Shell & Bake

Vicious Monsters

2012-02-04T16:20:00.000-05:00

So since I started nursing school 4 weeks ago (omg cant believe its been a month!), we have developed a nice little routine.

Monday- Lab 8-430
Tuesday- Lecture 9-4
Wednesday & Thursday- recuperate from the stress of lab/class & study
Friday- Work 1-7
Saturday & Sunday- rest and study to prepare for lab/class the next week.

Yes I need THAT MUCH time to rest & study. Its taking a toll on my nerves. I cant relax mentally bc Im always worrying about whats due or what I need to do or what I have done. Geez. That part sucks. But what is great is learning how to do what I have always wanted to do.

I have an online test due by midnight tomorrow, a dosage calculation test on Monday, and a lecture exam on Tuesday. Ahhhh... Que the panic attack, lack of sleep, and constant worry now. I feel pretty good about the calc test, semi ok with the lecture test.. but I have no clue about the online test. Guess its a good thing its online.

In other news... I love my dogs. They make the bad days seem better just because all they care about is that I gives them plenty of snuggles and of course provide yummy treats. Cute right?!

Well.. lemme tell how about today... I took the babies out for a walk and thought that sense it was pretty I would take them on a long walk. We got half way to the Pet Station when out of NO WHERE K & M start raising hell and yanking their leashes and flipping around all crazy. They were viciously trying to attack a husky. WTF? My sweet little angels turn into mean devils when they see another dog. Ugh... drives me nuts because they tangle me up in their leashes (because of course they have retractable leashes because I want to have them to have their own space). This man came out on his porch because he thought their was a real dog fight and that someone needed help. He just laughed when he saw my teeny tiny babies ready to attack a 100 lb husky. I had to explain that of course K & M have no idea that they are 5-10 lbs.. because they think they are 100 lb pit bulls! Mango truly believes he is a pit bull because the lady we got him from had 6 pit bulls that were inside dogs! But thats another story for another day :)

They only look sweet and innocent! :)

*The reason there are more pictures of Mango is because Kiwi hides when she sleeps.. she burrows.

3 weeks in..

2012-01-26T18:03:00.000-05:00

I have been in nursing school for 3 weeks. I feel like I have gotten a routine down and am starting to feel more comfortable. I have been very productive as far as studying daily and making sure I stay caught up on reading. I already had 1 skills check out and did well :) Just vital signs but hey.. thats important!

But yesterday and today, I have just been blah about studying. I havent even attempted to open a book. I did manage to print off next week's lessons and assignments but thats it. I just needed a little break. ;)

We have decided to move closer to school when our lease here is up. Right now, my classes are an hour & 1/2 from our apt. Which SUCKS! I wished we hadnt moved to be closer to work bc then Id be only an hour from school. But I didnt know I was getting into nursing school so what can you do. Funny thing is ... where I go to school is where I lived when I was little. And where my Dad lived. Its so weird driving through that town and see what was there 17 years ago. Theres a little go kart place that he used to take me too when I would visit him and its still there!! I am not sure if its opened but it still looks the same. Tuesday would have been his 67th birthday and I as drove by the go kart place I thought about all the times we went there.

Weird. Never thought I would be back in that town to live.

We're back!

2012-01-13T22:10:00.002-05:00

Our stay at wordpress did not work out. So we are back to blogger where we should have stayed to begin with!

Please continue to follow along with us!

:)

Clinicals, care plans, and vital signs...

2012-01-11T08:42:00.000-05:00

...oh my!

People... I survived my first 2 days of nursing school!!!

Sunday night, I had a hard time going to sleep. I was worried I would over-sleep, and that my shoes would be wrong, that my pants were too long, blah blah blah... I decided not to try to force myself to go to bed early and figured the adrenaline would keep me going all day. So I watched tv and talk to Jess (tried to talk about anything but nursing lol) and fell asleep around midnight. I got up at 5am, wide awake. I wasnt nervous. I got dressed, feeling super confident in my scrubs (yes, even with my pants and shoes. lol. 90% of what you worry about never happens). I drove my hour & half in the rain. sigh. But I didnt let it get me down. Plus, I felt completely at peace because my absolute favorite radio station, Q100, came in clearly all the way through the middle of nowhere. :) I am never up early enough to hear my favorite morning, The Bert Show, but I got to enjoy it the whole way to school. Which never happens. And almost completely without static. I can only assume He was looking out for my nerves ;)

When I got to the school, I sloshed through the rain, inside where I saw all my classmates in white :) Nice to see scared familiar faces. Since we had 2 meetings, I recognized some people. I found a seat and got books out. At exactly 8am, everyone stopped talking, face forward, and stared at the instructor. She laughed and said "I guess its 8am". Its so nice to be in class with dedicated students that WANT to be in class.

We began by going over the rules, confidentiality, and conduct. Obviously, I can never go into detail about what I do or what I learn... Sorry. The best thing about this first day is that all of our class instructors & clinical instructors were there with us. We met them all at one time, so we are all on the same page. Its Cooperative Teaching they call it. I dont know if this is how all nursing programs are ran, but I like it. I also like that they have been in nursing for 30-40 years, working in every aspect of it. Even areas I didnt even know existed, like forensic nursing and being an expert witness in court cases (making roughly $150/hour to read documents). In preparing for the semester, they all sat down and went through the schedule. They made sure we wouldnt have more than one test/project in a day. Queue the angels singing now. :)

We played an ice breaker came, in which we had to throw a yarn ball to someone while holding on the a piece of the string. I immediately started panicking because I CANT THROW OR CATCH. Well... apparently no one else could either. :D Luckily, one lady standing only 3 feet from me threw it to me so she wouldnt feel embarrassed throwing it. After I introduced myself, I handed it to the boy next to me. Haha.

We continued the day by watching a video with a "what would you do scenario?" I couldnt believe how absorbed into this video I was. I even thought the acting/filming was good. You know how bad school videos can be. Monday, was technically our lab day, so we also spent time learning about taking vital signs. By the end of the day, (8am-445pm) I was beyond exhausted.

Jess also started her internship on Monday, which I think she is really going to enjoy. One of the benefits, I think she loves the most... is she can wear basketball shorts everyday! WHAT?!? Yes, only my love would secure an internship where she can wear basketball clothes. ;)

Day 2- We spent the day in regular lecture classes. Which were just as interesting. I already know a good deal about vital signs from my CNA training, but still interesting to learn it from a different perspective. And once again, our other lecture instructor and 1 clinical instructor were sitting in the back. I love that they all keep up with each other, there is a clear visible bond between the two lecture instructors, which I think makes the atmosphere a little friendlier. I know it wont always be this cool, calm, and collected, but its definitely a nice first impression.

I have 2 classes and 1 clinical this semester, so I only go twice a week. Lets refer to lecture instructor 1 (morning class) as L1 and lecture instructor 2 (afternoon class) as L2. And eventually my clinical instructor as C1 :)

L2's class is more fun and interesting. No stress. She says it not anything we will be tested on for NCLEX but its just interesting stuff we should know about the history of nursing. She said we should all think about continue our education past the associate degree... and several hands shot into the air. Question after question, about the future came up. That made me feel good that we all want more and intend to go as far as we can. She seemed very pleased with how much we want to know about where to go from here.

All in all, it has been a very good experience. Its a lot to take in but as L1 keeps saying... "We are going to eat this elephant one bite at a time."

The night before..

2012-01-08T15:33:00.000-05:00

...life goes on.

So... I start classes tomorrow. And I am FREAKING OUT! I dont know what to do, or think, or say, or wear. Well.. ok.. I know what to wear. My WHITES :) My scrubs. My student nursing uniform. Feels so weird to say that. But I am stressing that the pants are too long causing them to bulge on the end, even though they dont touch the floor which is a requirement. I think my top is too small, and that my shoes are too loud. Remember that lime green stripe??

All in all... Im pretty excited.

Jess starts her internship tomorrow & she is also FREAKING OUT!! Although, she has been more vocal about being nervous than I have... which is odd, because she is always so calm and collected. I tend to have a melt down right before bed. & then continue to worry myself to sleep... only to wake up in the morning without a care in the world. Sigh.

[caption id="attachment_757" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Oh yea.... this was made for me."][/caption]

Mom came down this weekend to hang out & help me get organized. I want the apartment to be in damn near perfect condition. See... Jess doesnt like to clean. And things that need to be done around the house just dont seem to jump out at Jess. No matter how many baskets of clothes are piled up on the floor or how many dishes are running out of the sink.. she doesnt see it. So.. since the nursing school teachers keep saying our lives will change and our "significant others" will have to pick up all the slack... I want to make sure the apartment is ready for Jess to take over :)

So mom helped us organize our office/craft room/place to store everything and throw away most of the junk we have been moving from one apartment to the next. We organized all of our old tshirts into totes for our tshirt quilts :) We hung up some decor that I needed her help with. We had fun making some art decor we saw on Pinterest. I cant even tell you how many times one of us says "Did you see this on Pinterest?" "I wanna make this, I saw it on Pinterest" So we did this...

[caption id="attachment_755" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Canvas + Masking Tape + Paint = ART :)"][/caption]

I also finished a non-Pinterest inspired project from like a year ago...

[caption id="attachment_756" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="$0.49 tile+$3 rub on stamps+$2 thrift store plate hanger = cheap decor! :D"][/caption]

After Mom left, I cleaned out & re-organized the kitchen cabinets. My nerves must be in my subconscious and I have just been super productive. Jess made us a yummy dinner inspired by a recipe on.. wait .. for .. it... Pinterest. :)

[caption id="attachment_758" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="Cheesy Cheddar Chicken + Garlic Green Beans + Yellow Rice"][/caption]

One last thing, this weekend we watch a lot of Lizard Lick Towing. Omg its hilarious. Kinda dumb, but so funny. Definitely helped calm the nerves. Nothing like what I normally watch...

Can't wait to see what life is like after tomorrow. Well.. maybe?

2011 Review

2012-01-01T18:18:00.000-05:00

This year hasnt been quite so bad... pretty good toward the end...

January- same old same old... class, work, class, work..

Febuary- we surprised each other with some cute Valentine's Day love..

[gallery]

NYE- 2011

2011-12-31T18:19:00.000-05:00

Jess and I are pretty low key when it comes to celebrating. We enjoy quiet evenings at home and like to avoid the craziness of it all. I wasnt feeling very well new years eve and had someone cover my shift. I stayed in bed most of the day and then watched the ball drop with Jess when she got home.

2011 has been a pretty good year for us.

- Jess finished her last year of college basketball.

-She got her first job!

- I graduated from my 2 year school.

- I went full time at work, only to have to go back part time in January 2012..

- We moved into a 3 bedroom apartment (which was a lot of drama that I never found time to blog about! =/)

- I got into Nursing School! <<---- Best News Ever!

-We threw our first baby shower!

And some more incredibly exciting events, Im sure!

We are grateful for all that we have and look forward to a year for of changes for us!

Happy New Years Eve!

Goodbye 2011!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T18:01:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas. On Christmas eve, we closed so we didnt get off work until 8pm. Well, I got off at 8, Jess got off at 7. It was a Saturday night so I had extra stuff to do to close out for the night, as well as for the week. But I was done on time. :)

Jess rushed home to finish packing and walk the furbabies. She loaded the car and got everything ready so that when I got home, we could get on the road. I have the best wifey :)

We got to my mom's around 10pm and of course we opened all of our gifts. Why you ask? Because I have always opened presents on Christmas eve.. not all of them, but most of them. Seriously, I always had Christmas as soon as I woke up whether it was 4am or 9am.... lets be honest, it was rarely 9am ;) Santa must have woken me every year on his way out!! Ha Ha.

Well, Santa mom did not disappoint!!

drumroll please....

Oh yea... I got a Kindle Fire baby!

I also got these... ok let me explain...

1. Anyone remember the Pizza Hut glasses with the Flintsones Kids on them from 1980s?? Well, me either. I think maybe my Aunt Kathy had some, but thats the extent of any kind of memory. One day, the family (me, mom, Aunt Kathy, and Jess) were hitting up the antique stores they love, oh so much, we I spotted a Freddy glass for $2. It was too cute to pass up... plus it was 50% off. SCORE. Fast foward a year, and I found the Barney glass at antique store but it was $18. Uh no thank you! I was crushed. I wanted it sooo bad. Well, Mom found a good deal on one... so I got it for Christmas. :)

2. OK.... I may have had a bit of an obsession with Blue's Clues. Ya know, the toddler show on Nick... Well, maybe not the show so much... but the little dog is just so dang cute! One year, Mom found a plush Blue's Clues blanket and pillow for $40. I still have it... and it traveled to New York with me on a high school chorus trip. No Shame! Anyways... I have had the plate/bowl set for years!!! And last time mom was down to see us we noticed it had a crack in it. So sad. I decided not to use it anymore... and actually threw it away about a week ago. Guess what else mom found for a good deal??? Yep. A brand new Blue's Clues plate. :) Awesome.

Along with all our antique store finds, Mom found a gumball machine a while back. Jess loves it! She eats so much gum every time we visit. So mom found her one too. She also got my niece and uncle one too! It was the Year of the Gumball! Ha Ha.

She also got Jess some new Paula Deen dishes, not the cook set she got that last year, but some baking dishes. And some new PD utencils. Mom gave us an awesome canvas picture that she actually made! Lots of other cool stuff.

The babies had Christmas when we got back to our apartment on Monday. They were excited... although Kiwi appears a bit stuck up in the pics but really she found a chewy bone on the floor!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!!

Banks suck.

2011-12-17T07:20:00.000-05:00

Ugh. Our bank charged us another $17 fee this month, just like last month. Yes, I should have called before but I just dont have the time. Well, this morning I made the time. Basically, they changed their account types & if we dont keep at least $3000/month in our account they charge a fee. Seriously?! They claim they sent out letters to explain the upcoming changes, but of course, I never got one.

"So let me get this straight, other banks were very public about their $5 debit card fee, and you all proudly hung signs stating you wouldnt be charging a debit card fee, but then secretively change your account so that you can charge higher fees?!"

"uh uh uh.. Ms. (insert last name here) let me see what we can do to help you."

Thats how the conversation went this morning. The first man kindly refunded my fee for December, but had to transfer me to another dept for November. And that man was extra rude, stating he didnt know why the first man even refunded it for me, since I was clearly notified.

And me being the hot head that I am said "Ya know what?!? Dont refund it. I will close both accounts on Monday."

Thats exactly what I planned to do on Monday. Until I realized what a hassle that would be. Spend time closing one account, then opening another, then setting up our direct deposits for work (which we are required to have =/), waiting for debit cards to arrive, blah blah blah. In the end, it's just not worth it.

So the bank wins. Of course now it looks like an empty threat, which I hate more than anything. >=/

Nothing I can do now, without causing me more headache and stress.

Damn.

