Good Boy

Below is my little brother's facebook status the other day...

Nathan is real tired. 8:57pm

On facebook, you can comment on peoples' status... So I had to comment.... And below is how the conversation transpired...

Tiffany Alexander Baker at 9:05pm January 28
why? Didn't you have the day off today? :D

Nathan Alexander at 9:08pm January 28
i was shoveling the 11 or so inches of snow off our freakin driveway so mom could get her ST00PID car out. THAT'S why i'm tired. i am just exhausted.

Tiffany Alexander Baker at 9:11pm January 28
aw... you are such a good boy! and that stoooopid car of mom's is probably going to be yours soon. So be nice to it you spoiled rotten kid you....... I'm still a little bitter about Mom and Dad taking you to Cancun and NOT ME.... Seriously.... YOU SUCK

Nathan Alexander at 9:11pm January 28
we are gonna skate the CRAP out of cancun oh buddy.

Tiffany Alexander Baker at 9:12pm January 28
YES... that is ABSOLUTELY EXACTLY what I would do if I were going to Cancun also....AB.SO.LUTE.LY..... :D

Tiffany Alexander Baker at 9:12pm January 28
Is Mexican skating really that different from North American skating? I never knew... and have ALWAYS wondered......

LOL.... I do make fun of him a lot.... But I'm just joking around... After reading through the conversation a few times, I realized a few things...

1.) I want to remain a 'friend' to my brothers. Almost like a 'peer.' I realize that I am eight to ten years their senior, but I try REALLY hard to stay on the cool side of adult with them. My parents can be their parents.

2.) That doesn't mean that I don't want to be a good role model to them, like my parents.

3.) I do think it says something that Nathan shares his facebook profile with our whole family. You are allowed to post pictures of yourself and your friends can put pictures of you on there. Also, you can tell about yourself and add different things that kind of tell about you. He is willing to share all of this with all of us: Kayla, Me, MOM AND DAD.

4.) I think this proves the boys are good kids. Dang, I'm not sure I would have been willing to share that part of my life with my 'rents at his age.

5.) I think the conversation above says a lot about Nathan as a person:

a.) He is tired because he SHOVELED SNOW IN OUR DRIVEWAY ON HIS DAY OFF SCHOOL because HIS MOM'S CAR WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO GET OUT.

B.) He knows he's spoiled.... He knows it so well that he doesn't acknowledge it at all.

c.) The spoiled rotten kid is going to Spring Break with Mom and Dad to Cancun. He's a Freshman in High School. I would've most likely gone with my parents when I was a freshman, but I CERTAINLY wouldn't have thought about SKATEBOARDING while I was there.

GOOOOOOD NIIIIIGHT, that is a good boy. And I couldn't be a prouder.....mentor.....peer.....sister.....friend.....alright..... ADULT..... GRRRRR....... ;D

LOVE YOU, NATHAN!

SNOW DAY

I remember in Elementary school I would watch the news the night before it was supposed to snow a lot. I would hope that school would be closed or at least that we would have a two hour delay the next day. I couldn't imagine the days that I worked forty hours (or sixty hours if you are talking about my last rotation) a week and didn't get snow days. And I am still not able to imagine those days!

Wednesday we had a snow day at work! It was amazing! I must also tell this, though......I woke up at 6:00 am to check the news channel to see if our building was closed. It wasn't. I set my alarm for 7:00and went back to bed. I left the apartment at 7:30 that morning. Luckily I had my snow boots up to my knees that day. There was over a foot of snow outside. And it was still snowing.

Mark purchased a carport for me when it started getting cold. There was only one available and he let me have it! :) I was easily able to get out of the carport. Then the road came. Mark and I live on very busy roads. They are always well kept. Not Wednesday morning. They were covered in snow! I called Mark to warn him that he probably wanted to wake up early because he was going to have to DIG his car out if he wanted to go to work. Then I called one of my co-workers to see if he had made it safely.

That is when he told me our building was closed. That is when I realized I couldn't turn around. That is when I realized I should have checked the internet one last time before I left the apartment. That is also when I realized that I couldn't turn around. I had to drive WAAAAY out of my way to get to our apartment. I finally did, though.

I got stuck pulling into the carport. haha* My husband had to help push and dig me out for about 45 minutes. He was happy. And dressed in business casual. lol... We FINALLY got it in the carport about 8:45. Mark finally left for work around 11:00... He got to work about fifteen minutes later... Sheesh. Only two hours late. :D

Essentially I blogged all day. And scrapbooked. I wonder what I did on my snow days ten years ago? Probably not that.....

HOCKEY GAME WITH THE OTHER LIMMYS

The LIMs all went to a hockey game last Friday. There ended up being 47 people in our group. It was a lot of fun! I didn't cry and there were three fights! None were as intense as the last one, though. All the fighters had thier pads on. I am disappointed to say that I was disappointed in myself for being disappointed. Did you follow that? :D

Some of the crew at the hockey game
This was the mascot of the other team. It was a creepy hawk. It is kind of hard to show, but the hawk was about a head shorter than me. It was soooo creepy. haha*

Afterwards, some of the crew went to a bar nearby. Ellen and I acted gangster.. Pretty standard....

