36 things and counting

You know how back in the olden days women were the homemakers and the men went to work to provide for his family? Those days are long gone. In today's economy that's barely possible anymore even though some families are still like that. Women stepped up years ago so that they, too, could provide for their family and why shouldn't they? Here's my thought of the day: If both husband and wife are working and contributing to the household income, then why does a man think he can just come home, kick up his feet, and watch TV? His wife was at work all day too, but she is still on the go cooking dinner, picking up around the house, and helping the kids with homework.

Here's an old quote for ya.

"A man works from dusk til' dawn, but a woman's work is never done"

I'm not saying this about all men, believe me, but what gives for the ones who are like this? Get off your lazy bum. (Women too) You chose to get married, buy a house, and start a family. Now strive in your marriage, take care of your house, and take care of your kids.

On a quick sidenote- I think people give up to easily in marriages. There are certain circumstances where it is absolutely necessary (one is abuse for sure), but others problems could be worked through with some dedication. The top 5 reasons for divorce in this country are money, infidelity, poor communication, change in priorities, and lack of commitment. Sad, sad. I do believe in marriage 100% though. I don't like all this thinking that "we don't need to prove our love with a piece of paper..." Well, this is going to get into moral issues...I'll just say that I don't believe in sex before marriage among other things. Let's not go there, this was supposed to be a "quick sidenote" haha.

ANYWAY, this got me thinking about my future (go fig) and what I need/want in a husband. Here is the list I've made thus far in no particular order:

1. Honest
2. Compassionate
3. Affectionate
4. Ambitious
5. Gentleman
6. Giving
7. Thoughtful
8. Hilarious
9. Helpful
10. Strong
    
11. Handy
12. Romantic
13. Good listener
14. Good father
15. Patient
16. Supportive
    
17. Fun
    
18. Good morals
19. Believes in God
20. Likes dogs
21. Plays tennis with me :)
    
22. Sticks up for me
23. Takes care of me when I'm sick
24. Believes in an egalitarian marriage
25. Isn't afraid to show his emotions
26. Cuddles
    
27. Handsome
28. Puts the toilet seat down
29. Responsible
30. Respectful
31. Problem solver
32. Owns up to his mistakes
33. Remembers important dates
    
34. Talks just as well has he listens
35. He's my best friend
36. He shows me that he loves me everyday
    

Okay, so this list is a good size and I know that no one is perfect. There are things on this list that are a must, while others are just silly and not nearly as important. I think every gal should do this. I'll probably think of more, but this is all for now. Am I being demanding and unrealistic? Maybe, but I don't know. I want my husband to try to be the best version of himself that he can be. All I'm asking for is that he tries. As far as that goes, I'm still working on myself and I know I have a long way to go yet. Also, I'm young and may have no idea what I'm talking about up above. I know marriage and having a family isn't always easy or a happy, walk in the park, skippidy do da time. I'm just thinking outloud...or writing. Whatever.

That's all.
Byyyyyye

I've always been a dog lover

This morning I picked up dog crap off the basement floor. Then scrubbed down the carpet. It was quite gross. I had 2 plastic bags over my hand and gloves. I don't know how city people do it all the time, but I haven't had to do that since Lucy was a puppy. Now she is a giant yellow Labrador Retriever that is equivalent in size to a baby calf. She isn't the brightest of dogs, but we love her anyway...most of the time.

We use to have 3 dogs until last summer. Abbie was our ol' collie mix. She has had arthritis for as long as I can remember. She came to us as a stray when I was just starting Kindergarten. Being 5, I wanted to name her Ariel after The Little Mermaid, of course, but dad decided on Abbie. She had like 12 puppies which made my brothers and I all very happy-until we had to give them all away. Then the same year she was hit by a car. It messed up her bladder really bad, but she was still a happy gal. Last summer we had to put her to sleep because she just quit moving. They say when dogs sense they are going to die, they go away to do it. She was down in the pond when I found her, just laying in the shallow end. I started crying. That dog hated water with all of her being. Giving her a bath was a battle. Mom and I carried her up to the garage, coaxed her, and gave her all of the delicious left over scraps from the fridge that we could find. The next morning she was in the exact same spot unwilling to even try to get up. Dad and I took her to the vet to put her to sleep. We stayed with her and I balled my eyes out the entire time. She was about 15.

