...it will be a good move for us I think. It's only about 5 minutes away from Jett and super close to Ross. It's the same distance to work for Mark, plus it's closer to all of our family. It will be a good move for us. I will try to remember to post pictures when we get everything settled in.

Lastly, part of which was brought on by Marks last post. We are becoming a bunch of lightweights around here. I have dropped 25+ lbs since I moved back home a year ago. I still don't feel great, but it's a work in progress...nothing some good working out can't fix. I think I have discovered that I'm allergic to gluten, I haven't been tested for sure, but I wouldn't be surprised. I get so sick every time I eat anything with gluten in it...so we've been sticking to meat and veggies around here for the most part. The occasional pasta is rice pasta...and of course we cheat every now and again, but if we do we cheat 100%...pizza and rolls and cakes :-) Mark is also losing a bunch of weight...not sure where he's at since last year, but I am so proud of him!!! His goal is to get down to his goal weight for our wedding. I'm doing my best to be here for support, now if I could get a little less tired I will even start pushing us to go to the gym more. Wish us luck!

Well, that's it for now, I think...hope you enjoyed this update. I will continue to try to keep this thing updated as much as I can.

Biggest Loser...

Harley Davidson has decided to bring back the Biggest Loser Contest again. I decided on a team of people who I think will motivate me. Ann tries to motivate me too but sometimes I feel like I would do better with peers trying to achieve a goal together. We weigh in tomorrow morning and I am excited to get started. the contest runs through the end of September so I have just over 9 weeks to get skinny. My team has decided to do an all cardio workout program to shred the fat paired with a low calorie diet. Once the contest is over we will continue to workout and push each other but start incorporating weight training. I will try to keep up with the blog to track my progress as well as my teams.
My personal goals is to get from 180 lbs. to 150 lbs. It seems to be a far out goal for 9 weeks but I am want something to push me.
WISH ME LUCK!!!!

Father's Day Letter...

Happy Father’s Day My love,
I know I wasn’t there the day your child was born. I know I wasn’t there as you watched your child grow. I know I wasn’t there to share with you the first 5 years of fatherhood with you. The very selfish side of me will forever wish that I would have been there by your side. But I feel blessed to have been able to spend the last with you watching you raise your child, watching that little boy grow into a wonderful young man. It is by your word and your hand that your child has been blessed to be who and where he is today. Without you this single innocent child would not be here, without you this child would not know what direction to turn, without you this child would only know half of the love he knows today, and because of you this child will grow and prosper to be as wonderful of a man as you have become.
I pray one day you and I will be able to share in the joy of raising our own children together. That you and I will play parts in watching and helping our children to grow. I could not have asked for a better man to do that with than you. And if for some reason this joy shall not come to pass for us…I know that no matter what you always have been and always will be a wonderful father and husband. Thank you for sharing with me the love of a child, the joy of life, and the forever that is our love.
Forever and ever,
Ann

Riding in an Airplane... Challenge Air

Today was a great day. Jett had the opportunity to ride in an airplane. Challenge Air is a Fantastic organization that gives children with special needs a chance to get away from their hectic lives and enjoy something that most of them never get to do. Each child is allowed to bring 2 guest and fly in a four seater plane with a certified pilot. Jett, Hannah, and I all got to go. The program has sponsors from all over. They had clowns making balloon animals(I hate clowns) They had free food and craft tables for the kids. they had a bounce house and even a mini ground school to teach the basic aeronautics of flying a plane

Buffalo was our pilot today. He was awesome!! He met us in the hangar and walked us out to his Cessna 177 Cardinal. N3463L

Once we all climbed aboard we all put on our headsets and have a quick rundown of what was gonna happen. Jett told everyone that the steering wheel in a plane is called a Yoke. Buffalo looked at me in shock he knew that and all I could do was shrug at him. We set off down the taxi-way and got in line for take-off. Jett helped steer the plane down the runway and got us lined up. The McKinney tower gave us the go ahead and we took off. Jett was able to assist him with the take-off, flight and landing. Jett had a fantastic time and asked when we got out if we could go again. We assured him this wouldn't be his last Challenge Air event.

A Big Change...

