Merry Christmas from Gatlinburg

Merry Christmas y'all! Gatlinburg is awesome this time of year. Tuesday we spent at Dollywood. It was freezing all day and so we spent most of the day indoors at the holiday shows. We saw Babes in Toyland, Twas the Night Before Christmas, and we stood in line two hours to see the 4D version of Polar Express. In between shows, we rode the train, watched the Carol of the trees which is when the lights on the trees are choreographed to match the music, and of course, drank lots of hot chocolate. Yesterday we went out shopping at the Tanger Outlets and Pottery Barn. We went to 7:00 mass last night and then headed off to the greatest Rib place in America (it was one of the few restaurants that were open). The food was surprisingly good! Then of course, last night we came back to the condo and opened presents with mom and dad. They got Scott John Deere floor mats for his semi and gloves for hauling. I got a new clock for the living room and some shampoo (something I asked for:) Today we slept in late and have been cooking a big breakfast all morning. In between shots we've also been getting food ready for this evening. We're having a different kind of Christmas dinner this year....tortellini soup, cheddar cheese ball, and sausage wontons. Can't wait. Pictures of our trip to follow soon. For now...Merry Christmas from the Schoettmers!

And so it Begins...

Today is day one of the official holiday season at the Schoettmer household. I guess technically last night we opened our first presents with our friends Paula and Jeff. We met up at the Park Restaurant in Rushville and ate some pan fried chicken and of course enjoyed a few slices of homemade pie. Paula got me "Sex in the City" the movie on DVD and a cute little snowman figurine that lights up by a tealight candle on top. So cute. This afternoon I'm heading to the nursing home to celebrate Christmas with my Grandma Martin. All of my mom's brothers and sisters will be there. Usually a band comes and plays Christmas carols. And, of course, we eat yummy desserts. After the nursing home visit, I'm off to church to celebrate the fourth Sunday of Advent. Then we are heading to Indianapolis to visit with my friend Krista to exchange presents. We are meeting up at the Mongolian Grill which is where Scott took me for my birthday. It's a little stir fry place where you create a dish of meats and veggies and sauce and then take it up to the big round grill to have it cooked in front of you. It's very cool! I can't wait to see Krista. We have a hard time getting together throughout the year and so Christmas is always very special for us. Luckily, we actually get to see each other before the holidays this year instead of after :)

Happy Birthday to....

ME, of course! What a birthday. When I awoke this morning, this is what I saw outside...

It's very rainy and dreary today. Oh well, I guess not all birthdays are shiny and bright. We had some snow over the weekend and lots of slick black ice. So, I guess it could be worse ;)

Here are some pics of what I've gotten so far. I mostly celebrated over the weekend since my birthday fell on a Tuesday this year. Mom and dad came over on Friday night for round steak with tomato gravy and mashed potatoes (my favorite). They brought with them these awesome gifts and the ice cream cake you see up top.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 1 & 2 (my favorite movies to date)

An awesome new laundry basket which you can tell I'm already using.

And they got me a fantastic new slow cooker recipe book that I just realized I didn't take a picture of. So, you'll just have to imagine what it's like ;)

Then on Saturday night we hung out with my friend Paula and her fiance Jeff. They are leaving for PA next weekend and won't be able to attend my birthday bash that will be happening at the new casino in Fairland on the 13th. A few weeks ago we went and saw "Twilight." I never in a million years would have imagined that I would like anything that has to do with vampires, but I must admit it was one of the best movies I've seen. We liked it so much that we vowed to read all of the stories that follow it. So, she got me started with the 2nd book "New Moon." I read 200 pages yesterday. It's a.m.a.z.i.n.g. So much so that I can't wait to read the rest of them. We text back and forth to see how far each other is in the book. It's so much fun! She also got me this wonderfully smelling wood wick burning oil. I love their candles and she thought it would be neat to get me something that was similar to them, but different. It is so great. It smells up the whole house like carmel.

December already??

Can you believe we are just days away from 2009? I can't believe how fast the time has gone. I as working on some things this morning when I realized it's already December 5. Last night was our monthly "Girls Night Out" event. We got together at my friend Deb's house and had dirty santa exchange. It's not as dirty as it sounds :) We each brought an ornament and took turns opening them. If you wanted to steal someone's ornament you could and then you got to draw another one. This went on and on until we got to the last ornament. Whoever took that one had to keep it. It was really fun. Afterwards we played musical catch phrase. I'd never played before but man oh man....the group I was with made it so histerical. I've never laughed so hard in my life. We also all pitched in and brought food for our mexican fiesta. It was really good as well. There was also a big announcement to be made. One of the girls who is normally there couldn't make it. We found out later that she was at a Dr's appointment to hear her baby's heartbeat for the first time. Exciting times! Congratulations Lisa!! I know this is what you've been waiting for for a long time.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

Top 5 Things I am Thankful For:
1) Scott, of course! He's the love of my life and such an amazing husband. I couldn't ask for more.
2) Great Friends. I can never have enough.
3) Two businesses that keep us on our toes.
4) Clothes, food, the obvious.
5) Faith in God. Without him, nothing is possible.