Gunner was our Chocolate Labrador. We got him when I was in first grade because our coon dog, Chief died earlier due to old age and we didn't want Abbie to be lonely. We got him from Crestline and I remember dad getting me out of school at lunch time to go get him. He was the biggest, but most timid of the batch. His name was Bubba, but we all decided on Gunner. We took him everywhere. He loved going for rides in the back of the truck. He loved everyone and everyone loved Gun. In the summer, back when we still had our pool, if we left the gate open Gunner would jump in and swim around for a bit. Eventually we taught him how to use the ladder and get out himself haha. I even taught him how to play hide and seek. He was the best. The last time we saw him was a day when Skyrunner was hooking up our internet and a couple of joggers went by. Gunner and Lucy took off with them. Dad called them, but knew they would be back because they often took off exploring. Lucy came back, but Gunner didn't. We looked for him everywhere and made fliers. There were some phone calls, but it was two other female Chocolate Labs. We miss that ol' boy. He was at the age where he had arthritis too and was had a gray beard going on. He was about 11. Dad wished it was Lucy who didn't come back instead of Gunner haha.

Now we just have Lucy and one dog is plenty. My brother's nickname for her is 'Lucifer.' Her day consists of laying around, eating, sniffing through the gargage and occasionally getting into it, barking at the Amish, and standing at the door until we let her inside. She is supposed to stay in her dog bed in the entry way. Every night she tries to be sneaky and creep through the kitchen into the living room to sit by my dad in his chair. (as if we can't see her) Her ultimate goal is to climb up and sit with him. She is NOT a lap dog. The problem is she sheds like none other. When she shakes, thousands of yellow hairs go flying. I sweep everyday. We have to put a bench, a chair, and other misc. things along the bench at night so she doesn't jump over and lay on the couch when we are all sleeping. She's managed to do this anyway on many occasions. She's pretty lonely without Gunner. They were pals. Dad thinks she doesn't care because she is so selfish and now eats all of the food for herself and gets all the dog treats the mail lady throws out the window as she drives by. I think she's lonely though. We don't give her enough attention =(

In the future when I have my own house, I've decided that I would just like one smaller inside dog that doesn't shed a whole lot. I want to rescue one from a shelter. (I've done this before but that's a loooong story. His name was Chance, he was a pit bull/boxer/devil mix. Enough said.) All I know is that dogs make the best pets. Perhaps I'll get a Daschund and name him Lincoln Log, but call him Link for short. Or maybe just name him Charlie. For the longest time I wanted a white Great Dane with black spots all over it and I was going to name him Moo. After I read the book and saw the movie Marley and Me, it made me want a Chocolate Lab again. It made me miss Gunner. Who knows. We don't need another dog now though, Lucy is mean to any other dog that sets foot on our property anyway. She almost killed my Aunt's Daschund, Gracie, because she is equally fat and was attempting to eat Lucy's food. Go figure. I guess I'm just thinking ahead like I always do. I'm big on making plans.

All of this depressing and boring writing came from picking up dog crap. Odd. I could have talked about anything else in the world and I chose dogs. I apologize. I may have just lost my 2 readers. lol.

Hmmmk, byyyye.

"My shit is a mess"

Today is Friday and Fridays are suppose to be awesome. I am already home for the night in my pajamas. The highlights of my night are that A) my dad is making my favorite pasta for supper and B) I bought What Happens in Vegas at Activewares for $5 and plan to watch it later on. (Wild, right?)

I have never felt so lost in my entire life. I ruined this quarter at school because I hated the classes I was taking for my then major, Office Management. I dropped 2 of them and am still in 2 other classes. I don't know what I want to do with my life and its really bothering me. I know I'm still young, but I don't want to waste time or money. I've already wasted money from my college fund because of it. I wish I knew what I was meant to do. Then I could just spend the next 2 years working really hard at getting the degree, get a job, and move on with my life.

When people hear that I don't know what I'm majoring in, I have to say "I don't know, but I'll let you know when I know." Then they ask "Well what are your interests?" As if I myself haven't been thinking everyday what I could possibly see myself doing for the rest of my life. (I know they are just trying to help..) I know what kind of person I want to be, but I do not know what I want to do and I don't know how to know. I've taken interest tests before. My results were something like education, transportation, and public services. I love to be organized and have a lot of patience, but I have no desire to go to school for 4 years, especially to be underpaid. (Good teachers deserve way more than what they get) As for transportation...YEAH I WANT TO BE A TAXI DRIVER! No disrespect to anyone in transportation, but its not for me. As for public services- my first major at NCSC was Criminal Justice. I don't want to be a police woman or anything. (I'm a big chicken and could see myself using pepper spray out of fear when it was truly unecessary) I was thinking more along the lines of a Juvenile Probation Officer because I wanted to have the authority to get kids to school and help them get back on the right track. I also thought I could use it as an opportunity to kind of be a counselor in a sense. The only problem is, I couldn't see myself going house to house experiencing the bad situations kids are in. It's sad and could be scary at times. I'm so blessed to have my family.