See those cards all over the table? We played drinking games with some cards from the bar. ((Needless to say, I used LOTS of hand sanitizer. haha)) You get what you pay for, I guess...... These were two of the cards in one of the decks they gave us. Hmmmmmmm.....

When Mark and I left that night, we talked about how much drunker everyone was acting than us. Then I realized why, after looking at the pictures..... That tequilla shot a lot of them took.... Not partaking was a good choice... :D

One of the things I looooove about my husband is that I can throw him into a crowd of people where he can know NO ONE and he will make some best friends by the end of the night... Which is what happened here... Here he is playing cornhole with one of his new friends, Whitney.

Teh bar had a cute little set up for us to play indoors.

Wow.....

Ellen wanted to dance. She said it was too bright in the bar, so she unscrewed the lightbulbs in some of the lamps. It definitely helped set the mood. lol

I really like this one because Mark looks like such a creeper. lol... Like I said before, Mark didn't know anyone and there were two cornholes games set up. Mark's partner, Ken, asked before we chose teams if I wanted to be on a team with my husband. He was surprised when I said no. We know each other! Why wouldn't we want to meet new people? That's how we roll..... :D

Ellen and Christian

Calley and Katie

There is a good story with this one. This is Joe. I saw him at work on Friday. He asked if my husband was going to be out with everyone that night. I told him yes. I gave him Mark's name and instructed him to act like they were best friends as soon as he saw him at the game. It worked PERFECT! Mark was completely freaked out when Joe practically hugged him when he saw him at the game! lol.... Needless to say, by the end of the night.... There they were... telling me to take their picture because they were such great friends... Ahhhhh.....

This was just supposed to be a picture of Layle and Joe.. Then Ellen and Katie, the creepsters, wanted added to the pic... :D

I like to think this picture is proof we were there together.. :-) I love us!

Group shot of some of the LIMs

I like these girls.

Clearly no one was ready for this one... but me... haha

The Crew

I like her... Overall, it was a GREAT night! :-)

NEW ROTATION

I will admit that it is very bizarre to just switch locations and departments. I am excited to start my new job. The great thing about the program that I am in is the fact that I get to switch jobs every six months. After four switches, I get permanently placed in a department. I have been self-diagnosed with ADHD. So the switch every six months is nice. LOL…

I work in Foreign Military Sales right now. I was training on Tuesday and had a hilarious moment.. ((Hilarious to me, of course))….. The first country’s account that my trainer showed me was (Drumroll please)… THE CZECH REPUBLIC!! So0o0o, trying to make conversation, I said, “The Czech Republic?!!??! I lived there!”… To which the trainer (and a cliché accountant) replied, “Mmmm. So this is how you handle the account. Start here….” LOL… He didn’t care one bit. Not one bit of interest. Haha* Oh well….. Maybe later….

There are two people in my department that I have just met in passing. Both their cubes are COVERED in “I love Cats” stuff. I’m sure we have a lot in common. I cannot wait to get to know them better.

FREE AT LAST, FREE AT LAST

A great man said those words… And so did I… Monday at noon. The people of my rotation all took me out for lunch. It was my last day in the rotation. I have worked long, hard hours for that Department. I have learned SO MUCH and have met some really great people. I am s0o0o0o glad that I am moving on, though. It is a whole new adventure that I am undergoing. Bring it on.

PEOPLE WHO ARE HAVING A WORSE DAY THAN YOU

So last week my baby sister was at a party (at one of her best friends house) and got her purse stolen. The contents were thirty bucks, her digital camera (with pictures she hadn't uploaded), her boyfriend's car keys, her house keys, and her IDs. She was very upset about this, and was especially sad about the keys and IDs. She didn't want people to know where she lived... Especially not ones that were willing to steal from her at a party....

S0o0o0o0o the next day her friend was cleaning her house and found my sister's purse. The IDs and keys were in the purse, but the money and camera was gone. It was unfortunate, but at least she doesn't have to worry about someone robbing the house.

She was having a bad day when I talked to her. Which made me think. That sucks, but it really isn't that bad. It is going to be worse for the person who stole from her. But that's not my sister's job to handle. (God will handle that)....

I looked online today to see what types of things are happening in the world. What kinds of events are taking place IN OUR WORLD TODAY that we don't even realize?

These headlines and clips are from skynews.com and BBCnews.com:

So, without going on further, below are a few people in the world that are having a worse day than you.

Boeing is to cut 10,000 jobs this year in response to the eceonomic crisis.

Aid organisations in Sri Lanka are appealing for both sides to stop fighting to allow a quarter of a million civilians trapped inside the fighting zone flee to safety.

Man Kills Family After Losing Job
A man who shot dead his wife and five young children and then took his own life may have done so after losing his job, police in LA have said.


Boy, 4, Shoots Teen Babysitter
A four-year-old boy has shot his babysitter because he was angry with him for stepping on his foot.