Waiting

I get so tired of waiting around. I have an appointment at 5:15 at the hair place. Anytime I have an appointment for anything, I find myself waiting around trying to find things to do to pass the time away. I've been hanging out at the office for the past two hours. I'm out of work to do and so I thought I'd read through blogs, surf the net, etc. Now I feel like I've waisted a whole lot of time doing nothing. All for what....waiting on an appointment to get here so I can go.

Boring Day

Wednesdays are always a little slow because there isn't much going on in Scott's business that I really need to tend to. It seems like I always find myself at home doing laundry, catching up on bills, and straightening out inventory for my business. Today, it's freezing cold outside so of course, I didn't want to get out of bed. Now since I'm already behind schedule, I really don't want to do anything. I especially don't want to go outside to run errands. I have no ambition whatsoever to even open the door to face the cold. It's getting more and more depressing. Besides the cold it gets darker much earlier now, too. By 5:30 it seems like midnight. It seems like the evenings last forever. When will it be spring again?

They're finally here....THE CMA'S

The Country Music Awards are a big deal in the Mary Kay world. It's a night we look forward to all year long. Ever since last year Mary Kay has been the proud sponsor of the CMA's. This year we'll be airing six commercials along with a few other tags. Make sure you tune in and look for the new advertisements. They're supposed to be super awesome!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is my all-time favorite holiday (yes, even over Christmas). I guess it's because you can choose to be somebody or somthing that you couldn't (or wouldn't) normally be. Most of the time I dress up and go out to the nursing home to spend the evening with my mom and grandma. My second and third cousins will come trick-or-treating there. However, most of them are getting older and so there isn't as much trick-or-treating going on anymore. So, this year Scott and I are going to our friend's house to hang out for the evening. They have a seven month old and have opted to not take him out quite yet, but they are dressing him up to greet those who come there. We are making all kinds of yummy food to munch on and are turning on the Halloween marathon to watch. I can't wait! I think it's going to be a....scream :)

A funeral for two? (not for the queasy)

Yesterday Scott's dad had a little accident while out farming. Yes, it is known to happen quite often around our house. He was trying to fix a belt on the corn auger and lost control before realizing what he had done. Scott was there thank goodness and noticed his dad hold up his right hand over top of his left and Scott knew right away what had happened. So, he rushed him to the emergency room. Luckily, he only cut off the first and middle fingers on his right hand starting from the fingertip to the bottom of his fingernails. He has to go tomorrow to the orthopedic surgeon to see what they are going to do from here. Hopefully all goes well and he won't be in too much pain when the Dr. starts poking around on him. The good news is he's been through this all before when he was about twenty years younger and cut off his ring finger on his right hand (coincidence? maybe) on a fan blade in the hog house. So, good thing that finger was already gone, otherwise he would have clipped that one too :)

Friday Night

I love Friday nights! Pizza King, Madea's Family Reunion, and a glass of strawberry wine. Isn't life grand??

Have a good weekend everybody!

So....

Sorry for the long delay. Not much going on here. I realized the other day that I've been leading a pretty dull life lately. I get up, eat breakfast, take Chase (my half german shepherd, half australian shepherd) for a walk through the now harvested fields. I come back do some yoga, straighten up the house and take a shower. I go to the farm and work on paper work for about four to five hours. I run errands in town. I come home and make supper. I work on Mary Kay for the rest of the evening. I go to bed. I get up and do it again. Woooo....aren't you glad you read that? Sorry about shaving those few minutes from your life that you'll never get back.

I guess I do have some interesting news...a few weeks ago my purse was stolen out of our pickup straight from the driveway. Nothing major was in there except for my credit cards, checkbook, a cosmetic bag that had three dollars in the front pocket, a cell phone charger, a pair of sunglasses and a set of my car keys with my house key on it. So, we jumped through all the major hoops to get all the accounts shut down, replaced all the items, and opened up a new checking account. We also redid all of the locks. Fast forward to yesterday. I came home from town and there were two messages on the answering machine. One being the sherriffs department and one being a farmer who lives down the road from us. Apparently, the robbers didn't think there was too much that was interesting in there either because they took the sunglasses, charger, and the cosmetic bag and threw all the rest of it into the corn field. Very interesting. I guess I wasn't wealthy enough for their taste. That's what happens when you don't carry cash :) I was never so happy to see my purse (just for closure purposes). However, when I got it home it was full of mud, stuffing from where animals have chewed it up, and of course mama mouse and her brand new bundles of joy. An entire nest. Yuck! Needless to say the entire purse with all it's contents (except for my car keys) went into the firepit. Case closed!

