Merry Christmas!

Jon and I had a great first Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as a married couple.  We spent it here in Baton Rouge.  Just us and the cats.

Jon had to play for his church service yesterday, so we celebrated our first Christmas together in Baton Rouge.

I have been planning the perfect meal for sometime.  I planned on having it for Christmas, but we were invited to my Uncle Ben and Aunt Marsha's in Gonzales for Christmas Day.  Since we accepted the invitation, I decided to make my dinner on Christmas Eve.

I cooked a turkey breast, oyster dressing, spinach Madeline, and mashed potatoes.  We had tea and lemon meringue pie for dessert.

When I got off from work Wednesday night, I cleaned the Christmas china and got the kitchen cleaned and organized.  I wanted everything to be ready in the morning, so things would move smoothly.

I can appreciate the effort that it takes to make a nice Christmas dinner.  It takes a lot of work.  It was my first time doing the cooking, but everything came out perfectly!

We got up this morning and opened up our Christmas gifts.  I am not going to list each gift that Jon have to me.  I got a set of bamboo knitting needles and a knitting book.  I also got a bracelet, a knit hat with cat ears on it, and a Janis Joplin bio.  I got Jon some books, a hoodie, Stephen King's Under the Dome on audio, among other things.

Then I made waffles for breakfast.  They were great! 

Jon and I had a wonderful first Christmas as a married couple.  Full of fun memories!

We look forward to our trip to Virginia for our Christmas visit with Jon's family.  We will be there for the new year.  We leave next week on Wednesday.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Our First Christmas Tree

Last night, Jon and I put up our first Christmas tree!  It was so much fun!  We got a nice big one this year.  The cats have not started to climb the tree, so I am happy.

We decided to put our wedding gifts under the tree, so we can keep them all in one place.  This will allow us organize the other areas, such as closets to make room to store what we are not going to use for a while.  I do not want to unpack all that stuff, since we are not staying in the apartment forever.

Our tree does not have a particular theme.  It is a tree of our memories together.  Most of our ornaments have some special meaning or stories behind them.  I had some of our leftover wedding favors and hung some of those in our tree.

Our First Christmas ornament

Wedding favor

 Wedding Favor

 Bought on our honeymoon!

2009 was a great year!

So that's a few pictures from our first tree.  I will also get to cook our first Christmas dinner, since Jon is playing for church on Christmas eve.  Stay tuned...

First 6-Months of Marriage

Jon and I have been married 6 months, as of yesterday.  Half a year!  Time flies when you are having fun!

 

Our first Thanksgiving was nice.  We were surrounded by our Virginia family.  Jon's siblings have been so great about treating me like part of the family.  They are so much fun!

 

It was a great time.  We will be going back for the New Year's holiday.

 

I could go on about all of the things for which we are thankful, how we are blessed, etc., but I'll spare the reader.  We do have a wonderful life together, but we live in the real world and it isn't always that simple.  I wish more people could acknowledge this fact.  Instead, we get the storybook version.  It gets quite old.

 

We plan on spending our first Christmas here in Baton Rouge, since Jon has to play for the church service on Christmas Eve.

 

I guess I need to start planning my Christmas dinner.  This should be fun.  I really do look forward to it!

 

We will go to Opelousas the weekend before Christmas to visit my family.

 

While in Virginia, I found a Christmas tree.  Artificial trees are very hard to find at good prices.  They can be very pricey.  I try to be environmentally conscious.  I thought that an artificial tree would be a good choice.  After reading up on this, I have learned the opposite.  Well, I do not plan on getting rid of this tree for sometime.

 

I went to a new dentist today, and he is great!  His whole staff is friendly and patient.  I was very pleased.

 

November 20th marked 4 years of being a couple.  Now that we are married, our wedding anniversary will be bigger deal.  It's just nice to remember.

 

 

Long Time, No Blog

It's been a long time, since I've posted.  I have been busy with work and just living life (or trying). Yesterday, I finally finished a scarf that I had been working on for some time.  I just didn't really dedicate much time to it, and it got left untouched for several months.  I'm glad it is finished, so I can move on to something else.

Work is the same.  Never better, always the same.  I put my foot down and got an extra day off, so I could spend more time in Virginia.  Now we get to stay for two days, instead of one.

I'm really getting screwed this year, since I have to work the weekends after the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.  Just when we had our holiday schedules arranged, they have to go and change things.  Luckily, no airfare has been purchased.  No more taking our holiday time the week before or after.  We have to take it that week, and it can't be on our night scheduled to work.  Well, hell!  Tell me what I should wear and cook for dinner, why don't you!  So I have no idea what it all means, I'm sure it will all be sorted out tomorrow.

Well, I must go and do my 4-mile walk as part of my training for my upcoming half-marathon.

Off For Veterans Day... Yay!

I'm always happy to have a day off! 

I had originally planned for this to be a day of cleaning.  Since I made some progress over the weekend, I decided that I could just have fun today.  That is exactly what I plan on doing.

Jon and I are going to have lunch with a friend.  Having lunch with friends is another favorite activity of mine.

In other news, I have decided to train for a half-marathon.  I have to do some training for it, so I can't do the Baton Rouge Beach Half-Marathon.  Luckily, there is one in New Orleans in February.  It is one from the Rock n' Roll Marathon Series.  I am so excited!  Unfortunately, we are a little late signing up, so we will have to pay more of an entry fee.

