I am so unoriginal, I can't stand it. But anyways...I'm borrowing this from Brooke.

1. WRAPPING PAPER OR GIFT BAGS?
I'm a gift bag girl. Reusable, less waste. I guess it's the hippie in me.


2. TREE--REAL OR ARTIFICIAL?
Again...my inner-hippie with a touch of allergies. While I love the smell and look of a real tree, I find that fake trees are much more practical for me. We have a pre-lit one. Anything that takes more than an hour to set up, won't get set-up by me. There's less mess with a fake tree and they don't make my skin itch like crazy when I'm decorating. I also worry about the fire hazard.

3. WHEN DO YOU PUT UP YOUR TREE?
December 1st...no sooner.

4. WHEN DO YOU TAKE YOUR TREE DOWN?
December 26th...I'm usually sick of looking at it by then. I'm ready to say goodbye to the previous year and get geared up for the next one. I can't do this with a tree in my house. Plus it gives me time to get things settled before I've got to head back to work.

5. LIKE EGG NOG?
No idea...I don't think I've ever had it.

6. DO YOU HAVE A NATIVITY SCENE?
Yes. It sits on top of our entertainment center. It's simple, but I like it.

7. FAVORITE GIFT RECEIVED AS A CHILD
My teddy bear that I got when I was 6 and my Barbie dream house.

8. HARDEST PERSON TO BUY FOR
Rich...he's impossible.

9. EASIEST PERSON TO BUY FOR
My mom

10. WORST CHRISTMAS GIFT
No such thing

11. MAIL OR EMAIL CHRISTMAS CARDS
Mail. I display them in my house during the holidays. I get e-mails everyday, but I don't always get a pretty card. I'd rather not get one at all, than to get an e-mailed card.

12. FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIE
Elf

13. WHEN DO YOU START CHRISTMAS SHOPPING
I do most of my Christmas shopping online. I don't do the general public at Christmas. I refuse to set foot in a Wal-mart from the day after Thanksgiving until after New Years unless absolutely, positively unavoidable. Also, Christmas drivers are scary. So to answer the question, I get an idea of what I want to buy right after Thanksgiving and then hit the CyberMonday sales.

15. FAVORITE FOOD TO EAT ON CHRISTMAS
Are you serious...all of it!

16. CLEAR OR COLORED TREE LIGHTS
I used to be all about some clear lights, but I'm kinda tired of them right now. I see clear lights every day of the year. Give me some color!

17. FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SONG
Carol of the Bells

18. TRAVEL DURING CHRISTMAS OR STAY HOME
Oh...to be able to stay in one place during the holidays. Wouldn't that be nice? I may just be a butt next year and tell everyone to come see me. I don't mind going on a day trip, but we visit 4 different places every holiday. That will immediately come to a stop once we have children. I love seeing everyone, but all the traveling we do every year ruins the holiday for me.

19. CAN YOU NAME SANTA'S REINDEER?
Let's see...Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen...is that eight? Yeah! Then yes.

20. ANGEL OR STAR ON TOP OF TREE
I've always had a star. They're just more fun to me.

21. OPEN PRESENTS CHRISTMAS EVE OR CHRISTMAS MORNING
Doesn't matter to me. The 4 days around Christmas just rolls into one big time period for me.

22. MOST ANNOYING THING ABOUT THIS TIME OF YEAR
The fact that I've had to look at Christmas stuff since October. This holiday has gone commercial and I refuse to treat it as such.

I've got some Christmas pictures to post, but I'll have to do that later. Rich bought me a new desktop for my birthmas (that's what we've dubbed things that apply to both my birthday and Christmas), so I'll probably be posting more often since I've got something new to play with. No promises though.

If I don't see ya...Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Bring on 2008.