Tree City Truck Show

This is an advertisement for the TREE CITY TRUCK SHOW!! If you are in or around Greensburg, you should stop in and see me (or at least Scott) in our brand new Peterbilt. We spent all day yesterday cleaning and polishing. It starts at 8:00 am today followed by a light show at 5:00 pm. Then it goes on through tomorrow starting at 9:00 am and ends at 5:00 pm. See ya there!!

On the Road Again

We are heading back home from New Jersey. It's been a crazy whirlwind over the past few days. We arrived on Friday and got checked into our room before heading off to Scott's Aunt and Uncle's house to hang out for the evening. We got the grand tour of their house and played around in the basement on the pinball machine while waiting on Mary to get ready. We then headed off to Atlantic City to see the lights and do a little gambling. There is this awesome buffet that we ate at too which had everything you could imagine. They say Atlantic City is the next best thing to Las Vegas...if this is true, then I can't wait to visit Vegas. It was so awesome!! There is a lot of shopping villas and eaterys and bands and of course lots and lots of casinos, even Trump Tower. Very exciting!

Saturday morning we woke up early and met Pat and Mary again and headed over, by train, to the U.S.S Battleship. It was the main battleship used in all the wars. We also met up with Mary's son Dennis and his new wife Jenn. It was fun getting to hang out with people our own age again. We took the grand tour of the ship (headsets and all) and then finished off by hanging out in the gift shop while Scott, his dad, and Pat all took a ride in the simulator. After boarding the train again (while listening to Brad Paisley since he was in concert there) we headed back to Dennis and Jen's new house. They just got finished totally restoring it. It is way awesome. It's so much fun to see what other people have done to remodel their home. They live just a few miles from Base so we got to check into the base and drive through it. That was an experience in itself. Later, the boys all went back to the base and got to see where Dennis works on planes each day. I stayed back with Jen to make dessert for supper. We then headed back to Pat and Mary's for a delicious supper and a "friendly" round of boardgames. Around 1:00 am we decided it was probably time to head back to the hotel to get some sleep before heading back to the big IN.

This morning we woke up, packed, and headed off to a small diner off the edge of New Egypt (where we stayed) to meet up with the family one last time. It was good getting to spend a few more hours with them. Did I mention we stopped off at a bird farm first to see where people go to hunt for game? It's owned by Mary's other son, Gary. So, now we're buckled in and heading back down the highway west back home. It's about a twelve hour trip, so I've got lots of spare time on my hands.

New York: Day Four

Today was a good day. We left early to get over to the city so that we could take a tour of the Empire State Building. It was awesome! I got some really great pictures that I can't wait to upload. That seemed to take forever. We had to wait in line...hurry to the next stop (scanning our stuff, etc...it reminded me of the airport) and then hurry up and wait some more. In total going both directions we stood in line about two hours total. Which according to one of the guides this was a good day. He said most of the time people stand in line 2-3 hours each way. Afterwards we met up with our landlord, Norris, so that he could take us on a tour of all the "non-tourist" attractions. It was a really good time. We started at this old restored mansion that now serves as his private art club. It was beautiful. We then headed across the street to their private park. You literally have to have a key to get in and get out. Mostly there were a lot of nannies their with their children. It's not a park like you think. There isn't any equipment or anything, just gardens and park benches. Very nice, and surprisingly, quiet. We talked awhile and then headed a few blocks over to a newly restored hotel. It was modern and very, very ritsy. We sat and drank tea and then took a tour of the lobby (there were people playing billiards). It was insane. The bartender was irish. He was neat to listen to. Norris told us that it probably costs around $600 or more per night to stay there. Maybe someday when I'm rich...ha! After that we headed on what I like to call our parade of restaurants. :) He said the only way to eat in NY is to have a course at different stops. We had "appetizers" at a chinese dumpling joint. The food was amazing. Norris taught us to eat with chopsticks. We then proceeded to East village and stopped at a few shops along the way. There was a place called sock man where they only sell socks (of EVERY kind might I add). Next stop, Gourmet hotdogs. They had every kind of hotdog topping you could imagine. I ate a hotdog wrapped in bacon folded in between cheese and an overeasy egg. There was an underground bar that you could go to if your name was on a list and you entered through a phonebooth. Too bad our name wasn't on the list so we didn't get to check that out :( We walked a few more blocks to our final course...dessert! It was an upscale place called "Chickalicious." I must admit I felt a little out of place...but it was so worth it. We ate a three course dessert that was even served with wine that matched the type of dessert you chose. We all started with a strawberry gilatto topped with a frozen cream. Then I got an almond dessert of some sort that was drizzled with peach sorbet. Finally, a tray full of sampler chocolates, marshmellows, and cookies. Woah! We bid Norris farewell (he had a plane to catch) and headed to the subway. We finished our night off on Broadway at the CBS store which turned out to be closed. So we did some touristy shopping to purchase some New York memorabilia shirts. Finally, we headed back to the subway and took our final ride just before catching our last cab in the big apple! What an adventure it has been :0 I must say I'd love to come back again...maybe for a weekend to catch a show. But, you definately need a guide, it makes things so much easier! Next stop...New Jersey.