Christmas Wishlist

2011-12-14T07:46:00.000-05:00

This year, Jess and I are not exchanging gifts. I know I know its sad.. thats what we keep hearing. But, really.. we dont need or want anything. Well... I need a lot of stuff for nursing school.. so we are focusing on that. The orginal plan was to buy a new 46" flat screen tv for our living room, but when I was accepted to school, our plans were thrown off track. The only other 2 things Jess wanted was

this

and this

But we got them both on Black Friday!

So back to my list...

I need these

[caption id="attachment_704" align="aligncenter" width="367" caption="Nursing Books"][/caption]

And these

And seriously think I need one of these

Or one of these

Ya know because every serious nursing student needs an iPad or Kindle.. strickly for educational purposes, of course ;)

Dear Santa,

Please read my blog and get me the things I need for school.

K thanks!

A few of my favorite things! ~Christmas~

2011-12-11T08:52:00.000-05:00

I can't believe Christmas is just around the corner. And shortly after that I will be starting nursing school (WARNING: You may get sick of hearing about nursing school.. BUT I don't care, I worked very, very, VERY hard to get it in ;) )... wow... time flies.

After weeks of studying and working... we finally have a break. At least from school.

So these are a few of my favorite *Christmas* things!

We finally found time to put up our Christmas tree the other night. As we were dragging out all of our Christmas decorations, I started thinking about how long we have been together. I mean we had 4-5 boxes of Christmas stuff, plus our tree. I also realized how many traditions of our own we have. We always watch one (if not, all) of The Santa Clause Trilogy. I bought them for Jess last year.

The best part about getting out all our decorations is 1. reminiscing about our childhood since we have most of our childhood ornaments. :) 2. Remembering what I bought last year at craft stores at 75% off!! Love after holiday sales! Plus I found the personalized ornaments I bought last year but didn't get to put up!

[caption id="attachment_684" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="Our family 2010"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_682" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="The ornament we bought our first Christmas 2008"][/caption]

A couple of years ago, we found the cutest chihuahua ornaments and they fit Kiwi & Mango perfectly!!
Moving on down the list...

My Christmas playlist!

1. Christmas in Dixie -Alabama (it's a family thing!)

2. All I want for Christmas is you -Mariah Carey (an obvious choice)

3. Christmas (Baby please come home) -Mariah Carey

4. All I want for Christmas is a real good tan -Kenny Chesney (because its fun!)

5. This Christmas -Chris Brown (because he though I hate Chris Brown and wish he would never release another album again.... I love that movie!!)

6. My only wish -Britney Spears (reminds me of being 15 :) )

7. Christmas in Dixie -Kenny Chesney & Alabama (love it so much it has to be mentioned twice! plus its with Kenny!!)

8. Hard Candy Christmas -Dolly Parton (I just like it!)

9. Hanson's entire Christmas album (dont judge.. makes me 10 years old again!)

10. NSYNC's entire Chrismas album (again dont judge... 1. its good. 2. makes me feel 12.)

I will spare you the others, but I assure you there are more. Yes, I listen to this playlist EVERY year!! Almost everyday ;)

Continuing with the list...

Hallmark Movies. I love the holidays when they air new movies almost every week, with almost the same story line... sad girl meets handsome man in some small town :)

Last thing.. I love going home for the holidays. Every year, (except when I wasnt working) I have closed on Christmas Eve. I usually offer too because I dont have kids. After work, I drive home to help mom cook... (usually I just taste test! :) ) It doesnt matter what time I get home, she wakes up and we talk for hours! Even if she has to work early on Christmas day. We try not to wake her up but we use her bathroom (its bigger) so it just sort of happens. This year, when we got there for Thanksgiving we sat on her bed talking till almost 5am! AND she had to get up at 630 haha. Good times!

Nursing Orientation Pt 1 & 2

2011-12-02T17:59:00.000-05:00

Today, was my second orientation for the nursing program. I closed last night and got in bed around 2am?? ... then I got up at 530am and drove an hour and half. :/ The meeting didn't start to 9am but I was nervous about being late and knew I was have to stop for breakfast! :) When I got there, I had an hour to kill so I watch Netflix on my iPhone (caught up on my new fav show Hot in Cleveland haha) in the car. Man, I love this phone!

So the first hour of this meeting was letting us know just how much our lives were about to change. AND more importantly how much our "significant other's" lives were about to change as well. People have been telling me lately to kiss my life goodbye... because for the next two years, nursing school would own me. Well that seems to be the truth. They explained to us how to make sure our families and friends understand everything that is about to happen. They informed us that we made it to our goal of getting in the program and everything we all had worked for was here. And now everything else must come second. They showed us a full PowerPoint on how to help our families understand and adapt to these changes. They addressed a few "support" people in the room that came with students, husbands/parents. I wished Jess had been there to hear all this first hand, so she will understand why she has to pick up all the slack and clean the house more. (Our biggest issue is cleaning! ;) ) I keep asking her if she is ready for this because this will affect her too... A LOT! She says yes and they we will be fine. I'm sure we will be, I just wanted to make sure to have the conversations that the instructors told us to have with our families.

The second hour we discussed nursing professionalism including we have to wear at clinical and standards to abide by. We discussed jewelry we can wear, and found out my earrings, my cartilage that I have had since I was 13 :( and my tragus which I love. :( Im super sad about this but I guess I will deal. Small price to pay.

I planned to my Christmas break enjoying life and being very lazy. I wanted to watch all my new dvds from (Black Friday!) and play our new Wii and Wii games.. (More on that later!) BUT... we have 8 chapters of reading to do before classes start in January. That sucks! I wanted to enjoy doing nothing for a few weeks before I give my life to nursing school.

The instructors kept asking us "Are you sure you still wanna be a nurse?!"

Yep. I'm sure! :)

[caption id="attachment_667" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="Excited to get my scrubs in!"][/caption]

Thanksgiving & Black Friday

2011-11-26T18:17:00.000-05:00

I love the holidays. And I love being home at my mom's. We were off 3 days from work and spent it all at moms. Love that!

[caption id="attachment_674" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="Thanksgiving 2011 (Idk why its so blurry!)"][/caption]

This year, Black Friday shopping started at 10pm. I was really excited about this because I hate getting up early. Although, I didnt realize it would interfere with my nap after Thanksgiving dinner. We got to Walmart around 530pm. We were on a mission to get the new blue Wii. We already have a Wii in our bedroom that we use mostly to stream Netflix. But we needed Netflix in the living room as well. So instead of buying a streamer for $60-$80m, we decided to just buy the new Wii. We also wanted some of the $20 600 threadcount sheets, which Jess got trampled over. But after elbowing her way back up.. she got our sheets! ;) Some guy tried to take them out of her hands by reaching over her and she BIT HIM! haha kinda gross but hey dont put your hands in someones face just because you are bigger than she is! Asshole. Mom wanted the 19" tv for $100 to go in the guest room (mostly for us :) ) so she stood in line in the freezer section for 7 hours to get one! She was number 1! But turns out they had plently and the next morning they still had over 100. She was pissed. Ha Ha.

We got great deals on dvds, and Wii games. So thats always a plus for me. (seriously addicted to dvds.)

DVDS- Pretty Little Liars (dont hate!), The Vampire Diaries 1 & 2 (2 sets for gifts), Planet Earth, The Big Bang Theory Season 4. $10 each!

[caption id="attachment_678" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Black Friday Shoppers"][/caption]

While we were eating our dinner, I told my brother all about my nursing expenses and how much I had been spending on vaccines and physicals etc. When dinner was over, and he was leaving, he handed me $100 and told me to get my shoes ($60) and stethescope or whatever. I was super excited, hugged him and told him I loved him :) Even though, he gave me the money for shoes, I also had $115 nursing kit to buy to I put the money up for that instead. He called mom later to tell her to make sure I didnt spend it on Black Friday shopping. She informed him I already put it aside for my nursing kit because it cost more. Well he said for me to buy both and he was send me more money in the next week. YAY! I never ask him for money. I try to do it on my own, because I know if I ever get into a bind he will be there for me. Im super excited he is helping me out.. one less thing I have to worry about. :)

What Bake's Thankful For

2011-11-10T05:17:00.000-05:00

So since usually Shell is the one to blog I decided write a blog about what all I am thankful for!

I am thankful for my wonderful girlfriend and all she does for me. She is the best. She has always supported me in anything and everything I have ever wanted to do. Even though she is not the biggest sports fan, I am thankful that she has learned to enjoy the sound of college basketball in the background! I am thankful that she is always trying to better herself and our life together! She has always wanted to become and nurse and Im so thankful that she never gave up on her dream, and all the hard work paid off, she just got accepted to nursing school to start in January!

I am thankful to almost be done with school! Only one more month of classes and then my internship starting in January! I cant wait. And I recently got some good news about Grad school. I found out that I have been nominated for recieve a scholarship from the athletic department so that my Grad school will be free to me! I could have a batchelors degree and a masters degree by May of 2013! I am thankful that I was blessed enough to have the athletic ability that allowed me to go to school completely free and may even allow me to get my masters degree free as well.

I am thankful that I have a job. Even though Im sure I complain about work alot, Im very thankful that noth Shell and I have jobs that allow us to not need or want for anything. We have the ability to live a pretty nice life while being full time students and supporting ourselves with no help from family!..(well her mom helps us out sometime :) )

I am thankful for our fur babies! They bring so much joy to our lives. You cant possibly be in a bad mood for long when you see those precious faces that just love you unconditionally. Kiwi and Mango make everything better! They are the best fur babies in the world (yes i know evryone thinks this about their children) but mine really are!

Thanks for listening!

Bake

BIG NEWS!! :)

2011-11-07T07:41:00.000-05:00

On October 27, 2011, I came home from work on my lunch hour, to eat with Jess. She said the mail was on the counter.. I saw an envelope from my school's nursing department. I held it up and said "Look a letter saying I didn't get in" and laughed it off.

I opened and started screaming to Jess... "IT SAYS CONGRATULATIONS! IT SAYS CONGRATULATIONS!!" She stared at me all confused and started smiling "what?!?" I said I GOT IN! I GOT IN!! So there you have it... I have been accepted into the nursing program!! :)

And since that day... It has been a whirlwind of things to do to prepare for the program in January 2012.

First, I had to tell my store manager that I could no longer be full-time in January because of my acceptance. He asked me if I was completely sure this is what I wanted to do (haha DUH! I busted my ass for this moment!) and he said he was happy for me but this would hurt the office.. (3 of our 4 full timers are leaving in Jan.) but he understood.

When I received the letter, I had just a few days to reserve my seat in the program by paying $100 toward my tuition. I was worried if I mailed it would of course be lost and I would be immediately drove it all the way to school.. 1 hour and 15 min away... to hand deliver it. Last Friday, I had Part 1 of orientation for the program. I was informed all the expenses that would be due over the next few weeks, including criminal background check, immunizations shot records, hepatitis shots, flu shot, physical, uniforms to order, shoes to buy, medical equipment to get, CPR certification class to attend.. and the list goes on and on...

In a few weeks, I have part 2 of orientation. This should be more information on class times and clinical sites. I'm super excited and feel like this is the beginning of the rest of my life :)

I leave you with these fun pics..

Happy Monday!

Kim K. And Nikki & Jill

2011-11-03T08:04:00.000-04:00

Sooo its been a while.... we have so much to catch up on... but first...

So remember The Real L Word season 1...

Remember the cutest couple... Nikki & Jill?

[caption id="attachment_632" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Jill & Nikki"][/caption]

Well..... I MET THEM!! The other day, they came in the store, grocery shopping with Jill's mom (she lives around near us!.. the ladies live in LA) I was so excited! It was time for me to leave but we were slammed.. so like a good employee, I stayed. And then.. Jill walked up and asked me for a lottery ticket :) I just stared at her and was like "Are You Jill?... I love your show!!" They were super sweet and I am glad I stuck around for those extra 15 minutes. I tried to tell my co-workers but no one knew who they were.. We so need more gay people in this tiny town. :)

Anyways.. recently, we all saw the end of Kim Kardashian's marriage to Kris Humphries. I was disgusted by this, of course, because I am a lesbian. I am denied the right to marry because my marriage will obviously ruin the sanctity of marriage. However, Kim K., Britney Spears, and even Kenny Chesney, are allowed to legally marry for less than a year (or even less than a week!) for whatever reason they see fit.

Well, I guess Nikki & Jill had the same reaction to news of Kim K. as well. This was their public letter to her in the magazine "The Advocate".

Dear Kim Kardashian,

Like much of the world, we were made aware of the news of your impending divorce from Kris Humphries after just 72 days of marriage. We are sorry for any personal anguish this is causing you. No one likes to hear about hardships when it comes to matters of the heart.

That said Kim, we can’t help but wonder if your “sacred union” was indeed a ploy to boost the ratings of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, while earning millions of dollars from the media in the process.

That thought greatly disturbs us.

As businesswomen, we respect your entrepreneurial spirit. But using a wedding/marriage as a catalyst to further your brand recognition, your celebrity, and your wallet is truly hurtful to those of us who so deeply value the union and yet are unjustly denied the right.

Did you know that gays are denied more than 1,000 federal protections as a result of not being allowed to legally marry? Are you able to understand how devastating it is to love someone dearly, want to spend your life with them through a legally recognized and respected union, only to be denied that civil right because people in position of political power don’t think it’s “right”?

We were unlawfully wed in the State of California on October 9, 2010, where amongst dear family and friends, we vowed to love, honor, cherish, and respect one another. It was truly the most magical day of our lives. Yet despite how meaningful and genuine our commitment to one another was, that “I Do” was not enough to protect our relationship. We had to take countless measures to ensure that our honorable bond was guarded, in areas of healthcare, parenting, benefits, and taxes—just to name a few. We wonder if you appreciated just how many rights your marriage with Kris was afforded when you collected all those profits.

Kim, we have no doubt that a woman as smart, savvy, and beautiful as you will find love and marriage again. But for the respect of the millions of people who hear about it at every turn (many of whom you rely on to build your brand) please do take into consideration the uphill battle that so many of us have to fight for marriage equality. Perhaps you can demonstrate a bit more respect for the union next time around, instead of using it as a business gain.

We leave you with this idea: Why not take a portion of the millions of dollars you earned on your wedding and donate it to the Human Rights Campaign to help fight for marriage equality? It would speak very loudly.

This was very well said I think.. I noticed on their Facebook page, a lot of people were commenting saying "people shouldnt judge Kim because we don't know the details, and she deserves privacy!!" Umm.. hello?! She is on several reality tv shows depicting her life, and she is only famous because of the details of her life. If she wanted privacy, then she should have had a quiet wedding without all the camera crews!

Here are some recent fb status favs of mine..

"Dear E now that Kim and Kris are getting a divorce please stop playing her fairy tale wedding! Does she know how bad the economy is?"

"Dear Mr. President, if i promise to stay married longer than Kim K, can I marry my girlfriend and it actually be legal in all 50 states? :)" (this was on mine and a friend's)

And this pic was on fb as well...

I will also include the NOH8 pics from both The Real L Word & The Kardashians.... I love NOH8 pics!