I was planning on posting about the upcoming holidays this evening while making cookies, but I'm afraid my festive mood has taken a turn. While on Myspace a couple of hours ago, I found out that a girl I graduated high school with has passed away. I didn't know her very well, but I was in the drumline with her husband for 3 years. It's not so much that I've lost a close friend or anything, but I feel very sad for Jason and wish I could do something. I think the thing that bothers me the most is that she was only 25 and I have no idea how she passed away. It seems like every couple of years, I hear of someone I went to high school with has passed away. It usually takes a couple of days for me to fully digest this information because I will always remember these people as being young and full of life. Comprehending that that person is lying dead somewhere doesn't sit well with me, no matter how close I was to that person. I haven't seen either Cathy or Jason in years other than when Cathy found me on MySpace, but it just doesn't seem right. I looked at the pictures in her account and she looks just like she did in high school. She and Jason seemed very happy. I can't even imagine what Jason is going through right now. This would be my worst nightmare. Please pray for Cathy's family. I know that they miss her very much.

Thanksgiving...

Well, it's that time of year again. I love Thanksgiving. I think that's why I get so irritated when I see Christmas decorations up before this particular holiday. I feel like it gets seriously neglected. Do we REALLY need a WHOLE MONTH to celebrate Christmas? I refuse to allow Christmas decorations to go up in our house before December 1st. Rich hates this, but I refuse to lose November to Christmas. So in honor of Thanksgiving I'm borrowing from Brooke's blog and I'm going to list 5 things that I'm grateful for.

1) My family. I couldn't ask for a better group of people. My husband is the best. He helps with the housework, cooks, and even gives the occasional back rub. My parents couldn't be any better if they tried. They're always there for me. And even though my brother and I used to fight like cats and dogs growing up, we even voluntarily hang out together now. I'm very thankful for that.
2) I just found out today that my mom has qualified for a migraine study. She'll be receiving treatment in Birmingham. I realize that she may be in the control group of this study, but if this research will help to develop a treatment that will help with her migraines in the future, I can't help but be excited.
3) My education. I feel like even though I'm having trouble finding a job right now, every penny that I've spent on my education has been worth it. The longer I'm in school, the more humble I become. People leave high school feeling like they know everything they need to know. This feeling can even continue after 4 years of college. But nothing has made me feel like I have no idea what is going on than walking into a laboratory for the first time. I'm thankful for the realization that there is still a lot to learn.
4) My friends. I would be an absolute hermit if not for them. Seriously, I can keep myself holed up for weeks with enough books and movies.
5) The opportunities that I've had. I live in a country where people care enough to see that I'm educated, I know how to read and take care of myself. It's not like that in every country. I can't imagine living in a place where women are seen so beneath men that they are unable to do anything to better their lives without the permission of a man. God has truly blessed me.

I wish I had some pictures to post, but my camera is not currently working. Hopefully my new battery will be in soon. Well, I guess that's about all I have to say. Have a good Thanksgiving.

I need to vent for a moment, so bare with me if you will. I have reapplied for health insurance again. After being rejected the first time, they have so graciously (*this being said with very thick sarcasm*) offered me a $1000 deductable but I have to pay $500 towards my prescription medications before they will begin to cover my medications. After doing the math, I figured out my birth control pills run me about $480 a year. Well, isn't that convenient. I'll pay $1800 a year to get my yearly check-up, which only runs me about $200 total (including lab fees) and the off chance that I MIGHT get sick this year. (I usually don't.) Yes, I would be covered if I ended up in a bad car accident, my appendix ruptured, etc. But is it really worth it? I'm 25 years old. I RARELY get sick and when I do, it's usually the sniffles. I bet if I had a monthly presciption for Viagra or Cialis, BCBS of MS wouldn't mind covering that. Of course, if I quit taking the BC pill and got knocked up with an unplanned pregnancy. Well, my insurance won't cover that either. You wouldn't believe what they charge for maternity coverage on an individual policy. Oh! Not only will they not have to cover my pregnancy, but there will be another member of my family that will need health insurance. Even MORE MONEY in THEIR pockets! Ok, so let's say I go off the pill and have a "WHOOPS". I could just get on Medicaid and WIC, right? Surely, a couple where one is in graduate school and making $7.00/ hour can get some government assistance. NOOOOO! We make too much money. Are you serious? We don't even make the average medium income and now we have to support a child on top of covering all the other maternity expenses that my cheap ass insurance won't cover. I'm not trying to whine, but you would think that while I'm trying to better myself by going to graduate school, I wouldn't have to be terrified of my husband and I accidentally getting pregnant. Do you know how much interest I would make if I put that $1800/year into a high interest savings/money market account. I can't believe that the government allows this to happen and I know that there are others out there who are getting ripped off far worse than I am. Okay. I think I'm done. Sorry, but I just found this to be ridiculous.