Jon is a runner, I am not, so I plan on walking this half-marathon. 

TGIF

I have Saturday and Sunday off!  I will be so glad to not have to be at work.

I think that I will move on to organizing the bathroom this weekend.  It will be nice to have two rooms organized.  I will have the bedrooms, the living area, dining area, and closets left.

We get Veteran's Day off, so I will take advantage of the day off by getting something accomplished.

I am going to see my grandparents in a week.  We are going to drive up on Friday and just visit.  It is so much easier on all of us to do that than try staying over night.

We are meeting with our photographer to talk about the finalization of our wedding album this evening.  We will hopefully also get our wedding images on DVD. 

We are going to Virginia for Thanksgiving.  We just decided to go this a few weeks ago.  I was not allowed Tuesday or Saturday off, so we are going to drive to VA on Wedneday after Jon's class.  We will spend Thanksgiving (Thursday), then drive back on Friday.  Thanks a lot, job!

When Jon gets his Ph.D. and we move, I will be so glad.  Then I can focus more on what is important; family and home life.  I think I was meant to be a full-time homemaker.

We shall see...

First Yoga Class

I went to my first yoga class this morning.  I really enjoyed it and plan to go back.

It is something to do on Tuesday mornings, since I don't feel like working out when I get home on Tuesday nights.

Tuesdays are my night to work, so I don't feel like doing much when I get home.

Facebook-free for 48 hours

Well, I fell off the wagon.  I will make good use of the features and settings that are offered.  We will see how that works.

Happy Halloween!

We carved pumpkins last night!  I carved a witch/moon.  Jon carved a ghost.  He acidentally cut the wrong thing and ended up having to find another pumpkin.  After going to 3 places, he found another pumpkin.

I roasted the seeds from the pumpkin, and they are so good!

Jon read Scary, Scary Halloween by Eve Bunting aloud.  Then we watched some of the movie, Teen Wolf. 

I am working today.  I am wearing my tiger ears and my LSU hoodie.  That's my "costume".  I'm an LSU Tiger!

Jon and I had lunch at Rotollo's.  It was so good!

Tuesday Morning Yoga

The BREC park on Jefferson Hwy. is offereing free yoga classes on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9-10.  I have thought about doing this for some time, but have been busy with other things.

Now that I have an established exercise routine and continue to make progress with organizing the apartment, I think I may be ready to give this a try. 
I could only go on Tuesdays, because that is my late day at work.  I usually like to sleep a little later on Tuesdays, but I think I am going to get myself in the habit of getting up to go.

More On My Sabbatical From Facebook

When I first joined Facebook, I really liked it.  I thought it was a great way to network with others.  Facebook has evolved greatly, since its beginnings.

Since people have trouble communication through email, phone, etc., I found they were more likely to do so through Facebook.  This is not the case anymore.

In my experience, some people are using Facebook for other reasons other than to make it easy to be contacted.  They use it to put themselves on display and show the world how they are so important and to observe other people without actively making an effort to communicate.

It bothers me that people do not make their presence known.  You know they are checking you out on Facebook, but they are not making any effort to communicate.  In conversation (which scarcely occur), they will say, "Oh yeah!  I saw that on Facebook."  Thus giving themselves away.

I have sent messages to inboxes and even in chat.  It is always the same people that do not respond.  It is a bit annoying.

Don't get me wrong, I love to hear about my friend's successes and happy times.  I love the pictures and videos.  It's just how it is "packaged."  There are people that do put it out there, but they are also active in the "conversation."  It's not just me, me, me!  They are actually contributing.

It's just the people that I tend to expect more from that have really disappointed me.  When you think a lot of someone, and then they act a certain way, I leaves you wondering.  When it is someone you felt you had a close bond with, it can become hurtful.

I have had a very jaded view of things for quite sometime now.  I have though about a Facebook-free life for awhile. I need to just step back and realize that not all people are self-centered and egotistical.

Facebook

I'm taking a break from Facebook.  I've gotten tired of it.  I need some time away from it.

I've just had it with people in general.  I need a break.

Jon and I would like to associate with people that are positive and not so stuck on themselves.

Facebook is not helping with my view of people, so I needed to deactivate. 

I'll be back later...

Weekend in Review

Jon and I had a nice weekend. 

Friday night, we went out for steak.  We went to Logan's and I was very pleased with my food.  It was nice to be able to take my time to get ready (hair and makeup) and then go out with my husband.

On Saturday, my friend Samantha had lunch and did a little shopping.  Then I had the honor of showing going with her to see her new place of employment.  She just got a youth services librarian postion at the Baker Branch!  Yay!

Jon and I bought pumpkins on Saturday night.  We did not get around to carving them.  I think we will wait and carve them on Friday night.  With our strange weather, the pumpkins tend to get moldy really fast.

Yesterday, I cleaned and organized my kitchen.  It looks so nice and I feel so good about getting it clean.

I have accumlated a great deal of plastic containers, glass jars and bottles that I just can't bring myself to throw away.  I know they have a potenital use.  I do not have a garden, so I cannot use them to can.  I learned that there is a recycling every 3rd Saturday for apartment dwellers, so I will bring them there.  I know that Jon is also happy about this discovery.

My next cleaning and organizing project will be the bathroom.  I am so tired of living in a mess!  We are so unorganized.  It is very discouraging to live in so much clutter.  By taking it one step at a time, we will get this accomplished. 