New York: Day Three

Woah! What a crazy day. We started out around noon to head out on our tour that we booked last night. We headed uptown through all of the parts of the city. We saw everything from China Town, to Little Italy, to all of Broadway and so on. It was pretty cool. We took a bus that was open on the top...the seating was on the top. We had a tour guide that told us all about the main attractions. We learned where Kennedy stayed. Where Marilyn Monroe was for most of her career. Where George Washington gave his famous speech and ate dinner before heading off to war. We saw ground Zero and we saw that buildings that remain around. There were several monuments and cemetaries of fallen soldiers. We got to see the morgue where all 2,000 plus people were taken from the twin towers collapsing. We saw all the main government buildings. We even saw Trump Towers and all the ground he's trying to overtake. Of course, we saw the empire state building, we'll be taking a tour of that tomorrow. And don't forget all the shopping places in between (target, toys r us, gap, old navy, tommy hilfiger, victoria's secret, and even K-mart). It's crazy!! We finally arrived at our yacht that we took around the harbor on a mini cruise to see the statue of liberty. She was breath taking. I believe that was my favorite part of the day. My favorite part of the evening, however, was of course seeing the broadway show, Legally Blonde. It was amazing! Everything I've ever dreamed of, and more. We found this awesome half price joint that sold us our tickets for cheap (compared to regular priced tickets ;) and it was worth every penny. Things were all hunky dorey of course until we got to the subway. Why is it when you're waiting at midnight for the train it gets scarier and scarier. I've decided I hate the subway. It's confusing, it's scary, and it's awkward. It took forever to get to our street. Then of course we had to taxi again to our hotel. We had a crazy cab driver that kept telling us about how much he hates O'Bama and how even if he wins he's going to be assasinated. How all the democrat speeces were lies and how he thinks McCain's got it in the bag so why is everyone even wasting their breath? I couldn't believe it. I'm not stating whether I'm democrat or republican....I'm just saying it's nutso to bring up three things in a situation where you aren't familiar with people. If you want to turn people off immediately, here's how.....just mention politics, money, or religion. Take your pick :)

Day Two: New York

Today we arrived at our hotel. It was about a six hour trip from where we stayed last night. It's definately a culture shock here. We had to bus into the city (over the bridge) and then take a subway to get the rest of the way in. When we got onto the subway we got into some trouble with one of the african american passengers. He wasn't too happy that my father in-law looked at him. He started cussing him out and telling him that he was just like all the other rich white people and not to mention "spicks." I was shocked. Of course my father in-law didn't say anything back. When we got off the subway we talked about how he should make sure not to look at anyone but us. It was quite the experience. Then we proceeded to walk down broadway street and begin some site-seeing. There were tons of people EVERYWHERE!! Scott didn't enjoy it so much because he doesn't like crowded areas. We did make it around to the cheap tickets booth eventually and looked up some shows that we would potentially like to see tomorrow. There are lots of great ones playing right now that I'm dying to see, however, it only looks like we are going to have time to see one. I'm so excited. It's what I've been dreaming about since I was little. I can't believe it's finally going to come true! After walking around for a few hours we stopped at the Hard Rock Cafe to eat. It was really cool. Three levels worth of rock and roll hall of fame. They took our picture in front of some guitar pieces and of course wanted us to spend 14.00 to purchase one. We didn't. The food was good and surpisingly so was our waitress :) There was some awesome memorabilia surrounding us. The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, and Elton John to name a few. There outfits were so cool...and small ;0 I think the thing I was surprised by the most was that everyone fits in here. It doens't matter what you're wearing. EVERYONE has their own sense of style. I thought for sure we'd really stick out. But, the New York fashion kind of blends in with the overwhelming tourist population. Looking forward to seeing what tomorrow brings. It should be interesting.

Day One: New York Trip

On our way to New York. Stopping in New Stanton, PA for the night. Not much exciting happening here yet.....more to come

Start Spreadin the News...

I'm not leaving today. However, we are at one week and counting for departure for New York!! I'm so excited. We are going out for three days to visit the city and visit our landlord. We're planning to see a Broadway show. Any suggestions? We have put in for Wicked, but are waiting to hear back as to whether or not we can get them. Also, we'll be taking a harbor cruise and eating some great New York food!

Happy 1st Birthday JAKE!!

