Monday Chuckles...

To start off the week on a lighter note I decided to hijack this post from a friend in FB. Have a good laugh everyone....

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These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and published by court reporters that had the torment of staying calm while the exchanges were taking place.

ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?
WITNESS: He said, 'Where am I..., Cathy?'
ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you?
WITNESS: My name is Susan!
_______________________________
ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
WITNESS: No, I just lie there.
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: What is your date of birth?
WITNESS: July 18th.
ATTORNEY: What year?
WITNESS: Every year.
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: How old is your son, the one living with you?
WITNESS: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.
ATTORNEY: How long has he lived with you?
WITNESS: Forty-five years.
_________________________________
ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS: I forget..
ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?
___________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
____________________________________

ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the 20-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: He's 20, much like your IQ.
___________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?
WITNESS: Are you shitting me?
_________________________________________
ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
WITNESS: Getting laid
____________________________________________

ATTORNEY: She had three children , right?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
WITNESS: Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I get a new attorney?
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death..
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
WITNESS: Take a guess.
___________________________________________

ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
WITNESS: Unless the Circus was in town I'm going with male.
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Doctor , how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
WITNESS: All of them. The live ones put up too much of a fight.
_________________________________________
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral...
_________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 PM
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS: If not, he was by the time I finished.
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
WITNESS: Are you qualified to ask that question?

______________________________________
And last:

ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No..
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.

Warning....Updating....

I haven't been keeping up to my 'promise' [more to myself] of updating this blog at least once a week when I decided to resurrect it from limbo. I can come up with lots and lots of excuses as to why that is but I would just be kidding myself mostly...since I'm the only one probably reading this blog...haha.

Anyway, I haven't been myself lately...at least in the last couple of weeks. I've just been pretty occupied with myself I guess. I know...selfish, right? But that's the way it is. Whether we admit it or not, it happens to the best of us. I'm not sure if that's selfish or not but it's a reality. But I'm almost over that 'hump'. I guess I blew off some steam over the weekend. I was just very b**chy for some reason. I snapped at everything. I tried to stay away from everyone and just did what I felt was going to help to blow off some steam which included walking on the Mobia for about an hour. It sure did help because after taking a shower following that walk, I fell asleep. After that I somehow felt a little bit normal again. I stopped being a 'snapping turtle'. Hopefully I'll start feeling like myself again over the course of this week. It's just not me to be this way.

I have a good friend who went through a major surgery last week. She's been in my mind a lot eversince she told me about her decision to go through this major surgery. I know she's a strong person and her faith is so big that she'll breeze through this major hurdle with no problems. She was upbeat when I last spoke with her so I know she's going to be fine. But with that being said, I can't help but think about a lot of things. Mortality for one. We really can't tell where life's going to take us. One day we seem to have it all. Then something happens and it shakes us to the core. I'm just glad that this friend of mine has what it takes to weather this storm...her faith. I just wish I can check on her but I know she's still trying to get better since it hasn't been a week yet. I'm itching to give her a call but I won't because I'd rather she takes it easy and rest. Luckily she has all the support she needs because aside from her hubby, she's also surrounded by loved ones who traveled thousands of miles to be with her. Hoping and praying she's mending pretty well. I know she is....positive thinking!

Spring Has Sprung?

Really now? For a while there, even us here in the Sunshine state didn't feel that it has indeed sprung...but it did. We sort of felt it for a day, on the first day of Spring mind you,  but it quickly went away for about a week. So for a while there we were one with the rest of country wondering if it's really spring already. Anyway,  the weather has been pleasant for the most part now. As our local meteorologists like to say...we're now feeling spring-like temperatures. Needless to say, we're happy in our neck of the weeds as far as temps are concerned.

Aside from the arrival of Spring, nothing much has happened here lately. Well, let me rephrase that. Nothing spectacular. Huh! A lot has happened though. Our bank screwed up and wouldn't own up to it...until they're caught red-handed. By the time they admitted it's their fault, they've caused us a lot of stress already...and some money because of lost time at work. But that's life...it happens and we just go with it. It's still not fully fixed because we have to redo a lot of transactions. We had to call the other companies to explain to them the bank's screw up. Believe it or not, it seemed like those companies just couldn't believe it that it's actually the bank's fault. From what I 'sensed', they'd rather believe it's US that messed up. Hmmmp! Oh well...I'll just charge that to experience I guess.