While cleaning, I finished listening to Home to Big Stone Gap.  I assume this is the conclusion to the series, but I am not sure.  I really loved the Big Stone Gap Series.  I just loved the characters and reading about an area that is close to where Jon grew up. 

I am going to attempt to start listening to the next One Book One Community (The Big Read) book, The Great Gatsby.  I got really frustrated with it, while trying to download it to my computer.  The tracks were not in order.  A bit of a headache. 

This and That

Jon and I had a great weekend.  It went by too quickly, as usual.  On Friday night, Jon and I went to see the movie Couples Retreat and had dinner at the California Pizza Kitchen.  We wanted to go to Buffalo Wild Wings, but it was very crowded.

I enjoyed dinner and the movie.  It was nice to get out and so something different.  We don't go to the movies that often, and it had been a while since I got to pick the movie.

On Saturday, we ran errands and went to the library.  We did lots of laundry.

Sunday was church and rest day. 

I am still dedicated to my exercise routine.  Yay!

Ouch! Flu Shot

I got up earlier than usual this Tuesday, and got my flu shot.  It is nice that city-parish employees get these free of charge.  I am one of those people that will get really sick, if I don't get the flu vaccine.  I have been told that this will not protect me from H1N1, but at least it is something.

Yesterday was day one with our new "library system" which is called V-Smart.  It's really lame and the logo looks like a pack of birth control pills.  Maybe I'm the only weirdo that notices this, but it is quite amusing.

I do like the OPAC on the library home page.  For non-librarians, that is the Online Public Assess Catalog, which replaces the ancient card catalog.  It's all bright and yellowish.  Like a blast of sunshine!

Autumn contiues to slowly make its way to Louisiana.  I wish it would hurry, because I love autumn weather.  We don't get much autumn weather here, so it is very much appreciated when we do.  I hope to live in a place one day where I can really see the leaves change colors. 

Two Weeks of Exercise

I have stuck with the routine for two weeks!  Here's to another successful week.

I will take some work, but I am determined to be my retro self again.

Here I am in 2005, before moving to Baton Rouge. 

"The best things in life aren't things." -- Art Buchwald

I will never forget the day that I saw this quote on a bumper sticker.  It is amazing how such a short quote can be so profound, but it has always stuck in my mind.

Materialism is running rampant in our world.  This is nothing new.  Materialism has been around for ages.  After 28 years of living, I am starting to get really tired of hearing about things!

Just like I am making a conscious effort not to be egocentric, like those that disgust me by being so.  I am also trying to be conscious of not taking what I have for granted.  I do not require much and I do not need things to make me happy.

In comparison to other couples our age, Jon and I are slumming it.  LOL!  We live in a modest apartment and are not that concerned with decor. 

Jon and I have had to work really hard to get where we are in life.  We are just so content with being married and being together that this is all that really matters to us.  We have finally made it to our life together and we couldn't be happier.

Painted walls, matching living room sets, HD TV's, etc. are just not that important to us.  This is NOT the foundation of our marriage and our life together.  While all of the above are nice things to possess, they can wait. 

Maybe that is it!  Most people want it all now.  Society most definitely tells them that they need it all now, because everyone else has it all.

Jon and I have each other and that is all that we need.  Everything else will take care of itself!

New Orleans Soiree

Greetings from BR! Vita and I had a wonderful trip to New Orleans this week. I had a few days off from school and Vita was fortunate enough to get some time off also. We got to spend Thursday and part of Friday in the French Quarter. I really loved it! We got to visit three fun bookstores (including the Faulkner Library) and I bought a book about my favorite composer, Richard Wagner. We got to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe, Fiorella's, and the Mona Lisa. All three restaurants were great, but all very different from each other. My favorite was the Mona Lisa because it was the first place Vita and I got to go as a married couple. We also got to go on a Haunted Tour. It was very interesting. I enjoyed getting to hear the ghost stories. I hope to get to go for the Vampire Tour and the Haunted History Tour (it was voted the best tour in New Orleans) sometime in the future.

All in all it was a really fun trip: Vita and I really got to spend some wonderful, quality time together and I got to experience some of the fun places she remembered from her childhood and teen years. I can't wait to go back!

Jon

New Orleans

Jon and I made a short trip to New Orleans.  We had a great time.

It was our first time attempting to park in the public parking lots.  It was a pretty smooth drive in to the parking lot.  I thought it would be more of a challege to find a place to park, but it was not difficult at all.

Once we got the car parked, we had lunch at Hard Rock Cafe.  It was my second time eating at a Hard Rock, my first time being in San Diego on our honeymoon.  I have walked past the place countless times, but had never eaten there.  I always wanted to eat there, but just never got around to it.

After lunch we went for a walk around the French Quarter.  We started by making our way to the French Market.  It pretty much had the same old junk that they always sell.

We made our way back to the car, so we could get checked into the hotel where we spent the night.  We stayed at the Place d' Armes.  I chose this hotel, because it had gotten really good reviews on Trip Advisor.  It was #9 of the top ten hotels in New Orleans.  It was also in a great location.

The pictures and the website looked great, but it was very disappointing in real life.  The person working behind the desk was quite unfriendly.  We didn't really notice anything else, until it was time for us to go to sleep.  The bed was very uncomfortable and the pillows were lumpy.  I've never been so uncomfortable in a hotel.

