HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I'm a little early, but I'm going to a Lord of the Rings Marathon tomorrow so I probably won't be on the computer at all! And doesn't everyone say its good to be early?

My mom's in Georgia. She said John is walking. Sad that I'm missing it, but I'm sure she'll take lots of videos and share them with me!

Movie/TV pet peeves

I was watching an episode of Gilmore Girls tonight (if you don't watch it, don't tune this out, there is a non-Gilmore Girl section, I promise!). One of the things that Rory and Lorelai do a lot is drink coffee. But I don't believe that they ever had any liquid in their cups. I mean, how hard would it be to fill the cups with water so that it looks like they are actually carrying a cup with something in it. Much more convincing!

And another pet peeve...With all the advanced special effects and technology available in Hollywood, you would think that someone could create something that looks remarkably like a real baby. That way, when someone is holding a fake baby, you wouldn't be able to tell. I can usually pick out the fake baby because it is either unnaturally wrapped up in a huge blanket, whoever is holding it looks like they are holding air, or there is an obviously recorded cry in the background. I'm no expert, but it doesn't seem like it would take a rocket scientist to figure something out. And whoever creates it would make a lot of money! Wait a minute, maybe that's how I can make my millions! I'll get right on it!

Proactive I am not

I try to be proactive. Taking care of things before they break, fall apart, expire, etc, is always in my best interest. But I don't feel the need or the push or the pressure until it's too late to be proactive. Yesterday was just another example.

I got a flat tire in Joliet. That's 45 minutes from my mom's house and 2 hours from Peoria. I was coming home from mom's after spending Christmas with her. I have been talking for about 1 1/2 months about how I need new tires, or need to have them rotated, or need someone to look at them. Last week I had a serious, one-step-closer talk with my dad but both of us were too busy to go. My car was really not doing well in all the snow and ice the last couple of weeks. In all seriousness, it was on my agenda to get new tires this week or next week. Well, as usual, I waited to long. Thus the flat tire that forced me to go today to get 4 brand new tires. They are so pretty (okay, I don't really think tires can be pretty, but you get the idea) and new and black (I ran out of ways to describe them after pretty and new!)

Did I mention I had to sit on the side of the road for two hours waiting for roadside assistance. Yep, my dad could have made it from Peoria to change my flat with as long as it took the guy who was already in Joliet. I know, most of you are saying I should know how to fix a flat. But, let's face it, I'm a girl. I'm pretty sure if I HAD to do it, I could. But I had free roadside assistance. And what better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than on the side of the road. I passed the time by counting the number of cars that actually get over a lane when they see a car on the side of the road. I lost count after a while, but the number was surprisingly low. During a conversation with my mom she asked if there was anything she could do and I told her that she could have made me a boy so I could fix the tire by myself. I don't think she was amused. She was definitely in panic mode. In hind sight, I shouldn't have called her until after the flat was fixed and I was back on the road. Although she may have tried to call me before that happened because I was still on the side of the road when I should have been at home, and she normally calls when she knows I will be home to make sure I made it safely. I also jokingly called my brother to see if he knew any cops in Joliet who could come and help me. He didn't answer. Sheesh!

All in all it was an interesting experience. The first time I've gotten a flat while driving. Most of the time I find them in the morning before work or during work. I was surprised at how calm I was. I always assumed that in that circumstance I would be really freaked out and panicked. The only time I freaked out was when I had to get out of the car to unload all my Christmas presents from the truck so that when roadside assistance arrived they would be able to get to my spare. I didn't really want to announce to everyone driving by that there was a young single woman emptying lots of stuff out of her trunk. Because I admit, I would have gone into panic mode if anyone had stopped to help. I would automatically assume that it was someone who would hurt, not help, me.

Okay, I had no idea that I could ramble on this long about a flat tire. Sorry if I bored anyone. Really, I'm not because it was a fun story for me to tell!

Things Teresa has learned today:

1. There are many random stories/comments that are not appropriate for my blog considering my readership. Which is a bummer, because some of them are pretty funny. If you're curious, just call, you might be one of the lucky ones they are appropriate for!

2. God must not want me to meet my client-contact hours. I am currently lacking 24 client contact hours. I probably got around 5 more today. I'm working to see clients tomorrow and then am done for the month. It is supposed to pour more snow from that big beautiful sky tomorrow. Even if I get to see my scheduled clients, I would only get another 5 hours tomorrow. Yep, my math isn't quite working either.

3. I miss my roommate when she's not around and 10 minutes to throw-up 3 days worth of information/stories is NOT enough!

