Day 365

Wow... Day 365! I can't believe I actually made it! There were a lot of days I had trouble coming up with something to blog about (but I guess you had already figured that one out). I think I've come to the conclusion that not every day needs to be that noteworthy. It's okay to have some ordinary now and then. :) But, I intend to keep this blog and update everyone about our lives and the out-of-the-ordinary things that do occur.


Today's picture is a cross - the way St. Francis of Assisi liked to view it. It's also the Greek letter tau, used in mathematical work in many genres. Patrick's brother brought this back for us from a recent trip to Italy because he knew we'd appreciate the dual meaning.

Quote of the Day: "Lord, grant that I might not so much seek to be loved as to love." -- Saint Francis of Assisi

See you in 2011!

Day 349

I definitely intended to clean at the end of this week (after final grades were submitted)... and I think the house needs it!


Quote of the Day (as seen on the wall during my haircut): "You can't control everything. Your hair was put on your head to remind you of that fact."

Day 343

I was pleasantly surprised to find a $5 off coupon to Hallmark in my email this morning. Since I was planning to run a couple of errands near a Hallmark store today, I went in to see if I could find something in the $5 range. After debating some cards, I noticed that they had their huge rolls of gift wrap on sale: Buy 1 (for $4.99), get the second for $0.99. Perfect - with coupon, 2 rolls of nice wrapping paper for about $2! I started perusing the various patterns they had in bins throughout the store and thought I had settled on a couple of nice ones when I saw these:


I literally gasped out loud. (I'm sure the other shoppers thought I was nuts.) Patrick LOVES the comic strip "Peanuts," so I knew these were a must. I've already done most of my wrapping for this year, but next year, watch out!

Quote of the Day: "Christmas! The very word brings joy to our hearts. No matter how we may dread the rush, the long Christmas lists for gifts and cards to be bought and given--when Christmas Day comes there is still the same warm feeling we had as children, the same warmth that enfolds our hearts and our homes." -- Joan Winmill Brown

Day 342

I finished our Christmas cards today. We had 3 different designs, but I think this one's my favorite:

In even more exciting news, I finished Christmas shopping for our families today! Only 2 1/2 weeks until Christmas!

Quote of the Day: "Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts." -- Janice Maeditere

Day 340

Fancy paper and big envelopes... it's definitely job application season!

Quote of the Day: "When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us." -- Alexander Graham Bell

Day 339

Had to make a tough decision today:

Sorry, big guy - you're staying in the garage this year. We just don't have time to get you set up and enjoy you with our schedules this time. Please, no hard feelings. Keep in mind that you were out an extra month at the beginning of 2010 AND we got you these nice boxes this year so the bugs in the garage aren't eating at you. You'll be fine 'til next year, right? Right?

Man, I feel like Scrooge.

Today's Quote: "Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were." -- Cherie Carter-Scott

Day 337

After a loooong week, I sort of crashed at the end of today. I thought I might be getting sick, so I went through two bottles of Gatorade and even took my temperature.

Fortunately, it is looking like I'm just exhausted, so I'm off to bed. G'night!

Quote of the Day: "It is not the job of mathematicians... to do correct arithmetical operations. It is the job of bank accountants." -- Samuil Shchatunovski

Day 336

Back Story: About 3 weeks ago, I was working on my dissertation in my office one morning, and I noticed my laptop was running on battery power. I checked to make sure everything was connected properly, and still, the laptop wouldn't start charging. I ended up saving all my crucial files to a flash drive, shutting down the laptop to conserve the remaining battery, and calling Patrick to rescue me. Fortunately, he has a laptop of the same brand that he doesn't use terribly often, so he was able to loan me his power cord. He tested my cord with his laptop, and sure enough, my cord was toast. When we got back from Thanksgiving, he mailed it off to get a replacement through Best Buy and threw part of my power cord away, thinking it was junk. However, when the new cord arrived today, we realized that we were supposed to return the old cord... oops. Fortunately, we don't take out our trash terribly often... So yes, you guessed it -- I dug through an entire bag of trash tonight. Yuck. But, we did find the cord, and it is in decent shape considering it sat under food and other trash for five days. The best part is, tomorrow is trash day. So, if the new cord hadn't come today, or if we hadn't opened it immediately, the old cord would be history, and we'd be paying for it -- literally! Sorry for the long story. But, here's the guilty trash bag and somewhat disgusting power cord:


Quote of the Day: "True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it be lost." -- Charles Caleb Colton

Day 335

Christmas is coming... and so are the gifts I've ordered online!

And many thanks to Patrick for coming home early to wait for UPS to arrive... only to find they didn't show up until well after dinner!

Quote of the Day: "The proper function of man is to live - not to exist." -- Jack London (borrowed from a friend's facebook page)

Day 334

AAAACK! Christmas catalogs are already over-running the kitchen table, and it's not even December yet! (And yet, they are so fun to look through!)

Today's Quote: The lyrics to "Look Away" by Thousand Foot Krutch

She's everything to everyone
Wish I could have seen it come
Down but I heard it correctly.
It seems everything she knows is now
Five minutes to close and that's
Not a lot of time when you're nervous.

And they say don't look away, don't be afraid
When you want to turn back a million times.
It might get colder but wait til it's over.
Darling you'll find your way.
And she said

I will not look away this time,
Take all these cuts and make them shine.
And all this pain I feel inside,
So I can find my way home again.
I will not look away this time,
Take all these cuts and make them shine,
Don't wanna be perfect just alright.