Technically my cousin Jake's first birthday was yesterday, but we celebrated today. It was a funfilled day full of presents (he didn't get the concept as most one year olds don't) cake eating, and, best of all, hanging with friends and family. Immdiately following the party we had a little cookout (corn on the cob included) and, of course, cornhole. It was a great time had by all.

Not a lot going on

Not a lot going on here lately. Sometimes I think it's best that way. After I got back from Dallas last week I've had big goals I've been trying to accomplish. Not only that, but Scott has decided to give me more tasks to do at his office. So, I've been juggling Schoettmer Transport and Mary Kay. School is getting ready to start in about a two weeks, so all of my teacher friends will be heading back to school. After that, I think I'll have more time to manage everything. But for now, I'm fitting them in between jobs :) I'm still not regretting my decision to resign this year. I definately think it's been for the best. There are so many opportunities that lie ahead for our family. I can't wait to see how everything will unfold.

Dallas Here I Come!!

Tomorrow morning I leave for Dallas. I'm heading down there to take part in the annual Mary Kay seminar. It is so much fun! I can't wait to see the new cars that are in the convention center, watch the "broadway productions" that the Mary Kay dance crew puts on, and of course join in on the meetings that teach us all the information a business owner could ask for. I can't wait!! So excited!! Don't know how I'm going to sleep tonight. I'll be sure and post pics when I return Saturday. Chow for now....

furniture store?? yeah right!!

Is it so much to ask for a black dining room set that has at least six chairs and some kind of cushioning on the seat?? We currently redid our dining room (pics to follow) and I've redone everything in blacks and reds. Now, we are trying to find a dining set to compliment the walls. I can't believe how difficult it is to find a specific type of furniture that you have in mind. I can see it...I just can't find it. So frustrating!

A day in the life of a trucker (2)

On the road again....today I'm traveling with Scott to Wisconsin to deliver a load of insulated walls. We get to go through Chicago and I'm so excited. I've never even gotten to be in the vacinity of Chicago. We'll be traveling through the city at night. Scott said it's pretty neat to see the lights at night. He's taking me over the skyway (road above the city) to see everything! Oh the life of a trucker....always an adventure. Too bad I forgot my camera :)

A day in the life of a trucker

I am currently on the road again in the "bigrig" on the way to Georgia. This was a last minute emergency decision. Scott got a phone call around 3:00 from his panicked dad. "Um, is there anyway you can come get me? I'm in Georgia." Scott, of course, immediately went into question mode. Why? Are you hurt? What's wrong? What's going on? Then the news...."I wrecked the truck. Now I need another one if I'm going to make it to Florida to load by tomorrow." Oh man! Scott's been sick with the stomach flu for the past 24 hours. So, needless to say, he was not thrilled to learn that he had to get on the road for damage control. However, he is happy that no one was hurt and is glad to be able to help out to smooth over the load as quickly as possible. We have to keep our clients on our good side :) So, we are on our way just outside of Brownsville, KY. Roger and I enjoy getting to ride along on occasion. We should be back tomorrow afternoon sometime, so we were glad to accompany Scott on this short voyage. I'm glad it's only a one day trip. So much to get accomplished this week. Main goal: organizing the closets. I can't wait :)

School's Out FOREVA

Well, it's official. Today is my first day as the office manager of Schoettmer Transport. Friday was kind of bittersweet. I'm definately going to miss my new friends that I've made over the past two years at BRMS. However, boy am I glad to be out. I think I got out right at the right time. They are putting more work onto the teachers for next year and of course, without increasing pay. It's a never ending battle there. It's such a free feeling knowing that I don't have to get up each morning and fight with parents, fight administrators, and fight teenagers who could really care less. On a side note: Have I mentioned how happy and excited Scott is to have me around? He is so thrilled to be able to have me around to help him out and get things ready for him through the week so that we don't have to spend weekends pulling all nighters trying to get caught up. I miss weekends. I'm looking forward to being able to hang out and relax once again.

FOUR

Here we are. The last Monday complete. I can't believe it!! Four days to go and I'm loving it. I turned in my resignation to my principal on Friday and today to my superintendent. It's official...I'm no longer an employee of Rush Co. School Corp. If anyone knows of a Business teacher looking for a job, then I know the place for them. However, I wouldn't recommend it. :)

SEVEN

There are officially seven days of school remaining!! The countdown continues....

Happy 2nd Birthday AVA!!

Today is our dearest friends' baby Ava's birthday. We are heading to Indy to help celebrate! I guess she's not such a baby anymore. Happy Birthday sweetheart. Love, Auntie Kristin and Unca Scott. It's so much fun being TWO! (Thanks Marcia for the pic)

LAUNDRY?!?!?!

Do you ever feel like it's never ending?? There are only two of us!! Where does it all come from?? I feel like I'm never caught up and we're always running out.