Over the last couple of months, Mark and I have been actively trying to get pregnant, but with my PCOS it has been quite the headache...and cramps...and pain. Most people didn't know about what we were trying to accomplish because I didn't want everyone to keep asking me how things were going. I was feeling disappointed enough as it was, I don't think I could have handled disappointing anyone else.

That being said, we had a talk the other day about how much I dislike my job. Mark said that he really wishes I would look into teaching like I have wanted to do forever. I never really looked into this because I thought it meant me going back to school and getting my masters, which would have taken a lot of time and money. But on a whim I looked into it anyways and found out that I could go through an Alternative Certification Program since I have my bachelors. This program would allow me to get my certification by taking a test and a few classes and then 1 year of teaching would allow me to get the full certification.

The more I looked into this program the more I realized I couldn't study, take the classes, and the tests while working a full time job...all before the 2009-2010 school year (which starts sometime in Aug). So Mark and I sat down with our finances and decided that if I got a part time job with Lupe that I we could totally make this work.

So...yesterday I turned in my two weeks...I quit my job, my last day is June 19th. Then all of my time gets devoted to studying, testing and preparing for my future. I will first start by taking the 4-8 test which will allow me to teach math, English, science, and/or social studies in 4th through 8th grade. Then I will take the Special Education Early Childhood through 12th. Then I will take the Early Childhood through 4th. The first one will get my foot in a door, the second one will allow me to become more specialized and the third one will show that I'm really passionate about teaching.

I am nervous as can be. I've quit my job to devote all of my time to studying. I've got 2 months to prepare and test for everything so I can get in by the new school year. We are going to live on Marks pay, the little we have in savings and the small amount I will make part time working for Lupe. Plus, with the way the market is right now I've got tons of competition. The good news about that is that I just happen to know the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources for Frisco ISD. I dated her son my entire senior year of high school and my best friend has been dating him for the last 2 years.

Mark is being really super supportive about the whole thing and is going to push me really hard to make sure I do my best. We both agreed that the whole baby thing wasn't meant to be right now, if we were to have gotten pregnant then I wouldn't have ever had this opportunity again. So I guess everything works out for a reason. We will try again sometime soon, but definitely after I'm done with all this stuff and have landing myself my first teaching job.

So...wish me luck...I'll keep you informed as I know more.

Our Trip To Houston...

I don’t get much time to blog any more, but Aunt Martha brought to my attention that I'm slacking so here it is...

Our trip to Houston was fabulous! We dropped Jett off about 1pm Sunday afternoon and we headed straight for the highway (of course not before we stopped off at Arby’s for some much needed food). We drove the 4 hours it should have taken to get there and we got there just after 5. We had to valet park because there are few parking spaces in down town Houston. Mark checked us in as I relaxed on their lime green couch in the waiting area. We got to our upgraded suite on the 20th floor, it was beautiful!





The suite was gorgeous too. A big comfy bed, a small kitchen, a nice size bathroom…it was probably the fanciest hotel I’ve ever been in.






We got dressed and went to get a view from the roof top pool before we headed off to complementary drinks before heading off to dinner.







After soaking in the view we went downstairs and had 2 glasses of wine each and just spent some quality time together…



After pre dinner drinks we headed off to the restaurant that I had been dying to go to since I left Florida. Our hotel was a few steps away from the restaurant so we walked to it to catch our 7pm reservations. Now here’s the only bad part of the trip…the restaurant was closed. Mark was very upset, because we had reservations and everything. I tried to keep my cool but was quite disappointed myself. We walked back to the hotel where I had the receptionist make us reservations at another restaurant close by…one that we have in Dallas. We went there with heavy hearts but after we ate we were able to let go of the sadness and enjoy the rest of our evening.



We walked back to the hotel where Mark proceeded to run around like a mad man around the lobby because he had to pee so bad. He disappeared and then came back refreshed, so we headed up to our room. When we got up there I was surprised to find rose petals scattered on the floor and on the bed. Mark had set up a turndown service for us, and we were a little early to get back (hence the reason for the “gotta pee” stalling). It was so sweet and romantic.





