2008-09-13

And it poured

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On Friday, our kids were dismissed from school early due to flooding. The roads in the area we live were being flooded and closed down. Andy and I left work early and had to plan the route to avoid the closures.

We went out today after lunch to see how some of the areas looked. There was one area that I wasn't able to take a picture of where a house, barn and cars were halfway under water.





This is usually the road to Target on the other side of the trees.





2008-09-12

1 space or 2?

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Conversation at work this week:

Me: Somebody told me that I needed to take out the extra space after the colon but I always thought there were supposed to be two spaces.

Young male coworker: Yeah, just 1 after colons and periods.

Me: Periods too? I learned it as two.

Young male coworker: That's old school like when typewriters were used. It's just 1 now.

Me (to young female coworker): So do you think it's just 1 space or 2?

Young female coworker: Just 1. Two spaces is so old school.


Ok, so I try to stay up on things and I try to be particular about grammar and spelling but when did this happen? I researched it and it would appear my young coworkers are absolutely right.

So this is just a warning to my fellow old people - JUST 1 SPACE.

2008-09-11

Things that make me cry (in a moving kind of way)

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- Seeing soldiers filing in by the dozens or hundreds at the airport. I saw this a couple of times when we lived in Texas and it makes me cry every time. Very moving.


- Talented kids. There's something so moving about kids doing things really well. Many of the Olympians were just teenagers and that put me in tears several times while watching. This girl, Charise Pempengco, is as good of a singer as Whitney, Celine or Mariah. And she's just a kid.


- Seeing other people, especially men, cry. It's almost like crying is contagious.

- The "Slipping through my fingers" scene from Mamma Mia


- Almost anything by Fantasia. I know that many people don't even like her singing let alone get really moved by it. I've never cried so much as I did when she sang "I'm Here" in The Color Purple musical.


- Reading people's weight loss stories. I know how hard it's been to lose 20-ish pounds so the stories of people losing much more are especially moving. One of my favorite's is from RonisWeigh.com.

- Really great photos such as those at The Big Picture. Recent example:


- Traveling. I love it and often find myself teary-eyed when we're somewhere new and I am incredibly grateful to be able to do it when we can.

- When the kids are getting along well and being sweet to each other. They usually fight but the times they get along and are nice to each other almost make up for it. (It should be noted that Blake punched Payton 0.7 seconds after this photo was taken. I'm glad I captured this rare moment on camera.)


- Seeing JT live. No need to remind me that I'm a 33-year-old mother of two or that he's a former boy band member or try to convince me he's a tool (is it bad that I don't see what's so bad about him in this video that tries to do just that?). I love him. The end.

- Seeing little old ladies that remind me of my grandma. I miss her.

- Seeing airplanes fly over closely. I'm actually surprised more people don't feel this way but people usually think I'm crazy. I think it's an amazing feat that tons of metal can go hurling through the air at hundreds of miles an hour. Seeing it up close is so moving to me (so moving that I used to drive to work and pass by an airport daily and if an airplane would be flying right over the highway, tears would just start streaming down my face). Don't even get me started on air shows....little slice of heaven right there.


- Fireworks accompanied by patriotic music. Gets me every time.

- a million other things that will elicit a response from Andy or the kids saying "you're crying again?!"

(As a side note, things that don't make me cry: personal issues, work, frustration, using it to be manipulative. I know plenty of people who do though...not that there's anything wrong with that.)

2008-09-08

Weekly health update

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Well, despite what I said, I didn't do any runs for the past week until tonight when I ran 5 miles. Theoretically it should have been fine - cool temps, only 5 miles - but I really hated it. I'm so burnt out. I keep telling myself "only 13 days until I'm done with long runs." I added a ticker to help me count down.

Weight-wise I stayed the same which is good by me. Pants I bought last weekend with Amanda are already baggy though. Taking a batch of big pants to a tailor to be taken in.

This next week is all about just trying to get my runs in so I can make it through the half-marathon. Planning to start Body for Life on October 1. Checked the book out from the library this week as a refresher. Can't wait.

2008-09-07

Define "oldies"

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Payton: What's that license plate say?
Me: Metallica.
Payton: What's that?
Me: A band.
Payton: An oldies band?
Me: 80s.
Payton: oldies.


And then yesterday, I was showing Payton videos of the band Ludo and telling her that Kami really loved them and I was learning to love their music. Afterward, she said "omg, that sounds like music I listen to...I can't believe OLD people like it."