MK Career Conference 2008

April 4-5 I attended our annual Mary Kay career conference in Cincinnatti. This year's theme was "Share the Dream." It was awesome, as usual. And, of course, so much fun. My new recruit Carey got to go with me this time, too. She had a really good time and made a new friend. Now I'm ready for seminar. It doesn't start until July.

Lindsay's having a baby!

Kyle and Lindsay are due to have a baby at anytime. She's due May 15th but have been put on watch. At Landon's birthday party I was sure to snap a pic of what Lindsay looks like in her last few weeks of pregnancy. Here's to hoping it's a girl!!

Landon's Birthday

I finally got all of my pics from March/April downloaded. So here is a recap of what I've been upto lately. April 19th was my cousin Kyle's baby's (not such a baby anymore) 2nd birthday party. Here are a few pics of him hanging around on his new John Deere loader he got.

Happy Anniversary Babe!

That's right. Today Scott and I are celebrating our THIRD anniversary! Can you believe we've been married for three years already? I can't. It is true what they say, "time flies when you're having fun!" Thanks to everyone for all the cards, e-mails, phone calls, and best wishes over this past week. Here's to a lifetime of continued love and happiness. Cheers! Make sure you check out the beautiful roses Scott sent me. I couldn't believe it! I never get flowers. He sent me 9 that were pink (my favorite color of course) and three white roses (since we've been married three years). How clever!

The Melting Pot

Scott took me to the Melting Pot last Saturday for our anniversary. It was a total surprise. I had no idea where we were going. He only told me to dress up and be ready by 6:00. So, I got ready and waited "patiently." Needless to say when I got there, I was totally impressed. The Melting Pot has now moved up to my favorite place of all time. It's a four course meal of all the fondue you can eat:) The first course is the cheese portion. You get to pick what kind of cheese you want to melt and then you get apples, bread, and veggies to dip in it. Then comes your choice of salad. ALL the dressings are house. Then is the main course. An entire plate of different meats and a wide variety of sauces to dip them in. Your meat soaks in a broth substance of your choice. We chose the "chicken type broth mixed with red wine." It was to die for. Then, of course, is dessert. My favorite! There was an entire menu devoted to what kind of chocolate you would like to dip a variety of fruits, cheesecake, covered marshmellows, rice crispy treats, pound cake, and brownies. We chose the "yin and yang," which was a mixture of dark chocolate and white chocolate. Scott did an excellent job. I still can't believe that he could come up with an idea like that on his own :) (thanks Greg and Marcia ;)

Talking to old friends

Sometimes I forget how good it is to catch up on old times and the latest gossip. Last night I got to talk to one of my very good friends from college. I haven't talked to her on the phone since I don't remember when. We e-mail each other from time to time but we don't get to talk on the phone or see each other nearly as much as we'd like. Sound familiar? Where does the time go? I tend to be saying that alot lately. Friends and family tend to be making it to the back burner alot faster these days. Between work, mary kay, and helping Scott when I can with his business, I rarely have time to do anything else. So, when I get a chance to answer the phone and hear a familiar voice, my heart melts. It's hard to end the conversation because you find yourself wanting it to last forever (or at least until your voice starts to go or your ear falls asleep). And then, of course, it always ends with "we need to get together." It's almost like it's no longer a choice, but a must. A desperate plea for friendship. So, for those of you I don't get to see or talk to nearly as much as I'd like....I do still love you. I want you to know how much I value your friendship. And, I promise, we really will get to get together sometime...in the future whether it be near or far.

What it's like to be busy

Sometimes I feel like time moves by and I don't even realize it's come and gone. I had two MK parties this weekend and today when I was filling out sales slips I realized it's April 13th. I can't believe it! Where does the time go. I guess I've been trying to purposely swamp myself because I'm trying to make school go by faster. In the meantime, everything else is going by quickly too. Six more weeks, six more weeks, six more weeks. If I keep telling myself that, then I might actually start to believe it. Last week was awful. The kids are getting meaner and more hateful. I can't believe some of the things that they are doing and some of the things that are coming out of their mouths. I actually had a student shut down his computer with 15 minutes of class left to go. I think my jaw dropped to the floor. He actually had the nerve to do it. So, I told him that he would have to stay after class to make up the time. He told me "then you will write me a hall pass." Wow....what do you say? These kids have no fear. There isn't any type of discipline in the world that shapes these kids into doing what they are supposed to do. They don't bring supplies to class. They don't bring homework to class. And, now, they are shutting their computers down 15 minutes before class is over (keep in mind it's a typing class). Wow, all I can say is, wow. I would have never even thought to do something like that when I was in school. I find myself saying that alot lately.