Well, there's still not a whole lot going on, but I thought I'd post something anyways. I'm still job hunting with nothing coming of it yet. I'm currently writing my thesis and a manuscript in the futile hopes that I may one day finish this degree. I really think that if the right job came along, I would just jump ship and quit. I guess if that ever happens, I'll find out.
Rich and I went to Memphis this weekend for Paul and Becca's son's baptism. Rich is officially a godfather. Logan is so cute. I'm suffering from a mild case of baby fever, but this is easily overcome whenever I look at our checkbook and realize that I have no health insurance much less something with maternity coverage. I just have to keep putting my life on hold for school. That's what I really resent. I feel like this school is holding me back. It makes me bitter. It really is time for me to move on. No weight loss or new books or knitting projects to report on. I was able to do a little bit of shopping on the way home yesterday. I got a couple of new shirts (on sale, of course) at Ann Taylor Loft, a couple of new trousers (on sale, again) at Lerner New York, and a pair of the best fitting jeans ever at Belks. I broke down and bought (okay...Rich grabbed them and took them to the cash register before I could stop him) a pair of Lucky Easy Rider jeans. The were $100 for a single pair! Of course, being the tight-wad I am, I just about died and tried to take them back several times before we left the mall. It's not that I didn't need a pair of jeans (all my others either have holes or are too big). It's not that we didn't have the money (I'm cheap and hardly spend anything on myself...this irritates Rich for some reason). But I hate to spend that much money on clothes. I do really love what I bought though. I'll get over it in a few weeks.
Well, that's about it. Hope everyone is doing well, and I'll check back in later. Hopefully, with something more interesting to talk about.

Just wanted to check in and let you guys know we're still alive. Nothing much is going on. My laptop has crashed. I don't know why. I'm still applying for jobs and not hearing anything. Truthfully, I've haven't applied to anything new in about 3 or 4 weeks. I really need to get back on it. There's a couple of positions at St. Jude's that I'll probably apply for this week. Memphis would be a pretty cool town and we'd be closer to Rich's godson. I lost a pound. Go me! I'm still writing my thesis and hoping to do my defense in February so I can graduate in May. (Keeping my fingers crossed) Well, that about covers it. I'm going to get ready for bed. Later.

Just a short post today. Nothing much is going on. Work is still the same. I've managed to lose 1/2 a pound. Not much, but I'll take it over nothing . As you can see from the pictures, I've finished my purse. I'm very pleased with it. We're all doing well. Last weekend we were without AC for 2 days. Very uncomfortable, but we made it. I'm currently reading Homebuying for Dummies. We're not looking to buy anytime soon, but I always feel good going into something prepared. Hope everyone is staying cool and getting ready for football season. State's first game is this Thursday and my Fantasy Football draft is coming up in the next week, I believe. Geaux Saints!

Well, there's not a whole lot to post about this week. I haven't lost any weight. I haven't gotten any interviews. I did finish the hat and booty set I was working on for Paul and Becca's son. Here's a pic. They're not perfect. One booty is smaller than the other and I messed up on the ribbing in a couple of spots on the hat. Oh well. I'm still learning. It's the thought that counts, right?

I went to Yarns Downtown on Saturday and picked out my next project. I'm so excited about it. It's a purse and I'm almost done with the knitting, but I've still got to get it lined and pick out the handles and stuff to finish it up. I would have gotten it the other day, but I ran out of money. I sometimes can't believe how much yarn costs, but this purse is going to be worth every penny when it's finished. Here's some pictures of what I've done so far.

I'd love to get good enough at knitting that I could actually sell some of this stuff, but the materials alone cost more than $100 for this purse and that's not counting the man hours I've put in to making it. I'd have to charge $200 for this purse to see any profit out of it. How do people make money on making crafts and not go in the hole?

Tomorrow's payday...WhoooHoooo! I've got to get up and sit in on the Veterinary Parasitology class tomorrow morning. Mmmm. 8AM and parasites always go well together. The professors want to introduce us to the vet students so they'll know us when we start teaching and helping out with the labs. Like even half of them will even bother to learn our names. I finished my poster for the CVM Research Day. I've just got to figure out how to get it to the printer's. That stupid poster took me nearly 2 days to complete. But like Dr. Pote says, "It'll be another 'bean' on your CV." I already have a 2 page CV. Do I really need to make it any longer?