[caption id="attachment_635" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The Real L Word"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_636" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Jill & Nikki"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_637" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="The Kardashians"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_638" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil... Kardashian style."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_639" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Kim K."][/caption]

"Uhh, where are the apartment keys?!?"

2011-09-27T08:23:00.000-04:00

So lets start from the beginning...

Since we have moved closer to work (5 min away!) Jess takes my car to school 45 min away because my car get better gas mileage than her mustang. So I have been driving the mustang to and from work.. which I love cuz it makes me feel all hot driving her sports car ;) Anyways, when I go to school.. an hour in the other direction and on the interstate.. I feel better in my own car.

So yesterday.. Jess accidently takes my car to school.. I meet up with her to switch cars and on the way back home.. I started having this overwhelming feeling of not wanting to go to school. (Looking back, this was totally a sign.) Which is weird, because I do not skip school. Especially now since I only go one night a week. I told Jess (she was kind of annoyed cause we had just drove 20 min to meet each other.. oops!) and she finally agreed that I should stay home and do school work. :) We have this weird of making sure, the other doesnt care if we skip.. kinda like when you were little and "played sick" to stay home from school.. you wanted your mom to be ok with it. Weird I know..

Unfortunately, my teacher sent out an email stating he was giving us a take home mid-term.. so I had to go to school to get it. UGH. Fortunately, Jess agreed to go with me and keep me company on that long ride ;)

We live in the middle of nowhere, so anytime we go into "the city"... we try to take advantage of it and catch up on some shopping. I needed new work shoes, so we hit up shoe/sports store. We went to class, where I only had to stay about an hour, and were on our way back home. Fast forward an hour drive... we were walking up to the apt (around 11pm I should add), loaded down with laptops, books, shoes, and My Vera.. of course... When Jess dangles the keys in the air and says "Uhh, where are the apt keys?!?" Everything inside of me just said &%#@.

We start tearing everything apart.. my purse, the car, the bags.. nothing. We call the apt answering service for someone to let us in.. and guess what .... THEY DONT OFFER A LOCKOUT SERVICE. Of course they dont, why would they offer this service when they have maintence people living on site? Why would they want their tennents standing outside in the dark, alone? That was silly of me to ask I guess.

You know what else this middle of nowhere town does not have... a 24 hour locksmith. Great.

The apartments we live in... many of the people we work with live in too. So we called everyone to help us... but they couldn't... because really, who can break into a deadbolt. *sigh* But every one of them offered us a place to crash. Why didnt we take their offers you ask.. Well because our furbabies were in their crates.. and that would be 16-17 hours without a potty break. And I cant bare the thought of that...

And of course they asked us... "Is there a window unlocked??" Umm, yes. We do leave a windows unlocked, because we are two females in an apt, and we know that no one would ever break in. And being lesbians doesnt make us an easy target for danger... NO THE WINDOWS ARE SHUT TIGHT & LOCKED! But thanks! ;)

We even called the non-emergency 911 number.. and the dispatcher was appalled that maintence wouldnt let us in. She sent a deputy out, but all he could really do was keep us company & safe. The man was young and possibly very new... I am not sure if he could really use his gun ;) A young Barney Fife, if you will.

The closest 24 hour locksmith was an hour away.. and after I assured him that if he drove all the way out to our apt, that we would pay him.. the $160 fee. Which isnt bad to us, because we're from Atlanta.. and I once paid $125 for a locksmith to unlock my car.. and he was only 3 miles down the road. Anyways, locksmith was on the way, and the deputy left after we walked to a friend's (Jess' manager, actually) apt.

And hour and half, later the locksmith arrives. A 70 year old man. Yep.. 70 years old. He told us. The deputy was also driving back by to check on us, and stayed until we were in (which was going above and beyond if you ask me). So the very nice old man, who did not seem to be aware of our nieghbor,s as he banged and clinged and drops keys on the ground when they didnt work. He informs us there is no getting into this door.. so he tries the patio door. Picture it... porch railing much higher than a normal rail, that even my athletic girlfriend had a hardtime climbing over... somehow he managed to stumble over it without breaking anything.. YAY! :) hahaha.

Within 5 minutes, he had the lock picked. And we were in. Thank God, and the nice old man, and the deputy. We paid the man, and he and the deputy stood outside for at least 20 minutes, discussing all tools and equipment he had. :)

Our babies were ecstatic... and Tee-Tee'd for a long, long time.

If you made it this far, you deserve some pics! Unfortunately, it did not occur to me to take pics of our frustration last night... sorry! *Note to self... must take more pictures for blogging purposes!*

[caption id="attachment_619" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="On the way to class.."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_620" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="Leaving the shoe store, possibly where the apt keys are =/"][/caption]

Jess bought Halloween costumes yesterday... here's a sneak peak!

[caption id="attachment_621" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="Mango-pango.... The Fireman!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_622" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="Kiwi-girl .... The Ladybug!"][/caption]

New Love... Pinterest!

2011-09-23T15:55:00.000-04:00

So I am having a serious love affair with... Pinterest :) This site is so awesome..

Everyday I find more and more projects I want to make. I am contemplating quitting school and work.. just to do these things with my momma.

Here are a just a few of my favorite things.

[caption id="attachment_610" align="aligncenter" width="295" caption="Magazine Vase made by gluing coiled pages of magazine to a balloon.. then bursting the balloon once glue is dry."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_611" align="aligncenter" width="192" caption="Fabric covered styrofoam... cheaper than Canvas!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_612" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Cinnamon Roll Pancakes :)"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_613" align="aligncenter" width="176" caption="DIY play kitchen!! Making this for my BFF's little girl's Bday in October!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_614" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="This is the one I am modeling the one I am making after. I love it!! How cute is the shelf with frame and S & P Shakers!"][/caption]

Pics to come of some DIY... as soon as I can find the time ;)

Tugging at my heart...

2011-09-22T18:18:00.000-04:00

Lately, one of my favorite bloggers, has been having a very hard time. The seemingly perfect marriage she thought she had just crumbled into pieces. I have been following along with her for quite some time, and watching it unravel, has broken my heart everyday. The other day, I checked in to see how she was, and it was gone. Just like that, her whole blog disappeared. She had stated that she wouldnt take it down because it was also her journal. I was completely crushed. Not only for her, but I didnt want to miss out on seeing her survive this. Its funny, how we get attached to blogs we read daily. Like books or tv, you get attached to the characters, and you want to see what happens next. I dont like to see people hurt, so when they do, I want to see them overcome. I cant tell you how excited I was when I checked in with another blog tonight, and found the new link to blog I had been looking for. Super excited. Although, her life is still in shams now, she is taking control and moving on. Yay for her! :)

On another note, reading her blog, makes me think of Jess. We have a damn-near perfect relationship, we never argue about anything bigger than her lack of cleaning ;) thats nothing compares to the lying and cheating thats others deal with. I consider myself truly lucky and everytime I read that blog, I make it a point to make sure I tell Jess how much I love her and that I am appreciative of what she does. I always tell her that I am in love with her and only her, and that should she ever start to question our life, I want her to tell me so we can fix it. She assures me that we wont ever have this problem and she will never leave.... even if we break-up ;) (She has this plan that if we divorce after we have kids, we will remain in the same house and be civil because she doesnt want our kids to suffer and be raised in two different houses. Good plan. She says we will suck it up for the kids.. and then eventually she will work her way back into my room ;) man, I love her.) Lately, she has been helping me a lot with homework... I work full-time and travel further to school than her.. I am overwhelmed. She stays up with me and reads to me when I am too tired to read for myself. So I dont say anything about her not cleaning.. I just do it when I have the time. I figure its the least I can do for all the other things she does for me. And guess what.... no arguing. Win-Win! Plus, she always does little things, like puts gas in both cars, brings me lunch/breakfast to work without me asking usually, and she ALWAYS rubs my back when we go to bed. Needless to say, I am spoiled. :) Plus, I just got a new Vera Bradley purse and wallet on her birthday.. how awesome is she!!

Dont take the one you love for granted. Cherish each day like it was your last, even if it means, dishes arent washed and clothes arent folded. Yesterday, we had a date day and may have gotten behind on homework .... oh well ;)

[caption id="attachment_606" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Shell & Bake"][/caption]

9.11 Never Forgotten.

2011-09-11T09:40:00.000-04:00

I know its been a while since I've posted and there's so much to catch up on: starting my program, moving to our new apt only to have to move again (say what?!), so so much more. I think about needing to blog everyday and I check my most-read blogs EVERYDAY... sometimes twice a day ;) But today is not the day to catch up on us...

Today, we remember the tragedy in our country 10 years ago today. We remember those who lost their lives, those who gave their lives, and all the families that carry the burden of worry and loss. We are thankful for those who are willing to put on that uniform and fight for strangers and lay down their lives. 9.11 always puts life in perspective for me, and reminds me that my problems are quite trivial in comparison for which I am truly thankful.

In 2010, I posted this 9.11 blog and remembered all this sadness of that day. Every year, I watch the coverage again on YouTube, with all the music tributes, and every year it makes me cry again. I watch it because its hard and its sucks.. and sometimes that's the only way to really be reminded. We may talk about 9.11 day to day in a casual conversation, but nothing brings back that day like seeing the planes and towers collapsing. All the smoke and ash. And those fire fighters... ahh that gets me every time I see it. God Bless them.

Today, when I finally woke up (slept late because I have been getting up at 6am everyday for last few days!!) I turned on tv to find the coverage. All that is on is the revealing of the memorial, which is beautiful. I love how the memorial was built downward instead of upward. I read somewhere that in the aftermath when everything was settled, the ground almost seemed as if it was sunk in.. that it was very eerie at Ground Zero and seemed always quiet. So it seems fitting that they would build it the way they did. The waterfalls are so beautiful and peaceful.

[caption id="attachment_592" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="9.11 Memorial at Ground Zero"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_598" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="USA - Ariel view of Ground Zero"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_594" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Cross at Ground Zero"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_597" align="aligncenter" width="309" caption="Boston Memorial (where the planes were hijacked from)"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_599" align="aligncenter" width="273" caption="What the Future Holds for Ground Zero"][/caption]

God Bless America.

Poor Mango-pango

2011-08-12T02:32:00.000-04:00

Today, we had Mango neutered. :(

We dropped him off early this morning for his surgery. We were so worried about him not waking him because he is so little and an applehead. Correction.. our little man is not so little. They weighed him and he now weighs 8 lbs. I cant believe it. He looks so tiny but I guess he has more muscles than we thought. ;)

Anyways, we picked him this afternoon and he looked so pitiful. He couldnt even keep his eyes open. We took him from the nurse and he cried so loud. She assured us he was not in pain, that dogs just react that way with so much pain med. Jess rode in the backseat with him on the way home. He slept sitting up next to her the whole way. She even got mad at me saying I drove too fast and that it was bothering him.. lol.. shes such a worry momma.

So of course when we got home, we couldnt put him in his bed so we laid down with him in our bed to keep watch over him.

[caption id="attachment_583" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="Trying to give him water, but he just slept."][/caption]

Mango scooted to the end of the bed, so of course Momma J and Kiwi followed. They laid down there with him and watched tv while he slept so peacefully, all snuggled in a nice & warm blanket. :)

[caption id="attachment_585" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="Kiwi watching over her little brother"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_586" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Recovery with a little tv watching, bone chewing, & sleepy snuggle time with Momma."][/caption]

After only 2 days of resting in our bed, he was up & running like a crazy man! He has calmed down a lot and his urge to mark everything outside is almost non-existant, which is why we wanted the surgery done. Now walking the dogs is a much faster process because Mango doesnt need to mark every tree & every blade of grass.

[caption id="attachment_587" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="Standing in his bed on top of his crate looking out the window :)"][/caption]

Random Facts #1

2011-08-09T09:00:00.000-04:00

Recently I read, on my absolute fav blog, that if you want people to read your blog, you have to be real. Well, I don't think many people read this.. at.. all & this makes me very sad. So in efforts to be real and raw, we are going to do try some posts with random facts about us. Ya know, the kind of things you try not to tell people, like singing obnoxiously loud in the car pretending you are in your own music video.. or dancing randomly throughout the house when no one is home. Having full conversations with your dog, or yourself (which ever you prefer).

We will start with weird things we eat.. This will mostly be about me I guess.. Jess is pretty normal in the food department. In my defense, I am allergic to most fruits & vegetables. I dont eat salads or anything that goes in the salad, well except the meat, cheese, & dressing. ;) Terrible I know. I eat green beans, corn, & potatoes, but lets be honest.. if it comes out of can, it probably isnt healthy anyways. While I like some fruits, I cant eat them because it makes my mouth & throat swell, while causing ulcer-like bumps that hurt like hell for days. That being said, sometimes I cant resist frozen grapes (yes i put them in the freezer which makes bite-size popcicle grapes. YUM!) & will suffer through the pain.

So here's a list of weirdness..

- Let's start with my lunch today, which inspired this post.. Hot Dog Salad. Much like a chili cheese dog, except I cut it up and mix it up. I put corn on top and crush a few plain chips on top, I am not really sure why except thats how my momma made it. :)

Continue with list, I eat...

mustard in my grits (with eggs of course)

mayo on my cornbread

mayo on my crackers for vegetable soup

bbq sauce in my corn

ranch dressing on spaghetti (I dont eat it often, but I like it.)

honey on fried chicken

strawberry jelly on hashrowns

When I was younger, my mom made peanut butter, mayo, & sugar sandwichs. Wow thats digusting, but it tasted good.

Just FYI, My Aunt puts mayo in her mashed potatoes.

Even I think the stuff I eat is weird, but as I recalled these things, I remembered watching someone else do it, which I why I tried it. So I guess I know at least one other person who does these same things.

For fun, but not weird.. I LOVE CAKE BATTER & BROWNIE BATTER... more than the actual cake or brownie. :)

Jess cant think of anything weird she likes, so we may have to continue hers another day.

Have a Great Day!

Bummed out =/

2011-07-22T18:07:00.000-04:00

So we have been house hunting. We found 2 great houses. We were very excited about them both. We finally got in touch with a realtor and went to see them. The houses were both old, but still cute with tons of space! One of them even had a pool!! :)

The first house was a short sale, if you dont know.. it absolutely does not mean SHORT SALE.. as in we could move in a short amount of time. It means more like we could put in an offer and wait and wait and wait for the bank to respond. Since its bank-owned property, they are most likely not going to fix ANYTHING that may be wrong. But for a 4 bed, 3 bath house with a basement, screened in porch, and pool with wrap around deck, fenced in yard for the babies of course, we thought this might just be worth the wait. But the location was a little out of the way so we let go of that idea.