Last week was Holy Week. For Catholics, that's a very important week. It's actually one of those times when I wish I'm back home again because I haven't experienced 'Holy Week' for so many years. Unlike when I was still back home when I would spend almost the entire week on church grounds, these days I just stay at home. On Easter Sunday, the father and daughter tandem here painted some eggs for fun. I think they do that every year. I never paint an egg because I don't have the 'power'...errr, the talent to come up with ideas on what to decorate them with. As for the father/daughter tandem, they usually come up with something really cute and sometimes funny ideas to paint on their Easter eggs. I just stay on the side taking pictures and watching them while they do their thing.

This weekend, I'm planning in checking out a Philippine Festival not too far from where we are. It's actually far...about 40 miles away...but it's only held once a year. I figured I can enjoy some of my favorite dishes as well as let the little one see how fiestas back home are celebrated/observed. We already went to this place one time but it was during the Christmas season. The little one enjoyed looking around because there were a lot of decorations and lights. This time around, I'm hoping there will be more native foods to choose from because that's what's lacking that time we were there. Yep, I'm going to 'binge' on some Philippine delicacies...I hope.

Busy

An excuse for not having updates on this blog. Ha! That's kinda' true last week but the weeks before...I was just plain lazy I guess. It's been a month since the last time I was able to post here. A lot of things have happened in that span of time...some happy, some sad. For the sad part, both of hubby's step-grandparents passed away during this time. They're both in their late 80s already so they both lived a full life in my opinion. In a way I'm glad they went within weeks of each other. They were married for almost 50 years and I cannot imagine how it must feel to be without each other after living together for that long. So yeah, I'm kinda' glad they're together again.

Some good things came out of these sad events. For one, it proved that family is still family. After years of not being in contact with each other, some of the members of the family came together when all this was happening. Phone calls started coming and meeting in person followed next. Lots of things can be blamed to the lack of communication between family. Distance is one. Misunderstanding is another one. There were a lot of misinformation on all sides. Feelings get hurt. But at the end of the day, blood is blood and family is family. When something like death happens, we all get together to send off that person to the next 'life'. That's what happened to us lately. It may be something temporary but at least we got to catch up and see each other after years of almost no contact at all...in this day and age mind you. But that's the choice they made...and they're all adults so...

Anyway, aside from the unexpected family reunions, nothing much has been happening around here. We haven't been doing any road trips lately. I thought we would have been back in that park I posted about a month ago but no. Maybe one of these coming Spring weekends when the weather is a lot more conducive for canoeing. We're also planning in driving to GA again but that's all in the planning stage for now. Knowing us, we may just do that next weekend. That's the way we like it....unplanned road trips.

Worth Going Back To

In one of our unplanned road trips, we stumbled upon a park about an hour and a half from where we live. It's a park where a famous river in that specific city is known for is located. Hubby said that he heard good things about the river before so we decided to stop by even if it's afternoon already. The park closes at 4 PM so we only had a couple of hours to explore it. The entrance fee was 2 bucks only and parking is free. It's the middle of winter so most of the plants are either in hibernation or are barely alive. But since we have mild winters here, there are some plants that have flowers in them.

As we were roaming around the park, we came across several man-made waterfalls. They're pretty small waterfalls because the water is just redirected from the river itself but they make pretty sights. I think we posed in front of every single one of them. Here are some pics of 3 of the waterfalls.

 

 

 The park is pretty big. The lawns are big enough to accommodate several people that may want to have picnics or what nots on days like the weekend we were there. But since it's winter and not many people go to parks, we could pretty much have one whole area all by ourselves.

We actually saw someone sleeping on a mat under one of the trees in one of the big lawns. I guess she went to the park to relax...and relaxed she was. LOL...

Besides the falls, the one area that we like a lot is probably the river itself. It's actually one of the first things you see when you enter the park but you have to walk around to get to it. There's a cordoned-off area where park visitors can go swimming. Since it's part of the river, we don't really know how deep it is. One swimmer ~yes, there were people swimming in it at winter time ~ said that it's about 10 feet deep from she's at which is by the river bank. Hubby said he will swim in it next time we visit.

