it's about time!

Finally, finally, FINALLY Joe and I are able to travel somewhere! Ever since we moved back last year (yes...it's been a year...CRAZY!!!!), set back after setback has happened and, especially with all the airlines going under, flight prices to the Northeast have been pretty terrible. So the only travel we've done is camping here and there within a couple hundred miles of Phoenix. Which is fun, don't get me wrong. We LOVE to camp! But this will be our first real "vacation". In a year.

Starting this Friday, we will begin our trip to lovely Hawaii where we will be cruising around the islands with my parents, sister and a few family friends. Money is extremely tight right now and I don't start training until September 29th (which means I don't get paid until October 15th)...so this next month will be interesting, to say the least. Is there ever a time when money isn't a worry? Because I'm honestly getting a little sick of it.

But, if there was ever a time to get out of town, I guess it would be right now. Besides the fact that we have to leave Lucy behind (about which I am completely heartbroken), and besides the fact that Joe will have to go to dialysis several times while we are there, it will still be an awesome and most welcome vacation. We'll have to count our pennies, of course, and keep track of everything...but it'll be a nice break from Phoenix and the perpetual summer heat.

What's new in Joeville ?

I just wanted to represent the Y Chromosome and post some stuff. T and I were chatting the other day about changes we're gonna make when we rule the world. First off, we want to do away with the electoral college and let popular vote determine the president, but we also want to see more than two choices. We feel each party should have a a few candidates. Also, we'd finish the border fence...and dig a moat. All the dirt taken out of the moat could be used to fill in New Orleans. Theresa also expressed interest in filling said moat with hungry pitbulls. I think this would help with overcrowding at animal shelters. I'd also abolish that damn law that says if you can sneak in and have a kid here, the kid becomes a citizen. No more of that crap. You'd have to present proof of citizenship within 24 hours or you, your baby daddy and the kid would be deported. In our dictatorship you'd also have to apply for a licence to procreate, to stop stupid people from breeding.
Not much else going on, work is still work. I go because I have to, not because I want to. If it weren't challenging, I'd probably be even more miserable. Not much you can do when you need the insurance. Less than 2 weeks to go until we leave for Hawaii, Sept. 12th, I'm uber excited to go. After that my favorite sister is going to be giving me her left(over) kidney a few weeks later, Oct. 7th. Sorry other two sisters, you guys are gonna have to step up to match Jens level. Lucy is still a PITA sometimes, we take her to the dogpark on tuesdays and thursdays to play with Scooter, a Black Lab / Beagle mix. (wouldn't that be a lab-bea ?) I also found an adorable 8 month old lab-bea on petfinder.com, but T has talked me out of it because it's really bad timing. Nothing too exciting.

you ain't nothin' but a hound dog

BMW GINA

I want one ! How freakin' cool is this thing ?

http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/06/bmw-builds-a-ca.html

the wait is over

I GOT A JOB!!!

Just wanted to let you all know that, as of September 29th, I will no longer be unemployed as I will begin training with the University of Phoenix to be an Academic Counselor!

YIPPEEEE!!!!!!

I got the job thanks to my buddy, Lindsay (who used to work there), and her husband (who DOES work there) - the two of them, combined, got my resume to the right people. YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!!!!

I'm taking a pay cut which, I know, isn't the worst thing in the world and there ARE more important things than money. But I'm at the point where I need to find a "career" and I finally have the chance to get back to doing what I originally set out to do with my Bachelor's degree. I didn't originally want to be an Academic Counselor, per say, but it's definitely a stepping stone into the world of helping people and the University of Phoenix has great benefits (including FREE TUITION!!). Plus, there are locations all across the country...which is helpful in case the future holds another relocation. I think it will work out well, though. One definite plus, too, is that the training doesn't start until the 29th...which means we can go on the cruise in Hawaii first and I won't have to worry about taking any time off!

Just thought I'd let you all know the good news - somebody out there DOES like me!!!

doggyspace olympics

As if we don't waste enough time online, we've signed Lucy up on DoggySpace.com. Hilarious?.........Maybe. Silly?.......I think so. Just plain WEIRD?.........Absolutely! But we still did it. With that being said, Lucy has something she wants to say:



Hello everyone! I just wanted to let you know that I've entered the Doggyspace Olympics. I've entered the competition for Best Barker and Best in Show. You should check me out and vote for me because I really really REALLY REALLY REALLY want to win!!

• Click HERE to vote on the video called "Lucy the Beagle barking"...and...

• Click HERE to vote on my video called "Lucy the Beagle doing tricks"

Thanks for all your help and support!!!!!!

Ok. You can all start calling the mental institution and committing us now.

ten questions for stephenie meyer

Joe was at dialysis one day...well, actually, he goes more than only once, obviously...but on one particular day he called me from dialysis and said to check out TIME Magazine online because Stephenie Meyer is taking questions on her books.

So I responded, "Yeah, sure. That's cool."

So I found the link online and typed in a question on how she came up with her characters, if they were inspired by real people, etc. etd. etd. And, honestly, I didn't think anything more about it because there were, literally, thousands of questions already posted there and thousands posted after mine (as I checked on subsequent days).

But Steph (Joe's sister) just forwarded me a link to the article where she picks some of the thousands of questions and only answers 10 of them. Guess who's question is answered first?

MINE!!

Weird, huh?

[Side Note: The article shows 2 pages worth of questions, meaning she actually answered 15 questions. But...even better...she answered ANOTHER one of my questions on the second page. So the first question and the second to last question were both mine. Too cool!]

Here's the link to the article:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1834663,00.html

And here's a link to the video where...............they say my name!!!
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1485842900/bctid1743153004

They totally reworded my question, but they got the jist of it, I guess. Anyway, I've already come to terms with the fact that I'm a twerd. So I guess there's no shame in posting about my geekiness. :o)

Enjoy!