Next, we saw the most perfect house. 3 bed, 2 bath with a bonus room not even mentioned in the listing :) Fenced in yard with a neat little insulated shed out back. PERFECT LOCATION. Under the our budget price.... so we put in an offer. This house has been on the market for 100+ days, we were sure we would get the house. BUT... someone put in another offer. UUGGHH! However, our bid was higher. YAY! Then we find out that this house cannot qualify for our FHA loan because its "unlivable". WHAT?!?! How can this be? I love this house. I already remodeled it in my mind, and I decorated. I told the babies they would have a big back yard for them to play in. I adjusted my dislike of the baby blue tile in the guest bath (hey it was built in 1960.. we are judging the tiles ha!) to loving the baby blue tiles because it was unique. I accepted that there was not a big tub in the master like I had hoped for, hell theres not even a tub, just a shower big enough for 4 people to shower in comfortablely (which I thought putting in a garden tub would be easy since the shower is HUGE). I saw my master with a new king size bed, a Cars room (Jess was especially thrilled about that), a scrapbook room/office, some new appliances. I made this little house a gem, and the stupid bank ruined my whole dream in one phone call. UGH!

We have continued looking for other houses, but I am completely discouraged now. I feel like there will always be something in the way. I was told not to fall in love with a house because we just started this process and it will be a hard road with a lot of bumps. blah. blah. blah. too late. I ready to say screw the houses, find me a 3 bed apt and just keep paying rent that would be double a mortgage. >=/

Pity Party of One? Um yes please.

Scrapbook Expo!

2011-07-14T19:36:00.000-04:00

Lately we have been really getting into "wanting" to scrapbook. I say "wanting" because we havent actually started yet ;) It takes a long time, and it takes even longer to get enough stuff together. Its EXPENSIVE! So as my mom & Aunt Kathy tell me... "You only buy when you have a coupon!!" it takes a while to wait for coupons and then go shopping, especially since our tiny town doesnt have scrapbook stores! :( Over the past few months, we have been stocking our "Cars" guest room with scrappy supplies, making it a craft room too!

So last weekend, we went to the Scrapbook Expo! My mom and & Aunt Kathy are big time scrappers, and have been for a long time. So needless to say they have E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G! And they know how to do everything, and have ideas on how to do it cheaper :) We started out using moms stuff, but driving home to scrap was getting expensive and there wasnt ever enough time.

So we bought our own Cricut Machine:

*This is a pic from google. I havent taken a pic of ours yet!*

What the Cricut can do:

How cute are those flowers?? I love flowers and bling!! Thats all I was looking for at the Expo. I also LOVE mini-albums!! I cant wait make a mini album of Kiwi & Mango! I also found this super cute 2011 mini album that I want to use for graduation. I got lots of cute stuff... check it out!

[caption id="attachment_388" align="aligncenter" width="293" caption="stickers"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_389" align="aligncenter" width="310" caption="Mini Album & Prima FlowerButtons & Glitter"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_390" align="aligncenter" width="257" caption="Blngy!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_391" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption="Desktop Carousel"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_397" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="Now my carousel has stuff in it!"][/caption]

While we were shopping I found a wall mounted organization rack with magnetic board for little tins that would hold the bling. It was $30! And I didnt really want to pay to that much. Kathy suggested I buy little wedding tins, glue magnetic dots on them, and put them on a decoration cookie sheet! Which is exactly what I did, except I used a white marker board (it matched what was already on my wall!).

[caption id="attachment_394" align="aligncenter" width="465" caption="DYI Bling Organization!!"][/caption]

More scrapping & DYI projects to come! :D

Porch Lights On

2011-07-06T20:11:00.000-04:00

All over the country hearts were broken yesterday, when the verdict in the Casey Anthony trial was revealed. Although we dont understand why these things happen, we still have to believe that He has a plan and knows what He is doing.

Rest In Peace Sweet Angel.

You are safe in His arms and will never feel pain again.

You will not be forgotten.

</3

**Updated with poem from Facebook**

RIP Caylee: With duct tape & bags you threw me away, what more is there really left to say? Alone in the woods is where I was kept, for six long months & you STILL haven't wept. "Bella Vita" that's what your tattoo said, not a care in the world, while I lay dead. Every night Jesus rocks me to sleep and makes a promise I know He'll keep, "Don't worry, everything will be fine, for in the end vengeance shall be mine" ♥

Kiwi's 6th Birthday!

2011-07-05T09:19:00.000-04:00

Six years ago today, my sweet angel was born. I am pretty sure on this day, I was pleading with my mom to let me get a chihuahua. Yes, I was 19 but I was still living at home. She was concerned that since I worked 40 hours a week, all crazy hours, that a puppy would not be trained or get the love it needed. So we kept thinking and thinking and thinking about it. Mom suggested I get a book on chihuahuas and training them, so I did! I read it cover to cover ;)

4 weeks later, in passing conversation, this guy I worked with mentioned that his mom bred chihuahuas. I dont like breeders that breed heavily, and I didnt want a "puppy mill" dog. I refuse to support such cruelty. He assured me that his mom only allowed 1 maybe 2 litters a year, and that they didn't sell for profit. I still wasnt convinced, so he said I could come visit anytime, unannounced. :) That I liked! He also said "Hershey" (the momma dog) was a princess that slept in the bed with his mom, and she was no "meal ticket"! I liked that even more. So I agreed to $150 for a puppy when it was time.There were 2 puppies: 1 boy & 1 girl. Only 1 problem!! I wanted a girl and his mom wanted to keep the only girl. So I settled for the boy puppy. Well somewhere between then and 2 weeks later when the puppy were weaned, she decided since I was paying, I should have the choice to pick. So we met at Publix (ha! where else would we meet?!?), she put both puppies on the ground for me to see which one I wanted. Both were completely presh! The little girl ran right to me and jumped up on me! The little boy when right back to her. We laughed and decided that she made the decision for us! They called her "Boots" because her paws are white :) She weighed 1 lb and 1 oz. We got in the car and headed to PetSmart! She was so cute and sweet! And .... then.... she threw-up all in my purse!! I just laughed and figured it was great she kept it in my purse and not all over my seat. I bought a collar, leash, bowls, toys, treats, EVERYTHING!! I was ready!

All she needed now was a name. I wanted something bitchy sounding cuz chis are so snotty. I considered Siren, because of the myth of the ships wrecking from the singing. But it just didnt suit her, so I searched the internet for something cute. My uncle suggested something fruity like apple or Kiwi. I was like Kiwi? (thinking to myself) And her little ears perked up and she ran to me. That was that. Kiwi chose me, and chose her own name!! I added Strawberry because every princess needs a full name!!

I prepared myself for her crying at night, but OMGOSH she never stopped! I read somewhere that you should put a 2 liter bottle of warm water, wrapped in a blanket, in there bed with them, because the warmth reminds them of their mom. I also put a ticking clock in there with her because that sounds like a heartbeat. That lasted about 2 hours. All week, she cried ALL NIGHT long. I cried with her, thinking I had made a huge mistake and that she would never stop!! Finally, I couldnt stand it so I put her in my bed and she went right to sleep! Thus began her intense spoiling.

She wiggled her way into my moms heart and eventually started running back and forth between my bed and moms bed. That got old fast cuz she was waking us up constantly! She paws at the covers like shes knocking to get in (she still does it!) so you will lift up the covers and she runs down by your hip and snuggles in. We (Mom) got her a nice crate that is much bigger than needed for a chihuahua and she loved it! We put a pillow, with one of moms old pillowcases, and a big pink fuzzy blanket in it. Mom hates to see a dog in a crate locked up, so she puts a blanket over the front so she cant see them. This gave Kiwi some quiet time to rest without having to "watch over" the house. It works out great! It creates a cave like bed for them. making them feel safe and secure.

Fast forward 3 years>>> Jess comes over for the first time to meet my mom. Jess loves aniamls (duh!) and she tried to sit close to me and Kiwi jumped in my lap and growled at her. HA! Jess tried to let her smell her and wait for her to warm up but Kiwi just kept nipping at her. I found this hilarious! But Jess' heart was broken and she thought Kiwi would never like her. Over time, Kiwi came to love her. Although, if Jess comes toward me to fast or put her hands too close to my face, even for just for a kiss, Kiwi gets nippy. I find this super cute!!

A Home of Our Own :)

2011-07-03T16:11:00.000-04:00

Lately, we have had house fever. We were looking at houses online that we thought we might could afford. Houses with mortgages less than our current rent!! That just made me crazy knowing that we could be paying for a house instead of throwing money out the window renting. My brother has always suggested we look into buying a house. With the market the way it is, this works in our favor. We make decent money with our part-time (possibly full-time soon :) ) jobs and could afford to pay a mortgage a little higher than our current rent, but our most of our money comes from us being students which a lender cannot calculate into "income" because its only temporary. We have been heavily weighing even applying because we didn't know if it was worth it. But tonight I just couldn't stand it anymore, so we finished our app :) Now we wait. We know we may not get approved and that's ok because we are still in school, but its worth finding out what we need to fix if we aren't approved. We have found a TON of houses we love and could live in for the next 5-7 years! We even found some lake property we can afford.. which we are super excited about.

Some of "Our House" wish list!

-4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms. (ya know for future kids ;) )

- Master bath must have Garden Tub!

- large kitchen

-Garage (double would be lovely)

-Inground pool :)

Those are just some of our wants but not needs of course.

"Our House" Must haves

-3 bedrooms with lots of storage

-2 bathrooms

-fenced in yard!! (or at least potential to build a fence)

This is such a big decision in our lives/relationship. We know that we will always be together but buying a house before we are "married" seems backwards. I told Jess maybe we should have a wedding first, but she is thinking that maybe buying a house first will work in our favor later, when she gets ready to change her last name to mine. So we have decided to buy a house first, have wedding, change her name, then go to New York to be legally married. Btw, Yay NY for bringing the country one step closer to Equality for All! Even though getting married in New York wont mean its legal in GA, but it will symbolize committment to a court for legal means. We have read many stories about Gay and Lesbians couples that have had to show evidence of being truly committed so we try to save ourselves some trouble along the way.

Cant wait to see what happens next!!

Happy 4th Of July Weekend!

Graduation 2011

2011-06-17T08:31:00.000-04:00

Last Friday night I graduated with my Associates Degree in Science. In the fall, I will begin working on my Bachelors degree in Health Services Adminstration, which I absolutely can not wait for!!

Random Updates!

2011-06-07T11:05:00.000-04:00

Not much has happened recently.. but here are some facts.

I am graduating with my associates degree in pre-nursing this Friday night! :)

I was accepted into both the HIM and HSA programs, which I am super excited about. Ultimately I am choosing the HSA program. I cant wait for FALL.

I got all A's this past quarter, which makes my gpa a little higher which is always better for nursing school.

Jess and I are both off work for the next 5 days for a little graduation celebration weekend. Plus my mom is coming down for a few days.

We had a lovely day yesterday at a water park. We spent the whole day just me & her with NO PHONES! It was awesome :)

The next few days, I plan on cleaning, graduating, and finding a pool to relax by. Being at the water park spoiled me yesterday and now I NEED to lay out by some water.

Happy Tuesday!!

Something Borrowed :)

2011-05-22T15:05:00.000-04:00

Last week, we went to see Something Borrowed. I have been wanting to read the book since I saw the previews for the movie. Ha. Yes, that's what I do. I wait for the movie to be made and then read the book. It is exactly what I did with The Twilight Series. :) I really liked the movie... although I think the book will be better. I do love Ginnifer Goodwin, she's just so cute and innocent. I especially like her role on HBO's Big Love. The only thing that bugged me during the movies, was the bangs on Goodwin's character... I just wanted to scream Girl, get your hair outta your face!!!! But, thats neither here, nor there. :)

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Best Proposal Ever!!

2011-05-18T11:41:00.000-04:00

Loving that this movie theathre is where I grew up!!

Happy Wednesday!

BFF Date!

2011-05-14T07:33:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we went to see my bestie.... I wrote this BLOG about her. We drove 2 hours north of where we live and she drove 2 hours south of where she lives, so we could meet in the middle. I haven't seen her in probably 2 1/2 years. Last time I saw her I was buying a washer/dryer set from her new in-laws. They were all getting ready to move north and I was getting ready to move south to be with Jess. Anyways.... Jess and I both managed to get the day off :) We had the best time just talking and catching up. We ate lunch with her, her hubby, and her little girl! Her daughter is simply preesh! She is almost 3 and teeny-tiny in size but has BIG personality! She was a tad shy as first and kept giving Jess these evil side glances lol... funniest thing ever! She such an awesome mom and her husband is equally an awesome dad. I haven't been around too many guys that actually help with the child and not just have the mom do everything. He is very-much a hands on DAD! :)

True friendships survive the test of time and distance.

Addicted!!

2011-05-12T12:50:00.000-04:00

(This is our 100th post!!)

My name is Shirrell... And I am addicted to my iPhone!

Seriously, I never put my phone down. I can't even watch TV anymore without being on my phone. I don’t enjoy the show because I don’t keep up with what is going on. Jess really hates this, too. Although I don’t believe she has room to talk, Seems to me she is always on her blackberry or the iPod touch. Plus, we are both addicted to Words with Friends. Enough said. I feel like I am always checking my email, my grades, Facebook, etc. I told her last night that I wanted to be unplugged, while we ate and watched our shows. I didn’t make it 30 min! I feel like I get bored with the show and I need to “just check something really quick!”

But I love my iPhone. :)

My other addiction is nbc's The Voice :) Vicci Martinez is by far my favorite. Her voice is so beautiful and raspy. Plus, she's one of us ;) The premier night, I was on the phone with my mom and she asked if I was watching it. She always watches stuff like this but I hardly ever do. I turned it on just when she asked me and of course Vicci was on... I was like "omg shes gay :)" I realize that its stupid to always point out if someone's is gay, But I figure if the whole world is doing in a negative way, might as well be some of us that point and smile. :)

HIM or HSA?

2011-05-05T18:17:00.000-04:00

What the heck is that?

So recently I received a letter from a college I applied to for nursing. Well... I didnt get into the nursing program.. something about my core not being completely done. I think maybe they denied all the students not completely done because they had SO MANY applicants. I mean 800 people applied.. and they only take 60 I think? Anyways, they sent me a letter saying I met all the other requirements for a few other programs and I should look into them.

HIM or Health Information Management... I am not too sure what this means.. but from what I goo.gled, I am thinking an office job dealing with medical records and patient history, with saleries from $37,000-161,000. WHAT?!? Uh yes please! The college even has it listed that more than half their graduates start out making $55,000, and within 5 years they are making $65-75,000. Umm.. I think I can do that and forget nursing. I mean I can still be in healthcare with this :)

HSA or Health Services Administration... I feel like its almost the exact same as HIM. And the pay is just about equal. I cant find the exact difference yet.. but I am still researching..

Umm... did I miss something? All I have heard since high school is nursing is the only way to go in healthcare. But these sound like great jobs.. in fact.. a little too good to be true. =/ It even says these fields are tripling each year. Next Wednesday, I am meeting with an advisor about the HIM program and I am going to figure exactly what it is. I also want to know exactly what needs to happen for me to get in :)

>Day 30 of 30.