The water is very clear that you can actually see the bottom of the river and the fish swimming in it. On the far right [I think] of this picture is the area where visitors can go canoeing if they wish to. There is a separate fee for canoe rental of course. And yes, we may go canoeing one of these weekends...probably next weekend since it's going to be a nice weather to do such a thing...that is if the weather prediction holds true.

There are several parts of the river that's been cordoned off. It is the park's way of telling the visitors as to how far they can go as far as the river is concerned. There are also some 'warning signs' about alligators being present in the river so people must practice precautionary measures just in case.

One small area that's cordoned-off is a place where visitors can sit to let fish nibble on their feet. Like this one...

 

Yep, very similar to the Fish Spa in the Japan and in some malls in the Philippines...except this is 'almost' free. Hubby said he can sit there for hours just letting those little creatures nibble on his tootsies.

Yep, we're definitely going back to this park very soon. It's a pity that we got there a bit late that day or we could have enjoyed those already. Next time, we'd probably spend the whole day in there. My father and daughter tandem can explore the place while I sleep under the shade of one of the big trees there. Good plan, eh?

Road Trippin'

One of the things that hubby told when we first met was his love for taking a drive. He said he likes just getting behind the wheel then just drive. We did that afew times here and there for the first few years we were married. Then we got busy with the baby, work and some other things. That meant not being able to go as much as we used to and we wanted to. But during the last quarter of last year, we decided to take a long drive to Georgia. We went there mainly to look at the place and some properties. But we also enjoyed the 7+ hour long drive. Just taking in the sights while on our way to our destination. That somehow fueled our appetite for doing that...driving just to sight see. From that time on, we've been driving around a lot during the weekend. It's mostly just around here. We don't have the time to go far because of work so we just stay local...for now.

So where do we go during these 'local road trips'? Nowhere in particular. What we usually do is just go out. If we have some errands to run, then we do those first. As soon as we're done with the errands, hubby will just drive. Most of the time we just stay in the car. A few of the times when we see something worth stopping for, we'd stop to take pictures. We've done that maybe a couple of times only. But not all of our trips are unplanned. We had one a few months ago where we went to this forest trail to look at some underground caves. Most of the caves are very small but there are couple that we were able to get into. The little one had fun exploring the caves. After the cave exploration, we went rough terrain driving also in the same forest. The husband did most of that himself because I wasn't very keen in going through it. I just took some videos of him trying to get over the humps and bumps on the terrain that were made just for that purpose.

Im sure we'll have more road trippin' in the days to come. Hopefully I'll be driving in one of those trips. Maybe....

The Year That Was

Year 2012 may not have been the best year as far as work is concerned but it'll definitely be one of my most memorable years. The reason being I was finally able to go back home to see family after more than 10 years of being away.

Aside from being able to come home for the first time since I left some 12 years ago, it was also the first time my side of the family met our little one. Needless to say, it was a very happy time in our lives. During our 2-week stay, my family was also able to get to know the man I married. They knew him by  name and by talking to him over the phone and met him for a day when he came to pick me up more than 10 years ago but they never really got the chance to 'know' him. This time around, they did. So when it was time for me and my little family to leave again, my siblings told me that now they can breathe a lot easier now knowing that the man I chose to spend the rest of my life with is a good man. I guess me telling them that [over the phone] in the last several years wasn't enough, eh? I guess to see is to believe indeed. Ha!

Beside that memorable family reunion during the first quarter of 2012 and becoming a naturalized citizen, not much good had happened I must say. We're surviving alright but life can definitely  be better. Obviously, the economy has a lot to do with that and by the looks of it, there won't be a lot of [good] changes in the economy this year. For starter, the pay we see on our payroll now is much smaller than last time. Why? More tax deductions. As if the lack of work is not enough, now even the little money we get from whatever work is available has been compromised as well. Not only that. Our mortgage payment has gone up because of the increase in insurance. Why is it that everything is going up but the earnings? There is something wrong in that equation, don't you think? If this continues on, everyone in this country will be broke. Well, let me rewrite that. Everybody in this country will be on welfare. That's what we want, right? Or is it?

From our Home to Yours...

May the TRUE SPIRIT of the season find you and fill your hearts with joy...

Weeks of No Update?

So what else is new, eh? I don't really have much to blog about so I tend to skip updating but since it's been a while, I thought I'd write an update here.

