Lazy Sunday

Today is a lazy day. We haven't had one of these in a while.

I think I'll try to do a quick little update on the past week or two!

SO Last weekend we were in Atlanta. The Packers played the Falcons at the Georgia Dome and we went down there Friday - Monday. It was some of the bestest fun I've had with my hubby and our kiddos in a while!

We drank a lot of this:

The girls went with us, and lounged around our room...

It must be SO HARD to have their life. :)

On Friday we got there and walked to the closest pub for dinner- it was ridiculous!! The food was a really strange combo of stuff that went perfectly together! Meehan's Pub had a "Holiday Hangover" menu that was only non-holiday food, so it was a pleasant surprise!

Saturday we decided to take 3 hours to find IKEA (I was not impressed. There were 79023281 people in there and you couldn't even take a deep breath without hitting someone. Maybe next time it won't be

so crowded and I'll see what all the fuss is about?) and then ate lunch at The Vortex. Good burger, great atmosphere. We then came back to our hotel to find that our room hadn't been cleaned yet, so we went for about a 13982 hour walk. Only to come back to see that they STILL hadn't gotten to us! Seriously? It was almost 5. DidI mention that we didn't take coats/jackets? Because it was supposed to be kind of warm all weekend. It was not that warm. In fact, it was down right FREEZING at times!

Saturday night, we met some of the people we had met on Friday night (the city was overrun with Packers

fans... it was like we were in Wisconsin!!) And hung out at the pub, then followed them to a 24-hour karaoke bar where they proceeded in drinking until 3 the night before the game... Don't worry, they're PROS. After we left the bar, we heard that one of the guys tackled the Karaoke machine and they were asked to leave. Not to mention they were yelling "FREE BEER! FREE BEER FOR ALL PACKERS FANS!" into the karaoke machine which plays on the street. hahaha They were so much fun, it was like we were with family or something!

SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!

We got up (sloooowly), had breakfast in our

hotel and saw all the other Pack fans, and started our 1 mile trek to the stadium. Everyone had already beat us to tailgating (granted, we had nothing with which to tailgate), so we walked around and watched the crazies.

We then made our way into the game and it was SO MUCH FUN! This was our first Packers game... and it was a good one to attend. I just wish it would have ended with our team having the higher score.

This is the view from our seats. Not too bad, but not the best. Next time I'll pay the extra and we'll be MUCH CLOSER.

That's about all I got. Pretty boring post, I know, as I have nothing really witty to say today... but there's all the pictures from my phone that I took on our trip! :)

I suck at blogging!

Check out how much I suck at this! I keep forgetting to blog stuff!
Oops!
I guess my month of thanks was only half a month! That's better than I expected.
Good thing I only have 1-2 people who read this besides me.

While you're here, please check out my fishies I added to the top of the page. They're cute, right? They're going to get fat because I keep clicking food into their box to make them move around.

Because I don't believe a post is complete with out a picture...

It's cold outside, which made me want to show this picture. This is Martini when is snowed one time last year. Look how cute she is! LOOK! :) She does have a slight problem with the white stuff, though...

OoPs! THanks Days 7-13!

So, We all know how wonderful I am at remembering to blog frequently... Right.

Here are my days 7-13 of Thankfulness!

7- I'm thankful for my parents and the fact that they would do anything for me to see me happy.

8. I'm thankful to have such a loving and gracious savior who loves me despite my almost moment-by-moment downfalls.

9. I am thankful to have friends who send me uplifting text messages or emails at just the right moment- without even knowing how they brighten my day.

10. I am thankful for my health. This one's difficult, as that's a day-to-day kind of thing with me. But- I am healthy and able to do the majority of things I want to do without issue, and for that I am thankful.

11. I am thankful for my freedom. So many people have given so much for me to be able to complete school, attend college, have a job, and live my daily life without constant fear of mortar attacks... or without seeing armed guards at every corner. I am thankful to the soldiers who have fought and given the ultimate sacrifice in order to ensure that I live this way.

12. I have today off... and for that, I am INCREDIBLY THANKFUL! :)

13. I am thankful to have clothes to keep me warm. I get up every day and lament that "I have NOTHING TO WEAR!" Then resolve to just go to work in my bathrobe, and give up on life because I don't like to wear the same thing over and over. The reality of it is, I have more than enough. I have plenty more than the majority of people with whom I work, yet I whine about it daily.

