4 x 4 = One More Reason To Be Narcissistic

I got tagged, and I enjoyed Britney's posts immensely, so here goes:
(this is also going to make me finally learn how to use links and things in blogger, so I suppose I'm grateful that I'm being forced not to be lazy)

4 Places I go:
University Center in Ponca City
I am taking classes here, through Northwestern and NOC. Three of my classes are through iTv at the center, and 3 of them are online. I have really enjoyed being able to take classes in my hometown, where I can live cheaply (because I'm renting from the parents) and be close to family while my son is young. I am graduating in December (whoo hoo).

US Cellular
This is where I work. Dooce says you shouldn't talk about work on your blog. So that's all I have to say about that.

Home.
I'm here a lot. I rent a house that my parents own. Its a cute little two bedroom that holds a lot of memories, because it also happens to be the place where I lived when I was age 3 until the 3rd grade. I feel really blessed that I'm able to live in a house with a big living room and a yard and a nice front porch where my son can play. I'm always looking for ways to organize, and to make it homier. (not sure if its an actual word, but you know what I mean)

4 Favorite Smells:
Cash's head. You had to know that was going to end up on here somewhere. You just can't beat that baby smell, especially when he's digging his head into my neck giving me a giant hug when I get home from work.

Clinique Happy Heart
Clinique Happy has been my "signature smell" if you will, for awhile. When I can afford to buy real perfume. I've had my eye (nose?) on the Happy Heart smell for awhile now, and as soon as I can justify forking over the bucks, its going to be allllll mine. It just makes me feel pretty.

Incense.
I've been on a real incense kick lately. I love the way it permeates the house with good smelling goodness. Cash and Dagney love watching the smoke curl up in lazy circles. It makes for a happy home.

Chex Mix.
My mom makes it homemade every year at Christmas time, and I swear any time I smell anything cooking with Worcestershire sauce, it makes my mouth water. My brother and I fight over the bags of it every year.

4 Favorite Movies/Shows:
Gilmore Girls.
Obviously, my all time favorite. I go through periods where I watch it nonstop. It is my no-fail cure to a bad day.

Scrubs.
I have recently started watching this show again lately with Cash. I can't believe how he will sit on my lap and watch it with me for like an hour. (no comments on babies and media and tv and blah blah blah...I like our quality snuggle time) I always remember it as being very funny, but I forget how more often than not, it also makes me tear up.

How I Met Your Mother
Another very funny show that has got me completely hooked.

Romance movies.
Yes, in general. I cannot pick one. But this is the only genre of movie I can watch over and over. I kindof judge things by whether they make me laugh, but especially if they make me cry. I'm a woman and am addicted to that dramatic soul deep introspection. If a movie can give me that instead of making me experience it all in real life, I'm all for it. Because real life man drama is much more stressful.

4 Recommendations:
Find a job you love.
You are going to be working at it at least half of the time for a good portion of your life. If you aren't happy there, its going to be tough to be happy in general. Also, try and find something that fulfills something in you as a person. If you don't feel like you are actually giving back to society in some way, things are going to feel kinda empty.

Don't be too nervous about having a kid.
Sure, they change everything. Sure, you're totally not ready. Sure, they are expensive...blah blah blah...bottom line is, its all worth every second. And you don't really ever regret it. Even when you're broke and exhausted and stressed, the payoff is way way worth the effort. They are entertaining. And cute. And they make everything you do seem so much more important. And they (for a while anyways) think you are totally awesome, no strings attached.

Read. As much as possible.
Its the easiest and cheapest way to be exposed to new places, new ideas, to escape from the world around you for a bit when you most need it. It's the only way to really communicate with people from a completely different time period. Its really just awesome all around.

Take notes.
You're not going to remember things forever. Keep a diary of sweet moments between you and friends, family, a spouse. Start a wine journal. Write down the important notes from this week's sermon. Copy down that awesome quote you just read. Buy a day planner so you don't forget Monday is trash day. It increases productivity, but it also helps you remember all those little things that have made life sweet.

Spring Cleaning

Over my two days off this week, I decided to do a bit of spring cleaning. It all started with the bookshelf. The one I've been using for Cash's room is a random piece I found in the garage when I moved in. I cleaned it up and its been serving the purpose, but is a little too rickety for use in the room of what is soon to be a climber. So while waiting for my new tires at Walmart, I bought a bookshelf.
I already own 3 similar bookshelves, and was thinking ehhhh it'll be no problem assembling it. I was forgetting, however, that a certain Mrs. Carma Parker helped (and by helped, I'm pretty sure all I was allowed to do was hand her a hammer) me put the first 3 together. Oops. It all came back to me when I opened the instructions and saw step ONE:



I then texted a friend in town politely pleading for help. After he told me he was already in bed, and to "wait until I get back next week, I'll have it put together for you in ten minutes," something in the cockiness of his voice (I could hear it through the text) kicked my motivation into gear. OhhhhNooooo I'll do it myself, thank you! That was probably his intention all along. Silly men.
So off to work I went. After figuring out a very impressive sticky note system to remember which piece was which, it only took me one hour and one beer and voila!! All assembled and sturdy enough for Dagney to jump around on. (she has great faith in my carpentry skills, that's why I keep her around and, you know, feed her and stuff)
Little did I know that this was only the beginning. I put the bookshelf in the pre-planned out empty space, and got to thinking. And thinking and plotting and planning and scheming...And then I decided to rearrange all of Cash's room. And I'm pretty sure the work is still not done, but boy oh boy I have enough room in my living room to throw a dance party (maybe I should add a disco ball to my shopping list) and Cash's room is completely organized. Hopefully this will fulfill my fix for reorganizing until midterms at least...

