Whatever

So. Didn't get the walls washed or the lids tightened today. What I did do;

Wash & mopped floors.
Vacuumed living room.
3 loads of laundry. FOLDED & put away.
Watched Korean short track speed skaters play dirty.
Not that it mattered, Charles Hamlen (don't care if that's spelled wrong) choked anyway.
Wiped down 3 bookcases & top of TV.
Took out garbage. Multiple times.
Made bed after washing bedding.
Windexed desk. (it's glass, windex is necessary).
Ate the most awesomest honey-garlic chicken wings, thanks to Keith's foresight to marinate said chicken for a day.
Cleaned bathroom cabinets (3 of them!) and threw out a garbage bag worth of products we don't use.
Felt my heart ache so deeply for what Once An Fertile is going through that I can't bring myself to comment. Feel so bad.
Bonded with sister over horrible childhood.
Got drunk with said sister. and (her) boyfriend.
Felt overwhelming gratitude and love that I am engaged to Keith, and so past the drama that comes along with "just" having a boyfriend.
Broke the seal and therefore must end this post.

Love you all!

Accountable

Am dashing off a quick note so it actually gets done:

Laundry. Probably about 2 loads. DO FULLY. Wash/dry/fold/put away. (I say this only because after my wal-mart job and having to fold 8 tables every shift, I am not a fan of folding. It's bad - it's to the point where the clean clothes stay in the basket for days. Am trying to change that habit.)
Wipe down both fans.
Wash walls of dust & built-up handprints in foyer & kitchen area.
Re-tighten pot & pan handles & lids and (maybe?) re-organize cupboard we put them in.

Look, kitties!

We ended up not going to Mexico afterall. I won't get into it; don't really want to talk/think about it. To say I'm pissed & disappointed would be putting it mildly.

Anyway! Here's some cute pictures of the new kitty in our house, Atlanta. We're taking care of her while my sister lives with my FIL since my FIL has an old, crotchey cat who wouldn't do well with another cat in the house. She's tiiiiiiiiiiiny; easily the smallest cat I've ever seen thats full-grown (she's just over a year old). Elvis and her seem to get along great - Elvis grooms her all the time and they've taken to sharing a bed. SO adorable. Serious.

Quick note

Off to Mehico very, very soon. Have dragged out suitcase we're taking, now to actually pack it. Always fun. (Not).

Olympics FINALLY start tomorrow. Am so ready for them to start, just because all the damn ads and sponsorship spots are driving me CRAZY. Currently going through next week and PVRing everything we want to watch re: Olympics and some of our regular shows. I must confess; I'm more of a summer Olympics kinda gal. More events I'm interested in - none of this luge or skeleton crap.

The only thing I am taking on this trip that is electronic is my camera. Trying to convince Keith that's all we need but I have a feeling his PsP is going to find its way into my purse. So I won't be blogging next week - not that it actually matters if I go a week without blogging, because I do it regularly - but anyway, just thought I'd let you know.

Keith is currently making the best dinner evah. Caramelized onions, fried peppers (green&red), & chicken, shredded cheese and brown rice, wrapped in a tortilla and baked just until crispy. I know there's a name for these things but I can't think of it right now. Whatever. It's good.

Am drinking the bottle of wine I got for my birthday. <3

Daydreams

I want to have a backyard, so we can make an ice rink in the winter and practice our skating.

I want to have enough space to hang a clothesline, so that six months of the year our washing can be dried by the sun and smell of growing grass.

I want to grow my own vegetable garden, and decorate my house with flowers plucked from the ground.

I want to learn how to can my own vegetables and fruits this summer so I can make homemade jam and spaghetti sauce (just to name a few).

I want to work because I enjoy it. I never want to work "because we need the money."

I want to be home most days when my children get home. I don't want them to come home to an empty house while they're in elementary school.

I want quiet nights of family more than I want to be a fulltime chauffeur; to strive towards a good balance between activities and rest.

I want my children to know they can achieve anything; that theres no difference whether they're gay or straight; that they can call, no questions asked, when they need to leave (or to prevent) an unsafe situation.

I want a car big enough to hold multiple bags of hockey gear and instrument cases.

I want to have a household where the computer is out in the family area, and cell phones are loaned out only when they're out on their own and returned when they come home.

I want them to know the joys of living in a small town, but have the benefits of a city close by.

I want to learn how to bake my own bread from scratch and kneaded by hand.

What do you want, when you think about your family?

Stressors

it seems that stress keeps me away. for fear of puking all over this little corner of cyberspace about the fears and fustrations i've been dealing with, i've just kept silent.

now that i no longer feel like i'm being choked to death, it's time to come back.
(twitter is easy to be glossy and breezy, you can't really get into deep stuff in 140 characters.)

I've been dealing with tons of stuff over the last month; my sister is moving down here to live with my father-in-law on Friday. This decision comes after she spent all of January spent dithering about and being difficult and stubborn and ARRRRRRRGH DRAMA.

I'm finding it extremely difficult to be motivated this semester for school. Two 8am classes (Mon&Thurs) and the 50 minute bus ride to/from does not help. Must just buckle down and push through, but it might be all for naught ANYWAY, since 57% of faculty across Ontario voted in favour of a strike if they can't come to an agreement by the 12th. OH EFFING JOY. Cue the stress gong.

We've been doing some lovely 'creative accounting' this past month getting money saved for Mexico and all the stuff necessary to live. Biggest stressor of all, but things are looking way, way up lately, so the noose around my neck has loosened and I feel so much better about it. Whew.

I quit my job last week; my last day is Feb 9th. Three hours on a bus (90 min each way) was just too much, especially when I was working until 11pm. Once I quit, it was such a huge relief. But now the 'crap I need a job and I don't have one' anxiety has set in, compounded by the fact that I can't start in a new job until the 23rd. Best case scenario is I have a job set up before I leave for Mexico, but I'll also accept the scenario of having a job by the Friday of getting back. Ha!

I turned 23 yesterday. Monday is the worst day to have a birthday, in my opinion. We're going out to celebrate this Saturday with drinks, followed by clubbing and more drinky.

And only 12 more days until Mexico! YAY! All I'm taking for electronics is my camera. No laptops, no cell phones, no mp3 players. Just unplug and kick back for 8 days. Also stocking up on sunscreen, because nothing ruins a vacation faster than a sunburn. And I sunburn while it's cloudy out. We'll be in Mexico for the first week of the Olympics and miss all the good hockey medal glory. Woops. Our PVR will be working overtime that week so we can watch it when we get home. Thank goodness for modern technology! I'm not sure Keith would agree to go to a different country during the Games otherwise!

Hopefully I'll start blogging more. Actually, one of my resolutions was to blog at least 2 times a week. That worked out well, didn't it? Which is exactly why I don't make resolutions. But. Seriously. Need to blog more.