I'm back.

Hey everyone!  I'm back.  School is back in session, and with it, so is this blog... hopefully!

Here are a few pictures of my house... that I said I'd put up a looooong time ago:

Living Room:

More to come!

Peace,

Kelly

Craigslist rocks.

Just got a couch delivered that I found on craigslist.  I absolutely love it.  It's vintage, it's comfy, it's curvy, and I got an awesome deal on it.  I'll eventually give it a makeover, but it's cute enough to pass in its current state for the housewarming party.  I'm in love!

Peace,

Kelly

Old and new.

Yesterday I rented a U-Haul and moved all the large furniture to the new house.  Everything else can fit in the car with a few trips, or in one trip if I borrow my parents' van.  Soooo close.  I will OFFICIALLY be moved out this week.  Goodbye renting, hello owning!

I haven't slept there yet, but when I do I think I'm going to pop open the bubbly that my realtor gave me as a gift, sit on my front porch, and enjoy the new pretty place I can call home.

And THEN I have to get ready for the housewarming.  I've scheduled it for Saturday, July 24th... and it will help to have a deadline so I feel a bit of pressure in getting things completed.  The floors are done, the living room is painted, the dining room needs another layer of paint, and the kitchen needs another layer as well as a cabinet makeover with paint.  I also will be renailing the quarter-round to the baseboards, and then repainting the them because when I stained the floors I got a bit sloppy on the edges.  After that, I need to repaint the vents and sand down and stain the one for the dining room.  After THAT I get to decorate... that's the best part!

I'm not even going to worry too much about the yard for the housewarming party.  It is going to my project next summer, I think.  Yes, I'm going to pull weeds and clean it up a bit, but as for the big yard makeover... that can wait.

As for furniture, I'm temporarily borrowing some pieces from my sister so 1) she doesn't have to put them in storage and 2) I can wait on buying everything now.  I have her kitchen table and chairs, a small two-seater sofa for the sunroom, and her bed frame.  My grandma is now living with my parents, so I got a side table of her's, and a sofa-bed that we will put in the office.  We'll turn that room into a bedroom for hosting international students from IUPUI (as long as everything goes well) because it will give us $500 extra  a month!

I'm going to search for a corner sectional for the living room in a beige color (I'll accent with pillows, etc.).  I looked online for a rug today and found a massive discount on an 8' round white flokati rug.  Flokati rugs are made from natural wool, and this one looks so cozy for bare feet, and will add a bit of whimsy in my living room.  Here is a sample of what a flokati rug looks like (mine will be round):

I also have been looking out for a vintage-looking chandelier that I can repaint and hang in the living room.  Here is one I found on craigslist, and I'll be picking it up this week.  I will remove the shades permanently, and repaint the entire chandelier (probably the blue accent color I'm using in contrast with the orange walls):

The more I pick out what I want, the more I discover this whimsical, quirky side of my personality.  This is the first time I'll be able to really show it completely.  Owning is so much better than renting... DO IT!

Be back soon.

Peace,
Kelly

Bright.

This past weekend I started painting the walls of my house!  When I moved in they were very neutral colors, and I definitely wanted to brighten the whole place up.

I'm really not afraid of color... in fact, I crave it.  You'll be able to tell in the before & after pictures below.

Living Room BEFORE: 

Living Room AFTER:

Dining Room BEFORE:

Dining Room AFTER (Haven't removed the tape yet):

Kitchen BEFORE:

Kitchen AFTER (not fully painted yet):

Also, here are what my floors look like now, close up:

Before this, they were all scratched up.  I sanded them down and then stained them.

And just to make you jealous (tee-hee-hee) here is a picture I took of my house when the daffodils popped up:

Still loving it!!!

Peace,

Kelly

Weekend update.

I've successfully sanded the floors of my house and today I am hoping to stain them!  I gave myself three weekends to do it, and this is the second, so I'm way ahead of schedule.  If I get all the staining done today, I bet I can seal it all up tomorrow.  So.. if any of you have doubted whether or not you could pull off a project like this, know you can, because I was able to.  I am NOT very handy, but this was very manageable.

I forgot to take my camera with me to get some before shots, but I have a few past pictures I took when I first was looking at the house.  I'll post them up here soon so you can see what it was pre-sand, after being sanded, and then the completed process.

I've scheduled a "painting party" on May 1st and have invited any friends who like home projects.  I'm hoping to have all the paint picked out by then, and it will be fun to blast music in the house, provide snacks and drinks, and get my house bright and colorful.