4. Apple cider is really good.

5. Avoiding paperwork is even better.

6. I finally figured out where babies come from. Just kidding! I already knew that!

Oy with the ICE already

I talked to my mom today and apparently my brother turned on the air conditioning in Georgia this week because it was 80 degrees in the house. Yeah, it made me want to throw up too. Maybe I don't like winter as much as I thought I did. Right now I'm thinking 30 degree weather is going to feel like bathing suit weather. I'm pretty sure it fell below 0 degrees today, definitely if you factor in the wind chill. But have no fear, I checked the hour by hour forecast for tomorrow and its going to get warmer! I'm pretty sure that it's supposed to go from -1 in the morning to 8 degrees by the evening! :) Eventually my parking lot won't be a sheet of ice, right?

"When life hands you a lemon, just have some more root beer!"

My productivity is dwindling/has dwindled. I ate lunch, but while I ate lunch, I watched the Veggie Tales movie, The Ballad of Little Joe (the title of the blog is part of a song in the movie, in case you were wondering). I've been wanting to watch it since I went and saw Joseph last week with a group of friends. I must say, I actually preferred the Veggie Tales version of one of my favorite Bible stories! Now I'm debating whether I should try to move my car again and maybe finish my Christmas shopping. But I'm still waiting to talk to my client, so I feel like I should stick close to home. Maybe watch another movie...

Here's what I have figured out thus far today. Ice on the roads=yucky! Ice on the trees=Pretty! Here are some pictures from my back door for your viewing pleasure.

And now an Ice Day

So, I was all set to go to work today. That is after the power returned at 7:00 and I had talked to at least 2 people who assured me the roads were fine. But my car didn't quite want to cooperate. I got it started and thawing, went out to scrape, gathered all my stuff, put the car in reverse, and went absolutely no where. Granted, I will admit, I didn't try very hard. But our parking spaces are on a slight decline from the parking lot, so without a push, I don't think I'm going anywhere. So, I turned my car off, gathered my stuff, and slipped and slid back to my apartment. Where I have been snugly kept all morning. I did get 3 hours of paperwork done and am hoping to do a telephone session with my scheduled clients this evening, otherwise I will just cancel them. My dad was going to come over to help but he is tied up at the school and I told him not to worry about it. There is nothing urgent enough at work to get done. So, anyone want to come watch a movie??

Speaking of movies, I made Emily watch (technically she volunteered) my favorite Christmas movie. It is a made for TV movie called "The Night They Saved Christmas". After much research last night, I discovered that it was made in 1984, although I also discovered that my recorded copy is from 1994. Emily said it was the BEST movie she had ever seen (not really, but she's not here to say I'm wrong!). A few years ago I made my friend Danell watch it and she declared it the WORST movie she had ever seen and was very sad that she would never be able to redeem the time she spent watching it! I guess when you don't watch 80s movies in the 80s they don't quite live up to your expectations!

Overly Cautious

So, most of you who know me know that I am overly cautious in a lot of areas, but especially when it comes to weather. Tonight I am kicking myself in the behind for the caution. The prediction of an ice storm today sent me into a continual 24 hour worry session. Do I go to Tremont from 3:30 until 6:00 or do I reschedule/cancel the appointment. Up until 3:00 today (when the sun was still basically shining), I wasn't sure what to do. I knew at that point that I could make it to Tremont, but would I make it home? Well, now it is 6:00, I would have been home or on my way home, and there is still NOTHING happening outside. Now, I have to work until 6 or 6:30 tomorrow night. And I have a Christmas party to go to at 6 or 6:30. So, it will be a slightly stressful evening, but at least I am home and safe. And I would have been patting myself on the back if the weather had turned bad at 5:00. It's all about perspective.

Self-Proclaimed Snow Day

Just so everyone knows, this could turn into an incredibly large post :).

First, the last two days of Secret Santa. Thursday I received another Dr. Pepper and a cute snowman sponge. Friday at our Christmas lunch at Alexander's Steak House, I learned that my old office mate, Julie, was my Secret Santa. Friday I received a gift card to Target.

Today I declared a self-proclaimed snow day. I got to work at 9:40 (after a dentist appointment). I had a message from my 11:45 client that he was not at school because he was home sick. When it started snowing at 10:00, I called my afternoon client in Washburn to tell the grandma I would not be coming out. So, since I did not have any clients I decided it was silly to stay at work while the roads got bad. So, I got home at 11:30. It was a blessing though because I was extremely productive! I did a load of laundry, then washed my sheets. I cleaned my bathroom and dusted my bedroom. I finished a book. I took out the trash. I made my bed, put my clothes away. I did an hour of paperwork (so really I worked until 12:30!). Then I got unproductive and have been working on this blog for over an hour!