December came rolling in last week. Since it fell on a weekend, I didn't even realize it's December already. I don't normally look at the date on the weekend unless we have an appointment/date for something. Even the little one was a bit surprised when she realized that it's already December. She had to look for her Christmas stocking in her toy box so she could hang it...2 days late as she puts it. Anyway, before we know it, it will be the most awaited day of the year already [to most people I know anyway]...Christmas. We're still in the middle of gathering the stuff in our list. Our tree is still up in the attic. We planned in getting it out of there last weekend but we got busy so that didn't happen. Most probably we'll pull it out of hibernation this coming weekend. The little one is itching to decorate it already. She's been doing that [the decorating] ever since she could...about 4 or 5. We usually do it together but she does most of it now because she's taller than me now. Hopefully we'll have the tree up by next week.

That's basically everything in a nutshell. Nothing exciting. Just the way I like it....haha.

What is Black Friday?

Is it a HOLIDAY?

Those are the 2 questions that my daughter asked me while we were having breakfast. Why? Because all she sees in my emails as well as the on the sites I browse online are all about 'black Friday'. I had to explain to her that it's not considered a holiday although I'm sure some people take the day off to take advantage of the offers in stores.

I've been living in this country for more than 12 years but I've never gone shopping on a Black Friday. I know there are some deep discounts on that day but I'm not willing to wake up at the crack of dawn much less line up in front of stores before midnight to wait for the stores to open at the crack of dawn just to shop. Just reading how crazy people get on this day makes me shiver actually. Stampedes, pushing, shoving just to get in a store is not my cup of tea. Some people probaby get the adrenaline rush doing that but not me. I'm hoping our little one won't do that either because to me, it's hardly worth it.

Since I am blogging about Black Friday, I thought of going the extra yard and check Wikipedia for a little background about this much awaited day. Here's what Wiki says about it...


Black Friday is the name given to the day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, traditionally the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. On this day, most major retailers open extremely early, often at 4 am, or earlier, and offer promotional sales to kick off the holiday shopping season, similar to Boxing Day sales in many Commonwealth Nations. Black Friday is not an official holiday, but many non-retail employers also observe this day as a holiday along with Thanksgiving, giving their employees the day off and increasing the number of potential shoppers. It has routinely been the busiest shopping day of the year since 2005,[1] although news reports, which at that time were inaccurate,[2] have described it as the busiest shopping day of the year for a much longer period of time.[3] The day's name originated in Philadelphia, where it originally was used to describe the heavy and disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic which would occur on the day after Thanksgiving.[4][5] Use of the term started before 1961 and began to see broader use outside Philadelphia around 1975. Later an alternative explanation began to be offered: that "Black Friday" indicates the point at which retailers begin to turn a profit, or are "in the black".[4][6] For many years, it was common for retailers to open at 6:00 am, but in the late 2000s many had crept to 5:00 or even 4:00. This was taken to a new extreme in 2011, when several retailers (including Target, Kohls, Macy's, Best Buy, and Bealls[7]) opened at midnight for the first time.[citation needed] In 2012, Walmart led several other retailers in announcing it would open its stores at 8:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day [8], prompting calls for a walkout among some workers. [9]

Happy Birthday!

To me! Ha!

Actually it was last week. I just can't think of any title so I just greeted myself a happy birthday. Is that even legal? Hahaha...

Yep, I turned another corner. Another year passed...hoping to get to the next one. Isn't that what we all want? To go another year and then some.

My birthday used to be a big deal. That was before I moved... It was a big deal when I was back in the Philippines.  It's a big deal not because it's my birthday though but because it's All Saint's Day there. For those who are not familiar what All Saint's Day is, it is the day when we remember our dearly departed ones. Well, not just remember since we can do that anytime of the year anyway. We can say, it's 'THEIR' day because it's all about them. How? First, their 'tombs are cleaned and relatives and friends drop by their resting place to light a candle and offer a prayer or two as well as some flowers to them. Loved ones stay by 'them' for hours usually catching up and playing games. Some even camp out there and eat there. Yep, it's like a picnic in the cemetery I must say. Our local cemetery back home is usually bursting with people on this day from morning until midnight. That's how big of a deal my birthday...err...All Saint's day is back home. If only for that reason, my birthday back then was always a happy one. I may not know 99.9% of the people in the cemetery but it was fun watching hundreds of people walk past you on your birthday.