I was reminded why I like to stick with major hotel chains.  My most favorite being Embassy Suites, but it is a bit pricey.  We really just needed a place to sleep and bathe.  It was in a great location, but that was really the only good thing about this hotel.

Last night we went on a Ghosts and Spirits Tour, which was fun.  I've been on better ghost tours, but I figured we'd give this one a try.  I was glad that Jon enjoyed it, because he was really excited about it.  We are going to go on another one with a different company next time.

After the tour, we had dinner at Fiorella's Cafe.  My family and I have eaten at this place for many years.  It is now under new management, so it is not the same.  I was sad, because I miss the old Fiorella's.  The food was so much better back then, however the atmosphere is much better now.

After dinner, we decided to go on back to the hotel.  We were tired, after a long day of walking.

This morning, we got up and had breakfast.  We checked out of the "hotel from hell" and brought our things to the car.

We rode the streetcar to the Riverwalk Marketplace.  There were still some cool shops there, but many of the old favorites are now gone.

We took a walk down Canal St. to Chartres St. and stopped in Crescent City Books.  This was a fun stop for both of us.  It's a really fun shop.  Our favorite out of the three bookstores we visited today.

We walked a little ways down Bourbon St., then found our way to Royal St.  We had lunch at one of my favorite places, Mona Lisa Cafe.  We had a great lunch!

After lunch, we walked around the French Market again.  I found some sunglasses.  Unfortunately, they are no longer 2 pairs for $5.00.  Many vendors are selling knock-off's of designer sunglasses, which does not interest me.  I want a pair of sunglasses that does not have these "wannabe" designer logos.  I was happy to find a pair of black cat eye's for $5.00.  They are perfect!

We had a great afternoon just walking around and enjoying the sights.  We stopped by Central Grocery and got a muffaletta to take back with us to Baton Rouge for dinner.

We made it home safely.  It was a great trip!

Exercise Routine

I think that I may have finally established an exercise routine!  Yesterday marked my first week of dedicated exercise. 

After many attempts, I think I may have finally found something that works.  I usually get bored, and exercise is just not fun for me.  I have started listening to my audio books while exercising.

This has been a source of motivation for me.  I love audio books!  I listen to them while in the car, and sometimes at home.  They are great to listen to while getting ready for the day and doing housework.  I have also started listening to them while I cook, since I don't have an open kitchen with access to the living area. 

My husband, Jon, has also been a very good influence on me.  As long as I have known him, he has had a regular exercise routine.  He has even gotten more strict with it, since he was having blood pressure issues.  His blood pressure has gotten much better, but he still makes sure he gets his exercise.

I have been doing 30 minutes on the treadmill.  I have 6 laps by then which equals to a mile and a half.  On Saturday, I started using the weights on my arms to give myself some upper body exercise.  I do this for about 5 minutes, because I don't want to over do it.

I am really hoping that I can stick with this program.  I hope to start seeing results real soon.

New Orleans

Next week we are going to spend a night in New Orleans.  I have been wanting to get away for sometime.  We cannot go on my weekends off, because Jon has to play for church on Sundays.  I figured it would be good to take most of Thursday off, and spend some time in New Orleans.  I have to go back to work on Saturday, so it is going to be a quick trip.  Jon will be in the middle of his fall break, so it was just a good time for both of us.

We are going to get there as soon as we can on Thursday, and spend some time in the French Quarter.  We are going to go on a ghost tour that night, and spend most of Friday there.

I am so excited!  Can't wait!

Wow!

I almost can't believe it, but I am blogging to you from work!  I was able to sign in.  It's only been a month and a half!  We shall see how long this lasts.
I hope everyone that is lucky enough to have a long weekend will enjoy it.  I have to work today and tomorrow, but will enjoy that Monday off. 

I have not been happy about working all weekend, but we can't always get what we want.  I do think that the library should close for the weekend, since most people leave town anyway.  If I had the weekend off, I would be so glad to get out of Baton Rouge.
Public library hours are very crappy for library employees.  Not so much for library patrons, because I do enjoy going to the library late in the evening.

I finally have a car again!

Yesterday evening after work, we stopped by Richards Honda.  I wanted to test drive a Honda Civic. 

I had been thinking about this car purchase for a while, but decided that I did not like the Fit as much as had thought.  It was a little smaller.

Jon and I realized last week that we needed another car.

I had originally planned to wait and buy the car on Friday, but I changed my mind for several reasons.  First, "my" car was on display near the road for everyone to see!  It was the last one in atomic blue metallic!  The last of 4 Civic LX's.  The only colors left were two red and one grey.  I did not want a red or a grey car.  I wanted atomic  blue metallic!

I drove "my" car and just fell in love with it!

Jon and I talked about it and I decided that I wanted to get it! 

When we pulled we back in to the dealership, I told the salesman we wanted to buy it!

Two hours later, I was the owner of an atomic blue metallic 2009 Honda Civic LX Sedan!  I am so happy to have my own car again!

First Week Back

I have been getting to work so much earlier now that Jon is back in school.  I have to find ways to occupy myself.  I am thankful for Internet and music.

Jon is teaching two music theory labs and has to go the class that is associated with it.  He is only doing dissertation hours and piano.  He is finished with all of his coursework.

