Work is good, but home is so much better. I’m working on a BIG project that will require TRAVEL!! Outside the US!! To JAPAN!! I’m very excited about the prospect of international travel, especially since the company will be paying for the majority of it. The downside is that I’m beginning to feel overwhelmed by all the things that need to be done before I leave. Lots and lots of things. Coordinating with other people, making sure things are set up correctly for testing… it’s A LOT. Not to mention the preparations at home! I’m working on getting a pet/house sitter to come and stay with the animals – I don’t want to board Moses for two weeks, and she’s experienced with bunnies and piggies, so I think it’ll work out well.

My brother moved his family back to Savannah this month. It’s going to be a better situation for their family; no more overnight babysitters needed! It sucks for me, though. As over the whole “spending the night twice a week” thing as I have been, I wouldn’t trade that time with my girls for anything in the world. NOT A THING.

They left a week ago last Thursday, and came back this last week for a wedding, leaving again Saturday night. When I hugged Emma goodbye, she said “But I’ll miss you…” – GAH. Three year olds do say the darndest things, don’t they?

Off to bed, hopefully for a peaceful, storm-free night. It’s definitely summer in Indiana!

Well… that was different. I’m having a hard time coming up with topics to blog about, so I’m going to start using Plinky to generate some brainwaves. I figure it might be fun, right?

Also, does the fact that I had to go down and back up a staircase to buy a bag of Skittles this afternoon make it okay that I ate said bag of Skittles? Does it cancel it out?

1. I’d like to become more financially responsible this year. I’m not that great with my finances… I hate living paycheck-to-paycheck, and I’m almost always running behind. I want to be a better saver, so I truly can afford to do the things I want to do, or buy things I want to buy. I’m terrible at making and sticking to a budget, so that’s something I’m going to have to work extra hard to accomplish.
2. I’d like to… lose weight. It’s just not going to get any easier from here on out, and I think now is the time to work on it. I LOVE food and HATE to cook, so for me, changing my diet is just not something I’m willing to do. Instead, I’ve joined a gym – it’s close to work and is, in fact, on my way home, so I have no valid excuse not to go as frequently as possible. I don’t care if I lose 10 lbs. or 80 lbs. – anything is better than nothing. And it’s really more important to me to get fit, anyway.
3. I’d like to travel. I desperately want to take a vacation… my vacations usually take place when I visit family out of town, but I’d really like to go somewhere just for me. Just to go. Just to reconnect with myself. We’ll see how this one works out – it kind of depends on how successful I am with #1.
4. I’d like to adopt a dog. It’s funny, really… I was not raised to be a dog person, but I’ve come to appreciate the goofiness a dog can bring to your life. I’ve been researching Great Pyrenees for YEARS, and the only thing holding me back is my lack of a fenced yard. I think the cat would like the companionship (eventually), and I really don’t think the rabbits or guinea pigs would care one way or the other.
5. I’d like to do more “cultural” things, even if I have to do them alone. I love theater, ballet, opera, and all of those artsy things… so this year I’m going to see some theater, ballet, opera, and other artsy things. I so badly want to see Wicked in Chicago, but the last show is January 25. I don’t think I’m going to make it. It’s coming here on tour in June, so I suppose I’ll go then, just so I can see it. The Cincinnati Opera has a great summer program planned, so I think I might try to see all four of those shows. And I’m not missing the Broad Ripple Art Fair or the Penrod Arts Fair this year. I always say I’m going to go, and then never do.

You know, if I don’t complete everything on my list, it’s no big deal. These are things I’d like to do, not things I must do.

They only played for an hour, but they played some old favorites along with a couple of songs from their new album. The girls enjoyed their first concert, dancing along to the music and generally being as cute as they could be. Emma is not so happy with crowds and loud noises, apparently… after about 45 minutes or so she stuck her fingers in her ears and said “TURN TOFF”, which I took to mean she wanted the noise to stop. I love being there for first experiences like this… the girls’ reactions are always surprising, and always entertaining.

Second, I have a sick bunny. Hazel had surgery almost 3 years ago to open his floppy, loppy ear canals to combat recurring ear infections, but somehow he managed to develop one in the last month that caused some facial nerve damage, leaving him unable to chew properly. He got to the point where he would eat a soft mush on his own, but in the last few days he’s having a harder time with that so I’m syringe-feeding him again. He doesn’t mind it, but it’s just a lot of extra work. Life is much easier when he eats on his own, and fortunately he seems to be back to it as of yesterday.

Third, I’ve been landscaping! I started Thursday night by spreading 18 bags of topsoil on the flowerbed. Naturally it rained on Friday, so I spent the day driving around buying plants and more dirt. It doesn’t sound like I did much those two days, but when I think about the fact that I, personally, moved almost 2000 lbs. of dirt… it’s a wonder I’m still standing! Saturday I got up early and added cow manure and peat to the flowerbed, then turned it all under. The soil here is such heavy clay, it really needs a lot of work. I also bought mulch, and then spread some of it around some existing spots. Sunday was D-Day… I spent the entire day adding another 22 bags of topsoil to the flowerbed, raking it smooth, putting down landscape fabric, planting all but 5 plants, and mulching. I finished at 8:30… just 1/2 an hour before sunset. Phew! My goal was to get it done over the weekend, and it is mostly done. I have a few more plants coming from White Flower Farm, and I’ll be visiting Soules Garden in a couple of weeks to pick out some daylilies to fill in the big bare space. I’m planting all perennials, and most of them are not mature plants, so I’m excited to see how it looks in the next couple of years.

I may join NaBloPoMo for June… just waiting to hear what the theme is. I’m hoping it’s something I can be creative with, but I can say for certain that it’s a lot easier for me to post when I have to… it’s easier having a reminder of sorts.