Built FORD Tough

is more than a woman can stand.

My mommie used to sing that to daddy every year on their annivesary and I have picked up the tradition with Jeff. I’m sure he’s pleased.

haha!!! So today we have been married for 7 years. First of all, i totally regret getting married so close to my birthday cause i always get punked out of a gift. I’d also like to give the disclaimer to Jeff that he is a wonderful husband and a terrible gift giver (for the most part…he’ll pull a wild one now and again but it’s usually a bust). This year was really no different for my bday but on our annivesary he said i could go pick out a storm door for the front. I know that is awful domesticated and all and not at all exciting to most, but i really LOVE storm doors and HATE keeping my solid door closed all the time cause I cant see out and its dark in the livingroom. So i’m stoked about my gift. And he’ll install it (hopefully this weekend).

Since it fell on a monday this year (blast those leap years that kept the 7th yr from being on sat. like it should have been!) we kept it all low key and just went to eat mexican for dinner. We’ll do a nice dinner later, i guess.

And i’m stoked cause we’re starting the Dave ramsey course on Sunday at church. Good times…rice and beans are in our future, i fear!

So in recap: I love my hubby. He loves me. We’re a happy family. With a dog named spud and a home we’re blessed you see. We’re a happy family.

Yes, you should sing that to the barney tune. You ppl remember that, right? Awesome.

haha…i almost put the title as "my lice"…that’ll show you what a difference one letter can make! oops!!! funny thing is, i had lice like 3 times as a kid. I always got it from my cousins who got it on the bus or something wierd. It is SO embarassing to get sent home b/c of lice.

Anyhooo….wow, what a rabbit trail. So morgan asked for a more detailed update on my life. I told her she might regret it…

I did post  some pics and a blog below so be sure to read it, but my life has been this lately: busy! Jeff and I had a week off 2 weeks ago and we chose to tile our master bath (pics to come this week…i promise!). It was a bigger job than i expected but i’m glad its done. I think it turned out lovely. It occurs to me that maybe we could have a cookout for our friends and you can all see the updates to our home if you’d like. Its a good excuse to eat, anyways. So let me know if your game. Ok, i’ll admit i’m feeling vulnerable that no one would want to come. I’m hormonal, ok. I write that alot, i know. Its true alot.

I also got my braces off that week (yay!) and then thursday of that week we went to jeffs parents mountain house for a little get away. While we were there, spud got attacked by yellow jackets, got stung on the leg, i gave him advil cause i thought it would help (and yes, i’m dumb) and he started throwing up. Then we noticed another spot where it appeared he had gotten stung…on his ANUS! His poor b hole was all swollen and he pooped on the back deck which he has NEVER done in 7 years. I think he was afraid to go back outside down where he had been attacked. That was the drama for the weekend.

We went and saw hancock (will smith hero movie…charlize theron is BEAUTIFUL in the movie!!!) and it was ok. The little movie theater up there is old and only had 4 shows at a time and it was the best choice. They only take cash. That tells you how old the place is. Oh, and its $5 per person. Nice!

Then it was back to work. I was glad b/c i thrive on schedules. I kinda walk around not knowing where to start when left to my own devices. We have a new assistant at work and i like her alot.

My birthday was Friday and yes, i’ll post about that later too, but at work we do a birthday "hanukah" week cause Dr cohen is jewish and its our take on celebrations. So on monday you get breakfast, tuesday cake, wednesday lunch and thursday nothin but its ok cause you got something every other day. Except for my week which got royally messed up. monday i got nothin, tuesday nothin, wed lunch and cake and pie and thursday breakfast except that everyone else is on a diet so i ate alone which stunk. But i love the girls at work and it was no ones fault…it was just that it was the week back from vacation and it was a ZOO so we were too busy. But they all let me act like a brat cause of it which was nice. They’re great.

jeff started at Walton Alternative School and is the ONLY math teacher so i guess technically he’s the department head, also. Haha. He’s liking it so far and i’m really proud of him.

Oh, and then theres the whole "kids" aspect of life which pretty much controls my every thought but that i dont discuss. I’m really trying to trust the Lord and that His plan is best. I want my faith to override my fear. Thats my struggle every day. So i try not to think about it, except how can i not?

But life is really good. And spuds b hole has healed…it doesnt get better than that!

So hows that for an update, morg?

Ever since we got back from Mexico, i have NO motivation to get anything done. We have unpacked (mostly) but the suitcases still have some miscellaneous stuff in them and they are still in the bedroom. I have cleaned the kitchen…thats progress!

And i went to a yard sale thanks to my friend Christy (who called me at 10am to tell me I must come) and i racked up on getting like 7 pairs of pants/capris and a tank for $8. And i got my nephew 4 cute outfits and some tennis shoes for $3. What a steal.

Now i wonder how long they’ll sit in my bedroom in the bag?

Off to the riviera. We’ll be back sat night. Please pray for protection, for jeff and i to grow in our relationship and that maybe we even get the opprotunity to plant some seeds while we’re there. Oh and that it would be fun! It always is when i get away w/ my handsome hubby! And for no diarrhea…that would be nice, also.