In the meantime, mine and Scott's businesses are full speed ahead. We never seem to find the time to be with each other. It sucks for now, but I truly believe the rewards will be great later on. Until then, we just have to hang in there. He's been really busy hauling loads to Nebraska after a driver left him last week. He leaves out tomorrow night and is gone again until Thursday. Needless to say, we are living for the weekends.

Back to the real world tomorrow. It's MONDAY. Work. MK meeting. Work. Tues. Work.(Am I really free this day? for now:) Oh yes, deliveries, errands. Wed. Work. Facial. Thurs. Work.Fitness appt. Then it's back to the drawing boards, again.

Pics from Jamaica

Scott's attempt at professional photography
Look closely at us in the mirror :) This is the only picture we got of us together
The resort view from across the street

Our day at the beach

Pics of our villa in Jamaica

Our yellow villa in Jamaica

The "sitting area" of our villa
The kitchen in our villa

The pool outside our villa
Our bed in our villa

Jamaica Baby!

The slums of Jamaica...the huts where we "shopped"

The actual shopping center on our shopping tour

The guy outside our villa painting
The view at the resort...the main pool

We're back! It's such a bittersweet day. I'm glad to be back to see all my friends that I missed so much, not to mention ROGER. I still haven't got to see him yet, he stayed with my mom. However, he was the first thing I asked about when I called my mom last night to let her know we were back in the states. It's funny how your dog becomes a part of your family, your life. Anyways, Jamaica was really good. It stayed in the 80-85 range most of the week with a few slight rain showers. That's really common there. The tour driver told us it comes and goes so often. It's God's way of watering the plants there. We stayed at Sandals in Ocho Rios. I learned from a bartender that Ocho Rios literally translates to 8 rivers. I never knew there were eight rivers there. Nor did we see them :) Everything was great. The food was good, our villa was good, and even the guy who stood outside our villa most of the week to paint was good. That's right...we had a painter from Wednesday on. That's when Scott decided he was ready to come home. I think I'm going to throw that little bit of information out to our travel agent and see if I can get a good deal on our next vacation. It's really annoying having someone outside your frenchdoors all week while you're trying to 1) change clothes 2) get ready to swim in your pool out back 3) need to go anywhere (you had to walk either around the ladder or under it). You can see him in the pictures I took just so I would have proof. :) We spent one whole day at the beach and the pier. It was just the right weather that day. Not too much wind but just enough that you weren't dying from the heat. We took a shopping tour into town one day. It was a little scary. The first two stops were at little shopping malls. The last stop, however, was at the slums where you were supposed to go inside these little huts and bargain with the ladies about what you would like to spend/buy. They wouldn't leave you alone. I seriously think they would have drained everyone's money. Finally, Scott told one lady he'd had enough and started walking back to the bus. There were people coming out of their huts yelling "come in here mon, come in here mon. You haven't been in my shop yet mon." Scott kept telling them he didn't care he was heading to the bus. It was humerous after the fact...but very scary going through it. We safely arrived back at Sandals and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon without breathing a word about it again. Every night we went to five star restaurants. They were delicious. We always stayed up late (mostly drinking dirty bananas...yummy) and slept in late. It was really nice just being in each other's company. I learned something from the Jamaican's that I brought back with me and I don't think I'll ever forget it. They live by the philosophy of "There are no such things as problems. That's why we always say no problem mon. There are only situations. Situations you handle one at a time. It just depends on how you handle those situations. You can choose to worry about them, or not. It's up to you. But if you don't let them ware you down, then you will lead a happy life." I think I'm going to start living my life that way.

George is here!!

I knew there was a reason why our flight was cancelled. Last night we hung out with our best friends Dan and Kim Slaven. I wanted to spend our last night home with them since she is due on Tuesday to have her baby. I must admit I was a little bummed out since I wasn't going to be around to visit her in the hospital and by the time we got back from vacation he would be 5 days old. So, last night when we left I said to her stomach, "What George, you don't want to come out and meet your Aunt Kristin?" I hugged Kim goodbye and wished her luck and told her I'd see her and the baby when we got back. Well, if you've read the previous entry, then you would know that we are not on our way to Jamaica. And, Kim's oldest daughter Marti called me this morning at 11:00 to tell me that in fact George has made his appearance. I'm pretty sure it's only to see me :) He knew how upset I was about not getting to see him before I left. God works in mysterious ways. Welcome to the world, George Hunter Slaven. 6 lbs 15 oz. 20 1/2 inches long. I can't wait to get to the hospital later and meet him. I'll have pictures to post after I meet him. Now, vacation will be that much better since I won't have missing seeing him on my mind. A cancelled flight has turned out to be not such a bad thing after all.

FLIGHT CANCELLED!!