2011-04-29T23:58:00.000-04:00

>A Picture

We have successfully completed our first blog challenge!! While this was fun and interesting, I am glad it is over!

Pride '08

Back when it all started :)

>Day 29 of 30.

2011-04-28T23:17:00.000-04:00

>3 Wishes

1. We wish to find the most perfect jobs with perfect schedules to raise a family.

2. We wish to find the best house we can afford meeting all our needs.

3. We wish to legally wed with full benefits and cross-adopt our future kids in GA asap!

>Day 28 of 30.

2011-04-27T20:16:00.000-04:00

>Something That Stresses You Out

Well being that I am the worrier of this household, I tend to let everything STRESS me out!! But nothing, stresses me out as much as SCHOOL and trying to figure out what I am going to do with the rest of my life. I didnt get in to nursing school yet, and some days I am not even sure thats what I want. I have looked into other degrees such has Health Care Administration or Health Information Management. Both seem like nice office jobs with nice pay and schedule. I am also thinking about Public Service moving toward social services and counseling. SEEEEE this is why I stress. I try to just pray about it and let go & let God. :)

Time will tell.

>Day 27 of 30.

2011-04-26T23:43:00.000-04:00

>Pets

Of course our pets are actually our furry-children :)

Kiwi- Is our little princess. She is delicate and danity, perfers to cuddle in the bed with her mommas. She doesnt play as much as she used too because shes just too much of a princess for that. Although every morning when we wakes up, she gets a spirt of energy and runs all through the house with the little yellow giraff. This is by far the cutest thing. In the morning, she also lays on her tummy with her back legs stretched out and drags her body across the floor, super cute! She spends most of the day curled up in our covers, napping or giving herself a mani-pedi. :) She likes the sweaters/dresses we put her in but she lets us know when she has had enough and we take it off for her. Otherwise, she will try to wiggle out of it getting her legs stuck in the neck part.. lol.. Kiwi is "my" baby. She is just like me: moody & bitchy. When I leave for work, Jess says she just waits by the door or gets in her bed till I come back. *sad*

Mango- is all boy. He is rough and lacks grace. He hides all his toys and bones under our bed or under the couch. Mango isnt much of a cuddler.. sometimes he lays down with us.. but only for a second before hes up and running through the house terrorizing some stuffed animal!! When he eats, he carries the food under our bed to eat, as if its his own personal club house. Mango is Jessica's "baby".. he is just like her. Silly and sweet, and ALWAYS wanting to play. He always has to be first just like her. He does have a not so sweet side when he has a new bone or arbys wrapper.. lol.. he will hide with his new found treat and growls and snarls if he even look like you want his treat. We call this Evil Mango.

>Day 26 of 30.

2011-04-26T12:15:00.001-04:00

>Picture of Your Family

not the best picture because its very difficult to get squirming chihuahuas to be still :)

And my family before Jess.

I believe I was seventeen (so young) in this picture.

My brother, me, my niece, and my momma.

>Day 25 of 30.

2011-04-25T12:15:00.001-04:00

>Favorite Memory

I dont think I can list just one memory :)

1. Surprising Jess in SC for her tournament game is probably my most favorite memory. The look on her face when she saw me across the court is a memory I will cherish FOREVER!! I would do it all again if I had too. It was one of the best days of my life. <3

2, When she told me she loved me. We went to the fair and she wanted to tell me at the top of the Ferris Wheel.. but the atendant sat a man and his son with us. WTF! Plus she didnt have a voice... so she just gave up. After the fair date, she took me home and headed back to school... she sent me a very long text saying that she had never felt this way about anyone and that she was in love with me. Que the awws. I wrote her back and said "really?" I didnt realize that it sounded so bad because I was jumping up and down like a kid in a candy store. I was super excited and deeply in love with her. She of course was thinking that I didnt feel the same and that this wouldnt last now. But I texted her back and said "Good, cuz in totally in love with you too."

3. The first time she kissed me. No details here for this one! But I will say that Jess is very "old school" about relationships and didnt even try to kiss me for almost 2 months. And can I just mention that she slept in my bed every weekend she came home to see me, but never tried to kiss me because she believes in getting to know someone and not just jumping right in. She says there is no reason lesbians should rush their relationships and shouldn't be any different than straight people. This is one of my favorite things about her. Her opinions on relatioships are so solid and reasonable.

>Day 24 of 30.

2011-04-24T18:13:00.001-04:00

>Something You've Learned

I have learned that sometimes you really can love and trust one person 100% of the time. I learned that not everyone cheats or thinks about cheating or talks about cheating. I love that I NEVER question Jess at all. I never have to wonder where she is or what she is really doing. I have learned that even when its hard I cant just walk away or leave. Jess and I have built a life and everything we have is tied together. This is basically a marriage already and all we can do is keep building. We have so many hopes and dreams together that nothing is worth losing it all.

>Day 23 of 30.

2011-04-22T20:27:00.000-04:00

>Favorite Vacation

Last summer we went to Panama City Beach, FL.

For the first time together, read about it here.

Being on the beach with her was amazing even if it was cloudy the WHOLE time..

except the morning we left!

>Day 22 of 30.

2011-04-22T12:12:00.001-04:00

>Favorite City

Seattle, Washington

Although, I loved New York, I have to say Seattle is my favorite.

It's gorgeous. Everything so green and luscious compared to GA. obviously.

I cant wait to visit it with Jess... She will love it too.

The Space Needle is by far my favorite... its just beautiful.

And the view is of course breathtaking!

>Day 21 of 30.

2011-04-21T17:46:00.002-04:00

>Picture of Us

>Day 20 of 30.

2011-04-20T11:36:00.005-04:00

>Nicknames

Well our most obvious nicknames are Shell (from Shirrell) and Bake (from Baker).. we talked about this here. We have tons of cutesy nicknames for each other such as

Baby

Pookie

Pookie Bear

Pookietins ( thats what I call her :) )

Love

Lovey

Sexy Girl

My nicknames:

Shell

Squirrel

Squi-rell

Brain (from my BFF Pinky :) )

Jess' nicknames:

Jess

Bake

"Big Shot Bake!" Which is from her freshmen year in college when she made the game winning shot at the last second. :)

>Day 19 of 30

2011-04-19T12:11:00.002-04:00

>Something You Miss

To keep it light and fun,

I miss being young and not having a job.

Summers that were filled with late night talking on the phone,

and days sleeping till late afternoon.

I miss freedom of no bills and knowing mom would always pay.

I miss Live Wire Mountain Dew :)

I don't know why they don't sell this in GA anymore

but every summer I MISS IT!

I miss skinned knees and bruises

from playing outside.

I miss jumping on my trampoline and swimming all day

from morning till night

because swimming in the dark was

SO MUCH FUN!

I miss skating every Thursday night

or whatever school night was. :)

I miss lame school dances and secret crushes.

I miss candy grams from friends on holidays.

As much as I miss being a kid sometimes,

I love my independence of being an adult ;)

>Day 18 of 30.

2011-04-18T15:15:00.002-04:00

>Something You Regret

Hmmm... Something I regret??

I dont usually regret things I do or say, because I believe everything happens for a reason. I guess the main thing I regret is staying in relationships too long, when I knew I wasnt happy. I tried so hard to make it work, when I was making myself (and my friends) crazy with my insanity. I wanted so desperately to "be in love" that I was ignoring the BIG reason I wasnt happy. If I had know when I was 17-21 that real love was just around the corner, and all I had to do was wait.... man, I would have saved myself a lot of anxiety. Everything I have ever tried to feel for someone, or believed a relationship could be, was all wrapped up one perfect package. Jessica. Sure, we had many many ups and downs in the beginning, but nothing ever worth throwing in the towel. I KNOW we have never lied to each other or cheated on each other.. our relationship has always remained completely trustworthy. This quality was lacking in my previous relationships. So I guess my "regret" was not knowing when to just walk away and let go. The future will never come if youre still holding on to the past. Once I let go... I found my future. :)

>Day 17 of 30.

2011-04-17T11:56:00.002-04:00

>Something You Are Looking Forward To

I think at the moment we are most looking forward to going to the BEACH this summer!!

Aside from that, We are pretty excited about my graduation from my jr college. Haha I dont see much of a point to "graduating" but it very important for Jess & my mom, and it makes me very excited that they care way more than I do. I am just looking forward to the pics of me in my cap & gown looking super cute with mom and Jess. Thats the most important thing to me :)

I am looking forward to transferring colleges and really get started on my degree.

Jess is looking forward to a new puppy... All of a sudden she needs a new baby.. Mango wont let us hold him like a baby anymore and I think Jessica's biological clock is ticking faster and faster. lol.

>Day 16 of 30.

2011-04-16T12:08:00.003-04:00

>Dream House

Our Dream House would have 4-5 bedrooms with 3-4 full baths and a finished basement for the kids to have an extra play area and some extra square feet for living. We would like between 3500-4000 square feet. I would love to have a jack and jill bathroom between 2 of the kids bedrooms. We also want an inground swimming pool and a large fenced in yard for our kids and dogs to play in! Oh yeah and a wrap around porch!

I am in charge of the kitchen because I love to cook! Shell is un charge of the master bathroom! The woman has to have her large tub and closet!

Here are a few pics of what we like!

>Day 15 of 30.

2011-04-15T00:03:00.001-04:00

>A Bible Verse

Revelations 7:16-17

First, The Book of Revelations is my favorite. Most people find this completely weird, but regardless of all the pain and suffering in that book, I KNOW, at the end, HE is coming back! That's why its my favorite. Well... that... and I love the Left Behind: The Kids books. I read them from about 12-22. Amazing books.

I love these verses because of the Kir.k Franklin song "Revolution". At the beginning of the song he says:

The Book of Revelations

Chapter 7:Verses 16 and 17

They shall hunger no more,

neither shall they thirst anymore

And God shall wipe away

every tear from the eye.

That part has always just stuck with me.

>Day 14 of 30.

2011-04-14T12:57:00.002-04:00

>A Picture You Love

Shell's Fav:

I love this picture because it's a genuine kiss.

We werent kissing for the camera or for someone who wont stop staring at us.

It was real.

And this kiss was before we were official,

which I love.

Yes we are at a bar and yes I was a tad* tipsy.

But I remember this perfectly.

One of my best friends took this picture because she said the moment was perfect.

*The guy in the back is not a creeper. lol.

He is a friend who just happen to walk up at the wrong time :)

Bake's Fav:

She loves this picture because

1. It NEVER snows in GA, and it has snowed every year we have been together.

2. It's our little family in the snow on Christmas

3. And because we are in hoodies and jammy pants.. her fav!!

Day 14 of 30.

2011-04-14T12:57:00.001-04:00

A Picture You Love

Shell's Fav:

I love this picture because it's a genuine kiss.

We werent kissing for the camera or for someone who wont stop staring at us.

It was real.

And this kiss was before we were official,

which I love.

Yes we are at a bar and yes I was a tad* tipsy.

But I remember this perfectly.

One of my best friends took this picture because she said the moment was perfect.

*The guy in the back is not a creeper. lol.

He is a friend who just happen to walk up at the wrong time :)

Bake's Fav:

She loves this picture because

1. It NEVER snows in GA, and it has snowed every year we have been together.

2. It's our little family in the snow on Christmas

3. And because we are in hoodies and jammy pants.. her fav!!

>Day 13 of 30.

2011-04-13T12:05:00.001-04:00

>Your Goals

Where we are in our lives and in our relationship, is completely GOAL ORIENTED. We have goals on top of goals on top of goals. We have a lot of wants, and we have somewhat started planning for each of them.
So here goes:

Graduate college

This is probably our biggest goal right now. Jess graduates May 2012, and shes debating on getting her Masters. I am all for her getting it right after graduation if she wants it because its only another year. I "graduate" from my 2 year college in June (2 months away!! :) ) but I am transferring to a 4 year school for the fall, so to me its not really "graduating". But to my mom and Jess this is a major event, in which she has already picked out the cake and sent out invites ;)
I know it seems like I keep changing my mind about what I want to do, but really what I wanted to do never changed. I just didnt know exactly what I wanted to do was called or what degree would be needed. I thought nursing because I could "help" people. But really its shift work, and I'm not helping in the way I wanted. Then I thought teaching because I could help the children, again not the way I wanted. I had always wanted to be a Social Worker, but I was always told "too much work, not enough money". My degree will be in Sociology.

Get Married

We are planning Summer/Fall 2012. We are not going to let the fact that it's not "legal" stand in our way of a beautiful wedding. We are somewhat torn between a church/banquet hall with the tradional ceremony follwed by the reception. Or a nice beach wedding where everything is included for one price. Regardless, we are both wearing beautiful dresses!!

Get Jobs (in our field)

Jess has always known that she wanted to teach and coach basketball. Simple as that.
I want to be a Social Worker specializing in LGBTQ youth, adoptions (this may help us when we try to adopt/foster), troubled youth, Sexual Health Counseling (I hope that falls in there) and just wherever this may take me.

Buy a House

We know exactly what we want and hopefully in this economy, we will be able to afford it. We want 3-4 bedrooms with at least 2 1/2 bathrooms. Jessica's main concern is the kitchen, she wants to design it or at least have it fit all her wants/needs. My main concern is that we have a spacious master bathroom with HUGE tub, seperate shower, and a double vanity. My second concern is that we have an in ground pool, because this is GA and IT IS H.O.T!!

Start a Family

Putting aside my fears of never getting pregnant because of financial strains, we both plan to carry. We want 2-4 kids, especially twins :) We also want to try to foster/adopt. Because I watch too many Crimin.al Minds and L&O:SVU, I worry about having kids in our home with violent issues. I worry about the safety of the other kids and our pets. Pets are usually the first to be abused, and I just wont risk that. So this will take alot of consideration before we do it. With babies and toddlers, I think we will prob just jump right in.

Our mini-goal

is a week vacation on the beach for our 3 year anniversary in July. We have been saving since January and our super excited!! :)

>Day 12 of 30.

2011-04-12T22:50:00.001-04:00

>What you believe

We believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, too.
We believe that He loves us unconditionally, regardless of us being gay.
We believe that our sins are forgiven, just like anyone else.
We believe that we are NOT 2nd class citizens and we DESERVE the same rights as everyone else.
We believe that we should have a right to marry, regardless of what other think or vote on.
We believe that one day (hopefully sooner, rather than later) we will be able to legally wed.

>Day 11 of 30.

2011-04-11T13:53:00.001-04:00

>Favorite TV Shows.

Now this is a fun topic. We LOVE TV!!! We have 2 dvrs and records so many differnt shows. We also have Net.flix to watch seasons of shows we have never seen.

Our Favorites are:

Criminal Minds (Because Shemar Moore is a special kind of sexy ;))
Army Wive.s
Grey's Anat.omy (although lately its not so good)
Pri.vate Practice
Hel.lcats
Sist.er Wives (I find polygamy so interesting, not the compund/child bride kind of course!!)
Law & Or.der SVU
Teen M.om & All the 16 & Preg.nant shows.. even though I usually want to throw the remote at the tv cuz the girls ALWAYS piss me off!!!
Pretty Little Liars
We also like the cupcake & multiples reality shows. haha.
And we have a need to watch E! reality shows like The Kardashians and all their spin-offs, and Kendra and Holly's shows.