Jon mentioned a new car search yesterday, so I guess that means I need to get back on it.  It is not the most fun that I have to get up and get to work so very early, but I don't mind doing it for him.  I was hoping we could do the one car thing a little longer.  I think we will have to probably start the car search process again.

Yesterday, Jon cut his thumb with a knife, while I was at work.  I had to tell him how to find the bandages while I was at work.  Luckily, I came across the first aid kit, so I told him to use it.

I have always been very nervous about him and knives, since his hands are very important to his career.  Maybe hand insurance isn't a bad idea.

We are cat-sitting my friend Samantha's cat, Minou.  She is a sweet cat.  My cats are very curious, but we do not let them bother her.  Minou is a senior citizen kitty, so she gets her own room.

I have the weekend off, so I am so happy!  We will probably start "phase two" of thank you note writing.  It will be nice to have that finished.

Random Thoughts: Food, Movies, and Travel

This week has not been too hectic, though it sure has had a few moments.

Monday evening, I made a yummy cauliflower soup.  It was pretty slow, since I made it in the slow cooker.  It wasn't cooking all day.  I put it on when I got home from work!

Tonight, I made another New Haven clam pizza.  It was awesome!  I have two more balls of Neo-Neapolitan pizza dough in the freezer.  So unless I decide to try another topping that is compatible with this type of dough, we may have New Haven clam pizza at least two more times.

This makes me want to go to New Haven, Connecticut or just any where in Connecticut.  I am sure that the fall time is the perfect time to visit this region.   I would have to go to Mystic and eat at Mystic Pizza.  Mystic Pizza is one of my all time favorite movies!

I have been enjoying music and my i-Pod.  Since I do not have my own vehicle, I do not have time to really listen to music.  I have missed it, but have started listening on the PC.  I listened while cooking tonight and it helped me enjoy it.

Lay Lady Lay is my new favorite song by Bob Dylan.  I am not sure how I have missed this one, but it fell through the cracks some how.  I am so glad I know it now!

Summer '09

Well, Summer 2009 is pretty much over for us. Jon is going back to school tomorrow. He will speak with his advisor about his dissertation topic.

We had a great summer. One we will always remember.

I have been behind on my reading, but plan to get back into it soon.

Today, Jon and I stayed after church to listen to the Q & A session for the Anglican Missions of the Americas. It was interesting, and the lunch was good.

Afterward, I went to Kohl's to get a few things that I needed. I really like that store.

I came back home and rested. Then Jon and I went for a swim.

Later, Jon and I went to Target to get some things.

We are now getting things ready for the busy week that lies ahead. We will be figuring out what our weeks will be like now that Jon is back in school.

This means getting up earlier, etc.

Jon is teaching a music lab, taking piano, and dissertation hours.

We can look forward to having Labor Day off. Unfortunately, I have to work that weekend, so we won't be able to plan any quick getaways.

There's always another way...

For some strange reason, I have been unable to access Blogger at work. I have learned that I can send my blogs through email. I am very happy to have learned how this can be done.

I will probably update a lot more now! I am glad about this, since work sometimes makes me crazy. I need a place to escape sometimes.

I like reading the same book with Jon. I helps me read faster and not take as long to finish. We are trying to read a chapter each day of Dead Until Dark. I am not sure if we will read the whole series, since I have heard mixed reviews about the books.

It is taking some time for me to get used to this vampire stuff, since I usually read things that are realistic. This will be good from me to explore other genres.

I have considered starting a book club several times, but I am not sure if I could get everyone to agree on a book. I wouldn't mind it just being a group of people getting together just to talk about what they are currently reading. We would not necessarily have to read the same thing. Just having the common interest in books and reading would be enough for me.

I may try to revive this idea.

Well, this is my first post via email! I am so excited to be blogging again!

Not too much happening...

We have been doing well. Work is better. Jon starts school next week.

I made pizza this past weekend. It was fun, but lots of work. I made a Neo-Neapolitan pizza dough from scratch. Then I made New Haven Clam Pizza. It was so good! The dough was what took the most time to make. I have three other dough balls in the freezer, so it will be easier for at least three more times.

The book I used was American Pie: My Search For the Perfect Pizza. I check it out from my local public library.

I finished the first book in the Big Stone Gap series by Adriana Trigiani. I would like to read the wholes series, but will have to take a break. Jon wants to read Dead Until Dark, so that is what I will read next. We want to try reading the same book, so we can talk about it. I guess it will be like having our own little mini book club. I'm excited!

We had a very nice and relaxing weekend. I did not feel like doing much. It was nice to have both Saturday and Sunday off.

Jon surprised me today by coming to get me for lunch. We went to Izzo's.

He made a great chili in the slow cooker tonight. I am so proud of him. I am glad that I was able to step back and let him do it. This is something that I usually make, but I have been so busy.

Jon is so great about helping me around the house. Housework is the last thing I feel like doing, when I am off.

I love my husband so much!

Saturday night thoughts

It is important for couples to support each other through thick and thin. I must always be sure to provide Vita lots of encouragement and an open ear when she has a difficult day at work. I think one of the most positive things about being married is having your spouse there for you. I always feel better when I discuss something that's bothering me with Vita. It's always important to talk about the things that make you feel upset-I think it helps.
I'm very sorry that Vita had a difficult day at work but I'm glad that I can be there for her when the day is through. We can give each other the strength to go on.

Anywhere, but here....

I am ready to get out of Baton Rouge and Louisiana. Once Jon gets his Ph.D., we are out of here.