Well, that's about it. Tonight I'll go home, walk the dog, and run on the treadmill. Hopefully, I can get some more job applications out this evening. I guess I should just start applying for jobs that I don't qualify for and keep my fingers crossed. I'm more than qualified for some of these other jobs and I can't even get an interview. What's with that? Something will come up. God always sees to that.

Rich and I went with my parents to the Alabama Society of Traditional Bowmen this past Saturday. My mom got her new bow. It's really nice and shoots really well. Rich shot really well for his first time. Bonus: No one lost any arrows either. Those things can be pricey. The only downside was it was SO HOT. I was super grouchy by 4 in the afternoon. We stopped in T-town and had dinner at Wings (yummy, but I really wanted some Olive Garden...maybe next time). By the time we got home, we all showered and crashed for the evening.
I've just about finished my first baby booty for Paul and Becca's son. I'll take pictures once it's all finished and post them. I've had a good bit of trouble with this first one. I may knit a third one to replace this first one, if I don't like how it turns out. I'm going to Yarns Downtown (hey, hey...guess who figured out how to put links within the blog now) this Saturday to pick my next project and buy my supplies. I kind of want to attempt a purse or a sweater or there's also this really cute skirt in one of the pattern books my mom has. I just haven't decided yet, but I'll keep you posted.
I've added a couple of tickers to the blog. The first one is for our anniversary (just for sentimental reasons really and I really do believe that every year a couple remains married is a real accomplishment). The second one is to keep me accountable about my weight loss or gain whichever seems to be the ongoing trend at that moment. My eating has been exceptionally bad since the cruise last March and this weather is not motivating me to work out. I want to be a healthy mom when Rich and I decide it's time to have children and I'm really just tired of carrying all this extra weight around. I wish I could get Rich motivated, because if I had him trying to do this with me, I think it would be a lot easier. His suggestions of hamburgers and chicken wings for dinner are less than helpful.
Well, that's about all I have to talk about now. Later.

Well, as you can see, I have decided to update my blog. I finally figured out how to add links, so I posted a few of my favorite websites. I'm sure I'll add more later.
As for what's been going on...I finished The Time Traveler's Wife that I mentioned in my last blog. Very good book. I highly recommend it. After that one, I read HP7, of course. Again, excellent book and I highly recommend the whole series. I'm now reading the second book of Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles (The Vampire Lestat). So far it's pretty good. The past couple of weekends were spent at Campmeeting. Very fun, but seriously HOT! I believe Brooke has some pictures posted on her blog (The Mannings in the links list). I, of course, forgot my camera. The Biancas moved to B-ham. That's a bit of a bummer for me because the only thing I liked about living in Starkville is getting to hang out with them more often. Starkville officially sucks now. Hopefully, I'll be out of here soon. I've applied to about a dozen jobs, but haven't heard from any of them. Talk about a blow to the ego. I'll just have to keep trying, I guess. Until then, I'm still working on the Masters degree that will never end. Rich's new firm is starting up today. He's dreading it, but I told him to go in there with a positive attitude. If you've already decided that it's going to suck, then it will. I'm still knitting. I'm working on a hat and booties set for Paul and Becca's son who should be here soon. They are in Tennessee colors, of course. I've finished the hat and am working on the first booty. I'll post pics soon. I've got to decide what my next project will be.
Well, I've got to go take care of some fish. I'll post again soon.

Well, I've finished Week 1 of the Couch to 5K program. So far, I'm feeling really good about this whole running thing. I was a little sore the first day, but I've been fine since then. It hasn't been that hard yet, but I'm sure next week will be much tougher.
I'm going to Monticello to visit my grandparents this weekend. I feel bad since I haven't been there since Christmas and there's no telling when I'll get another chance to make it down there again. I can't wait to get a job with some vacation days. It's hard to take off time when you've got bills to pay and you don't have any paid time off.
I've started reading The Time Traveler's Wife. So far its pretty good, but I"m only 3 chapters into it. Well, gotta go.