Here are a couple pictures of our Christmas tree.
If it looks like the tree is leaning it is just a figment of your imagination! Promise!

Here's a picture from today with the snow in the background. And all the presents under the tree. Emily was laughing at me because I had so much fun organizing them. This is the first time in probably 6 or 7 years that I have had my own tree (well, really my mom's tree, but let's not get so picky). When I was living at home it was always my job to arrange the presents under the tree. I guess I have been able to do that at Dad's house too, but the first time at my own place!

Another tradition my mom started when I was in middle school was that she bought my brother and I an ornament a year so that when we grew up and got our own place, we could have ornaments to hang on the tree. This is the first year I have been in my own place to hang them, so I was VERY VERY excited. Here is a sampling of some of my ornaments and some miscellaneous other ornaments I've collected over the years:

1994 ornament. I think this was the first year mom did ornaments. The reason I say "think" is because when I was getting my ornaments from mom earlier this year we found one that was broken. It was either my first or second ornament, but I think it was the second.

1996. My brother got a similar one that looked like a snowman.

1997. I love this one because it's pretty unique.

1998. I received a similar one in 1999. They were made by a local artist in our hometown in Georgia and mom thought they were really cool. The other one says "The greatest gift ever given was given on a tree."

2002. This is one of several "inside out" ornaments that I received over the years. I found these at a craft store in my college town one year and bought the first one for my mom. The ornaments are actually painted from the inside! After that, we loved them so much that we bought/received them for several years.

This one is either from 2004 or 2005. I didn't want to pull boxes out to figure it out :). I actually received two ornaments this year in the same series. The other one is a bear dressed like an angel blowing a trumpet.

2006. This year mom went "whimsical."

2007.

2007.

2007. These three are last year's ornament. I'm guessing mom couldn't decide which one she liked best, so she bought all three! But I really like them, so I didn't complain!

Here is miscellaneous ornament #1. My friend Danell actually painted this for me in 2003. You can't tell from the picture, but on the other side of the ornament is a bunch of trees, so if you're looking at the snowman it looks like he is built by a forest. Very cool. She's way more artistic than me!

One of the years that I lived in Texas I did Texas themed presents for everyone, but then I wanted some of my own, so I bought two ornaments, this cowboy cactus and.... (in the background you can also see the duck that I bought from Tanner's last year when my friend Lisa was here.)

Sheriff Santa! I love that his legs are dangling cacti!

So, now you know about half of the ornaments that are hanging on my tree. I realized that this season is so hectic that only Emily and I are actually going to see the apartment decorated, so I wanted to be able to share my decorations with everyone!

Secret Santa

We are doing Secret Santa this week at work. It is always fun. We give a gift a day for a week and then Secret Santas are revealed at the work Christmas lunch on Friday. Here is what I've gotten so far:

Monday--a package of gel pens (the exact ones we used to be able to order that I used to write my notes with that we can't order anymore and I miss so much!)
Tuesday--a can of Dr. Pepper and a box of Reese's Pieces
Wednesday--a snowman mug with hot chocolate inside

I have had so much fun this year. Last year my office mates and I told each other who we had, but it has been fun this year because we keep saying things like, "when I give my person a gift..." and we give each other looks like if you share with me who you have then I'll share with you who I have, but neither is willing to be the first to tell! It's great fun. The most stressful part for me is at lunch we have to try to guess who had our names. I don't know why this is stressful to me, but it is! I am normally way off on who it is, but I try not to figure it out throughout the week because then it's no fun! I'll let you know what I get the last two days.

Highlights of my Day

*I heard on the radio on the way to work that our governor was in federal custody. Now, I don't like to rejoice in other's suffering, but since a few months ago he was almost the cause of me losing my job and he was the cause of many of my friends losing their jobs, I did have a fleeting joyous thought. But then I found out why he was in federal custody and I think I laughed outright. Seriously, trying to sell the senate seat? I just don't get it.

*I had a really good session with one of my more difficult clients. I am trying not to get overly optimistic, but I think he might be ready to turn a corner in therapy, meaning he might actually be willing to participate in therapy. A few weeks ago I couldn't even ask him the question "what did you have for dinner last night?" without him getting defensive and saying "why do you want to know!" Today I actually got a whole story including feeling words about a particularly hard thing that happened!!! God is good! Thank you care group for praying for this client!

*I braved the weather and survived! I had to travel to Washburn and back in sleet and then snow in order to take a client home. Ironically, the only time I slid was turning into my apartment complex!