I still don't think it has fully hit me that I OWN this house.  I keep thinking it will, but until I move my bed in and sleep there the first night, not sure if it's going to feel like mine.

Other updates...

My boyfriend is going to chef school!  He'll be attending the Art Institute of Indianapolis, classes start in late summer.  I know this is going to be a perfect fit for him, and a perfect fit for me because I LOVE FOOD.  I bet it will be a battle being a vegetarian though, because I'm sure he'll learn all about the "proteins" of dishes and a lot will probably involve meat of some kind.  I'm going to rely on him to make creative alternatives for me so I can try them as he learns his skills.

It sounds like a really great program because they apply everything directly to the chef career and restaurant management.  The math and English classes all gear towards how you would use those skills as a chef.  We toured the building and it's very cool, and they even have a student-run restaurant where they can practice their skills.

Other updates...

So I went to someone about my anxiety/depression issues.  Last year I hit some really low points and was crying practically every day, so I ended up being recommended for Lexapro.  I've always been reluctant about medicating myself, but like I said in an earlier post, there is no reason why I shouldn't give these problems as much weight and importance as any other physical ailment.  I am pro-medication if someone reaches a point in their life when everything is negatively affected by their thought processes, and every day activities become unmanageable and stressful.  That was the point I was at.  In the mornings, driving to school, my chest would physically hurt from the stress I was feeling and I would feel my heart pounding through my chest.  It was awful.

So, yes, I took Lexapro, and it helped me immensely.  In general, everything in my life felt more manageable.  Without it, something bad would happen and I would immediately get into a mindset of thinking about every other things going wrong in my life.  But on the medicine, I didn't overthink the issue and was more rational.  I was able to step back and say, "Okay, that wasn't the best, but so what."  I didn't take things so personally and in general, was more carefree.  I felt more like myself.

You are probably wondering why I stopped.  Well, after the first school year ended, and summer came, I did want to see if I'd be okay if I wasn't in the daily work environment.  As much as I wanted to give in to the idea of taking a pill to change my brain, I still didn't want to have to rely on something to do that for me.  I'm stubborn, so I stopped taking it.  Also, as much as it made me feel better, it wasn't helping my relationship.  They say some people get the side effect of being less touchy-feely, and in general being less interested in the physical aspects of a relationship.  I was, and it was frustrating.

So I stopped taking it.  I weened off of it, and for awhile I think I was okay.  But after awhile, I noticed the things coming out of my mouth were more negative than positive.  I noticed myself whining more, and being more defensive.  Dyke and I fought more, and some of it was the fact that I took things way too personally, and also held things in and then they'd explode out of me and make a big mess.  I wanted to deny it, I kept telling myself I was strong enough to control my thought processes and change my emotions.  But I eventually realized that it was no longer negatively affecting me, but affecting the people I cared about.  I didn't want that to happen.

But I didn't want to go the same route I'd taken before, because of the side effects.  Recently, a family member of mine went in and found out they had the characteristics of Adult ADD.  My dad heard about it and told me he thought I should get assessed.  He says he's seen me have the characteristics all my life, through my constant forgetting, the continuous rush I have in doing anything in front of me, the procrastination, and the anxiety I get when all of it becomes too much.

I went in and talked to someone, and when I go through a list like that, and when I actually talk about how I live, it really does sound exhausting.  He asked me if I was able to relax, and really, not very often.  Yes, I take breaks, and yes, I sit on my arse and do nothing, but my mind is never at rest, even when I'm doing that.  I can only relax if there is absolutely nothing on my to do list, which is rare.  I always feel guilty about it.  He said, "That must be exhausting."  It is.

I played Devil's Advocate when I was in his office, and asked him, "Well, how can I be super efficient at school, and be successful and organized and get things done... but when I get home, nothing is organized and I get overwhelmed with the daily tasks outside of my job?"  He said it's because of pressure and motivation.  I'm always feeling the pressure to get things done at work, I've always got that adrenaline pumping and there is always a task to do that very moment.  At home, that rush is not the same.  Keeping up with the mundane tasks is never in-the-moment necessity, and I completely falter when it comes to doing something when it's not of immediate importance.

Again, I'll be Devil's Advocate.  I totally understand why there a number of people reading this that think, well, Kelly, I'm like that too.  No one likes the mundane tasks, and everyone feels pressure at work.  I get grumpy and take it out on people too, we all do that.  And yes, I understand that.  But again, if it gets to a point where it is holding you back from living your life, and holding you back from feeling like the YOU you know you could be if you only felt better, then I've decided I support medical treatment.

