Here are some other pages for my scrapbook about me.

A reaffirmation

Well, today, I returned to the gym. I didn't really want to go...after work I am pretty tired, but everytime I work out after work I finally have the energy to make dinner and do a little cleaning-which I never feel like doing-at least lately. The past week we haven't really eaten at home. Last night we ate take out at Jeff and Audra's-and I think we have eaten take out the entire week come to think of it.

At any rate, I worked out today, so kuddos to me! It felt good, and I should sleep like a baby tonight. Tomorrow, I am getting measured and weighing in, so that will be horrific. I might have to have a pumpkin milkshake to make me feel better ROFL.

I have felt like a heifer lately though. Some of my clothes aren't fitting again, and I can't stand looking in the mirror atm.

On other fronts, I talked with my parents for the week. They live in Washington and it has been constantly raining, so the septic tank has flooded. They are now doing their laundry at the local laundrymat and my mom has nothing but horror stories. It is hilarious to hear them, and I know the area, so I can just imagine the types of people they are meeting at the laundry mat. I don't miss the days growing up where we had to use the port-a-potty because of the tank flooding. Believe me-not good times, although looking back on them now-they are a scream and they still give me a good laugh.

The Seahawks are going to the Superbowl finally. It will be exciting to watch the game and I don't even watch football.

Finally, I have been continuing the challenge of "It's a chicks life" from the digichick. I am posting my pages here. I have decided to make my own scrapbook of the pages I am doing for this challenge and the challenges that I am doing on the websites. It's so fun, and I feel like I learn something new everyday.

Intentions for the New Year

Over the weekend I have been trying to complete some scrapbooking challenges. I completed two pages from the digichick and one from Rakscraps. They are a review of last year and my intentions for this year. Check them out!

Remodeling the House

So, one of our New Year's "goals" was to remodel various parts of our house this year. I finally got off my butt and called Floors N' More to come out and do a tile estimate on our house. We also want to get laminate wood flooring in the bedrooms. So, the guy came out today to give us the estimate, and it looks like it will be about $8,500. Needless to say, Chris is a bit peeved, so we will probably end up tiling the entire house, and take out the laminate flooring. Which is fine with me, but he is pissed about it, and went into a huff. Part of it too I think is that he has to work today and possibly tonight. Tonight we are going to his mother's 60th birthday party. It should be fun-she is having a chocolate fountain, which I can't wait to try.

This week I have been totally exhausted. I need to start excercising. This most recent image I did for the January art challenge for Rakscraps. It is a tun of fun, and I love this picture!

I've been tagged!

Looks like I have been tagged by Audra for some silly chain blog! That is alright though, because it is about me! I apologize in advance to those that I have sent this chain blog too-

4 jobs I have had in life:
1. teacher
2. principal
3. track coach
4. museum tour guide

4 movies I can watch over and over:
1. Unforgiven
2. Dangerous Liasons
3. The Goonies
4. Labyrinth

4 places I have lived:
1. Longbranch, WA
2. Phoenix, AZ
3. Tacoma, WA
4. Kent, WA

4 TV shows I love to watch:
1. CSI: Las Vegas
2. The Shield
3. Buffy the Vampire Slayer reruns
4. The History Channel-anything

4 Places I have been on vacation:
1. London
2. Costa Rica
3. Belize
4. Panama Canal

4 Websites I visit daily
1. Dogpile Search Engine
2. Rakscraps
3. Ancestry.com
4. MSN

4 of my favorite foods:
1. tomato soup
2. rice pudding
3. avocados with lemon salt/pepper
4. Thai curry dishes

4 places I would rather be right now:
1. On vacation-anywhere but here
2. At Talbots buying clothes for myself
3. Playing Everquest 2 or video games
4. At the movies

Ack! All the blogs I would have chosen have been tagged already!

Pat and Jack

Here is one of my digital layouts of Aunt Pat and Uncle Jack. Almost every year (I think I have missed three in 30 years), my parents and I have gone to over to their house to spend Christmas Eve with them. We end arriving at around 2 or 3pm. The first thing we do is make drinks. The traditionals are Smith and Currans (sp), Tom and Jerrys, and Hot Toddies. After about one or two, Pat is tipsy and giggly. Dinner is between 5-6pm, and has been either roast or ham. The last few years it has been a roast. Usually, I make the mashed potatos, and mom brings veges and some sort of jello salad (which I don't really like). After dinner, we usually hang out for a bit, then open presents. This year, they gave Chris and I a $120 gift certificate to Best Buy. They had to buy two, because we suspect Elizabeth stole the first one. We will never know for sure though. We gave them a gift certificate to eat out at Anthony's, a local seafood restaurant. Then, it is time to sit down for pumpkin pie as the dessert and some coffee. For my family, this is such a wonderful tradition. Jack and Pat aren't really related, but they are part of the family, and have been for years. This has been one of the traditions that has remained constant over the years.

Our Obsession with computer games

My husband and I are obsessed with video games. Probably 90% of our leisure time is spent playing computer games or some game on some type of console. I remember the first real game we played together-the original Diablo. He was an archer and I was a magician, and we played that game 15 hours straight one Saturday. We were so into it that we ate fast food all day so we could play. In the end, he died, and I ended up killing Diablo.