Our seasons on DVD we love the most:

Friends
How I Met Your Mother
Gilmore Girls
The Big Bang Theory

What we are watching on Net.flix:

Big Love
The Secret Life of the American Teenager (hehehe)

>Day 10 of 30.

2011-04-10T13:22:00.002-04:00

>Something you are afraid of.

There's so much I am afraid of.

My biggest fear is what could happen to me or Jess, if one of us is really sick or dies. I am deathly afraid of one of us not being able to see the other if something tragic happens, simply because we aren't "married". God forbid something should ever happen, but if shes is in the hospital, I am afriad I wont be able to get to her. I am scared that I wont be "allowed" in her hospital room or to make decisions on her behalf. I think about this all the time and it breaks my heart. I know laws are supposed to be changing and that hospitals dont hold these rules anymore, but still. I worry about always having to defend my relationship to someone or my relationship never being taken seriously in these types of situations. I am so scared that when we have children, if one of us dies, that the other will have to fight to keep the kids we had TOGETHER. I also worry the one left behind will also have to fight to keep the house or any possessions we have together. We plan to have as many legal documents drawn up to protect each other from anyone taking anything from us. The documents/living wills will literally name every single thing so that there is no question. I dont think our families would do anything like this but you never know what a someone will do after losing someone they love. We will name each other power of attorney in all cases and even now list each other as emergency contacts. This is something straight couples rarely have to think about, and its so unfair. I HATE that my life is dictated by people I dont know and dont know me. My right to get married to a woman is MY business and no one else's... but thats another post.

Another fear of mine is that we will never have children. I am scared it will cost us way too much and that we wont be able to get pregnant. Adoption is something we plan to do anyways, but we both want to carry a baby. On that note, I am scared that we wont ever be approved to adopt simply because we are lesbians.

Fire. I have a fear that one day when we leave the house, it will catch on fire. The fur-babies are crated at night and when we are gone, and I worry that they will be trapped if the house catches on fire. Many times when I leave, I make sure the dryer isnt running and that there arent any blankets/clothes near outlets. I try to turn everything off (except the tv with cartoons we leave on for them to have some noise :) ) I cant leave them out of the crate because 1. they might tinkle on my floor, 2. it stresses them out because dogs feel they need to protect the house so they pace the house, and 3. they like their bed, its never a struggle to get them in there. Also with the fire, I am afraid I will lose the few pics I have of my dad. Even though, I have copies and they are loaded to facebook, I still worry. If we are home and there is a fire, I know I will get the babies (and the picture of me and my dad that sits on the shelf near their bed) out with us. I will risk my life to get my babies out.. I wont care if the door handle is hot ( like they teach in school) I am going to get them.

Less dramatic fears: I hate roller coasters. I dont like heights, small spaces, or crowded places (not like concerts or fairs, but stores with too many shoppers or restuarants with so many people you cant think!)

Jess's Fears are simple. She is afraid of flying and death. Her fear of flying is not that the plane could crash, she accepts that. She is afraid of crashing in the ocean and drowning or being eaten by sharks. ( That always make me laugh a little. :) )

>Day 9 of 30.

2011-04-09T12:05:00.003-04:00

Picture of your Best Friend

(other than Jess of course!)

*Pinky & The Brain*

I met Robin (aka Bina) when I was 19, when she got a job a Publix.

We have been through hell & high water... boys, (& girls for me) break-ups, make-ups, parties, drunken nights with tons of drama ;),
work issues like being wrote up for $1000 short in the office cuz of 1 tiny mistake lol,
234786297831 different hair colors, some beach fun, and so so much more.

At work they always made fun of us saying

"when u see one, u see the other" & they called us Pinky & The Brain..lol..

cuz we were always in trouble.

Now we live almost 4 hours apart and havent seen each other in a couple of years.

But I still consider her my best friend, because its not how often you see a bff
but rather the shit you have been through together.

And because when we do talk, its always like nothing has changed.

Plus, since we have matching "Friend" tattoos, I figure she deserves the BFF title :)

>Day 8 of 30.

2011-04-08T10:50:00.003-04:00

>A place you have traveled:

(Other than the surrounding southern states)

Shell has been to:

*I included the World Trade Centers because I was there 5 months before September 11.

*I have no desire to leave the country. I would like to visit Australia one day though.

Possibly even Europe, but I am completely terrified of never being able to come back home*

Bake have been to:

>Day 7 of 30.

2011-04-07T09:47:00.032-04:00

>Movies.

We love movies. There's something about going to see a movie with a bucket of popcorn, drink, and candy!! :) More than going to see a movie we love BUYING movies! We have a ton of movies and several that havent even been opened yet! We both love romantic comedies, but differ on the rest. I usually like scary movies, although lately not so much. I am not into the whole zombie/evil spirits movies that have been taking of the horror section. I like the classics like Freddy, Jason, and Michael. I LOVE the SCREAM movies and cant wait for #4 to come out next Friday! Jess HATES scary movies but she goes with me anyways because she cant bare the thought of someone else being next to me in a theatre if I get scared. She likes what I call "guy" movies, like war types or something set in an old time period (300). And of course she loves sports related movies. I can handle sports movies but I HATE the others she likes.

Some favorites of Ours:

(Yes we are those people!)

*Saw this first time we met*

Bake's Faves:

(We have a CAR.S Room!!)

Shell's Faves:

>Day 6 of 30.

2011-04-06T21:39:00.003-04:00

>A picture of something that makes you happy.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

>Day 5 of 30.

2011-04-05T21:43:00.003-04:00

>Your Siblings

I have one brother and he is 11 years older than me. We aren't that close because we grew up almost separately, as he lived with my dad in one town and I lived with my mom 2 hrs away. But I don't see this as a bad thing... I don't have to talk to him everyday to know that he is my brother. Should I ever need anything, I know I can call him and he will be there to help anyway he can and vice versa. I really think age difference and distance is the only obstacle but not a big deal to me.

My mom is afraid that when she is no longer around, ya know 100 years from now, that we won't keep in touch. One day she began her pleas for us to talk more, first with my brother.
His response: why? if anything happens with her, you'll let me know. :)
They both laughed and she left it at that.
But she had to still try to persuade me to call him more.
My response: why? if anything happens with him, you'll let me know. :)
We laughed about it and she told me those were his exact words and said she could definitely tell we were her kids. :)

I admit I was worried about his reaction to me being with Jessica, but he just took it in stride. This past year her name was actually on his Christmas list. Normally, some of our family members just address a gift card to us both. It meant so much to me that he got her her own gift (even if mom picked it out for him! Lol)

I have always been proud of my brother and this unique bond we share. Distance and time just doesn't matter.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

>Day 4 of 30.

2011-04-04T21:52:00.005-04:00

>Your Parents

My parents began dating around 1974-ish, when my mom was 18 and my dad was 28! ShOcKiNg, I know :) They got married and had my brother, Chris, very, very soon after that. They were married for 2 short years, when they divorced.

My mom went on to marry another man, who turned out to be more of a nightmare than a life-long love. When my brother was 5, her husband hit her. Now my momma is an extremely strong woman and is by no means a "victim". She, of course, hit him back!! She called my dad to come get my brother because she didnt want him there to witness any arguing or fighting of the sort. She had planned to have my dad take my brother for a few days, while she packed their stuff and found a place closer "back home". However, when she called my dad, he knew something was up. And all he said was "That son-of-a-bitch hit u didnt he?!?" (excuse the cursing) My mom said "Yes! But I hit him back!!!" His reply was "Well hell, I knew that" That part of the story still makes me smile today everytime I hear it, or even just think about it. He begged her to let him come get her and Chris, and that he would help them get settled somewhere. Being the stubborn woman she is, she said no that she just needed him to get Chris. When my dad arrived to get Chris, he asked her one more time to come with him. She said she looked around and realized now was the time to go. She threw everything she could into garbage bags and loaded up his truck and headed back toward their hometown, this was quite a long drive. I always say he rescued her, even though she has never needed that. :) Sometime passed and they got back together and got married.... again. They tried continously to have another baby, but the doctors said that she would never have anymore children. *cue the tears*

However God had a different plan for them & 5 years later they were blessed with a beautiful baby girl :) When my mom realized she was *late*, she called my *AUNT KATHY* (who was mentioned in the crafty blog posts!) and all my aunt could say was "OMG YOU'RE PREGNANT!!" My mom did not think this was so because "she couldnt have anymore." But sure enough she was.

My parents divorced when I was 3, but did their best to remain somewhat friends. My mom remarried her true prince charming a few years later. My stepdad was a wonderful man who loved us more than anything. He promised my mom he was always take care of us. 16 months after they were married, he passed away from past Air-Force injury & complications. But he kept his word and he has always provided for us, and even now with college. As if our world was not already turned upside down from his death, my dad passed away 16 months later from lung cancer. We knew he was sick and she knew it was pretty bad. One Sunday afternoon, my dad's "wife" called my mom and said he was not doing good, and she should bring me down to his house. Of course my mom packed up, and we were on our way. I spent the whole day with him. She knew this would probably be the last time we saw him. She made sure to tell my brother that now was the time to say whatever he needed too, because he might not have the chance much longer. We left Sunday evening to head back home, my brother called my mom around 1am to tell her that he had passed.

I was going on a camping trip with my school, and my daddy's last words to me was "I love you & have fun on your trip!!" My mom knew she couldnt tell me about my dad because he wanted me to have fun and not to miss out. When I woke up for school, she said I asked about him, which I didnt usually do. She had to look me in the face and lie. The courage it took for her to do that is simply amazing. For 4 days, she talked to me on the phone from camp and pretended eveything was ok. When I got home from camp, she told me the truth. There was very little time before we were on the road for the funeral.

My mom raised me by herself. She is incredibly strong, loving, open-minded, and accepting. She is truly my best friend. I have always talked freely with her about ALL aspects of my life. I dated guys for quite sometime before realizing I was a lesbian. The first girl I dated my mom just smiled and said "Well, at least you wont get pregnant ;)" We thought it was a phase. When we realized it wasnt, she embraced it and never judged. She welcomed Jess with open arms and treats her just like her own kid. My mom even came to several bball games :)

I read so many blogs about families turn apart when someone coming out. I consider myself truly blessed to have such an accepting mom/family.

>Day 3 of 30

2011-04-03T20:43:00.008-04:00

>Your First Love (posted by Bake)

This post is about my first love. My first love is Shirrell. Even though I had previous relationships before we met, they were nothing compared to what we have together. From day one I knew she was the one! And I know that sounds cliche, but it is true. Before we even met we had too many uncanny aspects that fit together. It was just meant to be from the beginning. When I am with her nothing else in the world matters, it is just the two of us! We can have a whole conversation without even speaking a word to each other. I have never known a more compasionate caring person in my whole life. She will do anything for the people she loves, and I am so grateful that I am one of those people. Shirrell brings out the best in me and I think that is what love is all about. She loves me because of all my flaws and not despite them. She treats me like a princess, even though I am the "boy"! I love everything about her. Even on the tough days, I couldn't imigine being with anyone else. She is the sun in my sky and I would do anything for her. I wouldn't be the person I am today without her. I love you my Butterfly! Forever and Always.

>Day 2 of 30.

2011-04-02T11:58:00.001-04:00

>Meaning behind your blog name

The story behind our blog name is quite simple. Its our trademark :) We write Shell & Bake on EVERYTHING! My mom even had me a backpack purse made with Shell & Bake embroidered on it.

Shell- is a nickname for Shirrell. When my niece was a baby, she couldn't say my name.. it always came out Shell. So it stuck. All through my teenage years most of my friends called me Shell, along with any other nickname they could make-up, including Shay-rizzle.. but thats another story. :)

Bake- is Jess nickname from basketball, short for Baker. We LOVE her nickname, especially since it's part of how we met.

Sidenote: Now that the basketball season is done, she is playing intramural softball. This year the team had shirts made with their names & numbers on them. Of course her shirt says BAKE 23 on it, but she had me one made that says Bake's Girl 23. Awww. :)

>Day 1 of 30 Day Challenge!!

2011-04-01T12:32:00.003-04:00

>Introduce, recent picture, 15 interesting facts

This is more of an introduction to how we met.
We met in the summer of 2008. We actually met on Myspace. HA! We don't usually tell people that. I had just quit my job and was coming to terms that I was a lesbian. I had "dated" girls before but never actually been in a relationship with a girl. I was just curious to see what a real, fully committed lesbian couple looked like, so I browsed all the lesbians in my area. I was not looking for anyone to date at all. But I found Jessica.. whose screen name was Bake. Now I had no clue what that meant and was beyond curious.. plus she was boyish and pretty :) In her pic was her and a girl hugging, so I assumed they were together, exactly what I wanted to find. So I read her page only to determine that her page sounded exactly like MINE.. well.. minus playing basktball. And she was single!! The pretty girl in her pic was her *roommate* YAY! Now I dont know why I was excited.. haha I was NOT about to meet/like/date/anything with this stranger from the internet. But I requested to be her friend anyways. :)
12 hours of myspace messages turned into teaching her to download yahoo messenger turned into days/nights of talking which turned into the discovery that her aunt lives 10 min from my mom and her mom was moving into a house about 20 min from my mom's. We met in a Publix parking lot and the rest is history :)

Getting ready for work!

Jess going to a bball banquet.

15 Interesting Facts!

1. I am left handed & Jess is right handed.
2. I have to brush my teeth with hot water & Jess has to have cold water!
3. I really like the edges of fresh baked cookies because its crunchy while Jess likes the gooey center.
4. I have to sleep to something I really like or I will wake up constantly.. and now she has developed my habit.
5. Jess HATES feet!!!
6. We both love it cold in the house and we rarely turn on the heat... well except the little heater for the babies.
7. I got my first job when I was 15... and Jess is starting her *first* job next week at 22.
8. I have NEVER played any sports and Jess has played almost EVERY sport.
9. We are addicted to way too many tv shows and
10.We are "old". We dont go out and we prefer to be home watching dvr & snuggling.