Dad 'Kills Son Over Child Debts'
A father who initially claimed gunmen kidnapped his two-year-old son has been accused of murdering the toddler after being ordered to pay child support.

Care Home Murders: Nurse Charged
A care home manager, who is also a registered nurse, has been charged with the murders of three elderly residents.

At least 100 bodies have been found after a massacre on January 16 by Ugandan rebels in north-eastern Congo, the UN says

Boy Held 400 Hostage At Gunpoint
A 16-year-old youth has confessed to holding 400 people hostage with a pellet pistol at a Canadian high school.

Madagascar Riots: Bodies Found
Up to 37 charred bodies have been discovered in a department store in Madagascar's capital after some of the worst anti-government violence in years on the Indian Ocean island.

World growth 'worst for 60 years'
Developed economies such as Japan, the US and UK are in recession
World economic growth is set to fall to just 0.5% this year, its lowest rate since World War II, warns the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Zimbabwe cholera deaths top 3,000
Zimbabwe's water, sanitation and health systems have collapsed
The death toll from the cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe has now passed the 3,000 mark, the UN's World Health Organization (WHO) has said.

Children in Swat face bleak future
Many families in Swat district, in Pakistan's embattled north-west, are packing up and leaving after Islamist militants began attacking schools, reports the BBC's M Ilyas Khan, who is travelling in the region

Sex drive link to prostate cancer
Prostate cancer may be linked to sex hormones
Men who are more sexually active in their 20s and 30s may run a higher risk of prostate cancer, research suggests

Okay, I know the last one was random (and hopefully untrue.. :D), but these articles really put things into perspective. There is so much suffering in the world today. I hope this helps you think.

I love you, baby sister! I'm glad your wallet was found. I'm also glad you have a job. And your health. And a great life. You just need to buy a camera to capture how amazing your life is. :D

KINGS OF LEON CONCERT

Last Wednesday, Mark and I went to the Kings of Leon concert in downtown Indy. We had quite a crew and it was a lot of fun.
I got home from work late. (Around 6:00) that day. Not too shabby. The problem was the concert started at 7:30 that night and the rest of the crew was at my apartment pre-gaming since noon that day.

Needless to say, I walked into a whole bunch of sloppiness. They played drinking games until I was done getting ready. Then, when I was ready, I participated too... They chose to drink Bud Light.. Diet Coke was my choice of beverage... lol

The crew before we left for the concert! Just like my momma! You know that I had to get everyone together for a group pic!!

Chris and Adam wanted to take a picture of the picture from our wedding. Then I had to take a picture of them.. That's redundant, right? lol

All the boys enjoying the pictures in our stairway... :D We have a few of them... lol

This was just supposed to be a picture of Chrislyn and I.... Ummmmmmm... Thanks Mark and Matt... Boo....You Whores

Yeah for Kings of Leon!! I didn't know a word of their songs as of Sunday last week. Mark burnt me a CD... and boom.. instant fan=me.. lol

Cold and ready to rock!!

Not sure what kind of moment I captured here.. hmmmm....

The concert was a great time and I was really happy to have everyone come party at our house.. Even though I couldn't be there... lol

Wall Of Art

So I got this crazy idea last week that I wanted one of the walls in our apartment (that is pretty bare) to be COVERED in random pieces of art.... Here is why I looooooove my husband... He went right along with the idea.. Although he thought I was crazy... He even helped picked out the art...

PS... nothing was more than twenty bucks! :D

All done!!! I looooooove it!!! :D Not sure which one's my fav, though... hmmmmmmmmm

What is Real Life?

Today at church, we talked about what real life is. The church is doing a program called epic to intimate. In these discussions, the pastor gives the congregation a closer image of who Christ really is and what he wants for us.

He described real life as having three different parts:

Dependence- Dependence on God. Having Him be your strength in all that you do.

Growth- Recognizing that God recognizes that you are not perfect. But He does expect you to make progress and grow in your life.

Carrying- Be so confident in Christ that you carry the burdens of others in your life. You care for other people and want to help them as much as possible.


Also, don’t get caught up on these in your life:

Things
People
Pleasure

I do not struggle with ‘things.’ In fact, I have this fantasy of selling everything I own and seeing what I REALLY NEED to survive in this world. I do not care about a car, or a house, or having the right brand name on my clothes. That is certainly not for me… It used to be, but I have definitely evolved since those days.

I love people. Most of them, anyway. I know that Mark is my life partner, but I recognize that there needs to be ‘more’ in each of our lives than each other. He hangs out with his boys, I have my girls. We both have eachother’s families. But we both share a passionate love for Christ. He is very important to us, just as the people in our lives are.

I definitely struggle with pleasure. I need to work on this. I feel fulfillment through traveling. I love experiencing new things and I love adventure. I love going into the unknown and adapting in my own way. I think that these experiences help me evolve as a person, though. I need to keep in mind that Christ is the driving force in my life. I hope that through my travels, I can become more dependent on God, Grow in my faith in Him, and finally begin to carry the burdens of others and help them through their struggles.

Today's service was a good one... Happy Sunday! :D