Of course, the ultimate game addiction is Everquest. I have been playing that game for four years now-it is crazy! We have moved on to Everquest 2 now, and we do take breaks from it, but usually the breaks are for a few weeks only, before we get the urge to play again. Then, we often play all weekend long, don't shower, order food in, and stay up to the wee hours in the morning. I play a dark elf necromancer and it is a total blast.

Of course, with my latest addiction, digital scrapbooking, video games haven't been high on the list the last two weeks, but the urge to play Everquest is growing again inside me (hehe). My husband is playing Tropico now, which is a fun strategy game-that is his current obsession-it will go away in a few days.

We tend to revert to playing the same games overtime. My all time favorite strategy game is Cleopatra-an Egyptian civ building game. Of course, Sims 2 is a blast, and we like to play Civilizations 4 too-. Any pirate game is always entertaining as well.

I finally figured out how to upload my scrapbook pages. Here are pages of our pets-we don't have any kids, so these are the babies of our family.

The Goonies

Ok-so I might have another favorite movie-The Goonies! I finally convinced my husband Chris to buy it yesterday while we were out and about. He has always chanted how he won't watch it, it is lame, etc., but I finally convinced him to buy it and watch it. Right now, he is reading the Potter series for about the 10th time, so I am going to have to wait until that obsession is over with, but I can. I love that show. I think it hits on every kid (and adult) fantasy of finding buried treasure or going on adventures with friends that are fun and exciting. Who doesn't love pirates? And HELLO-Cyndi Lauper?? My all time favorite musician!

Doing pretty well. Things are getting busy at school. My History in the Movies class has started their first movie-The Crucible starring Daniel Day Lewis and Winona Ryder. So far they seem to get it. We shall see what they have learned. In my other classes I am to busy creating units or refining old ones. I feel like I am being pulled in different directions because of all the classes I teach. Another reason why I need to leave my current job and work at a large highschool or middle school.

I heard from Meredith today. She was my little sis in the sorority in college. I haven't talked to her in about two years. She is going on her second year of law school. I am so proud! Before she didn't seem like she knew what she wanted to do, but she seems to now! Hooray for Meredith. It also sounds like she has a pretty serious relationship. Hopefully that will lead to something permanent if that is what she wants.

Well, Ninacat is staring at me. Her bowls are full of food and water, she has a warm bed, and the dogs aren't hassling her. What more could she want? Pets perhaps?
It is true what they say..."Dogs have owners, cats have staff!" (not sure who said that). I saw it on a bill board one morning and laughed my frickin' head off because after Chris, I am Ninacat's second servant.

NInacat Attacks!

Ninacat

It seems the first week of the New Year is over and I am exhausted. This week I couldn't really catch up on my sleep for some reason. I didn't want to get out of bed, although once I did the days weren't bad. It was good to be back at school again. I signed myself up to take the last part of the test to renew my teaching certificate in Arizona. Once I pass the test, I will get my certificate and hopefully a new job. I should never have let my teaching certificate expire.

I saw Man on Fire this week. It was great but sad. I don't like watching sad movies, especially if I am not prepared for them.

I have finished my first couple of pages of digital scrapbooking. It is very exciting! I like it alot so far. I just organized all of the old photos that I have of my ancestors, so I should be able to start scrapping those pictures. I am going to put up the two pages I made of our cat Nina. Nina is crazy. I got her at the Tacoma Humane Society about 7 years ago. She was about a year old and had never had a real owner. She doesn't like to be held at all, and can only stand to be petted for a few seconds before she turns on you. She use to scratch the mattress of the bed at night, so we bought a container to spray water on her, which we read in a pet training magazine. It was hilarious! We would hear here scratching the bed at night, and my husband would rush to spray her with water, but she was always too fast for him. Nowadays, we let her out at night, and she brings in mice, birds, and geckos as toys for her (and the dogs) to play with. She has made a few neighborhood cat friends too. In this picture, she is playing with an old string, honing her "kill" skills.

Happy New Year!

As usual, the New Year started off low key for me. Last night my husband and I went to a New Year's Party at a friend's house. We had an excellent dinner and polished off a few bottles of wine. But, around 10pm, I figured it was time to be the designated driver, so I quit drinking while my husband continued to partake. Fortunately, we made it home safe. Last night people were discussing what their defining moment was in 2005. I said that quitting my job as a principal and going back to teaching was my defining moment. I am a much happier and relaxed person now. As for a New Year's Resolution, well, they are just silly. Why wait to start on New Year's Day? Why not start the day you think of it? I started working out again in December. I started digitally scrapbooking this month too. I plan on starting a heritage scrapbook too-which will combine all of my genealogy information together in an album. I will find a new teaching job this year. I plan to take a trip with my husband to Central America or the Caribbean. We plan on paying off all of our debt by the end of January and by the end of 2006 our house should have new floors, new countertops and cabinets, and hopefully remodeled bathrooms. Big plans for a New Year.