11. We treat our chihuahuas like children and believe they understand everything we say to them.
12. I have recently decided if I dont get into nursing school.. to go to Jess' school for the same degree as her but use it completely different.
13. I have developed a crafty nature in the last couple of months and my mom couldnt be happier. :)
14. My all-time favorite baby name since I was 12 years old was Jessica Lynn .... which is her name.
15.Jess is always making random songs/dances that she does constantly until it actually stays stuck in my head. Example: She says I am her butterfly (we still dont know why that started). We call it each other Pookie. One day when I was mad about something, she tried everything to make me laugh. She started singing "Pookie Wookie Butterfly" phrase over and over and over and over. So now anytime I aggravated about something, she starts singing. I cant help but laugh because its just so silly. :)

>April 1st! 30 Day Challenge

2011-03-29T11:10:00.002-04:00

>This Friday I am going to (at least attempt to) participate in my first ever challenge! :)

Here it is:
Day 1- (April 1) Introduce, recent picture, 15 interesting facts
Day 2-Meaning behind your blog name
Day 3-Your first love
Day 4-Your parents
Day 5-Your siblings
Day 6-A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 7-Favorite movies
Day 8-A place you’ve traveled to
Day 9-A picture of your friends
Day 10-Something you’re afraid of
Day 11-Favorite TV shows
Day 12-What you believe
Day 13-Goals
Day 14-A picture you love
Day 15-Bible verse
Day 16-Dream house
Day 17-Something you’re looking forward to
Day 18-Something you regret
Day 19-Something you miss
Day 20-Nicknames
Day 21-Picture of yourself
Day 22-Favorite city
Day 23-Favorite vacation
Day 24-Something you’ve learned
Day 25-Favorite memory
Day 26-Picture of your family
Day 27-Pets
Day 28-Something that stresses you out
Day 29-3 Wishes
Day 30-a picture

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

3 days of crafting with Mom :)

2011-03-24T20:18:00.002-04:00

Since we are on spring break the last few days were spent at my moms.

Jess packed the car, loaded up babies, and picked me up from work at 7 on Monday,
so we could be on the road to moms asap.
We had planned to work on ALL of our projects including
Jess's bball collage, our Hers & Hers mirrors, a decorative photo wall mount,
and a new ribbon book I bought.
However,
we only finished the collage.
Haha.
We were lazy Tuesday and spent too much time shopping on Wednesday.
We also wanted to try making cake pops.
I saw these on a few blogs here and there,
and thought they were too cute not to attempt to bake them myself.
We ran out of time for that, so I packed up all the stuff needed (including several of
Mom's things) to make them when we got home today.
Btw, since I have become so nesty and crafty lately,
I have all these ideas of things to make or bake.
Now I realize how expensive my ideas could be since I dont have anything
to attempt to create anything with.
The best thing having these is ideas is that my mom has been having these ideas for that last
15 years or so.
:)
She has a craft room with enough supplies for scrapbooking, stamping, baking,
cake decorating, candy jar making, & any other craft.
It is my personal belief that SHE could supply every Hobb.y Lobby or Mich.ael's
within a hundred mile radius. lol.
It doesnt matter what I say looks like fun to make or bake,
she has the supplies. It may even be something she hasn't tried to make or bake
but "it was on sale and she had a coupon and well she only paid $0.50 for it in the end".

(This idea occurred about a month ago!)
I have always wanted to stamp with markers but I have never really understood the process of it
and my mom doesn't do it.
I tried endlessly to explain it to her but she didnt know exactly what I wanted to do.
So we called my aunt (who equally owns as much craft stuff as mom) and she
had some ideas as how to go about it.
We shopped at some craft stores to see if I liked anything because
I didnt just wanna jump into it and buy a bunch of stuff.
Mom says she "thinks" she has a few things at home that I might like and
I could play with it before I start really buying stuff.
We go home and search the craft room, (and by craft room I mean converted garage with tons of space!)
She pulls out 2 totes FULL of stamps, stamp blocks, ink (Mart.ha Stewa.rt ink at that),
all kinds of stuff.

Me: *Laughing* Where did you get all this?? You dont even stamp!!
Her: Well it was on sale.. I paid like a $0.50 for it. :)
Lol.
This never ceases to amaze me.
But it always works out in my favor!

This is the collage we have been working on for Jess.
Each letter is cut out (using a c.ricut) and then glued by hand..
more time consuming than I had antispated.
But so worth it.

*edited info*

This is a random online pic of the cake pops.

I can't wait to go back to mom's to finish the rest of my projects!

Being at Grandma's makes little chihuahuas very tired.. they slept the whole way home and
have been napping since we got here!!

In the crate on the way home.
*Mango IS the big pink hump Kiwi is resting on*

Sleeping beside Momma J on the couch.

*SNORING*

>Sunday March 6, 2011

2011-03-18T12:18:00.001-04:00

>In the 2 & 1/2 years that Jess and I have been together, I have rarely missed a basketball game. Last year, I was lucky enough to have someone to go to almost every single game with. This year, with work, I was only able to go to the home games and a few away games. It was hard for me to miss games, especially since it was her senior year... her last year to play... ever. That being said, I forgot about going to the conference tournament. I guess in my mind I was just thinking about the season being over.. Nevermind the fact they were going to the tournament. I didnt ask off for work, so I miss the first 2 rounds of the tournament. Well needless to say... they won!! Of course they did... why wouldnt they?!? :)

So I'm driving to work on Saturday (the 5th) and she calls to tell me all about the game. Fortunately, I was able to watch both games online.. Thank God! So I did see them.. And she said ...

"I wish you could have been here for this"

And thats when it all clicked.. I wasnt there. I didnt see it in person. All the games I hadnt missed before came down to these last few games and I missed them. WHAT?!?! My mind started reeling uncontrolably. All I could think was I am going to South Carolina tomorrow. I wont miss THAT game. Unfortunately, I was scheduled to close the next day. Dammit. So now I'm carrying on a conversation with Jess about how great she did (only half listening to her haha... sorry baby.) and trying to figure out how I'm gonna pull this off and surprise her. I sent out a mass text message to all my friends, praying someone would go with me. And luckily, someone was available to go!! :)

Next problem.. was work. How the hell was I gonna get out of work?! Only certain people can do what I do.. so it wasnt like they could just call someone in to cover for me. eeeek! So I walked into work and the conversation went like this-

Me: Umm... so I cant work tomorrow... who's working for me?!? :)

In the sweetest voice I could possibly manage.

Of course they knew right then it was about basketball.

And my totally awesome mgr says:

I'll help anyway I can.

Just get the shift covered and I'll approve it.

Now I just had to find someone to work for me... hmmm. At this point I was ready to pay someone to cover my shift. Fortunately, one to many office staff were scheduled, so my amazing team leader worked for me. :)

They love me.

So Jess has no idea... how much begging and pleading and worrying I was doing to make sure I could go. She had no idea I was even trying to come. So Sunday morning I woke up early to get ready and get on the road. I wanted to talk to her but I needed her not to suspect anything because I do NOT get up early ...ever. Our dogs even sleep till noon most days! :) So I told her my allergies were killing me and I couldnt sleep. Worked like a charm. I also knew she would call me before she had to be on the floor to warm-up and I knew that she would be able to tell I was driving.. so I decided to tell her I was going to get me something to eat...and when she called... that little lie also worked like a charm!!

So we get to the game, find her mom, and sit 2 rows behind her. I knew eventually Jess would look up in the crowds for her mom.. so I figured she would see me. NOPE! Not once did she look up.. apparently she only does that when I'm there. She never saw me. Not even during half time.. when she shooting to warm up.. she always makes sure I'm watching her. I assumed she would look for her mom then. NOPE! So I watched the rest of the game.. clapping and yelling.. and sitting on pins and needles when the score got to close. It was super close for a while.. but in the last minute or so they scored like 13 pts. Yay!

So they won the conference championship!! A first in the years Jess had been there... so it was a VERY big deal. And definitely something I was glad I didn't miss. The team gets their trophy & t shirts, and start taking a million pictures. And she still never looked for her mom which means she still didnt see me. lol. Her mom was making her way to the floor to take pics... I watched a few more minutes from my seat and enjoyed seeing her so happy. She was ECSTATIC!! As I was walking down to the floor... she finally saw me!! It was the best picture-perfect moment. She ran across the court to me and wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me so hard!! I was on cloud 9 that she was truly surprised and super happy I was there.

Jess: Pookie, you came!! I'm so glad you're here... it makes it so much better!!

Me: Baby I wouldnt have missed this for anything!!

I feel truly blessed that I was able to be there & that my job is so amazing that they always gave me Saturdays off for the games and never gave me a hard time. I mean I'm only part time.. and my schedule gets very limited because of school. But they were always so great about it! Although, now I feel that I owe them my whole spring break. haha. So I will be working A LOT over the next few weeks.

And if you made it this far in the super long and detailed post... then u you deserve some pictures! :)

Cutting down the net

Jess and Her Mom

>Ahh Finals.

2011-03-15T16:55:00.001-04:00

While I'm studying... I'm thinking of the super big post I want to write about:

My surprise trip to SC to support Jess at the championship game... which they won! :)

Her last game ever ... after 16 years of intense traveling and playing it was bittersweet to say the least!

And some plans for the future!

Blog full of pics to come.

But back to studying microbiology now.

>3-3-2011 :)

2011-03-04T14:05:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was..

I decided to eat at ...

Because their Chips & Salsa-Ranch is my favorite!!

Jess got me this for my birthday...

And the babies got me this...

I really want a new tv for the living room

so thats my "BIG" gift!!

I'm going to Mom's today to work

on my crafty projects!!

Jess is in SC this weekend for the basketball tournament! :)

>This Moment 2-26-2011

2011-02-25T15:09:00.001-05:00

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

>Obsession with picture collages :)

2011-02-18T14:47:00.001-05:00

We are on our way to some craft stores to find some frames

for the huge basketball collage

I'm going to make in honor of Jess's last year!

Obsession with picture collages :)

2011-02-18T14:47:00.000-05:00

We are on our way to some craft stores to find some frames

for the huge basketball collage

I'm going to make in honor of Jess's last year!

>Bake's Senior Year in College Basketball

2011-02-16T19:01:00.005-05:00

There's nothing I love more..

than watching my baby do what she does best!

>Valentine's Day 2011

2011-02-14T22:05:00.002-05:00

>This morning when Jess woke up these were by her side of the bed...

And while she was in class, I did this to her car..

And when I got home from class, I found this...

I love Valentine's Day!!!
I love you Beautiful! I love our relationship and the life we are building!! I never stop being grateful to have you as my love and my best friend!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

>Crutches.

2011-02-06T12:45:00.001-05:00

Jess rolled her ankle last Wednesday during the game.

I put my nursing skills to use while taking care of her.

I successfully managed to help her get in and out of the bathtub

and didnt even drop her.

Ha!

>The day is finally here!

2011-02-01T15:33:00.001-05:00

I HAVE OFFICIALLY APPLIED TO NURSING SCHOOLS.

NOW I WAIT.... 6-8 WEEKS.

*sigh*

A little inspiration :)

>Melts My Heart :)

2011-01-31T18:59:00.001-05:00

There's just something so sweet about seeing your babies sleeping.

So peaceful.

These are the moments that make you forget about

the little accident she had on the floor,

(right after you walked them!!)

or when he steps on your laptop while you're writing a paper,

(and it erases everything!)

Or when they hoard tissues/paper towels

under the bed, shredding them into

a million tiny, tiny pieces,

and then come running out from underneathe the bed

with tissue stuck to their faces,

looking at you innocently like

"what mess?"

"what tissue?"

There's never a dull moment with furbabies!!

>Its Coming 2.10.11

2011-01-29T11:55:00.001-05:00

Existing Verizon customers can pre-order the iPhone 4 on

2.03.11

Yes.

>No Strings Attached for date night.

2011-01-28T20:17:00.001-05:00

Last night we had date night and celebrated 2 1/2 years together.

Jess got me roses took me out to dinner and a movie.

We saw this-

And we loved it!

It was a tad too raunchy for me, but it was very funny.

Natalie Portman shined in this movie.

The messy hair-carefree attitude is a good look for her.

I love date night with my love.

Whether we get all dressed up or just go bummy in our sweats.

Yes. I am the kinda of girl that can rock the bummy look.

I swear Jess prefers it.

She finds comfy pants and messy hair so damn cute.

She is ALWAYS in her basketball sweats & hoodie.

It has to be a special occassion or a request of mine

for her to wear anything else.

Ha ha.

>2 & 1/2 Years!!

2011-01-27T16:02:00.005-05:00

We have been together 2 1/2 years today.

Seems like just yesterday we were texting and pretending

we didn't like each other at all.

Ha!

Even though deep down we were so hoping that the other

felt the exact same ;)

Every now & then I miss the old days of

flirting and butterflies.

I miss the "missing her" days

before we moved in together.

But most of days, I'm so thankful of where we are today.

Like being together so long that people actually believe

its real.

I know we all do it.

When someone says they're in a relationship

we all wait to see how long.

Because I guess the amount of time puts substance in that relationship.. lol.. idk.

So when they say "oh 3 months" you're probably secretly thinking

"pffft... lol... ok"

But when someone says

"we've been together for 2 years"

You will probably validate that relationship much, much stronger.

I love that we know where we stand in the relationship

and that this is forever.

"Legal" marriage or not.

We have started planning now for the hoops

we might have to jump through later on.

We know that at some point Jess will "try" to change her last name to mine.

We also know that the courts will want to see "validated" proof

that our commitment is real.

So we have our past leases and all of our bills in both names.

We have a joint checking account

(to which we pay all bills from)

so that the judge can see that we have already

assumed equal responsibilities for each other and each other's debts.

In any legal paperwork we fill out now,

we always list each other FIRST, as the emergency contact person,

& our parents are listed second.

We try to prepare ourselves for as many issues

that could be thrown at us later.

I realize that not everyone supports gay people or same-sex marriage

but we shouldn't have to "prove" our love & commitment

just because we are both women.

But that's another post for another day :)

Happy 2 1/2 years baby..

I love you always.

>1-1-11

2011-01-01T20:00:00.007-05:00

>Hello 2011!

The past few months have been sooo busy. I had planned to blog on Christmas (since I last blogged on 11-25 and 10-25) but that didnt work out. We had a wonderful Christmas with lots of family time and yummy food and super great presents ;) I got a ring!! Jess got me a beautiful ring with our names on it and our birthstones!! Gorgeous!! And she got the only thing shes been wanting for the past year or so.... PAULA.DEEN cookware. She was so excited when she opened and realized what it was. Presents are lovely... but theres nothing better than being with the one you love and your family.

Recap of 2010:

We went to Hilton Head, SC - A surprise Valentine's Weekend Trip

We added a beautiful tiny addition to our family - our little Mango!

We went to Panama City Beach, FL - first beach vacation for us.

We moved 3 times.. lol

I turned 24 - Jess turned 22

I went back to work at my old job.

Jess got into her Community Health program

And we continued to work toward finishing school!!

I am so thankful to wake up everyday next to the love of my life and lay down beside her each night. There's nothing better than finding true love and knowing that forever really means FOREVER!!

Baby,

You are everything to me and each day I think God for blessing me with you.

I look forward to another year with you and to see what 2011 has in store for us.

Just think we're another year closer to the start of the rest of our lives.

I love you today, tomorrow, and forever.

>Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-25T17:33:00.003-05:00

I am thankful for a wonderful family and a loving girlfriend to share

the holidays and everyday with.

We had Thanksgiving with my mom this past Sunday

because she has to work today.

So today, we made our first Thanksgiving just us.

