songbird says stuff...

so here are three things i love!

just letting you know i'll write a full update tomorrow. i'm a bit too tired and over stimulated from the nights events, a scary drive home, and being... well... tired. so goodnight.

so as i posted earlier, i was wicked sick yesterday. today i am still not 100% but glad to not be feeling the need to spend the entire day in the bathroom. don't worry - no details will be given. anyway - i got up around noon, which is abnormal for me, i normally can't sleep past 9:30 or 10. its also odd, considering i slept between the hours of 1-6pm yesterday, went to bed at 10:30, slept through the night (only getting up once to use the toilet), and then woke up at noon. if you know me at all, even when i'm sick, i cannot sleep like that. i just lay there, watching tv, helpless and sad. yesterday i laid there helpless and sad... but most of it was while sleeping. but i think it really helped me to conquer most of whatever it was, quickly. so thats that.

then i was dumb and got into an argument with my husband over food and youtube videos. no details. things will be fine. it was just dumb. so it kind of set the tone for the rest of the day.

then i got online to check my school work and to see if by chance my research paper had been graded. no dice. however, i noticed... holy crap you have to read the first two chapters of a high wind in jamaica and be able to write about one of two topics! oh and its due today. crap. so i tried to read. and i tried some more to read. i ate lunch. tried to read some more. by around 6:30 i finally got through the first chapter and thankfully, had enough to go by to at least get the homework done! so i did the homework and will now continue to read the chapters. i have to get through chapter 4 by thursday... lets hope i get through it. at first it was a difficult read as the author writes in a way that i just don't particularly care for, he is very ironic and while i don't mind a bit of irony, i don't like reading a book like that. at least not this one. so i powered through and will continue to do so. thankfully by the end of the first chapter, things started to get a little more interesting. i hope it continues to get better. we'll see.



oh! i also scheduled my appointment to get my hysterosalpingogram done! thats the procedure where they insert dye into my uterus and fallopian tubes to see if there are any malformations or blockages. i get that done on monday at 9am. if you think of me, pray that all goes well!

so now its 8:45 and i need to get to bed soon but i'm also hungry. all i've eaten today was half a sandwich from subway. maybe i'll make some oatmeal and call it a night. love to you all. goodnight!

this is a late post - i was wicked sick yesterday so i did nothing but sleep and watch tv while intermittently throwing up and all sorts of wonderful nonsense that comes along with tummy sickness. sorry. will post a real update later tonight.
<3

so i had a lot to say about my fun day but i am not up to writing anymore. went to my brothers and had delicious food, had a good time talking to my brother, nephew, sister-in-law, and husband. talked about logistics and schedules for the boys. taking over mar 25. good stuff. went to a movie, it was really good. went to the pobox and got a sweet picture of zaedyn... he's 1 year old! holy crap time flies. got a stupid letter from aacc saying that because i changed my address to a pobox, i have to prove that i live in anne arundel county... i swear they just like to push paperwork. couldn't they just ask me... why did you change your address? i did not change my place of residency, i just want my dang mail to go to the pobox. so dumb. i hate all this crap. its stuff like this... all the logistics and irritating things you have to do that make me want to give up. tomorrow is homework day. i'm going to bed. goodnight.

all i can think to say is wow. life is a funny thing. at one moment you can be completely upset or frustrated or even complaining about the lamest things. and then... disaster strikes... real disaster. in the wake of the devastation thats happened in japan, i feel silly even thinking of things that make me sad or upset. i made a video this morning with just my initial thoughts...

it's all about perspective. i complained last night that i couldn't fall asleep, that i was tired but couldn't get myself to fall asleep, no matter what. then when i wake up... i see the images of japan literally being swept away by the tsunami caused by the category 8.9 earthquake - i can not complain about my little problem of insomnia. perspective. i was safe, warm, and comfortable in my bed. my dog was curled up next to me, my husband was safe and sound in the room next to me working on videos. my cat was asleep on the couch. my family were all safe and sound in their homes. and people in japan were literally running for their lives, wondering if they would ever see loved ones again, people were losing their lives, their livelihood. so what... i had insomnia for the second night in a row. japan will probably not really sleep for at least the next year as they deal with the aftermath.