I thought Thursday was bad. Today was even worse. I am not very happy with my job right now.

People don't think the rules apply to them. When they are told to follow them, they get mad. Then I get harassed and told that I "don't know how to talk to people."

Which really means that they just don't like being told that they can't do something.

Well, when I have to say the same thing over and over to the same people, I'm not going to be Little Miss Sunshine. Sorry!

I have people still pissed off about things that happened 6 months ago. I'm just doing my job. I did not create the policies, but I have to enforce them.

I am tired of being harassed by adults that act like children and parents that believe the untruths their children tell them then lash out at me.

I have been there for one year and 8 months. I have tried everything to get these children to read books, but they are not interested. They want to play video games on the computer. I have to constantly tell them that they cannot play violent games. It is policy. They don't understand why they can't.

Before I was even hired, there was a murder across the street. A man was standing over the dead body laughing. About six months ago, a man was shot and killed in the street only one block away.

Violence does not need to be encouraged.

Everyone says that it will be like this anywhere I go. I am willing to risk it and learn that fact on my own.

Some good things are:

I have a loving and supportive husband.

Great friends.

Employment. Even if it is a crappy time right now. An income is nice.

Dreams of living in a new place, where people know how to behave. One can dream, right?

The Mitchell's Go to Virginia

Jon and I went to Virginia last weekend to visit Jon's family. It was our first visit as a married couple. An ice cream social was held in our honor.

How we got there is a pretty interesting story, since we did not have a car.

I was able to get a really good deal on airfare, so we flew to Raleigh, NC.

We turned in the rental last Thursday. Our friend, Dustin, met us at Enterprise and drove us to the New Orleans airport.

Our connecting flight was in Atlanta, but there was bad weather and ground control issues in Atlanta. We were really delayed, which caused us to loose our connection in Atlanta.

We had lunch at Moe's and then went to our gate and waited.

We got to fly in first class or business class, as they now call it. It was pretty cool. I made being very late, not so bad. I loved that we got drinks before take off, and all those little things.

We finally got into Raleigh around 9 PM. I can't remember exactly. I got to see my aunt, uncle, and cousin for about 5 minutes. They live in Raleigh. Nathan and Kara came to pick us up, and we drove 4 hours to get to Pounding Mill, VA. We got to the Mitchell house around around1:30 or 2:30 AM. What a journey!

Day 1: Friday, consisted of a drive to Emory and Henry College, where Nathan will begin college in the fall. Both Jon and Tina attended E & H, before transferring to Millsaps College. It was nice to finally get to see the campus after hearing so much about it.

Day 2: On Saturday everyone was preparing for the ice cream social that evening. Jon's 3 brothers set up at tent, so they could perform live music to entertain everyone. They were great.

It was nice to see the people I had already met. I also enjoyed meeting all the new people that came to share in our joy.

Day 3: On Sunday we went to church. Then we drove to Bluefield, West Virginia. We had lunch at a place called Macado's, then we walked around the mall. I really wanted to go to Belk, so I could spend my gift cards. I got a few place settings of my stainless, got what was left of the Fiestaware place settings that were on my registry, and I got the towels that I wanted. It was a successful trip!

Monday was spent on the road. We hopped in Jon's old car and drove it back here. It is so nice to have a car again.

We had a great trip.

Blogger for My Sanity

Blogger continues to be inaccessible at work. Today, I could have really used some "blog therapy."

Just when things calm down at work, something else happens. I am tired of saying the same stuff over and over, especially to the same people. I am also tired of adults behaving like children.

So much for being a beacon of hope for the community. This beacon is about to burn out!

Thoughts

Arrogance has always been something that really bothers me. It should bother everyone. I'm sure it does.

I have had to deal with arrogant people my whole life, but it took getting older to really notice it. I find it sad and disappointing, but what can I do.

I find that I encounter arrogance in both my professional and personal life, but lately I have had time to reflect on it.

I have had someone come up to me on a regular basis, and just talk at me. Not to me, but at me. Anything that I say is of no importance, but what he says is the most important thing ever. I guess, I just can't believe how someone can be so unabashedly self-centered. He will talk about anything and everything, and you can't get in a single word. Not that I really care to, since his topics of conversation are usually very boring.

How about things like Facebook? We all love Facebook, but I think it can be a real cop-out sometimes. I don't like that people check on you on Facebook, but don't make a effort to contact you otherwise. I am not talking about Facebook friends that you rarely see, but family and close friends.

How about when you email someone, but they never reply? They will send out impersonal emails to several people, but never answer your reply. Sounds like that is when it is time to get a blog!

I am sure some people may think that blogging isn't any better, but at least people choose to read it. Unlike email, where you are just having it all thrown in your face.

There are many reasons to blog. To keep family up to date on day to day activities, to remember special milestones in your life, etc. I think it is wonderful. You can share it with the rest of the world or keep it private. It is a great outlet to have and it gives people options as well.

In the midst of all of this "I, Me, Mine", I am trying to be more conscious of other people. I do not want to be labeled this way. Jon and I are out of the bride and groom spotlight. I have time to work on this now.

I have always tried to be conscious of it, but it is hard when you have so much going on in your own life.

Often, I will find myself realizing after I am with a friend or another person, maybe I should have asked, "What are your plans?" After they ask, me what are mine. Sometimes I forget.

Sylvia... Totaled????