We made a turkey, homemade mashed potatoes,

homemade mac & cheese,

green bean casserole,

and dressing from Publix ;)

We didnt even wanna try to make our on dressing.

We got yummy pecan pie and pumpkin pie for dessert!!

Happy Thankgiving!

>Trick or Treat! :)

2010-10-25T21:14:00.003-04:00

This may be the cutest pic-- I've ever seen!! :)

Although, I couldnt get a single picture with

them both looking at the camera,

they were amazing at staying

somewhat still.

Kiwi knows to stay put (especially when I have a camera)

But Mango...

is still a baby.

And he NEVER sits still.

It was worth the money spent on sweaters and then 3 pumpkins

just for this pic!!

>Pet Stroller? ;)

2010-10-23T20:00:00.005-04:00

After the breast cancer walk this morning,

we decided that we need to purchase a pet stroller.

We always want to take our babies on these types of walks

or even just to Pride.

But theres no way their little legs can make 3 miles.

Plus, with 15,000 people theres no way

to protect them from being trampled.

We seen so many people with pet strollers for little dogs.

Those little dogs were so happy to be along

for the ride.

I just wonder how long it would take to get

Kiwi & Mango comfortable in the stroller to

sit down instead of trying to get out.

We dont put them in bags or purses.

So this may be really hard, but I think it would be so worth it.

We took Mango to a festival not to long ago,

he loved it!!

But he couldnt walk very long without getting tired.

So we just had to suck it up and carry him.

A stroller would have been awesome!

Something to think about?

>Tomorrow 10.23.10

2010-10-22T12:34:00.017-04:00

We are walking with my mom, my aunt, niece,

little cousin and all my mom's

friends and co-workers, for BREAST CANCER!!!

My mom is a 2 year survivor!!

We are walking for her

"Winky Boob"

as we affectionately call her post-cancer boob.

Its a small way to make light of an extremely scary and painful time

in her life.

Well, all our lives.

My tattoo for Mom.

Her tattoo on her wrist.

that she said,

"Hurt worse than having 2 babies and breast cancer and the two cancer surgeries"

shes a bit dramatic. :D

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On another note...

Tomorrow is also the day my daddy passed away from lung cancer, 15 years ago when I was 9.

I was so young that I dont remember much of him.

I remember little things like riding go-karts with him

every other weekend. (my parents divorced when I was 3).

He always made steak and baked potatoes for dinner

and a BIG breakfast on sunday mornings.

Anyone that knows me,

knows that the way to my heart is through breakfast.

I am NOT a morning person by any means.

BUT!

If you offer breakfast

I'll be your best friend ;)

It has been said by many family members

that if you told me while I was asleep that you were

going to McDonalds or somewhere,

I would immediately say something like
"I want a number 3 with a Dr. Pepper"

I dont know what these people are talking about.

;)

Not much as changed in 15 years..

I still ALWAYS want breakfast!!

I have always had one song that I have dedicated to him

and even have a tattoo on my back for the song and him.

Offspring's "Gone Away"

(I believe I have posted about this before)

But the past few days, I've been stuck on

Reba McEntire's "The Greatest Man I Never Knew"

I think its just the title, really.

Not so much the lyrics.

Except the part that says

"The greatest man I thought could never die, has been dead almost a year"

Daddy's little girl

"Gone Away" Tattoo.

Us at Disney World when I was 2.

>Spirit Day 10.20.10

2010-10-20T16:04:00.004-04:00

Today,

In honor of the suicide victims,

we are wearing are purple.

Purple (Violet) in the gay flag means spirit.

We wear purple to raise awareness against anti-gay bullying.

And to let the kids know that

WE CARE!!

"It Gets Better"

>Date Night at the Fair!

2010-10-14T00:03:00.005-04:00

We went to the Fair tonight and had so much fun.

Although, the older I get, the more the rides have started making me sick!

I used to ride all the spinning rides over and over and over again.

But now, I have to ride them in moderation

and hope I dont feel sick!

After we rode the Tornado (my fav!) I was sooooo sick...

and had a headache.

Im already extremely nervous about the rides and only ride a select few,

it sucks that now Im even more limited!

Jess loves all the rides and ends up riding most of them alone.

Thank God she doesnt mind.

We did get to eat greasy fair food which is always fun ;)

Fried Pickles, Caramel Apples and Cotton Candy!!

Yummm!

>This Weekend is...

2010-10-10T01:51:00.003-04:00

Too bad we both have to work and we're missing it!!!

Happy Pride!

>A Nose In Need...

2010-10-05T18:12:00.003-04:00

Deserves Puffs Indeed...

I'm sick.

I feel awful..

BUT!

My mommy is coming for a visit tonight! :)

>Im Obsessed!! :)

2010-10-03T11:40:00.003-04:00

This is my newest obsession.

I had plan to buy the cheapest ipod I could find, even thought about a refurbished one.

But EVERYONE said this was definately worth the money.

Yea, Right. I dont think any electronic is worth $250.

I was wrong.

ITS AMAZING.

Im in love.

>TV Junkie

2010-09-27T22:43:00.005-04:00

We looove reality tv. We love the shows about big families.. good thing too, because these days almost every show is about multiples and cupcakes! :) That being said, we have a new favorite.

We love this new show Sister Wives. Im very fascinated by polygamy. Not the controlling, marrying child brides kind, but the ones like this show features. I like the way they function as a whole family, treating everyone like their own. What I really like about this family is 2 of the wives wanted plural marriage even without him. It wasnt something they settled for just to be with him. They wanted sister wives as much as they wanted him. One of them even jokes that at times in her life she may have wanted the sister wives more. haha.
This show seemed to raise alot of concern for other viewers as they didnt see it as a moral or suitable show to be aired on TL.C. Oddly enough TL.C stands for the learning channel. So I would think we are supposed to learn from this show. It may not be the way most people want to raise their children or even marry into. But whether or not you like it, it is what it is. The fact is, some people do live like this and function day to day. People always judge what they dont understand. I dont judge this kind of thing, because its not my place to judge. They are living their lives and raising children to believe in themselves and think for themselves. The way they live isnt hurting anyone, and its not up to anyone to say whether its right or wrong. Anyways, I like the show alot. Christine is my favorite, I think. Shes the domestic one that takes care of the house and kids. I like that :)
We like the show, although we dont believe in it for ourselves. We are strictly monogamous.
More TV blogs to come!!

>Can We Pretend That Airplanes In The Night Sky Are Like Shooting Stars?

2010-09-17T13:12:00.005-04:00

I Could Really Use A Wish Right Now

>Where I was the day the world stopped turning 9-11-2001

2010-09-11T11:31:00.011-04:00

On September 11th, 2001, I was in 10th grade in Spanish. I remember teachers coming to the door to tell our teacher what had happened. She checked emails and told us to read to ourselves for a while. We knew it must have been something terrible because everyone in the school was quiet. No one moved. No one spoke. We were finally allowed to change classes and I went to geometry. My geometry teacher was a Christian man, and he cried and prayed all during class. We didn't understand exactly how serious this was at the time. He told if we never remember anything we learned in high school to remember that day and to pay attention as this was history in the making. Our principal made the announcement that "America was under Attack". I was so scared that day, all I wanted was to go home and be with my mom. My mom was working that day and she kept telling everything would be ok and that she would be home soon. But with so many rumors flying around, no one knew exactly what would happened. I grew up relatively close to Atlanta, and out biggest concern was that the Center for Disease Control would be hit next. I watched the news all day. I was actually watching live when the second plane hit the Twin Towers and watched as the crumbled to the ground. We learned that the Pentagon had also been hit and a plane had crashed in a Pennsylvania field. I will Never Forget the horror of that day. I will always remember the courage of all those men and women had that risked their lives that day to save others.

Remember September 11th, 2001

The World Trade Centers, The Pentagon, And Flight 93

>Happy Birthday Baby!! (9-8-10)

2010-09-09T14:27:00.004-04:00

>Yesterday was Jess' 22nd birthday!! I had to work most the day yesterday but we did go out to eat last night. Random story while I was working though: This elderly lady came through my line with a cake for her husband that read "Bake Happy 85th Birthday!!" How awesome is that.. a man also called Bake was celebrating his 85th birthday the same day my Bake was celebrating her 22nd. :) Tooo Cute!!

I hope she had the best birthday ever even though we didnt do much as I was working and she was exhausted from basketball. :)

I love you more than anything else in this world!!

>After the Beach. New Place. New Job.

2010-09-07T18:46:00.011-04:00

>We loved the beach. Although it was cloudy most the weekend, we loved being on the beach for the first time together. We played in the ocean a little bit but mostly swam in the pool because the waves were too rough. We had airbrushed tshirts made that say Shell & Bake! And we had the dogs shirts made too!! The night we got back home, my car was broke into :( my portable dvd player & mp3 player was stolen. They didnt take my gps though... thank God for that. And our front door lock was broke. The landlord said he wouold try to get to it in the next week. Plus, the floor boards in the bedroom has been coming straight up in the bedroom... so needless to say.. we moved out. We were terrified to stay in that house and Jess hating leaving me there alone. We decided that sleeping with a baseball bat next to our bed was not worth $600/month. So we moved. And I LOVE THE NEW PLACE AND FEEL SAFE NOW!!!

I started working this week. Feels almost just like it did 2 years ago when I quit. I hate being the new girl though.. people just stare at me. Uh yes im new. thanks for staring. :) Best thing is Im starting back in the customer service position I left in.... pays good too!! :) I hate being away from Jess though. Our schedules are clashing and were missing each other. Guess thats real life... weve been spoiled for 2 years almost always being together.

Its Tuesday.. And our Tuesdays suck.

Missing my love.

>BEACH - Here We Come!!

2010-08-27T09:35:00.003-04:00

>Today, we are going on our first vacation to the beach together. I havent been to the beach in 3 years, and Jess hasnt been in 4. Were super excited, and cant wait to do the clique things like walk on the beach at night, get airbrushed tshirts, and write our names in the sand. <3 it! So so so so excited.

Unfortunately, our babies are at grandmas this weekend. I couldnt find a single hotel that would allow our tiny 5 lbs dogs. >=/ Not even with a deposit. So last night, we drove all the way home to my moms at almost 10pm. I miss them something crazy, but I know theyre in good hands. i hate the quiet of the house without little pitter-patter of 8 tiny feet on the floors.

Destination: Beach
ETA: 8 pm
=)

>I got the JOB!! :D

2010-08-24T18:38:00.003-04:00

>Yes, its official. I'm going back to Publix. I'm excited. But I'm also already dreading the first basketball game I have to miss because of work. I loooove watching Jess play. And this is her last year to play, as shes a senior. Oh well, I suppose a job is more important in the long run.

Tuesdays suck. Jess starts her day running at 6am with the team. Class at 930. Home for a small break. Class 1230-315. Practice at 5. Class 630-915. That's a loooong day. And I miss her so much when shes gone. Then when she finally gets home, shes exhausted. So Tuesdays suck without her. Not to complain too much, but that leaves me with the dogs to walk, alone... all day. Not that walking the dogs is a pain.. but Mango loves to walk and smell and pee and walk and smell and pee. Kiwi prefers to just lay in the grass. the. whole. time. not so cute when its 100 degrees outside and mosquitos are biting me a million a minute. Plus, Mango is extremely needy and tends to whine when were both not within a two feet radius. Its so sad watching him sit at the front door, waiting for her to walk through the door. :(

The best thing about being home alone all day is napping with the chi-chis. Kiwi loves to snuggle. She would sleep all day and all night if we let her. :D Plus, I can watch whatever I want to watch. I dont have to hear HGTV, ESPN, History Channel, DIY, or whatever else Jess likes that I dont. :p

I just read a blog about Fall. And now Im anxiously waiting its arrival. I hate summer as it is... but to read a blog so detailed about the joys of Fall, is now making me insane.

>20 Random Questions About Me!!

2010-08-23T20:41:00.004-04:00

>1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
- that im a mess, but no class, and no job at the moment... who cares?!? :)

2. Do you miss anyone right now? nah, my love and fur-babies are right here and we had family here for the weekend.. so im good.

3. If you could move anywhere else, would you? somewhere same-sex marriage is legal. or Destin, Fl. :D

4. If you could choose, what would your last meal be? Fajita Nachos.. yummm!

5. What famous person, dead or alive, would you want to have lunch with? haha the cast of the real L word would be so muchg fun.

6. What was the last book you read? hmm my anatomy book. blah... but for fun probably the lovely bones.

7. What was the last movie you watched? letters to God. AMAZING!!

8. What was the last song you heard? Billy Currington's "Pretty Good at Drinking Beer"

9. What's your dream vacation? Hawaii

10. What is the next trip you'll take? Florida I hope!

11. Did you ever go to camp? yep... on a school field trip.

12. Have you ever been in love? Yes. I am now.

13. What do you want to know about the future? what the hell im gonna do with my life. lol

14. Where is your best friend? next to me... playing tetris on fb lol

15. How is your best friend? shes tired... bball is kicking her ass, already

16. Who is the biggest gossiper you know? hmmm my momma. lol.

17. What does your last text message say? "can u help" from jess.. she was home from the store

18. What are 3 things you've always wanted to do, that you still plan to accomplish? 1. Graduate from college 2. get into a nursing program 3. go back to work

19. What is one thing you've learned from your parents? to always be proud of who i am

20. What is one thing you hope to teach your own children? to love freely and always be proud of who they are.

20 Random Questions About Me!!

2010-08-23T20:41:00.003-04:00

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
- that im a mess, but no class, and no job at the moment... who cares?!? :)

2. Do you miss anyone right now? nah, my love and fur-babies are right here and we had family here for the weekend.. so im good.

3. If you could move anywhere else, would you? somewhere same-sex marriage is legal. or Destin, Fl. :D

4. If you could choose, what would your last meal be? Fajita Nachos.. yummm!

5. What famous person, dead or alive, would you want to have lunch with? haha the cast of the real L word would be so muchg fun.

6. What was the last book you read? hmm my anatomy book. blah... but for fun probably the lovely bones.

7. What was the last movie you watched? letters to God. AMAZING!!

8. What was the last song you heard? Billy Currington's "Pretty Good at Drinking Beer"

9. What's your dream vacation? Hawaii

10. What is the next trip you'll take? Florida I hope!

11. Did you ever go to camp? yep... on a school field trip.

12. Have you ever been in love? Yes. I am now.

13. What do you want to know about the future? what the hell im gonna do with my life. lol

14. Where is your best friend? next to me... playing tetris on fb lol

15. How is your best friend? shes tired... bball is kicking her ass, already

16. Who is the biggest gossiper you know? hmmm my momma. lol.

17. What does your last text message say? "can u help" from jess.. she was home from the store

18. What are 3 things you've always wanted to do, that you still plan to accomplish? 1. Graduate from college 2. get into a nursing program 3. go back to work

19. What is one thing you've learned from your parents? to always be proud of who i am

20. What is one thing you hope to teach your own children? to love freely and always be proud of who they are.