What I do know is that I want to be the best person I can be. I want to be a great wife and mother. They say "high school/college years are the best years of your life...you can never get them back." I'm sorry, but if those are supposed to be the best...I just don't believe they are. I believe the happiest days of my life will be when I am married with my own family. To me, that's what the most important part of life is; family.

On top of not having a career path, I don't work a whole lot. I work for my parents at the assisted living they started in town. My name tag says Secretary, but really we all answer the phone when it rings. What I basically do is run errands to the pharmacy, bank, post office, Wal-Mart, and any other place that someone may need something. I'm not actually in the building a whole lot. I'm very glad that I can help out there whenever they need me and I do love it, but in the summer I'll definately be getting a second job as well. I'm also proud of my parents and all their hard work to have accomplished their dreams of creating/owning their own assisted living.

Then there is the fact that I don't really hang out with anyone except for Brad and my family. Don't get me wrong because I LOVE hanging out with my Bradly and family, but when he's at work- like right now- I do nothing. I talk to a handful of people on a regular basis, but I don't hang out with them and that's okay. I'm actually a bore anyway haha. The main problem is that I've always had guy friends. I think I get along with guys better since I grew up with 4 brothers. I've always wished that I had an older sister, but Marissa and Katherine have always kind of been like my older sisters so that's neat. Plus I have a good relationship with my mom. The point is that I can't be hanging out with guy friends when I have a boyfriend because I wouldn't want Brad to go hang out with girls. See what I mean? I don't really have any guy friends anymore anyway though so there was really no point to this entire paragraph.

I don't really know how to wrap this up. I'll just leave you with a quote from one of my favorite movies, Definitely Maybe, just because I love it!

April: Why couldn't you have told me this when you had your shit together?
Will: My shit is together
April: Your shit is NOT together, your shit is a mess...
Will: My shit is a mess...seems funny coming from you April. I mean you could do anything, anything in the world and you work at a bookstore. At least I can say I tried, I put myself out there and I really tried. As a friend, maybe you should get some help, some life rehab. I don't know if they do that, but if they do you would be a prime candidate.
April: I should go to life rehab?! (Slaps him) Get off my front porch.

Okay, byyyye.

"Good" morning

I couldn't fall asleep until 2am. Maybe it was because of lingering thoughts about the Lost episode or maybe it was just other things that my mind wouldn't shut off. That happens a lot when I'm laying in bed at night. It's annoying. I REALLY want to fall asleep because when my alarm goes off in the morning I know that all I'm going to be thinking is 'more sleep pleeeease.' I did have some dreams I remember though! Those are sometimes fun. Just as soon as I finally shut my eyes it seemed like it was time to get up...and I'm not the type of person that hits the snooze button or lets their 5 different alarms go off. I wake up to the 'click' sound my alarm makes then I go-go-gadget my arm in lightening speed to turn it off before the horrid nose begins.

Afternoon Kindergarten was such a breeze. Then I hit 1st-7th grade. You did not want to be anywhere near me in the morning. I was quite the brat and I'm not proud of that. I still get teased to this day from all of my brothers and my parents who had to put up with screaming and unpleasant glances as I ate breakfast and tried to get my bangs to stay down. For this, I would like to appologize.

In 8th grade all of my brothers had already graduated and moved out. Things calmed down a bit. There was no Cody to yell at for no apparent reason other than the fact that he breathed.

Don't get me wrong though, I do have some pleasant memories of school mornings. During some of the last days of Cody's senior year I made him cinnamon rolls for breakfast. He always used to help me tie my boots just right. On cold mornings we would stand on the fire place ledge and warm our clothes up before getting on bus 6. Cody usually woke me up for school and sometimes he'd be jumping on my bed saying "no school!" Snowday mornings were always the best. I remember Jason always asking me if he should wear his tennis shoes with his jeans or his AE boots. As if I was some sort of fashion expert. haha. He always looked very well put together when he left. I remeber everyone waking up to Josh's alarm except for Josh. He'd take a shower and then we'd hear BAM! "Josh fell asleep again!" Brandon was always ready with time to spare to watch all of his morning cartoons. The one I remember most is Transformers.

Wow! I just went way off track.

Anyway, back to this morning when my alarm went off- I got a "quick" shower. Quick always turns into 15 minutes of standing in the hot water, with my shower cap on, singing random bits and pieces of songs. Then I got out and went downstairs to go through my other morning routines. Usually I eat breakfast first. Breakfast is seriously the best part of my morning. I LOVE breakfast. That didn't particularly happen this morning because I live in the country and during the winter time...we get mice! There was a dead mouse on the kitchen floor. I lost my appetite and didn't want to eat breakfast in its company.