*I am without milk for tomorrow. Those of you who know me well know that I drink a glass of chocolate milk a day. But, after braving the weather to Washburn and back, I decided I should not test the weather anymore in order to go to Walmart for milk.

*I watched/got sucked into The Biggest Loser tonight. I will definitely be watching the finale next week, darn it! This is why I don't watch reality shows, they are too addictive! But now I want to know who will win...Heba, Michelle, Ed, or Vicky. I just don't know! And who did America vote to stay in the final three? Ed or Heba.

A gift from my sis-in-law

I got this from my sister-in-law on my last day in Georgia. She was so excited to give it to me that she didn't want to wait until Christmas.
Yes, it's a tube of chapstick! Here is my regular Blistex as a reference as to its size. The top even looks like the top of a can of Dr. Pepper. And it's Dr. Pepper flavored : )! It was a great gift!

Hands and Feet

Of course, I wouldn't be Teresa if I didn't take several hand and feet pictures. So, here are the random pictures of John.
He decided he didn't want to play peek-a-boo, he wanted to try to grab the camera. But I also love this picture because you can see his two top teeth!

Insert foot in mouth. Yummy!

If the dog was in the way, John just stepped on her. She didn't seem to mind! : )

All mittened up for a walk around the neighborhood. John wasn't quite sure what to do with mittens. His hands kind of stayed stiffly in the air like this for the whole walk!

Baby Activities

John is SO close to walking! We did lots of "practice" between two people. John was so cute, half the time his head would lead and he would fall into the waiting person's arms. But every once in a while he would get his balance just right and take one or two steps on his own. But he was also all ready to go the next time, practically turning himself in your arms if you didn't get him turned around fast enough! And isn't he SO cute in his overalls?! I know I mentioned it in the last post, but I can't say enough about the overalls!
Grandma helping John up.Getting turned around to walk to Daddy.

Pausing for a photo op!

Almost to Daddy's arms. Giggling all the way!

Made it! And still giggling! He is SO excited to learn how to walk!

Guck!

It's the new universal phrase. In John's vocabulary it could mean "dog", "cat", "goat", "pig", "sock", or "balloon". We always knew what he was talking about because he would be looking at or pointing to whatever he was saying. Sometimes he would surprise us and say a few words very clear, but for the most part everything is "Guck."

Picture Post of Toddler John

This post could also be titled "my trip in reverse." I always forget that Blogger posts pictures in a backward order and it takes too much work to think backwards to begin with, so it is what it is!
John loves to fingerpaint! The hand prints on his face are actually the result of my brother putting John's hands on his face, but John did manage to get quite a bit of paint on himself by the end of the experience. I love how he sticks his tongue out to paint!

Ann drops the paint on the paper and John gets to spread it however he wants to!

John and ZuZu were playing tug of war. I was bummed that I didn't video tape it because John was laughing hysterically during the whole thing. ZuZu is really good with John and let him have the rope several times. She was not pulling with all her strength either.

When I would play tug of war with her she was often stronger than me. It was quite the workout to hang on to the rope!

Chris got a pair of handcuffs for his birthday and John had fun playing with them.

Peek-a-boo was a favorite game.

This is where John goes when he has done something wrong! : )

Just kidding. ZuZu is wondering why John is in her bed.

Here is ZuZu. Isn't she so cute!!!

Toes taste yummy!

I don't know what he was doing here, but isn't he cute : )

Happy Birthday to John! He wasn't quite sure about the cake and actually never ate any. He was even less sure about the hat. It stayed on long enough to take this picture.

Hello?!

Practicing walking. And smiling for the camera. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it. Oh, and aren't the overalls adorable!

27 pounds

We are all thankful today that no one was too sick to enjoy Thanksgiving!

My brother, who apparently loves turkey leftovers, requested two turkeys this year. Ann accommodated that by buying the biggest turkey she could find--a 27 pounder. No, that was not a typo. 27 pounds of turkey. Mom says probably 6 pounds of mashed potatoes. A double helping of green bean casserole. Carrot souffle. Stuffing. And for dessert... pumpkin pie, apple caramel cake, carrot cake (which is actually Chris' birthday cake), pumpkin bread, and kolachis (a cookie that we make most every holiday).

Did I mention that there were only five of us eating. Three of whom were recovering from the flu. After the end of the meal, most of the dishes barely looked touched! Have I also mentioned that I don't really like Thanksgiving leftovers. Did I mention that we found out the neighbors were having 20 people over for Thanksgiving and only had a 13 pound turkey.

27 pounds, I am not joking.