Then we changed and went to have a little sample of the cookie buffet that the hotel offers…the cookies sucked but I think we caught the end of the buffet and all the good cookies were gone. After that we went back to put on our swimsuits and headed up to the rooftop hot tub for a little relaxing. We even took some night time pictures of our view.





Finally off to our room to enjoy a nice quiet rest in our room.

The next morning we woke up and ordered up our “complimentary breakfast in bed.” This was the first time I had ever had room services so it was very exciting. I had eggs and bacon and toast while mark had French toast. It was tasty…even though we didn’t each much of it cause we’re not big breakfast people. After breakfast we packed up our things, checked out and hopped in the car to drive another 45 minutes to Galveston.



In Galveston we hit up the beach…it was packed being Memorial Day, but Mark was just happy to be at the beach. After laying there for about an hour or so (Mark played in the water, but it was too cold for me), we drove around the island checking out cool spots we could take Jett when we come back down in August and also surveying the damage that was left from hurricane Ike last year. It was still quite a mess, but things are being built back up.




After the beach we got in the car to make our 5 hour drive back home. As we made our way back home we both began to notice we were much more burnt then we had originally expected…Mark more so than me because I had put on a bit of sun block. So we detoured when we got back to Dallas to stop by his moms house and pick up fresh aloe for his ever increasing painful sunburn.

We eventually made it home where we showered, covered Mark in aloe, and went to bed.

It was a fantastic weekend trip! The drive wasn’t too bad (says the girl who didn’t drive a bit). The hotel was beautiful, and although the restaurant was closed the food was good too. The beach was a welcome break and even though I couldn’t touch Mark for the next 3 days I think all in all the trip was wonderful!!!

I hope that we can do that again real soon.

Away...

Mark and I made the decision yesterday that we are going to get away. We aren't going far and we won't be gone for long, but it will be a welcome break! Tomorrow after we drop off Jett we are going to drive strait to Houston. We have reservations at a very nice hotel, we are going to have a beautiful dinner, and then Monday we are going to head to Galveston for some beach time. It's supposed to be a bit cloudy and maybe a tad rainy, but I don't care...this is going to be a great break and we are going to have a wonderful time!!! Updates and pictures to come.

Betty Crocker...

While we are trying to avoid things that are bad for us, sometimes there is no turning off our sweet cravings. The good thing is that we've found a way to get that sugar fix and then get rid of the rest. I will make a batch of cookies or brownies or cheesecake or bars we will eat the one or two that we crave, and then mark will take the remainder of them to work with him. All of his friends quite love when he brings treats into work, and I think mark likes it too because it looks like he has the best wife/girlfriend/partner ever.

Our Pet...

Yesterday we went to pick up our new family pet. This pet doesn't bark or meow. She doesn't have fur and you can't take her on walks. Best of all, Mark adores her and she doesn't bother Jett's allergies...I think she's pretty cute too. Meet our new pet...Lily the Hedgehog.


She's kinda temperamental right now, but we hope that will die down once she gets to know us a bit better. We also picked up a hedgehog for Jett to keep at his moms house...that will be Jett's pet. Jett named his hedgehog Darla. Darla is much more laid back than Lily, but isn't near as cute. Being an albino hedgehog she has creepy red eyes...I don't like her as much as I like Lily.

Thank goodness Mark understands that her eyes creep me out because I know he'd really rather have the laid back hedgehog, but he's going to work with Lily for me...and cause the laid back one should be with Jett anyways.

Freaking cool...again...

Freaking cool…again…

It wasn’t enough to meet George Bush once, today I got to meet him again. He stopped by the office today to say hi to everyone. He introduced himself and shook my hand. I said, we met on the elevator yesterday. He said, oh yes, did you get my note? I hadn’t gotten a note, and he gave the evil eye to one of his people to make sure I got the note.

We got to take pictures with him which was pretty sweet…


Me and George W. Bush

And before he left the floor one of his people brought me the note…it was in an envelope…that was in an even bigger first class envelope. The note says. “Thank you for your kind note. I will ride with you on the elevator any day.”


The big envelope that the little envelope with the letter came in.


The little envelope that the letter came in.


The letter.