Maybe I'll do better with the next few.

Month of Thanks- Day 5.

Apparently November is the Month of Thanks. People post something daily for which they are thankful.

I am officially 4.9 days behind on this awesome trend... so I will have to catch up! I'll go ahead and do #6 since it's almost midnight.

Nov 1. I am thankful that I have a husband who loves me and accepts me for who I am. At all times. No matter what.

Nov. 2. I am so very thankful that I live in a land in which I can vote and at least feel like my voice is heard.

Nov. 3. I am thankful to have a job that I enjoy 99% of the time.

Nov. 4. I have an abundance of food, clothing, and material goods which the majority of the rest of the world does not, and for that I am thankful... and also humbled.

Nov. 5. I have parents who love me unconditionally and would do anything to ensure my happiness and help me with anything I need.

Nov. 6. I have in-laws who love me like I am their own child and treat me like I've been their kid for the past 24 years, not just the past 4.

That's it for the past week almost!

I think I like this "thankful" thing... it's good stuff to focus on!!

More later!

EM

New Car? No Car?

My Car has been making some noises, so I finally got it in to the mechanic yesterday.

His words were as follows, "Yep, it's going to cost more to fix her than she's worth... I'd get it to a dealer who'll offer you $4000 on a trade in- ASAP."

You see, I have been driving a 1999 Altima since I turned 15. My parents drove it from 13-15, as they bought it new for me, but I wasn't old enough to drive it yet. I never named the car, but I somehow feel that was the right thing to do. It has been wrecked twice- once into a ditch, where the only damage was to the alignment and the tire; and once into a curb... where there was $1500 worth of damage, broken shank (Whatever that

is), rim, etc. So, it really hasn't been mistreated- never even hit another car (that had to be reported)! All repairs done on time, oil changed, tires rotated, etc. But apparently that was not enough. I was in for a new axle, as the one I had on the front was starting to creeeeeeeak when I turned- apparently that's normal to need replaced at this point. So, I had been driving it until that got louder- which is what the mechanic told me to do. Then last week, it got louder- but ALL KINDS OF CRAZIER, too!

Anybody ever heard a car that sounded like it was pulling cans on a string behind it? When it's not moving? Apparently that's a TIMING CHAIN. And

replacing that would be more than my car is currently worth, according to KBB. Especially since there are sparkly things in my oil now- which must mean it's ground some metal off of something and is not coursing that through my car's veins at a quick pace.

So I got home and looked up my car on www.KBB.com in the "fair" condition. Just to see what it is worth. $640 TRADE IN VALUE. Crap. No one will sell me a car for that! (At least not one that will run... so, one like mine!)

Now we are faced with the following decision:

-Buy a new car? One that loses 1/2 of its value the second you

turn the key and put on your seat belt? But I could get $5000 for my trade in... and possibly my mom's Nissan Discount?

-Buy a used car? I'm talking Certified Pre-owned, people! I'm thinkin Rogue, Murano, Equinox... Apparently those run about the same as a used one with $5000 off would- except they already have miles on them and butt prints in the seats.

-Buy no car and save up for a new(to me) car? That wouldn't work... would it? I'd have to go in to work much earlier and get off earlier (kind of). But I think we could swing it- with the exception of days that I would have home visits that las

ted past 4, or days that I have to work Support Groups, or Enrichment is later... eh- it wouldn't work for long.

-Buy a beater and save until we can buy a real car? This one probably sucks the most. This is the reason I currently will tell you I hate my husband for brainwashing me. My car needs to be moderately reliable- as I drive 50-150 miles in it per day, and am often in neighborhoods (for work) in which I would like for my car to ALWAYS WORK, ALWAYS turn on, ALWAYS be able to drive quickly away from a potential drug deal or shoot-out... You think I'm kidding. This option would leave me driving Donnie's car, and him getting the crap car once we come up with the $3000 to pay cash for it. I know what you're thinking: Oh, you get the newer one, and he gets the junker! No, I'll be getting his 4-year old, 100,000+ mile car, while he will be getting something that is $3000

or less, but still not ridiculous. He is getting a new (to him) car. I keep getting screwed here! :)

His/My car with E & Das Boot

I hate this plan

I hate not being able to get a brand new car (yes, I am 4 years old!)