Now that I'm 12,000 miles away from all that, my birthday is no longer the same. I don't think it will ever be the same anyway. Does it mean it's not a happy birthday anymore? Not really. It's still a happy birthday for me. I don't celebrate it with as many people anymore but I have the most important people with me. That to me is enough reason to have a very happy birthday.

Life's Simple Pleasures

I am a self-confessed 'worry-wart'. Is there an intervention program like an AA program for people like me? I haven't heard of any but I'll make sure to post it here if I find one. Maybe I should start one, eh?

Anyway, because of my being like that, there are times that I don't get to see and appreciate life's simple pleasures. But I'm learning to do that now. I'm trying [very hard I might add] not to get stressed over things I have no control of. Instead, I try to enjoy the simple things that life can offer us right here, right now.

Last weekend, we went on a drive. Where? Nowhere in particular. The weather was so nice and we didn't want to waste it by staying in so we hopped in the car after lunch and just drove aimlessly. We've done this a few times in the past and it was so much fun so we decided to do it again. When we first did it we just picked a road that we haven't been in and drove it....to get lost....LOL. We didn't get lost because hubby never gets lost...or so he claims. This weekend, we also picked a couple of roads we thought we haven't been into.

After about an hour or so of 'aimless' driving around, we came across a park. We asked the person in-charge and he handed us a map of the park forest trail. We drove around a couple of the trails and came across bunches of hunters looking for deer and wild pigs or boars. We didn't come across any animals though...just some 'angry stares' from the hunters themselves. Yep, they didn't look too happy to see us there. I wonder why? Can it be because we scared their preys away? Oops!

That's one of life's simple pleasures to me. To be able to get out there and just enjoy simple things like that. I used to not like doing that. I thought it's a waste of time. But how can it be a waste of time if it's spent with the most special people in your life? That I know now....

October Rain

Rain! That's all we've been having since yesterday so I might as well call it that...October rain, eh?

So the last quarter of 2012 officially kicked in Monday. I hardly noticed it because I was barely awake. Blame it on the tiring weekend we had prior because we just came back from a trip again. But we've bounced back already I think. I'm not as tired anymore although this 'bed weather' is really making it hard for me to stay active. All I want to do right now is curl up on the couch and watch some of my favorite shows. Not quite possible since it's the middle of a work week and I wouldn't want to miss work anymore after all the cancellations I made in the last few weeks due to appointments.

I'm sure this month will fly us by as well just like the previous months. Right now our little one is excitedly waiting for Halloween. Before we know she'll be talking about the holiday season and what she wants for gifts. Me? I just want to sit back, relax and enjoy life's simple pleasures. It's not easy especially with all that's happening in the economy. But I'm trying to take it easy the best way I know how. That's all we can do for now. Stressing about it won't help one bit. So why bother, right?

Factory Outlet Products Vs The Real Deal

Just like any girl out there, I like signature products. I don't buy them. Primarily because I don't have the hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars to pay for them. I can probably use credit card and pay through that BUT no thank you. I'm perfectly happy with what I can afford.

For some, knock offs are good replacements. I did too at one point but I got over it and just didn't think it's worth it. For a lot of people, buying from factorly outlets is a good way to get these branded products at a fraction of the price of the ones sold in regular stores. I've been to a couple of factory outlets more than 10 years ago but that's it. Where I'm at, the nearest outlet is hundreds of miles away. Needless to say, I've never been at that outlet. And I may never go...but who knows. Anyway, it was my understanding before that factory outlet products are just those high end products that just didn't pass quality control to make it to the next level so they are sold at much lower prices. Well, maybe not. Let me elaborate. And for the record, this is just my personal opinion.

A few months ago, I got an email invite to join an exclusive 'member' only pass for a popular company that sells mostly purses. It's for the official online site of their factory outlet. I was very happy to get that email. Now before I got that I email, I already have a purse and a wallet which were both bought from their regular stores months before. Both were gifts because if it were up to me, I won't spend hundreds of dollars for a purse or a wallet. But that's just me. Anyway,after getting the confirmation of membership I eagerly awaited for my first 'email only invite' from the site. I got one a few days later. As soon as I got in, I was already tempted to buy because the prices are really much lower than what they have in a regular store. Sometimes the prices are 70% off the MSRP of the product. So far, I got one purse. Not for me but for a niece as my thank you gift for her for all the favors she did for me when we went back home a few months ago. Other than that, I haven't been tempted to get anything else. Talk about self-control, eh?