Farm Life

Wednesday night Cash and I got ourselves invited to eat at the Shenold's. It was, as always, an adventure. I had to make a call on the way there to Candala to get exact directions. Bodie got on and told me to drive about a quarter mile past the electrical plant and make a left. I would like to take this moment to point out that the ONLY person in Cash's side of the family that has a normal address on a normal street is his father. Every single other relation's address includes some form of turning down some dirt road on some nameless street past some water tower of some sort. I'm just saying...So Bodie and Candala had made a run to Walgreens, and told Candala she'd better HURRY UP because there were going to be So Many Kids to play with and they were missing out on all the fun!!! We love Uncle Bobo.



We got there, and Paula and Codie's 5 year old Emma pronounced Cash "the absolute cutest thing she has EVER SEEN." I don't think she left his side for the rest of the night. She's such a great little helper. She took him for a ride in their kiddie Jeep, and taught him how to rake up the hay...I'm pretty sure Cash is officially in love.



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Right after we first got there, someone asked me if I'd seen the coyote. Whaaaat? Oh yes, Codie had shot a coyote and had it hanging upside down, dead as a doornail outside the barn. Of course, I couldn't give up the photo op. Candala and I have a tradition of taking pictures making me look like as much of a country girl as possible...totally improving my street rep.



Cash got to do all sorts of fun things like talk to the dogs, try and eat gravel (Uncle Bobo was all over that one), and steal mommy's unopened beer cans. He likes chewing on them because they are cold. I'm okay with this, as long as he still hasn't figured out how to open them. Its only a matter of time...





But hey, at least he shares!



And hey, look: Chickens!



Such a great time. We are definitely going to have to add more visits to our summer to do list :)

lovely

Today was totally crazy stressful busy. After work though, I got a text message from Stef asking if Cash & I wanted to join she & Jason for dinner at the new restaurant in town. Yes, please! I've welcomed any opportunity lately to get out of the house. I decided not to go to the bother of changing Cash out of the pjs my grandmother had already put him in. This is kind of a big deal for me, seeing as how I think it's kindof a crime to let any child over the age of...idk a month? out in public in pjs. Ugh. It makes me cringe. But I threw on his black skull tennis shoes with his Halloween skeleton pjs & off we went, telling myself that he looked more little-kid-dressed-in-funky-costume than poor-homeless-child-whose-mom-probably-never-changes-his-clothes.
I'm totally a new mom, because just a simple outing like this totally made my day!! The food was fantastic, Stef & Jason were fun as always, and Cash entertained everyone in the place. Then we ran into his daddy, so Cash got a tour of the place, harboring a special fascination with the fire oven.(oh dear) He had a great time, and passed out the second we got home.
All in all, a pretty great night! Now, if I could only work up the motivation to get a little homework done...Ive got to be in super ultimate productive mode for the next two days!!

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Okay, I can't complain any more...

And they even smell amazing!! :)

Valentines Schmalentines

Hi. These are flowers sent to my work. For my manager. He's a guy.



Here's the flowers I got. I'm a girl.


{blank space representing that no one sent me any flowers}


What is wrong with the world??
Haha.
I like Valentine's day though. Its an excuse to buy my kid presents, which I'm pretty sure I still enjoy more than he does. I went shopping and got a shiny red purse that was super on sale.
We won't talk about my English test and how because I had to get up and run to pee in the middle of it, I'm pretty sure those 3 minutes (I'm very fast) cost me a question or two on time. That woman, I swear...she gives us 50 minutes to answer like 50 essay questions with "as many examples as possible." I can't help it if I studied really really hard and had too much to write about, not allowing me to complete the test. Ughhh....but we aren't talking about that. :)

February days

Interesting things that have happened to me this week:

All day drunken text messages from certain unnamed friends in Norman who decided to have an all day Disney princess movie marathon. The drunken part came in when they decided to take a shot of Ballatore every time the characters sang a song.




You can actually see the drunken progression in the handwriting here:




My favorite was a certain video that was emailed to me and will forever and ever stay in the archives under the label: Blackmail!!!

Cash and I were snowed in for two full days. In the course of those days, he: poured an entire bottle of water out on my bedroom floor, broke my tool kit, and broke the lid to the toilet. He also made me laugh approximately 400 times, so I guess it all evens out.

That's about all I got for now that's web-sharing worthy.
So I'll leave you with a picture that sums up how I feel about snow days:



Summer, hurry up!!!