this all brings me back to knowing that God is in control and if He cares about the smallest of sparrows, i can trust that He is in control and cares and loves His children. its easy to ask God... "why do you allow this to happen" and really the question should be... "God i see that you allowed this to happen, how can i help! where do you want me in regards to this tragedy?" its easy to blame God and say "you caused this" - but what our response should be is "God, i don't understand but i trust that You are going to receive all the glory and do mighty works through this."

i am heartbroken for the people of japan. all day i was checking updates, watching videos, praying, and wondering for the people in japan and the other parts of the world who will most likely be affected due to tsunamis caused by the earthquake. my heart's home is asia (more specifically - hong kong). when we lived there i met people of all nationalities, i had friends who were from japan, who had a heart to move to japan, friends who lived there (but are now in australia). so while my heart longs to be in hong kong... i still love and care for the people of japan. i think about them. i want to visit there. God please show mercy. please pour down your grace. please save people's lives and souls. receive the Glory. only you can make sense of such a mess of a situation. all i can do is pray with my hands open and ask you to do what you are going to do. please multiply the donation i gave to red cross today... please let people be generous in their giving. please help the united states people to see that, while this happened almost a world away, they are still people, citizens of the human race, moms, dads, children, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters. they are important to this world, they are precious. they are valuable.

please. pray for japan. donate if you can. even a little $10 donation will help. it all adds up.



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and while my day is not nearly as important to talk about... i think i will real quick. just because. went to work, played with the babies. went to the mall. had dinner with the husband. he had an important appointment today. we hung out, talked. then i came home. played sims. looked at stuff on japan. watched degrassi. now i'm here. goodnight.

today i'm doing another easy recipe. i've made this a few times and it is always delicious!

recipe: chicken tacos


ingredients
2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
1 packet of taco seasoning (we use whatever we can find)
enough water to cover
taco shells or soft tortillas
tomato
lettuce
onion
cheddar cheese
sour cream

other items needed
crock pot

method
1.     place chicken in crock pot
2.     pour taco seasoning over chicken
3.     pour enough water to cover the chicken
4.     cook low and slow for 6-8 hours (if on high - 4 hours)
5.     when cooked, take 2 forks and shred the chicken while still in the sauce
6.     chop tomato, onion, and lettuce
7.     take tortilla or taco, place chicken, and other ingredients inside. ENJOY!

you can make mexican rice to go along with this... but i don't have the recipe on hand right now and its getting late. but any kind of mexican rice would be good! :)

when its in the crock pot, it should look something like this~! can we say yummy!





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life has been uber crazy as of late. i keep telling myself, things will calm down soon, life will make sense soon, God will give you clarity soon. and i know its all true. and i'm not really that stressed, i'm just tired. and i'm homesick. and i'm missing having children of my own. so its not just that my life is crazy busy - my mind is crazy busy as well. i don't know. i guess i'll just go to bed now. it'd be the first time i was in bed before 10 in weeks! lets try and make this happen. goodnight all. love to you!

so i spent two thirds of my day working on my paper. it is finished and even without my mighty english teacher of a husbands critique, i think it turned out pretty good. i am sure he'll find lots of things to fix and what not, but i think i got my point across clearly and tied each thought together with good transitions! hopefully i get an a!

i've been listening to the harry potter station on my pandora queue and its awesome. it plays all sorts of soundtrack songs and i love it! its neat to hear music and be able to pick out what show or movie its from, what scene it is in, and do that all without looking at pandora! its a neat little thing i am able to do... i've always had a good ear for music and its nice to see that its still there. i'd love to get back into playing music, the piano and such - but i'd like to learn how to do it properly and not cheat and learn everything by memory and by ear. maybe one day i'll be able to get some lessons. but there is no point in doing that when i don't have a piano or keyboard to practice on. we'll see. i still want bud to get me a panflute... one day i'll get one and make amazing music on it!

tonight i watched josh groban on tinychat.com and it was a lot of fun. he is so quirky and funny. i love it! i'm getting really excited to see him this july!

you know what else is in july? harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2! oh its so exciting! bitter sweet though, since it will be the last movie. and although i don't know everything, i know a lot of people die. please don't spoil it for me. i've refused to read the last book because i want to be surprised and experience first on the screen. sure, that probably makes me backwards, but meh.

