POTUS

I have never hidden the fact that I lean more toward conservatism (except on many human rights issues, i.e. gay marriage) or that I did not vote (and will not vote) for President Obama.  However, this whole Governor Brewer chastising President Obama "controversy" has me thinking (see here for another article).  Is the President immune from criticism?  Is it disrespectful to stick up for yourself in a disagreement with the President?

Of course, social media is abuzz and I've seen several posts on facebook (from supporters of the President) calling the Governor out for being rude, disrespectful, etc.  I would challenge those same people to stick up for the Office of the President when George Bush was our leader.  Nonetheless, I tend to agree with the crux of their argument.

While I do not agree with many of the policies our President has enacted or supports, I have the utmost respect for the Office of the President.  He (and hopefully one day, she) has a job that I do not envy and that none of us can comprehend unless there is a former President reading this lil' ol' blog  (if so, hi, and call me!).  I would still get a thrill out of meeting President Obama and shaking his hand.  Hell, I'd love to sit down and have a beer with him and congratulate him on kicking his smoking habit and tell him how I admire the First Lady's children's health initiative.  I'd love to pick his brain about why he supports certain policies and share some of my ideas, like how his "shovel ready" projects are lame-o (build big infrastructure projects that are NEEDED and employ WAY more people over a WAY longer period of time than these little jobs).  And, if we disagreed, which we would, I would not back down.  However, I do think any President deserves a level of respect and decorum which was not displayed by Governor Brewer.

We're really only hearing her side of the story, but based on that, I support her sticking up for herself.  Just maybe don't put your finger in the President's face next time.

An Ode to my Best Friend

Jenn, on your 30th year plus one day of life, I wrote an ode to you. It's also somewhat of a discourse on best friends, but anywho.

We met in college. I don't think you liked me at first. I was pretty indifferent about you, too. We had mutual friends and hung out a fair amount, but I know I didn't have your phone number. My first memory of meeting you is actually going to move your car (affectionately known as White Lightning) from the Hume lot, because I think it was a game day weekend or some nonsense like that in which those who actually reside on campus must give up all rights to football fans. The things we do in the name of SEC football.

Anyway, I digress. A few years passed by and due to circumstances somewhat beyond our control (I like to think of it as fate, or we were single and our friends were all shackin' up... I mean, even Kelly had a boyfriend!), we started to take up with each other a lot more. We quickly learned of our shared love of dive bars, $5 AYCD bourbon nights at Balls, putting Britney Spears on the juke box just to piss people off (mixed in with some good Southern rock, of course), and shaking what our mamas gave us at :08, Gator City, and Market Street. Oh yes, we really did not discriminate when it came to cheap booze and good times. I'm not sure if I was a bad influence on you or vice versa. ;)

From our late nights grew a true friendship based on much more than just bourbon. (Although, bourbon has scored me a husband and a BFF, so I do not discredit the power of the sweet honey brown liquor at all.) I mean, I moved in with you for a summer and you went and found a boyfriend (who became your husband), and I still liked you even when I was walking up to Salty Dog and drinking by myself with the bartender. That's saying something right there.

Since then, we've been with each other through thick and thin. Boy drama, first jobs (and subsequent jobs), roommates in the ghetto city, marriages, babies, attempts at babies. I miss living together and seeing you every day and giving each other massages and pulling each others' hair (we're weird... now I make Matt pull my hair sometimes). But, I love where we are in life. I love that we can share in each others' joys and sorrows, triumphs and tribulations, and all the funny little things that happen in between.

You are more than my best friend. You are my family. I love you, Matt, Madelyn, and Davis like you are my blood. You are there for me when I need you most, and at times when you should be worrying more about yourself than anyone else, you amaze me and ask how I am doing. I will never forget when I called you and you were in the hospital with horrible pain (and later gave birth to that miracle boy), and I was so concerned about you, yet you are asking me how my RE appointment went. What!? Hello!!! You are in the ER!!! But, that's just you. I also love that I know that I can tell you anything, and you won't judge. And, I know you feel the same way by the e-mail you sent me the other day. You know what I'm talking about. ;)

I don't know if everyone has a best friend in their lives like you are to me. But, I sure hope so. If not, they are sure missing out.

Cheers to 30 years. The best is yet to come! (And, by the best I mean the girls trip to NYC!!!! And the rest of it too...) :)

P.S.  I promise to get the pics from your party off my camera and send them to you.  Soon.  :)

Oh, the pain.

First of all, http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/.  Is she talking to me?  I think so.

Anywho, ouch.  WOD + projects all day = I hurt in places I didn't know I could hurt.  Like the front of my neck, i.e. the muscle in front of my throat.  Huh?  I am assuming that soreness is a combination of going balls to the wall for three minutes doing situps (82 thankyouverymuch - but trying to pull myself up with my head, apparently) as part of yesterday's WOD and then probably crouching and craning my neck awkwardly as I attempted to strip the paint off the back of Ikea Lots mirrors (fail... but it will happen) and spray painting Ikea Ribba frames.  I was wiped out yesterday, but I could not sleep last night.  Combo of things on my brain (like how I need to take a week off to tackle all of my DIY projects) and sheer pain every time I moved.