He's on his way to nowhere
'Cause he heard it was safe there.
And safe is something valuable here.
He spent half his life searching
And the other half working
To find out if Jesus is real.

And they said son look away, don't be afraid
When you want to turn back a million times
And it might get colder but wait til it's over.
Son you will find your way.
And I said

I will not look away this time,
Take all these cuts and make them shine.
And all this pain I feel inside,
So I can find my way home again.
I will not look away this time.
Take all these cuts and make them shine.
Don't want to be perfect just alright.

And every time, every line, every time you want to say goodbye,
Every time, every line, every time you want to say goodbye sing.

I will not look away this time.
Take all these cuts and make them shine.
And all this pain I feel inside.
So I can find my way home again.
Take all these cuts and make them shine.
Don't wanna be perfect just alright.

She's everything to everyone
Wish I could have seen it come down
But I heard it correctly,
It seems everything she knows is now
Five minutes to close and that's
Not a lot of time when you're nervous.

Day 333

I have really enjoyed my OU Math Department hoodie:

But, I'm worried that it might be dead now. :( I was wearing it Saturday over my Razorbacks T-shirt for the football games, and when I took it off, I noticed these stains all down the arm (and, more faintly, on other parts of the hoodie):


You're seeing these after being stain treated twice with different stain products. :( Next step, the stain professionals (dry cleaners). Problem is, I'm not entirely sure what the stains ARE, so it's tough to know how to treat them. Bummer. I love that hoodie.

Quote of the Day: "Be pretty if you can, be witty if you must, but be gracious if it kills you." -- Elsie de Wolfe (borrowed from a friend's facebook status)

Day 323

Before Patrick started P90X, he had me hide his last stash of peanut butter M&Ms. Tonight, we got them out for date night. :) Also, you can see how chapped this weather is making my hands. :(


Quote of the Day: "Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend." -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Day 322

Relaxing on the couch watching The Big Bang Theory. :)

Quote of the Day: Heard the J. J. Heller song "Your Hands" on the radio this morning, and it just seemed to fit my mood. So, I am quoting the lyrics instead of simply someone's words tonight in hopes that it speaks to one of my blog readers, too.


I have unanswered prayers
I have trouble I wish wasn’t there
And I have asked a thousand ways
That you would take my pain away
You would take my pain away

I am trying to understand
How to walk this weary land
Make straight the paths that crooked lie
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine

When my world is shaking, heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave your hands

When you walked upon the earth
You healed the broken, lost and hurt
I know you hate to see me cry
One day you will set all things right
Yeah, one day you will set all things right

When my world is shaking, heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave your hands

Your hands that shaped the world
Are holding me
They hold me still

Day 319

Yes, this is our bathroom shower. Yes, I closed the curtain because the shower desperately needs to be cleaned. And yes, there is a reason that the shower is significant today:

I get cold easily. This is probably a shock to precisely none of you. However, once in a while, I get REALLY cold. As in, my hands and feet turn a lovely shade of purple, I shiver frequently, and I simply can't get warmed up. I have found that the most effective cure for this kind of cold is to just take a warm shower. Somehow, that manages to finally do what 4 layers of clothing / blankets cannot. So today, I am thankful for hot water and warm showers. :)

Today's Quote: "The true spirit of conversation consists in building on another man's observation, not overturning it." -- Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Day 317

Santa's helper was busy wrapping and organizing today. (Yes, I like to start early.)

Daily Quote: "Wisdom has two parts: 1) having a lot to say, and 2) not saying it." -- from a Dove Chocolate wrapper

Day 315

Couldn't bring myself to work tonight, so I baked instead. :) Pumpkin bread!

Quote of the Day (in honor of Veteran's Day): "This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." -- Elmer Davis

Thank you to all those who have courageously served to defend our freedoms and protect our nation and its people. We can't say enough about how this country values your commitment and the sacrifices you and your families have made.

Day 311

What's that hanging out in our fridge?

Leftover Cheddar Bay Biscuits from lunch at Red Lobster! Yum! And in case you're curious why they're in a baggie instead of a take-home box... well, they might have left the restaurant wrapped in napkins inside my purse. :)

Quote of the Day: "Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties." -- Helen Keller

Day 310

Patrick started P90X this week, so today he got himself a new "toy" (pull-up bar). I keep wanting to swing from it. Is that so bad?

Quote of the Day:
God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.
--Reinhold Niebuhr--

Day 309

I might have gone a bit overboard with the paper towel purchase yesterday...

In my defense, they were much cheaper per roll this way. Now I just have to find a place to store them, because I'm guessing "under the piano" isn't a viable long-term option.

Quote of the Day: "We've opened our minds so much that our brains have fallen out." -- a guy in my classes last fall during a discussion of critical theory - I thought it was so funny that I remembered it this long!

Day 307

Duo of the Day: 1. I finally caved and used the hairspray. My hair turned out better. I was a little bitter, because now I can't go without it again. :-P 2. The mouthguard... stress keeps getting to my mouth!

Quote of the Day: "Scratch the surface of most cynics and you find a frustrated idealist -- someone who made the mistake of converting his ideals into expectations." -- Peter Senge