Ok. So I BLATANTLY FAILED the 30 day picture challenge. I'm okay with that though. The problem was that I kept taking pictures, I just wasnt' posting them. This just isn't a daily thing for me. Sometimes, I just don't have anything to say. I also like to marinate on things before I say them sometimes. It lets me get my thoughts in order. So here's a recap of what's been going on the past few weeks.
First of all, I'm on the job market. If anyone knows of a lab tech position let me know. Anywhere but the city of Starkville, MS will work for me. I don't really like it here, although Rich just can't understand why. There's nothing to do here but drink. After a while, that gets REALLY BORING. Especially when there's a bunch of drunk 18 year olds driving around. I fear for my life every weekend. I have no desire to live in a college town anymore.
During the last week of June, we experienced just about all the major aspects of life. Rich's grandmother passed away. We will all miss her very much. Rich took it really hard, but he's getting better. Campmeeting just won't be the same this year. That Tuesday, Mike and Jen had their 3rd child, Sean Thomas. And that Saturday, our friends Nate and Keri got married. That was a very crazy week that I don't ever want to relive.
The 4th of July was nice. We just hung around all day. That evening we had Mike and Jen and their kids and some other friends over to sit on the back porch and watch the fireworks at the Sportsplex. We've got an excellent view and we don't even have to leave home. The kids seemed to really enjoy it.
Rich has recently followed in my father's footsteps and has gotten into traditional archery. No compound bows here. Rich purchased a recurve bow and is now practicing for his first shoot. He really seems to enjoy it. The shoot is the first weekend in August at Tannehill Park outside of Birmingham. I'll let you know how he does. I want to get a longbow and get involved a little later, but right now, I just don't have the time to dedicate to practicing. Between school, job hunting, knitting, and reading, I don't have a whole lot of free time.
I've also decided to pick up running again. I'm going to start this evening. I'm doing the Couch to 5K program and tracking my calories and exercise on Sparkpeople.com. I lost a lot of weight last year by doing this. The only thing I'm going to change is I'm going to run outside instead of the treadmill when I can. I'd like to do a 5K, but I can't run outside to save my life. I think that the treadmill keeps pace for my inside, but when I'm outside, I run much faster than I should and can't run very far at all. Hopefully, by January, I can get down to my goal weight. It's not that hard. I just have to do it.
Well, Rich just woke up and its getting late this morning. I better go get my shower and get ready.

Photo Challenge Day #4:

When are we going to get it? When is the government going to step up and put some restrictions on the gas companies who are hell bent on raping the middle class of America? When will Americans realize that we don't need giant gas-guzzling vehicles to get us where we're going? For those people who drive through the city in their shiny Hummers that have obviously never seen and will never see "off road", I AM giving you a dirty look while you drive down the road making it harder for those of us without money to flush down the toilet to afford the gas we need to get ourselves to work everyday.

Sorry I forgot to post a picture yesterday. I have strep throat and blogging just got delayed. It's sad because I was only to day 3. I'll continue posting tonight.

Photo Challenge Day #3:

Sorry, but today's photos are pretty lame. I went to work from 7-9am this morning and then came home because I'm still running a fever and I'm going to feel really bad if I get someone else at work sick. So I got the absolutely necessary stuff done this morning and came home. Most of my day has been spent sleeping on the couch and reading a book. Good news...I haven't felt like eating all day.

Seeing as how I haven't seen anyone or done anything today, there just wasn't much to take pictures of except me, my dog, and my book. So that's what I did. Sorry for the lack of make-up and bed head, but I wasn't feeling very motivated today.

Picture Challenge Day #2:

So today I'm posting a picture that was actually taken last week. A lot of people, including Rich, don't quite understand what it is I'm studying for school and what my research actually involves. So I'll take a moment to explain it. The posted picture is of me and one of our student workers gathering mud from the bottom of a catfish pond. The dog swimming in the picture decided to join us for a swim. She was a sweetheart. In that mud, I'm looking for a certain species of oligochaete (big word for worm) that sheds a form of the parasite known as an actinospore. This actinospore floats in the water until it encounters a fish. It then infects the fish where a cyst containing myxospores (these look like sperm) forms. Once this cyst ruptures, the myxospores are ingested by the worm and the cycle continues. There are several different species of these organisms in catfish ponds. I am studying these species and seeing how they relate to each other morphologically and molecularly (kind of like CSI).