I hate being an adult and having to make "responsible decisions"

I hate our lack of social life for the next 6-8 weeks while we "save up" money... UGH!

I hate* my husband.

I hate* my husband for the following reasons:

- His vehement refusal to purchase a new car and put us $27,900 in debt

- His ** belief in not financing stuff (including a VS Angels Card- but that's another story for another day!)

- HIS insistence to drive my car until it croaks so that we can "save up" enough money to purchase a $3k car for him to drive

* By hate, I really mean LOVE. I mean love love love love love for being the kind of man who is willing to make the sacrifice now and withhold gratification in order to have something better later. By HATE, I mean love- for helping me understand the importance of not putting ourselves (and eventually our children) into massive amounts of debt that we wouldn't be able to afford if something happened to one of our jobs. By Hate, I mean love for being willing to let me drive his nicer car while he drives mine that might explode at any minute---just until it won't drive anymore- driving my car until we have the money saved up to purchase a beater for him. By hate, I mean LOVE for being smart enough to present this in a way that I kind of thought it was my idea so that I would agree to it...

** By HIS, I mean "Ours" (due to the aforementioned "brainwashing")

WHAT. A. JERK.

I will update on ways that we intend to save some money later. Right now- I have to get ready for work! :)

♥ Emily

Para-diggem

I try to come up with some good stuff to blog about, so that the one other person besides me who reads this is entertained. Every time I think of something good, I get distracted and/or am not home and forget. I keep getting these awesome witty ideas and funny stories to tell, but then they float away before I can get a good grip on them.

Look at my sweet sweet sleepy babies! Yes, Martini is in her Packers Jersey... and that's a TMNT shirt on Mellow.

SO,

I have this friend who has been urging me to read this book for a while. It's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. I don't know if she's trying to get me to read the book because it's good, or just because she wants to ensure she has a job by pumping up Covey sales... I'm just kidding, I know it's a good book! The other day I hurt my back and I haven't been able to do much movement since then... so I thought to myself, "What could I do that might be a good idea and make me feel better?" You see, I'm not good at this whole "relaxing" thing. I get antsy when I have to sit still for very long and I start getting anxious that something's not getting done if I hang out too much. SO I decided- some people like to take a bubble bath and read- I'LL TRY THAT!

Heads up, though-

Bubble Bath+Music+Relaxing+Wine+Reading= Wet Book.

It has since recovered, but I only got through the first 45 pages before this tragic event happened and I decided to get out and dry off. So far, I'm liking it! I'll let you know how it goes.

I'm starting to think that the book is going to do this horribly mean thing by telling me that I'm the problem. Since I know that can't be it, the book must be flawed. :-) I'm kidding, but really... the book is definitely showing me that it's me that is the issue. Not my job or my clients; not my coworkers (whom I adore) or my hours; me. It's the paradigm from which I am viewing the things that I do that is making me unhappy and overwhelmed; nothing else. I had begun to come to this conclusion after I was talking to someone I know one day about what we want to be when we grow up. I was asked the following question: "If money was no object and you could do any job you wanted, what would it be?" I couldn't answer it. That either means that I am supposed to do just that- nothing, (I think I can go for that idea!!) or that I have begun making myself miserable to the point where I can no longer come up with anything that I would be happy doing. So- it's me! And, please don't think I'm saying that I'm in any way miserable- I actually really enjoy my job 98% of the time- I had just started focusing so much on that other 2% that I was convincing myself that was how it is all the time.

Since I have started the book and actually made a slight dent in it, I am going to do my best to follow through. I'm going to stop telling myself that I'm too busy (because I'm not) or that I'm too tired (because I'm not too tired to stare at the TV for 2 hours per night) and do this stuff! I think that if I can read just 30 pages per day I can finish the book by the middle of next week. I know that's a small goal, but I've talked myself out of reading for so long that I have to start small!!

Also, I stepped on the scale today and realized that I have gotten back into fatty status. As of tomorrow, I am never eating again.

I'll let you know how that goes.

♥

EM

Busy, good, super fantastic day.

We went to Arrington Vineyards last week- forgot to tell you about that...

here are my favorite pictures from that day...