The family member who told me about the Adult ADD told me the other day over breakfast, "Kelly, ever since I got treated for this I haven't been depressed a single moment."  Because the medication calms him down, he's able to focus more and complete things without that need for the rush.  Because he's able to complete things more, he's less stressed.  Because he's less stressed, he's less depressed.  The connection with Adult ADD and depression is clear, because anxiety is a catalyst for depression.

So I'm trying an Adult ADD treatment: Adderall.  It's a small dose, and I'm going to see how it goes.  They say that you can tell if it's working right if you feel normal, and not jittery or rushed to do things.  Those who do not actually have ADD symptoms will get jittery because it's an overdose of amphetamine.  If it works right, I should feel more calm and myself than anything.  If I feel out of my element, and off, I'll know it's not for me.

I'll keep you updated on how it goes.

Also, I know there are some of you who may still be reluctant about the idea of medication... seeing it as the "easy way out" and an unnatural, inorganic option.  And part of me will always feel that way I think, but I think most of it is stubbornness.  I need to admit that I need outside help... and I do.  Really, it's about individual choice.  So I ask that you support me through this process and not condemn me for relying on something other than myself to make my life more enjoyable and manageable.

Thanks for reading this ginormous long email.  Love you all!

Peace,

Kelly

Gettin' handy and gettin' sandy.

This weekend I am starting my first big home project: refinishing the hardwood floors.  I can't wait to put on those awesome see-through goggles and a guard mask.  Hot, right?

My realtor recommended a sander and he says it works so well that he actually tried to mess the floors up at one point just to see if it was possible.  He even went against the grain and it didn't leave a noticeable mistake on the floor, so I SHOULD be good. 

I think I've always had a little bit of a fear of large hardware machines, especially when I'm the one in charge of their movement.  My dad is a lawyer, and I grew up hearing about people accidently cutting their body parts off, or running over their feet, or falling on top of something sharp.  I think there was even one guy who accidently shaved part of the skin of his own arm off when he was skin shaving a pig in the slaughterhouse.  Eww.  I probably shouldn't have told you that.

I don't really know how I could injure myself, but I always have some sort of fear in the back of my mind that something will happen.  I'm going to be wearing shoes, so it's not like I'm going to sand down the surface of my foot or anything.  And I don't think it's possible to fall face first into the moving surface of a running sander machine.... but you never know.  There's a first for everything!

It reminds me of the Darwin Awards.  Ever heard of those?  Their catch phrase is: "Honoring those who improve the species... by accidently removing themselves from it!"  As tragic as it sounds, a Darwin Award is given to someone who dies in a situation that is linked to their absent-mindedness or stupidity.  For example, here's one from the website:

(11 March 1978, France) The singer Claude Francois, whose stellar career can be compared to that of Elvis Presley, popularized rock and roll music in France. One evening, he returned to his Paris apartment from a busy touring schedule, and ran a bath. While standing in the filled tub, he noticed a light bulb that wasn't straight, tried to straighten it... and was electrocuted.

Or this one, for instance:

(27 October 2009, Arkansas) Thirty-year-old Devan LeAnn of Shongaloo, Louisiana, was visiting Lake Ehrling with a male friend. Recent bouts of heavy rain had resulted in a flood of runoff water, and they decided it would be fun to take a mattress careening down the surging water in the spillway.

Unfortunately Leann was riding a foam egg-crate style mattress pad. Imagine a wet foam pad. Are you sinking yet? According to her friend, Devan LeAnn simply vanished from sight at dusk. The next morning her body was found in a tangle of trees 70 yards below the spillway.

Parents, warn your children! Wetting the bed can be deadly. 

I think I also read one where a man thought "Cruise Control" meant his RV would drive itself and he could go in the back and cook some breakfast.  I'm sure it didn't take him long to figure out that mistake.

Anyhoo, wish me luck on the project.  It will be a lot of work, but ultimately it's a reward, as long as I look as cool as this guy while I'm doing it:

Peace,

Kelly

Sloth woman.

If I don't get off my ass soon, the couch is going to form around my body and I will never again be able to fit into normal sized entry ways.  I know there are many more traumatic scenarios to fear if this sofa becomes forever attached to my backside, but not being able to fit in doorways is at the top of that list, and it will likely happen if I do not get up SOON.

But I just started this blog entry, so tough luck butt.  And I'm so coooooomfortable.  And I haven't written in a very long time (except for that tipsy blurb about sandwiches and singing).