In other news, our living room and dining room are painted!  I got some fun things at Scott's Antique Market!  I saw an example of what my antique mirror projects is going to look like (more info here), and it will be worth the effort!  We surprised Jenn on Saturday night with a birthday dinner in her honor!  Dai and AY came into town for said birthday dinner!  Miss America was a really good pageant and they crowned a really pretty girl (congrats, Miss Wisconsin America... now go invest in some waterproof mascara)!  Tim Tebow is still the man (Tim, call me)!  I am getting my hair done after work!  And, that's all the exclamation points I've got for today.  :)

Back in the saddle

I have a confession.  I ate like crap for the last few months of the year.  I was still mostly paleo, but I cheated a lot... like A LOT A LOT.  And, I hadn't been to CrossFit since before Thanksgiving.  Oops.  But, it's a new year and I'm back in my routine.  Well, I guess it's not yet a routine but I'm working on it.  Got up and hit the box this morning (even after a later than normal bedtime due to the BCS title game) and I'm back to eating clean.  And, it's just so silly for me not to.  It's amazing the hold sugar can take on you.  That stuff is addicting (and I'm not even talking desserts necessarily... but those too).

The crazy part is here we are trying to have a baby, and I KNOW that diet affects fertility.  I guess I chalked it up to I was 100% strict paleo for six weeks early in the year and then still pretty hardcore for a while and it never happened.  And, I can definitely tell the effects sugar has on my mental state... I get down in the dumps easily when I'm eating crap (and not working out).  So sugar + unsuccessful babymaking + winter + not working out = not the happiest I've ever been, and it has nothing to do with outward appearances.

But speaking of outward appearances, my acne has also been pretty bad (or as I like to refer to it, backne).  My face isn't perfectly clear, but it's generally fine.  But man, my back gets these awful flare ups.  I'm hoping that cleaning up my diet will help with that, since my miracle drug is off the table (and I don't believe in taking Rx for most things, yet... if it clears my skin, hell yes... vanity wins).  I was perusing http://chriskresser.com/ this afternoon and found an interesting podcast on acne being related to gut issues.  I don't really have any gut issues, but I might and just not know it.  In any case, I'm not getting all crazy and eliminating FODMAPS (what would I eat!?), but hopefully some of the things he suggests will help.

In any case, I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you have any health issues at all, your diet may be a huge cause of them.  Almost all modern disease is a result of systemic inflammation, and while changing your diet is hard, it might be easier than you think.  You just have to do it.  And, I'll be your biggest cheerleader!

Just What I Needed

Last night I "prayed" (really, more like just putting it out into the world, because this is not something I felt the need to put on God) that we would get our appraisal back (the new one) and it would be good (i.e., what we needed... good would be to say that everything we've spent on our house has tacked on to what we paid for it).  :)

BAM!  Woke up this morning, checked the ol' e-mail and there it is... do I open it and possibly ruin my day?  But, if it's good, then I'll have a super day.  When I saw the appraised value, the heavens opened and a light shone down upon me and the choir of angels in my head began singing, "Hallelujah!"  Now, we can refinance!  {happy dance}

Plus, next week our new built-ins are going in, we just got a quote on painting that is excellent, Capella Kincheloe is escorting me to Scott's Antique Market to get all kinds of fun stuff for her beautiful design for our home, and I'm confident we can have it all put together by mid-February (with some hard work and $, but it can be done).  Things are looking up.  :)

Onward

Well, hello there 2012.  Where did you come from?  Somewhere during recovery from our eight day "Tour de Florida" you snuck up on me.  Truth be told, I was ready and up watching Dick Clark trying to catch a glimpse of my cousin who proposed to his girlfriend in Times Square (see here - scroll to 03:06:00).  Love it.  As a side note, he is my connection to Matt... they played rugby together at UF.  :)  As another side note, Nivea made them wear these hats.  :)

Can I get a collective awwwww?  P.S.  That's Bill and Giuliana Rancic.

But, 2012 isn't exactly starting out as I'd hoped, and I was not filled with excitement or hope when the clock struck midnight.  For one, I am not pregnant.  Two, I have a cold.  I guess things can only get better from here, right?  RIGHT!?

Ugh, I can't really put my frustration into words except to say I finally broke down.  Over dog food, nonetheless.  (These are real issues, people... I'm quite particular about the food my dog children eat.)  I just don't understand.  I truly do not.  And, if someone tells me to just relax and it will happen, I will dropkick you right in the damn face.  I do think there's legitimacy to that, but then why didn't it happen before?  And, I don't think I'm really stressed over it.  Yes, it sucks.  But, it does not consume me (most days).  I'm pretty level headed and I am able to keep things in perspective.  But, I - JUST - DON'T - GET - IT.  Period.  'Tis life, I suppose.

So, we don't know what is next.  That was number three for three IUI tries and we're 0-3.  Well, more like 0-14 or something, I guess.  All I know is the ride isn't over... I know the destination but the route is still TBD.

P.S.  I had to go off my miracle acne medication when I pulled the goalie, and can I just say that God can be really cruel.  (Okay, I'm just kidding... love you Big Man but for reals.)  The acne stuff is a bit OOC.  And, I know what will make it all better but I can't take it.  But, I also can't get pregnant, so for the last 14+ months, I could have had beautifully clear skin.  But instead, I've suffered through pubescent acne breakouts (mind you, I'm about to be 30) for naught.  Aye.