I called today to see how the repairs on Sylvia were going. I was informed that she was $500 away from being totaled.

I am waiting to hear from my insurance to find out what they suggest.

Who knows what will happen now!

Happy Birthday

I had a very nice birthday, once I got off from work.

Everyone met at Zea's and we had a nice dinner. It was great to catch up with friends and just relax.

After dinner we went to the Cheesecake Bistro for dessert. Yummy!

Good day so far...

Even though I am at work. I am having a good day. It has not been too hectic.

Jon gave me my last birthday present this morning. He got me a Bluetooth that is compatible with my BlackBerry. I am waiting on my replacement to come in, since something is wrong with my other one.

Tonight, Jon and some of our friends are going to dinner at Zea's. I am looking forward to having a nice evening with friends.

Tomorrow I turn 28...

It's hard to believe. I am not very happy about having to go to work. Being born in July, I never had to go to school on my birthday. I guess I am spoiled. At least I don't have to work until 8:00 PM this year.

I am ready for the trip to Virginia. I am so ready to go on the road!

No news on Sylvia or my broken BlackBerry. I am hoping that my truck will be fixed by Friday. I should have gotten my phone today, but maybe it will come tomorrow. I haven't been home to check the mail.

A few things have happened in my 27th year. The biggest event was getting married. The happiest day of my life!

Southern Vampire Series

Jon bought each of us a copy of the first book in the Southern Vampire Series, Dead Until Dark. He is interested in seeing the HBO series True Blood.

I have just stared reading Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani. The Big Stone Gap Trilogy takes place in the region where Jon is from, and his mother suggested them to me.

I think we will probably listen to it on CD on the way to Virginia, so that when we get back we can start reading Dead Until Dark.

We will need something to listen to on our over 12 hour drive, since Sylvia does not have XM radio. Jon loves XM, so I have a feeling we will be getting it. I enjoy it as well, but is not a necessity for me.

Friday Drive

My Friday off was lots of fun. I had a few errands to run. We got the rental truck, so that was extra nice.

While we were out, Jon wanted to go to Best Buy. He wanted to look at GPS systems. I have been wanting one. Since my birthday is this Wednesday, I had a feeling that he was thinking about getting one for me. I was right! We looked at them and we found one that we both liked.

So we check out, and I was eager to try it out. I had been wanting to go to the Windsor Ruins . Especially after recently seeing the movie Ghosts of Mississippi, since some of it was filmed there.

The choice was between the Windsor Ruins or the Tezcuco ruins. We decided to go to the Windsor, since I have mentioned them several times.

We had a nice drive, but realized something as we got to the Mississippi border. We were not supposed to take the rental out of the state! So we turned around and went to the Louisiana tourist information center.

While we were driving, I mentioned that I wanted to go to Greenwood some day. Which I jokingly call Resolute, since that is what the homes was called when it was in the mini-series North and South.

We found out that we were not that far away, so that is where we decided to go! How awesome! I took pictures, but I have not downloaded them yet. It was interesting to see, especially since the original home burned to the ground. It was rebuilt. The home had a very interesting story.

Other things have been filmed in the home as well. Jonah Hex being one of the most recent.

Over all, we had an awesome drive and it was so cool trying out my new GPS!

Auto Accident

Jon and I were in a car accident this past Wednesday. Jon was driving me to work, when a man slammed into the back of us.

Once we did all the necessary information exchanges, we went to my library. We stayed long enough to call the insurance company, etc. I was hurting, so Jon and I thought it best to get x-rays. We had to go to the ER. Everything turned out fine, except my truck has significant damage.

We will bring it to Collision Solutions tomorrow. We have a rental truck for now. It is a 2009 GMC Canyon. I love it!

We were only in an accident a few months ago with a similar situation, but this time the damage was much worse. I just hope everything will turn out for the best.

I will feel much better when I know that they will pay for all the damages and that my truck will be OK. I am glad that they have provided us with a rental.

I am hoping it that Sylvia will be fixed by Friday, so we can drive it to Opelousas. I'd rather not have to get into it with my family while I am visiting.

4th of July Weekend

Jon and I had a very quiet 4th of July weekend. I worked Friday, but was lucky to have both Saturday and Sunday off.

Friday night, we went out for sushi. Very yummy! We went to Derek Chang's, one of our favorite places in town. They are now in their new location and it is wonderful.

Saturday we were invited to a birthday celebration. Jon is working for an Anglican church (as a pianist), and the pastor and his wife invited us to join them for her birthday. Her parents were in town, and were very charming. The company was great and the food was delicious.

We were planning on going to the Louisiana State Museum to see the Pride of Place exhibit, but were a bit tired. Maybe we will go on Friday. My library is in the area that the exhibit is about.

Sunday I sang at Jon's church service. We had dinner with some of the members after the service.

We watched a few movies. The Reader was great! I had started listening to the book, but didn't finish. I plan on finishing it, but I have had other books distracting me. I'll get back to that one one day. Maybe we will listen to it on the way to Virginia.

Ready to Travel

Yesterday, I found out that my leave request was approved! I am so happy! It will be nice to take a little road trip up to Virginia. Our first official road trip as a married couple.

I just love this site: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/

Maybe, if we have time, we can stop at one of the places on the way. We don't usually have time, but one can hope.

I would love to travel Route 66 one day! It would be so awesome! I love roadside Americana.