So, everything to do with the house is going really well, and I am scheduled to close at 1 p.m. on April 1st.  I didn't think anything of it until someone asked, "You scheduled to close on a house on April Fools' Day?!"  I may have totally screwed myself over.  What if I go in and they're all like, "April Fools!  You aren't buying a house at all!!!  We made it all up!" or "April Fools!  You just bought a lifetime supply of canned tuna!" or "April Fools!  You just sold yourself to the devil!"

So, wish me luck on that endeavor.  Until I get the key to the house in my hand I am NOT going to feel 100% satisfied that I am ACTUALLY the OWNER of a HOUSE.

What else have I been doing lately?  Well, not much.  Slowly forming a permanent impression of my arse into the couch cushions... that's what.  It's awful.  I have such a lack of motivation when I'm by myself.  I never want to look like a lazy person in front of others, so at school I'm constantly go-go-go and at home when I have guests I'm never in the same room for more than ten minutes.  I move around and keep busy, and I think a lot of it is insecurity.  I hate lazy people, but here's the thing... I AM one.

My dad thinks I have Adult ADD.  But if I had Adult ADD, would I be able to sit on a couch for this long?  When I think about WHY I do it though, I think it's because when I finally get home I'm so overwhelmed by everything I need to accomplish for the rest of my awake hours that I shut down and slam myself down on a comfortable surface, never to move again until the sun goes down.  So what do you think?  Do I have it?

I'd love to hear some feedback from people who either 1) have ADD or ADHD, 2) have relationships with me and can verify or dismiss my connection with ADD or ADHD or 3) just feel like giving me their opinion even if I don't want or need it.

Here's the thing: maybe nothing is wrong with me and it's all in my head.  I think I'm slowly becoming an mental hypochondriac.  I've always wanted to know if I'm normal.  But there really is no "normal" so what is the point in forever trying to figure out if I am or not?

Alright, so my topics are going all over.  Possible a sign of ADD.  Out of curiosity I looked up the characteristics of adult ADD.  I'll comment on whether or not I think it fits a description of me:


The Adult with ADD (from www.ncsu.edu):

• May lose things such as keys, important papers, phone numbers etc on a regular basis. 
•  Ohmygosh YES.  Every day.  I've been through five phones in the past year I think (right, Joe?) and lose my keys at least once a day. 
• May be forgetful in daily activities “I know there was something I was supposed to do!” or consistently forget to take out the trash, instructions from your partner, or picking the kids up from an activity.
• Hahaha, this is hilarious.  I always forget to take out the trash.  Like, almost every week until the bins are completely full and I can't fit anymore in them and then my mind officially clicks on and says: REMINDER: TAKE OUT TRASH.
• May consistently begin a task and not complete it. Maybe you start to cut the grass, go inside to get a drink, answer the phone, see there is a sporting event on TV, sit down and watch it and leave the lawn mower in the middle of the yard. Maybe you have a “workshop” with projects began with good intentions, all half finished.
• I have many things started.  1) My photography business I have yet to expand.  2) A number of videos my drama students are doing that I haven't finished editing. 3) Voice recordings of my grandparents' memories that I haven't completely typed up and documented yet 4) A Tale of Two Cities which I started about two months ago and read over the same page when I get the chance and then set it down and forget about it. 4) I want to be a write but I NEVER finish stories unless it is for a grade or someone has given me a deadline.  5) I HATE routine and so I'll start the dishes, then go into the living room and vacuum in there for a bit, then move upstairs and put half my clothes away, then move to another room, etc.
• May have a problem following conversations. Maybe your wife/girlfriend/partner talks to you and always complains that you never listen. Maybe you are always wondering when someone told you something when they say “Don’t you remember I told you about this last week.” Maybe you miss deadlines at work or hand in something irrelevant because you only heard half the conversation.
• My friends and boyfriend can let me know about this.  Have I gotten any better?  I think I learned about active listening and now I'll say things like, "Wow" and "That's crazy" and really I'll have no idea what they are saying to me.  It's really hard for me to pay attention if there is something more important going on in my head.
• May be difficult to motivate yourself to begin a project. “Oh sure, that sounds great, I’ll get started on it, well, maybe tomorrow!” A project that doesn’t instantly sound great and exciting may continually be placed on hold, making you look lazy. 
• I am the queen of procrastination, but aren't we all?  I don't know many people that don't do some things last minute.  But in college, I would wait until the night before to write a ten page paper, freak myself out about it, but get an A anyways.  I work better under pressure, and I've trained myself to do so, but the problem is that now I don't know how to work when I'm NOT under pressure.
• May have difficulty following a timed schedule. Misjudging time can create havoc in any schedule. Either you begin with an unrealistic schedule, allowing too much or too little time for each activity, or you can’t follow the schedule because you forgot about the time and just spend 3 hours on an activity that should have taken 20 minutes.
• I tend to take on way too many tasks, and then get so overwhelmed that I panic and have a shutdown period.  I think this whole WINTER was my shutdown period at home.  At school I put so much energy into everything and it's hard to slow down, so when I get home I become Sloth Woman.  