bud is probably on his way home now and i can't wait to see him. i want to kiss him and hold him until i fall asleep. i guess that is all... i need to get ready for bed as i have to make it to work tomorrow. i ended up staying home today because i really was just not feeling 100% and i don't want to push myself while i'm overly tired and sick anyway. i eventually need to squeeze in some exercise but its so difficult lately. because i've been so busy with work (which has been absolutely chaotic because the girls have been sick for literally a month and i have to deal with that everyday), trying to keep this cold at bay, and dealing with doctors appointments and homework - so i've been exhausted by the time i'm able to just sit and relax. hopefully i am able to relax soon. i can't wait for saturday! lets see... any last minute thoughts... not now i suppose. i guess i'll leave you with a random picture from my hard drive!

i remembered today! today is three things tuesday and i want to tell you three things that i love! lets start with:

i don't talk enough about the blessing that is my puppy dog, monster truck! at this moment she is sitting on my lap and i am trying to write this blog. its not very easy. (she hopped down - i guess i can continue writing now.)

so back to monster truck. she is probably the sweetest dog anybody will ever meet. we inherited her from a family in hong kong, so naturally we brought her back with us when we moved back. (same with our cat, except we got her from a lady who was giving them away as she found a litter of kittens in tst park). when we first got her, she was, well... not trained to our liking. we worked on her, loved her, spoiled her, and made her our own.  i can still remember to this day how bud did not want to keep her - i can't really blame him. she was your typical yapping tiny dog. thankfully, he grew to love her just as much as i did, the moment i set eyes on her. it was as if she was there, specifically for me. her little face is remarkable, she has a personality that is exciting and loving, hyper yet sweet. she can be spastic but can also cuddle and want to be held like a little baby. she is the most perfect perfect pup. and we love her so much.

last year we almost lost her... twice. within a week! it was absolutely horrible. first - she got loose on halloween night. she is a chocolate fiend and while dad newman was giving out chocolate, i'm assuming she got out and followed some kids, hoping she would be fed some tasty treats! well... she wandered too far and didn't know how to get home. and it was dark, so all things were not in her favor. she managed to get about 4 blocks away! when bud and i came home, i think we were at a wedding or something, dad told us she was gone. i instantly started walking down the street calling her name, tears streaming from my face. she had been gone about 2 hours or so. we thought she was gone. i ran in the house, put out a lookout for friends in the area, put out a txt message to my friends asking them to pray that we'd find her, and sat there and cried. bud and his dad went out throughout the neighborhood calling her name. bud would do the "special whistle" we have for her and eventually... he heard her bark. just once. and he knew instantly that it was her! just one bark! he knew her by her voice! same for monster! you see - bud's dad had been walking around calling her name too... but she didn't know his voice. she knew her dadda's voice! bud came home and had her... i held her and cried and cried - wrapped her in my arms and fell asleep that way.

the second time we almost lost her was when the neighbor dog (pitbull) decided to let her know that she was not in charge of the neighborhood. he bit her and pinned her down. i was screaming at the dog, screaming at bud, screaming at the neighbors to get their dog. my motherly instincts snapped and i grabbed the other dog by the neck and was trying to tear his big jaws off my tiny baby puppy! once we got her free, i ran her inside and noticed that she was bleeding. we didn't know how bad it was, but she kept letting out squeals every now and then, she was shaking as was i. i called a vet in tears and asked if they could see her right away. we zoomed over there and we found out that she was quite lucky (God spared her!). if the pitbull would have bit her literally a half an inch to the right, she would have bled out from having an artery severed. so they did surgery to put in drains, gave her meds, wrapped her up, and we were able to take her home that night! poor thing was doped up and not able to even stand. when we picked her up from the vet, i was so relieved but so sad because she got beat up. (don't worry - i do not blame all pitbulls, i blame owners. i love pitbulls.) thankfully, she was better a couple weeks later. and she got to sport a sweet looking chargers jersey to keep her warm and cover her wound once we removed the bandages!

oh my monster truck. she's the happiest when i come home, when i play with her, when i love her. and i'm happiest when she hugs me, kisses me, plays and cuddles with me. she's a lovely dog. many people wish she could be theirs and all i can say is... sorry. she's taken!