I don't understand why retired people go back to work, because they are bored. I would trade places with them any day. I would travel! You would not hear me complain about being bored with nothing to do.

So much to do... So little time...

I finally had a two day weekend, since getting back from our honeymoon. It was pretty rough having to work for so many days, after being off for over a week.

I was hoping to take my 4th of July holiday on my birthday, which is July 15th. This did not work out, so I will get to take tomorrow off. What a pleasant surprise! I will get two days off again! This makes me so happy, because I still have a lot to do.

Instead of having to cram it all in on Friday, I can do some things tomorrow. We still have to go to the banks. I need to change my name. I need to decided what to do about merging accounts, etc. We need to get new checks, both with my new name and Jon's new address. It will be good to get these things done.

We got the majority of our "thank you" notes done, so that feels really good. We still have more to write. We are still having things trickle in after the wedding, so it is good to stay on top of things.

Jon's parents want to have a post-wedding picnic for us at their home. I have requested leave from work to go. I have asked to be off from Thursday, July 30th until Monday, August 3rd. Let's hope this gets approved!

At the end of the day...

There is nothing better than going home to your husband.

Merging

Combining two households is never easy. Jon and I have so much stuff between the two of us. Both of us do not like to get rid of things either.

Since I was focusing on wedding planning, I could not help him move. He got rid of many of his big things, and kept some of the small things.

One of the biggest things that we needed was shelf space. When a librarian and a pianist marry, you need lots of shelving. Jon has an extensive collection of music scores and other music related stuff. He is also a big fan of Stephen King and graphic novels, so he needed a place for his books. We also had to have a place for both of our CD and DVD collections.

We still have a lot of work to do! One major tasks is to organize our clothes and closets! It is such a mess right now. I can't find anything.

A word of advice:

If the person you marry has to have cable Internet and you don't already have it, don't have it installed one day before the wedding! Not a good idea!

I had DSL and Jon had cable Internet. He wanted to keep having cable, which was fine with me. It just wasn't the best time to have it set up.

It took us forever to set it up on both of our desktops and then to get the wireless to work for our laptops. Thankfully, that problem has been solved.

We got a more comfortable couch yesterday! It is new to us, and we love it!

The cats are getting used to having their daddy around all the time. I think they like it, because there is someone at home more often.

Jon was also officially put on the lease on Friday, so it is finally our apartment!

We are slowly turing our apartment into our home!

Wedding Day Humor

Here are some humorous things that happened on our wedding day:

1.) The groom could not find his tuxedo pants or what I call his "marriage pants"!

How could this happen? You ask... Well, I asked the same thing.

As I was getting into the limo, I see Jon and his father drive up to my apartment. I was furious! Why were they here? Don't they know that you don't see the bride before the wedding!!!

When I got to the church, I learned that he could not find his pants! Jon had to buy tuxedo pants one hour before the wedding!

I kept all of his things at my apartment in a closet, so we would not have this problem. When we got back from our honeymoon, I looked in the closet. They were there on the floor. The "Case of the Missing Marriage Pants" was solved! Now he has two pairs of tuxedo pants! Sounds like someone's going to be taking me to the opera real soon! ;-)

2.) As Jon and I kneel for the Eucharistic Prayer, the congregation gets a good laugh. Jon did not take the price stickers from the bottom of his shoes!

3.) The Unity Candle... Ah! That unity candle! Jon and I lit our candle. As we blew out the tapers, our candle went out. So we tried again, and got it to light. Then Jon blows out his taper again and manages to blow the candle wax all over his tuxedo jacket!

Those are a few of the things that added some humor to our wedding day!

These are some of our favorites to share.

It's Official

I am now Vita Fontenot Mitchell!!! I am so excited to officially have my husband's last name. I was a little sad about dropping my middle name, but I think it would be easier to keep things simple.

It was quite easy to do. You fill out an SS-5 form and send it to the Social Security Office. You could mail it in or go in person. I went in person. You bring the necessary documents, and you are good to go! I will get my new SS card in the mail with in two weeks.

They did give me a receipt, which will allow me to change my name with my bank, etc. I haven't made it to the DMV, because they were closed by the time we got there.

Post-Wedding Reflections

Jon and I were married on May 30, 2009 at 1:00 PM. It was s beautiful day.

The sky was blue. I didn't really notice how beautiful the weather really had been, until I noticed in a photograph taken by my cousin. I had so much on my mind that day. I did not notice many of the minor details.

The planning was stressful, in the end it was worth it. I do not want to go through any of that again! It is a shame that so much money goes into one day. We spend years anticipating and months preparing. Then the day finally arrives, and with a flash it is all gone!

I wish I could have had more time to visit with my guests. I wish I would have had more time for many things. But when it was all over, Jon and I were just exhausted.

We got into his Mercedes for the last time, parked it at the hotel. Then got into our truck, and drove off into the horizon. Bound for New Orleans....

Introduction: A New Blog, A New Chapter

I decided that I would start a new blog, since I have started a new chapter in my life. I am now a married woman. I am leaving the name Fontenot behind and taking my husband's last name, Mitchell.

This blog will focus on my married life with my husband, Jon. We will share our joys, adventures, and news with our friends and readers. I will be the one posting, since Jon is not much of a blogger.

We hope that you will enjoy reading our blog and hope it will help you keep in touch with us. We hope to hear from all of our reader-friends real soon!