Much love and peace!

In response to Rebecca saying that MY JOB is #1 on her "id rather be poor than do that" list, i’d like to tell you about it.  I seem to get wierd looks and "uggg…why?" alot as a response. So i would really like to share w/ you all why i enjoy my job so much and how i originally chose this profession. Maybe that will help you to all think i’m not quite as nasty… haha…

I have always been somewhat obsessed w/ peoples smiles. Not in a "they have to be perfect" kind of way but in a "wow, thats the 1st thing i notice and each is unique" way. Like i love katherine Hiegal’s smile and Kirsten Dunst’s as well (i know i cant spell worth a crap!) I remember going w/ my mom for her cleaning back when I was around 5 or so years old. They let me go back w/ her and i sat at the end of the chair watching…it intrigued me.

Then in the 8th grade we got 2 "shadowing days". The 1st I spent w/ my aunt marsha at the gwinnett co. department of public utilities. I filed papers, added stuff on the calculator for her and answered the phone like twice. I wanted to die. Right then i knew that an office job was NOT in my future…not in the sit at a desk and stare at a computer way anyways. The 2nd day i spent w/ my dentist. I was amazed. Instantly fell in love and decided then that i wanted to be a dentist.

Fastforward to when I graduated. By then I had figured out that being a dentist took 8 freakin years of school. Scratch that off the list. So i decided to be an english or science teacher. Then after h.s. i started working w/ the Mazzawi dental group in Snellville (huge family practice…wonderful ppl) and then i didnt know what to do. I could not withstand 8 straight yrs of school w/o a job though. So as i worked in the office learning all kinds of stuff i decided to try to get into hygiene school. Dr Matt really was great and gave me great recommendations and his aunt who was the head of the hygiene department there basically really pushed me. I have to give Mrs Linda huge props for that. Neither know the lord, btw, as far as i know at least. Funny how the lord used them in my life…

I chose dental hygiene originally b/c i could work 4 days a week and be considered full time, make great money for a 2 yr degree (basically anyways) and could work just a couple of days a week when we had kids and still provide for the fam and get to raise my own kids (hopefully). Of course we dont have kids yet and i’ve been doing this full time for 5 yrs now. What i have found is that while my plan was great, Gods was greater. People come in, sit in my chair and i get the opprotunity to build a relationship w/ them. I’ve had the opp. to pray over my patients, rejoice w/ them, witness to them, invite them to church and get to know their entire families as they each come and entrust to me something that most ppl dread…their time in the dental chair. And I love that! And they pretty much love me…which is AMAZING to me. See, i really dont like to work on building relationships w/ ppl… in general its too hard. But here, its totally different. We have fun here at my office. OH, and i work for a jewish guy who has NEVER said a word about all the ministry i do in my operatory. Praise God for that, too! And my patients do the same for me. I have some pts in particular who i am especially close to who are "jews for jesus" and they pray w/ me for Dr cohen and his family. Several of my pts ministered to ME when we were going through losing our baby in December. How did i ever come to deserve a job like that?

So to me, my job is my ministry. And I clean teeth to get the chance to minster to these ppl. Yes, some ppl have stinky breath and whatnot, but its a "project" of sorts. Like doing yard work…its messy but the end result makes it worth while. Plus, i get to teach my pts so much about their health. Not many hygienists take the time to do that but its my favorite part. So i did get to be a teacher after all!

So basically, my job is not for everyone…but its just right for me. And my office…hand picked by God for me to work in. Amazing. 

I teach w/a group called Impact the sex education for all gwinnett county high schools. I love this stuff. But today i am teaching lesson 3 which is the lesson on STD’s. And we have slides from the CDC. They are slightly disturbing for someone who doesnt care for this type of stuff. And for the kids who have never seen a penis or vagina before. Yep, they’re graphic. They need to be! But i’m kinda nervous showing them for the 1st time…hehe. I hope i dont giggle w/ the kids!

Oh and we’re having a concrete patio poured under the deck today. I’m stoked. I’ll post pics when its done!

UPDATE: The concrete is done…too busy to post pics now…

The kids were totally grossed out by the sex ed lesson. I got a good chuckle out of it. I dont think they’ll be having sex for a while anyways! haha.

We will be in Mexico. Plane leaves Atlanta Jackson Hartsfield International Airport (RIDICULOUS to have that many names!) at 11am and due to the time diff. we will be in mexico by 12:45.

Heck yeah. Oh, and i did consider the crash diet thing to slenderize myself a bit but DANG IT i just love food too much. So i got an adjustable bathing suit. Oh yeah. Necissity is the mother of invention and seeing as how i didnt invent this little jewel of an idea it makes me happy that someone else once needed an adjustable suite as well. Plus, there will be european women laying out topless, so who gives a rats a how i look. Everyone will be distracted by the nakedness (which i will NOT be participating in no matter how many times jeff says its ok since were in mexico…hes such a bad christian.) He swears he’ll take a banana hammock and we can both act european, but seriously…gross. Period. Just gross.

I’m trying to think of all the little wonderful things to pack so i can be ultra prepared. HELP! l need ideas so i dont miss a thing!