So what do you think?  I think a lot of people could be diagnosed with ADD because I think all of us have some of these traits.  Am I an extreme case or am I just too analytical?

Let me know.

Peace,

Kelly

Decorating Brainstorm

Today I had a burst of creative energy, and I decided to go out and buy a sketchbook and colored pencils to get started on decorating ideas for the new house.  I still don't close until April 1st, and I'm a bit stressed about the process, and this definitely helped me get excited again.

I LOVE color, and I particularly love the energy of contrasting colors.  In this case: blue and orange.

Let me know what you think!

Peace,

Kelly

Pretty things to come.

This is what my street will look like in the fall!  I found it online.  Right now it's winter, so I had noooo idea up 'til now how pretty the leaves can get.

That's all for now.  I'm just excited.

Peace,

Kelly

Long time, no blog.

I took a little blog hiatus because I've been busy.  GUESS WHY:

I'M BUYING A HOUSE!

Yes, it's official.  Remember that cute, little, yellow bungalow I showed you?  That's the one.  White picket fence and all.  Two bedroom, one bath, hardwood floors, a fireplace with built in bookshelves on both sides, a sun room, a brick patio, fenced in backyard, two car garage.  Woot woot!

I've always loved the idea of decorating, but I've never had a space to call my own.  When I move in, I can do WHATEVER I WANT with it.  I can't believe it.  I can put a hole in any wall, can paint in any color, can put in any shelving, and it's all up to me.  Yes, I know this just comes with owning a house, but it's my first one and I'm super excited.

Of course, now that I'm starting to look at designs and colors and all, I'm going AAAAH!  There are so many different ways to decorate and I'm not really sure what I'm doing yet.  All I know is that I want it to be eclectic in style.  I don't want to pick a very categorized style because I like to change things up.  I also love how a room can look if there are pieces from all over the place that some how work together with the colors, fabrics, etc.  Here are a few samples I found online:

I just love pulling bright things from every which way and getting them together for a complete look.  In each picture there are a few different patterns going on at once, and all have bright colors.  The dining room picture is a bit too much, probably due to the busy walls.  I've noticed that in most eclectic designs the walls stay a pretty neutral color so the whole room doesn't seem too overwhelming.  Hopefully that makes paint picking easy!

I think this design aesthetic will be perfect for me because 1) I love displaying trinkets I've gathered through my life, 2) I love vintage artwork/paintings/furniture, and 3) I love to thrift shop for decorating pieces.

Whiiiiich brings me to my next point.  I have not gone thrift store shopping in a LONG time, and earlier this week I got my sister out of the house and we went to a vintage clothing store, and then to three different Goodwills.  End result: 15 dresses, 4 sweaters, 2 shirts, and 7 home decor items for.... (drumroll please.....) under $100!!!  I really recommend getting out now before it warms up again because we were able to snag so many comfy, casual spring dresses.  On average I think each dress was about 4 bucks.  SPECTACULAR!

Out of the decor items for my house, I also came across something I am going to take as a sign in my quest for pet pig ownership.  When I found it in an aisle at Goodwill, I ran up to my sister very excitedly and before I even showed her she knew it was going to have something to do with my pig venture.  The pictures will suffice:

Yes, folks, it is a black decorative pig head that I am definitely going to put by the front door and hang my keys on.  I am also going to decorate him with different seasonal hats.  You think it's ridiculous?  So be it.  It's just another sign that Thurman Merman is meant to be.

And on that note, I'm out.

Peace,

Kelly

I might cry.

I found this in the Marion County ordinances of Indiana.

Sec. 531-104. Keeping swine.


It shall be unlawful for a person to keep swine on premises in the consolidated city and county, unless such premises are stockyards, slaughterhouses, or other premises where the keeping or raising of livestock is permitted by county zoning ordinances.