So yesterday, October 16th, was a very busy day in the McKee household.

Wanna know what was on the agenda?

- Surprise birthday breakfast (consisting of cake and ice cream) at my brother's house at 7:45 am.

- Pink Panther volleyball games at 9am and 10am.

- Naptime... lol

- Amy's Wedding at 4pm

- Bat Mitzvah at 7pm

So, written down, that doesn't look like as much as it felt like yesterday.

Let me break it down, though.

- My brother's bday was yesterday- but we all had a bunch o

f stuff to do, so my mom and I decided to surprise him in the morning! D and I left the house at 7:35 to get there at the same time as my parents- cake, ice cream, presents! He was not up yet, so we got to surprise him with a wake up party!!!! It was fun. I love ♥ having cake for breakfast.

- I'm helping a friend coach a volleyball team of sorts. It's

a "rec league" sort of thing, and half the kids have never played a sport before and/or are home schoolers, so it's "Non-competitive; Just to learn the basics." I don't know if you've met me, but I'm what some would call "slightly intense" or "very competitive." I don't know the meaning of the term, "non-competitive." I believe that if it's a sport, there is a score, and my team needs to have the HIGHER score. I don't believe in the kids games of soccer or t-ball where they don't keep score; I keep score in my head when attending these games. I hate LOSING. I even dislike ugly winning. I don't know how it happened, but somewhere along the line (I'm going to blame my HS Volleyball coach), it was instilled in me to play sports like each play is the game point, like each and every thing you do is what the game hinges on, never surrender a point without the other team EARNING it. This, you see, is why "non-competitive" is a challenge for me. I've coached before, both for a club (travel- highly competitive) team and for a HS team. I've been the one on the sidelines with kids who think the same way as me about playing. I've broken clip boards, instructed children to run suicides/do wall-sits/push ups/etc. for consequences of not playing in the manner of which I know they are capable. I now have to sit and be mannerly and clap with a "you'll get it next time" when balls hit the floor. This is probably the biggest feat of self-control I have ever exercised. And, I know, that sounds crazy. But I'm crazy, so it shouldn't be a surprise. Our girls yesterday played OK the first game and we lost it in 2. We then played a team that only had 4 players and had to take it to 3 GAMES (we play 2/3 instead of 3/5). I thought I was going to have a heart attack. It was ugly, but we somehow pulled it out. haha I just have to keep reminding myself that these are kiddos who aren't as concerned with winning as much as having fun; they like being out and hanging out with their friends and playing. They aren't competitive, it's a game. Eh, maybe I'll master that when I have my own kids...

Probably not.

- Amy's Wedding- Donnie and I agreed that it was a good thing we are already married. This was the most beautiful wedding I think I've ever attended. From the colors and decorations to the spirit of the two people joining together. It was perfect in every way. The two of them are clearly made specifically for one another... and I don't even know him that well! (Well, technically... I read his blog a lot, but don't know him face-to-face, you know). To see how he very obviously is every single thing that compliments her, and how pure the love between the two of them is... it's refreshing.

(my favorite image from my camera...)

Every time we/I attend a wedding, I think of all the things I would have done differently. We would have paid more for a photographer who knows more about weddings; we probably would have had the ceremony in a church... or maybe it would have been outside. Would we use the same colors? No. I would want to do it this time of year because chrysanthemums are my favorite flower, and we would have had the entire place filled to overflow with mums of every color and size. My bouquet would be a million spider mums. It may have been more formal, maybe. Or maybe we would just go to the beach (like my original idea) and get married in the sand at sunset... nah. Probably not. But these are all the things I think about when we attend a wedding. It's enough to make a girl go crazy (not to mention possibly $25k into debt!)

Then I think about this: we got exactly what we wanted out of it. There are a thousand things we could change (and probably would if we could go back in time...) but the general goal was accomplished... We're married- all these other things are just details. Pretty, colorful, well-photographed details. :-)

- Bat Mitzvah- I've never been to any type of Jewish celebration, but this was fun! We weren't able to attend the morning ceremony (although I wish we had had the time!) but the evening party was super. I really enjoyed hanging out with some of my co-workers and getting to know them outside of work! It was also really fun to see how much fun the kids were having. It was wonderful! I highly suggest future Bat-Mitzvah attendance to any considering it. :)