Last night around 11:30 as Scott and I were trying to finish up packing, he decided to get on the computer and check to see if our flight was still arriving on time. It was supposed to be leaving around 6:00 this morning. As I was going through shorts etc. in the bedroom, I suddenly hear, "Babe, we have a problem!" Oh, no, I thought. I couldn't believe it. So, we called out travel agent through Beach Bums thinking that of course we would probably have to leave a message, etc. However, that was not the case. I was so excited when she answered the phone. I couldn't believe it! She reassurred me that they are on call 24/7. How awesome is that? Good to know for future reference. She called the airport and sure enough, it was cancelled. She tried to get us on the next flight going to Laguardia and then we would have to take a cab to the JFK across the street and then reboard another plane. The planes were not through the same company so we were a little worried about that. Scott was having a lot of doubts with the whole switching planes, getting a cab, losing our luggage scenario. So, Elise has now rebooked us for tomorrow. We are only going to be losing one day at Jamaica, so it's not that big of a deal. And, we are getting our money back for the day lost, and we might be bumped up a package at the resort due to it being the airports fault. So, Jamaica, here we come....one day later!

Four days and counting

I only have to work four more days this week before Spring Break! I can't wait! I took Friday off to get things in order (pack, get a much needed pedicure, take Roger to wherever, etc.) so I technically only have Monday, Tues, Wed, and Thurs! Scott and i started packing up our things today...we're half way there. If I don't have time between now and then to blog...then sianara. I'll try to post some pics while we're there. We are taking the laptop. I'll have to see how the Internet connection works there. If not, I'll have to post some pics from our awesome adventure when i return. Until then....

The BIG snow

I can't believe that we've gotten more snow! Just when you think the weather is finally going to warm up and head for spring, it takes another turn for the worse and another bunch of snow comes in. We were dismissed from school early on Friday at 1:30 just so everyone could head home and try to be safe. It was a long trip home, but I finally made it. Above are some pics of what it's like at our house. Crazy me did make it out to the mailbox to get the mail that the silly mailman delivered. I'm greatful that he risked his life to bring me my blockbuster movie I was waiting on. :) If you look closely in front of our vehicles in the driveway you can see the HUGE drift that is blocking our front door. We currently have to go out the back door to get outside. :)

*The first picture is of a truck that was trying to go down our road and got stuck. So, he called for backup and they got stuck too. So then, finally, another tahoe came and got both of them out but we were so busy laughing at them, we forgot to get a picture of that.

Happy Birthday Dad!

I just wanted to send out a happy birthday to my dad: CRAZY CARL!! Here's to 53 more great ones!!

Pampered Chef Rocks!

Last Thursday night I hosted a pampered chef party at my house. It was a blast! We made thirty minute power meals. That means that we make three meals, eat one, and freeze the other two. It's a great plan for people who are too busy to cook through the week (like us). 20 orders and 16 guests later, I'm getting $215 in free stuff, two half price items, and two 60% off items for having a party in Feb. Yah me!! I highly recommend this to anyone who is in need of some new (FREE) cookware.

Home from school again!

I'm really starting to get over the crappy ice, snow, weather in general. The first two days of school we missed I dealt with. We had to go to school President's Day and now of course, Good Friday. I'm bummed about that one and have already taken a personal day so that I can pack for vacation. We will be leaving for Jamaica Sat. morning at 6:00 a.m. Now, we are offically out of snow make-up days and our corporation does not have snow built in days. So, we have to start on the days at the end of the school year. Originally, we were supposed to get out of school on May 21 (kids), and May 22(teachers). After today, we are now at May 22 (kids), and May 23 (teachers). I'm still okay with ending in that same week, however, if we miss one more day of school we are going to have to start on that next week which means we will probably have to go Memorial Day. That won't make me very happy at all :(

Did you see the Lunar Eclipse??? 2-20-08

Wednesday night was the lunar eclipse. It was awesome! I didn't get to see the whole thing. Apparently when the sun and moon lined up the moon looked orange. That didn't happen until sometime around 11:43. I could not stay awake that long. However, I did get out my magnifying lense and snap some shots of the moon when it was about half and half. It was really cool!

Red Jacket Retreat 2008

Last weekend was the red jacket retreat for Mary Kay. Janice and I had a blast! In order to go to RJR you have to qualify by booking and holding eight classes before you go and booking and holding eight classes when you get back. And the of course, you have to have three or more active team mates. That is what makes you a red jacket in the first place.Meeting these qualifications has done wonders for my business! Here are a few pics of Janice and I with some new friends and also Janice getting to wear a fabulous ring for the weekend for getting in the top three court of sales for our national area....Way to Go Janice!! Also, is a pic of Janice and I getting our graduation certificates. They had an awesome ceremony where we received our certificates, professional framed pictures of Linda (our National) and us, and also an autographed picture of the new G6 (the free car we are currently trying to earn) signed by all of the directors in our area. I can't wait to go back next year!