So, are the purses/wallets sold in the outlet sites/stores the same as the ones sold at the regular store/site? Yes, but not really. Sorta? Here's what I found from my sleuthing...LOL...not much sleauthing actually...just a little bit of observing.

Aside from the big difference in prices, the products in the outlet site and the real site are also remarkably different. The products in the outlet site are probably made by the same company but they're not exactly the same as the ones found in the real site or the stores. The styles are similar but not the same. The materials used I believe are also different. I did a side by side picture comparison of some of the purses I like. At first glance they look the same but if closely inspected, they ARE indeed different. The designs on materials used to make the purses that seem to be the same are obviously not. One has bigger prints compared to the other. Now,  I have not compared the products in person but judging from the pictures, I think it's safe to say that there is also a big difference in quality of the products.

But I guess it doesn't really matter especially if the price difference is 70%, right? But then again, I pesonally now have to think even more before I shell out some hard earned money for something that is original but may not be as good as the real deal. Then again...that's just me. How about you?

It's Autumn...

Almost, anyway. It's only a few days away. It'll be official this coming Saturday.

How time flies, eh? It seems it was only a few days ago when we welcomed this month and now it's almost over. I guess that's what happens when you're busy...which we have been I must say.

My journey to become a citizen was finalized yesterday. I attended an oath taking ceremony along with 90 others from several other countries. This was a long time coming. I was eligible to apply more than 5 years ago but I opted not to rush it. There was no reason to rush it. So what gives this time around? Travel purposes. It's easier to travel once you're a citizen of this country. Also, I want to vote.

When I applied for my residency here some eleven years ago, we spent thousands of dollars. That's mainly because we hired a lawyer to aid us. I have to say it was worth it considering we didn't know the 'ins & outs' of the immigration laws back then. All we had to do was provide our lawyer with needed documents and he did [or his paralegal probably did] the leg work. This time around, we decided to do it all ourselves. With 'all' I mean filing the papers ourselves. That's it! After submitting the documents, I just waited for the immigration office to contact me to let me know the next step. All in all it took about 5 months to finish everything. No sweat at all. And yesterday was the culmination of it all.

I have another journey I have yet to finish....my driving. This one needs a lot more practice on my part. I am not a willing party on this one but it has to be done sooner or later. I have about a year to make sure that's done or I would have to re-apply for another permit...and I would hate for that to happen. Ugh!

Exercising!

It's been months now since I stopped doing regular exercise. I know that's not a good decision on my part. First because exercise is really good for the health. Second, it is so very hard to get back to it.

I know I need to go back to it but I keep putting it off. Ugh! I just need that one push to do it again but so far...it's not happening. Actually, hubby and I stopped almost at the same time. He re-started a couple of weeks ago...I haven't. Maybe I should start with hula hooping first then slowly go back to the Mobia walking.

Oh well...talks about my lack of exercising is kinda' depressing so I better talk about something else. How about the lack of work? Umm...depressing as well. It only goes to show that theres not much improvement going on, eh?

So let's talk about something else then.

Hubby has been busy looking for some properties in GA. That's basically what catapulted our road trip 2 weeks ago. There's a chance we may move there in the future and by the looks of it, now is the best time to start looking for prospects as far as properties go. He found a lot of properties already. Inquired about some. Got some replies. Some are promising. Some not very. The one that he really liked...was sold last week only. Yep, a bummer to say the least. He found a couple more last night and showed them to me. It's funny how he'd show me what in and around the area as if trying to convince me that it's okay to move there. I already told him I could care less where we move as long as we're together. Isn't that what family is all about? Being together? I guess he still wants to make sure that I will like the area just in case.

Anyway, we MAY take another trip there in the future before making any final decision. Or it may just be him since it will be just 'scouting'. But we may also tag along because that's how likes it. We'll see. I'm just hoping that things work out for the better. In general.

So Much Action

For a change. And it's only the first week of September.

Let me elaborate.