(G.O. 30, 1998, § 1; G.O. 169, 1999, § 3; G.O. 94, 2006, § 1)

What I need to do is 1) find out what qualifies as a "stockyard" and 2) find out if there is any way I can get a permit for a pet pig.

I really want a Thurman Merman.  How could anyone in my neighborhood resist the cuteness of this:

Peace,

Kelly

A case of the crazies.

Over the past few days I've definitely had a case of the crazies. Here is my own personal definition:

The Crazies [the krey-zees) noun - a deranged and impractical guilt which results from a minimum of two days isolation as a result of sickness, a recent fixation on a major life change, a lack of anything to do, and an obsession with perfection.

Tuesday and Wednesday I stayed home from school due to the fact that my body was fighting off some sort of scratchy throat demon causing me to sound like a man and cough like a dying cat (which it still is fighting off a bit, by the way. Fun times). During this time, I forced myself to stay in bed, but of course... I couldn't just SIT there. Instead, I watched way too many episodes of Dexter and The L Word, and also repeatedly looked online at the house I'm potentially buying, looked up potential furniture, looked up potential local restaurants and bars, and basically dreamed up the entire next chapter of my life. It was like crack.

Then of course, after staying in bed for so long and after allowing an obsession with the future to seep into my into my mind, a horrible guilt flooded my soul. I was feeling guilty because 1) I stayed in bed when I was sick, and 2) because I was happy and excited about something and nothing was stressing me out. Ridiculous, right? Not really things I should feel guilty about, yes? But I did.

For some reason, when everything is going well for me, when I let good things cloud my thoughts, or when I let a day pass when I don't specifically do something "productive," I start to feel bad. As I've mentioned before, when I'm not stressed out about something, I feel like I'm not doing enough or not living enough. Then, I get into this even more ridiculous state where I start beating myself up over any little thing I've done slightly wrong or selfishly recently in order to make myself feel bad, as a sort of punishment. It's messed up!!!! Where's my straight-jacket?!

My dad blames himself when I talk to him about this. After all, he is very much the same way. If he sleeps in too much, or he relaxes too much in one day without doing anything to occupy his time, he beats himself up about it, too. I guess I just inherited that trait. On family vacations, my dad is known for his constant berating for us to get off our butts and stop relaxing, to get out and do something and have FUN on vacation. Mandatory fun time, we call it. He only recently has been able to let up on it a little. I think he and I are both realizing how ridiculous it all is.

Where did this habit develop? I want to find the original person who decided this was a good way to live and give him a good punch in the face. Is it the Catholic guilt passed down from generation to generation on my father's side of the family? Who knows. I was taught to feel bad about a lot of the stuff I now do these days, so maybe that's an underlying part of it. Either way, it's a part of me that I need to release.

Before my boyfriend left for work today he gave me a hug and said, "Now, don't stress out because you don't have anything to do today." Then he gave me a pat on the back.


He knows me too well.

Back from the dead.

Hey everyone! I am BACK FROM THE DEAD.

I think after failing at the NaBloPoMo thing, I decided I'd give myself a little hiatus from the daily writing. It really was a LOT harder than I thought it would be. Now I know what I'll be getting myself into if I sign up for it again. They do it every month, so maybe I'll try it again in the summer, when I have more time on my hands.

I've been busy. Remember way back when, when I mentioned Invisible Children? Well, the roadies ended up coming to our school and doing a presentation, and it was great! I let them stay at my house the night before and treated them to some homemade pizza (made by the boyfriend of course, not me). It felt great to be hosting again, and was really reminiscent of couchsurfing, so I MUST get into it again once I get my own place.

I also went through the whole process of getting a realtor, and getting pre-approved for a loan (YAY!). I have great credit and no debt, so they said I'm set. I'm not looking for a house any more than $125,000, even though they say I could go much higher. THAT is partially why our economy is in such a mess, because people buy more than they should just because they CAN. I'm going to play it safe. I'm looking at houses today! There are some cute historic ones downtown, and I'm pumped up.

I also had my third paid photography job, and I'm thinking now I at least have enough decent pictures to get the photography website going. My friend Justin is going to help me. I hope to have it up and running by summer so I can start a summer career out of it.

Thanksgiving Day is coming up, and I MUST write an entry soon about my family. They are hilarious, and there is a wide spectrum of personalities that show up on Turkey Day, and it is always an interesting experience.

My next entry will be dedicated to a movie Dyke made me watch. I'll be back soon. Wanted to let you know I'm alive!!! Expect more entries more often!