Now how to figure out how to preserve all this stuff…it’s not every day you get to meet the ex-president, but for me it’s twice in one week ;-)

Freaking cool....

Today something amazing happened. I got to meet and ride in the elevator with ex-president George W. Bush. I had decided to come to work a little early this morning to get more work done, but because I was a bit early I decided to sit in my car and listen to the radio for a few minutes. When I had enough of that I went to take the elevator up to the building. When it reached me, there he was with 4 secret service men. (the strange thing to note her is that I was on the 3rd level of the parking garage, and he gets on at the first level…so why did he go down before he went up?) The secret service men told me I would have to take the next elevator, but Mr. Bush said it was ok for me to ride up with him. He asked me how I was doing, and I said I was wonderful, and he said that’s great and I said I was glad it was finally Friday. Then when we got to the building I was going to wait for the other elevator, but he let me ride up with him up to our suites. He asked where I worked and I told him Swearingen Realty Group and he asked how it was going and I said it was busy and he said really and I said yes, job security. Then we got to my floor (I’m on 7, he’s on 9) and I said have a good day as I walked off. He patted me on the back and said you too. HOW FREAKING AWESOME IS THAT!?!?!?

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After getting back to the office and relishing in the experience that just happened, I started to feel bad. I had thought about what I would say or ask him since he moved into the building, but nothing that I thought about came out. So I thought I would write him a letter:

Mr. Bush,

Thank you for letting me ride up in the elevator with you this morning, it was such a pleasure. I can honestly say that your presences not only made my day, but probably made my month, maybe even my year.

Since the day you moved into our building I've been thinking of what I would say or ask if I ever ran into you, but of course none of these things I thought about cam out this morning (I didn't think I would get so flustered in your presence.) However, the most important thing I wanted to say was thank you. Thank you for all that you have done and will do to make this country a wonderful place for me, my family, and everyone else to love.

Best wishes,
Ann M. Goldammer


I gave it to one of his goons to give to his “people.” Hopefully he will get it. Sometimes even the ex-president needs a thank you every now and again.
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Also note, I got here before the evil lady that keeps parking in my parking spot in the morning…so I got to park in my parking spot too…this has been a great start to what I hope to be an even better day.

10 Years...

It’s been 10 years since Mark took me to his senior prom. Can you believe it? What a ride it’s been from that wonderful night until now. There are some parts I would rather not have happened, but am also happy they did because it made us who we are today…together…in love…forever.

We've Moved...

Yes, can you believe it, after on 6 months in our first little apartment we’ve decided to move on to something bigger and better. Ok, actually we just moved across the street in the same complex to a 2 bedroom.

The move, like anything else in our lives was kinda stressful and impromptu. We just decided one day to look into it and by the end of the night we had decided to move, the next day we had pick out our new place and within 2 weeks we had moved into our new place. Of course, not without a hiccup or two along the way…the most major was the apartment not being ready on time. We were to begin moving in Good Friday, but for whatever reason nothing had been done in the apartment yet. However, the complex got it fixed quickly, they had new carpets, paint, flooring, and countertops all put in by Friday evening. Mark and dad even managed to get most of the big stuff moved in that night, since Mark had to work Saturday.

Dad and Mom came over Saturday morning and we finished moving everything in. Mom would pack stuff up, we would move stuff to the new place and I would unpack it all as they went to go get more stuff…I think this was mostly done cause we were working with only 6 boxes…but it worked for us and left very little for me to unpack once we were done moving everything.

Actually, other then having to hang pictures we are pretty much entirely moved in…fridge filled and all. Jett loves having his own room and likes his beach bathroom. We are enjoying not putting him to bed on the couch bed and of course having a bit more room to move around in. This was a great move for us…all of us.


The kitchen.


More of the kitchen...I swore I'd never be one of those people with tons of crap all over their fridge...now I am and I LOVE it!


The dining room.


The living room


Jett's bedroom...such a boys room.


The other half of Jett's bedroom.


Jett's beach bathroom.


The trashcan Mark and I made for Jett's bathroom.


Our bed/bedroom...the bed takes up the whole room, so it literally is a BEDroom.


The other half of our bedroom.


Our Bathroom