On another note, Rich and I have gotten sick. Ugh. I was running a fever most of the day, but I think I've finally broken it. We'll see how I'm feeling tomorrow. Until then...

So I've been inspired to try the whole post a pic everyday blogs. While I feel that my everyday life is pretty boring and I don't have any cute kids to post pics of (unless you want to count my dog...and I pretty much do, except she only has so many facial expressions that she can make), I thought I might take a whack at it anyway. So for today, I'm posting a picture of the 2 projects I've knitted since I started a few months ago. Every time I finish something, I feel like I've actually accomplished something. That means a lot to me right now, seeing as how finishing my master's degree may not happen. (long story short...funds are running out and my research isn't complete...and I will not be taking full blame for how this has come about.) While on that note, I'm looking for a job. Anyone out there who knows of a lab in need of a technician, please notify me. I would like to stay in the MS, TN, AL area, but that's not set in stone.

I knitted my first pair of baby booties and a hat recently. The booties are a little milestone for me since the main reason I wanted to start knitting was so that I could make my own knitted socks. The baby booties were an inexpensive way for me to learn the basics. I had a hard time with the double pointed needles, but I think I finally have the hang of it. Also, I'm not a big fan of the fuzzy yarn, so I don't know if I'll be working with that stuff too much. The scarf in the picture was really easy and I really like how it turned out. My next project is a carrying bag for my yoga mat. The one I have is really hard to get my mat into without tearing it, so I hope to have that done soon. I'll probably start on that after I finish my vacation scrapbook that hasn't been started yet even though we've been back for a month. Until tomorrow...

I have no idea why there is a huge space between the text and the pictures. Sorry about that, but at least I finally got them posted.

Guess who finally figured it out!

Carnival Imagination Cruise

We're baaaack! The cruise was fabulous. I've been trying most of the afternoon to get pictures loaded using Picasa, but it doesn't seem to want to cooperate. I'll try again later.

Just thought I'd drop in for a quick update. There's just not a whole lot going on in the life of Angela right now. I'm going to work and taking a class that I don't need (long story...trust me you don't want to hear it), just trying to keep things going. I've been working out 4 time a week for the past month in order to get myself ready for the cruise we're going on in March. I can't wait. It's going to be awesome. So far, I haven't really seen a difference on the scale, but I'm down a jean size so I'm going to take that as a positive.
I've been taking Poweryoga twice a week. I love it. This is definately something I will keep up. I just purchased a new yoga mat tonight. The one I have is a little thin on those hard wood floors. My knees don't fare too well with the thinner mats, so I bought a thicker one.
Delta turned 2 yesterday and my dad turned 46 today. Lots of birthdays. Last Saturday, Rich and I went to our neice's (Reese) FOURTH birthday party. How is that possible? Everyone must stop aging and growing up immediately! I demand it. I will not be 30 in 5 years (Rich only has 4...ha ha).
Well, I should get to bed (I know it's only 10:30pm, but, by golly, I'm not as young as I used to be). Goodnight.

Ok...well, the Saints sucked it up major last night. I find that being a Saints fan since I was little has led me to be very pessimistic about my favorite team (true Saints fans can't be too positive). I don't think it would have been possible for them to fumble the ball anymore than they did. Colston should really work on that for next year. Poor Drew Brees.
On the bright side, GO Colts! I was really pulling for them. If it would have been a Saints/Colts Superbowl, I still would have pulled for the Saints, but I will definately be cheering for the Colts on Feb. 4th. I don't feel that Rex Grossman has been consistent enough this season to deserve a Superbowl title.
There's always next year...

GO SAINTS!! I've got my Reggie Bush jersey ready and waiting...

And some pictures from New Year's. We had a little get-together at our place and then hit the casinos. I made $80 that night. Anytime I can turn a $20 bill into a $100...well, I'll take it as a good sign for the upcoming year.

New years 2006/2007

Guess who finally downloaded Christmas pictures onto her computer! Sorry this took so long, but I procrastinate (which we all know). It also took quite some time to figure out how to use Picasa, so I hope this works. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Christmas New years 2006