Over the weekend, our little family went for a little drive...out of the state! That's a first mind you. In 11 years!!! We've always talked about doing something like that. Just packing up for a few days of 'escapades'. We did it and it was fun. So where did we go? We went to North Georgia which is about 8 hours drive from where we are. We didn't have a lot of plans. Hubby wanted to check on a property he saw online which we tried but with no luck. As it turns out, the property was so remore you have to cross a couple of rivers to get there. Aside from that plan, we just played everything by ear. We ended up visiting Amicalola Falls on our first day there then went on a scenic train ride on our second day. On the third day, we drove back home. That's it. Short and sweet I must say.

Today I went if for an interview. For what? Not a job. I finally decided to become 'one of them'. Yep, after a decade of being an alien I decided to be 'un-alien'....LOL. I had a very early appointment which is how we like it. My call time was a few minutes before offices open for business. I was called almost on the dot. I was in and out of the interview itself in about 15 minutes. Short & painless. Now we wait.

We still have about 3 more weeks of this month. I only have one appointment for this month. We don't have any plans whatsoever to go anywhere. But who knows. We might just go crazy and decide to take another trip. Unlikely but possible, eh?

Change of Heart

And I'm hoping I made the right decision.

I decided to enroll the little one to virtual school. I've been meaning to do that since last year but because of her age, I decided not to do it yet. What's age gotta do with it? She's recommended last year for Gr. 6. She was only 9 years old then. She's not a genius by any means, although the Dad thinks she is...but she's advanced for her age because I teach her one on one. That's the advantage I guess. Anyway, I said last year that I would enroll her this year. So I did. The enrollment wasn't bad. She was accepted almost immediately. She did her placement tests. As per the name of the tests, the results will determine as to what level she should be. She did the regular Gr. 6 placement. Modesty aside, she breezed through them. She was asked to take a higher level test and she did. She passed them as well so she's supposed to take the advanced classes in some subjects.

She started her first try yesterday. It was fine as far as doing the work is concerned. She said it was easy. Although she had to call me a few times for some clarifications, she did most of the work independently. I on the other hand started getting stressed. I had my share of learning the ropes as a coach and I slowly realized that we're not fully prepared for something like this. Maybe I was just overwhelmed but I was about to cry towards the end of the day. So after mulling over it and talking with the husband about it, I decided to withdraw her enrollment. The flexibility I was hoping we'll get with a virtual school is not as much as we would like. I didn't like that she had to spend almost all of her time in front of the computer yesterday. That would probably change but I'm guessing that computer time will be more than we want her to have. That's probably the biggest reason behind my decision.

Maybe next year when she's more matured we can give it a try again. For now, both hubby and I would rather she learns under our direct supervision.

A Special Anniversary Card

And I'm not talking about the cards that my husband and I gave each other on our 11th wedding annivsary. I'm talking about this one...

Of course the cards we gave each other are special but this one is more special because it's not something you'll get from the store. Our little one made it herself and I'm one touched Mama. She actually had to make this one in a hurry. She said she almost forgot our anniversary and just remembered it on the day itself so she had to come up with something really fast. I particularly like the 'picture' of us looking at each other. I think it's kinda' cute...

One day she'll stop making these personalized cards for us and opt for the commercial ones. This is the reason why I treasure every single card she makes for us...with or without occasion.

Eleven Years....

of being a wife. It's probably the best 11 years of my life as well. Yes, there are definitely ups and downs but cheesy as it may sound, I will not exchange it for anything in this world.

My husband and I didn't know each other that long when we decided to say 'I do'. As a matter of fact,some of my friends as well as his were concerned that we may be moving things a bit too fast. How fast? We met online in April, then met in person in June then got married in August all in the same year...2001. But we knew what we wanted and we went for it amidst all the negativities around. I was dead serious with my decision. How so? I moved 12,000 miles away from home just to be with him. I left a job as well which was hard because I loved what I was doing [and getting good pay for it]...teaching. But I fell in love so none of those mattered. I was willing to leave everything behind and I did. Good thing I did because I wouldhn't have the life I have right now if I didn't follow my heart.

Here we are 11 years after. We're still happy together. Thriving to say the least. The ups are definitely worth the downs. Above all, we have a beautiful daughter together. That alone is worth all that I've given up.