Flu Bug Strikes Household

Well, half of the household has been down with the flu. Luckily, I think it's only a 24 hour thing, although mine is creeping along to the 48 hour mark. I woke up feeling a lot better, but as the day goes on, I get worse and worse. Luckily, no more gross bodily functions are happening (I'll spare you the details and let you fill in the blanks!). So, I've had to postpone Chick-fil-a for two days now. I don't want to eat it until I can fully enjoy it! John went to the doctor yesterday and seems to be doing better also. Just poor little me holding out!

Persistence Pays Off

Thanks to several friends who informed me that Dr. Pepper was giving away a free Dr. Pepper, I was able to finally get on the website and sign up for my free coupon! It wasn't easy! But after much trying, I am now anxiously awaiting a coupon in the mail in 4-6 weeks! : ) I almost gave up because I decided one free Dr. Pepper wasn't worth that much work. But, my persistence paid off.

I am at my brother's house surrounded by family. We had John's birthday party yesterday followed by poker night once he went to bed (an odd combination, I thought, but that apparently was the plan all along!). I did not participate in the poker game. I'm not quite confident enough in my ability to tell what beats what!

My mom and I arrived on Friday to warmer weather than Illinois, but unseasonably cool weather for Georgia. We must have brought some of the cold with us! We pulled into the driveway and my brother announced he had to go in the house for a second and to stay outside. I turned to my mom and said, "Did they get a dog?" to which my mom thought I was crazy. But sure enough, my brother comes out with a 7 month old shepherd mix on a leash. She is adorable. Her name is Zuzu. She and John get along great. He can even almost say "dog". However, the cats, Tabitha and Bucky, are not so excited to have a dog in the house. They will all adjust, Zuzu has only been in the house for a little over a week.

Pictures of the whole kit and caboodle will come either when I get home or if I download pictures to Chris and Ann's computer.

Happy Birthday John

It's hard to believe that it has been a year, but it has! One year ago, my nephew was born. Here are some picture highlights. I get to see John in two days, so that means I'll post lots of one year birthday pictures!

You might need a PhD...

Or a brain, or at least a Master's degree. Both of which I have, by the way (just not the PhD). What might you need all of these things to accomplish, you might ask. Laundry. I just went to get clothes from the dryer and switch clothes from the washing machine to the dryer. Not a hard task, I understand. But apparently the simple task that I have completed successfully a million times (well, except for the rare occasion I realize I forgot to put soap in the washing machine) I could not accomplish tonight. This time I forgot to even start the washing machine. The sad thing is, I grabbed a few things to throw them into the dryer before I realized that none of them were wet! I need a nap which calculates to I need to go to bed at a decent time tonight! Except now I'm behind on doing laundry, so I'll be up until at least 10! I'm just glad I have a sense of humor and can laugh at myself!

Superb Saturday

Yesterday, I again was able to take the day off of work. I slept in and did some reading in the morning. Then I met Jill, my discipleship leader, for lunch. We just started reading a new book, The Discipline of Grace, by Jerry Bridges. A very interesting first chapter. It talked about the good-day/bad-day mentality of Christians. On our good days, we believe we have done enough to merit God's favor on our lives. But on our bad days, we do not feel worthy to approach Him. Bridges says that even on our best days, we should not feel worthy to approach Him, but through God's grace, given to us when we become believers, He has allowed us the privelege to approach Him through Jesus, not through anything we have done.

Then I did some Christmas shopping and went to get a haircut. Then I hung out with Kari at her new house for about an hour. Then I got to go babysit Tyler! We had a lot of fun. I had forgotten how much I enjoy babysitting until I have been able to do it twice in the last month.

Today was another fairly lazy day. I slept in, read in bed for awhile, spent some time with the Lord, cleaned my bathroom (which even included mopping the floor!), mopped the kitchen floor, and vacuumed my room and the living room. Then I finished a puzzle I had started last night. Now I am laying on the couch, snuggled under a blanket, and as soon as I finish this, I will continue to read a book that I've been reading all week. I'm also contemplating what I want to wear ice skating tonight. It's always a dilemma because I'm always warm once I start skating, but cold if I'm not moving. What to do, what to do...

Stolen Baby Pictures

I don't know why the first two pictures are so small. I guess that's what I get for stealing them off of Facebook! But they are of Danell and Ken, the very proud parents of Clare and Lucy!

I'm at least 98% sure that Clare is on the left and Lucy is on the right. Clare was about 1 1/2 pounds bigger than Lucy. Mom and babies are doing well. Danell either got to come home today or she will be home tomorrow. I got a text message from her at 4am yesterday, so I'm pretty sure she's not getting much sleep : ). I wish I could be there to snuggle with them!!!