I plugged in the Chi and started putting on what little amount of make-up I do wear. The mascara brush slipped out of my hand, onto my shirt, and then into the waste basket. SWEET! Atleast the shirt I'm wearing today is navy blue.

I don't know where the time goes in the mornings. I feel like I'm moving at a good pase, but the minute hand is much faster. I really like being on time for things, but in all actuality it doesn't happen. I'm either pulling into the parking lot/drive way on the button or minutes late. It was snowing this morning (grumble) and mom said it would be a good idea to leave early, problem was at that point to be on time I needed to have left 3 minutes earlier. Blah. I have a better attitute in the morning now, but it's I'm also very quite. The best I usually give is a "goodmorning" and then "goodbye, love you too, see you later."

I head to town knowing Brad is still asleep because I've called him several times. We are always schedualed together for the orthodontist. It's 9:05 when I get to his house, but wait, maintenance is being done up and down the avenue. I get around them slowly just to see that they have their vehicles parked at the entrance of Brad's driveway! I can't wake him up and he's not going to wake up on his own. His mom forgot to wake him up before she left. (he's the type of person who doesn't wake up to an alarm AT ALL) I called one more time and then just went by myself arriving at 9:10. TEN MINUTES LATE! The secretary is so sweet and loves Brad and I so it was okay.

Dr. Gregg and his crew of ladies are always friendly. They compliment me on my clean teeth and how great my top teeth are looking without braces. (Of course they are talking to me and asking questions with their fingers in my mouth) My bottom braces aren't coming off until a tooth finishes turning completely around. I never even noticed it was backwards...who cares.

Brad and I were suppose to hang out after our appointment, but that didn't work out as planned. It's okay though because we'll see each other later today. I'm supposed to go to main campus tonight for a comp&lit writing lab. I think I'll pass on that. I have a 100% anyway. (English is the only class I can get an A in)

Bottom line-I just think that if I would have eaten breakfast, the morning would have ran SO much more smoothly. That's all.

Did I mention I have cramps?

Time to enjoy the rest of today and I hope you enjoy it too!

Valentine's Day

I had a great weekend! Bradly came over to pick me up so we could go see a movie before we headed to Columbus to meet Seth and Teresa for a late supper. We exchanged gifts before we left. He got me some beautiful roses and a Build-a-Bear that he spent all night creating in Columbus on Friday. It's adorable and the best part is that when you squeeze his foot he says "I love you Brittany" in Brad's voice. I got him some of his favorite cologne (Curve) Reese's heart-shaped cups, and a card I made for him. My dad stood there and watched us unwrap our gifts which was awkward...Mom gave me a Valentine's Day card too, which was very sweet.

Then we head to Wooster to see He's Just Not That Into You. There were several obstacles in our way of getting there and needless to say we got there late BECAUSE:

1. Brad didn't take my way (which is the faster way)
2. After going "his way" it took him a while to realize where we were
3. Once we did realize where we were there was a detour
4. When we found a new way to go around it a bus stopped in the intersection and we couldn't turn. Meanwhile the person the bus is waiting on is skipping along the side walk taking their jolly old time...Brad's laughing, I'm laughing in disbelief and frustration.
5. When we get to the theater there was NO WHERE to park. We parked next door and fast walked our butts over there.
   

It's now 5:03 and our movie started at 4:50. We missed all the previews and sit down right as its starting. We were pretty pleased with ourselves. The movie really bugged me in some parts, but in the end I cried happy "awww" tears and even Brad was smiling ear to ear. It was cute. You'll have to see it. (I gave it a 7.5 out of 10)

After the movie we headed for Columbus. Seth met us at Auto Zone so we could follow him to Teresa's apartment. We hopped in his car and went to the mall to pick up Teresa from work. We had some time to kill before our 9:30 reservations at Buca di (Peppi?) I don't know how to say it or spell it! It's an Italian restaurant and I now wish it was in my back yard. Delicious! It's a really unique place and everyone was very nice. We got fettucine alfredo supreme and stuffed shells. The serving sizes are HUGE so we all shared. On top of the food being great, our waitor reminded Teresa and I of Charlie from Lost! We left him a good tip.

We hung out at Teresa's for a while and ate valentine cookies and played with her adorable dog, Dakota. We left around 11:15 so that it wasn't too late when we were heading home. I think I talked Brad's ear off to and from Columbus, but he never seems to mind. I kid you not...I told him about every scene and the entire history background behind the movie The Duchess. (Which I gave 9 out of 10) Poor fella.

When we got to my house he walked me to the door like the perfect gentleman that he is. He's always opening my car door and making me feel special. Almost everyday is like Valentine's Day and that's how it should be for everyone. He spoiled me way too much this Valentine's Day, but we all had a great time. I love my Valentine =)

Finito!
Arrivederci everyone